USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 46
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parable. His acquaintance also lost an agreeable companion, a valu- able member of society as well as a faithful and valiant soldier."
Mrs. Johnson resided in Lancaster, till October, 1759, when she again returned to Charlestown, where she subsequently married John Hastings, jr., and the remainder of her life was spent. She had four- teen children, thirty nine grand-children and four great grand-chil- dren. She says at the close of her narrative. " Instances of longevity are remarkable in my family. My aged mother (Mrs. Susanna ( Hast- ings) Willard) could say to me before her death ' Arise, daughter and go to thy daughter, for thy daughter's daughter, has got a daughter,' a command which few mothers can make and be obeyed."
Mrs. Johnson being desirous of perpetuating the memory of her suf- ferings, in 1787, accompanied by Elijah Grout, Esq., and her daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Captive Kimball, made a journey to Weathersfield for the purpose of ascertaining the spot where her daughter was born, on the 31st of Aug., 1754, that she might erect upon it some memorial of the occasion. Again, in 1790, she made a similar journey. In 1799 again accompanied by Mr. Peter Labaree, who had been her fellow prisoner, she went to take another view, that "She might ascertain with more precision the memorable place." They were both agreed as to the spot-that it was on the north-east corner lot of land in Cavendish, about half a mile from the main road leading from Weathersfield to Reading. On being fully satisfied she determined to erect two stones ; one on the spot where Elizabeth Captive was born and the other on the spot where the Indians encamped, which were about half a mile from each other. She therefore engaged a stone cutter to do the work and to set the stones when finished, in the places which she had designated for them. But instead of obeying her directions he placed them both together on the main road leading from Weathersfield to Reading at the right hand on the way just as you pass the stream, and there they both have stood to the present day.
The inscription on one of these stones is this: " This is near the spot that the Indians encamped the night after they took Mr. Johnson and family, Mr. Labaree and Mr. Farnsworth, Aug. 30th, 1754, and Mrs. Johnson was delivered of her child half a mile up this brook.
When trouble's near the Lord is kind He hears the captives cry. He can subdue the savage mind And learn it sympathy."
On the other it is as follows : "On the 31st of Aug. the year of our
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Lord 1754 Capt. James Johnson had a daughter born on this spot of ground being captivated with his whole family by the Indians.
If mothers e'er should wander here They'll drop a sympathetic tear For her, who in the howling wild Was safe delivered of a child."
On one of these stones is sculptured what was doubtless intended for the figure of an Indian with gun, bow, arrows, tomahawk &c .; on the other, at the bottom, is a carving which was without doubt meant to rep- resent an infant in a recumbent position. The work is rudely done. If the figure at all represents the infant captive she must have been a sin- gularly proportioned child.
Mrs. Kimball and her husband, Col. George Kimball, resided after their marriage for a considerable time in Charlestown, where they had the following children : I. James, b. Jan. 13th, 1781; II. Benjamin, b. July 25th, 1782; III. Betsy, b. Dec. 30th, 1783; IV. George, b. March 5th, 1786. In 1798 they removed to the Province of Lower Canada, where she died, but at what time has not been ascertained. Mrs. Johnson, alias Mrs. Hastings died in Langdon, Nov. 27th, 1810; her daughter being present with her at the time.
August 30th, 1870, some of the relatives and descendants of Mrs. John- son and her fellow captives erected, in the beautiful cemetery at Charles- town, a monument in memory of their sufferings and virtues. A dis- course was delivered on the occasion on the early history of the town by Rev. Benjamin Labaree, D. D., grandson of Mr. Peter Labaree. Among those who were largely interested in the erection of this monu- ment we may enumerate the following : Mr. Levi Willard. Mrs. Harriet M. Baker, Mr. Charles Willard, Rev. Benjamin Labaree, Charles K. Labaree, William H. Labaree and Moses W. Shurtleff, of Waterbury, Vt
Children of Capt. James and Susanna (Willard) Johnson : I. Syl- vanus, b. Jan. 25th, 1748 ; m. Susanna Hastings, (dau. of Capt. Sylva- nus and Jemima (Willard) Hastings) b. May 29th, 1746. Ch. 1. Bet- sy, b. Jan. 12th, 1771 ; d. June 26th, 1849; 2. James, b. Dec. 30th, 1772; d. Feb. 19th, 1795; 3. John, b. 1778; d. Apr. 22nd, 1854; 4. Phineas, b. 1781 ; d. Nov. 18th, 1823: 5. William, b. 1782 : drowned Apr. 6th, 1804; 6. Susan, b. 1784; d. Dec. 29th, 1862.
The age of Sylvanus Johnson at the time of his capture by the In- dians with his father and mother was six years. He was with the Indi- ans three years, during which time he wholly forgot the English lan-
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guage but became perfect in the Indian, and so fully had his habits dur- ing that period become conformed to those of his Indian masters, that they were never subsequently eradicated, and he so much preferred the modes of Indian life to the prevalent customs of civilization, that he of- ten expressed regret at having been ransomed. He always maintained, and no arguments could convince him to the contrary, that the Indians . were a far more moral race than the whites. " He died, at Walpole, in 1832, aged 84 years, leaving the reputation of an honest and upright man." His wife died Dec. 7th, 1819.
II. Esther, (dau. of Capt. James and Susanna (Willard) Johnson) b. Dec. 23d, 1749 ; d. Jan., 1750; III. Susanna, b. Dec. 19th, 1750; m. Capt. Samuel Wetherbc (see Wetherbe); IV. Mary or Polly, b. Dec. 8th, 1752; m. Col. Timothy Bedell, of Haverhill, N. H. This of- ficer was originally from Salem, N. H., but settled in and became a prominent citizen of Haverhill, N. H. In 1775, July 6th, he was ap- pointed captain of the first company of rangers. In 1776 he had com- mand of a regiment raised in the northern portion of the state for ser- vice in Canada. He did good service in the Revolution and afterwards enjoyed largely the public confidence ; and besides holding important civil offices was Major General of the 2nd Division of N. H. Militia. He was the ancestor of Gen. John Bedell, a distinguished officer of the late Union Army ; V. Elizabeth Captive, a notice of whom has already been given ; VI. James, (son of Capt. James and Susanna (Willard) Johnson) b., at Quebec, in Canada, 1756, in Dec. and d. the same day ; VII. James -, b., at Leominster, Mass., March 12th, 1758 ; died the middle of the May following, (see John Hastings, jr.)
THOMAS AND MARY JOHNSON. Ch. Michael, b. July 5th, 1785.
JOSEPH AND MARY JOHNSON. Ch. I. Seth, b. Apr. 23d, 1786; II. Bulkley, b. Feb. 17th, 1788; III. Josiah, b. Oct. 6th, 1789; IV. Jc- seph Hunt, b. July 15th, 1791 ; V. Emma, b. July 13th, 1793; VI. Mary Jane, b. June 7th, 1795.
JOSEPH AND ANNA JOHNSON. Ch. Polly, b. Aug. 23d, 1797.
JEREMIAH AND THOMAZZEN (GIBSON) JOHNSON. Ch. I. Mary Deusbury, b. Feb. 19th, 1789; II. Thomazzen, b. Jan. 25th, 1790.
ICHABOD AND RUTH (GROUT) JOHNSON. Ch. Silas, b. at Keene, N. H., Aug. 14th, 1800.
HENRY C. JOHNSON, (son of Ira and Diana (Downer) Johnson) b., in Thetford, Vt., Nov. 4th, 1827; m., Dec. 29tlı, 1855, Lucinda C. Dearborn, (dau. of David and Abigail (Eaton) Dearborn) b. in Cor- inth, Vt., Jan. 29th, 1830. Ch. I. Rollin, b. in Corinth, Vt., May
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24th, 1858 : II. Fred, b. in Eden, Vt., Dec. 16th, 1861; III. Bessy, b. in Albany, Vt., March 4th, 1865. Mr. Johnson settled in Charles- town, Apr., 1869.
JOHN JONES, (son of Samuel and Elsie Jones) m. Apr. 8th, 1821, Nancy Woods (dan. of Noah and Mehitable Woods) b. in Stoddard, N. H., March 13th, 1802. Mr. Jones d. Jan. 10th, 1854. Ch. I. Nancy, b. Oct. 13th, 1822, d. Nov. 25th, 1822. II. Sarah, b. Oct. 11th, 1823; d. July 19th, 1843. III. John Stillman, b. June 23d, 1825; m. Rebecca Loveland, Jan. 30th, 1846. Ch. Ellen, Mary Ann, Indiana, George, Alice, and Martha Bowman. IV. Mary Octava, b. Aug. 28th, 1827 ; m. 1st, March 19th, 1850, George Parker, of Northfield Vt., an engineer on the Sullivan and Vt. Railroad. Mr. P. d. May 2nd, 1863; m. 2nd, Oct. 1st, 1865, Alonzo P. Clifford, of Northfield. V. Charles, Ferren, b. May 14th, 1829; m. Susan Anderson, Feb., 1855. VI. Nancy Ann, b. March 16th, 1832; m. 1st, March 16th, 1853, Wallace Ladd. Mr. L., d. July 10th, 1853; m. 2nd, Lewis C. Lovell, Aug. 28th, 1856. VII. George Franklin, b. Aug. 12th, 1831; d. July 1st, 1835. VIII. Stephen, b. Sept. 10th, 1837; m. March 1861, Ellen Moore. Ch. Frank Stephen, b. Aug. 2nd, 1861. IX. Henry Hurlburt, b. Jan. 15th, 1840; m. 1st, Julia De Lana, Jan. 12th, 1861. Ch. 1. John ; 2. Katie; m. 2nd, March 11th, 1875, Mary Louisa Franciola. X. Rebecca, b. Aug. 5th, 1841; m. Feb. 10th, 1855, S. C. Webster. XI. Sarah, b. Dec. 25th, 1843. Charles F. Jaseph, son to Sarah, b. May 4th, 1863.
CALVIN AND MARY (FARWELL) JUDEVINE. Ch. I. Betty or Bet- sy, b. Dec. 27th, 1779; m. Bulkley Holton (see Holton). II. Jo- seph, b. Jan. 14th, 1782 ; m. Hannah Powers and removed to Concord. III. Josiah, b. June 18th, 1785. IV. Moses, b. in North Charles- town, May 17th, 1789; m. Abigail Hubbard, b. in North Charles- town, May 17th, 1789-both d. in North C. He d. Feb. 28th, 1842- his wife Aug. 3d, 1843. Ch. 1. Jotham H., b. July, 1810; d. 1831; 2. Catherine, b. March 3d, 1812; m. Bulkley Holton, jr., of Thetford, Vt., and died there, Apr. 18th, 1869 ; 3. Sarah, b. Feb. 7th, 1814 ; m. Joshua Walton, of Hardwick, Vt.,-living in Hardwick in 1875. 4. Abbie, b. Dec. 11th, 1815; m. Dr. Horace Saunders. (See Saunders.) V. Luther, m. April 4th, 1802, Prudence Hutchins, dau. , of Captain Phineas and Abigail Hutchins. Ch. 1. Harriet, b. Ang. 16th, 1804. 2. Matilda Hutchins, b. June 15th, 1815. 3. Albert, b. July 29th, 1821.
WILLIAM AND PATIENCE JUDEVINE. Ch. I. William Judevine,
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jr., m. Dolly Ch. 1. Harry, b. May 7th, 1794; 2. Anna, b. May 18th, 1795. 3. Patience, b. June 13th, 1796. II. Luther, b. Aug. 22nd, 1788.
ALPHEUS KENDALL, b. in Sullivan, N. H., June 2nd, 1802; m. Meroa Dodge, b. in Stoddard, N. H., Apr. 20th, 1803. Ch. I. Alphe- us Sparrock, b. in Sullivan, May 30th, 1831 ; II. Dauphin Warren, b. in Sullivan, June 30th, 1833; III. Rhoda Ann, b. in Danville, Vt., Feb. 17th, 1836; IV. Lyman Austin, b. in Danville, Vt., Oct. 2nd, 1837; V. Mary Antoinette, b. in Rockingham, Dec. 31st, 1841-Mrs. Kendall d. June 26th, 1861; burried in the village cemetery. Mr. Kendall came to Charlestown in 1844 ; d. 1875.
ROBERT KENNEDY, b. Aug. 17th, 1791; m. Betsy Chellis, b. Sept. 1793, and settled in Charlestown in 1819. Mr. K. died Dec. 13th, 1866; Mrs. K. Nov. 27th, 1826. Ch. I. Nathaniel Lowell b. May 2nd, 1822; m. Feb. 8th, 1847, Phebe Willard Carriel (dau. of James and Mary (Reckard) Carriel) b. Oet. 4th, 1827. (See Carriel). Ch. 1. Julia Elizabeth, b. Sept. 3d, 1848; 2. Ida Rebecca, b. April 5th, 1854; 3. Agnes Mary, b. April 23d, 1856; d. March 26th, 1872; 4. George Henry, b. Nov. 19th, 1858; 5. Helen Phebe, b. Feb. 22nd, 1862; 6. Nathalie Ruth, b. Sept. 7th, 1867; 7. Newton Lowell, b. May 23d, 1869. II. Benjamin Chellis, b. Feb. 16th, 1824; d. in Sept. 1848. III. Robert Henry, b. Nov. 17th, 1826 ; d. March 22nd, 1863. He was shipwrecked in a storm, near Newport, R. I.
WILLIAM AND JENNY KIMBALL. Ch. I. Mary, b. at Lunenburg, Mass., Jan. 6th, 1761. II. Eliphalet, b. at Ashburnham, Mass., Dec. 9th, 1762 ; III. Ansel b. Sept. 6th, 1765; IV. William, b. Jan. 17th, 1767, at Springfield, N. Y. (Vt.) V. Edmund, b. Sept. 7th, 1771, at Springfield.
RICHARD AND BETSY KIMBALL. Ch. I. Henry, b. Dec. 13th, 1813; II. Eliza, b. Apr. 2nd, 1816; III. Nathan, b. Apr. 5th, 1818.
George Kimball, father of Brooks Kimball, Esq., was born in Tem- ple, N, H., July 6th, 1775, and married May 5th, 1799, Catherine, daugh- ter of Nathaniel Shattuck, b. March 11, 1781. He settled at first in Temple but removed about 1806 or 7 to Mason village where he died, June 16th, 1813. He was a blacksmith by trade and had eight chil- dren all sons all of whom learned and followed at least for a time the trade of their father.
BROOKS KIMBALL, the 2d son, b. Jan. 14th, 1802, m. Aug. 14th, 1827. Priscilla Vinal Bisbee, b. Nov. 23d, 1809, in Springfield, Vt. Mrs. Kimball is a descendant of John Rogers the Martyr by the follow-
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ing line : 1 Mary Rogers daughter of the Martyr became Mrs. Mary Goddard. 2. Mary Goddard, daughter of Mary, married John Vinal jr. 3. Jacob Vinal, son of John jr., married and had a daughter Pris. cilla. 4. Priscilla daughter of Jacob, married Samuel Litchfield. 5. Hannah Litchfield, daughter of Priscilla, married Levi Bates. 6. Cyn- thia Bates, daughter of Hannah, m. Elijah Bisbee. 7. Priscilla Vinal, daughter of Cynthia, married Brooks Kimball, Esq. Mr. Kimball after his marriage remained in Springfield till 1835, when he removed to Charlestown where he has since resided and is a very well known as well as an intelligent and reputable citizen. He has three times rep- resented the town in the legislature viz. in 1851-57 and-58. He was also one of the selectmen in 1843-44 and in 1850-51. He has the fol- lowing children : 1. Charles Carroll, b. Oct. 2nd, 1829; m. May 31st, 1860, Olive Phillips Hastings, (dau. of Oliver Hastings, jr.) (See Hast- ings); b. Sept. 16th, 1831. Ch. I. Kate Hastings, b. June 9th, 1861. 2. Charles Oliver, b. Apr. 28th, 1866. 3. Ruth Vinal, b. Nov. 16th, 1875. Charles C. Kimball represented the town in the Legislature, in 1860 and 61 and again in 1875 and 76. He was town clerk in 1858 and 59 and was appointed to fill a vacancy in the office occasioned by the death of Col. Jonathan Baker in 1866, since which he has contin- ued to hold it till the present time, (May, 1876). He is also Post Master, having been appointed, December 25th, 1866. Clerk in Conn. River National Bank, from Aug. 6th, 1866. II. Abbie Kate, b. Nov. 23d, 1834, in Springfield, Vt .; m. Oct. 10th, 1862, Henry Edward Bar- rett, (son of Edward and Orpha Winchester Barrett), b. in Rutland, Vt., May, 1836. Ch. 1. Annie Kimball, b. Jan. 1st, 1869, in Charles- town, N. H. 2. Henry Charles, b. June 9th, 1870, in Claremont, N. H., d. Aug. 1870. 3 Eleanor Louise, b. Nov. 19th, 1872, in Clare- mout. Resides in Brocton, Mass. III. Henry Clark, b. Mar. 22nd, 1837, in Charlestown ; m. Aug. 14th, 1861, Ellen Maria Spaulding, b. Feb.,11th, 1842, in Lempster, N. H. (Sec Albert E. Spaulding.) She d. Dec. 25th, 1874. Ch. Morris Grout, b. in Charlestown, July 7th, 1863. IV. Ellen Cynthia, b. Feb. 12th, 1846 ; in. March 3d, 1870, Sumner Foster, (son of Ephraim and Sybil N. (Mason) Foster ;) b. in Sullivan, June 28th, 1845. One child Carl Brooks, b. Dec. 2, 1870, in Charlestown ; d. Feb. 3d, 1871.
JOSEPH AND SARAH KING. Ch. I. William, b. Aug. 20th, 1778.
PAUL KNIGHTS, pub .- to Eunice Blood, July 1708. Ch. Shepley Willard, b. Dec. 4th, 1814.
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LABAREE.
PETER LABAREE.
PETER LABAREE, so widely known through the account given of him by Mrs. Susanna Johnson in her narrative of her captivity, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1724. His ancestors were Hugue- notts, and were driven from France through religous persecution. In Salem, after arriving at years of maturity, he followed the business of a ship carpenter till about 1750, when he removed to No. 4 and en- gaged in the employment of framing buildings. His name first appears in the Proprietors' Records as one of the grantees under the New- Hampshire charter. It next appears on two of the committees appoint- ed at the 1st legal meeting held subsequent to the organization of the town; viz. Aug. 14th, 1753. One of the committees was appointed to " examine into the title of each proprietor to his land in the township, agreeable to the charter ; and to make return of their proceedings to the proprietors for their approbation." His other appointment was to " be one of the assessors of the money to be raised at the meeting." From this time, his name frequently occurs in such connection with the affairs of the town, as to render it evident that he was regarded as one of its most reliable citizens.
The following account of his being taken by the Indians, and his captivity among and escape from them, is from a Historical address, delivered by Rev. Benjamin Labaree, D. D., at Charlestown on the 30th of August, 1870.
" At an early hour on the 30th of August, 1754, Mr. Labaree went to the house of Mr. Johnson, (see James Johnson and family) to per- form some service in the way of his vocation, and was taken prisoner with the family. He was accustomed to keep a journal, in which some entry was made every day in the year, when circumstances would per- mit. After his return from captivity, he entered in that journal, an account of his journey to Montreal ; his treatment while there, up to the time of his final escape. He says, " they were carried northward about seven miles, then crossed the river, and set out for Crown Point. The second day, they were detained about ten hours by the illness of Mrs. Johnson. She was then put on horseback, and the journey con- tinued. over hills, and mountains, for several days, when they made a halt on the waters of Otter Creek. The Indians went out to hunt, for they had killed and eaten up the old horse on which Mrs. Johnson rode over the mountains, and they were all beginning to be hungry. Hav- ing crossed the main stream of Otter Creek by the Great Falls in Rut- land, in a few hours they reached the lake, and were received by the
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French the next day very kindly. Their next point was St. Francis, the home of the Indians. Stayed here " says the journal," a few days and then started for Montreal ; and when arrived there, I was sold as a slave. Went to the home of my new master', and he took me to the interpreter to tell me, that he had bought me of the Indians, and to ask me if I was able to pay what he gave for me, which was two hun- dred and fifty livres. I told him I could, if I could get word to my friends. After Mr. Johnson had permission to go home to obtain means to ransom himself and family, I went to my master, and asked him how much I must pay for my ransom ? and he said five hundred livres. I told him that when I first came, it was but two hundred and fifty, and now I had wrought for him three months, it was double, and said I, what will it be if I stay a year ? Will it be one thousand ? He said he could not tell. Then I thought I had better wait no longer, but send for the money by Mr. Johnson.
Soon after, I drew a petition asking the General Secretary, if I must pay the five hundred livres. If it was according to the Christian law, that a white man should be taken in peaceable times, and sold as a slave. The General Secretary asked me to step into another room, and then said, " Mr. Labaree, the Christian law is not in this country, but the Christian law of this country is what Mr. General says, that is the law here." Nothing was heard from Mr. Johnson for several months, and as the French supposed he did not intend to return, they treated the prisoners with great severity. But says the record, he came at length, and brought money to pay my redemption. After I had paid, and asked the liberty to be sent home, they immediately put Mr. Johnson into jail, and that put an end to our expectation for the present time. And we were told, that no such thing could be granted to us; for the Governor who gave Mr. Johnson the parole had died during his absence, and with him had died the bargain. Thus our hopes were frustrated for the present, though they held out the prom- ise until they had received our money ; then told us, we could not be sent till there came a flag of truce. So we were forced to content our- selves as well as we could, and that was but poorly, for after so many trials and sufferings in this place, we were anxious to get away."
In such a state of mind, and after such repeated instances of injus- tice and insincerity on the part of the French, he very naturally con- cluded to take the matter into his own hands, and make his escape the first opportunity. It was a perilous undertaking. Albany, N. Y., must be the first point of his destination ; and between that and Mou-
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treal the place of his departure, there lay an interminable forest, traversed by mountains, intersected by rivers, and abounding in swamps, and morasses difficult, if not impossible, for a stranger to cross. It was also in early Spring, when the streams were swollen by the rains, and dissolving snow. The distance to Albany by the circuitous route he would be compelled to travel, could not be much less than five hundred miles. Not a civilized man to give him food, or fire, or shelter, but most of the journey would lead through the territory of the Indian tribes, who were ever ready to capture, to scalp, or to kill the white man. The manifold hazards of the adventure, were not un- known to him; but what shall he do? For almost three years he had been absent from his family, most of the time overtasked with la- bor, deceived, defrauded, and so far as he could see, this treatment and mode of life awaited him in the future. This was a powerful re- pelling force, urging him away. On the other hand, his wife and chil- dren needed his presence, and were most anxious for his return; and this added to the natural love of personal liberty, drew him towards home with a power that no common obstacles, and no ordinary dan- gers, could resist. Knowing full well the perils of the enterprise, he plunged into the forest, invoking the aid of Providence to direct his steps. He travelled for the most part by night, guided by the stars and rested by day, lest he should be discovered by the Indians. His food was roots and wild berries, and the uncooked flesh of such ani- mals, as missiles from the hand could subdue; for the discharge of his fowling piece might attract the attention of the savages, and was therefore seldom resorted to. Thus guided and sustained, he pursued his long, wearisome journey through the forests to Albany,-was con- veyed thence to New York, and he finally reached his home in No. 4, early in the winter of 1757, after an absence of more than three years. In his annals of Charlestown, Dr. Crosby says, " Mr. Labaree made his escape from Montreal; and after a long and tedious journey during three days of which he travelled through a swamp to avoid dis- covery by the enemy, he arrived in New York, nearly at the same time with the others." Mrs. Johnson says, "My fellow prisoner, Lab- aree, had made his escape from the French, and had been in New York a few days before, on his return home." Mrs. Johnson arrived in New York from Montreal by way of England, on the 10th of December, 1757."
The swamp alluded to by Rev. Dr. Crosby, was very large, and al- most impassable; and lay directly between Montreal and Albany.
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On one side of this, there was a ridge, which was usually sought by all, who passed between those places. Mr. Labaree had lived long enough with the Indians to know that it was on that ridge, that they caught many of their prisoners who had made their escape. Profiting from this knowledge, he took the precaution to plunge into and pass through the swamp without seeking it. The water was about knee deep, and at night he rested on the trunks of old trees that had fallen. The time occupied in passing the swamp as stated above, was three days and nights. Soon after leaving it, he passed in sight of the camp-fire of a party of Indians who were returning to Canada, after one of their incursions on the frontiers, with the prisoners they had taken. They were engaged in a dance, and he was near enough to sec them cir- cling around the fire. Of course he lost no time in making the dis- tance between himself and them as great as possible.
Mr. Labaree on his return from captivity, took up three hundred acres of land, located about two miles north of the village to which he removed in 1760; and became at the time the most northern settler on the Connecticut river in New-Hampshire. This land is now divided, (Dec. 1874) into the farms of James Labaree, Francis Cram, Nelson Rich, and a portion of the farm of John Burnham. The labor of · clearing and preparing this land for cultivation, devolved on Mr. Labaree's two youngest sons, Benjamin and Rufus ; the time of the father being fully occupied by the demands of his trade. In this sec- tion, he became the great pioneer of improvement. He established the first district school, teaching himself one term. He also built the first school-house which was near the location of the present one in the district of No. 4. The second school-house was about fifty rods south of the present one, on the spot where the house, late Edmund Putnam's but now Abel Holden's now stands. The home of Mr. Lab- aree, before removing to his farm, was nearly on the spot at present occupied by our Town Hall, on Summer Street.
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