USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 51
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GEORGE PARKER (son of Joseph and Anna Upham Parker, b. in
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Nantucket, Mass., Apr. 8th, 1814; m. July 7th, 1839, Laura Parker, (dau. of Stephen and Mary (Bellows) Parker,) b. Apr. 28th, 1813. Ch. I. George Lewis, b. May 7th, 1841; d. Jan. 7th, 1842. II. Susan Sophia, b. Feb. 27th, 1844. III. Willie Leverett, b. Apr. 9th, 1856. George Parker came to reside in Charlestown in 1843.
AARON PARKS, b. Feb. 2nd, 1758; m. Anna Jenison, b. Jan. 11th, 1759. Ch. I. Calvin, b. Dec. 19th, 1784. II. Elihu, b. Apr. 29th, 1786. III. Aaron, b. Oct. 8th, 1787. IV. William, b. Nov. 5th, 1789. V. Nancy, b. May 17th, 1793. VI. Nathan, b. Apr. 17th, 1795. VII. Amos, b. Feb. 26th, 1797. VIII. Peter, b. Jan. 8th, 1799. IX. Fred- erick, b. Apr. 3d, 1801 ; m. and settled in Springfield, Vt., where he has done a prosperous business and amassed a large property which he disburses freely for benevolent causes and for all needful purposes. X. Harvey, b. Jan. 3d, 1803. XI. Thomas Jefferson, b. Dec. 31st, 1804.
DARIUS PARKS (son of David and Mary (Bingham) Parks) b. in Springfield, Vt., June 18th, 1804; m. June 25th, 1829, Lydia Far- well Shurtleff (dau. of Lazarus and Orpha (Willard) Shurtleff) b. June 8th, 1808. Ch. I. Julia F., b. Dec. 15th, 1830 ; m. James Jar- dine (see Jardine). II. Charles Willard, b. Sept. 25th, 1832; m. Jan. 1865, Elizabeth Kelty, of Fayston, Vt.,-has two children, Charles Edward and Lizzie Irene-resides in Acworth. III. Harriet, b. Sept. 3d, 1834; lives in C. IV. George Washington Sumner, b. Sept. 12th, 1836 ; m. Apr. 1861, Mariette Coffrin, of North Charlestown-has children, Frank Sylvester, Arthur George, Mabel Sophia, Ellen Ma- ria-resides in Unity. V. Charlotte Sophia, b. March 19th, 1839 ; m. George Olcott West, son of Enoch Hammond and Lydia (Fitch) West. (See West). VI. Fred Sylvester Bonaparte, b. June 12th, 1841 ; m. June 9th, 1868, Ella F. Smith, had one child, Estella M. He died Apr. 11th, 1869. VII. Marcia Eliza, b. Apr. 10th, 1844; m. March 27th, 1871, Robert A. Jaseph-resides in Keene. VIII. Sarah Chal- lis, b. Dec. 19th, 1847 ; m. Frank G. Willard, son of George Willard, (see Willard.) Darius Parks settled in Charlestown, Apr. 1st, 1836.
DAVID W. PARKS (son of Wendell and Ettie J. (Cone) Parks, of Westminster) b. Sept. 10th, 1818; m. 1st, Oct. 15th, 1840, Jane Elli- son (dau. of Caleb and Hannah (Baker) Ellison, of Chester, Vt.) Ch. I. Mary, b. Apr. 28th, 1841; m. Wesley D. Putnam (sce Putnam). II. Josie C., b. Nov. 11th -; m. 1st, Dec. 16th, 1863, Henry B. Graves -one child, Annie, b. Jan. 31st, 1865. H. B. Graves, d. Oct. 15th, 1865, and Mrs. Graves m. 2nd, May 3d, 1868, Oscar M. Welman.
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Ch. 1. Henry, b. Aug. 25th, 1869. 2. Emma, b. March 16th, 1871. III. Ada, b. Oct. 12th, -; m. March 12th, 1873, Gilson G. Silsby of Troy, N. H .; one child, Bertha, b. July 12th, 1875. Mrs. Jane Elli- son Parks, d. Aug. 31st, 1874, and Mr. Parks m. 2nd, March 24th, 1875, Mrs. Ellen Brown, widow of Schuyler Brown. Mr. Parks settled in Charlestown, Sept. 1st, 1840.
ADOLPHUS PARTENAY, b. in Canada, March 20th, 1848 ; m. Apr. 1st, 1870, Mary Parent, b. in Montreal, Sept. 19th, 1834-settled in C., June 28th, 1871, (shoe maker). Ch. I. Ida May, b. July 24th, 1872; II. Mary Jane, b. Feb. 9th, 1875.
The following biography of Dr. Edmund Pelouze and account of his descendants, was prepared for the History of Charlestown, by Ad- jutant General Louis H. Pelouze, of the War Department, in Wash- ington, D. C., in compliance with the invitation of Horace Metcalf, Esq., who, at the time was chairman of the Historical committee. It is published without change, and the reader will therefore take notice that it is not conformed to the usual order observed in the family reg- isters in this work. The arrangement is clear and the information given very full, except, concerning the author himself, whose record is to be found in connection with the war of The Rebellion and the his- tory of the nation.
DR. EDMUND PELOUZE.
Dr. Edmund Pelouze was born on the island of Martinique, a de- pendency of France, in the year 1765.
His father held the commission of captain in the French army, and served with distinction through five campaigns, during the seven years war, under the command of the brave General Marshal Victor Fran- çois de Broglie.
After the treaty of peace signed at Fontainebleau, in November, 1762, Captain Pelouze resigned his commission in the army, and ob- taining an honorable discharge, repaired to Martinique, where his fath- er, an eminent physician and wealthy planter, resided, and to which he had emigrated from Languedoc, France. Captain Pelouze was not long a resident of this island, when he made the acquaintance of Miss Louize Sophie Typhaine, the daughter of an opulent merchant, whom he subsequently married, and who is described as a "young lady of excellent heart and education."
Edmund Pelouze, the subject of this sketch, was the first fruit of this union. On the death of Edmund's grandfather, about the year
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1775, all his property on Martinique was inherited by his father, Cap- tain Pelouze, the only son, who subsequently sold it and purchased a large estate on the island of St. Lucia.
At the age of ten years, Edmund was sent to the college of St. Vic- tor, which was superintended by Bishop Charles François, a prelate distinguished for his piety and learning, and with authority from his father, to prepare for the study of physic or law, as he might elect. Physic was chosen, and after three years of college education, he studied three years the then called healing art, under Mr. Dhers, a skillful physician. In December, 1778, the island of St. Lucia was at- tacked by a British Fleet, under Admiral Rodney and Colonel Grant, both of whom are known in the annals of the American Revolution.
The militia were called out in mass, and Edmund-although only thirteen years of age-in spite of the tears of his mother, and remon- strances of his father, volunteered, and was one of the first to arrive at the place of rendezvous. The day before the arrival of the militia at the principal Fortress, the Governor, Count Demicoud, had been forced to surrender to the enemy.
The militia were mustered on a hill, within gun-shot range of the British. Incidents connected with this event, are best described in Edmund's own language.
" We were destitute of provisions, ammunition and water ; the only water we could get at, was from a cistern dug by the proprietor of the hill, for the use of his cattle. In three days time, it was drained by five hundred thirsty men, and at the bottom was found a dead negro. We had concluded to surrender, when the French Fleet, under Count D'Estaing and the Marquis de Bouille made its appearance, cannona- ded Rodney in the harbour, and landed ten thousand men.
You cannot conceive the excess of our joy, but alas it was of short duration. The two commanders attacked the Fort, but having disa- greed among themselves, were repulsed and sailed to Rhode Island, in America. We then surrendered, and obtained an honorable capitula- tion.
I continued to live with my tender parents, and was happy until the year 1784, when peace was made between France and England, and the island of St. Lucia was returned to France."
During the year 1785, Mr. Landais, who was a cousin of Edmund's mother, and who filled the position of Treasurer-in-Chief, on the island of St. Lucia, had occasion to be absent for some weeks, and Edmund was assigned to the performance of the duties of Treasurer. This fact
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may seem trivial, but it is narrated here, for the reason that it was the origin of an acquaintance, which resulted in matrimony.
While acting as Treasurer, a brother of Mrs. Landais arrived from St. Vincent, an English island, on a visit to his sister. An intimacy between this gentleman and Edmund resulted from this visit, which soon ripened into friendship.
What subsequently occurred Edmund describes as follows :
" He told me he had the year past married a young widow with a for- tune of sixty-five hundred dollars. He told me that his wife had a sis- ter, a widow, whose portion was the same amount, and that he would be very glad to have me for a brother-in-law. He wanted me to go to see her and he had no doubt I would be pleased with her figure, man- ners and fortune."
" The treasurer having returned, my friend and I embarked; we arrived in twenty-four hours at St. Vincent, where resided the ami- able widow, Brigita Margmiere Campous. I saw her, loved her and we were soon united in the bonds of matrimony. Eleven months after- ward my wife presented me with a son and daughter at one birth, whom I named Nelson and Zelie ; and in the course of five years more, made me the father of my dear Minny, and her brother St. Luce. Judge of my felicity to find myself at the age of twenty-four, an inde- pendent father of four lovely children, and the husband of a worthy wife, who loved me and was loved by me, and by every one who knew her."
At the commencement of the French Revolution, in the year 1792, Captain Pelouze, who was a firm republican, and a great admirer of La Fayette, was chosen a member of the Colonial Assembly, and one of the leaders of the republican party. At the same time his son Edmund was chosen first municipal officer, and afterward captain of a company of National Guard.
It appears that just before this time, Edmund had been advised to sell all of his property on the island of St. Vincent, and put the pro- ceeds of it in partnership with his father, and thus make a very large plantation on the island of St. Lucia. This plantation is described as located in the Parish called Proslin, and consisting of eighteen hun- dred aeres of land, two thirds under cultivation ; a two story house with out houses, a sugar mill, a distillery and seventy-five slaves.
Nothing of material interest happened until after the declaration of war by France, against Great Britain, in 1793, when the West Indies again became a bone of contention and a theatre of war.
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From this unfortunate epoch, Edmund dates a series of misfortunes. St. Lucia was attacked by a British fleet commanded by Vice Ad- miral Sir John Jervis, a landing was effected without much opposition and the island sold April, 1794, by its infamous Governor Richard. The republican inhabitants were forced to surrender and obtained a capitulation, stating that they might remain unmolested in their prop- erty by taking the oath of allegiance to King George, a capitulation that was shamefully violated by the British Governor, Sir George Gordon, who it is said was subsequently cashiered for military miscon- duct and depredations. Governor Gordon issued a proclamation that every person suspected of disaffection, should be arrested and sent on · board a prison ship, to be transported to England. What subsequent- ly took place is narrated by Edmund as follows :
" From that moment every royalist, traitor or private enemy became an accuser. I was proscribed with my four brothers, Honore, Paton, Nanine, and Francis, with many of our friends, and driven, prisoners, to the prison ship like sheep to the slaughter-house. I was permitted to take a last farewell of my mother, sister, wife and children, and left my wife in a swoon. She had fainted, and this is the last I ever saw of those dear friends. After three weeks of confinement, my brothers, Paton and Nanine, were released at the intercession of a friendly royalist, but for Francis and me, mercy was out of the question.
My father, with almost all the members of the Assembly, was put on board another ship and carried to England, where he soon died. My brother Francis and I remained fifteen days in the harbor, with- out any communication with our friends on shore.
We had been blockaded so long that we were perfectly ignorant of what was transpiring in France. The British informed us that the tyrant Robespierre had decreed, that every officer who had surrendered his post should be put to death on his arrival in France.
We concluded not to go there, and petitioned the Admiral and Governor to let us go on board an American vessel, and remain there on parole until peace took place. My brother and myself embarked on board the "Greyhound," Captain Fletcher, bound for Bartholo- mew, a neutral island, and arrived there after a pleasant passage of fifteen days. We remained on the island about three weeks to recruit ourselves, and embarked on board the brig " Recovery," Captain Haz- ard, from Rhode Island, bound for New York. We sailed on the 5th of June, for New York; but by contrary winds were forced to land at New London after twenty-two days of passage.
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Now I am in the United States-that glorious republic; the cradle of immortal Washington ; the adopted country of La Fayette and a multitude who have immortalized their names, &c., &c. But how am I going to subsist in this blessed country, ' God only knows.'"
The Doctor was at this time ignorant of the English language, thinly clad and with only forty dollars in his pocket. He boarded for a few days at the hotel of Mr. Pool, at a charge of one dollar per day. He could not rest quietly under this contraction of his finances and diligently sought employment. Ascertaining that Mrs. Sarah Dejean, the wife of the former French Vice Consul at New London, would take ' the Doctor to board at three dollars per week, he made his home at her house.
The Doctor describes this house as being "neat as wax" and the lady as possessing "a melancholy countenance but the most agreeable figure and manners." In this connection the Doctor says; "Poor woman, her husband was then in the prison at Jamaica and she had to support by her industry an aged mother and three small children; Jus- tus, by her first husband, (Starr) who had been first Lieutenant of Cap- tain Barney (who commanded a privateer) and had been taken and had died in the prison at Jamaica, and Joseph and Sally by Mr. De- jean. But her fortitude always surmounted her adversity and she did get a decent living. I went to the French Vice Consul and reported myself as a victim of the Revolution, and was received with great cor- diality. He sent me to Saybrook to oversee the men who were rafting timber for the French Republic and paid my board there."
From November, 1794, till March, 1795, the Doctor was employed as a French Translator in a printing office in Philadelphia, and board- ed with a Mr. Waterman, a respectable Quaker. Becoming dissatis- fied he returned to New London and boarded again with Mrs. Dejean.
During the year 1796, he received information of the death of his wife and the destruction of his property by the Blacks, and Mrs. De- jean information of the death of her husband in a prison at Jamaica. On the first day of January, 1797, Doctor Pelouze and Mrs. Sarah De- jean were married " a union formed (as he expresses it) by no other motives than a reciprocal love and esteem."
It will not be inappropriate for the purposes of this sketch, to make at this point a brief recital of a few important events in the life of the Doctor's wife, to conclude this period of our narrative.
Mrs. Sarah Pelouze was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in the year 1761. Her maiden name was Fosdick. She received a common
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school education which was improved by the precepts of pious parents. Sarah was visiting relatives in Boston when the American Revolution began, and during some of the most momentous events in the annals of American history, including the destruction of the tea in the harbor, and the battles of Concord, Lexington and Bunker Hill.
Doctor Pelouze says of her : "How often she has spoken to me of all that with a patriotic animation, her eyes picturing her soul."
After the acknowledgment of the American Independence, Sarah re- turned to Middletown, and at the age of eighteen years, married Jus- tus Starr, a young Captain or Lieutenant of a privateer, by whom she had a son named Justus.
During the second cruise made by Captain Starr, he was captured and confined in a British prison in the West Indies, where he soon died leaving his widow, not yet twenty years old, with her small child.
Mrs. Starr moved to New London, Connecticut, a seaport town which by reason of the war in Europe, was in a flourishing condition, and while there, received the attentions of an accomplished gentleman, Colonel Dejean, who was the French Vice Consul.
Colonel Dejean was many years the senior of Mrs. Starr, and had no other income than that derived from his salary.
Mrs. Starr was married to Colonel Dejean, and they resided in New London a few years, giving birth to two children, named Joseph and Sally. A short time before the massacre of the unfortunate inhabitants of Hispaniola, by the Blacks, Colonel Dejean was ordered by the French Republic to take his station at Puerto Principe. He had not been there a year, when the massacre took place. To preserve the life of his wife, she was conveyed to an American vessel in the harbor, com- manded by Captain Buckley, of New London, where she remained for three months an involuntary spectator of murders and fires on the shore of almost daily occurrence.
Mrs. Dejean returned on this vessel to New London, her husband by the requirements of his office, being obliged to remain. Mrs. Dejean is decribed at this time as being "a handsome, healthy and industrious woman."
With her family of little ones depending on her for support, she open- ed a boarding house. In course of time information was received that her husband had been taken by the British and their allies, the ne- groes, and confined in a prison in Jamaica ; and subsequently the sad tidings were received of his death.
On the 5th of November, 1797, Mrs. Pelouze gave birth to a son,
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Edmund, and soon after the birth of this child, and by reason of de- pression of business, Doctor and family moved from New London to Poquonock, a parish of West Windsor, Connecticut, where he very soon acquired a large and successful practice. On the 22nd of March, 1799, a second son was born and named Edward.
The Doctor appears to have been very happy and contented with his home associations and professional practice in Windsor, and men- tions with great regret, his having yielded to the solicitation of his brother-in-law, Mr. John Atkins, who was making him a visit, to move to Charlestown, New-Hampshire. In May, 1801, the Doctor and family left Windsor for Charlestown, and the journey was an un- fortunate one, for while descending a steep hill at Northampton, Mrs. Pelouze fell out of a wagon with her two children and broke her wrist; the children, however, were picked up between the wheels with- out injury.
On arriving in Charlestown the family resided for three months with Mr. George Atkins, brother of John, and then moved into Captain George Hubbard's house on the border of Charlestown, now called Claremont. On the 26th of January, 1802, a third child, Sophia, was born.
While at Claremont, the Doctor was very successful in his medical practice, and soon acquired means sufficient to purchase of Mr. Amos Johnson, who was a brother-in-law of John and George Atkins, the property situated in Charlestown at the forks of the road near Ox-brook, and where, on the 23rd of March, 1807, his son Lewis was born.
The Doctor's practice extended over a considerable area of country, including Windsor, Claremont, Unity, Langdon, Springfield, Weathers- field and Charlestown village; and his friends, Drs. Hastings, Roby and Batchelor, were the practitioners with whom he most frequently con- sulted in extreme cases.
At this period of life, he is represented as being very gentle and amiable in the sick-room, and as possessing the good sense of knowing when to make his remedies conform to the humor of the patient. He believed in prescribing a diet and regimen to aid the various functions in the human body. His practice was often in close alliance with the cook's. In this connection, the following incident is narrated :
A physician of good standing, and who evidently did not carry the diet theory into his practice, had exhausted his knowledge of pharmacy in experiments on a patient who was suffering from a chronic disease. Finding that the sick man was growing worse in spite of all the drugs
·
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he had taken, and believing the case beyond the cure of medicine, he was given up to die.
Dr. Pelouze was then called in, and, after ascertaining the character of the disease, he found, so great was the patient's tenacity of life, that great quantities and varieties of drugs had failed to kill him ; yet it was too evident the man's recuperative powers were very far exhausted and that a little more medicine might end his days.
The Doctor, in this emergency, prescribed nothing but "carefully prepared bean porridge," taken at first in small quantities, at certain intervals, and subsequently in quantities as large as the patient desired. The sick man commenced to gain slowly, and afterwards rapidly, and it was not long before he was able to perform a good day's work.
The Doctor was a man of social inclinations, and particularly fond of the society of young persons.
An excellent education, a cheerful temperament and a retentive memory, added to the varied experience of an eventful life, and a fund of anecdotes, more or less humorous, made him and his home very at- tractive. The French accent which accompanied his narratives seems to have rendered them the more charming.
The substance of a little story which he tells on himself is repeated · here, without any implication that he believed in the communication of . intelligence from the world of spirits by means of physical phenomena.
About the close of twilight, on a winter's day, and while returning from a visit on a patient, his route took him by the grave-yard, which, it will be remembered, was then located near the farm of Mr. Walter Converse. While much absorbed in his own reflections, the horse he was riding suddenly gave evidences of great fright. The animal trem- bled, then shied and backed, and persistently resisted every effort of its rider to urge it onward.
Prompted by curiosity not unmingled with some alarm, the Doctor gazed through the partial darkness for a cause, when his eyes became fixed on an object, within the grave-yard, of such questionable shape as to harrow up his soul,-an object much excelling the height of mortal man and enveloped apparently in a long white shroud.
The Doctor's excitement now fully equalled that of his horse. He spoke to the object, challenged it, and threatened to shoot it, and each time he did so the very air was set in motion, and it bowed to him as an evidence that it comprehended what was said to it.
The Doctor drew his pistol and fired at it; the noise of the discharge startled his horse and good time was made to Mr. Converse's house. The
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neighbors were informed of the occurence and soon communicated it to the village. The same night a crowd gathered with lanterns and pro- ceeded to the grave-yard and found that the Doctor had shot a pine tree enveloped in snow, and the bullet mark was traced through its very cen- tre. The Doctor shared heartily in the laugh which followed at his own expense and the crowd declared him to' be a capital shot.
The Doctor continued to live in his house, on Ox-brook, till the year 1822, when, yielding to certain inducements, he moved with his family to Boston, Massachusetts. His property, at the time of his departure was purchased by Mr. Robert Rand, a merchant, who, subsequently. sold it to Captain John Metcalf, by whom the buildings now standing were erected. On the death of Captain Metcalf the property passed to the ownership of Mr. Redfield, subsequently to that of Mr. Charles Barker, and, in 1859 or 1860, was purchased by Lewis Pelouze, the youngest son of the Doctor, who was born on the place.
The Doctor resided in Boston twelve years, during which time he prac- tised his profession ; occasionally gave instruction in the French lan- guage, and made not unfrequent visits to Charlestown. He returned to Charlestown about 1834 and resided in the vicinity of the village.
Doctor Pelouze considered his departure from Charlestown as a most unfortunate change, for, during his residence in Boston. he became quite deaf and his general health very much impaired. He was glad to re- turn to North Charlestown. At this period he was nearly seventy years of age and never afterwards enjoyed that degree of health necessary for the active duties of his profession. A brief period after his return his wife commenced to decline, from a dropsical affection, and after three or more years of painful sickness, died October 26th, 1839, leaving the Doctor, as he expresses it, " old, infirm and disconsolate." Thus died a companion and wife for forty-two years; a woman ever cheerful and patient, possessing an unusual share of common sense; always ready to cover the faults of others with a mantle of charity; an every day Christian, a noble and affectionate wife and mother. She was a sweet rallying point around which affection and obedience and a thousand ten- der associations centered, and dreary was the blank when her spirit took its flight.
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