USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 72
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thought came to us that all those apparently unoccupied grounds were full of secret graves.
On none of the oldest stones does the date extend back beyond 1756-six- teen years after the first settlement of the place. There are several that bear date 1757, and from that time the number yearly, especially subsequent to 1760, had a rapid increase till considerable numbers were erected with each succeeding year.
To the old Cemetery there have, within a very recent period, been two additions : the one, on the west, extending it to East Street, the other, on the north embracing all the grounds to their present limits. The earliest burials in the first portion were in 1836, and there were none in the last till quite a number of years later.
The improvements in the Cemetery which now render it so pleasant, are of comparatively recent date, having been made within the last quarter of a century ; and owe their inception to Henry Hubbard, jr., Esq., who, many will regret to learn, died at his home in Bedford, Va., June 11th, 1876.
A call for a public meeting at the hotel was made, Feb. 7th, 1853, signed by Mrs. J. De Forest Richards, Mrs. Emily A. Olcott and Mrs. J. J. Gil- christ, in which an invitation was extended to all the citizens and ladies of the place to assemble at a public tea party, and take into consideration the subject of improving the grounds of the Cemetery, and to devise means and take measures therefor. This resulted in a very large attendance, who were fully united in the object in view ; and a Committee was appointed to get up a festival for the whole town on the following fourth of July, for the purpose of obtaining means for their intended improvements. At this festival four hundred dollars was the sum obtained, and the following persons were ap- pointed a committee to expend it.
Dea. Moses Putnam, Henry Hubbard, jr., Silas P. Mack, Samuel L. Fletch- er, Abram D. Hull, Mrs. J. De Forest Richards, Mrs. Emily A. Olcott, Mrs. Laura Cushing, Mrs. Helen J. Tidd, Mrs. Theodosia Evans.
The walks were laid out under the general direction of the committee, and the evergreens that now so pleasantly shade them were set out by their mutnal agreement. Abram D. Hull Esq., was employed to set out the pines, but the balsams that are seen in the yard were set out by Dea. Moses Put- nam, and were brought by him from Unity.
I will merely say further that the town now yearly appropriates one hun- dred dollars for keeping the Cemetery in order. Money was appropriated in 1870 for bringing a fountain into the enclosure, and the selectmen were appointed a committee with others to do it, but for some reason not known to the writer it has never been done.
CEMETERIES AT THE NORTH PART OF THE TOWN.
The village cemetery was the only burying place in town till 1792, at which time the town purchased and set apart for a burial place the old ground at North Charlestown. At this time members of families belonging to the north part of the town who had been buried in this cemetery, were disin- terred and buried there. This continued to be the only cemetery at the north till 1852, when the present one was purchased by the town. This is
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a very pleasant spot of clevated ground lying about forty or fifty rods beyond the junction of the River road with the main road leading to Claremont. It is pleasantly laid out and contains a fountain for which money was appro- priated at the same time that the appropriation was made for the village- Cemetery. The Cemetery also contains a number of quite tasteful monu- ments, among which we may instance those erected to Mr. Jesse and George Farwell, Eliphalet Bailey, Artimesia Westcott and John Metcalf. The Wal- ker monument of Brown-stone, is also a very handsome structure. The name of the Cemetery is Hope Hill, and one hundred dollars is yearly ap- propriated for its care, by the town. Much credit is due to Horace Metcalf, Esq., for many of the improvements connected with this pleasant cemetery.
PUBLIC BEQUESTS.
The following from the stone erected to the memory of Thomas Swan, speaks for itself.
" Thomas Swan d. Nov. 23d, 1772 in his 23th year. Children yet unborn will reverence his name when they find by his last will he gave the town of Charlestown one hundred pounds, the interest of which to be appropriated to the sole purpose of keeping a school in that part of said town known by the name of the town piot."
In connection with this gift came the Park now generally called from the donor Swan Park. Little is known of Mr. Swan save that he was a very intelligent young merchant in Charlestown who died early. He was prob- ably one of the younger children of Rev. Josiah Swan the second minister of old Dunstable but who after leaving Dunstable became a celebrated teacher in Lancaster, Mass., and in Walpole, N. II.
John Church, Esq., left a fund to the town to aid in supporting the town's poor. How much it was or how it was invested or what ever became of it the writer has failed to ascertain. It was doubtless of considerable amount, as the town of Langdon, when it was set off from Charlestown and Walpole, was specially required by an article of agreement to resign her interest both in the fund given by Mr. Swan for the support of a school and that given by Mr. Church for the support of the poor.
Col. Ithiel Homer Silsby, who died at Newton, Mass., in the summer of 1874, left a will which contains several provisions of such interest to the town of Charlestown as to require notice in this work.
Col. Silsby, as many who read this will already know, was a native of Acworth, and that Mrs. Silsby was also of that substantial town. Both taught school in Charlestown, and both succeeded not only in gaining the strong attachment of their seholars, but of the people; and that the attach- ment of our citizens to Mr. Silsby was most warmly and heartily returned, we have most incontrovertible evidence afforded ns in his generous and noble bequest. He in Charlestown also became initiated into the business of keeping a hotel, which he afterwards so honorably followed. and which was one means of opening his way to the large possessions which. as he contemplated life as about elosing, he so bonntifully and appropriately dis- tributed. From Charlestown he went to Saratoga, where he became con- nected with the United States Hotel, and from Saratoga he removed to
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Boston. and kept, with great acceptance to all who visited it for many years, the United States Hotel there. IIe afterwards kept the Winthrop House, his interest in which he sold out a little while before the great fire.
Newton had for some time previous to his death been his home. The following which is the eighth clanse of his will contains the provision to which reference above has been made.
8. I give ten thousand dollars to the town of Charlestown, N. II., in trust, upon the conditions and for the purposes as follows, viz: That said town shall accept the trust, and that said town will expend eight of said ten thousand dollars in the erection of a building of face brick with stone trim- mings, one and one half stories high, the entrance to said building to be in the center on the front thereof, with a room on each side for books, and a reading-room, and over all a large room or hall.
That said building shall be called the Silsby Free Public Library, which name in raised letters shall be cut in granite on the front of said building.
And that said town shall expend the remainder of said ten thousand dol- lars in the purchase of suitable books for a Free Public Library; and that said town shall keep said library for the full use of all the inhabitants of said town of Charlestown, under reasonable rules and regulations, and shall also permit said hall to be used for lectures, lyceums and similar pur- poses under like rules and regulations.
And that said town shall agree at its own expense, to take good care of said building and library, and add new books thereto yearly, for the use of the inhabitants of said town.
It is my wish that said building shall be placed on the Briggs lot, once so called, on the corner of Main Street, and the street that runs back to the old common, the front of said building to be on Main Street, where Mr. Briggs and Mr. Gorden once had their law office.
This, my gift to the town of Charlestown, is in gratitude to its inhabitants who received me, a poor boy, in kindness, and ever treated me with con- sideration and hospitality, and for whom, and for the beautiful old town wherein they live, I have many pleasant attachments ; and I trust and hope this library will be of service to many of my old pupils and their de- scendants.
TAX PAYERS IN CHARLESTOWN IN 1792.
February 8th 1791 the legislature passed an act requiring the selectmen " to cause a fair entry and record to be made of all invoices by them taken and assessments by them made, in a book of records, &c."; which law first went into operation in 1792; before which time if there were any records of the kind kept in the town they are not now to be found. I give this list and others which follow as showing the citizens of the town in the years desig- nated, thinking that it may be of interest to the present and future inhabitants to know who have had their homes here at different periods.
Jonathan Arms, Daniel Adams, Joseph Adams, Nathan Allen, Galon Al- len, Jacob Annis, Joseph Arbuckle.
Osmon Baker, Joseph Baldwin, Peter Bellows, Peter Bellows, jr., Samu- el Bellows, John Billings, Benjamin Billings, Walter Bingham, Horatio N.
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Bingham, Benjamin Blood, William Bond, Joseph Booty, Charles Bowen, James Bowtell, Josiah Bowtel!, Levi Brown, Renjamin Brown, Daniel Brown, Joseph Brown, jr., Joshua Buckman, Amos Burnham.
Timothy Carleton, Samuel Carlisle, Ephraim Carpenter, Simeon Church, James Clandanel, Benjamin Clark, John Clay, John Converse, Joel Cooley, Oliver Coomes, Ebenezer Corbin, Parley Corbin, Christopher Crofts, Sam- uel Crosby, David Cross, Joshua Cushman, Paul Cushman.
William Darling, Aaron Dean, David Decamp, Joseph Dennie, Elihn Dickinson, Caleb Dresser, John Dunsmoor.
Elijah Ellsworth, Isaac H. Ely, David Enos, Daniel Esterbrook, Andrew Evans, John Evans.
Ebenezer Farnsworth, Ebenezer Farnsworth, jr., Thomas Farnsworth, William Farnsworth, Jesse Farwell, Joseph Farwell, Josiah Farwell, Thomas French, Benjamin Fuller.
Elisha Garfield, Josiah Garfield, Samuel Garfield, Thomas Geer, Richard Glidden, Elijah Grout, Jonathan Grout, Theophilus Grout, John Grow, Jesse Guild, Rufus Guild, Samuel Guild.
Jonas Hager, Oliver Hall, John Harper, Samuel Harper, Josiah Hart, May- hew Hasham. Stephen Hasham, John Hastings, John Hastings, jr., Lemuel Hastings, Moses Willard Hastings, Oliver Hastings, Sylvanus Hastings, Syl- vanus Hastings, jr., Jesse Healy, Lemuel Hedge, Hugh Henry, Robert Henry, William Henry, William Henry, jr., John Hewitt, Levi Heywood, William Heywood, Isaac Ifill, Tower Hill, Winthrop Hill, David Hillyard, John Hodgkins, Edmund Holden, Timothy Holden, William Holden, David Ilubbard, Jonathan Hubbard, John Hubbard, J. Hatch Hubbard, Asahel Hunt, John Hunt, Samuel Hunt, Luman Huntley.
Silas Jewell, Benjamin Jones, Nathaniel Jones, Job Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Calvin Judevine, William Judevine, William Judevine, jr.
George Kimball, Levi Kimball.
Benjamin Labaree, Rufus Labaree, Joshua Lawrence, Jonas Lyndes.
Aaron Matson, William Me Clintock, William Mc Clintock, jr., John Mc Murphy, Asa Meacham, James Meacham, jr.
Asa Nichols, Ebenezer Nichols, Knight Nichols, Philip Nichols, Thaddeus Nott, Theodore Nott.
Simeon Olcott, Manassah Osgood, William Osgood.
Peter Page, Peter Page, jr., Phineas Page, William Page, Elijah Parker, Isaae Parker, Alexander Parker, Aaron Parks, Jonas Parks, Joseph Per- kins, Nathaniel Perley, Josiah Perry, Samuel Perry, Asahel Porter, Noah Porter, Caleb Pronty, Abel Putnam, Abijah Putnam, Elisha Patnam, Thom- as Putnam, Timothy Putnam, Timothy Putnam, jr.
Howard Reed, Sampson Reed, Samuel Remington.
Julius Silsby, Hazael Simonds, John Simonds, Obadiah Shumway, Sam- uel Shepherd, Alden Sprague, Samuel Stevens, Amos Sylvester.
David Taylor, Eliphalet Taylor, Isaac Tucker, Isaac Tucker, jr.
Ebenezer Varnèy.
Abel Walker, Abiah Walker, Jabez Walker, Matthew Walker, Walter Walter, Daniel W. Warner, Samuel Weed. Obadiah Wells, Benjamin West, John West, Timothy West, Jason Wetherbe, Samuel Wetherbe
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HISTORICAL MISCELLANY.
Amos Wheeler, John Wheeler, Moses Wheeler, jr., Josiah White, Francis WV. Willard, Jere Willard, John Willard, Marcian Willard, Moses Willard, Phineas Willard, Samuel Willard.
CITIZENS OF THE NORTH PARISH OF CHARLESTOWN IN 1810.
Nathan Allen, Asa Allen, Ryla Adams.
Francis Barker, Loammi Barker, William Ballou.
John Converse, Simeon Church, Timothy Carlton.
Elijah Darby, Elisha Delano, Phineas Dunsmoor.
Stephen Edmunds.
Lester Fling, Ebenezer Farnsworth, Jesse Farwell, Joseph Farwell.
Jonathan Grout, Wise Grinnel, John Grow, John Grow, jr., Hubbard Glidden, Jeremiah Glidden, Joel Goss, Shubael Griswold, David Gay, Salmon Gront.
Josiah Hart, William Hamlin, Luman Huntley, Timothy Holden, Benja- min Harper, Henry Hinds, Parley Holmes. Josiah Hubbard, Elisha Huntley, Israel Hull.
Calvin Judevine, Amos Jolinson, Luther.Judevine, Moses Judevine. Levi Kimball, Richard Kimball.
Jonas Lynds, Huse Lull, Frederick Locke.
James Meacham, William Mc Clintock, William Miller, John Metcalf, Simeon Mc Intire.
Alphens Nichols, Abijah Nichols, Knight Nichols, jr.
John Ober.
Timothy Putnam, jr., Aaron Parks, Thomas Putnam, jr., David Parker, Samnel Perry, Elisha Perkins, Nathaniel Pierce, Edmund Pelonze, Danforth Parmele, Benjamin Pierce.
Robert Rand, Daniel Rodgers, John Radford.
Shalor Towner, Stephen Tucker, Isaac Tueker, Reuben Towner.
Matthews Walker, Charles Westcott, Joseph Wilson, Diah Walker, Abel White, Jotham White.
CITIZENS OF CHARLESTOWN IN 1812.
Israel Abbott, Daniel Adams, Ryla Adams, Asa S. Allen, Nathan Allen, Jonathan Arms.
Elias Bacon, John Baker, Samuel Baker, Stephen Baker, Nathaniel Baker, Jonathan Baker, Joshua Baldwin. Joseph Baldwin, Francis Barker, Loami Barker, William Ballon, J. P. Batchelder, George Bellows, Theodore Bel- lows, Theodore Bellows, jr., Samuel Bellows, Abner Bennet, Walter Bixby, Benjamin Blood, William Boardman, Charles Bowen, Samuel Bowman, Jo- siah Bowtell, Abram Boynton, William Briggs, Augustus Brown, Aaron Brown, Charles Brown, David Brown, William Bond, Joshna Buckminster.
Ephraim Carpenter, Aaron Carriel, Dean Carlton, Dean Carlton, jr., John C. Chamberlain, John Church, Simeon Church, Walter Converse, Benja- min Cloyes, Walter Cooley, Clement Corbin, William Crosby.
Joseph Darrah, Aaron Dean, John Decamp, Jesse Davis, Reuben Davis, Elijah Derby, Abisha Delano, A. W. Dunsmoor, John Dunsmoor, Phineas Dunsmoor, William Dunsmoor, Isaac Dunean, John Dunean, Isaiah Durant, Jonas Dutton, William Dutton, jr.
. .
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HISTORICAL MISCELLANY.
Caleb Ellison, Calvin Ely, Calvin Ely 2nd, Gabriel Ely, Isaac HI. Ely, Simeon Ely.
Edward Fairbanks, Moses Fairbanks, Ebenezer Farnsworth, Waterous Fairchild, Samuel Farrington, Jesse Farwell, Joseph Farwell, Beriah Fitch, Nathan Fitch, Lester Fling.
Joseph Gage, John Garfield. Josiah Garfield, David Gay, William Geer, David Glidden, Hubbard Glidden, Willard Glidden, Jeremy Glidden, Joel Goss, Thomas Geer, Shubael Griswould, John Grow, Jonathan Grout, Salmon Grout.
Horace Hall, Oliver Hall, Seth Hall. Stephen Hasham, William Hamlin, Moses W. Hastings, Oliver Ilastings, John Hastings, Louis Hastings, Josiah Hart, Josiah Hart, jr , Ichabod Hart, B. W. Harvey, Jesse Healy, Samuel Henry, Robert Henry, Joseph Heaton, Ephraim Heywood, Jonas Hinds, Calvin Heywood, John Hodgkins, Timothy Holden, Asa Holton, Jonathan Holton, David Holton, Elias Howard, Samuel Howard, David Henry, Jesse Hill, Oliver Hill, Henry Hubbard, John Hubbard, Jonathan Hubbard, Sam- uel Hubbard, Josiah Hubbard, Israel Hall, Elias Hull, Horace Hull, Asahel Hunt, Roswell Hunt, Louis Ilunt, Henry IIunt, Elisha Huntley, Peter Huntoon, Luman Huntley.
Amos Johnson, Ephraim Johnson, Luther Judevine, Moses Judevine.
Edward Kempton, Richard Kimball.
Benjamin Labaree, Nathan Lampson, Job Lane, Samuel Lane, Zachariah Lawrence, Fred Locke, Timothy Lovell, Vryling Lovell, Huse Lull, Porter Lummus.
John Mark, William Mc Clintock, jr., Simeon Mc Intire, Asa Meacham, James Meacham, John Metcalf, Abel Miles, William Miller, James Miliken, Jonathan Morgan.
Alpheus Nichols, Abijalı Nichols, Knight Nichols, William Noyse, Peter Nurse.
John Ober, Israel Ober, Simeon Olcott, George Olcott, William Osgood, Mannassah Osgood.
Aaron Parks, David Parker, Stephen Parker, Phineas Parker, Edward Pelouze, Samuel Perry, Alphens Perry, Elisha Perkins, Benjamin Pierce, James Plumb, Samuel Pollard, Asahel C. Porter, Sylvester Powers, Walter Powers, David Putnam, William Prentiss, Thomas Putnam, jr., Abijah Putnam, Timothy Putnam, jr., Samuel Putnam, Samuel Putnam, 2nd, Elisha Putnam.
Robert Rand, Hamlin Rand, John Radford, Thomas Reddington, John Record, William Redfield, Daniel Rogers, Joseph Roby, Phineas Richard- son, Lemuel Royse, jr,
Asa Sartwell, Samuel Sever, Eben Saunders, Uriah Searl, Hazael Simonds, Elijah Simonds, Josiah Shipley, Charles Smith, Joel Smith, Jacob Smith, Obadiah Shumway, James Southard, Frederje A. Sumner. Levi Spencer, Lazarus Shurtlief, Silas Stafford.
David Taylor, Eben Tidd, Shalor Townor, Stephen Tucker.
Benjamin West, Benjamin West, 2nd, Timothy West, Samuel S. West, Abel Walker, Abel Walker, jr., Jabez Walker, Abijah Walker, Matthew Walker, Justus Waldo, Josiah White, Samuel White, Abel White, John
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White, Ira White, Jason Wetherbe, Obadiah Wells, Moses Wheeler, Ira Wheeler, Amos Wheeler, Thomas Whipple, Daniel Whipple, Charles West- cott, Moses Willard, John Willard, John Willard, jr., Marcian Willard, James Willard, Roswell Willard, Antonio Willard, Abel Willard, Levi Willard, Phineas Willard, Isaiah Williams, Asa Wilson, Jesse Wise.
TABLE OF THE NUMBER OR VALUE OF HORSES, NEAT STOCK &C., FOR THE YEARS SPECIFIED.
1792. Horses, 110; Oxen, 109; Cows, 263; 3 year olds, 31; 2 year olds, 188; yearlings, 86.
1802. Stallions, 2; Horses, 157; 3 year olds, 46; 2 year olds, 34; 1 year old 44; Oxen, 163; Cows, 373; 3 year olds, 93; 2 year olds, 171; yearlings, 214.
1812 Stallions, 1; Horses, 241; 4 year olds, 12; 3 year olds, 30; 2 year olds, 36; Oxen 180; 4 year olds, 64; Cows, 486; 3 year olds, 322; 2 year olds, 370.
1822. Stallions, 1; Horses, 230; 4 year olds, 22; 3 year olds, 28; 2 year olds, 19; Oxen 166; 4 year olds 65; Cows, 491 ; 3 year olds, 298; 2 year olds, 363.
1832. Stallions, 3; Horses, 248; 4 year olds, 36; 3 year olds, 42; 2 year olds, 57; Oxen, 307; 4 year olds, 114; Cows, 574; 3 year olds, 379; 2 year olds, 295; Sheep, 5610.
1842. Value, Horses, $ 1,1125; 'Colts, $ 1,313.00; Oxen, $5,096; Neat Stock, $ 6,279; Cows, $ 8,880 Sheep, $ 11,284.
1852. Horses and Colts, 295, value $ 13,572; Cows and Oxen, 1364, $ 26,872; Sheep, 5828, valne, $10,702.
1862. Horses, asses and mules over 18 months old, 398, value $21,298 ; Cows, Oxen and other neat stoek over 18 months old, 1097, value $ 23,508; Sheep over 6 months old, 6,759, valne $ 17,166.
CENSUS OF CHARLESTOWN, AS RETURNED TO GOV. WENTWORTH, BY THE SELECTMEN, DECEMBER, 14TH, 1773.
Unmarried men from 16 to 60, 69; married men from 16 to 60, 83; boys 16 years and under, 151; men 60 years and upwards, 3; females nnmarried, 191; females married, 85; widows, 8; male slaves, 0; female slaves, 0; Total, 590.
Census taken by order of the Provincial Congress, and returned to the Committee of safety, by the Selectmen, Dec. 18th, 1775.
Males under 16 years of age, 158; males under 16 years of age to 50, not in the army, 93; males above 50, 17; persons gone in the army, 22; females, 303; negroes and Slaves for life.
The population of the following towns at the time was:
Claremont, 523; Cornish, 309; Hanover, 434; Alstead, 317; Lempster, 128; Newport, 157; Walpole, 658; Westmoreland, 758.
Census under the United States in 1790, the population of Charlestown was 1,098.
In 1800, the population of Charlestown, 1364; 1810, 1501; 1830, 1778; 1850, 1644; 1860, 1758; 1870, 1742.
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STREET LIGHTS.
In 1875, the village precinct raised one thousand dollars for lighting its streets. Fifty two Kerosene Lamps were purchased and set up for that purpose, The arrangement was so acceptable to the citizens that at the annual meeting, April Ist, 1876, four hundred dollars was voted for con- tinuing it.
LIBRARIES.
Charlestown Social Library contains 1500 volumes. The Library of George Olcott, Esq., (private) 1200, and is in many respects a very valuable collection to which the author of this work has been much indebted for facts which he would have found it difficult to obtain elsewhere.
BOOT AND SHOE MANUFACTURE.
The Boot and Shoe business was established in Charlestown by Hanson and West in 1854, at which time they employed about 50 hands and since which time the business has been conducted under the following firms.
Hanson, West & Co., 1868. Briggs & Co., 1869. Hanson & Co., 1870. In the summer of 1870, J. G. Briggs, jr. , built a shop and organized a part- nership with Charles K. Labaree, Horace Thompson and Samuel Walker under the style of Briggs & Co. Jan. 1871, they bought the shop and goods of Hanson & Co. During the years 1871, '72, '73 the business pros- pered. The sales for 1872 the most prosperous year amounted to $ 281,000.
CHARLESTOWN BOOT AND SHOE CO.
Established Oct. 13th, 1871, commenced business March, 1872. It has'had the following directors. Charles Willard, J. T. Dunsmoor, Orin Bradford, Solomon P. Osgood, Justin E. Tenney, Franklin W. Putnam, Clerk and Treasurer. The shop is four stories high, sixty feet long, thirty eight feet wide and is very convenient for the business.
NAMES APPLIED TO DIFFERENT LOCALITIES.
Great Meadow, Colman's Meadow, Lower Meadow, Bogg Meadow, Beaver Meadow, Rock Meadow, Pond Meadow and Jabe Meadow were names very early given to localities which they still continue to designate. Colman's Meadow derived its name from Captain Nathaniel Colman of Hatfield, Mass., who was one of the most prominent of the original propri- etors. North Hemlock, South Ilemlock and East Hemlock have worn their names for over a century and may now be considered well entitled to them. The name of the Borough is said to have originated as follows. Jonas Lynds who was the first settler in the locality used for purposes of trade to make occasional tours to the village where he would appear in a style of dress little known at present. On one of these occasions one of the citizens not knowing, but desiring to know where he resided put to him the ques- tion. " Mr. Lynds where do yon live now? " To which he much to their amusement replied "O Eburrow up ont here in the woods at the north end of the town." After this Mr. Lynd's abode was called " The Burrow" but which is now and has for many years past been known as The Borough. For the origin of name of Trapshire see page 692. Snumshire had its name from the frequent use of words " I snum" employed by a blacksmith and
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other persons residing there. Spafford's gulley derived its name from Cap- tain John Spafford the first miller in the town. It is now frequently called " Devil's gulley," on account of the wildness of its scenery but it appears to the writer that the respect due to Captain Spafford as a once honered cit- izen should lead us to retain the original name. Prospect Hill derives its name from the fine view to be obtained from its summit; Sam's Hill either from Col. Samuel Hunt or his son Samuel Hunt, jr. On the name Break- neck, as applied to the wild and picturesque hill east of the village, there is no need to remark. Mount Calavant is the name of a hill in the northern portion of the town, near which stood the residence of " Tory Harper," but why so named has not been ascertained, but there is a very dim tradition that it was from a person of that name who died and was buried there at a very early day.
WHAT DID OUR GRANDFATIIERS AND GRANDMOTIIERS EAT?
In all the New England settlements one common article of food was bean porridge. This was caten for breakfast, and, before there was plenty of milk, also for supper. After milk became plenty, that, with brown bread, was eaten, usually, by families, for their evening meal.
Another common article of food was baked pumpkin. A pumpkin was taken, which, having become thoroughly ripe, had a very hard shell. Into the stem end of this a hole was ent, some five or six inches in diameter, keeping whole the piece of shell which was taken out. Then the seeds of the pumpkin were taken out and the inside thoroughly srcaped of all its stringy substance, so that there should be nothing left but the solid meat. Thus prepared, it was filled partly with new milk, when it was covered by the piece which had been cut ont, and put into a well heated oven, where it was permitted to remain six or eight hours, and was usually allowed to cool in the oven. It was then fit for use, and was eaten with milk. Some scraped out the pumpkin and ate it in bowls-others turned the milk into the pumpkins and ate from them. In this way Hon. John Langdon and Governor Chittenden in their youth made many a hearty meal. This style of living is referred to in the celebrated poem of Mother Goose, with which of course all are familiar :
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