USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 55
USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 55
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"The prayer of this their humble Petition therefore is-That the tract of land marked out upon the plan
herewith exhibited may be set off from the several Towns aforesaid into a distinct Township by the name of orringe and the Inhabitants of it incorporated as aforesaid-and Your Petitioners as in duty Bound shall ever pray.
" August 22ª 1786.
" Inhabitants of Keene
" Roswell Hubbard Zadock Nims
Joshua Osgood Erastus Hubbard
" Inhabitants of Packerfield
" Grindal Keith Oliver Carter
" Inhabitants of Stoddard
- Burnam William Burnam
Nathan Bolster Samuel Wyman
Saml Seward Ezra Osgood
Josiah Seward
Elijah Carter
" Inhabitants of Gilsom
James Row
Timothy Dewey
Timothy Dimmock
Thos Morse
James Pratt
Jesse Wheeler
Joseph Ellis Lockhart Willard
William Cory Jonathan Baker
Samuel Cory John Dimick
John Chapman Joshua Cory
Benjaman Chapman
Jonathan Heaton
Benja Ellis
James Locke Jun'
Simeon Ellis
James Locke
Nathan Ellis Ebenezer Birdit
John Chapman Jun'
John Row"
The following is the report of the committee on foregoing petition, 1787 :
" We the Subscribers being a Committee Appointed by the General Court of this State to View the Cor- ners of Keene Packerfield Gilsom and Stoddard have- ing Viewed the primeces Beg Leave to Report, as their Opinion that the parts of Towns Petitioned for to be made into a Town lies Very Convenient for that purpose by Reason of being incompassed all Round with Mountains and Broken Land that is al- most impassable Besides their Lying Very Remote
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SULLIVAN.
from the Towns to which they Now Belong to-but it must Consequently, if incorporated into a New Town Leaves Some of the Towns from which those parts of Towns were Taken Especially Gilsome in a Broken and inconvenant Shape as may be made to appear by the Plan of sª Town if Sª Gilsome Could be acomedated by Being anexed to any other parts of Towns which Lies Joyning it is our opinion that it might be a Publick advantage and much for the ac- comedation and Benifit of the Petitioners
" Alstead September ye 24, 1787 "LEM" HOLMES
" ABSALOM KINGSBERY"
" The Petition of the select Men of the towns of Keene and Sullivan in said State Humbly Sheweth-
" That whereas in the year 1789-an Act passed the General Court to Incorporate a town by the Name of Sullivan and in and by said Act the Bounds of Said town are Affixed and Determined-But as they will not Close agreeable to said Act-We your Humble Petitioners pray an Amendment may be made to Said Act, in the following manner (Viz) the West line of Said town to be lengthened South into Keene one Hundred fifty seaven Rods thence East twenty Eigth Degrees & 30 minutes South, to the East line of said Keene, thence North on said line to the Bounds from Which they set out from in said Act
"and whereas by said Amendment the Lines will run as they ever were Expected to run by the town of Keene and likewise by said Petitioners for Sulli- van-It is the Humble Request of Said towns that said Amendment take Place-And your Petitioners as in Duty Bound Shall ever Pray
" Keene Decem" 20th 1793
" LOCK® WILLARD ! Select Men
" DAVID WILLSON of Keene "
" ERASTUS HUBBARD Select Men
" ELIAKIM NIMS of Sullivan "
This petition was granted January 10, 1794.
PETITION FOR THE GRANT OF A TOWNSHIP: AD- DRESSED TO THE GENERAL COURT, 1798.
" The Petition of the subscribers, Inhabitents of the State of New Hampshire, Humbly Sheweth-
"that your Petitioners being informa that there is within the limits of this State lands as yet unlocated ; and your Petitioners being desirous to lay a founda-
tion for the settlement of our Children within the bounds of there Native State.
"We therefore pray that a township may be granted to your Petitioners, for actual Settlement un- der such restrictions and limits as your Hon1 body may think propper, that we may not have the dis- agreeable Sight of Seeing our Sons Emigrating to other States and prehaps, Kingdoms-
" And as in Duty bound will ever pray.
"Sullivan, Novr. 10th, 1798.
" Roswell Hubbard.
Thomas Powell, Jun.
Elijah Carter.
David Powell.
Wm Muzzy.
Joseph Powell.
Elijah Osgood.
Jonathan Powell.
Dan1 Wilson, Jun'.
Samuel Seward, Junr.
Josiah Seward, Junr.
Paul Farnsworth.
Wm. Munroe.
Theophilus Row.
Oliver Carter.
Erastus Hubbard.
Joseph Ellis, Junr.
Roswell Hubbard, JunT.
Thomas Seward.
Wi11 Bridge.
Ichobad Keith.
Daniel Willson.
Elijah Rugg.
John Willson.
Josiah Seward.
gorge Nims.
James Comstick.
James W. Osgood.
Peter Barker.
Charles Carter.
Abijah Seward.
James Willson.
Nathan Bolster.
Calvin Nims.
Isiah Willson.
Olover Brown.
Sam1 Willson.
Phelander Nims.
Frederick Nims.
Ezra Osgood. Samuel Seward.
Elsworth Hubbard. Abel Carter.
George Hubbard. Samuel Clarke.
Thoms Morse.
Henry Carter."
In 1790 the town voted £5 for preaching. The services were held in a barn until 1791, when a small house was erected, and in the same year £6 was raised for church purposes and in the following year £15. The church was organized October 17th, and consisted of twenty-two members. Among the first preach- ers were Lawrence, Brown, Woolly, Cotton, Randall, Kendall, Stone, Clapp, Eaton, Wm. Muzzy, Josiah Peabody, Josiah Wright, Al- anson Alvord, Thos. S. Norton.
There are now three churches in this town, two Congregational and a Union Church.
Joseph Seward.
James Row.
Daniel Farnsworth.
HISTORY OF SURRY.
CHAPTER I.
THIS town was incorporated March 9, 1769, and comprised territory severed from the towns of Westmoreland and Gilsum, largely from the latter. That portion taken from the former had been known as Westmoreland Leg.
By the act of incorporation the first meeting was to be called by Peter Hayward, the first settler in town, and Ebenezer Kilburn had liberty to " poll off" with his estate to Gilsum.
Surry was one of the towns that voted to unite with Vermont, and, in 1781, the majority of the selectmen refused to call a meeting for the election of a member of the Legislature, in obedience to a precept from this State, " being under oath to the State of Vermont."
Lead and silver were discovered on Surry Mountain many years ago, and attempts have been made from time to time to mine the ore. A mine on the east side of the mountain, which is being worked at the present time by the Granite State Mining Company, produces gold, silver, copper and lead in considerable quan- tities.
The town derived its name from Surry, in England. The following Surry men were in the First New Hampshire Regiment in the war of the revolution :
Joshua Church, enlisted March 18, 1777; discharged April 30, 1780.
Anthony Gilman, enlisted July 1, 1777 ; taken pris- oner.
Samuel Liscomb, enlisted May 8, 1777; discharged December, 1779.
Jacob Bonney, enlisted May 20, 1777 ; died July, 1778.
PETITION OF LEMUEL HOLMES : ADDRESSED TO THE GENERAL COURT, FEBRUARY 10, 1780.
" The Memorial of Lemuel Holmes, Captain of the Corps of Rangers- Humbly Sheweth,
"That your Memorialist was captivated by the British Army on the 16th Day of November, A.D. 1776, at Fort Washington (so called) and carried into New-York, where he was detained a Prisoner untill the 20th Day of September, A.D. 1778 ;- That during this Period your Memorialist had scarce any Allow- ances from the Continent & none from this State, & your Memorialist is led to suppose that the Reason of his being neglected by said State was, that thro' Mistake he was never returned as belonging to the said State ;- That your Memorialist was detained in New-York five Weeks after he was exchanged, for Want of Money to discharge his Billet, having had no Remittances for that Purpose ;- That after your Memorialist was permitted to leave New-York, (hav- ing previously been obliged to hire the Money to dis- charge his Billet) he was under a Necessity of taking a Journey to Philadelphia to procure said Money to be granted & remitted by the Honorable Continental Congress, which Journey cost him much time & nearly all the Money he had before received, which was seven hundred Dollars on Accompt .- And your Memorialist would also humbly represent in Behalf of himself & Samuel Silsby, Daniel Griswold & Wil- liam Haywood, Soldiers from said State in the Corps commanded by your Memorialist, that your Mem- orialist & the aforesaid Soldiers were considerable Sufferers by loosing several things at the time of their Captivity & by Expenees afterwards arising from Sickness, the necessary Charges of getting Home & loss of time afterwards, as will more fully appear from the Accompt herewith transmitted .- Wherefore, your Memorialist, in Behalf of himself & the afore- said Samuel Silsby, Daniel Griswold and William Haywood, humbly prays this honorable Court to take
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SURRY.
the foregoing Memorial & Representation, together with the Accompt herewith transmitted, into their wise Consideration and act thereon as they in their Wisdom shall see just & proper ;- and your Memor- ialist as in Duty bound, shall ever pray, &c .-
" LEMUEL HOLMES, Captain."
" PETITION OF THOMAS DODGE, SOLDIER, 1783."
" Humbly Shews,
" Thomas Dodge, in the year 1777, he inlisted into the continental service for three years, for the town of Surry, in the county of Cheshire, and received from Said Town a Bounty of one hundred Dollars ; that he served during the whole term; and when he applied to the treasury of this State for his Wages, the receipt he had given the Town of Surry for said Bounty was lodged against him and reducted out of his Wages-Your Petitioner therefore prays, that this Assembly will take his case into consideration and make an order to The Town of Surry to refund said hundred Dollars, or grant such other relief in the premises as to this honble Court shall seem expedient and proper-and your Petitioner as in Duty bound shall ever pray.
" Charlestown Nº. 4, Oct. 24th, 1783- " THOMAS DODGE."
PETITION OF LEMUEL HOLMES, SOLDIER : ADDRESSED TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 1782.
"Humbly Sheweth,
" The petition and memorial of Lemuel Holmes- of Surry in said State-that on the first day of Jan- uary, seventeen hundred seventy-six-your petitioner engaged as Lientenant for the term of one year in the service of this and the United States-and on the sixteenth day of November following, was taken prisoner at Fort Washington-That previous to the captivity of your petitioner (viz) on the first of sep- tember the same Year-I had an appointment by his Excellency Gen1 Washinton to the office of Captain -That by being made prisoner, your petitioner was prevented receiving a commission agreable to such appointment-but was, however, returned and ex- changed as such-after having continued prisoner in New York almost two years-That when released, your petitioner immediately applied to the Congress for direction and settlement of my accounts-and there received a small sum in Continental money on account- and was directed by Congress to apply to the state to which I belonged for a settlement of the whole- That your petitioner, in consequence, applied to the hon. Assembly of this State about two years since- but by a multiplicity of business or some other cause to me unknown-my said application was and has
been since neglected-whereby a setlement of my ac- counts has never yet been effected, nor any sufficient payment or compensation rendered for the services and sufferings of your petitioner-That more over, your petitioner hath been informed that Congress ordered some allowance to be made to those super- numerary Officers who returned home-
" Your petitioner therefore humbly prays that your honors will take the several matters herein before suggested, into serious consideration-and point out some eligible method for a speedy settlement of my accounts-and whereby I may obtain the balance in my favor without greater cost and trouble-And that in the mean time your honors would direct and order a reasonable sum for my present relief and support -Or, other wise grant such relief and direction in the premises-as to your honors in wisdom may seem best .-
"And your Petitioner as in duty bound will ever pray
" LEM" HOLMES " Dated at Concord this 13th June 1782-"
In House of Representatives, June 14, 1782, he was granted an allowance of thirty pounds, " hard money."
The following is a petition of Lemuel Holmes, 1794 :
"To the Honourable General Court of the State of New Hampshire convened at Amherst on the first Wednesday of June 1794
"The petition of Lemuel Holmes for himself and Samuel Silsby Niles Beckwith, William Hayward & Daniel Griswold all of the State afforesaid and County of Cheshire who are yet Living who were taken prisoners at fort Washington in the Year 1776 with your petitioners that Belonged to the State of New- hampshire and who have Never had any Compensa- tion for the time they were prisoners nor the Loss of their Baggage and arms and what is infinitely wors the Loss of their health and Constitutions: altho their accompts with mine were Considered by our Committee and Sent forward to Congress but were with many other State accompts not Considered So that we your petitioners are without any Redress un- less your Honours will pleas to interpose in our Be- half and make a Grant of So much of the unlocated Lands in Said State as your Honours in Your Wis- dom may think Reasonable under Such Restrictions as to Setling as may Seem best for the State
"and I Your humble petitioner will be under Such obligations to Survey and Settle Said Lands in Behalf of them as Shall be Reasonable as Your pe-
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
titioner has a Number of Sons who would Settle Said Lands which might be of Some Servis to the State but would Satisfy your petitioner that the State for which he has undergon too many hardships to men- tion think that his friends feel for his Misfortunes and will Compensate for his Losses
" and your petitioner as in Duty bound will pray
"Surry June ye 2ª 1794.
"LEMUEL HOLMES."
Hon. Lemuel Holmes was lieutenant in a company of rangers from January 1, 1776, un- til the 1st of September following, when he was appointed captain by General Washington. On the 16th of November next following he was taken prisoner at Fort Washington and carried to New York, where he remained in captivity until September 20, 1778. He was town clerk of Surry for some years, and repre- sented Gilsum and Surry in the House of Representatives in 1784-86, 1789-92. He was elected a member of the Governor's Coun- cil in 1790 and held the office four years; was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the county of Cheshire until 1808, at which time he was debarred from holding the office any longer by reason of having arrived at the age of seventy years. He lived for some years at the foot of Bald Hill, in Surry, and is described as being an agreeable and courteous gentleman, of strict integrity and a prominent man in his day. Subsequently he removed to Vermont, and there died.
The following is relative to the collection of beef for the army, 1786 :
" M" Speeker Sir Whereas Co' Gideon of Exeter Was appointed a Collector of Beef for the year 1780 and under him John Mellen Esq' Collector for the County of Cheshire Sd Mellen did in the year 1780 Collect 739 lb of Beef more than he Recepted for to Co1 Gideons and Because Sª Returns do not agree with the Return on the Book the Treasurer Cant Credet the Town of Surry for any Part of the Beef which was Delivered to Sª Mellen therefore it is Motioned that the House Give orders that the Treasurer Receive Said Recepts and Credet the Town of Surry for the Same which the Treasurer is Ready to do upon Receiving the order
" LEMUEL HOLMES
"Portsmouth Feb ye 22 1786
"Surry, Capt Giddings returned 26001b Beef"
RETURN OF RATABLE POLLS, 1783.
"A return of the Male inhabitants of the Town of Surry of Twenty one years of age and upwards pay each one for himself a Poll-Tax
"Eighty two
" By order of the Select men
"LEMU" HOLMES Town Clerk"
The following, relative to date of annual meeting, was addressed to the Council and House of Representatives in 1784 :
"Humbly sheweth your Petitioners Thomas Har- vey Joshua Fuller and William Barran Selectmen for the Town of Surry for the year 1783 That whereas the Holding of Annuel Meetings on the Last Tues- days of March is attended by many inconveniencies, in consequence of the new Constitution taking place and the inconveniency of Holding it by adjournment by reason of its being so late in the Month
" Therefore, We your Petitioners pray that if your Honours see fit would appoint the Annual Meeting to be held earlier in the Month of March for the Future
" As in Duty Bound will ever pray
"LEM" HOLMES Town Clerk
" by order of the Selectmen
"Surry March 24th 1784"
By an act passed April 13, 1784, the time for holding the annual meeting was changed from the last Tuesday of March to the first Monday in the same month.
DATE OF ANNUAL MEETING CHANGED, 1785.
"State of New Hamp"
"In the House of Representatives Feb" 23ª 1785
"Whereas in and by an Act passed the 13th of April A. D. 1784 it is Enacted that the Annual Meeting in the Town of Surry shall be held on the first Monday in March annually, but as the Inhabitants have not had Notice thereof, and the said first Monday so nigh that Legal notice connot be given of the business necessary to be transacted at said Meeting-There- fore-
" Resolved that the Meeting for the Present year be held on the fourth Tuesday of March next and that the present Select men give notice in the usual man- ner of the time place & Design of Said Meeting and the Officers chosen at said Meeting are to give notice that the annual meeting of said Town is to be held on the first monday in March annually in future-
"Sent up for Concurrence
"GEO: ATKINSON, Speaker
" In Senate the same day read & Concurred
" E THOMPSON Sec"
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SURRY.
The following is a petition for authority to raise money by lottery to work a silver mine, 1786 :
" The Petition of the Subscribers Humbly sheweth that they have Discovered a place in Surry in the county of Cheshire, where they Are persuaded there is a Valuable Silver Mine, that they Wish to make an Experiment of the worth and Quantity of said Mine, that by the best computation they can make, it will cost three or four thousand Dollars, before they can reap any considerable advantage therefrom, that they conceive it would a very considerable advantage to the Publick, should they succede to their Reason- able expectation, in opening said Mine, that it will be extremely Difficult, if not impossible for them, to advance the necessary Expences for effecting the Same Experiment, that Encouraged by your Honours known Wisdom and Public Spirit; the Prayer of your Pe- titioners is that they or others as your Honors shall see fit may be Authorised by the help of a Publick Lottery for that purpose, to raise the sum of two thousand Dollars, or any other Sum that your Honours shall see fit, to assist them in opening the same, and they as in Duty bound shall ever pray.
"Feby 1st 1786
"JEDE SANGER " JOSEPH BLAKE "Wm RUSSELL
Committee in behalf of the Owners
of said Mine."
REMONSTRANCE AGAINST THE INCORPORATION OF A BAPTIST SOCIETY, 1800.
"We a Committee being appointed by the Inhabit- ants of the town of Surry at a legal Meeting October 11, 1800, to remonstrate against the prayer of the Petition of a Number of the Inhabitants living in the southwest part of said Surry that they with others may be incorporated into a Religious Society to be called and known by the Name of the first Baptist Society in Westmoreland, beg leave to state
" First, That the Town of Surry is but a very small Incorporation and have not one Inhabitant to spare without injuring said Town, there being not more than 80 Freeholders therein
"Secondly, Those petitioning Inhabitants are not more than three and a half and some not more than two Miles from the Meetinghouse in said Surry
"Thirdly, In their petition they have stil'd them- selves professors of Religion by the Denomination of Baptists, and to say the Truth, we are obliged to say, that not one of those petitioners belonging to Surry ever made any Profession of Religion of any Denom- ination that we know of, especially, Baptist-and we
declare that whenever any or all of them shall have made a Publick Profession of Religion of any Denom- ination whatever contrary to our Denomination we will agreeably to the Constitution freely relinquish all Right of Taxing such Professors to the Support of our Minister
"Fourthly, We doubt in our minds whether the Motive of their thus petitioning is not more to an- swer sinister Views, such as forming a Center to ad- vance private property and continue small Disputes than to promote Harmony and good Order
" LEMUEL HOLMES
" JOHN STILES
" JONAt ROBINSON
" NATHAN HOWARD
Committee"
CONSENT OF SUNDRY PERSONS TO FOREGOING.
" We whose names are hereunto subscribed, Inhab- itants of the Town of Surry hereby give our Consent to the Remonstrance of a Committee appointed by said Town against the Petition of a Number of the Inhabitants thereof, with others praying to be incor- porated into a Baptist Society as in our minds we doubt the Sincerity of some of those Petitioners be- longing to said Surry and that they do not duly con- sider the Consequence of an Incorporation
" Lemuel Holmes
Daniel Smith
Nathan Howard Asa Holmes
Abia Crane Calvin Hayward
Philip Monro Jnº McCurdy
Jonathan Smith Levi Fuller
Ichabod Smith Cushman Smith Asahel Harvey
Sylvester Skinner
Abner Skinner John Stiles
Eldad Skinner thos Harvey
Jonathan Skinner Cyrus Harvey
Obadiah Wilcox Eli Dort
Moses Field Asa Wilcox
Jonat Robinson."
The society mentioned in the foregoing was incorporated December 10, 1800, and com- prised persons from the towns of Surry, Wal- pole, Westmoreland and Keene.
There was originally a Congregational Church in this town, formed January 12, 1769, with Rev. Daniel Darling as pastor. Other pastors have been Rev. Perley Howe, Rev. G. S. Brown, Rev. Ezra Adams and vari- ous others.
The Methodists now have a church in this town.
HISTORY OF TROY.
BY M. T. STONE, M.D.
CHAPTER I.
TROY comprises an area of twelve square miles, four hundred and eighty-five acres and thirty-five rods, and had a population in 1880 of seven hundred and ninety-five.
The total valuation, April 1, 1885, was $376,892; number of polls, 203; horses, 117; value, $7639; oxen, 52; value, $3207 ; cows, 201 ; value, $6208 ; other neat stock, 72; value, $1226; sheep, 34; value, $136; hogs, 5; value, $71; stock in trade, $28,540; bank stock, $1700; out of State, $700; interest money, $8722; mills and machinery, $15,000; real estate, $283,443.
Our business is represented by one blanket- mill, one box-shop, one tannery, one chair-stock factory, two tub, pail and bucket manufactories, one wheelwright-shop and grist-mill, one livery- stable, one barber-shop, one shop for turning pail-handles, two general stores, one dealer in Yankee notions, two hotels, two churches and one semi-monthly newspaper.
At what time the first settlement was made in this territory we have no authentic history.
Dr. Caverly, in his history, published thirty years ago, says it was beyond the recollection of men then living.
About 1746, or a little later, the territory in the vicinity of Monadnock Mountain was pur- chased from the proprietors of Mason's grant, and were divided into townships, which were given the common name of Monadnock, but distinguished by different numbers.
Monadnock No. 4 was called Marlborough, and No. 5 Fitzwilliam, and from these towns the larger part of the territory of Troy was taken.
The first individual known to have settled within this territory was William Barker, a native of Westborough, Mass., who came here in the year 1761, and selected the location for his future home, supposed to be the spot now known as the Joel Holt place, on West Hill.
He did not move his family until nearly three years later, they arriving at their new home in September, 1764.
In 1770, a road having been built by his residence, he opened a public-house, the first in town, and which he kept for many years. Here, on April 2, 1776, a daughter was born, -- the first child born in the town.
During the next fifty years the population increased more or less rapidly, until the town contained quite a village, which commanded the trade for quite a distance around.
The surface being hilly and uneven, it was inconvenient for the inhabitants to reach the centres of their respective towns, and having become accustomed to do much of their private business here, thought it would be for their con- venience to transact their public business here also, and the village, having been built up on the borders of two towns, was under a divided jurisdiction, which was not conducive to its prosperity, and these were the reasons urged for
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TROY.
an act of incorporation, which was granted by the Legislature in June, 1815, the town being formed from the southerly part of Marlbor- ough, the northerly part of Fitzwilliam and easterly parts of Richmond and Swanzey.
The subject was first agitated in 1794, and for many years was opposed by the inhabit- ants of the different towns, the contest at times being exciting and interesting.
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