History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire, Part 67

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1200

USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 67
USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 67

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The curious would be glad to know why he settled there. If he had an eye for the beauti- ful, the question is answered, for from an eleva- tion east of the house the most beautiful semicircular view is had that can be found in the surrounding country. When he moved into his new house he exclaimed, " Here I will live till I die, and no foe of any kind shall ever drive me away so long as I can hold a gun !"

The Kilburn and Bellows families lived neighbors in town nearly one hundred and

twenty years, and never intermarried. At length one of the Bellows descendants, of the fourth generation, and one of the Kilburns, of the sixth generation, married ; and the mingled blood of the first two settlers courses the veins of their two children-a son and daughter.

The Kilburns did not rise much above the surface till the fourth generation, through Elijah, old Kilburn's grandson. He had a large family-nine children, six of whom were boys, who were all respectable, thriving people, some of whom secured a large competency as mill-owners and superintendents. All have been leading men in communities where they have lived.

There is no one by the name of Kilburn liv- ing in the town to-day, and but few descendants.

Mr. Kilburn was a man of but limited edu- cation ; therefore he was not the peer of others more fortunate, who figured as town officers ; he only held some few minor positions in town. He was industrious, honest and brave, and he lived long enough to see his great-grandchildren on the stage, when, at a ripe old age, he died, and was buried in the old cemetery north of the village, where a plain, substantial slab of granite marks the spot, with the following inscription :

" In memory of John Kilburn, who departed this life for a better, April 8th, 1789, in the 85th year of his age. He was the first settler of this town

in 1749."

1752 .- A star actor will now be introduced to the reader, who, with his descendants, did more to settle the town, build her church edi- fices, foster education and the building of high- ways in the first twenty years after his advent, than all others put together. In fact, the influ- ence of this man and his family was felt in every movement made in town, even down as late as 1830. When one voter met another town- meeting day morning, he asked of the other, " Well, how are you going to vote to-day ?" His

416

HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

reply was, " I don't know ; I haven't asked the 'Squire yet," meaning a son of

COL. BENJAMIN BELLOWS, who was the founder of the town. Benning Wentworth, desirous of forming settlements on Connecticut River, offered as an inducement to Colonel Bel- lows any of the unappropriated lands found in this region. After looking about for some time, the colonel, for reasons known only to himself, selected No. 3 in the chain of forts (now Wal- pole.) In 1752, Colonel Bellows, Theodore At- kinson, Colonel Josiah Blanchard and sixty- seven others, grantees, purchased the township above-named, and obtained a charter, which reads thus :

"George II., by advice of Benning Wentworth, Governor, granted unto his loving subjects, inhabitants of New Hampshire, and his majesty's other govern- ments, in equal shares, whose names are entered on this grant, to be divided among them in sixty-seven different shares, all that traet of land in said province of New Hampshire, described, &c., &c. And the same is incorporated as Walpole, and the inhabitants thereof are enfranchised and declared entitled to the privileges of other towns in said province, and as soon as there shall be fifty families resident there, shall have the liberty of holding two fairs annually, and shall also have a market opened and kept one or more days in a week, as may be thought advanta- geous.

"The first meeting of said town shall be held the third Wednesday of March next (1752), and Benjamin Bellows is appointed moderator of such meeting and to call the same. To hold said land on these condi- tions, namely, every grantee shall, within five years, cultivate five acres of land for every fifty acres of his share, and shall continue to improve and settle the same by additional cultivation, on penalty of forfeit- ure of his share.

"That all white and other pine-trees fit for our royal navy, be preserved for use, and none be cut or felled without his majesty's special license, upon same forfeiture and punishment of any acts of parliament now or hereafter enacted.

" That before division of land, a tract or center of township shall be marked in town lots, one of which shall be allotted to each grantee of the contents of one aere, yielding and paying therefor to us, &c., for ten years, one ear of Indiun corn annually on the first day of January, if lawfully demanded.

"Every proprietor, settler or inhabitants, shall yield and pay to us, &c., yearly, after the expiration of ten years, one shilling proclamation money, for every hundred aeres he so owns, settles or possesses, and so in proportion for greater or less tracts, which said money shall be paid to our council-chamber, or to officers appointed to receive it.

(Signed) " BENNING WENTWORTH.

" In testimony &c., Feb. 13, 1752, and 25th year of George's reign.

" Recorded by THEODORE ATKINSON, Sec."

Nine years after the date of the charter the grautees represent that, by reason of the Indian wars and other good and sufficient reasons, it is not practicable for them to comply with its conditions ; therefore the time is lengthened from year to year until the conditions of the charter are fulfilled. This document is dated March 12, 1761, being the first year of the reign of George III.

Colonel Bellows had built for himself and family a habitation which was afterwards called a fort, of which more further on.

On opening the town records is found, in compliance with the provisions of the charter, the doings of the first town-meeting, which was held on the third Wednesday of March, 1752. According to the provisions of the charter, Col- onel Bellows was the first moderator. The meeting was without warrant, and no record is found where the meeting was held. The record was as follows :

" At a meeting held at Walpole In the Province of New Hampshire, agreeable to Charter on the third Wednesday of March A.D. 1752, Benjamin Bellows being appointed Moderator,-first voted and Chose theodore Atkinson Esq, and Benjamin Bellows Select- men for sd year Insuing. Secondly, Chose Benjamin Bellows Town Clark, then desmissed the meeting. Attest Benjamin Bellows Town Clark."

The record of the town-meeting of 1753 is precisely like the foregoing. In 1754 the first part of the record is the same as the preceding one, except that Sam. Johnson is chosen moder- ator,-

"Secondly chose Benjamin Bellows, Sam. Johnson

417

WALPOLE.

and Robert Powker Selectmen. 3ª Chose Col. Wil- lard Town Clark. [The name of Col. Bellows seemed to have been scratched out and Col. Willard's name substituted.] Fourthly, chose Enoch Cook Constable. Fifthly chose Enoch Cook Servayer of hie Ways."

The first three records " appear to have been made at one sitting, by the color of the ink and other evidences, and probably were, from the fact that seven years later each settler was as- sessed one shilling to procure " a town-book to be kept for the use of the town." When ob- tained, most likely, the above records were transcribed into the new book from some loose memoranda.

The records of the town for the first three years were undoubtedly in the handwriting of Colonel Bellows, but after that time were in the handwriting of his son, Benjamin Bel- lows, Jr., although signed and attested by his father till Benjamin, Jr., was chosen town clerk in 1759, when he was only nineteen years of age. He held the office of town clerk from the above date till 1795, except two years, 1778 and 1782, when Amos Babcock and N. Goddard supplanted him,-a period of thirty-four years.

Theodore Atkinson and Joseph Blanchard, who appear on the records the first two years as selectmen, the former living in Londonderry, and then secretary of the province, and the lat- ter (a brother-in-law of the colonel) living in Dunstable, attending to his multifarious busi- ness transactions there, probably, were not am- bitious enough to find their way through the slush, snow and blizzards of March without roads, and guided only by blazed trees, to at- tend a town-meeting in the then infant town of Walpole. Sam. Johnson and Robert Powker, whose names figure as selectmen the next year, died yearlings, for they do not appear on the town records again. The same year Colonel Willard's name is recorded as town clerk,-a man who had the infant town of Winchester on his hands, and, consequently, had no right to meddle with town affairs in Walpole. Enoch Cook, who was chosen constable and surveyor of "hie ways" the same year, together with

Johnson and Powker as selectmen,-it is more than suspected, as there were but four families in town four years later,-were mere men of straw.

Where was poor Kilburn these long years, when there was such a paucity of men? Prob- ably he did not have then, if he ever did, an embracing friendship for Colonel Bellows-he, most likely, was at home town-meeting days nursing his wrath to keep it warm, while, it may be, Colonel Bellows was cosily seated before a warm fire toasting his shins and smoking a corn-cob pipe.

In March, 1755, Benjamin Bellows was chosen moderator, town clerk, selectman and treasurer, and John Kilburn and Daniel Twit- chel appear as associates of Colonel Bellows as selectmen ; but before the month of March closed that year, Mr. Twitchel and a man by the name of Flynt went back, east from Con- necticut River, on to the hills, for the purpose of procuring some black-ash timber for boat oars, where they were both found, shot by the Indians-dead ! They were found lying on their backs. One was scalped, the other was cut open and his heart taken out, cut in pieces and laid on his breast. Flynt was buried on the spot ; Twitchel, having friends, was carried away and buried elsewhere.

The exact spot where Flynt was buried is about one and a half miles northeast from Wal- pole Village, near the Drewsville road, a few rods west. A small pile of stones, carelessly thrown together, marks the spot. It is said that one John Flynt had a Bay State charter of this town about 1742. Who knows but the above-named Flynt was the man ?

The inhabitants of the town had already been thrown into great excitement and fear on learning that the savages had visited Charles- town in June, 1754, at an early hour in the morning, before the families had arisen, and capturing and carrying into captivity James Johnson, his wife and three children, together with his wife's sister (Miriam Willard), Eben-

418

HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

ezer Farnsworth and Peter Labaree. One Aaron Hosmer eluded a horrible fate by secret- ing himself under a bed.

That event, with all the sufferings and hor- rors attending it, followed soon after by the killing of Twitchel and Flynt, and a few months later by the Kilburn fight, spread a mantle of gloom and awful suspense over the few settlers that had gathered in town ; but the murders of Twitchel and Flynt seemed to make a deeper and more solemn impression on the minds of the inhabitants, because the taking off of two of their neighbors in such a barbarous way was the first white blood known to have been shed in the immediate vicinity after the first settle- ment in town. The people at that time were very superstitious, and they believed the guar- dian angel of Twitchel was continually hover- ing over them, and warning them of the wiles of the savages, and calling upon them to avenge his murder.

A rock in Connecticut River, a little south of the Cold River railroad station, may be seen at low water, where Twitchel used to fish with never-failing success. This rock, for many years, was held in religious veneration by the early settlers. There, even now, a good angler, with a few worms and a good deal of patience, may catch a generous fry.

In 1745 a body of French and Indians, the latter twelve in number, attacked the garrison at the Great Meadows (now in Putney, Vt.), on the 12th of October, at noon. A brisk fight was carried on for an hour and a half, and one Indian was killed. The fort was defended with so much courage the enemy withdrew. In lieu of victory, they killed and drove off the cattle. Nehemiah How, who was cutting wood about eighty rods from the fort, was taken by the In- dians and no attempt was made to rescue him. As they were leading him away on the west bank of the river, opposite Boggy Meadow, they espied two men crossing the river in a ca- noe, when they fired and killed one of them, David Rugg, and the other, Robert Baker,

made for the east shore and escaped. The Indians scalped Rugg and mounted the scalp on a long pole and carried it through Charlestown, in triumph, to Crown Point. This David Rugg was, without a shadow of doubt, the identical man who was buried on Boggy Meadow and the place is known to this day as " Rugg's Meadow."

David Rugg, David Twitchel, - Flynt and Pike (who lost his life at the Kilburn fight) are the only four persons who ever lost their lives in town by the bullets of the merciless savages.

Colonel Bellows was induced to come to Wal- pole to settle by the persuasions of Benning Wentworth (who was then Governor of the province), with whom Bellows was well ac- quainted, and who offered him (Bellows) extra inducements, for several reasons, viz. : One was the settlement of towns in the western part of the State, not only in Cheshire County, but in all the region roundabout, where he granted charters as plenty as blackberries in August. Another reason was, he found in Colonel Bel- lows just the man to push a new settlement on the frontier -a man of considerable culture and of great force of character ; and, lastly, he wanted to secure as large a missionary fund as possible by reserving five hundred acres of land in each grant, the income of which was to go the Episcopal Church, of which he was an ar- dent devotee.

Wentworth, not having a very definite idea of the surroundings in the vicinity of the Great Falls, and supposing the land lying in the im- mediate vicinity of the falls to be the most val- uable for his purpose, on account of the shad and salmon fisheries, and to make the matter doubly sure, he consulted Colonel Bellows on the propriety of locating his missionary lot east of the falls. The colonel very honestly told him " that a plot located there would be of lit- tle use to him ; that it might make a good sheep pasture, but nothing better." It is presumed that the Governor suspected the colonel of a lit-

419

WALPOLE.

tle sharp practice by undervaluing this plot ; therefore, Wentworth pitched his missionary lot on the top and east side of Fall Mountain, which is now a part of Langdon, but is to this day called " the Governor's sheep pasture."

When Colonel Benjamin Bellows came to this town to settle, he brought with him his wife (whose maiden-name was Abigail Stearns) and five children. Their names were Abigail, who died in Northampton, Mass., when young ; Peter, Benjamin, John and Joseph, all born be- tween 1736 and 1744. The colonel buried his first wife November, 1757. She was the first tenant of the old burying-ground. The next year, in April, he married the Widow Mary Jennison, former wife of Jonathan Jennison, of Lunenburg, Mass. She bore him five children, viz. : Abigail, Theodore, Mary, Thomas and Josiah, born between 1759 and 1767.

The Rev. Henry W. Bellows, a great-grand- son of the colonel, says, in his " Memorial Mon- ograph," that, "The immediate cause of my great-grandfather's leaving Lunenburg was that he had become embarrassed in pecuniary matters, by being bound for others, and, in the great scarcity of money, was unable to meet the demands of his creditors. That he was pur- sued by the sheriff to the State line, and, once fairly over it, stopped and held a parley with the sheriff, stating that he had no disposition to avoid his obligations, but that a jail was a poor place in which to find means to pay debts; that he would soon return and liquidate all his ob- ligations." It is most certain that he lived up to his word, for he soon returned to Lunenburg to look after his interests there. When the colonel married the Widow Jennison, she had six children, all of whom came to Walpole with their mother and became the foster chil- dren of the colonel. The third and fifth of this family were boys, whose names were John and Jonathan, respectively. These boys both set- tled in town as farmers, and from them has sprung all the persons by the name of Jennison who ever lived in Walpole. There are none of 27

the descendants of John living in town to-day, although at one time there was quite a number. The descendants of Jonathan still remain in town.

The habitation of Colonel Bellows was lo- cated on a slight elevation of land, where the dwelling and horse-barn of Thomas Bellows now stand. It was in the form of the letter L, each wing being one hundred feet in length and twenty feet in breadth, giving four thousand feet of floor-room. It was strongly built, of logs and earth, and was surrounded by a pali- sade. A lookout was constructed on the west end, commanding a limited view in each direc- tion. Here Colonel Billows lived for ten or more years with his numerous family, consist- ing of himself, wife and eleven children, which was afterwards increased by five more. His own large family and the numerous hired help he had about him required much forethought in order that the pot might be kept boiling.

This habitation or fort was Colonel Bellows' private property, though a few State militia, it is said, were stationed there at one time, and ·Bellows was also presented with a huge iron cannon by the public authorities ; but there is no further evidence of its being a fort.

For some time after Colonel Bellows settled in town he had to go to Northampton, Mass., to mill, going down with his corn in boats in the spring, and returning with his meal and other stores necessary, not only to feed his own fam- ily and hired help, but many families that re- sorted to his fort for protection, and all other comers and goers who wanted to appease their hunger or stay over-night. As soon as he could procure proper help and material, he built himself a mill on Blanchard's Brook, before mentioned. From this mill, it is said, he supplied the early settlers of Langdon, Alstead and Lempster with meal for several years. They came and went on foot, and transported their meal on their backs sometimes ten or twelve miles, when a bushel of meal at the end of their journey would seem as heavy as four.

420

HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

There were no stores kept in town at that carly period, and the settlers had to go to Northfield, Mass., a distance of forty miles, to do their trading. They purchased their goods of one Aaron Burt, who was a wholesale and retail dealer. This Burt was the great-grand- father of Henry and Levi Burt, of this town. A set of Aaron Burt's account-books, ledger and journal, are in the possession of Henry Burt, of this town, at this time more than one hundred and thirty years old. They are in a beautiful, round handwriting, and well preserved. In them are found charges made against no less than sixteen persons known to have been resi- dents of this town. It is curious to note, after the lapse of so many years, that those old ac- count-books should be brought forward to give the data by which one can gather who lived here and what, in a measure, was the general condition of the purchaser, financially and otherwise. If the goods bought were for household consumption, and were large and fre- quent, it showed that the purchaser had a large family and his credit was good ; if many dry- goods swelled the bill, the inference is that the family was composed largely of females. An inference could be drawn of the condition of every family. Colonel Bellows had frequent and large bills there. One was for a large bill of nails of all sizes. The account is dated the same year he built his new house, which, no doubt, were bought for that purpose. The last items charged on the colonel's bills were two casks of brandy and three barrels of rum. The purchase of these last items is strong evidence that the colonel was not a teetotaler.

JONATHAN LEAVITT .- In those early days the settlement of a minister was the paramount subject of the settlers. They could no more do without their minister then their accustomed meals. He furnished their religious views, their brains and their morals.

Ile was looked upon, by high and low, as superior to all others around him ; and due deference was paid him. He was settled for

life, and a " minister's lot " was assigned to him as his own property in fee. Where this lot was first located is not positively known; but somewhere within the compass of Walpole village. But what a change one hundred years has wrought ! Now, if a minister preaches his honest sentiments, and they do not suit the conventional ideas of his society, he is called to a severe account for it; if he preaches even what he is hired to preach, the people find fault with him. Now, if he does well, he is esteemed, by most people, as being on a level with others who do as well. The fact is he preaches what the people like rather than what he would untrammeled preach, for he knows that he is settled on horse-back and the horse is liable to be led to his door at any moment with the request to mount and leave. It is related that a noted divine, who had held an unusually long pastorate, was asked one day, what was the secret of such success. He facetiously replied, " Well, I preach neither politics, temperance nor religion !"

FROM 1760 TO 1770.

The first business of a public nature done in Walpole, other than choosing town officers, was to assess each settler twelve shillings, lawful money, to be worked out on the highway, at three shillings per day, if worked out before the 1st of September ; if not, two shillings per day thereafter. This was in 1761. At the time they assessed each settler seven shillings to pay for preaching, and "Voted that Benjamin Bel- lows, Esq., provide seats and other conveniences for the purpose."

Previous to the above, in 1760, " At a legal meeting of the inhabitants, held at the fort in Walpole December 22d," the town voted to give Mr. Jonathan Leavitt a call to become their minister, and at the same meeting they also voted to give him the following encourage- ment and salary. The stipulations, as recorded, read thus :-

"Voted to give Mr. Jonathan Leavitt Seventy five

421

WALPOLE.

pounds, Sterling money of Great Britton, as an encour- agement to settle in the work of the ministry in said Town, the one half, that is thirty seven pound ten Shillings Sterling in three months after his Ordina- tion and the other half in nine months after his Or- dination, as also the Right in the Town that is Re- served for the first settled minister in said place to be his, provided he accepts and settles in Said place."

They also voted to give him-

" For a Salory provided he settles in the work of the ministry in this Town of Walpole, namely to begin as thus for his first Year Thirty Seven pounds ten Shillings Sterling money of Great Britton and to rise three pound fifteen Shillings Sterling money each year annually to be added to said Salory till it amount to the sum of Sixty pound Like money there to stay at sixty pounds Sterling till there be Eighty Rateable poles in said Town Inhabitants belonging to said Town, then rise fifteen Shillings on Each pole that shall be added to said town till it makes the sum of seventy five pound Like money for Each year and then to stope and be the yearly Salory so Long as he the said Mr. Jonathan Leavitt shall continue to be the minister in said Town.

"5ły. Agreed and Voted that Each settler in and belonging to said town that is an Inhabitant and belonging to said Town pay the sum of two pound five Shillings Sterling money of Great Brittain for the Use of said settlement of Mr. Jonathan Leavitt and his first Year's Salory that is one pound ten Shillings toward his settlement and fifteen Shillings Toward his first Year's Salory and it is agreed and voted that May's Benjamin Bellows make up the rest of the sum of one hundred and Twelve pound ten Shillings Sterling being the money Voted for the settlement of Mr. Jonathan Leavitt and his first Years Salory if he accepts and settles in said Town."

On the following February Mr. Leavitt replied to the above scholarly document,-

"WALPOLE, February 20, 1761.

" Being called upon by you the Inhabitants of this Place to settle among you in the work of the Gosple ministry and viewing it as my Duty, Do now in the Fear of God Depending on him by his Grace and spirit to assist me in the Faithful Discharge of this so Great a Truth comply with your call. Relying upon it that you will Do all on your part and in your Power to assist, Strengthen and encourage me so long as God shall continue me with you. I say relying on this I do engage to settle among you, provided, that there shall nothing appear between this and the

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire, Part 67

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis Number of Pages: 1200

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1200