History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire, Part 77

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 77
USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 77

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).

In 1797 a church building was erected in the Glebe Parish; its site was on the rise of ground upon the opposite side of the highway from the No. 4 school-house. This building was never completely finished and was removed to the Chesterfield Factory village in 1828 or 1829 and made over into the present bit-shop. Rev. Nathaniel Wilbur was the only regular preacher in this house, preaching about twenty years. I do not learn that any church organization was ever formed to worship in this house, or that Mr. Wilbur was ever ordained. This house was built and preaching maintained thercin mainly by those of the Baptist persuasion.

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND SOCIETY in Westmoreland originated about the year 1818, mainly through the instrumentality of Elder Edward B. Rollins. This sect is an offshoot of the Free- Will Baptists, originating about the

year 1800, from the preaching of one Abner Jones, of Vermont. Elder Rollins was one of the first to espouse this ereed, and commenced his labors in this vicinity by founding a society in Walpole in 1817. He was at that time a young man of fine presence, an able and elo- quent speaker, gifted with a rich, musical voice, and especially effective in addressing his appeals elothed in Scriptural language. He possessed to a large degree those magnetic qualities that draw an ardent following. In 1825 an unpre- tentious one-story building was ereeted in the East Parish for the use of this society. In this house Elder Moses Winchester, a convert to the preaching of Elder Rollins, preached for nearly thirty years.

Elder Winchester possessed a natural gift for public speaking, and if he had been blessed with a liberal education would have ranked high among the pulpit orators of the land. He often lamented his lack of a thorough educa- tion. His life was truly an exemplary one in all the Christian graces.

At the present time Rev. Mr. Bruce is offici- ating as elder of this society. For many years Deacon Gaius Hall was its wise counselor and liberal supporter. It was largely through his liberality and influence that its meetings were maintained and its society kept alive.

THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH .- For some years prior to 1827 there existed a feeling and a desire on the part of many of the people liv- ing in the south part of the town to hold relig- ious services at the then newly-planted South village. Naturally this feeling led to the con- templation of erecting a new church edifice. The south part of the town contained many influential men of means and ability who in- dorsed Universalism. So far they had met the Orthodox people as brethren, paying their pro- portion of ministerial taxes. The proposed new location received their approval and en- couragement. The people in the north part of the town and Hill village naturally opposed the removal. They looked upon its accomplish-

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ment as presaging a division of the church ; and upon the proposed new location with uncon- cealed hostility. It was clearly apparent that certain elements were working in the direction of making the South village the centre of the town for all gatherings.

Sectional feeling ran high. Ambition en- kindled into a blaze, and the red-hot coals of agitation were kept fanned to their intensest heat. About this time Josiah Knight, who lived where Mrs. S. A. Barker now lives, offered to give an acre of land for a site for a church building and for a common around it, upon the condition " that it should be devoted to this purpose and to no other, and so to remain forever." Afterwards he gave a strip of land for the horse-sheds. This offer naturally brought the agitation to a focus. Immediately subscription-papers in the hands of enthusiastic influential men soon secured sufficient means to erect a large and well-built edifice. It was built of brick, with galleries around three sides of it, and was completed in 1827, at a cost of $5343, about one-half of which was paid by the Universalists. It was built by Sherebiah Cowdery. It was dedicated January 1, 1828. Rev. Solomon Robinson, of Stoddard preached the dedication sermon. So a new church organization was formed and christened as the First Congregational Church.

At the same time Rev. Allen Pratt left the pul- pit at the Hill village, where he had labored many years, and was ordained pastor of the new church. With him came his two deacons, Josiah Noyes and Abraham Howe. For a time the new society flourished, but it soon became ap- parent that it was composed of incongruous ele- ments. The Universalists soon demanded the use of the house a portion of the time for preach- ing of their faith. This demand was stoutly resisted by the Orthodox people. Thereupon a new contention arose. The contest waxed fierce, but it soon ended. On Sunday evening, March 1, 1838, an alarm of fire rang through the still night air. A sheet of fire was seen to

burst out of the belfry of the church, and in a short time it lay a mass of blackened, smoulder- ing ruins. Suspicion declared the origin of the fire to have been incendiary, but it was never proved. Soon after the burning of this church the Orthodox people returned to the old church. The remains of the building, together with all the rights and privileges pertaining to the prop- erty, was sold at auction and purchased by Captain Wilson Gleason, in behalf of the Universalists, for one hundred and seventy-five dollars. They immediately commenced to erect a new edifice, nearly upon the old site, but of much smaller dimensions.

The length of the new house is one foot less than the width of the old one. The same brick, foundation-stone and frontal steps were used. It was completed and dedicated in the the month of September, 1838. Rev. Charles Woodhouse, who had preached occasionally prior to this very acceptably to the Universal- ists of this town, preached the dedication ser- mon from the apt text, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former saith the Lord." . So far the Universalists had no regular organization, but on the 10th day of December, 1838, a meeting was held for this purpose, which adjourned to January 7, 1839. Meantime, a notice, as required by law, was published in the Farmer and Museum, a news- paper then published in Keene, as follows :

"Notice is hereby given that Wilson Gleason, Has- kell Buffum, Barton Simmons, Stephen Barker, John Pierce and their associates have formed themselves into a religious society, to be known and distinguished by the name of the Universalist Society in Westmore- land, agreeably to the Statute in such case made and provided. Westmoreland, Dec. 11, 1838."

At the adjourned meeting the organization was perfected by adopting a code of by-laws and choosing necessary officers. The list of mem- bers numbered thirty, and were as follows :

Prescott B. Albee, Stephen Barker, Arba Barker, Tileston A. Barker, William Bennett, Snell Buffum, Erasmus Buffum, Haskell Buf-

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fum, Calvin Q. A. Britton, Silas Brown, Na- than G. Babbittt, Elias Chamberlain, Amasa Chaffee, Caleb C. Daggett, Wilson Gleason, Clinton Gleason, Gilbert T. Heustis, Samuel How, Samuel How (2d) Reuben Kendall, Jotham Lord, John Pierce, Jotham L. Paine, Barton Simmons, Harlon H. Simmons, Barton Skin- ner, Timothy Skinner, Carlton Thayer, Samuel Torrey, Erastus Ware. The support of preach- ing was to be defrayed partly by subscription and the balance by taxation of the members, upon the basis of valuation of each as made by the selectman for general town purposes. But this plan of taxation soon proved unsatisfactory and in consequence some requested to have their names cancelled from membership. In 1845 the society voted to raise the necessary money entirely by voluntary subscription, and have pursued this plan until the present time. Rev. Charles Woodhouse was the first settled minis- ter over this society, preaching every Sabbath until 1841, two-thirds of the time until Jan- uary, 1843, and one-half of the time during the remainder of his ministry, which ended Jan- uary, 1844. Mr. Woodhouse possessed more than ordinary ability, and was especially noted for his aptness to fit himself for any occasion with credit to himself and general satisfaction to his hearers. His Christmas discourse of 1843 is still remembered as one of unusual abil- ity, and his memory is cherished by our older men, who remember him well with great re- spect. He was followed by Rev. Josiah Mar- vin, then a young man and a pupil of Mr. Woodhouse. He commenced his labors Janu- ary 1, 1844, preaching one-half of the time un- til 1848. For the ensuing year there was no regular preaching. Early in the year 1849 Rev. A. Scott became the pastor and remained one year. He was followed by Rev. Phineas Her- sey, who preached one year from May 15, 1850, one-half of the time. He was succeeded by Rev. E. H. Lake, who preached one-half of the time to January, 1855. Mr. Lake was quite popular as a pulpit orator and succeeded in

drawing good audiences. He was followed by Rev. Mr. Sias, who remained one year. From this time to January, 1857, Rev. Solomon Laws preached occasionally. Rev. S. H. McColles- ter was pastor from 1857 to 1862. The influ- ence of Mr. McCollester extended beyond the bounds of his own society and town even. He was active in the cause of education and excelled as a teacher. As a superintendent of schools none surpassed him and few, indeed, could equal him. His influence for improvement of com- mon schools was felt wherever he went. Dur- ing his residence here he was preceptor of the Valley Academy and was very successful. His services at funerals were very satisfactory and of wide-spread demand. His removal from town was felt to be a public loss.

In 1860 the society bought a piece of land of Col. T. A. Barker, and erected a parsonage thereon at an expense of $937.15. This was sold to W. R. Dunham, M.D., April 1, 1869, for twelve hundred dollars, and the place of Mary Paine purchased for a like purpose for six hundred dollars. From 1862 to 1869 Rev. O. G. Woodbury was pastor, preaching one-half of the time. During the years 1869-70 Rev. Solomon Laws preached a portion of the time. In 1871 Rev. Joseph Barber commeneed preach- ing one-half of the time and remained until 1877. Since then the pulpit has been supplied by Rev. Hiram B. Morgan, of Chesterfield, Rev. Edward Smiley and Rev. W. S. Williams, of Putney, Vt., in order named.

CHAPTER V.

WESTMORELAND -- (Continued).

MANUFACTURING, SCHOOLS AND POLITICS.

WESTMORELAND from its earliest settlement has been emphatically a farming town, although it possesses a considerable amount of water power, principally furnished by the Part- ridge Brook, and to a limited extent by Mill

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Brook and other lesser streams. As early as March 30, 1752, the proprietors of the town voted to give any person that would build a grist-mill in said town the sum of £150 and fifty acres of land on the Mill Brook, with the condition that the mill should be put into opera- tion by August 1st ensuing, and to be kept in good repair for ten years thereafter. A tax was imposed of six pounds, old tenor, upon each pro- prietor to defray the expense of building a mill, and for the building and repairs of the high- ways. Thomas Chamberlain and Samuel Minot, accepted the offer and built the first mill in town. Afterwards, for many years, it was known as the Granger mill. About the year 1800 it was rebuilt by its owner, Eldad Granger. For many years it was actively employed until it was suffered to go to decay. Previous to its construction the citizens of this town had to go to Hinsdale and to North Charlestown to do their milling. Mr. Sanford Granger informs me that he was told, when a boy, that the people had to go a long way " roundabout " to either mill in order to avoid the Indians, who were lurking in the valley. This was long before the advent of wheel vehicles, and the only means of con- veyance was on horseback, and at first the only roads were paths through the woods indicated by blazed trees.

The first saw and grist-mill built upon the Partridge Brook was located above the bridge leading to the C. Q. A. Britton place. They were built prior to the Revolutionary War; by whom, I am unable to state. About 1800, Aristides Heustis purchased them and sold them to Captain Simeon Cobb, and from him they passed to his son, General Simeon Cobb. These mills were located upon opposite sides of the stream. The saw-mill was on the south side and facing the south. In the grist-mill was a carding-machine, which had a large pat- ronage for many years. In 1808 a freshet car- ried away the dam and saw-mill, and the grist- mill went to decay. At the time the freshet struck the mill the saw was in operation and

nearly through the log. Cobb remarked that he thought it would get through before it reached Hartford. Upon rebuilding, General Cobb lo- cated them below the bridge; his son Albert superintended their erection, and his son-in-law, Aaron B. Woolley tended them many years. Farther up this stream, soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, Leonard Keep built a saw and grist-mill. For many years they were operated by Thomas McNeal. A short distance below on the stream McNeal had a linseed oil mill. This mill building, many years since, was re- moved and constructed into a dwelling-house, now occupied by J. P. Bennett. After passing through the hands of many proprietors, the saw and grist-mill, with adjacent land, were purchased by Leonard Wilcox, in 1875, under whose energetic administration they have been improved, and are doing a thriving business.

Ebenezer Pierce rebuilt a grist-mill about the year 1842, and put therein a carding-ma- chine ; it has now gone into decay. A short distance above, David Johnson built a saw- mill in 1776. This mill afterwards was owned many years by . Abiather Shaw, and has been actively employed to the present time. Still farther up the stream David French built a saw-mill, which has cut out a large amount of lumber and proved for many years a lucra- tive investment. This mill was built during or soon after the Revolutionary War. A grist- mill was erected by Nathan Franklin upon the Ox Brook previous to 1800, and was located at Mine Falls. Afterwards a company built a saw-mill on the site where the bridge now stands; both were swept away by a severe freshet. South of the house of Charles H. Leach form- erly stood a fulling-mill, built by one McMurphy about the close of the Revolutionary War where, under the charge of Nat. Fisk and Jimna Walker, each twenty years, and afterwards Henry Leach, considerable business was done at fulling cloth.

About, if not, the first cut nails manufactured in this country were made in this shop.

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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

In the year 1856 both dam and mill were swept away by a freshet, together with quite an amount of machinery. In 1859 Colonel D. W. Patten moved the Dean shop from Park Hill, and worked it over into a mill that was used for various purposes-at first for dressing lumber, then as a pail manufac- tory. In 1873, while repairing the building, it fell to the ground a mass of ruins. The same year, upon the same site, he erected the present building and built a stone cement dam. In 1862 Edwin J. Goodnow moved the Beebe house from the East Parish and fitted it into a mill for the manufacturing and dressing of lumber; afterward he put the old No. 4 brick school- house into his chimney and attached steam power. This mill is now doing a good busi- ness.

At an earlier date Levi Chapin erected a saw- mill near and south of the house of S. H. Burt, but it has long since passed away. Below the lower bridge on Mill Brook, Ephraim Brown at an early date built a saw-mill. This mill passed into the hands of Major Butterfield, and soon after was burnt. Procuring lumber, he pro- ceeded to frame another building, but the tim- ber was burnt ere he could raise it. Both fires were the work of an incendiary. Above this site, and nearly opposite the house of J. W. Keith, was another saw-mill, but by whom and when it was erected is to me unknown.

The first mill on the site of the present mills of E. W. Bosworth was built about the year 1777, by Major Britton. At the time of its erection noble pine-trees stood so near and thick to the mill that logs enough for many thousand feet of lumber were rolled directly from the stump into the mill. Soon after the erection of this mill an ineffectual attempt was made to turn the pond of water that formerly stood upon Surry Summit (since drained by the building of the Cheshire Railroad) into the Mill Brook. This mill was rebuilt in 1812 by Stephen and Robert Britton, Gaius and Joshua Hall. Henry Hall built the first grist-mill

here, having previously run a small fulling- mill in the same building.

Above, on land now owned by J. B. Hall, Charles C. Comstock built a saw-mill about 1845. Afterwards Mr. Comstock removed to Michigan, and in 1884 was elected a Representative in the United States House of Representatives. Other mills undoubtedly have been built that have not come to the notice of the writer. The list of different brick-yards and wheelwright- shops, like the ending of an auction bill, are " too numerous to mention." At one time Na- thaniel Wilber had a powder-mill south of the present East Parish Church. It is related that one evening, while Wilber was at work in his mill, for want of a candle-stick, he stuck his tal- low dip into an open barrel of powder; being busily engaged, ere he was aware his "dip" had burnt down to the improvised " stick." The next day he was lamenting the loss of nearly half of the barrel of powder, before he suc- ceeded in putting out the fire therein.

At one time nail-making was quite an in- dustry, the State paying a bounty on hand-made nails. In order to illustrate the progress of the times, I insert the following certificate for illustration from many :

" STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

" Cheshire Ss, Westmoreland, May yee 30th, 1791.

" We, the Subscribers, selectmen of sª Westmore- land, hereby certify that Abiather Shaw of said West- moreland has since May one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine, made and caused to be made in his workshop one hundred and Ninety Eight thousand of to Penny nales and one hundred and fifty-four thou- sand of four Penny nales and fourteen thousand of Twenty Penny nales and thirty five thousand of six penny nales, the whole of the above Nales were bona- fidely wrought and made in the shop of the aforesaid abathier by himself and hands in his Imploy.

" CALEB ALDRICH, 1 Selectmen of S Westmoreland. " DAVID HUTCHINS.

"Counter Signed by me AMOS BABCOCK the Nighest Justis of the Peace to Sd abiathers Work Shop."

The bounty on same was eight pounds.

Nor are we to forget another industry, em-

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ploying more hands than all the other manufac- turing industries of the town combined. The nimble hands of the women have contributed to keep together many a household with the ill- paid fruit of their patient toil in the braiding of palm-leaf hats.

COMMON SCHOOLS.

" Lift we the twilight curtains of the Past, And turning from familiar sight and sound ; Sadly and full of reverence let us cast A glance upon Tradition's shadowy ground ; Sadly the few pale lights which glimmering round That dim strange land of Eld seem dying fast."

Our earliest town records bear the date of 1775. For twenty three years from the incor- poration of the town of Westmoreland, with the exception of a few scattered papers and brief proprietors' records, we have no "written story " to compile from. Here and there we get a little tradition clouded with much un- certainty. As the forefathers of the town lived and moved amid scenes of constant peril, of privation and hardship, it is not to be presumed that any great attention was given to common schools previous to the close of the Revolutionary War. Previous to 1784 the selectmen of West- moreland had made some provision for public instruction by employing sundry itinerant in- structors to teach the children of the town who are capable of learning to read, write, and cast accounts, also to instruct them once a week in some orthodox catechism. One pedagogue, by the name of Pettibone, occasionally came from Massachusetts on horseback and kept a private school in a dwelling-house that formerly stood near the present residence of Frederic Dean, was probably the first "to wield the birch" in Westmoreland. Probably the first school- house ever erected in town was in the south- west corner of the old cemetery, near the residence of Fred G. Parker. In early times the eaves of the church sheltered with fostering care the school-house. The earliest record we have been able to find of any action of the town relating to schools was a vote passed March 20, 1748, to divide the town into four districts, to

be called squadrons. Through individual enter- prise and public-spirit, six school-houses had previously been constructed in different portions of the town, and were located as follows: One nearly opposite the present No. 4 house ; one on the road leading from F. M. Procter's house to Chesterfield, near the south line; one near the house of Adin T. Reed; one at the Hill village; one on the north side of old highway, in the valley east of the present No. 9 house, and one probably near the present No. 11 house. These houses did not compare favorably with the comfortable provisions of the modern school- house. They were roughly boarded, low posted with " long benches that extended around the three sides of the room, with the exception of the door-way. The fourth side was occupied by a high open fire-place, and clumsy chimney sometimes laid up with brick, but quite as often with stone, furnishing the most ample ventila- tion. Each row of benches to the rear was elevated upon a floor a step higher so that the back seats were virtually posts of observation. The smaller scholars were seated in front, and came more directly under the eye of the school- master than those seated in the rear, and doubt- less were made to feel the fall of the ponderous birchen ferule as a punishment for misdeeds in- stigated from the more secure back seats, furnish- ing an incentive to rise more potent than the desire to emerge from ignorance. Here were taught in primitive style,-reading, writing and arithmetic, and sometimes geography and grammar. But pedagogues capable of teaching the latter branches were rare. A necessary re- quirement of the teacher was the ability to manufacture a good pen from quills brought for that purpose by the scholars. This faculty must now be included among the lost arts. Nor were text-books in those times very common. A spelling-book, bound in boards, was con- sidered an acquisition, and the owner was rated rich among his fellows. For many years Web- sters' spelling-book was universally used both as a spelling and reader.

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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Its interesting stories are still related with kindling eye and animated voice by many of our older citizens. In 1790 Webster's old "Third Part" was published, then came the " American Preceptor," the Columbian Orator," the " English Reader," the " American First Class Book," "National Reader," "Easy Les- sons" and "Sequal to Easy Lessons," Pike's, "Adams," and Colburn's "Arithmetics," Morse's " Geography " and Murray's " Grammar " were also taught generally in later years. During the year 1789, an attempt was made to divide the town into twelve squadrons, and a commit- tee was chosen to make the divisions and to locate the school-houses. It appears that the committee performed their duty, for the town gave due credit by passing a vote to that effect, still from some cause did not adopt their report. The town was now gaining in population at the rate of nearly one hundred yearly. It had nearly double the population of to-day. Many sections of the towns were discommoded by dis- tance to school-houses. They clamored for greater facilities, and labored diligently to have their wants supplied. In 1792 the town voted to create a new school squadron, defining its boundaries, which were nearly the present bounds of No. 10.

In 1794 the town choose Caleb Aldrich, Jr., William Hutchins and Nathan Babbitt a com- mittee " to make a new division of the town into schoolricks." They reported in favor of eight divisions, to be called school wards. They located the houses substantially as follows :

First, at intersection of roads west of O. J. Ware's house.

Second, near the house of F. G. Parker, in south- west corner of cemetery.

Third, on the site of the present No. 10 house.

Fourth, north and near A. Briggs' house, on east side of road.

Fifth, at intersection of roads south of Frank Al- drich's house.

Sixth, near Captain Theodore Coles' house.

Seventh, near S. H. Burts' residence.

Eighth, near Almon Craig's house.

By this division a few families at the south- west and east parts of the town were not con- veniently accessible to a school-house, and to these few families the town gave their school money tax to be schooled out under the in- spection of the selectmen. Those in the extreme east part were far better accommodated by send- ing to the adjoining Surry school-ward. The following year, 1796, the town voted two hun- dred and forty pounds for the building and furnishing of school-houses, " to be divided according to what they pay," and to be effected by a committee chosen for that purpose. In 1798 the town voted to make a new division, and chose a committee for that purpose. They made eleven divisions. Beside creating three new wards they made considerable alterations in the bounds of the old wards, and numbered them differently.

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History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire, Part 77

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