USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Chesterfield > History of Chesterfield, Cheshire county, N.H., from the incorporation of "township number one," by Massachusetts, in 1736, to the year 1881; together with family Histories and genealogies > Part 3
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IV. Every proprietor, settler or inhabitant, shall yield and pay unto us, our heirs and successors yearly, and every year forever, from and after the expiration of ten years from the date hereof, namely, on the first day of Jan- uary, which will be in the year of our Lord Christ one-thousand seven-hun- dred and sixty-two, one shilling proclamation money for every hundred acres he so owns, settles or possesses, and so in proportion for a greater or lesser tract of the said land; which money shall be paid by the respective persons above-said, their heirs or assigns, in our Council Chamber in Portsmouth, or to such officer or officers as shall be appointed to receive the same; and this to be in lieu of all other rents and services whatsoever.
In testimony whereof we have caused the seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed.
WITNESS-Benning Wentworth, Esq., our Governour and Commander-in- Chief of our said Province, the eleventh of February, in the year of our Lord Christ 1752, and in the 25th year of our Reign.
B. WENTWORTH.
By his Excellency's Command,
with advice of Council.
THEODORE ATKINSON, Sec'y.
THE NAMES OF THE GRANTEES OF CHESTERFIELD.
Josiah Willard, Nathan Willard, Valentine Butler, John Arms, John Arms, Jun'r, Oliver Butler, Oliver Willard, Oliver Willard, Jun'r, Josiah Willard, Jun'r, Nathan Willard, Jun'r, Wilder Willard, John Moore, William Willard, Caleb Trobridge, William Lawrence, John Hunt, Simon Hunt, Jonathan Hubbard, Samuel Kennada, Solomon Willard, Billy Willard, Simon Cooley, Joseph Willard, William Deen, Simon Stone, Peter Oliver, David Hubbard, Thomas Pain, John Wheelwright, Nathaniel Wheelwright, Joseph Wheelwright, Jeremiah Wheelwright, Simon Willard, Benj'a Lynd, John Spafford, Silas Spafford, Sam'l Davis, Phineas Wait, Joanna Wetherby, Elias Alexander, John Brooks, James Whitney, Abraham Kendel, Benj'a French,
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Josiah Brown, Ebenez'r Day, John French, Jun'r, Sam'l Greeley, Will'm Spalding, Moses Gould, Will'm Down, Robert Fletcher, David Field, Sam'l Field, David Sterns. John Kendel, Daniel Kendell, James Stootley, His Ex- cellency, Benning Wentworth, Esq., one tract of land to contain five-hundred acres, one whole share for the Incorporated Society for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts, one whole share for the first settled minister of the Gospel in said Town, one whole share for a Glebe for the ministry of the Church of England, as by law established. Samuel Wentworth of Boston, Theodore Atkinson, Richard Wibird, Samuel Smith, John Downing, Samp- son Sheaffe, Jno. Wentworth.
Attest,
THEODORE ATKINSON, Sec'y."
No. 2 was re-chartered, under the name of " Westmoreland," on the same day that Chesterfield was re-chartered (Feb. 11, 1752). Upper Ashuelot was re-chartered under the name of "Keene," April 11, 1753 ; Lower Ashuelot, under the name of " Swanzey," July 2, 1753; Arlington, under the name of " Winchester," July 2, 1753. This last town seems to have been called " Winchester" for some time before it was re-chartered, and while it included Hinsdale, which was incorporated into a separate township Sept. 3, 1753. At first Hinsdale embraced territory lying on both sides of the Connecticut, the part west of the river now belonging to Vernon, Vt. Brattleborough and Dummerston, in Vermont, were incorporated Dec. 26, 1753-the latter under the name of "Ful- ham."
The knowledge that can now be obtained concerning most of the grantees of Chesterfield, is exceedingly limited. Some of them were also grantees of other townships, and took a more or less im- portant part in public affairs.
Josiah Willard, the leading grantee, was the son of Josiah Willard. The latter was born in Lancaster, Mass., in 1693, and was a prominent commander of the forces engaged in protecting the frontier settlements. At the time of his death, which took place Dec. 8, 1750, he was in command of Fort Dummer. His son, Major Josiah Willard, was his successor. Major Willard afterwards attained the rank of Colonel. For many years he was a resident of Winchester.
Nathan Willard and William Willard were sergeants, and
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Oliver Willard was clerk, in the company stationed at Fort Dum- mer from Feb. 12 to July 1, 1748, under command of Josiah Wil- lard, Sen. Wilder Willard, Simon Willard and Joseph Willard were also in the same company.
Joseph Willard was the son of Rev. Joseph Willard, who was murdered by the savages at Rutland, Mass., Aug. 14, 1723. He was born about three months after his father's death, and died in Charlestown, (N. H.,) in 1799.
Elias Alexander was probably of Northfield, Mass., where he had charge of the garrisons, at one time, in 1744. In 1747, he was at Upper Ashuelot with Capt. Josiah Willard, and ranked as lieu- tenant. In 1755, he went to Nova Scotia with Gen. Winslow's division.
Valentine Butler was in the same company with the Willards, at Fort Dummer, in 1748.
Ebenezer Day was probably of Upper Ashuelot (Keene).
John Spafford was one of the earliest settlers of No. 4. April 19, 1746, lie was captured by the French and Indians and carried to Canada; but he returned from captivity, and died in Charles- town. It has not been determined with certainty, however, that the John Spafford of Charlestown was identical with the John Spafford who was one of the grantees of Chesterfield.
Joanna Wetherbee was of Charlestown in 1762.
John Wheelwright and Nathaniel Wheelwright were of Boston, Mass. The latter was a merchant. Joseph Wheelwright may have been the son of John.
Theodore Atkinson was secretary of the Province. Richard Wibird, Samuel Smith, Sampson Sheaffe and John Downing were members of the Council at the time the township was re-granted.
Why the name of "Chesterfield" was bestowed upon township No. 1, when it was re-chartered, is not known with certainty. The . petition of Elias Alexander, John Brooks and others, which has already been mentioned, throws no light upon the subject. It is probable, however, that the name was given to the town, by Gov. Wentworth and his Council, either in honor of the Earl of Chester- field, or the town of the same name in England. Certain circum- stances lead to the belief that the name was bestowed in honor of the former. In the first place, the Earl of Chesterfield was a man
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of much note at the time the town was re-chartered, having not only held important government offices, but having just brought about an important reform of the Calendar, that took effect the same year (1752). He was also distinguished as an orator and writer. In the second place, it is well known that Governor Ben- ning Wentworth was fond of naming towns in New Hampshire in honor of distinguished men and places in England.
The Charter provided that a " plan" of the town should be made. In accordance with this provision (which was the same in many, or all, of the charters), a survey was made, by Josiah Wil- lard and Benjamin Bellows, of Chesterfield, Westmoreland and Walpole, and a " plan" of the same drawn. This plan was finished March 18, 1752, and is now in the office of the Secretary of State. at Concord. It shows that the general outlines of Chesterfield were about the same when the first survey under the new Charter was made, as they are now. The line between Keene and Chester- field, running from the north-east corner of the latter town to the south-west corner of the former, was stated to be about 225 rods in length. The same line as measured by Jonas Robbins in 1793, was found to be "one mile and sixteen rods" long, or III rods longer than in 1752. From this circumstance it might be inferred that this line had been lengthened before 1793, and that the line between Swanzey and Chesterfield, which was described in the original plan as being 5 miles and 180 rods long, correspondingly shortened. No record of any such alterations in these lines has, however, been found.
Owing to the loss of the proprietary records, nothing is known concerning the meetings of the proprietors of the town, or the busi- ness transacted at such meetings, save what is to be inferred from the proprietors' " chart," or plan, of the town, which fortunately has been preserved, and is in tolerably good condition. It is not known when, or by whom, this chart was made ; but it is evident that it was made as early as 1760 or '61, inasmuch as the earliest deeds sometimes refer to it.
`As the sum of our knowledge of the actions taken by the pro- prietors, is contained in the chart, it will be well to describe it somewhat minutely. This chart, or plan, is neatly drawn on sheep- skin parchment, the scale being one-hundred rods to the inch. In
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the north-west corner, is the plan of Benning and John Went- worth's shares, Soo acres in all. This tract, which was bounded on the west by Connecticut river and on the north by Westmore- land line, had an average length of about 687 rods, and a width of 200 rods.
On the rest of the chart, are marked the "ranges" and " lots" into which the town was divided, together with Spafford's Lake. The ranges are sixteen in number, and are all parallel with the Swanzey line. They are numbered from east to west, the one bor- dering upon Swanzey being range No. I. Each range is divided into lots containing one hundred acres each (more or less), and having a length of 160 rods, (measured from east to west), and breadth of 100 rods. They are numbered from south to north. Some of those in the range bordering on the river, vary a good deal in respect to length, owing to curves in the course of the same, and the lots numbered 7, in all the ranges, are one-half wider than the other lots. The first two ranges contain each fourteen lots ; those numbered from 3 to 12, inclusive, seventeen lots each ; the remain- ing four, fifteen lots each.
The Charter provided that "town-lots" of the contents of one square acre, should be laid out as near the centre of the town as the land would permit. It is not known whether such lots were ever laid out or not ; but it is certain that some of the hundred-acre lots were divided into half-lots, or "fifty-acre lots," which are designated in old deeds as "house-lots." Lots Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and II in the Sth, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th ranges, were divided into house-lots, according to the chart, as was also lot No. 6, in the 7th range. Lot No. 7 in the same range was divided into two lots ; but in the other ranges containing house-lots, as above stated, the lots numbered 7 were divided into three house-lots, since they contained 150 acres each, more or less. These house-lots are numbered from south to north, and lie, approximately, in the central part of the town. House-lot No. 13, in the 9th range, lies almost wholly in the south end of the Lake. Every lot and house-lot, with few exceptions, has written upon it the name of its proprietor.
The "Glebe" is not indicated on the chart; but it lies in the south-east quarter of the town Some of it is now in the posses- sion of Marshall Shaw. Enoch Jackson also took a lease of a part
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of it, between fifty-five and sixty years ago. In 1837, he trans- ferred his right to his son Jay.
March II, 1801, the town voted " to defend James Latham and others, now in possession of the glebe-land in this town, against the claims of Esquire Cosset and others." Moses Smith was chosen an agent for that purpose.
It is not known how Gov. Wentworth's share was disposed of; but it is certain that a part of it, at least, came into the possession of Samuel Davis. John Wentworth's share of 300 acres, which was included, on the chart, in the same tract with the " Governor's Farm," so called, seems to have been located at the eastern end of this tract, and was purchased by William Randall in 17So. Noth- ing is known about the location of the share reserved for the " In- corporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." A whole share consisted, nominally, of three hundred acres, or three lots ; but, at the time the chart was made, most of the proprietors owned three lots and a house-lot each. A few owned four lots and a house-lot, and may have acquired the excess over one share by purchase.
The " minister's share" consisted of the 5th lot in the Ist, 5th and 8th ranges, and the roth house-lot in the 9th range.
Although circumstances were apparently favorable for imme- diately settling the new township, at the time the new charter was granted, no settlement was effected till nine years afterwards. The last " French and Indian War" which soon broke out, rendered the establishment of new settlements in the Connecticut valley, north of the Massachusetts line, extremely difficult and hazardous.
Hostilities between France and England were renewed in 1754, although a formal declaration of war was not made by either nation till May, 1756.
June 27, 1755, Bridgeman's fort, in what is now Vernon, Vt., was beset by the Indians, who shot Caleb How and captured his two sons. Two other men who were with them, named Grout and Garfield, attempted to swim across the river. Grout succeeded in getting across, but Garfield was drowned. At night, the Indians went to the fort and were admitted by the inmates, who mistook the savages for their own people. In this way, fourteen persons
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were made prisoners, one of them being the wife of Caleb How. The savages, having set fire to the fort, started for Canada. Mrs. How eventually returned from captivity.
Sometime in the same month, Benj. Twitchell was captured at Keene. July 22, the Indians attacked a party of men near Hinsdale's fort, and killed and captured several of them. The same, or next day, Daniel Twitchell and John Flint were killed at Walpole. One of the murdered men was cut open, his heart taken out, cut into pieces and laid upon his breast. August 17, a large body of Indians besieged the house of John Kilburn, at Walpole. Kilburn and his wife Ruth, his son John and daughter Hetty, a man named Peak, and his son, were the only persons in the house ; nevertheless, they withstood the attacks of the savages from about noou till sunset, when the latter withdrew, taking with them their dead and wounded. Peak received a wound in the thigh, that caused his death in few days.
June 7, 1756, Josiah Foster, his wife and two children, were captured at Winchester.
April 19, 1757, a large force of French and Indians fell upon Charlestown. David Farnsworth, Bradstreet Spafford and Samson Colefax were working at the mill ; Dea. Thomas Adams, William Porter and Jacob Sartle were in the sugar-camp; Asa Spafford, George Robbins, John Grandy and Asahel Stebbins were hunting. Colefax and Farnsworth were taken, and the mill burned. The party in the sugar-camp was next attacked, and Dea. Adams was made prisoner. Afterwards, two of the hunters were captured- Robbins and Spafford. Farnsworth and Robbins regained their liberty after a while, but the rest of the captives died in Canada.
March 6, 1758, Capt. Fairbanks Moor and his son were killed near West River, in Brattleboro. The son's wife and four children were captured. August 28, Asahel Stebbins was killed at Charles- town, and his wife, Isaac Parker and a soldier, captured.
In October, 1759, Capt. Rogers and his rangers surprised the village of the St. Francis Indians, at the confluence of the St. Francis and St. Lawrence rivers. About 200 Indian warriors are said to have been killed, and more than 600 scalps of white men, were found in the village. When Capt. Rogers and his men set out on their return, they were followed by a large force of French and Indians.
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Rogers decided to return by way of the Connecticut; but, before he and his men could reach this stream, they suffered terrible hard- ships. Capt. Rogers, Capt. Ogden and an Indian boy at length embarked on a raft and floated down to Charlestown. Other parties of stragglers came in later, having suffered extremely from cold and hunger. Cartouch boxes, and even the bodies of dead com- panions, had been eaten.
The complete conquest of Canada by the English, in 1760, put an end to the incursions of the French and Indians, and peace once more reigned in the valley of the Connecticut.
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1137036
CHAPTER II. FROM 1761 TO 1775.
The Charter "Lengthened out "-Settlement of Fulham (now Dummerston, Vt.)-First Settlement Made in Chesterfield by Moses Smith and William Thomas-First White Child Born in the Town-Some of the Earliest Settlers-The First Saw-Mill-Census of 1767-First Town-Meeting and Warrant for the Same- First Roads-Cobleigh's Grist-Mill-Josiah Willard Petitioned to Call a Town-Meeting-Tithing-Men-Meeting-House Frame-More New Roads Accepted-Committee Chosen to Provide a Minister-Committee for Dividing the Town into School-Wards-Mr. Eliot Hired to Preach "on Trial"-First Juror-Meeting-John Eliot Called to Settle in the Ministry-The Town Votes to Finish the Outside of the Meeting-House-Abraham Wood Hired to Preach " on Trial"-Mr. Wood Invited to " Settle in the Work of the Ministry"-Town-Meeting Held to Make Arrangements for the Ordination of Mr. Wood-Votes of the Town Respecting School-Wards, Pews, &c .- A New Epoch in the Town's History.
The grantees of Chesterfield having been unable to carry out the provisions of the Charter within the specified time (five years), petitioned the Governor and Council for an extension of time, in order that their grants might not be forfeited. In accordance with this petition, the Charter was "lengthened out," June 11, 1760.
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The term of one year was granted for the fulfillment of the condi- tions imposed upon the grantees, which term was to be renewed annually, "till His Majesty's plenary instructions could be received."
In 1752. John Kathan settled near " Bemis's Rock," in the north- eastern corner of Fulham (now Dummerston) ; but no other permanent settlements appear to have been made in that town till about 1761. In 1760, there was no settlement in the Connecticut valley north. of Charlestown.
On the 20th day of February, 1761, Moses Smith, who at that time was said to be "of Hinsdale," purchased of Oliver Willard, of Brattleboro, one whole right, or share, in the township of Chester- field ; which right, or share, belonged to the said Willard by virtue of his being one of the grantees. The numbers of the lots were not given in the deed, but it is known that two of them were the lots numbered 14 and 15, in the 16th range ; the other was probably lot No. 11, in the 2nd range. Oliver Willard also owned house- lot No. 10, in the 12th range.
Having secured some of the best land in the new township. Moses Smith made preparations for establishing a home upon the same, for himself and family. Accordingly, in the month of November, 1761, as the tradition has always been, he and his son- in-law, William Thomas, came up the Connecticut in canoes or boats, for the purpose of making the first settlement in the town of Chesterfield.
The exact date of this event is uncertain, as it has been stated to be both the 15th and the 25th of November. Larkin G. Mead, Esq., who wrote a brief sketch of Chesterfield for the " Historical Collections," in 1822, adopted the latter date. There can be no doubt, however, that it was in the month of November, 1761, that the first settlement was effected by Smith and Thomas. Both men brought their families with them, Smith's, so far as known, consist- ing of himself and wife, Elizabeth, and his sons, Aaron, Moses, Amos, Joseph, Benjamin and Reuben. Of these sons, Aaron, the oldest, was about 21 years old; Reuben, the youngest, was about three years old. Thomas's family consisted, probably, only of him- self and wife, Mary, daughter of Moses Smith.
Smith chose lot No. 14, in the 16th range, on which to build his log cabin. The spot on which this stood, is about 50 rods north of
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the residence of his great-grandson, George Smith, and a few rods east of the highway, which, at this point, runs near the bank of the river. The site of the cabin is still plainly indicated by a depres- sion in the plain.
Thomas erected his cabin near the river's bank, at a point about one mile and a half below Smith's "pitch." It stood a few rods east of the lower ferry, and a few feet north of the present highway leading easterly from the same. It's site is still marked by a de- pression in the earth, and a mound adjoining the depression on its eastern side. This mound consists, in great part, of ashes and charcoal.
There is no record of the way in which the winter was passed by the two families, far from any considerable settlement and in the midst of an almost unbroken wilderness ; but tradition says that they subsisted, in great part, upon fish and game. At that time there was an abundance of fish in the river. Deer, bears, panthers, lynxes and wolves roamed through the forests ; and smaller animals, of various kinds, were more or less numerous.
When spring came, the work of clearing a patch for cultivation was probably begun, although the work of felling trees may have been prosecuted throughout the winter, when the weather per- mitted.
On the 25th day of April, 1762, Thomas's wife gave birth to the first white child born in the town. This child was called Mary. The name of the first male child born in Chesterfield is not known. Reuben Smith, who, as already stated, was about three years old when he came into the town, used to say that he could remember when he was "the handsomest little boy in the town." The joke is apparent when it is known that, at one time, he was the only one, his next older brother Benjamin being three or four years older.
It is greatly to be regretted that the history of the town from the date of settlement to the year 1767, is almost a complete blank. The town records begin with this latter date ; so that, on account of the loss of the proprietary records, as already stated, we have but little to guide us in our study of this period, save a few tradi- tions and what can be gleaned from a few old deeds. It is certain, however, that a large number of families had become established in the town before 1767. In the spring of 1762, Captain Simon
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Davis and Abel Emmons settled in the town; and sometime the same year, Peter Wheeler also came to settle. According to the sketch written by Larkin G. Mead, Esq., which has already been referred to, a saw-mill was built that year by John Snow and Moses Smith. The proprietors granted two pieces of land to Snow and Smith, on condition that they should erect a mill, keep it in good repair for the following five years, and saw boards at as reasonable a rate as was done in other places. Mr. Mead's information was probably correct, in the main, as, at the time he wrote (in 1822) there must have been persons living in the town who could remem- ber many of the facts and incidents connected with its early history. There is a tradition that, after the first boards were sawed, they were laid down so as to form a kind of rude floor, upon which the settlers danced, to celebrate the event. This mill was built upon Catsbane brook, and stood near the place where the house of War- ren W. Farr now stands, in the west part of the town. Ephraim Baldwin and Jonathan Cobleigh were here in 1763, and Nathan Thomas may have come the same year. In 1764, Daniel Farr and Samuel Farr probably settled in the town, although the former may have come before this date. The same year, Moses Smith, Jr., bought a lot near what is now Factory Village, and probably set- tled on it soon after. Jonathan Farr, Jr., and Timothy Ladd seem to have come here in 1765 ; Eleazer Cobleigh and Silas Thompson, in 1766; Nathaniel Bingham and Asa Thompson, in 1767.
Of course the above named persons constituted but a small part of the whole number that were in the town in the year 1767 ; for the census taken that year, by order of the provincial government, (it being the first census taken in the Province of New Hampshire) shows that Chesterfield had 365 inhabitants. Among those who had also become residents before the last mentioned date, were Jonas Davis, Ebenezer Davison, Thomas Emmons, Jonathan and Samuel Hildreth, James Robertson and James Wheeler.
As has already been stated, the town records begin with the year 1767. There are reasons for believing that town-meetings had been held anterior to that date, the records of which have been lost. But, be that as it may, it is certain that the first town-meeting of which there is any record was held on the second Tuesday in June, 1767. The warrant for this meeting was as follows :
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PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
To Samuel Hildreth, constable in and for the town of Chesterfield: you are, in his majeste's name, hereby commanded to warn all the Inhabitans of Sd town to meet att the house of Jonas Daviss In Sd town, on the Second tuesday of June Next, att one o'Clock in the afternoon, then and there to act on the following articels:
1. to Chuse a moderator to govarn Sd meeting.
2. To Se whether the Town will Raise money to Defray town Charges and hire Schooling.
3. to See whether the town will hire preaching.
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