History of Coos County, New Hampshire, Part 71

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson
Number of Pages: 1194

USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > History of Coos County, New Hampshire > Part 71

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As has been previously stated, the first attempt at a store in Colebrook was a little grocery, on the Heath farm on the river road, kept by Elisha Bundy. Previous to this time there was a store at Columbia Valley, be- longing to Bellows & Carlisle, where a mill was built, probably as early as 1790. In 1810 Smith & Pratt opened the store at Factory Village, which was then the only store in town. A little later they built a store at Cole- brook village on the corner where the store of W. E. Drew now stands. Bellows & Carlisle built a store where that of Mrs. Gamsby now stands, which was run by William Cargill. It is said that Bellows & Carlisle found fault with Cargill's success in trade, and that Cargill told them, "I have kept false books, I have cheated in weight and measure, and got every dollar out of the people that it was possible to wring from them, and still you are not satisfied." Such unreasonable employers were more than Cargill could bear, and he resigned. Bellows & Carlisle sold out to David J. Bundy, and, in 1838, Kittridge & Colby took the store for five years. At the end of that time Ethan Colby bought out Mr. Kittridge, and run the busi- ness alone till 1856, when he sold out to George W. Brackett. Mr. Brackett remained here till about 1865, when he removed to the store which for- merly stood where the hardware store now is, and remained there while he built the new store on the corner of Main and Parsons streets now occu- pied by Dudley's block. The old store of Bellows & Carlisle, soon after Brackett left it, was run a year or two by Rogers & Stacy, and then by Wentworth & Capen, who remained there till July, 1870.

The corner store, now owned by W. E. Drew, has about as varied a history. Smith & Pratt built the store, and carried on a mercantile busi- ness there till 1820, when Albert Pitkin rented it, and commenced business for himself. where he had been clerk for the three years previous. In 1826 Smith & Pratt failed, and, by that means, Pitkin also failed. In 1834 Frederick G. Messer bought the stand, rebuilt the store, filled it with goods, and there remained in trade till 1860, when James A. Pitkin bought the business, remodelled the building, and commenced a large and thriving trade. He, however, a young man, just starting out with the most flat- tering prospects, died in August, 1863. The store and stock was sold to Crawford & Mitchell, who carried on the business one year, when the in- terest of Mitchell was purchased by Frank Aldrich, who, for fourteen years, did business as Crawford & Aldrich. In 1877 they sold to J. W. Cooper & Son, succeeded later by Jesse Cooper, who run the store till 1886, when he sold out the goods and closed the store. For the first time for seventy

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years business was now suspended at the "corner store"; but in May, 1886, W. E. Drew, of the old firm of Merrill & Drew, bought and refitted the building and moved his goods into it. The business of this store has laid the foundations of several fortunes. Albert Pitkin, F. G. Messer, James A. Pitkin. Francis B. Crawford, and Frank Aldrich all made them- selves comfortable fortunes in trade at the "corner store, " and the pres- ent owner will be behind none of them in this respect, if the "reaper" will give him a fair chance to compete.

In 1844 Hazen Bedel was desirous of going into trade in Colebrook, having served an apprenticeship under F. G. Messer. The other traders were unwilling to have him do this, and the owners of land on Main street refused to sell him a building lot. Determined not to be "frozen out," he bought a lot across the Mohawk, near where Aaron B. Haynes's house now stands, and built a small store on it. Here he did a large and pros- perous business till 1858, when he built the large and commodious build- ing known as the " Bedel store," now occupied by George H. Lang. In company with M. S. Marshall, as H. Bedel & Co., he continued the mer- cantile business in the new building for several years, when he sold out his interest to Benjamin Gathercole, and the firm was Gathercole & Marshall. On Marshall's death in 1876 the business was closed out, and the store was last filled by George H. Lang, who now occupies the premises.

About 1855 and 1856 Morse & Hutchinson were in trade in a store on the hill where Walter Drew now lives, and about the same time one Henry D. Cutler came to Colebrook and built the store so long known as the Mer- rill store. He conducted the business here for a few years, and then it came into the hands of S. R. Merrill and E. N. Cummings, and later into that of S. R. & S. S. Merrill. For many years they did business under this style, and as Merrill & Williams, and, later, as Merrill & Drew. On the death of S. S. Merrill, W. E. Drew bought the whole of the business, and removed it to the " corner store," and the old store is closed, quite likely for many a year.

About 1866 and 1867 trade seemed to take a new start in Colebrook. George W. Brackett had built his new store. Albert S. Eustis had bought the Joseph Brackett store, and filled it with hardware. Hiram C. Young had a general store next to Eustis, and John W. Savage a building next to Young. Volney F. Day had built a new store, and stocked it hand- somely with boots and shoes. Joseph T. Toby had a nice jeweler's shop, and G. S. Joslyn a drug store. All the trade was in a flourishing condi- tion and all the traders prospering. On Sunday, July 24, 1870, a fire broke out in the rear of the old Colby store, and, as the day was hot and dry, and Colebrook had no fire department, it was impossible for a long time to stop the progress of the flames. Every store from Parsons street to Pleasant street was burned, with the tenements and offices in the row.

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The dwellings of Charles Parsons, Hazen Bedel, Drew. Little, and the car- riage shop of J. D. & J. R. Little were burned, besides many barns and out-buildings. In all about forty buildings were consumed that day, and $75,000 worth of property. The law offices of J. H. Dudley, E. Aldrich, W. H. Shurtleff and O. P. Ray shared the conflagration, and, worse than all, the entire records of the town were burned. Owing to this misfor- tune the civil list in this history is necessarily very incomplete.

The citizens of Colebrook were by no means daunted by the loss occa- sioned by the fire, and the ashes were not cold when steps were taken to rebuild the burnt district. Before cold weather came the stores of Craw- ford & Aldrich, Toby, Joslyn, Day, Young and Eustis were rebuilt and re- occupied, and the buildings were all of a much better class than those that preceded them. The next year Mrs. Julia A. Gamsby built the block known as Central block, and many new dwellings were erected in differ- ent parts of the village. The Brackett corner remained vacant till 1878, when J. H. Dudley built a three-story building on it known as Dudley's block. Thus the entire part of the village that had been destroyed by fire was rebuilt, and, with the improvement made by Wentworth & Capen by building over the Toby store, no finer row of business buildings can be found in the state.

In 1871 Ethan Colby built a fine store on the west side of Main street, which was occupied as soon as completed by Mr. Colby and his son Charles, under the firm name of Charles Colby & Co. During the present season Ethan Colby has retired, and Charles Colby now does business alone. In 1885 Dr. C. C. Norris built the large block now occupied by him which he uses as a drug store and dwelling. In 1870 E H. Williams built the store now occupied by him at the lower end of Main street, and, about the same time, the Quimby store. now occupied by D. Stevens & Co. as a fur- niture store, was built. There have been from time to time many other traders in Colebrook either for short periods, or they have escaped the re- searches of the writer, and they, therefore, must be left out of this sketch.

The present traders in Colebrook are: W. E. Drew, J. W. Drew, Wentworth & Capen, H. C. Young, C. Colby, and E. H. Williams, gen- eral stock: F. D. Whipple and G. S. Remich, jewelers; C. C. Norris and Mrs. J. B. Coburn, druggists; V. F. Day, dry goods, millinery, and boots and shoes; Colebrook Hardware Co., hardware; A. B. Gaskell, W. G. Ly- man and W. H. Marshall. grocers: C. C. Carleton and A. G. Day, harness- makers; D. Stevens & Co., furniture dealers and undertakers; E. C. Wilder, clothing.

The large surrounding country furnishes to Colebrook village a large amount of trade, and in the stores can be found as fine an assortment of goods as in any country town in the state.

[For Evening Star Lodge, F. & A. M , see General History.]

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TOWN OF COLEBROOK.

Excelsior Lodge, No. 23, 1. O. O. F, was chartered in December, 1586, and already has a large membership. The lodge room is over Wentworth & Capen's store.

Physicians .- The earliest physician in Colebrook was one Dr. Good- win. Previous to him there had been a sort of transient doctor by the nam> of Laisdell, but he was not settled in Colebrook any length of time. After Dr. Goolwin came Dr. Thomas Flanders, who built a house which is the back part of the Lombard house at the present time. He remained here till 1816, when he sold out to Dr. Lyman Lombard, a sketch of whom will be found on another page. He was a strong man, physically and mentally, and held many positions of honor in the town. A few years after Dr. Loombird cam> to Colebrook, Dr. Horace White settled here and built the house now occupied by Mrs. Edward P. Tibbetts, just south of the store of Charles Colby. Here Horace White, for many years editor of the Chicago Tribune, was born. In 1835 the doctor removed west and Horace went into literary pursuits, and finally reached the prominent posi- tion he so many years well filled.

In 1838 Dr. Augustus Harris came to Colebrook and bought the Dr. White house. He was born in Paris, Me., September 29, 1811. He studied medicine with Dr. Millet, of Norway, and afterward attended the Medical college at Hanover, N. H. He was then unmarried, but in February, 1840, he wedded Miss Louisa A. Cox, of Norway, Me. They had two beautiful daughters, both of whom died in early maidenhood. Dr. Harris was a man of kind and generous disposition, and for thirty-six years his gig was daily seen in all parts of the surrounding country. On the 20th day of April, 1874, he, by mistake, took a potion of aconite, mistaking it for rhu- barb, and died in a few minutes. His wife preceded him " across the river" but a few weeks.

Erasmus Darwin Lombard was born in Colebrook, Coos county, N. H., January 27, 1835. His parents were Dr. Lyman and Betsey (Loomis) Lom- bard, he being the fourth child and eldest son. He commenced the study of medicine with his father when a mere boy, subsequently graduating at Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March, 1858. He then came to the home of his boy- hood to assist his aged father in his professional duties, and for twenty years no physician of Northern New Hampshire had a more successful or exten- sive practice, and none won more completely the confidence and respect of the community in which he dwelt. Night and day he answered to the call of rich and poor alike, and by his faithful care and ready skill, brought relief to many a sufferer, and hope to many a household. Dr. Lombard was made a member of the Masonic fraternity June 10, 1859, became a member of the Evening Star Lodge, No. 37, of Colebrook, May 3, 1860, and was exalted to Royal Arch Mason, April 28, 1864, at Franklin chapter, No. 5, Lisbon, N. H. In politics he was a staunch Democrat, and a candi-

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HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

date for representative at the age of twenty-five. May 1, 1865, Dr. Lom- bard married Minnie Dudley, of Hanover, N. H., and to them was born one daughter, Bessie. Dr Erasmus Darwin Lombard died at the home of his birth, July 8, 1882, in the prime of manhood, his life plans incomplete. He was ill for several months preceding his death, but bore his suffering with the greatest fortitude throughout. He fought the fight bravely, and his end was peace.

Clark C. Norris is the son of March and Polly (Sleeman) Norris. He was born in Corinth, Vt., October 3, 1826. His father was a farmer and drover, and Clark attended the common school till he was fifteen years of age, when he moved with his parents to Maidstone, Vt. He attended Lan- caster academy, and Starkey academy in New York. He then commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Stickney, of Lancaster, attending lectures at Dartmouth Medical college, and graduating at Vermont Medical col- lege, Woodstock, Vt., in 1856, since which he has practiced his profession in Colebrook, except a short time at Guildhall, Vt. For the last two years he has been more particularly engaged in the drug business, having built a handsome block at the north end, in which he deals out medicine and does some work in his profession.

Dr. Guy Holbrook was born at Lemington, Vt., in 1845, the son of Thomas Holbrook, Jr. Guy received his early education at the common schools and academies, and commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Darwin Lombard, at Colebrook. He attended Dartmouth Medical col- lege, the University of Michigan, and graduated at the medical school at Albany, N. Y. He commenced practice at St. Johnsbury, Vt., and after- wards removed to West Stewartstown. He remained there several years, when from hard labor his health broke down, and for two years he was unable to do any work. On his recovery he cóme to Colebrook, where he built up a large and lucrative practice. In 1885 he removed to Manches- ter, N. H.

CHAPTER LXV.

Postoffices and Postmasters in Colebrook-Saw-mills-Grist-mills-Starch-mills-Manufacture of Potash and Pearlash.

REVIOUS to January 5, 1811, there was no postoffice in Colebrook. The nearest was at Columbia Valley-the largest village in Upper Coös at that time. On that date a postoffice was established in Cole- brook. and James Hugh was appointed postmaster; the first office was

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probably in a house which stood where Crawford's now stands. Hugh held the office till September 8, 1817, when Thomas Flanders was made postmaster. He lived on the Dr. Lombard place and the office was there. December 22, 1819, Dr. Lyman Lombard had bought out Flanders, and was appointed to the office, and kept it in the same place.

After him one Stephen Eaton held the office a short time, and February 12, 1824, Albert Pitkin was appointed postmaster, and held the office ten years, till February 5, 1834, during which time the mail was distributed in the store at the corner. On that date Frederick G. Messer succeeded Pitkin, and kept the office at the same place till June 4, 1845, when Hazen Bedel was appointed, and moved the office over the river to the old store. He held the position till April 18, 1849, when Ethan Colby succeeded him, and the office was moved back to the Bellows & Carlisle store, better known to the people of this generation as the "old Colby store." In the whirligig of politics Colby went out, and, May 3, 1853, D. Allen Rogers was appointed, and moved the office over to the little building now occu- pied by Albert Barker as a law office. Hezekiah B. Parsons became his successor, October 26, 1854, and had the office for a short time at the same place, and afterwards in the store of F. G. Messer. December 11, 1856, Alonzo Eastman, the shoemaker, was appointed to distribute the mails, and had the office in his shoemaker's shop, now called the Gathercole build- ing. Sherburn R. Merrill was made postmaster, December 15, 1860, and kept the office in the Bedel store till August 3. 1861, when James A. Pitkin succeeded him, and the office returned to the old home, the "corner store." September 18, 1863, Edward N. Cummings was appointed, and had the office in the Colby store, and, afterwards, in the new Brackett store, corner of Main and Parsons streets. He held the position till March 22. 1869, when Volney F. Day was made his successor, and moved the office to his store. Jesse Cooper, appointed June 23, 1874, moved it back to the corner. John B. Riley succeeded Cooper, March 27, 1882, and the office was moved to the drug store, and, January 12, 1885, Wesley Went- worth took the position, with the office in Mrs. Gamsby's block, where it still remains. In seventy-six years Colebrook has had eighteen postmasters, some good, some bad, and some indifferent, but all honest, and no defalcation was ever found among them.

The settlers of Colebrook at an early date were impressed with the need of a saw-mill. Although the houses were all log-houses, it was necessary that for all their conveniences they should have sawed lumber. Some. where from 1795 to 1800, the McAllasters, who lived on the Martin B. Noyes farm, built a saw-mill and grist-mill not far from where the grist- mill is now. The old grist-mill stood on the site of the starch-mill, which belonged to Crawford and others, recently removed. After Smith & Pratt came into this country and began to operate, they bought these mills of the

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HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

McAllasters, and owned them up to the time of their failure in 1826, when, with their other property, they fell into the hands of the Tremont bank, of Boston. Not far from 1830 the bank sold to Cole & Huntington, who, in turn, sold to one Joel Tilden. Joel Tilden to Jonas Mills, and Mills transferred the property to Hezekiah Parsons, through whom, as heir, George Parsons received and still owns it. The old saw-mill was allowed to go to ruin and was taken down (as mills were built which were more convenient for logs), but the grist-mill was rebuilt in 1846,'47 and '48, by Mr. Parsons, on its present location. About 1807 or 1808 Edmund Chamber- lain built a saw-mill on Beaver brook, which rotted down and was twice rebuilt, and the last many years ago succumbed to the elements and com- paratively few at the present day know that a mill ever existed at that place.

The next mill built in town was that built by Smith & Pratt at Factory Village. When their new factory was built, in 1820, the saw-mill was first set running in order to saw out the necessary timber for its erection. This mill was only torn down within a few years.

A number of years later Caleb Little built a mill on the Mohawk at what is known as the Rich & Spencer site. This has been repaired from time to time and run for a good many years. About five years ago Messrs. Rich & Spencer built a grist-mill across the stream and divided the prop- erty, Calvin F. Rich taking the grist-mill, and James W. Spencer the saw-mill property.

After the sale of the above mentioned mill Caleb Little was unsatisfied without a saw-mill, and proceeded to build another on the north branch of the Mohawk. This mill did quite a business for a long time under the man- agement of Mr. Little, but getting old and infirm, he sold it to Henry W. Woodrow, who enlarged and repaired it, and now does a large and flour- ishing business.

Somewhere about 1830 Moody Little built a saw-mill at Kidderville, which was afterwards purchased and refitted by Abial Kidder, who gave his name to the collection of dwellings which has since borne his name as Kidderville.

William Hibbard also built a grist-mill not far below the Kidderville saw-mill, and Spiller & Chandler built a shop where they manufactured chairs and other furniture. This shop was afterwards bought by Amos Cummings, who changed it into a shop for the manufacture of doors, sash and blinds. The machinery was afterwards removed to the shop now owned by Henry Hammond, and the old shop has gone to ruin and been removed.

There was a saw-mill many years ago just above the present one run by Henry W. Woodrow, but who built or used it seems to be now unknown. It was known as the Crane mill. Another saw-mill was built on the Mo-

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TOWN OF COLEBROOK.

hawk by Caleb Little, below the Ira Young mill, a good many years ago, as early as 1830, probably, and, when it went to decay, Mr. Young built the new one on the present site. The only saw-mills now in running order in Colebrook are those of Ira Young, Henry W. Woodrow and James W. Spencer; which, with the shops of Joseph D. Little and Henry Hammond, is the extent to which the Mohawk is utilized for these purposes.

About 1846 a new industry arose in Colebrook. Sherburn R. Merrill came into town and built a factory for the manufacture of potato-starch. The soil was peculiarly adapted for the cultivation of potatoes, and the farmers could raise easily from 200 to 400 bushels to the acre. There was an old seed-mill just above the woolen factory, and the new starch factory was built near it. Previous to this time only potatoes enough were raised for the family use of the farmer and seed for the next year; but when cash could be obtained for them at ten, twelve and fifteen cents per bushel, their cultivation rapidly increased. Moses Woodward built a starch fac- tory at Kidderville, which was soon bought by Mr. Merrill, and the supply of potatoes increased so rapidly that the brothers S. R. & S. S. Merrill built another mill at Colebrook village, northerly of the grist-mill. From this time till 1867 the Merrills had a monopoly of the starch business in Cole- brook, when Samuel Harriman, James A. Gould and Simeon Cross built a factory on north branch of the Mohawk in Harvey Swell district. In 1869 Joseph W. Cooper, Loring G. Piper and Ira Young built a factory near the Young saw-mill.

Competition now became general, and a new mill was built by the Mer- rills at the village, and Alfred Lovering and D. W. Patrick built another in the Whittemore district. The price of potatoes had advanced from time to time till some years as high as fifty cents per bushel was paid for them; and starch was one year as high as $180 per ton. Colebrook was then one of the great potato-starch centers, one-twentieth of all the starch manu- factured in the United States going from this community. After a few years the farmers learned that planting potatoes and selling them all off their farms, leaving nothing to be returned, was the cause of a too rapid depreciation of the soil, and the best farmers planted less and less each year for the starch-mill. Aroostook county, Maine, attracted many of our starch manufacturers, and the starch made in Colebrook has decreased from year to year, till. instead of 1,500 tons, it only sends out about 500 tons yearly. The loss to the starch manufacturers has been gain to the farmer, for he now raises crops that leave his land in better condition, and his po- tatoes are largely sold to be shipped to market, bringing him such prices that he can purchase the commercial fertilizers. and so keep his farm in a state of fertility. The starch manufacturers of Colebrook and vicinity have become wealthy and have realized fortunes from the industry.

One branch of business which was carried on in Colebrook at an early

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HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

date to quite an extent has been omitted-the manufacture of potash and pearlash There were two pearlashes in town within the memory of many of the present inhabitants, one in the rear of the old Colby store, and one further down the Mohawk near the Huntoon shop, the former being owned by Ethan Colby, and the latter by F. G. Messer. Potash was frequently made in the woods when the land was being cleared for culti- vation, but pearlash required more elaborate arrangements than could be set up in the forest. A word as to the process may not be out of place, as it is probably a mystery to most people at this day. Ashes were placed in barrels, or, more often, in a long vat made for that purpose, and carefully leached, the lye being collected in a long trough. This was boiled till the water was all evaporated and the result was potash. To make the pearl- ash, a large brick oven was heated to a very high temperature, and the potash melted, or rather baked, till the impurities were burned out, and the purified material was the pearlash, which was barrelled and sent to market.

CHAPTER LXVI.

The Churches of Colebrook - Organization of Congregational Church - Creed and Doctrine - Pastors of the Church - The Methodist Church - Sketches of Members of the Churches - East Colebrook Church.

T HE Congregational Church .- The early settlers of Colebrook were imbued with the spirit and principles that characterized New England at that period. Coming largely from the supervision of the Connecticut blue laws, they soon found themselves inquiring for a leader in a spiritual capacity. In 1802 there were about 200 inhabitants in the town of Colebrook, making with those of Columbia, Stewartstown, and Lemington, quite a community, probably some 300 in all, and in that year Rev. John Willard came to Colebrook, and organized the " Monadnock Congregational Church." Who he was, or by what society he was sent, no one now knows, but he set in motion an institution for good that for eighty-five years has been throwing out an influence which cannot be esti- mated. Their creed was short and spirited, their covenant earnest and full of faith, as will be seen by the copy which follows :-

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History of Coos County, New Hampshire, Part 71

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson
Number of Pages: 1194