USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Goshen > History of Goshen, New Hampshire : settled, 1769, incorporated, 1791 > Part 25
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The Village Store
In October, 1947, the store was purchased by Howard E. Pratt, his wife Elizabeth, and brother, Clyde Pratt, under the firm name of Pratt's General Store. Both young men were navy veterans of World War II and came into the business with zeal and enterprise. Automatic refrigeration was installed through- out to provide for sale of frozen foods, a full line of fresh meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and beverages. Their stock of packaged groceries and food-stuffs was greatly expanded, with an enlarged line of hardware and paints commonly in demand. With the retirement from the firm and subsequent death of Clyde Pratt, the Howard Pratts carried on, but during the winter of 1956 made sale of the business and property to Mrs. Lillian Bonneau and Mrs. Ina Clements of Medford, Mass. The new proprietors assumed charge the following March 18, continuing the same lines as previously carried, under the title of "The Village Store." They had been for years associated together in a doctor's secretarial service in Medford, of which Mrs. Bon- neau was supervisor. Mrs. Bonneau is a graduate of the Girls' Latin School in Boston. Mrs. Clements graduated from Med- ford High School; has two children, Peter and Laura.
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Extensive remodeling has transformed the living-quarters into light, airy rooms. The store is now in the I.G.A. chain, with prices reduced as low as possible in a time of rising costs.
Charles Dodge
Thirty years after Parker Richardson's removal from the north end of the village a store was opened there by Currier Maxfield on the location now occupied by A. Kingsbury's resi- dence. Although the building was small, a cobbler's shop occu- pied the rear portion. After some years Mr. Maxfield gave up the business and the store stood empty until 1886, when purchased by Charles Dodge, who enlarged the floor-area and added a second story to provide commodious living-rooms.
L. A. Worden. Store Burned
March 16, 1900, while owned by L. A. Worden, previously of Providence, R. I., the store was totally destroyed by a fire which also burned the small building slightly to the north, which housed the postoffice and the harness-shop of Henry S. ("Sull.") George. Mr. Worden left town after conveying his interests to Mr. George's son, Perley F. Mr. George removed his harness- business to temporary quarters in the old 'Squire Chase shop, then standing and owned by John R. Cutts. During the follow- ing summer, however, the Georges rebuilt the store, nearly upon the old site, and occupied it before fall.
P. F. George
A new stock of goods was placed upon sale by the young pro- prietor, consisting of general groceries, confectionery, cigars and tobacco, boots and shoes, overalls and farm-wear, etc. He was a barber on certain evenings of the week, besides carrying out the duties of postmaster. His father, a singer of local repute, plied his trade of harness-making and leather-work at the back. An order-team was sent out at periods when traveling over country roads was feasible. The lure of city-life eventually led to the selling of the business. The father was advanced in years and spent his last days with a daughter, Elizabeth (George) Spencer, in California.
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Frank L. Hanson
Frank L. Hanson of Croydon moved to the John Chandler farm at the village before the turn of the century and was for many years a most efficient Town Clerk, his penmanship being noted for its beauty. Finding the farm too large for his need, he sold it and removed to the nearby Chase house. About 1906 he bought the P. F. George store at the north end of the street, walking the distance to and from his place of business daily. He was a kind and accommodating citizen and merchant. Fred A. Darrah, a veteran of the Spanish-American War and son of Mrs. Hanson by a former marriage, was appointed postmaster. Burglary at the Store. An occurrence, exceedingly rare in the town's history, came to alarm the village. On a moonlit Satur- day night, Dec. 9, 1911, Mr. Hanson closed his store at the cus- tomary hour of eleven and stepped outside to begin his home- ward journey, being aware as he did so of two men lurking in the shadows of an icehouse then standing across the street. He paid little attention to them at the time but before reaching home the incident had so preyed upon his mind that he re- turned, with a revolver freshly oiled and loaded. The men were no longer in the street, but he saw a light in the rear of the store and he hurried across the mill-bridge to the home of Horace Booth for assistance. Both armed, they approached the front and gained the piazza unobserved.
The building had been entered by the removal of a pane of glass in a window on the north side, allowing the sash to be raised, and the robbers were preparing to lower out various supplies consisting of canned-goods, articles of clothing, pocket- knives, confectionery and tobacco, which they had placed in sacks ready to carry away. Hearing a slight noise on the piazza at the front and realizing they were discovered, they scrambled from the window, the first one out advancing into the open about fifteen feet from the end of the piazza and opening fire on Hanson and Booth. The second shot fired struck Mr. Hanson in the groin, putting him out of action. In the meantime the other miscreant had rushed forward and, stationing himself a few feet away, began firing also.
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Mr. Booth was a hunter of many years' experience and, par- tially sheltered by a corner of the building, placed his shots care- fully. A duel ensued in which seventeen shots were exchanged, the flashes being plainly visible to Mrs. Booth who was anxiously watching from a window. At length a bullet from Mr. Booth's revolver shattered a dark-lantern held by one of the burglars and the pair fled behind a neighboring house, to gain the East Unity turn at the Stubbs place, the holder of the lantern having re- ceived a wound in the fleshy part of his right arm, although this fact was not known at the time.
It was later discovered that the aim of the miscreants had been accurate enough to place three shots in a casing but a few inches from where Mr. Booth stood when the shooting was taking place.
As the pair fled, scattering their booty, the wounded man dropped his revolver and this fact led to their early discovery. The revolver was identified by J. W. Johnson, Newport dealer in fire-arms, as one which he had recently sold to two young men camping in Unity, who represented that they were going to trap during the winter. As it proved, they had broken into the summer-home of Mrs. Lees and were living there without her knowledge, having styled themselves "the red gang," al- though considerably antedating the now-common use of the term.
Sheriff Edward H. King of Claremont, heading a small posse, soon located both youths, Perry Hackett, 19, a previous offender and apparently the leader in the escapade, and a younger lad of 17, who came to realize that he had been led astray. Owing to the youthfulness of the pair they got off with light sentences and disappeared from the locality.
Mr. Hanson, although wounded seriously, soon recovered sufficiently to carry on his business. He died Nov. 20, 1921. The store-building eventually became a dwelling, which it has since remained.
Lunnie's Cash Market
At the south end of the village the attraction which always
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exists in a good, unused building did not allow the Olan Lear plant to long remain vacant. It was soon purchased from Mr. Lear's estate by George Lunnie, who made his home there for a short time and served as town-constable in 1916 and '17, before removing to other work. About 1924 he returned to town with his daughter Winona and her husband, James Wallace, garage mechanic and dealer in used auto parts, and took over the meat market in going order in the basement of the building, the work of William B. ("Bennie") Dandrow, his wife's brother, who had been operating there under lease for two years previ- ously. Mr. Lunnie built a large annex at the east end of his establishment and did a substantial business for several years.
W. B. Dandrow
Mr. Dandrow's success in the dressing and sale of fresh meats had been established while living on the old Hiram Sholes farm. In 1922 the farm was sold to O. L. Nelson and the Dandrows bought the house in the bend of the Gunnison Brook, where they lived until deciding to build on the old tannery site.
Being obliged to give possession of his store to the owner, Mr. Dandrow immediately moved his stock-in-trade and equipment into the small building directly opposite, which had been built in 1922 by Howard D. Bailey for a gas-station, and continued in trade, his store and meat-cart being always neat and well- stocked.
A sharp rivalry existed for some years between the two shops. Both ran meat-carts over practically the same routes. At the same time the older general-store kept by the Pikes and within a stone's throw of the other two was maintaining a substantial trade, measurably increased by the patrons of the new creamery of Nelson Bros.
L. A. Coutermarsh
Failing health obliged Mr. Lunnie's retirement and in 1936 the business was purchased by Lawrence A. Coutermarsh of North Newport. He was a musician of talent and both Mr. and Mrs. Coutermarsh at once became very popular, particularly with the younger element in town. Meanwhile, for greater econ-
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omy of effort, Mr. Dandrow removed his store to his residence, Mrs. Dandrow caring for the trade while her husband was out on his route.
Clover Ridge Creamery
A new building, at a new site, was constructed during the fall of 1916 and opened for business in January, 1917. It was de- signed as a source of supply for the big market and provision- store of Nelson Brothers, 2 and 4 Water St., Haverhill, Mass.
The pattern of an Alger story could have been truthfully read into the unfolding of this venture, but practical ends were being served. Arthur W. Nelson, junior member of the firm, and his wife, Ada N. Hooper of Unity, had a family of growing boys and wished for them the same advantages of a country- upbringing which they themselves had enjoyed. As a conse- quence Arthur moved to the farm previously owned in Goshen and added to it farms on either side. The name, Clover Ridge Farm, was applied to the products of farms and creamery and large shipments of native fowl, eggs, turkeys and veal were made regularly to the Haverhill store, over which the older brother, Elmer H., presided.
The "Cooley creamer" system which had been in vogue at the former creamery was now superseded by centrifugal separators operated at the farm of each producer. An agency for the United States Separator, then made at Bellow's Falls, Vt., allowed sale of these separators, as well as evaporators and other sugar- making equipment, to patrons with small monthly deductions from their milk-checks. Cream was received twice a week, with receipts from the surrounding towns of Lempster, Unity, New- port, Croydon and Sunapee augmenting local production. At the peak of summer production the creamery churned in excess of two thousand pounds of butter per week.
Ernest S. Nelson, a graduate of the agricultural course, Univ. of N. H., was procured as buttermaker. He had taken a re- fresher course under Bert Huggins, afterward instructor at the University, but then butter-maker at the Cornish Creamery, Cornish, N. H. This famous creamery was later purchased by Nelson Brothers and Ernest Nelson was thereupon placed in
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charge at Cornish, while the fourth brother, Walter, substituted for him at Goshen.
Arthur W. Nelson served the town in many capacities; as Selectman and was sent as Representative to the 1921 legislative session; he was always a source of strength in the Village church. The sudden death of Elmer H., in 1931, recalled him to again resume proprietorship of the store.
The economic impossibility of realizing from the butter-fat alone an initial return equal to that from the sale of whole- milk eventually put an end to both the Goshen and Cornish creameries, as it had done to almost every other butter-factory in the state. Business was finally suspended in 1932.
CHAPTER XXIV Professional History
DOCTORS
D R. Reuben Hall, third son of Capt. Amos Hall, settled in Goshen early in 1800. He studied medicine with Dr. Shaw of Unity; married Miss Belinda Willey, dau. of Benjamin and Abigail (Hurd) Willey, born May 13, 1793; ch., Erasmus Darwin Hall, b. in Goshen April 17, 1812. Dr. Hall removed to Roch- ester, Vt.
The second physician in town was Dr. Ira Weston, b. Feb. 18, 1796, son of Thomas, Jr., and Lucy (Wilkins) Weston; was re- ceived into the Goshen Cong. Church by letter of Recommenda- tion and Dismissal from the church at Mont Vernon, October 9, 1824. Married Miriam Chellis, 1825. Their daughter, Lucy Maria, was bapt. Goshen, Dec. 18, 1829. He was a physician of great skill, practising in Windham and Bradford, N. H., as well as in this town; died Oct. 12, 1868.
Dr. Thomas Sanborn was born in Sanbornton, Sept. 26, 1811. Received his medical degree from Dartmouth in 1841 and com- menced practice at the Four Corners, boarding with a family in the "Doctor's House," so-called, since burned but then a large, two-storied structure standing on the site of George E. Ayotte's modern home. Here he remained until August, 1843, when he removed to Newport; married, Nov. 14, 1844, Harriet, daughter of Hon. David Allen, proprietor of the old Allen Tavern on the turnpike. Was Surgeon of the 16th Regt., N. H. Volunteers, in the Civil War, which greatly impaired his health.
Dr. W. W. Darling, of the homeopathic school of practice, was born in Croydon, Nov. 30, 1834. Received his medical degree
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from Dartmouth in 1859 and soon after opened an office here; removed to Newport, 1869.
W. W. Dow, M.D., is said to have been living, in 1843, at the present George Gregg place, although this date may seem to conflict with the cemetery record (Corners) of the death of his wife, Mary A. Kelly, dau. of John and Sophia (Huntoon) Kelly, Feb. 5, 1875, aged 42 years.
Dr. Nelson (?) Coburn, period of residence unknown.
In 1846, Dr. Harvey G. Macintyre (or McIntire) came into the Doctor's House, following convalescence from a fever which had caused temporary baldness. There is a current belief that he had built the house with a view to its use as a private hospi- tal. He had a natural gift for medicine, although not highly pre- trained. His stay of fifteen years greatly endeared him to the community. He married, in 1848, Miss Margaret McCrillis, who was born Oct. 3, 1817; died in Concord after gaining a well-earned success in his profession. An anecdote is told that, while visiting a patient at the John Messer place in North Goshen, word was brought that Dr. Wheeler had been seriously injured by the kick of his horse, at the McCrillis house at the Four Corners. He was but fourteen minutes in covering the dis- tance of four miles and, so furiously had he driven, upon reach- ing the injured man his horse had to be supported by bystanders.
Dr. Francis H. Wheeler, a native of Claremont, opened an office in Goshen about Dec. 1, 1847; taught one term of school the first year. Lived in the brick house on the main street of the Village. He married (1) Miss Ursula R. Pike, Nov. 2, 1847; she d. Nov. 29, 1866, aged 41 yrs .; m. (2) Miss Izanna E. Smith of Unity, who was b. May 31, 1838. Dr. Wheeler allied himself with the best interests of the town. He died Aug. 28, 1877, aged 55 yrs., 8 mos .; buried Village cem.
Rockwood G. Mather, M.D., was born in Goshen Jan., 1840.
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He studied medicine with Dr. Thomas Sanborn of Newport; was graduated from the Harvard Medical School in 1861, and located in Washington, N. H., the same year, where he remained but two years. He then removed to Marlow and soon after en- tered the army as surgeon. At the close of the war he studied dentistry and followed that profession until his death, in Han- cock, N. H., April, 1874; m. Miss Anna Whittemore of Benning- ton. (Hist. of Washington)
Dr. Fred Perley Jones was born in Marlboro in 1853, removing at the age of sixteen to Chester, Vt., attending the academy there. Graduated with the class of 1877 from the Medical Dept., University of the City of New York, having completed the four years' course with honor marks in three years. Opened practice in Goshen, July 10, 1877, in the house at the Village where he died in 1918, after a longer period of medical service than any other resident physician. His services were much in demand in the adjoining towns of Lempster and Unity as well as here. He married Miss Lillian A. Gilman of Unity, daughter of Alfred (Jonathan1) Gilman; she was b. 1862; d. 1941.
LAWYERS
Horace G. Chase, a native of Unity, brother of Virgil Chase, was born Dec. 14, 1788. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1814. The same year he came to Hopkinton and entered the law-office of Matthew Harvey, Esq., who was elected Governor of New Hampshire in 1830. Finishing his studies, he opened an office in Goshen Four Corners, on the second floor over Luther Barnes' store, access to it being gained by a flight of stairs upon the outside of the building. The debtors laws of the period en- couraged litigation between neighbors where common-sense should have consistently prevailed.
Mr. Chase married, Dec. 24, 1818, Betsy Blanchard of Hopkin- ton. A daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born in Goshen, Aug. 11, 1821, and shortly thereafter he removed to Hopkinton, entering into a law partnership with Matthew Harvey. He held many public offices: town-clerk, town-treasurer; representative from Hopkinton; from 1843 to 1855 he was Judge of Probate for
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Merrimack County, publishing in 1845 the Probate Directory. He was a prominent Mason, being Grand Recorder of the Grand Commandery from 1860 to 1870; died 1875 (Lord's Hist. of Hopkinton). His name is perpetuated in the Horace Chase Lodge, F. & A. M., of Penacook.
Hon. Calvin Luther Brown, an Associate Justice of the Su- perior Court of Minnesota, was born in Goshen, subsequent to 1840, grandson of Mary Grindle (Burnham) Brown.
John Wheelock Willey, son of Allen Willey, was born in this town, May 2, 1794; graduated from Dartmouth College; en- gaged in the practice of law in Cleveland, Ohio; was appointed Judge and elected first Mayor of Cleveland in 1836.
Hon. Andrew J. Gunnison was born in Goshen, Oct. 30, 1822, and died in San Francisco, Calif., April 26, 1902. He commenced the study of law with Knowles and Beard, in Lowell, Mass .; was admitted to the bar in 1844, and entered into a law-partnership with Hon. Moses Norris of Pittsfield. Later, he associated him- self with his old instructor, Hon. Ithamar W. Beard, at Lowell. While residing at Lowell he married Euphemia L. Briard, Eng- lish by birth, a lady of high culture.
In 1851 he removed to San Francisco, crossing the Isthmus on mules before re-shipping, with his brother, A. R. Gunnison. Here he successfully engaged in the practise of law, at the time of his death being the senior member of the law-firm of Gunni- son, Booth (see below) and Bartnette. He was elected a mem- ber of the legislature, representing the city and county of San Francisco. During the critical attempt to detach California from the Union he played a conspicuous part, upon one occasion de- livering an all-night speech in order to gain time against the secession movement, which resulted in its defeat. Starting home for a brief visit in 1862, he was a passenger upon the ill-fated steamer "Golden Gate," burned July 27 at sea, off the coast of Mexico, and was one of the few who survived.
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Andrew G. (George) Booth, son of Silas and Alice (Gunni- son) Booth, was born in Goshen, June 4, 1845; died at his home in Los Angeles, Cal., June 10, 1903; married Laura D. Aldrich, May 3, 1876. He graduated from Amherst College and studied law for a short time with Hon. H. W. Parker of Claremont. In 1869 he removed to California where he completed his legal studies in the office of Andrew J. Gunnison, being admitted to the bar in 1870. Four years later he entered into partnership with Mr. Gunnison, Walter J. Bartnette being added to the firm in 1895. He was one of the most prominent Knight Temp- lar in the state, being chairman of the executive committee of the Triennial Conclave for 1904. He was a past grand chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He was also active in politics, being a member of the Assembly in 1883-4.
Albert R. Gunnison, a succesful insurance executive, died in San Francisco, Cal., April 6, 1903, aged 72 years.
Virgil C. Stevens, a native of Goshen, emigrated to California where he became editor of The California Whig.
John McCrillis, fifth of the name in direct line, was born in Goshen, Aug. 5, 1858, son of William H. and Abby (Huntoon) McCrillis. He graduated from Newport High School in 1878, from Kimball Union Academy in 1879 and from Dartmouth College, with Phi Beta Kappa honors with the class of 1883, of which he was president.
Following his graduation from college he served as principal of the high schools in Morris, Minn., and in Springfield, Vt. March 6, 1886, he was appointed Clerk of the Superior Court of Sullivan County and continued in office until he resigned Jan. 10, 1935, a period of forty-eight years and ten months, which is believed to be the longest term of consecutive service in any county office in the history of the state. After entering upon the duties of his office, he studied law with Hon. Albert S. Waite of Newport and passed his bar examination in 1889 with a very high mark, but did not practice generally due to the constitu-
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tional restrictions placed on the clerks of court. He married, Sept. 26, 1895, Mary E. Wilmarth; their children are John W. Mc- Crillis, present Clerk of Court, and William H. McCrillis of Washington, D. C.
He was a director and treasurer of the Brampton Woolen Co., president of the First National Bank, a trustee of the Newport Savings Bank, a director of the N. H. Fire Insurance Co., and for many years was a trustee of the N. H. State Hospital. He had also held many town offices of trust and importance in New- port, his place of residence. A state-wide practice was offered him in 1894 with a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, resid- ing in Manchester, but for good reasons the offer was declined. Mr. McCrillis died in Newport, July 11, 1937.
INSURANCE
John G. W. Cofran, Vice President of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, was born in Goshen June 13, 1855, son of Stephen B. and Alma (Gunnison) Cofran. With the death of his father in Sept., 1870, the maintenance of the home-farm was deemed impractical and his mother removed with him to Newport, where his education was continued.
At the age of nineteen he found employment in the office of the Commercial Insurance Co., at San Francisco, Cal. In 1881 he became a special agent of the Hartford Fire Insurance Com- pany. He was made associate manager of the Pacific Coast de- partment for that company in 1886 and nine years later became assistant general agent of the western department, with head- quarters in Chicago. In 1896 he became a general agent and in December, 1909, was made Vice President of the Company. His death occurred at Hartford, Conn., Jan. 15, 1912. (Granite Monthly, obituary).
AUTHORS
Mary Dwinell Chellis, dau. of Seth and Myra G. Chellis, was born in Goshen, Feb. 13, 1826. Her parents moved to Nashua in 1833, and from thence to Lowell, Mass., the following year.
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She was educated at the Lowell High School, taking high rank as a writer of prose and poems. During this period she and her sister, Lorinda Chellis, were connected with "The Lowell Offer- ing," a publication for the factory girls, among whom were many of its contributors. It will be remembered that in those days the girls working in the mills were self-respecting American girls from good families. In this work they were associated with Lucy Larcom, afterward poetical editor of "The Congregationalist," but then a factory girl.
In 1859 the Chellis family returned to scenes of earlier days, taking up residence in Claremont. Mary devoted her talents to teaching in the public schols, both in New Hampshire and Mass- achusetts. It was during the last year of her stay in Claremont that her first book, entitled "Winnie Malone," was published. It was speedily followed by others of more pretentious size and their number and scope increased, until forty volumes were sent on their mission, the last, "Old Benches with New Props," being yet in press when her pen was laid aside forever.
Miss Chellis and her parents established a home in Newport about 1866, a pleasant brick house a short distance below the South Church, where most of her literary labor was per- formed. She was married to S. Frank Lund of Newport, June 19, 1877; died June 10, 1891.
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