History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 111

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1168

USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire > Part 111

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At a town-meeting December 26th, the last vote was reconsidered, and a location farther north was se- lected, and it was " Voted, to build a meeting-house forty feet long and thirty-five feet wide and twenty feet between joints."

A committee of five was chosen to "set up the frame," and it was " Toted, that the meeting-house shall be raised by the first day of May next."

It was also voted at this meeting to raise forty pounds to pay for the frame.

March 6, 1734, the town voted to raise one hundred pounds to hire preaching, and fifty pounds more to finish the meeting-house. " Voted, to board, clap- board, shingle and lay the lower floor," and a com- mittee was chosen to finish the meeting-house, with instructions to "accomplish the same by the last day of September."

The location was again changed at the same meet- ing.

May 27th, "Voted, to reconsider the former vote lo- cating the meeting-house, and voted to build a meet- ing-house on land of Thomas Colburn, at a heap of stones this day laid up, not far from said Colburn's southerly dam." " Also voted to raise the same on the first day of June next."

This last was the final location, and it appears that the committees carried out their instructions, as a town- meeting was held in the meeting-house October 3, 1734.

All the town-meetings prior to that date,-nine in number,-with one exception, were held at the house of Ensign John Snow, one at the house of Ephraim Cummings. This was the first meeting-house in town, the exact location of which is not known, but it stood on the east side of the road, as then traveled, north of Musquash Brook, and is said to have been a

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little north of the Nathaniel Merrill house, which oc- cupied the same spot upon which Benjamin Fuller's house now stands; but tradition aside, it would look more probable that it stood between the Merrill house and the brook.

Tradition has long pointed to the Hills Farms meeting-house, that stood on the east side of the Derry road, some distance south of Alden Hills' house, as having been built at an earlier date.

The following extracts from a petition to the General Court, in 1742, signed by John Taylor and fourteen other inhabitants of the north part of Nottingham, and Nathaniel Hills and sixteen other inhabitants of the south part of Litchfield, proves the tradition to be erroneous.

The petition represents,-

" That your petitioners, after a meeting-house was built in Nottingham, and before any was built in Litchfield, erected a meeting-house for the public worship of God, where both we and our families might attend upon God in His house, and since that another meeting-house has been set up in Litchfield. . . .

"And your petitioners have for some considerable time maintained and supported the public worship of God among us at our own cost and charge. . . .

" Your petitioners therefore do humbly pray that we may be erected into a township, there being a sufficient tract of land in the Northwest- erly part of Nottingham and the Southerly part of Litchfield to make a compact Town, without any prejudice to the towns of Nottingham or Litchfield. . . . "

Litchfield, which had been known as Natticook, or Brenton's Farm, was incorporated by the General Court of Massachusetts July 4, 1734.

Under this charter the town of Litchfield was bounded,-

" Beginning at Merrimack River, half a mile south of where Nat- ticook south line crosseth said river, running from thence west two miles and a half, then turning and running northerly the general course of Merrimack River to Sowbeeg (Souhegan) River, making it a straight line, then running by Sowbeeg (Souhegan). River to Merrimack River again two miles and a half.

" Also, that the bounds dividing between Natticook and Nottingham begin at the lower line or south bounds of Nathaniel Hills' lands on Merrimack River, so extending east by his south line to the south east corner : so on east to Nottingham east line ; north two degrees east, about half a mile, to a pine tree with stones about it, standing within sight of Beaver brook, marked with the letter F; from thence North North west by a line of marked trees, lettered with F, about six miles to Merrimack River, near Natticook corner ; Southerly by the River Merrimack to the month of the Sowbeeg (Souhegan) River, before mentioned."

Litchfield, as then bounded, extended south at Mer- rimack River nearly a mile farther than at present, and about one-half mile south of the Brenton line, and included the nine hundred acres of land Nathaniel Hills bought of Jonathan Tyng, leaving all, or nearly all, of the Joseph Hills farm in Nottingham.

The Hills Farms meeting-honse, built soon after, was in Litchfield, near its southern border, as the town was then bounded, and so were all the houses and farms in Hills Row, which farms were parts of the Nathaniel Hills "Tyng " land

December 3, 1735, the town voted to build a pulpit and a body of seats, leaving room in the middle of the meeting-house up to the pulpit, and leaving room around the outside to build pews, and also to lay the |to Massachusetts Bay."

gallery floors, build stairs to the galleries and a gal- lery rail.

July 6, 1737, " Voted and made choice of Mr. Nathaniel Merrill for their gospel minister to settle in Nottingham, and voted him £200 settlement in case he accepts the call, and chose Captain Robert Fletcher, Ensign Joseph Snow, John Butler and Henry Baldwin to find his terms how he will settle."

September 19th, the town voted to give Mr. Merrill, in case he should accept the call, two hundred and fifty pounds, bills of credit, old tenor, as a gift, and to give him one hundred and twenty pounds, annu- ally, in bills of credit, silver money twenty shillings to the ounce, an addition of ten pounds. annually to be added after five years from settlement, and an ad- dition of ten pounds more annually after ten years from settlement, and to give him a sufficient supply of firewood brought to his door annually.

The call was accepted, and the Rev. Nathaniel Merrill was ordained November 30, 1737, and a Con- gregational Church was founded the same day.

He was the son of Abel Merrill, of West Newbury ; born March 1, 1712, and graduated at Harvard Col- lege in 1732.

He bought land of Thomas Colburn for a farm, built a house near the meeting-house, where he re- sided until his death, in 1796.

In front of the house an aged elm is now standing, which is said to have been planted by Rev. Mr. Merrill.

He had nine children, all born in this town.

Children of Rev. Nathaniel and Elizabeth Merrill,- Nathaniel, born September 25, 1739; Betsey, Septem- ber 6, 1741; Mary, August 28, 1743, died young; John, October 26, 1745; Abel, December 23, 1747 ; Dorothy, February 10, 1749; Olive, December 4, 1751, married Isaac Merrill, February 25, 1779; Sarah, Oc- tober 31, 1753; and Benjamin, April 3, 1756.

CHAPTER III.

HUDSON-(Continued).

Settlement of the Province Line-Charter of Nottingham West-Boun- daries-Second Meeting-llouse-North Meeting-House-Roads Laid Ont-Stocks-Petition of Josiah Cummings-Bounty on Wolves-High- way Taxes-Mr. Merrill's Salary-Presbyterians-Settlement with Rev. Mr. Merrill.

THE province line between New Hampshire and Massachusetts, about which there had been a long and bitter controversy, was settled and established in 1741.

The new line divided the town of Nottingham, leaving about four thousand acres of the south part in Massachusetts and the balance in New Hampshire. The meeting-house was within less than two miles of the province line ; the inhabitants were dissatisfied and " Voted to send a petition to England to be annexed

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The petition did not succeed, and Nottingham, north of the line, remained a district about five years, subject to the jurisdiction and laws of New Hamp- shire.

March 10, 1746, at a district meeting, it was voted, by a vote of thirty-two yeas to twenty-one nays, to be incorporated into a " Distinct Town," and "Thomas Gage, Ephraim Cummings and John Butler were chosen a committee to treat with the Courts Commit- tee."

A charter was granted by the General Court of New Hampshire, July 5, 1746, and the name of the town was changed to Nottingham West, there being already a Nottingham in the east part of the State.

Under this charter the town was bounded,-

" Beginning at the River Merrimack, on the east side thereof, where the line that parts the Province of Massachusetts Bay and New Hamp- shire crosses the said river, and runs from said river east, ten degrees south, by the needle, two miles and eighty rods ; then north, twenty de- grees east, five miles and eighty rods to Londonderry south side line, then by Londonderry line west northwest to the southwest corner of Londonderry township ; then north on Londonderry west side line one mile and eighty rods ; then west by the needle to Merrimack River ; then on said River southierly to the place began at."

The charter contained the following reservation :

" Always reserving to us, our heirs and successors, all white pine trees growing and being, or that shall hereafter grow and be on the said tract of land, for the use of our Royal Navy."

These boundaries excluded all of that part of Pel- ham-nearly one-third-formerly included in the dis- triet of Nottingham, with about twenty families by the names of Butler, Hamblet, Baldwin, Gage, Gibson, Nevens, Douglass, Richardson and Spalding, and in- cluded a part of the south part of Litchfield, as before bounded, about one mile wide on the Merrimack, but less at the east end, with Nathaniel Hills, William Taylor, Henry Hills, Joseph Pollard, James Hills, Ezekiel Hills, John Marsh, Jr., Thomas Marsh, Henry Hills, Jr., Samuel Hills, Nathaniel Hills, Jr., and some other inhabitants.

In a petition to the Governor and Council, by Nathan Kendall, in behalf of the inhabitants of Litchfield, August 22, 1746, it is represented,-

" That by some mistake or misrepresentation, the boundaries given in said charter are different from what the intention was, as they conceive, for part of that which was called Litchfield on the easterly side of said river is, in fact, taken into Nottingham and incorporated as parcel of that town, and what is left of Litchfield is much too small for a town and can't possibly subsist as such, and there is no place to which it can be joined, nor from which anything can be taken to add to it."

The first town-meeting under the new charter, called by Zaccheus Lovewell, was held at the house of Samuel Greeley, July 17, 1746, at which Zaccheus Lovewell was elected moderator, Samuel Greeley town clerk, George Burns treasurer, and Samuel Greeley, Zaccheus Lovewell and Eleazer Cummings select- men.

August 20th, " Voted to move the preaching to Mr. Benjamin Whittemore's house."

October 20, 1746, a committee was chosen to find the "centre up and down of the town;" and at an

adjourned meeting, November 20th, the " committee's report is, that the centre up and down of this town is on the northeasterly side of Mr. Benjamin Whitte- more's lot, and on the east side of the way that leads to Litchfield."

"The town viewed the said place, and marked sev- eral pine-trees on said spot, and voted said place to erect a meeting-house on."

It was also voted, at the same meeting, to "pull down the old meeting-house," and a committee was chosen to effect the same. The committee did not "pull down the old meeting-house," as it appears later that no satisfactory arrangement could be made with those people of Pelham and Tyngsborough who helped build and owned pews in it.

January 12, 1747, the town voted to build a meet- ing-house forty feet long and twenty-six feet wide, and a committee was chosen to effect the same.

The meeting-house was not built by that commit- tee, and June 1, 1748, the town " Voted to purchase the upper meeting-house in said town, at a value of eighty pounds, old tenor ;" and a committee was chosen to "pull down and remove the said meeting-house, and to erect the same at some suitable and convenient place, and to effect the same at or before the first day of July next."

This was the Hills Farms meeting-house, before mentioned, and it appears that the committee soon after effected its removal, as the next town-meeting, August 31, 1748, was held at the meeting-house, and it was " Voted to lay the lower floors, hang the doors, underpin the frame, board up the upper windows, and to remove the seats out of the old meeting-house and place them in the new house, and put up some of the old glass windows, and to have a tier of pews built in the front of the meeting-house."

October 26th a committee was chosen by the town "To pull up the floors in the old meeting-house, and the breast-work, and take out the rails; and to put up stairs and put in slit-work ; lay the gallery floors, and bring the slit-work, old floors and breast-work to the place, and put up the breastwork ; all to be done this fall, and to allow horse-shelters to be built on the town's land, near the meeting-house."

April 24, 1749, " Voted, to clapboard the meeting- house and put up the window-frames and the old glass this year."

July 7, 1751, " Voted, to have two seats made and set up around the front of the gallery, and to call in and put up the old glass so far as it will go."

This house occupied nearly the same position where, forty years ago, stood the old school-house in Dis- trict No. 4, near the Joseph Blodgett place, in the margin of the old burying-ground and near where the gate now stands.

It was the last meeting-house built by the town, and was occupied as a place of public worship until March, 1778, when the town voted to sell the "old meeting-house," and, February 1, 1779, " Voted, that

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the money that the old meeting-house sold for should be turned into the treasury by the committee who sold it." .

The record does not inform us to whom the meeting- house was sold, but it is reasonable to suppose that it was bought for Mr. Merrill by his society and friends, and removed to the south part of the town, as there was at about that time, and for many years after, a meeting-house on the east side of the Back road, south of Musquash Brook, in which Mr. Merrill continued to preach until near the time of his death, in 1796. This house was called " Mr. Merrill's Meeting-house," and later, the " Gospel-Shop."

It was located east of the road, on the high ground nearly opposite the old burying-place, and was not-as has been supposed by some-the first meeting-house, which, as has been mentioned in a former chapter, was on the north side of the brook, and about half a mile distant from the location of this one.

And further, if we suppose an error possible as to the location of the old meeting-house-after the town, in 1748, had removed the seats, pulpit, deacon-seats' windows, floors, breast-work and rails, and put them into the new house, it was voted unanimously, January 30, 1749, "To give the old meeting-house all that is remaining, excepting window-frames, casements and glass and pews-i. e., all their right and interest in and to the same, excepting what is before excepted, as a present to the Rev. Mr. Merrill."

Mr. Merrill preached in the second meeting-house for nearly thirty years after he was presented with the shell of the old one, and it would not be reason- able to suppose that he would preserve and keep the old house in repair for that time, when he had no use for it.

The old North meeting-house, at the Centre, which stood until the present town-house was erected, in 1857, was built by the Presbyterians, probably in 1771, as a town-meeting held October 7th of that year, was called at the old meeting-house.

The land upon which it stood was conveyed, Decem- ber 15, 1770, by Deacon Henry Hale, to Captain Abra- ham Page, David Peabody, Hugh Smith, Joseph Wilson and Asa Davis, " as a committee appointed for building a meeting-house on said premises."

This building, which was the cause of several very bitter controversies, was repaired by the town in 1792, deeded by the proprietors to the Baptist Society No- vember 26, 1811, and by that society to the town of Hudson March 1, 1842.

The town-meetings, with a few exceptions, were held at this meeting-house from 1779 until the pres- ent town-house was erected to supply its place. A few were held at the house of Timothy Smith and other private dwellings.

November 19, 1764, the town voted to build a meeting-house, and several similar votes were passed at later dates, but as a location could not be agreed upon, the object did not succeed.

March 9, 1747, "Chose Edward Spalding and Benj. Frost to take care that the deer are not chased around out of season as the law directs."

In 1747 the selectmen laid out a road from Litch- field to the province line, which the town voted not to accept, and it was laid out by a "Courts Committee" the same year. Nine other roads were laid out by the selectmen and accepted by the town.

September 21, 1747, " Toted to erect a pair of stocks, and voted three pounds, old tenor money, to erect the same. John Marshall was chosen to build said stocks."

December 7, 1747, Josiah Cummings, Eleazer Cum- mings and several other residents of the north part of the town petitioned the General Court, praying, " That they might be discharged, both polles and cs- tates, from paying anything towards the support of the ministry at said Nottingham, so long as they at- tend elsewhere.

March 7, 1748, Deacon Samuel Greeley and John Marshall " were chosen to go to court to answer a citation. The prayer of the petitioners was not granted.

October 15, 1749, a road was laid out from Rev. Mr. Merrill's to the meeting-house, beginning near the Rev. Mr. Merrill's orchard and running northerly, through land of Roger Merrill, Ebenezer Dakin, Heze- kiah Hamblet, Gerrish, Joseph Blodgett, Deacon Samuel Greeley and Benjamin Whittemore, to the town land appropriated for the use of the meeting-house. This is the same road now known as the Back road, or Burns road.

March 2, 1752, a bounty of six pounds was voted for every wolf caught and killed.

The first tax for mending the highways was in 1753, when two hundred pounds, old tenor, was raised for that purpose, and the price of labor was established at fifteen shillings a day for men, one-half as much for a pair of oxen and four shillings for a cart.

As the currency continued to depreciate, Mr. Mer- rill's salary was raised from year to year, until 1759, when he received twelve hundred pounds, old tenor, at six pounds per dollar.

September 26, 1764, " Voted, that those Presbyte- rians who attend Mr. Kinkaid's meeting in Windham be excused from paying towards the support of Rev. Mr. Merrill." Much trouble had already arisen in relation to the collection of the minister taxes from the Presbyterians, of which there was a considerable number in town, which continued many years later, and at times was carried into the courts for settle- ment.

At the annual meeting, 1772, "The town chose Deacon Ebenezer Cummings to see that the fish are not obstructed in their passage up Wattannock Brook, so called, this present year." Alewives in large quan- tities made their way up this brook until the dam at Lowell obstructed their passage up the river.

In March, 1773, a vote was passed against raising

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

any money to pay Rev. Mr. Merrill, and in June fol- lowing it was " Voted to call a council to settle the difficulties now subsisting between Mr. Merrill and his people upon such terms as may be reasonable and agreeable to the word of God."

It does not appear that this council was ever con- vened.

September 27th the town " Voted to dismiss all those that are uneasy with Mr. Merrill from paying any rates to his support."

The contract between the town and Mr. Merrill was dissolved, as the following receipt will show :

"I, the subscriber, for and in consideration of the sum of sixty pounds, lawful money, to me in hand paid, or secured to be paid, do therefore acquit and discharge The Inhabitants of the Town of Nottingham west for all demands I now have, or may have hereafter, upon them asa Town, by virtue of any former agreement or agreements, vote or votes made or voted between them and me as their minister ; As witness my hand,

" NATH'L MERRILL.

" Nottingham west, July 11, 1774."

CHAPTER IV. HUDSON-(Continued).

A Part of " Londonderry Claim " Annexed to Nottingham West, 1778- Name Changed to Hudson, 1830-Taylor's Falls Bridge-Post-Offices and Postmasters-Nottingham West Social Library-Hudson Social Library-Schools and School Districts -- Population -- Physicians- Nashua and Rochester Railroad-Employments.

IN 1754 a petition was presented to the General As- sembly, signed by twenty-seven of the inhabitants of the southwest part of Londonderry, praying to be taxed in Nottingham West, which petition was dis- missed.

As early as 1768 some action had been taken by a number of the inhabitants occupying the south part of " Londonderry Claim," in Londonderry, to be an- nexed to this town, and in March of that year the town voted to hear and answer their request.

February 3, 1778, a petition praying to be annexed to Nottingham West was presented to the Honorable Council and Assembly, signed by Levi Andrews, Josiah Burroughs, Simeon Robinson, John Marshall, William Hood, Joseph Steele, Philip Marshall, Moses Barrett, Daniel Peabody, John Smith, Ebenezer Tay- lor, Simeon Barrett, James Barrett, W. Elener Gra- ham, Isaac Page, William Graham, Ezekiel Greeley, George Burroughs, David Lawrence, Richard Mar- shall, Hugh Smith, Thomas Smith, Sampson Kidder, Benjamin Kidder, William McAdams, Joseph Hobbs.

The petition was granted by an act of the General Assembly, passed March 6, 1778, annexing the south- west part of Londonderry to Nottingham West, with the following boundaries :

" Beginning in the South boundary of Londonderry, at the North East corner of Nottingham west, Thence running North 5 degrees East, frequently crossing Beaver Brook, 424 rods to a large Pine tree marked, standing by said Brook.

"Thence North twenty degrees West 740 rods to a large Black oak tree marked, standing about 4 rods East of Simeon Robinson's House.

" Thence North eighty degrees west, 600 rods to the East side line of Litchfield, to a Poplar tree marked, standing in the edge of Fine meadow, and including the houses and lands belonging to William Graham, William Steele, William McAdams, Simeon Robinson and Ebenezer Tarbox, lying to the Eastward and Northward of said tract, according to the plan there- of exhibited with said petition, and excluding any lands lying contiguous to said North and East Bounds, belonging to Samuel Andrews and Thomas Boyd, lying within the same.

"Thence from said Poplar tree South in the East Bounds of Litchfield and Nottingham west about two miles and three-quarters to a corner of Nottingham west.

"Thence East South East in the South Bounds of Londonderry and North Bounds of Nottingham west, two miles and three-quarters of a mile to the place began at."

Only two minor changes have since been made in the boundaries of the town.

The first by an act of the Legislature, passed June 27, 1857, establishing the northeast corner of Hudson and the southeast corner of Londonderry about one hundred and twelve rods farther northerly on Beaver Brook than the old corner, and running from there north, 27° 12' west, six hundred and ninety rods to the original corner established in 1778, and from that to the corner at Litchfield line, as before.

Also providing that these lines should be the boun- daries between the two towns.

Prior to 1862 the line between Hudson and Wind- ham crossed Beaver Brook several times. July 2d of that year an act was passed by the Legislature estab- lishing the line in the centre of the brook, from the northwest corner of Pelham, about three hundred and twenty rods, to the southeast corner of Londonderry, as established in 1857.

The tract annexed in 1778 included nearly twenty families other than those whose names were upon the petition.

March 9, 1830, "It was voted to request the select- men to petition the General Court to change the name of the town, and Moses Greeley, Colonel William Hills, Deacon Asa Blodgett and James Tenney were chosen a committee to report a name."

At an adjourned meeting, March 13th, " Voted to accept the report of the committee to designate a name for the town, which name was that of Hudson."

The name of the town was changed from Notting- ham West to Hudson at the June session of the Leg- islature of the same year.

In 1826 a charter was granted to several individuals of this town and Nashua, by the name of the Proprie- tors of Taylor's Falls Bridge, for the purpose of build- ing a bridge across the Merrimack.

At that time there was no bridge across the river between Lowell and Amoskeag. The bridge was com- pleted and opened as a toll-bridge in 1827.

Previous to that time people crossed by ferries, there being three,-Hamblet's ferry, formerly called Dutton's and for many years Kelly's ferry, was located near where the bridge was built.

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History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 111

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis Number of Pages: 1168

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1168