History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 131

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

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" Well, once there was a man "-here David pulled the grandsire's nose-"Tell it to me, grandpa, tell it to me !"

Amid exuberant mirth and frolic, the old man would begin again, and now it was Harrison who drew the narrator's face and attention toward him- self; thus, while the progress of the tale was hindered, there was great amusement all round, and both first and second childhood were happy.

His maternal grandfather, Deacon David Merrill, who, after his wife's death, came to live with his daughter, was a saintly character in juvenile eyes, who never used wicked words, though he did once threaten to break the " pesky" heads of the hens if they did not keep out of his garden, that he took great pleasure in cultivating. He made cross-bows for the boys, and amused and interested them with incidents of Ticonderoga and Bennington, -he having enlisted as fifer, in the Revolutionary army at the age of sixteen,-and while the younger boy dropped the corn he encouraged him with the approving com- ment that he was " a forward little fellow who would get big enough to cover corn some day," and so firmly was he his friend that upon the sole occasion when the child was deemed worthy of chastisement, he demurred, saying, sotto voce, that "if Harrison were his boy, he guessed he would not be treated that way."

For many years the estate and property of this

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

numerous household were held in common stock ; ropes, cloth, shoes and other articles which are now always purchased were of home manufacture; and that so many people could have lived under one roof without quarreling demonstrated to the doctor's sat- isfaction a fact which reflected the bright side of human nature. At an infantile age he was was sent, " with shining face," to school, and the master, point- ing his pen-knife at the first letter of the alphabet, demanded its name. Up spake the child : " I reads in Baker!" The doctor was wont to tell this anecdote, adding with zest, " My mother taught me !"

His physical strength and power of endurance were less than his brother's and most farmers' sons, but he was up in the morning early, ambitious to have the work go on, and eager to keep up with the men. Whenever a task was imposed, this challenge instantly greeted his brother's ears : "Come, David, let us go and do it and not have to keep hating it."

The happy home influences were of the most sal- utary character, and vigorous, active mental powers, combined with an exceptionally sunny temperament and cheerful disposition, were his natural inher- itance.

He abounded in humor, which was manifested in quiet, never in boisterous, ways, and surviving mates still recount the witty repartees and sparkling bon-mots of childhood years.

Says his cousin, Mrs. Piper: "Harrison was fun- loving, and how much we all loved him !" I recall that one evening, his boots off, and the fire on his study-hearth burning low, he asked David to fetch an armful of fuel, to which he consented, on condition that an improvised rhyme should be his reward. When the wood appeared the rhyme was ready,-

" Thank fortune that I have a brother so good To pick up my chips and bring in my wood, While I, like a monkey, sit curled in my chair, Reading and studying the lectures of Blair ! "

He often alluded with satisfaction to the impartial treatment which he and his brother received at parental hands, to their own harmonious exchange or division of boyish properties. Why," said he, " neither ever had a piece of pie or cake, a new collar or a marble more than the other." Here the doctor was called out, and his mother continued,-" There came a day, when I was making a little coat, and Harrison asked, 'Who is to wear it?' I said 'It is for you, my son.' 'And will not David have one, too ?' 'Not at present.' Hle silently regarded my handiwork a moment, and then said, 'If there is to be bnt one coat, please give it to my brother.'"

The child was " father of the man ;" boyish traits, prominent among which was peculiar unselfishness, developed into a manhood that has left the world better and happier for its existence.

Working,-"laboring on the farm," it is entered in his memoranda of youthful years ; and doubtless that is the proper term, for tradition, family tes-

timony and the record of his most useful, indus- trious life prove that there was never a lazy nerve in him,-attending district school, or the Hopkin- ton Academy (a flourishing institution then remark- able for the excellence and thoroughness of its instruction, and since for the number of its alumni who, in after-life, became distinguished), brought him to his seventeenth birth-day, December 13, 1830, on which day he commenced teaching, thenceforth alternating that vocation with study till his grad- uation.

He entered upon the study of medicine with Dr. Royal Call, of Hopkinton, November 17, 1832, and teaching in the towns of Essex and Hamilton, Mass., was meanwhile a student in the office of Dr. Oliver S. Cressy, of the latter place.

He attended medical lectures at Dartmouth Col- lege in 1833-34; at Berkshire Medical Institution, Pittsfield, Mass., in 1836, and there received the degree of M.D., November 22, 1836.

A few months immediately after he was assistant of Dr. Streeter, in Troy, N. Y., then returned to his native State, and commenced practice in South Weare August 16, 1837.

He married Miss Charlotte M. Eaton, of Hopkin- ton, December 25, 1838, and removed to Merrimack August 17, 1839, where he spent the rest of life labor- ing diligently and faithfully, until failing strength and sickness compelled him gradually to cease from active professional duty. His practice included the town of Litchfield.

His son, Henry Harrison, was born October 24, 1839.

Dr. Eaton became one of the associates of the Southern District Medical Society in 1839, and repre- sented that body as delegate to the annual meeting of the American Medical Association held in Boston in 1849.

He was admitted Fellow of the New Hampshire Medical Society in 1842, was its corresponding secre- tary in 1854-55, secretary in 1857, councilor from 1859 to 1863, censor in 1869, and was also member of the standing committee on practical medicine. He was a permanent member of the American Medical As- sociation, and represented the New Hampshire Medical Society as its delegate to the annual meeting of the association which convened at Washington, D. C., in 1858.

Dr. Eaton was received into full communion with the First Congregational Church in Merrimack July 4, 1852, was several years superintendent of its Sabbath-school and had been president of its relig- ious society and one of its deacons many years at the time of his death. He was superintendent of the public schools of Merrimack and one of the board of trustees of MeGaw Normal Institute many years, and in the years 1857-58 was a member of the House of Representatives in the State Legislature.

To quote from the obituary presented at the ninety- second annual session of the New Hampshire Medical

William J. Packer.

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MERRIMACK.

Society, by Charles A. Savory, M.D, his intimate friend from boyhood,-

" Having entered upon his profession, Dr. Eaton devoted himself to its duties with quiet, but tireless, energy. He kept himself informed of the advancements made in the different departments of medicine, and made practical use of them whenever occasion offered. At the same time, conservative and progressive, he carefully discriminated between the certain and the doubtful ; ready to adopt a new remedy or method when satisfied of its claims, he never abandoned the reliable for the uu- tried. Novelty as such had no charms for him.

" His habits of reading, observation and investigation continued until within a few days of his death. So long as his strength permitted, and even longer, he held himself ready to perform professional duties for all who called for his services. Besides these qualities, so necessary in a skillful physician, Dr. Eaton possessed others in an eminent degree. Ile was kind, generous, conscientiously faithful, patient and sympathetic. He was a reliable friend and pleasant companion.

" Those who knew him personally will recall with pleasure the time spent in his society. ITis ready wit, his genial humor and his inexhaust- ible fund of anecdote made him a delightful host or guest.

" With no affectation of sanetity, he was a devoted and earnest Christian. The principles of his religious faith governed and directed him in all the affairs of life ; and in the large circle of his usefulness those who were suffering from physical or mental distress instinctively sought his aid. Ile was one of the pillars of his church for many years, and was interested and active in every work of reform or charity."

Mrs. Eaton died, after a brief illness, December 21,1866.

Dr. Eaton married Miss Harriet N. Lane, of Can- dia, November 26, 1868; she survives him.

From foregoing data it will be seen that, while quietly going professional rounds, caring for the phys- ical welfare of the community, Dr. Eaton was also identified with the political, educational, moral and religious interests of Merrimack and vicinity for more than forty-two years. He loved his fellow-men and rejoiced in their welfare and prosperity. He heard personal detraction as though he heard it not ; him- self a peacemaker, he had not an enemy, and while the present and succeeding generation continue, his name will be a household word in the extensive circle of families who cherish not alone the memory of the good doctor, but of the good man.

His gentle nature won not only human hearts, -- all living creatures loved him, and, trusting, nearly approached his person without fear.

The robins drank from the pails about the stable, the sparrow chirped about the rim of his straw hat, as, busy among the bee-hives and grape-vines, he rested, after long rides, in the garden ; he knew the birds of the wildwood, and the birds of the wildwood knew and responded to his call ; he was a lover of Nature, a fine botanist and a delightful companion in his car- riage, as well as by the fireside.

Through lingering months and years of pain and weariness he reached eternal rest, but his self-control was perfect; keenest, prolonged anguish wrote no wrinkle, even momentarily, upon his brow. The al- ways sweet smile grew sweeter, till, in the words of Pastor Slack, "he passed away, just as he had always lived, in peace. His long and faithful work as a Christian physician, his zeal in aiding all the interests of the town and his active and consistent life in the

church, all combine to make his loss keenly felt by the church and whole community."

Dr. Eaton died November 19, 1881. The day of his funeral, the 22d, was the forty-fifth anniversary of his graduation.

Upon the plain granite monument erected near his grave is the inscription,-

Harrison Eaton, M.D., Forty-five years the BELOVED PHYSICIAN, Born Dec. 13, 1813, Deceased Nov. 19, 1881, Æ. 67 years, 11 months, 6 days. "He went about doing good."

HON. WILLIAM T. PARKER.

William T. was the second son of William and Mar- garet Parker, and was born at Cleethorps, county of Lincolnshire, England, November 10, 1822. He came to America with his parents in 1832, and has resided in New Hampshire, with the exception of a few months, ever since. When twenty years of age he left Stoddard, where his parents resided, and came to Nashua to seek employment. He engaged for one year with Thomas S. Jones & Co., merchant tailors, taking charge of their manufacturing department. Two years later he commenced business for himself in company with Colonel Charles P. Gage. He re- mained in business with this and other firms until 1867, when he retired to his farm in Merrimack, where he resides at the present time.

Mr. Parker married, September 1, 1846, Abbie N., daughter of Oliver Spaulding, Esq., of Merrimack, and moved to that town in 1849.

In 1856 he was elected moderator in the town meeting of Merrimack, and this was the first time he ever presided over any public gathering. Since that time he has presided over more than one hundred meetings in the town where he resides.

In 1859 and 1860 he represented the town of Mer- rimack in the General Court. In 1866 he was chosen a member of the State Senate and served for two years, being the president of that body in 1867. Dur- ing the great Rebellion he was appointed war agent for the town of Merrimack, and so faithfully and well did he discharge the duties of this difficult posi- tion that at the close of that fearful struggle he was tendered an unanimous vote of thanks by his fellow citizens.

Mr. Parker joined the Odd-Fellows in April, 1844, and for thirty years he has been a member of the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, rising to the thirty-second grade in that body. He is also a mem- ber of the Good Templars, of the Golden Cross and of the Grange.

Mr. Parker's religious connections led him, very early in life, in 1843, to connect himself with the Universalist parish in Nashua, and he has served his church with a fidelity and love that does honor alike

550

HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

to the man and to the cause. He has served on its board of trustees many years, and has been the super- intendent of its Sunday-school for more than ten years. But his work has not been bounded by the narrow limits of the city of Nashua, for in State and national matters appertaining to the Universalist denomination he has been a potent factor. For many years he was the president of the New Hamp- shire State Convention, and he also served for nine years on the Board of the General Convention, seven of which he was the chairman of that body. To him also was given the distinguished honor of presiding over the great centennial festival of this people, held in Faneuil Hall, Boston, in 1870, when such men as the Rev. E. H. Chapin, D.D., of New York, Rev. A. A. Miner, D.D., of Boston, Rev. W. H. Ryder, D.D., of Chicago, and Governor Claflin graced the occasion with their presence and eloquence. It was the last time that the lamented Dr. Chapin ever spoke in Faneuil Hall.

In his whole life Mr. Parker has been an earnest and enthusiastic worker in every good cause. The cause of temperance and that of education have found in him a worthy champion. Feeling his own lack of education in his youth,-for all his school- days would not make one year,-he very early became a warm friend of the schools of his town and State.

Mr. Parker has ever been true and outspoken in his convictions, both political and religious, and no hope of gain or advantage could swerve him a hair's breadth from what he perceived to be his duty in these matters. In all his business relations he has been strictly honest and conscientious. In his domes- tic relations he has been faithful and devoted. He is a kind brother, a dutiful son, a devoted husband and a firm friend. In his married life he has been unusually fortunate and happy. The esteem in which he is held by his friends and neighbors is shown in the fact that during his life he has been called to conduct more than two hundred funerals.

Mr. Parker's executive ability is of a high and rare order. This, coupled with his firm decision of character, has made him uniformly successful in every position he has been called to fill. But his deci- sion of character has ever been combined with a Chris-

tian love, a charity as warm and large-hearted as ever dwells in human breast.

ALEXANDER MCCAULEY WILKINS.

Alexander McCauley Wilkins, a son of Levi Wil- kins, was born at Merrimack, N. H., February 25, 1806.

His mother's maiden-name was Ann McCauley. She was a daughter of Alexander McCauley, Jr., of Merri- mack. He lived with his father and worked on his father's farm. To the district school he was indebted for all the education he received, except such as he secured by study and reading at home; yet he im- proved his opportunities so well that when he reached manhood he was employed to teach during the winters in his own and neighboring towns, still working on the farm during the summers.

December 2, 1834, he married Caroline Richmond Stearns, daughter of James Stearns, of Amherst, N. H. At this time he changed his business from farming to lumbering. He bought mills on the Souhegan River in Merrimack, purchased lumber and manufac- tured it into boards, shingles, clapboards, etc., and was usually successful in selling his products for enough to give him a fair remuneration for his labor.

Endowed by nature with unusual vigor of both body and mind and good executive abilities, he was for many years prominent in town affairs. He repre- sented the town in the New Hampshire Legislature, was chairman of the Board of Selectmen five years and treasurer four years.

He was for several years a director of the Indian Head Bank, at Nashua, and served as justice of the peace for more than a quarter of a century. He was employed to settle many large estates, and generally succeeded in satisfying the parties interested.

In 1856, though still carrying on the lumber busi- ness, he bought a farm and returned to his early occupation of tilling the soil, feeling that farming, if not very lucrative, was at least a healthful occupation.

Here he still resides (1885), and when he goes out in the early morning to work in his fields, he feels the refreshing influence of the dewy air, and when he returns in the evening from the toils of the day, after caring for his flocks and herds, he retires to peaceful and undisturbed slumbers.

ITETORY WY WIE DOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE

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ALEXANDER MOC ILEY WILKIN

Alex ande. Mccauley Wil is a son of Les Vil kin. wasborn et Merfinal, N. H . February 25, 1606. His muth i' u aiden-painre was Ann A Chialey. she wwwa daughter of Alexander McGuney, Jr .. of Merri- mack. He lived with his father mal worked on his Esther - farm. To the district o boot he wa indeste l

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Alexander 41.6 6. Wilkins

HISTORY OF MILFORD.

BY CHARLES H. BURNS.

CHAPTER I.

Introduction-Incorporation-Territory-Early Settlers-Tax-layers in 1794.

" As I laye a-thinkynge, a-thinkynge, a-thinkynge." - Ingoldsby Legends.

" Yesterday has a charm ; To-day could never Fling o'er the mind, which knows not till it parts How it turns back with tenderest endeavor To fix the past within the heart of hearts. Absence is full of memory, it teaches The value of all old familiar things." -MACLEAN.

MILFORD, considered as a part of the universe, is a somewhat unimportant faet, and its history quite in- consequential. The little events which constitute that history, personal and municipal, are mere trifles, and in and of themselves would be considered by the great mass of humanity as fit only for oblivion ; but there are those who love her rocks and rills, her in- tervales and hills, and who feel that such fragments of the past as concern her history ought to be gathered up and preserved on the printed page. The time was when the United States of America was looked upon as a trifle, doomed to annihilation from a place among governments; but that is no longer the sentiment of the world. It is not safe, in the march of events, to ignore any movement on the part of the people that gains a substantial foothold, for its effects cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty, and time alone can determine its signifi- cance. In this age of printing, and books of which " there is no end," there is little danger of anything being lost or forgotten. This will do no harm, for it will be easy in the aftertime to sift the trash fron that which is important, and the results will be use- ful to the world.

Thierry calls history narration; Guizot calls it analysis ; but Michelet says it is resurrection. These are admirable definitions and very suggestive. It is resurrection, for it "breaks into coffins and awakes the dead " and draws their frailties " from their dread abode; " it brings back to life the men and things, the facts and acts of other days. The past is made to exhibit itself. It is compelled to surrender for future inspection the good deeds and the misdeeds, the heroism and the cowardice, the cupidity and stu- pidity, the wisdom and the folly, the morality and

depravity of that innumerable army who consitute a vast majority of the human race. It is narration, for the story is told with unrelenting truthfulness and nothing is extenuated or overlooked. It is a simple, unvarnished tale, although it is often more wonder- ful and entrancing than the wildest fiction. It is analysis, for from all the jargon of great and little his- torical facts the philosopher makes his groups and extracts the constituents and applies the infallible test, which establishes immortal truth, which becomes safe for the adoption and government of mankind.

The deductions so made are not flattering to the egotisms of living men, for they prove that in the "world's bivouac of life" there are countless " heroes in the strife." They prove also that our lives, which seem so important and unique to us, are but the counterparts of those who have gone before, and that we tread the same paths, encounter the same difficulties, experience the same pleasures, and, in the end, accomplish, substantially, the same results attained by the forefathers of our little hamlet, and that history is simply repeating itself.

Into that vast crucible of the historical critic we empty the crude facts and incidents con- nected with Milford's history, which have been im- perfectly and, perhaps, unwisely gathered, and which the future may regard of so little consequence that they will be forgotten instead of preserved for the guidance or entertainment of her children who are yet unborn ; but we venture the hope that our work may be of some assistance to whoever shall hereafter undertake the task of writing an authentic and de- tailed history of the town and the inhabitants thereof.

Milford is the largest town of the largest county in the State. It is also one of the youngest towns. It contains an area of 15,402 acres, and had a popu- lation in 1880 of 2398. Its property, real, personal and mixed, as now assessed by the town officials, amounts to $1,599,341. Its surface, for a New Hamp- shire town, is reasonably level ; but while it contains large tracts of splendid intervale land, which is easily tilled and very productive, it has also many excel- lent upland farms. Its locality and soil are favorable for the production of fruit, grain and hay. It has no mountains or notable hills. Like the adjoining town

551

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

of Wilton, it does not possess a natural pond or lake. This is a physical blemish it can never overcome. It is divided substantially into two parts by the Sou- hegan River, a beautiful stream of pure, clear water, whose source is among the hills of Massachusetts and which affords considerable mill-power and makes itself generally useful, as it is picturesque and orna- mental. The name Souhegan, like the original names of most of the streams and mountains of New Hampshire, has an Indian origin, it being first called Souheganaek. It is said to signify crooked. If it does, it is rightly named, for its meanderings are as tortuous as they are graceful and attractive.

Into the Souhegan, at various points, empty sev- eral smaller streams or brooks, which find their birth in the hills of Milford and adjoining towns which bound it. These towns are Lyndeborough and Mont Vernon on the north, Hollis and Brookline on the south, Amherst on the east and Mason and Wilton on the west. Lyndeborough and Mont Ver- non are rugged towns, with commanding hills, and from their numerous water-sheds, in times of rain and storm, comes a large abundance of water, which floods the low, broad intervales of Milford. The goodly town has a matronly lap, but it is often full and overflowing, and while it sometimes looks as if it was having rather more than it could manage, the broad and restless river always takes care of it, and the low lands in the spring-time that follows attest the fact that they have been embraced by the freshet.

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History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 131

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