History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 149

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

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In 1817 the town was about to build a new town hall, and an agreement was made with the trustees by which the town and trustees should, to their mutual advantage, join in erecting a building.

In 1817 the school was moved to its new rooms, the students marching in procession from the old building to the new. The music on this occasion was furnished by some of their own number, among them being Elijah Bingham and Jonas Chickering, whose name has since been so well-known in musical cireles throughout the world.

From 1818 to 1820 Mr. Earl Smith was preceptor. The school flourished at this time, and we find in a letter from Mr. Charles Barrett to Mr. Samuel Apple- ton that, besides the building, fifteen hundred dollars had been added to the fund. Soon after this Mr. Samuel Appleton sent some globes and one hundred volumes toward a library, of which the school was in need. At the same time Mr. Isaac Appleton contributed a large and curious folio volume on "Genealogy."

The next four or five years were under Messrs. Amasa Edes, Rufus Putnam and Cranmore Wallace. In 1827, under Mr. Seth H. Keeler, the school was very small. Mr. Robert A. Coffin, assisted by his wife, held the school from 1828 to 1833 with great success. During this time Mrs. Dolly Everett, sister of the Appletons, presented the school with a bell. Mr. Coffin was followed by his assistant, Mr. Stephen T. Allen, who was highly commended by the trustees when he resigned at the end of the following year. From 1835 to 1841, Mr. Charles Shedd was preceptor, and from 1841 to 1844, Messrs. Josiah Crosby, James K. Colby and Abner Warner were in charge.

In 1844, Mr. Edward A. Lawrence began his suc- cessful work, which lasted till his resignation, in 1851.

By John Preston.

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NEW IPSWICH.

At the meeting of the alumni in 1861 allusion is made to him by the chronicler as follows:

" After a season came Edward, whose surname was Lawrence, a wise man, who dealt uprightly and walked in his integrity. And his days were marked by gentleness and peace. Many children of the people drew. nigh unto his loving-kindness, and they took sweet counsel to- gether and walked to the Ilouse of God in company. Now the rest of the acts of Edward, and his many kind words, and his goodness, they are graven with the point of a diamond on the tablets of our memory."

On September 11, 1850, the town celebrated its een- tennial, and many of its distinguished sons and daughters were present. On account of great age and infirmities, Samnel Appleton was unable to attend, but sent a letter, in which he says,-

" As a sentiment on the present occasion, I send yon the following, which I hope will meet the approbation of all : ' The Literary Institu- tions of New Hampshire in general, and the Academy of New Ipswich in particular ; ' and to enable that institution to assume its former stand- ing and extend its future usefulness, 1, Samuel Appleton, of Boston, do hereby promise to pay to the Trustees of New Ipswich Academy, for the benefit of said Academy, five thousand dollars on demand."

After the applause, which the reading of this letter excited, had ceased, Dr. Augustus A. Gould, of Bos- ton, one of New Ipswich's sons, rose and promised to give to the academy an extensive collection of shells, plants and other objeets of natural history whenever the resident citizens would furnish suitable cases for their arrangement and preservation. At the same meeting a committee, consisting of Hon. Samuel Batchelder, Hon. Timothy Farrar, Jonas Chickering, Esq., Dr. A. A. Gould and Frederic Kidder, were chosen to solicit money for a permanent fund for the academy. Such an impulse had been given by the donations of Mr. Appleton and Mr. Gould that the resident and other friends of the school resolved to erect a building suited to the future requirements of the institution, and money for the purpose was given by Samuel Appleton, Nathan Appleton, Jonas Chick- ering, the Kidders, Champneys, Barretts, Prestons, Thayers and many others. Mr. Elihu T. Quimby took charge of the school after the resignation of Mr. Lawrence. In 1853 the present academy building was begun, a large two-story brick building, situated on fine grounds commanding an extensive view. In the spring of 1854 the new rooms were ready for oc- cupation. The first floor of the building was devoted to recitation-rooms ; by a broad, easy stair-way the second story was reached, on which were situated the large sehool hall, library, room for philosophical ap- paratus and a museum for the promised gift of Dr. Gould, who, shortly after the completion of the cases, came to superintend the arrangement of the cabinet. Among other things is a very valuable and complete geological collection, part of which was given to Dr. Gould by his friend, Sir Charles Lyell, and many of the inscriptions are in Lady Lyell's handwriting. Another branch of the collection had been given to Dr. Gould by Colonel Ezekiel Jewett, a native of Rindge, who served in the War of 1812 and also in the South American War. Still later in life he be-

came famous for his researches in minerals and shells. In 1854 the academy received from the executors of the will of Samnel Appleton, who had recently died, twenty thousand dollars, making his total gift to the school fund twenty-five thousand dollars ; and at this time, in recognition of his kindness, the name of the school was changed to New Ipswich Appleton Academy. In the summer of 1861, at the request of friends of the academy, Mr. Quimby, the principal, issued a eircu- lar, a portion of which follows :

"The Alumni of the New Ipswich Appleton Academy will meet at the Academy hall, in New Ipswich, N. H., on Wednesday, September 18, 1861, for a social reunion, and to listen to an oration by B. B. Kingsbury, Esq., of Cambridge, Mass. Timothy Perry, Esq., of Brooklyn, N. Y., has been engaged as poet, and William A. Preston, Esq., of New Ipswich, N. H., as chronicler for the occasion. A dinner will be served and music provided, and no pains will be spared to make the day pleasant and profitable to all."

We read in the record of that day that a large number of the alumni and friends of the school met on Wednesday, September, 18, 1861, at nine A.M., in the old academy hall. The meeting was called to order by Rev. Samuel Lee, one of the board of trus- tees, and the following officers of the day were chosen : President, Deacon N. D. Gould, of Boston, Mass .; Vice-President, Hon. John Preston, of New Ipswich ; Marshal, Colonel John P. Clark, of New Ipswich ; Chaplain, Rev. Perley B. Davis, of Andover, Mass; Secretary, John N. Stearns, Esq., of New York.

After the business of the day had been transacted, a procession was formed on the green in front of the old academy in the following order :

The Marshal and Aids. The Band. An Escort of Students. The Ofheers of the Day. The Orator, Poet, Chronieler and Secretary. The Trustees. Invited Guests. Teachers (past and present) of the Academy. Alumni.

The procession moved through the principal streets of the village to the large hall in the new academy building, which was filled to overflowing. The presi- dent of the day, Deacon N. D. Gould, a vigorous man, though in his eightieth year, upon calling the as- sembly to order, made a short address, in which he said,-

" l'erhaps there is no one now living who knows so much of the his- tory of this Academy as myself, or who can say, as I can, that of the thirty-two original founders of the institution, of the fifty-five different gentlemen who have been from time to time its trustees, and of the twenty-eight preceptors who have successfully had its charge, I have known every one, and have been intimately acquainted with most of them."

An oration was then delived by B. B. Kingsbury, Esq., entitled "True Heroism" and its connection with the life of the scholar. The oration was fol- lowed by a poem written and delivered by Timothy Perry, which was received with great favor by the audience. The poem was followed by the " Word of

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

the Prophet Benammi," by William A. Preston. The ancient and allegorical style in which the prophet treated numerous incidents in the history of the academy provoked hearty merriment among the most dignified in the assembly.

It was in the first year of our Civil War, soon after our defeat, when Bull Run and Manassas Gap awak- ened sad memories in all hearts, and it was in allu- sion to these events that the chronicler, who refers to New Ipswich as Gilead and the academy as the tabernacle, foretells the final triumph of the right, and invokes the blessings of Heaven upon our cause as follows :

"6. And the children of the North hasted and went down to the con- flict, and among them were many from the land of Gilead, even children of the tabernacle, men of might and men of war, fit for the battle, that could handle the shield and buckler ; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.

"7. And they girded on their armor, even the glittering spear and the sword, and were terrible as an army with banners.

"8. And they said one to another : 'Gilead is mine, and Manasseh shall be mine.'

"9. And they trembled not at the sound of the trumpets, the thunder of the captains and the shouting, and they fought from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof.

"10. And, lo, even now their armor is not laid aside, and even now can we hear the trampling of the chariots and the horsemen ; and the midnight sky is red with the glare of the battle.

"11. But we remembered how in the days of old stood Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, before the Ark of the Covenant, say- ing : 'Shall I yet again go up to battle against the children of Benja- min my brother, or shall I cease ?'

"12. And the Lord said : 'Go up, for to-morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.'

" 13. And we were comforted, and bade our children be of good cheer, for He who led his people with a pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud by day, would not forsake us in this our trouble, but would be our rock and our strong fortress, and a shade upon our right hand.

"14. "But the eyes of the prophet Benammi wax dim. Yet he seeth, as if in a vision, that the land of Gilead shall again flow with milk and honey ; that its garners shall be full to overflowing ;

"15. That this tabernacle shall still send forth blessings without nun- her, and that our children and our children's children shall come up hither to learn that which is good, and shall do honor and reverence to those who, in old time, established this abude of Wisdom.

"16. Let them walk in their integrity, and fear no evil ; neither the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the destruction that wasteth at noonday : till, beneath their own vine, and among their own kindred, The silver cord is loosed, and the golden bowl is broken.

"17. To thee, our foster-mother, Hail ! Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

"18. For my brethren and companions' sake, I will now say: 'Peace be within thee ! ' "

During the next few years many valuable philo- sophical and chemical instruments were added to the school laboratories. Mr. Ira Holden, of Baltimore, MId., gave a fine air-pump; Mr. Jeremiah Prichard, of Boston, a large electrical machine, and, from time to time, many other instruments have been given by other friends. Rev. E. T. Rowe succeeded Mr. Quimby in 1865, and remained till 1868, when Mr. Earl W. Westgate was put in charge of the school. In 1872, Mr. John Herbert took charge of the school, and remained till 1874, when William A. Preston, Esq., became principal, and the school still remains in his care. The school fund has, within a few years, been increased five thousand dollars by the bequest

of the late Isaac Spalding, of Nashua, a native of New Ipswich. Among the prominent men who have been students at the academy are Chief Justice Ap- pleton, of Maine; Levi Woodbury, of the Supreme Court of the United States; Amos Kendall, Post- master-General of the United States; Marshall P. Wilder, of Boston; Dr. George C. Shattuck, of Bos- ton; the famous surgeon, Dr. Amos Twitchell, of Keene, and many others. At the New Hampshire festival in Boston, in 1850, five of the twelve vice- presidents were sons of New Ipswich and former members of the academy. The following gentlemen have, at various times, been trustees :

Rev. Stephen Farrar, Charles Barrett, Esq., Ephraim Hartwell, Esq., Joseph Brown, Rev. Seth Payson, Rev. Daniel Emerson, Henry Woods, Jacob Abbot, John Hubbard, Dr. John Preston, Hon. Timothy Farrar, Thomas Fletcher, Rev. Noah Miles, Jonathan Searle, Rev. Abel Fiske, Robert Smith, Ebenezer Edwards, Jeremiah Prichard, Rev. Cornelius Waters, Isaiah Kidder, Benjamin Champney, Esq., Dr. John Preston, Jr., Rev. Richard Hall, Samuel Batchelder, Rev. Ebenezer IIill, Rev. David Palmer, Charles Barrett, N. D. Gould, Dr. James Crombie, Rev. Thomas Beedee, Peter Felt, Joseph Barrett, Rev. Isaac R. Barbour, (). P. Eaton, Rev. Charles Walker, Rev. A. W. Burnham, Ephraim H. Far- rar, John Clark, William Ainsworth, Isaac Adams, John Preston, Esq., Rev. Samuel Lee, David Perry, Rev. Frederick A. Adams, William W. Johnson, George Barrett, Stephen Thayer, William Olmstead, Supply Wilson, Charles D. Gould, Augustus A. Gould, William A. Preston, Rev. Calvin Cutler, Newton Brooks, Edward Spalding, Matthias S. Wilson, Thomas 11. Marshall, Frank W. Preston, Frederic Jones, Jeremialı Smith, John U. Davis, Ira S. Holden, Thomas G. Appleton, Henry A. Whitney, Rodney Wallace.

CHAPTER V.

NEW IPSWICH-( Continued).

The Manufacturers' Bank - The New Ipswich Bank -The New Ipswich Savings-Bank-The Press-Physicians-Post-Office-Manu- facturing-Bethel Lodge, F. and A. M .- Watatic Lodge, I. O. of O. F. -Civil History-Representatives and Town Clerks from Incorporation of Town to 1886.

The Manufacturers' Bank was chartered in 1820, with a capital of $100,000. The first president was Charles Barrett, who held the position until his death. Thomas B. Fearing was the first cashier. He was succeeded by William Ainsworth, and Mr. Ainsworth by George Barrett.

The New Ipswich Bank was chartered in 1848, with a capital of $100,000. J. M. Minot was presi- dent, and George Barrett cashier. William A. Pres- ton succeeded Mr. Barrett as cashier in 1861. The bank closed about 1867.

The New Ipswich Savings-Bank was incorporated January 3, 1849. The incorporators were Isaac Adams, Joseph Barrett, Jeremiah Smith, Nathan Sanders, John P. Clark, James Chandler, Ephraim H. Farrar, George Sanders, William W. Johnson, Supply Wilson, George Barrett, John Preston, Hiram Smith and Stephen Smith.

The incorporators met February 10, 1849, and chose the following trustees: William W. Johnson, Joseph Barrett, James Chandler, Nathan Sanders,

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NEW IPSWICH.

Jeremiah Smith, Supply Wilson, George Barrett, Hiram Smith and Stephen Smith.

The trustees above-named met February 24, 1849, and the following officers were chosen: Jeremiah Smith as president, John Preston as treasurer.

The presidents in order and time of service are as follows: Jeremiah Smith, 1849 to 1873, resigning on account of ill health; James Chandler, 1873 to 1878, resigning on account of ill health; William W. Johnson, 1878 to 1883; George Whiting, 1883 to 1886.

The treasurers in order and time of service are John Preston, 1849 until his death, in March, 1867; William A. Preston, son of John Preston, 1867 to 1875; Frank W. Preston, son of John Preston, 1875 to 1886.

The present standing committee are George Whit- ing, Henry O. Preston, Frederick Jones and Edward O. Marshall.

Present board of trustees are William W. Johnson, George Whiting, William A. Preston, Ephraim F. Fox, George W. Wheeler (2d), Frederick Jones, Frank W. Preston, Henry O. Preston and Edward O. Marshall.

The first three deposits were as follows: February 27, 1849, Charles Abner Chickering, $13; March 30, 1849, Joseph Howard Sanders, $6.50; March 31, 1849, Frank Whipple Preston, $13.

The amount of deposits January, 1885, were $77,- 091.

The Press .- On New Year's morning, 1802, a small pamphlet was found distributed at almost every man's door. It was entitled "The New Year's Gift, or Naughty Folks Reformed;" by his Honor, Isaac lambic. The avowed object of the muse was to

"lash the times, Review the folly and the crimes Which have transpired within the year, &c."

The management of singing and singing-schools and the preceptor of the academy are castigated, with sun- dry hits at hard drinking, swearing and lying and many other topics. The excitement produced was very great, and the effect was highly beneficial in suppressing the follies and quarrels of the citizens. Every one stood in terror of Isaac, who had declared that he should do his duty, and that every New Year they should have his gift, and moreover, that he will

"tell the truth, but will not spare Little or great a single hair ; And when you tell a lie or swear, Expect your friend Iambic there, To write your name, and then to lift It into his next New Year's Gift."

The threats of vengeance from those who had been directly alluded to were loud and long. The sin of authorship was laid at many a door, but no satisfac- tory clue to it was then obtained. Indeed, we believe the name of the author has never yet been fully dis- closed. His two coadjutors were faithful, and he so

artfully diverted attention by castigating himself, as well as his father, hinting

"How S-I B-r. the younger. In an oration much did blunder, "

that he escaped detection.

A somewhat similar commotion was produced, a dozen years or more afterwards, by the circulation of some verses entitled "The Ladies' Looking-Glass," aimed at some of the prevalent follies of the day.

THE PRESS OF NEW IPSWICH.1-Early in the year 1815, Simeon Ide, then in his twenty-first year, having served an apprenticeship with Farnsworth & Church- hill, publishers of the Vermont Republican, at Windsor, procured of Monroe & Francis, of Boston, a small two- pull Ramage press, a font of second-hand bourgeois type, weighing three hundred and fifty-five pounds, badly worn, and other material necessary for printing an edition of the New Testament. This he placed in a blacksmith-shop on his father's farm, situated "over the hills," in the southwest corner of New Ipswich, about four miles from the Centre village and three miles easterly from the village of Rindge. Having procured paper from the mill of Samuel Smith, Esq., of Peterborough, with the assistance of a sister not yet twelve years of age, he completed an edition of five thou- sand copies of the New Testament, in duodecimo form, three hundred and seventy-five pages, in about five months .- he doing the press-work at "half-press," while his sister did nearly all the case-work. This is believed to be the first edition of the New Testament published in the State. In order that this, his first publication, might be as free as possible of errors, he engaged the Rev. Dr. Payson, of Rindge, to read the proof-sheets, and walked to the doctor's house, a dis- tance of three miles, twice a week to read proofs with him. To give greater currency to the edition, he prevailed upon Dr. Payson to allow him to insert upon the title-page, "Revised and corrected by Rev. S. Payson, D.D." Some of the doctor's friends get- ting the impression that he had been attempting a new translation, he was not a little troubled ; but Mr. Ide came to his relief by placing over the obnoxious line a printed slip, on which were the words, "First New Ipswich Edition." One thousand copies, in full binding, were sold to the New Hampshire Bible So- ciety for two hundred and eighty dollars-mneh below the cost-in order to raise the money for his supply of paper. The remainder of the edition was retailed at fifty cents a copy. Mr. Ide also printed several sermons, pamphlets and small books for the young, during the term of about one year he remained with his father at the homestead. Among the latter were "Franklin's Way to Wealth," "Prompter," "Sket- ches of Franklin's Life and Character" (written by Mr. Ide while an apprentice), "The Grave," by Robert Blair, "Gray's Elegy," etc.

About the same time Solomon Wilder removed to

1 By E. D. Boylston.

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

New Ipswich from Leominster, Mass., with a printing apparatus of the rudest sort, even for those days. He did jobs in the way of posters for vendues, farm sales, probate notices, etc. He also printed toy-books, with cuts of a very questionable style of art, and an occa- sional pamphlet ; but beyond this he did not aspire. He did most of the printing demanded by the locality for many years.

The New Ipswich Register was published by Mark Miller in 1833, and had but a short life.

The News- Gatherer was published by King & Hewes in 1836.

The New Ipswich Times, a small sheet, is now pub- lished quarterly by Emery & Allen.

George D. Burton commenced printing in New Ips- wich in 1871. With a press seven by nine inches, and a small stock of type, mostly purchased on credit, he opened in a small room opposite the hotel. His principal work was address and business cards, pro- cured by advertising from abroad. Being successful in this, and having paid off his indebtedness, in 1872 he purchased more type and a plough paper- cutter.

In 1874 he commenced the publication of the New England Star, an eight-page, thirty-two column ama- teur paper, published monthly, at fifty cents a year, printed at the office of the Cheshire Republican, at Keene. At first one thousand copies were issued, and the circulation continued to increase monthly. The advertisements so called in work that in the spring of 1875 an eight-inch Gordon press was purchased, and more spacious quarters were found for the busi- ness in the two-and-a-half story block opposite Thayer's cigar-factory. Soon after a Hoe press, with platen twenty-six by twenty-eight, was added, and a large outfit of wood and metal type. In the fall of 1875, Mr. Burton received from the postmaster a cer- tificate that he furnished and received more mail matter each day than all the other inhabitants combined. That the Star had some shining qualities is evident from the fact that in the spring of 1876 it had attained a circulation of between five thousand and six thou- sand. In that year it was sold to William M. Pem- berton, of Ansonia, Conn. In the spring of 1877, such was the run of job-work from abroad that an- other press was demanded and procured ; also a thirty- two-inch Sanborn power paper-cutter and a four horse- power engine. New shafting was put in, and the business run by steam. Many large business houses in Boston and other large places procured their print- ing at this office. A machine-shop was also annexed, in the rear of the building, for the manufacture of small novelties. Everything continued prosperous till the fall of 1877, when, on a calm, clear November evening, the office having been run to a late hour to meet the crowd of work, the owner and his co-laborers were summoned from their incipient slumbers to see the whole establishment vanish as in an hour by the insatiable fire-fiend. The amount of loss can be

judged from the foregoing sketch, and the fact that seven hands were constantly employed in this office.

Physicians .- The first physician was John Pres- ton, who came in 1762, and for some time was the only physician in the town. He was followed by Drs. Thomas Swain, Eben H. Goss, Nathan Breed, John Preston, Jr., Timothy Preston, James Barr, Moses Farwell, Calvin Brown, William Galleys, John Clough, Henry Gibson, L. H. Cochran, Dr. Kitter- edge, Frederick Jones,1 Stillman Gibson, George M. Gage, James Emerson, John M. Rand, Francis N. Gibson,1 John Cutler, Frederick W. Jones.1

The Post-Office at New Ipswich was established, in 1800, with Samuel Batchelder, Sr., postmaster. The following is a list of the postmasters from that time to the present : Sampson Fletcher, Josiah W. Spaul- ding, Charles Hastings, Jr., Charles Chickering, Ed- ward M. Isaacs, John U. Davis, John G. Leonard, Charles A. Whitney, Henry O. Preston (the present incumbent).

The first Cotton-Mill in New Hampshire was es- tablished in this town, in 1804, by Charles Robbins, Charles Barrett and Benjamin Champney. Robbins was a practical manufacturer, and was to receive for his services and skill $2.75 per day, and the others to furnish the means for conducting the business. The mill went into operation in December, 1804, and con- tained five hundred spindles. Four and a half pounds of yarn were spun on the first day, which was sold to Charles Robbins for $3.42. June 11, 1805, the Legis- lature of New Hampshire, on the petition of Charles Barrett and others, passed an " Act to encourage the manufacture of Cotton Yarn in the town of New Ips- wich, in this State."

Other factories were built from time to time; but the only one now in existence in the town is the Co- lumbian Manufacturing Company, which manufac- tures cotton goods, denims, stripes, etc. The woolen manufacture was also carried on at one time in this town. John Everett commenced the manufacture of woolens as early as 1810; but it was abandoned in 1826.

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History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 149

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