History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 154

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 154

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At this meeting " Voted, to chuse a Committee to Instruct the Representative Concerning the Confed- eration Lately Published by the Continental Con- gress," which would indicate that the men of Pelham had a nice perception of equity and justice and saw distinctly a wrong that has convulsed the nation and drenched it in blood.

" At a meeting of the Freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of l'elham, on Monday, the Ninth day of February, 1778, The Following Instructions were reported by us, the Subscribers, a Committee appointed for that purpose, which were accepted by said town :

" To James Gibson, Esq., Representative for the Town of Pelhum (to the Provincial Congress at Exeter) :

"GENTLEMAN :- You being chosen by the Voice of the town of Pelham to Represent them in the Great and General Court, and as it must be agreeable to you to know the minds of your Constituents in all important matters, we think fit to give you the following instructions with regard to the articles of confederation : you are directed to move for, and Exert yourself to get, an alteration of a part of the fifth Paragraph in the ninth article, where they mention proportion in the Number of land forces by the white Inhabitants in Each State, which we conceive to be unequal ; our reason is because of the vast Disproportionable Number of Black Inhabitants in this and some of the Southern States; in them the husbandry Labor is chiefly done by black men, when we in this State have but few Labourers of that Colour, and whether these Blacks be continued slaves or not, many of them make good Soldiers in the field of Battle; therefore, making the Proportion of sokliers by the white In- habitants only, Leaves their fields full of Labourers, when ours are empty. You are also Directed to move for and urge the calling a full and free representation of all the People in this State to meet in Conven- tion, at such time and place as shall be appointed by the general assem- bly, for the sole purpose of fraiming and laying a permanent plan or sistem for the future government of this State. These matters, with all others that may come before the General Court. we leve to your firmness and prudence, and trust your Exertions in the common cause will be such as Shall Recommend you to all Lovers of freedom and Liberty (and what is more) gain you the approbation of God and your own conscience. "MAJ. DANIEL COBURN. " JOSIAH GAGE, ESQ. " DEA. BARNABAS GIBSON. " CAIT. ASA RICHARDSON. "DR. JOHN MUSSEY. " LT. ROBERT NEVINS. JUNIOR. " LT. JOSHUA SWAN. "JACOB BUTLER, JUNIOR."

644

HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The records of the town during the years of the Revolutionary War indicate a whole-hearted loyalty to the cause and faithfulness to the soldiers. Some of these simple records are a beautiful revelation of the character of the men and spirit of those times.

March 2, 1778, " Voted, to pay Samuel Davis four Dollars in the Lieu of a Counterfeit Bill which he received of the town for his services in the war." " Voted, to Pay Asa Knowlton Fifty Dollars for his service three years in the war."

At a town-meeting April 13, 1778, " Voted, to hire one man to go into the Continental service for nine months, to make up the town's proportion of the three years' men. Voted, that Engs. Nathan Butler should hire the man and the town to pay the man that sª Butler should hire."

At a town-meeting February 13, 1781, " Voted, to chuse a committee of three men to hire soldiers for three years to go into the war, (vis.): Asa Richardson, Amos Gage, L'. Nevins."

At a meeting March 13th of this year, the com- mittee to average the expense of the war made their report, which was accepted,-

" Voted, thai corn should Be the spesha to settle this Everage upon, or money to the value.

" Voted, to alow thoso men that went to Winter-hill for Eight months, two Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Yoted, to alow the year's men five Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Voted, to alow those that went to Portsmouth one month, one Bushel of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Voted, to alow the five months' men that went to Ticonderoga, two Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Yoted, to alow three months' men that went to York, one Bushel of corn, or the value in money.

" Voted, to alow the two months' men that went to York, one Bushel of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Toted, to alow the two months' men that went to Bennington, four Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money.

"Voted, to alow the year's men Raised in 1779, three Bushels of corn, or the Value in money.

" Voted, to alow the one month's at Rhode Island, one Bushel of corn Per month, or the valne in money.

"' Voted, to alow the six months' men that went to Rhode Island, Two Bushels of corn Per month, or the valne in money.

" Voted, to alow the two months' men that went to Portsmouth, one Bushel of corn per month, or the value in money.

". Voted, to alow the six months' men that went to York, four Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Toted, to alow the three months' men Raised in the year 1780, four Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money.

" Voted, to alow those Persons that went Volunteers, that have Done more than their Proportion in the war of time, have liberty to Depose of it as they Pleas.

" Voted, to alow Lt. Hardy for six months' time that he has Done in the war.

" l'oted, to alow id. Hardy two Bushels of corn Per month, or the value in money."

At a town-meeting July 9th of this same year' "Voted, that those Persons that has Paid their Beefrate shall take it Back again out of the Constables' Hands."

At a town-meeting on February 4, 1782, " Voted, that the corn that was voted to settle the sd average should be set at half a Dollar Per Bushel."

The town sent eighty-six true men to the war; the following are their names:

Joshua Atwood, Uriah Abbot, Abijah Austin, Isaac Barker, Benja- min Barker, Deacon Daniel Barker, Joseph Bailey, Simon Beard, Daniel Butler, Nathan Butler, Jacob Butler, Lieutenant John Bradford, Merrill Coburn, Asa Coburn, Benjamin Coburn, Edward Coburn, Seth Cutter, Samuel Davis, James Farmer, James Ferguson, John Ferguson, Michael Fitzgerald, John Foster, David, Abner and Daniel Gage, of the same family ; Captain Jonathan Gage, Asa, Abel and Amos Gage, of the same family : Daniel Gage, Richard Gage, Deacon Amos Gage, Josiah Gage, Benjamin Gage, Deacon Barnabas Gibson, James Gibson, Phinehas Goodhue, William Gordon, Alexander Graham, Josiah Gutterson, Jona- than Griffin, Phineas Hamblet, Reuben Hamblet, Nathaniel Haseltine, Major Thomas Hardy, Simon Hardy, Noah Hardy, Jedediah Hardy, William Hardy, Cyrus Hardy, James Hardy, James Hobbs, Enoch Howard, Sammel Howard, John Hoyt, William Johnson, Phinehas Kimball, Ziba Kimball, Benjamin Kimball, John Kimball, Thomas Knowlton, Asa Knowlton, Amos Kemp, Jacob Marsh, Noah Marsh, John Marsh, Dudley Marsh, Zebulon May, John Mills, Jonathan Morgan, Lieutenant Robert Nevens, Ebenezer Palmer, Daniel Richard- son, Ezekiel Richardson, Thomas Richardson, Thomas Spofford, Edward Tenny, Jonathan Tenny, Thomas Thistle, Nathan Whitim, Captain Jesse Wilson, John Williams, Joseph Wright, John Wyman.

The same spirit of patriotism and alacrity in meet- ing the calls of country was exhibited in the War of the Rebellion. Partisan spirit was intense. The dif- ferences of opinion about the causes of the war were pronounced ; but when the flag was fired upon at Sumter, these were all sunk in one united de- votion to the integrity of our government, and the dominant sentiment was most forcibly voiced in a toast of a distinguished citizen on the 4th of July, 1861 : " Union first, compromise afterwards."

The following is the list of the soldiers from Pel- ham :

Benjamin F. Bean, Joseph W. Bright, Willis G. Burnham, Edwin S. Burnham, Frank E. Butler, Charles W. Butler, William W. Butler, James Carey, Kimball J. Chaplin, Benjamin Chase, Isaac H. Daniels, Edward Dow, Alonzo Ellenwood, Frank M. Ellenwood, Josiah S. Everett, Daniel B. Fox, George H. Gage, William H. Gage, Ezekiel C. Gage, Warren W. Herbert, Horace W. Humphrey, Charles W. Hobbs, George C. JJackman, George B. Johnson, MI. Charles Kent, Joseph F. Lam-on, David Lee, Sidney J. Lyon, David A. McCoy, James E. McCoy, Orton Moore, Charles L. Moreland, George Marsh, Edward Moran, Michael Murray, Alexander Peaslee, Charles W. Philbrick, Russell O. Richard- son, Silas Richardson, Charles W. Sleeper, Alfred S. Smith, Neil South- erland, Orlando W. Spalding, Thomas S. Spear, William B. Thom, Videl L. Thom, Isaiah Titcomb, William H. Titcomb, Frank E. Titcomb, Charles P. Titcomb, Michael Tulley, Andrew C. Upham, Lyman O. Web- ster, Mark II. Webster, Charles Wheeler, George W. Wilkins, Gilman II. Woodbury, John M. Woods.

Growth, Development and Change .- For several years after the incorporation of the town there were deer wardens, surveyors of brick and leather, cullars of staves and fish wardens. Tythingmen were chosen till the year 1838.

In 1764, " Voted to Reserve all the timber and wood now Growing and standing in the highways in this town for the use and benefit of the Reparing the highways in said town."

In 1792 it was voted to work out part of the high- way money in the winter.

In 1796 it was voted that sheep shall not go at large from May till October.

In 1798 the town voted to clear the brooks so that the fish might have a "clear passage." The same year there was an article in the warrant to see if the town will vote to raise money to purchase ammuni-

645

PELHAM.

tion, and also provide a place to keep a stock. This was defeated; but in 1809 it was voted to leave it with the selectmen to provide a magazine.

In 1800 the town voted "to pay the expenses of the soldiers on muster-day."

The intensity of the ecclesiastical feeling is indi- cated by another vote of this same year, which was " not to pay Joshua Atwood the expense of the din- ner for the council about Mr. Smith."

In 1807 the town voted not to buy a hearse; but in 1815 voted one hundred and fifty dollars for a hearse. Some years after, the body of this was put on run- ners for winter use, and a new hearse was built by Mr. Asa Davis Butler. In 1865 a new hearse was purchased for six hundred dollars ; Major John Wood- bury and Mr. Alfred S. Smith were the agents that made the purchase. In 1882 a winter hearse was purchased at an expense of two hundred dollars.

In the earlier days the farmers went with their ox- teams to Haverhill, Old Salem and Boston to mar- ket. Until within the last twenty-five years the ox performed all the labor of the farm. A yoke of oxen and a horse hauled the wood to market. Now, labor of all kinds is performed by horses. Twenty-five years ago there were but twoor three covered carriages in town. Now, every farmer has one. In the same period there has been either a rebuilding or remodel- ing of nearly every dwelling-house and barn in town, and machinery has come to facilitate all the labor of the farm. In the earlier days of the town the water of nearly every brook in town was utilized for a saw-mill. Now, very often, steam mills are set up in the wood lot, and the lumber of a number of acres sawed in a few weeks. The first century of the town's history was distinguished by the construction of roads. In 1825-26 two routes of public travel from Lowell, north and northeast, were improved,- the present Mammoth and Central roads,-the one constituting a public thoroughfare to Concord, the other to Dover and Portsmouth. Lines of stages went over each of these roads. At a later date the stage over the Central road was called the " Chicken Line," from the amount of poultry expressed over it. On the Mammoth were some famous hostelries, nota- bly the one at North Pelham, kept, for a time, by the late Jesse Gibson, Esq. It was a satisfaction for Mr. and Mrs. Gibson, in their old age, to tell how President Jackson, Levi Woodbury, Isaac Hill and Daniel Webster had received the hospitalities of their house.

The Centre had two public inns and was the resort of the neighboring towns for the recreations of elec- tion-days. The speed of horses would be tried on the plain, and the strength of parties tested in wrestling matches. It also furnished favorable grounds for the autumn musters.

On the place formerly owned by Samuel Hobbs and later by his son, Moody Hobbs, there is a stone known as the "lifting stone." The early proprietor

of the place is said to have tested the strength of his help by this.

That the Indians once had their homes here is evi- dent from Indian names. Golden Brook, is so called from an Indian who lived by it. The site of his wigwam is still to be seen, a little to the southeast of the Moody Hobbs place.

Mr. William W. Butler has an interesting collec- tion of Indian relies that he has gathered from his farm. Dr. Batchelder has a large number and variety in his cabinet. Gumpas Pond aud Hill, as well as Jeremie's Hill, perpetually remind of the original in- habitants of this town.

The first settlers not only endured the privations and hardships incident to the making their homes in the wilderness but perils from wild beasts. The wife of Lieutenant Tho. Gage, who was lost in the French and Indian War, had been to visit a neighbor on the other side of Beaver Brook from the Centre. On re- turning to her home, on Baldwin Hill-there was no habitation on the way-she was suddenly startled by hearing footsteps behind her, which she discovered to be a bear, and with difficulty kept him at bay till she reached her home. Mrs. Gage was a woman of great energy. She went to Boston on horseback, and car- ried thread and yarn of her own manufacture, and bought nails to build a house, which is said to be the house on the place owned at present by Mr. Under- wood.

Jonathan, her son, a captain in the Revolutionary War, was the first male child born after the incorpora- tion of the town. Mrs. Gage's life had severe ex- periences. Besides the loss of her husband in the French and Indian War, her son, John Gage, a young man with a family, perished in the snow, January 26, 1765, aged twenty-seven. He had been, with his grist on his back down in Draeut, (to what, in these later years, has been known as Lawson's,) to mill. He had returned nearly to his home, where he was found the next morning.

In the door-yard of the place where the late Major Daniel Atwood lived, a bear was shot by Simon Beard, the knob of his fire-shovel serving in- stead of a bullet.

There is a story of an attack upon the cattle of Butler and Hamblet by wolves. The cattle of both families ranged the woods west of their settlement, in the direction of Gumpas Pond. One Sabbath a loud bellowing was heard ; a young man from each of the families seized his gun and started in the direction of the pond. Upon entering the forest they met the cattle coming in great haste, the cows ahead in single file, then the young cattle in the same order, some with their heads scratched and bloody. Following these was a cow, also scratched and bloody, with a young calf before her; behind her four oxen abreast, with bloody heads, and in the rear of the oxen three angry, growling wolves. The young men discharged their guns and the wolves fled.

646

HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The old town records are exceedingly interesting and suggestive. Such are the following :

" May the 27, 1760.

" This Day Hugh Tallent Left the mark of all his creaters, which is a hole throu the Right Ear."

" April ye 5, 1777.

"This Day the Revd. Mr. Amos Moody Left the Mark of all his ('rea- tures, which is a Swallow's tale on the End of Both Ears."

So too is the following, which is very frequent in the records of the first fifty years :

"PELHAM, May the 16, 1758.

"John Webber and his wife and family, Late of methuen, was warned ont of Sd town by Benjamin Barker, one of the eunstables for the present year."

So too the following, several of which appear in the records of each year, from 1790, for twenty-five years :

" PELHAM, Sept. the 8th, 1800.

"To all whom it may concern, the Subscribers recommend Moses Whiting, of Pelham, Living a few rods east of the meeting-house in Sd town, on the road leading from Nottingham West to llaverhill, as being well Qualified for retailing foreign distilled spirits and wines. Approved by us,

" WILLIAM WYMAN, } Selectmen " BENJA. HAMBLET, ) of Pelham.

" BENJA. BARKER, Town Clerk."

March, 1752, the town " Voted to William Elliott four shillings a Dinner for Mr. Hobbs, upon the Sab- bath." At the same meeting " Voted to Henry Bald- win, Esq., thirteen pounds, old tenor, for finding Licker for the ordation " (ordination).

1790, " Voted, to rectify the pound, but not to ap- point a person to take care of it."

1791, the pound was moved into Mr. Ferguson's field, the back side of the meeting-house.

Quaint Persons .- The town probably has had the usual proportion of such. Tradition brings several anecdotes of Preceptor Hardy. He was very scholarly but possessed of little practical knowledge. He could not harness or care for his horse. He had but small estimate of the value of money. His father, Adju- tant Hardy, had a nice pair of velvet breeches. On going for them, they could not be found. The great query with the family was, What had become of them ? when Daniel remarked that a man had come along begging for a pair, and he had given him those.

There is an authentic story of a good man who lived on Baldwin's Hill, who was so serupulous in the observance of Fast Day that he gave his cattle nothing to eat till night, and, on calling into a neighbor's on his return from the religious services of the day, remarked, "that nothing had passed his lips that day but tobacco, and nothing would till sun- down."

The Faithless Lover .- In the long ago a school mistress on Baldwin's Hill used to knit going to and returning from her dinner, nearly a mile distant, for a young man in college, who failed to make real the expectations he had aroused.

The provincial records of New Hampshire con- tain a few interesting census items of Pelham.

"1773. Unmarried men from 16 to 60 49

Married men from 16 to 60 . 95

Boys, 16 years and under . . 198

Men, 60 years and upwards 21

Females, unmarried . 193

Females, married . 114

Widows . 12

Men slaves 1

Female slaves 1

Total

684

" JOSIAH GAGE,

" MOSES EATON, Selectmen."

" To the Honorable Committee of Safety for the Province of New Hamp- shire :

"GENTLEMEN,-In Compliance to a Resolve of Congress at Exeter, we have taken an exact account of Every Soul belonging to the Town of Pelham, viz,,-

" Males under 16 is . 206

From 16 to 50 is . II2

Males above 50 is 40

Males in the army is 29

Females is .362

Total . . 749

"N.B .- The Quantity of Powder taken, by estimation as near as possi- ble, is 28 1bs.

Guns fit for use . 110

Guns wanting is . 40

" The above account taken by us this 12th day of Septr, 1775.

" JAMES GIBSON, - Selectmen

" AMOS GAGE,

" P. RICHARDSON, JR., of Pelham.

"PELHAM, Septr. ye 12th, 1775.

"This day Personally and Severally Appeared before me, the Subscriber, the above-named Selectmen, and made oath to the contents of the above Number of Souls taken by them to be a true account.

"DANIEL BARKER, Town Clerk."

" PELHAM, May 27th, 1786.

"The following is a True List of the Number of Inhabitants of the Town of Pelham :

Number of mals 205

Number of femals 206

Number of children 464

Total .

. 875

" DANIEL RICHARDSON, } Selectmen

" JAMES FERGUSON, S for Pelham."

Mr. Warren Sherburne has this ancient paper,-a highway list of 1769,-

" THE PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

"To James Sherburne, one of the surveyors of the highways for the Town of Pelham, Greeting: You are hereby required, in his Majesty's Name, to warn all the Persons in the within list to work out their pro- portion of the highway Rates.

"Beginning at Nottingham line by Jewell's, and so by your own honse ; from thenee to the meeting-house and to the road which comes from John Butler's, and if any Person or Persons Neglect or Refuse to work his or their Proportion of the Sd Rates on the highways, you are to deal with him or them according to the directions of the Law, whereof fail not, and make Return of this warrant with your doings unto ns. the sub- scribers, at or before the first Day of March Next ensuing the date hereof. Given under our hand and seal this twentyeth Day of March, and in the ninth year of his Majesty's Reign, Domini, 1769.

" Labor at three shillings Pr day for a man, and one shilling and six pence Pr day for a Pair of oxen.

" Work to be done in June, September and October. "SAMUEL BUTLER,

" BARNABAS GIBSON, S Selectmen.

"James Sherburne, Thomas Jewell, Benoni Jewell, Mark Gould, Lot Spaulding, Joseph Wright, Joshua Hamblet, Capt. William Richardson, Asa M. Richardson, Ebenezar Parmer, William Wyman, Simeon Beard, Eleazar Whiting."

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647

PELHAM.

" A List of the highway Rate made and committed to collect and gather."

Mr. William W. Butler has in his possession a deed of his farm, given in 1732, and the property has since been in the possession of the Butler family. The mills at North Pelham, owned by the estate of Asa Davis Butler, have been the property of that family since 1737. They have an old deed of that date, given by John and Samuel to Joseph Butler, so that it has really been the property of the Butler family from an earlier date.

The farm in the west part of the town owned by Mr. Warren Sherburne has been, with the exception of a single year, in the Sherburne name since 1751, and Mr. Sherburne has a deed of that date.

The farm of Captain Jesse Wilson has been the property of the Wilson family from about the time of the incorporation of the town, and Captain Wilson has in his possession a deed thus ancient.

There are a number of ancient houses in town. The one on the Hadley farm has a tablet in it, placed there by Mrs. Belinda Butler Hadley, certifying that the house was erected in 1776, and was the home of Daniel Butler and Molly Tenney, his wife, and that thirteen children were born to them there.

The house where Dr. Reuben Dimond Mussey was born (June 23, 1780) is still standing on the place owned by Mr. Daniel Pearsons. Dr. Mussey was wont to yearly visit it.

Just below where Dr. Mussey lived, on the place now owned by Mr. Underwood, there was an exten- sive tannery, where a dozen hands were employed. Captain Jonathan Gage carried on the business.

Cooperage was quite an industry of the town. There was also the manufacture of pearlash.

Hats were manufactured in town. Deacon Charles Stiles had a shop at his place on the Mammoth road and worked at the business till 1870. Jesse Gibson Esq., carried on the harness business at North Pelham.

At two different times there has been a cotton-fac- tory at Butler's Mills, which has had the misfortune to be burnt. The last one was burnt in 1871.

A short distance below Butler's Mills there was a carding-mill, which, in later years, was altered into a woolen-factory. A few years since this was burnt and has not since been rebuilt.

Running across the easterly part of the town is a ledge of granite. The working of this ledge has been an important industry. The stone to build the dam at Lawrence was hauled from Gage Hill, in the north- east part of the town, and that to build the reservoir at Lowell was taken from the ledge of Miss Sarah Lyon, in the south part of the town. Just on the bor- der of the town, near Mr. Abraham Tallent's, there was a brick-yard.

The cobbler with his kit of tools and the tailoress with her goose, going from house to house and tarry- ing while they prepared shoes and garments for the family, were institutions of the past.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

REV. AUGUSTUS BERRY.

Rev. Augustus Berry was born in Concord, on what is known as Dimond Hill, October 7, 1824. His parents were Washington Berry and Maria Dale Berry. His father was a native of Middleton, Mass., which was the home of his ancestors. His mother, of Salem, Mass., which was the home of her ancestors. His father returned to his native place in 1828, and moved to Henniker, to a farm in the southwest part of the town, known as the Judge Wallace place, in 1833, This was the home of his parents for more than thirty years. The associations of his boy- hood, youth and early manhood are at Henniker. In boyhood he had a passionate love of books, and read much though laboring hard on the farm. Once having severely wounded one of his limbs, the thought quickly flashed through his mind, as an ample compensation for all confinement and suffer- ing, " now I shall have time to read."

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History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 154

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