History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 75

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

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The same person used to tell of the great success he had in catching salmon just above Dow bridge, where the Indians, in olden times, cut a handle in the side of a large rock to help them climb its steep face

from the projecting part where their feet stood. (This handle was broken off by William Merrill, when a wanton boy, throwing a stone.) Mr. Richards said they took three barrels of salmon at that place in one day.

So important were the fisheries at Amoskeag that in the grant of this town the Legislature of Massa- chusetts reserved such quantity of land as was deemed proper by the court for the fishery. People at the present day can form no proper estimate of the abun- dance of fish that swarmed in the Merrimack and its tributaries. The river, rivulets and brooks in the spring of the year were literally full of salmon, shad, alewives and eels. These fish were so plentiful as to be used by the Indians and early settlers as manure. Mr. Richards said "that he manured the land upon the east side of the village with shad and alewives, putting one shad or two alewives into cach hill of corn, and had an abundant crop." It was a very stimulating manure, and, like guano, impoverished the land in time. The Indians called the land worn out in this way "souhegan, or sougheganish." Ale- wives ran up the small brooks and were thrown out by women and children with shovels and pieces of bark; cart-loads of them were caught in weirs and in the Merrimack in seines and nets. In the New Hamp- shire Gazette, May 23, 1760, the following item, under the editorial head, appeared and was copied in a Lon- don paper: "One day last week was drawn by a net, at one draught, two thousand and five hundred fish out of the Merrimack, near Bedford, in this province .. "This was thought remarkable by some people." In- deed, so numerous were the salmon in those days that, in imitation of an old Scotch custom, when boys were apprenticed to any trade, one of the special conditions in the indenture was that they should not be obliged to eat salmon oftener than three times a week. We should not object to this now, especially if the salmon was fresh and a few green peas were added to the diet. The wish was that meat would last until fish came. The diet of the inhabitants has very much changed since those primitive days. Porridge, samp-broth, hog and hominy, with now and then the steak of the deer or black bear, constituted the staple dishes after the fishing season was over. One reason, it is supposed, why those who built dams across rivers were not re- quired to build fish-ways was, that when food could be obtained so easily it caused a great deal of idleness. It is related of a man in Litehfield, who crossed over the river to do a day's work in the town of Merrimack, which is just opposite, that his employer, Mr. Mc- Gaw, inquired of him if he had been to breakfast. He made rather an equivocal reply, saying that he ate three little shad before he started, but did not consider it much of a breakfast for a man going to a day's work.

The potato was not generally known to the early settlers. It was first introduced by men from Lon- donderry, who came here from that town, and its value as an article of food was not understood for several

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

years after its introduction. Plummer Hadley's father raised one year three barrels, and it was the wonder of the whole town what he was going to do with so many of them. This vegetable seems to have been introduced into New England by the Scotch-Irish, who settled in Londonderry. It is reported that one of these settlers gave a few tubers to a gentleman of Andover, Mass., which he planted, and which grew in great luxuriance, producing balls. These he cooked in various ways, but could make nothing of them, and it was not until the spring, when the plough passed through the hills, that he discovered his mistake.

The grandfather of Alfred Story made a carriage by entting down a erotched tree, hewing the butt down to a spire, and pinning a few pieces across the forks to hold the meal-bags on, or other articles he might wish to transport through the woods. This answered a very good purpose where there were no roads and many fallen trees to get over. After they built high- ways cart-wheels were made of the cut of some big log with a hole in the centre dug out for the axle. Some men in town may remember seeing such.

Game was very abundant in this region. Piscata- quog is said to signify a good place for deer. Judge Potter, in his " History of Manchester," says that the Cedar Swamp, situated in the east part of the town, was famous for deer, moose, bear and sometimes the cata- mount. Also the lynx, fisher, beaver, otter and a species of panther, called by the Indians luncasour, of a bluish color, like the Maltese cat, were found here. It still inhabits the deep forests of Canada, and is regarded as a very fierce animal. Several years ago John Gilchrist's son saw a catamount feeding uponone of his father's cows in the vicinity of the Yakem Hill. It was afterwards killed in the town of Lee, and when seen at Manchester, after it was killed, it weighed one hundred and eighty pounds. It doubtless lived along the Uncanoonuck, Saddleback, Pawtuckaway and other mountains. The young man who killed it was out hunting foxes ; his dog drove it up a tree near his father's house. The boy went up to the tree and saw the formidable animal, and immediately proceeded to his father, who was ploughing in a field near by, for help. The old man could not believe that it was anything larger than a house-cat and told the boy to stay and plough and he would go down with his goad-stiek and kill it. The boy besought his father to go with him far enough to know where he was if he got killed in the encounter, which he was fully deter- mined upon. This he consented to do, though all the time thinking his son's eyes had magnified the pro- portions of the animal. Armed with his double-bar- reled-gun, the boy approached very near the tree, in the fork of which the catamount sat watching the dog, when it was attracted towards the young hunter by the breaking of a twig beneath his feet. It immedi- ately crouched for a spring ; at that moment the boy fired, aiming between the eyes, and none too soon, for the leap of the catamount carried him within a few

feet of the boy, and the way he made the leaves and brush fly, being blinded by the shot, convinced the old farmer that it would take something more than his goad-stick to quiet him. The other charge from the gun gave him his "quietus," as the first had pene- trated to the brain through the eyes, both of which were put out, or he probably would have lived long enough to have done mischief. People will remember the number of dogs, calves and sheep killed about here that year. Two hounds near Charles Hadley's were killed while in pursuit of the catamount.

The bears were very numerous in this vicinity in the days of the first settlers. Ebenezer Hadley, father of Captain Peter E. Hadley, who first settled upon what is now known as the Teal place, lost a hog weighing near three hundred pounds, and found it near Mr. Whitney's with its shoulders eaten up by the bears. He afterwards moved upon the place where Charles Hadley lived, in 1859, and hearing one of his hogs squealing, he ran out, and found a bear trudging " off with it in his forepaws, and the hog squealing ont foul play" with all his might. Within the recollee- tion of Captain Peter Hadley, the sheep suffered from the ravenous wolves. A three-days' hunt was usually sufficient on the part of an ordinary hunter to supply a whole neighborhood with deer, moose and bear- meat. It was remarked by an old gentleman, who died about 1850, that within his recollection there were more deer in the town of Weare than there were sheep at the time he made the remark.

It was upon the southern bank of the Piscataquog, about ten miles this side of New Boston village, in the twilight of a summer evening, nearly one hundred and eighty years ago, that the renowned warrior and hunter, Joe English, was resting after a weary day's hunting. His two long guns, elaborately ornamented with brass nails, and well loaded with three balls, were carefully placed away in the hollow of a tree, which was still alive and growing, that they might be pro- tected from the dampness of the approaching night. Joe had not been upon good terms with his tribe, be- ing suspected by them of giving information to the whites of any hostile intention they might entertain, and they were determined to kill him, if possible. Something attracted Joe's attention and he discovered three Indians creeping upon him. Without a moment to spare, he set off at the top of his speed for his stronghold upon a hill now known as Joe English, With the quick wit of an Indian, finding the chances of escape against him, he slackened his pace until his pursuers were ahnost upon him, that they might become more eager in the pursuit, and so he prolonged the chase until near the top, when he started off with great rapidity and his pursners after him, straining every nerve, hoping to take him alive. As Joe came upon the brink of the precipice (which every one has observed who has passed the southern side of the hill,) he leaped behind a jutting rock, and waited in breathless anxiety ; but a moment passed,

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and the hard breathing and measured, but light, foot- steps of his pursuers were heard, and another moment (with a screech) their dark forms were rolling down that fearful declivity, to be left at its base food for the hungry wolves. Thenceforth the hill has been known as "Joe English," and well did his constant friendship to the English residents deserve so enduring a monu- ment. Joe was killed not long afterwards near Dun- stable, and the grandfather of Charles Ryder's wife, father of Deacon James Cochran, found the guns many years afterwards in the same hollow tree, each loaded with three balls. They were kept in his family, and frequently used, and were esteemed excellent guns, and are still in New Boston, and were traced out a few years after by the writer.

Joe English was the grandson of the sagamore of AAgawam (now New Ipswich), whose name was Mascon- nomet. He came to his death while conducting Lieutenant Butterfield and wifeto Pawtucket (or Dun- stable), the story of whose death is familiar to many of the old inhabitants. Lieutenant Butterfield was the great-great-grandfather of T. R. Butterfield, and was a prominent man in his day both in war and in peace.

A very large catamount was killed by a man named Parker upon a little stream just below Elnathan Whitney's. Parker was a hunter, and left the house of Mr. Carr, who lived there then, and was walking up the stream just before sundown ; it had become quite dark in the thick woods, when he saw directly in his path a couple of very brilliant eyes. Without stopping to inquire to whom they belonged, he leveled his gun, fired and ran back to Mr. Carr's. The next morning he found the animal with a ball in his brain. Another was killed by Messrs. Patten and Walker, of Bedford, upon the west side of the Uncanoonuck, not a great way from the residence of the Widow Leach (1859). They were hunting, and their little cur dog drove one up a tree. As they approached the tree and discov- ered the character of their game, Walker says, " As 1 am the best shot, I will fire first," which he did, and missed his mark. Patten waited for Walker to load, and then fired, bringing the beast down badly wounded, when Walker terminated its life with his hatchet. Walker kept the tail as a trophy.

The Kennedy family, who were among the first set- tlers, eame from the garrison at Bedford, and cleared their farm, returning every night for fear of the In- dians. They built a small grist-mill, which would crack up a few bushels of corn and rye every day, and which proved to be very convenient for the early set- tlers of this town. The stones of this mill lay in the brook upon MeDougall's farm, and are about two feet in diameter. They can still be seen (1859) in the brook a little south of the new road running from Joseph MeDoell's place to Richardson's, about the middle of the Andrew MeDougall farm. Judge Pot- ter tells this story,-" Not long after the settlement of this town, General Stark, then plain Mr. Stark, or Captain Stark, crossed the river from Derryfield, or

Manchester, with a friend from down below, as Boston was usually called, to hunt in the Cedar Swamp for deer. Stark stationed his friend in a good place, near the deer's run or path, and fearing he might be troubled with the 'buck ague' as the dog drove along the deer, he placed himself a short distance from him upon the same run, so in case his friend should miss, he might have a shot himself. He had but just got placed when he heard in a subdued voice, 'Stark ! Stark ! come here" Stark, supposing that he had discovered a moose or deer, replied, ' What do you see ?' 'The devil.' answered his friend, and immediately came the report of his gun. Stark rushed forward, and there, ahnost at the feet of his friend, lay a huge catamount in the agonies of death, while his friend was deliberately loading his gun. Discovering the animal among the lowermost branches of a tree, his fierce eyeballs glaring, his tail lashing the limbs, he had called Stark to come to his assistance. Startled at his voice, the catamount prepared to leap upon him ; but the hunter was in time, and placed a ball very handsomeły between his eyes, notwithstanding which this powerful animal made a bound of thirty feet toward his intended victim. Upon viewing the scene, Stark thus expressed his satisfaction of his friend's qualities as a hunter, 'Well, I guess you'll do!' "'

Building highways, encroachment upon the unap- propriated lands, the neglect of the committee chosen in 1752 to build the meeting-house were the princi- pal articles acted upon at the proprietors' meeting up to the year 1761, when George III., by the grace of God, King, defender of the faith, etc., etc., by and with the advice of trusty and well-beloved Benning Went- worth, Esq., Governor and commander-in-chief of the province of New Hampshire, declared to be a town corporate, to have a continuance until the 25th day of March, 1763, to be known by the name of Goffstown. John Goffe, Esq., was appointed to call the first meet- ing, at which Alexander Walker was appointed town clerk, and held the office twenty-six successive years.

John Goffe was the most renowned Indian hunter and fighter upon the frontier in his day. He was a man of marked character, and for sixty years was identified with all the stirring scenes of the most ex- citing period of our country's history.

Stark, Rogers and Shute served under him through the Indian and French wars, and during the War of the Revolution he was almost constantly in the pub- lie service, and though the military teacher of such men as Stark, Rogers, Hazen and Stevens, at Amos- keag, he resembled, in many respects, the brave Col- onel Haviland, of the British army, who every Sab- bath held religious meetings in camp, and conducted them himself, and whose soldiers were known as the "saints." Colonel Goffe frequently conducted relig- ious meetings, and it is said of him that he was apt at exhortation and prayer. He was at Fort William Henry, which surrendered to the French, where eighty

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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

out of two hundred of the New Hampshire Regiment were murdered by the Indians, and where Thomas Campbell, William Caldwell and Josiah Warren, of New Boston, barely escaped with their lives, and who celebrated their escape ever after during their life- time, meeting in turn every year at each other's houses.

Rogers, the pupil of Goffe, was a most unsernpulous character. Old Mr. Shirley used to relate an anecdote of him, illustrating this trait. Rogers, Stark and Samuel Orr, of this town, were up in the vicinity of Baker's River (called by the Indians Asquamehu- mauk ; near by is Moosilauke, a place where moose live, according to the Indian dialect. John Patch, one of the first settlers of the town of Warrren, often had twenty-five barrels of moose-meat in his cellar at a time), hunting, in time of peace, with the Indians. One afternoon, while the three (Rogers, Stark and Orr) were sitting in their camp, three Indians called upon them and remained with them until a little be- fore sundown, when they departed. Not long after they left, Stark and Orr missed Rogers, who was gone so long that they began to have apprehension of his safety ; but about midnight he returned and carelessly threw into one corner of the cabin the scalps of the three Indians, whom he had tracked and slain. Stark reproved him for killing these Indians in time of peace, " Oh ! damn it!" says Rogers; " there'll be war before another year !" Rogers' father was mistaken for a bear, when approaching the camp of one Stin- son, somewhere in Montolonghny, a part, of Dunbar- ton, and was killed,-the second man buried in the town of whom there is any record.

The next meeting was warned to meet at the barn of James Carr. One of the articles in the warrant was to see how much money the town would raise to hire preaching. The whole amount of money assessed in 1763 was £1006 11s. 6d., old tenor or old currency, one-half of which Job Kidder was to collect and Wil- liam MeDoell the other half.

The records of the town present up to this period the usnal difficulties under which all new settlements labor before they get the machinery of government to operating well, and before they obtain the comforts of the older towns. The most talked of seems to have been in Follansbee's not building a mill over Harry Brook.

Samuel Richards proposed to build one over Piscat- aquog River, and leave a free passage for the fish. But this proposition was not entertained, as it was believed it would hinder the fish from passing up, and thus destroy an important source of food.

In fixing a location for a mecting-house, there seems to have been as much difficulty as in our time, showing that human nature is about the same in every age. They voted at first to have it built upon the south side of the river, in the words of the record, "on the convenientest place in the crotch of the roads as they lead from the bridge to the Mast road." I protest was entered against this in the following

November, signed by twenty individuals, on account of its being too far from the centre of the settlement. The location was finally agreed upon, and a vote taken to have it completed in one year.

This was not carried into effect to the letter, for it was many years before the house was finished, and, long after, articles were in the town warrants for meet- ing "to see if the town will vote to sell any more pew- ground, and if they will appropriate the money from such sales towards finishing the house." In the sale of "pew-ground" probably we are to understand that each purchaser may have such a portion of the floor, and build the pew himself; but concerning this we know not.

CHAPTER II.

GOFFSTOWN-( Continued).

War of the Revolution-First Action of the Town-Voted to Purchase Stock of Gunpowder-Captain Joshua Martin's Company-First Com- mittee of Safety-List of Solliers-Incidents of the War.

THERE was an article in the town warrant in 1774 to see how much money the town will vote to hire a schoolmaster for the present year. But before the meeting the startling news of the battle at Lexing- ton had evidently reached this retired township, and it was voted to appropriate it to the purchase of a stock of gunpowder, and to omit raising any money for schools or preaching.

Three half-barrels of gunpowder, two gross of flints and three hundred pounds of lead assigned to Thomas Shirley to purchase at Exeter, and a like quantity to Captain James Karr, at Cambridge. This was stored beneath the pulpit, or, as some understood it, in the big sounding-board over it,-the meeting-house being a central place of rendezvous, and perhaps to obey to the letter the old Puritanie injuction, which was to " Obey (od and keep your powder dry."

When the news of this battle reached Goffstown it spread like wildfire among the settlers. Almost to a man, they left their implements of husbandry wher- ever they happened to be using them, and hurried to the place of rendezvous, and a company under Captain Joshua Martin was speedily enrolled and marched to the seat of war.

In a neighborhood about four miles from here, con- sisting of three families, three men were engaged in hauling and piling wood upon a piece of burned ground, when a messenger brought the news of the battle. The three started immediately to their houses for their guns. The wives of two of the men seized hold of them in their anxiety and besought them not to go. "Oh!" said the men, "we must defend you at a distance; it won't do to let the British come here." They had but one horse between them to carry their provisions, and upon which, as they be- came tired, to ride occasionally. In the evening after their departure these women met at the house of

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Mrs. Campbell, the most resolute of the three (the great-grandmother of Hamilton Campbell); very soon there was weeping. "Oh! we shall never see them again ; they will all be killed." "Pooh !" said Mrs. Campbell; "I would not care what the devil became of them, if they had only left the old mare." This raised a laugh, as well as their spirits.

The females partook largely of the Revolutionary spirit, and Goffstown ladies cast bullets and made cartridges, and were always distinguished for habits of industry. Rarely would one enter a house without hearing the hum of the spinning-wheel or the stroke of the loom. All articles of clothing were of domestic manufacture. The wool and flax were grown, carded, spun, woven, colored and made into garments at home. To use foreign goods was considered ex- travagance. For several years their clothes were not even fulled.

In 1775, Alexander Walker, Captain James Karr and Captain Alexander Todd were chosen, with the selectmen, a Committee of Safety, as recommended by the Continental Congress, convened at Exeter. In 1776, James Eaton, Enoch Sawyer, Captain Joseph Little, Moses Wells and Joshua Buswell constituted this committee. In the following year the town was canvassed by Samuel Richards, Joshua Martin and Thomas Shirley, to ascertain what each man had done in the Continental service in the war. It was voted this same year that the selectmen provide a stock of gunpowder, lead and flints. A motion was also made to have the selectmen ascertain what had become of the guns taken by this town of the State, and stopped at Cambridge by order of General Washington; but the motion did not prevail, suppos- ing that they were in good hands, and doing good service for the cause. It was also voted to pay Amos Richards and Samuel Carr for taking two deserters to Londonderry, and also to pay Samuel Kennedy for pork he let the men have who went to Concord battle. Samuel Blodgett presented his bill to the town this year for services as selectman, amounting to fifty pounds, and for four hundred and eighty-two miles travel, and for removing several families siek of small-pox,-all of which he begged the town to ae- cept. Quite a liberal present.

In 1778 there was an article in the town warrant, " To see what course the town would take to procure four men for the Continental service." A committee was appointed to proenre four men or go themselves. This vote was subsequently reconsidered, the com- mittee not liking this summary manner of enlistment, and Moses Little, Alexander Gilchrist and Robert McGregor were chosen a committee to canvass the town again, and see what each inhabitant had done, and appraise it at its true value, in order that a proper and just assessment might be made for any future service called for.

Goffstown furnished its full quota of soldiers to the Continental army.

The following is nearly a correct list of their names, There may be a few omissions, but it is the best rec- ord that can be obtained, and probably the most accurate. Those marked with a star (*) were killed or died in the service :

Captain Samnel Richards, Lieutenant Moses Little, Lieutenant Timo- thy Blake, Ensign Jesse Carr,* Antipas Dodge, Ichabod Martin, Timo- thy Moshire, Reuben Kidder, Obed MeLane, London MeGregorie, Joseph Marsh, David MeClure, David McCture, Jr., Robert Spear, John Dins more, Alexander Gilchrist. Robert Gilchrist,* Robert Gilchrist, Jr., John Sessions* and wife, Lieutenant. Phillip Ferrin, Alexander MeDoell,* in both wars (the French and Indian), and died while returning from the War of the Revolution to his home ; William MeDoell, Jr., James Me- Pherson, John McFerson, John Todd,* Collins Eaton,* Jonah Woods, John Little, John Gilmore, Matthew Kennedy, Andrew Newell* (killed at the evacuation of Ticonderoga), Eleazer Emerson, Seth Wyman, Samuel Dunlap, Sammel Reinick* (wounded at. Bennington, and brought home by Captain E. Richards, with two other young men), Timothy Johnson, Samuel Barr, John Woods, Edward Woods, Samuel Smith, David Stevens* (brought home sick, wounded, and died), Benjamin Stevens, Jr., Ward Clark, Nathan Hawes, Amos Richards, Eliphalet Richards, Simon Flanders, Charles Sargent, David Bursiel, Reuben Kemp, Robert McGregory, William Houston, Jesse Dickey, Isachar King, John Butterfield, Jonathan Bell, John Bell, Nathaniel Stevens, Ezra Myrack,* Joshua Wilson, John Mcclintock, Joshua Bell, Benjamin Cass, Augustus George, Joseph Hadley,# McAllister,* William Wilson, John Brown, Daniel Andrews, James Kendrick, David Richardson, James Walker, John George, Samuel Eaton, Thomas Saltmarsh, Silas Wells, William Kemp* (killed, together with Andrew Newall, while on a scout- ing party from Fort Independence), Ebenezer Ferren, Thomas Shirley, Joshua Martin, Elijah Kidder, Jacob Sargent, Samuel Orr* (wounded in the leg near the knee, which is usually fatal) and Stewart Mars, a colored man,-seventy-four in all.

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History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 75

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