USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hudson > History of Hudson, N.H., formerly a part of Dunstable, Mass., 1673-1733, Nottingham, Mass., 1733-1741, District of Nottingham, 1741-1746, Nottingham West, N.H., 1746-1830, Hudson, N.H., 1830-1912 > Part 15
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Voted to choose Samuel Huston and William Taylor chairmen for the same purpose.
The committee seemed to have attended to its duty promptly, for on November 24, another town meeting was held, at which the committee reported "That the center, up and down of this Town, is on the North Easterly side of Mr. Benjamin Whittemore's Lot, and on the East side of the way that leads to Litchfield. *
* * The Town viewed the said place and marked several Pine trees on said spot and voted said place to erect a meeting house on."
January 12, 1747, it was "voted to build a meeting- house forty feet long and twenty-six feet in width."
Chose Capt. Thomas Colburn, Major Zaccheus Lovewell, John Marsh, John Marshall, Eleazer Cummings, James Hills, George Burns a commit- tee to effeet the same.
From some cause, probably from not being provided with the necessary funds, the committee did not perform the duty for which it was chosen; and at a meeting Sep- tember 21, 1747, the old concern of getting a satisfactory location again came to the front.
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From Photo by C. E. PAINE
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 1842
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THE SECOND MEETING-HOUSE
It was again voted to find the "center of land and travel in this Town." A committee was chosen consisting of Dr. Ezekiel Chase, James Hills, Benjamin Frost, with George Burns and James Wason as chainmen. Two months later a meeting was held, the second article in the warrant reading, "In relation to viewing the center of land and cen- ter of travel in this Town."
Nothing definite was accomplished and the matter was "adjourned." Another meeting was held June 1, 1748, when it was-
Voted to purchase the uper meeting house in sd Town at the value of 80£ old tenor.
Voted to raise 80€ old tenor to purchase sd meeting house.
Made choice of Capt. Thomas Colburn, Mr. John Marshall, Mr. James Hills, Mr. George Burns, Mr. Stephen Chase a committee to pull down and remove said meetinghouse and to erect the same at some suit- able and convenient place, and to effect the same at or before the first day of July next.
Voted that the committee shall give every man belonging to this Town liberty to work at pulling down and removing sd house.
Voted that every man who shall work faithfully at the same 10 hours in a day and find himself, shall be allowed 20s. old tenor per Diem, and that the same shall be allowed for four oxen and a cart, as for a man, they working faithfully.
The last committee chosen attended to the duties, and removed the meeting-house according to the instruc- tions it had received from the town, as the next town meeting, August 31, 1748, was held at the meeting-house.
As has been mentioned, the town meetings, subsequent to the incorporation of Nottingham West, had been held at the house of Benjamin Whittemore, with one or two ex- ceptions, when the citizens met at the house of Samuel Greeley.
The "uper meeting house," which was purchased from the proprietors, was the "Hills Farms" meeting-house. Tradition points to this as being the first house of worship built in what is now the town of Hudson, and as ante-dating the house built by the town in 1734, as already described. The following extracts from a petition to the General
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Court, made in 1742, and signed by John Taylor and four- teen others, inhabitants of Nottingham, and Nathaniel Hills and sixteen other inhabitants of Litchfield, proves that tradition, in this case, is at fault :
That your petitioners, after a meeting house was built in Notting- ham, and before any was built in Litchfield, erected a meeting house for the public worship of God, where both we and our families might attend upon God in his house, and since that, another meeting house has been set up in Litchfield And your petitioners have for some con- siderable time maintained and supported the public worship of God among us at our cost and charge. Your petitioners therefore do hum- bly pray that we may be erected into a township, there being a sufficient tract of land in the Northerly part of Nottingham and the Southerly part of Litchfield to make a compact Town, without any prejudice to the towns of Nottingham or Litchfield. . . .
This proves beyond any question that the Nottingham meeting-house was the first erected. The "Hills Farms" meeting-house was located about twelve or fifteen rods easterly of the present highway known as the Derry road. It was situated near the southerly line of land owned now by Pearl T. Thomas. The site was long covered with a growth of pine timber and wood, the greater part of which was cut a few years since. The writer, after considerable search, identified the location by numerous small pieces of stones, which were chips from the foundation of the ancient building, when it was removed. 3 These bits of stones are quite small, but are unlike any others found in that imme- diate vicinity.
The committee chosen to carry out the wishes of the town located the house, constructed from the timber of the "Hills Farms" building, upon the site voted by the town November 24, 1746. This was on the "North Easterly side of Mr. Benjamin Whittemore's Lot and on the East side of the way that leads to Litchfield." This site was very near the spot upon which old Number Four school house stood for many years prior to 1852, when it was de- molished, and was on the north side of the highway, the old Blodgett cemetery on the east, north and west sides,
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and was but a short distance from where the present iron gate of the cemetery is located.
At the first meeting held in the unfinished meeting- house, August 31, 1748, it was-
Voted to lay the lower floor of the meeting house, and to hang the doors, and to underpin the frame, to board up the upper windows, and to remove the seats, pulpit and Deacon seat out of ye old meeting house and place ym in the new house; and to put up some of the old glass windows, all of which is to be done ys fall.
Chose Mr. George Burns, Mr. John Marshall & Deacon Roger Chase a committee to effect ye foregoing work.
Voted to have built a tier of Pews in ye front of ye meeting house.
Samuel Greeley, Ezekiel Chase, Thos. Colburn, Henry Hills, Ed- ward Spaulding & Timothy Emerson were chosen a committee to appraise the Pews and order their shapes.
Voted that the highest in pay for one pole and other estate for the present year and two years back shall have his first choice in the highest priced Pew ground; and so downward, the next highest in pay his next choice, and so till the Pews are all disposed of ; and in case any person is intitlled to a Pew he shall have the Pew that falls to him by pay or none; and every person who shall have a pew shall build it in 12 months and pay his money to the committee in 2 months from the time he re- ceives his grant of ye same, otherwise he shall forfeit his right to said Pew.
The work on the house seems to have progressed with satisfactory results, and October 26, 1748, the town-
Voted to put up the stairs, put in the slit work, and lay the Gallery floors, and bring the slit work and the old floors and the breast work to the place (from the old meeting house) and to put up the breast work, all to be done this fall.
Mr. John Marshall, Mr. George Burns, & Lt Joseph Winn made choice of as a committee to effect the same.
The town also voted to straighten or turn the road by or nearer the meeting house.
Also voted to allow horse stables built on the Town's land near the meeting house.
The land upon which this building stood, including the Blodgett cemetery, and all the "common" near the center of which once stood the "South Meeting House," so called, and also including the three roads surrounding the common and called "Town's Land" in the records, was a part of the Benjamin Whittemore farm, and was probably con-
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veyed by him to the town about this time, in 1748. The record of the deed, however, has not been found. There must have been four or five acres in the lot.
The next item of record referring to the work on the meeting-house was April 24, 1749, when it was-
Voted to clapboard the meeting house, and put the window frames and the old glass this year & chose John Marshall, Blodgett, En- sign Chase & Ebenezer Dakin a committee to efect the same.
Voted to allow Joseph Winn Jr. & Benjamin Winn the privilege of building two Pews over the stairs, in case they will take it for their right and interest in the meeting house.
Among the bills allowed by a vote of the town at this meeting, was one of 13£ 10s 0d, old tenor, to Benjamin Winn and Ebenezer Blodgett for making the pediments for the meeting-honse. The dimensions of this building are not given in the records, but it was probably smaller than the old Nottingham meeting-house, which was forty by thirty- five feet. It had three outside doors, one respectively on the south, east and west side.
There was a gallery, probably on these same sides, and of sufficient width to allow two rows of seats in front with a passage-way in the rear.
Pew lots were granted, one each, to Ezekiel Chase, Joseph Winn, Thomas Pollard, Edward Spaulding, Deacon Samuel Greeley, Joseph Blodgett, Samuel Merrill, Jr., and possibly others. The prices paid were from seven pounds, two shillings to eight pounds, fifteen shillings each, old tenor.
The next matter that came in for consideration was the selection and permit of lots for horse sheds, and April 6, 1752, the following action was taken:
Voted to allow to Capt. Thomas Colburn and Ensign Stephen Chase the first lot from the south west corner of the meeting house to build a horse stable on; also voted to Lieut. Joseph Winn and Thomas Pollard the second lot; also voted to George Burns and Samuel Burbank the 3d lot; also voted to Ebenezer Dakin and Joseph Gould the 4th lot.
The town also voted and allowed to Eleazer Cummings and James Hills the first lot North west from the meeting house; also voted to Jo-
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siah Cummings and Ezekiel Hills the second lot; also voted to Abraham Page and Henry Hale the 3d lot; also voted to Isaac Page and Ebenezer Cummings the 4th lot.
The town also voted and allowed to Thomas Kenney and Benja Snow the first lot south east from the meeting house.
It was the custom in those times to have a burying ground for the interment of the dead in the rear, and on two sides of the meeting-house. The custom was carried out here, and what became known as the Blodgett ceme- tery was laid out upon the east, north and west sides of the house, in the rear of the horse sheds. The most ancient inscriptions upon the head stones in that cemetery, record deaths of persons in 1748 or 1749.
Very little reference to the meeting-house is to be found in the town records for several years, giving the infer- ence that the people were satisfied with what had been done. The building stood at a central point between the north and south boundaries, but it was very near its western lim- its. Eventually this fact was the cause of complaint, as the opposite section of the town began to be more thickly pop- ulated. Finally a town meeting was held Sepember 16, 1760, to consider the matter of a new location
It was put to vote to see if the town would vote to move the meet- ing house to the center of the town.
Voted in the Negative.
It was put to vote to see if the town would abate the Easterly part of the town of any part of their rates yearly, on account of their extraor- dinary travel to the meeting house.
Voted in the Negative.
It was put to vote to see if the town would repair the meeting house. Voted in the Negative.
There was possibly a squaring of accounts in the settle- ment of the sentiments of the voters in the above actions, and the demands of dissatisfied parties increased in power, so at a meeting held November 11, an appeal was made to outsiders to settle the matter:
The town chose Capt. William Richardson of Pelham, Capt. Caleb Page of Dunbarton, aud Mr. Ebenezer Kendall of Dunstable a committee
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to view the town in its present situation in regard to said meeting house where it now standeth, and if they judge it unreasonable, fix a place to move said meetinghouse to, or to erect a new one on.
Chose Serg. Daniel Merrill, Ensign Ezekiel Hills and Mr. Henry Snow to assist the committee in viewing this town.
The above committee reported in writing December 18, 1760 "That they had viewed the said town carefully, and taken all useful means to inform themselves as to its present situation in regard to the said meeting house, and are fully of the opinion that for the good of said town in their present situation, the meeting house should stand where it now does, or otherwise to erect a new one in the place where the old one stands."
This report was accepted, but when a vote was taken August 22, 1761, to see if the old house should be repaired, a negative vote was given. A special meeting was then called to convene the 24th of September, "To see if the Town will erect a new meeting house or in case the Town do not erect a new meeting house, to see if the Pew men will give up their rights in the seats. To see if the Town will repair the present meeting house and how far they will proceed in repairing said meeting house."
It was voted not to build a new house, but to repair the old one, a committee was chosen and forty pounds, old tenor, was voted to meet the expense. But this received such a decided opposition, that it was
Voted to reconsider the above vote in respect to raising the sum to repair the meeting house and dismissed the committee chosen for the purpose,
It was put to vote to see if the town would seat the meeting house for three years.
Voted in the affirmative, and chose a committee of five "to effect the same."
Eight of the Pew Men agreed to yield up their rights in the seats.
Voted to grant a number of young men : viz. Nathaniel Merrill, Ter- tius, William Merrill, John Caldwell Jr. Levi Spalding, Benjamin Messer, Eleazer Cummings Jr. to build a Pew in the back of the meeting house, in the front of the Gallery.
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The matter rested here for over three years, a window, in the meantime being "set up over the pulpit," and then the agitation for a new house or removal of the old one be- gan. November 19, 1764,
Voted to make choice of a surveyor and chairman to find the center of land in this town, and that they shall be under oath.
Voted to choose Matthew Patten Esq. of Bedford, surveyor, to find said center of land.
Voted and chose three persons to assist the said surveyor to carry the chain and Keep Tally, namely, Lt. Joseph Senter, Winkel Wright, both of Dunstable, and Mr. Benjamin Barker of Pelham; and also voted that it shall be done by flat measure, meaning the chain on the ground.
It was put to vote to see if the Town would build a meeting house, and that it shall be set in the center of land, or in the first convenient place from the center.
Voted in the affirmative.
The town chose seven men to carry out the purpose of building a meeting-house, viz .: Henry Hills, Joseph Gould, Seth Wyman, Samuel Page, Samuel Marsh, Samuel Greeley, Jr., and Daniel Merrill.
This was a strong committee, representing all sections of the town, but it did not build a meeting-house at the center of land or at any other place. After considerable controversy in relation to the payment of the expense of the survey by the surveyor and chainman and tally keeper, amounting to £45-7s-9d silver, old tenor, or £6-1s-0d-2f lawful money, it was finally voted to settle the account at a meeting April 21, 1766. The survey was made in Feb- ruary, 1765, over a year before.
Two years more the matter dragged along, and then, September 26, 1768, it was attempted again to raise money to make repairs, but was voted in the negative.
March 30, 1778, almost ten years after the above vote, it was decided to sell the old meeting-house, and Moses Johnson, Ezekiel Hills, Capt. Samuel Marsh, Asa Davis, Esq., and Capt. Abraham Page were chosen a committee to act for the town.
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HISTORY OF HUDSON 1
Until then the town meetings had been held here, but on June 24, 1778, it was "Voted to hold the town meetings at the Rev. Mr. Strickland's meeting house for the future."
The Rev. John Strickland was at that time the pastor of the Presbyterian church, having been ordained July 3, 1774, and he was preaching at the North meeting-house, which was built by the proprietors belonging to that socie- ty in 1771. The committee chosen to sell the old meeting- house evidently attended to their duties without much de- lay, for at a meeting held at the North meeting-house Feb- ruary 1, 1779, it was-
Voted that the money that the old meeting house was sold for should be turned into the Town Treasury by the committee that sold it.
This was the last meeting-house built by the town. The records are silent as to who bought the old building, or the amount received for it. After its purchase and re- moval by the town in 1748, and its reconstruction here, it had stood for thirty years with very little repairs, and it must have been in very poor condition at the time it was sold.
The writer has heard it said by people of that vicinity, who were long since deceased, that the old Number One school house, which stood upon the same site as the pres- ent school house, was partly constructed from timber taken from the old meeting-house. This is probably true, and, if so, some of the material that entered into the construction of the "Hills Farms" meeting-house in 1735, continued to serve most worthy purposes for nearly one hundred and fifty years.
The pastor of this second meeting-house in Hudson was the Rev. Nathaniel Merrill, who was ordained and set- tled here by the town November 30, 1737, and whose civil contract with the town continued until July 11, 1774, when it was dissolved. But he continued to preach in the old house until about the time it was sold and removed. The wor- shipers here were Congregationalists, and Mr. Merrill had a large and devoted following, and later, for many years, he
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held services in the south part of the town, in a meeting- house called in the town records "Mr. Merrill's meeting- house," and later known as the "Old Gospel Shop."
The second meeting-house, formerly the "Hills Farms" meeting-house, was sold in 1778 by the committee chosen for that purpose, and the proceeds turned into the town treasury, as has been shown, but the records do not inform us farther as to its later history or ultimate fate.
However, we believe there is very little room for doubt that it was purchased at the time of its sale by Rev. Mr. Merrill and his Congregational followers. That it was taken down the second time and removed to the south part of the town, when it was rebuilt as early as 1779.
At the annual town meeting, March 6, 1780, the war- rant contained the following article:
To see if the town will agree to have one third of the Town meetings held at the Rev. Mr. Merrills meeting-house for the future.
The vote was in the negative, but as a compromise it was "Voted to have the town meetings held at the house of Samuel Greeley one-half of the time for the year en- suing."
The exact location of this building is not known at the present time ; but it is certain that it was east of the high- way, on the high ground a little southerly, but not far from the small, ancient burying ground, some distance south of Musquash or Nacook Brook, and on land then owned by Moses Johnson, and later by the Fords.
Mr. Merrill continued to preach there until near the time of his death in 1796.
CHAPTER XVII
THE PRESBYTERIAN AND THE NORTH MEETING-HOUSE
Londonderry was settled by Presbyterians of Scotch origin, who came hither from the north of Ireland in April, 1719, and the town was incorporated by the Province of New Hampshire July 1, 1722.
The south-west angle of Londonderry, as bounded by its charter, was within less than two miles of the Merri- mack River, in a north-easterly direction from Taylor's Falls bridge. This brought about four thousand and six hundred acres of land within the present bounds of Hud- son, which were later annexed from Londonderry.
Nottingham was settled by Orthodox, or Congrega- tionalists, but in a few years, owing to its close proximity to Londonderry, many Presbyterians became inhabitants of the township, and several of these were among its most prominent and substantial citizens.
These two sects, while their religious tenets were nearly identical, differed in their form of church govern- ment. The Congregationalists looked to the town for sup- port of their minister, and an amount equal to the pastor's salary was levied annually upon all the polls and estates within the limits of the town. The meeting-house was built and kept in repair by the town. The Rev. Nathaniel Merrill, the minister already mentioned as the head of the Congregational Church, was ordained and settled by the town of Nottingham in 1737, and received his sal- ary from the same source until in 1774. The Presby- terians were assessed equally, according to the value of their estates, with the members of the other church. Some of the Presbyterians attended meetings of their own de- nomination in Londonderry or Windham, where they paid their proportion of the minister's tax. It was but natural
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these people should honestly believe they were being ac- corded unjust treatment, when they were obliged to pay a part of Mr. Merrill's salary. So there were protests en- tered against this method of taxation, and the records, from time to time, contain accounts of action in that direction.
At a meeting of the town July 7, 1749:
Voted to release John Huey, James Caldwell, James Wason, John Caldwell, the Widow Mitchell and Josiah Cummings who are profest Churchmen from paying their Town and Minister's rate the year, 1748
May 15, 1750, It was put to vote to see if the town would make choice of one man or more to prosecute the affair relating to the pretend- ed Churchmen. Viz: Joseph Caldwell, John Caldwell & James Wason, and it passed in the Negative.
August 22, 1750. The town and John Caldwell agreed to leave their case to three indifferent men. The town and said Caldwell chose Capt. Andrew Todd of Londonderry their first man. The town chose Lt. John Varnum of Dracut, for their man, and Mr. Caldwell chose Dea. James Campbell for his man.
November 18, 1751, a year and a half later, the town voted to release Messrs. Caldwell and Wason from paying their rates for the year 1750. Nothing more in regard to differences of this kind appears on the records for nearly twelve years, when trouble seems to have arisen again, as witness the following action taken at a town meeting held on March 1, 1763:
It was put to vote io see if the town would release and discharge those persons belonging to this Town who call themselves Presbyterians, and claim to be exempt from paying the Minister's Rate as assessed, their proportion thereof.
Voted in the negative.
It was put to vote to see if the Town would discharge said persons from paying for their poles to said Minister's Rate their proportion as assessed.
Voted in the Negative.
It was put to vote to see if the Town would join with Pelham to dis- pute with those persons in the law belonging to their respective Towns, who call themselves Presbyterians, and refuse to pay their Rates as as- sessed to the support of the ministry in said Towns, in case they should prosecute and pursue an action against said Towns,
Voted in the Affirmative.
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Chose Daniel Marshall and Samuel Marsh, to act in behalf of this Town for the defense against said Presbyterians if there be occasion therefor.
The Town voted to raise 200 pounds old tenor to enable them or others to dispute with said Presbyterians in the law and defray the charge thereof.
The two last votes were reconsidered at a meeting held September 21, 1763, and at the same date it was voted "to order the constable for the year 1762, to pursue such measures as the law directs, to collect the Minister's Rate (so called as assessed) from such persons as profess themselves Presbyterians and refuse paying to the support of the Rev. Mr. Merrill in the Ministry."
This was voted in the affirmative and "Ezekiel Chase Esq. & Mr. Samuel Marsh (in behalf of the Town) to dis- pute with said persons in the law, in case they should pros- ecute and pursue an action against the Town Constable or Selectmen thereof."
Voted to raise £200 old tenor for said committee to enable them to dispute with said persons as aforesaid.
A compromise was then attempted between the two parties, by which to remove the poll tax, and collect that on the estates. The dissenters refused to accept these terms, when they were asked what terms they would con- sider, they replied that if the church and town would comply with the Cambridge platform they would pay their proportion of the minister's tax. Action was then taken to see if the town would reconsider the vote passed Sep- tember 21, to order the constable for 1762 to collect the minister's rate of those parties refusing to pay, and the mo- tion to reconsider was carried. "It was then put to vote to see if the Town would release and discharge them from paying their proportion of said Rate. Voted in the Nega- tive."
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