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 23
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Hills, Ebenezer, son of Oliver and Abigail, was born December 25, 1767. He resided a short distance from Hills' Ferry, on the farm that later was the home of Os- good Hill.
Hills, Ensign Elijah, son of James and Abigail, was born March 15, 1738. He lived on the north side of the Derry road, two and one-half miles from Taylor's Falls bridge, and on a farm later occupied by his grandson, Al- den Hills. The place is now known as the Alverne farm, owned and occupied by Dr. Alfred K. Hills.
Senter, Thomas, lived on the Derry road. Just where his house stood is not known to a certainty, but it was not far from the small Senter burial ground at Potash Corner, and probably was where the Jeremiah Heath house is now located. He was a deacon of the church. His death oc- curred December 25, 1834.
SOUTH END
Kelley, Captain Joseph, at one time owned the ferry near where Taylor's Falls bridge now is, and lived in a house about thirty rods east of the bridge, at the present junction of Campbell avenue and Main street. ' He re- sided here and operated the ferry for many years, but lived at several other places in town at different times, and pos- sibly may have lived a little further south in 1793.
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
Cutter, Richard, came here from Menotomy, now Cambridge. He settled on the south bank of Otternick brook, half a mile east of Taylor's Falls bridge, and nearly south of the George W. Marshall house. For his second wife he married, April 6, 1789, Ruth (Hadley) Merrill, daughter of Parrot Hadley. She afterwards married Aaron Hamblet.
Douglass, Robert, lived on a farm situated on the north side of the road leading from the town pound to Bush hill. This farm later belonged to James McCoy, and now, 1912, to John Lenahan.
Smith, Timothy, lived on the place afterwards known as the "Jim" Barrett place, near the brook, and near where Pollard's, later Winn's, mills were located. He was a prominent citizen of this town for many years.
Smith, William, was the son of Timothy, and lived on the homestead with his father. They were each assessed for an equal amount of land of each grade. At one time there were two houses on the place, one of them just north of the present one.
Greeley, Wilder, son of Ezekiel and Esther, and broth- er of Sarah, wife of Joseph, was born February 19, 1771. When he was twenty-two years of age his son, Moody, was born, October 7, 1793. At this time he was living near his brother-in-law, Joseph.
Greeley, Captain Joseph, was born September 29, 1756, and died May 13, 1840. He lived on the farm for- merly owned by his father, later by his son Samuel, and now by his grandson, Samuel A. Greeley, the son of Sam- uel. This farm was situated on the Lowell road, a little more than two miles south of the bridge, and was the old Greeley place first settled by Samuel, Senior.
Wason, Samuel, lived a short distance west of the Wason road, as it is called, on the north side of Bush hill.
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TAX LISTS AND HOMESTEADS, 1793
The old cellar is still to be seen there, on the land of Henry Davis.
Wason, Moses, son of Samuel, was born November 9, 1771, and lived with his father. He paid a poll tax only.
Davis, Asa, Esq., occupied and owned a farm which later came into the possession of his son, Daniel T. Davis, later still was owned by his son-in-law, Samuel Morrison, and now belongs to his grandson, Augustus F. Morrison. This farm lies on the northerly slope of Bush hill, on the Pelham road, and near what was No. 3 school house. Pre- vious to Davis' time it was the property of a Caldwell.
Caldwell, Joseph, probably lived on the north slope of Bush hill, at or near the place formerly belonging to Wil- liam Caldwell, and not far from the Asa Davis farm.
Caldwell, James, resided at or near the Moses Smith place, so called, a little northerly of the summit of Bush hill. This farm lies on the Pelham road, and is now owned by George E. Caldwell.
Wason, James, at eighty-three years of age lived at the top of Bush hill, on the east side of the Pelham road, where Samuel Walker lived later, and later still Oscar O. Arm- strong. In 1793 he was assessed only for a horse and cow.
Wason, Lieutenant Thomas, son of James, when about forty-five years old was assessed for the real estate then, or formerly, belonging to his father.
Cummings, Captain David, son of Ephraim, was born May 20, 1738, and lived where his father first settled, in the early settlement of the town. His wife was Elizabeth Butterfield. His house stood a little south of the road, at the foot of Bush hill. At one time there were two houses on the place a short distance apart.
Cummings, David, son of Captain David, was born about 1763, and lived with his father. He married Phoebe Wyman.
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
Merrill, Benjamin, son of Ensign Nathaniel and Olive (Lund) Merrill, was born January 24, 1768. He lived for many years on a farm in the south-east part of the town, at the end of a bridle path that turns off from the Back road near the Burnett place. He died there.
Stewart, Robert, owned and occupied the farm later owned and occupied by Thomas Gowing, and now by George T. Gowing. It is in the south-east part of the town, near the Pelham line and Gumpus pond.
Ford, Colonel James, was assessed here as early as 1763, and up to 1799. Where he came from is not known. He owned and occupied the Samuel Gowing farm in the south-east part of the town, now owned by Edwin S. Gow- ing. He was the clerk of Captain Samuel Greeley's Lex- ington Company in April, 1775. He was in the army at Cambridge six months in 1775, and was a lieutenant. Also he was at the battle of Bunker Hill. He raised a company of which he was the captain for fourteen days at Ticon- deroga in 1777; he was the captain of a company at Ben- nington for two months in 1777, and was severely wound- ed at the battle of Bennington.
Gould, Joseph, came here in 1748. The old Joseph Gould place is in the south part of the town on what was once the Bowman road, now discontinued. It is south-east of what was formerly the T. S. Ford farm, and not far from New Found meadow. Once this road could boast of two houses, but they have long since gone to decay.
Seavey, Andrew, came here in 1762, if not earlier. He lived at the south-east corner of the town, not far from the Goulds. He died June 1, 1802, and was buried in the small cemetery at the south end.
Johnson, Moses, settled here as early as 1770, on the farm later owned by Timothy Ford, later still by his son, Timothy S. Ford, and now by James A. Sanders. He was the son of Colonel William and Abigail (Widow Stickney)
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TAX LISTS AND HOMESTEADS, 1793
Johnson, and was born May 13, 1737. April 20, 1758, he married Anna Moody, daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Bradstreet) Moody, born January 19, 1737. They had a large family of children.
Brown, Robinson, resided on the farm once owned by Grant and later by Hoffman-the first house west of the Samuel Gowing place.
Merrill, Deacon Isaac, son of Samuel and Susanna, was born August 20, 1754. February 25, 1779, he married Olive Merrill, born December 4, 1751, who was probably the daughter of the Rev. Nathaniel Merrill. He lived on the Back road, the second house south from the old ceme- tery, south of Musquash brook, and north of the T. S. Ford place. In 1777 he was in the army in New York and served two months. He was also in the Ticonderoga com- pany eight days.
Burns, George, son of George and Martha, was born February 5, 1743. He married Elizabeth Adams, and lived on the Back road at the south part of the town-the exact location is not known at this time. He had a Revolution- ary War record.
Moody, Friend, is said to have lived at the south part of the town, on a farm later owned by Elias Barron. It was the first house on the west side of the road, southerly from where the old Davenport road intersects the Back road. He was a prominent townsman for many years.
Colburn, Zaccheus, was born February 16, 1765, and was the son of Thomas, who was killed by lightning. He owned a farm on the Back road, which later became the property of Thomas B. Wason, who married Colburn's daughter, and which now belongs to James F. Wilson. The house was the first one south of the junction of roads. The place was known for many years as the Wason farm.
Chase, Joshua, seems without much doubt to have lived for many years on the old Chase place, east of the
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
Lowell road, where his son, Jacob, afterwards lived and died, and which was later owned by Benjamin F. Chase Jacob's son. It is a little south of the highway leading from the Lowell to the Back road.
Chase, Benjamin, son of Joshua, was born August 17, 1765. He resided on the homestead farm with his father. There were two houses on the place.
Underwood, Phineas, probably moved from Merrimack to this town about 1785. He was on the board of select- men for several years, and proved to be a prominent citi- zen. He lived on the Lowell road, and on the farm next north of the Joseph Winn farm, which was later owned by Reuben Spalding, and now belongs to his daughter, Mrs. John Groves. He died May 9, 1798, aged 45.
Winn, Joseph, was born at Woburn, Mass., November 17, 1723, and came into town with his father, who settled here at an early date. He lived on the west side of the Lowell road, next south of the Underwood farm, later owned by Paul T. Winn, and now by Elmer C. Winn.
Winn, Joseph, Jr., was the only child of the foregoing Joseph, and remained on the home farm, which has always been owned by the Winn family since its first settlement by Joseph. It is the next farm north of the old Colburn place.
Colburn, Ensign Isaac, lived upon the old Colburn place settled at an early date by his father, Captain Thom- as Colburn. It is the next farm north of the Stephen Chase place, and the house is at the end of the road. It is now owned by Eugene Donnelly heirs.
Burns, Captain William, son of George, was born Oc- tober 29, 1744. He lived on the old homestead where he was born, east of the Lowell road, and which has been owned and occupied by Robert Groves for many years.
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TAX LISTS AND HOMESTEADS, 1793
Pemberton, James. He had a long and honorable Revolutionary War record. He resided for several years on the west side of the Lowell road near the Blodgett cem- etery. At this time he lived farther south, near the Burns place.
Chase, Stephen, lived on the farm so long owned by the Chases, the house being nearly one-half mile west of the Lowell road, near where is now the point known as the "Five Cent Limit" on the Lowell line of the electric rail- way. He may have been a son of the elder Stephen, who lived there before him. It was the first farm south of the old Thomas Colburn homestead. Ephraim Chandler and John Chase were his sons.
Marshall, Benjamin, lived a little south of the Stephen Chase farm, probably between the River road and the river, and possibly at the ferry. The exact location is not known.
Pollard, Lt. Samuel, purchased of Ezekiel Chase, Au- gust 9, 1773, a farm of one hundred acres, more or less. It was the first farm north of Tyngsborough line, and south of the Ferry road. The cellar may be seen south of the old Ferry road on a rise of ground near a very large elm tree. It is nearly south, and some forty rods distant from the old Ford house now owned by Paul Butler.
Burbank, Jonathan, who married Elizabeth Cummings, lived on a farm later belonging to Harris, and now to Ed- ward F. Eayrs, it being the next north from the Wilson Mills place. It was conveyed to Jonathan by his father, Samuel Burbank, November 1, 1792. (Recorded Vol. 30, Page 473.)
Wilson, Joseph B., owned and occupied the farm and mill on Nacook or Musquash brook. It was the farm next south of the Jonathan Burbank place, and was long known as the Wilson Mills, there being a grist mill and saw mill there.
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Haywood, Samuel Smith, lived on the old Haywood farm on the hill west of Deacon David Burns' place, and west of the road. The house was at a considerable dis- tance from the road, and on the south side of the hill- nearly half way to the Lowell highway. Its cellar is yet visible. He died April 1, 1801, aged sixty-eight years, and was buried in the Blodgett cemetery.
Huey, Mansfield, lived on the northerly part of Bush hill, and east of most of the other Bush hill settlements. The farm was the same as that later owned by Daniel Smith, and still later by Daniel Butler Smith. The build- ings were burned a few years since. There was no public road to the place. The Huey house was a little further east than the Daniel Smith house, on a tract of land later owned by Dustin B. Smith. The old cellar is still visible.
Glover, Robert, the son of Robert and Jane (Burns) Glover, lived for many years on the north side of Bush hill, where he seems to have been born July 9, 1741.
Searles, Elnathan, son of Jonathan and Thankful, was born here May 26, 1763. He lived for many years on the old homestead of his father, Jonathan Searles, who settled there in 1741. It lies in the east part of the town, a little south of the road leading from the North Pelham highway to Bush hill. It is the same farm that has since been called the Floyd place, and is now owned and occupied by Aaron Estey.
Caldwell, Lieutenant Alexander, lived on the west side of Bush hill, on the farm later occupied by his son, Alex- ander, Jr., south of the Spear place, and near by where Fred E. Smith has erected a house. This was the old Caldwell place.
Atwood, John, was probably the son of William. He was the father of John, Elizabeth and Sally, by his first wife, and by his second, the father of David, William, Dan- iel and Rachel. He lived on the Lowell road, about a mile
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TAX LISTS AND HOMESTEADS, 1793
south of the "Bridge," where, later, his son, David, lived nearly all his life. The place is now known as Elmhurst.
Hardy, Zachariah, was the son of Nathaniel and Es- ther, and was born October 12, 1769. There is a discrep- ancy of two years in his age as given at the time of his death. He became an orphan when young, as on April 24, 1777, his father enlisted for three years in the Continental army, in Colonel Moses Nichols' Regiment, and as no later report of him appears he probably died in the army. Zach- ariah was brought up, in the south part of the town, by Samuel Pollard, who had no children of his own. He lived for many years at what was afterwards known as the Gillis place, at the junction of the Lowell road with Library street.
Blodgett, Jonathan, son of Joseph, Senior, was born December 5, 1726. He lived on the west side of the Low- ell road. His farm was a portion of the original Joseph Blodgett place, and was later owned by John Chase. It now belongs to Augustus F. and Harry D. Blodgett.
Blodgett, Jabez, son of Jonathan and Elizabeth, was born January 4, 1767. He married Rachel Pollard, and they had fifteen children-six boys and nine girls-all of whom grew to manhood and womanhood and lived each beyond half a century. He seems to have lived on his father's home-stead or very near there.
Marshall, Henry, was the father of Samuel and several other children. He lived on the east side of the Lowell road, less than a mile from the "Bridge." The place was later occupied by his son, Samuel, who died April 23, 1852. The house was burned some time in the forties. The cel- lar and well may still be seen some twenty rods south of the brick power-house.
Blodgett, Joseph and Joseph, Jr., lived at the old farm of the first Joseph, on the Lowell road, two and a half miles from the "Bridge." The exact location of their dwelling cannot now be determined, but it seems probable that it was at the house now belonging to Philip J. Connell.
CHAPTER XXV
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOLS
The matter of education was a prominent one in the minds of the early settlers of New England, and almost simultaneously with the planting of the church was the founding of the school. In this respect the province of New Hampshire was scarcely behind Massachusetts in prompt and decided action. In 1719 a school law was enacted, and it remained in force until after the Revolu- tion, which provided-
That each Town in the Province having the number of fifty house- holders shall be constantly provided of a school master to teach children to read and write, and when any town has one hundred families or house- holders, there shall also be a Grammar school set up and kept. . . And some discreet person of good conversation, well instructed in the tounges, shall be procured as master thereof. Every such school master to be suitably encouraged and paid by the inhabitants, If any such Town should neglect the due observance of the Law for the space of six months, it should incur a Penalty of £20.
In 1721 this law was amended in respect to towns hav- ing one hundred families, so, instead of the town being liable to a fine, it should fall upon the selectmen, if the town for one month should be without a grammar school.
The records of this town do not show that this regula- tion in regard to schools was very closely followed. In fact, the town books are suspiciously silent in relation to the affairs of education. It was not until the annual town meeting, March 10, 1766, that we find the first entry of this kind. Then it was
Voted to raise £15 lawful money for the support of a school in this Town the present year.
A little over two years later, September 26, 1768,
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From Photo by C. E. PAINE
HUDSON CENTER SCHOOL HOUSE, 1908
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HISTORY OF THE SCHOOLS
Voted to raise £400 Hampshire money, old tenor for schooling this present year.
At a special meeting October 9, 1769, an attempt to raise money for schooling was voted down. Two years later the sum of eight pounds was raised for schooling, this money to be divided into four equal parts. In 1772, the same amount was raised, and the following year this sum was doubled. At this meeting, November 1, 1773, it was voted to divide the town into four school districts, and di- vide the money equally among these.
At the annual meeting the following year, adjourned to March 28, 1774, an article in the warrant to see if the town would maintain a "standing school " in the town, was voted in the negative. On September 19, sixteen pounds was agreed upon as a suitable sum to expend for educa- tion that year, this amount to be divided as heretofore into four parts. In 1775 eight pounds was raised and in 1776 twelve pounds was raised for schooling. For two years, the dark period of the Revolution, there is no mention of money for schooling. November 1, 1779,
Voted to raise £300 L. M. for schooling this present year.
September 25, 1780,
Voted to raise 6450 L. M. for schooling this present year.
September 24, 1781,
Voted to raise £36 L. M. for schooling.
This sum was raised successively for six years suc- ceeding, but in 1788 the sum was increased four pounds, so it became forty pounds.
September 1, 1785, a committee of three, consisting of Asa Davis, John Haseltine and Isaac Merrill, was appoint ed to re-district the town , and there is no doubt that these gentlemen attended to their duties, and divided the town into nine school districts, within a reasonable time after their appointment. For some unknown reason their re- port was not accepted by action of the town until March
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
21, 1799, more than thirteen years after their election to office.
The school division of the town as planned by this. committee, with the exception of dividing No. 9 so as to form another district known as No. 10, remained substan- tially the same for one hundred years, or until 1885, when the town became a single school district.
SCHOOL HOUSES
March 21, 1799, the first action relative to building school houses was defeated in the town meeting. A peti- tion was read, signed by Henry Hale, Page Smith, Moses Hadley, Henry Merrill, Paul Tenney, Jesse Davidson and William Gibson, asking to be set off as "a squad" by them_ selves and to have their share of the school money to be expended as they found it most convenient. This request was granted. At this meeting, too, the long delayed re- port of the committee for re-districting the town was adopt- ed with the exception of the "squad mentioned in the fore- going page."
REPORT OF DISTRICT COMMITTEE
We the subscribers being chosen a committee to divide the town into Districts for schooling, and number the same, and report to the town as soon as maybe, agreeable thereto we have divided it into nine districts as followeth (Viz.)
The names in No. 1:
Thomas Hamblet, Silas Gould, John Merrill, Moses Johnson, Dea. Isaac Merrill, Lt. Wm. Burns, Friend Moody, Eld. Samuel French, Abel Merrill, George Burns, Jona. Tenney, The place formerly Samuel Brown, the place formerly Thomas Hamblet, John Butler, Robert Stewart, Maj. James Ford, Benja. Merrill, Joseph Gould, Andrew Seavey, Jona. Gould.
No. 2. Joseph B. Wilson, Samuel Burbank, Henry Chase, John Pol- lard, Thomas Pollard, Benjamin Marshall, Stephen Chase, Isaac Colburn, Joseph Winn, Jane Seavey, Samll. Pollard, James Farmer, Ebenezer Pol- lard, Jeremiah Blodgett, Joshua Chase, Jonathan Hardy.
No. 3. Ebenezer Rand, Abner Watkins, Capt. David Cummings, Jos. Bradley, James Wason, Lt. Thomas Wason, James Caldwell, Joseph Caldwell, Asa Davis, John Huey, Nathaniel Seavey, Wid. Martha Cald-
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HISTORY OF THE SCHOOLS
well, Robert Glover, Samuel Wason, Samuel Caldwell, Alexander Cald- well, Eliphalet Hadley, Enos Hadley, Ichabod Eastman.
No. 4. Joseph Blodgett, Samuel Haywood, John Caldwell, Joseph Greeley, Edward Tenney, Jonathan Blodgett, James Pemberton, Timothy Pollard, Timothy Smith, Parrot Hadley, Eliphalet Hadley, Jr., Stephen Hadley, Richard Cutter, Wm. Atwood, Abijah Reed, Wm. Gibson, Phin- eas W. Blodgett, Henry Marshall.
No. 5. Seth Wyman, Lt. John Haseltine, John Haseltine, Jr., Jona. Bradley, Wid. Mary Duty, Samuel Smith, Huey, Jona. Searles, Elnathan Searles, John Campbell, Gideon Butler, Robert Patten, James Roby, Page Smith,, Capt. Abraham Page, Wd. Sarah Kenney, Henry Hale, Lt. Hugh Smith, Lt. Thomas Smith.
No. 6. Capt. Joseph Kelley, Capt. Peter Cross, Wd. Phebe Cum- mings, Dea. Ebenezer Cummings, Lt. Reuben Spalding, John Whittle Wd. Martha Davis, Dea. Thomas Marsh, Capt. Samuel Marsh, Joshua Pierce, Richard Marshall, Samuel Hills, Samuel Marsh, Philip Hills, Dan- iel Pierce, Timothy Patch, Thomas Cross, Philbrook Colby, Moses Had- ley.
No. 7. Ens. David Lawrence, Jona. Lawrence, John Smith, David Campbell, E- Grimes, Wm. Grimes, Robert McAdams, Andrew Robinson, Philip Marshall, George Burroughs, Isaac Page, Jacob Page, Jos. Steele, Peter Robinson, Jr., Capt. David Peabody, David Peabody, Jr., Amos Robinson, Wm. Steele.
No. 8. John Hale, Samson Kidder, Nat. Marshall, Elijah Marshall, Wd. Ruth Marshall, Benja. Melvin, Thomas Barrett, Moses Barrett, Isaac Barrett, Ens. Simeon Barrett, David Tarbell, Richard Hardy, Josiah Bur- roughs, Wm. Burroughs, Nat. Burroughs, Eliphalet Hills, Joel Barrett.
No. 9. Lt. Benja. Kidder, Joseph Hobbs, Joseph Nichols, Wm. Gibson, Simeon Robinson, Zach. Greeley, John Robinson, Lt. Ebenr. Tarbox, Lt. Henry Tarbox, John Marshall. Wd. Deborah Marshall, Thomas Senter, Levi Andrews, Capt. Ezekiel Greeley, Nathaniel Hills, Daniel Marshall, Wm. Hills, Jeremiah Hills, Doct. Joseph Gray, Lt Ezekiel Hills, Thomas Hills, Ens. Elijah Hills.
Note :- Wm. Gibson, is set off from District No. 4 to Davidson's squad.
NOTTINGHAM WEST, Jan. 16, 1786. ASA DAVIS, JON. HASELTINE, Committee. ISAAC MERRILL.
There were twenty names given in list No. 1; 16 in No. 2; 19 in No. 3; 18 in No. 4; 19 in No. 5; 19 in No. 6; 18 in No. 7; 17 in No. 8; and 22 in No. 9; making the total number of families, according to the report, 168.
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
District Number One covered the south-east corner of the town, and was known as "Musquash." The school house was, and is now, on the east side of the Back road, a short distance north of Musquash brook, and probably on the site of the Nottingham meeting-house.
District Number Two covered the south-west part of the town, and was known as "The Red school house Dis- trict." The house was located on the Chase and Colburn road a short distance west of the River road.
District Number Three was situated at the east side of the town, north of Number One, and was known as "Bush Hill District." The house stood on the east side of Bush Hill road, near the Asa Davis, since, the Morrison homestead.
District Number Four was located at the west part of the town, north of Number Two and east of Number Three district. The school house for many years, and until about the middle of the last century, stood in the side of the Blodgett cemetery, a little north but very near where the iron gate now is. This was on the site of the second, or Nottingham West meeting-house. This house was burned in 1855 and another was built on the west side of the high- way near "Elmhurst."
District Number Five, called "Hudson Center Dis- trict," was located east of Number Four and north of Num- ber Three, and included the center of the town. For many years the house stood near the summit of Corliss hill, on the west side of the road. Later it was located on the north side of the Pelham road, a little less than one-half mile south-east of Hudson Center.
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