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 42
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and was a good farmer. In the Baptist church he was very prominent. Previously a Whig in politics, he affiliated him- self with the Republican party in 1855.
Mr. Greeley was one of the most intellectual of the town's former residents, and his broad experience gave him great prestige in the transaction of business among its in- habitants for many years. He died in Hudson, March 30, 1863, aged 68 years and 8 months. His wife, Joanna C. M. Greeley, died June 20, 1890, aged 94 years and 4 months.
ALDEN HILLS
James Hills, (Samuel, Joseph, the emigrant) who was born in Newbury, Mass., February 25, 1697, was the young- est of the three brothers who settled, when he was a young man, at Hills' garrison, which was then in Dunstable.
In 1723, he sold all his interest in the garrison place in Dunstable, and returned to his native town of Newbury, where he married, December 26, 1723, Abigail, daughter of Daniel and Esther Merrill, of Newbury. He continued to reside in Newbury, until 1737, when he returned with his family and settled on "Hills Row," then in Litchfield, on the farm later, of Col. William Hills, now owned by Charles W. Hills. They had eight children, four boys and four girls, the youngest of whom was Elijah, born in Litchfield, March 15, 1738.
Ensign Elijah Hills married, December 23, 1762, Miri- am, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Proctor) Kidder, and settled on the old Hills homestead then in Nottingham West. He died January 3, 1828; his wife, Miriam, died August 14, 1822. They had eight children, three boys and five girls. Elijah Hills, the youngest, was born in Notting- ham West, December 14, 1778, and died March 10, 1833. He married Betsey, daughter of Henry and Sarah Tarbox, born in Nottingham West, January 26, 1782. She died July 17, 1857. They had seven children: Parker, Kim- ball, Thomas, Alden, Eliza, Warren and Edwin P.
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Alden Hills, born on the old homestead, September 10, 1807, married, in Plymouth, N. H., November 27, 1834, Nancy Currier Kimball, daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Currier) Kimball, born in Plymouth, January 17, 1814. Alden Hills died September 9, 1891. Nancy, his wife, died January 6, 1910.
Alden Hills resided on the old homestead of his father and grandfather, which was a large and productive farm. He was one of the selectmen of Hudson for 1863 and 1864, and collector of taxes for several years, and held other of- fices of honor and trust. He never sought preferment. His life's work was the tilling of the soil. He was a grand specimen of one of "nature's noblemen"-an honest man.
HIRAM MARSH
George Marsh, with his wife, Elizabeth, emigrated from Norfolk County, England, in 1635, and settled in Hingham, Mass., in June of that year. They had four children, two sons and two daughters, all born in England.
Their second son and third child, Onesiphorus Marsh, was born in England in 1630, and married Hannah Cutler of Hingham. He removed to Haverhill about 1674. They had seven children, three sons and four daughters, all born in Hingham. His wife, Hannah, died March 17, 1686. He died in Bradford, May 15, 1713, aged 83 years.
John Marsh, the second son and fourth child of One- siphorus and Hannah (Cutler) Marsh, born in Hingham, August 19, 1663, married, November 16, 1688, Lydia, daughter of Robert and Ann (Grant) Emerson, born Au- gust 11, 1667. He lived on Marsh Hill, Haverhill, Mass. Lydia died February 11, 1720. John Marsh died Novem- ber 24, 1733. They had eight children, four sons and four daughters.
John Marsh, the oldest son and third child of John and Lydia (Emerson) Marsh, was born in Haverhill, Au- gust 19, 1693. He was married, December 8, 1718, to Sa-
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rah Severance of Kingston, N. H., born in 1698. They lived for a time in Haverhill, but removed to Londonderry and later to Nottingham, now Hudson. They had five children, three sons and two daughters. John Marsh died November 20, 1777. Sarah, his wife, died January 28, 1786.
Thomas Marsh, the oldest son and child of John and Sarah (Severance) Marsh, was bornin Haverhill, Decem- ber 14, 1719. He married, November 17, 1741-'44, Ann, daughter of Benjamin and Ruth (Whittier) Greeley, of Ha- verhill, born February 15, 1724. He settled in Nottingham, now Hudson, as early as 1741 ; at first on "Hills Row," and later on the farm afterwards owned by his grandson, Hiram Marsh. His wife, Ann, died April 19, 1770; he died July 3, 1808. They had ten children, six sons and four daugh- ters, all born in Nottingham, or Nottingham West.
Jonathan Marsh, the fifth son and seventh child of Thomas and Ann (Greeley) Marsh, born in Nottingham West, March 4, 1759, and married, June 27, 1785, Eliza- beth, daughter of Enoch and Sarah (Little) Sawyer, born in Hampstead, N. H., June 29, 1767. He died October 1, 1830. His wife died April 26, 1855. They had ten chil- dren, six sons and four daughters.
Hiram Marsh, the fifth son and seventh child of Jona- than and Sarah (Sawyer) Marsh, was born in Nottingham West, November 9, 1800. He married, November 27, 1828, Olivia, daughter of John and Esther (Hadley) Goodspeed, born May 9, 1810. He was a life-long resident on the farm settled and improved by his grandfather, Thomas Marsh, and occupied later by his father, Jonathan. He was a fru- gal, industrious husbandman and farmer, a valued townsman and a kind husband and father. When a young man, he united with the Baptist church and remained a consistent member until his death.
He was a member of the board of selectmen in 1854 and 1860, and represented his town in the Legislature of the state in 1855. He was chosen chairman of a commit- tee of three, October 14, 1861, to relieve the families and
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dependents of soldiers serving in the army, and continued to occupy that position to the end of the war. Many other offices of honor and trust were filled by him. He died January 25, 1879. Olivia (Goodspeed) Marsh died May 24, 1899.
WALTER H. MARSH
Walter Hiram Marsh was born in Hudson, December 6, 1852, the youngest of nine children of Hiram and Olivia (Goodspeed) Marsh. He married, January 8, 1874, Lizzie S. daughter of Salem and Betsey Stanley (Shaw) Wilder, born July 28, 1853. She died October 2, 1881.
They had four children: Walter Wilder, Hiram Stan- ley, (born in Hudson), Marion and Elizabeth. He married second, June 11, 1885, Addie Elizabeth, daughter of John C. and Elizabeth (True) Mason, of Winchester, Mass. Their children were Edith and John Leland.
At an early age Mr. Marsh engaged in business in Boston. Since 1876, he has been connected with the well- known publishing house, the Butterick Publishing Com- pany of New York, and for the past twenty-one years has acted as their New England manager and general agent. For thirty years he was a resident of Winchester. In 1900, he came into possession of the Marsh homestead (first settled by his great grandfather, Thomas Marsh), where he now resides.
JAMES B. MERRILL
James B. Merrill, son of Deacon Benjamin and Sarah (Plummer) Merrill, and great grandson of Rev. Nathaniel Merrill, the first minister settled in this town, November 30, 1737, was born in Nottingham West, now Hudson, May 6, 1824.
Mr. Merrill received his education at the public schools in his native town. He worked with his father on the farm until he became twenty-one years of age. He then
WALTER H. MARSH
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learned the carpenter's trade and pursued the calling of carpenter and builder in Lowell, Nashua, Hudson and else- where for many years. Later in life he was mostly en- gaged in farming.
He married, January 22, 1857, Persis A., daughter of William and Persis G. (Moore) Winn, born in Hudson, June 10, 1832. The children from this union were Annie Ger- trude, James Everett and George A.
Mr. Merrill early affiliated himself with the Republican party at its organization in Hudson in 1855, and was ever after a staunch Republican. He took a deep interest in all the affairs relating to the town of Hudson. He repre- sented the town in the Legislature in 1876, and was one of the board of selectmen of the town in 1870 to 1872, being chairman of the board the last year. He was town clerk for twelve years, 1873, 1880 and to 1890, and was also town treasurer for thirteen years.
He was one of the committee of five chosen on the part of the town of Hudson, in 1881, to construct, with the city of Nashua, a new bridge across the Merrimack river, to replace the old one. He was a charter member of Hud- son Grange, No. 11, and its first secretary, and held the of- fice of Master.
In his religious preferences Mr. Merrill was a Congre- gationalist, and was a devoted member of that church in Hudson. He stood high in the regard and esteem of his fellow townsmen, and was faithful in the discharge of all his various duties, honest and conscientious in his dealings, and a worthy representative of a noble great grandsire, Rev. Nathaniel Merrill.
James B. Merrill died in Hudson, May 9, 1901. Persis A. Merrill died January 3, 1905.
JOHN A. ROBINSON
John Abner Robinson was born in Hudson, N. H., December 28, 1863. He married, March 5, 1890, Julia
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Anna Webster, born October 26, 1867, the daughter of Kimball and Abiah (Cutter) Webster. They have no chil- dren. Mr. Robinson served the town as selectman in 1897 to 1900, and was again elected to that office at the last an- nual town meeting, March 11, 1913. He was a member of the Legislature from this town for the term of 1905.
Mr. Robinson is a descendant of several of the older families of Hudson. On the maternal side are the Hasel- ton, Haseltine, Smith and Page families. Abraham Page, whose name appears in the ancient records, was his great, great, great, great grandfather.
On the paternal side his ancestor, Simeon Robinson, became a resident of Hudson by the annexation of a part of Londonderry to Nottingham West, in 1778, as one of the new corners between the two towns was established "at a large Black Oak tree marked, standing about 4 rods East of Simeon Robinson's house." This was a little west of, but near the Twiss road. The birthplace of Simeon or the date of his settlement in Londonderry is not known. He was born, probably, in 1744, as the record of his death is given as November 22, 1820, aged 76 years. He settled on the farm near Robinson pond in Hudson, about 1786. This farm has since then continued in the Robinson family.
Simeon married, first, Susannah Tarbox, by whom he had four sons, Daniel, David, Isaac and Noah, and two daughters, Hannah and Susan.
David, born March 4, 1775; married, Dceember 13, 1798, Martha Anderson, born October 13, 1774. He died December 12, 1864; she died February 28, 1860. Their children were: Patty, David, John Anderson, Anna Da- vidson, Isaac, who died young, and Louisa.
John Anderson, born September 16, 1802; married, December 8, 1836, Marinda Caldwell, born May 16, 1810. He died August 14, 1865; she died January 23, 1897. Their children were: Alphonzo, Sarah Jane, Henry C. and Angelah, who died young.
Alphonzo, born November 5, 1837; married, December 23, 1862, Louisa Ann Haselton, born November 8, 1838.
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Their children were: John Abner, Clarence Luther, who died young, and Hattie Louisa, who died February 27, 1912.
REUBEN SPALDING
Ebenezer Spalding, an early resident on a part of the Joseph Hills farm before Nottingham received its charter from Massachusetts, was a son of Edward, born in Chelms- ford, January 13, 1683.
He had a son, Reuben, born July 26, 1728. In the Spalding family he was the first of four in a direct line to bear the name, and all were born here.
The second Reuben was born September 6, 1761, and was a life-long resident of Hudson. He married Susanna Pierce, October 10, 1780.
Their son Reuben was born March 2, 1781. He mar- ried Hannah Barrett, daughter of Isaac and Susanna (Page) Barrett of this town. Reuben, the subject of this sketch, was born July 1, 1811. He grew to manhood in Hudson and Londonderry, and acquired his education in the public schools. At the age of nineteen he began to learn the car- penter trade, which he subsequently followed as a journey-
man for several years. He was afterwards employed for fourteen years at the Jackson machine shop in Nashua, as a pattern maker, and worked in the same capacity in the railroad shops at Lowell and Nashua for twenty-one years. In 1859, he purchased the old Underwood place in Hudson, which contained one hundred and twenty acres, and was one of the most fertile and productive farms in town. He took great pleasure in tilling this farm, and was an in- dustrious and progressive farmer until his death. He mar- ried, January 17, 1839, Emily Brooks, of Townsend, Mass.
Two children sprung from this marriage: Reuben Leander, born in Nashua, February 3, 1844, and George E., born July 20, 1848, who died in infancy. Emily, his wife, died July 26, 1849. He married, October 15, 1851, Sarah E. Laton, daughter of Captain Thomas Laton, of Nashua.
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There were children, also, of this marriage: Charles L., born in Nashua, April 5, 1854, and Sarah Maria, born July 12, 1858.
Reuben L., married, January 1, 1866, Abbie E., daugh- ter of Amos and Electa S. Winn of Hudson. They had two children: Edward A., born May 20, 1869, and George, who died in infancy. His wife died October 20, 1875. De- cember 18, 1879, he married Mary E., daughter of Enoch and' Elizabeth (Bennett) Dickerson. The result of this union was a daughter, Emily M., born February 18, 1882.
Edward A. Spalding married, October 27, 1888, Anna E. Sanders, of Washington, Vt., and resides in Hudson. They have one child, Ned, born May 26, 1910.
Charles L. Spalding married, January 7, 1886, Sarah B., daughter of William T. and Lucy A., (Byam) Merrill, born in Hudson, January 13, 1863. They have two chil- dren: Helen C., born in Hudson, January 10, 1887, and Harold M., born July 20, 1889. They live in Hudson.
Sarah Maria married, June 23, 1892, John C. Groves, son of Robert and Elizabeth Groves, of Hudson. They settled on the old homestead in Hudson, and have two sons, Reuben Spalding, born July 28, 1893, and Robert Laton, born July 20, 1895.
Mr. Spalding was a Democrat politically, but never sought office; yet he was a member of the board of select- men in Hudson for two years, 1874 and 1875. He attended the Episcopal church. He died October 4, 1901, aged 90 years. His wife, Sarah E., died June 3, 1898, aged 79.
He was an honor to his native town while he lived, and was a worthy exponent of this one among the most ancient and honored families of Hudson.
KIMBALL WEBSTER
(I). John Webster came from Ipswich, Suffolk Coun- ty, England, to Ipswich, Mass., where he was made a free- man in 1635. He died about 1646, and his family after-
REUBEN SPALDING
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wards removed to Newbury. His wife was Mary Shats- well. They had four sons and four daughters, as follows: Mary, John, born in 1633, Hannah, Abigail, Stephen, Eliz- abeth, Israel and Nathan. On October 29, 1650, Mary, the widow of John Webster, married John Emery of Newbury, and died April 28, 1694.
Hannah Webster, second daughter and third child of John and Mary Shatswell Webster, married, April 1, 1657, Michael Emerson, and they settled in Haverhill, Mass. They had fifteen children, the oldest of whom was Hannah, born December 23, 1657, who married, December 3, 1677, Thomas Duston. She was the famous Indian heroine.
(II). Stephen, second son and fifth child of John and Mary (Shatswell) Webster, was born in Ipswich, Mass., removed to Newbury, and from there to Haverhill in 1653. He was a tailor by trade, a man of influence, and was one of the selectmen in 1669. He married, first, March 24, 1663, Hannah, daughter of John Ayer, of Salisbury, who died June 2, 1676. He married, second, May 26, 1678, Widow Judith Brown. He died August 10, 1694. His children, all by his first wife, were: Hannah, John, Mary, Stephen, Nathan and Abigail.
(III). Stephen, second son and fourth child of Ste- phen and Hannah (Ayer) Webster, was born in Haverhill, January 1, 1672, and died March 9, 1748, aged seventy-six. He was one of eight men in the garrison of John Webster, March, 1690. He married Widow Mary Cook. They had six children : Samuel, John, Stephen, William, Ebenezer and Mary.
(IV). Ebenezer, fifth son and child of Stephen and Mary (Cook) Webster, was born in Haverhill, September 20, 1711. He married, March 1, 1737, Mehitable, daughter of Jonathan and Lydia (Day) Kimball, of Bradford, Mass. Their children were: Lydia, Isaac, Mary, Ebenezer, Jona- than, Stephen, Moses and John.
(V). Ebenezer, fourth child and second son of Eben- ezer and Mehitable (Kimball) Webster, was born in Haver-
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hill, February 1, 1744, and died in Pelham, N. H, March 14, 1823. He was married three times and settled in Pel- ham. He married in Pelham, November 29, 1770, Rebecca Baldwin, probably of Pelham. They had three children: Sarah, Ebenezer and Rebecca, the last of whom died young. His wife, Rebecca, died, and he married, second, in Pel- ham, December 31, 1775, Martha Barker. She died with- out issue, and he married, third, in Salem, N. H., October 14, 1778, Elizabeth Bradford of Salem, formerly of Bev- erly, Mass., daughter of Captain Simon and Eunice (War- ren) Bradford, born in Beverly, September 6, 1754. She died in Amherst, N. H., March 27, 1844. They had nine children, all born in Pelham: Rebecca, Nancy, Moses, Simon, Isaac, Asa, John, Benjamin and Betsey.
Ebenezer Webster was a quiet, industrious farmer in Pelham, residing just south of North, or White's pond, where he spent all his life after his marriage.
(VI). John, seventh child and fifth son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Bradford) Webster, was born in Pelham, December 25, 1791. He married, August 22, 1815, Han- nah, daughter of Eleazer and Sarah (Hale) Cummings, born in Nottingham West, now Hudson, August 4, 1794. She was a great granddaughter of Deacon Henry and Mary (Bartlett) Hale, and also a great granddaughter of Nathan- iel and Ann (Worm) Hills, of Hills' Garrison, both of Not- tingham West.
John resided upon the old homestead in Pelham, ex- cepting one year in Meredith, 1819, and one year in Hud- son, 1834, until 1841, when he sold his farm in Pelham and removed to Amherst, N. H., where he remained until 1846, when he returned to Hudson, and bought a farm on Bush hill, where he lived for twenty years, and then made his home with his daughters, Mrs. Titcomb and Mrs. Baker, until his death, March 1, 1883. Mr. Webster was a man of great energy and unremitting industry, by which he had been able to provide for his large family of children, and insure for himself a comfortable support in his old age. He
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was drafted in the war of 1812, and served in Captain Haynes' company at Portsmouth, where he obtained an honorable discharge.
He was a loyal citizen, a good husband and father, an attentive son, supporting his aged parents until their death, and doing his duty faithfully in every position. For many years he was universally called "Honest John Webster."
Mrs. Hannah (Cummings) Webster performed faith- fully her part in life as wife, mother and Christian. Indus- trious and frugal, she cared for her large family of children, physically, morally and religiously, and her children learned from day to day by precept and example. She united with the Congregational church in Pelham, and was an esteemed member of other churches of the same denomination where- ever she resided. She died in Hudson, February 3, 1871.
The children of John and Hannah (Cummings) Web- ster were: Elizabeth B., married Warren Blodgett; Moses; Sally Hale, married Simeon Titcomb; Eleazer C., died young; Lovisa U., married John H. Baker; Lucy Ann, married Daniel B. Cluff; Kimball; Hannah Jane, died un- married; John C .; Nathan P .; Willard H .; Milton E., died young; and Orrin P.
(VII). Kimball, seventh child and third son of John and Hannah (Cummings) Webster, was born in Pelham, November 2, 1828. His education was acquired at the common schools of Pelham and Hudson. He grew up a farmer boy inured to hard work, and prepared for the toil and labor that have since been his lot. He also worked upon the quarries in Pelham in 1847 and 1848.
He was one of the California pioneers of "forty-nine." April 17, 1849, six months before attaining his majority, after hearing of the great gold discovery in California, he left home and went to Independence, Missouri, where with a company of twenty-eight men fitted out with pack mules and horses, he traveled over the trail to California, arriving in the Sacramento valley October 13, after spending six months on the way, and experiencing many hardships. He
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
engaged in mining on the Feather and Yuba rivers, and in June, 1851, went to Oregon, then a territory, as was also California.
He was engaged upon the surveys of the public lands in Oregon, and in the spring of 1852, was commissioned a deputy surveyor. His work was in the Willamette and Umpqua valleys. He returned home by the way of the Isthmus of Panama in the fall of 1854.
: In 1855, he was employed as a surveyor and land ex- aminer by the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad company, in the western part of Missouri. In the summer of 1858, he resided in Vinal Haven, Me., and was in the service of the Bodwell Granite Company. Since that time he has been a resident of Hudson, where he owns and occupies a portion of the farm purchased by his great grandfather, Eleazer Cummings, in 1728.
Mr. Webster married, January 29, 1857, Abiah Cutter, daughter of Seth and Deborah (Gage) Butler Cutter, born in Pelham, February 1, 1837. Their children were: Lizzie Jane, born January 11, 1858, married Horace A. Martin, resides in Hudson; Ella Frances, born August 19, 1859, married Frank A. Walch, and resides in Nashua; twins, two boys, born June 26, 1861, and died soon after; Eliza Ball, born July 14, 1862, and married Charles C. Leslie, resides in Hudson; Latina Ray, born July 26, 1865, died November 12, 1887; Julia Anna, born October 26, 1867, married John A. Robinson and resides in Hudson; Mary Newton, born August 9, 1869, married George H. Abbott, and resides in Hudson; and twins, male and female, born June 10, 1876, and died the same day.
They have eight grandchildren and seven great grand- children. (1912.)
Mr. Webster has been a surveyor and engineer. He had an experience of fifty years in tracing old lines and boundaries and finding lost land marks. In this he was considered an expert, with very few superiors.
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He has always been a Democrat in politics, and al- though in the minority party politically in his town, he was selectman four years, being chairman of the board.
He has twice been chairman of a committee to re- appraise all the real estate in Hudson for taxation, and was chosen a third time, but declined to serve on account of his advancing age. He represented his town in the state Legislature for the term of 1901 to 1902. He was a mem- ber of the school board of Hudson for seven years, 1885- 1893. He has been one of the trustees of the public library since its organization in 1894. He was chairman of a com- mittee of five to build a new bridge over Merrimack river in 1881. In 1910, he was again a member of another com- mittee of five for the town of Hudson, including the select- men, to build another bridge to replace the former one, which had become unfit for the increasing traffic.
He has been a continuous acting Justice of the Peace since 1859, drawing numerous deeds, wills and other legal papers. His practice in the probate courts has been ex- tensive. He has been a trustee in savings banks in Nashua for many years. He is a member of Rising Sun Lodge, F. and A. M., of Nashua, and has been largely identified with the history of the order of Patrons of Husbandry in Hills- borough County. He was the first to become interested in the establishment of a local grange in Hudson, and was its Master for ten years. He was one of the few to organ- ize the New Hampshire State Grange, December 23, 1873, and also Hillsborough County Council, March 4, 1874, of which he was Master two years, and its secretary from De- cember, 1876, until the organization, April 17, 1883, of its successor, Hillsborough County Pomona Grange, No. 1, when he was secretary of that body, which office he con- tinued to hold to December, 1888, when he declined a re- election.
He has always been much interested in historical mat- ters and ancient landmarks, including genealogies.
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HISTORY OF HUDSON
In the Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, published in 1908, under Webster ances- try, page 23, Ebenezer Webster, are several very important errors.
The genealogy will be found correct in this article, also as given in the History of Hudson, in the History of Hills- borough County, N. H., published 1885, by J. W. Lewis & Co., Philadelphia, page 482.
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