USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > Lancaster > History of Lancaster, New Hampshire > Part 61
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George H. Nickerson, Co. F. Milton A. Adams, Co. A.
Enoch N. Clement, Co. A. James Colby, Co. B. Reuben F. Carter, Co. K. Joseph Hart, bugler, Co. D. Joseph P. Matthews, Co. H. Martin McCormic, Co. F. Daniel Mahoney, Co. F. George W. Marden, Co. A. Charles D. Farrington, Co. B.
558
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Louis Lapointe, Co. B. Edward Sweeney. Eldad A. Rhoades, sergt. Co. B. Solomon Wilson, Co. B. Jonathan Dow, Co. B.
Hosea Stone, Co. B.
SIXTH REGIMENT.
Edward Gillingham, Co. H.
Charles Parker, Co. F.
Theodore Hagerman, Co. K.
Harvey Knip, Co. A.
Harvey H. Lucas, Co. H.
Franklin Walker, Co. A.
SEVENTH REGIMENT.
Frederick Ingerson, Co. A.
Cyrus Savage, Co. A.
James S. Lucas, Co. A.
Charles C. Beaton, Co. G.
Alden Lewis, Co. A.
Daniel T. Johnson, Co. G.
Philip McCaffrey, Co. A.
James A. King, Co. B.
John L. Meserve, Co. A.
Joseph Lary, Co. H.
EIGHTH REGIMENT.
Wellington Brown, Co. G.
Charles O. Merry, Co. G.
William Cloutman, Co. F.
George C. French, Co. C. William B. Hetson, Co. E.
Michael O'Flanigan, Co. G. Adam Osborne, Co. C. Jacob Renold, Co. G.
John Jordan, Co. E.
Oliver Sules, Co. G.
Allen Johnson, Co. F.
James S. Lorne, Co. H.
Peter Larson, Co. D.
Jonathan Metcalf, Co. G.
William H. Veazie, Co. G. Joseph G. Wolcott, Co. G. William Brown, Co. F.
NINTH REGIMENT.
Frederick Morse, corp. Co. H. William H. Allen, Co. H. William H. Farnham, Co. H. Henry H. Moulton, Co. H. Freeman H. Perkins, Co. H. Henry H. Sanderson, Co. H. Lucien F. Thomas, Co. H. Simon Connary, Co. H. George W. Cummings, Co. H. Ira G. Douglass, Co. F. Loren E. Stalbird, Co. H. Joseph E. Hodge, Co. H. Edwin R. Jones, Co. H.
John G. Lewis, 2d, Co. H. Harvey H. Lucas, Co. H. Paul Perkins, Co. H. Charles E. Rogers, Co. H.
Sanford E. Dinsmore, Co. H. Harrison E. Round, Co. H. George Tenry, Co. F. William H. Wilkins, Co. H. John Boudle, Co. H. Nelson Palmer, Co. H. Sumner Perkins, Co. H. John Mooney, Co. H.
ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
John Burgin, Co. G.
Charles E. Rogers, Co. H. Aaron Wight, Co. I.
559
THE SOLDIERS OF LANCASTER.
THIRTEENTH REGIMENT.
Otis B. Harriman, Co. D.
FOURTEENTH REGIMENT.
Hiram J. Round, sergt. Co. E. Spaulding S. Rich, Co. E.
Lewis P. Summers, sergt. Co. E. William Sherwood, Co. E.
Abel H. Wesson, Co. E.
Frank Boutwell, Co. E.
W. H. H. Stalbird, Co. E. Edward B. Wilder, Co. E.
Moses Colby, Co. E. David Young, Co. E.
Alden A. Dow, Co. E. Thomas Cassady, Co. F.
Joseph M. Gray, Co. E. Ida A. Hodge, Co. E.
Frederick O. Hayes, Co. F.
John McMahon, Co. I.
Edward Jarvis, Co. E.
William Blair, Co. E.
William Jarvis, Co. E.
Edward Lotcher, Co. F.
Andrew J. Lang, Co. E.
Thomas Wentworth, Co. E.
Charles E. Nutter, Co. E.
Benj. F. Moulton, Co. E.
SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT.
John P. Denison, com. sergt. Ezra H. Bennett, sergt. Co. A. Charles A. Larkin, sergt. Co. A. Sidney H. Peaslee, wagonmaster, Geo. H. Emerson, corp. Co. A. Co. A. Sumner Perkins, Co. A. H. E. Hadlock, hdqrs. Co. A.
Thomas P. Moody, corp. Co. A. Alfred C. Pratt, Co. A.
Harvey H. Lucas, Co. A.
William C. Putnam, Co. A.
Frank Rafferty, Jr., Co. A.
Albro L. Robinson, hosp. steward.
James Ross, Co. A. William L. Rowell, sergt. Co. A.
Thomas Cunningham, Co. A.
John G. Derby, ord. sergt. Co. C. Jason Sherwood, Co. A.
Willard A. Jackson, Co. A.
Alfred L. Jackson, Co. A.
John W. Smith, Co. A. Cyril C. Smith, Co. A.
EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT.
Michael Early, Co. H. Patrick Cassady, Co. K.
HEAVY ARTILLERY.
William G. Ellis, Co. I. Richard M. J. Grant, Co. I. Phineas R. Hodgdon, Co. I.
Joseph H. Wilder, Co. I. Zeb Twitchell, Co. I. Horatio O. Lewis, Co. I.
William M. Cushing, Co. I.
Joseph P. Matthews, Co. I.
Walter S. Bailey, hdqrs. Co. A. Simpson E. Chase, wardmaster, Co. A.
John C. Jenness, clerk, Q. M. S.
John C. Moore, Co. A. Henry McCarthy, Co. A.
560
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Charles Sherwood, Co. I.
George Robinson, Co. I.
Isaac F. Cotton, Co. I.
Samuel S. McDonald, Co. I.
Roswell C. Chessman, Co. I.
Joseph B. Cloutman, Co. I.
Richard H. Emerson, Co. I.
Jason Sherwood, Co. I.
Hezekiah E. Hadlock.
COMPANY G, SECOND UNITED STATES SHARPSHOOTERS.
Zeb Twitchell.
Reuben F. Carter.
Joseph K. Hodge. James S. Kent.
Thomas S. Ellis.
Horace F. Morse.
Reuben Gray.
FIRST NEW ENGLAND CAVALRY.
Kimball A. Morse, Co. L.
John K. Burton, Co. F.
Michael Leary, Co. F.
Commissions, 2I
Enlistments,
240
Total, 261
Probably about 230 different soldiers.
REGIMENT AND COMPANY UNKNOWN.
Allison Chapman, recruit.
George C. Wilson, recruit.
Henry Long, recruit.
Harpless Ellison, recruit.
William Ward, recruit.
Nelson Heath, recruit.
Luke Odell, recruit.
George Williams, recruit.
Alexander Lilley, recruit.
Louis Warren, recruit.
Joseph Staples, recruit.
Charles Wilson, recruit.
Peyton Jackson, colored, Washington, August, 1864.
William Harden, colored, Washington, August, 1864.
John F. Sims, colored, Washington, August, 1864.
John F. Newman, colored, Washington, August, 1864.
It is perhaps needless to say that the foregoing lists of sol- diers do not comprehend the names of all present or past citizens
Orville R. Moulton, light battery, or Co. M.
John M. Farnham, Co. I .. Edwin Farnham, Co. I.
John Monahan, Co. I. John G. Monahan, Co. I.
561
THE SOLDIERS OF LANCASTER.
of Lancaster who have served in the militia or the armies of the Union, but only of those who were citizens of the town during their time of service, and who are credited to Lancaster on the official records of the period, and of those now resident in town.
Since the compilation of the foregoing, the following additional information concerning the officers in command of the militia in the regiments embracing the county of Coös has been furnished by Hon. A. S. Batchellor, state historian :
Field officers of the militia regiment, covering the northwestern part of Grafton county (then embracing the present county of Coös) :
THE PROVINCIAL PERIOD.
From 1773, 1774, 1775, until August 24 :
John Hurd, colonel, Haverhill.
Asa Porter, lieutenant-colonel, Haverhill.
William Simpson, major, Orford.
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD.
The state was divided into sixteen regiments August 24, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, and to January 12, 1782 :
Israel Morey, colonel, Orford.
Charles Johnson, lieutenant-colonel, Haverhill.
Jonathan Child, first major, Lyme.
John Hale, second major, Haverhill.
By act of assembly, Lieutenant-colonel Charles Johnson was given command of the regiment in place of Morey, January 12, 1782, on account of the relations of the latter with the " Vermont movement" (the forming of an independent government, by the towns on either side of the river, in the Connecticut valley, with Hanover as the focus). No record is found as to the other field officers. After the promotion of Johnson, who was colonel to 1785, Major Child was, however, mixed with the Vermont movement, as was Morey.
TWENTY-FIFTH REGIMENT.
A new organization of the regiments, and increase in their num- ber, was effected in 1785, the field officers of the regiment in this territory being for 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, a break in the records here appearing until March 26, 1793 :
Joseph Whipple, colonel, Jefferson (then Dartmouth).
Edwards Bucknam, lieutenant-colonel, Lancaster. John Young, major first battalion, Lisbon.
Asa Bailey, major second battalion, Landaff.
36
562
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
TWENTY-FOURTH REGIMENT.
March 26, 1793.
Edwards Bucknam, lieutenant-colonel commanding, Lancaster.
John Young, major first battalion, Lisbon.
Jabez Parsons, major second battalion, Colebrook.
Young retired as major in 1798, when Amos Wheeler of Fran- conia was commissioned major of the first battalion.
1799 and 1800-Jabez Parsons, Colebrook; Amos Wheeler, first battalion, Franconia; Nathan Barlow, second battalion, Strat- ford.
1801-'02-'03-Nathan Barlow, Stratford; Richard C. Everett, Lan- caster ; Hopestill Jennison, Lancaster.
June 4, 1804-Richard Clair Everett T, Lancaster; Stephen Wilson, Lancaster; Jeremiah Eames, Jr., Stewartstown.
THE WAR WITH SPAIN AND IN THE PHILIPPINES.
(We are enabled, just as this chapter goes to press (1899) to add in this connection names of Lancaster men, so far as ascertained, engaged in the Spanish War and its consequent service.)
John W. Weeks, captain Massachusetts brigade naval militia. Harry Hayes, U. S. S. Pawnee.
Charles Cragie, 7Ist N. Y. Vol. Inf. Alexander Kier, Ist N. H. Vol. Inf. Fred Fuller, Ist N. H. Vol. Inf. Ernest Dow, 14th Minn. Vol. Inf. Charles French, Ist Vt. Vol. Inf. Frank Cassady, Ist Vt. Vol. Inf.
* N. H. Prov. Papers, Vol. 7, p. 578 ; N. H. State Papers, Vol. 4, pp. 256 and 558.
Upon the promotion of Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson, at this time, by reason of the removal of Colonel Morey from his command, on account of his identification with the "Vermont Movement," and the consequent prejudicial effect on the regiment, one or more vacancies in the field officers resulted, but what appointments or promotions resulted is not shown by the records. Major Child was in the same boat as Morey, as regards the Vermont affair. Old records mention Hale, by the title of colonel (possi- bly lieutenant-colonel). Child would not have been promoted-Hale might have been ; there is doubt concerning such promotion, however.
# New Hampshire State Papers, Vol. 8, p. 928.
§ New Hampshire State Papers, Vol. 20, p. 261.
| New Hampshire State Papers, Vol. 22, pp. 738-740.
T In 1805 Coos county was organized according to the act of 1803 establishing it, and December 13, 1804, that part of Grafton outside the limits of the new county that had been included in the Twenty-fourth regiment was "set off " for the Thirty-second regi- ment. The militia of Coos remained the Twenty-fourth regiment, mustering annually alternately at Lancaster and Colebrook until 1840, when that part in the present southern judicial district of Coos was assigned to the Forty-second regiment, and so remained until the abolition of the militia system in 1850.
:
MAIN STREET, ABOVE LANCASTER HOUSE, 1864.
MAIN STREET, ABOVE COURT-HOUSE, 1868.
563
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
Patrick McRae, Mass. Vol. Inf. Frank McRae, Mass. Vol. Inf. Thomas Hopkins, 26th U. S. Vol. Inf. Isaac McGoff, 26th U. S. Vol. Inf. Elwyn R. Marsh, 46th U. S. Vol. Inf. Henry C. Whittier, 46th U. S. Vol. Inf.
George W. Foshey, 46th U. S. Vol. Inf.
CHAPTER XVIII. -
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN OF LANCASTER.
[Being a reprint of the essential parts of the "Centennial Pamphlet" of 1864,-" J. M. W. Yerrington, Reporter. Published by Edward Savage, Bookseller."]
In accordance with a notice extensively circulated by a committee of the citizens of Lancaster, the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of this town was celebrated on Thursday, July 14, 1864. Invitations had been extended to very many of the former residents of the town, now scattered throughout the broad Union, to revisit their early home, and take part in the exercises of the occasion. To these invitations a large number responded in person or by letter. Among the prominent gentlemen from abroad were Hon. Edward D. Holton, of Milwaukee, Wis .; John B. Brown, Esq., of Portland, Me .; Nathaniel White, Esq., of Concord, and I. B. Gorham, Esq., of St. Johnsbury, Vt.
A national salute, fired from two old field pieces, taken from the British by Stark, at Bennington, the display of flags and the ringing of bells, ushered in the day. At an early hour the stream of travel from the neighboring towns, on both sides of the river, commenced, and soon the usually quiet town presented an animated and holiday aspect. In the village itself all labor was suspended, and the people gave themselves up to the unrestrained enjoyment of the day, and the exercise of a general and cordial hospitality.
The day was one of enchanting loveliness. Nature, with radiant smiles, welcomed her truant children, returning from crowded city or town to her motherly embrace, and fanned them with the breath of gales that " winnowed fragrance round the smiling land." Well might these wanderers from the lovely valley where their youth was cradled repeat the lines of Gray, on revisiting Eton :
Ah, happy hills! ah, pleasing shade ! Ah, fields beloved in vain ! Where oft my careless childhood strayed A stranger yet to pain ;
564
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
I feel the gales that round ye blow A momentary bliss bestow ; As waving fresh their gladsome wing, My weary soul they seem to soothe, And redolent of joy and youth, To breathe a second spring.
A procession was formed at 9 : 30 o'clock, on the south side of Elm street, the right resting upon Main, which soon after ten o'clock moved in the following order :
Aid. Marshal-in-Chief. Aid. Lancaster Cornet Band, Lt. Albert F. Whipple, leader. North Star Commandery of Knights Templar, Sir Kt. J. I. Williams, commander. Aid. North Star Lodge No. 8, A. F. & A. M., Aid. B. F. Hunking, W. Master. Engine Company, No. I. State and Town officials.
Aid.
Committee of Arrangements. Aid.
Officers of the Day and Committees. President of the Day. Distinguished Visitors in carriages.
County officials and Government officers. Soldiers bearing the National Flag. Venerable settlers and residents of the Town, in carriages. The Reverend Clergy. Lancaster Glee Club.
Aid.
The Sabbath Schools Aid.
connected with the various churches.
Aid.
Citizens of Lancaster. Aid.
Aid.
Citizens of other towns. Aid.
Appropriate banners and flags were displayed by the several societies, and the glorious stars and stripes, conspicuously exhibited at several points, thrilled the heart with their patriotic associations.
The route of the procession was up Main street to the Lancaster House, where the president of the day, with other distinguished guests, was received ; thence up Main to North, and down again to the space adjoining the Congregational church, where the literary exercises were to take place, a window having been removed from the north side of the church, and a temporary platform erected that all, both inside and out, might have an opportunity to see and hear.
The church was soon crowded to its utmost capacity, and the space adjoining well filled by a large company waiting the com- mencement of the exercises. The number present was variously estimated at from two to three thousand. Inside the church several of the most venerable citizens occupied the front seats. Among them were Emmons Stockwell, Reuben G. Freeman, Francis Wilson, Douglass Spaulding, Ephraim Stockwell, Spencer Clark, William Holkins, Benjamin Hunking, and Beniah Colby.
565
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
At II o'clock the exercises were commenced with music by the cornet band, at the conclusion of which Colonel Kent, chief marshal, said :
My friends, I regret to commence the exercises of the day by making excuses or apologies ; but it is necessary I should do so, in order to a correct understand- ing of the remaining part of the programme. It was thoroughly understood that Colonel Farrar, of Oregon, was to deliver the oration, and he gave me his per- sonal pledge, on the 5th inst., that he would be here without fail. He was in Washington a few days ago, and the recent rebel incursion into Maryland, sun- dering the connection between that city and the rest of the country, has, I suppose, rendered it impossible for him to be here. Several gentlemen, who were invited, and also expected to be present, His Excellency, Governor Andrew, of Masaachussetts and His Excellency, Governor Gilmore, of this state, among others, have found it impossible for them to be here, in consequence of the busi- ness that has been thrust upon them from the same cause-the rebel raid. I have received letters from several of these gentlemen, which will be read at the proper time.
But I am happy to say, that on this anniversary of the settlement of our good old town, we are not to be without speakers who will entertain us. There are gentlemen present from abroad, who, having served their country honorably in posts of danger, have come back to join with those who remain at home in cele- brating this glorious anniversary, and others, who, in civil life, have honored by their success the town of their nativity. From them, you will be glad to hear. I take pleasure in saying that the programme at the dinner will be fully carried out.
And now, fellow-citizens, I am happy in introducing to you the president of the day, Hon. David H. Mason, a Lancaster boy, whom yon will rejoice to welcome here to-day, who will preside on the occasion, and will address you, in the absence of the orator.
Rev. David Perry, of Brookfield, Vt., then invoked the divine blessing upon all the proceedings of the day, after which the follow- ing song, written for the occasion by Henry O. Kent, Esq. (music by L. O. Emerson of Boston), was sung by the Glee club in a most acceptable manner :
The mountains look down in their grandeur and pride, On the home of our childhood to-day ; On the wandering children who roamed from their side To gather rare flowers by the way. They're united again in the dear old town, 'Mong the streams and the woods of yore,
They have fought well the fight for gold and renown, And they turn to their childhood's door.
There are those who have lingered around the old home, While their brethren were far in the strife ;
Who have tilled the old fields through the years that are flown, In the quiet and comfort of life ; These welcome ye back with hearts full of joy, A joy that commingles with pride,
As they greet with warm fervor each wandering boy To the town where his forefathers died.
566
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
We gather to-day among scenes so endeared, To crown with the fame of her sons,
The time-silvered locks of the mother revered, While an hundred long winters have flown ; To wreathe a full chaplet of daughters' warm love 'Mid the silvery sheen of her hair,
As enduringly pure as the azure above That smiles on an homage so fair.
Welcome home, from the East and the West and the South, Welcome home, on this dear natal day ;
The kiss of some loved one is warm on each mouth ; Ye have tarried a long time away.
Welcome home, and forgetting the wearying care That compassed the pathway ye trod,
Throw off the chill years and be young again here, In the smile of a love born of God.
Welcome home, to each spot so remembered of yore, Welcome home, to each love that endures ;
Gather strength for the journey that stretches before, Ere our sails leave these vanishing shores. Go forth from among us with tokens of love, Glad burdens each journey to crown ;
So shall memory's banquet be spread as ye rove From the home that's behind ye-our dear old town.
THE PRESIDENT. We will commence with the opening chapter of the history of Lancaster. I therefore call upon Ossian Ray, Esq., to read the charter of the town.
MR. RAY. Mr. President : The original document is not to be had upon this occasion. Whether it was deposited, like some ancient charters that we read of in history, in the hollow of a tree in this town, or elsewhere, and has thus been lost, I know not. But we have, at any rate, a fac simile of the original document, nearly as old as that. I propose to read from that copy.
[Published elsewhere in this volume.]
THE PRESIDENT. This is a day of jubilee, and I propose to call for three cheers for the quaint old charter. My friend, the chap- lain, says it is all right, even in a meeting-house. Col. Kent will lead off in the cheers.
The audience responded to this call with three hearty cheers, which was followed by another song, entitled "Our Lancaster," written by Mrs. Mary B. C. Slade. (This song, also, was set to music by Mr. Emerson.)
The sturdy tree of Pilgrim stock Its root had struck 'neath Plymouth Rock ; And sweet savannahs smiled to see The Coming of the Chivalry !
567
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
When, turning from the vales of ease, On lowlands washed by sunny seas, With heart of hope, a noble band, Came toiling up our mountain land.
Through dark pine forests, North and West, The warwhoop rushed across their rest, While creeping up the eastern sky, The British thunder cloud drew nigh. But Coös smiled, the meadows rang, Siwoogannock sweet echoes sang ; And circling hills and placid wave Their welcome and protection gave.
Here, loyal sons, your patriot sires Enkindled Freedom's altar-fires ; The fathers' watchword ours shall be,- The Union, God, and Liberty ! Here grew they free and strong and brave, Till fierce Oppression crossed the wave ; Ask storied battlefields how, then, For Freedom stood the mountain men !
The Aloe drinks the sun and rain, Nor blooms her answer back again, Till, lo! a flowery crown she wears, The blossom of an hundred years. The mountain winds, the valley's stream, The winter's snow, the summer's gleam, A hundred years have brought to her To-day's bright bloom, our Lancaster !
Where, long ago, the Indian found A resting-place and hunting ground, To beauty's pilgrims rest we lend, Ere they to snow-capped heights ascend. God of the Mountains ! bless our home, While through its paths to thee we come ; Till o'er its purpled heights we see The White Hills of Eternity !
ADDRESS OF HON. DAVID H. MASON.
Ladies and Gentlemen : A hundred years ago, the last act in the drama of the French and Indian war had just closed. France and Spain had ceded all claimed rights to the possession of territory east of the Mississippi river, and England held undisturbed sway in the vast country, stretching from the Gulf to the Arctic sea, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean.
The last great struggle of the native Indians to recover their hunting grounds was over. The brave Pontiac, with his five and twenty Indian tribes, scattered all along from the Shenandoah to the great lakes, and down the Ohio to the very banks of the Mississippi, over the mountains and through the prairies, had buried the tomahawk and scalping-knife, and smoked the pipe of peace.
At the first dawn of security the indomitable sons of the Pilgrims plunged into the wilderness with their axes and their rifles, to plant new homes for themselves and their posterity.
568
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
On the 19th of April, A. D. 1764, Captain David Page, his son David Page, Jr., about 18 years of age, and Emmons Stockwell, with perhaps one or two others, having pushed up the Connecticut valley from Petersham, Massachusetts, through the town of Haverhill, reached the spot where we now are. They were charmed by the natural loveliness of this valley, and their fondest desires were gratified. Standing on yonder elevation, with those majestic mountains behind them, the unrivaled Pilot range on their right hand and the green hills on their left, with those bald sentinels guarding the passage before them, they gazed down into this paradise of meadows, with the meandering river, like a silver cord, run- ning through them, all clothed in the fresh verdure of the opening spring. What a heaven was here spread out 'before them! With hearts full of gratitude, they thanked the God of nature that his mysterious providence had guided them here.
They came on the 19th of April, a day since made sacred in the nation's history ; the day on which was shed the first blood of the Revolution on Lexing- ton Green ; the day on which flowed in the streets of Baltimore the first northern blood in the War of the Rebellion; the same day on which was founded the first Normal school in the new world, that crowning glory of our system of popular education. It was fortunate for our ancestors that they came to this valley, and that was a fortunate birthday for our beautiful town.
The war for existence had passed; the war for principle was approaching. The North American colonies had cost the mother country, at the close of the French war, nearly seven hundred millions of dollars. Her treasury was exhausted by the long and fierce struggle with the continental powers. In look- ing about for some way to restore the equilibrium between her magnificence and her means, she fell upon the plan to tax these colonies. The right to do this was indignantly denied. Her peerless statesman, the immortal Pitt, to whose genius and wisdom she owed the chief glories of the eighteenth century-the true friend of the colonies-was no longer in office, and the young king had called to his council men of moderate ability. The war of the Revolution followed.
At the period of its commencement, our town contained but eight families. None of its inhabitants joined the army; they were too few in numbers, too far from the strife, and were out of sight in the wilderness. Their families were exposed to the depredations of the savages, and in common with all the new settlements along our northern frontier, they suffered greatly from dangers and privations, through that long and bloody war. Their stern duties at home were paramount to all public considerations. They had, however, in many ways, their courage and their patriotism. The dauntless Stockwell was in one of the expeditions which went up for the invasion of Canada, during the French war. He was an orphan boy in his native town, bound out to service during his minority. In order to encour- age enlistments and to fill the ranks of our army, a regulation was made that inden- tured apprentices should be entitled to their freedom, if they would enlist in the public service. Stockwell, though a mere boy, possessed the spirit of a man, and took advantage of the provision which gave him his liberty. On his return from this unfortunate expedition, with a few stragglers he came down the Connecticut river, and for the first time beheld the magnificent valley. Its attractions led him, a few years later, with those hardy pioneers, to choose it for his future home.
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