USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > History of Littleton, New Hampshire, Vol. I > Part 13
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135
Climate and Weather.
The question of the effect of deforestation on water supply is an important one ; but there are as yet no data on the subject for this region. It is the general opinion, however, that there is less water in the Ammonoosuc now than there was formerly.
MEDICAL CLIMATOLOGY.
The town of Littleton is most favorably placed as a health re- sort. It is protected from the chilling northeast winds which are so disagreeable in certain sections of New England, and also to a considerable extent from the violence of the cold winter northwest winds. Its winds, as a whole, are, therefore, less violent and less aggressive than those of many places which are more exposed. Situated at a height of about 1,000 feet above sea level, its summer temperatures are not usually excessively hot, and its hottest sea- son is of short duration. Its close proximity to the White Moun- tains, and its position in the valley of the Ammonoosuc, give it the down-stream breezes of summer evenings and nights. These easterly winds, coming from the mountain slopes, displace the warm westerly winds of the daytime and bring the cool and agree- able nights which are so refreshing after a summer day's work. Almost the whole extent of the township is hilly land, with good slopes, the percentage of flat land being very small. For this rea- son, the drainage of the soil is excellent, and there is no stagnant water. These advantages, combined with the pure mountain air and good water, have united to make Littleton a most desirable place of residence, and the increasing numbers of summer visitors who resort here to spend their holidays are a sure sign that the merits of the place are being appreciated more and more.
Without going into any detail in the matter of medical clima- tology, it may be interesting, in conclusion, to note some of the statistics regarding the death rate of Littleton as compared with that of the county of Grafton and that of the State of New Hamp- shire. These rates are for the period 1884-1892.
Year.
State.
County.
Littleton.
1884
16.26
17.06
17.37
1885
17.13
16.05
17.02
1886
17.61
16.24
16.68
1887
17.61
15.93
16.00
1888
18.48
17.35
16.68
1889
17.91
16.67
13.68
1890
19.56
17.49
13.67
1891
19.41
17.41
16.94
1892
20.88
20.01
21.99
136
History of Littleton.
The average death rates for State, county, and town for these nine years are 18.31, 17.31, and 16.67, respectively. In other words, Littleton has a lower death rate, on the average for this period, than either the county in which it lies, or the State as a whole. A further classification of the death rates according to the four great classes of diseases is interesting. These classes are zymotic, constitutional, local, and developmental diseases. Zymotic diseases include typhoid and other fevers, cholera infan- tum, epidemic influenza, measles, etc. Constitutional diseases include cancer, rheumatism, phthisis, etc. Apoplexy, paralysis, brain diseases, heart disease, pneumonia, etc., are local diseases ; while the developmental diseases include diseases of children, old age, etc. It appears from a study of these statistics that the per- centage of deaths from zymotic diseases in Littleton is usually considerably below that for the State as a whole, as is also the case for constitutional diseases. On the other hand, local and developmental diseases show a somewhat larger percentage in Littleton than in the State at large. As the two latter classes include such causes of death as apoplexy, epilepsy, and paralysis, which do not have any close relation to climatic conditions, as well as old age, the showing is a very favorable one for Littleton. In the case of consumption, for instance, which is certainly greatly in- creased with low elevation and soil moisture, the high land and well-drained surface soil of Littleton are decidedly antagonistic to this dreaded disease. In the period 1885-1887, Grafton County had the lowest percentage but one of deaths from consumption. In 1892 about 9.5 per cent of the total deaths at Littleton were due to consumption ; while in Portsmouth the percentage was 17.61 ; in Keene, 13.77 ; in Somersworth, 11.68; and in Dover, 11.18.
An interesting point to note in connection with the vital statis- tics of Littleton is the large number of persons over 80 years of age among the deaths. In the years 1887-1894, inclusive, there have been 438 deaths in Littleton, according to the Town Reports, and during this period 54 of these deaths were of persons over 80 years of age, while 10 were of persons over 90 years of age. In other words, of the deaths during the past eight years, over 14 per cent were of persons over 80 years old. This is certainly a good showing for the health of the town.
137
Indians.
VII. INDIANS.
T HE first white settlers of this country found the territory peopled by a race since known as Indians. The great Algon- quin family of this race occupied the Atlantic coast from Hudson's Bay to the Chesapeake. They were distinguished from their neighbors of the southern and western section of the continent by peculiarities of speech and a ruder and more primitive method of life. They were divided into various confederations and again into innumerable tribes. Governed by no laws, unless an undevi- ating adherence to a few tribal forms and customs may be termed such, convenience or necessity was the rule and guide of their lives. In the selection of a chief, heredity had weight, but seldom availed against the superior claims of wisdom in council and sagacity and bravery in war. Among these savages the Darwin- ian theory of the survival of the fittest was illustrated in the selection of war chiefs and in the elevation of a tribe to the head of a confederacy. The character of their government was primitive and patriarchal. All questions, from one of changing hunting grounds to the most momentous of all, that of war, were determined in a council in which each male member of the tribe participated. In these assemblages the chief, unless he was a per- son of great skill, was outranked in influence by the powwow or medicine man, who was the guardian of the spiritual welfare of in- dividuals and tribes. Like many a political leader of the present day, his power was measured by his ability to deceive and cheat his ignorant and superstitious followers: the greater the demagogue, the greater the powwow. Unlike his modern imitators, however, he was seldom detected in plying his arts, and his hold on his credulous victims continued until the end of the journey to the happy hunting grounds.
If history be a record of past events, then Indian history begins with the discovery of this continent. The race possessed no records, no myths common to different tribes, and no memory of past events
138
History of Littleton.
extending beyond a single life. When Capt. John Smith explored the New England coast in 1614 he found the country inhabited by numerous large tribes. Between that period and the settlement at Plymouth in 1620, a destructive plague ravaged the section east of the Hudson river, nearly depopulating it. Entire tribes are said to have been swept away, and such as remained were so weakened that a union of several remnants was essential for self-preser- vation. The Indian makes meagre provision for the future, and a calamity of this character was naturally followed by a famine, which contributed additional victims to the work of destruction. This depopulation was never repaired, and when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth they found the country a charnel house filled with dead men's bones. With pious fervor they regarded the work wrought by pestilence and famine as a manifestation of a special providence designed to prepare the way for God's chosen people to enter into their inheritance.
Nearly all the territory now within the limits of New Hamp- shire was, at the time of its first settlement, occupied by various tribes united in a confederacy with the Penacooks at its head. The principal villages of this tribe were at Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Lowell. The Winnepesaukees were located about the lake and river of that name ; the Pemigewassets once dwelt in the valleys through which that beautiful river and its tributaries flow ; east of the mountains dwelt the Pequawkets, the Ossipees, and the Amariscoggins, and on the west, occupying the country from Moosilauke to the sources of the Connecticut river, lived the rem- nant of the Coosucks.1 It is easy to believe the tradition which affirms that this tribe was once powerful. Within its domain were combined all the elements which contribute to the welfare and happiness of such a people : broad rich meadows easily culti- vated, numerous rapid streams crowded with the finest fish that ever tempted the appetite of an epicure, and forests teeming with the game they hunted for food and clothing, rendered the region an Indian paradise capable of maintaining, in such comfort as they knew, a much larger population of these people than had occupied it since it became known to the white man. What their numbers and prowess, their wars, the names of their chiefs, and their mighty deeds in battle may have been, we know not. All are shrouded in the mists of oblivion, but from this realm of obscurity the poet and romancist have drawn some of their finest characters,
1 From cooash, pine, and ouke, place- dwellers in the pine tree country. The orthography, like that of many other Indian words, is varied. That adopted is more in accord with the present pronunciation than Cohos or Cooashaukes.
139
Indians.
endowed them with attractive and noble attributes, and made them actors in scenes that are imperishable.
The Indians of the Merrimack valley were many of them among the early converts to Christianity under the ministrations of Eliot. Their great sachem, Passaconaway, was a warm friend of the apostle, and rendered constant aid by encouraging his subjects not only to listen to the missionary, but to embrace the religion which he exemplified. This famous chieftain was averse to war, and seemed to recognize the fact that his people could not contend suc- cessfully with the white settlers. He saw that the only hope of perpetuating his race and of maintaining a home amid the graves of their fathers was by continuing friendly relations with their white brothers. To this end he exerted his great influence during his long life, and his last admonition to his people was an eloquent plea for the continuance of peaceful relations with the English, at a general council of all the tribes of the confederation held at Amoskeag Falls in the autumn of 1660, which was attended by several of the leading white men of the settlements, one of whom preserved the speech of the Indian sage and transmitted it to us. It is a terse and eloquent example of Indian oratory, and as such it is given entire : -
" I am now going the way of all the earth ; I am ready to die, and not likely to see you ever meet together any more. I will now leave this word of counsel with you : Take heed how you quarrel with the English. Hearken to the last words of your father and friend. The white men are the sons of the morning. The Great Spirit is their father. His sun shines bright above them. Never make war with them. Sure as you light the fires, the breath of heaven will turn the flame upon you, and destroy you. Listen to my advice. It is the last I shall be allowed to give you. Remem- ber it and live."
This wise counsel seems to have made a lasting impression. His son and successor, Wonnalancet, was guided by it, and when the evil days of King Philip's war came, not all the art, eloquence, and cunning of the great warrior availed to swerve the children of Passaconaway from their friendship for "the sons of the morn- ing." Some of the young braves of the tribes, thirsting for ven- geance or glory, could not be restrained and joined the Wampanoags in their unfortunate and fruitless effort to exterminate the whites and regain their ancient inheritance.
During this memorable contest Wonnalancet and his people, the Penacooks, withdrew to the country of the Coosucks and passed most of their time during the years during 1765-6 in this section
140
History of Littleton.
fishing, hunting, and probably planting corn on the fertile Cohos meadows. They were scattered, during their sojourn, for the greater convenience of taking game, through the country from Haverhill to the Connecticut lakes. The defeat and death of King Philip closed the conflict and the Penacooks returned from their exile. For nearly a hundred years after these events but little was known of this section of the country or of the aborigines who occupied it.
It is probable that the Coosucks were nearly decimated by the plague of 1615-17, but the feeble remnant, while ceasing to main- tain a tribal organization, affiliated with the Penacooks and con- tinued to live in this locality. They were remote from the war paths traversed, by the Iroquois and coast tribes of Maine in their ceaseless conflicts, as they surged to and fro across the hunting grounds of the Penacooks. It was not until the beginning of the first of the series of wars between England and France for the mastery on this continent that their pursuits were seriously inter- rupted by the rude alarms of savage strife. Then the valleys of the Connecticut, Merrimack, Passumpsic, Ammonoosuck, and other streams became the avenues travelled by Indian war parties from Canada to the frontier settlements, and their sylvan soli- tudes resounded with the war-whoop and witnessed every species of Indian barbarity.
Two trails crossed Littleton. One followed the course of the Connecticut through Monroe and Bath to Haverhill. At the base of Gardners mountain a well-worn path led to the summit and continued on high ground until it descended to the river at Woods- ville. The Ammonoosuck trail followed very nearly the present course of the Whitefield road beyond the present site of the vil- lage ; it kept well to the river bank until it crossed the river at South Littleton and gradually ascended the hill to Streeter's pond. This sheet of water was a favorite resort of the red men when in this vicinity, as they were quite sure to take moose, deer, and wild fowl on its borders.
There is little evidence tending to show that the Indians ever had a village within our borders. The principal village of the Coosucks was at the great meadows in Haverhill and Newbury. The territory northward to the Connecticut lakes and between the White and Green Mountains constituted the hunting and fishing ground of the tribe, much visited at certain seasons, but the per- manent abode of only a few isolated families. On the meadows, near the Parker brook, land had been cleared by girdling trees, and there were other indications of frequent occupation. There
141
Indians.
were well defined traces of a similar occupation above the mill at Rankin's brook and near Partridge pond. Large stones hollowed by use, such as the natives used to prepare corn for cooking,1 an- cient hearths and other mementos of the race were found at each of these places. Henry Markley has in his possession a collection of Indian relics found in the west part of the town.
The continued encroachments of settlers upon the possessions of the Penacooks, the weakness of Wonnalancet as an administrator, the ravages caused by the French wars, and the fading influence of the praying Indians with the younger and aggressive members of the several tribes combined to induce the remnants of all the New Hampshire Indians to unite with the St. Francis tribe of Canada. More than a century before these events, emissaries from this tribe of Indians, accompanied by Jesuit missionaries, had at different times visited the Coosucks and laid the founda- tion for this union by establishing an enduring friendship between them. After their fusion with the Canadian tribe, they continued to occupy the Cohos country and claim jurisdiction over it. In 1753 they protested against a proposed settlement at the lower Cohos meadows by people from Massachusetts, and successfully maintained their claim until the defeat of the French at Quebec forever closed their domination over northern New England.
During the Revolutionary War many families, mostly of the Protestant faith, returned and resided at the Lower Cohos. They rendered valuable aid to the settlers and to the scouts on the fron- tier by giving information of contemplated incursions from their tribe in Canada. But, notwithstanding their loyalty and their im- portant services to the country, they did not escape the clutches of the purely business men of the day, and fell victims to the greed and trading instincts of that class of patriots to such an extent that many complaints were made to the Committee of Safety at Exeter in regard to their extortions and the dangers that might result therefrom. In May, 1780, the Committee of Safety addressed a letter to the local committee at Haverhill, in which attention was called to these complaints and an appeal made for the suppression of these offences. The writer said : " I must request of you, for the sake of your Country, and for your own sakes who are so immediately concerned to use the utmost vigilance and detecting everything of the kind & to see that strict Justice is done the Indians, & that they are held as friends - Be kind enough to communicate copies of this Letter to the several Committees on the River, and if any Persons shall prove refractory, in making
1 On the authority of the late Solomon Whiting.
142
History of Littleton.
restitution where they have wronged the Indians I must request that the Committee send to me the name or names of the Persons concerned with the evidence and the General Court will see Justice done to the Indians in some way or other let the trouble or expense be ever so much." It does not appear what action was taken by the committee at Haverhill or whether restitution was made. It is probable that the business men had sufficient influence to lull the wrath of their outraged victims until the close of the war, while the men who made the complaints were too busy in their efforts to establish the liberties of their country to uncover the scandal which at one time threatened grave consequences to the settlement.
Throughout the war hostile savages infested the valley of the Connecticut and committed frequent depredations. At Jefferson, then Dartmouth, they captured Col. Joseph Whipple, the principal proprietor of the town. Obtaining permission to go to another room for clothing, he succeeded in effecting his escape. At Peacham, Colonel Elkins of that town and Colonel Johnson of Newbury were taken by a party of Tories and Indians and carried to Canada. Colonel Elkins was taken to England, and at the close of the war, two years later, was exchanged. Colonel Jolinson was allowed to depart on parole. One year later, 1782, two young men by the name of Bailey were also made prisoners at Peacham and taken to Canada.
At the Lower Cohos there long resided two Indians whose char- acteristics and achievements have given tone and color to the In- dian history of these valleys. They were familiarly known as "Captain Joe " and " Captain John." Many romantic and some tragic incidents are associated with their names which have been recounted in story and in song. Joe was urbane and gentle, a lover of peace. John was morose, cruel, and fond of war in all its forms. He is said to have been at the battle of Braddock's defeat, at the assault upon the inhabitants at Fort Dummer, and the sur- prise at Boscawen. He was accustomed to relate with great glee how he wielded the tomahawk and scalping knife upon defenceless women and children as well as against men whom he encountered in arms. He was found dead beside a log on Colonel Johnson's premises in Newbury.
Captain Joe was quite a dandy among the St. Francis Indians and is believed to have eloped with his companion, Molly, to the Cohos. When she deserted her husband, she took with her their two sons, who afterward proved a source of great trouble to Joe and herself. The story of their lives has been so often and so
143
Indians.
minutely described that it need not be repeated here. He was pensioned by the State of Vermont for services rendered during the War of the Revolution. He died in 1819, and in a corner of the old graveyard at Newbury the last of the Coosucks sleeps his last sleep.
Roving bands of St. Francis Indians each season visit the ancient habitation of the Coosucks, pitch their tent in some favored locality, and expose for sale their handiwork. They constitute a part of the lingering remnant of a race whose lasting memorials are the names they have bestowed upon some of our streams and mountains.
144
History of Littleton.
VIII. CHARTERS. - CHISWICK.
T 'HE early settlers of New England held few possessions of greater value than land titles. In the colonies of Massa- chusetts and Connecticut land had gradually increased in value until, near the middle of the eighteenth century, it was practi- cally beyond the reach of the young man beginning life without inherited wealth. To such an one the vast wilderness stretching between the borders of western Massachusetts and Canada pre- sented many allurements. The valley of the Connecticut had long been the pathway travelled by the Canadian Indians in their forays upon the New England settlements. The rich lands of the valley became known to the people of the old settlements through the tales of escaped or ransomed prisoners. Their stories of its wide and fertile meadows, its magnificent forests of pine and maple, and abundance of fish and game, were often rehearsed, and awakened an interest akin to that aroused by the marvels of a modern Eldorado. These lands were to be had almost for the asking, and when once subdued to the requirements of the hus- bandman, easily tilled and very productive. Into this region, between the time of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 and the renewal of hostilities in 1753, many a pioneer liad penetrated and pitched his lot. Nor had the section escaped the attention of the land speculator, whose prophetic vision beheld in its vast resources the possibilities of many a fortune.
As early as 1754, Governor Benning Wentworth had chartered several townships in this territory, near what is now the divisional line of New Hampshire and Vermont. The work of dividing the country into townships and reclaiming it from savage dominion was one that appealed to him as a man, as a ruler, and as a Chris- tian. It replenished his private purse, filled the colonial treasury, increased his authority, and peopled the territory with hardy and enterprising subjects. But the high expectations of all - pioneer,
Part of
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REDUCED FROM AN OLD MAN PUBLISHED ABOUT 1779.
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THE Supposed to be the highest in North America Visible at a great distanceat sea WHITE MOUNTAINS
145
Charters. - Chiswick.
speculator, and governor - were rudely interrupted by the out- break of another French and Indian War in 1753, and the coveted territory once more became the stalking-ground of the savage. During the period of hostilities northern New Hampshire and nearly all of Vermont were traversed many times by the con- tending forces, and a knowledge of the resources and value of the lands was largely increased ; and when, with the fall of Quebec in 1759, and the complete conquest of Canada in 1760, the dark and sinister clouds of war passed from the horizon and the sunshine of peace rested upon the distracted colonies, there was a great in- flux of settlers into the more accessible portions of the lands, and a corresponding increase in the demand for charters.
Governor Benning Wentworth had been equal to all demands made upon him, and not only put the machinery for issuing char- ters in motion within the present boundaries of New Hampshire, but had also construed his commission as containing the com- mand of his royal master to dispose of the lands on the west side of the Connecticut River to a point as far west as the intersection of the northern boundary of Massachusetts with the eastern line of New York, as established at the close of the controversy between these colonies. This claim of jurisdiction covered what is now the State of Vermont, and was subsequently known as the dis- trict of the New Hampshire Grants.
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