USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > History of Littleton, New Hampshire, Vol. I > Part 55
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wanting in the public spirit that distinguished his brother, but in other respects he must be regarded as one of the best citizens who have resided in the town. He died in December, 1862.
The death of Franklin Tilton in March, 1867, removed one who had been a force for good in the community for many years. He was a son of Joseph Tilton, and was born at Danville, Vt., September 12, 1815. He carly engaged in teaching, having been so employed at the South for a number of years. In 1840 he came to this town and entered the employment of Eastman, Mattocks, & Co., as clerk. Soon after Mr. Mattocks retired, and Mr. Tilton became a member of the firm, and so continued through its various changes to the time of his deatlı. This firm was noted, beyond that of any other mercantile house in business here, for its enterprise, cour- age, and grasp of the business situation and its possibilities for development. From his connection with the house he assumed charge of its books, credits, and collections, and his conduct of this branch of the business is evinced by the success that crowned his efforts. He was strongly interested in the advancement of every public enterprise, and during the last year of his life he worked with great energy and effect to bring to a successful conclusion the establishment of Union School District and the erection of its school building, and was an original member of the prudential committee of the district.
He had become a member of the Congregational Church in early manhood, and united by letter with the church in this town in 1858. Long before, however, he had taken upon himself his share in prosecuting the work of the society ; was a teacher and superintendent of its Sunday-school, and a constant attendant at all meetings of the church, whether for business, social, or religious purposes.
Fifty years ago the postmaster was one of the village digni- taries. The position was sought not only for the honor and emol- uments of the place, but by the merchant for the trade it brought to his counters. For sixteen years this office was held by a mem- ber of the firm of Eastman, Tilton & Co. When Taylor succeeded Polk, Franklin Tilton succeeded Cyrus Eastman, and Mr. Tilton in turn gave way to Colonel Eastman when Pierce came in, and held the position under President Buchanan until April, 1859, when it was given to Franklin J. Eastman, another member of the firm, who was succeeded by Major William J. Bellows in June, 1861. Mr. Tilton was a Whig, and when that party ceased to exist as an organized force, he became a Republican. He was not a politician, and gave to political affairs no more attention than
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is expected of intelligent citizens who are engrossed in their business affairs and are without political aspirations.
He was a man of great intelligence and entire devotion to the well-being of the community. He had been successful in his busi- ness enterprises, and was a large owner of real estate in the vil- lage. In 1847 he married Miss Laura Olive, daughter of Sylvanus Balch, who was for a long time one of the solid and popular citi- zens of the town. She was a devoted wife and mother, and aided her husband in advancing the cause of their church. She survived him six years.
One of the most eminent sons of Littleton died at his home in New York, in August, 1868. Benjamin West Bonney was born at the family homestead,1 February 2, 1803. His parents were Peter and Eleanor (Savage) Bonney. He was among the early pupils of the first village school, and entered Dartmouth College in 1820, and received his degree in 1824.2 His college course was characterized by diligence, faithfulness, and accuracy, - qualities he subsequently displayed in a high degree at the bar and upon the bench. After graduation he was for a time principal of the acad- emy at Peacham, Vt., and taught in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. His law studies were pursued in the office of S. W. Marston, of New- buryport, Mass., and subsequently in the office of Anthony Dye, of New York. Before coming to the bar he had laid a firm founda- tion for his professional career by study, prolonged far beyond the period usually devoted to the preparatory course. While teaching at the academy and high school, he pursued his legal education under the wise counsel of such able lawyers as Gov. John Mat- tocks, of Peacham, Vt., and Gen. Jacob Van Rensselaer, of Clare- mont, on the Hudson. When admitted to the bar, he formed a partnership with his last preceptor, Mr. Dye, and when that gentleman retired from practice two years later, Mr. Bonney came into a large business. He was so constituted that he must give personal attention to all his business, even to the minutest detail, and as it increased, the demands upon his time were such that his health gave way and was never again firmly re-established ; yet by constant care he so husbanded his strength that to the last he was enabled to give personal supervision to his large professional business. He gradually limited his practice to mercantile law and made a specialty of trusts and wills. His knowledge of the law was reputed, by those who had ample opportunity to form a cor-
1 The house still remains, near the old tannery in rear of the block now (1902) occupied by Joseph D. Campbell and Harry F. Howe.
2 He believed that he was the first native of the town to receive a college degree.
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· rect judgment, to be ample and in his chosen line unexcelled by any of his associates. He was an instructive advocate, always keeping well within the lines of his brief and commanding the ap- preciative attention of the court. His strong points were sound judgment and great common sense.
He was twice selected by the Governor to fill vacancies on the bench, first in the Superior Court and afterward in the Supreme Court of New York City. He bore himself in these important posi- tions in such a way as to win the entire approval of bench and bar and of the public. He received the nomination of his party as a candidate for the Supreme Bench ; but as that party constituted but a small minority of the voters, he failed of an election, and his judicial career was brief but honorable.
Judge Bonney was a Whig and subsequently a Republican. During the early days of this party and during the war he was active in public affairs, and spared no effort that he considered calculated to promote the public weal. Living in a city that was strongly Democratic, he held no public stations other than those of a judicial character, but exercised a powerful influence among his business acquaintances in regard to public questions. As a member of the Union League Club, he was active in devising and executing measures to aid the government during the war, and tireless in rendering assistance to soldiers, especially such as were from his native State. At the time the First Regiment of Volun- teers from this State passed through New York, on its way to the seat of hostilities, the sons of New Hampshire, resident in that city, presented the regiment with a fine banner, and Judge Bonney, in behalf of his associates, made the address. All through that try- ing period he was among the foremost of the men in private life who gave their influence and wealth to uphold the cause of the country.
Judge Bonney received the degree of LL.D. from Dartmouth College in 1858, and in 1865 he was chosen a trustee of that institution.
In April, 1848, Judge Bonney married Miss Adriana, daughter of Sylvester Rapalje, of New York. Seven children were born to them.
When his sudden death was announced, the Union League Club adopted the following resolutions : -
" Resolved, That the death of Benjamin W. Bonney has affected us with profound sorrow ; that we desire to place on record our high estimate of his moral worth and usefulness as a citizen, our respect for his upright conduct as a member of the bar and of the State Judiciary,
BENJ. WEST BONNEY.
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and our grateful recollection of his patriotic zeal as a member of this Club in the late national crisis."
In announcing his death from the Bench, Judge Barnard paid a tribute to his memory, in which he said : "Judge Bonney was an upright and Christian gentleman, an ornament to the Bar and to the Bench, -- one who had the confidence and respect of all classes of the community, and who was fitted by nature for the position of Judge, for the position of a gentleman, for the position of every- thing that is good."
In personal appearance Judge Bonney was of medium height, straight as an arrow, careful in dress, with a ruddy countenance and features that disclosed his intellectual strength and character.
A condition foreign to the general course of events in this section grew out of the discovery of gold and copper in Lisbon, Lyman, and at the west part of this town, in the closing years of the decade. Many properties were bonded and others purchased outright, and companies organized to develop the mines. Capital- ists, speculators, and miners from Massachusetts, New York, and the far West became interested in the mines, some of whom made their headquarters at Thayer's Hotel, and for a time the " tavern " became a miniature mining exchange. The Quint farm on Lyman line, once owned by Deacon Thomas Briggs, furnished a basis for the organization of one company, and the William Little, or Andrew Rankin, farm and the Joseph A. Albee place, of others. These properties changed hands more than once during the period when some men dreamed that a new Eldorado had been discovered within the rocky fastnesses of Mount Gardner. After an experi- ence covering several years, the dream vanished, as dreams will ; for it was demonstrated that, while valuable minerals existed on all these properties in considerable quantities, the expense of min- ing and reduction of the ores was so large as to render opera- tions unprofitable. Some of the farms then thought, or at least proclaimed, of fabulous value are still held by mining companies or individuals, with the hope that some fortunate inventor or chemist may discover a method of separating the ores from the rock that will enable their owners to avail themselves of the fortunes now locked within the bowels of the earth.
The town was without telegraphic communication until 1863. Before that time election returns, then regarded as the most im- portant news, were the only items that received special attention. For the benefit of the Concord newspapers, Gen. E. O. Kenney annually arranged to have the returns from all the neighbor-
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History of Littleton.
ing towns conveyed by special messengers, and delivered to him at the earliest possible moment after the result had been declared. When all were received, a special engine was at his service, and he rode to Woodsville, gathering as he went the return of the vote in Lisbon, Lyman, Landaff, and Bath. He would return in the early morning, bringing the latest report of the result in the State from the capital. The construction of a telegraphic line was frequently discussed, but no action taken until the summer of 1863, when Supt. J. W. Robinson gave to some of our citizens a statement of the terms under which a line would be built. These conditions were accepted and complied with by ample subscriptions to the required gratuity. The line was completed to this town, and an office opened in the store of F. J. Eastman, the present carriage mart of Richardson & Kin- ball, on the 12th of January, 1863. War bulletins were posted, giving the public the latest news from the front. Mrs. Van Buren was the operator in charge for a few months, when William R. Brackett became her successor. In February, 1867, the office was, in spite of a vigorous protest by the contributors to the fund for building the line, removed to the railroad station, where it has since remained.
In this decade the growth of the town in population was less than in any other since the settlement of the town, -six and three-tenths per cent. Yet it had been one of great business prosperity and marked by an unparalleled improvement in the village. In 1867 more than twenty buildings were erected and the last of the vacant lots on the south side of Main Street, be- tween Thayer's Hotel and the McCoy's building,1 was occupied.
The business changes of the period were many. Lorenzo Smith, in Odd-Fellows' building, no longer kept dry-goods, but carried a stock of groceries. Alonzo Weeks, who had as partner at one time Charles C. Wilder, when they carried a stock of dry-goods as well as of boots and shoes, again confined his activities to the last-named branch. Mr. Wilder was an excellent business man, quiet and un- assuming, who had been engaged for a time as a dry-goods pedler, had been in trade at Bethlehem and St. Johnsbury before becom- ing a citizen of this town. He married Miss Green, of Bethlehem. He purchased and improved the property on Pleasant Street now owned by Charles Eaton, as well as other estates in the village. When Union Block was finished, the easterly store was occupied by White, Witcher, & Farr with a stock of dry-goods and groceries, and Dr. Henry L. Watson established the drug business now con-
1 On site of Harrington's Block.
MAIN STREET, LOOKING WEST, BEFORE 1870.
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ducted by Robins & Co., in another of the stores. William Bailey had sold his business and removed to Claremont. He was a con- servative dealer, kept a large stock, and was content with moderate profits in return for his time and invested capital. He was suc- ceeded in business by H. H. Southworth, who had clerked for him. L. W. Rowell dealt in books and stationery and conducted a job printing establishment. Jolm Balch had sold his stock and was in business at St. Johnsbury. Henry Merrill was in business as a merchant tailor. During the period there were several other changes in companies that still maintain their existence.
An effort was inaugurated in 1867 to procure the building through the town of the Portland, White Mountain, and Ogdens- burg Railroad. The first meeting of the incorporators in this State was held at Thayer's Hotel, on the fifth day of September, 1867, when directors1 were chosen and associates elected.
At the meeting some feeling was manifested by the friends of each of the proposed routes, but these were finally adjusted, the result being a compromise in the election of corporators and board of directors. The proposed routes were the one finally adopted and that through this village and Waterford. The deciding factor in the matter was the fact that the Fairbanks Company owned a large tract of timber land near Miles' Pond which they wished to mar- ket, and they regarded the road as necessary for that purpose. They succeeded, but at great cost to themselves and to the towns of Dalton and Concord, Vt., both of which have been burdened with debt and suffered great depreciation in the value of their real estate in consequence of the aid they gave to this enterprise. The personal interest of some of the directors in the location was also placed above the interest of the corporation, for it was as evident then, as now, that the business of this town would have been worth to the corporation many times that which they acquired in locating their road through Whitefield, Dalton, and the Miles' Pond tract. The question of location was an absorbing one until well into the seventies.
For seventeen years the town had been the terminus of the rail- road and had greatly prospered in consequence. All the towns to the north and east of us had in various ways paid willing tribute to our merchants and lumber dealers. Vast forests of timber in the upper valley of the Ammonoosuc, the trade of those sections,
1 These directors were John G. Sinclair, Bethlehem; Israel Washburn, Jr., Port- land ; Horace Fairbanks, St. Johnsbury ; James B. Sumner, Dalton ; Charles Harts- horn, Littleton; Timothy Woolcut, Conway ; Ossian Ray, Lancaster. John G. Sinclair was subsequently chosen president, and George A. Bingham clerk.
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and the increasing mountain travel persuaded the railroad mana- gers that the time had come when they must push the iron rails through these partially developed fields. Accordingly, in 1869 a contract was made for the extension of the road to Lancaster, and it was completed and opened to that point in November, 1870. The idea was prevalent at the time that this project would work much harm to our mercantile and industrial interests. Such, however, has not been the result. The growth of the town generally, and its manufacturing interests in particular, have been more rapid since that event than they were before.
Political questions and controversies of the time related to national affairs. At no time were local matters to the front. The nomination by the Republicans of General Harriman for Governor in 1867 created something of a factional fight, but aside from this incident, no State questions calculated to influ- ence the votes of the people were under consideration. For the most part the issues of the first half of the period related to the conduct of the war, and these were followed by others, almost entirely connected with the reconstruction of the States lately in rebellion. Party feeling ran high, and in many instances influ- enced the business and social relations of the people. The local Democratic leaders, Harry and George A. Bingham and Cyrus and Franklin J. Eastman, were then at the meridian of their intellectual and political strength. No party could have been served by a quar- tette of superior force and skill or with greater devotion. The local leaders of the Republicans were Charles W. Rand, and from the close of the war, Major E. W. Farr. Both were able and persist- ent workers, but differed widely in methods and in intellectual equipment. Mr. Rand cherished no illusions ; he had a quick eye for facts, and if he had any political ambition it was never manifest even to his intimate friends. Major Farr never con- cealed his political ambitions, which were intense, and they often obscured his judgment of the political situation. In all the years of his political leadership there was never a time when his party had anything like a fighting chance to win in the town. Yet he never discovered the cold facts of the situation, but generally en- tertained a sanguine expectation that his party was to be victori- ous. This political temperament was not without its advantages ; it inspired many of his followers to great exertion, and resulted in bringing to the polls the full voting strength of the party. When the battle was ended and the weak as well as the strong points of the campaign were apparent, he continued to hold to his preconceived opinion, and regarded the contest as but a skirmish
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intended to develop the position of the enemy before the battle, and kept up the contest through the year.
The presidential election of 1860 was a hopeless contest on the part of the Democracy ; the result was discernible from the start, and no effort was made to escape the inevitable. The result was 234 for Lincoln, 194 for Douglas, 6 for Bell, and 5 for Brecken- ridge. Harry Bingham, in his disgust at the fatuous policy that rent the party, would vote for none of the candidates, but cast his ballot for a ticket bearing the names, for electors, of Franklin Pierce, Harry Hibbard, Jeremiah Blodgett, Nathaniel Swasey, and William Heywood, all of whom were in accord with his views of the situation. One of the results of the Republican victory was the appointment of Charles W. Rand to be United States District Attorney for the State. He held the position until 1869.
The election in March, 1861, was closely contested. The con- tending forces were nearly evenly divided, but the decisive vote, that for moderator, elected Col. Joseph L. Gibb by a majority of six. He received 226 votes, and Capt. Isaac Abbott, the Republi- can candidate, 220. At this election Harry Bingham made his first successful contest for an election to the General Court. His contestant on this occasion was Charles W. Rand, and Mr. Bingham's majority was twelve. The choice for second repre- sentative fell to Douglass Robins, who defeated Col. Alden Moffett.1
The following year the contest for supremacy was renewed. The Republicans offered no candidate for moderator, and per- mitted Colonel Gibb to assume the position by a unanimous vote. They made a vigorous effort to elect their candidates for repre- sentatives, Philip H. Paddleford and David Page Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn was a " war Democrat," and the Republicans expected he would bring to their standard a number of men who had here- tofore voted the Democratic ticket, and thereby enable them to elect their candidates. As often happens, the experiment failed. Mr. Sanborn did not receive any Democratic votes, and a number of his new political associates preferred to cast their ballots for some other Democrat, if vote for a Democrat they must, and gave their support to Horace E. Chamberlain, one of the most pronounced Democrats of the town.2
1 Van N. Bass was Town Clerk, and John Sargent, Trueworthy L. Parker, and George Abbott were the Selectmen of this year.
2 The ballot for Representatives was as follows : Harry Bingham, 255; Douglass Robins, 255; Philip H. Paddleford, 213; David Page Sanborn, 171; Horace E. Chamberlain, 31.
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From this time to 1870, with one exception, political contests were uneventful. The Democrats were intrenched in power, and no assault for a moment threatened their stronghold. Their majority varied according to the interest manifested in the cam- paigns of different years. It was largest in 1868, when John G. Sinclair's vote for governor was 391 and that for Gen. Walter Harriman 238, a Democratic majority of 153; the smallest was 60, given at the election in 1866.
Colonel Gibb,1 whose terms of service as moderator mark the years of Democratic victories pretty accurately, was now in failing health, and George A. Bingham presided at the annual meeting in 1863, when Harry Bingham and Franklin J. Eastman were elected Representatives to the General Court over their opponents, Charles C. Knapp, the landlord of Union House, a " war Democrat," and John Mason Charlton, a grandson of the pioneer Robert Charlton, who lived on the farm settled by the founder of the family in this town. Mr. Knapp failed to receive the full vote of the party, and was the last of the " war Democrats " nominated in the local field by the Republicans.2
In 1864 Colonel Gibb was moderator for the last time. He first served in this capacity in 1841 and was re-elected three successive years, and again in 1854-56-57-59-60-61-62, and 1864. He dis- charged the duties of this office to the satisfaction of the men of both parties. He was dignified, urbane, impartial, and knew the voters, individually and collectively, their moods and purposes, and gave them all the liberty consistent with a prompt and orderly despatch of business. When they exceeded these bounds he would quickly quell the tumult by a request for " order," uttered in a tone the meaning of which could not be mistaken. He had less conscious and formal dignity and more suaviter in modo as a pre- siding officer than had Elisha Hinds, and so competent a judge as John Farr expressed the opinion that he was the most graceful and efficient moderator who had presided in town meeting in his time. Colonel Gibb had for several years been a sufferer from that dread disease consumption, which conquered his fearless spirit in December, 1864.
At this time (1864) the candidates of both parties for State Sena- tor were residents of this town, George A. Bingham, Democrat, and Francis Hodgman, Republican. Mr. Bingham was of course elected. He was also re-elected the following year. Mr. Hodgman was
1 Colonel Gibb was aid on the staff of Governor Martin in 1862, with the rank of Colonel.
2 The town officers elected were Van N. Bass, Town Clerk, and James J. Barrett, Eli D. Sawyer, and Joseph A. Albee, Selectmen.
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JOHN M. CHARLTON.
JOHN W. FARR.
JOHN SARGENT.
HARTWELL H. SOUTHWORTH.
ASA COBURN.
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destined to precede Colonel Gibb to the tomb. He passed to his final reward July 1, 1864. He was an unassuming man of good ability and sterling honesty. He had been a resident of the town for thirty-two years, and during the time had built up a large and profitable business as a jeweller and apothecary. His shop, the first devoted to that business in town, was on the site of the pres- ent store of F. E. Green & Co. He was devoted to his business, seldom absenting himself from his store except when called to discharge some public duty. His temper was quick and sharp, but held under such control that it never caused him the loss of a friend. His store was frequented by his political partisans, and political issues often furnished a theme for discussion, but Mr. Hodgman let his visitors do the talking, - a practice that prob- ably added to his reputation for political wisdom. Upon his death the business passed to his sons, Charles and Francis F., who for a time continued it as partners, but ultimately it was divided, Charles taking the jewelry department and his brother that of drugs and medicines.
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