USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > History of Littleton, New Hampshire, Vol. II > Part 53
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The situation of the grounds is elevated above the road and commands a fine view of the valley. In marked contrast to the gravestones in other cemeteries of the town, these are seldom marked by an epitaph, and, with rare exceptions, such as there are bear the simple legend " May her soul rest in peace."
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History of Littleton.
L.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
T THE fire department took organic form in 1829, when Isaac Abbott, Truman Stevens, George Little, Adams Moore, and Guy Ely were chosen fire wards. These officers were residents of the village, when fires had not been frequent. As a matter of fact, in the hundred years embraced in the nineteenth century, but one building on the south side of what is now known as Main Street, the first Hazeltine shop, was destroyed by fire. On the north side of that street the residence of John Farr, on the site of the brick house now owned by Cyrus Young, the Palmer house at the corner of Main and Pleasant Streets, and a vacant store at the corner of Main and Maple Streets were destroyed, and the stone blacksmith's shop was seriously damaged by fire, as was the Union House on the south side of Main Street. The absence of serious loss from this cause only led the people to regard such a catastrophe as deferred, and they took measures to render it as light as possible when the visitation came. The or- ganization of 1829 was maintained uninterruptedly until 1851. In 1851 and 1852 no fire wards were appointed by the town, and, ex- cepting 1853, no organization was maintained until 1873, since which time a more or less effective force has been in existence for the prevention of loss by fire.
The town purchased a fire-engine as early as 1832 or 1833. It was a hand, or crank machine such as was in common use at the time, and though not very effective, judged by those now in use, it was an improvement on those of a still earlier period. A fire com- pany was not organized at that time. On the 14th of April, 1834, the fire wards called upon those interested in the formation of a company to meet at the store of W. & A. Brackett. Guy Ely was chairman, and Aaron Brackett secretary of the meeting. The following persons were then enrolled as members of the company : John Merrill, Elijah S. Woolson, Francis Hodgman, Samuel A. Edson, Nat. Allen, Thomas Sawyer, William C. Brackett, Elijah
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The Fire Department.
Fitch. Joseph Roby, Charles W. Roby, Roswell H. Curtis, Charles B. Allen, George B. Redington, Moses W. Burnham, Prescott White, Calvin Ainsworth, Jr., William Hibbard, and George W. Ely. It seems that authority was at the time vested in the Selectmen to appoint a limited number of persons to membership in the company, and the board named Luther T. Dow, Peter Fitz- Gerald, Austin Taylor, and Freeman Bailey as firemen, and the company membership thus completed proceeded to perfect its organization by electing John Merrill, foreman, and George B. Redington, clerk. Francis Hodgman, Prescott White, and Elijah S. Woolson were a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws for the company.
In June, 1834, an act of incorporation was procured from the Legislature, which was accepted by the company at a meeting held on Saturday, August 2, of that year. The same meeting adopted a constitution and by-laws reported by the committee. The pre- amble would indicate that the company was created primarily as a charitable institution and the constitution and by-laws following it support this assumption. The preamble is given in full, as it offers a wide contrast, in more than one respect, to modern methods at- tending the formation of fire companies.
" It is the duty of mankind in their various relations to each other to endeavor to promote their general welfare by every means in their power which will tend to relieve their wants or administer comfort in their distress ; in all situations of danger to extend a helping hand and never to turn a deaf ear to the tale of affliction ; but to feel a sense of the high obligations devolving on them in the cause of humanity. With these considerations in view we are formed into a company for the ex- press purpose of assisting our fellow-citizens in case of fire by endeavor- ing to use our best exertions in extinguishing the same, hoping that within the precincts of our little band there never may be found one who, forgetting the duties allotted to him by his Creator, will not fully co-operate with us in the undertaking we thus voluntarily set out upon ; and whose heart is so callous to the line feelings of his brethren as to withhold from them that assistance which it is his duty to bestow."
" Aware that in all well regulated companies for charity, or otherwise, there may be found those who possess but too little philanthropy and who should be subject to some law, we have adopted the following con- stitution and to it we have affixed such penalties as we think may tend to preserve unity and harmony of feeling among us. Let all endeavor to conduct themselves in accordance with the letter and spirit of the following articles of agreement, so essential to the welfare of an associa- tion like ours."
VOL. II .- 33
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History of Littleton.
The constitution prescribes the usual rules relating to such or- ganizations. The officers were to be a foreman, assistant foreman, clerk, and treasurer. The company was to be self-supporting, its funds being derived from a membership fee of one dollar and fines imposed upon members absent at a first and second roll call at stated meetings and at fires. These fines were fixed at twelve and one-half cents at roll calls, and fifty cents for absence on an occa- sion of fire ; assessments were authorized for the purpose of procur- ing such material as was necessary for the use of the engine ; a member leaving the engine when the company was assembled was subject to a fine of twenty-five cents. The records show that this system of raising funds was successful, as many members were absent at the first roll call, and the fines were usually paid to the proper officer.
The first officers of the company were : John Merrill, foreman ; Prescott White, assistant foreman ; George B. Redington, clerk, and Elijah S. Woolson, treasurer.
This company continued in a well-ordered existence for about fifteen years. Its records were complete, and contain many items to indicate that it lived up to the purpose announced in the pre- amble of its constitution. Funds were often appropriated for charitable purposes, usually for the relief of widows or orphans. The largest sum thus given at one time was five dollars, and the usual sum was three dollars.
About the time the company received its charter, it built an engine house on the meeting-house lot close to the line of the brick house owned by William Hibbard, where it stood many years, and was torn down at a time when extensive improvements were in progress on the meeting-house in the seventies.
In 1838 or the following year three reservoirs were constructed on the north side of Main Street; one was at the foot of Meeting- House Hill, one nearly opposite Thayer's Hotel, and the other in the street near Kilburn's Block. These were about twelve feet square and six feet in depth, and were covered with plank. Their main water supply was received from springs in the hill above the street, or its natural drainage, though that at the foot of Meeting- House Hill was also fed by the swamp at the foot of what is now Maple Street. These reservoirs were kept in fair repair for about thirty years, after which they were neglected and left to slow decay.
The membership of the old company was composed of business men, many of whom have borne an important part in the history of the town. In the pages of its records are found the names of
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The Fire Department.
Guy and George W. Ely, George B. and Henry C. Redington, Curtis C. and Isaac W. Bowman, Aaron and William C. Brackett, Joseph and Charles W. Roby, George and Albert Little, John Merrill, Francis Hodgman, Calvin Ainsworth, Jr., Otis Batchelder, Samuel A. Edson, E. S. Woolson, M. L. Goold, John Farr, Joseph L. Gibb, Isaac Abbott, Frederick Hazeltine, Elijah Fitch, Hamilton M. Bailey, Franklin J. Eastman, Philip H. Paddleford, Isaac B. Smith, Ellery D. Dunn, John W. Balch, Franklin Tilton, N. C. Farr, Fry W. Gile, and many others who have been factors in town affairs.
Of the men who were active in the organization of the company, John Merrill, Francis Hodgman, and George B. Redington alone continued with it until it was disbanded. The only survivor of the many whose names appear on the rolls of the company is Isaac W. Bowman.
The closing records of this company cannot be found, and it is not known when it disbanded, but it was probably in 1849. For two or three years the town was without a fire company or any other adequate means of fire protection.
In 1853 the sum of $300 was appropriated for protection against fire. A part of this was used by the fire wards in the purchase of a Hunnewell fire-engine, which was a more powerful machine than the old one that had been in use for a long time. This was oper- ated by hand brakes or sweeps. A company made up of the young men of the village was organized, and held regular meetings and drills for little more than a year. An ineffective organization was kept up for two years, when it fell to pieces through loss of general interest, and removal from town of a few of the most active members.
When it was apparent that this company would not be re-estab- lished, one was formed of young men between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one. Francis Smith was its foreman, and James R. Jackson, clerk. This company was uniformed with red shirts, white trousers, and tarpaulin hats. During the first summer it was out for practice each alternate Saturday evening. It went out of business before the close of 1856. This was the last effort made to secure protection against loss by fire through the instrumentality of fire-engines under the control of a fire company. In the end both engines were sold to be used for the purpose for which they had been built.
During the time these last named organizations were continued the town made several small appropriations to be expended in guarding against damage by fire. Two old reservoirs were repaired
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History of Littleton.
and in season of drought water was drawn from the river to keep them filled. A similar cistern was built at the Scythe Factory Village, and pipe laid from springs to supply it with water, and other precautions taken, but no considerable sum was expended in this cause.
Soon after the close of the war the Littleton Woollen Company for its own protection placed a force pump in its factory, and subsequently entered into a contract with the fire precinct for its use by the precinct. Another pump was placed in the Kilburn Foundry, a third in the Grist Mill, and a contract for their use made by the district. A sufficient quantity of hose was purchased to protect the buildings between Main Street and the river by means of this system. It was not however an effective method and was abandoned as soon as promise of a better was presented.
The Apthorp Reservoir Company was chartered and organized in 1878. The men who established the company were citizens of the town. Doubtless the hope that such a company might prove a remunerative financial investment had its influence in promoting the formation, but the utterly inadequate means at hand to protect the property in the village from a disastrous conflagration and to furnish a supply of water for domestic uses were more potential factors in its consummation. This corporation gave the fire precinct the benefit of a system of hydrants to which water was supplied from a reservoir situated on Pine Hill, having an eleva- tion of two hundred feet above Main Street and a capacity of five hundred thousand gallons. The water supply was at times in- sufficient to meet the requirements guaranteed by the contract between the company and the precinct, and for this reason the directors of the water company sold the property to a brokerage firm in New York which had also acquired the title to the electric light company, and the corporations were consolidated under the name of the Littleton Water and Electric Light Company.1 This company purchased the Cate saw-mill property at Apthorp, and there built a pumping station to reinforce the supply at the Pine Hill reservoir, and the district then, for the first time, had an abun- dant water supply for fire purposes.
In the meantime the fire precinct, created by virtue of an act of the Legislature in 1872, was organized in February, 1873,2 and its bounds have since been enlarged from time to time by addition of village territory. Without attempting to accurately define the
1 Acts passed June session, 1883, June session, 1887, and January session, 1901, cover the legislation concerning this company.
2 Town Records, vol. viii. p. 583.
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The Fire Department.
boundary lines of the district, it is sufficient to state that prior to 1885 it extended from the old school-house lot in District No. 8, on Union Street, then occupied by Charles C. Smith, on the east, to the junction of Main and Meadow Streets on the west, and from the southerly side of High Street to the river on the south. In 1885 the bounds were so far extended as to reach the Baptist Church, taking in the Bowman meadow north of the railroad, and. the west end was extended to the easterly line of Dr. Tuttle's home place. Again in May, 1887, an addition was made; the westerly boundary was fixed at Auburn Street, the northerly line of this addition running through the lands of Dr. Tuttle and Eli D. Sawyer, down Auburn to the cemetery, thence from Main Street to Meadow Street, crossing the river and following its southern bank to the Curtis Brook and up that stream to the Mount Eustis road, including within its bound all the territory on the south side extending from the above line to Willow Street and the river. Another change was effected in 1892, when the south side boundary was moved to the junction of the Bethlehem road with Cottage Street, the easterly line was fixed at the point where Palmer Brook crosses Union Street, and its northern boundary extended to Ira Parker's greenhouse lot at one point and the Wallace place on Pleasant Street at another.
An act of the Legislature approved February 28, 1893, authorized the union of the fire district and highway precinct, and their con- solidation was effected on the twenty-seventh day of March in that year. By this union the fire department passed to the jurisdiction of the Littleton village district, whose executive board was styled the District Commission. The board of fire wards then passed from existence.
When the force-pump system for extinguishing fires was in- angurated, the fire wards organized a hose company, consisting of eight or ten members, over which they assumed immediate control. It was not until 1874 that the department was effectively equipped with hose, an appropriation of $2,500 having been voted for that purpose by the district. A hook and ladder company was also organized at this time, and well equipped for its duties. From 1874 to 1890 inclusive, the sum of $17,000 was raised for the maintenance of the department.
The hose and hook and ladder companies when first organized were officered or directed by the fire wards, and had no rules of their own making. They were to some extent rivals, and the harmony of the department was disturbed in consequence. For some years the members were volunteers and served without pay.
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History of Littleton.
The first record of a payment for services is found in the treas- urer's report of 1884, when it appears the company received the sum of $62.25 on account of salaries, and $6 for two fire alarms.
For some time the hose was stored at the mills, ready for im- mediate connection with the pumps. In 1883 Henry L. Tilton fitted up a hose house on Mill Street in rear of his block which was used by the fire company a number of years. The location was not the best ; there was a sharp rise in the hill leading to Main Street which delayed the company at the start when summoned by an alarm. For this reason principally, the company removed to the granite house, where rooms for its use were rented. Here it remained until June 29, 1895, when it removed to its present quarters in the town building.
The fire wards in 1884 consolidated the Hose and Hook and Ladder companies, and the company then consisted of the following members, who were appointed by the fire wards on the twelfth day of May : Elliott F. Sawyer, Frank P. Burleigh, Lorenzo I. Brown, Bernice Pennock, Elbridge Greenleaf, Fred W. Berry, Warren Burt, Orrin C. Northey, Elmer Goodwin, Horace F. Richardson, and Frank O. Simonds. The company organized by the election of Elliott F. Sawyer, foreman, and Frank P. Burleigh, clerk and treasurer. Lorenzo I. Brown was appointed janitor. In 1889 Elbridge E. Young was chosen foreman (the title has been since changed to chief engineer), and has held the position to the present time. Samuel W. Hodgman, Albert E. Strain, Hugh D. Wilkins, J. W. Yeaton have served as assistant firemen, and Hugh D. Wilkins has been clerk and treasurer since 1898. The company now has twenty-two members.
The water supply is ample for all purposes. There are seventy hydrants conveniently located, so that all parts of the district may be reached by hose. In 1891 Benjamin H. Corning, Otis G. Hale, and John A. Fogg were made a committee to procure an electric fire-alarm system. After mature deliberation the Stevens system was selected and duly installed, at an expense of $1,000. Strikers were located in the towers of the Congregational and Methodist Episcopal churches ; six fire-alarm boxes were located at con- venient points for the accommodation of the district, and the number has since been increased to fourteen; four and a half miles of wire 'have been strung to connect the alarm boxes with the strikers, the residences of the chief engineer and the fire- men ; extension ladders have been purchased, and the most recent acquisition to the department is a one-horse chemical fire-engine.
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The Fire Department.
The water supply comes from the heights of Mount Garfield (the Haystack), ten miles distant, and the distributing reservoir is located more than two hundred feet above the level of Main Street.
The citizens of the district have made every effort to improve this department until it is rendered as nearly perfect as time, care, and money can make it. As a result, property has a protection from the devastations of fire which meets every just and reason- able expectation, and the insurance rates are as low as any written by the insurance companies.
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History of Littleton.
LI.
SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION AND THE WAR OF 1812.
E NVIRONMENT made soldiers of the men who were residents of the territory now constituting Littleton during the War of the Revolution. Their lot was cast in a region remote from the old settlements, and on one of the trails travelled by the hostile Indians of Canada. The constant danger to which they were subjected compelled them to be vigilant and ready at any moment to assemble for the common defence.
It was under these conditions that the Caswells and Hopkinsons became soldiers. The record indicates that they were in the service many times, but for brief periods, from 1775 to 1782. As a matter of fact, however, their service may be regarded as having been continuous during the war. They were not always enrolled or under pay, but whether at home, on the march, or in the log palisades, then called forts, they were guarding the frontier and warding off a stealthy and cruel foe.
Great difficulty has attended the search for a complete record of the services of these patriots, which has been successful in but few instances. Much confusion has arisen from the fact that there are many persons of the same name on the records whose place of residence is omitted.
The following names are arranged in alphabetical order.
Ephraim Bailey, son of General Jacob, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, holding a commission in Col. Seth Warner's regiment. He took part in the engagements at Bennington and Saratoga.
Henry Bemis (Bemies in the Massachusetts records) was of Packersfield, now Nelson. When the news of the Lexington alarm reached that place, he started at once to join the force gathering for the defence of that colony. He enlisted April 21, 1775, in Capt. Jeremiah Stiles' company, of Col. John Stark's regiment. He was at the battle of Bunker Hill, and was one of the last men to leave the rail fence. By command of General Washington,
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Soldiers of the Revolution and the War of 1812.
there being twelve companies in Stark's regiment, and com- missions for officers in but ten, Stiles' company was transferred to the Massachusetts regiment, commanded by Col. Paul Dudley Sargent, and served until the close of the year. He was paid off at Watertown. In June, 1776, he again enlisted under Captain Parker in Colonel Wyman's New Hampshire regiment, serving five months at Ticonderoga, when he returned to Packersfield. In July, 1778, he volunteered for three months with Captain Lewis, in Colonel Hale's regiment, which joined the expedition under General Sullivan to Rhode Island. He came to Littleton in 1787, and settled on the farm still known as the Bemis place. His dust rests in the graveyard at North Littleton.1
Nathan Caswell was a private in Capt. Samuel Young's com- pany, Bedel's regiment, from February 26, 1776, and is said to have served with the northern army in Canada. He was also a member of Capt. Jeremiah Eames' company of rangers from July 13 to October 13, 1776. He was again a member of the same company until April 13, 1777. For eleven months and twenty-two days, from April 9, 1778, he was a member of Capt. Luther Richard- son's company of Bedel's regiment. July 10, 1779, he was elected captain of a company of rangers stationed at Stratford. His remains rest in a burial ground at Compton, P. Q., Canada.
Nathan Caswell, Jr., was a private in Sergt. James Blake's party organized for the defence of the frontier at the Upper Cohos. This was a scout of twelve men that served from April 13 to November 30, 1782. He had previously accompanied his father on his expeditions to the Cohos country, and did a soldier's duty, though not of an enlistable age. He is buried at Melbourne, P. Q., Canada.
Osias Caswell was a private in Capt. Luther Richardson's com- pany of Bedel's regiment, serving nine months and twenty-two days from June 8, 1778. He lived for many years in Brompton or Melbourne, adjoining townships in Province of Quebec, Canada ; but the last few years of his life were passed at Lyndon, Vt., where his remains are interred.
Samuel Clay was long a resident of Littleton. He served as a private in Capt. Ezekiel Worthen's company of Col. Stephen Pea- body's regiment, raised in New Hampshire for continental service in Rhode Island, from April 20, 1778, to January 4, 1779. He was also a recruit in a New Hampshire regiment of the continen-
1 It is stated in the genealogy that Henry Bemis was wounded at the battle of Lexington. This is evidently an error, as no mention is made of such an incident in the affidavits filed in the pension department at Washington.
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History of Littleton.
tal line from July 1 to December 16, 1780. His remains are buried in the Meadows graveyard.
Henry Crooks served in a Massachusetts regiment, and his name appears in Vol. IV. of the Revolutionary Rolls of that State, p. 143, as a member of Capt. Amos Perry's company, Colonel Harris' regiment, in 1778. In his old age he went to Canada to live with a son, and is buried at Coaticook, P. Q.
Jonathan Eastman was a private in Capt. Joseph Hutchins' company in continental service against Burgoyne. From Decem- ber 15, 1777, to March, 1778, he was a private in Capt. Samuel Young's company. He is also credited with a previous service of two months and one day in Capt. Thomas Simpson's company of rangers. He is buried in the Rankin graveyard at West Littleton.
Obediah Eastman was also a member of the company commanded by Captain Hutchins in the Burgoyne campaign, from August 18 to September 10, 1777, as well as that of Captain Young of Bedel's regiment from December 15, 1777, to February 28, 1778, in the expedition to Canada. He resided at Bath during the Revolution- ary period, but lived in this town for some years and died here. His remains rest in the North Littleton graveyard.
Ezra Foster, then of Tewksbury, Mass., first enlisted in Capt. Samuel Fay's company, in the Massachusetts regiment com- manded by Lieutenant-Colonel West, September 12, 1781, and was discharged December 1, 1781. He again enlisted May 29, 1782, for three years, and was discharged January 1, 1783. He lived near Lyman line and is buried in the Rankin graveyard.
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