USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire : including that of ancient Amoskeag, or the middle Merrimack Valley, together with the address, poem, and other proceedings of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of Derryfield at Manchester, October 22, 1851 > Part 6
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Judge Blodgett was afterwards in the war of the Revolution, being connected with the commissary department in the cam- paign of 1775, and 1776, in the vicinity of Boston. Judge Blodgett's inventive powers have been alluded to in connection with his "Diving Tongue," and Canal Locks, but his powers of invention were not always in the way of mechanics; he was a good financier, as is shown by the fact that he was able to raise the means to complete his great undertaking, " the Blodgett Canal." One of his financial operations or inventions, I cannot refrain from relating at the present time. He was in Philadelphia for the purpose of selling the stock of his canal ; but met with no success, and after a stay of some weeks, found himself without funds. In this dilemma the idea struck him of giving a concert, and he forthwith issued his handbills through the city, advertising a
CATEGORICAL CONCERT,
naming time and place. The thing took, and The Hall was crowded at a quarter a head. At the appointed hour, the cur- tain rose, and Blodgett came forward upon the platform with his instruments of music, enclosed in a bag upon his arm. Af- ter a short address to the audience, he threw his bag upon the platform and then, true enough, a categorical concert commenc- ed according to appointment, with
" All discord-harmony not understood,"
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that three or four tom cats were capable of making! The audience were "sold," and by the "sell," Blodgett raised funds sufficient to settle his bills, and pay his way home. But in another invention or discovery he was not so successful. He held that he had discovered the true elixir of life, by which he could prolong life, far beyond the usual age of man. A part of this discovery was early rising, air bathing, violent wretching of the limbs in the morning upon getting out of bed, and wearing the same amount of clothing the year round, making no addi- tions, for inclement, or winter weather. Practicing upon this theory, with a strong constitution, at the age of eighty-three years, he was hale and hearty, and calculated upon a greater length of days, but riding from Haverhill to Derryfield in the night, without proper clothing as was his custom, he took a vi- olent cold, and soon after died, thus falling a victim to his much vaunted discovery of the elixir of life.
And in the war of the Revolution, Old Derryfield furnished her full quota of men. From the report made by the Select- men of the town in 1775, it appears there were but forty-one men betwixt the ages of sixteen and fifty in the town; but thir- ty-six in the town "fit to bear arms," and of this number, six- teen were already in the army ! A greater number in propor- tion to the number fit to bear arms, than from any other town in the State, if not in New England.
And they fought well-how well others have spoken-oth- ers have written-and that others may have an opportunity to tell us this evening, I will no longer trespass upon their time, or the patience of the audience.
DR. WILLIAM M. PARKER next being called upon, said :
Mr. Chairman-I am happy to add my word-I claim to be an adopted son of this respectable, and thriving town, whose or- igin we commemmorate. I only lacked two or three miles of being a native, and if I had not been born over here in old Bed- ford, there is no telling but Manchester would have been the spot. But I was among the earliest of these numerous step- children, who have gathered upon her soil, until she has become the largest, and most important town in the State. When I was a boy, they used to tell about going out of the world into Der- ryfield. (The town was known as Derryfield, sometime after the name was changed to Manchester, which was about forty years since.) This saying rather indicated that old Derryfield, at one time, was not regarded as very much of a town. The peo- ple were spoken of as being in some measure behind the gener- al civilization, and prosperity of the community, and as drawing
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a precarious subsistence from the sandy soil, and that peculiar kind of fishery, which has been alluded to to day, which was prosecuted about the falls. But all this must be, in a great mea- sure, libellous, or only applicable to a small portion of the pop- ulation, and territory of the town. Probably, these unfavorable imputations arose from partial observation, embracing only this sandy region lying on the river, and its thriftless inhabitants, always excepting, even in this neighborhood, some worthy fam- ilies. But the new comers appropriated this district; and the class of inhabitants referred to, mingled with the mass, and now the remainder, embracing more than nine tenths of the territory -old Derryfield proper, shows for itself what it is, and has been for many years at least. We see the soil divided into valuable farms, under fair cultivation, with good buildings upon them, and owned and conducted by respectable, industrious, and thrifty farmers, mainly native citizens. Many of these men are weal- thy, yet they are quiet and unobtrusive, and are making no un- due display of their prosperity. Some of our best business men on the street, are from among the original inhabitants.
The town has suffered from one grand mistake of the earlier in- habitants, which was brought to view by the orator this after- noon-in not establishing, and nourishing the institutions of re- ligion and education. This was the great mistake, and its in- fluence will be felt to the latest posterity. But it must be con- ceded, that there is no class of this population more respectable, or more reliable, more industrious, or more prosperous, than the native citizens of the town. I came among these people, as I know others have done, with unjust impressions, which, in my case, have been corrected, by years of intercourse and observa- tion, and I feel disposed to devote the moment allotted me this evening, in giving in my testimony on this point. I will close with this sentiment. The old Derryfield stock-it improves vastly on acquaintance-may it retain its identity and its integ- rity, and continue to exert a sober, and healthful influence in this mixed and shifting population, through generations to come.
JOHN B. CLARKE, EsQ., being next called on, came forward and said :-
Mr. Chairman-Ladies and Gentlemen :- I came not here to make a speech, but intended to have left before my name was reached on the list of speakers; but-"it is in vain to extenuate the matter."
At the first singing school I ever attended, we were required to keep time to the movements of a pendulum; but never before was I asked to make a speech in just "five minutes." I am
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afraid I should not "come to time," and shall not attempt it .- If I knew a single fossil of history connected with "the day we celebrate," I would exhibit it to you with pleasure. Why, I understand that the Reverend Orator of the day, who spread be- fore us such a rich repast in the afternoon-a man who has al- ways fished in these waters-found some difficulty in getting his historical "eel pot" sufficiently full for the occasion. I have been watching him for some days, in hopes that some "squirming eel" would jump out, that I might catch and hold up to your admiring gaze this evening. But alas! it was a false hope .- There is no stealing eels away from him, and I have come to the conclusion, as he is one of the "originals" of this section, that the idea so pleasingly suggested by the humorous Poet of this occasion, that the original inhabitants of this place were an eely race, is at least half true.
The first recollection I have of Old Derryfield, dates back about twenty years, when my nearest neighbor told me, that in 1810 he went over McGregor's Bridge, that was carried away last winter, and it was so old and rickety that he made the toll- keeper go over with him, to see that he got over safe, before he would pay him the toll.
This Manchester city must have been a queer place a hun- dred years ago, if all is true that is said about it! It does not seem possible that here, where now is manufactured, monthly, cloth enough to make a bed-quilt sufficiently large to cover over the whole thirty-six square miles of this city, scores of years ago, the long haired Indian girls were picking ground nuts, or roasting acorns, or playing the agreeable to some "country cousin," that had just come in from the Massabesic, or Lake Winnipisseogee, or Rye Beach! But so I suppose it was. It is difficult to say what ballads of love were here once sung or romantic scenes witnessed. Who knows but that Derryfield, a century ago, contained a Parodi, or some one that could play on "oaten straw," or pumpkin vine, as bewitching as Strackosch the piano ; or sing a song that could charm the braves, as years ago Abby Hutchinson did some of us, by the simple melody of the "Spider and the Fly"-making us almost wish that we were the fly, and she the spider !
Things are strangely altered in this place from what they were in the days of Lamprey eels. Then, where Kidder's Building now stands, was a muck-hole, and a friend, whom my eye now rests on,used to snare rabbits and partridges on Concord Square,-and Philip Stevens, for a great many years, kept a pigeon stand, just in front of the Universalist Church. I assure
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you it is not unpleasant for me to know, that pigeons were once netted so near the City Hotel, where I board.
As this is a meeting to talk of historical matters, I feel it my duty to tell you, what I have never divulged before, that I have strong suspicions that my Great grandfather once chased a bear from old Haverhill to this place !
Ladies and Gentlemen-I thank you for your kind indul- gence, and am happy in being able to inform you, that some- time you will see all these things bound up in a book, the early Indian history of this place-the fisheries at the Falls-the pe- culiar characteristics of those men, who
-"Loved to fish the live-long night, Who loved to drink and loved to fight,"
and a thousand other pleasing things, that appertain to Old Der- ryfield, Nutfield, and perhaps, the Ryefield.
REV. CYRUS W. WALLACE arose and said, that it was far from his expectation to be called on to make a speech, and that he must say, like an old neighbor of his, who was engaged in traffic, that if people wanted anything in his line, he would trade. So, said Mr. Wallace, it is with me ; if you want anything in my way, I can talk to you a little, but not make a speech ; and I think I should not have got up at all, had it not been for an eel or alewife, or something of the kind, that slipped out of Mr. Clarke's pot. He was reminded of an incident in regard to McGregor's bridge. When Mr. McGregor, who built the bridge, first made known his plan to Gen. Stark, that man observed, that he did not wish to live any longer, than while a bridge should be built across the Merrimack. Mr. Wallace then re- marked, in regard to the contrast in society now, and fifty or one hundred years ago, and related an anecdote of his grand- mother's carrying the linen she spun to Boston, on foot, in com- pany with others of the neighborhood. They went, did all their business, and returned in three days ; a distance of over for- ty miles. He thought that if it was in his power to make a gift to the young people of this generation, it should be the strength and constitution of their ancestors-he thought his grandmother must have been beantiful, she was so healthy .- He, with Dr. Parker, came within one of being born in old Derryfield, and had never had any of those unfavorable im- pressions in regard to its people, common to many. True, there were some among them, men gathered immediately about the falls, mere pests of society ; yet many among its inhabitants, would compare favorably with those in any section of the State, for real worth, judgment, skill or bravery.
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There were even some in town, who could claim a direct de- scent from royalty-from king James II, (this was something) however, he did not think this royal blood of much account.
He then compared the history of the town, to that of some young men, who, from small beginnings, have achieved a great end.
REV. B. M. TILLOTSON being next called upon, made a few remarks nearly as follows :-
After referring to the present advantage we enjoy over our fathers, he related an incident to illustrate the mode of life of an ancient belle, when our fathers went to the field with their arms in their hands. The man takes his gun to repair to the field, and attend to his harvesting, when he is bade by his wife to leave it, as while he is gone, an Indian may come and slaugh- ter her. "No," says the man, "for being in an open field, I shall be more exposed to the savage foe, but I will leave you the hoe to defend yourself." She at once saw the force of the argument, and was satisfied. "Let them come," said she, "and I will hoe them out." We would give honor to the mothers of Derryfield-we enjoy blessings from the stream of the past ;- we must work for the future-do as did the great Dr. Franklin, who, upon meeting with a poor but worthy man, gave him five dollars. "I can never pay you," said he. "Never mind ;" said Franklin, "if you are ever able, give it to some other needy per- son, and pass it around." We must do something for posterity, and not be like the man, who, on being told that what he was asked to do, would benefit posterity, replied, what has posterity done for me ? We must do good, and give our contributions to enrich, adorn, and purify the future.
MR. CHARLES A. LUCE, being called upon, said, if he had an illustrative anecdote, or a single scrap of history, not already known to the audience, he would gladly relate it; but he re- gretted to say he had not, and would only say that he came in as an "out-sider," and had been pleased to learn, as he had from the orator of the day, that the original settlers of Derryfield were men of stern integrity, and of abiding principles, and ear- ly raised the cry of liberty, and he was glad to assist their de- scendants on the track of time, through a century of summers and winters, to echo back the cry, and wonld conclude with, the following sentiment :
The City of Manchester: As such, she was not known to our fathers, and fills no page in the history of the revolution, but Old Derryfield raised John Stark, and that is glory enough for them both.
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MR. JOHN L. KELLEY being called upon, remarked that he was not a native of Old Derryfield, but thought she would be re- membered in coming time, not as the largest Commercial Mart in the Granite State, but as the home and sepulchre of a Stark. The heroic deeds of that patriot would be remembered in com- ing time, when all else of this, and the succeeding generation will become misty with age.
He was a son of New Hampshire, and yet was barren as to incidents touching Old Derryfield. Like a man, who, in olden time, came up to this place from Litchfield to get corn, and ap- plied to Gen. Stark, and others, and was denied. With an in- dependence peculiar to the early pioneers-turning upon his heel with an oath, he said, "I don't care-blue berries will be ripe in a fortnight." He left, as I have come here to-night with an empty bag-and as I must travel out of Manchester for an incident on this occasion, I will visit Old Durham, the home of my childhood. There sleeps the dust of a Sullivan, a compat- riot of our Stark, in the war of the Revolution. That hero, with John Langdon, and other sons of liberty in that neighbor- hood, set one of the balls in motion, which, gathering strength from each successive revolution, helped to crush the lion of Old England, and give strength, beauty, and motion to the wings of the American Eagle-I refer, said the speaker, to that ever- to-be-remembered Gunpowder Expedition, against Fort Wil- liam and Mary, at New Castle. On a December night in the year 1774, at midnight, as the winds were sighing a requiem over the dying year, these hardy men threw their fearless barks upon the black, receding tide of the Piscataqua, and with muf- fled oars proceeded to the fort, where they captured one hun- dred kegs of powder, which was brought to Durham and de- posited in one of the store houses of Gen. Sullivan, upon the landing ; which, together with a lot of small cannon, and other like stores, was afterwards used to advantage at the battle of Bunker Hill. This he related in order to illustrate a sentiment which he then offered-
New Hampshire : Her sons were among the first to fight in defence of LIBERTY AND UNION-their descendents will be the last to prove recreant to either.
JOSEPH C. ABBOTT, EsQ., Editor of the Manchester Ameri- can, being called upon, expressed his surprize that so few of the descendants of the original settlers of Old Derryfield, had been placed on the list of speakers. He gave a sentiment in regard to those descendants, and called upon WILLIAM STARK, EsQ., who responded as follows :-
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Ladies and Gentlemen-I trust it will not seem egotistical in me, if I tell you that I consider myself one of the old settlers of Manchester. For though it seems but a few short days since I passed the bounds of childhood-but a day ago since I chased the butterfly over the lands where now stand the lofty walls of this building-but a day ago, since I drove my father's cows to pasture where are now your most crowded streets-yet, with not even the honor of a hoary hair, I have lived to witness the growth of a populous and flourishing city ; and but a short time since, was compelled to enquire my way over the very spot, where I had many a time played in the warm sunshine. The desert had been made to blossom like the rose : and as if by the waving of a magic wand, the place which once had the reputation of being the poorest town in the State, had become the richest ; while he who treasured it in memory as his birth place, returned from his youthful wanderings, to find himself a stranger, in the land of his fathers.
There are many circumstances, aside from this rapid growth, which give a peculiar interest to the history of Derryfield. The men who dwelt about this river-those connected with its fish- eries, and its navigation, gave to the place a characteristic repu- tation. The view of the fishermen, while on duty at the falls, was a scene of no small interest-a hundred men in their torn and ragged costumes, some half hid in the surrounding gloom, others conspicuous on lofty rocks, which reflected the gleam of their watch fires-moving in every possible direction, and with every variety of motion, throwing the "scoop net," plunging the "hook," setting the "pots," handling the "squirming eels"- covered with the blood and slime inseparable from their ocupa- tion, some fighting, and all shouting at the top of their voices, formed a scene worthy of Pandemonium itself.
I suppose we have no idea of the immense number of fish with which this river once abounded. My father has seen the shad so thick as to crowd each other in their passage up the falls, to gain the smooth water above ; so that you could not put in your hand, without touching some of them; and yet there were more alewives than shad, and more eels than both. It is no wonder that eels were called "Derryfield beef," for I have heard those say, who would be good judges in the matter, that eels enough were salted down in a single year, to be equal to three hundred head of cattle.
There was one great advantage about the lamprey eel : it had no bones except in the head ; and as that was never eaten, it made safe food for the children. But the alewives had not
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this advantage. They were as full of bones as the eels were free from them.
From this probably arose that old story about the reason why the fishermen were so filthy-"they ate so many alewives, the bones stuch out of their backs, so they could not pull their shirts off to have them washed."
But the eel fishers formed but a small portion of the people of Derryfield, while the eel eaters were universal. This luxury was ever welcome, and was served in various ways, according to the taste or ability of the possessor. I well remember the mode of living among many of the poorer people. As dinner time drew near, the woman, taking a stick, poked from the ash- es a dozen or so of roast potatoes, then, going to the barrel, took out a salt eel and laid it on the coals. The children, with a roast potato in one hand, and a piece of eel in the other, made their repast ; and I have often joined those hungry circles, and found in this simple food, a satisfaction which I have since fail- ed to derive from the costliest viands of our most magnificent hotels.
Much that would be entertaining and instructive might be said about the navigation. With the history of Blodgett, we have already been made familiar.
Beside him, there are many men of mark whose biographies might be written, and whose various labors might be enlarged upon. But there is now no time, nor am I the man for such a task. I will leave it for abler hands.
Whatever may be said in regard to other things, there is one virtue in which old Derryfield was never deficient. This was patriotism. I have never heard of a "tory" who lived in town. Their country was their idol. For her, they were willing to suffer any and every privation : and the various battle fields of the revolution, could they speak, would have but one voice in praise of their bravery, and devotedness.
Allusion has been made here, to-night, to the mothers of Old Derryfield. Allow me to say that for much that is strong, and worthy of admiration in the characters of the descendants of the early settlers, they are indebted to the mothers of that gen- eration. And now, while it occurs to me, I will relate an anec- dote of the mother of John Stark. She was reputed to have been a woman of remarkable beauty ; but in those days, when family pride was of some account, was regarded as of rather a lower class than her leige lord, who, it seems, was somewhat disposed to be ashamed of his wife on certain occasions. One time it happened that Stark was visited by some gentlemen
6
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OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER.
from Boston, distinguished by royal favor. While taking them about his place to show the improvements, &c., they chanced to pass through the room, where she and her maidens were spinning. Attracted by her extraordinary beauty, as they went out, one of the officers asked who that pretty girl was. "Oh," replied Stark, "it is a girl I have got to do my work." Mrs. Stark, who had overheard the question, and was listening with curiosity, for the reply, felt all the spirit of an injured woman rising within her breast, and confronting her astonished husband, company and all, with her fine eyes flashing fire, retorted in her broad Scotch dialect, "Ye lee ! ye lee ! Archie Stark, ye know I'm yer ain wedded wife, and as good as any o' ye." We may be sure that after this, Stark treated his wife with due respect.
But the men and women of those bye-gone days have all left, and we can sit under the shade of the trees on the little knoll yonder, and count their graves. We have built around their sepulchres a Mausoleum of crowded streets, elegant dwel- lings, and lofty factories, and the buzz of the spindle re-echoes to the chirp of the robin upon their head stones. May we cherish their virtues, and preserve our own to the last generation.
Mr. ALBERT JACKSON, being called upon by the audience, came forward and spoke as follows :
Mr. President-Ladies and Gentlemen-I feel a great deal of diffidence in coming forward at this time, having been preceed- ed by so many gentlemen of ability, who have very agreeably entertained you. When I came into the hall I had no purpose whatever of making any remarks. In fact my business so com- pletely engages my time, that I have had no time to collect facts, or to arrange my thoughts for a speech on this occasion. And as I have ever lived out of the world, in Old Derryfield, I may - perhaps be excused, should I fail to make a good speech. And were it not that I feel a just pride in acknowledging myself a na- tive born son of Old Derryfield, I should not at this late hour, trespass upon the patience of this audience. My earliest recol- lections are of the forests and fields, hills and vales, of the old town of Derryfield; (now the populous city of Manchester) the contemplation of the past is to me full of interest, and there are many anecdotes and incidents illustrative of the manners and customs of the early settlers of this town, which, if time would permit, it would give me pleasure to relate. But the general pros- perity of her citizens, in early as well as later times, is the best evidence of their sagacity and enterprise. And no son of Derry- field is, or need be ashamed of the home of his fathers. I can,
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