History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 102

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia [Pa.] J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1520

USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 102
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 102

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In 1884, Mr. Davis was placed in nomination as a candidate for State Senator in the Merrimack District, and was handsomely elected, making a net Repub- lican gain of nearly one thousand over the vote of 1882. In the Senate he became at once an active member, and took a prominent part, serving upon several important committees, and was efficient in procuring the passage of several important measures, and in defeating others, and was the only Senator who refused to vote for the bill entitled, "Purity of Elections Bill." He was called to preside over the Senate upon several occasions, and did so with marked ability, and won the esteem and confidence of his associates to a degree that will ever be a great pleasure to him.

Mr. Davis is a man of great ingenuity and mechan- ical skill and engineering. His is the mind that made all the plans and laid out the work for all the mills at Davisville and for all that have been re- built there within the last quarter of a century, and has made many valuable inventions and improve- ments in machinery. He invented and patented an ingenious and valuable gate-arrangement for turbine water-wheels, and is now perfecting a complicated machine for making paper boxes. He has spent many leisure hours in the past few years inventing a calculating device composed of adjustable concentric circles, divided into nine spaces each, the spaces being in inverse ratio to each other as the ratios of the nine digits, and subdivided decimally.

The soapstone ledge at Davisville, which was dis-

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

covered nearly a century ago, but which has lain dor- mant or only been superficially worked since, is to be scientifically investigated with power, diamond drills, and if the stone is found satisfactory, will be worked, Mr. Davis having formed a company for that pur- pose.

Mr. Davis is a fine type of a self-made man. Making the most of his privileges when a young man, they have been of great assistance in his ma- turer years, and have done much to form and mould his character. Keen of instinct, quick of observa- tion, great readiness of application, coupled with those fundamental principles so often tanght him by faithful parents, have been the forces behind him, assisting him to reach the high vantage gronnd he now occupies, and fulfill all the duties of life, as they come to him, with so much exactness and fidelity as to win the respect and esteem of all who have to do with him, and of all who have the pleasure of his acquaintance.

Just in the prime of his manhood, it is not unrea- sonable to hope there are other and greater honors in store for him; for the people are quick to discern a faithful steward and call him from retirement.

It is the little things that make up character,-the little acts of kindness that none know save the re- cipient.

Forgetfulness of self,-even to personal discomfort, in order to bring happiness to others,-a wise gener- osity, all go to make np a whole-souled, large- hearted man : such a man as Mr. Davis,-for his genial manner loved, for his integrity respected by all with whom he comes in contact.

He was married, May 3, 1857, to Miss Dollie Jones, daughter of Daniel Jones, Sr., who was a particular friend of, and at one time a partner in the Inmber business with, General Aquila Davis. They have had six children,-W. S. Bertine, born March 3, 1860, died May 19, 1860; Horace J., born December 11, 1862 ; Chassie H., born July 25, 1865, died April 25, 1869; Nattie A., born April 23, 1868, died May 5, 1869; Mamie A., born Angust 26, 1870 ; Charles, born October 14, and died October 17, 1874.

That terrible scourge, scarlet-fever, in its worst form, invaded this happy family of four healthy children and claimed them all as its victims. Horace J. only was rescued, and the effects of the disease in him were not outgrown at twenty years of age.

CURRIER FAMILY.

Richard Currier, born in 1617, was one of the original settlers of Salisbury, Mass., his name appear- ing on a list of the inhabitants of the town at the time of its incorporation, in 1640. His wife's name was Ann, and they had at least two children, born in Amesbury,-Thomas and Hannah. He died in 1687.

Thomas, who, later in life, was called deacon, was born in Amesbury March 8, 1646, aud married Mary,

daughter of William Osgood, December 3, 1668. He had twelve children,-nine sons and three danghters, -all of whom were born in Amesbury. He died in 1712.

Joseph, son of Thomas, married, December 9, 1708, Sarah Brown, and they had nine children,-four sons and five daughters,-all born in Amesbury.

Nathan, oldest son of Joseph, was born November 16, 1710, and, April 14, 1736, married Mehitable Silver. They lived in Amesbury, and to them were born five sons and three daughters.

John, the third son of Nathan, was born May 1, 1737, in Amesbury, and married, February 21, 1761, Sarah Clarke, who lived until February 12, 1815. They lived in Amesbury for about five years after they were married, and then moved to Hopkinton, N. H. Their means of conveyance was an ox-team, and their first stopping-place in Hopkinton was on that portion of what was then called Putney Hill now occupied by George W. French. The snow was so deep that they were obliged to make the remainder of their journey on snow-shoes, the men going ahead, drawing their goods on a hand-sled, while Mrs. Currier and the young children, she carrying an infant in her arms, followed in the path made by the men. Their first shelter was a hut made of boughs, until the men could clear a suitable spot for a house. The men worked rapidly, and in building a house they cut the timber Monday, drew the logs together Tuesday, laid them up Wednesday and moved in Thursday, thus constructing a dwelling-place and moving into it within four days. The house stood on the farm now occupied by Deacon John Currier, and, in the midst of an unbroken forest of great extent, constituted a pleasant abode until, in course of time, a larger and better building could be constructed. Soon after their settlement in Hopkinton Baptist meetings were held by Rev. Hezekiah Smith, D.D., of Haverhill, Mass., and in May, 1771, the first Baptist Church was organized. One of the first acts of the newly-organized church was to elect John Currier deacon, and he held the office, and was called by the title until he died, December 23, 1894.

There were born to Deacon John Currier and his wife ten children,-six boys and four girls. Of these children, John, the oldest, married and went to Canaan, N. H., where he died May 10, 1826. Clark, the next in age, also married and settled in Canaan, and died July 6, 1813. Seth went to Maine and died January 1, 1842. Anna married Moses Flanders and went to live in Enfield, N. H., where she died February 12, 1816. Hannah was unmarried and died January 20, 1793. Sarah married Charles Chase, of Hopkinton, had three children,-Carlton, Cyrus and Sarah,-and died July 29, 1834. Stephen married Lucy Story and had five children. Priscilla, in 1804, married Abram Davis, of Hopkinton, and had ten children, She died December 7, 1854, having sur- vived her husband for a period of ten years. James

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married Betsey Gilman, had one child aud died April 19, 1813. Amos, the fifth child and the first one born in Hopkinton, August 25, 1768, married Mary Sar- gent, daughter of Deacon Nathan Sargent, and lived in his father's house on the home farm. He had five children, -Sarah, Seth Franklin, John, Charles Chase and Hannah Sargent. He died February 10, 1815, and his mother two days later, both of spotted fever. His wife lived until November 29, 1846.

Sarah, the oldest of these children, was born August 2, 1797, and married, February 10, 1817, Benjamin Piper, who died soon after their marriage. The fruit of their union was one child, Mary, who married Wyer Gove and had four children. Mrs. Piper, being left a widow, married Jonathan Jones, by whom she had four children, of whom but one, John F. Jones, of Contoocook, is now living. Mr. Jona- than Jones died February 20, 1877, aged eighty-five years, and Mrs. Sarah Jones died February 27, 1885, aged eighty-seven years. John F. Jones mar- ried Maria H. Barnard, of Haverhill, Mass., October 23, 1861, and they have two sons,-John Arthur and Charles Currier,-both of whom live at home. Seth Franklin, born March 26, 1799, was married, but had no children and died August 8, 1834. John Currier was born August 12, 1802, and, in 1823, married Mary Morgan, by whom he had four children,- Celestia E., Rosetta C., Mary L. and John F.,-all of whom are now living. Celestia married Mr. R. T. Crowell and now resides in Concord; they had one child, not now living. Rosetta married Mr. George Brown, who died in 1879, and she had four children, two of whom, Henry C. and Carrie M., are now liv- ing. Mary L. married Mr. William E. Greene, who died in 1866, and had two children, both of whom are dead. She was married, a second time, to Mr. Alfred Poor, October 3, 1876, and now lives in Goffs- town Centre. John F. married Nellie H. Putney, and they have four children,-Mary M., Charles C., John and True P.,-all of whom are living. They reside in Hopkinton. Hannah S. Currier, born August 12, 1812, was the youngest of Amos Currier's children, and married, in 1855, Dr. J. G. Brown, who died in the spring of 1866. She is now living, having had no children, and resides in Wakefield, Mass.

It now remains to mention briefly the eventful career of the fourth of this family of children, Charles Chase Currier, who was born February 7, 1805. His father died when he was ten years old, and at the age of fifteen he went to live with his brother-in-law, Jonathan Jones, where he remained until he was twenty-one years old. During this period he lived on the farm in West Hopkinton now owned by John F. Jones, and enjoyed the common privileges of the boys of bis day,-plenty of hard work and a term of distriet school of six or eight weeks in each year.

While thus employed he was diligent and faithful in whatever he undertook, and appeared to enjoy the work of the farm. But when he became of age, hav-

ing no money with which he could purchase a farm, and despairing of ever accumulating enough by working out on a farm, he determined that he would start out in the world and see what he could find to do.

Accordingly, in the spring of 1826, he left home for Boston, and soon found himself a stranger in a large city, having no recommendations and looked upon with indifference by all whom he approached. Just as he was realizing the difficulties of his position he met a Hopkinton friend who was well acquainted in Boston, and who cheerfully assisted him to obtain a situation. He first began to work for a Mr. Hen- shaw in the drug business, but, June 25th, he left that place and engaged with Messrs. Pierce & Goodnow in a West India goods-store, at No. 29 South Market Street. He received for wages twelve dollars per month and his board.

After he had been at work for two years, his em- plovers, who recognized his superior business qualifi- cations, proposed to assist him to set up in business for himself. Accordingly, he went into partnership with his cousin, Cyrus Chase, and they opened a store in Salem, Mass.

Under date of August 27, 1829, he writes from Salem as follows: "Colonel Chase and myself dis- solved our connection in business the first of July, and I have taken the store and got a new supply of goods from Boston, which I sell very low and find my sales increasing daily. My custom at this season of the year is mostly in town and the neighboring towns, and is not so good as in the winter. My sales last Saturday (the best day in the week) amounted to forty dollars in cash and about fifty charged."

In June, 1830, he made a brief visit to friends in Hopkinton, and, though no one realized it at the time, looked upon the faces of many, including his mother and brother Seth, for the last time.

In the autumn of 1830, November 18th, he writes : " I have bought, in company with Captain Isaac B. Shepherd, the schooner 'Rebecca,' and we are now loading her for the West India Islands. The ‘Re- becca' is a schooner of one hundred and two tons, and will cost us, after fitting her for sea, one thou- sand dollars. Her cargo will amount to about twenty- five hundred dollars. Captain Shepherd goes in her as master; he disposes of the cargo in the West Indies and buys her cargo home. We have her in- sured in Boston to the amount of three thousand five hundred dollars."

In a letter written to his brother John, February 27, 1831, he says : " Knowing your anxiety about my vessel, I have improved the first opportunity and must give you a brief sketch of her voyage. She arrived at Boston February 22d ; I went to Boston the same day, and in the three following days unloaded her and sold her cargo, which consisted of more than twelve thousand gallons of molasses. I then bought my outward cargo and have just got her almost

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loaded for another voyage. All this I have done in four days, during which time, you will allow, I must have been very busy. Our returns are molasses and specie ; my sales of molasses amount to over three thousand dollars, besides what I want to retail ; I had returned in specie one thousand five hundred and seventy five-franc pieces, amounting, in our money, to one thousand four hundred and sixty dollars, which gives us a very good profit, amounting to something like one thousand dollars each."

In 1832 he changed his place of business and took a store at the wharf, where he continued to do a profitable business for several months; but, early in 1834, he writes of misfortunes in business; the last voyages of his vessels proved unprofitable, so that, owing to these losses, the scarcity of money and the depression of business, he was compelled to make an assignment of his property for the benefit of his creditors. He writes : " Mother must not be anxious on my account, for I am as happy as ever, and shall have the same courage to commence again as if I had met with no misfortunes."

In April, 1834, he writes that he never saw business so dull; people are failing every day, so that he is not alone in his misfortunes, and he has no desire to engage in business immediately; he also refers to offers to send him as supercargo, and wants to know what his mother and other friends think of his going to sea for a voyage of six months. He thus briefly defines the duties of a supercargo : "My duty would be to dispose of the outward cargo and purchase a homeward cargo; on the voyage I should have no- thing to do, but could carry books and amuse myself in reading."

In May, 1834, he sailed as supercargo on a voyage of seven months, and his first letter on his return refers to his good health during the entire voyage and to his grief at hearing of the death of his brother Seth.

About the middle of 1835 he is fearing a war be- tween France and the United States, and says no in- surance on vessels can at present be secured. He writes a little later, that when he goes to sea again he intends to be owner of the ship and cargo. Still later in the year, he considered a proposition from Mr. David Pingree to go to the Bay of Bengal and, locating at Madras, to buy goods, consisting of goat- skins, cow and buffalo-hides, cloths and silk goods, different kinds of gums, etc., and ship them to this country. December 23, 1835, when about to sail for Calcutta, he writes that Mr. Pingree agrees to insure his expenses from the time of leaving until his return, and to give him a good share of the commissions, and adds : " I shall carry with me, in specie and bills on London, about fifty thousand dollars, and he is to send me more."

After a voyage of almost five months he arrived safely in Calcutta, and found the city much more im- pressive in its size and splendor than he had antici-

pated ; to him it seemed " well worthy of the ancient appellation, the City of Palaces."

The thermometer ranged from eighty to eighty-six degrees above zero, but in an airy house and with plenty of servants, he managed to keep comfortable, never going out except in a carriage or palanquin. He was much interested in the manner of living made- necessary by the climate, the superstition of the native servants and the beautiful country-seats of English noblemen. He found several Americans, agents of merchants in the United States, and soon became well acquainted with them. When he arrived there were four American vessels in the harbor which were soon to sail for the United States.

The observance of the Sabbath was as strict as could be expected among such people, and he was told by English gentlemen that our missionaries stood in very good repute in India. He soon become absorbed in business and enjoyed his new life, the climate thor- oughly agreeing with him. The expense of living at this time, including servants and table, with house- rent, palanquin, etc., he estimated at not more than eighty-seven dollars per month. He was much im- pressed by the contrast between the condition of the rich and poor, the former princely in their living and the latter miserable in their poverty, with no possible chance of improving their condition. He described a visit he made upon invitation of one of the rich natives. "It was," he wrote, " a splendid place in all respects ; the floors of his house were all of marble, and his rooms were furnished in a costly manner. He had for natural curiosities four rhinoceroses, which were tame and feeding about his house, one elephant, one ostrich, one ourang-outang and numerous other small animals." The wages of the coolies or laborers who, in crowds, were to be found in the bazaars beg- ging for work in weighing or transporting goods, amounted to nine cents a day. He attended the Scotch Church, so called there, and found all the churches fitted up so as to be comfortable, each one having punkas in all parts of the house. "These are machines fitted above the heads of the congregation, throwing the air upon them, and answering instead of fans." October 18, 1836, he sailed from Calcutta to Madras, where he remained less than six months, the facilities for business not suiting him. While there, however, he made a visit which he believed would greatly interest his mother. "Tell her," he wrote to his brother, "that there is no doubt but what I have stood upon the very spot where Saint Thomas of old was crucified. It is a small mountain, about ten miles from Madras, called Saint Thomas Mount, said to have derived its name from the cir- cumstances of the crucifixion. The place is made of great account by the Roman Catholic Church as a place of worship, and they have an old cathedral on the pinnacle of the mount." He described Madras as " crowded to overflowing with the natives ; the streets are common thoroughfares for loaded elephants,

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camels and the natives riding on bullocks and in carriages drawn by bullocks, all of which presents a very ludicrous appearance to the eye of one who has been in the habit of viewing the clean-swept and open streets in the cities of the United States." After his return to Calcutta he availed himself of an oppor- tunity to visit the interior of the country, and in three months traveled seven hundred and fourteen miles on the river Ganges, as far as the celebrated city of Benares. In 1839, in response to an inquiry of his sister, he gave the following description of his manner of life: "I am at present living with an American from Philadelphia, each paying one-half of all the expenses; our house is comfortable and airy, built of brick, two stories high, with good verandah, one large dining-room, two large sleeping-rooms, one sitting-room and other convenient apartments; rent, eighty rupees, or forty dollars per month. Our ser- vants consist of one head man (native title, khan- sumer), who purchases all our daily provisions and superintends all concerns about the house; one cook, one butler, one sweeper, two boys to wait upon the table, two bearers or servants to do errands and have the charge of our sleeping-rooms and wearing apparel. All our servants are males, no females about our establishment, and each has his regular daily work allotted him. We keep one horse and chaise, and every afternoon, about sunset, we ride two or three hours upon the strand, a fashionable resort for all European ladies and gentlemen. It is a beautiful road along the bank of the river Hoogly, commanding a fine view of the water on one side and the city on the other. One or two hundred carriages usually assemhle here about one hour before sunset and drive up and down along the river until dark, this being the most pleasant recreation we have in this country." In the latter part of 1839 he went to Singapore, and on his re- turn stopped at the island of Penang, where he made arrangements to join the firm of Revely & Co. as soon as he could close up his business at Calcutta. The contract was for two years, with the provision that if either partner died, the other was to have full control of the business. He thus describes Pulo Penang : "Pen- ang is a delightful little island near the coast of Malac- ca. All the level land upon the island is cultivated by Europeans with nutmegs. These nutmeg orchards are inclosed by a green hedge, which makes the scenery beautiful, and the high mountain in the centre of the island, with a road winding around it to the top (sufficiently good to enable a little Burmese pony to carry a man with ease), makes a fine retreat in hot weather. The roads about the island are very good, and every European keeps his carriage and lives in the same style as in Calcutta. The climate is the most healthy of all India, and much more so than that of the United States. I am altogether much pleased with the place." He went to Penang early in February, 1840, and his only partner, Mr. John Revely, with his family, sailed immediately for Eng-

land on board the ship " Embassador ; " nothing was ever afterwards heard of the vessel or any one on board. After a sufficient time had elapsed Mr. Revely's will was opened and his estate administered upon, and from that time the whole business, with its cares and profits, came into Mr. Currier's hands.

During the next few years his life was uneventful, except that his business steadily increased, so that he constantly had in his care from three to five English, French or American vessels. His old friend, David Pingree, began to send his vessels to Penang, and that business continued to increase until it attained to large proportions.

Upon the increase of his American shipping busi- ness he received the appointment of United States consul at Penang, which office he held until his re- turn to the United States.

In the summer ut 1847 he received the sad news of his mother's death, and wrote a very tender and ap- preciative letter in return. April 8, 1849, he writes a bit of interesting news concerning himself, as follows : " I have just received a present from the king of Den- mark of a very valuable gold snuff-box, with the royal cipher set in diamonds. It is the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and all who have seen it say the same. It was presented to me by the king, through his Minister of Commerce, as a token of His Majesty's approbation of my conduct as agent for his ships engaged here in the establishment of a colony at the Nicobar Islands during the last three years. The colony is now given up and his ships called back to Denmark."

The following is an exact copy of the paper which accompanied the gift :

"Sir : In presenting to me a report respecting the settlement at the Nicobar Islands, now given up, and the temporary Danish naval station at Penang connected with it, Captain Aschlund has expressed himself in the most favorable terms of the zeal and disinterestedness with which you have rendered valuable services to him in your capacity of agent to the ship under his command.

"Considering the claim which particular zeal in the public service has to the attention of the King's Government, I have most humbly sub- mitted a proposition to His Majesty, that a token of His august appro- bation of your conduct might be conferred upon you, and His Majesty has been most graciously pleased to resolve that a gold snuff-box, hearing the royal cipher, should be presented to you as a mark of the satisfac- tion which your exertions in His service have afforded Him.

" By remitting to you the annexed box, I am happy, Sir, to have an opportunity of congratulating you on a distinction so well deserved, and expressing to you the feelings with which I appreciate the zeal evinced by you in llis Majesty's service.

" Minister of Commerce, Copenhagen, the 16th October, 1848.

" BLUHME,

"SCHNEIDER PHHODECK.

"To C. C. CURRIER, EsQro., Consul of the United States at Penang."

The royal cipher is mounted upon an oval, elliptical- shaped stone, resembling an amethyst, set into the gold cover of the box. This stone is about two and a half inches long. On the lower portion is a monogram containing the letters F and R, with the number VII. in the lower part, and above is a diadem. The sur- face of the gold cover around the stone is studded with fourteen large diamonds, while in the monogram

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 102

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia [Pa.] J. W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 1520

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia [Pa.] J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1520