History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 107

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 107
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 107

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The controversy concerning Levi Harvey's mill privilege and flowage rights arose in this way: Away back in 1780 an article was inserted in the warrant to see if the town would adopt any method to build mills in said town, but the vote was that as a town they could not do anything as to building mills. But it seems that some individuals gave said Harvey a bond that they would purchase the land on which he was to set the mill, and would defend him against claims for flowage by the owners of land around and above his mill-pond, if he would erect a saw and grist-mill upon a certain lot of land owned by some absent propri- etor ; and in 1783 the town, at their annual meeting, voted to clear those men that were bound in a bond to Levi Harvey to purchase land and for defending of privileges, as mentioned in said bond; also, that the present selectmen be empowered to give security to said Harvey for the purchase of land and the de- fending of privileges as mentioned in the former bond. The selectmen for that year were Samuel Brocklebank, Levi Harvey and Ebenezer Hunting. In compliance with this vote of March, 1783, said

Brocklebank and Hunting gave to said Harvey a bond conditioned like the previous one, and the former bond was canceled. The mill and the dam were built and everything went on smoothly for several years.

But after a time a controversy arose about the land where the mill was located, and the owners of lots above the mill began to claim damages for flowage by the dam, and Harvey appealed to the town, and Brocklebank and Hunting also claimed to have the town act in the premises, but the town declined, and, upon one excuse and another, refused to act. In 1802 the town appointed a committee to act in the prem- ises and to make a final settlement between said Harvey and the town; but in 1804 they again voted to let the matter take its due course in law. An ar- ticle was inserted in the annual warrants for town- meetings on this subject, and special meetings were called to act upon it, but the town would not act.

Finally, suits were brought by the parties aggrieved against Harvey, as of course they must be, and dam- ages recovered against him for flowage by the owners of lands above his mill and by the claimant of the land where his mill was located. These damages were collected of Harvey, and then he called on his bondsmen, Hunting and Brocklebank, to respond. They called on the town, but the town was still deaf to the call ; so, after various town-meetings, Harvey sued Hunting and Brocklebank on their bond. The town still refusing to come to their rescue, they defended themselves as best they could in the suit, but were finally beaten and a judgment recov- ered against them for the whole amount that Harvey had been obliged to pay. Then there were more town-meetings, but the town was still persistent in doing nothing.

Probably in the mean time Brocklebank had be- come irresponsible, and as Hunting was good, Harvey at length arrested Deacon Hunting and lodged him safely in jail for the non-payment of the debt. Hunting was stubborn, and Harvey was reso- lute ; so Hunting laid in jail over a year ; but finding that Harvey would not yield, he finally paid the money and went home to his family. Then he called on the town, and the town refusing to act, he brought his suit against the town, and then more town-meet- ings followed ; but the suit went along, and the town in the end was beaten, as it deserved to be, and a judgment was recovered against the town.

On the 24th day of May, 1808, a special meeting was called on that matter, and the town "Toted, that there be assessed upon the polls and estate in this town, and that part of Wilmot which was taken from this town in June last, a sum of money sufficient to satisfy the judgment rendered against the town in favor of Deacon Ebenezer Hunting, at the last term of the Supreme Court in this county." They do not state how large the sum thus raised was; but it is reported that the amount of his claim had by this

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time, with all the costs of the various snits, reached the sum of nearly fifteen hundred dollars, which for those times was a large amount.

In 1809 there was an article in the warrant "to see if the town will pay Deacon Ebenezer Hunting the amount of interest which he has been obliged to pay on the execution which Levi Harvey, Esq., obtained against him." But the town passed over the article. Again, on the 13th January, 1812, a special meeting was called "to see if the town will pay to Deacon Ebenezer Hunting a sum of money eqnal to the amount of interest which he paid on the Harvey execution, and also to see what compensation the town will make Deacon Ebenezer Hunting for dam- ages he sustained by being imprisoned on said execu- tion." But the town made quick work of it by voting at once not to do anything about it. This ended the controversy, which had been in agitation more than twenty years in town.

Let us now look for a moment at the boundaries of the town at different periods of its history. When the town was incorporated it was, as you have seen, in very regular shape, extending from Alexandria to Fisherfield and Sutton in length, and of about equal width between the patent line and Kearsarge Gore. June 19, 1793, the Legislature disannexed lots No. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 from the northwesterly part of Kearsarge Gore, and annexed the same to New London. By this change the southerly line of New London was extended east to the northeast corner of Sntton. The piece thus annexed was a triangle, with its base resting on Sutton north line. December 11, 1804, the Legislature disannexed a large number of lots from Wendell and annexed the same to New London ; and on the 19th of June, 1817, another tract was taken from Wendell and annexed to New London, so that the line between these towns was described as follows: Beginning at a point in Sunapee Lake, which is described, " thence running north, 16° east, 108 rods to Otter Pond, and thence on the same course across said pond to Springfield south line." By these two additions to New London, it was intended to make the line between Sunapee and New London one continuous straight line from Fish- ersfield (now Newbury) northwest corner through Otter Pond to Springfield line. The old patent line run over the top of Burpee Hill, a little above the house where Nathaniel Messer and his son lived and died.

The old school-house that used to sit there on the top of the hill, on a ledge of rock, was on the patent line which originally divided this town from Wen- dell. By these additions another triangle was added to the town on that side, with its base resting on the old patent line, and bounded west by Wendell and north by Springfield.

On the 18th of June, 1807, the town of Wilmot was incorporated out of the northeasterly part of New London, a part of New Chester and all that part of

Kearsarge Gore that laid northerly of the summit of Kearsarge Mountain.

The part taken off from New London was described as follows : " Beginning at the southeasterly corner of lot No. 22, and southwesterly corner of lot No. 21, on the southeasterly line of said New London ; thence running westwardly across said New London on the northerly sides of lots numbered 22, 35, 54, 70, 78, 90, 112 and 130, over to Springfield line," so taking all the land that lay northeasterly of that line in New London. This part of the town thus set off to Wilmot contained about nine thousand acres of land.

From 1812 to 1815 the country was engaged in its second war with England, which was substantially closed by General Andrew Jackson, at New Orleans, on the 8th of January, 1815.

In 1819 the Toleration Act, as it was called, was passed by the Legislature and became a law, which separated the civil and religious elements in our organization, so to speak. It took from the towns, in their corporate capacity, the power to raise money for the support of preaching of any kind, or to build meeting-houses, or for other religious purposes, leav- ing it to religious societies to do this work, each to snit its own views of propriety and duty. But this act did not affect religious matters in New London at all. The town had, in fact, anticipated the law many years. They had raised no money as a town, for preaching, since 1795, as I can find, and they had voted to let each denomination in town occupy the meeting-house according to their interest therein, each sect being thus left free to advance their own views in their own way, and at their own expense. This has been the policy of the law ever since, and was the policy of the town long before the law was passed.

From this time forth we shall find the history of the town and the history of the church entirely separate and distinct. Yet every one knows, whether he believes in the doctrines of a church or not, that wherever a church has been long established and has been made up of any considerable portion of the people, it has and will have its influence upon the community to such an extent that no his- tory of the town would be complete without a history of its church, or its churches, where there are more than one. Particularly is that true of a country town like New London, where there has been, from the earliest times, a leading and influential church, which has taken the lead in all moral ques- tions and reforms.

The church had, in this period of twenty-one years seen two seasons of revival under the preaching of Elder Seamans. In 1809 some forty were added to the church, and in 1818 and 1819 occurred what was long known as the great reformation, in which be- tween eighty and ninety were added to the church.

But during all these years there was much hard

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and disagreeable work to be done; many labors with the brethren were instituted, and many were the letters of admonition and expulsion that were issued and recorded on the church records.

In the year 1801 the first Baptist society was formed in town, which was kept up and had its annual meetings down as late as 1846, when its records cease, and the church has gone along so far as appears, without the aid of the society.

Within this period, too, the institution of Free- Masonry had arisen and flourished in this town quite extensively. King Solomon's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, No. 14, was chartered and located at New London, in the county of Hillsborough, on Jan- uary 27, 1802, by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of New Hampshire. The lodge flourished well here for many years, and had become quite numerous previous to the anti-Masonic wave that swept over the Eastern and Middle States about 1826, when the excitement ran so high and the opposition was so strong that the Masons, thinking that discre- tion was the better part of valor, suspended their meet- ings for a time altogether, and the lodge, in fact, never did much more work in its old locality ; but in June, 1851, it was removed to Wilmot, where it remained in good working order until 1878, when it again removed and located at Scytheville, in New London, where it now remains, enjoying a fair share of prosperity.

The population had gone on increasing since 1800, though somewhat irregular. In 1810 the census showed six hundred and ninety-two, gaining only seventy-five in that decade; but in 1820 there were uine hundred and twenty-four, a gain of two hundred and thirty-two in that decade, and the town had also made rapid progress in education, wealth and posi- tion, and was now enjoying a large share of the com- forts and conveniences of life for that day.

The county of Merrimack was incorporated July 23, 1823, and consisted of twenty-six towns from Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties. New Lon- dou, which had been a part of Hillsborough County hitherto, now became a part of Merrimack, of which it still forms a part.

On July 4, 1826, the new meeting-house was raised. The corner-stone had been placed with appropriate ceremonies before that, at a public gathering, with a procession, music and religious ceremonies. The Fourth of July was a pleasant day, and at sunrise the work of raising was commenced, and it was substan- tially finished the same day, except what could be done with the force that was to be permanently em- ployed upon it. From that time forward the work was prosecuted with vigor, so that before the winter closed in it was completed, with steeple and bell; the slips were disposed of and the house ready for use, and all that I find in the records concerning it, any- where, in either church or society, is the following vote by the society at their regular meeting, on the third Monday of December, 1826, viz. :

" l'oted, to accept of the new meeting-house, built by David Everett and Anthony Colby, and the com- mon around the same. Chose Joseph Colby and Jonathan Greeley to take a conveyance of said meeting-house and common."

It seems that it had been arranged that the house should he appraised so as to cover expenses, and a sufficient number of the society had subscribed, or in some way became responsible to take the slips at the appraised value, so as to secure those who did the work in the first instance; and then those two built the house and conveyed it to the society.

After it was completed the people used to alternate between the new house and the old, one Sunday at each in turn for many years. In the old meeting- house were the square pews, with the seats on all four sides of them, with the high pulpit and the great sounding-board over it, which would be sure to fall upon the minister's devoted head should he depart but the breadth of a single hair from the truth. In the new meeting-house there was some improvement : the slips were all facing the same way and towards the pulpit, which originally was at the other end of the house, directly in front of the singing gallery, and but little lower than that.

On May 30, 1830, Rev. Samuel Ambrose died. He had for several years been a member of this church, the original church at Sutton having become at one time nearly or quite extinct ; and on October 4th in the same year Elder Seamans died. Thus these two men, who had labored side by side so long in the cause of the Master, were called very nearly together to their reward.

In 1830 the population was only nine hundred and thirteen, a loss of eleven from 1820.

In 1831 and 1832 the church was visited by one of its most remarkable revivals, uuder the preaching of the Rev. Oren Tracy. The whole town seemed to be reached and affected by it. During the fall of 1831, and the next winter, evening meetings were kept up in the different parts of the town, in the school-houses and in private houses, on Sundays and on week-days, to. which large numbers were drawn, and the interest in religious matters was deep and wide-spread. On the first Sunday of January, 1833, which was the first day of the week and of the month and of the year, an addition of forty-three was made to the church ; on the first Sunday of March thirty-six more were added, aud during the following summer several more, making between eighty and ninety in all.

In the fall of 1832 another event took place which was at the time of great interest to the people of New London. During that autumn the first stage-coach took its regular trip through New London, upon the route from Hanover to Lowell. This new road had heen before the public for several years in one form and another, and was strongly favored by one party and opposed by another. But it had finally, through the efforts of Colonel Anthony Colby more than of

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

any other man, probably, been laid out and built, and a stage company had been formed, horses and coaches purchased and arrangements made for staging.

This fall of 1832, J. Everett Farnum was teaching a private school for a term in the red school-house at the four corners, and it was announced that on a cer- tain day in October the stage-coach wonld make its appearance. It was to go through here in the after- noon to Hanover, and start the next morning early for Lowell. As the expected event drew nigh, study was out of the question, and the teacher gave all per- mission to gaze for a time for the long-expected stage-coach with its four horses in hand. It finally came and went, as all things come and go; but it took some time to fully comprehend and realize the im- portance of the fact that New London was henceforth to have a daily stage and a daily mail both ways.

In 1837 the New London Academy was incorpor- ated and went into successful operation, and continued prosperous under different teachers for several years, up to about 1850, when its operations were suspended for a time. It commenced in 1837 as a ladies' school, with Miss Susan F. Colby as principal. In the au- tumn of that year Professor Dyer H. Sanborn became principal and Miss Colby continued as principal of the ladies' department. After some years Mr. San- born resigned, and Truman K. Wright succeeded him as principal ; after Mr. Wright, a Mr. Meserve, a Mr. Averhill and a Mr. Comings followed. Then Mr. Alvah Hovey, now president of Newton Theological Institution, taught one year; then Mr. Joseph B. Clarke, now of Manchester, followed for a year ; then a Mr. V. J. Walker followed, who was the last, or among the last, who taught under this arrangement.

In 1840 the population of New London reached one thonsand and nineteen,-a gain of one hundred and six in the last ten years, and this was the largest number that were ever in the town at the time of any census, and the town was in a condition of prosperity, wealth and influence perhaps equal to that of any other period in its history.

CHAPTER III.

NEW LONDON-(Continued).

IN 1843 Joseph Colby, Esq., died. He had passed most of his life in New London, and few men have had a wider or a better influence in the town than he had. He was born in Plaistow, N. H., March 24, 1762 ; moved to Hopkinton, N. H., about the time he became twenty-one years old, and lived there a few years; while there he was married to Miss Anna Heath, of Hampstead, N. H., December 21, 1785. They moved to New London March 10, 1786, and at first lived in a log-house on the shore of Pleasant Pond, at the upper end, near where Stephen Sargent

now lives, where the Indians had formerly cleared up a few acres of the intervale, to raise their corn and beans. He enlarged this clearing and made a valua- ble farm. He moved from there and lived at other places in town ; built the house on the Elder Sea- mans' place, opposite where the buildings now stand, which has since been burnt down ; then moved on to the road that leads from here directly to the low plains, where Anthony and the youngest daughter, Mrs. Burpee, were born ; and then moved to the farm on Main Street, in the year 1800, where he ever after lived, and where he died April 19, 1843.

He was for many years the agent of Jonas Minot, one of the original and the largest of the proprietors of the grant, and in that way he had opportunities for learning more of the situation and value of the land in the different localities than most other men. He dealt largely in real estate in the town. He served the town well in various capacities : for many years as one of the selectmen, and was its first representa- tive to the General Court, and was re-elected every successive year from 1803 to 1816, inclusive. He was early a member of the church, and I think the records will show that he acted on more committees in the church than any other man during the same period of time. He was also a leading magistrate in the town for many years.

In 1846 Anthony Colby, of New London, was elected Governor of the State. He was a native of this town, the son of Joseph and Anna Colby, born November 13, 1792. He received his education mainly in the common schools of his native town. But he had a wonderful capacity for business, and was always active in matters of a public character. He built the original stone dam at the outlet of Pleasant Pond, and built a grist-mill there, which was a great public benefit. He was largely instrumental in getting the new road laid out and built, and started the line of stages upon it, that for a long time ran through from Hanover to Lowell in a day, a distance of one hundred miles or more; and he readily lent a helping hand to the en- terprise, started by another son of New London, of establishing the business of manufacturing scythes, where the same has been so successfully carried on ever since. He was one of the two men who built the new meeting-house; in fact, few men have ever lived a more active life than he did.

He was a friend of education and of the common school, and for a long time was one of the superin- tendents of the schools in town, and was among the earlier advocates of the temperance reform. He went through all the grades of military promotion, from captain to major-general, and had represented the town in the Legislature in the years 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, also in 1837, 1838, 1839; and in 1846 was the chief magistrate of the State. His administration of the affairs of the State government was character- ized for integrity, true economy and a spirit of pro- gress and reform. In the position in which the politi-

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cal parties then stood it was simply impossible that he could be re-elected.

He was again elected to the Legislature in 1860, from New London, and was appointed by Governor Berry, in 1861, as adjutant-general of the State, at a time when the best man in the State was needed for that responsible positition, made so responsible by the great importance of the struggle in which the coun- try was then engaged. He performed the duties of this office in a manner entirely satisfactory to thegov- ernment and the people, and resigned in 1863. He was long an active and influential member of the church here, as well as a leading member in the de- nomination in the State. He died July 20, 1873. He always lived in this town, and always, except the first eight years of his life, in the house into which his father moved in 1800, and where both father and son have died. No man ever devoted himself more fully and constantly to the building up of what he believed to be the best interest of his native town than he did. He married for his first wife, Miss Mary Everett, of New London, and for his second, Mrs. Eliza Richard- son, of Boston, who survived him.

In 1847 the uuion meeting-house, sometimes called the Free Church, was built at the Four Corners. This remained for several years, but was finally sold, and removed and converted to other uses, it being wisely concluded that one good, strong church in a place is far better than two or three feeble ones, and that one meeting-house well filled is far better than several empty ones.

In 1850 the population was nine hundred and forty- five, being a loss of seventy-four from 1840. Benja- min R. Andrews was the delegate from New London to the Constitutional Convention of that year in this State.

In 1853 the new town-house was built near the new meeting-house. There was quite a struggle upon the question of removal, the subject having been voted on at no less than three town-meetings, held in rapid succession, in the spring and summer of that year.

In 1853, when the academical and theological school, under the patronage of the Calvinist Baptist denomi- nation, was removed from New Hampton to the State of Vermont, it left the denomination without a school in this State. They soon resolved that this state of things ought not to be, and they at once looked about for the best place to locate their seminary of learning. The friends at New London offered to give the de- nomination their academy, and put it in good repair, and build a ladies' boarding-house, and furnish vari- ous other accommodations. This proposition was fav- orably considered by the denomination, and the preference was given to New London. Accordingly a new act of incorporation was obtained in 1853, and " The New London Literary and Scientific Institute" was incorporated that year, and the school put in suc- cessful operation that fall, and in course of its first year enrolled upon its catalogue some three hundred

and thirty-five scholars. The property of the New London Academy was transferred to the Institute. In 1855 an alteration was made in its name, changing the word Institute to Institution and modifying some of the provisions of its charter, and its name has re- mained unchanged from that time to the year 1878, when it was changed to that of "The Colby Academy" at New London, which name it now holds.

In 1854 the old town meeting-house was sold, by vote of the town, and removed to this neighborhood and converted into a boarding-house for the use of the academy.

Benjamin P. Burpee, of New London, was elected a county commissioner for Merrimack County for the years 1852, 1853 and 1854. He was also the repre- sentative of the town for the years 1853 and 1854.

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 107

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