History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 108

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 108
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 108

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).

In 1856 George W. Everett, of this town, was ap- pointed solicitor of Merrimack County, which office he held for five years, until 1861. He was the repre- sentative of the town in the years 1852 and 1856.

Richard H. Messer was elected a member of the Governor's Council for the years 1857 and 1858. He was a native of the town, the son of Isaac and Mar- tha Messer, born October 20, 1807. He received a common-school education only, and when of age he went to Massachusetts and learned the trade of manu- facturing scythes; he then came back to New Lon- don, and uniting himself with Mr. Phillips and An- thony Colby, introduced the business here, at the place where Colby had early built the second 1 grist-mill in town, and where the enterprising village of Scytheville has since grown up. The town is greatly indebted to Mr. Messer as being the origina- tor and the active agent in introducing and building up this great industry in the town, and the gen- tlemen who first were associated with him in the business were also benefactors of the place. He was elected to the Legislature in the year 1858. He con- tinued in his favorite occupation, devoting himself to business with all his energies, until he died, May 15, 1872, aged sixty-five years.

In 1860 the population of the town was nine hun- dred and fifty-two, a gain of only seven in ten years.

In 1860, Governor Colby was again elected repre- sentative, and in 1861 he was appointed adjutant- general of the State, which place he held until 1863, when he resigned, and his son, Daniel E. Colby, was appointed to the same place in August, and held the place till March, 1864, when he resigned the position. He had been representative of the town in the Legis- lature in 1857, and was afterwards a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1876, and still resides upon the old homestead of his father and grand- father.

1 It has been said that some one had built a small grist-mill here on this site before that time, but it was of no account. Colby's mill was from the first, and is to-day, substantially the mill of the town.

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

The academy, as organized in 1873, had been doing a good work and doing it well, and had been prospered. At first a fund of $25,000 was raised, which for a time seemed to meet the demand of the institution, but presently the need was felt of more ample accommo- dations and a better location; and it was a grave question where the funds were to be obtained to meet this new want, this growing necessity. In 1866, Mrs. James B. Colgate, a daughter of Governor Colby, of- fered $25,000 towards establishing the necessary fund, provided that the amount should be made up to $100,000 within a given time. This was accomplished by the aid of the Rev. W. H. Eaton, D.D., who had assisted in raising the previous fund of $25,000, and at the anniversary in 1867 the subscription was filled and the object secured.

The present site was then obtained and the present buildings were erected, and in 1870 they were com- pleted and dedicated, upon which occasion Rev. Dr. Cummings, of Concord, the president of the institu- tion, delivered an able and interesting historical ad- dress.

This school has been placed under great obligations to Mrs. Colgate, of New York ; ex-Governor Colby, of New London; John Conant, Esq, of Jaffrey ; Messrs. H. H. & J. S. Brown, of Fisherville ; Nahum T. Greenwood, Esq., of New London, and many others, by their liberal contributions to its fund.

In 1853, George W. Gardner was appointed princi- pal, who continued in that place seven years, and was followed by Rev. George B. Gove, for three years, who was succeeded by Rev. A. W. Sawyer, who remained about seven years, to 1870. Then Horace M. Willard was appointed principal, who was fol- lowed in 1872, by Laban E. Warren, who was suc- ceeded by A. L. Lane in 1875, who, in turn, gave place to J. F. Morton in 1876, who remained two years, till 1878, when E. J. McEwan was elected. The present principal is James P. Dixon.

Dodge ₡

Several have held the place of lady principal. Miss Mary J. Prescott, from 1853 to 1857, Miss Har- riet E. Rice, Miss Julia A. Gould, Miss Adelaide L. Smiley, Miss Lucy Flagg, Miss Mary A. Davis, Miss Mary O. Carter (who became Mrs. Warren in 1872), Miss Hannah P. Dodge, and in 1877, Miss Smiley was again appointed, and holds the position at the present time.

Mr. Ephraim Knight was appointed associate prin- cipal and professor of mathematics at the commence- ment in 1853, which place he held down to 1873, a period of twenty years, when, in consequence of declining health, he resigned the post, and died here March 4, 1878.

In 1870 the population of the town was nine hun- dred and fifty-nine, a gain of seven from 1860, and just the same made in the last previous decade. Since 1870 but few matters of general interest have occurred in New London.

In 1874 the town came very near furnishing another

Governor for the State. General Luther McCutchins was born in Pembroke, N. H., in 1809; first came to New London in 1837, and remained two years ; then went to Connecticut for some four years, returning to New London in 1843, where he has since lived. He received the Republican nomination for Governor in 1874, and received the full strength of his party, and a vote very complimentary to him, and only failed because, as the issues were then made up and the parties were then organized, the Republicans could not elect anybody that year. He has been your rep- resentative in the Legislature in 1850, 1851, 1873, 1878 and 1879. He is a practical farmer, who takes a deep interest in whatever is calculated to advance the agricultural interests of the State.

In 1875, George M. Knight, Esq., of this town, was elected county commissioner for the county of Merrimack, which office he held for the term of three years,-1875, 1876 and 1877.

Of the facts of the first century of New London's. history we have endeavored to give you a fair and impartial statement, without any attempt at embellishment. There are a few other facts that may properly be alluded to before we close, and first, the patriotism of the town. We have seen that the town voted at once, after it was incorporated, to furnish a soldier for the Continental army ; this they did furnish, and paid him, as we have seen, through the war until its close. We have no evidence that the Mr. Coums who went from the town was an inhabitant of the town : our impression is that he probably was not, but was a substitute, or a man hired by the town to fill the place. But New London had its Revolutionary heroes in abundance. In fact, it seemed a favorite resort for those soldiers who had gone from other places and served through the war, and then looked about for the most desirable places for settlement in the new country. The fresh breezes of its hills, and the views of the noble mountains in its neighborhood, are all congenial to a love of freedom and independence. Hence we find that im- mediately after the war many who had been in the Continental army came at once to New London and settled here; others came later. There was Thomas Currier (known as Captain Kiah), Edmund Davis, Jo- siah Davis, John Dole, Jesse Dow, Levi Everett, Pen- uel Everett, Eliphalet Gay, Zebedee Hayes, Ezekiel Knowlton, Thomas Pike, David Smith, Moses Trussell and Eliphalet Woodward. Most of them came from Massachusetts,-from Attleborough, Dedham, New Rowley (now Georgetown), and Bradford ; but Moses Trussell came from Hopkinton, N. H., in year 1804.

Captain Currier not only served through the Revo- lutionary War, but no sooner was the War of 1812 declared than he entered the regular army. He went through the war, fought in several battles and came safely home when the war was over. I remember him as he used to come to church on Sunday and other days, for he was a man who loved his God

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as well as his country, and he knew no fear in the service of either. Levi Everett was another man whom I well remember. He lived near my father, and I never wearied of listening to him when he was telling his stories about the wars and the bat- tles he had seen. Then there was Moses Trussell, with one arm gone from below the elbow. I knew him well. I understood that he lost his arm in the war, but did not know where or when or how ; but a paper has recently been found that explains these matters. (This paper is published at length in the second volume of the Granite Monthly, page 270.) Such were some of the men of those days. Mr. Trussell, you will remember, was here in 1774 and cleared a piece of land; the next year he went to Bunker Hill, and in thirty years from his first visit he returned to live and spend the rest of his days here, and died in New London.

So in the War of 1812 New London did her full proportion. At the first alarm of war many left and joined the regular army and followed its fortunes through the war, like Captain Currier, of whom I have spoken. But few, comparatively, were called into active service from this State in that war; but whenever the call came the men were ready. I find that among the companies that were called out and ordered to Portsmouth there were in Captain Jonathan Bean's company, one sergeant, Robert Knowlton from New London, and four privates,-John Davis, David Marshall, Nathaniel Messer and David Gile; and that in Captain Silas Call's company, Stephen Sargeut was first lieutenant, and Captain Call having died before his term was out, Sargent was in command of the company for a time. There were in the same company, as privates, Samuel Messer, Zenas Herrick and Nathan Smith, all from New London.

And in the late War of the Rebellion New London did not falter, but promptly met the call of the country and sent her sons to the conflict without re- serve, as they were needed, furnishing such officers as Captain Andrew J. Sargent, Major George W. Everett, of the Ninth Regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel J. M. Clough, of the Eighteenth Regiment, who, since the war was over, is doing good service in our State militia as a brigadier-general. The town also fur- nished men for the ranks in the various stations and places where they were needed, who were true as steel and faithful unto death to the trust reposed in them. The reputation of the town for patriotism is estab- lished beyond a peradventure.

That the town is a place of good morals would follow almost naturally from the fact that the people of the town are an agricultural people, who have always believed that a good education is of the highest consequence, and have had good schools, and for the last forty years a very good academy. These facts, in connection with the religious training of the people under such men as Elder Seamans and his successors, could hardly fail to make the population

what it has been,-an industrious, intelligent, patri- otic, moral and happy people. Wherever the crimi- nals come from that fill our jails and prisons, very few of them have ever come from New London, or ever will, until the town forgets the lessons of the first hundred years of its history.

There are a few more general facts and a few more individual notices that I desire to refer to.

The following persons have graduated from college, who were natives or residents of New London at the time, with the year of graduation :

John H. Slack, Dartmouth College, 1811.

Benjamin Woodbury, Dartmouth College, 1817. J. Everett Farnum, Waterville College (now Colby University), 1833. Daniel P Woodbury, West Point, 1833.

Francis A. Gates, Waterville College, 1836. Daniel E. Colby, Dartmouth College, 1836.

J. Everett Sargent, Dartmouth College, 1840. Robert Colby, Dartmouth College, 1845.

Edward B. Knight, Dartmouth College, 18 ;1. Dura P. Morgan, Brown University, 1869.

Carl Knight, Dartmouth College, 1873.

William Knight, Brown University, 1877.

Charles M. Sargent, Bates College, 1879.

Physicians in New London .- SAMUEL FLAGG was a traveling doctor, whose route extended from Pembroke and Dunbarton to Enfield, through Hop- kinton and New London, usually coming this way two or three times a year, but irregularly. He al- ways traveled on foot and carried his saddle-bags of medicine over his shoulder. He had no fixed resi- dence, but wandered from place to place; a man of considerable skill, but intemperate, and took great delight in making himself a terror to children. He was found dead in a mud-hole, into which he was supposed to have fallen in a fit of intoxication.

JOHN CUSHING was a resident of New London for many years; came here before the year 1800; was a skillful physician, and for a time was quite popular here. He was engaged to be married to Phele Messer, the daughter of Samuel Messer. The day was appointed for the wedding; the friends were in- vited; the guests came; the bride, in expectancy, was attired, and the waiting-maids in attendance. The only absent one was the bridegroom that was to be, who did not put in an appearance, and as there could not be much of a wedding without a bridegroom, the result was that the wedding did not come off ac- cording to programme. This was in 1802 or 1803. But this disappointment proved a blessing in disguise to the intended bride, for Cushing, who was then somewhat given to drink, went on from bad to worse and became very intemperate; lost his practice and the confidence of the community, and finally moved to Fisherfield and died there in poverty. He always rode on horseback to visit his patients. He never married.

ROBERT LANE came to New London, from New- port, about the year 1808, after Cushing had lost his practice and moved from town. He lived here some two or three years, then moved to Sutton, where he

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

was living and in practice in 1811, and remained there a few years. He then returned to New Lon- don, where I find that he was residing in 1814, and he remained in town through 1815-16, for he was one of the selectmen of the town in these latter years. After this he went to Mobile, Ala., and was absent a year or two, when he returned and stopped a short time at New London, and then took up his perma- nent residence in Sutton, at the north village, where he ever afterwards lived. He had an extensive prac- tice; became quite distinguished in his profession ; was much respected, and died a few years ago at a good old age.

CHARLES PINNEY came to New London about 1810, when Dr. Lane first went to Sutton. I find that Pinney was here and in full practice in 1811, when Lane was also in full practice in Sutton. Pin- ney married a daughter of Mr. Edmund Davis. After Dr. Lane returned to New London they both remained awhile, and then Pinney moved away. He returned to live here again after several years, and remained here, I think, till his death; at least he is buried in our cemetery. I knew him well after his return, but he was not then in practice as a physician.

ISAAC COLBY followed Dr. Lane, coming soon after he left, in 1817 or 1818, and remained till about 1821, when he removed to Hopkinton.

HERBERT FOSTER was here in the year 1822; may have come in 1821, but did not remain but a year or two.

JONATHAN DEARBORN came soon after this, per- haps in 1823 or a little later ; was a skillful physician, but left town suddenly in 1829.

SAMUEL LITTLE followed Dr. Dearborn, coming about 1830, and remained till 1838, or thereabouts ; was town clerk several years; then moved to Thet- ford, Vt., thence to Lebanon, and thence to Rumney, N. H., where I used to see him frequently when I lived at Wentworth. He afterwards moved West, where he died a few years ago.

ROBERT COPP was here for a few years, during the time that Dr. Little was here. I remember him well. He was here in 1836, but left soon after; may have been here some three or four years in all.

REUBEN HOSMER followed Dr. Little in 1839, and remained till 1848, some ten years.

HEZEKIAH BICKFORD came back in 1848, for he was a native of this town, and remained till 1851, some four years.

S. M. WHIPPLE came into town in 1849, and re- mained longer in town than any other physician. He was a native of Croydon, N. H .; attended medical lec- tures at Dartmouth College, and commenced practice at New London in the year 1849. Since he came to New London several others have been here for short periods, as follows:

OTIS AYER, from 1855 to 1857, three years.

LEVI PIERCE (homeopathic), from 1861 to 1864, four years.

N. T. CLARK, from 1870 to 1871, two years.

R. A. BLOOD, from 1871 to 1873, three years.

J. P. ELKINS (at Scytheville), from 1878 to present time.

There have also been several physicians raised up in town, from its native-born or adopted citizens, who have gone to other places.

JONATHAN E. HERRICK, son of Esquire Jonathan and Rhoda Herrick, who is now in practice in New York.

GEORGE H. W. HERRICK, son of Deacon Joseph C. Herrick, who was in practice at Charlestown, Mass., and who died abroad in 1877.

CHARLES PIKE, in practice in Peabody, Mass.

ASHLEY WHIPPLE, son of S. M. Whipple, of New London, now at Ashland, N. H.

Ministers of New London. - JOB SEAMANS was born in Rehoboth, Mass., May 24, 1748; was the son of Deacon Charles Seamans and Hannah, his wife. His father was a farmer at Rehoboth; moved to Swansea, Mass., when Job was abont a year old, re- siding there about four years; then removed to Provi- dence, R. I., where he lived about ten years. He then moved to Sackville, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, where he lived about eight years, and where he died in the year 1771, aged seventy-one years. Job, the son, followed the farm until the father died. He was about fifteen years old when he moved from Providence to Sackville; and on August 10, 1769, he married, at Sackville, Miss Sarah Esterbrooks, a daughter of Valentine Esterbrooks, Esq., and who was born at Johnson, R. I., April 14, 1750. He began to preach at Sackville, having united with the Bap- tist Church there, when about twenty years of age, and about one year before his marriage. Soon after his father died, in 1771, he returned to New England, and in 1772 he was preaching to the church at North Attleborough, Mass., and on the 15th of December, 1772, he was ordained as its pastor. He continued a successful ministry there for about fifteen years. In 1787 he first came to New Hampshire. The entry in his diary is as follows: "Lord's day, June 17, 1787, I preached in Sutton, in the State of New Hampshire." The next entry is,-"Lord's Day, June 24, I preached in New London, in the same State." He came to New London again in February, 1788, arriving on the 22d at Deacon Hunting's, and remained some two months, preaching from house to house. Many of the early settlers of New London were from Attle- borough, Mass., and the towns in that neighborhood, who had long been acquainted with him there, and it is not strange that they should be anxious to ob- tain him for their minister here, and so we find him listening to their call, and willing in the end to cast in his Jot with these old friends; and after consider- ing the subject fully, he started, with his family, for New London, June 20, 1788, and arrived there July 1st, and he says in his diary : "Went into a very poor house of Mr. James Brocklebank. The same night

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our youngest child (Manning) was taken sick." He was, as you see, twelve days in moving from Attle- borough to New London, a distance of one hundred and thirty or one hundred and forty miles perhaps; as long a time as would be necessary to go to San Francisco and back again,-time enough now to go to London or Paris.

His first work here was to found a church. This was done October 23, 1788, the churches from Sutton and Wendell being present, by their ministers and delegates, to counsel and assist. The church con- sisted at first of eleven members, and Mr. Seamans was installed as pastor of the church and minister of the town January 21, 1789. Of the exercises at his installation, the gathering at the unfinished meeting- house, and the salary paid him by the town, we have already spoken; also of the seasons of reformation in the church from time to time under his preaching.

The church records also show a vast amount of labor done in the church. Those were days for lay- ing foundations, and Elder Seamans laid his founda- tions for church order and discipline deep, broad and permanent. Were members guilty of any immoral- ity, they were dealt with. Did they absent them- selves from the communion of the church, that was canse for labor. All members were required to do their share, according to their means, for the support of the gospel. Many were the labors, frequent the let- ters of admonition, and not unfrequent the final let- ters of expulsion sent to members of the church for the sole reason that they were unwilling to pay their due proportion, according to their ability, for minis- terial support.

While all the poor were welcomed to the privileges of the gospel, without money and without price, yet it was held to be the duty of those church-members who were known to be able, and could not deny the fact of their ability, to pay accordingly; and if they would not, no amount of profession, no quantity of apparent sanctity and long-facedness, was sufficient to screen the delinquent miser from merited expulsion.

The Christian of those days evidently believed that no amount of grace was sufficient to save a man, unless it was sufficient to sanctify his love of gain as well as his other affections, and that a man's eonver- sion, in order to be genuine, must reach not only his head, but also his heart, and not only his head and heart, but also his pocket-book. For the last years of his life he was not able to preach, except occasion- ally; he did not preach much after the year 1824, though, so far as I can find, his pastoral relation to the church continued up to 1828, some forty years. That year Mr. Traey was ordained as his successor in that office. Elder Seamans died October 4, 1830, aged eighty-two years, four months and ten days, among the people with whom aud for whom he had labored. He married, for his second wife, November 30, 1819, Mrs. Mary Everett, widow of Jonathan Everett.

Elder Seamans was a man of medium stature, light complexion, marked features, and in advanced life had a commanding and venerable appearance. It is said that he never wrote a sermon in his life. Yet he always preached his two sermons on Sunday, and frequently a third, besides many on week-days, and was always acceptable and interesting, and an earnest preacher of the gospel of the Son of God. His long ministry in this town was no insignificant element in advancing the temporal and spiritnal welfare of the people and the church of New London.

JOSEPH DAVIS moved into town in November, 1824, and commenced preaching at once. He re- mained in town about three years, as a stated supply. Then Oren Tracy was called; but having some en- gagements that detained him for a while, his brother, Leonard Tracy, preached here one season, and until his brother was prepared to eome.

OREN TRACY was born at Tunbridge, Vt., June 18, 1798 ; was the son of Cyrus and Hannah Lillie Tracy. He was educated at Waterville College, Maine, but did not graduate. He took what was then termed the short course in theology, and was ordained at East Stoughton, Mass., in October, 1825. He was married there during the first year of his ministry to Miss Marcia Billings, of Royalton, Vt. After remaining there some two years or more, very pleasantly located, his physician recommended his removal from the sea-board, and he accepted the call from New London and moved there in the fall of 1827, and was ordained as the suceessor of Elder Seamans, January 30, 1828, and remained there till 1836, a period of about nine years. Under him the cause of education received a new impetus in town. Teachers were more thoroughly and systematically examined, and a higher standard in our common school education was at once at- tained ; all our schools seemed to catch an inspiration from his spirit and efforts. He had great sympathy with and great influence over young people. All the children loved Elder Tracy. I was twelve years old when he eame here, and no man did so much as he to arouse in me a love of learning and a determina- tion to obtain a liberal education, at whatever cost. Mr. Tracy, I need not say, was my favorite minister; and Mrs. Tracy was a good, kind, pleasant, motherly woman, who seemed to take as much interest in the people and in the children as he did.

He was also a pioneer in the cause of temperance. When he came here it was the fashion to set out the decanter of liquor, with sugar and water, whenever the minister made a friendly call. It would have been considered almost disrespectful not to have done so. This fashion was soon changed under his admin- istration, for he would not taste of distilled spirits at all, not even wine or cider, as a beverage. I remem- ber that he delivered a course of lectures on temper- ance on Sundays, at the intermission between the forenoon and afternoon service; and, besides, he usually held his third meeting on Sunday, also. ]

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 108

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