History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 164

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 164
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 164

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 politics Mr. Bartlett has been an "old-time Whig," and in a town which was for many years the very "keystone of the Democratic arch" in New Hampshire, was seldom troubled with offers of office, but held the office of postmaster for five years imme- diately preceding General Jackson's term at the White House.

It is curions to note the difference in that " institu- tion " between those years and the present time. Mr. Bartlett declares that more papers and letters are re- ceived in a single day now at our office than he dis- tributed in the course of a whole year.

Mr. Bartlett married, June 1, 1815, Hannah Kelly, only daughter of Rev. William Kelly, the first minister of Warner. They had two children, who lived to mature age,-William K., who married Harriet N., daughter of Nathan Walker; Lavinia K., the daugh- ter, married Dr. Dana D. Davis, who died soon after of yellow fever in Baton Rouge, La., where he was in the practice of his profession. Their only child, Wil- liam D. Davis, married Louise Harding, of Virginia, and is a clerk in the Custom-House, New York City.

[A difference of opinion seems to exist concerning the derivation of the name of this town. Hon. Walter Harriman claimed that it was named in honor of Seth Warner, of Bennington, Vt., while others claim that it derived its name from Hon. Daniel Warner, of New Hampshire. Isaac W. Hammond, however, author of " Town Papers," and an indefatigable searcher in matters relating to the early history of New Hampshire, says he " finds himself of the opinion that Governor Wentworth named the town for his intimate friend, Colonel Jonathan Warner, of Portsmouth, who married a cousin of the Governor, and was, at the time of the incorporation of Warner, a member of the Governor's Council."-PUBLISHERS.]

HISTORY OF WEBSTER.

BY MISS E. M. BUXTON.

CHAPTER I.

Introductory-Description-Industries-Early Settlements-Incorpora- tion.

Introductory .- The historical instinct, if we may use the expression, is not strong in Americans. We have been too intensely busy with the present to spend much time in gathering up the story of the past. But we are beginning to realize the great value of our heritage of history. States,counties, towns and families are searching among records and traditions, trying to weave the scattered and broken threads into something like continuous narrative. The sketch here presented in behalf of the town of Webster is exceedingly fragmentary, having been prepared un- der great disadvantages. This word of apology is due, not to the writer, but to the citizens of Webster. Much of the material used has been drawn from the "History of Boscawen," by Rev. Ebenezer Price, published in 1823, and from the "History of Bos- cawen and Webster," by Charles Carleton Coffin, published in 1878. The writer would acknowledge also assistance furnished by Messrs.' W. W. Burbank aud Sherman Little. Another esteemed citizen of Webster should also be named here, whose record henceforth is on high-Mr. Ephraim Little. He was familiar with the history of his native town, and was greatly interested in gathering materials for this work, but died before he had put them in shape to be used.

Webster looks back with a just pride upon her past. Those early settlers who gave character to the town were men of sturdy natures, courageous, persevering, clear in their perceptions of right and of duty, posi- tive in their opinions, abounding more in solid sense than in refinement. These qualities have appeared in a marked degree in all the subsequent history of the town. The institutions of the gospel and of edu- cation were among the first cares of those who came to the wilderness, and these have exercised their own softening and refining influence on the generations who have succeeded. The results of this influence have been felt, not only within the limits of Webster, but wherever the migratory spirit has led her sons and daughters. These are filling honorable positions on the Pacific slope, in the great Northwest and in the Mississippi Valley. Such men as Jacob Little, in

Ohio, and Henry Little, in Indiana, have laid a strong molding hand on thousands of the inhabitants of those and other States, and have helped to make the interior of our country what it is to-day.

In common with many of the country towns of New England, Webster has decreased in population within the last forty years, and the present inhabit- ants speak with a shade of sadness of the large families and the crowded school-houses of a half- century ago. But the fountain does not complain because it cannot keep all its waters at home. It sends them forth in streams which carry life and verdure hither and thither until at last the clouds bring them back again. So to the country hill- sides of New England come back the blessings and prayers of those who have gone forth to other homes.

Description. - More than a century and a half have passed away since John Coffin and eighty other citizens of Newbury petitioned the General Court of Massachusetts Bay for "a grant of land situated on the west side of the Merrimack, adjoining Penacook plantation." The grant, which was obtained the fol- lowing year, lays down the boundaries of the pro- posed township as follows :

"A plot of township of land granted at [by] the Court to John Coffin and others, lying on Merrimack river, above Penacook, surveyed by Richard Hazen and two chain men on oath, being bounded as follows, viz. : beginning at the middle of Contoocook river, when it empties into the Merrimack, where it joins the Penacook Plantation ; thence running west, 15° Sonth, adjoining"Penacook line, four miles, to a white pine tree, marked for Penacook corner bonnd ; thence, further on, the same line three miles and eight poles to a Norway pine marked for the corner bounds : thence turned at right-angles and running North 15° west seven milee and eight poles, to a crotched white birch lettered and standing on the southeast side of a hill, which is the North west corner ; thence turned at right-angles and run east 15 deg. north, near seven ,miles and a half, to a white oak and two white pines marked, by Merrimack river, and by said river as it runs to Contoncook River."

This was known by the Indiau name of Contoo- cook, until the formal incorporation of the town, in 1760, when it took the name of Boscawen, in honor of Admiral Boscawen, who distinguished himself in the British navy during the French and Indian War and at its close. The present article has to do only with the western part of this tract, which, in 1860, became a separate town, bearing the name of Web- ster. The account of the division of the old town will be given more at length hereafter.

Webster is an agricultural town, possessing a var-

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WEBSTER.

iety of soil adapted to farming and grazing, with a good proportion of forest growth. Oak and maple, pine and hemlock are abundant. The Blackwater River runs through from north to south, affording several good water privileges. The surface is diver- sified with hill and dale, abounding in bits of the most picturesque scenery. The chief eminences in the town are Little Hill and Cook's Hill in the north part, Corser Hill in the east, Pond Hill in the west, and Rattlesnake Hill southwest of the centre. Long Pond is a beautiful sheet of water, nearly two miles long and from one-half to three-fourths of a mile wide, towards the west part of the town, at the foot of Pond Hill; while, on the east, Great Pond lies on the boundary between Webster and Boscawen.

From various points in the town commanding views may be obtained of landscapes presenting an endless variety of feature. One of these "mounts of vision" is on Little Hill. Looking toward the southwest in a summer morning, one sees Long Pond nestling among the surrounding hills, reflecting in its glassy surface every line of their contour with wonderful clearness. The farm-houses of White Plain can be seen here and there, almost hidden among the trees, until the nar- row valley broadens ont into a vista of sunny slopes, blending at last with the sky.

The highest land in Webster is the hill west of the house of Captain William D. George, which probably has an elevation of between nine hundred and one thousand feet. Mount Washington is plainly visible from that point in a clear atmosphere. The elevation of Corser Hill Meeting-House is seven hundred and eighty-six feet. Mount Kearsarge, with its graceful outline, is seen to fine advantage from Corser Hill, while from the height of land south of the house of Mrs. John Sanhorn a rare view may be enjoyed in a clear day eastward, westward and northward, includ- ing some of the White Mountain peaks.

From Sanborn Hill, in the west part of the town, the eye sweeps over an extensive landscape, by no means inferior in its varied beauty to those already mentioned.

A small village clusters about the Congregational Church on Corser Hill, and a mile southwest of that is the larger village of Sweatt's Mills, containing the Methodist Church, post-office and the Blackwater Mills, which are at present closed. There are two stores in town, one kept by George Little on Corser Hill, and the other by Arthur C. Call at Sweatt's Mills.

The location of the town is a healthy one and peo- ple grow old here. At the opening of the present year (1885) there were fifteen individuals in town over eighty years of age and two of these were upwards of ninety,-Mr. Jacob Waldron, ninety-four, and Mrs. Amos Corser, ninety-two. Both have died since the beginning of the year.

The population of the town, according to the cen- sus of 1880, is six hundred and forty-seven.

Industries .- Lumbering has always been predomi- nant among the industrial interests of Webster. The first saw-mill was built by Henry Gerrish in 1779, on the Blackwater, a little above the mill now owned by W. W. & I. A. Burbank. That at the outlet of Long Pond was built about 1800 by Jeremiah Gerrish, and somewhat later the mill on the Blackwater, a little north of Dingit Corner, and the Danforth and Jack- man Mills farther down the river. Pillsbury's mill was built about 1809. The mill on Knight's Meadow Brook was built by Henry Little about 1825. The first clapboard-mill was below the Pillsbury mill and was built by Colonel John Farmer. The second was built in 1834 and is still in use, being owned at present by W. W. & I. A. Burbank. The first grist- mill was the Norris Mill, at Sweatt's Mills. There was also one run of stones in Pillsbury's mill.

In the early part of the century there were two fulling-mills in town, one at Sweatt's Mills and the other at Burbank's Mills. Both were run at one time by Paul Pearson. At Sweatt's Mills, when the river was low, the fulling-mill and grist-mill were run alternately, one by day, the other by night.

Coopering was carried on by Captain Boyden, Jabez Abbott and Benjamin Sweatt. At Sweatt's Mills a building, put up originally for a carding-mill, was used for a long time as a match-mill. The manufacture of hats was carried on by Mr. Columbus George, on White Plain. Cut nails were made by Jeremiah Gerrish, on the place now owned by Charles D. Glitten. They were cut out of hoop-iron with large shears, driven by horse-power.

At the present time the manufacture of shingles, hroom-handles, chair-stock, etc., is carried on by James Snyder, on the mill-site on Blackwater River, near the residence of Samuel Little. Box-making is a special branch of business at Burbank's Mills, to- gether with general lumber business and making of chair-stock. In 1881 between five and six thousand dollars were paid out by F. L. Burbank & Son for labor, including teaming.

Early Settlements .- In 1745, Thomas Cook built a log cabin in the northeast part of what is now Web- ster, near "Mutton Road," and not far from the swell of land which bears his name. This was probably the first house built in the town. Upon the breaking out of Indian hostilities in the following year, he deemed it prudent to leave his cabin, but was killed at Clay Hill in May, 1746. During the peace which followed the first outbreak of Indian warfare, Edward Emery built a house at the foot of Corser Hill, on the south side of Long Street, on land now owned by Miss Nancy Couch. He moved his family thence to the fort, upon the second Indian attack, and the honse was rifled by the savages. It is not known that he ever occupied it afterward. In 1756 he, with Ezekiel Flanders, was killed by the Indians at Newfound Lake, whither they had gone to hunt beavers. Permanent settlements hegan about 1763.

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Benjamin Day was probably the first settler. He built a house on land now owned by Mr. John Dodge. About the same time Jonathan Cass built a house by Long Pond, near the house lately owned by Mr. David Sweatt, the foundations of which may still be seen. These two were the only houses west of the Blackwater when, in 1774, Enoch Little built his house on Little Hill. The first framed house in Web- ster was built by Mr. David Corser, on Corser Hill, and is now occupied by Mr. Tilton.

Not far from 1795, Mr. Stephen Putney bought and cleared the farm in the south part of the town, on which his son, Mr. Charles E. Putney, now lives. A little later, William Clough settled on Sanborn Hill, west of Pond Hill, and, shortly after, Mr. Tristram Sanborn built a house near where his son, Jesse Sanborn, lives at present. In Bashan, Moses Gerrish and William Danforth settled, per- haps a little earlier. From 1775 to 1800, settle- ments rapidly increased. "In the year 1777 there were probably not more than ten legal voters west of Beaver Dam. In thirteen years the number had in- creased to seventy-one." From this time until 1860- the date of the incorporation of Webster-its civil history is hardly separable from that of Boscawen. Mr. Coffin, in his excellent "History of Boscawen and Webster," gives a variety of facts in regard to the " west end of the town," some of which will be given nearly in a chronological order.

Up to 1791 there was no meeting-house in the ter- ritory now called Webster, the only place of worship in Boscawen being at the northwest corner of the cemetery west of Woodbury's Plain. This was a long way off for the residents west of Blackwater, and the question of a new meeting-house was agitated in 1784, but without result. In 1791 they presented the fol- lowing petition to the General Court :

"To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire in General Court Assembled ;

" The subscribers, Iohabitants of the westerly half of the town of Bos- cawen, in said state, Humbly beg leave to show that the easterly half of said Town was first settled, & that the meeting-House built to accommo- date that part of the town only, giving the westerly part, which was then thinly inhabited, encouragement for a parish, when their numbers were sufficient, but as it is not agreeable to the laws of the state, your petitioners are exposed to great inconvenience and hardship in attending public worship, town meetings & especially in the winter season, it being more than five miles from the Meeting-House to the Centre of the west- erly half of said Town & that from the combination of Ponds Hills & Swampe &c., which lie between the easterly & westerly half, will ever render it inconvenient to remain in our District & in our present situa- tion we have no redress without the aid of this court.

"Your petitionera, therefore, pray that the westerly half of said Town may be set off from the easterly half, and incorporated into a separate Towu by the name of Bristol, with the same privileges as other Towns in this state or otherways relieved, as your Honors, in your wisdom, chall Bee meet, & your petitioners, as in Duty bound, shall ever pray.

"Bescawen, June 1, 1791."

This was signed by seventy-one names,-that is, by all the legal voters west of Beaver Dam. This alarmed the citizens of the east section, who did not wish the town divided, and, at a special town-meeting, a com-

mittee of non-residents was chosen to select a site for a new meeting-house. One of this committee was Judge Ebenezer Webster, of Salisbury, father of Hon. Daniel Webster .. It was voted that the frame be raised and the pews sold during the year. This building is now the town-house of Webster.

In 1793 the first store was opened in Webster by Samuel Gookin, in a house that stood on the site now occupied by the residence of George Little, Esq., on Corser Hill.

" In 1812, Colonel John Farmer, Abrahem Burbank, Moses Gerrish, William Danforth, Moses Tyler, of Hopkinton, Little Burbank, Moses Little and other citizens, formed an association known as the Bashan Mining Co. It was thought that lead and silver would be found on land owned by William Danforth. Extravagant stories were current in regard to lead mines known to the Indians. It was currently reported that the Indians knew a place where they could cut out the lead with their knives, and thus obtain bullets. If the citizens "had known ought of mineral- ogy, they would have rejected euch fictions at once, for lead never exists, iu its native state, in such a form.

"The first meeting of the association was at the house of Abraham . Burbank, October 27, 1812. Moses Gerrish was chosen moderator and John Farmer clerk.

" At a second meeting it was ' Voted that John Holmes shall have a share in said mine, providing that he will show the company where the real substance of lead is, and not without.' 'Voted, that application be made to Israel Diamond, of Goffstown, for the discovery of the mine, if Helmes should fail,' 'Voted, that application be made to Doctor Withe [Withem], of Plymouth, if Holmes and Diamond should fail.'

" These gentlemen-Holmes, Diamond and Withent -- were supposed to- be able to locate a mine by the use of witch-hazel rods, which, when carried in the hand, would point to the precious metal.

" Which of these located the mine is not known, but operations began near William Daoferth's house. A hole thirty or forty feet deep was dug, but no silver or lead was found, and the mine was soon aban- doned."

In February, 1824, and August, 1826, great freshets occurred, the latter having been known ever since as " the great August freshet." More than twelve inches of rain fell in six hours. "Every bridge across the Blackwater was swept away with the exception of that at Sweatt's Mills. The water ran through the ravines west of the village at Sweatt's Mills and also took the short cut from the bend near the residence of Mr. Orlando Fittz to the mills near Samuel Little's. The roads were very much washed. The damage in other towns was equally great. At the White Moun- tains occurred the slide by which the Willey family lost their lives."

A post-office was established at Sweatt's Mills in 1830 and the mail was carried once a week to Hopkin- ton. Most of the citizens, however, received their mail from Concord, and, in 1841, a petition was en- tered for a new post-route to Boscawen, with a mail service twice a week, which was granted. In 1851 a tri-weekly mail was obtained, and since 1881 the mail has been delivered daily.

The Granite Mutual Fire Insurance Company was organized in 1841. S. B. Little was president, and Rev. Ebenezer Price secretary. This association gave place, in 1877, to the Merrimack County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, with the following directors : Francis B. Sawyer, president ; Friend L. Burbank,

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WEBSTER.

Joseph L. Couch, Cyrus Fittz, Ephraim Little sec- retary and treasurer.

Incorporation .- In 1791, as has already been seen, the people of West Boscawen petitioned for a division of the town, that they might secure a meeting-house for themselves. This was, however, prevented by the citizens of the east part of the town, who agreed to the building of the desired place of worship. In course of time other causes conspired to bring about a permanent separation between the two sections. The Northern and Concord and Claremont Railroads had changed the currents of trade to Concord, Warner and Contoocook instead of Boscawen Plain, as formerly. The lack of a central town-house furnished another reason for discontent. Town-meetings had been held at the east and west ends of the town alternately ; but, in 1840, the meeting-house on the Plain being re- modeled, the meeting was at West Boscawen two years in succession, and this raised the question of division again. Some of the voters at the west end com- plained of unfair dealing in the application of public funds, being aggrieved by the purchase of a fire-engine for Fisherville (now Penacook), which, they affirmed, had been voted upon after the majority had gone home. On the other hand, taxable property at the east end was rapidly increasing, and the citizens of that section retorted that they had heavy taxes of their own to pay without being obliged to keep so many Blackwater bridges in repair. Political jeal- onsies naturally arose between the two parts of the town, and at length, in 1860, the centennial year of the town of Boscawen, a petition was presented to the Legislature, signed almost entirely by the citizens of the east part of the town (but one name having been obtained from the other part), praying that the town might be divided, the east section retaining the name and records. This roused strong and indignant feel- ings among the people of West Boscawen. In spite of all causes of discontent, they were proud of the past history of the noble old town, and were unwilling to be thus thrust out from their inheritance in its name and fame. They opposed the division stoutly; but stronger influences were brought to bear upon the legislative body by the other side, and on July 4, 1860, the Governor approved the act of imcorporation, the first section of which, defining the boundaries of the new town, is as follows :

"That all that part of the town of Boscawen lying westward of the following descrihed line, to wit : beginning at the centre of Beaver-Dam Brook, so called, on the northerly boundary line of said town, and run- ning thence southerly along the centre of said brook to Couch Pond, so called ; thence in a straight line across said pond to the brook connecting the same with Great Pond, so called ; thence along the centre of said last- mentioned brook to said Great Pond; thence in a straight line across said Great Pond and the brook running therefrom, at the southerly end thereof ; thence along the centre of said brook until it strikes the south- erly side of the highway, near Burbank's Mills, so called, leading from Ephraim Plumer's to Dodge's Mills, so called ; thence easterly, along the southerly side of said highway to a point in a line with the westerly side line of the fifth range of the forty-five acre lots in the fourth division, as originally laid out ; thence sontherly to and along said westerly line of said fifth range, and in continuation of the same direction, to the south-

erly boundary line of said Boscawen, be, and the same hereby is, severed from said town and made a body politic and corporate, by the name of Webster."

Great dissatisfaction was felt in regard to the name. It was claimed that it had been given in honor of Daniel Webster; but the people of the town believed it to have been given out of "malice prepense" as a last- ing sarcasm upon the relations of certain men promi- nent in both towns. Moreover, they claimed that, even if given in good faith and in honor of the great statesman, it was the east end, where he had engaged in the practice of law from March, 1805, until Septem- ber, 1807, which should have the name, rather than the west, with which he had no connection whatever. They petitioned the Legislature for the name West Boscawen, but were refused. This, however, was re- tained as the post-office address until a later period, and the name of Webster was rarely used, save in legal matters.

Probably the true explanation of the origin of the name is to be found in the following extract from a letter written by Judge Smith, of Manchester, in reply to inquiries addressed to him by Sherman Lit- tle, Esq .:

" The bill to divide the town was reported favorably by some commit- tee, probably by the committee on division of towne. The bill, as reported, gave the new town the name of West Boscawen. I knew no- thing about the merite of the bill, or of the feeling that had arisen be- tween the people of the east and west parts of the old town. When the bill was reported and read, it occurred to me that it would be in better taste, as well as more convenient, to give the new town a distinctive name, rather than a name not differing from that of the old town, except by the geographical prefix. Accordingly, I cast my eye over a township map of New England in search of an appropriate name. Almost the first name that caught my attention was Webeter. It immediately oc- curred to me that it would be peculiarly appropriate to name one of the towns Webster, for that distinguished son of New Hampshire, Daniel Webster. . . . I at once suggested the matter to the counsel who represented the old and new towns, and they both assented that I might make the motion to amend the bill in the particular mentioned, or made no objection to it.

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 164

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