History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 193

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 193
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 193

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).

Strange as it may appear, the territory of Laconia was once claimed as within the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay Colony. As early as 1638 the colony had sent out a surveying party, who ascended the Merrimack River and marked a tree somewhere near the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winni- piseogee Rivers as the northern bound of the colony. Some years later, " upon perusal of our charter," they of the Bay Colony who had the affairs of the settle- ment in charge decided that they had not extended their claim far enough north into the wilderness ; so they dispatched a new party into the north-land to expand their frontier. Accordingly, in May, 1652, Captain Simon Willard and Edward Johnson were named as commissioners. They started from Ipswich in a sail-boat with a small company of assistants, and sailed up the Merrimack River. In the company was Jonathan Ince, John Sherman and at least two Indians. The river was the Indian thoroughfare, and around

the numerous falls of its course the red men had paths, called carrying places. There is no record extant of how the expedition overcame the natural obstacles of the journey ; but certain it is that they arrived at the Weirs August 1, 1652, and there marked a boulder as the north bound of the colony. They returned to the lower settlements after an absence of nineteen days, and for nearly two centuries their monument was lost to human ken.

In 1725, John Lovewell, with his band, traversed the wilderness, seeking for the scalps of hostile Indians, but it was years later before the white men came to stay.

The rock marked by Simon Willard and party has had a history. Its location was rediscovered by chance, about the year 1854, while making an exca- tion in the channel, and it was visited by Judge Saw- yer, Philip Carrigain and others interested in his- torical subjects. The Lake Company had raised the water of the lake by a dam, and it was exposed to the action of ice, and from fear that the inscription would be entirely lost, J. A. Dupee, a former treasurer of the Lake Company, sent Italian artists to make a cast of the inscription, and fac-similes were made, one of which can be seen at the New Hampshire Historical Society's rooms in Concord. The lovers of history and the antique, however, were not satisfied with doing this alone, but agitated the matter, and at last, in 1883, got an appropriation from the State Legislature for raising the rock above the surface, and surrounding it by safeguards against further harm. The Legislature of 1885 made a further ap- propriation. Hon. John Kimball, E. P. Jewell, Esq., and W. E. Buck are the commissioners having the business in charge.

This bound lost all interest for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1740, when the present boundary be- tween the two States was established.

E I SW

W P I OHN

ENDICVT

GOV

LETTERS ON STONE.

808

809

LACONIA.

Original Owners of Land .- Colonel Samuel Ladd bought the land on what is now called Ladd Hill in 1780. He soon after purchased two and a half acres on the east side of the river, of Samuel Jewett, for seven Spanish milled dollars. The land on the other side of the river he already owned. A saw-mill was soon after erected on this lot of land, and as the wa- ter privilege was better, was an improvement over the mill at " Wears."

Former Owners of Laconia Village .- The land on the north side of Winnipesaukee River was first owned by Master (schoolmaster) James, of Exeter. Stephen Gale, of Gilmanton, next purchased the land and sold it to Colonel Samuel Ladd in 1783. This tract of land ran from where the river empties into Lake Winnesquam to a point near the Church Street bridge, and embraced all the land between this line and the river. Colonel Ladd also purchased all the land possible adjoining this property, and probably owned about all that the present village of Laconia covers north of the river. When Colonel Ladd died, in 1801, his property was divided among the heirs and a large portion of the land was inherited by the wife of Ste- phen Perley, Esq. When the town of Gilmanton was divided into lots, the land on the south side of the river, from the outlet at Round Bay to Gove's Point, was divided into two lots about one hundred and twenty rods wide. Most of this property was first owned by James Conner and John Lowe, but was soon after purchased by Samuel Jewett, together with other land further to the east. Daniel Avery and Dr. Bow- man afterwards bought part of this property.

The land where the first settlement was made in Laconia was near the head of Round Bay, and was purchased by Ebenezer Smith of John Purmont, the original owner.

Meredith Bridge in 1813 .- The late Timothy D. Somes came to Meredith Bridge in 1813, and, in a statement made a short time before his death (in 1884), gives the following interesting facts regarding the Bridge at that time: He states that there was but one church then, and no settled minister in town. The church was built by individuals and belonged to no particular denomination ; was a small building and stood on the lots just below the present Willard Hotel. There was a cotton-mill where the brick Belknap Mill now stands ; this building was of the same size on the ground in 1813 as to-day, and was called the Avery Mill. The owners were Daniel Avery, Daniel Tucker, Stephen Perley, and perhaps others were also inter- ested. This mill was burned down some eight or nine years after Mr. Somes came here. There was a cloth- ing-mill at the end of Mill Street bridge, on the site now occupied by J. W. Busiel & Co.'s dye-house. This clothing-mill was owned and operated by Sam- uel and Nathan Bean.

There was an oil-mill a few feet above the clothing- mill owned by Stephen Perley,-a small mill, with one set ofstones. The oil was sold and used for paint-

ing purposes. Daniel Tucker owned a blacksmith- shop where L. F. Busiel's hosiery-mill is to-day. Tucker's shop was run by water-power and had a small trip-hammer. He manufactured axes, scythes, shears and other edge-tools. There was a bell foundry just below Tucker's shop, owned and run by the well- known Holbrooks. They cast the first bell rung in town ; this bell was hung in the bell-tower of the cot- ton-factory. The Holbrooks afterwards left towu and continued business in Massachusetts, where they achieved a national reputation. The North Church bell and other bells in town were cast by the Holbrooks.

There was a small, narrow bridge across the river on Main Street at that time, near where the present bridge is located. The bridge had no railing then ; but a man named French fell off into the water and was drowned soon after Mr. Somes came here, and then the bridge was supplied with a railing.

On the Gilford side was a saw-mill owned by Dud- ley Ladd. It stood near the end of Mill Street bridge, on the Baldwin site. There was a grist-mill on the site now occupied by the Pitman picker-house, owned by Jonathan Ladd, a brother of Dudley Ladd. The house where Rev. J. P. Atkinson lives was, in 1813, kept as a hotel by Jonathan Folsom, and was proba- bly the first hotel in the place.

The road through the village was the old Province road ; the only road to Lake village was what is now called Lake Street. At Lake village Mr. Folsom had at that time a saw-mill, and a grist-mill on the Mere- dith, or Laconia, side of the river. There were only five houses on the Gilford side at Lake village in 1829. Mr. Folsom's house was the only dwelling at Lake village in 1813 on that side of the river.

There were but thirty-four houses at Meredith Bridge in 1813, on both sides of the river, and some of these were mere shanties. The best house in town then was the John A. Harper residence, where Mrs. Dr. Prescott now lives, Mr. Harper was the only lawyer in town, and was an able man ; was at one time a member of Congress.

The mails were frequently carried from Concord to Centre Harbor on horseback. No wagons were to be seen on the streets when Mr. Somes came here, but all business seemed to be done on horseback. It was no uncommon thing to see four persons on one horse, and Mr. Somes stated that he had been one of three persons on a horse's back many times. The first wagon ever made in these parts was built by James Jackson, in Meredith.

The leading spirits then at Meredith Bridge were John A. Harper ; Stephen Perley, who lived on the spot now occupied by the Parker block ; Dudley Ladd ; Jonathan Ladd ; Asa D. Eager, who lived where Gove's Block now is; Deacon Kimball, who carried on an earthenware business on the lot next to the Gilford Hosiery boarding-house; Daniel Avery, who lived where the residence of W. L. Melcher, Esq., is now located, in the house called the Andrew Wood-

810

HISTORY OF BELKNAP COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

man house ; Mr. Avery had a small store nearly op- posite his residence, where he sold groceries and rum. Soon after 1813, Mr. Avery went into the potash busi- ness in a building just south of his store. Dr. Za- dock Bowman was the only physician in town ; he lived where D. A. Tilton's house stands. The doctor was very peculiar and eccentric; not much of a phy- sician, but did what business there was, and also made money by letting money and farming; was a short, thick-set man, and owned a large amount of land.

Mr. Somes spoke very highly of Stephen Perley, and said that no man left his impress more distinctly than Mr. Perley. He was a large, noble-looking man, owned a great deal of property, did a large business aud was connected with all the enterprises that tended to build up the town. Mr. Perley kept the post-office for quite a number of years ; was an active Democrat ; kept a general supply store, and, as usual in those days, sold rum, but it is said never drank any himself. In 1813 Mr. Perley traded in a small wooden building, where afterwards a brick store was erected, about half of which is now standing on the corner of Main and Mill Streets. There was no Main Street then above Mill Street. The first place where Mr. Somes attended school was in a little, old-fashioned school- house near the present location of Huse's machine- shop. In 1813 a small brook ran through Bank Square, following what is now the course of the canal. The brook was crossed by small bridges of one or two planks.

A copy of the Belknap Gazette, printed in 1842, gives a very good idea of the village of Laconia at that time. Colonel Charles Lane was the editor aud publisher of the Gazette, and from its columns it ap- pears that there were in the place three cottou-mills, a woolen-mill, grist-mill, saw-mills, shingle, clap- board, sash and door machinery, a large tannery and various other industries. There was a large printing establishment operated by D. B. Allison, with water- power press, and a bindery and book-store connected. There were ten stores, two apothecaries, oue jeweler and watchmaker, two barbers, two physicians, five lawyers, three clergymen, three taverns, three new churches, well finished and painted, and one academy in a flourishing condition. William Clark, Benjamin Boardman, Lyman B. Walker and H. L. Hazelton were of the legal fraternity. Nathaniel A. Stephens ran a tailor shop over George L. Sibley's general mer- chandise store. Lewis H. Ham was a dealer in gro- ceries and provisions. A. G. Folsom was also in the grocery business, and William M. Ladd sold patent medicines and drugs. Wilson & Barron and Gale, Pitman & Co., general merchandise, were also in business at this time.

The regular stage line went through from Holder- ness to Boston in one day, at that time leaving the Belknap Hotel at six o'clock in the morning, going three days in the week by way of Pittsfield and Ex- eter, and the remainder of the time via Concord and Manchester.

Dr. Josiah Crosby had just opened an eye and ear infirmary. The Gilford Academy was under the in- struction of Joshua M. Pitman. S. J. Osgood the barber advertised his business. Gove & Currier were dealers in furniture, opposite John C. Moulton's tavern. In 1842, New Hampton was the only town in Belknap County that did not permit the open sale of liquor ; but in October, 1842, all the public-houses in Laconia claimed to discontinue the sale of ardent spirits. A declaration of independence was issued in 1843, signed by one hundred and two citizens, who pledged themselves to prevent the sale of liquor in the town. Soon after this it was announced that the sale of intoxicating drinks in the village had entirely ceased. The Mercdith Bridge Washingtonian Total Abstinence Association, Miss Harriet Gale, secretary, was then in active operation.

First Tavern .- The first public-house erected within the precincts of what is now Laconia village was built about 1783, and stood a short distance above the Main Street bridge of to-day. A store and stable were connected with the establishment. The tavern proved to be a handy " half-way house " between Gil- manton and Meredith Parade.

A log house was built on the spot where W. D. Huse's machine-shop now stands, about 1780, and after the saw-mill was started was replaced. This second building stood, with more or less repairs, until a few years ago.

The first saw-mill in town was built at Weirs, in 1766, by the proprietors of the township. Ebenezer Smith and William Mead had charge of the mill, and paid rent for the same. The iron-work for this mill was brought from Exeter, and the wood-work was hewn on the spot. The power was obtained from a large under-shot wheel. The mill, although of course a rude affair, answered all purposes and remained in use for many years. For the first ten years after the mill was built the logs were sawed on the " halves " plan, and one-quarter went to the owners of the mill for rent.

CHAPTER II. LACONIA-( Continued).

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.

Congregational Church .- The first religious or- ganization in Meredith Bridge was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, in 1811, as the Meredith Bridge Religious Society. The members of the origi- nal society were Stephen Purley, Daniel Avery, John A. Harper, John Smith, Jonathan Ladd, Simeon Taylor, Dudley Ladd, Daniel Kimball, Daniel Tuck- er, Horatio G. Prescott, Samuel H. Bean, John Bur- leigh, Josiah Randlet, James Crockett, Samuel Jew- ett and Jacob Jewett. The first meeting of this soci- ety was held August 3, 1811. Their by-laws ordered that all moneys were to be raised by assessment on

811

LACONIA.

the members, in proportion to the ratable property of said members. The meeting-house, when built, was to be open to all religious denominations. The by- laws stated : "The use and occupation of the house shall be open to all religious denominations in such a way that no one proprietor thereof shall be barred from introducing any regular preacher of any religious denomination into said house for the purpose of preaching such a proportion of the time as shall be equal to his or her proportion of property therein."

In 1809 the lot south of what is now the Willard Hotel, containing about five rods front on Province road, was purchased by Daniel Avery, as trustee. for the inhabitants, as a site for a church building. The price paid for the land was one hundred and twenty- five dollars, and the money was raised by subscription of twenty-seven of the business men and farmers in the vicinity.

Dr. Bowman offered a larger lot on what is now Court Street, and at a less price, but the Province road site was thought the better location, and, accor- dingly, the church was built there. The building was built largely by subscriptions of lumber and labor. One person gave a certain amount of lumber, another agreed to lay one thousand of shingles on the roof, and many others gave from a day to two weeks' labor on the edifice. The dimensions of the building were nearly fifty by forty feet, high-posted, with two rows of windows for light. The end facing the street was ornamented with a bell-tower and large steeple, with a wooden fish as a weather-vane. This steeple was a great affair for that time, and was considered by many the most beautiful church-steeple in all New England. Inside the church was a good-sized gal- lery, in which the pews were sold, which were of the old-style, square and high-backed.

This church building remained in use for twenty- six years, and was destroyed by fire on the morning of February 27, 1836.

Several missionaries of various denominations vis- ited Meredith Bridge after the erection of the new church, but none of them appeared to remain very long. Rev. John Turner, of Massachusetts, was the first pas- tor who was rewarded with anything like success for his efforts. The following extract from a letter writ- ten by Mr. Turner, in 1833, and dated at Boston, Mass., will give some of the difficulties under which he and other clergymen labored at that time in Mere- dith Bridge :

" I was the first missionary who succeeded in gain- ing a congregation to hear me at Meredith Bridge. There preceded me three missionaries, whose names I do not now recollect, who, not being able to gather any of the people in a few days to hear them preach, and who encountered sour looks and hard words from everybody, were discouraged, and went away without doing anything, practically saying that the soil was too sterile to be broken up by the plowshare of the Gospel, and was incapable of culture; so they left it,

as that which bears briars and thorns and is nigh worthless.

" If I mistake not, I made my first visit to that place as a missionary in June, 1813, under the direc- tion of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, in whose employment I labored the whole time I was there. To them I looked, and from them I received my support. I first went on a commission of three months to all the towns destitute of a settled minister, which lay on every side of Win- nipiseogee Lake, making Meredith Bridge my princi- pal stand, and to use my own discretion in going from one place to another as I thought best. This com- mission was renewed from time to time, as it expired, for three years, in which I was constantly in their em- ployment on that interesting ground, except a few weeks at a time when I visited my family and preach- ed to the people of my charge.

"The Congregational missionaries once passed through the country like shooting stars, making a lu- cid path ; but being obliged by their commissions to pass on, they were not able to cultivate the seed sown. Sectarians were silent while they passed along, but then fell into their train, and turned the excite- ment which they had occasioned against the order by whom their attention had been roused to the things of religion, so that they hurt rather than benefited the cause in which they labored. I therefore refused to accept a commision of that kind, lest I should do an injury to the cause of Christ.

" My reception hy the people of Meredith Bridge, when I first went among them, was by no means flat- tering. Sectarians of every name had blended their influence, and succeeded in planting a deep-rooted prejudice in the minds of all the people against the Congregational ministry. The first remarks I made in my journal on that ground I distinctly recollect to be nearly in the following words: 'This morning I came from Tuftonborough, over the lake to Alton, and walked to this place, the distance being sixteen miles, and came to Mr. Avery's before eight o'clock, to whom I had letters of introduction. I was weary and exhausted when I came out of the wilderness through which I passed, but when the village broke upon my eye the contrast was animating. Everything before me and around me was pleasant to the eye; but when I went from house to house and mingled with the in- habitants my heart sank within me. From eight o'clock in the morning to four in the afternoon I met not an individual who welcomed me in words or looks. But at four in the afternoon I found a family about half a mile out of the village, Mr. Jacob Jewett's, who received me with open arms, and welcomed me to their home.

"When I introduced myself to Mr. Jewett he said : 'I am very glad and very sorry to see you.' To my inquiries regarding his reply, he answered : 'I am glad to see a minister of the gospel ; but I am sorry to see you here, for I know that you can do no good,

812

HISTORY OF BELKNAP COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

for none will hear you preach, and you will be in- sulted and abused.'

"But as hard looks and lowering countenances never broke my head or heart, I ventured to appoint a meeting for the Sabbath at the meeting-house. We were agreeably disappointed to find about fifty per- sons who turned out to hear the word of God. I did not visit in the village any more for three weeks, but preached to them, according to appointment, every Sabbath, and found the congregations increasing in number about fifty each succeeding Sabbath. Rightly knowing that the sectarians would let me alone while they thought I would soon leave the ground, I made my appointments from Sabbath to Sabbath, leading them to think, when an appointment was made, that it might be the last. In this way I kept them easy so that they broke not upon me, nor interfered in my labors, till I had awakened an interest among the peo- ple in my favor. Knowing that the prejudice among the people was so strong against notes, that if a min- ister should show a scrap of paper ever so small, while preaching, it would drive all out of the house, I preached extemporaneously to them for nine months, and had not even the Bible with me in the pulpit, lest they should think notes were hidden therein.

"There was another evil which I had to encounter, namely, a suggestion from some that the sermons were written and committed to memory, and preached a thousand times. They soon, however, gave me an opportunity to stop this by giving me three portions of Scripture in one day, as I was going into the pulpit, from which I preached to their satisfaction the three services of the day.

"Had it not been for the unbounded kindness and hospitality of Mr. Jacob Jewett, whose house and stable were ever open for my accommodation, I prob- ably should have been discouraged at the outset, as others before me had been. . . After I had been there about two months the church where I preached on the Sabbath was generally full."

After Mr. Turner, who remained about three years, came Rev. Jotham Sewell, Rev. Henry Sewell, Rev. Nathan Fiske (afterwards professor of Greek in Am- herst College) and Rev. Francis Norwood. Mr. Nor- wood came in June, 1824, and the church was organ- ized July 20th. He stayed till 1830; Rev. J. K. Young, from August 12, 1831, to 1866; Rev. H. M. Stone, 1868 to 1871; Rev. William T. Bacon, 1871 to 1876; Rev. J. E. Fullerton, 1877 to 1881. The pres- ent efficient pastor is Rev. Charles A. G. Thurston.

The society owns a large, substantial church edifice, with a clock-tower supporting a lofty and graceful spire. The interior is conveniently arranged ; a large vestry below, capable of accommodating three hun- dred people, and a smaller vestry afford space for religious and social gatherings. A beautiful and spacious audience-room above affords one of the most pleasing interiors in the State.

The Laconia Free Baptist Church was organized

March 17, 1838. Rev. Nahum Brooks was the first pastor ordained here, and served till December 10, 1843; Rev. Silas Gaskill served from December 31, 1843, to April 4, 1844; Rev. I. D. Stewart, from April 4, 1844, to April 3, 1852; Rev. Ebenezer Fisk, from April 8, 1852, to September 8, 1853; Rev. G. H. Pinkham, from September 8, 1853, to May 24, 1855; Rev. A. Redlow, from September 7, 1855, to April, 1857; Rev. A. D. Smith, from September 5, 1857, to April, 1861 ; Rev. Arthur Caverno, from September 7, 1861, to April 5, 1862; Rev. C. H. Smith, from Sep- tember 6, 1862, to May, 1864; Rev. A. D. Smith, from June 4, 1864, to May 8, 1873; Rev. F. H. Lyford, from May 8, 1873, to April 31, 1875; Rev. J. Frank Locke, from May 4, 1875, to April 1, 1876; Rev. Lewis Malvern, from May 6, 1876, to January 24, 1880; Rev. G. C. Waterman, from March 6, 1880, to April 2, 1881; Rev. F. D. George, from May 7, 1881, to January 17, 1883; Rev. Lewis Malveru, from January 17, 1883.

The present membership of the church is 179; the Sunday-school numbers 260. The church was built before 1840, and remodeled at an expense of $12,000 in 1873. It was hurned to the ground October 14, 1876, and rebuilt the following year for $10,000. The society is composed of the strong business meu of the village.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was first organ- ized in 1838, and was in a flourishing condition for a number of years, when, from internal dissension, the church languished. It was resuscitated about 1860. At first they worshiped in the court-house and at Fol- som Hall until, in 1868, the society purchased the Unitarian meeting-house. There are at present one hundred and twenty-five church members. The society owns the church edifice, clear of debt ; they owe a small sum on the parsonage. Since 1860 the following pas- tors have been in charge : Revs. G. W. H. Clark, Wil- liam H. Thomas, George S. Noyes, Calvin Holman, George W. Norris (who in 1868 raised the money for buying the meeting-house), B. W. Chase, H. B. Copp, T. Carter, E. R. Wilkins, S. C. Keeler and the present pastor, Rev. G. A. MeLaughlin.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 193

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