History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 204

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 204
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 204

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Meredith Parade .- Among the places in this sec- tion which has a claim to historical mention, none has a more interesting history than that of Meredith Parade.

Shortly after the close of the War of 1812-15 with Great Britain, the State militia was thoroughly reorganized, and every competent man between the ages of eighteen and forty-five belonged to it. The companies of Meredith, Centre Harbor, New Hamp- ton and Sanbornton comprised the Twenty-Ninth Regiment, numbering over five hundred men. The law required that they should meet at some place as often as once a year for drill. The place selected for this purpose was known as Meredith Parade. The grounds were used for this purpose until about the year 1840, and became famous throughout the conn- try for its annual gatherings.

These musters were looked upon as events of great importance. "Each soldier," as the law read, "was commanded to appear armed and equipped, said

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HISTORY OF BELKNAP COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

equipments to consist of a gun, two flints, a priming- wire and brush, a knapsack and twenty-four rounds of cartridges." Soldiers who failed to put in an appearance were charged a heavy fine, uuless they could give a reasonable excuse. Two old-time " taverns" and two stores furnished the crowds with rations and the-at that time-indispensable article known as New England rum. Many old Revolu- tionary veterans, who had participated in the battles from Lexington to Yorktowu would be attracted hither. Old Indian-fighters were also plenty and fond of relating their hair-breadth encounters with the red men of this locality. The old Parade occu- pied an important place in the early annals as the town metropolis. Besides the two taverns and two stores already mentioned, it had one meeting-house, which stood on the Parade-ground, near the line be- tween this towu and Laconia. This old church, with its high-backed seats,box-shaped pulpit with sounding- board, was moved to Meredith village and remodeled into the Free-Will Baptist Church. The old cemetery still remains, a mournful reminder of the past. The head-stones have nearly all fallen, and are moss-grown and broken ; but few are legible. With the advent of the railroad perished the glory of the Parade. The daily stage from Boston to Plymouth was discou- tinued, and at the present time but little is left to. distinguish it from any peaceful farming community.

The " Neck " and " Bear Island " were another com- munity in themselves. Many recollect the hardy old- time residents of the Neck, although hardly one is left. " Bear Island " owes its name to the fact that bears were very abundant at the time of the first settlement. Robert Bryant settled here during the Revolution, coming from the Wadleigh place, near the Parade. Soon quite a neighborhood grew up around him, and forty years ago it could boast quite a school district. "Aunt Dolly " Nichols was a noted character, who lived alone about midway the length of the island. She made a living by selling cider and rum to the boatmen and fishermen. She bore the reputation of being a witch, and furnished Serib- ner a subject for his Dolly Plot in the " Legends of Laconia."

A Curious Relic was discovered in 1872, about six feet below the surface of the ground, at the bottom of a post-hole dug in the trail of the Indians between Lakes Winnipesaukee and Waukawau. It may have been the work of some one living in pre-historic days, as nothing like its fine workmanship has been pro- duced by the Indian tribes of this locality, and it has attracted great attention from the scientific and ethnological world. This curiosity is of fine silicious sandstone, as hard as granite, of almost the size and shape of a goose egg,-longest diameter, three and three-fourths inches ; transverse, two and five-eighths; weight, eighteen ounces,-but not a lathe product, deviating slightly from a " solid of revolution." A conical hole (three-eighths of an inch at base, one-

eighth at summit) passes along the axis, but lacks nearly one-eighth of an inch of being concentric with the base, and less at the summit. Ten figures-some in low relief, but sunk below the surface,-are cut with a workmanship inferior to the gems of ancient Europe, but as much superior to any other ever found on this continent. For instance, in the ear of maize, seven-eighths of an inch long, there are seventeen kernels in the row, and four of the rows clearly visible, with two more partly in sight. In a circle below (nearer the broad end) is the scalp of an auimal with large ears, a deer's leg, and another figure like a three-pointed cap. The scalp may be also a cap. To the right is a face in an oval, two and one-eighth inches long and five-eighths broad. This resembles strongly aucient Egyptian counte- nances. The face is sunken, as the nose does not rise above the regular surface. The next figure is an Indian lodge of four poles, visible above' where they cross at the top. Three breadths of curtain are shown, and they are carefully roughened, as if of hides. This is not on a depressed surface. Below this is a blank circle. There remains a series of three figures not in depressed surfaces,-first, four spears or paddles arranged in a form suggestive of the letter M, a erescent, and under it two maces in the form of X, with two dots between the heads. Lastly, there is a circular figure around each end. One little flaw is seen in the edge of the depression from which the face is raised. The stone was so encrusted as to com- pletely conceal all traces of the carving, and only a careful investigator would have discovered its secret. This was done by Seneca A. Ladd, the Meredith philosopher and antiquarian, in whose possession it now is. This stone has attracted the wonder of the scientific world, European suvans having vainly tried to obtain it. The Smithsonian Institution at Wash- ington has offered to send a man to Meredith to make a cast of the " egg," as Mr. Ladd calls it.

Conclusion .- There is material enough of interest- ing matter relating to Meredith to fill a large volume, and it is not to be expceted that into the space afforded by such a work as this all that is valuable could be compressed. We have given our attention more especially to preserving what we could of early days, knowing that the dust of oblivion would the sooner hide those events and characters forever from the view, and have, also, faithfully endeavored to condense as much of pure history as possible in these chapters, giving the formation of civil and religious organizations and their influence, development and results, however, quite fully, as they, by their com- bined action, have formed the character of the Mere- dith of to-day. The patriotism displayed by the town has fully justified the amount of space we have given to the military history. We trust that we have formed a nucleus around which some succeeding writer may crystallize all that is worthy of preserva- tion relating to this ancient and honorable town.

Adingene

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MEREDITH.

Our thanks are due to all who have rendered as- sistance to the writer, and especially to W. O. Clough, whose investigations and prepared articles in the Meredith News have been of much service.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

GENERAL JOHN WADLEIGH.

It will be a step in the progress of a people's life when our memorials to the dead shall take the form, not of dull, senseless, decorative marble, but of a means of generating practical good, and inspiring life with nobler and loftier ideals. For every man who leaves behind him the expression of great thoughts, the record of noble deeds and a career of success in his particular field of labor helps to educate each suc- cessive generation. Such records of life, work and success supply the most inspiring and disinterested motives to the highest exertion in the present and in the future. In the various departments of business, in science and in letters, in law and theology, in poli- tics and statesmanship, Belknap County has been honored by her sons, who, in their appropriate spheres, have exerted a deep influence, and the old town of Meredith has none whom her citizens justly hold in greater esteem and regard than General John Wad- leigh, son of Dearborn and Polly (Hayes ) Wadleigh. He was born in Meredith, N. H. June3, 1806, and died Octo- ber 25, 1873. He was a descendant of a family second to none in the State, whose members have ever been leaders in society and men of influence. Biography scientifically presents the ancestry of its subjects for brief and interested examination. Past generations are concerned in the building of the man, as well as the beloved mother. General Wadleigh's grand- father, John Wadleigh, was among the pioneers of the town, and the men of those early times were men of action. Energy was the corner-stone of their characters, the secret of their successful lives,-well- directed, steady, persistent energy. Mr. Wadleigh was a man of note, and his voice was often heard in the councils of the town, where he was many times chosen to office. In the great struggle of the Ameri- can colonies with the mother-country he was an active participant, serving his country with patriotism and zeal. He died August 11, 1842, having nearly reached his four-score years and ten, leaving a name and character of inestimable worth. His wife, Mollie, died November 13, 1827, aged seventy years. Dear- born Wadleigh, their son, was born in Epping, N. H. He inherited the homestead farm in Meredith, which place had been his home from childhood, and mar- ried Polly Hayes, of Sanbornton, a woman whose rare merit was well known. It was said of her, "She was goodness itself." She died November 1, 1864,

aged eighty-three. Dearborn Wadleigh was a man much esteemed in the community, and a valued citi- zen. He was positive, strong in his convictions, and in politics was an old-time Whig. He died Deceni- ber 27, 1859, at the age of eighty-two.

General Wadleigh remained with his parents on the old homestead until he was of age, participated in the labors of the field and received such education as the district school afforded, supplementing it at the old Gilmanton Academy, then in its palmy days. While yet a lad his heart was filled with the thoughts of the future and the ambition to be a leader among men, and his manly bearing and strong personality impressed itself upon those with whom he was brought in contact. The true American inheritance of free and independent thought had descended to him in more than ordinary measure, and he found his whole nature to be in direct opposition to the Feder- alistic principles of the Whig party, and, on reaching his majority, he affiliated with the Democrats, and cast his maiden vote for their candidate at election (town-meeting). On his return from the meeting he was informed that his presence at home was no longer desirable. The following morning, more in sorrow than anger, he left home, but with a brave spirit un- daunted even by these circumstances. He went to Boston, where he established himself as a teacher of penmanship, in which art he excelled. His residence in Boston was not a permanent one. His father re- considered his hasty decision, and earnestly entreated his son to return to his home; and to this request was added the urgent solicitations of the prominent Democrats, who assured him that they appreciated the value of a man who could so persistently stand by his political principles, even though his filial re- lations were sacrificed. After careful deliberation, and with a pardonable ambition to return to Mere- dith and justify the judgment of his political friends, he removed from Boston, and became a resident and citizen of the town of his birth, and tilled the ances- tral acres. He was elected to many offices in the gift of his townsmen. He was presiding officer (modera- tor) of the town-meetings for several years. He was nominated for county treasurer of Strafford County in 1840, and at the election the nomination was indorsed by the voters, and he held this office at the time Belknap County was organized. He also served two years and a half as county treasurer of Belknap County, covering five terms of court, which were held semi-annually, in February and August. He was continuously in office, civil or military, from the age of twenty-one. He was commissioned justice of the peace and quorum throughout the State, and held the position for a quarter of a century, being first commissioned by Governor Isaac Hill, January 8, 1838, and receiving the last commission from Governor J. A. Gilmore, October 9, 1863. He was a member of the Constitutional Con- vention in 1850. Hc represented Meredith several

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HISTORY OF BELKNAP COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

times in the General Court. In the years 1862 and 1863 he was a State Senator, and in all these civil offices his superior endowments were recognized.

But General Wadleigh's prominence as a public man was not confined to civil affairs; the military organizations claimed his attention in a large degree. He was pre-eminently a soldier. In manner and bearing, in energy and self-reliance, in the power to command and control men, in quick apprehension of circumstances and scrupulous attention to details, his mind was essentially military. His rapid pro- motion from ensign to major-general serves to show his remarkable ability. He was commissioned in the New Hampshire State militia as follows : En- sign by Governor David L. Morrill, April 18, 1827 ; lieutenant by Governor Benjamin Pierce, April 8, 1830; captain by Acting Governor Joseph M. Harper, April 20, 1831; adjutant by Governor Samuel Dins- moor, April 15, 1833 ; colonel by Governor William Badger, July 1, 1834 ; brigadier-general by Governor Isaac Hill, September 4, 1837 ; major-general Second Division by Governor John Page, June 27, 1839. He was honorably discharged, at his own request, June 18, 1841. He was appointed adjutant and inspector- general of the New Hampshire militia by Governor Jared W. Williams, December 7, 1847, which office he retained until June 26, 1856. All the relations between General Wadleigh and his officers were characterized by the utmost cordiality, and his strict- ness of discipline did not detract from the friendship existing between them.

General Wadleigh married, in 1831, Mary Ann Wentworth, daughter of Bradley and Nancy Hanna- ford, of Meredith. They had four children,-Le Roy B., a resident of Clinton, Ia., a very able and suc- cessful business man, and who inherits many of his father's characteristics ; Abbie (Mrs. Dr. G. F. Brick- ett), died July 31, 1864; John Dearborn, died No- vember 10, 1871, married Annie, wife of Frank P. Leffingwell, an attorney of Chicago, Ill. Mrs. Wad- leigh died December 31, 1866, aged fifty-six years, and, like her husband, enjoyed the warmest regards of the community.

Gencral Wadleigh was a religious man and a prominent and active member of the Baptist Church. He possessed the fine feelings of the old-school gen- tleman, and was true as steel to his friends. He was a man of exemplary habits, kind-hearted, hospitable, generous to the needy, sympathetic with the suffer- ing, diligent and faithful to all his trusts ; as a citi- zen, he was a promoter of all movements tending to advance the interests of Meredith .. Courage was a conspicuous quality of his nature. Inheriting a powerful physique, with immense impelling force, he had the self-poise and boldness imparted by the consciousness of strength. His latent resources, under the stimulus of difficulty and opposition, were always equal to the demands made upon him in meeting the weighty responsibilities and bearing the

heavy burdens imposed. His moral courage, tried in many emergencies, was never found wanting. Neutrality was impossible to him, for he never shirked a duty or an issue. Holding pronounced opinions, he was always ready and able to defend them against any attack. His marvelous endur- ance was the wonder of his friends. His mind was a battery always charged, his animal spirits a foun- tain that never failed. Always sincere and honest himself and intensely loyal to his friends, hypocrisy or disloyalty to friendship was to him an unpardon- able sin. He filled many high places of honor and responsibility. That he always discharged their duties with fidelity is shown by the oft-repeated and long-continued manifestations of public confidence and trust reposed in him. His services to the State were long and arduous. Such are the main points of the character, life and official career of General Wadleigh.

To those acquainted with the annals of New Hamp- shire his name is a familiar one, and in his native town no figure has been more prominent. In his character we find many of the crown jewels neces- sary to a successful life. Of rare judgment and irrepressible energy, he hewed to the line of unshaken purpose, and takes his place rightfully among those whose memory history will perpetuate. Every- where, in every age, in every department of life, we find that success springs from the energy of the man, -that is, the ingredient of his nature without which life remains an nnfulfilled promise,-and as there is an inspiration to others in the achievements of such men, we gather up this review of the life of General Wadleigh and lay it with honored record where its influence may descend with helpful strength to other men and other generations. His memory will long be cherished, and his life is a part of the history of the State.

SENECA A. LADD.

The first person bearing the name of Ladd in America, and doubtless the ancestor of all the fam- ilies bearing the name in New Hampshire, was Daniel Ladd, who sailed from London with his wife, Ann, March 24, 1633, in the ship "Mary and John," and settled at Ipswich, Mass. His name is fifth on the list of sixty-eight who founded the town of Salis- bury, in 1638. In 1640, with eleven others, he removed to Pawtucket, on the Merrimack, and or- ganized the town of Haverhill, where he lived, respected and honored, to an advanced age. He was descended from an old Kentish family, who were landed proprietors as early as the fifteenth century.

Daniel Ladd, a lineal descendant from the English ancestor, was born August 21, 1742, at Epping, N. H., and became a farmer. He did not remain on the ancestral acres, but dealt largely in new land, residing first in Lee, then in Canterbury, and finally in Lou-

Seneca A. Ladda

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MEREDITH.

don, where he was an early and esteemed citizen. He married Judith Lyford, of Raymond, about 1765. They had nine children, of whom the eighth was Gideon. Gideon was a chaise and carriage-builder. He was a man of much brain-power. Sober and sedate in his manners, of stern demeanor, he was a great admirer of the characters of the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose history he delighted to read. He was an industrious man and faithful to all his duties. A life-long resident of Loudon, he died there Feb- ruary 2, 1848. He married Polly Osgood, of Loudon, and had twelve children.

Seneca Augustus Ladd, fourth son and sixth child of Gideon and Polly (Osgood) Ladd, was born in London, N. H., April 29, 1819.

Probably no more marked individuality than his has been the production of the Granite State. From a child his methods of thought and execution have been sui generis. He attended the town school, sum- mers, until ten years of age, and winters, until he was seventeen, without much progress, as he says : "School-books and rules were hard tasks for me, and to obtain knowledge in that way was much like trying to take on fat by eating saw-dust bread." Only one of his teachers comprehended his nature- Johu L. French, afterwards president of Pittsfield Bank. He allowed the youth to pursue his own methods, originate his own rules, choose his own time and way of study, only directing him in their gen- eral course. From him Seneca had the pleasure of re- ceiving the prize offered to the class-a silver piece of Spanish money worth six and a quarter cents. Mr. Ladd still has the coin. When thirteen he went to learn the carriage-maker's trade in Raymond, and gave diligent service for four years, and, with his marked mechanical aptitude, was thoroughly pre- pared to do good work. He followed his trade in Meredith for two years, and then went to Boston and passed one year in constructing piano-fortes for Timothy Gilbert, in the second manufactory of the kind established in the United States. Returning to Meredith in July, 1839, he purchased mills and built a large carriage manufactory and entered into busi- ness on quite an extensive scale. This was something of an undertaking for a young man but twenty years of age ; but Mr. Ladd, with his logical foresight, had mentally marked out the course he must pursue to win success. And it came. For eleven years he conducted his business with success. In April, 1850, his entire plant was destroyed by fire, with its val- uable completed work. Mr. Ladd immediately leased the cotton-factory, then idle, and fitted it up with new machinery adapted to his purpose, and engaged in the manufacture of pianos and melodcons. He devoted himself to this for eighteen years in Meredith and Boston, and showed himself one of the most successful men of this line. He made money and was conceded to be master of all the elements of success in this field. Having acquired a sufficient

property to place him above the necessity of an in- cessant devotion to business, and having attained all the mental development he could expect in the vari- ous branches of labor he had followed, he was ready for a change and further progress. His humanitarian and philanthropic nature guided him in this. As an employer he had noted the recklessness with which the young people squandered their wages, apparently not knowing how to save their money, and his advice had frequently been given to them to take care of it. In revolving the problem of how to help them, the idea of a savings-bank seemed the thing needed. In November, 1869, he and his associates procured a charter from the Legislature and established the Mer- edith Village Savings-Bank (see History). The good accomplished by Mr. Ladd's zealous and persevering efforts in founding this bank has been very great, and will only be appreciated at its full value when looked upon by those of coming time; for it is a fact that never is a man fully understood or his real worth com- prehended by his contemporaries.

Such a peculiar nature as Mr. Ladd's must needs have had a peculiar education. This has been given by careful observation of everything that came in his way; by examining the structure and nature of the smallest as well as largest matters in nature; by at- tending to the needs of each of the many sides of both mental and physical organisms; by practical busi- ness, by newspapers, scientific and literary works of a high order, and by avoiding everything tending to sensation or frivolity. He has never read a novel or attended a theatre. This education has given him a mental character of strength and ability far beyond that attained by the usual curriculum of a college course, and on any of the grave subjects under dis- cussion among scholars his opinion is listened to with earnestness and commands respect. From an early day he has been pronounced in his adherence to temperance. When a boy he joined a church, but left it as soon as he found that it was obligatory on him to take wine at communion. Since then he has been a member of no church, but contributed to the sup- port of many. He has never used tobacco or alcohol in any form, and has battled strongly against the ruin traffic. In politics, his votes have always been cast in favor of universal freedom. The Liberty, Aboli- tion and Republican parties have, in turn, received his warmest support and most active services, and in all social and public matters he has ever been in accord with the most advanced and progressive ininds.

His regard for the young has been noticeable through life. He rarely passes children without bowing or speaking to them, and during his life he continually scattered kind deeds among them. Wil- liam O. Clough, editor of the Nashua Telegraph, cx- presses the result of this in his own case, and this is but one out of many of like character: "Mr. Ladd was always giving me something, doing me some

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HISTORY OF BELKNAP COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

favor, speaking kind words to me, encouraging me, giving me to understand that my chances in the world were just as good as anybody's, providing I kept at school and did right. Somehow I always felt, while I lived in the neighborhood, that he was watching me, that I had a friend in him, and for these reasons I tried to be a good boy and meet his approbation. I hold Mr. Ladd in grateful remembrance, and never think of him but to honor him, or hear his name mentioned but to recall instantly his generosity to- wards me; and I thank him for all the favors shown me in my youth, for all the kind words spoken and good advice given."

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 204

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