History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 52

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 52
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 52

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).

I. John G., born June 7, 1836, in Henniker; wholesale grocer in Boston.

II. Charles W., born February 11, 1839; married, November 21, 1865, at Plymouth, Josephine P. Mer- rill; lives in Boston; wholesale grocer there; two children,-Alice J., born October 6, 1866; Florence, born February 26, 1869.

III. Mary E., born July 14, 1843; married, Octo- ber 1, 1877, Nathaniel T. Lund.

JOSEPH HARTSHORNE, son of John and Hannah (Prince), was born in Amherst, N. H., May 12, 1791 ; married, March 30, 1817, Mary Ellsworth, of Deering, who was born November 3, 1791, and died January 30, 1862. He died in Concord, N. H., June 27, 1884. He was a non-commissioned officer in the Twenty- ninth Infantry in the War of 1812. He was one of the quota of Amherst men that marched to the de- fense of Portsmouth in September, 1814, and was the last survivor of Amherst men who served in that war. They lived in Hillsborough till April 6, 1839, when they moved to Bradford. Their children were,-

I. David Heury, born May 27, 1823; married, Feb- ruary 14, 1853, Amanda Forsaith; died in Bradford, April 18, 1874. He had four children,-George Henry, born October 25, 1853; Joseph Albert, born May 31, 1855; Sarah Maria, born February 8, 1859, died May 24, 1860 ; Mary Lizzie, born July 26, 1861.

II. Mary Antoinette, born January 17, 1826; died January 9, 1841.

III. Ann Maria, born June 29, 1827; married (first), April 16, 1854, Henry Canfield ; married (sec- ond), June 25, 1856, Hiram Farrington ; resides in Concord.

IV. Sarah Dutton, born January 24, 1829; died September 26, 1854. An adopted daughter, Elizabeth Adaline Gibson, was born in February, 1820; mar- ried (first), December 9, 1841, Caleb Knight ; mar- ried (second), Emery Bailey.

ELEAZER STEELE, born August 22, 1784, in Tol- land, Conn. ; married, at Dover, N. H., June 24, 1826, Eunice Hodgdon. He was ordained elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bath, Me., June 30, 1822. After spending some time in Canaan and other New Hampshire towns, he located in Bradford, abont 1828. Their children were,-

I. Julia Minerva, born May 12, 1827 ; died Decem- ber 3, 1829.

II. Eliza S., born October 19, 1828; died June, 1829.

III. Julia M., born January 24, 1830.

IV. Emily M., born September 9, 1831.

V. George, born August 31, 1833; died August 12, 1834.

VI. George, born April 13, 1835 ; died in infancy. VII. Ellen Ophelia, born March 31, 1837; died May 2, 1837.

VIII. George Harvey, born May 24, 1839; married, November 15, 1876, Mary Augusta, daughter of Timo- thy Peaslee Jones, of this town, and lives at the Mill village. He is the only one of the elder's family (five of whom are living) who remains in Bradford.

IX. Eliza Ann, born July 5, 1841; died July 23, 1856.

X. Caroline Kimball, born August 28, 1844.

XI. Harriet Clara, born October 11, 1847.

Military Record-REVOLUTIONARY WAR .- The following-named men of Bradford were in the Ameri- can army in the War of the Revolution : Private An- drew Aiken, Corporal Abel Blood, Richard Cressy, John Eaton, Offin French, Jonathan Knight, Abra- hamn Sweatt, Abram Currier.

WAR OF THE REBELLION .- The following are the names of soldiers who enlisted in our late Civil War from the town of Bradford, Merrimack County, N. H .:

Colonel W. M. Tappan, Dr. Cyrus M. Fisk, Moses J. Seavey, Willis Cressey, John Lynn, Charles M. Goold, Mansel Bixby, Horace Benton, Joseph C. Hoyt, George Benton, Newton Cheney, Savory Cheney, John Choate, John Eaton, Justus A. Dunbar, George F. Smith, George Sar- gent, Cyrus E. Jones, James Hoyt, P. B. Richards, Henry Presby, Henry Hoyt, Franklin Pierce, William West, Frank West, Ezekiel Hadley, Ai Hall, Peter Craig, Charles Tappan, Clarence Baily, Micah Howe, David Hawks, Miner Hawks, George L. Ward, Proetor D. Ward, Levi Ward, Curtis Davis, Albert Woodbury, Hollis Brockway, George Dunfield, Woodbury Barnes, Timothy Z. Smith,

WAR OF 1812 .- The following is a partial list:

John Harriman, Johu Robbins, Joseph Hartshorne, Hazen Preshury.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

JOHN W. MORSE.

To no man is the community more indebted than to the one who, by diligence, attention to business and years of labor, has risen by his own inherent force from poverty to competency, and is acknowl- edged a " self-made " man. Perhaps no one is more entitled to this appellation in Bradford than John W. Morse. Certainly no man has done more during his nearly fifty years' residence in the town to help its advancement.

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Prior to 1635, Anthony Morse was a resident of Newbury, Mass., and one of his lineal descendants, Josiah, married, February 18, 1773, Lois Webster, of Chester, N. H., a member of the same family which produced America's statesman and orator, Daniel Webster. Their son Josiah, on reaching his majority, went to Henniker, where he settled, and married, December 2, 1798, Betsey, daughter of Thomas and Persis (Gibson) Brown. Mr. Morse was a saddler, tanner and currier. He died December 15, 1833, and his wife died June 12, 1856.

John Webster Morse, their son, was born August 10, 1806, at Henniker, N. H. From the straitened condition of his father's family, John was forced to labor from his earliest years, worked for neighboring farmers while very young, and the most of his small wages went to defray the family expenses and pay the debts of his father. Concluding, when about six- teen, that he could not gaiu anything by this manner of working, he learned the trade of wool-carding and cloth-dressing, and when twenty-one years old found himself possessed of what was then a good trade and a capital of " fourpence half-penny." A year after he was able to attend school for a term at Derry and part of a term at Hopkinton Academy, and made diligent use of these advantages. He worked at his trade in Weare for six years, in the mean time keep- ing up his studies, and taught school four winters, in Weare, Henniker, N. H., and Essex, Mass. At the age of twenty-eight, in 1834, Mr. Morse had accumu- lated six hundred dollars, and he commenced his mercantile life in Weare with James Wallace, under the firm-name of Wallace & Morse, and continued for two years, when he sold out his interest and returned to Henniker and established himself in trade, where he remained for a year, and in 1837 came to Bradford.

Mr. Morse married, August 16, 1835, Lucy Ann, daughter of Hon. Jonathan and Polly (Fisher) Gove, of Acworth, N. H. [" Jonathan Gove was the grand- son of Jonathan, brother of Edward, member of the General Assembly of the province of New Hamp- shire, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London for three years for heading an attempted revolution against the arbitrary proceedings of Governor Cran- field in 1682. Hon. Jonathan Gove settled in Ac- worth in 1808, and was widely known on account of the many public offices which he held, and also for his high reputation as a skillful and accurate land surveyor. He was elected treasurer of the county of Cheshire when Sullivan was a part of the county ; he was several times a representative to the Legislature, twice a member of the Governor's Council, and was offered the office of judge of Probate. His abilities were of a superior order, and his sterling common sense, affability and genial nature made him very popular in all the public positions he filled."]

The children of John W. and Lucy Ann (Gove) Morse are John G., born in Henniker, June 7, 1836, an energetic and successful business man (whole-

sale grocer) in Boston, firm name-Morse Bros. & Co .; Charles W., born in Bradford, February 11, 1839, is in business with his brother (he mar- ried, November 21, 1865, P. Josephine Merrill, of Plymouth. Their children are Alice, born October 6, 1860, and Florence, born February 26, 1869); and Mary E., born July 14, 1843, married N. F. Lund.

Mr. Morse has been engaged in merchandising in Bradford for nearly half a century, dating back to 1837. The country stores in those days were the exchange bureaus of the farmers. There the produce of the farm was exchanged for the necessary articles of clothing and household supplies, and the enter- prise of the merchant was the factor tending most to increase the wealth and prosperity of the section, even while enhancing his own prosperity. To deal with men year after year, to keep their custom and good-will, required not only a high degree of business ability, but honesty of purpose and integrity, and also a facility in reading character, combined with a prac- . tical common sense, that would insure success in a different sphere of activity, and when we say that Mr. Morse was successful, we endow him with all the characteristics of a good country merchant.

Mr. Morse is a Democrat in politics, and his first Presidential vote was in 1828, for Andrew Jackson. He has always been of independent thought, decided in his views, acting up to the full standard of his con- victions, and has given his most active energies to the support of the Constitution and the principles he deemed founded in truth, and for many years knew every voter in town and how he voted. During his busy and laborious life he has creditably filled many positions of trust and honor, having held every office in the gift of his town. He was town clerk for many years, and re-elected until he resigned, selectman and town treasurer ; was appointed postmaster by Frank- lin Pierce, and served eight years ; again appointed by President Cleveland this present year (1885); representative to the General Court; in 1865 and 1866 he represented the Eighth Senatorial District in the State Legislature, receiving more than his party vote, and when nominated for counselor, twice in succes- sion, in a district of more than two thousand majority against him, he ran far ahead of his ticket, even in a heated political campaign, thus showing the respect and confidence in which he was held in the com- munity ; he was a member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1868; attended the National Democratic Convention in 1880, as alternate with John H. George.

Mr. Morse is a public-spirited man, always inter- ested in anything of advantage to the citizens. He was the first person to advocate the building of the stone bridge at the "Corner," the moving of the town hall from the "Centre" to its present location, and the laying out of the beautiful Pleasant Hill Ceme- tery. The town is indebted to Mr. Morse and Colonel Tappan for the movement which resulted in bringing the railroad to Bradford.

Joshua Eaton

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BRADFORD.

He is prudent, practical and honest, and has al- ways lived within his income, and, as he says, has had the satisfaction of being able to pay one hundred cents on a dollar of all claims presented him. He is a sound and safe adviser on any subject, and his ad- vice has often been called for and found of much value.

During this long period of successful labor Mr. Morse has been aided and blessed by his industrious and faithful wife. After having completed a full half-century of happy married life, they are now passing down the declivity of age with the esteem of a large circle of friends, and leading lives that their descendants may worthily emulate.

JOSHUA EATON.

Among the one hundred and two passengers of the "Mayflower," which arrived in Cape Cod harbor two hundred and sixty-four years ago, were Francis Eaton, Sarah, his wife, and Samuel Eaton. Hence the Eaton family is one of the earliest in America, and Francis was one of the signers of the first compact in the nature of a constitution of government. That Puritan hand were strong and religious men with undaunted courage and bold hearts, and New Englanders of to- day are justly proud of their ancestry. Francis Eaton died in Plymouth, 1633. Samuel Eaton was among the twenty-six men who purchased what became the First Precinct in Middleborough, of the Indian sachem, Wampatuck. Said purchase was made in the month of March, 1662, and said Samuel also became one of the pioneer settlers of Middleborough, Mass., where he died in 1684, leaving descendants. Some of the family settled in other parts of Massachusetts. Previous to 1650, Thomas Eaton came to Haverhill, and was the ancestor of the Eatons of Hillsborough and Merri- mack Counties of New Hampshire. Thomas Eaton married, for his second wife, a Massachusetts lady, Eunice Sangletery, of Salisbury, December 16, 1658. They had nine children, of whom Job, born April 22, 1671, married Mary Simons, January 10, 1698. Of their four children, the second was Thomas, born Feh- ruary 20, 1701. He married Mehitable -. They had three children,-John, horn June 18, 1733; Tim- othy and Mehitable. Johu married, first, Abigail Peasley. She was born September 16, 1734, and died February 23, 1772. The children of this marriage were Ebenezer, Mehitable (Mrs. Daniel Cressey), Nathaniel, Daniel, John and Joshua. He married, second, Sarah Clarke, and had three children,- Thomas, Abigail (Mrs. Benjamin Colby) and Eliza- beth (Mrs. Nathaniel Gould). He died January 10, 1823.

Nathaniel Eaton was the pioneer of the family in Bradford. He came here in the spring of 1792, settled on the old "Sawyer place," and continued until Feb- ruary of 1805, when he returned to Hopkinton, his former place of residence. Ebenezer, the oldest, emi-

grated here about the same time, and made a per- manent settlement. Joshua, born February 25, 1768, in Haverhill, Mass., came with his wife and two chil- dren to Bradford in the spring of 1795, and settled on land which is now occupied by his descendants. Mr. Eaton's first wife was Sarah Hoyt. The children of this marriage were Moses, Mary (Mrs. John Brock- way), William A., Sarah (Mrs. Simeon Shattuck) and Martha (Mrs. Osman Bailey). He married, second, Mrs. Anna (Blaisdell) Hill. Their children were Joshua, John Hill, Roxana (deceased), Daniel and Albert (deceased).

Joshua Eaton, Sr., was admirably fitted by nature and temperament for the hardy life of the early settler, having a rugged constitution and a well-developed physique. He devoted himself to the cultivation of his land and the raising of stock, and became one of the prosperous farmers of the town. In 1810 he built the house which is now occupied by his son, John Hill, and at the time of its erection was the best house in Bradford. Industrious and frugal, he man- aged his affairs with discretion and always had corn to sell and money to lend to a neighbor in an emer- gency. When the first Orthodox church was erected, he was one of the first purchasers of the pews, of which he owned three. For several years he took an active part in the military organizations of the State, and was commissioned captain of militia in the Thir- tieth Regiment, July 22, 1806, and major of the First Battalion of the same regiment, June 1, 1809, by Governor John Langdon. His resignation was ac- cepted September 13, 1814. Mr. Eaton's politics were of the Jeffersonian school. He was a man of influence, good judgment, not given to many words, deliberate in forming his conclusions. His death occurred April 11, 1850.

Joshua Eaton was born at Bradford, N. H., Decem- ber 22, 1817. His educational advantages were more liberal than many of the farmer's sons, he having had opportunities of supplementing his district school attendance by High School and academic instruction at Bradford, Henniker and Franklin. He was brought up a farmer's boy and was early accustomed to labor, and continued on the home place with his father until after his marriage, February 20, 1840, to Alzina, daughter of James and Elizabeth Gillingham. (See biography of Moody Gillingham, Newbury, for an- cestry.) In 1842 he purchased the place which has since been his home. At his father's death he in- herited some fifty or more acres of the old home- stead farm, and at present he owns about two hun- dred and twenty acres of land.

The children of Joshna and Alzina (Gillingham) Eaton were Alzada and Alzira, born January 5, 1841 (Alzira died February 26, 1841. Alzada married Ben- jamin F. Hoyt; has Frederick G., born January 10, 1867; Warren A., born September 2, 1868; Nettie A., born November 8, 1870; Carrie A., born October 27, 1873; and Chester F., born January 26, 1879); Alverton,

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

born July 27, 1843, died July 2, 1846; Alzina, born April 10, 1848. Mrs. Eaton died October 6, 1851, and Mr. Eaton married Mrs. Louisa A. Plumer, daughter of Samuel and Lois (Clark) McNeil. She was born in Weare, N. H. They have one son, Joshua Willis Eaton, born December 24, 1856. He married Nettie E. Boyce ; they have one child, Ethel E., born April 7,1878.

Mr. Eaton has inherited many qualities from his Puritan forefathers, and is a man of weight and in- fluence in the town. He is a Democrat in politics, and as such represented Bradford in the Legislature of 1856 and 1857. Since 1849, when he was first elected and served as selectman, he has been connected with public affairs,-been selectman twelve years and first selectman ten years, and filled many other official positions. He was commissioned justice of the peace as follows: June 17, 1859, by Governor Goodwin; June 9, 1864, by Governor Gilmore; June 9, 1869, by Governor Onslow Stearns; May 19, 1874, by Governor Straw; May 20, 1879, by Governor Prescott; April 29, 1884, by Governor Hale.

He has also been interested in the militia, and when quite a young man he was employed as marker or guide. In February, 1837, he was appointed sergeant, and in the June following received a commission as lieutenant in Second Company of Riflemen from Gov- ernor Isaac Hill, and afterwards that of captain of the same company, which position he held for several years, when he resigned.

Mr. Eaton is a man of integrity, sound judgment, energy and efficiency, and to him has been entrusted important affairs,-the settling of estates, probate busi- ness and other matters requiring a cautious, careful, conservative man. He is a good and useful citizen, a kind husband and father, and stands high in the confidence of the community. Like his father, he is a pronounced liberal in religion.

JASON HOWARD AMES, M.D.

Hardly two decades had passed after the landing of the ship "Mayflower" on Plymouth shores when William Ames emigrated to this country and settled in Braintree, Mass., 1638. Of his many descendants was David. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it was near the close of the seventeenth century. He married Mary Penniman, and resided in Braintree some years after his marriage, then emigrated from Massachusetts, and his death occurred at Cardigan (now Orange), N. H. They had three sons,-David, John (probably father of Hon. Oliver Ames, of Easton, Mass.), Elijah-and two daughters.

David, the oldest, was born at Braintree, Mass., April, 1726, and married Irene Waldo, who was born at Scotland, Conn., April 18, 1738. He died at Roy- alton, Vt., April 11, 1821, and his wife died August 18, 1811. Their children were (1) Thaddeus, born at Norwich, Conn., May 18, 1755, married Judy Clark ;

(2) John, born at Norwich, Conn., September 11, 1756; (3) David, born at Norwich, Conn., October 11, 1758, married Ruth Anin; (4) Nathaniel, born at Scituate, R. I., April 25, 1761, married Sally Anin (he died in Oregon, Wis., in 1863, at the age of one hundred and two years. He was a soldier in the Revolution, having enlisted when seventeen years old, and consequently lived at the time of the three great wars of our coun- try. When one hundred years old he attended a Fourth of July celebration in Madison, Wis., going fifteen miles for that purpose) ; (5) Susanna, born at Killingsly, Conn., October 8, 1763, married Joseph Daniels; (6) Abigail, born at Killingsly, Conn., August 14, 1766, married Nathaniel Briggs; (7) Anna, born at Killingsly, Conn., March 28, 1769, married Peter Per- kins; (8) Jesse, born at Killingsly, Conn., February 12, 1772, married Patty Howard, of Munson, Mass. (he died at Mt. Morris, N. Y., March 10, 1862); (9) Ebene- zer, born at Cardigan, N. H., March 23, 1775, married Chloe Osborn, and died at Hamburgh, N. Y., Feb- ruary, 1862. The children of Jesse and Patty (How- ard) Ames were Jason H., Polly, Pamelia, Roxanna M., Ruth, Cynthia, Martha L., Lyman D. and Loren J.

Jason Howard Ames, M.D., son of Jesse aud Patty (Howard) Ames, was born December 16, 1796, at Fairlee, Vt. He is a descendant, paternally and ma- ternally, from families of consequence in the Old World and the New, and inherited, in an unusual de- gree, qualities which made him pre-eminently a man of mark. After pursuing his medical studies until he obtained his M.D., he commenced the practice of his profession, in company with Dr. Lyman, in Warner, N. H., where he continued for a few years, and then, with Dr. Lyman, removed to Bradford. Dr. Ames purchased the David Brown place, and soon after married Clara George, December 20, 1827. Mrs. Ames was of a prominent Massachusetts family. She was born in Warner, N. H., June 25, 1798, and died December 5, 1868, at Bradford. (For ancestry, see George family of Hopkinton.) She bore him three children,-(1) George, born September 19, 1828, died September 8, 1834; (2) Henry George, born February 6, 1830, died June 7, 1885 (he married Mary Graves Stoddard, of Perry, N. Y. . Their children are Clara George Ames, born March 12, 1860, aud Harry Stod- dard Ames, born May 21, 1861, at Mt. Morris, N.Y.); (3) Martha Jane, born January 30, 1832, married Bart- lett G. Cilley, of Andover, N. H. (he died August 21, 1867. They had two children,-George Ames, horn November 24, 1863, and Winfred Bartlett, born October 18, 1865, at Bradford).

Dr. Ames has been a resident of Bradford for nearly sixty years, and for half a century his life was that of the faithful, hard-working physician. The work of a medical man fifty years ago was nearly double that of the present time. Almost all able practitioners made and compounded their medicines, and visits to patients were generally made on horseback, with well-

Jason HAmes

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BRADFORD.

filled saddle-bags, traveling late at night and great distances. As learned and skillful men of the medi- cal fraternity were few, Dr. Ames' labors extended to a circuit of many miles. In addition to his large practice and earnest studies in the direction of medi- cal science, he was interested in the public affairs of the town, and this, of course, claimed time, which deprived him of his much-needed rest and recreation. When comparatively a young man, scarcely thirty years of age, he delivered the semi-centennial oration, July 4, 1826, at Bradford, in an able and fitting man- ner. The document is preserved, and the power, patriotism and piety it contains must have stimulated those who listened to it to good thoughts, good deeds and good conduct. Dr. Ames' ability was recognized by the citizens, and they elected him to the Legisla- ture ; and, if his profession had permitted, or inclina- tion had led him into the arena of public and political life, he would have ranked high as a legislator. He was one of the first presidents of the Warner Bank, and filled other official positions.

Many of the old inhabitants remember Dr. Ames' first advent among them, and describe him as a gentleman dignified and courteous, of few words, and yet social with those with whom he was personally connected in family or medical relations, of rare intelligence and a most successful physician.

But his life-work is accomplished. Some five or six years since, this venerable gentleman, after a long and useful career and unremitting professional duties, succumbed to the infirmities of age, and now, at the age of four-score and ten, he, who for so many years cared for others, receives the loving care and attention so well deserved.

Dr. Ames has done enough to keep his memory green, while the record of this laborious life remains, and we continue to esteem and honor the men who have devoted themselves physically and mentally for the good of humanity.

JOHN W. MARSHALL.

The study of human life is a study of the deepest in- terest. " No one liveth to himself, and no one dieth to himself." Each is a vital part of the history of the world ; but there is an infinite diversity in the kind and degree of individual action. Even in the nine- teenth century we have not fathomed the occult in- fluences controlling the destinies of each child of mortality, and it is well to place upon the pages of history, for the perusal, instruction and advancement of coming generations, what we may secure of the environment, characteristics and education of those who have worthily lived lives of usefulness, and who have shown marked traits of character, and who, out of the lowest and poorest conditions, by diligence, patience and antiring labor, have constructed a life- edifice of more than ordinary value. In this record. the peculiar educational influences and advantages the

individual may have had should be most clearly shown. The world has other schools than those of scholastic renown and moneyed endowments,-schools where the influence of wealth is never known and could never bring advantage. Many are educated by poverty, self-denial and stern necessity, and, in spite of their environments, the graduates of this school have oftentimes outstripped those of the most famed schools of liberal culture.

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 52

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