History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 71

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 71
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 71

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).

His children were four sons,-Francis M., who was born February 8, 1826, and died April 13, 1838; Rufus, who was born March 8, 1831, and died Febru- ary 15, 1861; John B., who was born April 6, 1834; and Henry M., who was born January 11, 1841.

Rufus married Miss Lucy S. Cutter, of Somerville, Mass., October 20, 1858. She was born August 29, 1833, and died March 26, 1866. They had no chil- dren.

John B. married Miss Sarah J. Locke, of East Concord, November 14, 1865. They have had two children,-Rufus Henry, born March 16, 1870, and John Perley, who was born August 21, 1871, and died June 28, 1884. John B. resides upon the family homestead. Henry M. is a graduate of Dartmouth College and is a lawyer.

Aaron W. Baker died July 12, 1876. In his life and character the honest yeomanry of the Granite State found a fitting exponent. His wife survived him but a few years. She died May 20, 1881.

CAPTAIN ENOCH ALEXANDER.

Traces his ancestry back to Samuel Alexauder, who was born in Derry, N. H. He was born in 1737, and came to this town and located upon a farm, and was a resident of this town until his death, which occurred June 25, 1835. He married Mary Bornton, and they had four children,-Enoch, William, Mary and Pat- tie. Enoch Alexander, Sr., was born iu this town April 6, 1771. He married Miriam, daughter of Wil- loughby Colby, of this town, July 14, 1797. By this union there were ten children,-Betsey, Samuel, Philip C., Sarah, Miriam, Enoch, Eli, J. G., Wil- loughby C. and Adaline,-six of whom are now living. This family is noted for longevity, as nearly all have lived to an advanced age. Captain Enoch, the subject of this sketch, was born in Bow April 15, 1810. His early days were spent with his father upon the farm, his ouly advantages for education being limited to common schools of his native town. He has spent his entire life upon the farm, but of later days has been a surveyor of wood and lumber,

288

HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

to the satisfaction of all with whom he has been connected. Captain Alexander was married, at the age of twenty-two, to Lois P., daughter of Amos and Sarah (Colby) Hadley. She died July 8, 1878. Since then Mr. Alexander has lived alone. He is a Democrat in politics, having cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and has always advocated the principles of Democracy. The citizens of his town have entrusted him with every office within their gift, and he has always labored earnestly to advance the welfare of his native town.

He was representative to the General Court in 1848 and 1849; was made captain in the State militia. Mr. Alexander has always been a supporter of the Baptist Church, but severed his connection with it several years ago, although since that time he has de- voted a portion of his means toward the building of churches in Suncook, N. H. By his industry and economy he has provided himself with ample means for his support in his old age, and he enjoys the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens.

HISTORY OF DANBURY.

CHAPTER I.

THIS town was set off from Alexandria by an act of the Legislature, approved June 18, 1795, in answer to a petition from the inhabitants, with the following bounds : "Beginning at the beech-tree on the south- westerly corner of Alexandria and New Chester [Hill], southwest of Ragged mountain ; thence north, twelve degrees west, on the line between Alexandria and New London, about four miles and a half to a beech-tree marked, standing on the west line of Ma- son's patent, otherwise called the curve-line; thence northeasterly on said curve-line, about seven miles to the range-line between lots numbered nine and ten, in second division; thence south, twelve degrees east, about four miles and a half to the line between New Chester and said Alexandria, between lots num- bered one and eighteen on said line, in said second division ; thence south, fifty-three degrees west, to the bounds first mentioned, about six miles, on the line between Alexandria and New Chester." June 10, 1808, the Legislature appointed " William Webster, Broadstreet Moody, and Enoch Colby, Esquires, to determine the jurisdictional lines between the towns of New Chester, Alexandria and Danbury."

December 19, 1848, land of George W. Dudley and Archibald Ford was severed from Wilmot and an- nexed to Danbury.

June 26, 1858, several lots of land were severed from Hill, and annexed to this town.

July 10, 1874, this town was severed from Grafton County and annexed to Merrimack.

July 26, 1878, another lot of land was severed from Wilmot and annexed to this town.

For matters concerning the earlier history of the territory now comprised in the town, see Alexandria papers.

Relative to a Tax for the Repair of Roads .- "To the Honorable Senate and House of Representa- tives in General Court couvened.

" Humbly shews, the Petition of sundry of the in- habitants of the Town of Danbury in the County of Grafton, that, 'An act for laying a Tax on the lands of Danbury,' aforesaid passed to he enacted by the Honorable Senate and Honorable House of Repre-

sentatives, June 15th and 16th, A.D., 1796, agreeably to an attested Copy of said act herewith exhibited, and that the Selectmen of said Danbury, by virtue of said act, assessed said Tax, and directed a warrant for collection thereof to the Collector of said Town for the time being, and that a part of said Tax has been collected and appropriated to the beneficial purposes intended by said act; and that certain clauses of said act not being sufficiently explicit and defined, your Petitioners are apprehensive that the said Collector has not proceeded according to the true spirit and meaning of said Act, whereby he is now unable by law to enforce the collection of the remainder of said Tax: Wherefore your Petitioners pray that the said Collector may be further empowered according to law to proceed to the collection and appropriation of the remainder of said Tax, agreeably to the true meaning and intent of said Act. As in duty bound, your Petitioners shall ever pray-

"Danbury, November 26, 1798- "ANTHONEY TAYLER, Selectmen "SAMUEL PILSBURY, J of Danbury."

In answer to the foregoing, an act was passed De- cember 7, 1798, authorizing the completion of the collection of the tax, and directing that it should be laid out on the road through "twelve-mile woods."

Petition for a Town .-

" STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

"To the Honb' the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives for said State, Convened at Concord, December 24th, 1794, Humbly Shew.

"The Subscribers, Inhabitants of the Town of Alexandria, that they labor under many Inconven- iencies by reason of the disagreeable form or manner in which said Town lies; also by reason of a Large mountain that crosses said Town about midway of the length thereof-Said Town is nine miles in Length and about six miles in breadth, which makes it large enough for two towns, and the mountain in the middle of said Town renders it almost impossible for the inhabitants of the South part and those of the North part to assemble on any occasion whatever, without travelling a great length of way to get by said Mountain. They therefore pray that your Honours

289

290

HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

would take their case under your wise consideration, and grant them relief by making a division of Said Town at or near the middle thereof, which your Pe- titioners conceive would be of public utility, as well as greatly contribute to relieve the embarrassments of your Petitioners, and as bound shall pray.

"Anthony Taylor, Athmore hosking (his X mark), Daniel Reynolds, Peter Smith, George Niles, Samuel Pilsbery, John Tolford, Isaac Favour, Levi flanders, Samuel Piugry, Jonathan Tolford, Joseph Atwood, Obadiah Judkins, Ebenezer Williams, Daniel Weare, John simonds, Benjamin Emerson, Daniel Corliss, Enos Ferren, Samuel jr. Simons, David Atwood, Peter Ladd, thomas Reed, Robert McMurphy, Chris- topher Bartlet, Jonathan Clark, Benj" Pinter, William Martin, Eleazer Taylor, Timothy Emerson, William Simonds, David McMurphy, Moses Simonds, Eben- ezer Simonds, Joshua Tolford, Jonathan Burpe, Wil- liam MeMurphy, Ziba Townsend, James Taylor, Eben Carleton, Sandrs MeMurphy, Josiah Emerson, John Moor Corliss, Timothy Simonds, Jorg Corliss, Isaac Ladd, Jeremiah Ladd, Peter Ingalls, Stephen Gale, David Morse, John Emons."

Votes Relative to Division of the Town .- "ALEXANDRIA, March 30th 1795.

" then met agreable to said warrant

" Ily voted Joshua tolford, Modrator to govern said Meeting.

" 2ly voted to Divid the town.

"3ly voted to Divid the town betwen the first and second Ranges of the second Divishion.

"4ly voted to Divid the town, begining at New Chester Line betwen the first and second Division, from thence to Run westerly at Right angle from New Chester Line to the Patten Line.

"5ly voted to Divid the town betwen the second and third Ranges of the second Divishion.

" Gly voted to reconsider the two Last votes in Respect of Dividing the town, and that the first vote shall stand that is to Divid the town betwen the first and second ranges of the second Division-

"a tru Cooppey, Attest, "NASON CASS, town Clark."

In House of Representatives, December 29, 1794, a hearing was ordered for the next session ; mean- while, a notice was to be published in the New Hampshire Gazette, and one posted in some con- spicuous place in the town. June 18, 1795, an act passed dividing the town and incorporating the sontherly part into a town by the name of Danbury.

There are three churches in the town,-Baptist, Congregational and Christian.

Danbury is thirty miles northwest from Concord ; on the Northern Railroad.

Postmasters .- Danbury, G. H. Gordon; South Dan- bury, Alfred Sleeper.

HISTORY OF DUNBARTON.

BY COL. W. H. STINSON.

CHAPTER I.

" In fair Scotia's land of story, Near the ocean's swelling tide, Stands a castle, grim and hoary, By the waters of the Clyde.

"Here within New Hampshire's border, 'Mong her mounts which proudly rise, And in wild, yet grand disorder, Lift their summits to the skies ;

* *

" Here was our Dunbarton founded, By such sceneries surrounded, As that land across the main, Whose resemblance gave her name."

-H. E. BURNHAM, in Centennial Poem.

THE first mention of the tract of territory after- wards called Dunbarton is in the journal of Captain Pecker, who, with a small company, traversed the country late in the autumn of 1723, in a second journey after Indians.

The next mention of the territory, and probably the first grant as a township, was in 1733, when it was granted and surveyed as a township, known as Narragansett, No. 6, by the General Court of Massachusetts, to soldiers in the French and Indian War. The surveyor's report is as follows :

" This plan describeth a tract of Land Laid out for the Narraganset Soldiers, Being the Second Township for Said Soldiers' Land Laid out on Maramack, and contains the Contente of Six miles square, and fifty Acres Allowance for Fishing at Amoskeag Falls, and Three Thousand and Seventy acres allowed for Poor Lands and Ponde. In the whole place is 26,100 acres hounded as follows : Beginning at a pitch pine tree standing on the westerly side of Maramack River at the foot of Hannah Hooksett's Falls, Being in Suncook Line, and running on said Suncook Township four miles West, Seventeen Degrees Sonth, to a white pine tree, being the South-West Corner of Suncook ; Then Run- ning West four miles and 40 Rods, on a Township on the West of Sun- cook and Penycook, laid ont for the Narragansett Soldiers (to a heap of stones ; then running North Five miles and one hundred and forty Rods on Province Land, to a white pine Tree, being the North-West Corner of ye Ist Narragansett Town on Maremack River ; then Run- ning on Said Township Six miles and one hundred and ten rods (east) to Maramack River ; then on Maramack River, as e'd River Runs, Eight miles and 145 Rode to the pitch pine Tree at the foot of Hannah Hook- sett'e falle before mentioned.

"Surveyed and Plan'd by order of the Great and General Court's Committee. In October, A. D. 1733, pr.

" STEPHEN HOSMER, JR., Surveyor."

The grant lapsed to the commonwealth, and two years later, or in 1735, Captain Samuel Gorham, of Plymouth, England, obtained a grant of the same tract of territory, had it surveyed and affixed to it the name Gorhamtown. He afterwards relinquished his claim.

In 1752, Archibald Stark and others purchased the same tract of territory from John Tufton Mason, and named it Starkstown. A transcript of the record of this first meeting is as follows :

" PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

" At a meeting of the proprietors of the lands purchased of John Tuf- ton Mason, Esq , at Portsmouth, held on Monday, the second day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty- two, therefore, voted, That there be and is hereby granted unto Archi- bald Stark, William Stark, John Stark, Archibald Stark, jr., all of a place called Amoskeag, in the province of New Hampshire, the Rev. David McGregor, Robert McMurphy, William Rankin, William Stinson, John Cochran, James Evans, Hugh Dunshee, John McCurdy, John Carr, John Cochran, Hugh Jameson, David Stinson, Joseph Scoby, Matthew Thornton, Daniel McCurdy, John Carr, John Cochran, Dr. Alexander Todd, William Hogg, James McGregore, David Leslie, George Clark, William Rankin, William Stinson, James Rogers, Jamee Cochran, John McDuffie, James McGregore, Samuel Todd, David Craige, all of London- derry, in said province ; Thomas Mille, Samuel Hogg, Caleb Page, jr , Samuel Richards, Thomas Follanebee, jr., all of Hampstead, in said prov- ince; and Jeremiah Page uf said place, William Elliott, John Hall, Adam Dickey, all of Derryfield, in said province; Joseph Blanchard, Esq., Joseph Blanchard, jr., both of Dunstable, in said province ; Joseph Putney, Jantes Rogers (their eldest sone for one right), all living on a tract of land hereby granted, William Putney and Obadiah Foster, of the same place, for one hundred acres, and the remaining part of the share or right of Hugh Ramsey of said Londonderry, John Morton of Portsmouth, in said province, and George Mussey of said Portsmouth, William Stark (William Stark above-named having three rights, being the same man), and Archibald Stark above-named, Samuel Emerson, Esq., James Varuum, both of Chester, in said province ; John Campbell of Haverhill, William Hyslop of Boston, both in the province of Massa- chusetts Bay ; William Gault of Canterbury, in the province of New Hampshire ; Samuel Fulton, late of said Londonderry, equally as except- ing aforesaid, to them and their heirs assigns excepting as heretofore ex- cepted, on the terme, conditione and limitatione hereinafter expressed, all the right, title, estate and property of the said proprietors of, in and unto all that tract or parcel of land, about five milee square, more or less, situated in the province of New Hampshire, and bounded as fol- lowe: Beginning at the main river on the northerly side of a tract of land lately granted by the said proprietors to Thomas Parker and others, and running westward as far as that tract of land runs, joining on the same ; then running north two degrees, west five miles and one hundred aod eight rods ; thence north seventy-nino rods east, till it comes to Bow line ; then southerly by the township of Bow and continuing by that till it comes to said river ; then by that till it comes to the place where it begins."

The first settlers, of whom there is any knowledge,

291

292

HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

to enter the limits of the territory afterwards called Starkstown, were Joseph Putney and James Rogers, who came from Londonderry by tracing to its source a small stream which empties into the Merrimack, to the great meadow, in the fall of 1740. The luxuriant crop of grass attracted their attention. The ready facilities afforded for procuring fodder for cattle led them to regard it as a desirable spot for a permanent location. There they erected log-houses and planted apple-trees, which had so far advanced towards ma- turity as to produce fruit when the attack was made on Fort Rumford by the Indians, in 1746. They pro- cured no title to the land, but their possession was confirmed by the proprietors, who, in 1752, obtained a grant of the township from the assigns of John Tufton Mason.

The " settlement" was exposed to the depredations of Indians, and great diligence was exercised to pro- tect themselves and their families from massacre by the wild sons of the forest. When the attack was made on Fort Rumford these brave pioneers were in imminent danger, but saved themselves and their families by flight to Fort Rumford. Stark, in his "History of Dunbarton," says that " two friends from that place traced their way in the night by spotted trees through the forest to the 'great meadow,' to notify them of their impending danger. Upon re- ceipt of the intelligence they at once abandoned their homes and by a speedy retreat to Rumford the same night insured their safety. Returning, in the course of the next day, to drive their cattle to the Rumford garrison, they found them all slaughtered and lying scattered around in every direction. Their houses had been plundered and burned, and their apple-trees, with one exception, cut down."

They remained at Rumford till 1749, when they, with their families, returned and made permanent set- tlements ; the extensive range of meadow lands already cleared by the industry of the beaver and the abund- ant natural crop of tall blue-joint grass there pro- duced, influenced the pioneers in selecting their location at Montalona. The drought of that year was probably never exceeded in New England. The preceding had been unusually dry, but this was ex- ceedingly so.

There was but little rain in May, June and July. Hay in the Massachusetts colony was so scarce that it was imported from England. But it did not injure the great meadow, and in November the owners drove from Haverhill, Mass., eighteen head of young cattle, which they wintered " at the halves."

From 1749 to 1752 few settlements were made. In the latter year came Thomas Mills, William Stinsou and John Hogg from Londonderry. The first settled on lot 17, in the fifth range, the farm now owned by John C. Mills ; the second on lot No. 5, in the second range, the farm now in the possession of William C. Stinson ; and the third on lot No. 18, in the first range, the estate formerly owned by Deacon John

Church, but now in the possession of Charles Clif- ford.

The motive that actuated these settlers to emigrate to this township was the vote passed at the first meet- ing of the proprietors, held at Londonderry, April 8, 1751, "that of the thirty individuals who should first locate themselves under their grant, each person should have three acres of land cleared on or before the last day of October succeeding. To have the same fenced in and a dwelling-house not less than sixteen feet square erected, in which, also, their fami- lies were to be settled before the last day of May, 1752." Their dwellings were situated several miles apart, and thus remained for some time without any intervening inhabitants.

The situation of these pioneers could not have been otherwise than drear and lonely, in a wilderness abounding with wild and ferocious animals-bears, catamounts, wolves and wildcats-whose dismal howls disturbed their nightly repose and compelled them to maintain a vigilant watch over their flocks and herds. If, during the night, they looked abroad from their timber-cabins through the darkness and gloom around them, no friendly lights gleamed from windows of distant dwellings to cheer their solitude and assure them that they were not entirely alone in their forest wilderness.

The work of felling the forests and tilling the rug- ged soil was a laborious task ; their implements were few and of a rude pattern, and their means scanty ; yet, amidst the many discouragements, these noble sons of toil made the wilderness to blossom as the rose; but their well-provided and opulent descend- ants can but faintly picture to themselves in imagi- nation the stern realities met, endured, and overcome by the hardy foresters who located the now pleasant places in which they dwell in peace, security and happiness.

Many of the original settlers of Starkstown were from Derryfield and Londonderry ; others came di- rectly from Ireland and Scotland. Several families from the vicinity of Ipswich, Mass., took up lands near each other in the southern part of the town, while those from Haverhill, Hampstead and other towns of Massachusetts located in other parts of the township. The so-called Scotch-Irish emigrants who first settled in the town are not to be considered as blended with the natives of Ireland. The ancestors of these Scotch-Irish emigrants, who left Scotland for Ireland in 1619, and subsequently settled in London- derry, N. H., were a distinct people and unmingled with those of the country to which they emigrated. The cause of their leaving their native soil and seek- ing a land of freedom was due to religious persecu- tion ; but their expectations were not realized, and not till they sought refuge in America did they enjoy the freedom they desired "to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences."

The Scotch-Irish, having been the first to settle in

293

DUNBARTON.

Stark's town, and having for a long period exerted a controlling infinence in the management of its affairs, and a large proportion of its present inhabitants be- ing their lineal descendants, it is highly proper that something of their history and the causes that led them to seek new homes in the wilds of America should be given, as in the foregoing.

In 1765, Governor Benning Wentworth granted a charter for the township to be called Dunbarton. The charter is as follows :

" PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

"George the third, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

" To all to whom these presents shall come, GREETING :- Whereas, our loving subjects, inhabitants of a tract of land within our Province of New Hampshire aforesaid, known by the name of Starktown, have hum- bly petitioned and requested that they may be erected and incorporated into a towaship, and enfranchised with the same powers and privileges which other towns have and enjoy within our said province by law ; and it appearing with us to be conclusive to the general good of our said province, as well as the said inhabitants in particular, by maintaining good order and encouraging the culture of the said lands, that the same should be done ;

" Know ye therefore that we of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and for the encouragement and promotion of their good deeds and pur- poses, by and with the advice of our trusty and well-beloved Benning Wentworth, Esqr, Our Governor and commander-in-chief and of our council for said province of New Hampshire, have erected and ordained aad by these Presents for ns and our heirs and successors do ordain that our loving subjects residing on the tract of land aforesaid, or that shall hereafter reside and improve them, the same being limited and bonoded as followith, viz. :

" Beginning at a stake and stone standing on the bank of Merrimack river, on the westerly side, which is also the northerly corner bound of the Goffstown, so called. Thence running westerly by said Goffstown till it comes to the town of Weare, so called ; thence turning off, and running northerly by said Weare, till it comes to the line of New Hop- kinton, so called ; thence turning off, and running northeasterly, by the line of New Hopkinton aforesaid, till it comes to the town of Bow ; thence running by Bow line, till it comes to Merrimack river ; thence down said river, southerly ou said river, to stake and stone began at :

"Shall be and by these presents are declared aud ordained to be a town corporate, and are hereby erccted aud incorporated into a body politic and corporate, to have continuance until His Majesty's pleasure shall be signified to the contrary, hy the name of Dunbarton, with the powers and anthorities, privileges, immunities, and franchises which ether towas in said province by law hold and enjoy ; always reserving to as, our heirs and successors, all white pine trees that are or shall be found growing or being on said tract of land, fit for the use of our royal navy ; reserving also the right of dividing the said town when it shall appear necessary and convenient for the benefit of the iababitants thereof :

" Provided, nevertheless, and . . . hereby declared, and that our charter and grant is not intended or shall in any Brunner be construed to extend to effect the private property of the said . . . within the limite aforesaid. And as the several towns within our province of New Hampshire are by laws hereof enabled and authorized to assemble, and by the majority of votes present to choose all such officers, and transact all such affairs as by the said laws are declared, we do by these Presents nominate Caleb Page to call the first meeting at any time withiu forty days from the date thereof giving legal notice of the time and place and design of hokling such meeting, after which the annual meeting for said town for the choice of officers and management of affairs aforesaid be holden within said towusbip on the second Tuesday of March, annually.

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 71

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