USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > New Boston > History of New Boston, New Hampshire > Part 17
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Mrs. Hannah Hines, daughter of the late Mr. Rollins, was shockingly burned on Saturday evening about nine o'clock, December 12, 1863, by her clothes taking fire at the open
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door of her stove. She survived in great agony until the next morning, and died about seven o'clock, aged 33, leaving a daughter about three years old. In her intense agony, she was wonderfully sustained by a calm hope in Jesus Christ.
A man was killed, at the raising of a house of Andrew Beard, where James Buxton now lives.
In 1807, John, son of William Beard, died from the kick of a horse, in twenty-four hours after the injury was received, aged 14.
In 1858, a Mr. Sweetland was found frozen to death in the south part of the town, evidently the result of intoxication.
May 22, 1855, Mr. John Lynch, in the west part of the town, was found dead in his pasture, the contents of a musket having passed into his head, accidentally, as was believed by his friends.
July 22, 1830, Mr. Jonathan Gove Kelso died from excessive heat, while laboring at hay making.
The spotted fever prevailed in New Boston greatly in 1814, and, to a limited extent, in 1815.
Betsey Cochran hung herself, about March 31, 1828.
Mrs. Benjamin Dodge hung herself, about fifty years ago.
In 1854, Mr. Willson, son of Charles Willson, was run over by a horse and carriage, on a Sabbath day, while descending the hill from the Presbyterian meeting-house, and killed.
Two dwelling-houses, belonging to Dea. Peter McNiel, were consumed by fire, one in 1837 and the other in 1838.
Daniel T. Gregg's house and shop were burned March 17, 1837.
The barn of Ezra Morgan was struck by lightning and con- sumed, in 18 -.
The barn of Mr. Nourse was consumed by fire in 1856.
Isaac Giddings, son of the late Joseph Giddings, was drowned in Boston April 11, 1836, aged 26; he fell between the boat and the landing.
Mr. Joseph Giddings died Feb. 17, 1835, and his mother the same day, of small-pox ; seven others in the family were ill with the same disease, but recovered.
Luke Giddings was run over by a cart-wheel, and killed in- stantly, April 20, 1826, aged 46.
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Absalom Dodge, in 1823, aged 15, was killed in the woods, accidentally.
About 1807, a child of Dea. Isaac Peabody was drowned near his mills, aged two or three years.
Harry Robinson, a colored man, was found dead in a field owned by Jacob Butler, in the summer of 1825. He had been dead some two or three days before found.
Ephraim Whiting was accidentally drowned Oct. 31, 1842, in Brookline, Mass.
In 1836, about the 29th of November, Elias Dickey, father of the late Elias Dickey, was found dead in Francestown in the road.
Samuel Twiss, father of Mrs. John Hill, was killed in Oct. 1799, by the falling of a tree. His wife died, aged 96 years 5 months, with faculties nearly unimpaired.
Jonathan Griffin was accidentally shot at Parker's, in Goffs- town, about 1800.
Mrs. William Parker committed suicide, while laboring un- der insanity, in 1845.
Robert Livingston's house was burned, many years ago, when all were absent except their old negro, Scipio, who perished in the flames.
William Campbell's house was consumed by fire about 1820.
Robert Boyd's house, many years ago, was destroyed by fire.
The house of David Colburn, near the year 1810, was burned by fire.
About the year 1830, Ann Griffin, and the year 1835, Han- nah Wilson, disappeared from the Poor Farm, and have never been heard from.
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BILLS OF MORTALITY.
FROM 1808 TO 1828 AS KEPT BY MR. JACOB HOOPER- FROM 1830 TO 1863 BY MR. JOSEPH GIDDINGS.
1808. ... 19
1823.
.19
1838 . . .. 16
1853 .... 38
1809. ... 13
1824 . ... 24
1839 .... 40
1854 .... 45
1810. ... 3
1825. ... 25
1840 .... 26
1855 .... 37
1811. ... 13
1826 .... 33
1841. .. .. 34
1856. ... 29
1812. ... 14
1827 .... 23
1842.
18
1857 .... 38
1813 .... 19
1828. ... 6
1843. ..
.35
1858.
1814. ... 54
From Jan. to June.
1844 .... 19
1859
.23
1815. ... 25
1830. . .. 21
1845.
.20
1860. .22
1816
.. 17
1831 .... 20
1846.
.34
1861
.21
1817 .... 13
1832 ..
.35
1847.
.24
1862. ... 24
1818. ... 23
1833.
.24
1848.
.25
1863 .... 30
1819. ... 29
1834. .21
1849. ... 28
1820. ... 11
1835. ... 20
1850. ... 21
Total ... 1340
1821. ... 13
1836. ... 25
1851. ... 28
in a little more
1822 .... 22
1837 .... 20
1852. ... 35
than 52 years.
GRAVEYARDS.
As early as 1756, measures were contemplated for laying out a graveyard, together with the locating a site for a meeting- house. But, although the two objects are repeatedly referred to afterwards as being inseparable, yet, when the meeting-house was located by the committee, July 24, 1763, no allusion is made to a burial-place, except to say that they have selected a place for the meeting-liouse near where a little child is buried. This child was, it is believed, a daughter of Capt. George Christy, and it is believed that this place, near the Presbyterian Church at the centre of the town, had been selected for this purpose before the appointment of the committee, and to select a place for a graveyard was not made a part of their business. We find no record respecting it earlier than March 26, 1771, when the town voted " that all the inhabitants in said town, excepting such as incline to bury at the Burying yard by John Smith's, work on the Graveyard by the meeting house two dayes, each man, or pay three shillings for each daye's neglect. Voted that William Clark have the charge of said work."
March 17, 1788, the town " voted to chuse 3 men on each side of the River to lay out the Graveyards and stake the Bounds, and vendue the fencing of them to the lowest Bidder, and also the clearing them.
" Voted that Capt. John Mclaughlin, Wmn. Clark Esq., and
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John Cochran Esq., be the Committee for the South side of Sd Town.
" Voted that Dea. John Smith, Capt. Wm. Boyes and James Ferson Ju'r be a Committee on the North side of Sd Town."
Agreeably to this vote, the committee for the south part of the town surveyed and laid out the ground as follows : -
" Beginning at the South West Corner at a Stake & Stones, then running East 4 Degrees North to a Stake and Stones, 13 Rods - then North 3 Degrees West to a Stake and Stones, 14 rods -then West 4 Degrees South to a Stake and Stones, 13 Rods -then South 4 Degrees East to the Bounds first men- tioned.
William Clark Surveyor.
" A true Record attest, Jon'a Gove, T. Clerk."
Said committee " give notice that the fencing & clearing the Grave Yard (by the meeting-house) will be sold at public ven- due on Monday the fifth day of May, 1788; that the clearing of said yard will be set up by itself, and to be faithfully done by the tenth day of June next - the clearing must be six feet outside the stakes. The Wall to be four feet high and in such proportion as to admit of a stick of Timber ten Inches broad on the top. And the purchaser is also to hew said stick of Timber in a triangular Form (of white Pine) and place it on the Top of said wall.
" The four sides of said Wall to be put up separately, one side at a time, and be completed by the first day of October."
The clearing of the graveyard was struck off to David Cald- well for £1 4s. 6d.
The south side wall was struck off to John Cochran, Sen., for 5s. 6d. per rod.
East side of said yard to Noah Dodge, at 5s. per rod.
West side of said yard was struck off to Daniel Dane, at 6s. per rod.
North side of said yard to Robert Campbell, at 6s. per rod.
He who should build the south side wall was required " to build a Gate in the same."
There is no record of the doings of the committee for the graveyard in the north part of the town, but it is believed that they, in like manner, laid out, cleared, and walled a lot. How
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early that ground began to be used is not known, but tradition says the first persons buried there were children of Dea. John Smith. He had two children sick with dysentery, and he went to Chester for medicine, but before he could return one died, and the other soon followed.
Some of the oldest inscriptions to be found there are the fol- lowing : -
Abraham Cochran died Jan. 15, 1776, in the 47th year of his age.
Dea. John Smith died Sept. 3, 1800, in the 74th year of his age.
"The sweet remembrance of the just Will flourish tho' they sleep in dust."
Dea. Thomas Smith (son of the foregoing) died May 1, 1854, aged 89. He served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church forty-seven years. Esther, his wife, died Oct. 8, 1851, aged 77.
Paul Ferson died Oct. 17, 1798, aged 66.
Dea. James Ferson died Feb. 26, 1804, aged 86.
James Gregg died December 31, 1805, aged 63; his wife, Jane, died January 12, 1820, aged 82.
The oldest inscription, to be found in the centre graveyard, is at the grave of Alexander McCollom, who died in 1768.
March 1, 1773, the town "voted to get a Pall, and John Mclaughlin to get it at the town's cost."
POUNDS.
The first pound was built of logs, by Dea. Thomas Cochran, near his corn-mill, agreeably to the vote of the town in 1763.
The second was built near the old Presbyterian Church, agreeably to a vote of the town, March 4, 1793, of stone, and it is almost the only thing perpetuated from a period so remote to the present.
ROADS.
The first settlers came into New Boston by way of Goffstown, and this is one reason why that part of the town adjoining Goffstown was first settled. The concentration of houses on
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the Plains was not long encouraged, and settlements were pushed westward and southward, on the height of land on which is Jesse Beard's farm, and yet further to John Smith's, and thence towards Francestown, by the late Dea. Thomas Smith's, and southward to Wm. Bentley's, thence east to John Dodge's, and, crossing the South Branch, to Dea. Thomas Cochran's; also from Bentley's to Clark's Hill, and thence to Cochran Hill, and Alfred E. Cochran's, towards Amherst ; also from Bent- ley's settlements were pushed south to centre of the town, over South Branch and Bradford's Hill, and thence towards Amherst, by Jacob Hooper's, and by way of Dea. Patterson's (Allen Leech's) to Rev. Solomon Moor's and Allen Moor's, and by way of Dea. White's, on Wason's Hill, by the McAllisters and where Robert Kelso now lives, into Amherst.
In 1765, a road was laid out from the line of Amherst, begin- ning near the present R. Kelso's land to Allen Moor's, and thence to Alexander McCollom's and to Dea. Thomas Cochran's. The same year, a road was laid out from Amherst, by way of Alfred E. Cochran's (then Peter) farm, Lot No. 10, between William Moor's (now Fuller), and John McMillen's (now Jona- than Marden's) to George Christy's; thence, over Cochran's Hill, to Francestown. But these roads, and nearly all laid out at this period, as may be seen by the transcripts, simply followed old paths which had been used for years. And it will be seen that, generally, the early roads went over the highest parts of the town. It was easy to build roads over the hills, and it was here that the settlements were to be found. The soil was best, and could be brought under cultivation quickest on the elevated parts ; while they were more healthy than the lower parts, they afforded better views. It was worth much, when the primitive forests covered the land, to occupy such elevations as could overlook some of the surrounding settlements.
The roads were built by each man working a certain number of days, according to the vote of the town, until 1771, when it was "voted to make the Highways by Pole and Estate the present year ;" and " to allow each man three shillings a day." It was also voted that " each Pole work four days on the High- ways exclusive of his Estate, and that a pair of oxen be allowed as a man." When the labor should be expended seems to have
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been left to the selectmen generally, though highway surveyors were chosen ; but some years, the town voted that the labor should be under the direction of a committee, and then the town was divided into districts, and highway surveyors were annually chosen, who were made responsible for the roads and the dis- position of the labor.
LORENZO FAIRBANKS, ESQ.
He is son of Joel Fairbanks, and was born March 16, 1825. He fitted for college at Black River Academy, Ludlow, Vt., though he was for a time at Hancock Academy ; also at Town- send Academy, Vt. He entered the sophomore class in Dart- mouth College, in the fall of 1849, and graduated in 1852, immediately commencing the study of law, in the city of New York, spending the ensuing winter in Savannah and Charles- ton. He resumed his studies in 1853, in the office of Strong, Bidwell and Strong, Wall Street, New York, and was admitted to the bar the same year, and continued in practice there until 1856, when he removed to Iowa, but soon returned and established himself in business in Philadelphia, where he now resides. Mr. Fairbanks is the author of a work on book-keep- ing, which he published some years ago, which has been highly acceptable to that portion of the community for which it was written. In 1856, Mr. Fairbanks was married in New York city to Sarah E. Skelton, of Bradford, Mass., by whom he has had two children, one of whom, a child of much promise, died in 1863.
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RESPONSE OF LORENZO FAIRBANKS, ESQ.
THE BURIAL-GROUND-GOD'S ACRE.
" Here hath prayer arisen like dew, - Here the earth is holy too; Lightly press each grassy mound; Surely this is hallowed ground."
MR. PRESIDENT, -
We dwell to-day upon the history of a century, recounting the struggles, the joys, the hopes, the sorrows of those who have gone before us ; and what more fitting occasion can there be for the expression of a sentiment like that which has just been uttered. It finds a response in every heart, and furnishes an impressive theme amid the festivities of the hour. The old burial-ground claims of us a solemn tribute of respect and ven- eration. It is a hallowed spot, - hallowed as the resting-place of those long since passed away, whose names and deeds live in tradition and history, and in the rude stone by the green graves, over which we still weave bright chaplets of affectionate remembrance. There have been gathered, one by one, our departed friends and kindred. Those silent mounds speak of sundered ties and stricken households, and bid us pause in solemn thought over cherished recollections, which, though mingled with sadness, grow brighter and brighter as years roll away.
" Even they, the dead, - though dead, so dear, - Fond memory, to her duty true, Brings back their faded forms to view. How lifelike through the mist of years Each well-remembered face appears ! We see them as in times long past ; From each to each kind looks are cast ; We hear their words, their smiles behold, They're round us as they were of old."
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Very few there are in this great assembly who have not fol- lowed thither the mortal remains of near and dear relatives and friends, consecrating anew with each baptism of tears, and each farewell prayer, this spot of earth to be held forever sacred, - sacred by the vacant places of every hearth-stone, by every association connected with the memory of the lamented dead, that sends a thrill of pain or pleasure through the heart. Who that wanders among these silent habitations of the dead is not stirred by emotions and inspirations which spring out from the noblest and holiest sentiments of our natures? There, in fond contemplation, we dwell amid the scenes of the past, and live again in the buoyant and happy hours of youth, bright with the pleasures of home and the society of those we loved and vener- ated. There as parents and children, brothers, sisters, hus- bands, wives, we gather around the tombs of the departed, and find a solace in the duties of affection, the faithful tribute, the silent tear, that tell of sorrows that time cannot heal. There the Christian, standing as it were upon the verge of that mys- terious land to which we are all hastening, looks beyond the portals of the grave to a life of blessed immortality. There all may learn the great lesson of life in the universal record of man. Born and died, covers it all. God's Acre ! The silent yet majestic monitor of the world ! The loftiest monument, the humblest stone, the forgotten and unhonored grave, alike teach us. that we, too, are mortal, and must sooner or later pass to that bourn whence no traveller returneth. Soft and reverential then be our tread, for holy is the earth; angel- whispers are on the breeze ; the voice of God is heard from the tombs of the unnumbered dead, and bids us bow in humble adoration of that infinite Power before which all that is earthly vanishes, and is lost in the boundless ocean of eternity.
Regard for the dead and a desire to perpetuate their memory have in various forms been manifested in every age, in heathen as well as in Christian lands ; and the progress of the sepul- chral art is invested with peculiar interest and significance. In its successive developments we trace the progress of our race, and the prevailing ideas and religious sentiments of tribes and nations that have left behind no other record. The barrows of Europe and Asia, the tumuli of the heroic ages, alluded to by
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classic writers, and the mounds and magnificent sepulchres of the Western hemisphere, containing untold treasures and the implements, weapons, and utensils of by-gone races, are the sole chroniclers of peoples who would otherwise be utterly lost in oblivion, and stand the only memorials of unrecorded greatness. The pyramids of Egypt - the culmination of mound-building - remain imperishable monuments of departed glory, and are counted among the wonders of the world. The catacombs, shrouded in mystery, and filled with the emblems of the thoughts, the actions, the life of those who have slumbered through unnumbered ages, afford inexhaustible fields for the researches of the philosopher and the investigation of the cu- rious. The grandeur and glory of the ancient cities of the Old World are immortalized in the splendor of their subterranean receptacles of the dead, mortuary mansions, and palaces, elab- orately carved and ornamented, that have defied the touch of time, when all else has changed or passed into oblivion. The proud mausoleums and monuments of later times - superb palaces where the lords and monarchs are carried in solemn procession with imposing ceremonies - attract the gaze of the traveller, and convey the profoundest lessons to mankind. In their calm and peaceful retreats we are led to exclaim, in the sublime apostrophe of Sir Walter Raleigh, -"Oh, eloquent, just, and mighty Death ! whom none could advise, thou hast per- suaded ; what none hath dared, thou hast done ; and whom all the world hath flattered, thou only hast cast out of the world and despised ; thou hast drawn together all the far-fetched greatness, all the pride, cruelty, and ambition of man, and cov- ered it all over with these two narrow words, Hic jacet."
An almost instinctive idea that we are not wholly separated from the departed, a longing for immortality, the hope of a final resurrection, respect or affection for friends, and a desire to preserve the dignity of earthly greatness, have all contributed to carry this art to the highest degree of perfection, until we rejoice that death has been relieved of some of its terrors by the spirit of modern civilization, seeking to make our cemeteries attractive and picturesque, instead of repulsive, crowning them with the beauties of nature, and choice works of art, fit em-
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blems of the analogies between the living and the dead and the hopes of a bright and glorious future.
" See Truth, Love, and Mercy, in triumph descending, And Nature all glowing in Eden's first bloom !
On the cold cheek of Death smiles and roses are blending, And Beauty immortal awakes from the tomb."
The beautiful cemeteries of the present day in Europe and our own country attest the spirit of the age, and exert an influ- ence as wide-spread as it is beneficent. Such places as Père la Chaise, Mount Auburn, Greenwood, Laurel Hill, and Mount Vernon - combining the graces of nature with the beauties of art, on which is lavished all the wealth of cultivated taste and fond affection - are worthy of our highest admiration. It may be that vanity and a love of display have contributed much to their magnificence ; but whatever the spirit which seeks to make the Silent Land harmonize with our feelings and instincts, we honor it. We should cherish it as, in the main, tending to good ; as ennobling and dignifying mankind ; as fostering a love for the beautiful, and hence elevating public taste ; as pro- moting Christianity ; as an incentive to virtue, and the source of charity and fellowship among men ; as a consolation to the dy- ing, that they will be remembered in pleasant places, hallowed and guarded by the watchful eye and pious care of devoted friends.
It is natural and rational for us to think well of cemeteries, and take a just pride in rendering them attractive and pleasant, as well as convenient for the purpose intended. Objects which so frequently appeal to our notice, and are so interwoven by association with our past lives, - places where repose the ashes of our friends and kindred, and where we also shall ultimately find rest, - certainly demand our fostering care, and should excite a laudable desire for their improvement. We cannot allow this occasion to pass without offering a few suggestions, with the hope of awakening, in some degree, a proper public sentiment on a subject of so much importance. We regret to say, we have cause to blush for the little care we have bestowed upon our principal burying-ground. It has, indeed, been suf- fered to fall into general neglect. It is contracted in space, and crowded to excess, where land is plenty and cheap. It is not
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only almost entirely destitute of the adornings which elsewhere grace such places, even in our own immediate vicinity, but is wanting in common conveniences. There are no avenues or walks, but few shade-trees or plants, little or no shrubbery, hardly anything that may be called ornamental, while the whole is allowed to run to waste, and grow up with obnoxious weeds and unsightly things, marks of desolation, where beauty and loveliness should smile upon the lap of earth. The walls are dilapidated ; tombstones are thrown down, scattered, and broken, or lean in all directions, sad evidences of a want of public spirit or private enterprise. Let it be so no longer ; let us cast off the stigma and the reproach we justly deserve. In- spired by the memories that, on an occasion like this, come crowding upon us, by a true consideration of our interests as well as our pleasures, let us pledge ourselves to the work of re- form. Stoical philosophy may answer the highest aspirations of some ; parsimony may stifle the better instincts of others. We make no appeal to such. If they rest in unhonored graves, let it be no fault of ours. Our duty is plain and casy. No sacrifices are called for. We would create no public burden, nor urge any of the extravagant expenditures which can be borne only by the concentrated wealth of our large cities. We only need the development of the right spirit, and a little spared from our hoarded treasures will meet every required demand. Then shall we live with the satisfaction of having performed our duty to the dead, and with the happy assurance that when our wanderings are over, and our dust shall return to mingle with the dust of our kindred, that our providence has rendered the burial-ground the desired resting-place of all that the earth can retain.
We have already hinted at the general requisites of an ap- propriate place of burial. It may be well to sum them up and urge them upon your attention.
1st. Ample Space and proper Location. - There is no occasion, in a country town like this, for confining our cemeteries within narrow limits, nor of seeking desolate hill-sides. Land is cheap, and we can afford some of our broad and fertile acres for so worthy an object. It may be best to extend our present grounds by adding contiguous lands on the north, west, and south, al-
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though they are not all that could be desired. At all events we must have more room, even if compelled to seek another locality. We are constantly disturbing graves which have hardly been forgotten by the present generation, and it is a sacrilege that ought, if nothing else will, arouse us to a sense of our duty.
2d. Neat and permanent Enclosures. - It is a disgrace to us to surround our graveyards with walls and fences that would damage our reputation if they enclosed our fields and common pastures. We are in favor of a substantial iron fence, even at a cost of five or ten thousand dollars. If that is beyond our means, we can at least begin the work, and leave its completion to succeeding generations as a monument to our enterprise. This would require the principal outlay of money.
3d. Convenient Avenues and Walks. - These are not only necessary, but, by a proper arrangement and construction, they add much to the beauty and symmetry of such a place. We have said that our present burial-ground is destitute of such conveniences. There is not even a carriage-way, and the set- ting of a monument imposes upon us the necessity of dragging it over graves which we have no right to disturb. In attending a funeral, we are obliged to leave our carriages, and follow the bier on foot. Can such things be and not mantle our cheeks with shame ?
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