USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Plymouth > History of Plymouth, New Hampshire; vol. I. Narrative--vol. II. Genealogies, Volume I > Part 36
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STEPHEN WEBSTER, son of Nathan and Rachel (Stevens) Web- ster, was born in Haverhill, Mass., Feb. 18, 1717/8. He lived in Chester and in Hollis, removing to Plymouth early in the year 1766. At this date his son, Col. David Webster, had lived in this town two years. He was a selectman of Chester, 1758, 1759, and of Hollis, 1762, 1763, and 1765. He was the first town clerk of Plymouth, and a selectman 1766, 1778. The valor and good ser- vice of two of his sons in the Revolution made ample amends for the infirmities of advancing age, which prevented him from sharing the vicissitudes of war. He was a zealous patriot and faithfully served the cause as a member of the town committee of safety. In early life he had been a school teacher, and it is one of the pleasing traditions of Plymouth that at his home he instructed the youth of his neighborhood. The records afford many proofs that he was educated beyond the measure of his time and that he merited the esteem and respect of the community, which were freely bestowed.
The strength of the present and the hope of the future are fortified in the evidence that the virtues and tested character of the fathers are renewed in the qualities of the sons. Stephen Webster is a type of an ancestor whose biography is written in the lives of his descendants.
Among the complimentary notices of this worthy man is the statement that he was a deacon of the Congregational church from 1767 to 1798. No doubt he was worthy, and in the absence of early church records the assumption was easy, but the statement is not sustained. He was a Baptist, and was excused at his request from the payment of a parish tax for the support of Mr. Ward from 1780 until his death. He died 1798.
CAPT. JOTHAM CUMMINGS, son of Jarahmael and Hannah (Far- well) Cummings, was born in Hollis, Dec. 29, 1741. His father
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died before he was six years of age, and his mother became the wife of Deacon Stephen Jewett of Hollis. In 1760 Col. John Goffe commanded a regiment of eight hundred men raised for the invasion of Canada. The regiment marched through Peterborough, Keene, Charlestown, and from thence to Crown Point, cutting a road through the wilderness much of the way. The campaign of this year completed the conquest of Canada. Jotham Cummings served in Capt. Nehemiah Lovewell's company of this regiment from April to November. David Alls, later of this town, was his companion in arms, and David Webster was a corporal in another company of the same regiment. At the date of the charter of Plymouth Jotham Cummings was twenty-one years of age. He was one of the grantees and an early member of the church. He removed to Plymouth with a wife and infant child during the summer of 1764. At the first town meeting in this town in July, 1766, he was elected a deer reeve. He lived in Rumney from the autumn of 1766 until 1773. During the years succeeding he was a useful and a respected citizen of this town. He was a selectman 1780, and 1788, and was frequently appointed on committees and elected to office many years. The appointments made by Gov. John Wentworth in the organization of Grafton County were vacated by the Revolution. In the reorganization by the legisla- ture in 1776 Jotham Cummings was appointed sheriff and held the appointment three years and until he was succeeded by his friend and neighbor Col. David Webster. He was a lieutenant in the Revolution in 1775, serving upon the frontiers, and subse- quently a captain of the Plymouth company of Colonel Hobart's regiment.
The father of Capt. Jotham Cummings and one of his sons were surveyors of good repute.' Under what conditions and when Captain Cummings learned the art are not known. The town- ship of Plymouth was surveyed and divided into lots by Joseph Blanchard of Merrimack and Matthew Patten of Bedford. If Captain Cummings was employed it was in a subordinate position. His skill, however, was recognized in his appointment about 1772
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as deputy surveyor under Isaac Rindge, the surveyor-general of the province. He surveyed the town of Cardigan, now Orange, and in the preparation for a regrant by Gov. John Wentworth he surveyed the governor's farms of five hundred acres each in Ply- mouth, Campton, Rumney, Lyme, Orford, and Piermont, and the grant to John Fenton. The plans and minutes of all these surveys, in the handwriting of Captain Cummings, are filed at Concord. He died April 14, 1808.
JOSIAH BROWN, son of Lieut. Josiah and Anna (Farwell) Brown, was born in Hollis, Jan. 31, 1759. He was the youngest of nine children and was five years of age when the family removed to Plymouth. The mantle of a venerable father fell upon a son of the same name. He was an able and useful citizen of this town until 1802, when he removed from the State.
In the Revolution he served twelve days in Captain Willoughby's company, in Colonel Webster's detachment, at the Ticonderoga alarm, 1777. He returned from a march to Cavendish, Vt., July 16, and enlisted in Colonel Hobart's regiment July 21. He was engaged in the battle of Bennington and was discharged to date September 28. He enlisted September 25 into Captain Wil- loughby's company of Colonel Webster's detachment and marched to Saratoga, receiving his discharge October 28. All of this service was in 1777. In the organization of Colonel Mooney's regiment, in 1779, Josiah Brown was appointed a lieutenant by the committee of safety. For reasons unknown he declined the proffered appointment. In 1787 he removed to Bridgewater, but returned to Plymouth the following year.
In the State militia he was commissioned an ensign of the first company of the sixteenth regiment, June 11, 1790, and was pro- moted to captain, June 12, 1793, resigning the latter commission, Dec. 9, 1797. He was a selectman of Plymouth, 1790, 1795, 1798, and 1800. In the State legislature he was a representative from Plymouth and Rumney, 1795, 1797, 1798, and 1799. In 1800 Plymouth was made a representative district and Josiah Brown was the representative, 1800 and 1801. In the records it is stated
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on two occasions " he was elected by a large majority." He was appointed a coroner, 1797, and a justice of the peace, 1799. Evidently he was a man of character and ability, and certainly he was popular and was highly esteemed by his townsmen. In 1801 he removed to Windsor, P. Q. Many of his descendants have been successful in professional and business employments.
JOIIN WILLOUGHBY, son of John and Anna (Chamberlain) Willoughby, was born in Billerica, Mass., Dec. 24, 1735. In his youth his father removed from Billerica to One Pine Hill in Dunstable. The homestead was annexed to Hollis in 1763, and he removed to Plymouth, 1764.
In the French and Indian War John Willoughby is credited with service from April to November, 1755, in Colonel Blanchard's regiment; from August to November, 1757, in Major Tash's battalion ; and from April to October in Colonel Hart's regiment. Worcester's Hollis credits all the service to John the father, who was born 1707. It is probable that a part or all of this service was performed by John Willoughby the son, who subsequently lived in Plymouth.
He was one of the original grantees of the town, and was one of the surveying party who divided a part of the township into lots in the summer and autumn of 1763. He settled near the resi- dence now of John Keniston. He was a selectman, 1766, 1767, 1769, 1772, 1773, 1779, and through the active years of his life he was a useful citizen.
In the Revolution he was one of the town committee of safety, and in 1776, with other Plymouth men, he served in Captain Eames' company upon the northern frontiers. His service the following year as a captain is fully stated in another chapter. His good service as a soldier was consistent with his excellent record in the conscientious discharge of every duty.
He was a consistent and devoted supporter of the church and was a deacon many years. Tradition asserts that he honored the office sixty-seven years, which is probably correct, but there is no original record of his election and induction into the office. As
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lie added years to great age he was known and esteemed by the grandchildren of his early associates.
Of life's past woes, the fading trace Hath given that aged patriarch's face Expression, holy, deep, resigned, The calm sublimity of mind.
He died, June 22, 1834, aged ninety-eight and one-half years. In a funeral discourse Rev. George Punchard said he was one of the most perfect examples of a blameless and holy old age he had ever known and that every remembrance of him was pleasant and honorable.
WILLIAM WEBSTER, son of Col. David and Elizabeth (Clough) Webster, was born in Plymouth, Jan. 2, 1769, and died April 16, 1848. He was a man of untiring energy and enterprise, and much of the work planned and outlined in his life has been con- tinued by his successors. He was a striking example of a class of sagacious men whose foresight and achievements enrich the future. He owned a large tract of land in the central part of the village, ineluding the site of the Congregational church, the bank, the courthouse, and the normal school. He sold at nominal prices or donated several lots in the interest of present improvement and future convenience. He was a landlord. For many years the hotel of Colonel Webster, upon the site of the Pemigewasset House, was the most attractive and popular of any inn in the eastern part of Grafton County.
Arriving at manhood a few years after the Revolution, and sharing the military spirit and proud of the service of his honored father, it is natural to anticipate that he would be an enthusiastic supporter of the militia system of his time. The story of his service in the militia is the record of rapid promotion. He retired with the rank of colonel, 1808. In 1808 he was appointed by the legislature the chairman of a commission to establish the town lines of New Chester, Alexandria, and Danbury. The esteem of his townsmen and their estimate of his integrity and ability were expressed on many occasions. He was a selectman
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sixteen years and he represented the town in the State legislature seventeen consecutive years.
Colonel Webster was one of the petitioners for the incorpora- tion of Holmes Plymouth Academy and a trustee from 1826 to 1837. From first to last he was a loyal and an able supporter of the institution, and the meetings of the trustees were frequently held at his house. If some of the friends of the academy faltered and felt that the support of the institution was a burden, William Webster, William Wallace Russell, and John Rogers, representing an honored trinity in the families of Plymouth, were conspicu- ous in a heroic struggle for its maintenance.
The name of Colonel Webster stands first upon the petition for the incorporation of the Pemigewasset Bank. He was a director twenty years, or during the existence of the bank, and was presi- dent the last sixteen years.
He lived in a formative period in the life of the town. He con- tributed much to the Plymouth of his time and he is giving much to the Plymouth of to-day.
WILLIAM WALLACE RUSSELL, son of Moor and Elizabeth (Web- ster) Russell, was born in Plymouth, May 15, 1801, and died Sept. 3, 1872. Three of the sons of Moor Russell were merchants an unequal number of years in the store he had founded. David Moor Russell, the oldest son and the immediate successor of his father, was a man of unusual energy and business capacity, and while he remained in Plymouth a prominent and honored citizen. He removed to Alabama in 1833. Charles James Russell, the youngest son, was a clerk and a partner in the business from 1842 to 1853, when he entered upon an active and successful business career in Boston and later in Wisconsin.
William Wallace Russell, the second son, in his youth was a clerk and through the active years of his life was a merchant in the brick store founded in the toil and redolent in the memories of his kindred. He was admitted to a partnership with his older brother in 1826, and after the removal of his brother in 1833 he conducted the business alone until 1842, except that Henry Hutch-
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inson was a partner about one year, beginning in 1835, and James McQuesten had an interest in the business a very few years, begin- ning in 1837. In 1842 Samuel Cummings Webster, Jr., who had been employed as a clerk, was advanced on his merits to a part- nership, which was continued until 1868.
In 1853 William Wallace Russell, Jr., became a member of the firm and, surviving his father, he remained a useful and active factor in the business until his death. James R. Bill was a partner from 1865 to 1872. Succeeding the death of William Wallace Russell, Sr., William G. Hull was associated with Wil- liam Wallace Russell, Jr., and Samuel C. Webster from 1872 to 1875. Samuel C. Webster died in 1883 and William Wallace Russell, Jr., died in 1892. Frank Webster Russell, the youngest son of William Wallace Russell, Sr., became sole proprietor of the historic brick store and of the business.
When William Wallace Russell became a merchant in the brick store the population of Plymouth was about nine hundred. The wants of the people were few and simple, and a line of store goods was limited to the necessities of life. Many were clothed in home- spun and few were able to make drafts upon the domain of luxury. Money was scarce and the products of the farm were legal tender. An unhealthy system of credit prevailed, which resulted in a steady accumulation of promissory notes and chattel mortgages. The storehouses of the merchants of the time were always filled, because the bulk of the produce of the farmer exceeded that of the goods given in exchange. The career of the merchant was attended with perplexity and the requisites of success were sagacity and caution. The required supply of staple goods was purchased in Portsmouth and later in Boston, and in those cities were sold the butter, cheese, beef, pork, and other products of the farm which had been accumulated in the process of trade.
For many years several four, six, or eight horse teams were employed in hauling commodities to and from the market. The sailing masters of these wheeled and freighted barges over the billows of uneven roads were Capt. William Greenough, Capt.
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James Stearns, Deacon James Morrison, Chester F. Ellis, Peter Flanders, and others from Campton and Holderness. It required several days to make an outward and homeward voyage.
Midway in the business life of Mr. Russell the railroad sup- planted the teams and Plymouth rejoiced in an era of prosperity. At this time his partners in the business were Samuel C. Webster and William W. Russell, Jr. Trade was extended more and more into the surrounding towns, and to the former lines of goods new commodities were added. To meet the increasing demands a second store was erected near the railroad. This adjunct to the main business was burned in 1862 and was not rebuilt.
In the conduct of his business Mr. Russell employed many clerks. To the young men thus employed he was always con- siderate and kind, and often gave them a helping hand in secur- ing advancement in a broader field of labor. Peter Harvey, - the Boston merchant and author of Reminiscences of Daniel Web- ster, - Walter M. Rogers, Philander Hall, Stevens W. Merrill, and many other successful men received their early lessons in business under the supervision of Mr. Russell.
Much has been truthfully written concerning the great number of successful men in the cities who were born in the country, but few have comprehended how many of the merchant princes, bankers, and railroad men of New England were trained in the country store. Sixty and eighty years ago there were no technical nor commercial schools, and in the counting-room of the old-time merchant were met the severest discipline in business and the practical lessons of economy.
When William Wallace Russell, Sr., retired from business, a few years before his death, the population of Plymouth had increased to nearly two thousand. He had witnessed many changes and a few revolutions in methods of business, but he kept even with the times, adopting new methods, if approved, and discard- ing many that no longer were of utility. The narrative of his career is the full record of a progressive and sagacious merchant
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in a formative and creative period in the annals of New Hamp- shire. In a statement that Mr. Russell was an enterprising and sagacious merchant the stronger and better traits of his character are not revealed. He constantly performed with method and cheer- fulness all the works of a good citizen. He was a constant and liberal supporter of the church and of the benevolent and educa- tional enterprises of his time. He was kind to his fellow-men and generous to the poor. Many men have made more pretension, but few have more fully responded to every summons of duty.
SAMUEL CUMMINGS WEBSTER, son of Samuel Cummings and Catherine (Russell) Webster, was born in Plymouth, Feb. 4, 1817. He was a great-grandson of Col. David Webster and a grandson of Hon. Moor Russell. At the age of thirteen years he was employed one year at Barnet, Vt., in the store of Elijah Maynor Davis, who married his aunt, Mary Russell. Returning to his home in Plymouth, he entered the store then owned and conducted by David Moor and William Wallace Russell, under the firm name of D. M. Russell & Co. Here, in the " Old Brick Store " - a landmark and in its treasured memories a shrine of Plymouth - he met and embraced the mission of his useful life. He was a clerk eleven years, a partner forty-one years, and during the closing years of his career the senior member of the firm of Webster, Russell & Co. As a merchant he was successful. Orig- inality and untiring perseverance were the prominent points in his character. Fertile in expedients, he was quick in devising means of gaining and holding trade, and any line of action once accepted was relentlessly pursued until his purpose was gained or was hopelessly lost. In the latter event, if there was a momen- tary suspension of hostilities, the contest was renewed with increas- ing vigor in some other line. His devotion to his chosen calling became a passion, and to it he gave the energies of his life with unusual sagacity and singleness of purpose. The customer who promptly selected the desired articles and paid the price was cordially met by Mr. Webster, but the transaction was routine and gave him slight satisfaction. The barter trade was his chief
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delight. To exchange articles of merchandise for the products of the farm, " calamities " as he termed them, was wine in the cup of his commercial life. Many of the quaint and sententious say- ings of Mr. Webster, which are often repeated in Plymouth, are parts of the dialogues in such barter deals.
He was a man of marked individuality, original, sagacious, and persevering. He was not a type of a class, he was the class him- self. Among his contemporaries there were a few men of equal ability, but there were none like him, and none keener in observa- tion or more pointed and forcible in expression. Many of his maxims, the moving pictures of his rapid thought, expressed in quaint and pithy terms, are sermons on the duties of life and the conduct of business. He was a good and a benevolent citizen, giving his willing support to the institutions and reforms of his time. He was not a candidate for office, and often said " elect those who rather be in office than attending their own business." He was the town clerk five years, and at times served his towns- men upon important committees, but his name is not often met in the record of elections.
In person Mr. Webster was above medium height, with a well proportioned figure, brown hair, and ruddy complexion. Like persons of his ardent temperament, the mood and the thought of the man was mirrored in his eyes, which were of a peculiar and striking blue. They twinkled merrily with the glow of a laughing light before the voice expressed the tone of a merry humor. His features and expression, in a manner peculiar to himself, were accustomed to lend an added charm to his amiability and kindness. And if at times and rare intervals his eyes began to glitter, like stars in a winter night, with the cold gleam of steely lustre, one who knew him well would defer a proposed discussion until another day. No man has lived in Plymouth in closer touch with his fellow-men, and no one has left a firmer impression upon the com- munity. Among the many who have been loyal to Plymouth, among the many who have advanced the best interests of the town, the sturdy and picturesque character of Samuel Cummings Webster is foremost. He died Jan. 23, 1883.
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WALTER BLAIR, son of Samuel L. and Sarah (Cox) Blair, was born in Holderness, Oct. 1, 1796, and died in Plymouth, June 6, 1849. Until he was thirty-five years of age he resided in his native town, living at Holderness Village, now Ashland, where lie conducted a grist mill and a saw mill. The preferments and honors of his career were not long delayed, and early in life he was honored with substantial expressions of esteem and confidence.
At twenty-one years of age he was appointed a major of the militia, and was rapidly promoted to the command of the four- teenth regiment. His commissions were dated : major, June 2, 1818; lieutenant-colonel, June 23, 1819; colonel, Nov. 5, 1819. He was a representative of Holderness, 1822, 1824, 1825, and 1826. The town was not represented 1823. He was commissioned a notary public, June 29, 1830.
With these honors won in his own country, he removed to Ply- mouth in 1836. He owned and occupied the farm on Lower Intervale, now of Manson S. Brown, and there he lived until his death. He was a selectman of Plymouth, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1838.
In 1835 and 1836 Colonel Blair was a State senator, and was elected each year by a substantial majority. In 1836, out of a total vote of 3359, he received 3199 votes. He was appointed a justice of the peace, June 27, 1835, and his commissions were renewed while he lived. June 20, 1836, he was appointed by Gov. Isaac Hill a justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and July 1, 1841, he was appointed Judge of Probate by Gov. John Page. He retired from the Bench to accept the latter appoint- ment, and presided in the Court of Probate with ability and dis- tinction until his death.
Judge Blair was a delegate to the national democratic con- vention, 1844, which assembled at Baltimore, Md., May 27, and nominated James K. Polk for president. In this convention the democratic party of New Hampshire was entitled to six delegates, one being elected at large, and one from each of the five councillor districts. He was chosen in the fifth district, comprising Grafton and Coos counties.
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Walter Blair is described by one who loved him in life and honors his memory, as " a man of commanding presence, of erect and symmetrical figure, six feet in height, with regular and handsome features, expressive blue eyes, and dark hair." In manner he was serious and dignified, but gentle and affectionate among his friends and considerate and kind to his fellow-men. As a judge of probate he performed every duty with untiring zeal, and as a citizen of Plymouth his constant service was invaluable.
DENISON ROGERS BURNHAM, son of Samuel and Mehitable (Hall) Burnham, was born in Rumney, Jan. 2, 1799, and died in Plymouth, Feb. 12, 1876. He was a merchant in Groton, Vt., six years and in Newbury, Vt., eleven years, removing to Ply- mouth, 1841. He purchased and enlarged the hotel which, since the settlement of the town, had been conducted by Colonel David and his son Col. William Webster. It was Mr. Burnham who gave the name Pemigewasset to this historic inn by the river side. In activity and executive force he was a worthy successor of David and William Webster, and here he presided with ability and tact during the busy times while the railroad was building. The hotel was burned in 1862, and upon the same site the new Pemigewasset House was reared.
Mr. Burnham was an active, vigorous man of good judgment and generous impulses. His kindness passed the severest test. He was kind to the poor and needy. He was loyal to Plymouth, and was actively interested in the good name and prosperity of the town. When the buildings of the New Hampshire Conference Seminary were burned in 1862 and the trustees were choosing a location of the new buildings, Mr. Burnham with others pre- sented the advantages of Plymouth. By a vote of the trustees the school was located here, but the vote was reconsidered and the buildings erected upon a new site in Tilton. With unabated enthusiasm he favored the present location of the State Normal School, selling the land and building at a most reasonable price.
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