History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 36

Author: Hazlett, Charles A
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold
Number of Pages: 1390

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In 1838, Rev. Samuel Hoyt was the preacher on the Epping charge. Revs. Sam'l Prescott, 1840; John Smith, 1842-3; Matthew Newell, 1844; Caleb

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Dustin, 1845; H. N. Taplin, 1846-7; A. C. Manson, 1848; C. H. Chase, 1849; John Gould, 1851 ; J. N. Hartwell, 1852; Elihu Scott, 1853; Lorenzo Draper, 1854; Kimbal Hadley, 1855; Ebenezer Smith, 1856. From 1857 to 1863 the church was supplied by students.

Rev. A. Folsom came to the church in 1863, and served two years with great acceptance and success. He lived at his home in Raymond, and walked back and forth, and all over his field of labor, holding numerous meetings and visiting the people. A good revival was enjoyed, and several persons were added to the church. It was during Mr. Folsom's ministry that the proposition to purchase the Universalist meeting-house began to be agitated. Mrs. Gardner Tilton offered to give $200 towards the fund for that purpose. It was principally through the friendly agency of Dr. Nathaniel Batchelder that the proprietors of the house were induced to sell out their rights to this church. Mr. Folsom aided this enterprise by his best efforts, and it became a certainty before his term expired, but was not taken possession of till May, I866.

Rev. C. E. Hall came in 1866, having just been received on probation in the conference. In 1867 Rev. James Noyes served and he was followed by various ministers serving one or two years each until 1879 when Rev. J. Thurston was appointed. He compiled during his three years' pastorate an historical sketch of the church. He was succeeded by able pastors to date. Rev. L. D. Braggs has been assigned to succeed Rev. G. A. Jones, the recent pastor.

The Methodist Episcopal Church .- The Congregational Church was the only ecclesiastical organization in the town (if we may except a Society of Friends) till the introduction of Methodism, which event came to pass near the beginning of the 19th century.

As nearly as can now be learned, the first sermon preached here by a Methodist minister was by Rev. Epaphras Kibby in 1799. He was sent by Rev. George Pickering, presiding elder, to preach to a vacant Congregational Church in Kingston, as was sometimes done in those days, and making fre- quent evangelizing tours into the neighboring towns, he came to Epping and was invited by Rev. Mr. Holt, the Congregational pastor, to preach in his church, which he did, greatly to the satisfaction of the people. Mr. Holt was not aware at the time that Mr. Kibby was a Methodist, and when he learned that he was of the sect "everywhere spoken against" he very naturally refused him admission to his pulpit on his subsequent occasional visits to the town.

In a sketch of the church Rev. James Thurston in 1882 wrote as follows : "We should not be too severe on these old Puritan pastors for their frequent refusals to countenance these early itinerants. They felt that they were con- stitutional guardians of the flocks, and they were honest in their suspicions and prejudices towards these strangers, who came, as they thought, in a dis- orderly and irregular way, and brought doctrines they had been trained to regard as dangerous heresies, and proclaimed them with a zeal which seemed to them the fruit of ignorance and fanaticism. Nothing but the good sense and true piety of these early pioneers could have enabled them to finally win their way among the people, and even to the respect and fellowship of these honest but mistaken pastors, as they did after no very long time." 18

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When Mr. Kibby was denied the use of the regular pulpit, he was invited by the late Capt. Jonathan Fogg to hold his services in his hospitable home, near the center of the town.

Mr. Kibby appears to have been a young man, and is represented as a "traveling preacher on trial." He was a man of marked abilities as a preacher, and was afterwards distinguished as a leading minister in New England Methodism.

During the years 1800, 1801, 1802 there was no regular Methodist preach- - ing in this town, but occasional services by Mr. Kibby, Daniel Webb, and probably some others. In 1803, William Gookins' name is mentioned in con- nection with Epping, and he probably also preached in Hawke, now Danville, and Poplin, now Fremont, and some other towns. Of this man we have no further information.

Rev. George Pickering preached, mostly in the house of Captain Fogg, in 1804.

The interest in the Methodist meetings continued and increased, and it was felt that some permanent place of worship was needed, but the friends of the cause were few and not rich in this world's goods. Captain Fogg was moved to build a house of worship for the Methodists, and proceeded to con- struct a small chapel.

Hedding Camp-Meeting Association .- Camp-meetings were held in Fowler's Grove, in South Newmarket, annually from 1857 to 1862, inclusive. At the meeting in 1862 arrangements were made for a permanent camp- meeting establishment, and a committee of ministers and laymen was appointed to secure a suitable location, purchase land, and make preparations for a meet- ing in the autumn of the next year.

The ground now occupied at East Epping was bought of Daniel and Ezra F. Barber and cleared and otherwise prepared, and the first meeting was held in 1863, under the direction of Rev. A. C. Manson, presiding elder of the Dover District. Reverend Calvin had acted as agent of the committee in the purchase and preparation of the ground. An act of incorporation was secured from the Legislature of 1863, the organization taking the name of the "Hedding Camp-Meeting Association," in honor of the late Bishop Hedding.

The charter declares that the corporators, "their associates and successors to be made a body politic and corporate for such religious, moral, and charita- ble, and benevolent purposes as said corporation may from time to time designate."

The association consists of all the pastors within the bounds of the New Hampshire Conference who may be in attendance, all "tent-masters," and owners of cottages on the grounds. The Executive Committee, consisting of the president of the association ( who is chairman), secretary and treasurer, and eight committee-men, all chosen annually by the association except the president, who holds his office by virtue of his presidency for the time being. Additional land has been purchased from time to time, and the association now own 350 acres, are out of debt and in good financial condition.

Society of Friends .- Friends, commonly called Quakers, first settled and formed church organization in Hampton and Dover, N. H., prior to 1680, and

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about the same time set up Monthly Meetings, each of which were composed of several particular meetings lying contiguous. These Monthly Meetings were held monthly for religious worship and for the transaction of the varied concerns which interested them as a church and society, and kept record thereof.

The first Friends' meeting-house built in Rockingham County was at Hampton (now Seabrook) in 1702, at or near the spot where the meeting house now stands. The earliest record which has been preserved by Hampton Monthly Meeting bears date 6th mo. 15, 1701. An unbroken record has been preserved.

Hampton Monthly Meeting was changed to that of Seabrook in 1793, because Seabrook was taken from Hampton and incorporated a separate town some time before. Since its organization the Monthly Meeting has been held a portion of the time at various other places within its limits, namely, at Amesbury, West Newbury, Epping, Pittsfield, and Weare.

Weare was separated from Seabrook Monthly Meeting in 1795, and was constituted a separate Monthly Meeting, called Weare Monthly Meeting of Friends.

The next Friends' meeting-house built in this county and within the limits of Hampton Monthly Meeting was at Newtown (now Newton), where a Friends' meeting-house was built prior to 1810 by some Friends living there. A meeting was set up by the Monthly Meeting, and continued for about eighty years; many of its members bore the name of Peasley. Their history dates back to the earliest settlements in Massachusetts, as Joseph Peasley died in Haverhill in 1662, the father from whom descended the Peasley family.

The descendants of the Newton Peasleys are scattered from Maine to California, some of whom are yet connected and in fellowship with the society of Friends.

The Friends' Meeting at Newton was discontinued in 1804.

A few Friends resided in Brentwood as early as 1738, held religious meet- ings around at their houses at first, and built a house for worship in 1740. James Bean was a preacher among them. Samuel Dudley and Jonathan Beede were prominent members for a time. Hampton Monthly Meeting approved of this organization in 1746, but some of the individuals composing this meeting, including James Bean, did not conduct the meeting or otherwise behave to the satisfaction of the Monthly Meeting, and it was discontinued in 1748. James Bean still continued his disorganizing course, and in a few years the meeting was entirely broken up, and those constituting it moved to other localities or ceased to be members of the Society of Friends.

A few Friends resided in Epping prior to 1746, and attended meeting with their friends in Brentwood until the disorganizing course pursued by some of its members. The Friends at Epping withdrew from them, and held meetings for religious worship at their houses until 1788, when Friends at Epping built their first meeting-house on the ground near the present post- office at West Epping.

A new house was built by Friends of West Epping for religious worship, near the old one, in 1851.

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Seabrook Monthly Meeting of Friends was held three times each year at West Epping.

Universalist Society .- Between 1835 and 1840 a movement was made to organize a Universalist Society. A liberal religious sentiment had strongly developed itself here as elsewhere. It finally resulted in the associating together of several gentlemen of wealth and social influence, who purchased a site and erected the edifice occuped by the Methodist Society .. This structure was built in about 1837. The first pastor was James H. Shrigley, who preached here one-half of the time and the other half in Exeter. He was a gentleman of pleasing address, and a forcible speaker. He was followed by a Mr. Moore, who remained only about one year. The Revs. Hosea and Moses Ballou, Henry Jewell, Thomas Whittmore, and other eminent ministers of this denomination preached occasionally, and the Rev. Nathaniel Gold- smith occupied the pulpit for several years. The interest which first brought the society into existence soon began to abate. Men died or moved to other places, so that it was found impracticable to sustain preaching and keep the church in repair. The result was the Methodist Society abandoned their old house of worship and purchased this, and refitted it to meet the wants of this society. The Universalist Society' occupied this church, and kept up their organization for about twenty-five years.

The St. Joseph Catholic Church of Epping was erected in 1897. Before then there was a little chapel, which was sold to P. C. Roy and converted into a store. Before 1898 the congregation was attended to by the pastor of Derry, Father O'Connor, who had charge of the mission for about eight years. Before 1890, the mission was attended from Exeter, N. H. The mission was made a parish January 1, 1898, Rev. H. J. Bellefleur being the first pastor. He remained three years and was succeeded by Rev. L. J. A. Doucet, who remained six years. He was succeeded by Rev. F. G. Dashoies, who remained one and one-half years. The present pastor is Rev. J. A. Roy, who was appointed to the place in August, 1908. The majority of the parishioners are French, twenty-five Irish people only. There is a parochial school attached to the church attended by seventy-five children. The church is a wooden structure worth about $4,000, having 250 seats.

Native Ministers .- Many gentlemen from this town have chosen the pro- fession of ministers of the gospel, and among them may be mentioned Rev. Nicholas Dudley, David L. Morrill, Samuel Stearns, and Josiah H. Stearns, who were members of the Congregational Church; Revs. Caleb Fogg, Jacob Stevens, Daniel W. Barker, Nathaniel Ladd, George Barker, and John W. Sanborn were members of the Methodist Church; Benjamin F. Shepard was an Episcopalian, and Norris Hodgdon was a Universalist. These gentlemen made honorable record in their profession.

Physicians .- Of the physicians who were natives of the town, mention may be made of Theodore and George W. Kittridge, both of whom became eminent.

Nathaniel Bachelder practiced medicine for a long period, following his father, Dr. Nathan Bachelder, who practiced long before him. They were both eminent and had a large practice. Among those physicians who were not native of the town may be mentioned Ebenezer Fisk, Eliphalet How, O.

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Williams, George Kittredge, John Ladd, Ebenezer Moore, William Gilman, L. H. Angell, Locero J. Gibbs, Doctor Eastman, J. Chesley, and others. The physicians now present in town are A. W. Mitchell and A. C. Buswell.

Public Officials .- This town has occupied a prominent position in the state for one of its size, and many of its citizens who have remained within its limits, as well as those who have gone elsewhere, have occupied conspicuous positions in the county, state, and national governments. The following, though an incomplete list, will give the positions some have held, and all to the satisfaction of those who appointed or elected them to their places of trust :

Governors of the State .- William Plumer, from 1812 to 1813, and from 1816 to 1819; David Lawrence Morrill, from 1824 to 1827; Benjamin F. Prescott, from 1877 to 1879. Governor Morrill resided in Goffstown at the time he occupied the chair, but he was born in Epping, June 10, 1772, and died February 4, 1849. He was a student at Phillips' Academy in Exeter in 1790. He studied medicine, and commenced the practice of his profession in Epsom, N. H., in 1793. He then studied theology, and was ordained a pastor, but relinquished that profession to resume the practice of medicine. He was a representative to the general court of the state in 1811, 1812, and in 1816. He was United States senator for six years. He was chosen state senator, and served as its president in 1823. He was a gentleman of varied learning, and wrote much on religious and secular topics. He was one of the prominent men of the state. During his administration as governor, General Lafayette visited this country and was given a public reception at Concord.

Col. Joseph Towle, of Epping, was then in command of a portion of the militia of the state, and was present on this memorable occasion. Colonel Towle subsequently became major-general of the forces of the state.

United States Senators .- William Plumer, from 1802 to 1807; David L. Morrill, from 1817 to 1823; John Chandler, from 1820 to 1829. Mr. Chandler was a native of this town, and was born of humble parentage on what is known as "Red Oak Hill." He removed when young to the province of Maine, and there by industry became prominent in the affairs of that state, and when the province was a part of Massachusetts he represented it in the State Senate from 1803 to 1805, and in the Congress of the United States in the lower house from 1805 to 1808, and for three years was sheriff of Ken- nebec County. In 1812 he was appointed a brigadier-general, and took a con- spicuous part in the Canadian campaign. He was wounded and taken prisoner at Stony Creek, and in that engagement had his horse shot from under him. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1820, being one of the first two senators from the state of Maine after its separation from Massa- chusetts. He served in this position two terms, until 1829. In 1829 he was appointed collector of the port of Portland, serving till 1837. He died at Augusta few years later.

Representatives in Congress .- William Plumer, Jr., front 1819 to 1825; George W. Kittredge from 1853 to 1855. Dr. Kittredge resided in New- market at the time he was chosen. John Chandler, of Maine, an account of whom is given under the head of United States senators.

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Presidents of the New Hampshire Senate .-- William Plumer, 1810; David L. Morrill, 1823.

Speakers of the New Hampshire House of Representatives .- William Plumer, 1791, 1799; David L. Morrill, 1816; George W. Kittredge, 1852.

Secretary of State .- Benjamin F. Prescott, 1872, 1873, 1875, 1876.

Electors of President and Vice-President .- William Plumer was one of the electors in 1820. He cast his vote for John Quincy Adams, while the others voted for James Monroe. But for this vote Mr. Monroe would have had a unanimous election. The favorite of Mr. Plumer was the next president.

State Councilor .- Samuel P. Dow in 1872, 1873.

State Senators .- William Plumer, 1810-11 and 1811-12; Joseph Shepard, 1816-17; Samuel P. Dow, 1858-59. Mr. Dow was a citizen of Newmarket when he was elected senator.

Attorneys at Law .- There have been many prominent and successful lawyers in town, especially in its early history, before it became the practice for members of the bar to locate in places more densely populated. Among this number can be mentioned Jotham Lawrence, William Plumer, Sr. and Jr., Samuel Butterfield, Amos A. Parker, Hiram Osgood, Silas Betton, Daniel Clark, James McMurphy, John S. H. Frink, Horace C. Bacon, Enoch Bart- lett, Joseph F. Wiggin, J. Warren Towle, George Stickney, George W. Stevens, H. F. Hopkins, Elijah B. Hazen, W. H. Drury, and others, who remained for a short period. Epping for many years was a business center, and the practice of the law was quite prominent in town. For other lawyers see Bench and Bar chapter.

Banking .-- There has never been in town but one bank of discount, and that was incorporated under the state law, and closed before the present national banking system went into operation. The name of this bank was "Pawtuckaway." It was chartered in 1854, with a capital of $50,000. John H. Pearson, of Concord, was its president, and Charles W. Sargent, of Epping, cashier. It was a successful and well-managed institution. The larger portion of the stock was owned in Concord. This bank surrendered its charter in 1864, after ten years of successful business.

Origin of the Name of the Town .-- Col. Joseph L. Chester, LL. D., of London, England, a native of Connecticut, but now lately deceased, the lead- ing antiquarian of England, in reply to an inquiry of Hon. Benjamin F. Pres- cott, in January, 1876, in reference to the origin of the name of Epping, in the United States ( and there is no other town of that name except Epping in Rockingham County), says, in a letter dated February 12, 1876, "Epping is a nice little town in Essex, about seventeen miles from London. The parish is called Epping-Upland, and Epping is a market town in the parish. The town is in about the middle of the forest called 'Epping Forest,' but the town gives the name to the forest and not vice versa. Epping was originally a royal manor, and the forest a royal chase. It now belongs to the nation, and the forest is free to the public. We are very proud of having so large a bit of woods so near London, and the forest has always been a great resort for holiday-makers. No doubt some of the early settlers of your place came from Epping or its vicinity. Epping, according to writers on such subjects, is derived from Gippan, the possession of Gippa, a man's name in the old Anglo-

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Saxon times,-i. e., Gippa's Forest, Epping Forest. The forest was probably the possession of one Gippa at the period when there were no surnames."

Epping Public Library .- At the March election in 1892 the town voted to accept the provisions of the library act passed at the previous session of the Legislature and organized with G. N. Shepard as chairman and Mrs. L. H. Buswell as librarian. In 1906 the volumes numbered 1452. Mrs. Fannie Osgood is librarian. The following are the societies: Rockingham Grange, P. of H .; Albert M. Perkins Post, G. A. R .; Woman's Relief Corps; Geneva Lodge, I. O. O. F .; Fern Rebecca Lodge; Sullivan Lodge A. F. & A. M .; Queen Esther Chapter, O. E. S .; Paul Revere Council No. 15, Jr. O. U. A. M .; Sally Plumer Chapter, D. A. R.

CHAPTER XXVII

EXETER

Geographical-The First Settlement-John Wheelwright and Others-The Exeter "Combination" of 1634-Indian Hostilities-Edward Cranfield's Despotism-War of the Revolution-The Industries -- Prominent Resi- dents-Firmness of Sullivan-Washington Visit.

The town of Exeter lies in the eastern part of the county, and is bounded as follows: On the north by South Newmarket, on the east by Stratham, on the south by Hampton, Hampton Falls, Kensington, East Kingston, and Kingston, and on the west by Brentwood. It is forty miles southeast of Con- cord and fourteen miles west of Portsmouth. There are stages to Kensington and East Brentwood, and electric railroad to Amesbury and via Hampton Beach and Rye to Portsmouth. The surface of the town is generally level and the soil fertile. The population in 1910 was 4897.

The earliest permanent settlement of New Hampshire by Europeans was made at Little Harbor, now within the limits of Rye, and at Dover Point, in 1623. How soon afterwards the more adventurous of the "fishermen and traders," who constituted the early population there, explored the river as far upward as the Falls of Squamscott we have no record. There is a distinct tradition, however, that there were residents in Exeter before the arrival of Wheelwright and his followers from Massachusetts in 1638. Whether they were occupying under the deed of the Indian sagamores of 1629 to Wheelwright, or whether the alleged deed of that date is spurious, are questions which need not be discussed here.

Rev. John Wheelwright, a friend and fellow-collegian of Oliver Crom- well, who had been vicar of Bilsby, in Lincolnshire, England, brought his family to this country in 1636, landing in Boston. The next year he was banished from the colony of Massachusetts on account of alleged "anti- nomian and familistic" religious opinions, and in the spring of 1638 estab- lished himself, with several persons who were driven from Massachusetts for the same cause, with a number of his former friends and parishioners from England, and with others of whom we have no definite previous knowledge, at the Falls of Squamscott, to which he gave the name of Exeter. Mr. Wheelwright at once gathered a church here and became its minister. He also drew up a form of civil government, which was essential for the peace and good order of the infant settlement, as the laws of Massachusetts were not in force here, and New Hampshire had as yet no laws. The instrument drawn by Wheelwright was styled a "combination," and was signed by the heads of families and inhabitants. The following is a copy of the com- bination :

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Combination at Exeter, 1639 .- Whereas it hath pleased the Lord to move the heart of our dread sovereign Charles, by the grace of God king, etc., to grant license and liberty to sundry of his subjects to plant themselves in the western parts America, we, his loyal subjects, brethren in the church in Exeter, situate and lying upon the river Pascataquacke, with other inhabit- ants there, considering with ourselves the holy will of God and our own necessity, that we should not live without wholesome laws and government among us, of which we are altogether destitute, do in the name of Christ and in the sight of God combine ourselves together to erect and set up amongst us such government as shall be to our best discerning agreeable to the will of God, professing ourselves subjects to our sovereign lord King Charles, according to the liberties of our English colony of the Massachusetts, and binding ourselves solemnly by the grace and help of Christ and in his name and fear to submit ourselves to such godly and Christian laws as are here established in the realm of England to our best knowledge, and to all other such laws which shall upon good grounds be made and enacted amongst us according to God, that we may live quietly and peaceably together in all godliness and honesty.

Mo. 5, 4, 1639.

John Wheelwright.

William Wardhall.

Augustine Storer.

Robert Smith.

Thomas Wright.

Robert Seward.

William Wentworth.

Richard Bulger.

Henry Elkins.

Christopher Lawson.

George Walton.

George Barlow.

Samuel Walker.

Richard Morris.

Thomas Petit.

Nicholas Needham.

Henry Roby.

Thomas Wilson.

William Winborne.

George Rawbone.

Thomas Crawley.

William Cole.

Christopher Helme.

Jenness Wall.

Darby Field.

Thomas Leavitt.

Robert Read.

Edmund Littlefield.

Edward Rishworth.

John Cramme.

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History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 36

Author: Hazlett, Charles A Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Number of Pages: 1390

Author: Hazlett, Charles A
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold
Number of Pages: 1390