History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 9

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

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"Then go not like quarry-slave at night Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed By an unfaltered trust, approach thy grave Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him and lies down to pleasant dreams."

Sketches of the present members of the bench and bar are inserted in the chapters relating to city and towns. In the biographical section will be found sketches of other eminent lawyers.

CHAPTER VI

THE COUNTY FARM-INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS

Railroads-Previous to the establishment of the county farm system, the selectmen or overseers of poor of each town had charge of all persons needing assistance. At various times the Legislature enacted laws which largely increased the number classed as county poor. The system of allow- ing each town to care for the poor within its limits led to some evils, was expensive, and made it necessary to locate buildings at some central point in each county where this large class of unfortunates could be better provided for. The county convention at its session in the month of June, 1868, authorized the purchase of a farm and the erection of suitable buildings to accommodate 250 inmates. The authority to purchase said farm was committed to a joint board consisting of a building committee,-John R. Reding, of Portsmouth ; W. H. Robinson, of Exeter ; H. P. Hood, of Derry; and I. L. Robinson, of Fremont,-selected by the convention, and the com- missioners, James C. Brown, John J. Leavitt, and Abbott Norris, who finally selected the Thyng farm, so called, in the town of Brentwood. The farm contains about one hundred and sixty acres, and is situated 212 miles from Epping depot, on the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad. The Nashua and Rochester Railroad now connects at said depot.

The first cost of the Thyng farm was $6,500, including thirty acres adjoining land. The total first cost of the almshouse was $19,632.

The following year a building for the insane and a large barn was added at an expense of $9,487. The same year the county convention authorized the commissioners to purchase woodland and pasture, and the farm of D. W. Ladd was bought, 160 acres, for $4,500. In 1873 additional build- ings for storage were constructed, costing $2,500. In 1874 boiler-house, laundry, etc., costing $8, 150. In 1875 House of Correction and work-shops, costing $12,000. In 1876 new brick asylum for insane, costing $9,000. In 1910 a new stable was built costing $4,580; and in 1912 a new jail costing $19,686.

A new courthouse and jail was built at Portsmouth in 1891, and a new courthouse and record building at Exeter in 1893.

INVENTORY OF PROPERTY OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY-1913

County farm and buildings at Brentwood. $ 90,000.00 Personal property at farm, as per inventory. 25,000.00

HISTORY OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

Jail and courthouse lot at Portsmouth. 17,500.00

Jail at Portsmouth 41,000.00

Courthouse at Portsmouth 39,000.00

Furniture in courthouse.

2,200.00

Library and book cases in courthouse.

1,000.00

Coal at courthouse.

300.00

Personal property at jail, as per inventory

686.90

Jail at Exeter.

10,000.00

Personal property at Exeter jail, per inventory .

363.00

Records building and lot.

31,562.00

Furniture in Records building

6,100.00

Coal in Records building

130.00

Courthouse and lot at Exeter

50,000.00

Courthouse furniture

2,100.00

Coal in courthouse.

275.00

Coal shed at Epping .

300.00

$317,416.90

The net indebtedness of the county is $89,912.00.

The number of inmates at present is 200. This includes insane, poor, children, idiotic, blind, and prisoners.

The farm constitutes a school district in itself, and three terms of school are taught yearly. There is also a chapel-room, provided with organ, etc., for services on the Sabbath. Children of sound mind and without parents or friends are furnished with good homes by the commissioners. The house is heated by steam; comfortable rooms, clothing, and good and abundant food is furnished to all, and few, if any, of the inmates ever enjoyed a better home. The farm is under the care of the county commissioners. They appoint a superintendent and all necessary officers and help. The first super- intendent, William L. Philbrick, of Portsmouth, was appointed 1869. The farm always has an abundant supply of water drawn by steam-pump and two wind-mills. The house is supplied with fire-escapes; also three fire- extinguishers and a hydrant to the roof of the house, with plenty of hose in case of fire.

Total expense of farm. $28,237.90

Divided by number of weeks board, make a cost of

each one per week. 2.74

STOCK AT COUNTY FARM

55 Breeding sows $ 750.00

4 Boars 50.00

27 Shoats I 10.00

54 Small pigs 108.00

I Bull 200.00

2 Bull calves 50.00

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

8 2-year old heifers 400.00

9 I-year old heifers 315.00

18 Calves 540.00

48 Cows 3,600.00

8 Work horses 1,850.00

I Pair driving horses 350.00

299 Hens 299.00

23 Cockerels 23.00

3 Yoke of oxen

533.00

$9,178.00

CROPS FOR THE YEAR AS FOLLOWS

Ice 350 tons

Hay

172 tons

Ensilage 319 tons

Oat straw

5 tons

Rye straw

7 tons

Oat fodder

Oats (green) 28 tons

167 bushels

1,423 bushels Potatoes

Turnips

225 bushels

Beets

1322 bushels

Carrots

350 bushels

String beans

222 bushels

Rye .

1372 tons

Shelled beans

36 bushels

Onions

30 bushels

Parsnips

50 bushels

Squash

2,500 pounds

Cabbage

800 heads

Lettuce

IO2 bushels

Peas

35 bushels

Beet green

36 bushels

Spinach

.60 bushels

Tomatoes

1,497 pounds

Apples

.4I barrels

Sweet corn

1,219 dozen ears

Canning corn

2} tons

Strawberries

. 140 boxes Cucumbers 123 bushels

Rhubarb

. 155 pounds

Radishes

52 bunches

Asparagus

109 bunches

Onions, market bunches

. 693 bunches Celery

80 heads

HISTORY OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

Peppers .6 bushels

Plums · 3 bushels

Cantaleups ·3 dozen

Mangels . 12 tons

Beef dressed and consumed on farm. 5,575 pounds

Pork . 4,528

Poultry 1,205 pounds

Eggs produced .2,428 dozen

Pigs sold $1,527

Cream sold $2,864

Skimmed milk used on farm. 31,690 gallons

Amount received for labor of prisoners $569

RAILROADS

The Boston & Maine Railroad Company controls and operates all the steam railroads in Rockingham County. Originally it was a consolidation of the Boston & Portland chartered March 15, 1833, the Boston & Maine chartered June 27, 1835 and the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts chartered March 12, 1839. The road was opened through the county to South Berwick, Maine, February 23, 1843.

On the Western Division it passes through the following towns :

From Boston, Mass., to Miles

Atkinson .37

Newfields .5-55

Plaistow

-39

Rockingham Jct. I-56

Newton Jct.

.3-41

Newmarket

.2-58

E. Kingston Depot.

4-45

Durham 4-62

Exeter .6-51

The Eastern Railroad in New Hampshire, chartered June 18, 1836, and opened November 9, 1840.

EASTERN DIVISION

From Boston, Mass., to Miles

From Boston, Mass., to

Miles

Salisbury

No. Hampton

.2-49

Seabrook

4-43

Greenland

.3-52

Hampton Falls

2-45

Portsmouth

5-57

Hampton

. 2-47

Portsmouth & Dover Railroad, chartered July 7, 1866, opened February 1, 1872.

PORTSMOUTH & DOVER BRANCH

From Portsmouth to

Miles From Portsmouth to

Miles

Newington

Sawyer

.2-10

Dover Point

Dover I-II

Cushing

3 - 8

The Nashua & Rochester Railroad, chartered June 24, 1868, and opened November 24, 1874.

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

WORCESTER, NASHUA & PORTLAND

From Worcester, Mass., to Miles

From Worcester, Mass., to

Miles

Hollis

Hubbard

4-61

Nashua

7-47

Hampstead

2-63

Hudson

2-49

Sandown

.2-65

Anderson

4-53

Freemont

6-71

Windham Jct.

4-57

Epping

4-75

The Manchester & Lawrence Railroad, chartered June 3, 1847, and opened November 13, 1849.

MANCHESTER & LAWRENCE BRANCH

From Manchester to

Miles

From Manchester to

Miles

Londonderry

Canobie Lake

3-17

Wilson's

2- 8

Salem

2-19

Derry

3-II

Hampshire Road. 4-23

Windham

3-14

The Concord and Portsmouth Railroad was chartered July 1, 1845. Built to Ramond, September 9, 1850; to Concord, 1852.

PORTSMOUTH BRANCH

From Concord to

Miles

From Concord to

Miles

Suncook

West Epping

3-39

Hooksett

. 2- 9

Epping

5-41

Manchester

.9-18

Hedding

3-44

Massabesic

5-23

Rockingham Jct. 8-49

Auburn

3-26

Stratham 1-50

E. Candia

2-28

Bayside

3-53

Candia

.2-30

Greenland

6-55

Raymond

6-36

Portsmouth

4-59

ELECTRIC RAILROADS

The Boston and Maine operates the Portsmouth Electric Railway, which opened June 28, 1899. The cars running in Portsmouth to Greenland, and from Portsmouth through Rye, to North Hampton, connecting at the North Hampton line with the Exeter, Hampton and Amesbury Railway electric cars to Hampton Beach, Exeter and to the state line.

The other Electric roads in Rockingham County are: Haverhill Plaistow and Newton Railway Company, organized 1901 ; Hudson, Pelham and Salem Street Railway Company, organized July, 1907; Manchester and Derry Street Railway, organized September 19, 1906: Chester and Derry Railroad Asso- ciation, organized June 6, 1901 ; Seabrook and Hampton Beach Street Rail- way Company, organized July, 1901 ; Amesbury Street Railway organized April 1, 1908.

Starting at the Ferry in Portsmouth, the Atlantic Shore Line runs to Dover and York Beach.

CHAPTER VII

PORTSMOUTH

Motives of the Colonists-Early Voyagers-John Smith-The Piscataqua- Thomson's Settlement at Little Harbor-Mason and the Laconia Patent -The Great House Portsmouth Named-Celebration in 1823.

The editor in the chapters relating to Portsmouth has condensed the prin- cipal facts from articles on the early church history from the writings of Rev. James DeNormandie, and the editor's sketch of the Congregational meeting houses delivered at the semi-centennial of the North Church in 1905, also from the historical address of Hon. Frank W. Hackett at the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Portsmouth delivered May 28, 1903.

THE POPULATION OF PORTSMOUTH IN 1910 WAS 11,269

Several reasons may be assigned for persons leaving the comfort, order, luxury, and associations of an old land and an old home. There is in every community a class of adventurers of the type of John Smith, men fond of the excitement of travel, of novelty, ready to undertake any strange enter- prise for the sake of the hazard, for exploration, for science, for notoriety, for profit, or for curiosity. The wildness of the new is more inviting than the regularity of the old. In all old and wealthy states there is a large class of persons, representatives of families of past prominence or departed splen- dor or dilapidated fortunes, who in a new place can maintain a position on cheaper terms, or follow with an easy grace employments they would not undertake where they are known, or more sons than can be placed in the ancestral neighborhood, or sons of wealth for whom many reasons conspire to make it better to seek situations elsewhere, as on the continent one con- stantly meets with English who in humble places or .at low rates keep up an appearance of respectability they could not have at home, and as many from New England begin life at the west.

An old writer says, "If without offense it may be spoken, the multitude of patents granted to several gentlemen of broken fortunes hath provided an honorable exile or confinement, whither many deserving persons of better education than fortune were sent to shift for themselves in a foreign land without being further troublesome to those nearer home, on whom they had their hopes and dependence; yet it must not be denied but that some of the undertakers were at vast expenses, casting their bread upon these waters,

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

where none of their friends and relatives have as yet had opportunity to find it." And this class of far-seeing, shrewd business men is always ready to send others or embark itself, and to bear any danger, delay, or loss in any enterprise which promises satisfactory returns, and especially questions of government and religion, of persecution and freedom, make it grateful for many to endure any hardships or abandon any associations for a free rule and a broader liberty of worship. It is difficult to analyze all the motives which enter into colonization; perhaps all we have named do in some degree with every settlement, nevertheless each has its prominent characteristics easy to be traced; in the Plymouth Colony the prevailing idea at first was religious liberty for themselves, not for anybody else; in the Piscataqua Colony it was the spirit of mercantile enterprise.

EARLY VOYAGES

Three hundred and ten years ago two small vessels came into the waters of the Piscataqua from the eastward-the Speedwell, a ship of about fifty tons, and the bark Discoverer, of twenty-six, or thereabouts. They were from Bristol, under the command of Capt. Martin Pring, fitted out for trade and discovery by the "chiefest merchants of that port."

Sailing along the coast the youthful navigator (he was but twenty-three) had looked into other inlets-the Saco, the Kennebunk and the York. "The fourth," he says, "and the most westerly was the best." In all these places they "found no people but signs of fires where they had been." It was the Englishman of 1603 upon the track of the Indian.

Stretched out in front is an irregular expanse of hill and valley. Further over there greets him a mass of living green, sentinel to forest and tangled undergrowth beyond. At his feet is juniper in profusion. The maple and beech are here, and many a stately pine. Close at hand spruce and hemlock tell of ledge, and its scanty covering of soil. The eager glance of the Eng- lishman spies more than one sturdy oak, destined to give grateful shade to coming generations.

The party were searching for sassafras, thought in that day to be pos- sessed of wonderful medicinal qualities.

From an account of the voyage printed in "Purchase His Pilgrimes," (London, 1625), we learn that thirty men and boys were on the Speedwell, Edmund Jones (her mate) with Robert Salterne, who appears to have been what we should call a supercargo. William Brown was the master of the Discoverer, with Samuel Kirkland, thirteen men and a boy. They had all manner of goods, including looking-glasses and beads, wherewith to trade with the savages. They were delayed for a fortnight at Milford Haven, whence they sailed on the 10th of April, 1603, just after having heard the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth. They got back to Bristol in October.

This is the first printed account so far as yet known of our river ; though there is little reason to doubt that more than one English fishing vessel had at an earlier date than this sailed into the harbor of the Piscataqua.

The editor quotes the following from the eccentric John Elwyn's book, "Some Piscataway Things and a Good Deal Else," published in 1870, on page 59.

HISTORY OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

"The small de I'Isles atlas that showed the forgery is in my hut; Capt. John Mason, our New Hampshire patentee, he knew the Bay Puritans well. Since I wrote this too our cousins of Main have found things out to the rage of our others of the bay that told the world there never was no kind of Englishmen in New England till the Plymouth Pilgrims : wonderful though that one of Gorges' Indian spoke to them in English when they got here, and Christopher Levett in Twenty-three stayed a while on Witch (Saga- more) Creek below where my hut is, and says nothing of ours being a new plantation, and the Spaniard, Herrera, tells of a English cruiser of three hundred tons a hundred years before the Pilgrims of her coming to Puerto Rico by the banks of Newfoundland : all afishing already, Englishman was coming to fill North America with Englishmen never no Puritan in the world."

John Smith .- By 1614 the knowledge of our coast had grown more definite, and colonization began to assume larger and more permanent direc- tions. The zeal for sudden wealth from the riches of mines led to a hasty occupation of the South, of Peru and Mexico by the Spaniards and Portu- guese, but the English and French came with a tardier pace to the fur and fishing trade of the North, and yet found, as we have found in California, that the vineyards and pasture lands and husbandry are a surer and greater source of wealth than mines of gold or fields of diamonds. In March of this year the remarkable adventurer, John Smith, sailed for North Virginia, seek- ing a mine of gold and copper, or, failing in that, to fish and trade. He named the shoals which had previously been sighted and described Smith's Islands, spoke of our river, and on his return drew a quaint map of the coast and wrote a history of his voyages, and left it for Prince Charles to christen the new realm, so that in 1614 first appears the name of New England. The map is printed in J. S. Tenness' "Isles of Shoals."

The Piscataqua .- It cannot but be interesting to notice the praises which the Piscataqua has called forth from the early voyagers and historians. One says "that westernmost and best river;" another, "the safe harbor and rocky shore of the Piscataqua;" another, "that famous, brave, and navigable river of note, which has been frequented ever since the country was first planted, whose channel is very swift and spacious, fit for vessels of great burden." And in an old.deed, dated 1671, there is a will of one of the early merchants which runs thus: "I, Richard Cutt, for ye love I bear unto W" Vaughan, I do give unto him my stone warehouse, situate at Strawberry Bank and front- ing upon the Greate River Piscataqua." And one of the truest poets of Ports- mouth, Albert Laighton, wrote :

"Like an azure vein from the heart of the main, Pulsing with joy forever, By verduous isles, with dimpled smiles, Floweth my native river.

"Singing a song as it flows along, Hushed by the ice-king never ; For he strives in vain to clasp a chain O'er thy fearless heart, brave river!

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

"Singing to one as full and free As it sang to the dusky daughters, When the light canoe like a sea-bird flew Over its peaceful waters."

Thomson's Settlement at Little Harbor .- In 1623 this spirit of enterprise took for us a more definite form, and with results reaching to the present day. Among a council of forty noblemen, knights, and gentlemen, to whom King James granted a charter for the "planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of New England in America," we find two persons conspicuous in energy and adventure, Sir Ferdinand Gorges and Capt. John Mason. Gorges was an officer of the English navy, intimate with Raleigh, and sharing his dar- ing spirit. He had learned from some Indians many particulars of this part of the country, its rivers, harbors, islands, fisheries, and products; his enthu- siasm to found a colony was not abated by many successive misfortunes, and his faith in its final success never died out. "I doubt not," he writes, "it will prove a very flourishing place, and be replenished with many fine homes and cities, it being a province both fruitful and pleasant." Mason was a London merchant, some time governor of Newfoundland, where he learned in a gen- eral and indefinite way of these parts, and became as enthusiastic as Gorges to plant a colony, an enthusiasm which appears never to have left him amidst all the discouragements and difficulties which beset his attempts. He was also governor of Portsmouth, in Hampshire, England.

Mason and the Laconia Patent .- The tradition that the first settlement at the Piscataqua was owing to the efforts of Gorges and Mason, or to the Laconia Company, of which they were members, has no foundation. From "An Indenture of David Thomson," recently discovered among the papers of Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, with careful "Notes" in explanation by Mr. Charles Deane, of the Massachusetts Historical Society, many of the doubts and uncertain dates and confused traditions are dispelled, and it appears that David Thomson and three merchants of Plymouth entered into an agreement, in pursuance of which Thomson came over in the ship Jonathan in the spring of 1623, and settled at Little Harbor, a name which first appears in 1655, on the west side of the Piscataqua.

These three merchants were Abraham Colmer, Nicholas Sherwill, and Leonard Pomerie, and with Thomson they were to contribute to the expenses and to share the profits. It is provided in the partnership that the colony "shall and will use their best endeavors (by the direction of said David Thomson), with as much convenience as maye be, to find out * * * some fitt place to settle & Builde some houses or buildings for habitacons, on which they are to begin with as muche expedicon as they maye ; to the lymits & precincts of which habitacons or buildings soe intended to be there erected, there shall be allotted of the lands next thereunto adjoininge. at or before the end of five years next ensuing the date hereof, the full quantitie of six hundred acres of land or neare thereabouts."

John S. Jenness referring to the landing at Little Harbor on page 6 in "The First Planting of New Hampshire," says :

"The site selected for the settlement was chosen with excellent judgment. 5

HISTORY OF ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

From the Little Harbor fronting the north side of the promontory a salt water creek runs back so far towards the ocean as almost to convert the inclosed point into an island of about six hundred acres area, which was the precise amount of land required by the indenture to be allotted to. the new plantation. The soil is good, and among the rocks on the harbor shore is a living spring of fresh water. The harbor is safe and accessible at all times to vessels of light draught, and most commodiously situated for the prosecu- tion of the fisheries as well as for the peltry traffic with the Indians of Saga- more Creek and Piscataqua River. Above all other advantages in those peril- ous times, the Point, rising on every side towards its center and almost sur- rounded by water, was easily defensible against the assaults of savages. These considerations probably determined Thomson in the selection of this site for the new plantation, which he named, perhaps, from the Indian appellation 'Pannaway,' a name which seems, however, not to have survived the period of Thomson's own occupation and ownership of the plantation."

In Winslow's "Good News," published in 1624, describing events appar- ently of the preceding summer, we find reference to "on Mr. David Tomson, a Scotchman, who also that spring began a plantation twenty-five leagues northeast from us, near Smith's Iles, at a place called Pascatoquack, where he liketh well." Thomson most likely remained at the Piscataqua until 1626, and deserves to receive the undivided praise as the founder of this settle- ment, while Mason had nothing to do with its beginning. In a deposition of several aged persons, including Edward Colcord, taken at Piscataqua August 25, 1676, they make oath and affirm that "Capt. John Mason did never settle any government nor any people upon any land called the prov- ince of New Hampshire, on the south side of Piscataqua River, either by himself or any of his agents to this day."

The earliest trace that we have of David Thompson is the record of his marriage at St. Andrew's Church, Plymouth, England, July 13, 1613. His wife was Amias Cole, daughter of a resident of Plymouth. According to the late R. N. Worth, the historian of Plymouth, who discovered this entry, Thompson probably was a stranger at Plymouth, for his name has not been found elsewhere in their records. Morton describes him as "a Scottish gentleman, a scholar and a traveller." From the wording of an early instru- ment (Aspinwall papers), we infer that he either had been educated as a doctor, or had at least some skill in medicine.

The Plymouth Council created for planting, ruling and governing New England, was established in November, 1620. For a while they appear to have employed Thompson as a messenger. Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Capt. John Mason stand forth as the two commanding spirits of the asso- ciates that formed the council. From a position where he must have made himself useful, it is likely that Thompson secured the confidence of both these great leaders in the settlement of New England. There is a memorandum which shows that a patent was made out to Thompson of land in New England, in November, 1622.

More or less speculation has sprung up as to the true character of Thomp- son's enterprise. In a vague way it has been understood that he came in the interest of Gorges and Mason. There is not space afforded here to pursue

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

the inquiry. It is enough to say that everything points to the fact that the venture had the hearty good will of the council. While independent, and meant to be confined within a moderate area, it is reasonably well estab- lished that Thompson's coming formed part of the larger enterprise of Gorges and Mason and their associates in occupying and developing the entire territory covered by their patents.

Odiorne's Point at Little Harbor was the spot selected for the site of the first building erected on the grant. The first settlers were sent from England by the company in 1623, "to found a plantation on Piscataqua River, to cultivate the vine, discover mines, carry on the fisheries, and trade with the natives." As the materials of many of the early houses were brought from England, it is possible that in the liberal provision made for the plantation, those of the Manor House were also. The house was a little north of the hillock, which was between it and the ocean,-and on that elevation there was a small fort built, to protect from savage incursions. Fishing being one of the objects of the settlement, salt works were early erected in connection with the establishment.

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History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 9

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