USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Sanbornton > History of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, Vol. I - Annals > Part 29
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25. April 20, 1815. John Cass met a sudden death, being crushed while rolling logs.
26. Dec. 29, 1815. A young child of Abel Kimball was fatally seakled by falling into a kettle of .. boiling beer " or cider.
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248
HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
27. June 11, 1816. Samuel Taylor, being a blacksmith appren-
Drowning of tice in the trip-hammer shop of Samnel Tilton, Esq., at, Fummel Taylor the Bridge, while helping to repair the dam, was precipi- and others. tated into the water, carried over the falls, and drowned. Body recovered hall' a mile below.
28. April 19, 1817. Stephen Clark was drowned in the Pemige- wasset, at Republican Bridge, while running logs. (See Vol. II. p. 147 [253 ].)
29. Sept. 26, 1820. Ebenezer Sanborn died ut the house of Capt. John B. Perkins, in consequence of his being thrown from his house. (See Vol. 11. p. 633 [151].)
30. June 17, 1821. Jolm Smith was drowned at the Bridge. lle was there learning the tailor's trade of Mr. Cross.
31 Sept. 25, 1821. Solomon Copp was thrown from a wagou, Peculiar acel. one mile from Union Bridge, fractured the back of his dents. skull upon a rock, and died a few days afterwards.
32. April 8, 1822. William Sanborn inhaled steam upon his lungs from the nose of a teapot, and soon after died in conse- quence.
33. Nov. 20, 1822. A child of Abijah Sanborn was instantly killed by an overturning cart. (See Vol. II. p. 657 [391 ].)
34. Oct. 13, 1823. Odell Batchelder was fatally injured by a fall, while picking beech-nnts.
35. July 19, 1826. Samuel Smith was drowned in the l'emige- wasset River, below Morrison's Mills.
36. April 5, 1827. Nathaniel E. Burleigh was drowned in the mill race at Burleigh's Bridge. (See Vol. II. p. 66 [115].)
37. March 8, 1828. Col. Christopher S. Sauborn was drowned on the Great Bay, near the mouth of the river, with a horse or a span of horses, by breaking through the ice, having strayed from the right path in the darkness of the evening. (See Vol. II. p. 639 [233].)
38. Nov. 20, 1828. John Gihuan and Dudley Pottle were both lost in crossing the same bay from Meredith Bridge in a wherry. " They parted the company of Messrs. E. Chase and A. Gihnan at the mouth of the river just at night, which was the last of
Gilnamn and Potthe list on their being seen alive." The precise occasion of their the bay'.
deaths is shrouded in mystery, as Mr. Pottle's body was found in the water near the Gilmanton shore, while Mr. Gilman seems to have perished in the boat, which had drifted to the Meredith shore. It is most probable that the boat had been partially overturned, and both thrown into the water, but that Gilman regained the boat, and afterwards died as the result of cold and exposure following a state of asphyxia.
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249
CASUALTIES, - SERIOUS OR FATAL.
39. June 15, 1830. John Dustin, son of the first settler, met his
John Dustin death by means of a log rolling down the bill near the erushed by Dustin mill, and ernshing his body upon the other logy
a lux. below. Ile was over sixty years of age, and being dear, did not hear the warning given His leg was amputated, but he sur- vived the accident only two days.
40. Ang. 25, 1830. A child of Silas Atkinson was drowned in the canal, near Burleigh's Bridge.
41. January, 1833. Thomas JJ. Pottle, while driving with Andrew W. Iloyt across the ice from Meredith Bridge to Sanbornton, ran into
Thomas JJ. P'ot- a reef, and both were drawn into the water. Hoyt first tle's death escaped, and resened Pottle, who became so chilled while from exposure. they were trying to extricate their horse, that his com- panion had to start with him for the nearest honse, carrying him part of the way, and dragging him the rest. IIe was also helped towards the shore by some skaters, but was so much frozen that he died soon after reaching it. Mr. Hoyt froze both hands and some other parts of his person. The horse was also lost.
42. May 31, 1833. John D. Clark, while breaking a jam of logs above the Darling mill, was drawn with his boat into a Drawn uuder a dam. hole or crevasse of the dam, where it was broken. Ilis body was held fast by logs at the bottom of the stream below, till it was finally discovered, June 5, at a lower stage of the water.
43. Nov. 8, 1834. John Robinson was killed near Clark's Corner, probably by the wheel of a cart from which he was thrown.
44. 1839. A stage-coach, with six horses, was leaving the hotel at Sanbornton Bridge for Concord, and " in a moment" afterwards, as it were, the bridge fell just as the horses were upon it! They became detached, providentially, and the coach " held on the bank by the hind wheels, though canted down." The outside passengers were precipitated, with the horses, into the river, but were caught by the dam below, so that none lost their lives, though only one horse was saved. (This was the accident on account of which the town paid heavy damages, as elsewhere noted.)
45. 1840, or previously for a few years, a series of accidents ocenrred at the Bay bridge, which was first built as a private enter- prise, too narrow, without railing, and otherwise insecure. Several horses were drowned by " shying " or backing into the bay, and one or two persons, as it is now reported .. It became a notoriously dan- gerous place, the towns disclaiming any responsibility for the bridge, till at last they were obliged by law to ". take it up " and put it in a safe condition by rebuilding.
250
HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
16. Ang. 23, 1840. Richard Wallis was drowned at Sanbornton Bridge, in the whirlpool below the present Tilton Mills.
17. Jan. 30, 1844. Mrs. Mchitable Prescott was burned in her own house, on the Franklin road, west of the present Hollis K. Thomp- son's. Her aged maiden sister, Miss Rhoda Bean, who resided with her, was absent at the time.
48. 1846. At the close of the Seminary spring term, a boat-load of six students, three of each sex, was accidentally curried over the main dam at the Bridge. All were resened except a Mr. Williams, who perished, and his body was not found till two weeks afterwards.
49. Nov. 4, 1846. A little son of Jacob Odell was drowned in a stuall pond near his father's house, while chasing the chickens, being about two years of age.
50. June 18, 1849. Clara M. Gould, daughter of John Gould, was drowned at the Bridge while trying to escape from a boat which
Sad case of was fastened at the shore of the river, near the house of
drowning at Esquire Atkinson. She was playing in the boat with two the Bridge. other little girls. All three of them became frightened and. jmuped for the shore, the others reaching it in safety. This accident occurred on the evening of the dedication of a hall for the Sons of Temperance. Her body was recovered by Wesley Ladd.
51. Jannary, 1853 (?). Joseph (B.) Swain perished by cold near Dea. IInse's barn ( Bay road), within half a mile of his home.
52. July 6, 1857. George HI. D. Clark was drowned at Little Bay (Hersey's Cove), aged ten, being the son of David W. Clark.
53. Feb. 15, 1859. Sammel P. Sanboru, aged twelve, was driving a team loaded with wood for Laconia, and had reached the edge of the Bay (west side), when the oxen became frightened at a dog, swing round, and threw him under the sled runuer, resulting in instant death.
54. Ang. 12, 1868. Jonathan J. Frye was suddenly killed by the falling of a well sweep, at the house of his father-in-law, Nathaniel Leavitt.
The Great Bay, before the building of Mosquito Bridge, was the scene of more frequent accidents than in later years, as most of the communication between Sanborutou and Meredith Bridge was had by means of boats in summer and ice in winter, avoiding the cirenitons land route by Union Bridge. The freezing up of the bay was quite an important event in each year, generally about Christmas Numerous accidents ou time ; and it may be naturally supposed that people often the bay. ventured upon the ice too soon, or before it was sufficiently strong to be safe. Boys frequently got " cooled off " by breaking in while skating, and horses were often lost when their owners escaped.
251
CASUALTIES, - SERIOUS OR FATAL.
The mouth of the river, or its vicinity, has ever proved a dangerous locality. Here John Knowlton, in the winter of 1858, broke through into deep water while drawing wood to Laconia, with two valua- ble horses. One of them Le succeeded in getting out; the other perished.
We are indebted for some of the foregoing items to " Sketches of Sketches from Sanbornton Bay," by .. W.," in the New Hampshire Dem- the New lump. ocrut of Jan. 20, 1860, from which also we quote the shire Democrat. following : -
" Besides the above, there have been almost innumerable & hair-breadth escapes' on the bay, both summer and winter, such as upsetting of boats by wind; loads of wood, hay, potatoes, etc., breaking through the ice, but gen- erally managing to get out. Mr. Alva Gilman [probably Alba ] was once taking a big boat-load of wood down to Meredith Bridge; the wind sprung up so that he had to keep near the shore, when the boat tilled with water and the wood floated all over the bay !
" Many years ago Elisha Chapman and Jeremiah Gilman got lost, one dark, Yogay night, on the bay, while coming home from Meredith Bridge in a boat. Chapman rowed and Gilman steered. Chapman said Gilman would holloa out to him every few minutes, ' Row away, Mr. Chapman, or we shall Rowing alt sartinly be lost !' Daylight found them near the middle of the night in a circle. bay, having rowed all night. Probably they went round in a circle, as a strong man like Chapman would have rowed to Con- cord in a night "!
" W." also relates of a certain carly settler at Sanbornton Bay that while coming across from Meredith " in a boat, during a Prayer while the danger heavy wind, he was afraid, and kept praying to the Lord lasled. for deliverance till he got near enough to the shore to be out of danger," when his prayer suddenly changed to a thoughtless imprecation of the " Prince of the power of the air."
When the writer first came to Sanbornton from Orford, he brought over the favorite boat with which he used to navigate the peaceful Connectient. It was a very small craft, flat-bottomed, and rigged with a square sail to run before the wind. Adding a slight keel (a plauk fastened edgewise to the bottom, in the centre, and extending half-way to the bows), he launched it upou Middle Bay,
Recent boat- ing experience. and was accustomed for four or five years to take occa- sional rows and sails, - sailing one way and rowing the other, - sometimes to Laconia, sometimes to the upper part of Sau- bornton. Numerous romantic adventures and hair-breadth escapes are recalled in connection with these boat rides, from some of which he now regards it as a wonder, to the praise of a kind Providence, that he was spared to write the present record.
Disasters by lightning have not been frequent in Sanboruton. Two
252
HISTORY OF SANHORNTON.
ouly have been noted which resulted in the burning of buildings. both
high up on the old New Hampton road ; the barn of Carnation by Thomas MeClary on the Winthrop Durgin place, and a barn ou the David Brown place, the latter, July 22, 1829. Two dwellings have likewise been struck by lightning within a few years in the Hunkius neighborhood. In both cases the houses were slightly injured, and the inmates narrowly escaped, leaving more in the matter of preservation to be thankful for than in the way of loss to be regretted.
CHAPTER XXIII.
DIVISION OF THE TOWN.
" For with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become [three] bands." - GENESIS xxxii. 10.
Wur pertains to the setting off of the southwest portion of the original town, to form the town of Franklin, may now be safely treated as a matter of history ; but in alluding to the later division, or attempts at division, we shall be treading upon delicate ground, and shall therefore confine ourselves almost exclusively to the recorded action of the town from time to time. The Sanbornton people were no doubt honest in their earliest strenuous opposition, though we now sinile at the arguments used, the fallaey of some of which, valid in their day, is being proved by the lapse of time.
In town meeting, March 9, 1825, the subject of " setting off the southwest corner of town " first came up in the warrant, " by petition of Ebenezer Eastman and others, to form 'a new town."
Dreidedly op- pusrd at the A " polling of the house " resulted in "yeas, 4; nays, vutael. 402"! At the same time, a similar movement for the " northwest part of the town, on petition of Ebenezer Kimball and others," was disposed of in nearly as summary a way, - " nays, 379 ; yeas, 7" !
Next, from the Stratford Gazette of Oct. 22, 1825, we obtain this document : -
" The inhabitants of the southwest part of this town presented to the com- mittee appointed by the Legislature to lay out a new town, agreeably to the petition of Ebenezer Eastman and others, the following
REMONSTRANCE.
"The undersigned, inhabitants of the town of Sandbornton, remonstrate against being set off into a new town, agreeable to the petition of E. Eastman and others, and represent that they are not subject to any great . inconven- ience,' nor do they suffer any . privation of civil and religious privileges by
254
HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
reason of their distance from the public bullling' In this town; but on the contrary, lelleve their els Il and religious palvleges are now far superior to any Ilwy might expect to cujoy in the new town.
"That they now live In a town in which there is and long has been nu uncommon hurtaony between the different religious socletles; nelther can they believe that that harmony, civil or religions, will be Increased by their beganing members of the new town, divided as tlds will be by a
isting.
The hariuony hitherto us- large river, extending ulne mlles through the centre of the town, lopassable but ut oue face, their neighborhoods divided in like manner, the wants of Its several parts unknown to the other In consequence of this division; but have good reason to believe that It wonkl produce an unfriendly disposition and rivalship between Its several parts, not only In their civil and Iscal concerns, but might likewise engender the seeds of hatred and animosity In their religious duties.
"That the town In which they now live have a school and parsonage fund amounting to more than $8,000, the Interest of which Is ammally appropriated towards the support of our common schools and all of our religious societles.
The school Remove us from these advantages, and you place us In a town and parsvicige having no funds; and instead of conferring a favor, you impose fund beochits endangered. upon us a tax annually exceeding our proportion of a $4,000 State tax. Remove us, and you deprive ns of a rich legacy, fostered and enlarged by the parental (?) [obscure] and tender care of our fathers, and left by them not only for the Instruction of our children in their civil and political duties. but by it the vital principles of piety and evangelical knowledge are enforced, which are the only sure foundations of our present, and the only hope of our future happiness.
"That they now live in a town mostly surrounded by monuments created from the foundation of the world, which require no perambula-
Present bat-
ural bounda- tion, admit of no doubt, and subject us to uo lawsuits respecting
ries and favor- able location. their authenticity. Remove ns, and you subject eight towns and eight different sets of selectmen to the expense of perambulating over twenty-ilve miles of a zigzag line ou this new town where we now have natural boundaries.
" That we have located and accommodated our farms to our several wants and circumstances. Remove ns, and you divide them, and leave a part in auother town, to be taxed as non-resident, depriving our children, in addition to the loss of our school and parsonage money, of the benefit of the school tax of that part of our property, and giving it to strangers. Remove us, and you divide our school districts, subjecting those who now live near the school- house to travel more than two miles to attend school; yon will locate many of us farther from our public building ; you will ungment our taxes ; you will give us a great share of bridges ; you will subject us to the maintenance of several miles of highway, in addition to our comnou highway tax; and we never have been able to find a precedent, and cannot discover the least sem-
Other auperce- blance of justice in taking off a large section of this town against denled griev.
auces. their unanimous wish, augmenting their taxes at least one third, depriving us of our school and parsonage money, dividing and entting up our farms, destroying our school districts, and placing as uuder the arbitrary will of strangers, -and we cannot williugly consent to these sacrifices without we can perceive a far greater advantage to some section of
255
DIVISION OF THE TOWN.
this town than merely gratifying the ambition and pride of some half a dozen individuals. (Signed)
"JAMES CLARK.
BRADBURY MORRISON.
Saucia. Fra.Lows.
Syrema. W. CLARK.
ABRAHAM CROSS.
DEARBORN SANBORN, JR.
DAVID CLARK, JE.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON.
DEARBORN SANBORN.
ABIGAILAM SANBORN.
JONATHAN SANBORN, JE.
ANDREW SANBORN.
GEORGE C. WARD.
JonN CATE.
TRISTRAM SANBORN. DAVID THOMPSON.
JONATHAN PRESCOTT, JE.
JEREMIAH FRENCH.
NICHOLAS CLARK.
SAMUEL PRESCOTT.
ABRAHAM SANBORN, JR.
DAVID DOLLOFF.
JONATHAN PRESCOTT.
JOSEPH THOMPSON.
WH.MIAM THOMPSON.
JOHN THOMPSON.
DAVID GAGE.
LEVI THOMPSON.
NATHAN S. MORRISON.
JOSEPH SANBORN."
EBENEZER MORRISON.
It would appear from the foregoing that the legal voters in that part of Sanbornton which is now Franklin were then, ahost to a man, opposed to the division ; while it must be remembered that Mr. East- man, and the few others who petitioned in its favor, were living upou the west side of the river, in what was then Salisbury Village. Accord- ingly, for three years longer, while efforts were continued for the forma- tion of the new town, the dismemberment of its own territory was as steadily opposed by the town of Sanbornton. Even "at the last moment," Nov. 3, 1828, it was voted, on the motion, " that part of the town petitioned for be set off for the formation of a new town," yeas, twenty ; nays, three hundred and eighty ! and Charles Gilman, Esq .. was chosen as an agent to oppose the petition of Dearborn Sanborn and others (for new town) before the committee of the Legislature on towns and incorporations.
When, however, at the next annual meeting, March 11, 1829, the town of Franklin had been constituted, there was a display of will, pertinacity, and ahnost obstinacy, on the part of the San-
canborutou.
Persevering opposition of bornton citizens, which seems hardly justifiable, in that they ". would do nothing" in respect to " the proportion of the town funds claimed by Franklin, the town panpers of Sanbornton belonging to Franklin, or the anexing to most convenient school dis- tricts of those disannexed by the forming of the new town."
The controversy continued for several years, as in March, 1832, a special agent was chosen - Nathaniel Hohnes, Esq. - to make arrange- ment with the town of Franklin, and to obtain able counsel, whether the town of Sanbornton is holden to pay to Franklin any of its fund ; and if holden, to make further arrangements, and lay the matter again
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HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
before the town. At a meeting in October (same year) it was voted that the town ngent and selectmen " obtain further counsel whether Franklin has a legal claim upon Sanbornton for a proportion of the School and Parsonage Fund." The above agent never reported to the town (as appears from records) ; but at a special meeting, Jan. 20, 1831, an action having been brought by the town of Franklin - Franklin es. against Sanbornton, to recover part of the funds belonging Fland Bewould Sauboruton. to said Sanbornton, Charles Lane, Esq., was appointed agent to attend to the suit, with instructions to continue the action so long as any probability of gaining it may exist ; or otherwise, that he have power to settle the action and agree on a committee to say . how much of the town fuuds Franklin shall have, and what part of the poor it shall take."
The Sunbornton fathers of that day were honest in the belief that no other town could justly claim the funds which were left to their town ; hence they were sincere in resisting the claims of Franklin. But it was ultimately decided against them, as in 1836, of the
Controversy " School and Parsonage Fund," which had amounted to settled. $6,658.78, 8633.53 was paid to Franklin as " the share belonging to those persons who had been set off." leaving a balance of 86,025.25.
Subsequent agitations upon the subject of division may now be alluded to, as noticed on the town records. In May, 1850, voted .. in favor of dividing the town, one ; against, one hundred and ninety-nine " ! and chose " John Carr, agent. to oppose the division before the New Hampshire Legislature as petitioned for by Chellis Sargent, Bradbury T. Brown, and others." This appears as the earliest rec-
Original move- ord of that movement which resulted in the formation of oud division. the new town of Tilton, the full history of which movement may more appropriately be left for the future annalist of that town. The inhabitants of the old town were of course honestly opposed to it, and worked against it, from first to last, feeling reasonably assured that any division of that kind would leave the original town without facilities or the hopes of future growth and improvement as a town.
Yet it must be conceded that the people of the village precincts had some reason to apprehend that their local interests were liable to be disregarded by their fellow-citizens in the back and rural districts.
For example, there seems good evidence that the town, as Claims of the vitlicere pre. a whole, was unwilling, through a course of years, to pass ciucto. votes favorable to an engine company at the Bridge ; as June 6, 1857, at special town meeting, the article was dismissed that proposed the town's action for " organizing and regulating a fire com- pany, and making suitable appropriation for the support of the same."
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DIVISION OF THE TOWN.
Two special town meetings were held in 1800 to agitate the division of the town .. At the first, May 5, two hundred and forty-four voted against forming a new town south of the second range, - none in favor ; forming a new town north of second range and west of main road to Meredith line, none in favor ; for setting off northwest corner to Ilill, article dismissed. At the second meeting, June 2, dismissed proposal for forming a new town, bounded north by the fifth range-way and
Various cast by the Fullington or Gulf Brook ; also chose Folsom
schemes an. hulled. Morrill and Joseph L. Couner agents to defend the town, before the Legislature, " against any division of the town whatever." At the March meeting, 1861, division of the town again opposed unanimously, and the representatives appointed agents to defend against it. June 5, 1866 (special meeting), voted on the ques- tion of disannexing south part of town and aunexing it to Northfield, - negative, two hundred and eight ; affirmative, none.
But in 1869 the final and decisive movement was made for the sec- oud dividing of Sanboruton, and the formation of the new town of Tilton. At the town meeting, May 18, the vote was one hundred and fifty to one hundred and five against dismissing the article which called attention to the subject, and thus letting the matter pass with- out a protest ; and the selectmen were further instructed " by a major- ity of fifty-one out of two hundred and sixty-oue votes " to appoint an agent and "employ counsel to oppose the division." Herman T. IIale, Esq., was afterwards appointed agent, and the bill for the The action of 1sig and final formation of the new town was stoutly opposed before the result. committee of the Legislature by the Hous. Ira A. Eastman and Asa Fowler, counsel for the town (though advocated with equal ability and greater success by the Hons. Mason W. Tappan and Austin F. Pike), and before the Legislature itself by William S. Woodman, Esq., town's representative, and others. It was first proposed to make the division on the fourth range line, with a southern detour at its east end, so as to give the Mosquito or Bay Bridge to Sanbornton ; but by the Act as finally passed and " approved, June 30, 1869," the third range line was adopted, with a northern detour, so as to assign the same bridge to Tilton.
Without further entering into the merits or the partienlars of this controversy, we may yet refer the curious reader to an able paper on the " Division of Sanbornton," which was designed and circulated as a remonstrance among the legislators. (See Appendix E.)
The following is a copy of the " Act constituting the town of Tilton " : -
17
258
HISTORY OF SANBORNTON.
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