History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 4

Author: Scales, John, 1835-1928
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold
Number of Pages: 988

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COUNTY SOLICITORS

There was no county solicitor, as such, up to 1789, but the office was created by the Legislature that year, and William King Atkinson, a young lawyer who had been recently admitted to the bar, was appointed by the Gov- ernor and Council. He held the office until 1803, inclusive. His successors were as follows: Stephen Moody, 1803-1819; Lyman B. Walker, 1819-1834; Winthrop A. Marston, 1834-1835: Warren Lovell, 1835-1841; Charles W. Woodman, 1841-1846; Samuel Clark, 1846-1855: Charles Doe, 1855-1857; Walcott Hamlin, 1857-1862; Louis Bell, 1862, who resigned his office to become colonel of a New Hampshire regiment and left for the war in 1863; Joshua Gilman Hall, 1863-1875; Thomas J. Smith, 1875-1876; Charles B. Shackford, 1876-1881 ; William R. Burleigh, 1881-1887; John Kivel, 1887- 1892; William F. Nason, 1892-1898; Walter W. Scott, 1898-1904: Dwight Hall, 1904-1910: George T. Hughes, 1910, now in office.

SHERIFFS FOR STRAFFORD COUNTY

Theophilus Dame, 1773-1800: James Carr, 1800-1810; Daniel Barker, 1810-1820; William Badger, 1820-1830; John Chadwick, 1830-1835: Ben- ning Wentworth Jenness, 1835-1840; Ezekiel Hurd. 1840-1845: Gorham W. Hoitt, 1845-1850; George McDaniel, 1850-1855: George W. Brashridge, 1855-1856; Nathaniel Wiggin. 1856-1866: Luther Hayes, 1866-1871 : Joseph Jones, 1871-1875: John W. Iwell. 1875-1876: Stephen S. Chick. 1876- 1879: John Greenfield, 1879-1887: John G. Johnson, 1887-1889: John H. Pingree, 1889-1891 ; William S. Hayes, 1891-1892; Bard B. Plummer, 1892-

HISTORY OF STRAFFORD COUNTY

1894: James E. Hayes, 1894-1900; George W. Parker, 1900-1906; Frank I. Smith, 1906-1912; Edward S. Young in office, 1913.

REGISTERS OF DEEDS

Thomas Westbrook Waldron, 1773-1785; John Smith 3d, 1785-1791 ; William Smith, 1791-1793: John P. Gilman, 1793-1803; J. C. March, 1803- 1811; Dominicus Hanson, 1811-1816; Moses L. Neal, 1816-1829; Joseph Cross, 1829-1833; George L. Whitehouse, 1833-1839; Thomas T. Edgerly, 1839-1841; James B. Edgerly, 1841-1843; Charles Young, 1843-1845; S. Varney, 1845-1850; Charles Young, 1850-1851 ; Elijah Wadleigh Wadleigh, 1851-1855; Andrew H. Young, 1855-1859; David W. Parshley, 1859-1863; John S. Hayes, 1863-1868; Nahum Yeaton, 1868-1872; E. H. Twombly, 1872- 1878; Joseph A. Jackson, 1878-1879; Frank F. S. Tompkins, 1879-1913. Mr. Tompkins has served thirty-four consecutive years and surpasses all previous records in length of time. He is an excellent penman, a courteous gentleman and accurate in all his records and transcripts of the same.

JUSTICES OF THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS

John Wentworth, 1773-1775 ; George Frost, 1773-1793; Otis Baker, 1773- 1785; John Plumer, 1773-1796; Moses Carr, 1776-1784; Ebenezer Smith, 1784-1787; Thomas Cogswell, 1784-1810; Ebenezer Thompson, 1788-1795; Joseph Pierce, 1793-1794; Samuel Hale, 1794-1813; Daniel Beede, 1795- 1799: Ebenezer Thompson, 1796-1802; Nathaniel Hoitt, 1796-1813; Aaron Wingate, 1803-1813; William Badger, 1816-1820; Richard Dame, 1817- 1819: Valentine Smith, 1819-1820; Samuel Quales, 1820; Henry Y. Simp- son, 1833-1841 ; Henry B. Rust, 1833-1838; Ezekiel Hurd, 1838-1840; Hiram R. Roberts, 1840-1853; George L. Whitehouse, 1841-1853 ; James H. Edgerly, 1853-1854; Charles William Woodman, 1854-1855.

CLERKS OF COURTS OF STRAFFORD COUNTY

Ebenezer Thompson, 1783-1788; Benjamin Thompson, 1788-1814; Daniel Waldron, 1814-1818; Andrew Peirce, 1818-1833; Francis Cogswell, 1833- 1841; John H. Smith, 1841-1853: Reuben Hayes, Jr., 1853-1857; John R. Varney, 1857-1860; George H. Niebuhr, 1860-1866; Daniel Hall, 1866-1875; James M. Folsom, 1875-1876; George E. Durgin, 1876, resigned July, 1904: William H. Roberts, August, 1904.

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

CLERKS OF SUPREME COURT

George King, 1774-1780; Samuel Sherburne, 1780-1781; Nathaniel Adams, 1781-1817; Daniel Waldron, 1817-1821; Andrew Peirce, 1821-1834; Francis Cogswell, 1834-1835.

COUNCILLORS FROM 1776 TO 1784

The Council, which was organized by the Revolutionary Assembly January 5, 1776, and continued until the Constitution was adopted in 1784, had the following Strafford county men : From 1776 to 1780, Col. John Wentworth of Somersworth, and Ebenezer Thompson of Durham; in 1789, John Went- worth and George Frost of Durham; in 1782 and 1783, George Frost and John Wentworth, Jr., of Dover; in 1784, George Frost and Ebenezer Thompson.

CHAPTER II

CONCERNING COURTHOUSES AND JAILS

When the Assembly passed the law, February 5, 1773, to organize courts in Strafford and Grafton counties, one of the conditions was that at the county seat a courthouse and a jail must be provided inside of four months. Dover complied with the terms by granting permission to hold the courts in the First Parish Meeting House, and by constructing a jail on the east side of what is now Central avenue and on the side of the hill where Mrs. John H. Henderson's house stands at the corner of South Pine street and Central avenue. It was built of very thick, white oak plank, and the job was so thor- oughly done that no prisoner ever escaped from it, till set free by the law. So that hill received the name of "Jail Hill," which it bore for more than a century, and it is sometimes now so called.

The Meeting House in which the courts were held was of wood and stood where the present brick house near the corner of Central avenue and Silver street stands. It was built in 1758, so was a comparatively new edifice. Besides being a place of worship for the First Parish and First Church, it was the place in which town meetings were held. This had been the order of things from the beginning of settlement on Dover Neck in 1633; the town and the parish were one.

The first court was held there, as provided in the law of February 5, 1773, and so continued for fifteen years or a little more, when a regular courthouse and town house was built, which building is now standing on the easterly side of the square, opposite the First Parish Meeting House. It is now occu- pied, on the first floor, by Bradley's garage. That square is called Tuttle square, in honor of Capt. John Tuttle, one of the ancient worthies of the town, a century before the courthouse was built. So the town and the county were joint owners and joint occupants. The first town meeting was held there November 23, 1789; Col. John Waldron was moderator.

This "old courthouse" is one of the historic houses of the city. The June session of the Legislature was held there in 1792, so Dover was the capital of New Hampshire. The courts were held there for more than a half cen- tury, until 1843. In its court room many famous lawyers addressed juries. Not only the lawyers of Strafford county, but others came here in the trials of important cases. Among the number were Daniel Webster, Jeremiah

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Mason, Ichabod Bartlett, George Sullivan, and Jeremiah Smith. Great legal battles were fought there by the giants of those days.

Previous to 1840, when the old county was divided, the town of Rochester made repeated attempts to get the Legislature to remove the courts to that town and make it the county seat, the shire town. The zealous citizens of "Norway Plains" represented to the general court that Rochester was much nearer the center of population ; that it was easier of access; and made tempt- ing pecuniary offers to have the courthouse located at the "Plains." The result of all this agitation was that Dover was compelled to build a new town house to be used jointly by the town and county for town meetings and court sessions, with provisions for properly keeping the records of both. It required a good deal of discussion, diplomacy and some political dealing to induce the others towns to join with Dover and continue this as the shire town. But it was done and the corner-stone of the town hall and courthouse (under the same roof) was laid September 29, 1842; John P. Hale, thien Congressman, and later United States Senator, delivered the address, a very eloquent oration. The first meeting was held in it July 4, 1843. It was a temperance meeting and several interesting addresses were delivered. It was held under the auspices of the Martha Washington Temperance Society. The hall was crowded and addresses were made by Dr. Nathaniel Low, Col. Andrew Peirce, John P. Hale, Rev. Enochr Mack, Samuel H. Parker, J. R. Kimball and George T. Wentworth. This was appropriate, for the small wooden build- ing which had stood on that corner, and partly over the brook, was a liquor shop, and an intoxicated man had been drowned in the brook. The Masonic Temple now stands on that lot and the brook, a large stream of water, runs under Washington street in a big sewer.

The last annual town meeting held in the old courthouse was on March 14, 1843, and one to draw jurors was July 22, following. The first town meeting was held in the new building July 24, 1843, and the courts in the fol- lowing September. The courts continued to be held there undisturbed until November 23, 1866. A ball was held in the hall over the court room that night, and about an hour after midnight the building was discovered to be on fire and was partially destroyed on the interior, the walls remaining stand- ing. No records were destroyed. This was repaired and came into use again April 18, 1867. The courts continued to be held there until March 22, 1889, when a fire occurred which totally destroyed the building, and the courts were held temporarily in another building in the city, known as Walker hall, corner of Locust and Washington streets.

The city of Rochester, soon after the fire, commenced a campaign of agita- tion to have that city made the shire town and take the courts away from Dover. A meeting of the representatives in the county was called and held in Walker hall April 8, 1889, to consider the question and decide what should

HISTORY OF STRAFFORD COUNTY

be done. At this meeting it was voted to have a separate building, wherever it might be located. Certain committees were appointed and the convention then adjourned to April 24 to hear at that time what proposition Rochester might have to present. At the adjourned meeting the Rochester committee read the following, as a correct copy of the records of the Rochester town meeting, held April 22 :

"Voted, on motion of John Young, in writing, that the town build a court- house in connection with its town hall, or build one separately, as may be deemed advisable, also all necessary and proper county buildings and offices, free of expense to the county, provided that the Legislature, it its next session, will authorize the same and change the shire town of the county from Dover to Rochester. And that Ebenezer G. Wallace, Stephen D. Wentworth and George F. Richardson be a committee on the part of the town to locate and purchase a suitable lot or lots, and to apply for all necessary legislation and to erect said buildings and pledge the credit of the town therefor."

Mayor B. F. Neally of Dover addressed the convention and presented the following resolution :

"Resolved, by the city council of the city of Dover: That the city of Dover purchase and donate to the county of Strafford a lot in said city, suit- able for the erection of a courthouse and county offices, and such as said county may elect, provided the cost of the same shall not exceed ten thousand dollars."

The proposition offered by the city of Dover was accepted, although the Rochester party made a hot fight for the adoption of the offer made by that city. The convention appropriated $30,000 for construction of the courthouse. The lot given is a large and beautifully located tract of land, between First and Second streets, and in the rear of National block on Central avenue. It is an historic spot, as here was where Maj. Richard Waldron's garrison stood which was destroyed by the Indians June 28, 1689, and the Major was mur- dered in a torturing manner by the savages.

This courthouse and county seat contest between Rochester and Dover began a hundred years before it ended as above described. It does not seem probable that it will be renewed as everybody seems to be satisfied with the present arrangement. The county commissioners in their report April 30, 1890, said: "The new courthouse is practically completed, the interior arrangement of which is very convenient. The material used in the construc- tion of the interior of the building and the workmanship, is first class; the amount expended to date is $34,678.79." The commissioners were George P. Demeritt, John P. Rowe and Dwight E. Edgerly, who had charge of the construction.

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

STRAFFORD COUNTY JAILS

The first jail in 1773, as has been stated, was built of white oak plank four inches thick. It was a one-story structure and stood on "Jail Hill," on the east side of what is now called Central avenue, near where Mrs. John H. Hender- son's house stands at the junction of South Pine street with the avenue. It was in use for about sixty years, when the citizens of the county began to demand something better and stronger than the old one, notwithstanding that had done good service and no prisoner had escaped from it until the law had set him free.

The outcome of this public demand for a new jail was the erection of the stone structure on Silver street, with a brick house for the residence of the jailkeeper and his family. At the east end of the stone structure was a large yard, surrounded by a high hoard fence, inside of which the prisoners could have liberty for exercise, with no chance for escape from imprisonment. Silver street is one of the fashionable as well as the oldest in Dover. The residents grew weary of having those prison walls to look at as they passed and repassed it many times a day. Moreover, they took no pride in showing it to visitors. Finally the demand for its removal became so outspoken that at a meeting of the Strafford county delegation of representatives held at Concord, August 24, 1887, the sum of $25,000 was raised and appropriated, along with the proceeds of the sale of the old jail and lot, for the purpose of building a new jail. Previous to that the city of Dover had very creditably and very liberally deeded the county five acres of land, located on a hill on the south side of the Cochecho river, one of the most beautiful spots in the city, and removed quite a distance from all dwelling houses and factories. It is well adapted for the use for which it was given. In the fall of that year a contract was signed with the Pauly Jail Company of St. Louis for the build- ing of a rotary jail, connected with a house for the jailor. In their report the county commissioners, Benjamin F. Hanson, George P. Demeritt and Joseph D. Roberts, say: "We presume that before another year the old jail. that has stood as a disgrace and dishonor to the fair name of Strafford county, will be replaced by one of the most modern in New England." The construction was completed in 1888. The old jail property was sold for about $5,000. The stone from the jail can now be seen in the wall on the north side of the Cochecho river, extending from the Manufacturing Company's coal yard easterly toward the Central avenue bridge.

The new jail was completed in 1888 and the prisoners were taken from the old jail in January, 1889. The jailor then was Charles R. Meserve, who con- tinued in office up to April 1 that year, when he was succeeded by John H. Pingree. Jailor Meserve held the office nine years in succession and was a very efficient official. No prisoners were successful in playing any tricks on

HISTORY OF STRAFFORD COUNTY

him, and they were sure not to make any attempt a second time. Jailor Meserve was a stern man, but never cruel to his prisoners. He maintained military discipline during his nine years' service. Since his term the sheriffs have performed the duty of jailer, in person, residing in the house annexed to the jail, a beautiful, comfortable and pleasantly located dwelling house.

THE COUNTY ALMSHOUSE

In the beginning of Strafford county there were not many poor folks who had to be cared for at the public expense; here and there, now and then, there was one and all such were cared for in private families. As the years went by conditions changed; town paupers began to appear; soon they became so numerous that each town was compelled, by law, to provide a "Poor Farm" and pay a man and his wife to manage it, and take care of all the town paupers. Then ensued a period of hustling by the selectmen of each town to "shunt" the paupers onto other towns of the county .whenever possible. But as a general thing the poor on these farms were well cared for, had plenty to eat and drink, perhaps too much cider at times, and plenty of clothing to keep them warm in winter. This arrangement continued for many years. But all the time the selectmen kept a sharp outlook at the ancestry of each pauper and shoved as many of them as possible onto the county for support. The result of this procedure was that the counties felt obliged to establish county farms where they could properly care for their poor, instead of paying the various towns to do it. In fact the conclusion was reached that the towns charged the county too much for board and lodging. The outcome was that in 1866 the Legislature authorized the counties to purchase farms and fit up houses to properly care for the support of the "county paupers," instead of paying the towns for doing it.

The commissioners for Strafford county to inaugurate this change in 1866 were Joseph F. Lawrence of Lee, Andrew Rollins of Rollinsford and Uriah Wiggin of Dover. The first two mentioned were brothers-in-law. Mr. Law- rence in later years removed to Chicago, Ill., and became one of the influential men of the city and resided there until his death in 1910. It was estimated that he was a millionaire at the time of his death. Mr. Wiggin died several years ago. Mr. Rollins, at four score and two years, is still active on his big farm in Rollinsford.

These gentlemen, by the authority given them, purchased the John Trickey farm, located on the north side of the Cochecho river, in Dover, but about four miles from the city hall. They took possession May 21, 1866, and employed Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius E. Caswell to live in the large farmhouse, care for the poor and carry on the farm. The farm contained 165 acres, ninety of which were in one field, along the bank of the river, a magnificent tract

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of land, which has produced enormous crops year after year ever since. Not long after that they purchased the Timothy Snell farm adjoining it on the north. The commissioners in their report said the cost of boarding each pauper was $1.50 a week. Soon the old farmhouse was displaced by a large brick edifice, for the better accommodation of the poor and for the superintendent and his wife. In 1868 the county farm scheme had come into so much favor that nearly all the towns had sold their farms and were board- ing their paupers at the county's establishment. In the first published report, 1867, they estimated the whole property at $43, 144.80; the Trickey farm hav- ing cost $9,500, Snell farmi $6,000, and the new house $16,000. At the last report ending with the year 1912, the total valuation was set at $146,243.33, divided as follows : Farm buildings and fixtures, $83,000; house of correction, $24,000; personal property, $39,243.33; jail lot and buildings, $35,840.81 ; courthouse, lot and fixtures, $43,948.57.

Soon after the beginning a small number of paupers were insane, and these were supported at the state asylum in Concord at a cost of $5 a week; so the commissioners decided that such as were incurably insane might be properly cared for in a house the commissioners could fit up, separate from the main establishment. One of the buildings that was on the Snell farm was fitted up for the purpose, and the unfortunate ones were confined in it and cared for by a humane superintendent, equally as well as at the Concord establishment, and at much less expense. As the years went by the number of paupers of this kind increased; the asylum had to be enlarged, but there never was any complaint that it was badly managed, or that the inmates received improper or cruel treatment. All went along well, Mr. and Mrs. Caswell in charge of the main establishment and an efficient assistant under him in charge of the insane asylum.

All moved along smoothly and satisfactorily under Mr. Caswell's man- agement, who was superintendent from 1867 to 1880, when he died. His successor was William T. Wentworth, who was a good manager and held the office seven years, 1880-1887. Following him Josiah G. Stiles held the office three years, 1887-1890. His successor was Charles E. Demeritt, who was superintendent three years, 1890-1893. The present superintendent, Edward A. Willand, came into office April 1, 1893, and held the office ten years; the following six years were filled by R. M. Handy; since then Mr. Willand has held the office to date, and his term does not expire until 1914. He is a very efficient and popular manager.

All moved along smoothly until the third year of Superintendent Demer- itt's term. His assistant manager was William P. Driscoll, who had special care of the insane asylum, he and his wife residing in one apartment of that building. For some reason not explained a very bad feeling had arisen between them before the winter of 1893. Demeritt gave up all control of the

HISTORY OF STRAFFORD COUNTY

insane and the management of the asylum to Driscoll. The result of these disagreements was disastrous.

On the night of March 9, 1893. a most calamitous event occurred. The insane asylum was burned to ashes, and forty-one of the forty-four inmates were cremated. It was the most awful sight witnessed in Dover since burn- ing of Maj. Richard Walderne's garrison two centuries before when the Indians cremated him and a number of other Dover citizens. Soon after the fire the State Board of Health visited the county farm and made a thorough investigation. The board consisted of the following gentlemen: John B. Smith, E. G. Eastman, James A. Weston, G. P. Cann, John J. Berry and Irving A. Watson. March 8, 1893, they made a report to the General Court. They took the evidence of everyone who was cognizant of the facts in the case.

They said the asylum was a two-story building, with two-story L with attic, first floor occupied by the keeper (Mr. Driscoll) and his family and seventeen inmates, second floor by nineteen inmates, attic by eight inmates. There were fifty-six cells or apartments in all, twenty-one apartments or cells on the first floor, twenty-three on second and twelve in attic. The asylum was erected twenty-one years ago, repaired and enlarged wholly of wooden materials, floorings, partitions, sheathings and furnishings to all the cells of pine lumber, flooring and sheathing so dried and shrunken in portions of the building as to enable persons to see each other between the floors and cells: heated throughout by steam from boiler, pipe hung over head. Its location was seventy feet west from the almshouse, and four miles from Dover (city hall) and about six miles from Somersworth and Rochester. The outdoor en- closure for the use of the inmates was surrounded by a wooden fence about ten or twelve feet high; windows to asylum barred by four or more bars; also some of the windows had heavy wire screening on the inside. The build- ing had four doors, one in main building, one in cell, one leading into the outdoor enclosure for women, and one leading into a like enclosure for men. The building was supplied with 200 feet of rubber hose. 100 feet of which was kept coupled onto pipe leading to tank in attic of almshouse ; capacity of tank 20,000 or more gallons, that was always kept well filled by supply from pumping station. Another 100 feet of hose hung on reel near standpipe: also supplied with four water pails on first and four on second floor, which were always kept full of water.

At the time of the fire and for several months previous, the management and control of the asylum was in the hands of the keeper, William P. Dris- coll, with the exception that he had nothing to do with the food and clothing of the inmates, the same being supplied from the county almshouse under the direction of Charles E. Demeritt, the superintendent. Mr. Driscoll was assisted at the asylum by his wife, who was matron of the institution. There

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were no other employees, the entire care of the forty-four inmates devolving upon Mr. and Mrs. Driscoll. Formerly Mr. Demeritt had entire charge of the almshouse and the asylum, but, owing to a personal difficulty which arose between himself and Mr. Driscoll, the county commissioners (Devight E. Edgerly of Farmington, Frank P. Reeve of Somersworth and Winthrop S. Meserve of Durham) divided the authority by giving Mr. Driscoll full con- trol of the asylum, and thereby relieving Mr. Demeritt of that especial duty.

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History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 4

Author: Scales, John, 1835-1928 Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Number of Pages: 988

Author: Scales, John, 1835-1928
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold
Number of Pages: 988