USA > New Hampshire > Strafford County > History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and representative citizens > Part 41
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Rev. Arthur Caverno, born April 6, 1801, was a brother of Judge Sullivan Caverno, above mentioned. He received a good academic education but was not a college graduate; his father could not afford to send two boys to Dart- mouth. He taught school a while after he finished attending academies at Gilmanton and Newfields. When he was seventeen years old he became con- verted to the Free Will Baptist faith and was baptized by Elder Enoch Place. October 18, 1822. When he was twenty-one years old he was licensed to preach by the New Durham Quarterly Meeting. He was ordained to the ministry in the following year on the 17th of June in an oak grove on his father's homestead by a council consisting of Revs. Samuel B. Dyer, Moses Bean, David Harriman, Enoch Place and William Buzzell. His first pastorate was in Epsom, where he was stationed until 1827. During this time he preached occasionally in Nottingham and Raymond. One of his converts was Daniel Plumer Cilley, who later became an eminent Free Will Baptist preacher. His second pastorate was at Contoocook, where he was a success- ful and satisfactory minister five years. He then settled at Great Falls in Somersworth where he was minister of the church for three years up to 1836. From 1836 to 1838 he was financial agent for Strafford Academy, which had recently been organized. In the following years up to his death in Dover, July 15, 1876, he continued active in the ministry ; the Sunday before his death he preached at the Free Will Baptist Church in Alton. Following are some of the places he was pastor : Lowell, Mass .; Bangor, Me .; Portsmouth. Concord, Beddeford, Me .; and Dover, where he spent the years after he was three score and ten. He was a preacher fifty-six years and an ordained minister fifty-three years. He preached 6,000 sermons, baptized 480 persons, married 320 couples, and attended 500 funerals. He was the first Free Will Baptist minister who received a stipulated salary. He was a frequent con- tributor to the Morning Star, the denominational paper published at Dover
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many years. Elder Caverno was in a twofold sense one of the fathers of the denomination, being more than a half century in its ministry, and he exerted a controlling influence at its formative period. He possessed a voice of more than ordinary sweetness and power. He was affable and courteous in manner, social in disposition, and a general favorite with all the families where he was known.
Rev. Dr. Charles Caverno is a nephew of Judge Sullivan and Elder Arthur Caverno, and a son of Jeremiah and Dorothy Ringman ( Balch) Caverno, who lived on the old Caverno homestead on the Canaan road, southeast of Bow Pond village, where he was born Aug. 19, 1832; graduated from Dart- mouth College in 1854; principal of Thelford, Vt., Academy, 1854-5; read law at Albany Law School and with his uncle, Judge Sullivan Caverno, at Lockport, N. Y. He was admitted to the bar in 1857 and practiced his pro- fession at Milwaukee, Wis., five years, leaving there in 1862. Then followed farming two years to recover his health. Having recovered, he turned his attention to the ministry and was ordained as a Congregationalist at Lake Mills, Wis., Dec. 4. 1866, and was pastor of the Congregational Church there five years ; next three years at Amboy, Ill. ; then four years at Lombard, Ill. ; during the ten years from 1888 to 1898 he was minister of the Congrega- tional Church at Boulder, Colo. His health did not permit him to continue longer in charge of a parish and he has since lived in retirement at Lombard, Ill., but has preached and lectured from time to time and written much for publication. Doctor Caverno is an accomplished scholar, an interesting speaker and one of the best of men. He has been successful as a lawyer and a minister.
Robert Boodey Caverly, Esq., was one of Strafford's most distinguished sons who won fame outside of the town. He was a son of Lieut. John Caverly and his wife, Betsey Boodey, daughter of Elder Joseph Boodey of North Straf- ford, one of the first Free Will Baptist ministers. Robert was born July 19, 1806, at the Caverly homestead on Caverly Hill, one mile south of Bow lake village. The house in which he was born in is yet standing and was built by his grandfather, Moses Caverly, in 1777. The late Jolin Huckins, one of the noted men of the town, in the middle and closing years of the last century lived directly across the road from the Caverly homestead. Robert's great grandfather Moses Caverly was one of the first settlers in Barrington. His wife was Margaret Cotton, of Portsmouth. The farm which he settled on is at what is known as the "Old French Mill," on a branch of the Isinglass river which flows from Lone Pond, which is close to line, between Barrington and Strafford, on the road to Strafford Ridge. The original house built by Moses yet stands there, being used for storage of wood and other purposes.
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Robert Boodey Caverly received an academic education and commenced work, off the farm, as school-master at Great Falls, Somersworth, where he met with good success. He next studied law with John A. Burlugh, Esq., and finished his studies at the Harvard University law school from which he was graduated. He commenced practice in Limerick, Me., and resided there six years in successful practice. He removed from there to Lowell, Mass., where he resided and practiced his profession with great success many years. During that time he not only practiced law and won great cases and great fame in the courts, but he also became the author of many literary and poetical pro- ductions which received commendations from distinguished persons. Among his publications are : Annals of the Caverly Family; Lessons of Law and Life; Indian Wars of New England; Battle of the Bush, comprising five dramas, each being an historic legend of some distinguished character as found in New England history. He published poems from time to time between 1862 and 1880, which have received favorable comment. In 1874 he led off in the building of the Dustin monument on the island at the mouth of the Contoocook river where it empties into the Merrimack, on which island Hannah Emerson Dustin performed the heroic deed which enabled her to return to her home in Haverhill, and make a spectacular page in history.
Rev. John Caverly, an elder brother of Robert Boodey Caverly, was a Free Will Baptist minister, who served as pastor of the church at Bow Pond thirty years. He was born in 1789 and died in 1853. He was trustee of Straf- ford Academy nearly twenty years. He was a good farmer as well as min- ister and for many years had charge of the Cocheco Manufacturing Com- pany's property at Bow Pond.
Strafford was the native place of six other men who became ministers. Nathaniel Berry, Free Will Baptist, born in 1816; died in 1865. Andrew F. Foss, born in 1803; died in 1854. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1827. Tobias Foss, Free Will Baptist, born in 1813; died in 1893. George Thomas Griffin, Free Will Baptist, born 1856; licensed to preach in 1888. Joseph Hayes, Methodist Episcopal, born in 1817; ordained in 1842; remained in service up to 1890.
Rev. Levi Bussell Tasker, Free Will Baptist, deserves more than a passing notice. He was a son of Elisha and Mary (Buzzell) Tasker and was born in Strafford, March 21, 1814. He was given a good education in the common schools and Strafford Academy. His father gave him the trade of tanner, currier and shoemaker, in which business he was busily engaged until he was thirty years old, but during the time he was active in Sunday School work and was superintendent in the Sunday School. He was a good boy, a good tanner and an expert shoemaker. While a student in Strafford Academy
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he sent out the first call for a county temperance society, about 1836, and was active in its organization, and he remained a worker for temperance to the end of life. Previous to being ordained to the ministry he was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church at Northwood, where he was then at work. The Rockingham Quarterly Meeting, to which the church belonged, passed some very radical anti-slavery resolutions which the Northwood Church opposed; whereupon that church withdrew from the Rockingham Q. M .; Mr. Tasker vigorously supported the action of the Q. M. and as vigorously opposed the church, withdrew from it; whereupon he was dropped from the rolls of the church, but he was afterwards restored, although he still remained a strong anti-slavery advocate, and lived to see his views triumphant.
Elder Tasker was licensed to preach by the New Dunham Quarterly Meet- ing, at Canterbury, May 28, 1845, and itincrated for three years, which gave him a training, in connection with the study he kept up, a theological course equal to that obtained in the regular theological schools. He was ordained to the ministry at Strafford, January 13, 1848; he had his first regular pas- torate with the Second Church at Barrington. He became minister of the Free Will Baptist Church at Sandwich, June 29, 1848, and remained there six years, meeting with marked success in building up the church. In Septem- ber, 1854, he became pastor of the Free Will Baptist Church at New Market, where he remained a year and a half and was then recalled to Sandwich where he ministered another three years. Following that he was at Bow Pond four years and resuscitated the church there, bringing it up to the highest standard it ever attained. In 1884 the church at Sandwich again called him to be their pastor, and he remained there until his death. August 29, 1875. The fact that he was twice recalled to Sandwich shows that he was a man of superior ability.
Elder Tasker was clerk of the Sandwich Quarterly Meeting and of the New Hampshire Yearly Meeting many years and was one of the most efficient business managers in those organizations. He was corporator of the Morning Star Printing Establishment seven years and a member of the executive board. He was a member of the "Home Missionary Society" and its executive board for twenty years; also of the "Education Society." In one of his "vacations" he visited South Carolina and labored for a month or two among the recently freed negroes and saw just what were the conditions to be combatted and overcome. He was an excellent preacher, a good pastor, a wise counsellor and a worthy citizen. His wife was Hannah P. Caswell, daughter of William and Betsey (Tasker) Caswell of Northwood; they had a daughter and two sons.
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Deacon Alfred Tasker, a younger brother of Elder Tasker, was born in Strafford, March 9, 1817, and always resided there, one of its honored and most highly esteemed citizens; he died there Nov. 11, 1886. These brothers were of the seventh generation from William Tasker, who settled in Dover before 1675; also from Richard Pinkham, who was signer of the Dover Com- bination of 1640, and of Richard Otis, who came to Dover about 1650, and was killed by the Indians, June 28, 1689, when the great massacre occurred at Cochecho in Dover, and his garrison was burned. Mr. Otis's daughter, Rose, ancestor of the Taskers, was carried away prisoner by the Indians, but was redeemed and brought back to Dover.
Deacon Tasker obtained a good education from the common schools of his native town, Strafford Academy and Berwich Academy. He was an excellent penman ; some of the composition that he wrote when attending the academies are still preserved and show marked ability as a student. He had a gift for music and an excellent bass voice, so at an early age he learned to sing in the church choir. For a number of years he was a teacher in winter schools in Strafford and towns nearby, in which work he was popular and successful. After he had exhausted the resources of the local instructors in music he went to Boston and received special instruction in church music under the direction of Lowell Mason, the most distinguished teacher as well as com- poser of that period. That was in 1846; returning to his home in Strafford he commenced teaching music, and during every winter for a score of years following he had evening schools in several towns, in which he gave instruc- tion in church music to large classes. These schools were very popular among the young people, as well as the older ones. The result was that he trained up a class of singers which has not since been equalled in those towns ; he furnished all the local churches with excellent choirs. He was not only a good singer and teacher but was also a skilful player of the violin, bugle and bass viol. He led the choir in the church at Center Strafford for more than forty years. He was senior deacon of the church there for many years.
He was town clerk and treasurer for several terms. He was one of the enumerators of the census in 1880, for Strafford, and performed the duties faithfully and accurately, but incurred a brain difficulty which troubled him more or less each year after that, and during his last two years the disease gained upon him, and of which he finally died. During his whole life, from early manhood, he took a deep interest in religious matters, being one of the staunchist supporters of the church and a constant attendant at and took an active part in the prayer meetings and other gatherings which tended to support and upbuild the church and sound religious teaching. He always had family prayers at the close of the breakfast each morning as long as he
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kept house. He took a deep interest in educational matters and for many years was one of the trustees of the Academy there. He was also secretary and treasurer of the Strafford Mutual Fire Insurance Company for many years, managing the business with entire satisfaction to the company.
Deacon Tasker was married March 29, 1840, to Mary Margaret, daughter of Andrew Neal and Sally (Leighton) Hill of Strafford; they had four daughters, only one of whom is living, Mrs. John Scales of Dover. Mrs. Tasker descended from a noted ancestry. Her grandfather Andrew Hill, who married Judith Gerrish in 1765, was one of the first settlers in Straf- ford "above" Blue Hill, going there soon after he was married. All their children were born there. Andrew was third in descent from John Hill of Dover who settled in that town about 1650. His wife, Judith Gerrish, was granddaughter of William Gerrish and Elizabeth Mayo, his wife; William was a son of Col. Moses and grandson of Col. William Gerrish of Newbury, all eminent men in Colonial history. Mrs. Tasker's mother was a daughter of Andrew Leighton, Esq., who lived a near neighbor to the Hill family in Strafford, and granddaughter of Gideon Leighton, one of the first settlers in Strafford, and who was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. Gideon was a great grandson of Thomas Leighton, an early settler in Dover and one of the leading citizens for a half century, following 1633. Mrs. Tasker was a finely educated woman, an excellent singer, a leader in church work and a staunch supporter of her husband in all his work. Her mother was a woman of remarkable talent in speaking; the ministers who heard her speak in church meetings said she could deliver a better sermon than any of the men. That was long before it was found out that women could speak in public.
Hon. Daniel Winkley was born in what is now Strafford, May 26, 1792; he lived to be four score and twelve years old and was active physically and mentally to the end of life. He was a son of Deacon John Winkley and his wife, Mary Swain, daughter of Richard Swain of "Beauty Hill," Barring- ton. Deacon Winkley, who was born in 1766, was a son of Samuel Winkley, and grandson of Francis Winkley of Portsmouth, who was an early settler there. Samuel was one of the first settlers in Barrington, having his farm in the Two-Mile-Streak.
Daniel Winkley was educated in the public schools of Barrington and at Phillips-Exeter Academy. After graduation he taught school a while, then took up farming as his life work, but was frequently called on to serve his fellow citizens in other ways. He became an expert as a surveyor and especially in retracing old lines, being called on to do this sort of work after he was past the four score period in life's journey. He married Sarah Otis, March 20, 1816; she was a daughter of Hon. Job Otis. Soon after mar-
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riage they settled in Oxford, N. H., where they resided about eight years. They then returned to Strafford and resided with his parents, and resided in this town from 1824 to 1857. During that time he served as Selectman four years, and as Representative in the Legislature two years. He was a Justice of the Peace and Quorum for sixty years, and transacted considerable business in that line.
In 1840 Mr. Winkley was nominated by the Whig party for State Senator ; the democratic party then had a majority of nearly five hundred votes, as recorded at the preceding election. The popularity of Mr. Winkley was shown by the fact that he reduced the majority against him to fifty votes. But Mr. Winkley was not specially given to politics, his name and fame should ever remain conspicuous in Strafford history in his work establishing Strafford Academy on The Ridge; it was largely through his influence that it was located there, and he was a tower of strength in its promotion, thus laying the founda- tion of which has been built the splendid institution of learning, the Austin- Cate Academy. If it had not been for Mr. Winkley's vigorous efforts there would have been no academy in the town since then. He was a trustee of the old academy a half century or more. From 1857 to 1866 Mr. Winkley resided in Malden, Mass. He then returned and resided on Strafford Ridge, near the church and the academy. He ever remained one of the town's honored. trusted and highly estecmed citizens.
Elder Enoch Place was born in Rochester, July 13, 1786; he obtained a good education and commenced teaching winter (district) schools when he was sixteen years old; he worked on the farm with his father during the rest of the year. He continued this mode of life until he was twenty-one years old. Being then converted he was baptized by the Rev. Micajali Otis at Crown Point, and in the summer of 1807 began preaching in Free Will Baptist meet- ings and continued in the work as minister for more than half a century. He was married Sept. 29, 1808, to Miss Sally Demeritt, daughter of Capt. Daniel Demeritt. He and his family resided on the ancestral Place farm in Rochester until 1824, in the spring of which year he removed to Strafford Ridge and this became his home until his death, March 23, 1865, in his seventy- ninth year. In his later years he was afflicted with heart disease, of which he died.
He became pastor of the church on the Ridge in 1824 and remained such nearly forty years, having assistants to some extent in his later years. He was not confined in his ministerial work entirely to that church; he gave valuable assistance to the Crown Point Church, and did a good deal of itinerant work among other Free Will Baptist churches throughout the range of the New Durham Quarterly Meeting, assisting as revivals were held from time
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to time. Elder Place had a splendid physique-tall, straight, full chested, well proportioned, with a fine head and pleasing countenance; his voice was magnificent ; for many years, in the prime of life, he was Chaplain on the Staff of the Brigadier Generals of southeastern New Hampshire, and officiated at the Brigade musters which were many times held on the grounds near the Col. Isaac Waldron residence in East Barrington. On such occasions, mounted on a splendid horse, finely caparisoned, at the proper time in the grand review, the Chaplain offered prayer; it is stated as a fact that on a clear day, in moderate autumn weather, his prayer, though he never shouted, could be heard a mile.
The late Rev. Arthur Caverno said that, at times when he had heard him preach at revivals, "As he began to warm up with his subject, his soul would swim as in a place of burial rivers and streams. There was then an unutter- able unction in his preaching. Everything moved that could be moved by the human voice."
He was one of the founders of Strafford Academy, and a progressive and firm friend of education, missions and Sunday schools. He was a trustee of the Morning Star Printing Establishment a number of years. For a long time he was clerk of the New Durham Q. M., and secretary of the New Hampshire Charitable Society many years, following its beginning. During his ministry he married more than five hundred couples, attended between twelve and thirteen hundred funerals.
Demeritt Place, eldest son of Elder Enoch Place, was for a great many years one of the most active and energetic business men of Strafford; he had his home on The Ridge, near his father's residence. He was born in 1812; he lived to be ninety-four years old; he was educated in the common schools and Strafford Academy; he was small of stature, a perfect contrast to his father; he was quick in all his movements, both manual and mental and possessed an untiring energy controlled by keen, sound business judgment ; quick of speech and sometimes rather brusk when he was very busy untangling some important business knot, but always kind, generous and cordial when at ease from work.
He began work in the poultry and produce business about 1835, collect- ing his material from citizens of Strafford and nearby towns. At first he ran his teams to Boston; later as the railroad from Boston to Dover was advanced year by year he met it at the terminals and then put up his horses and transferred his loads to the cars and went into the Boston markets and made sales ; when the rails were laid to Dover in 1843 he was one of the first men who put any freight aboard the train to go to Boston. Mr. Place never failed to have something to send each week, or twice a week, from that time
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until he was past eighty years of age. Vigorous and strong he traveled on the same train with his freight to Boston, sleeping soundly on a bunk in the car. He was the first man who carried huckleberries and blueberries to Boston markets for sale. The demand was small at first but grew to large propor- tions before he gave up business. As he was very neat and particular to have everything clean and attractive looking he always obtained the highest price the market afforded. It is beyond question that Mr. Place brought more ready cash to the citizens of Strafford than any other half dozen men, while he was in business. He had a good, but not large farm, which he kept in good condition and from which he raised good crops.
He was a trustee of the Academy many years; and chairman of the board several years under the new organization. He presided at the dedication of the new building for the Austin-Cate Academy in June, 1904, although past four score and ten years of age. A more useful man or better citizen Strafford never had.
Among the prominent families beside those mentioned are the following : Waldron, Huckins, Hall, Perkins, Parshley, Tuttle, Foss, Brock, Holmes, Buzzell, Smith, Swain, Twombly, Brown, Whitcher, Jones, Shackford, Walker, Evans, Critchett, Babb, Scott, Stiles, Sloper, Caswell, Cate and Pillsbury.
CHAPTER L
HISTORY OF NEW DURHAM (I)
ORIGIN OF THE NAME-ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS
New Durham was granted by the Masonian Proprietors, May 5, 1749, to Jonathan Chesley, Ebenezer Smith and other citizens of Durham; at first it was called Cochecho Township; later the proprietors named it New Durham, for their old town, as so many of their people went there to settle they pre- ferred the home name, and by that name it was incorporated by the Provincial Assembly, Dec. 7, 1762. The first move in the business was in 1748, as follows :
Province of New Hampshire
To the Honorable Purchasers and Proprietors of Mason's Right (so called ) -The Petition of Jonathan Chesley and Ebenezer Smith of Durham Gents Humbly Shews-That your Petitioners are appointed Agents for and on behalf of a Number of ye Freeholders and other Inhabitants of sd. Durham who are desirous of having a Certain Tract of Land granted them within sd. Mason's sd. Right and being convinced (upon ye best information we can get) that ye property is yours and consequently that you can give us a Title to what we desire. Therefore We Humbly pray that We and our Constituants may have ye Grant of a Township bounded bounding upon Rochestor's head Line and Barnstead upon Such Terms as Shall be most likely to promote your and our interest.
JONATHAN CHESLEY, EBENEZER SMITH,
In 1749 the following was presented to the Masonian Proprietors and shows who were the grantees and proprietors of the proposed new town :
Province of New Hampshire: To the Hon. Theodore Atkinson, Esq., and other Gentlemen Purchasers and Proprietors of John Tufton Mason, Esq., his Right in Land in sd. Province a List of the Subscribers to the Petition for a Tract of land above Rochester, to the above said Proprietors, preferred by the hands of Capt. Jonathan Chesley and Mr. Ebenezer Smith, viz. :
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