USA > New Hampshire > Carroll County > Wolfeborough > History of Wolfeborough (New Hampshire) > Part 19
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About 1796 Samuel, William, and Benjamin Nudd came here from Greenland and settled in the north part of the town. George Nudd's daughter Mary was a graduate of State Normal School,
1
240
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
Salem, Mass .; was class poet. In 1863 she wrote a poem for the "Triennial Convention of the Alumni." In 1872 she married Thomas Robinson, a professor in Howard University, Washing- ton, D. C.
John Shorey came to Wolfeborough in 1796. He purchased one of "the fifty-acre lots" on Pine Hill, granted by Paul March to the first six settlers on the main road, each of whom was en- titled to one hundred and fifty acres. This was sold to Shorey by Abigail, widow of Thomas Piper. John Shorey was a Revolu- tionary soldier. His son Joseph made the watering-trough which has been by the roadside a hundred years. One son, Lyford, died at the age of ninety-five.
Josiah Willey came from Dover. At the age of eighteen he enlisted in the Revolutionary army. Of his children Valentine was a farmer and mill man. He was clerk and deacon of the Second Christian Church. His son, Valentine B. Willey, suc- ceeded him in business.
In 1700 James, William, John, and Joseph Cate came from England to Portsmouth, and settled in that and neighboring towns. Neal Cate, grandson of James, settled in Brookfield in about 1790, on a farm adjoining Wolfeborough. He had ten children. Daniel, his eldest son, located on a farm in this town in 1821. He married a daughter of Nathaniel Willey. Mr. Wil- ley lived to the age of ninety-five, and his wife to the age of ninety- four ; they had been married seventy-five years. Mr. Cate and his wife had been married sixty years. At the time of their death Mr. Cate was eighty-eight years old, Mrs. Cate eighty-one. They had eight children. Moses T. and John G. have been traders and manufacturers. Two sons of Moses T. have received a col- legiate education. One has entered the ininistry ; the other, E. E. Cate, has practiced law. James Cate received a lot of land from his father, on which Charles J. Cate now lives.
Tobias Banfield came from Portsmouth about 1812 and pur- chased the farm since known as the Banfield farm. He had eight
₹
GREENLEAF B. CLARK
241
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
children. Of his children, Joseph became a clergyman; his son Everett C. became a lawyer, and after several years' residence in Washington, D. C., where he held an important government of- fice, returned to Wolfeborough; Joshua was for many years a merchant in Dover; Nathaniel served as selectman; he was the father of A. W. Banfield, a merchant in Boston for a long time. The family is now represented in Wolfeborough by Ira Ban- field, son of Tobias. He has been a member of the legislature and treasurer of the Wolfeborough Savings Bank.
Abel Haley, at the age of two years, removed with his parents from Rochester to Tuftonborough in 1810, where he eventually became a leading citizen, holding the various offices that his townsmen could bestow upon him. At the establishment of the Lake Bank, he removed to Wolfeborough and was its cashier. His son, Abel S., has a successful business in Faneuil Hall mar- ket, Boston; Levi T., another son, resides in Wolfeborough, and has been engaged in various kinds of business. He has been a senator, and was sheriff of Carroll County when the Brookfield murderer, Joseph W. Buzzell, was executed.
Joseph Clark came from Greenland in 1817 and passed the re- mainder of his life here. He was a cabinet-maker. Of his fam- ily of eight children, two resided in town, Mary (Mrs. Samuel Avery), and Enoch, who followed the avocation of his father. Enoch had ten children ; his son, Greenlief B., occupies the home- stead. He has had an active hand in the establishment of manu- facturing interests in Wolfeboro and is a large farmer and real estate owner.
CHAPTER XVIII.
INVENTORY OF 1788-A GOOD GROWTH INDICATED-ANNUAL TOWN OF 1788-ACTION LOOKING TOWARD THE BUILDING OF A MEETING-HOUSE.
IN this chapter will be given in substance an inventory of Wolfe- -
borough for the year 1788, five years after the close of the war, when the town had begun to recuperate a little. This, com- bined with some knowledge obtained from other sources and con- sistent conjecture, gives quite a clear view of the pecuniary con- dition of the town and its ability to accomplish certain public measures which its inhabitants were contemplating; viz., the building of a meeting-house and the settling of a minister.
Col. Henry Rust was assessed for forty-five acres of improved and five hundred and fifty-five of unimproved, or wild land, show- ing that he had as yet made no division of his six hundred acre lot, although the sons, Henry and Richard, had families, and owned neat stock, including working cattle. The presumption is that they had been permitted to occupy and cultivate portions of the Rust lot, to which the Colonel still claimed ownership. The father and two sons possessed seven cows, eight oxen, one horse, and seven young cattle.
James Connor had twenty-four acres of improved and upwards of two hundred of wild land. This included the ridge on which are situated the Jerome and Tetherly farms. He afterwards came into possession of the lot which has since been known as the Ban- field farm. He had two cows, two oxen, one horse, and ten young cattle. It is evident that he had converted the money which he had brought into the town into land and stock.
The lots of Jacob Smith, William Lucas, and James Lucas, Jr., were situated on the main road, south of the corner where
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243
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
the mill road joins it. Combined, they possessed six acres of tillage, twenty-two of mowing, twelve of pasturing, and three hun- dred and sixty of wild land. They had three cows, two horses, and eleven young cattle.
The estate of Benjamin Evans, deceased, had two acres of tillage, sixteen of mowing, sixteen of pasturing, and eighty-six of wild land. On the farm were two cows, one horse, and nine young cattle.
Moses Varney had four acres of improved and two hundred and eight of wild land, two cows, one horse, and two young cattle. Mr. Varney at first purchased the Sewall lot of twelve acres heretofore noticed. He subsequently obtained possession of two hundred acres of wild land. This was probably situated east of the main road, opposite the Lucas and Tibbetts farms. At this time his son Joseph was seventeen years old. Soon after reaching his majority he was in possession of eighty acres of land that con- stituted a part of his home farm. It is quite probable that this land was a part of his father's purchase, and that another portion eventually became the Bassett farm, since the relations between the Bassetts and Varneys were very close.
Matthew S. Parker was assessed for five acres of mowing, two of pasturing, and three hundred of wild land, also the "Mills," where, having previously sold his "Neck" farm to Joseph Ed- monds, he had removed. It will be observed that he had no tillage and only a few acres of grass-land. This possibly might have been situated near the "Carrying Place." An incident, preserved in writing, indicates that he cleared the meadow there, and it is not altogether improbable that he might have reserved it when the "Neck" farm was sold. The wild land, from which he had already sold two hundred acres to Jonathan Dame, of Rochester, and the lot for the burying-yard, was no doubt obtained of George Meserve. The "Mills" were no doubt still the property of Sewall & Cutter, Parker being assessed as the occupant of the premises.
Lieut. Ebenezer Horne and his sons reported a few acres in-
.
244
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
crease on the area of their land when purchased of John Flagg. This was probably the result of more accurate measurement. They reported four acres of tillage, forty of mowing, sixty of pasturing ; and four hundred and sixty of wild land, eight cows, two oxen, and three horses.
Andrew Wiggin had two acres of tillage, ten of mowing, six of pasturing, and one hundred and thirty-two of wild land, one cow, two oxen, and five young cattle.
John Fullerton had one acre of tillage, six of mowing, six of pasturing, and eighty-seven of wild land, two cows, one horse, and two young cattle. The inventories of his brother, James Fuller- ton, and Jeremiah Gould, his neighbors, were quite similar, both in the amount of land and the value of stock.
Benjamin Blake had three acres of tillage, eleven of mowing, ten of pasturing, and eighty of wild land, two cows, one horse, and six young cattle.
Jonathan Chase then occupied the lot which was soon after sold to Jacob Folsom. He had one acre of tillage, five of mowing, two of pasturing, and seventy-four of wild land.
Ebenezer Meader had two acres of tillage, ten of mowing, eight of pasturing, and eighty-one of wild land, two cows, and two oxen. Enoch Thomas had an inventory of about the same value.
Joseph Lary had two acres of tillage, twelve of mowing, twelve of pasturing, and nearly two hundred of wild land. It is evident that his original settler's lot, which, according to tradition, was oc- cupied by John Sinkler for a time, had again come into his pos- session, as subsequently he deeded it to Daniel Wiggin. He had one cow, one horse, and two young cattle. His son, Joseph Lary, Jr., had eighty-four acres of wild land, one cow, and three young cattle.
Samuel Tibbetts had two acres of tillage, nine of mowing, three of pasturing, and two hundred and forty of wild land, one cow, two oxen, and four young cattle.
William Rogers had two acres of tillage, ten of mowing, six of
245
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
pasturing, and eighty of wild land, four cows, four oxen, one horse, and one two-year-old. It will be observed that he had more than the usual proportion of oxen. From this it may be in- ferred that he was interested in the lumber business at the "Mills." His father, Charles Rogers, was the owner of a saw-mill at Merry Meeting, and his son, Nathaniel, very soon after reaching man- hood, was a manufacturer of lumber at the "Mills." The three generations having similar inclinations and opportunities, would very likely follow similar pursuits.
Reuben Libbey had two acres of tillage, twenty of mowing, sixteen of pasturing, and five hundred of wild land, three cows, two horses, and ten young cattle, indicating a high degree of thrifti- ness at that time, the result of industry and close attention to his private concerns. In subsequent years he was much engaged in public affairs. He sold his retired "Neck" farm, and became quite active in business matters. The change did not promote his per- sonal interests.
Joseph Edmonds had three acres of tillage, twenty of mowing, twenty of pasturing, and four hundred of wild land, three cows, four oxen, one horse, and one two-year-old. This was the Wolfe- borough Neck lot which he had recently purchased of Matthew S. Parker. He was a man of means when he came to the town.
Jonathan Hersey had two acres of tillage, ten of mowing, eight of pasturing, and eighty of wild land, two cows, two oxen, one horse, and five young cattle. He occupied his settler's lot.
Thomas Piper had one acre of tillage, one of mowing, four of pasturing, and five hundred and twenty-four of wild land, also one cow. He was living on the fifty acre lot which is now the farm of Mrs. B. F. Mason. The most of the land for which he was assessed was probably simply bargained for. His son John occupied another fifty acre lot, and had two domestic animals. His son David had purchased fifty acres of land from the Pierce › Great Lot, and had one acre in tillage and two in mowing, and one cow.
246
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
Oliver Peavey had eight acres in mowing and two in wild land. The mowing was probably natural meadow. His lot was the present farm of George E. Mason.
John Lucas had one acre of tillage, one of mowing, and forty- eight of wild land, one cow, and two young cattle. His farm was the one now occupied by Henry J. Coleman.
William Fullerton had one acre of tillage, four of mowing, two of pasturing, and forty-three of wild land, one cow, and four young cattle. He occupied the most northwesterly of the fifty acre lots, adjoining Tuftonborough.
Lemuel Clifford had one acre of tillage, four of mowing, and forty-eight of wild land, one cow, and one yearling. His farm was the one lately occupied by Nathan Shackley.
Josiah Leavitt had nine hundred acres of wild land and two yearlings. He probably came from Stratham, and was at this time living on Wolfeborough Neck. Where were located the nine hundred acres of wild land for which he was assessed, is not now known. It probably consisted of portions of proprietors' lots. There was at this period prevailing in Wolfeborough quite a mania for speculating in lands, persons bargaining for lots and holding them for an advance in price before paying for them. Mr. Leavitt did not remain in Wolfeborough a long time, but re- moved to Tuftonborough, residing at one period on what has since been known as the George Fox farm. Nov. 6, 1796, his daugh- ter Polly was married to Ichabod Libbey, by Rev. Mr. Allen, and was the mother of Josiah Leavitt Libbey, the father of Mrs. Otis Evans.
John Furbur had his farm out of the Thomas Wentworth lot. He had two acres of tillage, ten of mowing, twelve of pasturing, and one hundred of wild land, five cows, two oxen, and one yearling.
Joseph Leavitt had one acre of tillage, ten of mowing, twelve of pasturing, and seventy-seven of wild land, two cows, one horse, - and four young cattle.
247
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
On the Cabbott-Wentworth Farm were ten acres of tillage, one hundred and twenty acres of mowing, one hundred and thirty acres of pasturing, and two thousand six hundred and fifty acres of wild land, twenty-two cows, ten oxen two horses, and forty- two young cattle.
Colonel William Cotton had two acres of tillage, sixteen of mowing, twelve of pasturing, and one hundred and fifty of wild land, three cows, two oxen, and six young cattle.
Samuel Hide had four acres of mowing, ten of pasturing, and eighty-eight of wild land, two cows, one horse, and one two-year- old.
Aaron Frost had two and a half acres of tillage, five of mow- ing, eight of pasturing, and eighty-four of wild land, two cows, two oxen, one horse, and one two-year-old.
Joshua Haines had two acres of tillage, twelve of mowing, eight of pasturing, and one hundred and twenty of wild land, one cow, cne horse, and three young cattle. His son Jacob had fifty acres of wild land, two cows, and two young cattle, and his son Joseph, fifty acres of wild land, one cow, and two young cattle.
Perry Hardy, located in the Lords' Quarter, had one and a half acres of tillage, five of mowing, and forty-four of wild land, two cows, two oxen, and one horse.
Joseph Keniston had one acre of tillage, five of mowing, four of pasturing, and forty of wild land, one cow, and two young cattle.
John Swazey, on the north side of the town, had one acre of tillage, eight of mowing, four of pasturing, and eighty-four of wild land, two cows, two oxen, and one horse.
Samuel Tibbetts, Jr. had one hundred acres of wild land, two cows, two oxen. John Shorey had two cows, one horse, and two young cattle. John Warren, George Warren, and James Marden had each fifty acres of wild land, and Marden had a cow.
John Martin was assessed for three and a half acres of tillage, twenty of mowing, forty of pasturing, and thirty-seven of wild
248
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
land, six cows, two oxen, one horse, and five young cattle on the east side of the town. He was also assessed for one hundred acres on the west side, which he intended for his son Isaac. It was the Banfield place already referred to. Young Martin de- cided not to occupy it on account of its heavy growth.
William Triggs had one acre of tillage, six of mowing, four of pasturing, and sixty-seven of wild land, two cows, two oxen, one horse, and one three-year-old.
The names of the persons assessed not already mentioned were William Rust, Jesse Whitton, Chase Wiggin, Paul Blazo, Eben Horne, Jr., Stephen Horne, Isaiah Horne, John Horne, Ben- jamin Horne, Benjamin Wiggin, James Wiggin, Paul Wiggin, Levi Tebbetts, Nehemiah Lucas, Eben Tebbetts, Jonathan Ed- monds, John Lary, Deering Stoddard, Nathaniel Brown, William Cotton, Jr., John P. Cotton, Edmund Tebbetts, Thomas Cotton, John Cotton, Joseph Cotton. These were mostly young men, with little or no inventory.
The sum of the inventory was eighty-four polls, eighty-two acres of tillage, five hundred and fourteen of mowing, and five hundred and thirty-two of pasturing land, one hundred and twenty-nine cows, sixty-seven oxen, thirty-four horses, and one hundred and ninety-two young cattle. At first it may seem strange that while the town had less than one hundred acres in tillage, it had more than one thousand in grass. It is, however, to be considered that it possessed considerable tracts of natural grass, and that forests were more easily converted into grass-lands by burning than into tillage by ploughing.
Notwithstanding the poverty of the inhabitants of the town and the pressure of corporate and individual debts, the auguries of the inventory were encouraging, indicating speedy and permanent prosperity. Almost the entire population consisted of the earlier settlers and their descendants, there being less than a dozen per- sons who paid a poll tax only. Nearly every young man was as-
249
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
sessed for a few acres of unimproved land or one or more young cattle. Such careful forethought assured ultimate success.
Comparing the foregoing inventory with that of 1782, an in- crease of twenty-six polls, three hundred and ninety acres of im- proved land, twenty-nine cows, seven oxen, two horses, and one hundred and seventeen young cattle is shown. The difference in the increase of the several items is quite suggestive. That of the number of polls and acres of improved land may be regarded as normal ; that of the number of oxen indicates that they were not yet much used in agricultural pursuits, the axe still taking precedence of the plow. The small change in the number of horses, an increase of only two, shows that they were accounted of comparatively little practical value, not being worked or much used except for horse-back riding on short journeys. There might have been a few raised on the Wentworth Farm, but with that exception, probably not a colt was foaled in the town of Wolfeborough during the first twenty years of its corporate exist- ence. The marked increase of young cattle indicates that the breeding of neat stock was the leading industry. It continued to be such until near the close of the eighteenth century, when other domestic animals began to receive greater attention from the farmer. For a few years such was the interest in raising cattle and such the necessity of promoting their increase, that veal, al- though not legally, was prudentially interdicted as an article of food.
According to the foregoing inventory there were in Wolfe- borough eleven hundred and twenty-eight acres of improved and ten thousand three hundred and sixty-seven of wild land owned by residents of Wolfeborough.
Here follows a list of the non-residents' wild land, arranged according to location :-
250
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
In the Masonian Proprietors' Division.
Amount of Land
2
M. H. Wentworth
200 acres
3
Richard Wibird
300
5
Mason & Tomlinson
300
7
John Rindge
300
66
8
Blanchard & Meserve
300
IO
Theodore Atkinson
300
12
George Jaffrey
300
13
Solley & March
200
66
14
John Moffatt
300
I6
Jotham Odiorne
300
17 John Wentworth
300
Total 3100
In Wolfeborough Addition.
Lots
Owners
Amount of Land
I
Jonathan Warner
400 acres
66
2 James Stoodley
400
3
Hall Jackson
400
66
4 George Meserve
200
4
Richard Tucker
100
5
Stephen Batson
500
66
Total
2000 66
Lots
Owners
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
25I
In Wolfeborough Town Proprietors' Division.
Lots
Owners
Amount of Land
George Meserve
342 acres
9 IO 21 8
George Meserve
448
George Meserve
350
Daniel Rindge
448
II
Doct. Brackett
100
12
Thomas Wentworth
400
I3
Capt. George King
430
I6
David Sewall
188
I7
William Torrey
327
66
19 Nathaniel P. Sargent
460
66
19
David Copp
255
Total 3748
Sum of totals of non-residents' wild land
8848
Resident proprietors' wild land
10367
Total of wild land
19215
66
Improved land
II28 66
Acres of land inventoried
20343
Here is inserted a copy of the doings of the annual town meet- ing as taken by the clerk for the record book without revision. It is interesting, as showing the manner of doing town business a hundred years ago. It also treats of some matters relating to the meeting-house, which will be the subject of the next chapter. It is the last annual town-meeting that the efficient town officer, Matthew S. Parker, ever attended, he dying before the close of the year.
"Minutes taken at the Annual Town Meeting held at William Rogers in the Town Wolfboro' March the 29 1788
252
HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
I Voted Joshua Haines Moderator
2 Voted Ebenezer Meder James Lucas Jr Select Men Matthew S. Parker
3 Voted Matthew S. Parker Town Clerk
4 Voted Thomas Piper Constable
5 Voted Isaiah Horne Andrew Wiggin Richard Rust John Sweasey & Col. William Cotton High Ways
Surveyors of
6 Voted William Fullerton & Col. William Cotton Tything Men
7 Voted that the Surveyors of the High Ways be Fence Viewers
S Voted John Horne John Lucas Aaron Frost Hog Reeves
9 Voted Moses Varney Culler of Lumber
IO Voted Ebenezer Meder Sealer Weight & Measures
II Voted Samuel Tibbitts Pound & Deer Keeper
12 Voted Joseph Edmund Sealer of Leather
13 Voted Isaiah Horne & Col. Cotton Auditors
14 The Collectors office being Set up to Vendue for the lowest Bidder, The same being done it was accordingly struck off to John Horne at two & an half Per Cent
15 Voted That the Sum of Sixty pounds be raised & laid out on the High Ways agreeable to the Warrants from Select Men
16 Voted That the Respective Surveyors be & are hereby im- powered at any Time in the Winter Season, when ever the high ways are rendered very difficult or impassable for Teams, by Blocking Snows to Call upon the Severall Persons Be- longing to their respective Districts for Assistance of Men & Oxen to Break open & make the same passable for Teams, & in Case any Person or Persons refuse to turn out himself & Oxen that they be & hereby are made liable to a fine of Six shillings for himself & Six shillings for each Yoke of Cattle of his Customary working Cattle, the same to be taken by the Surveyors from each Person so refusing by Destraint as in Collecting other Taxes
17 It was put to Vote whether the Pews in the Meeting House
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HISTORY OF WOLFEBOROUGH.
be exposed to Sale towards compleating the same, which was determined by Poll in favour of the Sale & that Col. William Cotton Mr. Andrew Wiggin & Ebenezer Meader be a Com- mittee to Draw a Plan of the Pews to be in the Meeting House & Expose the same for Sale at a Public Vendue, & that the time of Sale & Conditions thereof & the appropriating of the Money Arising from the Sale towards finishing the Meeting House be left in the Power of said Committee
18 Voted That Mr. Samuel Tibbitts be allowed five shillings Per Day while Framing the Meeting House
19 Voted That Mr. Benjamin Durgin be abated his Taxes which remain unpaid at this Time & that he be not tax'd for the future
20 A President being Voted for there appeared Twenty Seven for John Sullivan Esquire & Five for John Langdon
21 Senators being Voted for there appeared to be Nineteen for Daniel Bede Esquire & Nineteen for Col. Thomas Waldron
22 A County Recorder being Voted for there appeared to be Twenty three for John B. Hanson
23 A County Treasurer being Poll'd for there appeared to be Twenty for John B. Hanson
24 That this Meeting be adjourned to Thursday the third Day of April next at 10 Oclock A. M. at this place & that the Select Men are hereby directed to Call upon all persons that have accounts open with the Town to Close the same im- mediately that the said Accounts may be laid before the Audi- tors at the adjournment.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE MEETING-HOUSE-PLEDGED DONATIONS FROM PROPRIETORS -DELAYS-EXCHANGE OF LOTS-LABOR TAX-NEW PRO- POSAL OF PROPRIETORS-PURCHASE OF PEWS AND SALE OF LUMBER-THE BUILDERS-TIME REQUIRED TO BUILD -THE COST-HOUSE DESCRIBED-CHANGE TO TOWN- HOUSE-PART OF LOT SOLD-THE BURYING-YARD-FIRES.
T' "HE settlers of New England were a religious people. In new- ly settled towns the grantors of lands usually made some pro- vision for building meeting-houses and settling ministers. One of the conditions imposed on the grantees of Wolfeborough was that in eight years after peace should be established between the English and the French and Indians a convenient meeting-house should be built in the town, unless other wars should arise.
It proved, however, very difficult to obtain settlers for Wolfe- borough, and no permanent homes were established in the town until nine years after the date of the grant. Seven years after arose the long-protracted and exhausting conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies, during which struggle Wolfe- borough became partially depopulated and greatly impoverished.
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