USA > New Hampshire > Carroll County > Wolfeborough > History of Wolfeborough (New Hampshire) > Part 33
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Baptist denomination, and died in Providence, R. I., some years since.
We now come to John Brewster, another son of George, who, in his last will, after making ample provisions for his son and other relatives and friends, devised the annual income of the residue of his estate, which exceeded a million dollars, chiefly for the benefit of his native town of Wolfeborough and the neighboring town of Tuftonborough. He bequeathed the Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough Academy ten thousand dollars annually with these conditions: That its name should be changed to that of the Brewster Free School or Academy, and that there should be no restrictions as to age, sex, or color, but that all should be re- quired to possess a "good moral character." He also made pro- vision for the erection of a town hall at a cost of thirty-five thousand dollars and for the establishment of a free library. The balance was to be applied "one-half for the use of the academy, the other to be used equally for the support of the worthy poor and the common schools in Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough." Detailed accounts of the development of these various bequests will be found in other chapters of this work. We give here liberal extracts from a sketch of Mr. Brewster, prepared by a nephew and read at the mass meeting at the Old Home exercises held Aug. 14, 1900.
"The boyhood of John Brewster was similar to that of most sons of farmers of that period. He had two or three terms in the Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough Academy, which had been chartered in 1820. His life in Wolfeborough was brief. In the autumn of 1828, a few weeks before he was sixteen years old, he was hired to teach school in the Nute district at West Milton, on the very spot where Lewis W. Nute, benefactor of Milton, had his district school life. It so happened that young Nute was among John Brewster's pupils. This was Mr. Brewster's only service in school teaching. He, however, returned to Wolfe-
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borough no more except as a visitor, a thing which he never failed to do at least once a year during his entire life.
"Closing his school early in 1829, he entered the service of his maternal uncle, Jonathan Torr, of Rochester, who kept a store for general trade such as was common in the large villages of the time. A long and severe illness of his uncle threw the whole responsibility of the store upon Mr. Brewster, which the pro- prietor found on his recovery had been discharged to his entire satisfaction. At eighteen, Mr. Brewster entered the hardware store of William Hale on Dover Landing. To within the memory of some present here, Mr. Hale's was the leading store of its kind in eastern New Hampshire south of the White Mountains. Dover was then developing what has since been her leading in- dustry, the manufacture of textiles. Mr. Hale sold gunpowder and so was not allowed to keep open store after sunset. During his five years of service at Dover, Mr. Brewster spent many even- ings in busy times in the dry-goods stores helping the clerks in their work, and he thus acquired a knowledge of that trade.
"At twenty-three, he told his employer that he had determined to try his fortune in the dry-goods trade in Boston. He had saved twenty-five hundred dollars. Mr. Hale said. "You need ten thousand dollars more; I will lend you half and your father and your two maternal uncles must endorse for the other half." This was done. In Hanover street, on the site of the present "American House," the firm of Williams & Brewster opened the second store on what had been entirely a residence street. The firm lasted but a single year, but it had been so successful that the ten thousand dollars was paid at its dissolution. A new firm, John Brewster & Co., in which Julius Cushman and John Ban- croft were the partners, succeeded the previous one and did a prosperous business through the crisis of 1837, when so many houses failed, until 1845, when they removed to Water street, just below Post-office square, and became a wholesale house. This
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arrangement continued until 1850; then Mr. Brewster sold his interest to Alfred H. Otis of Dover, and retired.
"Mr. Brewster married Rebecca P. Noyes of Boston in 1839. Their home was first in Brighton street, next in Louisburg square, then in Eaton street, all in the so-called "West End" of Boston, up to 1845. In that year Mr. Brewster bought the Judge Sewall place, located in "Tory Row" of the Revolution, a house which had been confiscated by the colonial government, and inci- dentally, made a prison for Baron Riedesel in 1777. It is now No. 145 Brattle st., Cambridge. With the exception of two years at South Reading, now Wakefield, Mass., this remained Mr. Brewster's home for the remaining forty years of his life. His only surviving child, Mr. William Brewster, named for Mr. Hale, now lives on the same spot.
"In the spring of 1851, during the two years of farm life at Wakefield, the banking firm of Brewster, Sweet & Co. was formed, at No. 76 State St., Mr. Charles A. Sweet who had been trained in the banking-house of Gilbert & Sons, being the sole partner. In the autumn of that year the concern was a modest one, and the two partners, with the aid of a messenger-boy, did the entire work. A year or two later they removed to No. 40 State St., where they remained for more than twenty years-until the firm was broken up in 1874. In those years, that which had begun very small had become one of the leading houses of its kind in New England. The house antedated the Civil War by ten years. At the time of its founding there were few if any muni- cipal or government bonds. By the spring of 1861, the firm of Brewster, Sweet & Co. had so gained the public confidence, that on the recommendation of Senator Sumner, Mr. Brewster met Secretary Chase and Mr. Jay Cooke in Philadelphia, where a discussion of the financial situation resulted in the firm of Brewster, Sweet & Co. being made fiscal agent for the govern- ment in all New England except Connecticut. Mr. Brewster once said, 'That placed us on our feet.' The commission on
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the sale of bonds was one-fourth of one per cent., and the one quarter was divided equally with the agencies which had been established at good centers over the whole territory. The sales were enormous, for that time almost fabulous ; sometimes more than a million dollars a week, and probably an average of half a million a week for the four years of the war. After the war came the refunding of the government loan, the sale of railroad, state, and municipal bonds. In this the firm did a large business until 1874, the year of the retirement of Mr. Sweet. A new firm was then founded, that of Brewster, Bassett & Co., with Mr. Wil- liam Bassett, Mr. Henry E. Cobb, and Mr. Arthur F. Estabrook as the partners. Mr. Estabrook had entered the office of Brewster, Sweet & Co. in 1857, a boy at the very bottom, and is a striking example of what ability, energy, and honesty can do in our country. He has never flagged in his admiration for Mr. Brewster, a fact which is witnessed by the supplementary work on the grounds where in obedience to a general desire one of the buildings bears his name. The new firm took a new location at 35 Congress St., where its successors, Brewster, Cobb & Esta- brook and Estabrook & Co., have continued to the present time.
"In February, 1883, few weeks after he was seventy years old, Mr. Brewster retired from active business, though he retained a silent interest in the house till his death, January 13, 1886.
"Such is the brief outline of the life of a strong, quiet man, who has made for himself an enduring name throughout this region where we are today. In business he was a man of few words, but those words were as good as his bond. Outside of his family, he had a few choice friends who knew his inner life. In his family he was one of the kindest and most considerate of men; it was a delight to visit his home. The years since Mr. Brewster died have been few, and yet the girls and boys who have been benefited here already number among the hundreds; the uplift has already been felt. The schools of this town and the town of Tuftonborough are experiencing the impulse for good which will be greater as
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time goes on. Life has been and will be made smoother for the worthy poor. The trustees believe that they are doing the work as he would have done it. They are grateful to all who have aided, and to none more than the teachers, and especially the principal, of the Brewster Free Academy, who has been here all the years of its life. The verdict of mankind will be that John Brewster has lived and wrought worthily.
Nathaniel Brewster married Mary E. Chesley. His children are: Sarah, born Sept. 12, 1857; Belle, born July 29, 1859, died May 10, 1892 ; Emma L., born Sept. 21, 1863; George L., born July 4, 1865; Harriet F., born May 8, 1868; Elizabeth A., born Aug. 24, 1870; Inez A., born Aug. 13, 1874. George L. is asso- ciated with his father in the management of the farm.
John L. Brewster married Ada A., a daughter of Hon. William Tenney of Hanover, N. H. His children are: Edward Tenney, born July 24, 1864, died young; Edward Tenney, born Oct. II, 1866, married Alice S. Rollins, is an instructor at Phillips An- dover Academy ; William T ., born Aug. 15, 1869, is an instructor at Columbia University ; Edward T. and William T. graduated at Harvard in 1890 and 1892 respectively.
William Brewster, son of John, is famous in the scientific world for his researches in the field of ornithology. His private col- lection at his Cambridge home is one of the finest in the world. He is an instructor at the Agassiz Museum at Harvard, holds honorary degrees from that institution and has been of- ficially connected with numerous scientific bodies.
Following are the public bequests contained in John Brewster's will:
Item Six :- My trustee shall out of the net income remaining after making the payments hereinbefore provided pay annually, in equal quarterly payments, the sum of $10,000 to the Wolfe- borough and Tuftonborough Academy, in my native town of Wolfeborough, in the state of New Hampshire, for the charitable and educational uses and purposes of said academy ; but the said
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annual payments are to and shall be made only upon the follow- ing conditions: (1) That the name of said academy shall be changed to and thereafter continue to be that of the Brewster Free School or Academy. (2) That no restriction shall be placed upon any person desiring to attend and receive instruction from said school or academy on account of his or her age, sex or color, provided only he or she is of good moral character. (3) That not more than 25 per cent. of said annuity shall be spent in erecting buildings or in alterations, improvements or repairs upon the same; the remaining income from the provision of my will to be expended wholly for salaries of teachers for instruction and educational purposes of said school or academy : so as near as possible to make instruction and education therein free.
Item Seven :- My trustees shall use and appropriate all the rest and residue of the net income of my estate remaining in their hands after making the payments hereinbefore provided, to the fol- lowing uses and purposes : One-half part thereof shall be allowed to accumulate in the hands of my said trustees, who shall invest the same in the manner hereinbefore provided for the investment of my estate, until such part, with accumulations thereon, shall be sufficient for the purpose herein stated. They shall then, with said sum, erect in my native town of Wolfeborough, N. H., a plain brick building, as nearly as possible, on the plan of and like the public building or Town Hall, erected by W. S. Sargent in and for the town of Merrimack in Massachusetts; said building shall be held by my trustees forever for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of the town of Wolfeborough, as and for a town and public library. The stores in said building on the lower floor shall be rented by my trustees and all the rent and income over and above the expenses and charges arising therefrom, shall be by them used and appropriated for the necessary care and repairs of said building, and for the care, support and purchase of books for the said public library to be in said building. Said trustees shall keep said building fully insured and in case of the loss or
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destruction of said building they shall, from the proceeds of such insurance re-erect said building in as nearly possible the same manner and style and on the same plan as it was before erected, and in case said insurance should be insufficient to do this then my trustees shall use any income remaining after making the pay- ments hereinbefore provided for re-erecting said building.
Item Eight :- After making the provision provided for in Item Seven my trustees shall use and appropriate any and all remain- ing net income in the following manner and for the following uses :
(I) They shall use, pay over or appropriate one-quarter part thereof, annually, to and for the use, support and maintenance of the free schools of and in my native town of Wolfeborough and of and in the town of Tuftonborough, N. H., the same to be paid or appropriated in proportion to amounts annually raised and appropriated by or for the several school districts in the said towns respectively. The payments of said annuity are to be made at such times and manner as to my trustees shall seem best to accomplish the purpose of this bequest of the amounts so paid or appropriated. A sum not exceeding one-third part thereof may be used in building, repairing and improving schoolhouses in said towns as my trustees may deem expedient. (2) My said trustees shall use, pay over and appropriate one-quarter part of such remaining income annually to and for the use, support and maintenance of the deserving poor and persons needing aid in the said towns of Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough in New Hamp- shire, to be paid, appropriated or distributed in such manner, at such times, and to such persons as to my trustees shall seem best to accomplish the purpose of this bequest. And the decision of my trustees as to such payments and appropriations for said schools and for said persons needing aid shall be final and con- clusive. (3) My trustees shall use and appropriate all income from my estate remaining after making all payments and carrying out all provisions hereinbefore made for the use and benefit of
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said Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough Academy upon the same conditions and restrictions as are stated in Item Six of this will, except that, if deemed expedient by my trustees, an amount not exceeding 50 per cent. of the amount herein and hereby ap- propriated may be used and expended in erecting, repairing or improving buildings for the use of said school.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
WOLFEBOROUGH'S FOREMOST SETTLER-COLONEL HENRY RUST AND HIS LONG TRAIN OF DESCENDANTS-THE FOUR HENREYS-THE £ THREE WORTHIES-THE PARKER BRANCH OF THE FAMILY-OTHER PARKERS.
A LL things considered, there is one man who above all others merits the title of the "leading settler of Wolfeborough." He was the only town proprietor who cultivated his own hold- ing; his sons first swung the pioneer's axe in these wilds ; he labored long and faithfully for the welfare of his backwoods home, and founded a family whose representatives have always been prominent in the town's affairs. This man was Henry Rust.
Mr. Rust, first known by the title "Captain," but more gen- erally by that of "Colonel," was born in Stratham, Jan. 22, 1726. He was a descendant of the Henry Rust who came from Hing- ham, Norfolk County, England, about 1633, and settled at Hing- ham, Mass. Col. Rust was of the fifth generation from the emi- grant, and was the fourth child of Rev. Henry Rust, who was the first minister settled in Stratham. He married Ann Harvey, of Portsmouth, and from the union were born eleven children, four of them dying in infancy and seven of them marrying and living their entire lives in Wolfeborough. Mrs. Rust died June II, 1807, four days after the decease of her husband, who lived to be eighty-one years old.
Colonel Rust's children were: Anna, born Nov. 4, 1751, married Matthew Stanley Parker, died June 17, 1786; Henry, born March 4, 1754, died Oct. 23, 1754; Henry 2nd, born May 14, 1755, married Hannah Horne; Richard, born Jan. 31, 1757, married Susannah Connor and Joanna (Hobbs) Jewett ; Elisa- beth, born Sept. 24, 1758, married Deeren Stoddard, died Jan.
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HON. HENRY B. RUST
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12, 1809; Thomas, born May 19, 1760 died March 27, 1761; Mary, born Aug. 23, 1761, married Isaiah Horne, died Sept. 30, 1843; Jane, born Nov. 19, 1763, married John Horne, died July 15, 1843; William, born Aug. 7, 1765, married Hannah Marble, Susannah Melvin, and Nancy Wedgewood ; Nathaniel, born Aug. 15, 1767, died Oct. 28, 1767 ; Margaret, born July 26, 1768, died Dec. 18, 1768.
Captain Rust probably made his early home in Portsmouth, as in 1759, when he became one of the proprietors of the town, he was master of a vessel, a position which necessitated years of experience in navigation. He continued the sea-faring busi- ness somewhat after commencing his settlement in Wolfeborough, as i shown by letters. He did not at first remove the whole of his family to the town. Certainly his sons, Henry, aged fourteen years, and Richard, aged twelve years, spent one winter at least in the log camp built on the northeasterly border of his lot. They had with them an antiquated equine for emergencies. Mrs. Rust, who had spent her youth and early womanhood in Portsmouth, it is said, reluctantly exchanged the town for the forest. Yet in the autumn of her life she possessed a home "beautiful for situa- tion on the fine ridge of land bordering that lovely sheet of water still known as Rust's Pond.
Colonel Rust was the only town proprietor who settled on his lot, which contained six hundred acres of land situated in the southerly part of the town, embracing within its limits a large portion of Rust's Pond and the territory on which stands the village of South Wolfeborough. On the westerly side of this lot he built a log cabin, which was occupied by the male members of his family while clearing land, before the whole family re- moved to Wolfeborough. While the laborers were one day absent, this took fire, consuming their guns, provisions, and clothing, including their hats, which were not usually worn into the forests, as the prevalence of noxious insects required that the entire head should be covered. As a result, the entire party
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were compelled to return to Portsmouth in light marching order.
Colonel Rust's lot of six hundred acres was eventually divided in- to four parts. He retained the portion lying north of Rust's Pond, and, having taken into his family his grandson, Henry Rust Parker, finally bequeathed it to him, and it was ever afterwards known as the Parker place, although it is at the present time in the possession of persons of other names. The portion south of this he gave to his son Henry. It descended to his son, Henry Bloomfield Rust, and then to his son Alphonzo H. Rust. It is not now in the possession of any members of the Rust family. The lot on which a portion of the village of South Wolfeborough now stands was given to Richard Rust, and, beginning with the settler, has been in the possession of six generations of the family, viz., Colonel Henry Rust, Richard Rust, Henry Rust, George Rust, John Henry Rust, and Horace Rust. The seventh generation is represented on this farm in the person of Lottie L., daughter of Horace, aged two years. The most easterly portion of the settler's lot was given to his son William, passed into the hands of William, Jr., and then to the families of his grand-daughters, Hannah (Rust) Thompson and Betsy (Rust) Leavitt. It is now owned by Harry R. Leavitt, a great-grandson.
Colonel Henry Rust was regarded as a just and conscientious man, but fixed in his opinions and somewhat austere in his de- portment. His early training as ship-master no doubt had an influence upon his later life. His word was a law to himself, and generally to, others also. Being appointed Judge of Probate for Strafford County when the colony of New Hampshire was under English rule, he took the oath of allegience to the crown, and after the state government was established, declined to accept of any office that would require a like oath to the American government. He was very useful in deciding matters of dispute between neighbors and townsmen, the decision of Colonel Rust being generally regarded as final. He possessed sound judgment and honest intentions, and, having the confidence of the general
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public, no doubt prevented some vexatious and expensive litiga- tion.
He and his family connections have been much in office. He served eight years as selectman. His son Henry was town clerk five years and a member of the state legislature four years, the first year representing the classed towns, Wolfeborough and Brookfield, and the other three years Wolfeborough alone. His son Richard served as town clerk four years and as selectman nine years. His son-in-law, Matthew S. Parker, was town clerk nine years and selectman six years. He held both these offices at the time of his death, which occurred when he was in the prime of manhood. His acquired ability was far superior to any other citizen of the town. Had he not lived, the history of Wolfe- borough would have been more incomplete than it is. His son- in-law, Isaiah Horne, served as selectman four years, town clerk four years, and as representative six years. His grandson, Henry Rust Parker, served as selectman seven years, his grandsons, Isaiah Green Orne and Charles Belker Orne, each one year. His grandson, Thomas Rust, held the office of town clerk two years and that of selectman three years. He was also a county judge. His grandson, Henry Bloomfield Rust, served as selectman one year and as representative six years, was a member of the New Hampshire Senate and of the Council, and was judge of the county court. Alphonzo Rust was twice representative and twice councilor. His great-grandson, George Rust, and his great- great-grandson, John H. Rust, were each twice elected selectmen. Colonel Rust and his descendants have, since the organization of the town, held the office of town clerk twenty-six years, of selectman forty-five years, of representative eighteen years.
*Henry Rust, Jr., married Hannah, daughter of Ebenezer Horne. He died Nov. 2, 1844. His wife died Oct. 4, 1843, aged
*Henry Rust made many of the early surveys in this and adjoining towns. In 1804 he projected a map of the town, upon which are based many of the deeds given since that time. Many copies of these deeds are now in the possession of his grandson, Albert B. Rust.
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eighty-one years. Their children were: Hannah, born Dec. 21, 1784, married Henry Rust Parker ; Ann, born Jan. 20, 1788, died Jan. 23, 1793; Betsy Allen, born Dec. 13, 1790, married M. James Chamberlin, died Feb. 29, 1816; Henry Bloomfield, born May 11, 1794, married Pamelia Horne and Hannah S. Jewett ; Nancy, born Feb. 20, 1798, died June 23, 1799; Fanny Parker, born Feb. 13, 1800, died Oct., 1803.
Richard Rust married first Susannah, daughter of James Con- nor. She died March 21, 1809, aged forty-six years. He mar- ried second Mrs. Joanna (Hobbs) Jewett, widow of Andrew Jewett, who died Nov. 15, 1822, aged fifty-one years. He mar- ried third Mrs. Eleanor Clark Piper, widow of John Light Piper. She died July 23, 1856, aged eighty-five year. Mr. Rust died Dec. 27, 1827, aged seventy years. His children, all by his first wife, were: Richard, born Apr. 2, 1782, married Sally Thurston ; Henry, born March 19, 1785, married Nancy Norris ; Susannah, born Jan. 21, 1787, married Nathaniel Chase ; Mary Connor, born July 7, 1789, married Gilman Folsom; Eleanor, born March 18, 1792, married James Chamberlain ; Joshua, born May 28, 1794, died April, 1802; Martha, born July 20, 1796, married Nathaniel Rogers ; Thomas, born Nov. 27, 1798, married Phebe C. Piper ; Joseph Peirce, born April 6, 1801, married Mary Chamberlain, died Jan. 31, 1848.
William Rust, son of Col. Henry Rust, was born Aug. 7, 1765. He married Dec. 3, 1787 Hannah, daughter of Samuel Marble, of Stratham, born Jan. 15, 1760, died Aug. 4, 1802. He married second Mrs. Susannah Melvin, who died Oct. 8, 1815, aged forty-seven years; third, Mrs. Nancy Wedgewood, who died Aug. 4, 1845, aged sixty-five years. Mr. Rust died Sept. 5, 1851, aged eighty-six years. His children were: Wil- liam, born June 1, 1788, married Olive Deland ; Nathaniel, born Sept. 9, 1790, married Lydia Folsom; Sarah, born Dec. 15, 1793, married James, son of Jacob Folsom; Meshack, Shadrich, and Abednego, triplets, born Aug. 20, 1796; Meshack married
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