History of old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869, Part 23

Author: Chase, Benjamin, 1799-1889
Publication date: 1869
Publisher: Auburn, N.H.
Number of Pages: 808


USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Chester > History of old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869 > Part 23


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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Going to Hampton and Newbury after schoolmaster, 12 00


Master Herrick,


7 3 00


Going to Epping and Beverly,


Master Evans kept probably this year at the Long Mead- ows, in Stephen Merril's kitchen, as my father went to him there.


1774. [There is a charge for man and horse going to Haverhill to bring up Mr. Prentice.]


Mr. Prentice, from April 17, 1774, to March 4, 1775, 24 12 00


285


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


Matthew Forsaith, Jr.,


3 11 00


Long Meadow, .


10 1 00


1776. Benjamin Hill's quarter,


40 11 6


Meeting house quarter,


4 13 00


Stephen Darbon,


1 17 11


John Hazelton, .


4 17 2


Joseph Richardson,


3 5 4


Jacob Chase,


4 00 8


David Witherspoon, for Long Meadow,


10 4 2


Towns were not districted by law into districts until 1805. The districts before this were by arrangement of the inhab- itants, or by the selectmen. I copy


THE PROPORTION OF SCHOOL MONEY FOR THE YEAR 1785. Lt. John Dearborn, Esqr. Chase, Eliphalet Poor, Jolin Robie, Francis Towl, Jonathan Dearborn, 15 16 9


Mr. Poor lived at the back part of Chase's plain, on lot No. 39, 2d P., 2d D. Francis Towle was on home lot 55. Stephen Morse, Isabel Dickey, John Shirley, Simon Berry, Lt. Dunlap, 10 4 5 Isabel Diekey lived where Jacob Couch now lives. Esqr. Hoit, Samuel Jack, James Crawford, 7 9 4


The Walnut Hill District.


Dea. Hills, Widow Severance, Michael Worthen,


James Waddel, William Wilson, . 6 16 5


Jamas Waddel lived below where G. W. Everett now lives.


Esqr. Robert Wilson, David Foss, Benj. French, William Moor, 6 7 6


David Foss lived near the top of the Great Hill ; William Moor then lived on the old John Moor place.


Jolin and Benj. Hoit, John Knowles, 3d, ·


1 3 2


Capt. Joseph True, Joseph MeLellan, Joseph


Knowles, Jr., Joseph Knowles, · 2 9 4


. John Knowles, Nathan Knowles, Jacob Basford, Samuel Hills, 3 17 5 . Lt. John Lane, Jonathan Burrey [Berry], All- thony Morss, 4 1 2


Moses Richardson, David Richardson, Ithamer Burry, Nathaniel Levait, . 4 2 9


Mr. Leavet lived on the old discontinued road north of John B. Rand's.


286


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


Capt. Underhill, Obadiah Hall, Joseph Carr, 6 3 9 Robert Calf, James Calder, Robert Witherspoon, Denis Dunifin [Donovon], 5 2 9 Majr Dearborn, Abraham Morse, Moses Preston, Jeremiah Underhill, . . 2 16 00


Abraham Morse lived where Moody B. Carr once lived, northwest of Geo. Clark's. (The Bradbury Carr place.) Why Moses Preston's tax should be put there I cannot con- ceive.


Doct. Joseph Brown, David Knox, Samuel Davis, James Emerson, Nath. Martin, 5 11 10 This included all of Hooksett.


Joseph Linn, Capt. Wetherspoon, Capt. Silver, Samuel Pierce, 4 00 5


Anthony Stickney, Aaron Burbank, John Patten, 7 15 4 William Graham, Lt. William Brown,


Mr. Burbank lived at the James Hoit place, on London- derry turnpike.


The districts remained much the same without being numbered.


DISTRICTS, WITH THEIR PROPORTION OF MONEY, NUMBERED, AND THE NAMES OF PERSONS LIVING IN THEM IN 1801.


No. 1. Daniel Hodgkins, Pearley Ayer, Ens. Robin- son, Bradbury Quimby, Benj. Hills, Jonathan Cur- rier, $90 91 ·


Bradbury Quimby lived at Forsaith's Plain, and Jonathan Currier at Worthen's saw-mill.


No. 2. Samnel Johnson, John Mills, Lt. William Wil- son, William Mills, Lt. James Dunlap, Cort. David Shaw, . 50 80 No. 3. Josiah Chase, Widow Anna Underhill, and Jo- seph Calfe, 44 77 This included all of No. 1 in Auburn.


No. 4. Joseph Long. Susanah Wadwell, Widow Ser- crance, Isaac Hills, Esq., . 36 38


No. 5. Paul Adams, Samuel White, Ensn Patten, Dean John Grimes, George Farnum, 34 30


Samuel White lived on the hill between Severance's and the Folsom place ; Ens. Patten where E. A. Heath's family live, and George Farnum lived on the Folsom place.


287


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


No. 6. Wd French, James Worson, Majr Henry Moore, 26 81 No. 7. Esqr Hoit, Wd Jack, Dean Richard Haseltine, 27 86 No. 8. Capt. Lock, Joshua True, Daniel Prescott, George Marden, Jacob Basford, 32 04


No. 9. Jolin Patten, John Witherspoon, Deach Wil- liam Wilson, 20 65


No. 10. Lt. Peter Hills, Joseph Norton, Jonath" Berry, 16 37 No. 11. Capt. Wetherspoon, Joseph Linn, Joseph Sil- ver, Lt. Willm Brown, Benjn Peabody, 24 49


Mr. Peabody lived the west side of rattlesnake hill, near Manchester line.


No. 12. Silas Cammett, Ithamer Berry, John Griffi:, Joseph Smith, B. Moody Carr, 29 64


No. 13. Nath1 Woods, Samt Haynes, James Worson, 22 22


No. 14. Lt. Willm Moore, Levy Hoit, . 9 40


No. 15. Samuel Murrey, John Clark, 8 56


No. 16. Dean Adam Wilson, John Crafford, Jonathan Davis, 18 66


No. 17. Josiah Rowel, Simeon Carr, John Laken, 27 21


No. 18. Lt. Joseph Whicher, John Prescott, Jesse


Kimball, Samuel Rowell, Jun, 15 12


No. 17 and 18 were in Hooksett.


An act was passed Dec. 28, 1805, authorizing towns to divide into school districts. At a town-meeting, March 26 1806,


" Voted, that the Town Clerk be directed to make a rec- ord in the Town Book of all the school classes in the Town, as they now stand."


Then the selectmen were directed to divide the fifth and make report at an adjournment. At the adjournment, the third Monday of April, the town voted to reconsider the former vote, and John Emerson, Joseph Blanchard and Benjamin Brown were chosen a committee to district the town, and report at an adjournment of the meeting. The meeting was adjourned to the third Monday of May. But a meeting was called the 12th of May (the second Monday), at which it was


" Voted, that the committee chosen at the last Town Meeting shall not be a Committee to district the Town into school Districts.


" Voted, Not to choose any Committee to district the Town into school Districts.


288


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


" Voted, that the report the selectmen have made to this meeting Respecting the dividing of the fifth school Class be accepted [which is as described in the boundaries of the 5th and the 20th school Districts, as will hereafter appear].


" Voted, that the selectmen be directed to give to the Town Clerk all the Boundaries of all the school classes by the bounds of the land they now own in the Intermediate spaces.


" Voted, that if any Person, or persons, has, or shall settle in the intermediate spaces between the Extreem parts of two Classes, he shall belong to the Class the land he settled belonged to.


" Voted, if any person lives in one Class and shall move to a farm he may now own, and adjoining the Class he moved from, he may still belong to the Class he moved from by applying to the Town Clerk, and having it recorded on the Town book, in the month of April following, and not afterwards.


" Voted, that the selectmen determine immediately which class the non-resident Lands belong to, agreeable to law, and furnish the Town Clerk with a Copy."


RECORD OF SCHOOL CLASSES FOR THE TOWN OF CHESTER, AGREEABLE TO SUNDRY VOTES PAST AT A MEETING HELD MAY 12TH, 1806, FOR DIVIDING THE TOWN INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHICHI ARE AS FOLLOWS, VIZ. :


District No. One.


Laying between the two mile stone below Benjn Hills ; the 1st Bridge E. of Crawford's House ; the bend of the Road E. of Peter Hall's ; S. E. corner of Capt. Emerson's orchard ; S. End of Doct Kittridge's house; S. W. corner of Capt. Fitts' Land ; Corner on Main Road between sd Fitts place and Esq' robie ; N. W. corner of Benj" Brown's land, on Cammet's Road ; Doct. Sargeant's Bars at Clay place ; N. E. Of Lieut. Forsaith's land ; Sawmill N. of Wido Ste- vens'; S. E. corner Robie place; Near Wido Severance ; Excepting the Dunlap farm, is to belong to District No. 2. [Doct. Benjamin Kittredge then lived on the Derry road, where Benjamin Davis now lives, - the Robert Graham place.]


District No. Two.


Laying between the S. End Doct Kittridge's house ; S.


289


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


E. corner of Capt. Emerson's orchard ; the bend of the Road E. of Peter Hall's House ; the Brook between Lieut. Wilson and Wido Jack's ; on all the Roads to Derry line ; up to Wardwell's Meadow Brook; W. of Stephen Morse's ; Moses Sanborn's S. W. corner; & the Dunlap farm out of District No. 1.


District No. Three.


Laying between the bridge E. of Capt. Preston's house ; N. W. corner of David UnderHill's, Junr., land ; N. E. corner of Revd Mr. Colby's land; Guid Post W. of David Weatherspoon's House ; S. E. corner of Deac" Hall's land ; with the farm of Joseph Carr & B. Moody Carr, out of Dis- trict No. 17. [David Underhill, Jr., lived on the Jere. Underhill place, and the line went to the S. E. line of No. 73, 2d P., 2d D. This includes No. 1 in Auburn.]


District No. Four.


Laying between the S. W. corner of Wido Severance ; the S. E. Corner of Joseph Wetherspoon's land ; the 1st bridge E. of Crawford's House ; Haseltine's sawmill ; San- down line on both Roads ; the Corner E. of Joseph long's ; the corner by Capt. Worthen's.


District No. Five.


Laying between the Guide Post E. of Paul Adams; N. E. corner Rev. Mr. Colby's Land, on the Mane Road; N. E. Corner of John Patten's Land ; Mount Misery Brook ; the S. W. corner of Dennis Dunnivan's land & 1-2 way on the Road from Deac" Grimes to James Worsen. [Dennis Donovan then lived where Matthew Dickey lately lived, - the old Fulton place. This is No. 2 in Auburn.]


District No. Six.


Laying between the corner E. of Joseph Long's ; San- down line, S. of William Wilson, 4th; bridge over Exeter river ; N. side of Esq. Wilson's land ; the bridge at the Great Hill, S. of Jacob Basford's ; sawmill by Wd Stevens' ; N. E. Corner of Lient. Josiah Forsaith's land. [No. 6 is now No. 6 in Chester. ]


District No. Seven.


Laying between the Brook W. of Wª Jack's ; Derry line on both Roads; S. E. Corner of Chester ; Sandown line on


19


290


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


both roads ; the 2 m. stone at the corner Moses Hasseltine's Land.


District No. Eight.


Laying between the N. side of Esgr Wilson's land ; the N. side of John Hoit's land ; Raymond line on all the Roads ; N. E. corner of Garland's Pasture ; N. E. corner of Melvin's Land ; the corner W. of Sherburn Dearborn's ; the Bridge at Great Hill, by Jacob Basford's.


District No. Nine.


Laying between the N. E. corner of John Patten's Land; E. of Lieut. David Hall's land ; over Cammel's Bridge ; N. side of Esqr Blanchard's Land, on main Road. [David Hall lived on the parsonage lot, where Hazen Davis now lives. This district is No. 3 in Auburn. ]


District No. Ten.


Laying between Doct. Sargeant's Pasture Barrs, at Clay place ; N. E. corner of Melvin's Land ; N. E. of Garland Pasture ; Raymond line on both Roads ; first brook W. of Wido Betscy Berry's ; S. side Joseph Norton's Land. [Lane district.]


District No. Eleven.


Laying between Guid Post W. of Capt. Weatherspoon ; the N. side his orchard ; Deac" Hall's S. E. corner ; Derry line on both Roads, & Likewise on the turnpike ; Derry- field line ; S. side Jolin Folsom's land ; on Derry Turn- pike, & road the S. W. corner of Dennis Dunnivan's land. [This embraces about No. 4 in Auburn. ]


District No. Twelve.


Laying between the S. corner of Phineas Morse's land ; the brook W. of Wido Betsy Berry's ; Candia line on both roads ; the S. E. & N. W. of Joseph Smith's Land. [This is No. 11 in Chester. ]


District No. Thirteen.


Laying between David Underhill, Junr.'s land, Joining Jesse Wood land, on Candia road ; Lt. Moses Preston's sawmill; and the road down by Caleb Hall, S. side of Turnpike ; N. side of Hains'; end of the road at Kent's House ; E. side of Lt. David Hall's land; 1-2 way on the road to Deac" Grimes'. [This is No. 5 in Auburn. ]


291


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


District No. Fourteen.


Laying between the bridge on Exeter River ; Poplin line by levi Hoit's ; N. side of John Hoit's land; on the road to Raymond. [No. 9 in Chester.]


District No. Fifteen.


Laying between the S. side of the turnpike by Sam1 Haines ; Great bridge on the turnpike in the spruse swamp ; Candia line on Road & turnpike ; Murray's Sawmill. [No. 6 in Auburn.]


District No. Sixteen.


Laying between the W. side of Esq' Blanchard's Land ; Candia line, N. of John Crawford's; Sharley's, at Swago ; the 10th mile stone. [No. 7 in Auburn.]


District No. Seventeen.


Laying between the corner, between Esq. Robie's & Capt. Fitts's ; the S. W. corner of Capt. Fitts's, on home place ; 1st Bridge E. of Capt. Preston's ; Saw mill ; Great bridge in spruse swamp, on Turnpike; S. corner of Phineas Morse's land ; N. W. corner of Benjn Brown's land, on Cammet's Road ; excepting the farm of Joseph Carr and B. Moody Carr, which belong to Dist No. 3. [No. 3 in Chester.]


District No. Eighteen.


Laying between Allenstown line; Isle Hoxet fall, the two roads, & Derry Turnpike at Peter's Brook ; W. line of No. 62, in the 5th division ; turnpike and Allenstown line, on sª Chester Turnpike.


District No. Nineteen.


Laying between the 10th Mile stone on Main Road ; Candia line on Chester turnpike, & Road ; the W. side of No. 62, in 5th divis", on Chester Turnpike ; Peter's Brook on the two roads & Londonderry Turnpike; Martin's Fer- ry ; Derrifield line, and the Road to Thomas Wicom's.


District No. Twenty.


Laying between Mount Misery Brook ; Derrifield line ; on Derry turnpike and Highway ; E. side of John Folsom's Land on said Turnpike & Highway. [No. 8 in Auburn. ]


292


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


District No. Twenty-one.


At the annual meeting March 13, 1821,


" Voted, That the Inhabitants of Beach hill (so called) be erected into a School District by themselves." [This included all the inhabitants on and east of Chester turn- pike in Hooksett.]


At the annual meeting March 14, 1826, John Folsom, Josiah Chase and John S. Brown were chosen a committee to survey the town into school districts, and fix suitable monuments, and report. The committee made no actual survey, but defined the lines of the several districts by the lines of lots, roads, streams, &c., without changing the inhabitants from one district to another. The three dis- tricts in Hooksett were of course omitted, leaving eighteen. No. twenty in the old division was numbered eighteen.


At the annual meeting March, 1832, a portion of district No. two, including Hall's Village, was set off into a district numbered nineteen, but was re-annexed.


Probably the carly school-houses, after those built in 1745, were built by individuals. At any rate there are no records about them, and we have to rely upon tradition. There were no school-house taxes previous to 1808.


Number One.


Whether one of those built in 1745 was built at the cen- tre is not certain, but probably was not. The earliest tra- dition I have is from Mrs. French, born 1782. Her earliest going to school was in a rather old, poor house which stood not far from the present house. There was a move in 1805 for building a new house, but it did not succeed. In 1811 there was another move to buy the old academy or build a new house, but two hundred dollars were expended in repairing the old one. Dec. 8, 1826, there was a vote passed to raise two hundred dollars to purchase the acad- emy and repair it, and a committee chosen with authority to sell the old house ; but there appears to have been no money raised by tax ; and afterwards an article to see if the district would accept of the committee's account was


293


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


dismissed. The old house was moved first to near Daniel Bell's for a vestry, then near N. F. Emerson's for a ten- ement. Dec. 28, 1856, the school-house, together with Richards & Greenough's store, was burned. In 1857 the the present house was built at an expense of sixteen hun- dred dollars.


In 1801 an academy building was built by individuals and finished in good style for the time. Several terms of a high school were kept in it, but it did not prove a perma- nent school. It was eventually sold to District No. 1, for a school-house. It was burned as above.


Number Two.


There is little doubt that one of the first school-houses was in this district, and stood near the corner of the road into the south woods, nearly opposite Moses Webster's (the old Sargent place). About 1796, a new school-house was built on the south-west side of the cross-road on Carr's land, which was burned. Then one was built at the corner of the Mills road.


The Hall's Village district was re-united with the sec- ond, and in 1861 a new house was built at an expense of about six hundred and thirty dollars.


Number Three.


Formerly extended from Josiah Chase's, on Gov. Shute's farm, to Josepli Calfe's, above the Long Meadow meeting- house. The school-house then stood in Thomas Merril's, now G. W. Chase's, orchard (additional lot No. 59). In 1804 the seventeenth district was formed and the school- house removed to nearly opposite to where the present house in No. 1 in Auburn now stands, on additional lot No. 48. Its date is not known, but probably about 1780. It was a very poor, rickety concern, but was used until 1815, when a new one was built and set on the southwest corner of David Hall's lot, No. 63. In 1857, it was re- moved to its present location and remodeled at an expense of two hundred and twenty-five dollars. It is No. 1 in Auburn.


294


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


Number Four.


The old school-house stood a little southeast of Edmond Sleeper's, and was open and cold ; and the door unfastened, so that sometimes animals lodged in it. In 1825 it was removed to the fork of the road, the site of the present house, and repaired. In 1850 the district voted to build a good new house, and appropriated three hundred dollars, and chose G. W. Everet, Asa Wilson and Edmond Sleeper a committee, and they went on and erected a good house and furnished it with modern chairs and desks, the first I think in town, at an expense of about four hundred dollars. It would have donc credit to the district had they paid for it. But for some reason the district was dissatisfied and the selectmen paid over but one hundred and fifty dollars. The committee commenced an action for the balance due, but the court held that they were not justified in going beyond the appropriation, and they recovered the other one hundred and fifty dollars appropriated, and lost the one hundred dollars over-expended.


Number Five.


No. 5 originally included No. 2, No. 4 and No. 8, in Auburn. One of the school-housen built in 1745, was probably in this district, and stood near the northeast cor- ner of lot No. 82, 2d P., 2d D. In 1773, my father, B. P. Chase, went to school to Master Evans in Stephen Merril's kitchen ; of course there was no school-house in modern No. 5, then. In 1780 Thomas Anderson came from Can- dia and went to school to Hugh Crombie in a school-house which stood on a corner of then Miller's, since Anderson's, land, near where Mr. Wiman's house now stands. So the house was built previous to 1780.


In April, 1808, a school-meeting was held (one of the first under the law of 1805), and " Voted to raise one hun- dred and forty Dollars for the Purpose of Building a school- house for Sª District." The house was built by contract by Paul Adams. This house stood some forty rods from the corner towards Mckinley's, and was used with repairs


295


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


until 1857, when the present house was built at an expense of six hundred and forty-seven dollars for the lot, house and furniture.


Number Six.


As near as I can learn, there was no school-house in this district until about the year 1800, when one was built cor- responding to the times, which stood where Mr. Asa Noyes' house now stands. In 1808 one hundred and forty-six dollars and eighty-five cents school-house tax was raised to repair it. It was afterwards removed to its present loca- tion, near the corner of the road to Wason's.


Number Seven.


One of the original " school-housen " was built in this district. It stood nearly opposite, though a little north of where John A. Haselton now lives (the old Ephraim Has- elton place). It stood so long that Peter Haselton, born in 1783, and Thomas Haselton born, 1785, went to school in it several years, though it was open and cold. After that was untenable, the schools were kept several years in pri- vate houses. Then one was built, located where the pres- ent one stands. This gave place to a new one, built in 1858, at an expense of six hundred and fifty dollars.


Number Eight.


The first school-house in this district is supposed to have been built about 1785. It stood on the northeast side of the road, to the southeast of the present one. The pres- ent one was built in 1823 by a tax, but different portions were jobbed out to different members of the district, and done like job-work generally ; but one did not dare to com- plain of another. There were one hundred and fifty-five dollars and eighty-four cents raised by tax. It was en- larged, remodeled and moved back on the lot in 1858.


Number Nine.


This is No. 3 in Auburn. The old house, which was built before the memory of the " oldest inhabitant," stood near the pond and near the road from Captain Orr's. Its


296


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


quality was about on a par with its fellows. In 1827 John Clark, Jr., was disannexed from No. 16 and annexed to No. 9, and a new school-house was built above the Blanch- ard mills, at the corner of the road from the Kent place. It was quite a good house for its day, and two hundred and ten dollars and sixty-three cents were raised by tax to defray the expense. In 1857 the old house was removed, and a new one built, which, with its furniture, cost one thousand dollars.


Number Ten.


The first old house, perhaps twelve feet square, is still standing, near the old Joshua Hall house (George S. Smith's). It is beyond the memory of the oldest inhabi- tant. The new one, standing near Deacon John Lane's, was built in 1848, and two hundred dollars were raised by tax.


Number Eleven, - now Number Four in Auburn.


When the first old house near Aiken's went down, a new one was built southwest of the brook and the west side of the road, near where David Ball's house stands. April 28, 1817, there was a petition to the selectmen to call a district meeting, " To see how much money the district will vote to have raised To finish the School house where the frame now stands." One hundred and nine dollars and fifteen cents were raised by tax.


Number Twelve, - now Number Eleven in Chester.


This district, previous to the formation of the 17th, ex- tended from Camet's to Ithamar Berry's (William Weeks'), and the school-house stood just above Ensign William Weeks', now Captain Noah Weeks'. Then a new one was built where the present one stands, near the Methodist church. The present house was built in 1853, and cost two hundred and ninety-two dollars and thirty-nine cents.


Number Thirteen, - now Number Fifteen in Auturn.


The earliest tradition I can now get about the old school- house is from Samuel Chase, Esq., of Portland, son of Moody Chase, born in 1780. It was there the earliest of


297


HISTORY OF SCHOOLS.


his recollection. As it is where the writer received his common school, academic and collegiate education, except literally his senior year in the new house, and as it is probably a fair specimen of the old school-houses and schools - at least in the Long Meadows - he will describe it. The house was fifteen by sixteen feet, six feet stud. The outside boarding was " feather-edged ; " the walls on the inside were ceiled ; a loose floor overhead ; the door opened into the room, and was furnished with a wooden latch and string. There were at first three windows of nine panes each, but afterwards another was added. At first there were on a part of three sides, writing-benches, composed of planks some fifteen or eighteen inches wide, one edge supported against the walls of the house, the other by legs inserted in anger-holes. For seats, slabs with legs were used. The writers, of course, sat with their backs to the teacher. Inside of the writers' seats were similar ones for the smaller urchins. The " Master" had a chair and a pine table in the center, and " Master Rus- sel " swayed a scepter in the form of a hickory switch long enough to reach every scholar in the house. There was a brick chimney, with a wooden mantel-piece, in one corner of the house, which so far counteracted the laws of nature that the smoke came down into the house, instead of rising. Green wood was used, which was out in the snow until wanted, so that it took a considerable part of the forenoon before the house was warm, the scholars meanwhile rubbing their eyes on account of the smoke. By this time the mantel-piece is on fire, and some one must get snow and quench it.


A No. 13 boy was the actor in the following incident, though I think it occurred in another district : Master Russel had the lad reading some of the proper names in the Old Testament (and probably those old worthies, if they had been present, would not have suspected that he was reading their names), when the master says, " Stop, stop, Elijah ! you bring tears to my eyes, for you are calling the names of my old friends in Ireland ! "


298


HISTORY OF CHESTER.


In 1815 the old school-house was sold at auction to B. Chase, for six dollars, and may now be seen in the form of Pike Chase's sheep-shed, with half the middle beam cut away for kindling. The members of the district put up a new frame, and raised a tax and finished it at an expense of one hundred and fifty-eight dollars and forty-four cents. · In 1851, the district having refused to raise any money, the selectmen raised one hundred and seventy-five dollars, with which the house was thoroughly repaired.




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