USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Nashua > History of the city of Nashua, N.H. > Part 21
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108
Previous to this, reservations had been made in nearly all of the land grants, expressly stating that highways should be laid out through them whenever needed and they were doubtless taken in a "go-as-you-please " way, which will account for their non-appearance in the records. Now, however, accommodating themselves to the new order of things, we find full records of all new highways, but very many of them are, from lack of definite description, hard to identify and fully locate at this late day. It will be borne in mind that Dunstable had been shorn, largely, of its original territory by concessions to, and the erection of other towns taken from its broad acres.
In the charter, Joseph Blanchard was authorized to call the first meeting, which he did April 5, 1746, to meet at the house of Jonathan Lovewell, innholder, on April 14. At this meeting only town officers were chosen ; among them were Thomas Lund and John Huston, surveyors of the highways. At this meeting, also, the method for calling town meetings was adopted by "Signing Notifications to be Posted at two of the Publick Houses nearest the Middle of said Town." This public house kept by Lovewell stood on the site now occupied by the Godfrey farmhouse at what was then and for a long time afterward called the " Centre."
The next town meeting was held April 30, when it was " Voted that the Selectmen lay out what roads they think proper where is most convenient." It was also " Voted that a Pound be erected as near the house of Jonathan Lovewell as a place can be found convenient for the same and that the Pound be Thirty feet square and seven and half high."
It was also " Voted that Thomas Lund build the Pound and sett it where the Selectmen order and do it to their Acceptence sum time in May next and upon their accepting the same that they order the Town Treasurer to pay him Eleven Pounds old tenor for doing the same." The walls of this pound are still standing on the north corner of Taylor road and the Lowell road and with but little repairing, and the addition of a gate and lock, would be ready for business to-day.
June 26, 1746, the "Great Boston Road" was newly staked out and recorded as three rods wide. But few of the houses known to have been located upon this road are mentioned. Below are all that are given.
Capt. Joseph French's house was eight rods north of the state line, Beauchamp's house was one hundred and forty-nine rods north of the state line, Colonel Blanchard's house was one hundred and forty-eight rods north of Beauchamp's and twenty-nine rods south of Cummings' brook, John Searles' house sixty-six rods north of Cummings' brook, Henry Adams' house eighty rods north of Searles', the old ditch which led to the fort was ninety rods north of Adams', Mr. Harwood's house was ninety
120
HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. II.
rods north of the old ditch. No other house is mentioned between Harwood's and the Nashua river excepting Jonathan Lovewell's at Salmon brook, which was five hundred and seventy-three rods north of Harwood's and two hundred and eighty-three south of the Nashua river.
We have no means of knowing when the first bridge was built over the Nashua river, that there was one at that time we know from the following record :
"Province of \ To Thomas Lund, one of the Surveyors of Highways for the Town of Dunstable. New Hamp. )
"You are required in his Majestys Name to repair the Plank of Nashuay river Bridg or to git new if need be which Bridg is an addition to your District which was assigned to you the I day of July last and for assistance to take all that you then recd. Order to take and fail not.
"Dunstable, September ye 29, 1746.
JONATHAN LOVEWELL, ! THOMAS HARWOOD, Selectmen."
September 26, 1746. Dunstable town road was laid out from the Nashua river to the Pennichuck brook "four rods wide untill it comes to the Hill near Penychuck Brook and thence to the Bridge six rods wide."
This is now called the Manchester road, a continuation of Manchester street.
October 11, 1746, what is now known as the Concord road was laid out "from Penychuck Brook above Fordway near Jonathan Bowers' House by John Huston's and Richardson's and Butterfield's and to Nashua River Bridge."
At the town meeting held March 30, 1748, the dissatisfaction existing relative to the location of the new meeting house and the settling of the new minister, Rev. Samuel Bird, culminated in an open quarrel and, a part of the voters seceding, organized and elected a full set of officers. Here then were two separate and antagonistic set of town officials, each claiming to be the true governing power. The general assembly was appealed to and after long and repeated hearings, they declared that particular meeting null and void, and directed when and how a legal meeting for the election of town officers should be called and appointed a moderator to preside at the said meeting (see N. H. Prov. Papers, Vol. 5, article Dunstable). The said meeting was holden, the officers were elected and the town affairs moved along in their accustomed channel, but not without considerable friction in matters ecclesiastical, although no attempt was ever again made to apply a similar remedy for existing troubles.
Fox in his history of Dunstable, (page 153) says, "It was soon discovered by Blanchard that neither by the new charter of the town nor by any existing law of the State, was there any provision for calling the first meeting of the town after its recent incorporation by New Hampshire."
This was not so. The charter itself provided for calling the first meeting in these words, "We do by these presents nominate and appoint Coll. Joseph Blanchard to call the first meeting of the said Inhabitants to be held within the said town at any time within Thirty days from the date hereof, giving Legal notice of the time, place and designe of Holding such meeting."
The date of this instrument, it will be noticed, was April 1, 1746, and not as given by Fox, April 4. Due notice of the above mentioned first meeting was given by said Blanchard and it was held at the house of "Jonathan Lovewell, Inholder," on the fourteenth day of the same month, and town officers, including Thomas Lund and John Huston, surveyors of highways, were duly and legally elected and the new town fairly and legally erected.
At this same meeting, March 30, 1748, which we have shown was declared illegal by the general assembly, the following vote was passed :-
"Whereas Capt. John Shepard Built a Bridge over Nashuay River in Dunstable and having requested of this town that they would give their Consent that the Same may be made a Tole Bridge and the Town having Considered the Great Cost in Building and Maintaining said Bridge do There- fore Agree that his request be Granted upon his Petitioning the Gen'll Court that the same may don it is provided that this vote do not hender those persons or their passing over said Bridge or expose them to pay tole who have purchased of said Shepard a pass and Repass over said Bridge so long as said Bridge Stand, also provided said Shepard keep said Bridge in Good repair so long as he takes Tole and that the Town be at no Cost by reason thereof."
Whether or not the request was granted by the general court, I am unable to say, but I find in the town record, at the meeting held Sept. 3, 1750, the following :-
I2I
HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.
" Voted that Fifty pounds old tent be paid Capt. John Sheppard in three months from this date in full for all his Right and property in the Bridge Timbers and Appur'ces over Nashua River he Built in Dunstable Reserving to himself the Irons for hanging the Gate on Sd. Bridge of which he has Signed a quit Claim. Also Voted to Repair the 3d Bridge and that the sum of two Hundred pounds be Raised fifty part Thereof for payment of Capt. Sheppard aforesd. the Other Hundred & Fifty to be Layd Out in Repairs. And that Messrs. Jonathan Lovewell, John Butterfield & Ephraim Adams be a com'tee to See that the Service aforesd. be done."
It would seem that this bridge, for a time, must have been a " Tole Bridge."
The following appears on the record of the meeting held May 14, 1753 :-
"The 3rd Article in the Warrant was taken under Consideration and the Hon. Joseph Blanchard Esq. offering the Town the liberty of the land to the old fordway provided the Town forth with make a Good fence near the River bank so that his field may not lye exposed by reason of the passing a Vote was proposed to se if the Town will build a fence as proposed. Passed in the Negative."
"A Vote proposed on the 5th Article as followeth, That in as much as the Bridge over Nashaway River in this Town is of Great Expence in Building and keeping in Repair latly at a large Expence Built and car'ed a way with a freshet. So much Travelling for the Publick it is of Great Needcessety for rebuilding the Heavy Charges lying on this Town for their other necessary affairs has left them of Inabillity According to the corse of comon Taxes to perform the same with out further Aide & Where as there is large Quantity of land unimproved belonging to Residents and nonresidents which are not rateable that rise in value by reason of the Improvements and Taxes that are paid amongst us.
" There fore Voted that this Town Petition to the Genl. Assembly of this Province shewing ouer dificulty & Pray that the sum of one Hundred & fifty pounds new tenor be laieyed upon the lands in this Town in Equal proportion pr. Acre in such maner as shall be free of any charge for Collecting to be appropriated for the Building a Bridge over the Nashuway River and no other use what so ever & That the Hon. Joseph Blanchard Esq. and Mr. Jonathan Lovewell be desired to Petition the Genl. Assembly for their Grant Agreable to the foregoing vote. Pased in the Affairmative."
" Voted that a Bridge be built over Nashuway River the Ensuing sumer at the Charge of this Town & that the Hon. Joseph Blanchard Esq. Mr. Noah Johnson and Mr. Jonathan Lovewell be a Comte Authorized & Impowered in behalf of this Town to Agree & contract with any person or persons at their discretion to Effect the Same and that such their contract or Agreement be Obligatory & binding upon this Town for payment."
June 4, 1753. A road was laid out from Thomas Adams' house to the country road, also one from Gideon Honey's house to the country road.
Neither of these, from the loose way in which the lay out was made was recorded, can at this late day be located.
November II, 1754, the road which is marked as the Lund road on our town map was laid out. It commenced at what is now called the East Dunstable road and was practically an extension of what appears on our map as the Robinson road ; it extended in a northwesterly direction across Salmon brook and across the then called Hassel, now known as Hale's brook, to Mine island. About this time a saw mill was built at Mine island falls and this road led from what was then called the "Centre." at the junction of the Robinson and the "Great Boston Roads," directly to it. The new church also, being located at the Centre, at the "crotch of the roads," it will be seen that this was a very important and much used road. Also on this same day a road was laid out from Pennichuck brook at Tyler's fordway to the country road. It was customary to call any main road, "the country road ; " probably this road is the one known as the Reed's pond, or middle Merrimack road, the country road being the Manchester road.
Bridging the Nashua river at Main street, expensive as it had already been to the town, was destined to prove still more a source of trouble and expense. We have seen that there was one of some sort as early as 1746, we have also seen that Capt. John Shepard had built one in 1748, and that the town purchased of him all that there was left of it in 1750, and then repaired it at a cost of $150, and that in 1753 it had been carried away by a freshet and subsequently a land tax of {150 was voted to rebuild it ; still again we find March 19, 1759, the following :-
" Whereas the Bridge over Nashuway River wants Repairing and has been a Great cost and charge to this Town and so much passing over it by people from other places makes it of Necessity
122
HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.
that the same be kept in Repair and its being such a cost that this Town is not able to do it without distressing the Inhabitants. Therefore Voted that Jonathan Lovewell Esqr. Petition the General Assembly for liberty to set up a Lottery so as to Raise a sum of money to Repair or Build the same where said Bridge now is, provided liberty is obtained without the Towns Cost."
The lottery was not granted and so the next March it was voted to collect the land tax which the town had voted to raise. In February, 1763, a committee was appointed to "Geet a Collection by Subscribers to build a new bridge."
Sept. 29, 1763, it was " Voted that the Comtee for keeping the Bridge in Repare Provide a Suffiant Quantity of 3 Inch Plank to Cover a new Bridge at or neare the Place where it now stands."
Aug. 9, 1764, it was " Proposed that a Bridge be built over Nashua River a little above where the Bridge now Stands in the most Proper place and one or two Stone arches be made as fit and that the Committee use of the old Bridge what they Shall think proper for the New one and that the Said Comtee have power to Draw the money raised for that End by a Tax on all the Land in Dunstable by act of Assembly & that each person have Liberty to work out his rate at sd. Bridge if they think fit and that the said Comtee Draw what shall be Subscribed to Sd. Bridge and that they render an acct. of the Costs to the Town when Done and that Mrsrs Joseph Senter Thomas Lund and Joseph Whiting be said Comtee. Voted in the affirmative."
The meeting held Dec. 27, 1764, "adjourned untill Next Tuesday come fortnight" when the Comtee reported the cost of the bridge to have been £513-16-7."
March 4, 1765. "Voted to Sell the old Bridge at vendue Excepting the plank and it struck off to Mr. Jos. Senter for {13-5-o old tenor."
"Voted that Mr. Jos. Senter be a Comtee to take care of the New Bridge and finish the planking and underpinning the Arch."
It would seem by the above that this was a stone-arch bridge, and soon after carried away, for May 27, 1765, we find the following :
" Whereas this Town Lately Built a Bridge over Nashua River at a great charge and the same being carried away last Spring with a flood and the Town not being able to pay so much to Build another as was then layed out on that, and many people in other Towns proposing to give Something towards Building the Same again, therefore Voted that fifty Dollars be raised by this Town to Help Build a New Bridge over said River where the last was and that Messrs. Joseph Whiting Thomas Lund Samuel Roby Joseph Senter and Noah Lovewell be a Comtee to take Care and Build Said Bridge as soon as their is a Sufficient Sum Subscribed So as to finish Said Bridge with the fifty Dollars and that the Said fifty Dollars be assessed on the Inhabitants of this Town So Soon as the Bridge is finished fit for passing and paid to Said Comtee."
The only report of the doings of the committee is suggested at the meeting held Dec. 12 of the same year when it was "Voted that the acct of the Comtee appointed to Build a Bridge over Nashua River this present year over and above what the Town has already Raised and what has Been Subscribed towards Building Said Bridge amounting to Eighteen pounds thirteen shillings and Sixpence Lawfull money be allowed and paid to Said Comtee."
At the same meeting it was " Voted that Mr. Jos. Senter be paid four Shillings Lawfull money for taking care of Nashua River Bridge Last Spring." In 1771 labor on this bridge was paid for at the rate of two shillings per day.
In looking over the old records, one sees at every turn of the page a strong, ever-present feeling antagonistic to the ecclesiastical condition which prevailed in the old country, and from which these early settlers had fled to an untrodden wilderness. The stern and unbending faith which they had adopted, as being the farthest from that, was their constant and over-ruling guide in all their daily walks. They carried their faith into their works even to the extent of a seeming disregard of, or rather a tearing out from the hearts of the living, all tender memories of their dead, as shown in their neglect of their last resting places. I am led to this belief by the following extract from the record of March 20, 1764 :
"Voted that Jonathan Lund take Care of the Beurying Place and keep the Brush well mown for two years and that he have Liberty to feed it with Sheep that time."
123
HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.
Was there not among them all one poor, rebellious soul, who could lovingly linger, with the poet, in that other silent home of the dead, where,
scatter'd oft, the earliest of the year, By hands unseen are show'rs of violets found, The redbreast loves to build and warble there,
And little footsteps lightly print the ground."
At the meeting held on Monday, the last day of March, 1760, it was "Voted that every person work at Highways in proportion to their last Tax"
This is the first attempt of "working out Taxes on the Roads" in the history of the town, a practice which still holds good in all country towns.
The first record of the discontinuance of a highway was March 22, 1762, when it was "Voted that the highway from Nashway River by Buck Meadow to Salmon Brook until it comes to the East Side of Said meadow be droped and not Repared by the Surveyors, and that the Selectmen take proper Care that Said Rode be droped." A duty that the selectmen performed so well that no trace of the old road can now be found.
Dec. 13, 1739, that part of Dunstable lying west of the Nashua river was set off by the Massa- chusetts general court, for religious purposes only, under the name of Dunstable West Parish ; in all secular matters they retained their old position in the town and took an active part in all its affairs. Their first settled minister was the Rev. Daniel Emerson, who was ordained April 20, 1743. Mean- while the new province line had been determined but they still retained their position as an independent parish. Early in the year of 1746, yielding to incessant importuning for a division of the town, the governor and council appointed a commission of five members, to join three appointed by Dunstable, to settle matters. The commissioners met at once, but the weather being cold and inclement, evidently it was more comfortable to investigate matters by the warm fireside of the inn, than by tramping about the country, for a division of the township into four towns was made without viewing the territory. Merrimack and Monson were taken from the northern, and Hollis from the western part. Monson was chartered April 1, Merrimack April 2, Dunstable as newly defined, and Hollis April 3, 1746. In the case of Hollis the Dunstable commissioners succeeded in limiting the easterly line to the French and Muddy brooks, which left a large number of the people in the vicinity of "One Pine Hill," whose affiliations were all with Hollis, still in Dunstable. This created instant discontent and caused a continual fight lasting for seventeen years and until the governor and council settled it by annexing the territory to Hollis Dec. 13, 1763.
"A second border trouble, (I quote from Worcester's Hollis), in respect to the boundary between Hollis and Dunstable, began soon after the contest of One Pine hill." This controversy grew out of a question in respect to the support of an expensive bridge across the Nashua river, in the south-east part of Hollis, near the place in the Hollis records at first called "Lawrence Mills," afterwards "Jaquith's " and in our times known as "Runnells' Mills." A bridge at this place was very necessary to the people of Hollis, being on their main road to market ; but much less needed by Dunstable. So indispensable was this bridge to Hollis, that in 1740 provision was made for building it out of the " non-resident tax of 2d. per acre," granted by the parish charter for the support of the ministry. But that tax being lost, with the parish charter, I do not find sufficient evidence that any bridge was built at that place till many years after the charter of Hollis and Dunstable as towns. These charters, as has been seen, made the Nashua river from the Province line to Flint's brook the boundary of the two towns; the south line of Dunstable beginning at Merrimack river and running on the Province line "to " the Nashua, and the south line of Hollis, beginning "at " the Nashua, and running westwardly on the Province line six miles and ninety-six rods. A New Hampshire court in these times would have probably held that this charter descriptive of this boundary would have divided the river equally between the two towns, leaving the town line in the middle or thread of the stream, instead of on its banks, and each town under equal obligation to build the bridge. But we shall see by and by that the town meetings in Hollis and Dunstable did not take this view of the law.
In the early Hollis records there are many references to this bridge and to the troubles in respect to it. The first of these is found in the record of the March meeting in 1751, when the town voted to
12.4
HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. II.
build a bridge "across Nashua river near Dea. Cummings." From this vote it is evident that the bridge had not been then built, and that Dunstable was expected to help build it.
At the annual meeting in 1756, Hollis "chose Capt. Peter Powers, Samuel Cummings and Benjamin Abbott a Committee to see if Dunstable will joyn with Holles to bould a bridge over Nashua river in some convenient Place where the Road is laid out from Holles to Dunstable." It seems that Dunstable did not accept this invitation of the Hollis committee, for it is found that a special town meeting in Hollis, in 1760, chose a "committee to Petition the General Court for a Lottery to Bould a Bridge over Nashua river if they think fit." But the "Generall " Court did not "think fit" to grant a Lottery, as it appears that at the annual meeting in 1761, the town without calling on Dun- stable for help " Voted to have a Bridge built over Nashua river near Lawrence's Mills," and chose a committee to obtain subscriptions for it. The next year, 1762, the town " Voted to raise money to be Redukted out of the cost of the Bridge that was subscribed out of town." From this vote it is evident that as early as 1762 a bridge had been built across the Nashua river mainly, if not wholly, by Hollis.
In May, 1765, at a special town meeting, the town " Voted to Rebuild or Repair the Bridge over Nashua river, and that the £800 voted at the March Meeting for Making and Mending the Roads be laid out in building and Repairing the Bridge." From the above vote I infer that the bridge built in 1762 was either washed away wholly in the spring of 1765, or so much injured as to need costly repairs. Though, in the language of the law, "often requested," the town of Dunstable, as it seems, had given no aid in supporting this bridge, and the question of the legal liability of that town to aid in it was allowed to sleep till the annual meeting in Hollis in March, 1772. At that meeting, in pursuance of an article in the warrant, the town "Voted to appoint a committee to ask for and recover of Dunstable a share of the Cost of Building and Repairing the Bridge across Nashua River near Jaquith's Mills with power to prosecute if necessary."
This request of the people of Hollis, upon being submitted by the committee to a town meeting in Dunstable, in the month of June following, was curtly rejected, and it was " Voted that Dunstable would not do anything towards building a bridge over Nashua river."
But it fortunately so happened that not far from this time, the Mills before known as " Lawrence " Mills," had become the property of Ebenezer Jaquith. This Mr. Jaquith and Ensign Merrill lived in the bend of Nashua river on the Dunstable side, their two farms containing about five hundred acres, and comprising all the land in this bend. These men were nearer to the meeting house in Hollis than to that in Dunstable, and like the saintly and sensible settlers on One Pine hill, wished to be annexed to Hollis and were willing to pay something for the privilege. With these new facts in view, and the long and costly contest for the conquest of One Pine hill not yet forgotten, a special town meeting was called in Hollis in December, 1772, at which it was " Voted that whereas, there is a dispute with respect to the Bridge over Nashua river between Holles and Dunstable, and whereas Messrs. Merrill and Jaqueth live more convenient to Holles than Dunstable, and are willing to pay something hand- some towards the Building of said Bridge, and also considering the expense of Suits at Law in the Premises-now in order to the amicable settlement of the matter, and for the Preservation and Cultivation of Harmony between said Towns-Voted to accept said Families with their Lands, Provided Dunstable shall lay them off to us and assist in an amicable manner to get them incorporated with us. Also Voted that Samuel Hobart, Dea. Noyes and William Nevins be a Committee to treat with Dunstable on Bridge affairs." The Hollis committee soon communicated these amicable terms of peace to the selectmen of Dunstable, who upon their receipt summoned a town meeting of their constituents, by whom these neighborly overtures were disdainfully rejected and the meeting " Voted that the people of Dunstable would not pay anything towards the Building of the Bridge, nor would they consent to annex any more Land to Holles."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.