USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Antrim > History of the town of Antrim, New Hampshire, from its earliest settlement to June 27, 1877, with a brief genealogical record of all the Antrim families > Part 13
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In the winter of 1811-12, the spotted fever broke out in Antrim, - the most fatal scourge that ever swept over the town. It had been a time of unusually cold winters and unhealthy sum- mers for about three years. The winter of 1809-10 was very
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SPOTTED FEVER.
severe, Jan. 19, 1810, being the celebrated " Cold Friday." There was no snow that winter till Feb. 20; but the cold was almost intolerable, and many persons perished from cold in all parts of New England. Then followed a summer of much sick- ness among children, and there were many deaths in Antrim among the young. In the following year, 1811, there was con- siderable sickness, but few deaths. Again, the winter of 1811-12 was one of great length and severity. Dec. 25, 1811, William McClary was frozen to death. Snow was very deep. Dr. Whiton's diary says that "snow fell a foot deep in May, 1812." In the midst of this long and terrible winter came the spotted fever. The first case occurred Feb. 7, 1812, the first subject being a child of Samuel Weeks, then for a short time living on the Dea. Shattuck place. This child recovered. On the follow- ing day, Robert Nesmith, child of Dea. Jonathan, was taken, and lived but a few hours. This first victim died Feb. 9, 1812. Then cases followed rapidly in all parts of the town. Dea. Nes- mith's child died on Sunday, and was buried the following day. The next death was that of Mrs. Daniel Paige, sick only a little over half a day. Persons would be taken with a violent head- ache, or, as in the case of Mrs. Abraham McNiel, with a pain in the little finger, or in some other strange way, and, in severe cases, the victim usually died in less than twelve hours. There were two hundred cases and forty deaths, in two months. Everybody wore mourning till the deaths became so numerous it was impossible to provide mourning apparel. It was hard to find well persons enough to take care of the sick. At many times there were two or three funerals per day, and on one day there were four funerals and four processions up the hard, snowy road to the cemetery on the hill. Sometimes they threw a little snow and dirt over the coffin, and then left the grave unfilled till spring. All ages were taken, from sixty years down to the infant of days. Daniel Nichols, Esq., surveyor, deacon, and nine years selectman, fell a victim. None were attacked by it who were over sixty years of age. The " Cab- inet " at Amherst printed reports from Antrim mournful indeed, week after week. These reports bear the mark of Mr. Whiton's hand. For ten weeks all work was suspended except what was. absolutely necessary, and people gave their attention to the care of the sick and the burial of the dead. As this was a new dis- ease, physicians did not know how to manage it, and most of
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SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND.
them adopted the roasting process. This they carried to such an extreme that many were actually roasted to death. Families held themselves ready to apply the roasting or sweating process, at a moment's warning, night or day. With hot bricks, hot stones, hot blocks of wood, hot rooms, hot drinks, and piles of clothes, the poor creature, burning with fever, was roasted out of the world. But, after many deaths, experience and the " sober second thought " brought about a more merciful and successful
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treatment. Houses were kept lighted all night, and for more than a month there was one body, or more, awaiting burial all the time. But, as the spring advanced, the disease took a milder form, and entirely ceased about the middle of April. In other towns this scourge was felt. In Acworth there were fifty- three deaths, and many fatal cases occurred far and near. In some towns the disease returned in milder form when cold weather came again, but not here; and it is not known that there has been a case among us since that lamentable winter.
June 18, 1812, Congress declared war against England. This was approved by a very large majority of the people of Antrim ; and many citizens of this town took part in the struggle, as will be seen in the chapter on military matters. The war lasted about three years ; all the way there was considerable opposition to it; the celebrated " Hartford Convention " was called to oppose the prolongation of the war ; there was no little excite- ment in this town .; and when, therefore, tidings of peace came in February, 1815, the people here turned out, in disregard of party lines. for a meeting of mutual congratulation. The treaty of peace was signed Dec. 24, 1814. The last conflict of the war was the battle of New Orleans, when Jackson gained his great victory, Jan 8, 1815, two weeks after peace was declared. But there were no telegraphs then !
It was in the course of the war that the Antrimites raised an enormous liberty-pole on the top of Meeting-House Hill. The day was July 4, 1813. It was cut on Dea. Boyd's land just south of Clinton Village, was drawn up by eighteen yoke of oxen (one pair for each State in the Union), and raised with great ceremonies, speaking, and shouting, by a vast assembly. It was a great day for the men and boys. Alas ! but few remain to tell the memories of that day. The big pole went down in the gale of 1818.
March 9, 1813, a record is as follows : "Voted Alexander
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FIRE AND WIND.
Witherspoon, James Jameson, James Campbell, and all others of the newly-married men be hog-reeves." So far as the record goes, this is the first indication of the transfer of this office to this unfortunate class of men, as a body.
As a sample of votes on the subject for many years, the fol- lowing is given, under date of March 11, 1817 : " Thomas Day struck off to Charles Gates at 98 cts. per week, he to be fur- nished with suitable victuals, Drink, lodging and Tobacco." " Drink " and " tobacco " begin with capitals, it will be noticed. But this selling was not so hard as it might seem, inasmuch as the selectmen looked after the treatment of the poor, and they were kept in our own town, and looked upon by the people with 'kindness and pity.
It may be of service to some to know that the capital of the State was fixed at Concord in 1816. The various legislatures had assembled at Portsmouth, Exeter, Hanover, Concord, and Hopkinton previous to this date. The latter place made a strug- gle, hard and long, for the honor, but in vain.
The " Amherst Cabinet," August, 1816, has the following : -
Fire! The barn, shed, and outhouses of Mr. James Dunlap of Antrim were consumed on the 26th of July last, together with all his farming utensils contained in them, with about three tons of hay, 80 pounds of wool and 100 pounds of flax. In consequence of his heavy loss the in- habitants met on the following Monday, and prepared timber for a frame and raised him a barn 40 by 50 feet, underpinned, and boarded a third part of it in 30 laboring hours ! And on the 2ª inst. it was completed for receiving and saving his crops.
Sept. 25, 1815, a terrible wind swept over the northern part of Massachusetts and southern part of New Hampshire, making great havoc of buildings and orchards The damage in Antrim was mostly to the timber, a great amount of it being blown down. East of South Village there was a second growth extending to the river, covering a large tract, over which were scattered per- haps a hundred old hemlocks rising above the new growth. Clark Hopkins, then a small lad, says he lay on his bed that afternoon and saw the old trees go down, one after another, till all were gone.
The year 1816 used to be called by old people " Poverty Year," and sometimes " Mackerel Year." It was a cold, frosty season so that corn would not ripen, and farmers had little to fatten stock with, and hence were compelled to live largely on fish, there being then no great storehouse of corn in the West. Now, if a
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THUNDER-SHOWERS.
frost should cut off the whole corn crop of New Hampshire, it would not sensibly affect the price. Then, farmers lived on what they raised themselves. Their crops of English grain, however, were very good in 1816, and sufficient to prevent star- vation. I remember hearing my father tell about two inches of · snow and great suffering from cold, on the eleventh of June. It was with difficulty that ripe corn enough was matured for seed on the following year. That also was a cold and unproductive season.
March 10, 1818, the town " Voted that the Selectmen inlarge the Graveyard the present Season to the West as far as the towns Land runs." It seems, that, in accordance with this vote, about half an acre was added on the west, being that part which is not so full of graves. The old part is literally packed with the dead.
The summer of 1819 was remarkable to the people of Antrim for the number of thunder-showers that passed over the town. This fact is suggestive to those who think every season they live through to be the " strangest season they ever saw," and are always finding some fearful omens, as if remarkable seasons never occurred before ! Yet the world has stood through several such. I have heard travelers and boarders say that "showers generally went round Antrim." My observation for twelve years leads me to have some belief in this. But in 1819 show- ers were numerous and violent here. There were many weeks in the summer that liad a violent shower every day. Mr. Whiton tells us that " buildings were set on fire and many persons killed by lightning," throughout New England. The only building damaged in Antrim was the house of Dea. Josiah Duncan ; but crops were injured, and damaged hay was plenty. It is believed to be in the course of this marvelous summer that the old church on the hill was struck by lightning. Mr. Whiton speaks of it thus : -
It was a time of bright sunshine, after a sprinkle of rain, a little after noon; but a single cloud, and that small, being visible. The flash was vivid and the report violent, but soon over; no other thunder clap it is believed was heard that day. The electric fluid entered the roof directly over the pulpit, being attracted by the large bar of iron by which the canopy, that old-fashioned appendage of ancient meeting-houses, was suspended over the stand of the minister. It set the canopy on fire, and flames began to burst forth, when the people in the vicinity arrived in season to extinguish them.
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SECTIONAL FEELING.
Some parts near the pulpit were much blackened and shat- tered, but the damage on the whole was not great.
In 1820 the town's poor were ten in number in a population of thirteen hundred and thirty. The following year there were six only ; and the town voted the " Poor be sot up as last year."
For a long time there had been a little sectional feeling in An- trim, as divided by Meeting-House Hill. Intercourse between the two parts of the town was only by the road over the summit, and therefore was very limited. In winter it was difficult, and at times even perilous, to travel from the south to the north part of the town. The old church and the annual town meeting were all, except the memories of the past, that held the town's people together. Hence, after long talk, it was determined to build a road round the west side of the hill. This was laid out in 1820. The vote, March 14 of that year, was as follows: " To have the Selectmen to Lay out the road from near the Pound to Nathan Pierces old place," - now Luther Campbell's. This was difficult to build, and was not finished till 1822. At that time there was no building of any kind from Lemuel Page's (New- man place at the Center) to Luther Campbell's.
This road being completed, travel was almost entirely diverted from the hill. The location of the meeting-house, in a beautiful and sacred place, glorious in summer, favorable as being midway in point of distance, and hallowed with memories, was neverthe- less unfortunate in being on a high hill-top, hard of access, especially in the storms and drifts of winter. The subject of building a new meeting-house was talked over in earnest All were agreed that something must be done ; few could unite on any one thing. Nor was it strange, considering the geography of the town and the location of its inhabitants, that this embarrassment should arise. South Village was not large enough then to be of special promise, and nobody seems to have thought of building tliere. Meetings for consultation were held. Finally a town meeting was held, Feb. 4, 1823, to take action as to building a new house, or removing the old one to " some con- venient place near the Center of the Town." This seems to . have been a full meeting. Jacob Tuttle was moderator. They voted not to remove the old house ; to take measures toward building a new house; and the first question being that of location, they chose a committee of one from each school dis- trict in town to " point out a spot to set a meeting house." This
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1
LAST TOWN ACTION IN CHURCH MATTERS.
committee consisted of Eps Burnham, Amos Parmenter, Jacob Tuttle, Samuel Steel, Robert Carr, Boyd Hopkins, Dimond Dodge, John Worthley, Samuel Fletcher, John Symonds, and Josiah Duncan. No record is made of the meeting on " the first Tues- day of April," to which they adjourned. But the committee could not agree upon any location, and so reported to the town. So great was the diversity of interests and opinions, it was thought best to drop the subject for the time ; and it was never brought up in legal meeting again. Yet this was not the last action of the town, in its corporate capacity, concerning religious matters. For, a society of individuals having been formed, and the pres- ent church built by them, as will be seen in the proper chapter, the town voted in legal meeting (Amos Parmenter, moderator), Nov. 27, 1826, -
To have the Preaching discontinued at the old Meeting House, Yeas 149, nays 24. Voted to have the Rev. John M. Whiton hereafter officiate in the New Central Meeting House by Yeas 128, nays, 15. Voted that Mr. Whiton Preach an Apropriate Farewell Sermon in the old Meeting House next Sunday in the forenoon, and take Possession of the New Central Meeting House in the afternoon.
Also they refused to let Mr. Whiton " preach in the New East Meeting House " by yeas 34, nays 126. This was the last action of the town in church matters, except that they annually voted the salary of Mr. Whiton, so that he drew his pay like any servant of the town. This continued until the March meeting of 1836, when the article in the warrant being "To see how much money the Town will raise for Salary of Rev. John M. Whiton," the town voted to dismiss the article. And with that vote terminated the long-continued connection between the town and the church.
The year 1826 is spoken of by the old people as " Grasshopper Year." The summer was one of great and long-continued drought, and by August the grasshoppers were in hosts and almost covered the pastures, sweeping them clean of verdure. Hay-crop was at least half cut off. The fields looked brown and dead as November. I have heard some of the older farmers tell how they drove the grasshoppers in between the rows of potatoes or corn, and then scooped them up by the bushel to feed to their hogs ! This year of meeting-houses and grasshoppers was at this time very dark. The change is best expressed in the happy words of Dr. Whiton : -
7
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LIQUOR LICENSES.
On the afternoon of Aug. 28, a tremendous rain swelled the little brooks into raging torrents, so that by evening they were impassable, and the roar of foaming waters was heard in almost every direction. The autumn yielded an exuberant growth of grass, cold weather was late in coming, and the cattle found, till into December, ample supplies of food in the fields; happily disappointing gloomy apprehensions of distressing scarcity.
But so great was the damage done to roads and bridges, by this sudden flood of water, that a town meeting was called for Sept. 11, 1826, to " see what measures the town will take " to make the extensive repairs needed. They voted (George Dun- can, moderator) to raise an extra tax on the highways of half the ordinary annual tax, and to leave the heavy expenses of bridges to the selectmen. The loss to the town has been esti- mated at more than two thousand dollars in money and a vast amount of work.
The first appearance on the record of any action concerning the sale of liquor, is a permit given by the selectmen May 25, 1822, to Jacob Tuttle, " to sell wine, rum, gin and other spirits by retail, that is, in less quantities than one gallon." The agita- tion of the temperance question had then only begun, and the law was only carried to such an extent as to limit the amount of sale to one gallon, and prevent selling by other than, licensed parties. These licenses were given by the selectmen, forming a sort of local license. This continued for several years. In 1826, the year of building the meeting-houses, Isaac Smith, Capt. Rob- ert Reed, Robert Burns, Jr., Isaac Barrett, Jacob Tuttle, Mark Woodbury, George Duncan, Amos Holt, and Ira Cochran (in com- pany with Hiram Bell) were all licensed to keep tavern and sell rum,- nine places in full blast in this town! One would think they needed a few meeting-houses ! Surely, we have made some progress in fifty years !
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THE QUESTION OF DIVISION.
CHAPTER III.
AN OUTLINE OF EVENTS IN ANTRIM FOR FIFTY YEARS.
1827-1877.
THE year 1827 has always been distinguished as one of great religious interest in Antrim. This will be noticed in another place, but it is proper to say here, that, after the preceding year of controversy and doubt about the future, the revival was one of the most remarkable ever known. About one hundred and twenty persons became Christians, one hundred and three of whom united with Mr. Whiton's church. Oct. 25, 1827, seven- teen persons in the east part of the town were formed into a Congregational church. With these arose conflicting denomina- tional sentiments, where hitherto hardly a division had been known. Immediately after March meeting of this year, ninety men protested against being taxed for Mr. Whiton ; but under the revival some of these returned. Some, also, were in the extremes of the town, and were justly exempted. The previous religious oneness of the town was, however, forever broken.
Scarcely had the church been organized before ideas previously entertained began to be spoken out boldly, concerning a division of the town. The people in the east part, having a church and a costly church-building, a saw-mill, grist-mill, blacksmith-shop, tavern, and store, with favorable location, boldly struck out to make it the center of a new town, taking Society Land, the western part of Deering, and the eastern part of Antrim. Their plan was to take in the Dustin Barrett farm, the contemplated line running southward so as to take into the new town all east of Meeting-House Hill, including the poor-farm, the Whiteley place, and all of South Village: This was first brought before the town in public meeting, Nov. 3, 1828, - George Duncan being moderator, and the article being, " to take the Sense of the Voters respecting a division of the town of Antrim, as petitioned for by Robert Duncan and others." The town voted to dismiss the article. But the matter being now hard pressed by the peti- tioners, another town meeting was immediately called. At this meeting, Nov. 19, 1828, Clark Hopkins was chosen moderator. They then by ballot elected Isaac Baldwin the town's agent to
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STRENUOUS EFFORTS OF BOTH PARTIES.
oppose the petition for division. They empowered him to employ counsel and use all available means to prevent the dismember- ment of the old town, and chose James Cochran, Amos Parmen- ter, and William Little, a committee to " advise with the Agent in Selecting the necessary Witnesses from this town." They also voted to raise six hundred dollars to defray expenses, and instructed the town clerk, Jacob Tuttle, who was understood to favor division, to "forthwith transmit an attested coppy of the proceedings of this meeting to the Agent." They also voted a survey of the town, so as to exhibit the position of the town- house and the distances from the Center. The work of the town committee was so earnestly done, that, at the following session of the legislature, the " Committee on Incorporation of Towns" reported against the division, and it was lost. So persistent, how- ever, were the friends of the measure, that, at the same session, they subsequently obtained, on petition, the appointment by the legislature of a committee to visit the town and vicinity, exam- ine the country, take evidence, and report at the next session. This committee had, for its chairman, C. F. Gove, of Nashua, then of Goffstown. The other members of the committee were Alfred Gordon, of Washington, and Jesse Bowers of Dunstable.
The next spring (May 27, 1830), this committee came here to perform its work. Antrim by its agent, Isaac Baldwin, backed by most of the leading men in the town, opposed the measure. The selectmen of Deering came to represent that town in oppo- sition to the petition. Society Land, by its agent, John Dodge, Esq., did all in its power against the scheme. Counsel appeared on both sides. But the committee reported in favor of estab- lishing the new town. No name seems to have been suggested for this new creation, as one of them said "they would not name the child till it was born." All now turned to the legis- lature (June, 1830) for the final struggle. It should be added, that, pending the hearing of this committee, an article had been introduced into the warrant for the annual meeting (March 10, 1829) to " See if the town will consent to a division of the town of Antrim, provided the line of division be so drawn through said town as to leave a sufficient number of voters on the west part to send a representative to General Court." But so strong and decisive was the feeling, that, as soon as they were organized (Sutheric Weston, Jr., moderator), they called up this article and dismissed it. A motion was made to allow the town ac-
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THE PLAN DEFEATED.
counts except what was raised to oppose division ; but the town quickly voted that the "account be adopted as it stands." Then they proceeded to the election of town officers.
It should be added, also, that at a meeting May 17, 1830, the town chose " Amos Parmenter second Agent " to assist Mr. ·Baldwin ; and also chose a committee consisting of the selectmen (Samuel Fletcher and Thomas McCoy, besides Baldwin, the agent), Dea. Jonathan Nesmith, and Capt. John Worthley, to assist in opposing the petition " at the Widow Woodbury's house on the 27th of this month."
Before the legislature there was a sharp and final contest. On the one hand was the report of the committee in favor of the new town, backed by able counsel, and determined friends. They did everything possible to force the thing through, and never was a plan more vigorously pursued. And they were confident of success. On the other hand, Antrim, Deering, and Society Land (now Bennington), by decisive and determined majorities, opposed the new town. Every man in Antrim signed a remon- strance against it except the few interested petitioners. Within the proposed new town, many and influential men opposed it with all their might. And some of the older people begged the legislature, even with tears, not to dismember the old town. In the face of all this, to grant the petition of so few, to their no great advantage, against the wishes, the associations, the convic- tions, and the interests of so many in all these towns, was seen to be preposterous ! By an overwhelming majority the legisla- ture voted down the measure ! And it has stayed voted down to this day !
At the March meeting, 1829, an article was in the warrant to see if the town would move the " Town House," no longer called " meet- ing-house," to a more convenient place. Travel had mostly left the hill, most of the families had moved off, and the old building stood there, high, cold, and almost alone. But the town was then stirred up with the excitement about division, and simply dismissed the article. Thus the matter stood till March meeting, 1832, when the town "voted that the Selectmen be requested to insert an article in the warrant at the November meeting to see if the town will vote to build a town-house and appropriate the Old Meeting House to that use." But, meantime, a town meeting was called on petition, to take immediate action. This meeting was May 30, 1832, Capt. Isaac Baldwin, moderator (afterwards Dea.
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MOVING THE TOWN-HOUSE.
Isaac). They voted to accept the plan proposed by the select- men, to rebuild the old meeting-house " by leaving out the mid- dle band and Cuting it Down to one Story in hight." They then chose John Worthley, Thomas Carr, Thomas McCoy, James Cochran, and Samuel Cummings, as a committee to nominate " a Disinterested Committee to locate." They reported " Rus- sell Tubbs, of Deering, Solomon McNeil, of Hillsboro', and Thacher Bradford of Hancock Esqrs." These were immediately accepted, and met on June 13 following. They fixed on the spot now occupied by the town-house. The town meeting having been adjourned to June 16, the citizens, when met, accepted the report of the locating committee ; voted to pay Capt. Robert Reed, then owning the land, five dollars a rod for what was needed ; chose Isaac Baldwin, Benjamin Rollins, and James Wallace, Jr., as the building committee ; and instructing them to spend as little as possible, and " have it convenient," they dissolved the meeting. The contract for taking down, removing, and rebuild- ing, was given to Charles Gates. And thus this old landmark was removed, making a great change in the appearance of the hill, and leaving only the monuments of the dead to mark the spot ! It had been a place of meetings and partings, of joys and sorrows, for half a century ! The first town meeting at the new place was Nov. 5, 1832. From the unfinished state of the build- ing, the meeting was called at the Center school-house; but im- mediately, on choice of moderator (Luke Woodbury), they adjourned to the town-house. There the town meetings have been since held.
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