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 29
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The Branch has now twenty-five dwelling-houses and two stores. Parkhurst's are the only mills in operation. The neat chapel was built in 1877. Stages run from Keene to Hillsbor- ough Bridge through this village. Also they have a daily stage to the depots at South Antrim and Greenfield. Branch Village is nearly two miles north of the Center, has a delightful situa- tion on the river, is surrounded by hills, and has excellent mill privileges, most of which are now unused.
THE CENTER.
This small collection of houses, hardly to be dignified by the name of village, is situated on the south slope of Meeting-House Hill, and about a mile southeast of the geographical center of the town. Its situation is high and sightly, and, in summer, exceedingly attractive, and a resort for summer boarders. It consists of the Presbyterian church, vestry, school-house, town- house, and seven dwelling-houses. There were formerly a store and post-office here ; also a tavern was kept on the Vose place. It now has daily stage to and from depot. Its houses were built as follows : -
1. Capt. Leander Smith's. - Built by Moses Wilkins, 1828.
2. The Ambrose Story House. - The first building on this spot was moved from west of the pond, about 1827, by James Hill. The barn was burned here in 1867, and was rebuilt by Ambrose Story. The house was put into its present large and attractive
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CLINTON VILLAGE.
shape, by Mrs. Sarah Perry and her mother, in 1877. City boarders find a quiet, restful, and pleasant home here.
3. Whiton House. - Built by Charles Gates, in the early spring of 1826. An addition on the east was long occupied as a store and post-office. Now the Presbyterian parsonage.
4. Draper House. - Put up by Jonathan Paige, 1828. Had a harness-shop in one part. (Afterwards a small building for this use stood east of the house.) Now owned and occupied by Mrs. N. B. Herrick.
5. Rev. Morris Holman's. - This used to be called the " Paige house," by old people. Was built by Samuel Gregg, in 1777. A town meeting was held in it in 1778. Was built on the New- man place, but was moved to its present site by Charles Gates. Was fitted up and long occupied by John S. Parmenter. Is the oldest occupied house in town.
6. The Newman House. - This was built by Charles Gates, out of the timber of the Christie tavern, on the old site where Samuel Gregg settled in 1777. This was the parsonage during the pastorate of Mr. Bates.
7. Mr. Gove's. - This is known as the E. L .Vose place. The first buildings were put up by Benjamin Gregg. His suc- cessor was Samuel Caldwell. Afterwards Zaccheus Fairbanks put up a large, two-story house here, in which he had a large hall for dances, singing-schools, etc. Fairbanks was licensed to keep tavern year after year. The large house was taken down by E. L. Vose.
Besides these, a small house stood many years just above the town-house, and was occupied by the widow Todd and children ; and another house stood opposite the town-house, which was occupied some years as a store, and was long subsequently the dwelling of Jonas Parker. This house was taken down by the boys between two days.
CLINTON VILLAGE.
The first building in this village was put up by Dea. Imla Wright in 1828. It was then a deep forest, rocky and rough in the extreme, but grew up rapidly by the development of its water-power. Soon after the building of the cotton-mill by Wright, several houses were built. The Abbott mill went up in 1835. In 1851, there were sixteen dwellings in Clinton. At one time it was proposed to call this village " Wrightville," as it
7
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HOUSES IN CLINTON VILLAGE.
was founded by Dea. Wright, he having built three of its mills and several houses, either alone or in company with others. But he modestly objected, and proposed that they call the village " Clinton." As De Witt Clinton had just died, and was then uni- versally praised, and even called a benefactor of mankind, all fell in with Dea. Wright's suggestion, and the place has since been called " Clinton." Dea. Wright is now living in respected and smart old age, and sees a thriving village where he began in the forest. Now, including Charles F. Holt's, there are twenty dwelling-houses, six mills and factories, a store, a blacksmith- shop, and a cooper's shop. This village has excellent water privileges, and does considerable manufacturing of wooden-wares, chiefly bedsteads, cribs of many kinds, window-shades, spring- beds, etc., etc. Some of the houses in Clinton were built as below : -
1. House of Dea. E. Z. Hastings. - Built by Dea. Imla Wright in 1828.
2. Dea. Wright's. - Built by himself, 1831.
3. Daniel Story's. - Built by Ambrose Story, 1832.
4. J. A. Bryer's. - Built by Dimon Twiss, 1833.
5. David Hill's. - Built by his brother Reuben, 1833.
6. Hildreth's. - Built by Imla Wright in 1836.
7. John G. Abbott's. - Put up by Samuel W. Abbott in 1837, being moved from Dea. Boyd farm.
8. C. D. Sawyer's. - Built by the Abbotts, 1847.
9. Robinson's. - Built by Reuben Robinson, 1848.
10. C. B. Cochrane's. - Built by Horace B. Tuttle, about 1869.
11. Store. - Fitted up and opened by C. B. Cochrane, 1874.
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ATTENDING CHURCH IN THE EARLY DAYS.
CHAPTER XIV.
OLD CUSTOMS AND HABITS.
SOME of the religious habits of our Scotch-Irish ancestry are spoken of elsewhere. They were people of intense religious convictions, and held the principles of their fathers with undy- ing grip. They were great readers of the Bible, and the rank and file of them had such a knowledge of it as would put us now to shame. They were very strict in keeping the Sabbath. All work ceased at sunset Saturday night. There was absolutely no travel on that day, except by the doctor, in most urgent ยท cases. When Mrs. Aiken and her children were starving, in 1768, in the absence of Mr. Aiken, it was with great reluctance, and barely to save life, that she consented to the boy's shooting a pigeon near their door in the wilderness on the Lord's day.
As soon as they had a meeting, all the people attended, trav- eling without shoes and on foot ; the aged and feeble, and the mother with her babe, following on horseback. Young ladies walked barefooted five miles to church, if need be. In later days, they carried their coarse, thick shoes in the hand, and put, them on before entering the church. It was their custom to worship all day. They had two sermons a Sabbath, and each was often two hours long. I have heard old people say they had to get up early and make a long day of the Sabbath. When the young people met to be " catechised," at the old school- house on the hill, they were accustomed to get there from remote parts of the town at nine o'clock in the morning. The old church never had any fire in it, though the people stayed in it so long. In latter days, they carried a foot-stove or a hot brick for feet and hands. Little children were universally taken to church. It was not unusual to have twenty or thirty babes a Sabbath, in summer. In earliest times, children big enough to leave the mother's knee were put on the stairs, or in a box-pew, by themselves, and put under the care of a "tithing-man " to keep them quiet. There was considerable enforced order, or sometimes disorder, at church, on account of dog-pelters, tithing- men, children, and cold feet. One dog-pelter in Antrim drove a nail into a long cane, leaving it projecting, and, having well
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TITHING-MEN.
sharpened the same, went quietly with it to church. As things got somewhat dozy about " ninthly," in came a dog, smelling along the aisle. Instantly the man buried the nail in the dog's head, dragged it out in terrible yelping, and it died in a few minutes on the church-steps !
Sometimes a brawling child would not "down " at the tithing- man's bidding, but, being frightened, screamed the louder. Also, the seats hung upon hinges, and were lifted in prayer-time when all rose to their feet and stood. At the minister's " Amen," down slammed the seats with a vigor that would wake anything but the dead !
The tithing-men, also, like some teachers I have known, made a great deal of noise in keeping the young people still, and accomplished a fair amount of confusion in preserving order. These officers, being charged to enforce the keeping of the Sab- bath and the decorum of the house of the Lord, sometimes had curious ways of discharging their duty, and were not a little domineering. Many incidents might be given, being mere tradi- tions, but all probably having some foundation of truth. It is said of one man, that, having " bin chose to wake ye sleepers in meeting, and being much proud of his place, must need have a fox taile fixed to ye end of a long staff wherewith he may brush the faces of them yt will have naps in time of discourse ; like- wise a sharp thorn wherewith he may prick such as be moste sounde. On ye last Lord his day, as he strutted about ye meet- ing house, he did spy a farmer sleeping with much comforte, his head kept steady by being in ye corner, and his hand grasping the rail. And soe spying, he did quicklie thrust his staff along the rail and give him a grievous prick upon ye hand. Where- upon the farmer did spring upp much above ye floor, and with a terrible force strike his hand against ye wall, and also to ye great wonder of all, prophainlie exclaim, in a loud voice, : Cuss the woodchuck !' he dreaming, as it seemed, yt the woodchuck had bit him." It is greatly to be feared that a good many peo- ple nowadays dream of woodchucks or something else at church ; but, alas ! now we have no man who has " bin chose to wake ye sleepers " !
Some aged person may remember a tithing-man's speaking to Henry Hill in meeting. Said Hill was young, unmarried, pop- ular among the young people, and running over with fun. It can readily be supposed that his face might have an occasional
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FREE USE OF LIQUOR.
mischievous look at church. At one time the tithing-man, near the end of the sermon, perceiving rather too many smiles on said face, rose up suddenly and screamed at the top of his voice : " Young man, seriousness always becometh the house of God !" Many who couldn't remember the text, used to quote this pious remark to Mr. Hill in after years ! They enjoyed refreshing his memory !
At the present day, ministers have to be their own tithing- men ; but perhaps it is only fair that those who put people to sleep should wake them, or those whose dullness admits of diversions should be responsible for the decorum of the place !
Among our Scotch ancestry the drinking of liquor was univer- sal. The minister was " treated " with the best liquor at every place, and sometimes arrived home at " early candle-lighting " in a state of doubt as to what house he lived in. Women took their drink with the rest. It was looked upon as a rightful and pleasant custom. Old people now remember when it was the fashion for all to drink. Sometimes the good cheer was, how- ever, carried to excess, resulting in fighting and noise such as would not be tolerated now. I found the following item in an old warrant for a town meeting in Londonderry when the first settlers of Antrim were among the children of that town : "To see what method they will take to suppress the many disorders that happen about tavern and tippling-houses in this town." For more than fifty years after our incorporation, it was com- mon when a caller entered to bring on the drink. A boy called with a notice to Dr. Whiton, but in his absence Mrs. Whiton brought out the brandy and sugar, and asked him to help him- self, remarking, by way of apology, that it was the "only kind she had in the house " !
It was customary, as aged ones remember, for the children to save up the ashes at school, to buy rum with, to pass round at the close of the term. As they had enormous fires, this would give a plentiful supply ! Sometimes the jollification was noisy and wide-awake. We are not told whether it was taken in season to mellow the examination, or to what extent the teacher joined in the parting glass ! What if there had been a superintending school committee in those days ?
In every hard job, planting, hoeing, butchering, they calcu- lated to have plenty of rum. If a meeting-house was to be raised, or bridge built, they voted the proper supply of rum.
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DRINKING HABITS.
The first house built in Antrim without rum for the raising and rum for the help, was that built by Jonathan Carr, now occupied by Luther Campbell. This was in 1845. The first barn raised without rum was that of Lemuel Curtice, near Windsor line, in 1830, now the barn of George G. Hutchinson, having been moved in 1866. Putting up these buildings without rum, caused a great deal of talk and opposition ; and the work was delayed because it was hard to get help without rum, and of course the expenses were increased. But Curtice and Carr were plucky,- and the buildings went up all right !
It was considered a great calamity to get out of liquor. I remember hearing an old man say that a " gallon of rum would go as far in his family as a bushel of corn." Circumstances in this case indicated that it " went " briskly but not " far" ! About 1813, Dr. Adams was called to visit a family, when the good woman of the house attempted to show him their deplorable condition, as follows : "Doctor, we're sick, and we're out of wood, and we're out of meat, and we're out of meal, - and we've but plaguy little rum !" Yet, notwithstanding all this, the number of real drunkards and sots was small. They used to get too much, and then sleep it off, -and be all well the next day. But no liquor can be obtained nowadays which will not kill in a few years. In judging the drinking habits of our an- cestors, we must remember that the day of the temperance reform had not dawned, and that then public opinion put no more restraint about drinking than about eating or sleeping ! The most pious and devoted saw nothing wrong in the social glass. It is said that two men who were among the dignities of the town, went into Woodbury's one afternoon and made about the same inquiry concerning each other. James went in first and said : " Mark, did ye see cousin Johnny at the Mooster yester- day ?" " No ; what was the matter ?" asked Mark. " Why," said James, " he was so droonk I was actooally ashamed of him ! " Soon after the departure of the tried and wounded James, John also came in, and hardly was he comfortably seated when he said : " Mark, did ye nootice cousin Jamie at the Mooster yester- day ?" " No," said Mark, " what was the matter ?" "Oh !" replied John, " he was so droonk I was actooally ashamed of him ! "
At one time, after the temperance question began to assume some importance, most or all of the male members of the church
269
SMALL BEGINNINGS.
mutually agreed not to use any liquor for a certain length of time, except in haying and washing sheep. But one who lived near the Branch river, it was said, kept an old ram tied near the stream most of the season to wash every day !
In those days the young people began small in their plans for life. It was no unusual thing for a young couple to be married without a dollar in the world. Jonathan would buy his land at ten to thirty cents per acre, on trust ; go into the woods and put up a log cabin ; and at once move the young wife there! Of course the furniture would be the scantiest possible! Some cases are known where the whole household outfit consisted of a few quilts, a fry-kettle, and an ax ! Wooden bowls and. plates were made subsequently, in spare time. Within eighty years since, one man says he was " so poor when he got married that he had to get trusted for a quarter of a pound of Bohea tea to stock his new log house with." This was the way the majority began life. But they were honest, healthy, and persevering, and, in the course of years, worked themselves into comfortable homes and good circumstances. It should be remembered, however, that some were better off in this world's goods, and sometimes the bride had a conspicuous " setting out." That there was about the same amount of pride floating about our human nature then, is shown by the fact that one woman said : " If we must have a log house, let us make it a few logs the highest in town!" When William Smith came to town he framed a house ; but Aiken's children were proud of their log house because it was larger and the logs were white !
Nor should we think they lacked happiness, with their scanty beginnings. There was a certain romance in their inconven- iences and hardships together ! They were healthy, trustful, patient, and full of hope. They lived to build good houses, and have abundances of everything ; but it may be doubted whether the last days were better than the first. Dea. Jonathan Nes- mith, in old age, used to say that he never was so happy as when he lived in the log cabin !
The customs at the burial of the dead were peculiar. In case" of death, all work in the vicinity was immediately stopped. In our mother town of Londonderry, the neighbors and friends watched all night long with the body until it was buried. They read the Bible, and prayed, and warned each other at such times, and then passed round the liquor freely. Occasions have
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CUSTOMS AT FUNERALS.
been known where the ceremonies about the dead grew some- what joyous before the morn ! But it was not an " Irish wake," and should never be so named. There never was anything like a " wake" in Antrim, but the dead were carefully " watched with," till interment. I have known instances, in my own day, where nothing would induce the friends to omit this watching.
Everybody, far and near, went to funerals. As soon as they were ready for service, liquor was passed round to minister, mourners, and every guest. Then they had prayer, and some- times singing. Then the minister " talked to the mourners," sometimes minutely spoke of the dead, and always faithfully warned the living by name. It is said that in some of the older Scotch towns, there was no funeral sermon till a later date ; but there certainly was in Antrim. After the service, in which each relative separately was " spoken to " and "prayed for," then they passed round the liquor again before lifting the body. Then, closing the uncomely coffin, they formed a long procession, always on foot, and marched to the grave. A close procession half a mile long was quite common. Then in the same order they all marched back to the house, and the third time liquor was passed to every one. Then all that could remain were sumptuously fed, which ended the funeral ceremony.
At their marriages, also, they had great gatherings, and used " spirit " over and over. All the kindred and all the neighbors must be invited in good season. A short notice was an insult. The wedding-day was introduced by firing guns at dawn, a cus- . tom perpetuated by the pride of the Scotch, who, long before in Ireland, had retained their arms, while the Irish were deprived of theirs. This also accounts for the fact that the ancestors of all the Scotch-Irish towns were married with swords by their sides. On the wedding morning, the bridegroom, with his rela- tives and friends, set out on horseback for the house of the bride, each one being armed with a pistol. At a proper time, a party of the bride's friends, armed and equipped the same way, set out. to meet the others. When they met they saluted each other, and then deliberately chose one man out 'of each party "to run for the bottle " to the house of the bride. They then freely mingled together, but waited in respectable order for his return. These races on horseback "for the bottle " were sharply but pleasantly contested. The two returned together, but the victor "carried the bottle "; the waiting company
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WEDDING CEREMONIES.
formed like a cavalry regiment before him ; he gave a toast ; drank the bridegroom's health ; and then " passed the bottle " > to every one. This done, they fired a salute, and proceeded on the way to the bride's residence, one or another firing pistols almost incessantly. The people of the houses they passed by came out to their doors and saluted the bridal party with the firing of muskets. If there were any enemies living on the road, they would fire squibs by way of reproach, as the company passed by. Dr. Whiton tells us that at least one bridal party in Antrim was saluted with squibs, though he gives no names. When all was ready for the ceremony, the bridegroom was con- ducted into the room where the company were assembled, intro- duced formally, and put into the proper position before the min- ister. Then the bride was led in and placed at the bridegroom's right hand. The groomsman and bridesmaid took their posi- tions immediately behind the pair to be married. The service was very solemn and somewhat lengthy, always commenced with prayer, and embraced the ceremony of "joining hands." Nor could they be gloved hands. Hence, to increase the precious formality of the occasion, the minister, asking them to " join hands," waited ; and they, partly turning, each reached back the right hand to the attendant behind, to remove the glove. This was very elaborately done. Of course the two gloves must come off so as to free both at the same time. It was a matter of very nice importance. Then the hands were "joined," some very wise remarks and comments were made by the clergyman in his " address," and assent was given to a solemn marriage covenant. The whole was closed by a second prayer, after which the minister requested the husband to kiss his newly- made wife, which authoritative order was gracefully complied with. Then the minister proceeded to do the same thing. After him, the gentlemen in the company kissed the bride, and the ladies the bridegroom. Then they sat down to dinner, with abundances to eat and drink. and lingered long at the board. The whole was closed with a jolly, rollicking " good time," fin- ishing up the day and evening. Often the great old kitchen was cleared for the dance. Ceremony was over, rules were dis- pensed with, and the laughing guests, young and old, had their own way, and carried their jokes and pleasantries sometimes to extremes. The lapse of years has changed these methods very much. Perhaps, however, we have lost by making less and less
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PLEASURES AND AMUSEMENTS.
of this ceremony. ' It is too easy to get married now. The old- fashioned wedding was a grand affair.
There were, however, exceptions to this rule of ceremonies, and these exceptions gradually increased after the commence- ment of the present century. Especially in the neighboring towns, and sometimes here, couples went quietly to the minister and were married, after which they both mounted upon one. horse. and rode to their proposed home. In such cases they were generally honored by the firing of muskets at every house they passed. I am not able to fix the date when this firing at weddings ceased.
The amusements of our fathers were of a kind to correspond with their rough and athletic training, and consisted of wrest- ling-matches, chopping-bees, piling-bees, log-rollings, huskings, raisings, trainings, and musters. They had neither money nor taste for convivial entertainments, and were no creatures of appetite or indulgence, but into the rougher sports they entered, young and old, with hearty zest. The chopping-bee was quite an affair. It was not to chop a wood-pile, but to fell the trees on a certain tract of land. Of course it was a noisy and danger- ous pleasure. Imagine twenty to one hundred men at work under a leader on one piece, all felling the old trees! Crash followed crash all day long. The giants of the forest went down with a continual cracking and crashing, amid the shouts and cheers of strong men. With their powers of endurance, under the cheer of each other's company, and with a little rum, they accomplished enormous work, and called it pleasure.
Occasionally, also, just for a little innocent pleasure, they met for a piling-bee; that is, to pile, for burning, the immense quantities of charred, black logs left by the fire. This was the hardest, dirtiest kind of work, but they went into it with a ring- ing, cheering pleasure that would astonish people now. Heavy logs were thrown over the rocks like toys. Stacks of wood like small barns dotted the ground at sunset, when they "treated " and went home. The labor thus put into a single day seems incredible.
The ladies had some corresponding entertainments. We have no record of their meeting to fold their hands, or make tatting. But carding-bees, apple-parings, quiltings, and spinnings were among their leading pleasures when together. It was common for the good mother to take her baby under one arm and her
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SUMMARY PUNISHMENT.
flax-wheel under the other, and walk a mile to a neighbor's. When there, all would set their little wheels buzzing, and chat together with voices that could be heard above the noise of twenty machines! And SUCH spinning ! It was perfect and much. And then, at sunset, each would take baby and wheel, walk home, get supper for a large family, "and wasn't much tired after all ! "
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