USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Bristol > History of the town of Bristol, Grafton County, New Hampshire, Volume I > Part 11
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Sec. 2. And be it further enacted that the corporate property of the towns of Bridgewater and New Chester which is now situated within the above described boundaries and territory, or the avails thereof shall be- long to said Bristol, but the right or interest which any person has in any school house in said Bridgewater and New Chester shall not be assessed by this act.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted that the inhabitants of that part of
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said Bridgewater which is by this act included in said town of Bristol shall continue to enjoy unimpaired by this act their present right of passing and repassing on the Mayhew turnpike toll free.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, that James Minot, I. C. Bartlett and Joseph Flanders, or any two of them, shall call the annual and first meeting of the inhabitants of said Bristol.
Matthew Harvey, Speaker.
In Senate, June 24, 1819.
The foregoing bill was brought up, read a third time, and enacted.
Jona. Harvey, Pres.
June 24, 1819. Approved.
Samuel Bell, Gov.
On the twenty-first day of February, 1820, the three men named in the act of incorporation united in the call for the first town meeting. This warrant read as follows :
State of New Hampshire. Grafton SS. L. S.
This is to notify and warn all the freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of Bristol, qualified by law to vote in town meetings, to meet at the school house in Bristol village on Tuesday the fourteenth day of March, next, at nine of the clock, a. m., to act on the following articles :
Ist. To choose a moderator.
2nd. To choose a town clerk, selectmen, town treasurer, constables, surveyors of highways, surveyors of lumber, tithingmen, inspectors of schools, fence viewers, sealers of leather, sealers of weights and meas- ures, hogheeves, collector of taxes, corders of wood, cullers of staves, field drivers, and all other town officers thought proper.
3rd. To vote for governor, councillor for the county of Grafton, senator for district No. II, county treasurer, and register of deeds for the county of Grafton.
4th. To choose one man duly qualified to represent this town in the General Court the year ensuing.
5th. To see how much money the town will raise for the support of schools, for repair of highways, and to defray town charges the year en- suing.
6th. To choose a committee to divide the town into school districts.
7th. To see if the town will make bylaws to prevent swine from run- ning at large in Bristol village within the following limits : westerly by Newfound river to Walter Sleeper's, northerly to the turnpike gate, east to Jeremiah Hubbard's, and south to David Cheney's.
8th. To see if the town will allow the account of Joseph Flanders and others.
Given under our hands and seal at Bristol, Feb. 21, 1820.
James Minot, Ichabod C. Bartlett, Committee. Joseph Flanders,
The full records of this town meeting are as follows :
Town Meeting, March 14, 1820.
Agreeable to the foregoing warrant met at the time and place therein ба
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL
notified, and after reading the act of incorporation and the warning pro- ceeded by ballot to choose a moderator and Joseph Flanders was chosen.
By request of Elijah Butrick voted that he be excused from paying a poll tax.
Proceeded by ballot to choose a town clerk, and James Minot was chosen and qualified accordingly.
Proceeded by ballot to choose selectmen, and Joseph Flanders, Moses W. Sleeper and John Clough were chosen and qualified accordingly.
Proceeded by ballot to choose a town treasurer, and Ichabod C. Bart- lett was chosen and qualified accordingly.
Voted to accept of James Minot and Samuel Sleeper as his bondsmen. Proceeded by ballot to choose a constable, and Peter Hazelton was chosen and 'qualified accordingly.
The ballots being called for for governor, councillor, senator, county treasurer, and register of deeds :-
For Governor.
Samuel Bell had
91 votes. John Orr had 5 votes
David Sterret had I Robert Smith had 2
For Councillor.
Zeduthon Wilson had 70 votes. John Frank had 27 votes
For Senator.
Abiather B. Bretton had 69 votes. Thomas Whipple had 27 votes County Treasurer.
William Webster had 76 votes. Benjamin Merrill had 21 votes
Register of Deeds.
Ephraim Kingsbury had 70 votes. John Page, Jr., had
27 votes Which were read in open town meeting.
Proceeded by ballot to choose a person to represent the town of Bris- tol in the legislature of this state the ensuing year and James Minot was chosen.
Chose Moses Sleeper, John Sanborn, Timothy Eastman, Isaac Dodge, Thomas Dimond, Amos Sleeper, Reuben Kidder, Benj. Locke, Jonathan Fellows, Levi Dolloff, Joshua Page, Samuel Tirrell, and Ephraim Mer- rill surveyors of highway all of whom were qualified accordingly.
Chose Isaac Dodge and John Smith surveyors of lumber they were qualified accordingly.
Proceeded by ballot to choose tithingmen and Thomas Eastman and David Truel were chosen.
Chose Moses H. Bradley, Ichabod C. Bartlett and William Lewis in- spectors of schools.
Chose Abraham Dolloff, Daniel Sleeper and Samuel Sleeper fence viewers they were qualified accordingly.
Chose Theophilus Sanborn sealer of leather he was qualified accord- ingly.
Chose Timothy Eastman sealer of weights and measures, he was qualified accordingly.
Chose Wiseman Truel, Richard Sawyer, John Kidder, Jr., Levi Dol- loff, Jonathan Powers, David Sanborn and Timothy Eastman hogreeves all of whom were qualified accordingly except Dolloff.
Chose Ichabod C. Bartlett and Moses H. Bradley corders of wood.
Chose Daniel Cheney and Thomas Dunlap cullers of staves. Daniel Cheney was qualified accordingly.
The collection of taxes was bid off for three cents on a dollar by Wal- ter Sleeper.
Chose Walter Sleeper collector of taxes, and voted to accept Moses Worthen and Benjamin Kidder as his bondsmen.
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Voted to raise one hundred and fifty dollars in addition to what the law requires for the support of schools.
Voted to raise six hundred dollars to repair highways.
Voted that each man be allowed one dollar per day for work on the highway until the middle of July next and only fifty cents per day after that time.
Voted to raise three hundred and fifty dollars to defray town charges.
Chose Benjamin Locke, Samuel Sleeper, James Minot, Abraham Dol- loff and Nathan Sleeper a committee to divide the town into school dis- tricts.
Voted that Mrs. Fuller be maintained the ensuing year by the person who will do it for the least sum and to have the use of her cow and two sheep, her bed and bedding and clothing and was struck off to Benjamin Kidder at thirty-four cents per week exclusive of doctor's bills.
Voted that the following resolve be passed :
Resolved, that no swine at any time of the year shall be suffered to go at large in the common or highway in the compact part of Bristol vil- lage nor in the roads leading therefrom within the following limits, viz., from the bridge by Dodge inn in said village to Walter Sleeper's on the Newfound river road, from said bridge by Daniels' inn to Jeremiah Hub- bard's, from said bridge northerly to the turnpike gate, and from said bridge southerly to Daniel Cheney's on penalty that the owner of the swine so going at large forfeit and pay two dollars for each offence to be recovered by action of debt before any justice of the peace by any hogreeve or inhabitant of said Bristol who will sue for the same with cost of prose- cution the one moiety of said penalty to go to the prosecutor and the other moiety to the use of the school district where the offence is com- mitted unless it shall appear that said swine were accidentally out of the owner's inclosure.
There is no signature to this record by the clerk.
List of persons assessed for taxes in Bristol in the spring of 1820 :
District No. I.
John Merrill Jonathan Merrill, Jr.
Widow Mary Merrill
Robert Smith
John H. Sanborn
Maj. T. H. Sanborn
Nathan Sleeper
David Truell
Jeremiah Hubbard
George W. Truell
John R. Ellis Wiseman Truell
Joshua Page Polly Sanborn
District No. 2.
Moses Bennett
Peter Sleeper
David Sleeper Daniel Cheney
I. C. Bartlett William Keezer Nester Young J. Bowers, Esq. Caleb Sawyer
Isaac Dodge William Lewis N. S. Berry
R. H. Sawyer J. Flanders
Nathaniel R. Clark Joseph Fowler John Hale
Robert Brown Walter Sleeper Jonathan Powers
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL
Seth Daniels Timothy Eastman John Tolford Thomas Dunlap
Moses H. Bradley Peter Hazelton Dr. Samuel Smith James Minot
Stephen Simonds Daniel Sanborn Samuel Sleeper
Fry Holt
David Simonds
Samuel Russell
Mrs. Betsey Sleeper
District No. 3.
Josiah Herbert
Samuel Worthen
Robert Heath
Moses Worthen
David Foster
Edward Eastman
Jonathan Huntington
Moses W. Sleeper
Levi Nelson
Reuben Kidder
District No. 4.
Daniel Kidder
Samuel Heath, Jr.
Rowell Straw
Samuel Worthen, Jr.
Josiah Fellows
Samuel Hoyt
Jonathan Fellows
Moses Heath
Benjamin Emmons, Jr.
John Huse
Samuel Heath
District No. 5.
Reuben Emmons
Robert Moore
David Mason Levi Dolloff John Gordon
S. T. Brown John Cilley
District No. 6.
Jonah Tirrell Samuel Tirrell
William Sanborn Smith Powell
John Tirrell Daniel Tirrell
Samuel Gurdy John Gurdy Amos Drew
Jacob Gurdy Elisha Gurdy
Samuel Brown
Benj. Locke
Moses Emmons
Favor Locke
Salley Tirrell
John Kidder, Jr.
District No. 7.
John Clough Moses Sleeper Daniel Sleeper
Jeremiah Bean Person How Robert Downing
Benj. Kidder, Jr.
Benj. Sanborn
Ephm. Merrill Abraham Dolloff
Joseph Brown
Benjamin Hall
David Eaton
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BRISTOL
District No. 8.
Edmond Brown
Josiah Fellows
David Cheney
Levi Fuller
David Cheney, Jr.
Jonth. Ingalls
Josiah Fellows, Jr. Thos. Dimond
Isaac Sweat
John Pattee
Peter Fellows
District No. 9.
Moses Atwood
Gilman Ingalls
Samuel T. W. Sleeper
William Mudgett
John Sleeper
Widow Nancy Ferrin
Moses Sleeper
Col. Samuel Sleeper
Asa Hastings
Moses Atwood, Jr.
Jonas Hastings .
Jona. Atwood
The first town meeting was held in the little schoolhouse that stood on the west side of North Main street, just north of the hotel. The next town meeting, held in October following, was called to meet in the Methodist chapel on North Main street, near the base of Sugar hill, and there all town meetings were held from that time until the present town house was erected.
The people of this new town were highly pleased with them- selves and their bright prospects. They believed that the town was destined to become in the near future the most important in this section of the state. They even deluded themselves with the belief that the legislature would recognize their importance by making Bristol one of the shire-towns of the county. Ac- cordingly, at the annual meeting held in 1822, it was voted to raise sufficient money to construct a court-house, in addition to what might be raised by private subscription, provided the legislature should vote to remove the court-house from Plymouth to Bristol. Richard H. Sawyer, Joseph Flanders, and N. S. Berry were elected a committee to receive subscriptions. Noth- ing came of this movement, however, and the court-house still remains at Plymouth.
Jan. 3, 1822, the will of Thomas W. Thompson, of Con- cord, was proved. Mr. Thompson was a large owner of real estate in Bristol and elsewhere, nearly all of which property he willed for charitable purposes. To the town of Bristol he de- vised three lots of land for the purpose of building a meeting- house of the Congregational or Presbyterian order, and estab- lishing a fund for the support of preaching.1 Mr. Thompson was also owner of the greater part of the mill lot in this village
' This subject is treated more at length in the history of the Cong- regational church. .
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL
(Lot. 61) ; a lot of land lying north of the mill lot which he had purchased of William Pattee ; the mills, machinery, tools and buildings on said land ; the south half of Lot 25, Third Division, and a part of Lot 88. One-half of all this property he willed to Dartmouth college, for the support of a professorship of the Greek and Latin languages ; one-fourth to the New Hampshire Missionary society, and one-fourth to the American Education society.
At the annual town meeting of 1823, a petition was pre- sented, signed by many of the inhabitants of the southeast part of Alexandria, praying Bristol to endorse a movement to have that part of Alexandria annexed to Bristol. The town voted to accept the portion named if the legislature would make the transfer. The same question came up once or twice in later years, but did not result in changing the town lines. In 1829, the town voted to accept a portion of the town of Bridgewater in the same way, but nothing came of that movement. It was voted not to allow horses and cattle to run at large, under a penalty of two dollars for each offense, and to allow Gilman In- galls five dollars for a bad bill he took the year previous while collecting taxes. In 1830, the town appropriated $100 for the repair of the old Methodist chapel on condition that it should still be used by the town for town meetings.
Three public lots came within the limits of the town of Bristol. Lot No. 1, Third Division, was a school lot, and was sold by Bridgewater, in 1798, to John Harriman for $201. The proceeds of this sale were probably used for the benefit of the schools of the town at that time, so that Bridgewater had no cor- porate funds from the sale of this lot to turn over to Bristol. In that portion of New Chester now Bristol, there was a school lot, No. 37, Third Division, on Smith's river, sold in 1791, and "a point of land on the westerly side of the lake and a small island opposite" which was a parsonage lot. Bristol claimed the avails of the sale of these lots, and New Chester was not disposed to pay. This subject came up in town meeting several times, and, in 1826, the selectmen were instructed to adjust the matter, but not to accept a dollar less than the claim of the town, which was $444.52. No satisfactory settlement being effected, Bristol brought suit and recovered $505.17, and $66.71 as costs. This was paid in January, 1829. Bristol applied the amount received as costs towards the current expenses of the town ; $405.17 was appropriated for a school fund, and the balance, $100, went into the town treasury as a ministerial fund, and is the money on which Bristol is still paying the annual interest of six dollars to the churches of Bristol.
In 1836, Congress voted to divide among the several states, in four installments, the surplus revenue of the government ($36,000,000), the same to be repaid to the general government
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BRISTOL
if called for. The proportion that was to be paid to New Hamp- shire was $892, 115.71. New Hampshire passed an act Jan. 13, 1837, distributing this money among the towns of the state, one- half in proportion to the valuation, and one-half according to the ratable polls, the same to be refunded to the state if called for. The first installment paid to New Hampshire was $223,- 028.93. No records in town can be found showing the amount that Bristol received, and the state treasurer made no record for the use of the state; or, as claimed, the state record was later purposely destroyed. In the New Hampshire Patriot of Feb. 13, [837, however, the state treasurer published the amount that each town was entitled to receive under the first distribution, and it is there stated that Bristol was entitled to $656.85. It is to be presumed, therefore, that this amount was paid to Bristol. Two other payments were made to the state, and presumably to the several towns, each of the same amount as the first. The fourth payment was never made by the general government, owing to a threatened war with England.
At the annual town meeting in 1837, Nathaniel S. Berry was appointed the agent of the town to receive this money, and he was authorized to pledge the faith of the town for its security. At the same time the town voted that the money should be placed in the town treasury and loaned by the selectmen to resi- dents of the town in sums of not more than $200, nor less than twenty-five dollars, for no longer time than one year.
The very next year, however, the town was in financial straits. The court had ordered the construction of a road from Jonathan Merrill's to Smith's river (See Highways), and the town voted to take its surplus money to pay for the construc- tion of this road.
In 1843, the question, "Should capital punishment be abol- ished?" was submitted to the people, and the vote in Bristol was, Yes, 29 ; No, 91.
The subject of a town hall first came up in town meeting in 1841, and for eight years was a bone of contention. It was first voted not to buy the old Methodist chapel for a town hall ; then it was voted to see what the chapel could be bought for. A vote was then passed to build in connection with an academy if parties could agree ; if not, to build alone. In March, 1846, it was voted to take $300 of the money received from the sale of the poor-farm and raise $200 in addition for a town hall; Caleb S. Beede, Joseph Moore, and S. S. Merrill were elected a com- mittee to build the house. Sept. 5, 1846, a special meeting was held to consider the subject. A new committee of three was elected to ascertain what the old chapel could be bought for, and the old committee was discharged. Later, at this same meeting, the selectmen were instructed to purchase a building lot of "Mrs. Bradley." In 1848, it was voted not to build ; but
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL
in March, 1849, a committee of three, consisting of S. C. Brown, Levi Bartlett, and Joseph Moore, was chosen to draft plans for a town house to cost not more than $1,200; to raise by taxation $500, and to hire, if necessary, $700 more. This committee went ahead without further instruction, and built a town house that year, on Summer street, Caleb S. Beede being the builder. The first town meeting was held in the new hall in March, 1850.
The building as originally constructed was 45 x 54 feet. The entrance was from a porch 14 X 13 feet. On the west of the porch was the selectmen's room 14 1-2 X 13 feet ; on the east was another room of the same size used as a wood room and for the stairway to the attic. The hall had a floor space of the same width as the porch, extending north and south, and on both sides were fixed pine benches on the amphitheater style. At the north end was a platform about eight feet square, raised about eighteen inches above the floor. This platform was sur- rounded by matched boards three feet or more high, which kept the voters from crowding upon the town officials at town meet- ings. When the young people gave a theatrical entertainment, a stage was built above the seats on the east side, and the floor space was filled with settees.
In 1872, the hall was enlarged. An addition of twenty feet was added to the building on the north, the floor was relaid on a level, and a stage twelve feet wide was made, extending across the north end. On the south, about ten feet of the porch and rooms on both sides were added to the hall, leaving only a nar- row room for ticket office on the west, and a storeroom on the east. At the northwest corner, a selectmen's room 11 X 15 feet was constructed, which has since been enlarged to 1 1 x 27 feet. These improvements cost $2,000. The attic over the hall has been used as an armory for the local military companies, for meetings of fraternal societies, and for other purposes.
The lockup, that stands at the northeast corner of the town hall, was built in 1891. Its dimensions are 12 x 28 feet, and it contains two cells. Since its erection, it has been used but a few times for the confinement of criminals, sometimes a year hav- ing passed without a commitment for a violation of the law. It has been used chiefly for the accommodation of tramps. Previ- ous to the erection of this building, the town first hired the south end of the basement of Fowler's block, on the east side of Cen- tral square, for a lockup. As time passed on and there was no call for its use, the town sublet the room for a meat market. Later, however, two cells, in the attic of the town hall, was fitted up.
The growing liberality of the times towards debtors is seen in the expression of the town in 1850, when the vote in favor of the exemption of the homestead from attachment was 100; against, 63.
ENGINE HOUSE ERECTED 1889
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TOWN HALL ERECTED 1848
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BRISTOL
The indebtedness of the town reached its highest point in 1867, when it was $35,076. This large amount was nearly all contracted in paying bounties to fill the quota of the town under the various calls of the President of the United States for men during the Civil war.' In 1876, $10,000 of the debt was bonded to run not over twenty years at five per cent. interest, exempt from taxation. This debt was decreased each year, with a few ex- ceptions, till 1889, when it was $123; in 1895, there was a balance in the treasury of $1,992. After this date, the surplus was wiped out and a debt again created, owing principally to large expenditures for the improvement of highways. In 1900, the town issued bonds to the amount of $15,000, bearing interest at the rate of three per cent. payable in five, ten, and fifteen years without taxation in town. The money raised by these bonds was expended in macadamizing certain streets. (See Highways.) In 1901, the net indebtedness of the town, in ex- cess of bonds outstanding, was $7,487. Feb. 15, 1902, the in- debtedness was $3,817 in addition to its bonds of $15,000.
In 1879, an act passed the legislature legalizing the acts of the selectmen of 1877, in assessing the taxes that year, and of the collector in collecting the same. The only reason for this was the fact that the collector sold that year a certain piece of real estate at auction for non-payment of taxes, and the pur- chaser, wishing to place his title beyond question, secured the passage of the act.
The policy of the town has always been to encourage manu- facturing industries. In keeping with this principle, it voted, in 1872, to exempt Messrs. Holden & Co. from additional taxation for ten years, if that company would double its capacity for manufacturing flannels. This exemption has been voted in several cases since.
' The action of the town during the Civil war is treated at length in a chapter by itself, as are several other subjects, the better to give a connected history of each.
CHAPTER IX EARLY CONDITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND RECREATIONS OF THE PEOPLE
Progress, man's distinctive mark alone, Not God's, and not the beasts'; God is, they are ; Man partly is, and wholly hopes to be. -Browning.
When the first settlers made their homes in New Chester, they found the country wooded with a heavy growth of primeval forest. The trees were of immense size, and many of the pines were "fit for his Majesty's masts." The woods abounded in a great variety of game; water-fowls swarmed on the lakes, and the lakes and rivers teemed with the finest fish. Vast numbers of salmon crowded the Pemigewasset, having parted company with the shad in their upward course where this river unites with the Winnepesaukee, the shad going up the last named stream.
The game consisted of a large variety of animals. Moose roamed the woods, and were occasionally killed, though they quickly scented the advance of man into their domain and hied themselves to more distant forests. The last moose dispatched in this section was killed by Cutting Favor some years after his settlement here. Bears were so plentiful that incessant war was waged against them. Because of their depredations, the raising of sheep was, for many years, well-nigh impossible; they fre- quently killed the pig or hog in the pen, and even attacked cows or young cattle. Powder and lead were hard to obtain, and, for the bear, trapping was generally resorted to. The steel trap was used by those fortunate enough to possess one, while many persons constructed a trap called the "figure four." This was so called by reason of its shape. It consisted of a long, narrow pen of logs open at one end, where bait was placed. A heavy log was suspended over the bait, and the bear, in endeavoring to obtain the bait, loosened the log from its position and was killed or imprisoned by its fall. Tom Locke, who settled on the Solon Dolloff farm, killed sixteen bears during one fall on Briar hill, near his home.
Deer were also very plentiful. A great resort for this fine animal was, before the construction of the present road to South Alexandria, the low land between Newfound river and where is now the cemetery. Foxes were numerous, and made havoc
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EARLY CONDITIONS AND CUSTOMS
with the fowls. The howling of wolves, that traveled in packs at night, and the cry of the catamount and lynx, were no uncom- mon sounds. The coon, woodchuck, porcupine, skunk, rabbit, and a variety of squirrels helped to fill the long catalogue of wild animals.
The clearing of the land required a vast amount of labor. The usual process was to cut half or two-thirds through each tree on a piece of land to be cleared, and, when all was ready, to fell one large tree against those nearest it, which would cause them to fall ; those in turn would carry down others, and so the whole would be carried to the ground. This was called "driving a piece." The trees were allowed to lie one season to dry, when they were burned. The ashes from these great fires constituted a dressing for the land, and large crops of rye or wheat were raised the first season on such land. The potato was little used when the first settlers thus cleared the land, and it was only when, in later years, it became known that immense potato crops could be raised on this new land, that the potato came to be appreciated.
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