USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Candia > History of the town of Candia, Rockingham County, N.H., from its first settlement to the present time > Part 22
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About the year 1875, Jesse Sargent bought a timber lot at the Island, which was a part of the estate of Joseph Bean.
About the same time, David Houston bought a large wood lot of Charles S. Emerson and the lumber was sawed at a steam saw mill temporarily located at the Depot Vil- lage.
About twenty years ago, a large timber lot situated on the east side of Hall's mountain was sold to Harrison Rowe . of Hooksett and S. S. Davis of Manchester The lots form- erly belonged to Obededom Hall.
Edmund Smith at various times bought and operated several timber lots situated on the North road. He also bought of George B. Brown the Jonathan Brown place on the Patten road. Upon the farm there was a large timber lot. Mr. Smith owned a large timber lot, situated on his own farm. He cut and sawed the timber in 1875.
About 1878, Dana Thrasher sold a timber lot, situated on the Colcord road.
James Thompson of Hooksett, about the year 1872, bought ;the Nehemiah Brown place on High Street, upon which there was a fine wood and timber lot.
About eight years ago, George W. Griffin of Auburn bought of the heirs of the late Henry M. Eaton a timber lot, situated on South Road.
About fifteen years ago, the heirs of Gilman Richardson
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sold to out of town parties a timber lot, situated on the Deerfield road north of the Village.
Mr. Dunlap of Manchester and Jonathan Hobbs bought the timber on a lot which was owned by Jacob S. Morrill. A few years ago A. J. Edgerly and Jesse Sargent operated a large timber lot which Edgerly bought of George Emerson.
In 1888, Lewis A. Clough of Manchester bought the timber on the farm of the late Col. H. T. Eaton, situated on South Road.
A few years ago, George E. Eaton and Joseph Hubbard bought a timber lot, situated on High Street which was owned by Leonard Dearborn.
In 1888, Gilman Clough bought of Shepard Bean, " a - large timber lot, situated on the cross road leading from High Street to Deerfield.
About fifteen years ago, David Houston and George E. Eaton bought of Benjamin Hubbard the wood and timber on the farm which the latter purchased of Parker Morrill.
About the same time, Charles H. French and G. E. Eaton bought of A. J. Fifield a timber lot, which was situated on the farm of the late John S. Fifield.
In 1889, Francis D. Rowe sawed the timber that he cut from a lot, situated on his farm on North Road, with a steam saw mill on the ground.
In 1887, George W. Griffin of Auburn bought a lot of wood and timber, situated on Samuel Morrill's farm.
The wood lots were sold at prices varying from $300 to $8,000 or $10,000. It is well understood that by far the largest proportion of the money which is deposited in the Savings Banks of Manchester and elsewhere by the citizens of Candia was received from the sale of wood and timber . lots located in the town. There are still many other lots of wood and timber of much value.
CARRIAGES, SLEIGHS, ETC.
About the year 1816, Thomas and Moses Critchett, sons of James Critchett, who lived on the Colcord road, com- menced the business of making wagons, carts and sleighs in a building adjoining the grist mill at the Village. They
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also made bedsteads, chairs and tables. They retired in 1865.
John Moore, Esq., about the year 1827, began to make wagons in a building near his dwelling house at the Vil- lage which has been owned many years by Jacob S. Mor- rill. He sold the wagons in considerable quantities in the surrounding towns and in Maine.
Elder Moses Bean manufactured wagons at the Village several years.
As early as 1836, William Turner carried on the business ' of carriage making in a building which stood next to the mill pond and three or four rods east of Woodbury J. Dud- ley's present residence. Stephen Dudley, who was a wheel- wright, carried on business in a building which stood next' south of the residence of the late Benjamin Taylor.
In 1850, Carr B. Haines, who came from Maine carried on the business of carriage making several years and employed eight or ten hands. His shop was located on the north side of the mill stream and next to the highway. Before that date thorough-braces were introduced and still later steel springs came into use.
J. Rowland Batchelder has carried on the business of making and repairing carriages at the Village ten years.
Sargent Hall who lived on the North road made carts for the farmers several years. Previous to 1831, the felloes of the wheels of many of the carts were made thick and stout and without iron tires.
TANNERS.
The following are the names of some of the tanners who have carried on the business of tanning and currying leath- er : Walter Clay, one of the first settlers on the South road, Moses Bean on the Colcord road, and the Village, Samuel Dudley, Gilman Richardson, Joseph Richardson.
BLACKSMITHS.
Among the first blacksmiths were Abraham Fitts, Moses Dustin, Benjamin Lang, Benjamin Cass, Benjamin Smith,
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Peter Lane and Maj. Jesse Eaton. These were succeded by Daniel Fitts, Nathan Fitts, Ichabod Cass, Thomas B. Lane, Eben Eaton, John Lang, Thomas Lang, Capt. John Smith, Daniel B. Robinson, Wm. S. Healey, Alanson Higley, Lewis Renno, Charles Dumore, Dudley Bean, Jacob Lang, Gilman C. Lang, Walter Hackett, E. F. Meloon.
The blacksmiths of the early days did all kinds of work. In addition to job work, such as shoeing oxen and horses, forging chains and making plow irons, they made hoes axes, shod shovels, pitchforks, scythes, door latches and handles and bolts. The shod shovels were made of oak- and shod on the edges with iron.
Previous to 1810, the oxen when shod were thrown down upon a bed of straw and turned over upon their backs. A man held the head of an ox and his fore and hind legs were drawn down and lashed together so that they crossed each other between the knees and ankles; the blacksmith then proceeded to shoe them in that position. Some black- smiths went from farm to farm and shod oxen on the prem- ises. Soon after 1810, oxen, when they were shod, were lifted or swung from the floor by great leather straps which were placed under their bodies as is the custom at the pre- sent day.
CARPENTERS.
The following are the names of some of the carpenters who lived in the town : Stephen Marden, John Lane, Jo- seph Foster, Joseph Lane, John Lane, jr., Joshua Lane, Ezekiel Lane, Moses James, Eleazer Knowles, Jonathan Smith, Jacob Libby, Thomas Colby, John Emerson and Hiram Clifford, Parker M. Towle, Jonathan Martin, Phine- as Colby, Asa Colby, Jonathan Colby, John Morrill, Reuben Dunn, Frank H. Davis, Thomas Emerson, True Foster, John Prescott, Jonathan Brown, Smith Quimby, Luther S. Monroe and J. R. Batchelder.
John Lane, besides being an excellent carpenter, made many wool spinning wheels, looms, tables, chairs, cases of draws, book cases, bureaus cradles, harrows, plows,
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shoe maker's seats, windlasses and wheels for wells, cheese presses and fliers for linen wheels, window sashes, bed- steads, looking glass frames, wagon shafts, whiffle trees, warming pan handles, spools, bread troughs and bread shovels and various other articles used in the household and on the farm.
Joseph Foster and Alexander Gilchrist were good cabinet makers as well as carpenters or joiners. Mr. Foster was always spoken of as "Joiner Foster."
The tables, bureaus, drawers and book cases which grac- ed the " best rooms," fore rooms or west rooms as the par- lors of those days were called, were made in a skillful, work- manlike manner, and many of the best chairs of a hundred and thirty years ago which are still preserved in the town, are models of strength and antique beauty. Many of the bureaus and tables were made of black cherry, black birch or birds eye maple which grew plentifully in the forests, and the pine lumber was of the finest quality. Boards and plank of great width without the sign of a knot and equal to the best Michigan pine lumber of modern days, could be easily had for cutting and sawing.
NAIL FACTORY.
It is said that, about eighty years ago, a small mill was erected on the small stream that crosses the North Road near the residence of the late Jonathan Currier, for the pur- pose of making wrought iron nails. The mill, which was furnished with a trip hammer is said to have stood over a fall in the stream near the north side of the highway. The most of the nails which were used a hundred years ago or later were made mostly by hand. When nails were cut rapidly by machinery, wrought iron nails disappeared.
HAT MANUFACTORY.
About the year 1814, wool hats were made by a man named Langmaid who lived at the Corner. ·
In 1824, the business of braiding summer hats from pop- lar wood was introduced into the town and a considerable
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number of the women were employed a part of the time in braiding hats of this kind two or three years.
In 1826, the business of making a much superior quality - of hats from palm leaf was commenced and for more than twenty years a majority of the women in the town were employed in this industry. The traders supplied the palm leaf and bought the hats, paying for them in goods from their stores.
The hats, after being pressed, were taken to Boston and sold to the wholesale dealers who shipped them to the South and West, the West Indies and other countries.
SADDLERS AND HARNESS MAKERS.
-John Robie who lived many years on High Street near the Corner, Robert Moore who came from Pembroke and lived in the Village and Sargent Currier who lived at East Candia.
PICKING AND SELLING BLUEBERRIES.
Previous to the year 1840, there were but few blueberries or whortleberries, commonly called huckleberries, in the fields or pastures in the town. Before that time many of the families in Candia were supplied with this kind of fruit by the Hartfords and other people of Allenstown where they were very abundant. Soon after 1840, high blueberry bush- es began to grow in the pastures near the Corner, in the South Road district, the Colcord district, High Street and other quarters of the town, and, as early as 1855 there was a super-abundance of this kind of fruit, and parties of men and women often came up to the town from Portsmouth and other places on the sea coast and returned with their baskets full of berries. Sometime previous to 1860 the far- mers allowed people to enter their pastures and pick all the berries they wanted, but at length some of their wives and daughters discovered that they could make a nice sum of money by picking the berries and selling them at Man- chester; and it soon became evident to the most stupid of the farmers that a pasture where thousands of boxes of blue-
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berries were annually grown, was as valuable as an or- chard of a hundred full bearing apple trees or large fields of corn and wheat. Notices like the. following were ac- cordingly posted every year in many of the blueberry pas- tures : "All persons are hereby forbidden to trespass on these grounds."
During the past thirty years the blueberry bushes have beer spreading and the business of picking the fruit has be- come an important industry in the town and hundreds of crates are annually sent by railroad to Manchester, Boston, Lowell and other places. Many of the women who were expert in the business of picking are said to have earned twenty dollars a season. Some of the girls and boys have earned in this way from nine to twelve dollars and depos- ited it in the savings bank.
CATCHING PIGEONS.
Previous to 1840, vast flocks of wild pigeons came in the spring of the year for breeding and remained until late in the autumn. In every part of the town "the woods were full of 'um." During the entire season great flocks of these birds were seen flying in all directions and it was said that they sometimes flew down near to the ocean and returned the same day. When these great companies of pigeons were seen flying in big flocks, the beating of their wings against the air produced a sound like thunder or the roar of a great tempest. Sometimes the farmers were much annoyed by their attacks upon the ripened fields of wheat and rye. A considerable number of the farmers from the earliest days after the settlement of the town were in the habit of catching large numbers of pigeons with nets for their own use or for sale in the large towns and cities. The first thing to be done in this line was to make a pigeon bed in some pasture or field at some distance from the dwelling house. The turf on a patch of ground a dozen or fifteen feet square was removed, the ground was made smooth and thinly covered with grains of wheat or rye. Four or five perpendicular poles, and as many horizontal poles were erected on each side of the bed for the pigeons to
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alight upon As the pigeons fly along through the air some of them will take a glance at the bed and halt long enough to get a good luncheon. When they return to their fellows they will tell them in some way of their good fortune and pilot them to a feast they have enjoyed. Other groups of pigeons are in the same way piloted to the beds and in a few days the poles begin to swarm with them.
The pigeon net is placed upon the bed concealed from the sight and when the pigeons are busy taking their food, the operator in a booth or bough-house springs the net and so completely covered them that but few escape. Most generally the pigeons were killed on the spot by pinching their heads but sometimes were taken alive to a great pen in the barn where they were fattened so as to make them bring a good price in the market.
This business greatly flourished for awhile, but the pig- eons grew scarcer and scarcer in New England, and now a pigeon is a rare bird in Candia, while vast numbers are found in the West.
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CHAPTER XXV.
STORES, POST OFFICES, ETC.
But little is known of the stores in the town previous to about the year 1780. It is probable that before that time the people procured their supplies of foreign goods of all kinds in Chester, Newbury, Newburyport, Salem or Ports- mouth, in exchange for their lumber or products raised up- on their farms.
STORES AT THE CORNER.
Major Samuel Mooers, jr., no doubt established the first regular store in Candia in a building at the Corner which stood on Lot No. 69 near the present residence of Henry W. Moore, Esq. The store was opened sometime prior to 1780. Major Mooers, after the death of his father, came in_ to possession of his farm. He remained in business until about the year 1800, when he sold the farm to David Pills- bury and removed to Maine.
Jonathan Pillsbury kept a store at or near the Corner as early as 1783. John Lane credits Mr. Pillsbury with hav- ing sold him coffee, tea and other goods from 1783, to 1786.
About the year 1792, John Wason came from Chester and established a store at the Corner, in a building which stood on the spot where Moore's Hall is now located.
In 1798, William Duncan, who came from Londondery, established a store in a building which was situated at the Corner near Moore's hall. He was a very successful trad- er at that place until 1803, when he sold out the business to David Pillsbury, and agreed that he would not set up an- other store in town within a distance of one mile from the Corner. Mr. Pillsbury, assisted by his son Benjamin, kept a store in the house now owned by Mr. Seward for several years.
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Nathaniel B. Griffin was the next trader at the Corner and he occupied the building which was previously owned by William Duncan. He retired from the business sometime previous to 1821.
About the year 1820, John Sargent, a son of Jacob Sar- gent, and Andrew Moore, a son of Joshua Moore, erected the building which is now occupied by the Rockingham Lodge of Free Masons and kept a store in the first story under the firm name of Moore and Sargent. The firm trad- ed at that store until 1831, when they retired.
John Moore, 3d., son of Andrew Moore, and his brother- in-law Enoch Coffin, were the successors of Moore and Sargent. and traded at the Corner about three years.
Henry M. Eaton sueceeded Moore and Coffin and kept a store in which is now the Masonic building until 1853, a period of fourteen years.
When Henry M. Eaton retired, John K. Nay traded in the store he had vacated, a year or two.
Samuel Addison Sargent, who came from Chichester was a very popular clerk for William Duncan several years. In 1830, Mr. Duncan and Mr. Sargent formed a copartnership styled S. A. Sargent & Co., for the purpose of trading at the Corner. Mr. Duncan was a wealthy man and stood high in the esteem of the wholesale merchants in Boston and became responsible for all the goods which Sargent, the active manager of the concern, chose to purchase on credit. The old store at the Corner, which Mr. Duncan vacated in 1803, was repaired and Sargent bought a great stock of various kinds of goods. A large amount of business was done at the store for about six years, when it turned out that Sargent had so conducted affairs that the firm was heavily in debt and was obliged to suspend operations. Mr. Duncan was all the while attending to the business of his store on the South Road and, therefore, knew but little of the management of the store at the Corner. After the failure of the firm at the Corner, Sargent went West and the goods which he left unsold were taken to Mr. Duncan's store. Mr. Duncan, after settling with the creditors of Sargent & Co., found that he had lost about $40,000 in the enterprise.
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After Addison Sargent retired, William Turner became the owner of the building he had occupied and added to it another story. Sullivan Turner his son and Shepard James of Raymond traded in company two or three years. The second story of the building was fitted up for tene- ments and Mrs. Thomas Colby and others were residents there a number of years. After the retirement of Turner & James, the building was moved to the spot where the Methodist church is now located, and John Turner, another son of William Turner, traded there a few months, when the building was moved to the Depot Village and made into a dwelling house. John Rowe has been the owner and occupant of the house many years.
STORES ON HIGH STREET.
Moses Fitts, who in his early days was afflicted with rheumatism, commenced trading near his father's residence on the place now owned by the widow of the late. Dr. Page. It is said that his father furnished him with a small stock of pins, needles, tape, &c. The venture was success- ful, other stocks of goods were purchased from time to time and soon he had a flourishing business. About the year 1795, he built the large gambrel roofed house which is now the residence of Jolin S. Patten and traded in one end of it a few years and then put up a large and convenient store. adjoining the house. Peter Eaton assisted him as clerk a considerable length of time. About the year 1823, his son Frederick was admitted as partner and was finally sole proprietor. At his death, in 1837, Thomas Wheat and Frederick Smyth bought out the goods and traded in the store about two years when they retired and went to Man- chester. The store was taken down more than twenty years ago.
Peter Eaton built a store near the old Congregational meeting house and commenced trading about the year 1812. In 1835, he removed to Concord and resided there a few years. During his absence Charles Edwin Eaton took the store and traded three or four years when he removed to Ohio. Peter Eaton at length returned to Candia and
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resumed business at the old stand. Mr. Eaton was quite successful as a trader. He was a good farmer and carried on the business of manufacturing barrels for the Newbury- port market. In 1852, he removed to Manchester and his store was taken down and converted into tenements in that city.
In 1835, Asa Fitts commenced trading on the north side of High Street a few rods west of the residence of Frank Hall in a building which was erected by John Emerson for a carpenter's shop. He traded there three or four years when he became embarrassed and failed. His goods were placed in the hands of John Moore, Esq., who was ap- pointed assignee.
In 1830, Joseph French and Amos Pillsbury set up a store on the north side of the west end of High Street and near the present residence of Matthew Cate. The firm traded there two or three years when they retired and the building was moved over to the opposite side of the street and is now the residence of George W. Towns.
About the year 1831, Aaron Brown and Nehemiah Brown opened a store a few years in a part of the dwelling house of the former which is now the residence of his son George H. Brown and traded several years.
STORES ON NORTH ROAD.
Jonathan Rowe, a son of Isaiah Rowe, kept a store on North Road in a part of his residence, which was built by his brother Nathaniel Rowe and stood on the south side of the highway about fifty rods west of the present residence of James Brown. He kept a good assortment of goods and traded there about a dozen years, beginning about the year 1791.
Nathan Fitts, about the year 1813, bought the Worthen place on North Road which is now owned by Dea. Charles R. Rowe. He was a blacksmith and built a large shop on the south side of the road. He soon afterward fitted up the shop for a store and traded there until 1821, when he sold the place to Joshua Lane and left town.
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STORES ON THE SOUTH ROAD.
William Duncan, soon after he sold out his business at the Corner, in 1803, erected a large dwelling house on the place now owned by George Brown on the South Road. He established a store in a part of the house and traded there a few years, when he put up a large two-story building to accommodate his constantly increasing trade. He was a very sagacious and enterprising man and, a short time be- fore the year 1812, he was confident that a war between the United States and Great Britain was imminent and that, as a consequence, the commerce of the country would be ru- ined. With this view, he bought in Boston very large quantities of foreign goods and a large stock of costly wines, brandies and other foreign liquors. He stored the liquors in Boston and waited for events. When the war between the two countries became an established fact, the price of the goods and liquors rose to a high figure, as every American merchant ship was liable to be captured by the war vessels of the enemy. In the course of a year or two Mr. Duncan sold the great stock of goods at a great profit. He cleared about $30,000 upon the liquors alone without moving them from the place where they were stored in Boston. For many years he kept the largest and finest stock of goods which could be found in the west part of Rockingham county. His stock of drugs and medicines was especially large and varied. Mr. Duncan was well instructed in the art of compounding medicines and one large room was wholly devoted to this branch of the busi- ness.
There were no patent Fairbank's Scales in those days and all heavy goods were weighed with cast-iron weights and the boys and young men were sometimes allowed to go into the back store to see how many fifty-six pound weights they could lift from the floor.
All the traders in town exchanged their goods for butter, cheese, eggs and other farm products. Many persons can still remember how the butter, which was brought to Mr. Duncan's store, was dumped into a great tub in the cellar through the counter by a large spout that was covered by
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a trap door. When a large amount of butter had accumu- lated in the tub, a woman was employed to make it up into balls and otherwise put it in order to be sent to market in Boston. Seventy years ago linen cloth, woven by the wives and daughters of farmers was also taken by Mr. Duncan in exchange for goods.
He employed a considerable number of coopers and bought large quantities of staves, hoop-poles and pine boards for the making of fish barrels. He also bought large quantities of wood ashes for making potash. He was an excellent farmer, had large tracts of land and kept a large stock of cattle. His fields were constantly enriched by great loads of leached ashes from his potash works and very heavy crops of grass were raised every year. His great gambrel roofed dwelling-house, his shops, barns and other out-buildings made an imposing appearance in those days. Mr. Duncan died in 1849, and his real and personal property was valued at $15,000 clear of all indebtedness.
After the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad was finished Charles E. Smith, a brother of Edmund Smith, erected a building on the west side of the highway at Cass' Crossing for the accommodation of a number of citizens who wished to establish a Protective Union store in that quarter. George Sargent a son of Josiah Sargent, was appointed agent of the store. After the store had been kept a year or two, Samuel B. Robie and his brother Levi J. Robie, bought out the stockholders and traded there a year or two, when Levi J. sold out his interest to his brother who soon after erected a two-story building on the east side of the highway, and traded there about four years. He then sold out to Levi Sanborn, who traded there a short time and then retired.
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