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 4
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MILL STREAMS.
There are no large streams of water in the town, but there are several good-sized mill streams which have often been dignified by the people with the name of river. One of these rivers rises on the south side of Hall's mountain and flows through a meadow, crosses the Merrill road and from thence it flows to a saw mill situated half a mile north of the residence of J. Henry Brown and owned by George H. Brown, son of the late Aaron Brown. About a mile farther on it operates a saw mill owned by Samuel A. Davis. It then crosses the road leading from High Street to Deerfield South Road and from thence it runs to a saw mill situated on lot No. 42, 3d division. It then crosses North road and flows about a mile and a half to lot No. 38, 3d division, near the New Boston road where there was once a saw mill and grist mill. The stream then crosses the road which leads from the Congregational Church and unites with a stream which is an outlet of Martin's Pond situated in the southwestern corner of Deerfield, and near Candia line. The stream then flows to Candia Village, thence to the Island and Raymond and unites with a stream from Deerfield and Nottingham and forms the Lamprey river.
A good mill stream which has its source in Kinnicum Pond and Moose Meadow, flows in a westerly direction about a mile and a quarter to the site of the Genesee saw mill. It soon after crosses the turnpike and empties into
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the Maple Falls stream, which is an outlet of Sargent's Pond and Sawyer's Pond in Hooksett. The latter stream once operated a saw mill which was situated on the Manches- ter road in Hooksett about a mile south of Rowe's Corner and flowed to Maple Falls, and from thence to Clark's Pond in Auburn, and through that pond to Lake Massabesic.
A small stream of water rises in the hills near the old bed of the Portsmouth railroad, at the height of land between Portsmouth and the Merrimack river about a mile and a half west of the South road. The stream flows through Brown's meadow to Cass' grist mill. From that point it flows to Emerson's saw mill situated near Candia depot ånd from thence to a saw mill near East Candia depot, and about two miles farther down it empties into Jones' Pond.
Quite a large stream of water flows from the southeast section of the town near the Major Jesse Eaton place to Murray's saw mill in Auburn and empties into the Little, Massabesic in that town.
There are many beautiful brooks in the town, all of which are tributaries to the larger streams herein described. One of these rises near the north side of Hall's mountain and falls into the mill stream which operates Brown's and Da- - vis' saw mill.
PONDS.
There is only one entire natural pond in the town. This is called Kinnicum Pond. According to a tradition it was so named by the Indians. It is situated about a mile and a half south of the residence of Mr. George H. Brown on High Street, and about half a mile south of the old bed of the Portsmouth and Concord railroad. The pond probably con- tains upwards of a dozen acres. It is surrounded by a swamp, which is covered with a thick growth of low bush- es and ferns rooted in a spongy substance. A few small pickerel and horned pouts are taken there every year. Thé pond was formerly much larger than it is at the present time.
Tower Hill Pond lies in a deep valley at the base of Tower Hill in the southwest corner of the town of Candia and the northwest corner of Auburn. The line between the two towns passes through the middle of the pond, and one-half
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
is in Candia and the other half is in Auburn. Its area is probably forty acres or more. This is a beautiful sheet of water and is much frequented by fishing parties.
VILLAGES, HAMLETS AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
The following are the names of the various villages and principal neighborhoods in the town :
Candia Village, situated near the north part of the town.
Depot Village, situated on the line of the Portsmouth rail- road about a mile southeast from the geographical center of the town.
Candia Corner is situated at a point where the road from Chester to Deerfield crosses the road leading from the Con- gregational Meeting House and a mile northeast from the center of the town.
The Colcord Road is a part of the town lying between Candia Village and the northwestern part of Raymond.
The Burpee Road is a neighborhood situated between the road leading from the south side of Candia Village to Hea- ley's Corner where it crosses the road which extends from the meeting house to the New Boston road.
The North Road is the neighborhood which is situated on the highway which extends from Healey's Corner to the res- idence of Lorenzo Hoit and Addison Smith in the northwest section of the town.
New Boston is a territory lying upon the highway that intersects with the road from Deerfield to Chester and ex- tends to Walnut Hill. This section was probably so named in irony, on account of its somewhat desolate ap- pearance in former times.
The Island is a small hamlet in the eastern part of the town.
East Candia is a small village situated in the eastern sec- tion of the town.
The Patten Road is the highway which extends from the point where it crosses the Portsmouth railroad a mile below Candia depot and the east side of Patten's Hill.
The Turnpike is a hamlet in the southwestern part of the town, situated on the old Chester turnpike.
The Merrill Road is the highway which leads from near the west end of High Street to the North road.
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The Doniphan Road is the highway which extends from the upper end of High Street to the turnpike.
The South Road is the highway which extends from the Congregational Meeting House to Auburn.
That part of the highway which extends from Depot Village to East Chester was formerly called District No. 4.
The Wason Road is the highway which leads from East Candia to East Chester.
There is a small neighborhood on the Libby road which extends from the South road to where Isaac Libby formerly resided, and the highway which extends from the residence of Edmund Smith to the old Anderson place on the turn- pike.
The Baker Road is the highway formerly called the Mar- den Road which leads from near the residence of George F. Cass to where Enoch Baker and his father-in-law, Stephen Marden, resided.
The highway which extends from the Baker road to the road which leads to that extending from Chester to Deerfield, was formerly called the Colby Road, from the circumstance that Enoch Colby and his son, Nehemiah Col- by, lived on that highway many years ago.
FAUNA.
When Candia was first settled ravenous and dangerous wild animals were frequently seen in the forests. Wolves sometimes came down from the north in great packs and attacked and killed sheep and cattle. They were also very destructive to the deer, which at that time lived here in con- siderable numbers.
Black bears, some of which weighed three or four hun- dred pounds, were quite common in those times. They were very fond of honey and would climb trees and gnaw into them and feed upon the honey, comb and all. Their flesh was very palatable, and their skins with their thick coverings of hair were highly prized.
Wild cats were very common in the town until within a few years. The catamount was the king of wild beasts and the terror of the settlers. It would sometimes kill twenty sheep in one night. After sucking the blood of its prey it
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
would sneak off into the woods. It was too much of a cow- ard to attack a man.
Beavers were once very numerous here, and the remains of their dams may still be seen in various parts of the town. They have long since wholly disappeared. Otters, minks and musquash were found here in abundance until within a few years ; but they are now comparatively scarce. Woodchucks, raccoons and skunks are found here at the present time, though not in so great numbers as formerly. Weasels, gray, red and striped squirrels were once very common in the town; but on account of the destruction of a great number of the chestnut, walnut, beechnut and butternut or oilnut trees, their supply of food has been greatly reduced and they are far less plenty than formerly.
Among the most common reptiles were the black snake, the house and water adder, the striped, green and brown snakes. The rattlesnake was sometimes seen in the south- eastern and western section of the town, but for many years it was thought to be extinct. Recently, however, several
have been killed in the vicinity of Hall's mountain. Tur- tles, tortoises, frogs, toads and lizards have always been found in abundance here. The streams were formerly abundantly supplied with pickerel, perch, trout, roach, horned pouts, suckers and various other kinds of fish.
Insects of many varieties have abounded in the town, in- cluding humble bees more commonly called bumble bees, honey bees, hornets, wasps, dragon flies vulgarly called devil's darning needles, locusts, crickets, grasshoppers, spi- ders of many varieties, fire flies or lightning bugs as they were called by the old settlers.
Among the pests which may be named are pumpkin bugs, the rose bugs, the potato bugs, buffalo bugs, bed bugs, cat- erpillars, apple borers, mosquitoes and the house flies. The potato bugs and the buffalo bugs were unknown to our an- cestors.
Wild pigeons were once very abundant. They flew in great flocks and the beating of their wings against the air made a great roar like that caused by the trees of the forest in a big storm. Wild turkeys were frequently found by the early settlers. One of the roosting places of these birds
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
was in the woods situated upon the north end of lot No. 40, 3d division, which was first occupied by Isaiah Rowe. Par- tridges have always abounded in the town, also woodcock, quail and other game birds. Wild geese and wild ducks, cranes and loons often rested themselves in the ponds and streams on their passage from the southern to the northern regions.
Among the birds of prey were the eagles, hen hawks, owls, fish hawks and sparrow hawks. Among the other birds were blue birds, humming birds, robins, wrens, thrush- es, gold robins, swallows of four kinds, viz .: barn, eaves, bank and chimney swallows, martins, cat birds, sparrows, English sparrows, pewees, night hawks, blue jays, harry wickits or yellow woodpeckers, and snow birds.
FLORA.
When the town was laid out the surface was covered with a thick growth of forest trees and shrubs among which were the following : Red, white, and black oak, rock, white, and red maple, walnut; butternut or oilnut, spruce, hack- metack, beech, chestnut, elm, red elm or slippery elm, white and brown ash, buttonwood, wild poplar, black and red cherry, basswood, hornbeam, mountain ash, hazelnut, alder, dogwood, sumach, willow, bazberry, sassafras and hardhack.
It is probable that not a single tree which was growing on the soil when the first settlers came here is now alive, excepting the old chestnut trees which are still standing on the old Col. Carr place near the Congregational Meeting House. They had reached their full maturity when white men came to the town. These trees are still in a. bearing condition.
Among the wild medicinal plants were the following : Sarsaparilla, checkerberry, valerian or lady's slipper, su- mach, yellow dock, dandelion, elecampane, pipsisewa,. sorrel, motherwort, mullein, milkweed, life of man, skull- cap, elder, smartweed, snake root, mayweed, golden rod, chickweed, plantain, gensing, bloodroot, peppermint, spearmint, catnip, willow, hardhack, witch hazel, thorough- wort, tansy, yarrow, pennyroyal, liverwort, Solomon's seal, lobelia, gold thread, purslain, Prince'spine.
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The following are the names of the principal wild fruits : Cranberry, whortleberry, huckleberry, blueberry, straw- berry, raspberry, blackberry, black and red cherry, grape, gooseberry, sugar plum, checkerberry, bunch plum.
The following are the names of some of the other plants and flowers : Pond lily, cow lily, cat tail, sweet flag, cow- slips, chocolate root or avens root, wintergreen, trailing ar- butus or June pinks, orchids, Indian poke, ox-eyed daisy, white daisy, field lilies. azalia or May pink. There are many varieties of ferns among which the brakes of various kinds.
The Indians planted maize or Indian corn, pumpkins and , beans.
When the Europeans came they introduced many new species of grasses, fruit trees, plants, flowers and grains, many hundreds in all. Among these were the apple, pear quince, the large red and black cherry, the damson.
List of the names of the mountains that can be seen from Candia, and their altitudes :
Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey, 3, 185 feet,
Kearsarge, Warner,
2,943
66
" Lovell, Washington, 2,487
66 Crotched, Francestown, 2,066
Pack Monadnock, Peterborough,
2,289
66 Lyndeborough, Lyndeborough,
1,500
Wachusett, Princeton, Mass.,
2,025
66 Joe English, New Boston,
1,100
66 Uncanoonucs, Goffstown, 66 1,333
" Saddleback, Northwood,
1,000
Pawtuckaway, Deerfield and Nottingham, 900
Mount Delight, in the western part of Deerfield, is quite a lofty eminence, but its height has not been ascertained. It makes a very fine appearance from Candia.
CHAPTER VI.
CIVIL HISTORY.
THE FIRST TOWN MEETING.
IN accordance with the terms of the charter granted to the town by Governor Wentworth, Samuel Emerson of Chester issued a call for the citizens to assemble for the purpose of organizing and establishing an independent town govern- ment. The meeting was holden on September 8, 1764. The place of the meeting has not been recorded, but it is probable that it took place in one of the dwelling houses on Candia Hill, in the vicinity of the present Congregational Meeting House. The meeting was called to order by Sam- uel Emerson, who presided. The citizens brought in their votes for Moderator. Dr. Samuel Mooers was elected to that office and the citizens then proceeded to elect the fol- lowing board of town officers :
Parish Clerk, Dr. Samuel Mooers ; Constable, Winthrop Wells; Selectmen, Lieutenant Benjamin Batchelder, John Clay, John Sargent; Tything man, John Clay; Surveyors" of Highways, Lieutenant Samuel Towle, Moses Baker, Elisha Bean, Zebedee Berry ; Fence Viewers, Mathew Ram- say, Stephen Webster; Haywards, Stephen Palmer, Moses Smart; Deer Inspectors, Theophilus Clough, Jonathan Bean; Committee to examine the Selectmen's accounts, Stephen Webster, Walter Robie, Nathaniel Emerson.
Voted that for the future the annual town meeting shall be held on the second Tuesday of March, yearly.
In giving a list of the first town officers who were elected some explanation in regard to the nature of those offices which have now become obsolete or merely nominal, may not be altogether unnecessary.
DEER INSPECTORS.
An act was passed by the British Government in 1758 for- bidding the killing of any buck, doe, or fawn from the first day of December to the first day of August. This act was passed for the purpose of preserving deer enough for breed-
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ing purposes and thus preventing the extinction of this race of animals.
HAYWARDS.
The duty of a hayward was to take up and impound neat cattle or other domestic animals from running at large on the highway or on common land. The duties of field driv- ers were the same as those of haywards.
HOGREEVES.
The hogreeve, upon the complaint that any person re- fuses or neglects to yoke or ring his hog shall yoke and ring them and receive, therefor, a fee of twelve pence. It was required that all hogs found running at large between April and October should be properly ringed. The ringing was performed by inserting a piece of iron wire through the hog's nose, bringing the ends together and then twisting them. The twisted wire was made to project about an inch above the nose so as to prevent the animal from rooting. When the settlers had provided themselves with fences and were able to secure their swine in pens and yards, there was no further need for hogreeves. The custom, however, of electing men to this office has been continued from that day to this as a good joke, and the honor has been con- ferred upon those who have been married within the year.
FENCE VIEWERS.
The duty of these officers was to adjust all disputes be- tween the owners of farms bordering upon each other in re- gard to the fences separating them. It often happened that one owner would neglect to build his part of the fence or would build one which was imperfect. In such cases the fence viewer was called upon to settle the difficulty and his decision was final.
TYTHING MEN.
An act passed in 1715 provided that no taverner or retail- er of spirits should suffer any apprentice to drink in his house, nor any inhabitant after ten o'clock at night, nor more than two hours ; nor suffer any person to drink to in- toxication, or others than strangers to remain in his house on the Lord's day, under a fine of five shillings.
The act also provided that at least two tything men should
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
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be annually chosen, whose duty it was to inspect all li- censed houses and inform of all disorders to a Justice of the Peace and also to inform of all cursers and swearers.
By an act passed in 1799, all labor and recreation, trav- eling and rudeness at places of public worship on the Lord's day were forbidden. The tything men had power to com- mand assistance and forcibly detain all travelers unless they could give a sufficient reason for so doing! This act was enforced in this town from the incorporation of the town until about the year 1825, when the custom of arresting peo- ple for traveling on the Lord's day became obsolete.
Among other town officers there have been sealers of weights and measures, sealers of leather, cutters of staves and surveyors of lumber.
OTHER TOWN MEETINGS.
At a meeting of the citizens of the town held on April 4, 1764, Lieutenant Benjamin Batchelder was Moderator. It was voted to raise 150 pounds Old Tenor to hire preaching to begin on the first of August next. Voted that 100 pounds Old Tenor be raised to hire schooling.
At a meeting held on October 24, 1764, Benjamin Batch- elder was Moderator.
Voted to lay out a road four rods wide beginning at a stake and stones at the south side of Nathaniel Emerson's land, by spotted trees across the said Emerson's land, by spotted trees to a hemlock tree marked upon the said Emer- son's land to lot No. 120, then across said lot to the beaver dam, then across the lot No. 125 straight to the southwest corner bounds of lot No. 126. Then following the road as it now runs to Moses Baker's house, then south upon said Baker's land to the reserve. Then following the reserve to the road that leads from Thomas Patten's to Benjamin Row- ell's.
This road is that which extends from the residence of John Cate to Patten's Hill. That part of the road which was laid out from Moses Baker's house to Benjamin Row- ell's was never built.
For damages to Colonel Emerson's land the selectmen gave him the reserve for a road, which was laid out by the original proprietors on the north side of his land, and.
JOHN D. EMERSON.
Sketch, page 499.
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
for damages done to lots 124 and 125 they gave him the rc- serve on the north of said lots. For damage done to lot 126 they gave him the reserve on the south side of said lot.
The part of the reserve awarded to Colonel Emerson for damages above referred to was intended to be a continua- tion of the Colby road ; but on account of the deep valley in that locality it was deemed imprudent to build a road there.
On October 29, 1764, the selectmen laid out a road begin- ning at the southwest corner of lot 89, then following the reserve as far as the path goes by Mathew Ramsey's house, then from said reserve across said Ramsey lot, then follow- ing the reserve about twenty rods upon the west of the hundred acre lot, No. 114, then running a southerly course through Asahel Quimby's land two rods wide to the east end of Lieutenant Benjamin Batchelder's house, then run- ning westerly through said Batchelder's land until it strikes the reserve about twenty rods north of said Batchelder's southwest corner bounds, then following the reserve about forty rods through Samuel Buswell's land, a straight course to the east side of said Buswell's house, then through Walter Robie's land a straight course to the west end of said Robie's house.
The road thus laid out by the selectmen was the first highway which extended from the east end of the Baker road in rather a zigzag course to the house where Mr. Truell now resides. A few years later the road was straightened considerably, and has been known as a part of the South road.
When the original proprietors of Chester made the eight divisions of territory into lots, they laid out reserves of land for roads. In the third division of lots, which is wholly in Candia, the most of the reserves are laid in regular order and cross each other at right angles. The law provides that all roads in a town must be laid out in due form by the selectmen, in order that the town shall be responsible for their proper construction and maintainance.
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The first roads in Candia were laid out by the selectmen in Chester, while the former town was still a parish. The first road so laid out was that which extends from the south -
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
3 west corner of Raymond to the Wason neighborhood, and from thence across the east side of Patten's Hill to the resi- dence of William Patten, now George Patten's, and from thence over Wadleigh's or Clark's Hill to Benjamin Smith's residence, and then to Candia Meeting House. This was the first road which was laid out by selectmen in Candia.
In 1758, the road from Deerfield to Candia Corner and Chester was laid out.
In 1760, the road from the Island to what is now Candia Village was laid out.
THE LOTS.
The original proprietors laid out a parsonage lot and a lot for the support of public schools. The first lot was sit- uated on the southeast corner of High Street and the South road.
The school lot was situated on the southwest corner of High Street and the South road, and soon after the town was incorporated a committee was appointed to take care of the lots.
That part of the town called the 2nd part of the 2nd divi- sion was laid out in one hundred acre lots a considerable time before the 3d division was laid out. The lots in the latter division contained only eighty acres each. The num- bering of the lots in the 3d division began at the northeast corner of the town and proceeded in regular order to the northwest corner. Then the numbering was continued by going back to the Raymond line on the next tier of lots and proceeding westward in the numbering as before.
At the town meeting held on the 12th of March, 1764, the following officers were elected :
John Clay, Moderator ; Dr. Samuel Mooers, Clerk ; Enoch Rowell, Constable ; Dr. Samuel Mooers, Jonathan Hills, Moses Baker, Selectmen; John Carr, Tythingman ; Jona- than Bean, Thomas Critchett, Moses Smart, Thomas Pat- ten, Nathaniel Emerson, Asahel Quimby, Benjamin Cass, Surveyors of Highways; Jeremiah Bean, Lieutenant Ben- jamin Batchelder, Fence Viewers; Isaiah Rowe, Joseph Hill, Joseph Smith, Haywards ; Sherburne Rowe, Deer In- spector ; Captain John Sargent, Surveyor of Lumber; Icha- bod Robie, Theophilus Sargent, William Turner, Commit_
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HISTORY OF CANDIA.
tee to examine Selectmen's accounts ; Zebedee Berry, Pound Keeper.
At a town meeting held April 18, 1765, it was voted to raise 300 pounds Old Tenor for preaching, and Benjamin Batchelder and Theophilus Sargent were appointed com- mittee to examine the selectmen's accounts.
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CHAPTER VII.
PRIVATIONS OF THE EARLY SETTLERS.
A FEW of the first settlers of the territory of Candia came from Chester or from some of the older towns, where they had cleared up a lot of land and furnished themselves with homes and some property. Such as these were prepared to make a new settlement under comparatively, comfortable circumstances. There were others, however, who had but little capital, except their hands and a good endowment of strength and courage, to enable them to meet the difficul- ties they were called upon to encounter.
It should be borne in mind when the territory was first settled it was mostly covered with a thick growth of forest trees, many of which were of great size, and that there were but few if any paths. The hardy pioneers must have brought with them a sufficient supply of provisions to last them for a few weeks at least.
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The first thing to be done was to build a cabin of logs with a chimney of rough stone. They then proceeded to make a clearing. The big trees, upon two or three acres, were cut down and burned and a part of the land was pre- pared for a crop of rye. Plowing was out of the question on account of the stumps, and so they were obliged to dig up the soil and work the seed with clumsy hoes. A small patch of land was then planted with potatoes, corn and a few beans. There were no carts and everything was car- ried to the fields in rough hods. There was a plenty of game in the woods consisting of deer, wild turkeys, partridges and squirrels, and they managed to make themselves com- fortable on the score of food. In due time a cow, a pig and a few hens were brought to the rude settlements. Whatev- er they had in the way of furniture was brought upon horse- back from Chester, or some of the older settlements. There were no grist mills in town for several years after the settle- ment, and the corn and rye had to be carried on horseback
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