USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Hampton Falls > History of the town of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire : from the time of the first settlement within its borders, 1640 until 1900 > Part 50
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
557
HOMESTEADS.
James Prescott came from England in 1665, and settled where Newell W. Healey lives. This was the original Prescott homestead. When they settled here there were but few houses to the west of them in the town. They lived in a garrison house, which was called Prescott's fort. From their exposed position they were liable to depredations from the Indians. James Prescott married a daughter of Nathaniel Boulter of Hampton. He lived here for about thirty years. He was one of the grantees of the town of Kingston, where he removed in 1724. Ile died in 1728, aged eighty-five. His son, Dea. James, had a house on the south end of the farm upon the middle road. Ebenezer Prescott, grandson of James, 1st, succeeded to the homestead. He married Abigail Til- ton, and died in 1750. His daughter Meribah married Samuel James, who was first rated here in 1765. He was a Revolutionary soldier from this town, and lived at or near the Prescott homestead. Aaron Wells came from Ipswich during or soon after the Revolu- tionary War and bought the farm. He was a brother of Capt. Joseph Wells who kept the Wells tavern at the hill, and was a man of property before he came here. He lived here until his death in 1819, at the age of seventy-five. He had one child, a daughter Eunice, who married Hon. Newell Healey of Kensington. She was the mother of Wells Healey, who succeeded Mr. Wells in the owner- ship of the farm. Mrs. Eunice Healey died in 1863 aged ninety- three.
Wells Healey became an extensive farmer. His farm, in addi- tion to the Prescott farm, comprised also the Burnham, Lane, Til- ton, and parsonage lands, all of which have been noticed. He was an energetic and progressive farmer, keeping well up with the times .. He had the first horserake and the first mowing machine ever used in the town. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Joshua Pickering of North Hampton, and died in 1857. Wells Healey left four sons and three daughters. Of these Wells W. has been already men- tioned. Charles N. is a large farmer in Stratham. He married Sarah P., daughter of E. W. Toppan of Hampton, and has a son and daughter. William P. was a sea captain. Newell W. lives upon the homestead. He married Nellie, daughter of John F. French of North Hampton, and had three daughters, Annie, Florence, and Mary. Florence was accidentally and fatally burned by her cloth- ing taking fire November 2, 1898. Elizabeth, daughter of Wells Healey, married Samuel Small of Portland, Me. Mary married
36
.558
HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
William H. Hackett of Portsmouth. Eunice married John Hud- son, a lawyer in Boston.
The land on the opposite side of the road from N. W. Healey's was probably included in the original Prescott homestead, as sev- eral families of the name lived there, until 1821, when Levi Prescott sold his farm to Thomas Brown. Mr. Prescott moved "up coun- try." Mr. Brown sold the house to Joseph Perkins, Esq., who moved it to where Dr. Sanborn lived. IIe then built a new and .commodious stand of buildings and continued to live here until he was murdered with his wife May 8, 1868. The buildings erected by Thomas Brown were destroyed by fire in June, 1885. His grandson, Clarence T., was living here at the time. The buildings have never been rebuilt. Thomas Brown was son of Jacob Brown. Ile married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Drake of Hampton, in 1817. Ile had one daughter, Abigail A., who married James W. Green and lived at the hill for many years. His son, Jacob T .. lived in Hampton upon the old Drake homestead. He married Mary, daughter of William Brackett of Greenland, in 1844, and has two sons, Frank B. and Clarence T. He was engaged in the lumber business, and was prominent in town matters. He was representa- tive in 1881, and died in 1898.
Charles T., son of Thomas Brown, built his house about one fourth of a mile below his father's in 1854. Ile married, first, Martha, daughter of Josiah Robinson of Exeter, second, Alice, daughter of Joseph Batchelder of Hampton. His daughter Helen F. married David F. Batchelder of this town, son of Emery. Mary E. married Bertram Janvrin, son of Edwin. He had two sons who died young. Charles T. Brown was representative in 1872 and 1873, and has been town treasurer since 1876.
Below the brook (Grape-vine run), about half way up the hill, lived Isaiah Lane, son of Joshua Lane of Hampton. He was born in 1730, and married Sarah, daughter of Moses Perkins. He was a shoemaker, and died in 1815. He was succeeded by Luke Averill, son of Molly Shaw, whom Mr. Lane had brought up. He married the widow of George Marshall. He and his family removed to Brentwood about 1842, where his descendants still live. Mr. Aver- ill was much troubled by witches, who would remove his cart wheels from the axle without taking out the linchpin, and do other things of a like character, which made it hard for him to accomplish much when he attempted to work.
559
HOMESTEADS.
Not far from where Isaiah Lane lived there was a family named Sillea, Silly, or Cilley, spelled in all three ways upon the record. Richard Sillea came from Watertown, Mass. He was a justice at the Isles of Shoals in 1653. He removed to Hampton Falls soon after, and had three children. Some of his descendants were among the grantees of Robiestown, afterward Weare. Some of the name are still living there. Joseph Cilley, son of Thomas, re- moved to Nottingham, and was the grandfather of General Cilley of Revolutionary fame. The name of Cilley appears upon our records from before 1747 until 1804.
On the same side of the road near the top of the hill lived Abra- ham MeQuillan, who came from Henniker about 1800, and died in 1812. He had a son Robert. Father and son were both masons. Robert had three sons, Ira, John, and Elijah. Ira and John were ship carpenters, and lived in Newburyport. Elijah was a carpenter, and lived in Seabrook, where he died in 1868.
In another house near McQuillan's lived David Tilton, called "Little David," who married Mary Merrill in 1800. IIe was drowned while lying upon the marsh near the clam flats by the tide coniing over him. His son David was drowned near Hunt's island in Seabrook about 1860.
Hugh McAllister, who lives on the north side of the road, come from the north of Ireland near the Giants' Causeway. He came to this town in 185%, and married Margaret Kane. He built his house in 1870, and has two sons and four daughters.
Where George A. Janvrin lives was the homestead of Malachi Shaw, probably son of Samuel and a brother of Hilliard Shaw. He was rated from 1753 until after 1773. Afterward the place was owned and occupied by Dearborn Lane, who came from Hampton. Ile married Hannah, daughter of Aaron Merrill, in 1808. He was a tailor. He died in 1865, aged eighty-three. His sons removed to Massachusetts. His daughter Cynthia married Levi E. Lane. The next occupant was John A. Merrill, son of Aaron, 2d. He com- mitted suicide by hanging in 1872. He was succeeded by James Janvrin, who came from Seabrook. He married Louisa, daughter of Joshua Janvrin. He was a soldier in the Mexican War, and died suddenly while at work upon the salt marsh in 1881. His son, George A., is the present occupant.
Near where the town house stands lived Hilliard Shaw, son of Samuel and probably brother of Malachi. He was born in 1732, and was rated from 1753 until 1773, but disappears before 1787.
560
HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
We know little of his family. Cornet David Shaw, son of Hilliard, lived in Chester, where he died in 1825.
The old house which stood where Emery Batchelder's house now stands was built by Peter Weare for his son Peter, who lived here for a time. He was born in 1698. He was succeeded by Lieut. Stephen Cram, who came from Salisbury, and was not a near con- nection of the Cram family who lived in this town. He married Ruth Ellard of Hampton Falls in 1743. He was rated from 1747 until 1778, and probably died about that time. Benjamin Pike, who came from Salisbury, lived here for a number of years. The next owner was Benjamin Cram, who came from the place now owned by Mr. Dalton, which was the original Cram homestead. Mrs. Cram was a relative of Grace Fletcher, the wife of Hon. Daniel Webster. Mr. Webster used to call here when he passed through the town. Benjamin had a son Jonathan who lived in Pittsfield. Another son, B. F., lived in Kingston. He had several daughters. Emery Batehelder bought the place, and moved his house, built in 1838, from near his brother John's house in 1887. He was the son of Reuben, and married Dolly, daughter of Simon Dearborn of Hampton. He was representative in 1868 and 1869, and died in 1897. He had three sons and four daughters. Charles was a freight conductor on the Eastern Railroad, and died in 1872. John lives west. David F. lives upon the homestead. Anna married Homer Crane of Amesbury ; Ellen, Irving Lamprey of North Hamp- ton ; Abbie, Cyrus W. Brown who lives in Pittsfield, and Mary, John Brown of Seabrook.
The house occupied by Edward D. Pike was built by Jacob Pike, son of Benjamin, who afterward moved to Boston. Nathan Pike, brother of Jacob, lived here until his death in 1858. Richard C. Marsh, who married Mary, daughter of Nathan Pike, in 1831, lived here and owned the premises at one time. He was rated in this town from 1828 to 1846. He was a blacksmith. Alfred Marsh lived here from 1846 to 1855, when he removed to Minnesota. Of Nathan Pike's sons, James M. married Emily, daughter of Ben- jamin Shaw of Hampton, lived here, and died in 1870; William lived in Maine and was employed by the Eastern Railroad; Edward lived upon the homestead, and married, first, M. J. Collins of Dan- ville, and second, a daughter of John C. Akerman of this town. He has one son, Charles, and two daughters, who are married. James M. Pike's sons, John S. and George, live in Newburyport. One daughter, who married Frank J. Childs, lives in Marlboro, Mass.
DEA. EMERY BATCHELDER. 1812-1897,
561
HOMESTEADS.
The house occupied by Emmons B. Towle was built by John Pike, son of Benjamin, in 1804. He lived here a number of years. The premises had previously been owned and occupied by - Sanborn. Capt. Caleb Towle bought the place from Mr. Pike when his occupation as toll gatherer for the Turnpike company ceased. His wife's name was Swain. He was a shoemaker and did much custom work for the people of the town. He died in 1873, aged eighty-three. His son Oliver was a stage driver, and afterward a conductor upon the Eastern Railroad, running from Portsmouth to Portland. Elbridge A. was employed within a few days of fifty years upon the Eastern and Boston & Maine railroads, most of the time as conductor. He died in February, 1896, having taken his train from Portland to Boston on the day of his death. William was a successful farmer in South Hampton, where he died in 1894. Emmons B. lives upon the homestead. He married Lydia, daugh- ter of Micajah Green of Seabrook, and is a market gardener. He was a member of the constitutional convention in 1889.
Below Mr. Towle's house on the same side of the way, in the corner of the field next the brook, lived John Kenny. The first mention of him on the record is that in 1760 the constable was paid for carrying John Kenny out of the parish. He had been "warned out," which often happened to newcomers. He was a blacksmith. Evidence of his forge can be seen when the soil is disturbed. He was first rated in 1761, and continued until after 1113. Kenny brook takes its name from him.
On the other corner of Mr. Towle's field, opposite John Batchel- der's house, lived Samuel Fifield. He was first rated in 1749, and was a Revolutionary soldier. After the war the family were quite poor and received assistance from the town. He died about 1800, at the age of ninety.
The house where John Batchelder lives was said to have been built in 1712 by Peter Weare for his son Ebenezer, who married Prudence Lock. He lived here for a time, and then disposed of the premises to Col. Jonathan Moulton of Hampton. Ebenezer Maloon lived here. He was rated from 1760 until 1772. He was an enterprising man and built vessels at Toppan's yard at the turn- pike. After Maloon Maj. Benjamin Pike, who came from Salis- bury, owned and occupied the place. He married Hannah Hook in 1767. He was a blacksmith and made axes, scythes, and knives. He was selectman from 1781 to 1785, inclusive. He had nine sons and two daughters. Benjamin, Joshua, Nathan, and Sewell lived
562
HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
in Hampton Falls. Sewell was father of Rev. Daniel Pike of New- buryport. Moses was a blacksmith and lived in Exeter. John, after leaving this town, was a cattle dealer and lived in North Hamp- ton. Caleb lived at Eastport, Me., and Josiah in Brentwood. Bet- sey married Joseph Tilton and lived in Exeter. Nancy was unmar- ried. Reuben Batchelder, son of David, bought the place from Mr. Pike. He married Betsey, danghter of Michael Tilton, in 1802, and had three sons and three daughters. David was a stage driver em- ployed by the Eastern Stage Company, and afterward was proprietor of an express from Amesbury to Boston. He was postmaster of Amesbury during Lincoln's administration, and died in 1891. Emery has been already mentioned. John lived upon the home- stead, and married a daughter of Stephen Green. He was repre- sentative in 1856 and 1857, and has also been prominent in town matters and in the management of the Line church. He has one son, Warren H., who lives on the homestead, and married Jessie Fogg of Deerfield. His daughter Sarah married George Fogg of this town. Helen married a Pollard and lives in Dover. Reuben's daughter Dolly married Stephen Brown of Kensington; Lucy, Dan- iel Merrill of Salisbury, Mass .; Rhoda, Sylvester Abbott of Andover, Mass. Reuben Batchelder died in 1868.
On the west side of the old mill road on land now owned by John T. Batchelder lived the Clifford family, who settled there soon after 1640. The name of Clifford appears upon our record until after 1772. They do not appear to have been prominent in town matters, as we find only two who held any town office,-John, who was one of the selectmen of Hampton in 1660, and Samuel, select- man of Hampton Falls in 1731. Nathan Clifford, who was judge of the Uunited States supreme court and lived in Portland, Me., was a descendant of this family, as was Governor Clifford of Massa- chusetts. The Cliffords in other parts of the state appear to have descended from this family. The bed of lilies which was near the Clifford house has spread and now occupies a large space, although there have been no buildings there for more than a hundred years. There appear to have been houses on each side of the road occupied by the Cliffords.
Some distance east of the old mill road in Warren Brown's pas- ture lived Jacob Basford. The name of Basford appears upon the Hampton record for the first time in 1687, and disappears from our record in 1730. He married, second time, Sarah, daughter of Benjamin Cram, in 1708. His son James was of Dover in 1:29
.
563
HOMESTEADS.
and soon after removed to Chester. The Basford farm contained fifty-one acres and extended sixscore and two rods upon the old mill road, and forty-five rods upon the road leading by Warren Brown's house. It was sold in 1:30 to Dr. Edmund Toppan of Hampton, who sold it, in 1735, to Lieut. Joseph Batchelder. The road on the south side of Basford's farm, forty-five rods in length, was given in exchange for land received elsewhere. Jacob Basford was reputed to have been a man of great physical strength. It was he who bound Sheriff James Thurston upon a horse and conveyed him out of the province to Salisbury with a rope about his neck, for attempting to collect rents from the land owners, by order of Mason and Cranfield. He was one of the grantees of the town of Chester, where he removed about 1730, at which time he was dis- missed from Hampton Falls church. The name of Basford con- tinued in Chester until within a very few years. Jacob Basford made over his property in 1729 to his son, James Basford, by the following articles, which are recorded upon the town records:
Articles of agreement, made and concluded upon this twenty-ninth of Dec., 1729, between Jacob Basford of Hampton Falls in the Province of New Hampshire in New England on the one part, and James Bas- ford, his son, of the same town and Province on the other part: Wit- nesseth that the said James Basford shall have the improvement of all my estate, both real and personal, that I have in Hampton, unto him the said James Basford and unto his heirs, Executors, Adminis- trators & Assigns so long as ye said Jacob Basford and his wife shall live, but only I the said Jacob Basford, reserving for myself, three acres of planting land, wherever I please in my best land, and the south east end of my house where I now live & ye south end. of my barn, and I the said James Basford or his heirs, executors,. Administrators & assigns is to receive all his father's debts that are now due, and is to pay all his father's debts that were due before- this agreement was made & ye said James Basford or his heirs, Exec- utors, Administrators & Assigns, are to deliver to his father Jacob Basford & to his mother Sarah Basford such things as are hereafter mentioned, yearly and every year in yr proper season of the year so long as ye said Basford and his wife Sarah shall live, Viz, Sixteen: bushels of Indian Corn, & four bushels of malt, and three hundred. weight of pork and two hundred weight of beef, & one half the apples,. and one half the cider that is made in ye orchard, & two cows wintered and summered, And a horse to use when he pleases, & a saddle and a: bridle, & six sheep, & a great coat & a good hat once in seven years & other suitable clothing both woolen and linen & shoes and stockings and handkerchiefs and all sorts of suitable clothing for his wife Sarah, & two gallons of rum and two gallons of molasses every year, and I the said Jacob Basford bind myself in a two hundred pound bond in
564
HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
current money of New England or passable bills of credit, to ye said James Basford his heirs, executors, Administrators, and assigns to perform as is above mentioned, and I ye said James Basford bind myself, my heirs, executors, Administrators & assigns in a penal bond of five hundred pounds in current money of New England or passable bills of credit to my father Jacob Basford and my mother Sarah Bas- ford to perform and do yearly & every year as is above mentioned In witness whereof, I ye said Jacob Basford and James Basford have hereunto set our hands and seals ye day and year above mentioned. The mark and seal JACOB x BASFORD (L. S.) JAMES BASFORD (L. s.)
In presence of us witnesses JABEZ SMITH SARAH SMITH
Mrs. Basford in her old age was supported by the town of Chester.
The farm occupied by Warren Brown comprises the Basford place, which had been owned at first by William Eastow, an early settler at Hampton, and the farm of Benjamin Batchelder. Rev. Timothy Dalton gave a portion of his farm to Nathaniel Batchel- der, which was afterward divided between his two sons, Benjamin and Nathaniel, Benjamin having the west end of the farm. He was born in 1673, and married Susanna, daughter of Dea. Francis Page, in 1696, and died in 1718. He had eleven children. His daughter Susanna, born in 1713, married Ebenezer Webster, the grandfather of Hon. Daniel Webster. He was succeeded by his son, Lieut. Joseph Batchelder, who was born in 1699, and married Mary Goss in 1723. Hle acquired and added the Basford farm to his premises. During the visitation of the throat distemper in 1755 all of his children, twelve or thirteen in number, died. He sold the farm in 1764 to Col. Jonathan Burnham, who disposed of it in 1766 to Ralph Cross of Newburyport. Mr. Cross was a native of Ipswich, born in 1706. He was a ship builder in Newburyport; his yard was where Perkins's planing mill now is at the foot of Lyme street. He owned other property in this town, and was taxed here as early as 1748. He was a leading man, was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church in Newburyport and had charge of build- ing the first bridge over Parker river in 1758. He died in 1788, and was succeeded by his son Stephen, who was also a ship builder, and was the first collector of the port of Newburyport, being ap- pointed in 1790. He died in 1812. Both the Crosses were influ- ential citizens of Newburyport. While they owned the farm it was carried on by tenants; first, by Francis Burnham, brother of
-
JACOB BROWN. 1767-1859.
565
HOMESTEADS.
Col. Jonathan, next, by Stephen Caldwell, who came from Ipswich about 1772. Ralph Cross polled the farm into Seabrook in 1768, and Mr. Caldwell, although coming here some time after, was con- sidered to go with the farm and polled there also. Mr. Caldwell had a number of sons. One of them, Daniel, married Abigail, daughter of Dea. David Batchelder. All by the name of Caldwell who appear upon our record lived there. Mr. Caldwell was succeeded as tenant by Jacob Brown, son of Nathan, in 1800. He had owned a farm and had been living at East Kingston for a number of years, where his four sons were born. Mr. Brown married Abigail, daughter of Thomas Berry of Greenland, in 1792. After Stephen Cross died Mr. Brown purchased the farm in 1812, and lived there until his death in 1859, at the age of ninety-two. His wife died in 1833. After Mr. Brown's death the following notice appeared and was copied extensively in the papers in all parts of the country. We are unable to vouch for its truth:
The Portsmouth "Journal" records the death of Mr. Jacob Brown, at the age of ninety-two. At sixteen, his father gave him a yoke of steers, a start in life not unusual in that day in the neighborhood. Young Brown sold the steers for one hundred dollars. This sum he put at interest at the rate of six per cent, resolved to keep it distinct from his other property. He adhered to his determination strictly, and entered upon manhood a tenant on the farm of another, receiving one half of the crops for his labor and management .- not touching his one hundred dollars, but remaining a tenant until he became able to buy the farm. At the age of seventy-five his one hundred dollars had become three thousand, and at the time of his death it had reached seven thousand. His entire property, accumulated during seventy years of active life, amounts to about fifty thousand dollars, which, in his own language, is "the result of temperate and frugal, but not parsimonious, habits, and looking carefully after those little leaks through which property frequently disappears."
Of the children of Jacob Brown Thomas has already been men- tioned. Nathan W. was a merchant in Newburyport, and married Sarah Chase. He had four sons, and died in 1836. Joseph C. lived in Hampton Falls and was killed by a rock falling on him in 1838. He married Hannah Berry. John B., born in 1799, lived upon the homestead, and married Sarah M., daughter. of Thomas Leavitt, Esq., of this town. He died in 1858. At the time of his death he was president of the Weare bank. His wife died in 1896, aged eighty-seven. John B. had one son, Warren, born in 1836.
566
HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
He married Sarah G., daughter of Daniel L. Norris of Dover, in 1867. His eldest son, Harry B., born in 1870, lives at Hampton. Arthur W., born in 1873, graduated from Cushing Academy, Ash- burnham, Mass., in 1890, and lives at home. Gertrude Norris, born in 1878, was a member of the class of '96 at Robinson Seminary, Exeter, and died just before graduation. Mildred L., born in 1880, graduated from Sanborn Seminary, Kingston, in 1898. Warren lives upon the homestead; he built his house in 1879, and has made extensive improvements upon the farm during his occu- pancy. Warren Brown was a member of the state senate in 1872 and 1873, and of the executive council during Natt Head's adminis- tration from 1879 to 1881; also, a delegate to the Republican Na- tional Convention in 1884, and representative in 1887. He was president of the New Hampshire State Agricultural Society eleven years, treasurer of the New England Agricultural Society since 1893, and trustee of the State College twelve years.
The house now owned and occupied by Fred P. Sanborn was built in 1851 by Moses E. Batchelder, son of Moses. He married Sarah, daughter of Capt. Nathaniel Batchelder of Pittsfield, in 1851. He lived here until 1864, when he and his four sons removed to central Illinois, where he became a successful and well-to-do farmer. The house which had been occupied for many years by tenants was sold to Fred P. Sanborn, son of George B., in 1897. He has since made extensive repairs and improvements upon the premises.
Where John T. Batchelder lives was the original Batchelder homestead in this town. It was a part of Rev. Timothy Dalton's farm which he gave to his nephew, Nathaniel Batchelder, grandson of Rev. Stephen Bachiler. He died suddenly in 1710. The fol- lowing is a copy of the deed given Mr. Batchelder by Rev. Timothy Dalton, and is copied from the original deed written upon parch- ment now in possession of John T. Batchelder:
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.