History of the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire, Part 4

Author: Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Concord, N.H. : Rumford press]
Number of Pages: 838

USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Haverhill > History of the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire > Part 4

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).

1 By the term dollars as then used was meant Spanish milled dollars.

2 There is a tradition that this Glazier Wheeler turned his skill as a worker in metals to illegitimate uses, and was employed in making counterfeit dollars, that he was de- tected and had his ears cropped as a part of the penalty for his crime. There is also a tradition that years later, after leaving Haverhill, he was employed in the government mint in Philadelphia.

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

Fifth Meeting .- This was held at the house of John Hazen April 1, 1768, more than three years having elapsed since the previous meeting. John Taplin was moderator, Timothy Bedel, clerk. Timothy Bedel, Ezekiel Ladd and Joshua Haywood were appointed a committee to lay out 100 acre lots, one lot to each right. Timothy Bedel, Simeon Goodwin and Enos Bishop were chosen assessors. John Hazen, Ezekiel Ladd and John Way were appointed a committee to lay out and make a road through the town.

"Voted to give privelege to build a sawmill on Hosmer's (Oliverian) brook and one half of land laid out for that purpose forever, provided the mill is fit to saw boards by April 1, 1769, and owner of the mill to saw for the proprietors of the town for the first five years, and to deliver 400 boards out of a thousand to the man that draws the logs to the mill and after the said five years to deliver the one half of boards to the man that draws the logs, forever, and to keep the mill in good repair or forfeit the privelege in case of neglect of same."

John Hazen entered his dissent to this vote.

"Voted to give Elisha Lock the one quarter part of the privelege left for mills on Hosmers brook, and the quarter part of the land left to accommodate the privelege that is eighteen acres to said Lock."

It was voted to leave a privelege for mills on the Mill Brook so called above the old saw- and gristmill which were built by the proprietors of Haverhill and Newbury. [This was Poole Brook or Hazen's Brook as it was sometimes called.]

Sixth Meeting .- At John Hazen's in Haverhill, March 30, 1769. Moderator John Hazen; clerk, Andrew Savage Crocker. Simeon Goodwin, Joseph Hutchins and James Woodward were made a committee to run out and measure the south and east lines of the town.

"Voted to pay 4s a day for what has been done on the roads and for what shall be done the present year."

At an adjourned meeting April 20 it was voted to give Enoch Hall $65 in lieu of a half right of land formerly voted him by the proprietors.

Seventh Meeting .- Held at John Hazen's. Moderator, James Bailey; clerk, Asa Porter.

"Voted to pay for planning the river in this town."1

"Voted to give the Rev. Elitzer Whelock, D. D., fifty acres of land in

1 At a meeting held March 30, 1769, a committee had been appointed to run the south- ern line of the town, and its report revealed the fact that a serious dispute existed with the proprietors of Piermont concerning this line. It was, therefore, voted that Jacob Bayley be a committee to wait on the governor and council to petition him to settle and determine the boundary between the two towns. This controversy extended over a period of several years, and frequently occupied the attention of the proprietors. An account of this will be given later under a separate head.

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

Haverhill lying on Capt. John Hazen's Mill brook where there is a con- venient waterfall for a mill and to be laid in a convenient form for a mill provided Dartmouth College shall be located in Haverhill."

Eighth Meeting .- Held at the house of John Hazen, November 12, 1770. John Hazen, Moderator; Andrew Savage Crocker, clerk.

"Voted to raise the sum of $10 upon each share of land to pay proprie- tors debts and that Ezekiel Ladd be Collector."

Ninth Meeting .- Held at John Hazen's, January 4, 1771. Moderator, John Hazen; clerk, A. S. Crocker. At this meeting action was taken, which created or set up the tract of land known as "the Fisher Farm," and which had an important influence on the settlement of the town. An account of this will be given at the close of this chapter.

Tenth Meeting .- Held at John Hazen's, February 4, 1771. Moderator, James Bailey; clerk, Andrew S. Crocker. Charles Johnston was elected treasurer; Ezekiel Ladd, collector, and it was voted that he receive two pence per pound for collecting.

"Voted that John Herd in behalf of the proprietors divide the mill privelege on Hosmer's brook, between Jonathan Sanders, Charles John- ston and Elisha Lock."

A large number of accounts for work performed in laying out 100 acre lots, for work on roads, etc., were presented and allowed. Major Willard's account for surveying and planning the one hundred acre lots amounted to £10, 18s. An account was also allowed for four and one half gallons of rum furnished the surveyor and his men. An adjournment was had to February 11, when it was voted to sell all the common and unappro- priated lands within lines of second division of 100 acre lots, and Simeon Goodwin was appointed vendue master. Five lots within the ranges were accordingly sold. Adjourned to February 21, when the time was devoted to the consideration and allowance of sundry accounts.

Eleventh Meeting .- At John Hazen's. Moderator, Ezekiel Ladd; clerk, A. S. Crocker. A proposition to petition Governor Wentworth to re- grant the town as it is now bounded or any part thereof was negatived, and adverse action was also had upon a proposition to lay out a tract of land for use of the school in Haverhill and clear a part thereof.

Voted to give Elisha Lock the privelege of building a gristmill on Hosmer's brook between said Lock's mill and the sawmill belonging to Jonathan Sanders and Charles Johnston on condition that the mill be completed in one year and that Lock will grind for the proprietors in preference to any others, and will grind their grain faithfully and well.

Twelfth Meeting .- At Hazen's, February 22, 1772. Moderator, James Abbott. Made choice of Collector and other officers.

Thirteenth Meeting .- Held May 12, 1772. Action was taken relative to a county seat, and John Hurd was appointed agent to secure its

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

establishment in Haverhill. An account of such establishment will be found on the chapter devoted to Courts and Court Houses.

Fourteenth Meeting .- Held at Hazen's, August 7, 1772. Moderator, James Bailey. This was a meeting of refusals. Refused to advance money in the matter of litigation over the Piermont boundary. Refused to assess money or choose a collector. Refused to give titles to lands previously sold at vendue sale. Refused to dispose of right of land granted to first settled minister.

Fifteenth Meeting .- At Hazen's, April 19, 1773. A committee of six was appointed to open and mind roads. Adjourned to April 25, at which time John Hurd was appointed agent to devise some method to recover back the common land then in possession of Luther Richardson. Charles Johnston, James Woodward and Joshua Haywood were chosen a commit- tee to lay out school and other public lots agreeable to the charter.

Reuben Foster was given the privelege of building a gristmill and saw- mill on the falls above the bridge or Oliverian Brook, so called, for twenty years, "allowing the sawmill if needed an equal right to falls and stream." This is the first appearance in the records of the name Oliverian as applied to this brook.

Sixteenth Meeting .- At house of Luther Richardson, June 17, 1773. Moderator, James Bailey; clerk, Simeon Goodwin. Voted to record the plan of the town.1

At an adjourned meeting June 24, the time was largely devoted to allowing accounts. At an adjourned meeting June 28, it was voted "to give the road through the town to the town as it is now trode." Col. Asa Porter entered his dissent to this. The remaining privelege on Hosmer's Brook was given to Reuben Foster, on condition that the mill be erected within eighteen months and that he saw logs at the halves. John Fisher petitioned for the 100 acre lot reserved for mill privelege on Hazen's Brook. "Voted to grant petition on condition that he will set up a saw- and gristmill with in fifteen months and saw logs for the proprietors, who shall haul them to the mill, for one half the boards, and shall keep the mill in good repair for twenty years."

Seventeenth Meeting .- Met at house of John Hazen, August 16, 1773. Chose Ephraim Wesson, moderator, and adjourned to house of Luther Richardson. Refused "to lay out the society right and glebe to the 'exceptence' of minister and church wardens in town of Haverhill." This refusal had to do with a somewhat persistent attempt to secure these rights for the benefit of the Church of England.

Eighteenth Meeting .- Held at the house of Luther Richardson, Febru- ary 25, 1774. The sale of the following rights for taxes was conducted by Ezekiel Ladd, collector.

1 This plan is missing from the records.

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

Right of Samuel Wentworth sold to Asa Porter for Jno. Wentworth, for $19

Right of William Porter sold to Asa Porter, for. $19

Right of John Hastings sold to Jacob Bayley, for $19

Part right of John Nelson sold to John Hazen, for $14

The two rights of Benning Wentworth sold to Moses Little, for. $38

House and meadow lot of James Nevin sold to Moses Little. $8

Meadow lot of Gov. Bernard sold to James Lad, for $19

Right of Aaron Hosmer sold to John Hall, for. $19

Right of Uriah Morse sold to Nathaniel Merrill for Timothy Bedel Jr .. . $19

Right of Maxi Hazeltine sold to Asa Porter and Jona. Hall, for $19

Right of George Marsh sold to Jona. Hall, for $19

Right of James Philbrook sold to Jona. Hale, for $19

It was at this meeting that the proprietors refused to carry into effect their vote of May 12, 1772, promising 1,000 acres of land to Col. John Hurd, for services in securing the county seat.

Nineteenth Meeting .- At house of Luther Richardson, January 27, 1775. A committee was appointed to lay out public rights. The time of the meeting was mostly devoted to consideration of the Piermont boundary question.

Twentieth Meeting .- July 5, 1779, at the house of William Moors. Moderator, Charles Johnston; clerk, Simeon Goodwin. The Piermont matter was again considered.

Voted to give the privelege of building a fulling-mill on Hosmer's Brook either above the great bridge, about three rods at a little island, or below said bridge, as builder may choose, to be built within six months.

At an adjourned meeting, August 18, Joseph Pearson made his pitch for a fulling-mill on the little island three rods above the bridge and it was ordered recorded.

Voted to lay out the undivided land and Stephen Haywood, Timothy Barron and John Rich were appointed a committee to lay out.

Twenty-First Meeting .- At house of William Moors, November 30, 1779. Moderator, Charles Johnston.

Voted that Timothy Bedel, Timothy Barron and John Rich be a committee to run the south and east lines of Haverhill and establish corners."

"Voted to Col. Timothy Bedel liberty to erect two sawmills on Hos- mer's Brook, one of said mills opposite the fulling-mill and the other opposite the flaxmill, and to improve said mills during the pleasure of the proprietary, provided said mills are completed in one year from this time, and logs sawed for half the boards. Said mills are not to injure any priv- eleges already granted."

Voted to Capt. Joseph Hutchins liberty to erect a gristmill on Hosmer's Brook on the South Side of said brook below the bridge, and to improve the same during the pleasure of the proprietary, provided said mill is

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

completed in one year from date and not injure any privelege already granted."

Twenty-Second Meeting .- At State House in Haverhill, December 28, 1779. Moderator, Charles Johnston.

"Voted to lay out the land said to be claimed by Col. John Hurd into lotts to be drawn as other lands."

At adjourned meeting at house of Capt. Joseph Hutchins December 29, 1779, it was voted to resume nine 100 acre lots for the public rights on the south side of the Fisher farm.

"Voted that no proprietor shall draw his lots in the third division till he has paid the collector the tax due to him."

"Voted to Capt. Timothy Barron 21s for 7 quts, rum. Voted to give Elisha Lock one gallon rum."

At an adjourned meeting at the house of Timothy Barron, January 27, 1780, it was voted to raise £30 on each right to be collected by James Woodward. Adjournments were had to February 17 and February 22, but there is no record of business transacted.

Twenty-Third Meeting .- At house of Joseph Hutchins, May 4, 1780. No record of business.

Twenty-Fourth Meeting .- At State House, April 25, 1781. Asa Porter, Ezekiel Ladd and James Woodward were appointed to take care and charge of proprietor's land and mill privelege on Oliverian Brook.

Twenty-Fifth Meeting .- Held October 11, 1781, "at house where Bryan Hay now lives." Moderator, Moses Dow. Piermont boundary matters considered.

Twenty-Sixth Meeting .- At dwelling house of Col. Joseph Hutchins, January 20, 1785. Moderator, Asa Porter.

This meeting and subsequent adjournments till July 7, 1785, dealt exclusively with the Piermont boundary Controversy and matters con- nected with it. The adjustment of land titles made necessary by the issue of the controversy was finally settled and confirmed at the last meeting of the proprietors, of which there is record December 22, 1808.

THE PIERMONT BOUNDARY DISPUTE

By the terms of the charter of Haverhill, the southern boundary of the town ran in a straight line southeasterly from the Connecticut River parallel with the north line. The map of the town at present shows that about two miles from the river this line is broken, forming an irregular tract on which the village of Haverhill is located, and which, because of the dispute that for years raged concerning the ownership of this tract, was designated as "the Corner." Referring again to the charter it is found that the eastern boundary of the town should be about seven miles in length in a straight southerly line from the mouth of the Ammonoosuc.

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

Refering again to the present map of the town, this western boundary actually is more than eight miles in length.

When Thomas Blanchard in 1760 made his survey designating pairs of towns each six miles north from Charlestown, he marked the northerly limit of the eighth pair of towns, now Piermont and Bradford, Vt., near the southwest corner of the present Bedel's bridge. From thence to the mouth of the Ammonoosuc it is about seven miles, the charter length of the towns of Haverhill and Newbury. When Simeon Goodwin, Joseph Hutchins and James Woodward who had been appointed by the Haverhill proprietors in March, 1769, to run out and measure the south and east lines of the town, came to the south line which had been run and marked at the instance of the proprietors by Surveyors Caleb Willard and Ben- jamin Whiting in 1763, they found the validity of this line disputed by the proprietors of Piermont, the charter of which had been granted in 1764, a year later than that of Haverhill. Moretown, Vt. (now Bradford), made the same claim as Piermont, founding their claims on their char- ters, which called for six miles in a straight line on the river, north of Oxford and Fairlee. The Piermont proprietors further averred that when Willard and Whiting surveyed and marked the boundaries of Haver- hill and Newbury in 1763, acting under the private orders of John Hazen and Jacob Bayley, and came to the boundary corner near Bedel's bridge, established and set up by Thomas Blanchard in 1760, they wholly disre- garded this, and kept on into the then unsettled and ungranted land below, establishing new boundary corners for both towns a mile and sixty eight rods to the south. By so doing they enriched Haverhill and New- bury at the expense of the subsequently granted towns of Piermont and Bradford, in case the latter should acquiesce in the new boundaries. But there was no acquiescence, and a long and bitter controversy followed. The Haverhill and Newbury case has been very fully stated by Mr. F. P. Wells.1 Governor Wentworth had promised charters of Haverhill and Newbury to Hazen and Bayley and their friends on account of services rendered by them in the colonial wars; and previous to the date of the charter they had actually begun settlement. When it came, however, to the delivery of the charters, the governor insisted on adding to the list of grantees prepared by Hazen and Bayley, a score or so of names of per- sonal friends and others to whom he was under obligations. Land was plenty, money was scarce; and such a course was an easy way of discharg- ing obligations. Hazen and Bayley naturally objected, claiming that they had personally been at considerable expense in exploring the town, cutting roads, and beginning settlement and that a division of the land among eighty grantees instead of sixty as, according to custom, they had expected would be the case, would detract from the value of each of their

1 History of Newbury, Vt., page 24.

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

shares. The governor insisted, however, that the names of his friends should go into the list, but Hazen and Bailey claimed they were told by the governor that they might take from the ungranted lands south enough to make up for the twenty additional shares. Accordingly this strip one mile and sixty-eight rods wide was taken. This claim of theirs was at least plausible, but the proprietors of Piermont and Bradford would not admit its validity. The Haverhill proprietors had surveyed the meadow, house lots, and the first division of 100 acre lots in the disputed territory and these had been drawn and settlement begun on some of them previous to the survey of the boundary in 1769. At a meeting of the proprietors, April 10, 1770, it was voted to pay the committee who had run out the boundary line the previous year for their services, and Col. Jacob Bayley was appointed a committee to wait on the governor and council to petition for a settlement of the bounds between Piermont and Haverhill. John Hazen, Jonathan Sanders and Maxi Hazeltine were also appointed to instruct Colonel Bayley " as they shall think proper" on the matter. The governor and his council did not see fit to interfere, and in the meantime the Piermont proprietors had brought suits of ejectment against Jonathan Sanders, named above, and William Eastman who had settled on lands in the disputed strip. The proprietors had a common interest with these parties, and showed this by voting at a meeting held November 26, 1770, "to pay Sanders and Eastman for any charge or costs which hath or may arise to said Sanders and Eastman in defending themselves against any action or actions which the Proprietors of Piermont have commenced against them or either of them."

At the proprietors meeting, held February 4, 1771, a proposition to submit the dispute to referees was voted down, and Asa Porter was appointed agent "to attend the most Inferior Court of Common Pleas to be holden at Portsmouth to assist Jonathan Sanders and William East- man in any action or actions which the proprietors of Piermont have com- menced against them," and it was also voted that Ezekiel Ladd advance Colonel Porter, as such agent, the sum of $20 to be expended in securing attorneys and evidence in behalf of Sanders and Eastman.

A proposition was made at a meeting held February 7, 1772, to peti- tion the governor and council to regrant the township "as it is now bounded or any part thereof to the present proprietors," but this method of circumventing Piermont was voted down. A sense of discouragement is next evident, since, August 7, the same year, it was voted not to raise any money to carry on litigation. Piermont, however, had proceeded against others besides Sanders and Eastman and when men like Charles Johnston and John Page became involved the proprietors saw new light. So, June 17, 1773, they voted to take the burden on themselves and "carry on the several actions the proprietors of Piermont have commenced

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

against Charles Johnston, Jonathan Sanders, Jonathan Elkins, John White, George Moor, John Page and Simeon Elkins." "They chose Moses Little and Jacob Bayley agents to defend the actions to final judgment at the charge of the proprietary" and empowered them to employ one or more attorneys. Another step was taken January 27, 1775, when a committee, headed by Capt. Moses Little, was chosen by the Haverhill proprietors and given full power to join with a like committe from Piermont to settle the boundary question each by themselves or by a committee of disinterested men to whom the matter should be referred. Four years and a half later July 5, 1779, this same committee was ap- pointed to meet with a Piermont committee at Colonel Webster's in Plymouth September 15, 1779, "in order to come into some measure to settle the boundary line." Nothing satisfactory came of this meeting, and December 29, 1779, another committee, consisting this time of Timo- thy Bedel, James Woodward, Charles Johnston, Joshua Howard and Asa Porter, was appointed to make settlement. Correspondence was carried on without avail, and on April 25, 1781, still another committee consisting of Asa Porter, Charles Johnston, Moses Dow, James Woodward, John Page, Amos Fisk and John Rich, was chosen to reach a final settle- ment September 18, 1781, with the representatives of the Piermont proprietors; Jonathan Moulton of Hampton and Richard Jenness of Rye.

The conditions of this settlement were as follows: "All the meadow lots, all the house lots, and all the first division of 100 acre lots as laid out and bounded by the proprietors of Haverhill shall be and remain with the township and proprietors of Haverhill, and that all suits of law already commenced relative to the premises and now pending shall cease, and be no further prosecuted than is necessary to carry this agreement into execution." The remainder of the disputed strip was to be left within the bounds of Piermont.

The Haverhill proprietors doubtless congratulated themselves in having the better of the bargain in thus dividing the disputed territory and unquestionably it seemed so then, if division was to be made. Since the meadow lands were wide and fertile and were much the more valuable part of this territory: but the proprietors were not aware of the value of the whetstone ledges which were left to Piermont, and which, in the years since, have paid richer dividends than the much coveted meadow lands.

The Newbury proprietors would listen to no proposition of settlement from Bradford, and the final result justified their obduracy. Newbury's claim that the strip in dispute belonged to it by direct authority of Gover- nor Wentworth was finally allowed by the Vermont legislature, and Brad- ford lost its entire case. By the Haverhill and Piermont settlement certain parties who had drawn 80 acre lots in the third division lost them

HISTORY OF HAVERHILL

to Piermont, and in order to reimburse them the 80 acre lots in the fourth division were reduced to 70 acre lots, thus giving each shareholder who lost by the settlement an equal portion of land with the others. This plan was presented by a committee consisting of Asa Porter, Charles Johnston, James Woodward, Simeon Goodwin and Daniel Stevens, at a meeting held July 7, 1785, but was not finally ratified and confirmed until December 22, 1808.

This settlement of a long continued controversy was not only of importance to the proprietors, but it had an important bearing on the development and subsequent history and life of Haverhill, and of Pier- mont as well. Had Piermont gained its entire contention the larger part of the historic "Corner," with its academy, county seat buildings, stage coach taverns, etc., would have been lost to Haverhill, and possibly, if not indeed probably, would never have existed in Piermont.

CHAPTER IV

SETTLEMENT AND FIRST SETTLERS

FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN HAZEN AND BAILEY: HAZEN CAME UP IN 1672-HIS CHARACTER SEEN IN FIRST SETTLERS-BRIEF SKETCHES OF EACH-JOSHUA HOWARD, TIM- OTHY BEDEL, JOHN PAGE, JOHN HUNT, ASA PORTER, CHARLES JOHNSTON, AND OTHERS-TOWN MEETINGS-CENSUS GROWTH FROM 1767 TO 1773.

IN the list of names of the early pioneer settlers of Haverhill there is one which must always stand out prominent-that of John Hazen, or as it is spelled in the charter, Hazzen. Jacob Bayley has been rightly accorded the honor of being the founder of the town of Newbury, Vt. In the annals of Haverhill, a like honorable place must be accorded to John Hazen. In the list of the grantees of the town of Newbury the name of Jacob Bayley stands first, that of John Hazen second. In the list of the grantees of the town of Haverhill the name of John Hazen is first, that of Jacob Bayley second. Bayley was a native of the town of Newbury, Mass., Hazen of the town of Haverhill. It was but natural that the township granted to Bayley and his associates should be given the name of New- bury, and also that the township granted to Hazen and his associates should be named Haverhill.

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History of the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire, Part 4

Author: Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918 Publication date: 1919 Publisher: [Concord, N.H. : Rumford press] Number of Pages: 838

Author: Whitcher, William F. (William Frederick), 1845-1918
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Concord, N.H. : Rumford press]
Number of Pages: 838