USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Peterborough > History of the town of Peterborough, Hillsborough county, New Hampshire > Part 26
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It is our own prerogative, and the distinction of the true Yankee, to be prepared to defend, but not to invade. Mark the improvement. One hun- dred years ago, those limpid waters that flow along our river witnessed in their course only the yell of the savage and the howl of wild beasts. Now a civilized and industrious people rise up in clouds before them, - a people, too, whose homes and firesides have become academies of use-
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ful learning. One hundred years ago, the inhabitants of this fertile soil knew naught but the enslaving maxims that enchain the mind. Now every man is a student. Then none sought to improve by the past, but were content with the pleasures of the moment; in a word, they were savages. Now all look forward to a nobler and higher state of improve- ment. Having been sufficiently educated to become instructors of them- selves, they reach forward with slow but sure march to jewels that are laid up in store for them. Moreover, we here breathe the pure air of freedom, where all are born equal, where there are no kings, no princes, no nobility, no titles ; in a country that is destined to grow on, to fill the Valley of the Mississippi, to spread itself along the Red River, the Ar- kansas, the Missouri, climb the Rocky Mountains, descend upon the Columbia, and overspread the shores of the Pacific Ocean with a hun- dred millions of human beings as free and independent as ourselves. We have something to do in this matter. Mr. President, upon us rests the responsibility for the safe keeping of those institutions, and trans- mitting them untarnished to millions yet unborn.
Fellow-citizens, citizen-soldiers, when our country, with all her noble institutions, shall cry, Defend, are we ready? Aye, ready.
Mr. President, permit me to offer the following sentiment: The fair; it is but fair that the fair partake of our fare on the present occasion.
MUSIC-" Gen. Washington's March." By the Band.
7th - Our Absent Sons ; we gladden at your prosperity, we mourn if you at- tempt to do evil; though we grow old we do not forget you.
EXETER, Oct. 22, 1839.
Gentlemen, - I regret that it is not in my power to accept your invita- tion to attend your Centennial Celebration on Thursday. Nothing, I as- sure you, could give me more pleasure. I am sure none of the sons of old Peterborough would enter more into the joyous feelings of the day. I have known her nearly as long as any of her children still alive, and yield to none in attachment. I have experienced nothing but kindness and confidence from her ever since I was capable of knowing good from evil; and I pray heaven to reward her for all her goodness to me. Allow me to offer this sentiment: Peterborough ; may she be as dis- tinguished in the next century for moral worth, as she has been for in- tellectual superiority and business enterprise in this.
I am, gentlemen, with much regard, your obedient servant,
JEREMIAH SMITH.
NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 1839.
Gentlemen, - I assure you, with the most perfect truth and sincerity, that I received the invitation with heart-felt satisfaction, considering the place whence this gratifying testimony proceeds. It being the place of my early and late associations, it demands the expression of my profound and grateful acknowledgments. It occasions me painful regret not to be able to accept the invitation, and I cannot conclude without tendering to
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you, and those whom you represent, my respectful thanks for the honor done me on this occasion. Permit me, gentlemen, to propose the fol- lowing sentiment : Peterborough ; what was she a century ago, what was she half a century ago, and what is she now? May her industry, enter- prise, improvements, prosperity, and happiness continue to advance on- ward for centuries yet to come.
Your obedient servant,
DANIEL ABBOT.
BOSTON, Oct. 17, 1839.
Dear Sirs, - Accept my hearty thanks for your invitation to the Cen- tennial Celebration at Peterborough. I should most certainly attend, were I not denied that pleasure by ill-health. But, gentlemen, I shall not be unmindful of so interesting an event; for I intend to celebrate the day at my own residence in Boston. I shall be with you then, though not actually in my native town.
Your kind letter brought to my mind many pleasing reminiscences of days gone by- of the scenes, the times, the associates, and friends of my youth. The Wilsons, Steeles, Mitchells, and Smiths ; the Morisons, Stuarts, and Moores ; the Millers, Whites, and many other worthy cit- izens, whose names are familiar to you, appeared before me. They had a rugged path to walk ; but they were industrious and persevering. They were open-hearted, public-spirited, and independent men ; and it is grati- fying for me, a native, though non-resident of Peterborough, to know that the present inhabitants are the true representatives of such prede- cessors.
On the 24th inst., and while you are publicly rejoicing, I shall fill my glass with wine in honor of the day, in remembrance of the first set- tlers and my old comrades and friends, and to the health of their descend- ants and the present inhabitants of the town, giving this sentiment : The pioneers of Peterborough ; let us cherish their memories, and teach our children to emulate the labors and virtues of the first settlers of the town.
Renewing to you, gentlemen of the committee, and through you to the citizens, my regret that "though with you, I shall not be there " on the occasion in question, I remain an ardent friend of my native town, and
Most respectfully your obedient servant,
SAMUEL GREGG.
BELFAST, Oct. 15, 1839.
Gentlemen, - A short absence prevented the receipt of your letter a day or two. But the first occasion is embraced to say that the pleasure of attending your Centennial Celebration would overcome all objections as to distance, if it were not that the Court of Common Pleas sits in this county on the first Thursday of next month, and that will prevent attendance.
With leave, the following sentiment is offered: The town of Peter- borough ; may. her prosperity be as rapid and lasting as her streams.
Yours, with sentiments of high respect,
JOHN WILSON.
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CINCINNATI, Oct. 18, 1839.
Gentlemen, - I am much obliged by your kind invitation to be present . at the Centennial Celebration at Peterborough. It would give me a peculiar pleasure to be there on an occasion so interesting, and espe- cially as I should find myself among many old friends ; but it will be wholly impracticable. If there were time - I received the letter yester- day, - I could not come. Our lecture-term is at hand and I must be on the ground.
Be pleased to present my affectionate regards to the Rev. Mr. Mori- son, if he be the same gentleman who was once my patient ; and my sin- cere respects to my old friends, the recollection of whose kindness, years and years agone, I fondly cherish.
Very respectfully, your friend,
R. D. MUSSEY.
BOSTON, Oct. 16, 1839.
Gentlemen, -Your kind letter of the 7th instant, inviting me to join the citizens of Peterborough in the celebration of the approaching Cen- tennial Anniversary of the town, on Thursday, the 24th inst., was received in due course of mail. I feel highly gratified with being remembered on this occasion by the inhabitants of my native town ; the town where I spent the pleasant hours of my early childhood; where the remains of my beloved parents, now long since mingled with the dust, were deposited. But I should feel a much higher gratification, if my daily engagements would permit me to meet with my brethren, the sons of the town, and interchange with them the feelings which belong to such a relation, and respond, in such manner as I might be able, at the moment, to senti- ments suitable to such an occasion. Since this gratification is denied me, I take pleasure in saying that I feel proud in numbering myself, here. in Boston, among those who hail from the "Granite State," the birth- place of a statesman who has acquired for himself the exalted appella- tion of " The Defender of the Constitution "; and more especially among the sons of the town of Peterborough, the nativity of many industrious, frugal, enterprising agriculturalists, the "bone and sinews of our country," and other men who have eminently excelled in the manufacturing art, at the bar, and upon the bench, in the senate and on the field. That the town of Peterborough may flourish in the coming century, as she has during the past, and continue to send forth her sons with the spirit of their fathers, to excel in all the useful occupations of life, is the sincere sentiment of one of her sons, and, gentlemen, your brother,
I. P. OSGOOD.
FRANKLIN, Oct. 21, 1839.
Gentlemen, - When I received your kind invitation to attend the cele- bration, I was determined to do so; but circumstances have occurred since which render it impossible for me to attend.
Although I cannot be present on the occasion, my heart and soul will be with you. I claim to be a native son of Peterborough, and feel proud of my maternal home. The occasion brings to my mind many pleasing
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recollections of by-gone days, the days of my childhood, when seated with others of my father's family around the winter evening fire, listening to the traditionary tales of the first settlement of the town.
I will conclude this communication by proposing the following senti- ment : The adopted sons of Peterborough ; however distinguished or ex- alted may have been many of her native sons, may her adopted sons be equally distinguished.
Yours, in the bonds of affectionate brotherhood,
JOHN ANNAN.
NEWPORT, Oct. 22, 1839.
Gentlemen, - It would have given me great satisfaction to meet my early associates, and join with them in the festivities of that occasion.
Peterborough is dear to me, and I feel proud of being recorded among her sons, of whom so many have distinguished themselves in the differ- ent professions and departments of active life. She has within my own short recollection sent forth four or five respectable clergymen, and fif- teen or sixteen lawyers, four members of Congress, and four or five re- spectable physicians. She can point to the Hon. Jeremiah Smith, for a long time Chief-Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature, truly a sage of the law, and a former Governor of this State, as one of her sons ; and to Dr. Mussey, now of Cincinnati, as not less distinguished in the medi- cal department ; and to Gen. James Miller, not less distinguished in our military annals.
Suffer me, in conclusion, to offer the following sentiment : The citizens of Peterborough ; may they continue to cherish literature and the arts and sciences ; may they be distinguished for their morals and those virtues which elevate and ennoble man; and may she send forth men who shall protect and defend the rights of our country, and perpetuate our free and liberal institutions.
With sentiments of respect and high consideration,
Yours truly, AMASA EDES.
BATH, Oct. 19, 1839.
Gentlemen, - I received your invitation a few days since to attend the Centennial Celebration of the settlement of the town of Peterborough, on the 24th inst.
My attachments to my native place are strong, and though I have spent a large portion of my life elsewhere, those attachments have not diminished, nor has a link of the chain that bound me there ever been severed.
It would give me great pleasure to be present with you and participate in the celebration, but it is otherwise ordered; and though I may never again see the place of my birth, or again mingle with my fellow-citizens there, for whom I have such strong sympathies and attachments, I may be present with you in spirit on this occasion.
I was early taught to entertain high respect for that hardy and enter- prising band who, in 1739 and the ten following years, established the
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settlement of our native town. They possessed certain traits of charac- ter of high excellence doubtless mingled with faults of as strong a character, yet those of excellence so far predominated as to give a marked and distinctive character of excellence to the people of the town.
I trust some one of her many talented sons will be found ready, on this occasion, to do justice to their memory and character. Permit me, gentlemen, to offer you the following sentiment: May the generation that now is exhibit all the excellencies of character, without any of the faults, of the generation that is past, for the instruction of those who are to come : that the town may continue to have a name and a praise, for the worth of her citizens, when those present are gone from the stage and rest with their fathers.
I am, gentlemen, very truly yours,
JONATHAN SMITH.
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 1839.
Gentlemen, - Your kind invitation of the 8th instant came duly to hand. I have delayed replying, hoping to do it in person ; but I very much regret that my engagements are such as I cannot remove, and will consequently prevent my attendance.
That you will have a gratifying celebration I have no doubt, and that you may is the sincere wish of
Yours very truly, JEREMIAH SMITH.
BOSTON, Oct. 22, 1839.
Gentlemen, - I have delayed giving you an answer, in hopes of being able to be present on the interesting occasion, and now I am truly sorry to find myself unable to leave my business affairs at this time ; otherwise it would afford me the greatest pleasure to be present.
It is pleasant to visit the home of our childhood at any and all times, but especially on such an occasion as the present.
Your obedient servant,
DAVID CARTER.
BALTIMORE, Oct. 15, 1839.
Gentlemen, - Nothing could give me greater pleasure than to be present at your celebration, but circumstances will necessarily prevent. Allow me, therefore, to express myself, though now adopted elsewhere, still a son of my native town, good and true to the core in feeling and every wish for her prosperity, and to propose the following sentiment, as my representative among you: Our native town : her intelligence, the boast ; her success, the joy ; her hills, memory's dearest shrine ; her all, the pride of her absent sons.
With great respect, I am yours, etc.,
HORACE MORISON.
41
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HISTORY OF PETERBOROUGH.
BALTIMORE, Oct. 15, 1839.
Gentlemen, - Your letter of the 9th instant was received, inviting me to attend a Centennial Celebration in Peterborough on Thursday, the 24th of October. Nothing could give me more pleasure than meeting on that occasion my townsmen, the inhabitants of Peterborough, and her many distinguished sons from abroad; but circumstances beyond my control render it impossible. I trust, however, I shall be there in spirit, and, like a true-hearted son, enjoy in imagination the festivities in which I can take no part. I hope my native town will accept, in my absence, the following lyric, * from one of the humblest of her bards, as a fit offering on such an occasion.
Accept for yourselves personally my warmest regards, and believe me truly your fellow-townsman,
NATHANIEL H. MORISON.
MUSIC-"The Winding Way." Sung by Messrs. Carter and Dunbar.
8th - Non-Resident Owners in our Manufacturing Establishments ; for their lib- erality in aiding the public and private institutions of Peterborough, we return them our sincere thanks.
BOSTON, Oct. 22, 1839.
Gentlemen, - I have received your letter of the 16th instant, with a polite invitation to attend the celebration of the First Centennial Anni- versary of the town of Peterborough, on the 24th instant. I much regret that it will not be in my power to attend said celebration, as it would afford me much pleasure to meet my friends and acquaintances at that place.
I have known Peterborough for about sixty years, and observed with pleasure its rapid growth in population, agriculture, manufactures, arts, sciences, literature, etc., etc. ·
My first visit to Peterborough I will relate, merely to show some of the changes that have taken place since my recollection. Fifty-nine years ago last April, a man with a drove of cattle passed my father's house in New Ipswich, on his way to a pasture for his cattle in the town of Hancock. Being in want of assistance to drive his cattle, and seeing a flaxen-haired boy at the door, he bargained with my father that I should assist him on his way as far as the mills in Peterborough, distance ten miles ; for this service to be performed by me, my father received nine- pence, lawful money; we arrived at the mills-a rickety saw and grist- mill, standing on the site where the Peterborough Factory now stands - about four o'clock. The man of cattle then offered me half as much as he had paid my father, and a night's lodging, if I would go on with him through the woods three miles to Taylor's Tavern. I readily consented, and pocketed the cash. At that time there was only one house (Dr. Young's) between the mills and the tavern. All the rest of the way was a dreary wilderness. But enough of my first visit to Peterborough. I propose, with your permission, gentlemen, the following toast : The first settlers of the town of Peterborough; the Smiths, the Wilsons, the Steeles, the Morisons, and many others ; celebrated for their industry,
* Inserted on page 311.
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perseverance, prudence, and honesty. Also their sons and grandsons, whether at home or abroad; they have done honor to themselves, to their native town, and to their country. Their virtues and talents have shed a lustre on every profession, political, judicial, ecclesiastical, med- ical, military, and scientific. *
I have the honor to be, most respectfully, gentlemen, your obedient, humble servant,
SAMUEL APPLETON.
P.S. - Gentlemen, if you have not on hand more toasts than time, I beg leave to propose the following : The first matrons of Peterborough, who, like the matrons of King Solomon's time, laid their hands to the spindle and distaff, made fine linen and sold it to the merchants, t and looked well to the ways of their household. Also, their fair daughters of the third and fourth generation, who, without handling the distaff, by the almost magical use of the spinning-jenny and the shuttle, can clothe themselves in silks and fare sumptuously every day.
BOSTON, Oct. 19, 1839.
Gentlemen, - Your favor of the 16th inst. came duly to my hands, and I accept and thank you for the invitation to attend the Centennial Anni- versary of your town on Thursday next.
I fear that it may be impracticable for me to be absent from Boston at that time, and shall much regret if such shall prove to be the fact. In any event, my sympathies and feelings will be with you; for I have witnessed with lively interest the growth and improvement of Peterborough, and find it my pride and pleasure to associate with her sons.
Very respectfully yours, SAMUEL MAY.
Should I be prevented being with you on the interesting occasion, allow me to offer through you as a sentiment: The town of Peter- borough ; forward in the ranks of agriculture and manufactures ; high in the scale of education, morals, and religion ; she has sent forth her full quota of eminent and excellent laborers in Church and State. May she go on "prospering and to prosper."
BOSTON, Oct. 23, 1839.
Gentlemen, - This will be handed you by my son. I regret very much that I cannot be with you to-morrow, but having only within a few minutes returned from a journey of some fifteen or sixteen days, it is impossible that I can have that pleasure. I have many pleasant reminiscences con- nected with Peterborough. Born, as it were, upon the borders of the town, her brooks and rivers were familiar to me, for I was in the habit of fishing from them the wily trout, before factories were hardly thought of, other than the then common ones for manufacturing meal and boards. I
* Among my acquaintances may be reckoned Judge Smith, General Wilson, Doctor Smith, o f Cincinnati, Rev. Mr. Morison, General Miller, etc., etc.
. t Fifty years ago the writer of this kept a small store at New Ipswich, and exchanged tea, sugar, coffee, pins, needles, etc., for home-spun fine linen, made by the matrons and fair daugh- ters of Peterborough.
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should there find myself surrounded by many old friends and acquaint- ances, and might, perhaps, point out in the assembly the man who used to purchase of me the skins of the muskrat,* which I entrapped to supply myself with change for election and training days; and I trust I shouid then meet my much respected and ever valued friendt - Peterborough's most enterprising son, -who, when I came of age, and was about to leave New England to seek my fortune and business in Western wilds, unsolicited, took me by the hand and established me in business with himself in Keene; a change which no doubt has much promoted my prosperity and happiness, and for which I trust I shall ever feel grateful.
With manufacturing in Peterborough I can claim an early connection, as well as one of more recent date. More than forty years ago I was an operative, and used to set card-teeth by hand for one of her citizens, for which I was paid fourpence a pair, not in cash, but "store pay." By close application in my leisure hours, I could set about one and a half or two pairs in a week. I was an owner in the Peterborough Factory, and was present at the commencement of its operations in 1810, and that, I be- lieve, was the second cotton factory in the State; since then I have been interested in most of the factories established there, and have done busi- ness to a considerable extent for them all.
In many towns where manufactories have been established within the last twenty years, the inhabitants have looked upon them, and especially upon the proprietors who were non-residents, with jealousy and distrust ; but it has not been so with the citizens of Peterborough. They have been governed by more enlightened and liberal views, and with few, very few, exceptions, they have fostered and aided the corporations by all the means in their power; and from them the proprietors abroad have ever received the most kind and courteous consideration and support, for which they are entitled and through you I would most respectfully present to them, my sincere acknowledgments. To you, gentlemen, personally, for your kind invitation to be present on this interesting occa- sion of the Centennial Celebration, I tender my thanks, and offer the an- nexed sentiment to be used as you may deem proper.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
ISAAC PARKER.
Peterborough : prosperity to her people, to her manufactories, her fur trade and her fisheries.
MUSIC-" Hill of Zion." Sung by the Choir.
9th - Our Adopted Citizens ; may we never in action or in word say to any one of them, Thou art the son of a stranger.
John H. Steele, Esq., rose and said : -
MR. PRESIDENT, - Had I the ability to do justice to my own feelings, or to the feelings of many others who like myself are adopted citizens of Peterborough, the present occasion would have been eagerly sought. No minor considerations could have prevented me from embracing this op-
* Jonas Loring; for a long time the only hatter in town. t Samuel Smith, Esq.
Bufford's Lith: Boston
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portunity to return thanks, in the warmest language of the heart, for the many proofs we have received, not only of your kindness and open- handed hospitality, but for the free, warm-hearted welcome invariably ex- tended to every stranger whose fortune it is to make his residence among you.
No diversity of opinions has at any time prevented that cordial inter- change of sentiment or free discussion which is the parent of every improvement. All here meet as men should meet. No fancied distinc- tions or differences of opinions are suffered to destroy that sociability which is at once the pride and boast of Peterborough.
The stranger, as well as native, share alike the honors and pleasures of society. No wonder, then, that your sons, where'er they roam, in whatsoever situation they may be placed, whether on the tented field, in the senate, on the bench, in the pulpit, at the bar, following the plough, or hammering on the anvil, -all cheerfully own their native home, all proudly hail from Peterborough.
Mr. President, if the sentiment which has brought me forward is to be considered as a call now made on the native citizens of this town, never, in action or in word, to say to any one of their adopted citizens, "Thou art the son of a stranger," it will not convey a reproach either now or in times gone by. No, sir ; nearly thirty years' residence among you ena- bles me to say that for the past you can have no reflections to cast; the stranger is here sure to find a resting-place, a home.
To those who have never wandered far from their paternal firesides, I would say: You know not the feelings of the immigrant, the longing desires of the homeless stranger. No one who has wandered far from the home of his youth but must have felt a loneliness, a depression of spirits, a yearning after his native land, an almost irresistible impulse to return to the place that gave him birth; it is of little consequence where that place may be, whether on the borders of the burning desert, amid the chilling blasts of the frozen North, or the yet more fatal stagnant swamps of the South. Let him be a forced or willing exile ; let him have received the kindest or the most cruel treatment that the ingenuity of man can inflict ; all, all, cannot, will not, and, let me add, should not, wean him from his native land. He that can forget the land that gave him birth must be unworthy to be called an adopted citizen of any other. Such a man deserves not the sympathy of others. On such a being the kind and generous greetings of his adopted home are lost. He careth not whether you say to him, Thou art welcome, stranger, or that "Thou art the son of a stranger." Far different are the feelings of him who never hears the name of his native land without emotion. Although alive to the interests of the home of his childhood, he will not neglect or forget the interests of his adopted home. By such a man a cheerful, hearty welcome will be duly appreciated; it will cheer him on, and bring forth whatever there may be of the man in him; while a different reception, if it did not destroy, would paralyze his future efforts, and perhaps extin- guish forever all the energy of his character. His usefulness would be impaired, his previous acquirements lost, and all his future prospects blasted; the home of his adoption would only be able to number one more human being among them, who would probably live a life of wretchedness instead of one of usefulness, and die a neglected, forgotten stranger.
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