USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Richmond > History of the town of Richmond, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, from its first settlement, to 1882 > Part 2
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HISTORY OF THE
elevations - There is a small Village of 15 or 20 dwelling houses - there are two meeting houses which are near the centre of the town -The Ashuelot Turnpike road passes through Richmond in an East and West direction - Richmond was granted Feb. 28, 1752, to Jos. Blanchard and others - it was settled within 5 or 6 years afterwards by people from Mass. and R. I. The first child born in town was Lemuel Scott, born in 1757 -The first Baptist church was formed in 1768. Rev. Maturin Ballou was ordained in 1770- died 1804 - Rev. Artemus Aldrich was settled 1777. The second Baptist church was formed in 1776, and Rev. Isaac Kenny was settled in 1792 - There is a large Society of Friends in this town .- Pop. 1400.
The foregoing extract may be considered substan- tially correct, with the exception of placing the birth of Lemuel Scott in 1757 ; hereinafter will be presented evidence that his birth and the settlement of the town occurred at a later date. It is quite probable that within the limits of the town some settlements may have been made about the time indicated, especially so when we take into account the fact that previous to 1762 Richmond embraced within its boundary, ter- ritory extending nearly to Keene, and that Keene and Swansey were settled some years before; but our work is with Richmond, as it was after this por- tion was disannexed, to present such facts as may be gleaned from all sources available, in relation to its settlement, to follow its development and growth, to relate the story of the part it has taken in the wars in which the country has been engaged, together with the more important civil and political matters connected with its history, leaving the common affairs of yearly occurrence to remain undisturbed on the records of the town.
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
WHEN, WHERE, AND BY WHOM THE TOWN WAS SETTLED.
There is a tradition that one Sylvester Rogers or Rocherson, from Rhode Island, in 1750, made a clearing of about an acre, on which he erected a strongly-built log-house, for the double purpose of a shelter and a defense against the Indians ; that he abandoned the premises after a few months and re- turned to Rhode Island, in consequence of informa- tion received from a friendly Indian of an intended visit of hostile savages lurking somewhere it may be supposed in the vicinity, and that the place where his clearing was made was on the farm afterwards settled by Jonathan Gaskill and now owned by Jesse Bolles. This story may be substantially true, with the excep- tion of the date of the occurrence, which we are in- clined to believe should be some years later - say 1754 or 1755-when hostilities were resumed be- tween the French and English colonies, and this from the fact that there was no grant or survey of the township made prior to 1752, and that no rights of preëmption were secured to squatters at that time.
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However this may have been, it matters little, as no permanent settlement was made; the real question at at issue being :- when, where, and by whom was the first permanent settlement made. Most of the evi- dence at hand bearing on the matter of time of the first comers indicate quite strongly that 1762 was the year when the tide of emigration commenced in force. Now Lemuel Scott, if we may credit the inscription on his grave-stone, was born 1763, and Philadelphia Kempton, daughter of Stephen Kempton, was born 1763, and these are reputed to be the first male and female children, of white parents, born in the town ; hence it is presumable that not many families, prior to this date, could have been here for any great length of time. Again, when Jacob Bump came to town there were but five families in town, and he came after the birth of his eldest son, Stephen, who was born January 30, 1761. This is the statement of Mr. Nathan Bowen, a grandson of Mr. Bump, and is probably the most reliable testimony to be had from any person now living touching the question of time. This would seem to fix the time of Mr. Bump's ad- vent in 1761 or 1762, as his second son, Asa, was born in Richmond, January 29, 1763.
Some deeds of the first settlers were recorded in the Cheshire records, and among these the deed of Col. Josiah Willard to Thomas Wooley, who is sup- posed to be one of the very first in town, bears date of 1763, and the conveyance included the land on which he built his house ; but oral tradition says he was living on his place in 1758. He may have been the first permanent settler. Henry Ingalls bought in 1763 ; in fact, no deed has been found back of that
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
date, but from this it may not be inferred that no one was here before that time.
By the history of Royalston we learn that six fam- ilies moved into that town in 1762, and this was the beginning of settlement there. Warwick was earlier settled - a few families were there in 1756. Win- chester dates back to 1732. Hence, this investigation leads to the conclusion that very few families made their advent here before 1762 ; and that the southern and western portions of the town were first occupied appears quite probable, as the towns adjoining on these sides had been to some extent settled, while on the eastern border what was called Monadnock, No. 4 and No. 5, remained an unbroken wilderness. Paths leading to Royalston, Warwick and Winchester were first made, by which the first immigrants came into town, and these were afterwards laid out and made into public roads, and portions of the same have so remained to the present time. We may safely assume that those who located on the old road leading from Winchester to Royalston were among the first that came, viz. : the two Casses, (John and Daniel,) Aza- riah Cumstock, John Dandley, Francis Norwood, Jacob Bump, Silas Gaskill, and Thomas Josslin, to- gether with some others that located away from this line, as John Martin, John Scott, Constant and David Barney, Thomas Wooley, Reuben Parker, Oliver Capron, Edward Ainsworth, Jonathan Gaskill, Jon- athan Sweet and Jonathan Thurber, Ephraim Hix, Henry Ingalls, Stephen Kempton, Jedediah and Jonathan Buffum, and many others who were here before 1765. These came mostly from Smithfield and Cumberland, R. I., and from Rehoboth and Attleboro', Mass., as did the others that followed from
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HISTORY OF THE
these or other towns in that vicinity. Some favor- ing circumstances attended these settlers, as the old French and Indian War was at that time drawing to a close, and no fear of future hostile incursions of the northern tribes need have been entertained. The famous battle on the Plains of Abraham, above Quebec, between the forces under Gen. Wolfe and those under Gen. Montcalm, in 1759, wherein the English were victorious, virtually ended the war, and all the French possessions in Canada fell into the hands of the English and have so remained to the present time; thus the colonists of Richmond, nearly all of whom probably came after this event, had no reason to fear the tomahawk and scalping knife of the savage, which had been the terror for years of settlers in the valley of the Ashuelot, re- quiring block-houses and garrisons for their defence. The colonists herein were further favored more than the settlers in towns embraced within the Masonian claim, in being relieved from vexatious lawsuits in re- lation to the validity of the titles to their lands, of which more will be said under the article explaining the Vermont controversy.
The territory herein presented a prospect as invit- ing to the colonist at that time as any town away from the river valley, and soon all the land suitable for occupancy was taken, and many lots were cleared and made into farms, which proved unfit for cultiva- tion on account of the rugged, unyielding nature of the soil, and were soon abandoned after the expen- diture of considerable labor and money, for other and more inviting fields of labor.
None of the original proprietors of the township named in in the charter of the town are known to
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
have settled on their lands, they apparently were gentlemen living in Portsmouth, Exeter, Dunstable, and other towns in the eastern part of the province, who received the grant in consideration of civil and military services rendered to the province.
The men who settled this township were possessed of sterling qualities ; many had great courage, forti- tude and strength, as all pioneers in a wilderness country must have, in order to successfully contend against the formidable obstacles presenting them- selves on every hand; against wolves, bears, and other wild animals that infest the woods of New Eng- land ; against the winter's chilling blast, and the summer's sultry heat. Provisions for himself and family each settler must make, with scant supplies and not readily obtained. He must clear the land, make the farm, plant the orchard, build the house, erect a barn, and provide himself with the thousand and one things necessary for agricultural and house- hold purposes. Unremitting toil, directed by a wise foresight, was needful for success ; and possessed of these essential qualities, in a marked degree, we have good reason to believe they were, -for only the brave and strong would enter a field of such labor and hard- ship. The cowardly and weak were generally left behind; hence the robustness and vigor observable in all newly settled places. The necessities of the hour call into action all the latent powers, the exer- tions required make giants of the actors, and plans well laid must necessarily be supplemented by labor well done ; indeed the founders of states have possessed a heroism not generally shared by others, looking beyond the present visions of future glory and re- nown, have loomed up in grandeur before them, with
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HISTORY OF THE
new inspiration of faith and hope. The foundations here were unquestionably well laid on the solid prin- ciples of justice and equality, for at the first town meeting all free holders were given the liberty to vote. The first test of patriotism in Seventy-six was honorable, and with the exception of the secession in 1781, the subsequent acts of the fathers indicate a wise foresight in the performance of all constitutional obli- gations and trusts. Not that mistakes may not have been made, politically or otherwise, for that were assuming too much for humanity anywhere, but that the general intent has been good, does not admit of a question. Always in favor of the largest liberty and the broadest toleration of opinion, still firm in the maintenance of individual rights, the record of their deeds abundantly shows. The town may not have on its calendar as many distinguished for literary and scientific attainments, or as many engaged in profes- sional life as most of the older towns, but the few that have gained notoriety and distinction, have ac- quired the same from their native force and vigor, rather than from aid derived from the schools.
NEW HAMPSHIRE AS A PROVINCE.
A concise statement of the early settlement of the province of New Hampshire, together with that of the government of the same, may make more clear
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
to the general readers some matters hereinafter men- tioned, respecting the relation of the town to the State of New Hampshire, in connection with the provincial grants of lands east of the Connecticut river, and west of Mason's claim, in which this town was em- braced.
In 1622, only two years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Capt. John Mason obtained from the Council for New England, a grant of Lands lying be- tween the Merrimack and the Kennebec. In the following year the proprietors sent out a few colonists, and two settlements were made, one near Portsmouth and the other at Dover. The partner- ship between Gorges and Mason being dissolved, the latter in 1729 obtained a new grant for a territory between the Merrimack and the Piscataqua, and named it New Hampshire, after the County of Hampshire in England, where Mason lived. The feeble settlements of New Hampshire voluntarily placed themselves under the juris- diction of Mass. in 1641, and under her charge they continued for nearly forty years. In 1679 New Hampshire was made a Royal Province, the first so constituted in New England; afterwards it was united with Mass. for a long time, so far as to have the same governor, but its own Legislative body and Laws. A final separa- tion took place in 1741, just a hundred years from the first union. Royal Governors appointed by the King from this time until the breaking out of the War of the Revolution, continued to perform the office of chief magistrate of the province.
Benning and John Wentworth were governors during this time, the former of whom signed the charter of the town grant, but John Wentworth who was governor when the War of the Revolution com- menced, adhered to the Royal cause, and he together with other tories were obliged to flee the country, and never again returned.
The name of the township, Richmond, was proba- bly selected by some of the original proprietors, from the town or borough in England from which they came, about 10 miles from London on the River Thames. Towns of the name are found in nearly all the States, as also in the Canadas.
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HISTORY OF THE
CHARTER OF TOWNSHIP.
PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
L. S.
GEORGE THE SECOND,
BY THE GRACE OF GOD, OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE AND IRE- LAND, KING, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, &C.
To all Persons to whom these Presents shall come,
GREETING.
KNOW YE, That we of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, for the due encouragement of settling a New Plantation within our said Province, by and with the advice of our trusty and well-beloved BENNING WENTWORTH, Esq .; our Governor and Commander-in-Chief of our said Province of New Hampshire, in America, and of our Council of the said Province ; have upon the conditions and reservations hereinafter made, given and granted, and by these Presents, for us, our heirs and successors, do give and grant in equal shares, unto our loving sub- jects, inhabitants of our said Province of New Hampshire, and his Majesty's other governments, and to their heirs and assigns for- ever, whose names are entered on this grant, to be divided to and amongst them into seventy-one equal shares, all that tract or parcel of land situate, lying and being within our said Province of New Hampshire, containing by admeasurement twenty-three thousand and forty acres, which tract is to contain six miles square, and no more; out of which an allowance is to be made for highways and unimprovable lands by rocks, mountains, ponds and rivers, one thousand and forty acres free according to a plan thereof, made and prepared by our said Governor's orders, and hereunto annexed, butted and bounded as follows, viz. :
It begins at the southeast corner of the premises at a beach tree in the Province Line and runs in that line north, eighty degrees west five miles and an half to Winchester Line (so called) to a beach tree marked, and from thence north by the needle in said Winchester Line five miles and an half to a stake and stones, the corner of Winchester aforesaid in Ashuelot Line, from thence south seventy-eight degrees east to a red oak marked, the corner of Ashuelot, from thence north thirty-nine degrees east seven miles to a maple, thence south six degrees west six miles one hundred and thirty rods to a beach marked, thence south by the needle five miles to the first bound.
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
And that the same be, and is incorporated into a township by the name of Richmond, and that the inhabitants that do or shall hereafter inhabit the said township, are hereby declared to be en- franchised with and entitled to all and every the privileges and immunities that other towns within our said Province by law exer- cise and enjoy : And further, that the said town as soon as there shall be fifty families resident and settled thereon, shall have the liberty of holding two Fairs, one of which shall be held on the first Tuesday in June, and the other on the first Tuesday of November, annually, which Fairs are not to continue and be held longer than the respective Wednesdays following the said respective days, and as soon as the said town shall consist of fifty families, a market shall be opened and kept one or more days in each week, as may be thought most advantageous to the inhabitants. Also, that the first meeting for the choice of town officers, agreeable to the laws of our said Province, shall be held on the last Wednesday in March next, which meeting shall be notified by Col. Joseph Blanchard, who is hereby also appointed the Moderator of the said first meeting, which he is to notify and govern agreeable to the laws and customs of our said Province; and that the annual meeting for ever here- after for the choice of such officers of the said town, shall be on the last Wednesday of March, annually, to have and to hold the said tract of land as above expressed, together with all privileges and appurtenances, to them and their respective heirs and assigns forever, upon the following conditions, viz. :
I. That every grantee, his heirs or assigns shall plant and culti- vate five acres of land within the term of five years for every fifty acres contained in his or their share or proportion of land in said township, and continue to improve and settle the same by additional cultivations, on penalty of the forfeiture of his grant or share in the said township, and its reverting to his Majesty, his heirs and successors, to be by him or them re-granted to such of his subjects as shall effectually settle and cultivate the same.
II. That all white and other pine trees within the said town- ship, fit for Masting our Royal Navy, be carefully preserved for that use and none to be cut or felled without his Majesty's special license for so doing first had and obtained, upon the penalty of the forfeiture of the right of such grantee, his heirs and assigns, to us, our heirs and successors, as well as being subject to the penalty of any act or acts of Parliament that now are, or hereafter shall be enacted.
III. That before any division of the land be made to and among the grantees, a tract of land as near the centre of the said town-
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HISTORY OF THE
ship as the land will admit of, shall be reserved and marked out for town lots, one of which shall be alotted to each grantee of the contents of one acre.
IV. . Yielding and paying therefor to us, our heirs and succes- sors for the space of ten years, to be computed from the date hereof, the rent of one ear of Indian Corn only, on the first day of Janu- ary, annually, if lawfully demanded, the first payment to be made on the first next after the date hereof.
V. Every proprietor, settler or inhabitant, shall yield and pay unto us, our heirs and successors yearly, and every year forever, from and after the expiration of ten years from the date hereof, namely, on the first day of January, which will be in the year of our Lord CHRIST, 1762, one shilling proclamation money for every hundred acres he so owns, settles or possesses, and so in proportion for a greater or lesser tract of the said land; which money shall be paid by the respective persons abovesaid, their heirs or assigns, in our Council Chamber in Portsmouth, or to such officer or officers as shall be appointed to receive the same; and this to be in lieu of all other rents and services whatsoever.
In testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Prov- ince to be hereunto affixed. Witness BENNING WENT- WORTH, Esq .; our Governor and Commander-in-Chief of our said Province, the twenty-eighth of February, in the year of our Lord CHRIST (one thousand seven hundred and fifty- two) 1752, and in the twenty-fifth year of our Reign.
BY HIS EXCELLENCY'S COMMANDS, WITH ADVICE OF COUNCIL,
B. WENTWORTH.
THEODORE ATKINSON, Sec'y.
PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE,
Entered and recorded according to the original, under the Prov- ince Seal, this twenty-ninth day of February, Anno Domini, 1752. PR. THEODORE ATKINSON, Sec'y.
NAMES OF THE GRANTEES OF RICHMOND.
Joseph Blanchard, Charity Lund, Zacheus Lovewell, Joseph Winn, Jr., Peter Powers, John Marshall, Joseph Winn, Joseph French, Joseph Barns, William Cummings, Daniel Emerson, Samuel Kenney, Samuel Cummings, John Chamberlain, Josiah Brown, Peter Powers, Jr., Thomas Harwood, Samuel Greele, Jr.,
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
Samuel Farley, Thomas Colburn, Stephen Powers, John Lovewell, Jr., Temple Kendall, Stephen Chase, John Searles, Jonathan Snow, Ephraim Adams, John Butterfield, William Cumins, Jr., Elnathan Blood, Samson French, Benjamin Parker, Benjamin French, Eleazer Blanchard, Joseph Blanchard, Jr., Thomas Blanchard, Gideon Storey, Jonathan Chamberlain, Jonathan Parker, Thomas Parker, Jr., William Parker, Jonathan Cumings, Jonathan Cumings, Jr., Phineas Underwood, John Usher, Joel Dix, Joseph Read, Eleazer Read, Daniel Rindge, Samuel Greele, Benjamin Whitte- more. John Coombs, John Brown, John Hunt, Joseph Ashley, Elijah Alexander, John Rindge, Joseph Blodgett, William Lund, Jr., Robert Usher.
His Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq., a tract of the said land to contain five hundred acres, which is to be account. Two of the said shares, one whole share for the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; one whole share for the first settled minister of the gospel in said town; one whole share for a Glebe for the ministry of the Church of Eng- land as by law established.
Theodore Atkinson, Richard Webird, John Downing, Samuel Smith, Sampson Sheaff, John Wentworth, Jr.
Attest : THEODORE ATKINSON, Sec'y.
Entered and recorded from the back of the original charter for Richmond the twenty-ninth day of February, 1752.
THEODORE ATKINSON. Sec'y.
PLAN OF THE TOWN AS BOUNDED IN 1752.
The proprietors, after receiving the charter, caused a survey and plan of the township to be made, which was completed in December of the same year in which the charter was granted. The following plan and survey, found in the office of the Secretary of State, at Concord, shows the shape and dimensions of the town before any of its territory was annexed to other towns :
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HISTORY OF THE
Lower Ashuelot or Swansey
Part annexed to Swansey
Monadnock No.5
Mountain
Land
Winchester
Monadnock No. 4
Province Line
Warwick
Royalston
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
ORIGINAL SURVEY OF THE TOWNSHIP.
This plan describes a tract of land of the contents of six miles square lying between the places called Winchester and Ashuelot and the mountain land - Bounded thus : it begins at the South East corner thereof at a Beach tree that stands in the Province line ; thence running in that line North 80° West five miles and an half to Winchester line (so called), bounded there by a Beach tree, and from thence North by the needle in said Winchester line five miles and an half to a stake and stones the corner of Winchester in Ashuelot line- thence South Seventy Eight degrees, East two miles to a Red Oak, the corner of Ashuelot, from thence North 39°, East by Ashuelot line seven miles to a Maple tree marked - from thence South six degrees West, six miles one hundred and thirty rods to a Beach tree marked, - from thence South by the needle five miles to the first bound mentioned : with an allowance for one rod in forty to be taken out for windfalls, uneavenness, &c. Measured with the assistance of Peter Powers and Josiah Brown as chainmen, who were sworn to the faithful discharge of that trust.
All the aforesaid Lines Run and marked in December 1752.
JOSEPH BLANCHARD, JUNR.
Surveyor.
SURVEY OF RICHMOND, MADE 1805.
The Boundaries are as follows, viz. :
Begin at the South East corner, Running N. 2º W. bounding of Fitzwilliam 2,056 Rods - on Swansey W.8º 30' N.744 Rods to County road and 380 Rods to a corner - then S. 37° 30' W. 280 Rods to a corner - then W. 16° 30' N. on Swansey 693 Rods to Winchester- then S. 2º E. on Winchester 1,880 Rods - then E. 8º 30' S. on War- wick line 710 Rods -then on Royalston E. 8º 30' S. 1,220 Rods to Fitzwilliam line - the distance from County road to Fitzwilliam is 885 Rods -containing 23,725 acres.
By the terms of the charter the proprietors were obliged to put under cultivation within five years, five acres of land for every fifty acres contained in their grants. This provision, together with others, was not complied with on account of the inability of the proprietors to obtain settlers on their lands, the great hindrance having been the "Intervention of an In-
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HISTORY OF THE
dian War," as set forth in a renewal of the charter hereinafter inserted. At the time of the granting the charter in 1752, the colonies were at peace, -the former war having closed 1748. But a renewal of hostilities began in 1754, so soon after the survey had been completed, at a time so inauspicious, that people could not readily be induced to move from the older settlements into a frontier town, exposed to all the horrors of Indian warfare; consequently the lands were unoccupied until nearly the close of the war, which was substantially in 1759, although peace was not ratified until 1763. The charter having been for- feited, the proprietors petitioned the governor and council for a renewal of the same, which was grant- ed, as the following copy of the act granting the prayer of the petitioners shows :
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