USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Richmond > History of the town of Richmond, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, from its first settlement, to 1882 > Part 4
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one of the provisions of the original charter, the town was at liberty of holding two fairs, one the first Tues- day in June, and the other the first Tuesday in No- vember, intended probably to be similar to fairs held in England, for the exhibition and sale of agricultural products, and perhaps articles of domestic manufac- ture. How many, if any, of these were held, does not appear, probably none after the commencement of the Revolutionary war.
RELIGIOUS RIGHTS.
A committee consisting of Jedediah Buffum, Tim- othy Thompson and Jonathan Atherton was chosen to take care of the religious rights belonging to the town. By the charter one whole share of the town- ship was to be for the first settled minister ; one whole share for the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts ; one whole share for a glebe for the ministry of the Church of England, as
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by law established. The religious rights entrusted to this committee probably embraced some if not all the shares above named. These shares finally re- verted to the town, and were sold in 1796, except the share to the first minister, Rev. Maturin Ballou, which he finally re-deeded to the town.
1771. - CHESHIRE COUNTY ORGANIZED.
As before related, the town had taken action in the matter of the formation of a new county, and its voice had been heard through Edward Ainsworth, the com- mittee-man, in relation to the best town for the county- seat. Keene, from its central position, and other rea- sons, was selected. The ordinary county courts, to- gether with the registry of deeds were herein estab- lished this year - hence new political duties devolved upon the town in the selection of jurymen. A town meeting was held the first of October of this year, to choose a grand juror, and draw a petit juror. Jon- athan Thurber was chosen for the former and Peter Holbrook drawn for the latter for the October term. This choosing and drawing jurymen in open town meeting, appears to have been the custom in those times ; in the warrant calling this meeting appears the first mention of the county of Cheshire.
The town at the annual meeting voted "To peti- tion to have the Land re-annexed that was set off to Swansey," and as no further mention is made any- where of this matter, it is probable that the prayer of the petitioners was not favorably received, and that was the end of it.
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RECEIPT FOR PROCLAMATION MONEY.
Province of New Hampshire, S Portsmouth March ye 16 A.D. 1771. Received of Col. Josiah Willard of Winchester Twenty three pounds nineteen shillings and nine pence Proclamation money being in full for his Majesty's Quit Rents due from the Town of Richmond up to the first day of Jan. 1771.
JOHN HURD, Receiver of the Quit Rents. Examined and received by HENRY INGALLS Town Clerk.
This was the money mentioned in the charter - of one shilling annually, after ten years, to be paid for the support of his Majesty's government for every hundred acres each proprietor might have. This may have been the last money paid for this purpose, for soon the war commenced, and the quit rents ceased.
1772. - The annual meeting was held at the house of Jedediah Buffum, innholder. The town raised £70 for repair of highways- the first recorded grant of the town for that purpose. The town had chosen Jonathan Thurber, Anthony Harris, and Oliver Capron, selectmen, and afterwards ad- journed to Constant Barney's barn and there chose six more on the board of selectmen, viz. : Daniel Cass, Jonathan Gaskill, Timothy Thompson, Jona- than Atherton, Joseph Cass, and John Dandley, and after making choice of these, adjourned to September Ist, at which time they reconsidered the vote by which the six additional ones were chosen, and in this sum- mary way turned them out. The barn to which this adjournment was made was on the place where Wil- liam Buffum and his son Esek recently lived, but was owned at that time by Barney.
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1773. - SETTLEMENT WITH TOWN OFFICERS.
A committee previously appointed to settle with the town officers for their past services reported that they had attended to that duty, and that all had freely given to the town all they had done since 1765. The report appears to have been satisfactory, as the town then voted to sink £3 they had raised to pay for such services.
FIRST CENSUS, 1773.
Unmarried men from 16 to 60, 32
Married men, . II2
Boys 16 and under, 257
Men 60 and upwards,
Females unmarried, . 218
5
Females married, 115
Widows,
6
Total, .
745
Oliver Capron, Moulton Bullock, Silas Gaskill, Selectmen.
ABOUT INDIANS, AND HOW THEY KILLED A TRAV- ELLER ON HIS WAY TO NORTHFIELD.
But little can be said with certainty about the aborigines of this section. That it was within the territorial limits of the Nipmucs there can be no doubt. These were the inland tribes north of the Pequots and Narragansetts. They roamed up and down the valley of the upper Connecticut, and their hunting grounds extended to undefined limits on either side of the river. Their boundaries were natural rather than artificial; mountains, rivers, and lakes were landmarks sufficiently accurate for bounds, and also served as guides in their wander-
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ings. Their trails were from one mountain peak to another in lines quite direct from Wachusett to Mount Grace, from Mount Grace to the Monadnock, and so on ad infinitum, or else by the Connecticut, Ashuelot, and other rivers. There is no positive proof that this was the lodgment or headquarters of any tribe. No large number of Indian relics abound.
The number of arrow-heads, battle-axes, agricultural or other tools found are quite limited. No signs of In- dian planting fields were discovered by the first set- tlers ; but that this was a favorite hunting ground there can be no doubt, for the woods and streams afforded a bountiful supply of game and fish. The Nipmucs, while less numerous than those tribes nearer the sea- shore, were equally savage and hostile. Their war- riors, when united for a given object, were formid- able. Such were the auxiliaries they furnished to
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King Philip in his bloody war with the whites in 1676, which war in the end proved alike disastrous to the Nipmucs and the shore Indians. Their tribal relations were so disturbed and broken up by this war that the remnants of these inland Indians were impelled, through motives of self-preservation, to abandon forever the home of their ancestors and the graves of their fathers, and seek asylum among the more powerful tribes of the north and west. Hence, the country hereabouts at the time of settlement was comparatively free from the dominion of the native tribes, and the only fear of molestation was from hostile tribes of the north in league with the French in times of colonial warfare. There is no record or tradition of any inhabitant of the town ever having lost his life by Indians, but the following story, handed down from various sources, is in the main probably correct, by which we learn a traveller in passing through the town, was waylaid and killed.
The story, as related, is that two brothers by name of Rogers, on horseback, in going from Boston to Northfield, and before the town was settled - say about 1755, or near the close of the French and Indian war - journeyed together as far as Winchen- don, where, for some cause unknown, they separated. One proposed to continue his journey by going through Richmond as the better way to reach his destination, while the other remonstrated against the plan as being exceedingly hazardous, and, if per- sisted in, that he surely would be killed by the Indians. What reasons he had for entertaining this opinion does not appear. Whether Indians had been seen in the vicinity we know not, but at any rate the reasons assigned and arguments used were
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insufficient to dissuade him from his purpose, and he resolutely proceeded on his chosen way, after say- ing to his brother " that no Indian would ever be able to kill him." Nothing worthy of note occurred to the traveller it is presumed, as he travelled the newly- made path through the wilderness, until towards nightfall, when by the wayside he had a glance of some Indians, and about the same time received a shot in the thigh, which fractured the bone and killed his horse. In this disabled condition, he was bounced upon by the one that had fired the shot, with tomahawk in hand, but such was the strength and prowess of the man that he wrenched the weapon from the Indian and threw him on the ground, and would have killed him if the other had not interposed and, by a murderous blow with his battle-axe, in- flicted a mortal wound on the head of his victim.
This tragic event occurred on the old road which led from Winchester to Royalston, over what is called " Devil Stair Hill," and was perhaps a half mile east of John Cass' inn, on the farm of Timothy Thompson, since known as the Enos Holbrook place. The remains of the murdered man were afterwards removed to Northfield for interment. Pieces of the saddle which they had cut up in order to get the better parts of the leather for their use were found near the spot years after, when the place was owned by Mr. Holbrook. It was afterwards ascertained that there were but two Indians, an old man and his son; that the father was averse to killing the traveller, and tried in vain to persuade the youngster not to shoot, and finally would not have interfered in the contest only to save his son's life. This ex- planation of their motives and doings in the case, they
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
told to somebody in the vicinity of Brattleboro', while on their way to their tribal home in the north-west.
WILD BEASTS.
The early settlers were exceedingly annoyed at times by bears and wolves, more particularly the latter, which infested the surrounding forest in con- siderable numbers, ever ready when opportunity presented to prey on such domestic animals as might
come within their reach. Doubtless many a tale of thrilling adventure and perilous escape might have been recorded at the times they occurred, which would have presented to the reader feats of unsur- passed daring, thereby enhancing the admiration which heroic deeds ever inspire ; but, unfortunately, little can be gleaned from any sources of informa-
tion now at hand. We know, indeed, that it must have been a pressing necessity that prompted the offering of liberal bounties for the extermination of some of these beasts, the frequent mention of which may be found in the recorded acts of the town. When we reflect that safety for the flocks and herds could only be secured by corralling the same at night, we can well imagine how great must have been their solicitude to be rid of these beasts, for even the security afforded by pens and barns was
·
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often inadequate for full protection. How often the weary 'denizens of the log houses may have been aroused from their slumbers at midnight by the dismal wails of their affrighted animals, molested by the stealthy approach of voracious beasts, we may never know, but that such scenes were of frequent occurrence there can be no doubt, as the legends of the olden time abundantly corroborate.
BEAR FIGHTS.
The most notable of single-handed encounters with wild beasts which have come down to us by oral tra- dition were the fights which Deacon John Cass and Captain Amos Boorn severally had with bears.
Deacon John Cass, keeper of the famous inn where the first town meet- ings were held, had made a clearing of several acres, had built his house and stocked his farm with cattle, sheep, and swine, which nightly were brought to the farmyard and put in places of comparative safety. Such were the surroundings, when early one morning in the month of April, about the break of day, he was suddenly startled by a noise indicat- ing disturbance in the folds. Hastening at once to learn the cause of the commotion, he discovered a huge black bear by his sheep-pen trying to help himself to a bit of mutton, for which his appetite, no doubt, had a keen relish. Mr. Cass, impul- sive and courageous, attacked bruin with a pitch- fork near at hand, and for a while the result of the
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contest was uncertain. The bear stoutly resisted, warding off the blows as a bear knows how, until, by a lucky thrust, the beast was impaled on the tines of the fork, and even then Mr. Cass might not have come off the victor if his invincible courage had not been supplemented by great strength and persever- ance ; but as it was, these proved more than a match for his brute antagonist.
The combat which Captain Amos Boorn had with a bear is of nearly equal interest to the one already narrated, as appears by the following extract from a paper containing a brief history of the East District, No. 13, by Silas Whipple, 1858 : -
One day Mr. Boorn observed a huge bear near the spot where this house stands (School-house No. 13) making preparations to feast on some of his domestic animals, and as he did not feel dis- posed to be an eye-witness of such an exhibition without taking an active part in the affair, he returned to his house, took his faitlıful gun from its resting place, and proceeded to the scene of action ; but, unfortunately, he did not succeed in conquering his antagonist before his slugs were all used. His only resort then was to his coat-buttons. Having shot them away, and yet Bruin, unwilling to surrender the combat, became desperate, when Jacob Bump came to the rescue, and by a well-directed blow with his axe, despatched the beast.
BEAR AND WOLF HUNTS.
Bear hunts were common in the early times, and were seasons of peculiar enjoyment from the exciting nature of the chase, and the many engaged in beating the bush for the hidden game. An event of this kind afforded a theme for town talk and neighborhood gos- sip at a time when a ripple of excitement occasionally added more to the general enjoyment than at present. The last bear-hunt in town came off as late as 1829.
.
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A report was circulated very extensively that a bear had been seen in the Pond woods, near Royalston line, and a request accompanied the report for a rally to kill or capture the beast. Accordingly, on the day agreed upon all who were willing were to turn out in mass and surround the woods, and from thence, by agreement, all were to move to a common centre, and by these means be enabled to discover the "varmint," or his hiding place. The programme was fairly carried out. Men, old and young, with " old Queen's arms " and rifles, were on hand eager for the sport. Some carried tin horns, some tin pans, and others such rattle-to-bang instruments as they might improvise to frighten the beast from his lair ; but all to no avail. The brute had either eluded their vigilance or taken up quarters elsewhere. The latter theory subse- quently proved correct, for, not long after, the bear was killed in Royalston at a hunt gotten up for the purpose, and thus ended the last bear hunt, much to the discomfiture of some of the Richmond hunters, who were eager for the prize, but to the joy of marks- men of a neighoring town.
Wolves were more common and also more trouble- some than bears among the flocks and herds. Noise- lessly and stealthily stealing abroad at night, often in packs, they made sad havoc of flocks of sheep and of herds of young cattle left without due protection against their nocturnal visits. At other times they gathered in large numbers to some common rendez- vous, and held high carnival, making night hideous with their howlings. The last wolf-hunt we can glean any knowledge of was in the north-west part of the town, about 1788, and after the town ceased to offer bounties for wolves' heads. The particulars
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
of this hunt are now unknown, only in this, that the animal was killed, and consequently that that part of the town was relieved from the apprehension of future visits from the unwelcome intruders.
NOTED HUNTERS IN THE EARLY TIMES.
Among those who became celebrated as hunters in the early time, the name of Moses Cumstock has been handed down as one of the most successful. He was the first settler on what has generally been known as the Caleb Buffum place. He sought out and killed the more venomous - such as wolves, lynx, bears, and catamounts. Possessed of dauntless courage, single-handed he attacked these beasts with- out hesitancy, oftentimes under circumstances of great peril and danger, and such was his skill that he rarely failed to secure his game.
Another of the Cumstocks, Abner, who lived on the place now owned by Hiram P. Sprague, was almost equally successful as a hunter. He scoured the woods in the west part, while Moses ranged Grassy hill, the valley of the Tully, and the Pond woods. Jacob Bump, when he lived on the place now owned by George B. Hadley, was successful in securing game. During one winter he captured and killed six deer and a moose, the latter was taken near the brook above Martin's mill, hence for a long time afterwards this locality was called "Moose Valley." Captain Amos Boorn, who lived on the farm now owned by Calvin Martin, was a bear-hunter, and especially successful in ridding the country of these pests. Deacon John Cass could fight bears or any- thing else that came in his way, but was not a profes-
4
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sional hunter. Daniel Ballou, at a later date, became famous as a marksman, and did good service in clear- ing out the remnants that occasionally prowled through the forest in the east part of the town.
LEGENDS OF THE OLDEN TIME.
How William Goddard Saved his Pig.
Mr. William Goddard, soon after his settlement on the lot of land lying between the mills and the Alvan Barrus place, the site of whose house is still visible near a large elm on the west side of the road, was awakened at an unseasonable hour from his slumbers some time in the early spring of 1772. The cause of · his disquietude was unmistakable. The pig in the pen near at hand had evidently been disturbed, as the high pitch in the key-notes proceeding therefrom seemed to indicate. A glance at the situation re- vealed at once the cause of the uncommon commo- tion. A black bear, common to the region, was in the act of bearing away from the enclosure the chief reliance of the family for sausage and bacon. No time was lost in needless skirmishing at a distance. The needful preparations were soon completed, hastened no doubt by the piercing squeals of his pigship. A loaded gun, always kept in readiness for any sudden emergency, was brought into use. The first discharge, misdirected no doubt in the momentary excitement, caused him to loosen his hold on the pig, but was not effective in preventing his escape to the bush near by. The sequel of the affair was that a grand bear-hunt was gotten up by the neighboring settlers a day or two after, and two
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bears that had infested the neighborhood, much to the annoyance of the settlers in that section, were killed and brought to the tavern of Deacon John Cass, where a division was made of the spoils, amidst the mutual rejoicings of the hunters and settlers there assembled.
How Nathan Aldrich's Wife Drove a Wolf from her Door-yard.
It so happened, in the spring of 1771, that Mr. Nathan Aldrich had occasion to make a journey to his native town of Mendon, and as considerable time must necessarily elapse before his return, he gave specific orders to a young man* living in the family how to proceed in case they were molested with wolves that were lurking in the vicinity, and whose frequent visits of late had been the cause of much annoyance to the family. He gave minute directions about loading the gun, where it should be kept, and how handled. His dog, a spunky little cur indeed, but too small to cope with a wolf, he left behind for the better protection of the household. Not long after his departure, the family were aroused by the cries of the dog while being chased by the wolf into the door-yard, when soon a fierce tussle ensued be- tween the beasts. At this critical moment, when it appeared probable that the dog could not much longer withstand the onslaught of the wolf, Mrs. Aldrich ordered the youngster to shoot the beast, but whether from nervousness, irresolution, or want of courage, may never be known, he could not be in-
* Daniel Peters.
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duced, either by threats or persuasions, to make the attempt. In this emergency, nerved to desperation by seeing the faithful dog torn to pieces in her presence, without more ado she sallied forth with the implement nearest at hand, a heavy white-birch broom. This raised aloft, and with a yell of defiance, she went for him with amazonian bravery, and so affrighted the wolf that he took to his heels and sought shelter in the nearest covert. The dog was found to be badly lacerated, but finally, after a while, recovered, and was more prized than ever for the grit he had shown in trying to defend himself and
the family of which he seemed to constitute a part, in an affray which, while it cast lustre on the dog, dimmed the reputation of the irresolute, nervous young man, whose name soon became the synonym of cowardice and imbecility, and his departure from that locality was materially hastened, from the un- flattering comments of the neighbors who had heard of the part he took in the transaction. Nor was this all the mishap to the poor young man; to cap the climax, the girl who had favorably received his attentions gave him the mitten, and he went, un- doubtedly, sorrowing away, a lesson to all other aspiring youngsters always to act a manly part in all emergencies of life.
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
How Moses Cumstock Killed a Panther.
The adventure which Moses Cumstock, who was the first settler on the farm known as the Caleb Buffum place, had with a catamount, or panther, is of nearly equal interest as a feat of courage and indomitable pluck to that related of General Putnam and the wolf. The Cumstocks, of whom there were four in the early history of the town, were noted and mighty hunters, who, like Nimrod of olden time, were renowned for their prowess and dexterity in exterminating voracious beasts, thereby making it possible for civilized man to occupy and cultivate the land. Mr. Cumstock, as was his wont at intervals between the more pressing engagements of his farm- ing operations, started out one morning in quest of game. Accompanied by his dog, he made his way to Grassy hill, in the east part of the town. Here he haply came upon the lifeless body of a deer, partly devoured, as it appeared, by some wild animal that very morning. The track was immediately taken by the dog, and pursuit was made in the direction of Cass pond, over Devil-stair hill, and thence southerly, near the Falls, to Tully moun- tain, in the east part of Orange. The chase had been long and exciting, and withal wearisome; it must have been, in traversing a rough country, through woods obstructed at every step by wind- falls and underbrush. Our hero, nerved by the hope of securing his game, followed up the pursuit with unflagging zeal, although it was late in the day when the beast was brought to bay in a cave, or den, formed of rocks, on the side of the mountain. The shades of night were fast enclosing the landscape,
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and the animal, in a ferocious, defiant attitude, was but dimly seen in the cavern, when Cumstock, with steady aim, discharged his rifle between what ap- peared to be two orbs of fire glaring with infernal malignity. Hastily loading again, he entered the approach to the lair of the beast, ready at once to re- peat the discharge if signs of life should appear ; but, fortunately, the first shot had done its work. The panther, prostrate and lifeless, was drawn from the den, and on the morrow was transported to the hun- ter's home, amidst the rejoicing and joyful acclama- tions of all on the line of his triumphant return. The animal proved to be the largest of the species ever taken in the township, and sufficiently powerful, as appeared by his muscular development, to have destroyed any of the domestic animals with which it might have come in contact. The skin was dressed for a robe, and was used for that purpose by Mr. Cumstock while he remained in town, and was car- ried by him, when he moved to the state of New York, as a memento of his valor, courage, and per- sistency, in one of the most thrilling encounters con- nected with the early history of the town.
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TOWN OF RICHMOND.
CHAPTER II. WAR OF THE REVOLUTION. 1775.
Condition of Town in 1775 - Richmond Company at Battle of Bunker Hill - Asso- ciation Test - Second Census - Committee of Safety and Inspection - Soldiers in Winchester and Swansey Companies in 1776 - Town Bounties, 1777 - Captain Capron's Company for relief of Ticonderoga - Soldiers in Winchester Company at Battle of Saratoga - Bounties paid, 1778- Soldiers Mustered in at Walpole - Committee chosen to hire Men, 1779 - Quotas for 1780- Mixed up with Ver- mont - Continental Men in the Service - Cannon taken through Town - Bar- nard Hix and Eleazer Martin - The Currency - The Price of Articles Fixed - Town Action on Salt - Readjustment of the Currency - The Town at Close of the War - The Women of '76.
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