USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > Stratford > History of the town of Stratford, New Hampshire, 1773-1925 > Part 25
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After attending Colby two years, and holding a very high
* Compiled by Ralph M. Hutchins, Historian, Harry L. Curtis Post, No. 52, American Legion.
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average in all of his studies, speaking fluently three languages, he decided to enter the Civil Service Department of the United States Government. Taking the examinations, and passing the same with high marks, he was assigned to duty with the de- partment in the City of Washington.
When war broke out between the United States and the Ger- man Empire in 1917, he was among the first to offer his services, and enlisted in Company B, 6th United States Engineers. His regiment was soon ordered overseas, and within a short time he was promoted to the rank of corporal, in same organization. He was then ordered to the front, where he received a wound which necessitated his being removed to a base hospital, where he seemed to regain strength for a time, until he contracted pneu- monia. Weakened by his wound he was unable to throw off the disease, and died May 6, 1918. His body was placed in its last resting place, with full military honors, and the grave today is being cared for by the French Government with the assistance of the Government of the United States.
"After all life is a succession of goals." -Roy Neil Livingston.
APPROACHES TO NORTH STRATFORD Main Street One of the Shady Streets, North Stratford
CHAPTER XXII
SOCIAL LIFE IN STRATFORD FROM 1850 TO 1925
A preceding chapter has been given to the social life in Stratford® in the first half of its history of one hundred and fifty years. The last half may not be so romantic, but it had a distinct type, and. the story of its evolution from the opening up of its business. interests and the coming of the railroad, to that of today may well be recorded.
The change from an agricultural town to one in which lum- bering interests and railroad building became paramount keenly affected the social life. New elements appeared. Among the newcomers were many who were intent on bettering their for- tunes, regardless of the methods used. Hardly had the town adjusted itself to its new conditions, when war again summoned the men of Stratford to their country's defense. Stratford, as. ever in a national crisis, responded nobly, and sent seven in- stallments of soldiers, ninety-eight men in all. Among these- were some of her best citizens, who never returned, and among those who came back were found men broken in health, with ideals and business prospect shattered.
The years following the war were years of business depression, high prices, and the social unrest, which are among the reactions. after such a terrific struggle; and it was not until after 1870 that conditions again became favorable for the building up of a community life. In these early years many of the social activi- ties were centered about the life of the churches, and the "Mite Societies," held in the homes of the members, were very tran- quil, but enjoyable occasions for the ladies of the town, while the good suppers were well patronized by the gentlemen. A big church fair attended the building of the church in North Strat- ford, in 1855, and provided a great deal of pleasant excitement. Then came the donation parties; not the traditional donation party, when the pastor's home was thrown into confusion, and a mob came to eat up what they had brought; but this was a big supper in the Knights of Honor Hall, or in Bishop's Hall in Stratford Hollow, where, on long tables extending around the hall, was spread the supper. Here was displayed such a collection of cakes as would cause a modern delicatessan shop to close its
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doors in sheer envy. Oysters for this grand occasion were also brought to town; possibly this might be the only time during the year that they appeared here. The proceeds from the supper were given to the local pastor. A donation party was a social event, and provided an opportunity for the young people in either village to take a sleigh ride, or perhaps to prolong the evening's entertainment with an old-fashioned dance. Dances have always provided entertainment for a certain class of Strat- ford people, and the changes here are perhaps as apparent as in any other phase of her social life. The old-time fiddle has been replaced by the jazz orchestra, and the old-time reels and quadrilles supplanted by fox trots, one-steps, and other modern dances. With the building of larger public halls came the big balls at the Willard House and other public houses, which were very popular with the gay crowd.
The life that was lived by the citizens of Stratford fifty years ago will soon become a matter of history, a story of the past. With the introduction of the automobile, the telephone, the moving picture, and the radio, interests have broadened, rec- reations have been found outside the village limits, and, with the easier and more comfortable conditions under which pleasures can obtain, much of the old friendliness and interdependence is being lost. It is so much easier to be entertained than to be the entertainer. But when Stratford's villages were shut away in a greater degree from the outside distractions, they lived a community life of their own, and the next twenty-five years were to witness an enthusiastic cooperation in the develop- ment of the town that resulted in the establishment of libraries, remodelling of churches, building of places for public amuse- ments, lecture courses, and all done on such a large scale, and with such success, that other towns looked on enviously, and her citizens, on removal, left her regretfully. This was a period when dramatic clubs flourished, and some remarkable dramatic talent was discovered in our midst; and when those plays were staged, a large and enthusiastic audience was assured. No pre- sale of tickets was necessary. People are still living who re- member "Among the Breakers," and similar plays, and when Alice Norcott, Hattie and Ella Willard, Saidee Hutchins, Fred Roby, Fred Hinman, and many others, pleased us better than any movie star of today. Vaudeville was not needed when we
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could see Havillah Hinman in "Poor Pillicoddy," with Alice Norcott as "Mrs. Pillicoddy."
Fifty years ago Stratford Hollow boasted a fine band under the leadership of Andrew Ockington. In its membership were Brooks Ockington, Fred Day, Alvin French, Fred Kinney, Augustus Harriman, Elwin and Forrest Barnett, George and Will Day, Charles Merriam, and Joseph Amey. Previous to 1890 Eddie Steady was leading a band in North Stratford, in the membership of which we find the names of Will Carpenter, John Hutchins, William Lyman, Willie Wilson, Charles Clark, Byron Blodgett, Alfred Gilmore, Harry Bowker, E. B. Merriam, and Charles Day. In February, 1920, a band of twenty pieces was organized in North Stratford under the leadership of Rev. Edward M. Fuller, which has continued as an active organiza- tion to the present time (1925).
What has just been written concerning dramatic clubs applies equally to both villages, the same plays often appearing in each, with a different cast of characters. Stratford Hollow during these years was peculiarly favored in having a large group of clever young people capable of carrying forward any public enterprise. United, many of them by ties of blood, and with a common interest (for the pastor's salary largely depended upon their efforts), the history of the social life of that village was a series of entertainments provided by home talent. These young people were descendants principally of the men and women who came early to Stratford, and had been leaders in the civic and religious life of the town-the Platts, the Frenchs, the Days, Browns, Ockington, and Curtis. Among them was one who was to be in after years a popular novelist; another was to gain from Stratford's mountains possibly the largest fortune that any single individual ever obtained from her timberlands; others were successful manufacturers. From this group of young people came those who were to assume large responsibilities of citizen- ship, either in Stratford or elsewhere.
This village is charmingly situated, commanding one of the most beautiful combinations of river, mountain, and river scenery in the Connecticut valley. The abrupt depression that gained it the expressive, but non-euphonious name of "the Hol- low," is the deep channel that was cut ages ago by the very tranquil stream that now flows through it, Bog Brook, which has
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furnished water power for so many industries in the town. The proximity of this stream, and the broad meadows here, probably determined the choice of the first settlers to make a stand at this point; and for many years Stratford Hollow was the business center of the town. At the period of which we write it was perhaps at the height of its activity. The first public library in town was instituted here, and Library Hall was built to contain it, and to furnish a hall for general public use. The Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest church in town, was at the height of its usefulness. The several mills were running, both here and at East Stratford, furnishing employment to hundreds of men.
Mention should be made of a young man, resident here at that time, who was instrumental in promoting every form of civic life, socially and intellectually; and the whole town, as well as Stratford Hollow, owes much to the fact that Fred N. Day lived among them.
The lure of larger fields, and the removals by death, have scat- tered the forces that constituted that community life to which its participants now look back, longingly seeking to repeople once more the old homes, the scenes of so much merriment; to live over again the old plays, to see Callie Ockington as the old witch in "Among the Breakers," Jessie Wright as "Bessie Starbright;" Russell Lyman as the Mountain Hermit in "Above the Clouds;" and when Helen French, Louise Sanders, Stella ("Sis") Merriam, Will Day, Maria Ockington, and many others fill that old-time stage. They repeople the pews in the church; they see once more Ellen Byrom at the organ, the seats in the choir loft filled with the Days, the Platts and the Ockingtons. Jeff Wright is there singing tenor, and they hear the deep notes of Gus Harriman in the bass. They see themselves once more as in their oldfashioned costumes, they are led by Jeff Wright in the "Old Folks' Concert." Or it may be some gayer scene : Samuel Day is there with his violin, with him his four sons, and on the floor are the young men and women who belonged to the life of Stratford Hollow nearly half a century ago. The Stanleys live once more across the river; Noah Waters is in the old store; Dr. Carpenter has his beautiful garden; Mrs. Wright is going from house to house on her errands of mercy and cheer. Buildings that have long since been leveled by the flames rise from their
OLD RESIDENTS OF NORTH STRATFORD
Mr. Jonas Merriam Mr. Elisha Baldwin Mr. David Platt
Mrs. Jonas Merriam Mrs. Huldah Baldwin Mrs. Roxanna Platt
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ashes, and the village and its people are seen once more as they were in the past.
Musical events began in North Stratford with the coming, in 1871, of Mr. Chamberlin and his singing schools and concerts. This school was held in the village schoolhouse, and was at- tended by young and old. Singers came from Brunswick, Bloomfield, and Columbia, as well as from Stratford. Mr. Chamberlin was probably not a musician of very high rank, but he was an excellent drillmaster, and gained very good results from immature and mediocre voices. His school was very popular, and the concert at its close, held in the church, brought into prominence every pupil who had any musical talent-a bit of shrewdness which might perhaps account for some of his popu- larity. There were boys and girls among those singers who then received their first musical training, who were to gladden the public in after years with their fine voices. Alice (Titus) Nor- cott and Nestor Willis Baldwin, whose singing for over fifty years cheered and charmed the people of Stratford, made their début as solo singers at that concert. Elisha Alger Baldwin was the musical leader in the northern part of the town, and to his passionate love of music, his patient training of the young voices, is due the development of a higher type of music than is usually found in country churches. His fine tenor voice, his purse and his time were ever ready in any musical cause, and to the years which he spent in building up musical ideals in the town North Stratford is much indebted.
In 1871 there were probably not half a dozen pianos in town, and a cabinet organ was a new feature in the church, which had just been rebuilt. A little melodeon, which could be folded up and easily transported to musical affairs, had done duty before. The old pitch pipe and tuning fork were much in evidence also.
The next musical affair of any special importance occurred in the '80's, under the leadership of Mr. Carleton, when the cantata of "Queen Esther" was presented by local talent; and Nellie Guertin as "Esther," and Mrs. W. R. Danforth as "Zeresh," Will Baldwin as "Ahasuerus," and Charles Tebbetts as "Mor- decai," delighted the audience. The same cantata was repeated in after years in the Bloomfield Town Hall, with the same charac- ters as king and queen.
Nellie Guertin (Mrs. Frank Clark) was a resident here in 1891,
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and her lovely voice took the leading part in the cantata "Ruth," by Butterfield, given by local talent under the leadership of Rev. Edward M. Fuller, the resident pastor at that time. There was a chorus of forty voices, and the home talent was assisted by several singers from Lancaster and Colebrook. Mrs. Causebrook of Island Pond was the pianist, and the concert was given in the Baptist Church. Special arrangements were made for the hold- ing of the trains to Colebrook and Island Pond until after the concert. It was an ambitious effort, but successful from both an artistic and a financial point of view, and at that period it was possible.
One other musical affair may be mentioned, and that was the "Old Folks' Concert" given in the Willard House Hall, in 1884, when the singers, dressed in stately fashion, rendered the old fugues and songs of a former century. Perhaps the star of that concert was Fred Hinman in his songs, "A Jolly Old Critter of Ninety-four," and "When George the Third was King."
Today the lover of music puts on his favorite record, or tunes in on his radio, in his doubtful attempt to hear some operatic star ; or he drives his car to some town where he can hear some favorite singer; but he misses the human element, the social life that en- tered into the preparation of those old concerts, that brought people together in one common cause.
We must not forget the musical conventions that were held in Colebrook, Lancaster, and Littleton, where we had the oppor- tunity of singing under the direction of Carl Zerrahn and Henri Blaisdell and other celebrities, and of hearing some of the finest Boston talent. When one had the delight of not merely listening to the great oratorios, but of singing them to the accompaniment of a fine orchestra. One spring Mr. Chapman, of Maine Festival fame, instituted a series of rehearsals throughout this section that culminated in a united chorus in a concert given at Groveton. These festivals belong to the past, and continued efforts show that, from lack of support, they cannot be supported.
Stratford people of today may possibly hear better music, see better plays, and they will be spared a great deal of labor; but they will lose in self-development, and the social fabric will be weakened, the community spirit lost when the customs of the city and large town are allowed to drive out those of the country vil- lage. The church social was a social indeed, when it was held in
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some hospitable home, attended by a sleigh ride of three or four miles, and where the impromptu charades and games ("Twenty Questions " or "Camp") furnished the entertainment. This was great fun when some of the keenest minds in town were pitted against each other in contests that carried you into metaphysics and science; and those charades! Card games, Mah Jong, and cross-word puzzles did not furnish the entertainment and mental zest that were a part of the sociables of more than a quarter of a century ago.
The graduation exercises from the High School, too, were a nov- elty, and were attended by people from all parts of the town. A reception was held later in the Pythian lodge rooms, and fur- nished an occasion not to be missed.
The sixty years that have passed since our soldiers came back from their hard-won battlefields, in the struggle for the preserva- tion of the Union, have dimmed, year by year, the memories of our fallen heroes, and have placed them, in the minds of the chil- dren of today, in the same shadowy past as our Revolutionary dead; and Memorial Day, to the general public, consists more often in honoring the graves of family friends, rather than those of the men for whom the day was instituted. But in the period of which I write, the vacancies were too marked, the wounds too fresh, to permit forgetfulness, and the whole town met to do them honor. The meeting place was first in one village and then in the other. The occasion was a general gathering of the citizens. The members of the G. A. R. were present to add dignity and realism to the ceremonies. One by one these veterans have fallen in their ranks, and in the glamour of the World War, the handful of men that remain are placed in the background. Stratford paid a tremendous price in the men she sent into the conflict of '61, and the school children of today, and those of coming generations, should know who those fallen heroes were, and where their resting place-"Lest we forget, lest we forget!"
During these years there was the camp meeting on the Groveton Camp-grounds, which attracted a great many people. Sometimes it was the meeting place for all the Sunday schools of this vicinity ; and one Fourth of July, when the Sunday schools of Lancaster, Stark, Northumberland, and Stratford met together for general fellowship and to enjoy a picnic dinner, we had the novelty of .a wedding ceremony on the spot. A young Stratford couple, who
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were in quest of a minister, and finding them all betaken to the picnic, followed them there. The bridal party was induced to mount the platform, and the ceremony was performed then and there. It was followed by the reading of an original poem com- posed by a waggish speaker upon the platform, ending with a pun on the 'bridegroom's name: "And home in his barrow he'll Wheeler."
These Fourth of July celebrations were very quiet affairs com- pared to those of a generation earlier, which were attended with a great deal of gunpowder and display, both military and oratorical. The account of one which was held in the maple grove at Baldwin homestead about 1845 has been preserved to us. Tables and platforms were erected, while a cannon placed on the big knoll fired the customary salutes. The procession was formed at the Beach place and marched down to the grove with great formality and with the military escort of the militia. The dinner, which was catered for by Mr. Lawrence Beach, was served at the tables. Patriotic odes, learned for the occasion, were sung, and many speakers, whose names unfortunately are lost, addressed the peo- ple. But the event best remembered by the narrator, then a young girl, was the cold rain that descended upon them in the midst of their fine ceremonies, and drove them, a much-bedraggled crowd, to the shelter of their homes. This grand affair was more than a local event, and was attended by Lancaster and Colebrook people, as well as those from adjoining towns.
The presidential elections of today cause but little excitement in Stratford, compared with those of the past. Then they were preceded by torchlight processions; orators representing both parties harangued the people; and, when the returns came in, many ridiculous bets had to be paid. People still remember see- ing John Pattee starting out to wheel his political opponent to Colebrook. The record does not state how far the race pro- ceeded.
Town meetings are now conducted very sedately. Whether this may be accounted for wholly by the admission of women voters, or from lack of interest in town affairs, we cannot deter- mine. But in the past these meetings were the scenes of heated discussions. There were many minds, and they were fully ex- pressed. Party lines were more rigidly adhered to, and a man's eligibility to office consisted more often in his political
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opinions than in his fitness for that office. There has been advance along political lines as well as in other phases of life in Stratford.
The pleasures of Stratford in the past century were simple, and to the sophisticated young people of today, would lack the thrills experienced at a baseball game or a moving picture show. Their charm consisted in their good fellowship, in the pleasure of meet- ing friendly faces not often seen, and in the satisfaction of putting on a program that not only reflected credit to the town, but also to the participants in it,-a matter of civic pride. The recent observance of Old Home Week, and the more modest gathering of the following year (a feature which we hope will become an annual occurrence) well illustrated this.
The account of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the town of Stratford is taken largely from the pamphlet published by the New Hampshire Old Home Week Association, in which it appears. Some features of local interest are added, which are not found in that article; such as the inscriptions on memorial tablets, etc. Mention was not made, either, of one of the most interesting features of the week: the exhibit of old relics, heirlooms and an- tiques gathered from the homes of Stratford citizens, and placed on exhibition in the lodge rooms on the top floor of the Knights of Pythias Block. This exhibit was collected and arranged by Miss Ethel Johnson and Mrs. Harry Merriam, with their assistants, and perhaps attracted more general interest than any other part of the program of that festival week. Six stone markers of unhewn granite, bearing appropriately inscribed bronze tablets, which had been previously set up, were on August 2Ist dedicated, under most unfavorable weather conditions. On Governor's Day, August 23rd, they were formally presented to the town by Hugh H. John- son, chairman of the Old Home Week Committee, and were ac- cepted in behalf of the town by John C. Hutchins, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. The inscriptions of the several markers read as follows:
No. I
1784
Upon this site was erected the first school house Agur Platt Ezra Strong E. H. Mahurin School Board
SCENES OF OLD HOME WEEK, 1923 U. S. Senator George H. Moses and Governor Fred H. Brown, escorted by the American Legion [Stratford Cornet Band leading parade up Bridge Street] Governor Fred H. Brown and staff congratulating J. Crown on receiving "Post Cane" from the hands of J. C. Hutchins, Chairman Board of Selectmen, on the occasion of his 82nd birthday
Pageant
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No. 2
1768
Upon this site was established the first Indian Trading Post upon the Northern Frontier
1775
A log fort was built upon the farm of James Brown by the first settlers upon the Bluffs facing north on the Connecticut River
No. 3
1808
Upon this site the Methodist Episcopal Society erected the first church in the town of Stratford. Antipas Marshall, first pastor
No. 4
I773 Twelve first settlers of Stratford
Joshua Lamkin, Archippus Blodgett, James Curtis, Aaron Curtis, William Curtis, John Holbrook, James Brown, Joseph Barlow, Isaac Johnson, Hezekiah Fuller, Jabez Baldwin, Henry Schoff
No. 5 Baldwin Homestead
Built in 1843 on the site of the first frame house in town, erected by Jabez Baldwin in 1789. Contained first store and Post Office at North Stratford, William L. Baldwin first Postmaster, commissioned by President Millard Fillmore, June 19, 1852
No. 6
The village of North Stratford occupies the farm of Wil- liam Fuller, son of Luther Fuller, who was killed at Fort Ticonderoga, New York, during the war of 1812. The house of William Fuller was raided by Indians, five hun- dred of whom camped on the land now occupied by the village
The First Baptist Church erected 1852. Part of vestry used for the first schools. Destroyed by fire 1868. Re- built; destroyed by fire Easter morning, 1915. Present structure dedicated January 16, 1916
The town had voted $1,000 for the observance of the 150th anniversary, and the program for the entire week was carried out with enthusiasm. Starting in on Saturday evening, August 18th, there was a concert by the North Stratford Band, Rev. E. M. Fuller, leader, followed by a monster bonfire on Stevens Hill, which was witnessed by a crowd of about 2,000 people. Sunday morning there was a sunrise gun, and at the usual time for services in the churches large congregations gathered. In the Baptist Church a historical address was given by Rev. Joseph S. Brown, who had the longest pastorate in the history of the church.
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