USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Wilton > History of the town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, with a genealogical register > Part 2
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Temple
Lyndeborough North
Ranges
10 9
8
7
6
5
4 3 2
1
07/6/1
81 41
15 16
11 12 13 14
01
6
80
.
A
9
5
4
2 3
-
South Mason
Original Plan of the Town of Wilton; 5 miles square; 200 Lots in 10 Ranges, of 20 Lots in each Range; the Lots of 80 acres each, 160 rods by 80. Errors in the actual survey made many Lots vary in size from the Plan, some being twice the size of others. The Tenth Range was taken from Wilton in 1768 to help make the Town of Temple.
Milford
9
GEOLOGY.
a mile below its next out-crop. west of JJ. F. Holt's. It continues south of west, and makes the hill near the glass works at South Lyndeborough. The range runs S. 55° W., near the village, and dips 50° S. 35º E. The first railroad out west of the station barely touches this bed of quartz. dipping 75° S. 40° E. By the eye this range can be followed over the large hill east of Burton Pond. on the town line between Lyndeborough and Wilton. I am not certain of the occurrence of this rock in the northwest corner of Wilton, but it may be seen just in the edge of Temple, between A. Frye's and JJ. Kendall's. On the other side of Kendall's is one of the finest developments known anywhere along the range. It is from four hundred to five hundred feet wide.
The quartz erops out on lots No. 20 in the eighth and ninth ranges. and also on lots Nos. 16 and 17 in the ninth range. Mr. Frye's farm is the west part of lots Nos. 16 and 17 in the ninth range.
In the section, " Manchester Range of Quartz," the report, after it locates its first well-developed out-crop in the southwest corner of Allenstown, traces it through Manchester, the southeast quarter of Goffstown, and through Bedford to Campbell's Hill in Amherst, and says :-
At W. A. Mack's, just against the southeastern corner of Mont Vernon. there is an unusual quantity of quartz boulders. We find now the same state of things which has been noticed between New Boston and Lynde- borough on the Hooksett range. in the absence of continuity in the rock. and its recurrence tive miles distant on a different line of exposure. It appears next on the south side of the Souhegan River in Milford, back of the schoolhouse situated on a triangular area produced by the intersection of roads.
The course from the last locality of the quartz vein in Amherst to this exposure is S. 65° W. The quartz dips 75º N. 70° W. It is more gray than usual. almost passing into gneiss, and very abundantly traversed hy reticulating veins of milky-white quartz. It occupies a hill, and may he followed as a ridge for about two miles.
At J. B. Gray's .* just within the town of Wilton, the quartz dips 80º N. 77º W. Other exposures occur in the southeast corner of Wilton. The last ledge of this range that has been found is situated near I. A. Brown's, in the northeast corner of Mason, with the strike N. 15º E .. and dip N. 75° W.
Figure No. 90, Plate XXII., illustrates the geological formation from South Lyndeborough to the west part of Milford through East Wilton. Commencing at South Lyndeborough, the report says :
* Property now owned by A. B. Mellendy.
10
HISTORY OF WILTON.
In the south edge of the village. following the carriage road instead of the railroad. the next interesting rock is a granite, like the Concord in general appearance, but full of small. distinct crystals of feldspar.
The sienite rock at the railroad cut also reminds us of the related rock near Dodge's,* at the west end of Fig. 89. The gneiss adjoining this porphyritie granite dips $5º N. 80º W. Drift conceals the ledge- for more than a mile. Ferruginous mica schist, dipping 70 N. 25º W .. crops out shortly after crossing the stream in the north part of Wilton. At the next crossing of Stony Brook the mica schists dip 40-45º N. 40 W .. and are inclined to a smaller angle beyond. Half a mile farther they dip 30- in the same direction, with coarse granite beds. Near a cabinet shop the dip is 65°. Just in the edge of East Wilton is a coarse granite. At the village is mica schist. At the tannery. in the east part of the village, are veins of coarse granite, with a small dip.
Figure 91 illustrates between Temple and the east line of Wilton. The sienitie rock of Figures 89 and 90 is wanting next the quartz. The gneiss west of the quartz is of the angular-breaking kind. dipping 70- N. 80º W. Between the quartz locality and a northeast road from Temple the gneiss contains much fellspar, and dips 659 N. 70- W. It is obvious that the quartz must correspond with these dips just recorded of the gneiss upon both sides of it, its own inclination not readily showing itself. The por- phyritic granite seen in Lyndeborough is much thicker in Temple, making its appearance next on the southeast road from the village. Next is granitie gueiss, followed by ferruginous mica schist. half a mile distant from the hotel, dipping $5º N. 50 W. on the average. The roads are now inconveniently located for our purpose, and the next ledge seen is at West Wilton, two miles distant from the last ledge. but as it courses with strike it cannot be far distant from its place on the section. There is a mixture of coarse mica schists and fine-grained granitic beds dipping about 65º N. W. Half way to Wilton the mica schist dips 30 N. 253 W. : also at Wilton.
No ledges appear for a mile and a quarter on the section line, when we find a spotted granite by H. F. Frye's, on the west side of a high hill. There is gneiss higher up, and at intervals to J. B. Gray's. On the hill west of Gray's the rock is micaceous and gneissic, dipping SOS N. 707 W .. and that is also the position of the quartz. This is about two miles from the southeast end of Figure 90. There is a great width of gneiss at Gray's. though its place seems to be taken by mica sehist on Figure 90.
Professor Hitchcock, in the chapter, "Glacial Drift." Page 182. Volume III., says :-
The stria in New Hampshire vary considerable in their direction.
In the fourteen towns in Hillsborough County of which he makes inention, the courses vary from S. 9º E. near Leach's in New Boston to S. 11º E. in Lyndeborough.
* In New Boston.
11
GEOLOGY.
The places named in Wilton are : Northeast corner, rock, gneiss. true course S. 21° E. : West Wilton, rock, gneiss, true course, S. 31° E.
Page 290. Volume III., in the table of . Sections of the Glacial Drift in New Hampshire," we find the following relating to Wilton :
Thickness in feet.
UPPER TILL. LOWER TILL.
Northwest part at County Farm
1$ 15
One-eighth mile northeast of East Wittou
12
10
One-eighth mile west of East Wilton .
15
...
In Wilton. Temple. Greenville and New Ipswich lenticular hills are abundant. Fine examples occur in the edge of Milford, two-thirds of a mile east of Wilton depot : upon Perham Hill in the northeast corner of Wilton, and several in the northwest. and others in the southwest part of Wilton.
Several quarries of granite have been operated in Wilton, but only one to much extent.
On the south side of the Souhegan River, commeneing on lot number eleven in the third range, the ledge erops out almost con- tinually as far as the village.
In the bottom of Colony Brothers' wheel-pit some of it was blasted ont. On lot number eleven. third range, Messrs. J. & C. Haselton have operated much more extensively for a few years than any other of the quarries have ever been operated. The rock is coarser than the rock from the Milford quarries. but shows little or none of the rusty color after being worked.
In the Report of the Mineralogy of New Hampshire, Part IV., Page 136, in the catalogue of mineral localities in New Hampshire, is found : -
Wilton. Mennaccanite. 1
CHAPTER II.
FLORA AND FAUNA.
THE vegetable and animal productions of Wilton do not differ essentially from those of other towns in this county and vicinity. The original forest consisted largely of white, red, and pitch pines, hemlocks, oaks, maples, and other hard woods. Though the first and even the second growth of wood and timber have been princi- pally eut down, more acres are probably now in woodland than were fifty years ago, but the trees are, many of them, saplings.
The shrubs and plants are those common to a northern climate and a mountainous country. The fields, woods, pastures and road- sides are gay with a great variety of flowering plants, from the wind- flower and arbutus of the early spring to the laurel. daisies, lilies. primroses and buttercups of summer, and the golden-rod, cardinal. and life-everlasting of autumn. Many exotics have also become domesticated, and have spread from the gardens to the fields. Numerous wild berries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, whortleberries, and others, abound in the fields and pastures, and are serviceable to men and animals. The foliage of the woods and orchards, if not so full and heavy as in regions of deeper and richer soils, is varied and picturesque. The herbage, too, of the tem- perate zone, with its many delicate grasses and mosses, and fine green turf, gives exquisite pleasure to the eye compared with the effect of the coarser vegetation of warmer climates.
The following list of plants is by no means complete or ex- haustive. We had hoped to give our readers a full botanical catalogue, but have been disappointed by unforeseen events.
13
FLORA AND FAUNA.
The following trees are the principal ones to be found in our town :
White Oak. Red Oak, Yellow Oak. Black Birch. White Birch, Basket Birch. Yellow Birch,
White Elm. Red or Slippery El. Beech.
White Ash. Red Ash. Mountain Ash.
Lever Wood,
White Pine. Red Pine. Pitch Pine. Hemlock.
Cedar.
Locust. Ilornbeam.
The cultivated trees introduced from other countries are the
Apple. Pear,
Mulberry.
Butternut.
Peach.
Plum.
Lombardy Poplar. Quince.
The most common shrubs are the
White Elder.
Persian Lilac.
Black Alder.
Sumac,
Witch Hazel.
Moosewood.
Sassafras.
Juniper.
Common Lilac.
Mountain Laurel.
Wild grape vines are found, of several species.
Of hundreds of plants, these are mostly well-known under their common names :
Cardinal Flower. John's Wort. Golden-rod.
1
Common Polypod. Triangular Polypod.
Bayberry, or Yellow Shrub. Sweet Fern. Shield Fern. Jack-in-the-Pulpit.
Thorough wort. White Daisy. Ox-eyed Daisy. Life-everlasting. Checkerberry.
Pipsissewa. Low Hemlock.
Pennyroyal. Burdock.
Red Clover. White Clover.
Red Top, Herd's Grass. Aaron's Rod. Milkweed or Silkweed.
Chestnut.
Tamarack.
Black Cherry, Red Cherry,
White Walnut. Black Walnut,
White Willow, Weeping Willow.
Hickory. Shag-bark Walnut,
Buttonwood. or Sycamore,
Poplar.
Rock Maple. White Maple, Red Maple.
Basswood.
Spotted Cowbane. Wild Parsnip. ('lub Moss. Ground Pine.
Tansy.
Roman Wormwood, Senna,
14
HISTORY OF WILTON.
Rose-colored Silkweed. Dock.
Lupine. Sensitive Plant.
Feverbush.
Sunflower.
Meadow Beauty.
Mitrewort. Pennywort. Water Carpet.
Evening Primrose.
C'inque-foil.
Pond Lily. Yellow Lily. Spring Beauty.
Fireweed. Groundsel.
Anemone.
Golden Ragwort.
Purslane.
Dandelion.
Bitter-Sweet.
Butterenp. Raspberry. Thimbleberry. High Blackberry. Dewberry.
Succory.
Sweet Briar.
Indian Pipe.
Common Limgwort.
Wintergreen.
Sweet Pea.
Plantain.
Smartweed.
Mullein.
Skunk Cabbage.
Purple Foxglove. Vervain.
Strawberry. Wild Rose. Bindweed: Trillimn.
Lobelia.
High Blueberry. Low Blueberry.
Whortleberry.
Mayflower.
Phlox. Morning Glory. Blue-Fringed Gentian. Field Sorrel.
Angelica. Sweet Flag. Cat Tail.
Ragged Orchis.
Wild. or Meadow Sage. Garden Sage. Sweet Marjoram. Wild Marjoram.
Purple-fringed Orchis.
Solomon's Seal.
Wild Thyme. Garden Thyme.
Bulrush. Slender Rush.
Balı.
Common Nettle.
Stinging Nettle.
Common Seulleap. Blue Curls.
Mosses, lichens and fungi abound, and a life-work might be occupied with cataloguing and identifying them.
At the early settlement of the town wild animals were numerous, and attracted the Indian hunter and fisher. But the advent of the white man soon changed the scene, and many species have wholly disappeared, and others are so scarce that they have ceased to awaken the enthusiasm of the hunter, or reward his toil and skill.
The bear, the wolf. the catamount, the moose. the deer. the beaver. are known no more. One of the early settlers. Abiel Abbot. was treed by a bear, which watched him until, out of
Virginia Creeper.
Red Currant. Black Currant.
Joint Grass.
Pigweed.
Horsemint.Spearmint. Peppermint.
Hoarhound.
15
FLORA AND FAUNA.
patience by the delay, and worried by a small dog, his bruinship concluded to withdraw. Lieutenant Abraham Burton sometimes trapped bears. In the winter, wolves, made bold by hunger, came down from the mountains in quest of prey, and were killed by hunting parties. Tradition reports that two moose have been killed in town, one near Mason, and one near what is now called French Village. The remains of beaver dams are yet to be seen on the meadow west of the Forest Road, on the Whiting Meadow, and on the Dale Farm. The larger aboriginal animals have departed with the aboriginal men. Civilization has driven them both from their ancient haunts.
. Of birds, the largest. the wild turkey, was shot in town as late as 1797. Owing to the absence of large ponds or lakes, few ducks or wild geese or loons have been known, though the long, black lines of wild geese, ranged in harrow-like outline against the blue sky, making their semi-annual migrations, and heard by their pe- culiar, penetrating notes, may sometimes be seen. The eagle has occasionally been shot in town.
Among animals, the muskrat, the mink, the weasel, the fox, the woodchuck, the skunk, the hedgehog, the otter, the rat, the mouse, the raccoon, the rabbit. the red, grey, striped and flying squirrel, may still be found.
The woods and fields are made musical by a great variety of birds during the warm season, and a few, like the snowbird. brave the cold of winter. Indeed, while some of the larger birds and animals have disappeared before the progress of settlement, the smaller ones are no doubt more numerous than before. For the gardens and the grain fields of the farmer furnish more abundant and sub- stantial means of subsistence.
The robin, sparrow, yellowbird, whippoorwill, thrush, crow, hawk, kingfisher, woodpecker, oriole, catbird, blackbird, scarlet tanager, partridge, butcher-bird, blue jay, pigeon, bobolink, are found here.
Few or no reptiles of a venomous kind are known to exist here at the present day. Report says that a rattlesnake was once killed on the spot where the house of the late Mr. Isaac Blanchard stands, but the race has disappeared. The black snake, the striped snake, the house adder, the green snake and the water snake, are the chief species.
Of fishes. the largest, the salmon, were caught in the Souhegan as late as 1773-4. But the trout, sucker, shiner. minnow, pike and
16
HISTORY OF WILTON.
pickerel, though formerly abundant in streams and ponds, seldom now reward the angler's skill and patience.
Lizards and salamanders are occasionally seen, frogs and toads are abundant, bats are common.
The insect world is numerously represented. Flies of many species. wasps, bees. wild and tame, hornets, ants, spiders, mosquitoes, bugs of every description, fleas, moths, grasshoppers (which though small in size, often produce by their vast numbers serious results upon the grass and grain fields of the farmer), all these are multitudinons in numbers.
To the student and lover of nature and the author of nature, the flora and fauna of every place, however humble, are full of interest and instruction. No object teaching of the schools can match the grand lessons of the material world. of bird and insect, of tree and flower, of animal and man.
CHAPTER III.
INDIANS.
Tins Indians of the vicinity of Wilton consisted principally of the Pawtucket tribe, who had their headquarters at, and perhaps their designation from, Pawtucket Falls on the Merrimack River, in Lowell, Massachusetts ; the Pennacooks, who frequented the region about Amoskeag Falls on the same river in Manchester, New Hamp- shire : and the Souhegans, who either took their name from, or gave their name to, the Souhegan River. The Merrimack River and the branches flowing into it were the chief hunting and fishing grounds of these bands of the aborigines. They were a nomadic people, moving from place to place, as the necessity of food and shelter dictated, or as hostilities with other tribes required. No permanent Indian settlement seems to have been made within the limits of Wilton, as far as we have ascertained, though they traversed the country for game. There were no large ponds or rivers to attract them, and they had no motive to make their constant residence on the granite hills. They left few, if any, traces behind then. except a few arrow-heads, hatchets, or chisels of stone.
Mr. Sewall Putnam reports that on lot No. 13, range four, in the pine woods east of the Stockwell place, was a hollow dug-out some ten or twelve feet square, which was supposed by many to be an old Indian camp, occupied when ou hunting expeditions. But it is now nearly or quite obliterated. Hill and valley, mountain and river remain as the unalterable features of nature, but the children of the ancient woods have passed away forever, leaving scarce a trace behind them.
The one certain memento of their race in Wilton is the name of the principal stream, the Souhegan. or, as it is spelled in some of the old documents, " Sowhagon," signifying, as is said, in their un- couth dialect, " the river of the plains."
18
HISTORY OF WILTON.
So far as is known, no person belonging to Wilton was carried into captivity or killed by the Indians within the limits of the town.
When Indian attacks were threatened, the settlers fled to neighboring garrisons. Danger existed for about ten years. One garrison was in Milford, on the north bank of the Souhegan River. near the Peabody place. Another was in Lyndeborough, near Mr. Ephraim Putnam's house. The apprehensions of the pioneers were so great that in 1744 they sent the following petition, which tells its own story, to the Governor and Council of the Province of New Hampshire :
PETITION FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE INDIANS.
To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Governor and Commander-in- Chief of his Majesties Province of New Hampshire.
The petition of the inhabitants of Salem-Canada in said Province Humbly shews. That your petitioners live in a place Greatly exposed to the Indians and have not men Sufficient for to Defend us. That tho' there be but few of ns. yet we have laid out our estates, to begin in this place. so that we shall be extremely hurt if we must move off. for we have hy the Blessing of God on our labors, a fine erop of corn on the ground. and tho' we have a Garrison in the town Built by Order of Maj. Lovell. yet we have nobody empowered so much as to set a watch among us. nor men to keep it : we would pray your Excellency that we may have some assistance from the Government. in sending us some souldiers to Guard and Defend us as in your wisdom you shall think proper.
Though we are but newly added to this Government. yet we pray your Excelleney not to disregard us, but to assist us, that we may keep onr estates and do service for the government hereafter. And your Petitioners. as in duty Bound will ever pray.
John Cram. JJr .. John Cram, David Stevenson,
John Dale. Ephraim Putnam. Abraham Leman,
Joseph Cram. Samuel Leman. John Stevenson.
Jonathan Cram. Benjamin Cram,
SALEM-CANADA. June 26. 1744.
What action, if any, was taken by the Governor is not known. The presumption is that he had few soldiers to spare for such a purpose-to guard and defend a handful of settlers who had taken their lives in their hands, and had gone ont into the wilderness beyond the protection of civilization.
At any rate, the Indians made no raids on the peaceable inhabi- tants of Salem-Canada of which any record remains. Transient hunters occasionally called on the settlers at a period long sub-
' 19
INDIANS.
sequent, but they gave no molestation. Their spirit was broken ; the iron had entered their souls, and the reign of the Red Man was over. But they will have an everlasting memorial, more durable than monuments of brass. in the names they have given our lakes, streams and mountains ; the Monadnock, Souhegan, Contoocook, Nashua, Merrimack, Pawtucket and Pemigewasset.
For a period of about one hundred years the French and Indians, from King William's Ten Years' War, 1688, to Queen Anne's War, 1703, closed by the Peace of Utrecht, 1713, and followed by other attacks, down from 1755 to 1773, kept the New England settle- ments in a constant state of alarm and warfare.
The terror of these wars was that the Indians were readily influenced to become allies of the French, and, officered by their European masters, employed to carry havoc through New England and New York. They lay in wait as the settlers left their block-houses in the morning to go out to their fields for their day's work, or made night hideons as they dashed into some lone settle- ment with their terrible war-whoop, firing the houses, tomahawking and scalping the men. and carrying the women and children into a captivity often worse than death. These incursions of the savages kept the whole country in a state of feverish alarm and terror, and suspended all regular business. The pioneers, after great sacrifices, were often obliged to abandon their improvements, made at great cost, and take refuge in the cities or in the fortified towns to escape their barbarities. It was a guerilla warfare of the most terrible character.
Nor were the early settlers of New England altogether innocent in the matter. They regarded the Indians as the children of the devil, and their extermination as in some measure a religious dnty. They superstitiously believed that in ridding them from the land they were doing the same sort of service to God that Joshua and the Israelites did in driving out and slaughtering the Canaanites.
But, as elsewhere said, Wilton bore but a small part in this fearful Indian warfare. No tribe permanently occupied her terri- tory. But few of her sons were engaged in the proper French and Indian wars.
Among the troops that were raised to reinforce the army after the battle of Lake George, September, 1755, in Captain James Todd's company is found the name of Ephraim Butterfield ; time of enlistment September 22, time of discharge December 13, 1755.
20
HISTORY OF WILTON.
In the campaign of 1757, in the roll of Captain Richard Emery's company we find the name of Henry Parker, Jr., and Josiah Parker, whose father settled on lot No. 7 in the third range. Heury was massacred at Fort William Henry when captured by the French and Indians under General Montcalm.
In the campaign of 1758, in the roll of Captain Nehemiah Love- well's company is found the name of James Mann, one of the earliest settlers in the southwest part of Wilton. also Philip Put- nam, Ephraim Butterfield and Alexander Milliken. They were out about six months in the service.
The above enlistments are all we find recorded in the old docu- ments as belonging to Wilton.
CHAPTER IV.
PROPRIETARY HISTORY-SALEM-CANADA-NUMBER TWO-IN- CORPORATION OF WILTON-SLIP ADDED TO TEMPLE.
THE proprietary history of the towns of New Hampshire may be said to date back to the grants made to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason by King James I. They were members of a council of forty established in 1620 at Plymouth. in the county of Dover. England. for the planting. ruling. and governing of New England in America. Gorges was a naval officer in the reign of Elizabeth, and a friend of Sir Walter Raleigh. Mason was a London merchant, also an officer in the British navy. and former Governor of Newfoundland.
The Council granted, March 9, 1621, to Mason all that territory included between Salem and the mouth of the Merrimack, round Cape Ann. up the rivers Naumkeag, Salem, and Merrimack to their head waters, then across from the head of one to the head of the other, and all the islands within three miles of the coast. the district to be called Merrimack.
On August 10, 1622, another grant was made to Mason and Gorges jointly of all the land between the rivers Merrimack and Sagadehock (Kennebec), extending back to the great lakes and river of Canada (St. Lawrence), to be called Laconia.
These vast and loosely defined territories became afterwards the subjects of dispute and litigation. Mason obtained a new patent from the Plymouth (England) Council of the land between the Merrimack and the Piscataqua Rivers under the title of New Hamp- shire. Great troubles arose from the overlapping of one grant of land on another already given. But in spite of these conflicts of title, the lands were gradually taken up and settled, and towns es- tablished. These New Hampshire grants came, as was held, into
22
HISTORY OF WILTON.
conflict with the interest of Massachusetts, and Mason was pro- nounced in the journal of Governor Winthrop as " the chief mover in all attempts against us."
The New Hampshire settlements covered by the patents of Mason and Gorges, being in a divided and unsettled condition and under conflicting authorities, were finally united with Massachusetts, which assumed jurisdiction over the whole .* The Mason grants being thus vacated, the heirs lost the estate which had been willed to them by the original proprietor, Captain John Mason.
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