USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Lebanon > July fourth, 1761: an historical discourse in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the charter of Lebanon, N.H., delivered July fourth, 1861 > Part 2
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* In their own significant phrase, "they had returned to a state of nature."- D.
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but united together in a petition to the Vermont Assem- bly, which then met at Windsor, to be received as a part of that State. The question was submitted to the people of Vermont, and decided by public vote in favor of receiving the towns. They were accordingly admit- ted as a part of that State, and gave notice to New Hampshire that they had become Vermonters, and ask- ed for an amicable settlement of a boundary line be- tween the States.
The government of New Hampshire, however, was by no means disposed to recognize the right of seces- sion. The President of New Hampshire, for so the highest officer of the State was then called, Hon. Mesheck Weare, wrote to Governor Chittenden, of Vermont, claiming still these towns, making an able argument against secession. " Were not these towns settled and cultivated under the grant of the Governor of New Hampshire ? Are they not within the lines
thereof ? Did not the most of these towns send delegates to the convention of this State in 1775 ? Have they not from the commencement of the war ap- plied to the State of New Hampshire for assistance and protection ? It is well known that they did, and that New Hampshire, at their own expense, hath suppli- ed them with arms, ammunition, &e., to a very great amount, as well as paid soldiers for their particular defence, and all at their request, as members of this State. Whence, then, could this new doctrine, that they were never connected with us originate ? I ear- nestly desire that this matter may be seriously attended to, as I am persuaded that the tendency thereof will be to anarchy and confusion." He also made an ap-
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peal to Congress to interpose and prevent, if possible, the shedding of blood.
The movement of those towns received no more en- couragement from Congress than this later secession is likely to receive from that which meets to-day; but the quarrel was not an easy one to settle.
At the first meeting of the Assembly of Vermont, after the people had voted to receive these towns, and the delegates from this side had taken their seats, the question arose, whether these towns should be erected into a separate county. This was refused, whereupon the delegates again seceded, and left the Vermont As- sembly in disgust. Their friends on this side of the mountains, bound more strongly to them than those on the other side, proposed to unite with them to form a separate State, on both sides of the river, to be called New Connecticut. Then followed a series of conten- tions between New York, Vermont, and New Hamp- shire, which I cannot now stop to detail, -all of which were finally settled by the admission of Vermont with her present boundaries, into the Confederacy of the United States; a settlement which was hastened by the shrewd policy of Ethan and Ira Allen, who conferred with the British authorities in Canada and elsewhere, as if they desired an union with them.
The settlement of this first secession was signalized by the addition of the first new star to the old thirteen on our glorious national banner. May the settlement of this more fearful secession of 1861 add new bril- liancy to the whole constellation !
This brief outline of this curious strife. I have thought it necessary to give, to show why we are sons
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and daughters of the Granite State, rather than Green Mountain boys and girls, though to be the last would be no less an honor.
In some of the towns concerned in this contest, great disorders prevailed, every man doing what was right in his own eyes. But not so here; the laws of Congress and the statutes of Connecticut were made the guide of their action, while they were in their " state of nature." At the first breaking out of the revolu- tionary war, a " committee of safety " was appointed with almost absolute powers. At a meeting held here immediately after their appointment, in connection with committees from Hanover, Plainfield, Canaan, and Grantham, the following vote was passed: "That the laws of our country ought and shall be the rule of our procedure in judging of the qualities of of- fences, and punishing the same, only with such vari- ations as the different channel of administration re- quires."
The town itself, in the period in which its State connection was unsettled, resolved to adopt the laws of Connecticut, and maintain them ; and so they did ; though enforcing for a while the statutes of Vermont. When, at length, in 1786, they returned to their alle- giance to New Hampshire, like honest men, as they were, they paid up their back taxes to the amount of a thousand pounds sterling.
A few extracts from the records, omitting names, will show the spirit of the times, and their style of do- ing business.
At a meeting of the Committee of Safety held August 2, 1775, " chose Nehemiah Estabrooks chairman, and
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John Wheatley clerk, of said committee. A. B. and C. D. appeared before said committee, and were exam- ined considering their laboring on the 20th day of July last, being the day set apart by the Grand American Congress, for public fasting and prayer throughout the continent ; when the above-named persons confessed their fault, and being admonished to a better conduct in future, which they engaged, were accordingly dis- missed by said committee."
" Lebanon, March 6, 1780. At a meeting of the committee of safety of said Lebanon, appeared E. F., of said Lebanon, to answer to a complaint exhibited to said committee against said E. F. for sundry crimes and misdemeanors. Whereupon she, the said E. F., made a voluntary confession of the facts laid to her charge in said complaint, viz : striking and kicking, which are open breaches of the peace of the good people of this town. Whereupon said committee do award that she, the said E. F., pay a fine of two dol- lars for the use of the town, and the costs of trial, and stand committed till this judgment be satisfied."
What think you of this ? "August, 11, 1779, in town meeting : Voted that the town procure three gallons of rum for the people that shall attend to raise the bridge over the Mascomy, near to Capt. Turner's." This was the sole business done at that meeting, and it was enough.
The account for rum and brandy for building the last meeting-house,* may be found in certain old account books, now in Mr. Kendrick's store, and they would astonish the present generation.
* The present town house.
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Another singular chapter of our town history which illustrates very fully the independence, not to say the self-will of the early inhabitants, pertains to the build- ing of meeting-houses.
As far as appears from the records, the first public action on the subject was in February, 1768. Thence onward for four years and a half, they discussed, and resolved, and re-resolved, whether they would build or not ; where they would build, and how large the house should be. In just about a dozen different town meet- ings this subject was " before the people." They first resolved not to build. Six months later they resolved to build, - two years later not to build, - three weeks later to build. The size of the house was first to be thirty feet square, with ten feet posts ; then forty-eight by thirty-four, with twenty feet posts ; then again forty by thirty, and ten feet posts ; and finally forty-eight by thirty-four, and ten or twelve feet posts.
But the great question was WHERE the house should have its local habitation. The strife was between the claims of one or two places on the river road, and sev- eral locations near Luther Alden's. At first it was to be on the hill near the old graveyard ; then on the river road a little south of West Lebanon depot ; then again on the hill, then in the clay pits, on this side of the Mascomy ; then the matter was entrusted to a committee of gentlemen out of town, who seem to have fixed upon a spot farther south, near Osgood's Mills.
At one time, when the timber for the house had been delivered on the river road, a company of men appear- ed on the ground with teams to haul it away. An ap- peal, however, from their youthful pastor, assuring
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them that he could not consent to remain among them, unless they were more harmonious, prevented a resort to force.
But in spite of committee reports, the hills were des- tined to prevail, as they always have, over the plains and the clay-pits, and the house was finally built on the south side of the road, near Mr. Luther Alden's. This first controversy was settled in August, 1772, just about a month after the settlement of the first minister, Rev. Mr. Potter.
For about eleven years, meeting-houses had rest. They then began to think of a new house. The major- ity of the inhabitants were in the southwest part of the town, and, of course, wanted the house near them. Meanwhile the east part of the town had been settled, and therefore, stout and determined resistance was made against such a location, and a central position demanded.
The strife went on for seven or eight years, at times with no little bitterness. In the course of the contro- versy, the old house was taken down by a mob, the only one I recollect to have heard of in the history of the town .* A company of young men, headed by one " Captain Stubbs," alias Comfort Allen, gathered in the night, and proceeded quietly to remove the bone of contention, and before the morning light the house of worship was levelled to the ground. The timber was bought by private persons, and the house rebuilt on the hill, near the residence of Mr. Ziba Storrs, and continued to be used for meetings for several years.
* There was one other, when they were in their " state of nature." I).
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The fathers and mothers of some of us used to ride on horseback, and in ox-carts from the extreme northeast part of the town, to that house ; verily, a pretty long sabbath day's journey, and, we should think a pretty hard sabbath day's work .* A portion of the people refused to go there, and were accustomed to meet in the house of Mr. Robert Colburn, which stood near Mr. Carter's residence.
The contending forces at length drew nearer togeth- er, the south and west of the town fixing upon a spot near Mr. Peck's, good old Deacon Porter affirming, stoutly, that he would never come any farther. The east and north insisted still on the centre. How long the strife would have lasted if nothing but votes had been thrown into the scale, we cannot tell. It was finally settled by a proposition of Mr. Colburn, who owned the land of the village, and who came forward, and stuck a stake, and said, "If you will build the house on this spot, I will give to the town so, many acres of land for a public common." The proposition was accepted, the house was built about 1792, and stood undisturbed until 1850, when the improved taste of the present inhabitants called for removal to its present location.t
* We shall understand the length of the journey better if we keep in mind the fact that there was then no bridges east of this village -none in it; the bridge near Mr. Robert Gates' had not been built, and the Mascoma could only be passed in the vicinity of the bridge, near Mr. Luther Alden's. D.
¡ A curious testimony of the earnestness and obstinaey of this strife, ought not to be lost. November 22, 1792, the town voted " that a committee of dis- interested persons should be chosen to determine a central spot for a meeting- house ; which committee should consider the travel as it respects quality and quantity, and actually measure to find the same, and say in justice where it
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The law authorizing towns to assess taxes for build- ing meeting-houses and supporting ministers gradually became unpopular throughout the State, and in 1819 was set aside by what is known as the Toleration Act. From that time each denomination was thrown upon its own resources for support.
The town owned the meeting-house, and for a while apportioned the use of it among the different denomi- nations, till, one by one, they were able to provide for themselves. As the result we have several neat and convenient houses of worship, in which all are per- mitted to worship in quietness, according to their local convenience and religious preference ; several different denominations uniting cheerfully in this celebration.
In respect to the personal notices which the occasion demands, I am constrained to regret that my time has not permitted me to visit the representatives of all the early settlers, to gather up their recollections of their fathers and mothers, and explore their family records in their old family Bibles ; to examine also the old town and church records, and combining all, be able
ought to be erected, upon the consideration of every circumstance of the pres- ent and future inhabitants of the town."
The following is the report of that committee : "In the first place, we cal- culated the soul travel to the new meetinghouse ; and secondly, to the mouth of the lane, between Mr. James Jones, and Mr. Nathaniel Storrs ; and found that there was 215 miles and 29 rods less soul travel to said lane than to the new meetinghouse. Likewise we found the land travel to the aforesaid spots to be 37 miles and 246 rods less travel to the new meetinghouse, reckoning one travel from each habitable one hundred acre lot. Likewise we found it to be 52 miles and 303 rods more land travel to Mr. Peck's than to the new meetinghouse."
The mysteries couched under " soul " and " land travel " are left for solu- tion to the curious reader. - D.
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to present you, to-day, a brief history of the internal life of the settlement, at least in all the first half of the century. The kindness of Rev. Mr. Downs, in grant- ing me the use of his carefully prepared statistics, en- ables me to add very considerably to what I have had the means of gathering myself.
Four persons, I have already remarked, spent the second winter here. Their camp was not far from the mouth of White River. The names of three are known, Levi Hyde, Samuel Estabrooks, and William Dana.
July 11, 1763, William Downer with his wife and eight children arrived; this was the first family, and Mrs. Downer the first woman who spent a night in tow11.
In the fall of the same year, came Oliver Davidson, Elijah Dewey, James Jones, and their families. Mr. Davidson built the first dam across the Mascomy. His was the first death, for him the first grave was opened in the new settlement.
The following may be added as among the first set- tlers. Nathaniel Porter, Asa Kilbourne, Samuel Mea- cham, Joseph Dana, Jonathan Dana, Huckin Storrs, Silas Waterman, Jedediah Hebard, Jesse Cooke, Zal- mon Aspenwall, Joseph Wood, James Hartshorn, and Nathaniel Storrs.
The first male child born in the town it is said was Thomas Waterman, born July 11, 1766. On the rec- ords, however, we find the following : " Roger Heb- bard, son of Jedediah Hebbard, born August 13, 1764," and at a later date, Roger Hebbard married to Sarah Stickney, March 19, 1786. Whether Roger Hebbard
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was born here, the record does not state,* but seems to imply that he was.
The first female child born in town was Sarah Jones, daughter of James Jones, who was born December 22, 1764.
The first minister of the gospel in the town seems to have been a Mr. Treadway. On the records of the town, under date of August 25, 1766, we find the fol- lowing : "Whether the town will choose a committee to treat with Mr. Treadway, now resident among us, in order to his steady administration in the gospel min- istry, in the said town. Resolved in the affirmative ; and chose John Wheatley, Charles Hill, and Joseph Dana to be a committee for the purpose aforesaid."
Mr. Treadway seems to have preached here a few months, but not to have been invited to settle here. The first " call " was given to a Mr. Wales, to whom I have already referred, but something in his reply dis- pleased the people, and induced them to reconsider the call.
Soon after, Rev. Isaiah Potter, then a young man about twenty-four years of age, was invited to visit the place as a candidate for settlement. He came and spent the summer of 1771, and was invited to return the follow- ing spring. He did so, and, after a few months, was called with entire unanimity to be the settled minister of the town. He accepted the call, and on the 25th of August, 1772, was ordained and installed pastor of the church. The ordination took place in the open air, under an elm still standing on the banks of the Con-
* The probability is that he was born in Connecticut, but for convenience the record was made here. -- D).
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necticut, a little south of West Lebanon depot, Rev. Mr. Olcutt, of Charleston, preaching the ordination sermon. It is a significant indication of the customs of the times, and an evidence of the fidelity of the youthful pastor, that, at the close of the exercises, he exhorted his flock, especially the young people, to re- frain from dancing, and all other vain amusements.
By virtue of being the first settled minister of the town, Mr. Potter came into possession of one share of the land, according to the terms of the charter. The proprietors of the land had also agreed to appropriate £62 as a " settlement" for the first minister, to which the town added, by vote, £38, making his settlement £100, or about $500. In addition, his salary was £50 a year, for two years, with an annual increase thereafter till it should reach £80 per annum.
One of the considerations which induced Mr. Pot- ter to settle here, was the fact that Dr. Wheelock had already located the college at Hanover. His first visit to this town was but a short time before the removal of Dr. Wheelock and his family, and students. He and his neighbors turned out to help them, as they worked their way over the logs and stumps of the rough horse- oad from Charleston to Hanover.
Mr. Potter was a great admirer of his more learned and experienced father, on Hanover Plain. They were warm friends and mutual helpers. In full sympathy with him in theological sentiments, and those views of revivals of religion, which were then called " New- light," Mr. Potter's labors, like those of his neighbor, were attended with revivals of great power.
For the first few years of his ministry, his work was
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much interrupted by the revolutionary war. Respond- ing cheerfully to the calls of his country, he became chaplain of one of the New Hampshire regiments, and for a season followed the fortunes of a soldier.
He was in the army under General Gates, in that darkest hour of the night of the Revolution, which preceded the break of day, in the surrender of Bur- goyne and his northern army. Before the last decisive battle, the young chaplain rode out in front of the army, and with uncovered head, a fair and lofty mark for the enemy's bullets, lifted up the voice of prayer to that God in whom our fathers put their trust.
Having witnessed the surrender of Burgoyne, he soon after returned to this more quiet field of his life's work, confident that American freedom would soon be secured.
There were giants in those days, and Mr. Potter was one of them, being six feet and two inches in height, and of corresponding physical strength. “ In mental abilities he rose above the average ; sound in doctrine, logical in his discourse, mighty in the Scriptures," quot- ing them freely from memory, a method, which by the failure of his sight, in his later years became a neces- sity, adding frequently the modest caveat, " if I right- ly recollect." Those of you of my own age can just remember the venerable old man, as he stood calmly under the old sounding-board, which we feared would some day fall upon his head, and talked to us of heaven- ly things. What he said we do not so well remember. His descendants,* among whom I am happy to number
* John M. Potter, member of Congress from Wisconsin, is a grandson.
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my own children, have several of his manuscript ser- mons written on paper which reminds one of the Stamp Act, in characters as small, and with abbreviations as numerous as are the old editions of Homer's Iliad. Mr. Potter died July 2, 1817, having been pastor of the church about forty-five years.
His successors, Mr. Cutler and Mr. Cooke, were both, like him, of the order of high priests, both being over six feet in height. The present ministers of Leb- anon, we presume, make up in quality what is lacking in quantity.
Among the early settlers, no one is more worthy of special notice than John Wheatley. An Irish boy, he emigrated to this country, and was sold to pay his pas- sage. Falling into the hands of a kind man, in Con- necticut, who discovered and appreciated his superior talents. he received as good an education as the schools of the neighborhood could give, and when this town was settled he removed hither with his family, to share the toils and sufferings of a new country. He was the first town clerk, the first schoolmaster, the first civil magistrate, holding the office for nearly twenty years, and the first representative to the legislature of the State .* An upright citizen, a sterling patriot, and a
* So the popular tradition runs. The records, however, do not sustain it. Mr. Wheatley was Proprietor's Clerk. Silas Waterman was certainly the first town clerk, holding the office eleven years. Mr. Wheatley was not only not the first representative, but never represented the town in the Legislature of New Hampshire. He once took his seat in company with Hon. E. Payne, in the Assembly of Vermont. He was also chosen as a delegate from this town, to the convention which formed the Constitution, but by vote of the town was recalled, not however from any fault of his. According to the records, the . honor of being the first representative in the State legislature unquestionably belongs to Col. Elisha Payne, elected March, 1784. -- D.
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consistent Christian, he lived and died an honor to the town and the State. His grave should not be left neglected, and his gravestones broken down.
Three of his sons were in the Continental army, one of whom, Luther, fell, mortally wounded in the Battle of Stillwater.
The name of Estabrooks is prominent among the original inhabitants of the town. And whatever may be said of those who came after them, it may be said of them, as the Bible says of the heroes of David's army, " they attained not unto the first three " - San- uel Estabrooks, William Dana, Levi Hyde. Samuel of the " first three," Nehemiah also the chairman of the Committee of Safety during the period that tried men's souls, the steadfast and fearless defenders of liberty, and supporters of religion, they have left a line of worthy descendants, who have kept the name in fra- grance among us. Two were graduates of Dartmouth College ; one of whom, Joseph Estabrooks, was the President, for many years, of the East Tennessee Uni- versity. His influence is felt to-day in the loyalty of that portion of a seceded State.
Of Nehemiah Estabrooks, the following account has been furnished : -
" Nehemiah Estabrooks, the son of Deacon Nehemiah Estabrooks, born in Hebron, Conn., came carly in its first settlement, into Lebanon. He married Elizabeth Slapp, daughter of Major John Slapp, who held a ma- jor's commission in the French war, and in the Revo- lution was an active and efficient officer. Nehemiah, hearing of the Battle of Lexington, in the afternoon, by the sleepless energy of his wife, he was ready at
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sunrise the next morning to take leave of home and family, and shoulder his musket in defence of his country. He was in active service from that morning till the close of the war, with the exception of a fur- lough of two months, during which time he visited his home. He was nearly all the time under the immedi- ate command of Washington, being one of his famous body-guard. He returned poor, having received Con- tinental money for his pay, fifty dollars of which he paid for a breakfast on his way home. His brother Joseph died in the service.
" Nehemiah, in 1808 or 1809, removed to what was then known as the Holland Purchase, in New York. On receiving intelligence of the burning of Black Rock by the British forces, he mustered a company of his neighbors and marched to that place. Arriving just as the last boat was leaving the shore for the Canada side, he drew up his men, and they gave the 'Red Coats' the contents of their muskets." *
The Danas also rise up before us. t William, one of the " first three," whose keen eye first detected the worth of these lands ; Joseph, the first deacon of the church, and Jonathan, his successor. Among the de- scendants of William is the Rev. E. L. Magoon, D. D.,
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