USA > New Hampshire > Strafford County > Dover > Landmarks in ancient Dover, New Hampshire > Part 2
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1 This was Col. Hercules Mooney, a native of Ireland, who not only taught school many years in Durham, Newington, and Somersworth, but served with distinction in the Seven Years' War and at the Revolutionary period. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of the above Benjamin Evans.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dovcr.
mon and Joanna Wingate to their brother Moses in 1736, were on the south side of the road that led from Barbudoes spring. Thomas Hanson of Dover, in his will of Sept. 18, 1728, gives his son Timothy sixty acres in Barbadoes woods. March 23, 1752, Henry Bickford of Dover sold Daniel Hayes twenty-eight acres in Barbadoes woods in two lots. One was next the Wingate land, on the south side of " Barbadoes highway." One side of this lot extended to Bel- lamy river. It is now owned by Mr. George O. Hayes.
Pomfrett Whitehouse, Feb. 9, 1732 -3, conveyed to Nathaniel Hanson 32 acres in Barbadoes woods, granted his father, Pomfrett Whitehouse, in 1702, and laid out to him in 1721. Fifteen acres were laid out to Nathan- iel Hanson on Barbadoes plain, Ap. 13, 1737.
Barbadoes Pond is spoken of as early as 1693, and again March 28, 1722, when Israel Hodgdon had eight acres laid out in Barbadus woods, on the east side of Barbadus pond, west of Richard Scammon's land.
Barbadoes pond brook is mentioned March 27, 1739, when Joseph Han- son's thirty-acre grant was laid out on both sides of this brook, at the westerly corner of Peter Hayes' land.
Ten acres of swamp and upland were laid out to John Tuttle, S'., June 23, 1701, in the woods above burbadus spring. Only one spring appears to have been mentioned in early times, but at a later day all the springs of this vicinity were com-
prised under the name of " Barbadoes springs." They are now sometimes called Kelley's springs. They are south-east of the pond, and are of importance as the source from which the Dover aqueduct gets part of its supply of water. (See Kelley's Springs.)
The name of Barbadoes is no doubt a reminiscence of the days when wood and lumber from this region were sent to the West Indies in ex- change for supplies of sugar, mo- lasses, and other commodities. There was constant trade in early times with the island of Barbadoes especially.1 Robert Nanny, a signer of the Dover Combination, had an estate there. Thomas Beard of Dover was living there July 24, 1668. One of the early Hansons of Dover went there, and, according to tradition, there found a wife. Complaint was made Oct. 4, 1683, of the pine boards sent from N. H. to Barbadoes and else- where. (N. H. Prov. Pap., 1 : 468.) " Richard Gerrish, Command' of ye ship Benjamin," built on the Pascat- aqua, and "now bound for Barba- does," is mentioned in Aug., 1698. (Ibid., 17 : 678.)
Among the custom-house returns at Portsmouth of the " entries inward " in the short space of one week in 1692 are the following : Sept. 17, 1692, the bark Mary, of Kittery, from Barbadoes, with rum and limestone ballasts ; and the Friends Endeavor, of Portsmouth, from Barbadoes, Nich- olas Follet, commander, with sugar, molasses, and salt; Sept. 19, the
1 The island of Barbadoes is said to have derived its name from the long beard-like streamers of moss which hang from the branches of the trees, giving them a strange, ven- erable aspect,-
"Like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms."
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
brigantine Friendship, of Portsmonth, from Barbadoes, Samuel Rines, com', with salt, English goods, etc. ; and Sept. 22, the bark Friends Increase, of Portsmouth, from Barbadoes, John Cutt, com'.
Robert Cutt of Portsmouth for a time lived at Barbadoes, and there married his first wife. The Vaughans of Portsmouth also traded there, and there died Cutt, son of Wm. Vaughan, and grandson of Richard Cutt. Michael Hicks, as stated in his will of 1688, was born at Barbadoes. Antipas Boyes, the son-in-law of Val- entine Hill of Oyster River,1 traded with Barbadoes ; and there, about 1706, died his son, Antipas, Jr., whose estate fell to his cousin, Na- thaniel Hill of Oyster River, son of Valentine. As late as Ap. 11, 1752, mention is made of Nathaniel Thomp- son's shipping goods from Barbadoes on the sloop Nancy (his brother, James Thompson, captain), consigned to Benjamin Mathes and Jonathan Thompson, Jr., of Piscataqua. These four men all belonged in Durham.
So constant was our intercourse with Barbadoes in early times that even official letters to and from Eng- land were sometimes despatched by way of that island. (N. H. Prov. Pap., 17: 601.)
But in these days the island of Barbadoes, with which we once held such close commercial relations, is chiefly known to us through Captain Cuttle's famous nautical song :
"For the Port of Barbadoes, boys ! Cheerily !
Leaving old England behind us, boys ! Cheerily !"
BARNES'S ISLAND. This is a little island near the eastern shore of Oys- ter river, not far above the mouth. It now belongs to Mr. J. S. Chesley. It is referred to July 5, 1643, when Valentine Hill had a grant of land extending " from a creek over against Thomas Stevenson's, at Oyster river. that hath an island in the mouth of it. to the head of that creek in Royall's cove," etc. The present name was given it early this century by the boatmen on the river, who left one of their mates, nick-named " Capt. Barnes," on this island, and he was forced to swim ashore. It is some- times called Bodge's island.
BARRINGTON OAK. This name is given to the present boundary tree at the Barrington terminus of the line between Lee and Madbury. It is a white oak, which stands where the roads from these three towns meet, at the side of the highway adjacent to the old Pinkham land. now be- longing to Mr. Laban Emerson. Bar- rington oak seems to have sprung up since the line between Barrington and Madbury was perambulated Dec. 28, 1801. According to the Madbury records, the dividing line at that time ran to the western corner of Madbury, about one rod north-west of an apple- tree in Mr. Richard Pinkham's or- chard.
BARTLETT'S FALLS. This name is given on the state map of Lee,2 in 1803, to a dam just below the Little river saw-mill, in Lee, where Josiah Bartlett of Haverhill, Mass., ac- quired a grist-mill privilege May 3,
1Antipas Boyes (or Boyce) and Hannah Hill were married in Boston by Gov. John Endicott, Jan. 24, 1659.
2 The so called " state maps," mentioned in this work, belong to the valuable collection of maps in the state-house at Concord, N. H.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
1774. (See Thompson's Falls.) An- other Josiah Bartlett, in his will of 1858, gives his son Alfred his mill and mill privilege on " Little river stream." This was lower down.
BARTLETT'S HILL. This name is sometimes given to the hill at the npper side of Little river mill, where the cellar of the Bartlett house can still be traced. It is otherwise called Thompson's Hill. On the top was once a whip-saw pit, owned by a Follet.
BARTLETT'S SPRING. Mentioned in the report of the Great Falls commit- tee for the supply of water, Dec. 2, 1890. It is on land now owned by Mr. Bartlett, on the way from Great Falls to Rochester, below Tate's brook.
BAY HILL. Mentioned Nov. 28, 1679, when Lient. Walter Neale con- firmed unto George Huntress the right to a tract of land in Greenland, upon ye hill called Bay Hill, on the west side of John ffilbrook's land, beginning at a white oak on the top of said hill. This hill is at the west of Mr. J. C. Weeks' farm, a quarter of a mile from the Great Bay shore, on the highway to Greenland village.
BAY SIDE. This name, in a re- stricted sense, is given to that part of the Great Bay shore in Greenland, above the mouth of Winnicot river. It is also given to the neighboring railway station. A "school at Bay side " is mentioned in 1787, at which time the master was Clement Weeks, a graduate of Harvard College.
BEAN'S POINT. See Stephen's Point.
BEARD'S CREEK. This is the first in- let on the north side of Oyster river below Durham Falls. The name is derived from Wm. Beard, who was
living at Oyster River, June 16, 1640, when he conveyed to Francis Ma- thews his house and land, " situate, lying, and being in Oyster river, next adjoining ye land of Darbey field."
This creek is mentioned in 1660, when John Woodman had a grant of twenty acres " at the head of Wil- liam Beard's creek." (See Stony Brook.) And again in 1663, when Benjamin Mathes conveyed land to John Woodman on " the west side of Wm. Beard's creek."
There was a public landing-place at the head of Beard's creek as early as 1689, in which year a road was laid out from it extending to Newtown. The town of Durham conveyed this landing-place to Jonathan Woodman in 1779. (See Brown's Hill.) This creek is often called " Woodman's creek " in the Durham records, being partly bordered by the land attached to Woodman's garrison. (See Beard's Garrison.)
The bridge on the turnpike road across Beard's creek, near the month, is called in the town records by vari- ous names, according to the owner of the adjacent land, such as Steele's bridge, Kingman's bridge, and now Coe's bridge.
BEAUTY HILL. This hill is in Bar- rington, north-east of Bodge's pond. Said to have been so named from the number of rustic belles in that vicin- ity at one period.
BEAVER DAMS. The most noted beaver dam in ancient Dover was at Bellamy Hook, a little above the mouth of the Mallego. It is men- tioned in 1659, when Thomas Wig- gin's grant of 200 acres was laid out on a branch of Bellamy river, " neare ye Great Beaver Dam."
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
Thomas Edgerly, Jr., March 19, 1693-4, had a grant of five acres of fresh marsh " on the north side of ye marsh Will Tasker and Jnº. Derry hath cleared above ye great beaver dam," which was confirmed to him Ap. 2, 1694. Twenty acres of fresh marsh were granted John Derry and William Tasker, July 14, 1703, above the great bearer dam on Bella- my's bank river, where the sd Derry and Tasker hath cleared, beginning at a tree near the beaver dam on the south side of said river.
John Davis, Sr., conveyed to Sam- uel Chesley, Ap. 26, 1719, five acres of fresh marsh " above Great Beaver Damm," originally granted to Thomas Edgerly, March 19, 1693-4. Samuel Chesley conveyed this marsh, that same day, to Eli and John Demerit, Samuel Davis, and others, evidently for the benefit of the mill built not long after at Bellamy Hook. (See De- merit's Mill.)
This was no doubt called " Great " Beaver Dam in order to distinguish it from a smaller beaver dam a little further up the Bellamy, just above Ricker's bridge, and immediately be- low the so called Deep Hole, which is a hollow in the channel of the river, noted as a favorable place for catch- ing perch, pickerel, and shiners.
There are traces of several beaver dams in Durham, the most perfect of which is near the head of Beard's creek, beneath the tongue of land where the Woodmans are buried.
There was also a beaver dam in the south-western part of Lee, near North river. (See Beaver Brook and Pond.)
Mention is made of a beaver dam in Somersworth, Oct. 21, 1734, when 20 acres of land were laid out to Eb-
enezer Wentworth " where he then dwelt, above the beaver dam, near the lower end of Peter's Marsh, so called, by the brook." And, March 23, 1736, 20 acres were laid out to Samnel Walton, " beginning at a black ash in a maple swamp, near east from the beaver dam that is on the brook that cometh through Peter's marsh." This large beaver dam was near Mr. Thomas Ranlet's, where that part of Peter's Marsh brook, now called " Tate's brook," is crossed by the road from Great Falls.
The remains of another beaver dam are still to be seen in Rollinsford, on the east side of Fresh creek, above the road to Eliot.
The great number of beavers in N. H. in early times, especially in the vicinity of the Newichawannock, is evident from the amount killed in the course of a few months in the year 1633, as shown by the accounts of Ambrose Gibbons. (N. H. Prov. Pap., 1 : 71-2 and 2 : 558.) It is not surprising that these interesting ani- mals were speedily exterminated.
BEAVER BROOK, BEAVER POND, and BEAVER POND MEADOW. Beaver pond is mentioned March 5, 1729-30, when ten acres of swamp, granted to James Thomas in 1701, " up above Little river, at a place called Beaver Pound," were laid out to Ebenezer Smith. And three score acres of upland and meadow, granted to Roger Rose, were laid out to John Smith May 13, 1726, beginning at a white ash tree on the south side of " a meadow called the bever Pond medow; " thence run- ning N. W. by N. 60 rods, to a ma- ple ; then S. W. by W. 22 rods, " where the two brooks meet in the medow," etc.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
Beaver pond, formed by the over- flow of the beaver dam below, is no longer to be seen, but the meadow where it stood is in the south-western part of Lee, between the site of Fox garrison and North river. This mead- ow seems to have been acquired last century by Ephraim Davis and John Sias. It now belongs to Mr. Kener- son and Mr. B. F. Lang. It was drained by Beaver brook, which was the outlet of the pond. The beaver dam was on this brook, about ten rods from the old Sias house. A spring, about 30 rods from the house, is still called the Sias spring.
Two brooks are mentioned above. One of them is now dry most of the year, and has no name. The other is Beaver brook, which flows from the meadow to the boundary line of Lee and Nottingham, where it receives Davis's brook, that rises back of Mr. Obadiah Davis's house. It then runs half a mile northerly-contrary to the direction of the other brooks in this vicinity-crosses the Kelsey meadow in Nottingham and empties into Pea Porridge brook, which, a hundred rods beyond, empties into Little river.
BECK'S POINT and SLIP. Beck's Slip was a landing-place at Beck's point, on Fore river. This point is mentioned July 2, 1718, when Wm. Parker, of Portsmouth, conveyed to Nicholas Harford a dwelling-house and four acres of land on Dover Neck, beginning at a landing-place commonly called Beck's point, and extending west by the highway side to ye high street, then south by ye street to Samuel Haines' land, thence
east by Haines' land down to ye fore river.
A road was laid out March 16, 1721-22, from high street to Beck's slip, no doubt to facilitate access to Harford's ferry, which Nicholas Har- ford in 1717 had been licensed to run from this slip to Kittery-that is, to the opposite shore ; for Kittery then extended up the Newichawannock, and included the present town of Eliot and the Berwicks.
Thomas Cushing of Boston, and Mercy, his wife, Ang. 23, 1736, con- veyed to Capt. John Gage five acres of land, with buildings, etc., bought of Nicholas Harford, on the east side of Dover Neck, lying be- tween the land of Joseph Roberts and ye highway that leads down to ye landing-place commonly called Beck's slip, bounded westerly by the main road over Dover Neck down to Hilton's Point, northerly by Rob- erts' land, south by the highway from said main road to said landing-place, and easterly by Fore river, running from the river to the main road, in- cluding a strip four rods wide running along the river from said highway to the wharf on the river side, built by said Harford; with the privilege of the Ferry from said landing-place over to Kittery Shore.
Beck's Point was so named from Henry Beck of the Dover Combina- tion of 1640. He seems to have set- tled in Portsmouth. "Henry Beck of Sagamore Creek in ye town of Portsmouth, planter " and Ann, his wife, are mentioned in the county records at Exeter, Sept. 1, 1668.1
1 Henry Beck was the ancestor of Theodore Romeyn Beck, the author of Beck's Botany and several works on medical jurisprudence.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
The landing-place at Beck's slip and Harford's ferry, afterwards Mor- rill's ferry, is now owned by Mr. Geo. W. Ford.
BEECH HILL. This hill is on the confines of Durham, Lee, and Mad- bury. It is mentioned the 4th, 9 mo., 1652, when Philip Chesley had a grant of 100 acres, one half of which was laid out in 1661 "att a place called the Indian graves, on the west side of beach hill." Twelve score acres of land were granted Capt. John Woodman and his sons, John and Jonathan, March 19, 1693-4, " on ye south side of beach Hill and so down to the swamp." (Follet's Swamp.) Part of this land is now owned by Mr. Moses Gilman Wood- man, a direct descendant of Capt. John Woodman.
When Lee was separated from Durham, Jan. 17, 1766, the line of division began at Paul Chesley's house at Beech hill. When the bounds were perambulated in 1798, the line began at the place " where the house of Paul Chesley stood."
The name of Beech Hill is still re- tained, though the beech trees from which it was no doubt derived have all disappeared.
BELLAMY BANK RIVER Or FRESHET, otherwise BELLAMY RIVER. This river rises at Chesley's lower pond, now Swayne's, in Barrington (See Chesley's Ponds), and flows into Madbury, where it is joined by the Mallego at Bellamy Hook. Below the Barbadoes region it receives Church's brook, after which it passes through the Bellamy district in Dover. At the head of tide water it takes the name of " Back river," and flows along the west side of Dover
Neck, and finally empties into the Pascataqua river.
Dr. Ham of Dover ascribes the name of Bellamy to William Bellew, who, in 1644, owned a house and twenty acres of land on the north side of this stream, which he sold to Christopher Lawson. His name is otherwise written Ballew. " William Ballew " is the witness of a deed from Thomas Larkham to Wm. Walderne, Sept. 13, 1642. (N. H. Prov. Pap., 1 : 163.) " William Ballew" is also one of the petitioners concerning Wm. Walderne's estate, Oct. 27, 1647. (Ibid., 1 : 188-9.) " Will Bel- lew" is a witness to a deed from "Darby ffield" to John Bickford July 17, 1645. He is apparently the " Mr. Belley" who had a grant of six acres in Cochecho marsh in 1648. As his name does not appear in the Dover rate-list of that year, this grant was no doubt made in view of his for- mer rights, and belonged to his as- signee.
The derivation of the name of Bel- lamy river from Wm. Ballew is doubt- ful. He was a petty land-owner for a brief period, and has left no proof of his importance but the " Mr." prefixed to his name in one or two instances. Besides, Wm. Ballew's land seems not to have been on the fresh part of the stream to which the name of Bellamy has always been confined, but lower down, on the part called " Back river."
" The fifth of September, Anno Domi, 1644, William Bellew soulde [sold] his house situate in Dover, with ye appurtenances, unto Christopher Lawson, with twenty acres of land on ye back river, and thirty pounds
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
in goods, for thirty thousand of pine staves to be paid the first of August, 1646, etc. (County Records, Exeter.)
The supposition that Belleman's Bank is a contraction of " Bellew- man's Bank " is therefore hardly ad- missible. Besides, Belleman's Bank was certainly not the original name of this stream. The earliest form of the name was undoubtedly Bellamies Bank, greatly varied as to ortho- graphy. It is so called as early as 1648, the very year Wm. Ballew had a grant of six acres in Cochecho marsh. "Belleman's Bank " is men- tioned in 1658. It is evidently a corruption, and one that is ignoble to the ear. It is, however, frequently found in the old records. It is called " Bellamy's Bank" Oct. 17, 1683, by Major Richard Waldron, who was at Dover in the time of Wm. Ballew, and may be considered indisputable authority as to the name. The word " Bank " was perhaps added to the name of the plantation here in imita- tion of "Strawberry Bank " at the month of the Pascataqua.
A different origin of the name is suggested by the term of "ye old planting-ground "1 in the following deed : Thomas Beard of Dover, Aug. 6, 1654, conveyed to Richard Wal- dron a quarter part of the saw-mill (on Bellamy river), with all the iron works, ropes, wheels, and all imple- ments and housings, with all the logs
and the grant of timber by the town, and likewise ye old planting-ground, commonly called Bellemies Bank, with 20 acres more, granted by the town of Dover. (See Bellamy Falls.)
There were, however, people of the name of Bellamy in New England as early as 1644, when mention is made of John Bellamy of New Haven, merchant, who two years later was lost at sea, on his way to London. Mathew Bellamy of New Haven is mentioned in 1658, and again in 1675, when he had a grant of land at Say- brook, Conn.
Bellamy Bank, as a locality, is men- tioned May 31, 1675, when the com- mons above Little John's creek were set apart " on ye west side of ye way yt goes to Belamyes bank."
The disuse of the word " Bank " is ascribed to Wm. Hale after he ac- quired the falls next above Sawyer's mills. The name of Bellamy is now given to the district around these falls, as well as to the falls them- selves.
BELLAMY FALLS and MILLS. The first falls in the Bellamy river are at the outlet of Swayne's pond in Bar- rington, where a reservoir dam was erected for the benefit of Sawyer's mills in 1863-4, and enlarged in 1881. The land here was conveyed by Elijah Austin to Isaac Wendell Oct. 28, 1823, for the Great Falls Manufacturing Company, which se-
1 " Old planting-ground " was an expression generally applied to the land planted by the Indians. " Runacwitt's old planting-ground " in Kittery is mentioned in the York records. The "Squammagonake old planting-ground " is mentioned in 1686, in a deed from Hoope Whood and other Indian sagamores to Peter Coffin. "Mahermit's planting-ground " in the Pack- er's Falls district, Durham, is mentioned Oct. 9, 1735. (See Pendergast Garrison.) Andrew Wiggin of Quamscot conveyed to Joshua Bracket, Sept. 1, 1719, a tract of land " bounded att a clump of trees standing in a piece of old planting-ground nearly forty rods below Sandy Point, beginning at a stake in a piece of the old Indian ground 15 rods from high-water mark, about 40 rods below Sandy Point." Other instances might be given of the Indian corn-grounds, which were generally near the falls or some other important point on the rivers.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
cured all the water powers on the Bellamy in 1823-24, now controlled by the proprietors of Sawyer's mills.
Just below the reservoir dam are Hall's mills, consisting of a saw-mill on the lower side, run by water power, and a steam mill on the other side for axe handles, etc. Abont a mile below are Mr. Israel Pierce's saw-mill and grist-mill, which former- ly belonged to Jonathan Young. These mills are in Barrington. The uppermost mill within the limits of ancient Dover stood at Bellamy Hook, in Madbury, where a dam was built by Ely Demerit in 1719. This mill is now gone. (See Demerit's Mill.)
A short distance below the Hook once stood a mill for a brief period, built by Samuel Davis.
At the next falls were the Gerrish mills, also in Madbury. The river here flows between two steep hills. On the south side, below the bridge, was a grist-mill, and on the opposite bank a saw-mill. (See Gerrish's Mill.)
Between Gerrish's mill and the present Boston & Maine railway bridge was a saw-mill on the Hayes land, built a century ago at least. It was burned down Nov. 10, 1853, at which time it belonged to Mr. Oliver Hayes.
Further down was another saw- mill, long since removed. The water privilege here was owned by the Hayes family in 1825, when the old mill-site is stated to be half a mile above Col. Samuel Dudley's factory,
which was at the chief falls in the Bellamy district.
About fifty rods above Dudley's falls once stood a " day " saw-mill, owned by the neighboring farmers, but the fall is no longer perceptible, having been overflowed by the raising of the dam below after the Dudley privilege was acquired by Mr. Richard- son. This mill appears to have stood on the Hanson land, perhaps part of the tract mentioned Sept. 22, 1755, when Paul and Mary Gerrish, of the parish of Madbury, conveyed to Solomon Hanson a tract of 40 acres, 96 rods, in Dover, on the north side of Belle- min's Bank river, being part of ye land commonly called Beard's hun- dred acres, beginning at a considera- ble fall in said river.1 It extended from Ensign Joseph Beard's land to the river, and the conveyance in- cluded " the sole privilege of sª fall " on the north side of the river.
The chief falls in the Bellamy dis- trict have been called by various names, according to the different owners of this water privilege. A complete account of their mills would occupy too much space for this work. Among them may be mentioned Dud- ley's, Watson's, Richardson's, and Hale's mills. A saw-mill and grist- mill stood here Aug. 11, 1826, when the bridge between them, called Dud- ley's bridge, was swept away. This bridge was so named from Col. Sam- uel Dudley, who once had a mill on the south side for woollen cloths, carding, and machinery. He after- wards sold this factory to Daniel
1 Thomas Beard's 100-acre grant adjoined the 100 acres southward of Capt. Waldron's log swamp, conveyed by Henry Nock, Feb. 18, 1718-19, to John Hanson and Thomas Hanson, Jr. (See Nock's Marsh.)
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