USA > New Hampshire > Strafford County > Dover > Landmarks in ancient Dover, New Hampshire > Part 20
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" Welch Cove, July 27, 1696." ( N. H. Prov. Pup., 2: 194-200.) His garrison is again mentioned in 1797, when one soldier was stationed there. John Dam petitioned for relief to his garrison Ap. 7, 1698. This gar- rison stood near Dame's Point, but the precise spot is not knowu.
II. The DOWNING GARRISON Was on Fox Point. It was probably built by Nicholas Harrison, who, in his will of March 5, 1707, gives his son- in-law John Downing and wife Eliza- beth, " as his eldest daughter," all his housing, orchards, and lands, at ffox pointe, given him by his father-in-law John Bickford (see Fox Point) ; also half of his lands in New Jersey. John Downing, who married Eliza- beth Harrison, died Sept. 16, 1744, aged 85. His will of Feb. 23, 1743, proved Sept. 26, 1744, mentions his wife Elizabeth. He is called " Es- quire " in the letters of administra- tion. His son was the Hon. John Downing, generally called " Col. Downing," who was a man of wealth and political influence. He was a member of the Provincial Council of N. H. under the administration of Gov. Benning Wentworth, from 1742 to 1763. He was an extensive land- owner in Newington, Portsmouth, Rochester, and Nottingham, besides owning 300 acres in Arundell, Maine, bequeathed him by his father. At his death he gave land for a school- house in Newington, and 500 pounds " put at interest " for the mainte- nance of a teacher. His will, dated September 5, 1755, was admitted to probate March 12, 1766. In it he mentions his son John as " deceased." The latter died about 1750, in which year, Nov. 28, letters of administra-
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tion were granted his widow Pa- tience. Mr. Brewster, in his notes to the " Atkinson Silver Waiter " (see Rambles about Portsmouth, Vol. II) wrongly supposes John Downing, 3d, husband of Patience, to have been the Councillor and the same John who died in 1744. Mary, daughter of Col. John Downing, the Councillor, married Thomas Picker- ing Feb. 7, 1727. They were the great-great-grandparents of the pres- ent writer.
The Downing land at Fox Point was still in possession of the family, at least in part, Nov. 12, 1793, when Richard Downing conveyed one aere of it to the proprietors of Pascataqua bridge. The garrison was no doubt then occupied by his son Bartholo- mew, who, at that time, was living on the Fox Point farm. (See Fox Point.) It was built of logs, with four large rooms, each said to have been occupied by a family at one period. It was attacked more than onee by the Indians, who, on one occasion, set fire to it, traces of which could still be seen when it was taken down about fifty years ago by Col. Isaac Frink, who had acquired it.
III. FURBER'S GARRISON. This garrison stood near Furber's Pt., and must have been built before 1689, in which year Wm. Furber was ap- pointed " Ensign " by the Mass. government. He was promoted to to be " Lieutenant " Sept. 20, 1692.
Lieut. Wm. Furber speaks of his garrison at Welch Cove, July 27, 1696. He was tried by a court-mar- tial that year for dismissing his sol- diers (perhaps for lack of supplies), and not only fined for that and other offences, but forbidden to hold office.
He was, however, a representative to the General Assembly in 1703 and 1704, and in 1707 he was one of the men appointed to run the boundaries of the five townships of the province. The Rev. John Pike, in his journal, records the death of " Lt. William Furber of Welch Cove," Sept. 14, 1707. He was an ancestor of the present writer, through her great- grandmother Deborah Furber, who married John Gee Pickering of New- ington.
IV. LANGSTAFFE'S GARRISON. This garrison is mentioned by Major Pike as attacked in 1789. It stood on Bloody Point itself, which seems to have verified its name if credit is to be given to a tradition that many people lie buried here who were mas- sacred by the Indians. It was built by Henry Langstaffe or Langstar, who was one of the colonists sent over by Capt. John Mason in 1631. The Rev. John Pike, in his Journal, records the death of Henry Langstar at Bloody Point, July 18, 1705. at the age of about 100 years, " from a fall down four steps into his Lean- to." The Langstar homestead is mentioned Nov. 23, 1716, when Hen- ry Langstar of Piscataqua, New Jer- sey, attorney of his father John Lang- star, conveyed to John Shackford one half of the homestead at Bloody Point, on the west side of the Piscat- aqua river-then in possession of Henry Langstar, son of Henry Lang- star, deceased-bounded south by Capt. John Knight's land, formerly Benj" Biekford's, west by ye highway leading to ye ferry, and so bounded upon ye land formerly George Braun's down to ye river, thenee upon ye river to said Knight's, where we first began.
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Benjamin Bickford's land was at the upper side of Pine Pt., adjoining Geo. Brann's.
V. NUTTER'S GARRISON. This gar- rison stood near Welsh Cove, on land now owned by the heirs of Col. Isaac Frink, whose mother was a Nutter. It was no doubt built by Anthony Nutter (son of Hatevil of Dover), who is mentioned in 1663 as a "planter at Welshman's cove." He is noted for aiding and abetting Thomas Wiggin, of Squamscot, in his assault upon Deputy-Governor Barefoot in 1685, on which occasion he is described as " a tall, big man, walking around the room in a laugh- ing manner." (See N. H. Prov. Pap., I : 578-9.) He married Sarah, daugh- ter of Henry Langstaffe. Pike's Journal says, Feb. 19, 1685-6 : " Lt. Anthony Nutter of Welch Cove de- ceased of the smal-pox bef : it came out."
NEWMARKET. The north part of Exeter was made a parish under the name of Newmarket, Dec. 15, 1727, but it did not have a grant of town privileges till Ang. 19, 1737. (N. H. Prov. Pap., IV : 739.) It was still called a " parish" in 1745, when Capt. Israel Gilman was chosen rep- resentative (Ibid, V : 339), and seems never to have been formally chartered as a township. A part of ancient Dover now belongs to Newmarket.
NEWTOWN. This name has been given for more than two hundred years to a district in the upper part of Lee, between Wheelwright's pond and Madbury. The Dover records speak of a highway laid out in 1688 from the head of Beard's creek to Newtown. The name itself implies a settlement. That there was one here
at an early day, doubtless first made for logging purposes, is confirmed by the mention of an orchard May 31, 1721, when 60 acres of land (half of a grant to Patrick Jemison the 17th, 10 mo., 1663), were laid out to Capt. Samuel Emerson about a mile and a half from Wheelwright's pond, down the river on both sides, beginning below Newtown Orchard, at a red oak on the south side of Oyster river by the river side. One bound was from a tree about ten rods on the north side of the river, extending to the upper fulls. This land was con- veyed to Capt. Emerson by John Webster and wife Bridget of Salis- bury, Mass., Jan. 27, 1719-20. The other half of the Jemison or Jameson grant was conveyed to Nathaniel Randall by John and Bridget Web- ster Jan. 27, 1719-20, and laid out to him May 31, 1721, beginning at an oak on the south side of the mast path. This was, of course, the mast path from Madbury.
NEWTOWN MILL. A mill was erected at the uppermost falls in Oyster river at an early day-no doubt the mill Belknap mentions as burnt by the Indians in 1712, to- gether with a large quantity of boards. It must have been rebuilt soon after. It is probably the mill referred to in the inventory of the estate of Robert Huckins of Oyster River, April 22, 1720, in which " half a quarter of the saw-mill at Webster's falls, so called," is mentioned. (See John and Bridget Webster's conveyance at Newtown mentioned above.) This mill, however, was generally known as the Newtown mill down to the be- ginning of the present century, when it took the name of Layn's mill,
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which it still bears. Nathaniel La- | mos had 40 acres of land laid ont to him May 19, 1729, "beginning on Oyster river, a littel above the mill called New Town mill." A highway " from New Town mill up into the woods " is mentioned Oct. 20, 1735, when 25 acres were laid out for Rob- ert Huckins on the south side of this road " at a place called Maple brook." A highway was laid out from New- town sawmill on the south side of Oyster river, June 9, 1738, extend- ing to the road that leads from Little river. (Durham Records.)
Wm. Clay conveyed to his sons Samuel and Joseph, Oct. 23, 1742, " one full quarter part of a sawmill situated in Durham, upon ye stream or river called Newtown River, being ye uppermost mill standing upon ye sª stream, and is next to ye pond called Wheelwright's Pond, out of which sd stream issues," with a quar- ter part of " ye running geer," dam, stream, and all privileges therennto belonging. "Newtown river " is, of course, that part of Oyster river which flows through Newtown. Wm. Clay, " cordwainder," and Samuel Clay, husbandman, conveyed to Dan- iel Rodgers and Benjamin Mathes, July 20, 1754, 80 acres of land at or near New Town Saw Mill in the town of Durham, beginning at the S. E. corner of said Clay's land, next Eli Clark's, thence running by the high- way to said saw-mill, and over the freshet by sª highway to the end of Clay's fence, thence northerly to the land of widow Joanna Snell and John Jonknes (Jones?), then easterly by the highway to the first bound, with all buildings, orchards, etc. Edward Leathers, Jr., of Durham, conveyed
to David Munsey, Sept. 12, 1761, one sixteenth part of Newtown saw- mill, so called, in said Durham, also one sixteenth of the falls and privi- leges belonging to said mill, and a sixteenth part of all the iron work in partnership belonging thereto. Ed- ward Leathers conveyed to John Leathers, March 5, 1790, forty acres of land in Lee, beginning at the S. W. corner of John Snell's land, and running on the road that leads to Newtown sawmill until it comes to Clarke's yard, so called, etc., except- ing however the land lately sold his daughter Hannah (afterwards the wife of Lemuel Chesley.) Also a sixth part of Newtown sawmill and gristmill, so called, in said Lee, to- gether with one sixth part of the dam and privilege of said mill. Edward Leathers, Ap. 7, 1801, conveyed to David Monsey one sixteenth part of a sawmill in Lee, known by the name of Newtown sawmill.
The first time the writer finds the Newtown mill called Layn's mill is on the State map of Lee in 1803, where mention is made of " Layn's mill road." This name was derived from Capt. John Layn, who was in Durham as early as March 8, 1760, when he enlisted in Capt. Samuel Gerrish's company, Col. John Goffe's regiment, for the Canada expedition. " John Layn of Durham, gunsmith," in a petition of May 26, 1761, states that he was employed as armorer for that regiment, and furnished his own tools, but had received no extra pay for this service. He was allowed 4 £ sterling. (N. H. Town Pap., XI : 581-2.) He was appointed captain in Col. John Waldron's regiment, March 6, 1776, for six weeks service
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at Winter Hill. He acquired land at Newtown in 1763, and again June 9, 1766, when Thomas Leathers con- veyed to him ten acres of land where said Thomas then lived, at the corner of the roads that led to Durham falls, Madbury, and Newtown. He estab- lished an inn in this vicinity, proba- bly the first in Newtown. The old sign-board, bearing the name of WASHINGTON and the date of " 1779," is still to be seen, but the painting of Washington on horseback, once em- blazoned thereon, has been entirely effaced by the elements. John Layn calls himself " of Lee" in 1790, but in 1804 was living in Barrington, where he had acquired several tracts of land-among others, 42 acres at Bumfaggin, and lots No. 40, and No. 41, in the half-mile range near Bow Pond, in that part of Barrington now Strafford, consisting of 100 acres each, which he bought of Daniel Brewster and Isaiah Swain. There he had a saw-mill and probably lived. At that time he owned the whole of the grist-mill at Newtown, but only a four-days right in the saw-mill, both of which he conveyed, July 17, 1804, to Paul Giles, who re-conveyed them to Layn Nov. 22, 1805. These mills were then no doubt operated by his son Edmund. Capt. Jolin Layn died before May 22, 1811, when his son John was appointed administrator of his estate. The inventory, made June 18, 1811, mentions his grist- mill and privilege, and the old grist- mill frame, but not the saw-mill. They were acquired by his son Edmund, who continued to run them till his deatlı, at the age of 76 years, Aug. 27, 1843. There is now a saw and shingle-mill here, owned by Mr. Sam-
nel W. Layn, grandson of the above Edmund. In this vicinity is Layn's school-house, on the turnpike-road, once noted, not for its schools, but as a place for popular prayer-meet- ings.
NEWTOWN PLAINS. Mentioned in the Durham records, March 9, 1764, when the selectmen of Durham, at the request of Joseph Atkinson, Esq., laid out "a public highway at a place called New Town Plains in said Durham," beginning at the high- way that leads up to Barrington, and running south 10 rods to Wm. Jack- son's S. W. corner, and along his land to Joseph Atkinson's. And again Ap. 16, 1764, when, by virtue of a vote of the proprietors of Dur- ham, 14 acres were laid ont to John Layn, blacksmith, " at a place called Newtown Plains, beginning at the highway, at the S. W. corner of a piece of land usually called Odiorne's field," and extending on one side to the northwest part of a heath. These plains, called " Newtown plains" to this day, comprise a sandy, barren, monotonous region in the upper part of Newtown.
NIGGER POINT. This point is on the southern shore of Oyster river, in Durham. It formed part of the old Burnham land, but is now owned by Mr. Wm. P. Ffrost. Here lived the Barhews, a negro family of last cen- tury, owned by Deacon Jeremiah Burnham. The parents were kid- napped in Africa and brought to this country, where they received the names of Belmont and Venus. Their union seems to have been duly legal- ized, for among the records of the Rev. John Adams of Durham is the marriage of " Belmont and Venus,"
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Jan. 1, 1760. No surname is men- tioned. They had seven children, five of whom were boys, viz :- ÆEnon, Cæsar, Jubal, Titus, and Peter or Pete. ÆNON, when only four years of age, was bought by Col. Timothy Emerson of Durham. He became free after the Revolution, but con- tinned to live with his master, to the great enjoyment of Col. Emerson's descendants to the fourth generation, by whom he was always held in affec- tionate remembrance. He died at an advanced age, and lies buried with other Emerson slaves, in an old or- chard on the north side of Brown's Hill. Their graves have always been respected by the family. CÆSAR be- came the property of Vowel Leathers of Nottingham. He is spoken of as " a good Christian," and was noted for singing hymns and spiritual songs with great unction, which made him an acquisition at prayer- meetings. He acquired $500, after his freedom, and ended his days with his old master's daughter in New- market. TITUS was bought by Col. James Gilmore, who lived below Bunker's creek, in Durham. JUBAL, generally called Jube, was acquired by Capt. Smith Emerson of Durham, an able officer of the Revolutionary army. When a boy he was generally punished for his misdeeds by being placed in the fork of a large elm be- fore the house, which, in consequence, became known as Jube's elm. This house stood on Mast road, near the Lee boundary, and when burned down many years ago, Jube's elm was de- stroyed. PETER was the youngest, and remained in the possession of Deacon Burnham. He was of a cross grain, and required much skill in
management. His sleeping-place, still called Pete's hole, is to be seen in the old Burnham mansion, now in ruins. The Rev. Mr. Coe, in Nov., 1783, records the burial of " Venus, a negro servant of J. Burnham, Jr." She was the mother of this interest- ing family. Several of the Barhews were buried near " Nigger Point." Their graves were always respected by the Burnhams, but have since disappeared under the ploughshare.
NIMBLE HILL. Mentioned in the Dover records March 13, 1703-4, when ten acres, granted to Zachariah Trickey in 1675, were laid out to him at Nimble Hill, west of John Down- ing's land, on the north side of the highway from Bloody Point to Green- land. John Downing bought this land March 20, 1703-4, when Nim- ble Hill is again mentioned. The name is still retained. Nimble Hill is in the northern part of Newington and crossed by the highway near the old Adams mansion, now owned by Mr. Knox. (See Stony Hill.)
NO-BOTTOM POND. This name is given to a little pond in Dover, above Garrison Hill, said to be fathomless. It is in the Taylor-Page pasture, in the rear of the farm buildings, whence it is sometimes called Page's pond. It is on the Dover map of 1805, but without any name. This is, in fact, a spruce hole, the pool being in the depths of a hollow, sur- rounded by a bed of thick, soft moss, where grow the side-saddle flower and other bog-loving plants, and the sides of hollow bordered with spruce and other trees, weather-beaten and in every stage of crookedness. This black pool of ominous aspect, with its name akin to the Bottomless Pit,
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the quaking bog around it, and dreary looking trees, distorted as if with pain, and the small, swift stream- let which issues therefrom, called the Styx, are all suggestive of baleful things. This pond has diminished in size, the bushes having constantly advanced on its borders. It feeds another pool much smaller, at a short distance, called Little pond or Egg pond. The Styx flows through the Page pasture and the Dennis land, and before the draining of the neigh- boring marshes was large enough to require a string-piece at the crossing.
NOCK'S MARSH. This is a well- known marsh on the west side of Dover, crossed by the so-called Nock's Marsh road from Dover to Madbury. It is mentioned in the second Thomas Nock's will of Feb. 15, 1676, in which he gives his brother Sylvanus a tract of land between Cochecho and Nock's Marsh, next Thomas Beard's land. And again May 8, 1716, when Eliphalet Coffin conveyed to Mark Giles ten acres " on the northwest side of ye path y: leads (from Cochecho) to Nock's Marsh." Ebenezer Hanson, Sept. 19, 1768, conveyed to Otis Baker his homestead farm of 62} acres, at or near a place called Nock's Marsh, bounded east by his brother Solomon Hanson's land, south by Bellamy river, northerly by Mark Giles' land, etc., being part of his father Thomas Hanson's estate.
The " old road from Littleworth to Nock's Marsh" is mentioned in the Dover records of Ap. 11, 1804.
The name of Nock's marsh (some- times incorrectly written Knox) is de- rived from Thomas Nock, who was in possession of 30 acres adjoining
Log swamp the 1st, 10 mo., 1656, and subsequently had several grants of land adjoining. Henry Nock, Feb. 18, 1718-19, conveyed to Jolin Hanson and Thomas Hanson, Jr., 100 acres " to ye southward of Capt. Waldron's Logg Swamp, bordering on ye S. E. side partly on Thomas Beard's 100 acres, on the S. W. by the Back river, on the N. W. by Wm. Thompson's land, and N. E. by the commons." Also a tract adjoining the above, next Thomas Beard's lot, reserving 20 acres, all of which land was granted, says the deed, to his father Thomas Nock, deceased.
NORTHAM. This name was given to Dover in 1640, out of compliment, it is said, to the Rev. Thomas Lark- ham, of Northam, Eng., at that time the minister at Dover Neck. But the name of Dover was speedily re- sumed after his departure in 1642, doubtless because he left with a tar- nished reputation. (See N. H. Prov. Pap., 1 : 124.) It was called Northam as late as Sept. 14, 1642. (See Royall's Cove. ) Northam, Eng., is in Devonshire, not far from Bideford, near the junction of the Torridge and the Taw, a region of which Kingsley gives pleasant glimpses in his " West- ward Ho!" These two towns are so near together, he says, that the bells rung out from the tower of Northam church are answered by those of Bid- eford. Several of the early settlers in New Hampshire were from that region. Edmond Pickard, one of the chief proprietors at the Shoals in 1661, describes himself in a deed as "of Northam, near Biddeford, in Devon, in Old England." The name of Appledore, at the Shoals, was de- rived from a hamlet of that name in
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the parish of Northam, Eng. Mr. J. S. Jenness says when he was at Northam and Appledore in 1874, he was struck by the number of sur- names like those of the early settlers at the Shoals. (Jenness' Isles of Shoals, p. 101.)
NORTH RIVER. This tributary to Lamprey river rises in North River pond, on the borders of Northwood and Nottingham. At the head of this stream onee lived a small tribe of Indians, who, after the fall of Louisbourg, became troublesome to the neighboring settlers for many years.1 North river is frequently mentioned in the early records of Durham. The third division of the common lands, ordered March 18, 1733-4, embraced the lands at North river, now South Lee. Of the lots thus assigned to the proprietors of Durham, a dozen or more were ae- quired by Solomon Emerson, and over twenty by Joseph Sias. (See County Records at Exeter, Vol. 79, etc.) Capt. Samuel Emerson had a grant of 423 acres, laid out Nov. 5, 1750, on the south side of North river, " beginning at the river on the dividing line between Durham and Nottingham." " Pd the commit- tee for laying out a highway from North River to little River-£38, 5s." (Durham Records, 1763.)
North River Falls are mentioned in the Durham records March 15, 1754, when Ichabod Chesley's grant of 25 acres was laid out "on the south side of Little River, and on the north side of a High Way that leadeth
to the North River falls," begin- ning at an asp tree marked E. D., it being Ephraim Davis's S. W. corner bonnd.
These falls are at the bend in North river, in the southwest corner of Lee. They are sometimes called Great falls. Over nine aeres, part of a 25 acre grant to Edward Wake- ham, deceased, were laid out to Sam- uel Smith, June 13, 1753, beginning at a hemlock tree, "standing three. rods above the Pitch of the North River Great falls, so called, in Dur- ham." Great Falls bridge is men- tioned in the Lee records of 1789. These falls are called " Long Falls " on the State map of Lee in 1803. Harvey's shingle-mill is now in oper- ation here.
NORWAY PLAINS. This name was given at an early day to the large sandy plain on which the city of Rochester now stands ;- derived, it is said, from the Norway pines that onee covered it. A James Norroway, however, is mentioned in Dover in 1696, and many old people in Roches- ter at the present day call this traet " Norroway Plains." This form of the name is often found in the old- world legends and songs about the "ancient rock-bound Norroway " of northern Europe.
Norway Plains Mills are mentioned in Col. John Downing's will of Sept. 5, 1755. Jonathan Downing of Rochester conveyed to Richard Downing of Newington, May 6, 1774, 100 acres " at the upper part of the Long lot, so called, against Norway
1 The writer remembers hearing her maternal grandmother, who was born in Nottingham in 1756, relate how in her childhood she had been forced to take refuge eight times in a garrison -doubtless Longfellow's-on account of these Indians or their allies. Only a few years previ- ous (in 1747) several people of that vicinity had been slain, among them Mrs. Elizabeth Simp- son, who was shot by the Indians as she stood near a window kneading dough for the oven.
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Plains in Rochester, given him by his honored grandfather John Down- ing, Esq., of Newington, in his last will and testament." A petition that the court of Strafford Co., then held at Dover and Durham, might be moved to Norway Plain in Rochester, is mentioned June 4, 1789. (N. H. State Pap., 12 : 11-12.) " Norway Plains village in Rochester " is men- tioned in the N. H. Republican of Dover, March 25, 1828. This was, of course, the present city of Roches- ter.
NUTE'S CORNER. This corner is in Freetown, Madbury, between the old Province road to Barrington and the road to the Hook mill. So named from Andrew Nute, who was licensed to keep a tavern here April 14, 1804.
NUTE'S CREEK. A creek of this name on the west side of Back river is mentioned Sept. 16, 1702, when 40 acres of land, granted to John Dam in 1656, were laid out to his son, be- ginning at a white oak on the line between this land and that of Joseph Tibbets. A highway is mentioned between Dam's land and that of James Newt, which led to a landing- place at the head of James Newt's Creek. This creek is above Hope- hood's Point. Joseph Tibbets' land is now owned in part by Mr. Peasley. Nute's land here is mentioned Ap. 5, 1710, when Wm. Story's lot on the west side of Back river (lot No. 8) was conveyed by his sons, Joseph of Wells and Jeremiah of Boston, to Samuel Cromwell, bounded S. by Capt. Jolin Tuttle's land, north by James Nute's, and west by Capt. Philip Cromwell's.
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