USA > New Hampshire > New Hampshire agriculture : personal and farm sketches > Part 15
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in lumbering, and has sold agricultural implements, to a considerable extent, for many years.
His farm embraces sixty-six acres of land, of which about twenty-two acres are in mowing and tillage, mostly in a single field, which, by thorough cultivation, has been brought into a very productive state, the hay crop aver- aging two tons per acre, while he has grown 108 bushels of shelled corn, and potatoes at the rate of 330 bushels per acre. The rocks and stones have been removed and built into substantial walls, or buried in deep drains which have also materially improved the condition of the soil. The dwelling is a substantial two-story house, while the barn-67 x 38 feet-framed and constructed under Mr. Hill's personal direction, is one of the best-arranged in the county, affording ample storage for the forty tons of hay and other fodder secured, and accommodations for the stock, consisting generally of five or six superior horses and about fifteen excellent cows, the milk from which has in recent years been sold to Hood & Sons, of Derry.
Mr. Hill has great mechanical ingenuity, and has a shop on the premises, where he not only shoes his horses, but does every variety of repairing that may be required. There is, in fact, no kind of work necessary to be done on the farm or about the buildings, carriages, or imple- ments, of which he has the best, which he cannot do with his own hands.
In politics, Mr. Hill is a Republican, and was elected chairman of the board of selectmen of Derry, in March, 1897. He is a member and officer of St. Mark's lodge, A. F. and A. M. ; a charter member of Nutfield Grange, in which he has held numerous offices, including that of master for two years, was also for two years master of the Eastern New Hampshire Pomona Grange, and four years a district deputy of the State Grange. He was
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for three years assistant marshal and four years marshal of the New Hampshire Grange Fair, and has been marshal of the West Rockingham Pomona Grange Fair since its inception. He was active in the organization of the Grange Fire Insurance Company, of which he is a director, as he is also of the Patrons' Relief Association. In religion, he is a Presbyterian, and is connected with the church at East Derry, where he has also been several years superintendent of the Sunday-school.
November 3, 1869, Mr. Hill was united in marriage with Lizzie H., daughter of Luther Fitz of Chester, who was a successful teacher, and also endowed with fine literary ability. While neglecting none of the details of daily domestic duty, she has found time for work in other direc- tions, particularly in the Grange, being at the present time master of Nutfield Grange. They have three chil- dren living-twin daughters, Emma Josephine and Ella May, born June 9, 1874, graduates of Pinkerton acad- emy, class of 1894, since engaged in teaching, and a son, Albert Lyon, born March 20, 1882, now a student at Pinkerton.
WILLIAM E. GAY,
HILLSBOROUGH.
The old town of Hillsborough, though rough and rug- ged as to surface, is nevertheless favored with a strong soil, admirably adapted to grazing and dairy purposes, and also productive of excellent fruit, so that with the exercise of judgment, skill, and industry, the pursuit of agriculture within its limits has been and may be attended with remunerative and satisfactory results.
Perhaps no man in the entire history of the town accom- plished more in this line than the late William Edwin Gay, son of Benjamin H. and Ann D. (Stowe) Gay, born
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July 18, 1835, on the farm where he always resided, except during a two years' absence in early life, when he served as a clerk in Boston, and upon which his father settled after giving up the occupation of a tanner, which he had followed in the vicinity for many years. This farm, now known as "Maplewood Farm," is situated about two and a half miles from Hillsborough Bridge, near what is known as the " Centre," and embraces about 160 acres of land, al- though a considerable amount of outlying pasture and woodland is owned in connec- tion therewith.
Mr. Gay gave to the cultivation and im- provement of this farm, the energy and devo- tion of a tireless, pur- poseful life, seeking the best results through the application of the most approved meth- ods, dairying and fruit WILLIAM E. GAY. culture being his lead- ing specialties for many years. He kept from twenty to thirty cows, largely Jerseys, and produced, for a time, upwards of 4,000 pounds of butter per annum, which commanded the highest market price, on account of its superior quality. Some two or three years previous to his decease, he changed from butter to milk produc- tion, finding his market in a milk route at Hillsborough Bridge. Upon making this change, he gradually dis- posed of his Jerseys, substituting Ayrshires in their place, as the most desirable cows for milk alone.
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Of fruit, in whose culture he took special delight, he raised all kinds in abundance, and numerous varieties. Apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, and grapes were grown in profusion, over thirty varieties of grapes being included among his bearing vines. His peaches were of special excellence, and in one season he sold upwards of one hundred dollars worth of the same. He exercised great care not only in the cultivation, but in the harvest- ing, storing, and marketing of his fruits, and was partic- ularly successful in preserving apples in perfect condition for the late winter and spring markets.
The annual hay crop on this farm amounts to some seventy-five tons, and this has been supplemented with corn, of which several hundred bushels per annum have been raised, but the ensilage system has never been adopted. Potatoes are raised in considerable quantities, and were at one time quite a specialty.
In some years, from fifty to sixty head of cattle and horses have been kept on the farm, the latter branch of stock usually including some good animals, which is the case at the present time.
The location and surroundings of " Maplewood " are most attractive for summer boarders, and for the last thirty years a number of these have been accommodated here. So popular had the place become as a home for those seeking the genuine comforts of country life during the heated term, that, in 1892, a separate house with rooms for the accommodation of thirty or forty people, was erected near the farm-house, and has been filled every succeeding season.
Mr. Gay was a Republican in politics, taking much interest in public affairs, but never seeking office, though he was for three years a member of the board of select- men. In religion, he was a Methodist, and the family are connected with the Methodist society at the Centre.
" MAPLEWOOD FARM," HILLSBOROUGH, WALTER E. GAY, PROPRIETOR.
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Mr. Gay was a charter member of Valley Grange, of Hillsborough, taking a deep interest in the welfare of the organization from the first, holding many of its offices, including that of lecturer, to which he gave his best efforts for several years, and manifesting his devotion to the principles of the order in all fitting ways, up to the time of his death, December 9, 1895.
He was united in marriage, March 17, 1861, with Miss Mary J. Blanchard, of Washington. Their six children include four daughters
and two sons. The eldest, Nellie M., is the wife of Charles Morgan, a farmer of Hillsborough, residing near "Maplewood Farm." Frank D., the eldest son, remained at home, engaged with his father in the man- agement of the farm, until his marriage, in 1896, when he re- moved to the "Bridge " village, but still con- tinues the milk busi- WALTER E. GAY. ness. Walter E., the younger son, was engaged for ten years in Manchester, with his uncle, R. D. Gay, but re- turned home upon his father's decease and his brother's removal, and is now actively engaged in management of the farm, and proposes to devote his best energies to agriculture as his future life-work. Julia M., a gradu- ate of Colby academy, who continued her studies in special lines in Boston and Chicago universities for two years, is now a teacher in the Dundee, Ill., High school.
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Lisabel, the third daughter, a graduate of the Dundee High school, entered the State Normal School at Ply- mouth, in 1896; while Ethel A., the youngest, is yet at home.
HON. JOHN C. RAY, MANCHESTER.
Although now generally known as the efficient super- intendent of the State Industrial School in Manchester, which position he has held since 1874, John C. Ray, for a quarter of a century previous, was one of the leading farmers of Merrimack county, and still owns the splendid farm in Dunbarton in whose cultivation he has taken so much pride and pleasure. Mr. Ray was born in Hop- kinton, January 3, 1826, but moved in childhood, with · his father, Aaron Ray, to the farm in question, in the western part of Dunbarton, near the Stark place, a por- tion of which he has also recently purchased. After securing his education in the district school, and at Master John Ballard's famous private school in Hopkin- ton, Mr. Ray devoted himself to agriculture. Succeed- ing to the ownership of the farm, which embraces some four hundred acres of land altogether, he wrought great improvement in its condition, quadrupling the amount of its hay product, and engaging extensively in stock breeding, first raising grade Shorthorns, of which the famous mammoth cow, the largest ever raised in the country, weighing 2,760 pounds, which was sold for $700 and exhibited all over the country, was a specimen. Subsequently he turned his attention to Devons, raising many fine pure-blood animals of this breed. He was long a successful exhibitor at the fairs, in which he has always taken an interest, having been an officer in both the old New Hampshire State and Merrimack County
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fairs. The superior management, and splendid Devon stock, of the Industrial School farm furnish ample testi- mony to his skill and judgment as a manager and stock breeder. For a long time after his removal to Manches- ter, Mr. Ray continued the management of his Dunbar- ton farm, but has recently leased it, to relieve himself of the care involved. Aside from this farm, he owns several hundred acres of land in various places, paying taxes in eight different towns. Notwithstanding his large expe- rience in public life, and his varied duties in other direc- tions, his interest in agriculture is as strong as ever, and his chief pride is in what he has accomplished as a New Hampshire farmer.
JOHN L. KELLEY,
FRANKLIN.
Probably no man in New Hampshire has more effec- tively demonstrated the fact that agriculture even in this rugged section of the country, can be made profitable, than John L. Kelley of the " Maplewood " farm, Frank- lin, situated on Prospect street, or the Northfield road, a mile and a half out from Franklin Falls, which has long been known as one of the best farms in Merrimack county, and has been continually improving in productive value.
Mr. Kelley is a native of Gilmanton, a son of Daniel and Sally (Weeks) Kelley, and a grandson of Micajah Kelley, a soldier of the Revolution. He was reared to farm life, but secured a good education in the common schools and at Gilmanton academy, and the Seminary at Sanbornton Bridge, now Tilton, and taught school winters from the age of eighteen to twenty-five. He engaged in farming in his native town until 1866, when he bought what was then known as the Gerrish farm, in
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Franklin, upon which he has since resided, and which he has made to yield the abundant fruits of intelligent industry. This farm embraces about 250 acres of land, conveniently located, with a soil admirably adapted to the production of hay, corn, potatoes, and almost all crops grown in this part of the country. The buildings con- sist of a large, old-style farm mansion, a modern cottage, two large barns, and all necessary outbuildings, all admirably arranged and supplied with the requisite con- veniences. There is also a full supply of the best of modern farm machinery, including the Keystone hay load- er, economy in labor being a strong point in Mr. Kelley's farm system.
About 100 acres of the farm are devoted to mowing and tillage, of which some forty acres are generally kept under the plow, one half of this being JOHN L. KELLEY. planted to corn, the product of which is largely ensilaged. The potato crop reaches from 500 to 1,500 bushels, and has sometimes exceeded the latter figure. Market gardening is quite extensively pursued, Franklin Falls furnishing a ready daily market, whose wants have been carefully noted and promptly met. The hay crop is quite heavy, the two cuttings amounting to about 200 tons per annum. Milk production is the leading industry, and has grad- ually increased in extent, until now about sixty cows
.. MAPLEWOOD FARM, " FRANKLIN, J. L. KELLEY & SONS.
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are kept, the milk being delivered daily to customers in the city. In addition to Mr. Kelley and his sons, four men are employed on the farm through the year, and from two to four others during the busy season.
Mr. Kelley married, October 24, 1847, Miss Susan Drew, of Alton. Six children have blessed their union- Emily Bird, wife of Rev. J. W. Walker, of Iowa ; Olin J. ; Charles H., now a lawyer in Forest City, Ia. ; Elmer D. ; Nellie Bell, wife of Z. A. Norris, of Boston, and Irving J. All enjoyed and improved excellent educa- tional advantages, and are thoroughly equipped for the duties of life. Two of the sons, Olin J. and Elmer D., the latter a graduate of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, and at present a member of the Franklin city council, are associated with Mr. Kelley in the proprietorship and management of the farm and business. Olin J. married Mary Elizabeth Walker, of Brompton, Ont., and has four children. They occupy the cottage. Elmer D. married Emma Ingalls, of Walden, Vt., and has also four children, occu- pying the main house, with the father and mother. The younger son, Irving J., though unmarried, occupies the Scribner farm, adjoining, which was purchased by Mr. Kelley some years since, and is engaged in business for himself, with a partner.
Mr. Kelley has been, all his life, diligently devoted to his occupation, never seeking office or preferment in any direction, but conscientiously performing his duty as a man and a citizen ; yet, while a resident of Gilmanton, he served for ten years as moderator, several years as a member of the school-board, and in 1864 and 1865 as a member of the legislature. Politically, he is a Republi- can, and in religion, a Methodist, having joined that church in early life, though as a matter of convenience he worshipped with the Free Baptists for some years in
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Gilmanton, serving also as superintendent of the Sunday- school. In Franklin, he has been chairman of the board of trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church since its organization, has filled by turns nearly all the offices of the church, and was for several years superintendent of the Sunday-school, a position which his son, Elmer D., has also acceptably filled for the last ten years or more.
Mr. Kelley is a charter member of Franklin Grange, and is also a member of Pemigewasset Colony, U. O. P. F., of which he was the first governor. His sons are also members of the Grange, and Elmer D. for three years held the master's chair.
Aside from home farms, Mr. Kelley owns several hun- dred acres of land in Hill, Northfield, and Gilmanton, including the ancestral farm in the latter town. In the fall of 1896, they erected a large hot-house near the city, as an adjunct of the market gardening business, which already gives promise of substantial returns.
MARK RINES,
JEFFERSON.
Some of the most energetic and successful men in northern New Hampshire have combined the occupations of the lumberman and farmer, transforming the forest growth into lumber, and clearing up and cultivating the land. A good representative of this class is Mark Rines of Jefferson, who was born in that town, March 7, 1841, was educated in the common schools, and has devoted himself to lumbering and agriculture, with such success that, through strict attention to business, coupled with honor and integrity, he has acquired a handsome prop- erty. He manufactures annually about two millions of long and short lumber, including clapboards and shingles, for which he finds a ready market.
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He has cleared about three hundred acres of land, which is devoted to agricultural purposes. He cuts annually 125 tons of hay, and raises 1,500 bushels of oats and other grain, which he feeds to a large stock of horses, oxen, cows, sheep, and young cattle. He also buys corn and manure, believing that it pays to feed both stock and land. His barns are large, warm, and con- venient, and the large yards and open sheds are comfort- able in summer and winter. A pure mountain spring
furnishes an abundant supply of the best water, and the good care and gentle treat- ment which his stock receives is a paying investment.
Mr. Rines is a Ma- son, a member of North Star lodge, of Lancas- ter. He is kind to the poor, and has many a time given a discour- aged man a lift, and with a cheerful word, sent him on his way rejoicing. It was " tax MARK RINES. or jail " with one poor fellow, and he owed " Mark" an old score, too ; but the tax was paid. Some time after, the man came, poorly clad, and with a tear in his eye, he said : "Mark, here is the money. You helped me when no other man would."
Politically, Mr. Rines is a Democrat of positive con- victions. So far as he is concerned, the office seeks the man, and not the man the office ; yet he has repre- sented his town in the legislature, and held other offices
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of honor and trust. Temperate himself, he believes in temperance, and in moral and legal suasion, too. He employs many men in mill and forest and on the farm, but strikes are unknown among them. He has a pleasant home, is in the prime of life, and employés, neighbors, and friends all say, " May his shadow never be less !"
Mr. Rines has been twice married, and has five chil- dren. Three daughters by his first wife are married and settled away from home,-one in Lawrence, Mass., and two in South Berwick, Me. By his second wife, Mary H. Gray of Lancaster, with whom he was united April 7, 1883, he has a daughter and son, twelve and three years of age respectively at time of writing.
GEORGE CARPENTER,
SWANZEY.
" Valley View " at the foot of Mount Cæsar in Swan- zey is widely known as the seat of a generous hospitality. Here is the home of George Carpenter, great-grandson of Rev. Ezra Carpenter, who was born April 1, 1698, and settled over the united parishes of Keene and Swan- zey, then known as Upper and Lower Ashuelot, Oct. 4, 1753, locating upon the farm, on the slope of Mount Cæsar, which has ever since been held in the family, the entire period being covered by four generations. Greenwood Carpenter, born March 31, 1733, succeeded his father in its ownership. He died February 3, 1808, leaving it to his son Elijah, born December 23, 1779, and who died October 24, 1861. Elijah Carpenter was a prominent and influential citizen, serving in both branches of the state legislature, and for ten years as sheriff of Cheshire county.
George Carpenter, son of Hon. Elijah and Fanny
" VALLEY VIEW," HOME OF GEORGE CARPENTER, SWANZEY.
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(Partridge) Carpenter, was born on this farm September 13, 1828. He was educated in the common school, at Mt. Cæsar Seminary, Swanzey, and at Saxton's River and Ludlow, Vt., academies. In 1850 he went South, and engaged in the business of tinning roofs and railroad bridges, including that over the James river at Richmond. He pursued this business for two years in different sections of the country, but in 1852 caught the " gold fever" and went to California, where he engaged in mining, and subse- quently in farming at Santa Clara county. He returned East in 1855, and on June 14, 1864, was united in marriage with Miss Lucy J., daughter of Colonel Carter and Lucy (Baker) Whit- comb, since which time he has resided on the ancestral home- stead, with the excep- tion of six years in Chesterfield, where he carried on a variety of GEORGE CARPENTER. lumbering operations.
Mr. Carpenter has always been a student, and, with his wife, took up the Chautauqua course in 1883, gradua- ting in the " Pansy class " of 1887, and subsequently pur- suing the University course under eminent instructors for several years. Economic questions have especially com- manded his attention, and while reared a Democrat, and long acting with that party, he has been led through investigation and reflection to ally himself with various
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reform movements in politics that have arisen in recent years. He was the Greenback candidate for congress in his district in 1882, also for governor in 1884 and 1886, and a People's Party candidate for presidential elector in 1892, continuing his alliance with the latter organization, and giving his support to William J. Bryan for presi- dent in 1896.
The old Carpenter homestead has long been regarded as a place of historic interest. The old Indian fort was situated on this farm, and the same spring that supplied the fort is the source of Mr. Carpenter's water-supply to-day, the original curb, cut from a hollow pine, still doing service in the same capacity. The farm contains about 200 acres of land, of which forty are in mowing and tillage, divided into small fields by the original heavy stone walls. The pastures of late have been allowed to grow up largely to young timber, Nature being regarded as the most profitable farmer by Mr. Carpenter, under present conditions, and although the farm formerly pro- duced heavy crops of corn and wheat, cultivation has been limited in recent years. The grounds about the buildings are beautifully shaded with pines, and the air of the place is that of quiet comfort, becoming the home of intelligence and refinement. In addition to the home farm, Mr. Carpenter has some 400 acres of outlying timber land.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are interested members of Golden Rod grange of Swanzey, and have given time and effort to its work; they are also deeply interested in the welfare of the Mt. Cæsar Library association, occu- pying the old seminary building, which Mr. Carpenter purchased and donated for the uses of the association.
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HON. FRANCIS A. GORDON,
MERRIMACK.
Francis Allen Gordon, son of Jacob and Lydia (Smith) Gordon, was born in the town of Henniker, February 3, 1830. He is a descendant in the sixth generation from Alexander Gordon, who came from Scotland in 1650, and settled in the town of Exeter. His father was a farmer and he was reared to farm labor, but attended school in youth at Henniker, Andover and Clinton Grove academies, and taught district schools in win- ter in Henniker, Hop- kinton, and Warner, for about fifteen years, continuing his resi- dence at the old home- stead.
October 28, 1862, he was united in marriage with Martha Dickinson McGaw, daughter of Isaac and Eliza (Armour) Mc- Gaw, of Windham, and, the year follow- HON. FRANCIS A. GORDON. ing, removed to the well-known McGaw farm at Reed's Ferry in the town of Merrimack, where he has since resided.
This farm, which extends up from the west bank of the Merrimack river, was originally settled by Jacob McGaw, who was of Scotch-Irish parentage and emi- grated from Liney-Gloss, near Londonderry, Ireland, settling in Bedford, from which town Merrimack was
MCGAW FARM BUILDINGS, REED'S FERRY, HON. F. A. GORDON, PROP'R.
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taken, some time previous to the Revolution. He became a prominent citizen and represented Bedford in the New Hampshire legislature during the entire Revolutionary period, from 1775 to 1782. He was the father of Robert and Isaac McGaw, the former of whom remained upon the farm in question.
The farm now embraces two hundred and sixty-five acres of land, including mowing, tillage, and pasture, and there are some four hundred and fifty acres of out- lying woodlands. The buildings include a spacious mansion, and modern farm barn, 100 x 40 feet, with cellar under the whole. The stock consists of twenty- four head of cattle and four horses, the leading specialty being milk which is principally sold to customers in the village. Ten acres of ensilage corn and several acres of oats are grown annually, supplementary to the hay crop.
Mr. Gordon is a Republican in politics and repre- sented the town of Merrimack in the legislature of 1889- '90. He also represented District No. 19 in the state senate for the session of 1895. In religion he is a Con- gregationalist, and has long been an active member of the First Congregational church of Merrimack, in which he has held the office of deacon for the last twenty-four years. He retains a strong interest in educational work, and is the leading trustee of the McGaw Normal Institute at Reed's Ferry, and treasurer of the board, devoting no little attention to the executive work essential to the maintenance of the school. He is a charter member of Thornton Grange, Merrimack, and has served several years as chaplain.
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