USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Boscawen > One hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Boscawen and Webster, Merrimack Co., N.H., August 16, 1883. Also births recorded on the town records from 1733 to 1850 > Part 11
USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Webster > One hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Boscawen and Webster, Merrimack Co., N.H., August 16, 1883. Also births recorded on the town records from 1733 to 1850 > Part 11
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On 29 October, 1870, he married Helen A., daughter of David A. and Martha A. (Daggett) Brown, of Penacook. Of this union there was born to them, 15 July, 1872, a son, Henry Hubbard, who is now living ; also, 31 January, IS78, a daughter, Mary Ardelle, who died 20 October, 1883.
Being of a retiring disposition, and having his time so much taken up by business cares, he has never sought public honors to any great extent. He represented his ward in the board of aldermen in the city of Concord in 1874, and was unanimously returned in 1875. He was also a member of the state senate in 1883.
Mr. Amsden is now in the prime of life, and, owing to force of circumstances, his business career has already been more extended than the average of men at his age. Filling various positions of trust and responsibility with commendable accept- ability, it has been his aim to merit and receive the esteem and confidence of his associates and constituents.
SAMUEL COLCORD BARTLETT.
Samuel Colcord Bartlett, D. D. (Dartmouth college, 1861), LL. D. (College of New Jersey, 1878), Congregationalist ; born at Salisbury, N. H., 25 Nov., 1817; graduated at Dartmouth college, 1836, and at Andover Theological Seminary, IS42 ; became successively pastor at Monson, Mass., 1843 ; professor of intellectual philosophy in the Western Reserve college, Hud- son, O., 1846 ; pastor at Manchester, N. H., 1852 ; pastor in Chicago, Ill., and professor of bibical literature in the Congre- gational Theological Seminary, Chicago, Ill., 1857 ; resigned pastorate, but retained professorship, 1859 ; president of Dart- mouth college, Hanover, N. H., 1877. He is " in substantial accord with the modified Calvinism of New England, as repre- sented by Andover Seminary in the time of Woods, Stuart, B. B. Edwards, and Park ; welcoming all new light, from whatever source, upon the text, composition, or interpretation of the scriptures, or the doctrines thence legitimately resulting ; but resisting all baseless theories and rash speculations, and, in gen-
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eral, declining to surrender the matured and well established convictions of the great mass of intelligent evangelical Chris- tians, except on valid evidence." He was the first on the ground to open and organize the Chicago Congregational Theological Seminary, and raised the funds for endowing the chair he occu- pied. He aided also in the organization of numerous churches in Illinois. He crossed the desert of Et Tih to Palestine (1874) with a view to compare in detail all the circumstances and con- ditions of the region with the narrative of the journey of the children of Israel. Besides numerous articles in the Bibliotheca Sacra, The New-Englander, The North American Review, orations at the centennial of the battle of Bennington, the quar- ter-millennial celebration of Newburyport, and at literary anni- · versaries, he has written " Life and Death Eternal, a Refuta- tion of the Doctrine of Annihilation," Boston, 1866, 2d ed. 1878; "Sketches of the Missions of the A. B. C. F. M.," 1872 ; "Future Punishment," 1875 ; " From Egypt to Palestine, Ob- servations of a Journey," New York, 1879; "Sources of His- tory in the Pentateuch," 1883. During the eight years of his college presidency, the institution has received cash additions to its funds amounting to $400,000, and has undergone impor- tant expansions and improvements, including the endowment of five professorships and the erection of a fire-proof library building and the Rollins chapel.
CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN.
Charles Carleton Coffin, journalist, correspondent, author, historian, son of Thomas Coffin, was born 26 July, IS23. His early years were spent on the farm. His education, be- yond the advantages of a public school, were a few terms at the academy in the town, and a single term at Pembroke acad- emy. Sickness debarred him from a collegiate course. Inca- pacitated for a short time for physical labor, more for pastime than from any plan for the future he studied land-surveying and the rudiments of civil engineering. The time came, how- ever, when he could turn his slight knowledge thus gained to account by accepting a position on the engineering corps
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engaged in the construction of the Northern (New Hamp- shire), the Concord & Portsmouth, and Concord & Clare- mont railroads. He early began to write articles for the local press, some of which were copied into Littell's Living Age and other magazines. He became a contributor to The Knick- erbocker, then recognized as the leading literary magazine of the country. His studies in engineering led him also toward scientific culture, and he became a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, contributing pa- pers at its meeting in Montreal, 1853, and Newport and Spring- field in subsequent years. In 1849 he constructed the telegraph line between Harvard Observatory and Boston, by which uni- form time was first given to the railroads leading from Boston. He also had charge of the construction of the telegraphic fire alarm in Boston, and gave the first alarm ever given by that system, 29 April, 1852.
Although engaged in such labor, he found time to make fre- quent contributions to the daily and weekly press of Boston, and in 1852 decided to devote himself to journalism. For a short time he was assistant editor of The Practical Farmer, an agricultural and literary weekly. In 1854 he was employed on the Boston Journal, and was subsequently assistant editor of the Atlas, which was merged into the Bee, from which he returned to the Journal, employed as editor of the morning edition during the winter of 1860-'61.
Upon the breaking out of the war, Mr. Coffin became a correspondent of the fournal, writing over the signature of "Carleton," was present at the first battle of Bull Run, reached Washington during the night, and sent a full account of the action on the following morning. In the fall he joined the Army of the West, and sent an account of the taking of Fort Henry, which was republished in the papers of New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before any other account was pub- lished. Mr. Coffin was at the surrender of Fort Donelson, reported the movements of the Army of the West from Pitts- burg landing to Corinth, the operations of Island No. 10, New Madrid, Fort Pillow, and the battle of the gunboats at Mem- phis, viewing it from the deck of one of Admiral Davis's ves- sels. Returning to the Army of the Potomac, he witnessed the
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battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. Knowing that a powerful fleet of monitors was on its way to attack Fort Sum- ter, he visited the Department of the South, and witnessed the attack and repulse, and also the failure, at Fort McAllister.
During the twelve days of the Gettysburg campaign, Mr. Coffin rode between two hundred and fifty and three hundred miles in the saddle, more than nine hundred in the cars, was on the battle-field three days and nights, and wrote a full and elaborate account, which was republished in many papers throughout the country, and was translated and copied by the press of Berlin and Paris. When Gen. Sherman reached the sea-coast, he hastened south, and the information that the flag of the Union was once more floating over Sumter was first given to the world through the Journal, and was telegraphed over the country before any paper in New York had possession of the intelligence. In the campaign of 1864, the Journal cor- respondent was an eye-witness of every engagement from the Wilderness to Petersburg, and of nearly all the battles around Petersburg and Richmond, which city he entered upon its occupation by the Union troops. The correspondence of Mr. Coffin was accepted by the public as authentic, and gave the Boston Journal a wide circulation. His letters were regularly read by more than a quarter of a million of people.
Upon the breaking out of the war between Austria on the one side, and Prussia and Italy on the other, in 1866, Mr. Cof- fin, accompanied by Mrs. Coffin, sailed for Europe ; but Aus- tria having been crippled by the single battle of Konnigratz, a truce was declared. Mr. Coffin remained abroad, however, writing a series of letters on current events. He visited Italy ; saw the occupation of Venice by the Italians; reported the Paris exhibition of 1867; reported the scenes in the house of parliament in England on the reform bill ; was present at the coronation of the emperor of Austria as king of Hungary ; made the acquaintance of many of the public men of Europe ; visited Greece, Turkey. Syria, Palestine, and Egypt ; embarked at Suez for Bombay ; travelled across India before the comple- tion of the railroad ; visited Malacca, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai ; sailed up the Yang-tze six hundred miles ; vis- ited Japan ; crossed the Pacific to California, and the plains
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before the completion of the Pacific Railroad, having been absent two years and five months. His correspondence during these years was widely read.
Mr. Coffin was at once in request in the lecture-field, and for several years was one of the popular lecturers before lyceums. The first volume from his pen was "My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field," issued 1863 ; the second was " Following the Flag," followed by the widely read books, " Winning His Way," "Our New Way Round the World," "The Seat of Empire," "Caleb Krinkle" (a story), "Boys of '76," " Stories of Lib- erty," "Old Times in the Colonies," "Building the Nation," and "Life of Garfield," besides a history of his native town.
Mr. Coffin has ever taken a lively interest in educational matters, especially in history for the young people. His his- torical series was projected to bring before the boys and girls the meaning of our country's history ; the philosophy of the government of the people,-its development and end. This series has been received with remarkable favor, and is to be found in nearly every library in the country and in many public schools.
Mr. Coffin has given several addresses before teachers' asso- ciations. At the St. Albans meeting of the American Institute of Instruction his theme was " The Future of Our Country, as Foreshadowed by its Physical Conditions." During the winter of 1878-'79 a movement was made by Western and Southern grangers to bring about a radical change in the patent laws of the country. Mr. Coffin appeared before the committee of congress, and presented an argument abounding in historical research, and so convincing that the committee ordered its pub- lication. He also appeared before the Committee on Labor, and made an argument on the "Complaint of Labor, or The Forces of Nature as affecting Society," which won the highest encomiums, and which was also printed. During the winter of 1880 he gave a course of lectures before the Lowell Institute on " Discovery and Invention as affecting Society." The honor- ary degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by Amherst col- lege in 1870. He is an active member of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, and also a member of the American Geographical Society. He was selected by the citi-
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zens of his native town to give the centennial address. 4th of July, 1876, and also the address at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its settlement.
Mr. Coffin was elected to the Massachusetts legislature by the citizens of Boston in ISS4 and IS85. As a member of the Committee on Education, he reported and carried through a bill making text-books free to all scholars of the public schools .- the first of the kind in the world. He was also a member of the Committee on Civil Service, and it was largely through his efforts that the enactment of the civil service law for the state was secured. In 1885 he was made chairman of a Special Com- mittee on the Police System of Boston, which had become no- toriously inefficient, and under the influence largely of the liquor traffic. A large majority of the committee reported " In- expedient to legislate." Mr. Coffin made a minority report, with a bill taking the appointing power from the mayor and investing it in the governor and council. The combined liquor interest of Boston, aggregating seventy-five millions of capital, was arrayed against the bill. The contest for its passage lasted many weeks, and was fought on the part of the opponents of the bill by a resort to every known parliamentary device to pre- vent its passage. The struggle was one of the most notable ever had in the Massachusetts legislature, resulting in the tri- umphant passage of the bill. Mr. Coffin also reported and se- cured the passage of a bill closing all liquor saloons on election days. In recognition of his public services a banquet was held in his honor and in that of his coadjutor in the senate, Mr. Frank Ames, given at the Hotel Vendome by the citizens of Boston. Mr. Coffin declined a reelection in 1886, to give his attention to private affairs.
In September, 1885, on the anniversary of the battle of Win- chester, Va., he gave an oration in that city upon the causes of the war of the Rebellion and the place of that war in history, which won high praise alike from the people of that city and from the veterans of the Union army for its freedom from bit- terness, for its patriotic sentiment, and for its far-reaching survey of the meaning of the mighty struggle.
Eng by A. H. Ritchie.
Enoch Herrish
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ENOCH GERRISH.
The name of Gerrish has been prominently identified with the town of Boscawen. Captain Stephen Gerrish was one of the original proprietors of Boscawen, and one of the leading spirits in the new settlement. His eldest son, Colonel Henry Gerrish, was a distinguished citizen, and held many positions of trust and responsibility. He was chosen the first grand 'juror to " His Majesty's Superior Court," 1773, delegate to the convention for the choice of members to the first continental congress in 1774, the same in 1775, represented the towns of Boscawen and Salisbury in the general court in 1779, and Bos- cawen in 1790. He was captain in the militia at the breaking out of the Revolution, and marched with the minute men to Medford upon the receipt of the news of the battle of Lexing- ton. He was lieutenant-colonel of Stickney's regiment at the time of the Bennington campaign, but, having been detailed to other duty, was not in the battle. He was present at the sur- render of Burgoyne, being on the left flank of Burgoyne at Bat- tenkill, where he acted as clerk at the sale of some of the plun- der taken from the British. The mess-book used on that occa- sion is still in existence. He often acted as town's agent during the Revolution, performing the duties assigned him with the same care and energy that characterized the management of his private affairs.
Major Enoch Gerrish, third son of Captain Stephen, was born in Boscawen, 23 June, 1750. When eighteen years of age he built his log cabin on the east side of the road now called High street, where he cleared five acres of land, being part of the homestead where he and his posterity have since resided. He had a love for military parade, as his title indi- cates. During his life he was chosen to fill the offices of mod- erator, selectman, and representative to the general court nine years. A man strictly religious, he joined Dr. Wood's church in 1771, and was elected deacon in 1783, an office which he held until his death, I May, 1821.
His son, Isaac Gerrish, father of Colonel Enoch, was born in Boscawen, 27 November, 1782. He was an honored citi- zen, and a leading member of the church in that town.
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Colonel Enoch Gerrish, the subject of this sketch, only son of Isaac and Caroline (Lawrence) Gerrish, was born at the old homestead on High street, 28 July, 1822. He obtained his education at the academies in Boscawen, Franklin, and Meri- den. On the death of his father he inherited a large portion of his estate, and with it at the age of twenty came the care and management of an extensive farm. An addition of more than one hundred acres made it one of the largest in Merrimack county. For twenty years he devoted his time to the cultiva- tion and improvement of his soil, successfully developing its resources by raising live-stock, hay, and wool, when its heavy growth of wood and timber attracted the attention of the lumber manufacturer, to whom it was sold in 1865.
Possessing a love for military parade and drill, he was pro- moted from the lowest rank to that of colonel of the Twenty- first regiment New Hampshire militia. He was often elected to fill the'various offices in town, the duties of which were well performed. A friend to the church where his ancestors wor- shipped, and to religious institutions generally, he manifested an interest in all measures that contributed to their usefulness.
He moved to Concord after the sale of his farm, where his sound judgment, particularly in matters of finance, was duly appreciated, as is shown by his appointment as one of the trus- tees of the New Hampshire Savings Bank in Concord, and of the Rolfe and Rumford asylum.
He represented ward four of Concord in the legislature of 1881-'82. He married Miranda O., daughter of Joseph S. and Harriet N. Lawrence, 23 May, 1854. Their children are Frank Lawrence, born 19 May, 1855, and Lizzie Miranda, born 14 June, 1860.
EZRA SHELDON HARRIS.
· Ezra Sheldon,8 Almon,2 Bethuel,1 of Scottish origin, son of Almon and Phebe Harris, born 27 November, 1827, married (1) Cassandra Andromache, daughter of Nathan B. and Lucy C. Greene, 20 June, 1860. She died 5 November, 1865. He married (2) Sarah Amelia, sister of Cassandra, 12 October, 1867.
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Ezra S. Harris
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Children of Cassandra.
Grace Greene, b. 14 October, 1863.
Robert Lincoln, b. 3 May, 1865.
Children of Sarah.
Harry Sheldon, b. 24 August, 1868.
Almon Green, b. 24 January, 1870.
Lucy Cassandra, b. 3 November, 1874.
Ezra S. and Almon, his brother, settled in Boscawen (Pena- cook), and continued the business established by their father and themselves under the name and style of E. S. Harris & Co. In 1882 Ezra S. purchased the interest of his brother, Almon A., in the firm of E. S. Harris & Co., and continued the busi- ness founded by Almon Harris in 1847, which has been in- creased five fold by enlarging the capacity for manufacturing woollen goods since that date.
Mr. Harris manages his business matters very carefully, mak- ing his own purchases, keeping his books, and attending to his correspondence ; is thoroughly skilled in all its various depart- ments, having been in the business most of his life ; refusing to take any office (save one year he was one of the selectmen), preferring to take care of his own matters rather than trust them to others ; contributing largely to the support of religious and educational institutions, his influence ever on the side of right. He has many friends, and is much respected by all.
JOHN KIMBALL.
John Kimball, son of Benjamin Kimball and Ruth Ames, was born in Canterbury, 13 April, 1821. When he was thir- teen years of age his father died, leaving, also, a daughter (Elizabeth) nine years old, and another son (Benjamin A.) less than a year old. The widowed mother had already buried two children in infancy, and six years later lost the daughter ; but she lived forty years longer, and enjoyed the highest felicity of a mother, seeing her two stalwart sons grow prosperously to man's estate, achieving riches and honors, unblemished in life and character. The early home duties and experiences of the
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elder son naturally aroused in him tender devotion to a mother and brother so dependent upon him, animated him to earnest and persistent effort, developed in him strong self-reliance, and laid broad and deep the foundations of those qualities of heart and mind which now distinguish him.
He attended the town schools of Boscawen, and during the year 1837 the Concord academy. In 1838 he was apprenticed as a machinist to William Moody Kimball, his father's cousin, then engaged in constructing mills and machinery at Boscawen, and in four years he mastered his trade. His first work after coming of age was, in 1842, to rebuild the grist-mills in the valley near the north end of Boscawen Plain, which are still in use ; and he worked at his trade in Suncook, Manchester, Lowell, and Lawrence.
In 1848 he took charge of the new machine- and car-shops of the Concord Railroad, then building at Concord, and in 1850 became master mechanic of that corporation, continuing in the position until 1858. Twenty years of unremitting work in me- chanical construction had brought him to the summit of his vocation, possessing thorough, practical skill, having acquired an unusual share of common-sense in human affairs, and, with habits of industry, temperance, and self-reliance, sure to give him a fair measure of success in any new calling which he might choose. Henceforth his life's work was to be in different fields. His neighbors and friends had discovered his integrity and capacity, and they commenced to utilize them in public employment.
In 1856 Mr. Kimball had been elected a member of the com- mon council of the city of Concord, and reelected in 1857, and chosen president of the council. In 1858 he was elected to the state legislature, was reelected in 1859, and served as chairman of the Committee on the State Prison. In 1859 he relinquished other employment to serve as city marshal of Concord and col- lector of taxes, from which office he was, in 1862, appointed by President Lincoln to the post of collector of internal revenue for the second district of New Hampshire, consisting of the coun- ties of Merrimack and Hillsborough, and served until he re- signed in 1869. His collections, which included the tax on manufactures from the mills of Manchester, were very heavy
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for a country district, and amounted in the seven years to nearly seven millions of dollars. No revenue district in the country established a better reputation. His methods of collection, while thorough, were quiet, and gave no offence, and his ad- ministration was in all respects faultless. In the office of the commissioner of internal revenue at Washington his record has always been referred to as one of the very highest.
In 1870 Mr. Kimball was elected treasurer of the Merrimack County Savings Bank, then first organized. He has held the office ever since, and now conducts its business, for which he has been largely responsible, the bank being a profitable and successful institution.
Mr. Kimball was elected mayor of the city of Concord in 1872, and reelected in 1873, 1874, and 1875. The duties of this honorable, responsible, but perplexing office he discharged with zeal and firmness, and to the satisfaction of the citizens. It fell to his lot to construct an unusual number of public works, which will long endure to testify to his capacity and fidelity. A freshet having carried away or rendered impassable five of the seven wooden bridges spanning the Merrimack and Contoocook riv- ers, the work of rebuilding devolved on him as the superinten- dent of roads and bridges. The new structures are of the most substantial character,-two, the Federal bridge and that at Pen- acook, being of iron, of modern design. The central fire sta- tion, built by him, is also an edifice attractive as well as com- modious and convenient. Complaints of the cost of Mr. Kim- ball's constructions as mayor have long since ceased, in view of the universally admitted integrity of all expenditures upon them, and their solidity and permanency, as well as of the credit which they have brought to our beautiful city. During his adminis- tration the Long Pond water-works were constructed, bringing to the centre of Concord a copious supply of the purest water, at a cost of $425,000, economically and skilfully expended. He became ex officio one of the water commissioners, and in 1878 president of the board, in which position he has ever since been kept. Blossom Hill cemetery was doubled in size ; the streets of the city were improved in accordance with modern requirements ; the system of sewerage was enlarged ; new and attractive school-houses were constructed; and, without any
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discredit to other mayors, it may be claimed that it happened to him to render more important and lasting service than any other official from the adoption of the city charter in 1852 to the present time. For his success he must have been largely in- debted to the skill acquired during his long and laborious expe- rience in the practical business of his youth and early manhood.
In 1877, unexpectedly, and without solicitation or suggestion from any one, Governor Benjamin F. Prescott and his council appointed Mr. Kimball as chairman of the board of commis- sioners to build the new state prison at Concord, with Messrs. Albert M. Shaw and Alpha J. Pillsbury as his associates. In 18So the edifice was completed within the limits of the moder- ate appropriation of $235,000, a model in its design and con- struction, remarkable for the honesty and cheapness which had characterized the establishment of a penitentiary superior, all things considered, to any prison of other states.
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