USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Dunbarton > Record of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of the town of Dunbarton, N.H., on Wednesday, September 13, 1865 > Part 4
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Among our learned men, we proudly claim Chancellor Hoyt, cherished be his name. Of scholarly attainments and large heart, In life's great drama acting well his part, He bore his honors with becoming grace, And asked to be remembered by his race. . Harris and Putnam, who long years did stand On Zion's watch-tower, one in heart and hand ; Burnhams, Mills, Parker, Marshall, Wheeler, Page, Jamesons and Putnam acting on life's stage, Hayward and Pillsbury now upon the field, (A golden harvest may their labor yield !) Men of sound principle and moral worth, Who've battled nobly in the cause of truth, And left an impress on this generation,- All honor to their names, their worth, their station.
Next to divines the doctor stands confest, The ablest benefactor of his race and best. The names of some we here may well recall, But time forbids that we should mention all. We'd speak of Clement riding on his nag,
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And just behind him placed his saddle-bag, From which he dealt out powders, drops and physic, To cure a fever, gout, a rheum or phthisic. Stearns was found faithful in " the healing art," A man of noble worth and generous heart, Gilson and Merrill made but little stay, And Colby's found in practice far away. Of Mighill we know something from report, In practice skillful-skillful in retort. And some in dental practice give new grace; And beauty's finish, to the human face ; Prescott and Ryder come in this connection ; Their art is verging onward to perfection.
But in our quiet town, few men there are Who in forensic strife can take their share ; Story and Burnham in the days of yore, Hadley and Twiss perhaps make up the score. Hadley now fills an editorial chair, And sends forth thoughts as free as heaven's own air. We have no poet Holmes of which to boast, To write a pun or give a sparkling toast ; But we've a Bailey in the halls of Yale, With force enough of wit to " hit the nail." We've no array of statesmen to count o'er, But we can claim from district No. 4, A man to represent us in the Senate ; His name to all is known-I need not pen it.
While learning's laurels some have proudly won, Then passed away, life's duties nobly done, Others remain to honor their profession, Perhaps stand here and list to this confession. The " gift of speech " we trust they'll freely use To please, instruct, enliven and amuse ; From learning's fount present delicious draughts, Or strains of wit to make good people laugh.
Among the past and present of our race, Some of heroic name have found a place. Those who on Bennington and Bunker Hill, Once bravely fought the British foe to quell,- Those of the present day who've stood in battle, While round their heads the rebel shot did rattle,
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Deserve to be remembered in our story ; We'd place upon their heads a wreath of glory. Caldwell and Stone, who in the sanguine strife Of fratricidal war, relinquished life- Gave up each manly hope and aspiration, To crush rebellion and restore the nation, Demand a passing tribute of this hour ; So brief our space we cannot give them more.
The daughters of the town we need not name ; They fill an humble place unknown to fame, And now, as ever, since the world begun, The mother stands reported in the son ; And thus it follows as by laws of fate The mothers of such sons are good and great. But time is precious, and in simple song, We glance but briefly, and then hurry on- Give but the outlines and each one at will, May take the pencil and the picture fill. Hopes of the future, memories of the past, Upon the present hour, their influence cast ; May we be wiser, better, stronger made, And this day's influence from the heart ne'er fade. We stand to-day as never thus before A living, acting throng upon time's shore ; But long before another century's fled, All, all now here will slumber with the dead ; Then in assemblage more august and grand, Summoned by Gabriel's trumpet, at last shall stand.
The Toast Master was introduced, and announced the fol- lowing Toasts :
No. 1. Our Centennial Birthday.
Response by WILLIAM A. PUTNEY, A. B.
To-day we are celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of our good old town's foundation. A hundred years seem long indeed, when taken in connection with mere human events ; but a town, though like a man growing in its early years from weakness into strength, does not like him necessarily decline and finally become extinct, but when we know that a town
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has safely passed through the vicissitudes of a hundred years, and through all taht time has continued to increase in wealth and population-then we know that, God willing, she will continue to live and prosper for many hundred years to come. At first, with difficulty she maintained her new existence ; but growing stronger year by year, and having firmly established herself, she began to send her offspring to the aid of others. Every year some have left her. Many of these are no longer living. Some have died in foreign lands ; some have fallen on the field of battle. Many others yet living, have found homes in other places, and are bound there by other ties; but that they still retain the memory of their former homes, that she has yet a firm hold on their affections, and continues to exert an influence upon them, we need no stronger proof than this collection here to-day.
While many thus have left her, many more remained, and strove to guard the honor of their native town-maintain her virtue, and make her worthy of the place she holds in so many hearts. Thus they watched her year by year, and saw her growing older and stronger, and when she became a century of age, they resolved to celebrate her birthday with all honor. This is not like an ordinary celebration, when strangers meet to rejoice together over some great and fortunate event ; but more like the reunion of some happy family, whose members, scattered to the different parts of the earth, have at length re- turned to their former home. So to-day, the sons and daugh- ters of Dunbarton returning, some of them after an absence of many years, are here to-day assembled to talk of the present circumstances of each ; the successes they have achieved, and the honors they have won. Old friends and old acquaintances, old neighbors and old schoolmates, and as each one takes an old friend or acquaintance by the hand, the old familiar face calls up a thousand recollections of the many days gone by, and helps to make his whole life pass before his mind in a sin- gle day. Old men talk of old events. Young men listen, and as they see what others have done, they are encouraged, and resolve to do as well themselves. Our town, though small, is not unimportant. We take it as we find it, and we feel proud of it. We have seen our victorious soldiers returning from the war, and we are proud of them and glory in them.
We have listened to-day to the efforts of some of Dunbar- ton's children, and we are proud of them, and respect them. We have seen the varied and extensive preparations made for this occasion by the men of Dunbarton, and we are proud of
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them and honor them. We have just partaken of a feast pre- pared by the ladies of Dunbarton, and we feel proud of them and love them.
This is the occasion, too, of many other meetings apart from this grand central one. Many are to-day, for the first time in many years, rejoicing in a family reunion. Many such are making happy hearts and homes throughout our town to day, and help to add to the advantages and pleasures of this occa- sion. But in connection with the happiness pervading every heart, comes a slight feeling of sadness as we think that we part. "It may be for years, and it may be forever ;" but we hope for the best, and though it is not probable, hardly pos- sible, that any one now present will attend the celebration of our next centennial birthday, still our best wishes will go for- ward for the welfare of our native town through all coming time, and the best we can hope is, that as much improvement may be made in the coming century as we now see has been made in the past.
No. 2. Our Early Inhabitants-May their virtues ever live in the character of their descendants and survivors.
Response by REV. A. W. BURNHAM, D. D., of Rindge.
MR. PRESIDENT : I am expected to speak of the early in- habitants of this town ; and the intimation is given that they were a virtuous people, whose example should be followed by their posterity.
I have not been a resident of this place for nearly three score years. In 1808, I exchanged a shoemaker's bench for a seat in my brother Abraham's study, (Rev. Abraham Burn- ham, D. D.,) and a shoe for a Latin grammar ; so that, as you see, my personal acquaintance with the people was in my boy- hood ; and I feel but poorly qualified for the part assigned to me on this occasion.
I have in recollection, however, the faces and general ap- pearance of several leading families and individuals, who were among the early, if not the first, settlers. Of some of these I may speak before I close.
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In general character I suppose our fathers were substan- tially like all the carly settlers of New England. Part of them were of English, and part of Scotch descent, with a few drops,
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perhaps, now and then, of the Irish element. Now, combine these, and you will have a good, " live Yankee," such as we see here to-day,-rather such as we, their children, claim to be."
We have good reason to believe, that the fathers and moth- ers of this people were of sound, well informed minds, robust, sturdy, of indomitable purpose-of high and honest aims- noble impulses-fearless of danger, and were just the men to subdue this rough land and rugged soil, and to prepare the way for the flourishing farms which are now seen around us, and to lay foundations for the rich blessings which distinguish New England from all other places, and make it, what it has been justly called, the "moral garden of the world."
We, of this generation, are "a feeble folk," and we have but a faint conception of the hardships and hazards to which our fathers and mothers were subjected in the first half of the century, to which this occasion has reference. But they, like the Pilgrims in the May Flower, had an object to secure for themselves and their children, "freedom to worship God-" to establish " a Church without a Bishop, and a State without a King." And, conscious of honest and righteous aims, and relying upon God, they encountered the rocks and trees which then covered these hills and valleys, and the savages and wild beasts, which roamed in these forests, then waving over these now cultivated grounds. But, by the help of God, in whom they trusted, they surmounted the formidable obstacles around them, and left to us the goodly heritage which, in spite of the efforts of ungodly men to wrest from us, we enjoy to-day.
As to their moral character-the practice of the cardinal virtues of honesty, faithfulness in fulfilling engagements, in- tegrity, Sabbath keeping, reverence for the name and all the ordinances of God,-I believe they were, at least, on a level with their neighbors in this region, and throughout New En- land.
Of their industry, frugality, and other kindred, social and personal virtues, our fathers and mothers were noble speci- mens ; and they have left to their children substantial proofs of their excellence in these respects, in the rich inheritance you possess and celebrate to-day.
When I was a boy, and inquired, as I sometimes did, how it came to pass that Capt. Stinson was so rich, for he was the richest man in town, and I think, was said to be the richest farmer in " old Hillsborough," they said, that when clearing his lands, " he would work all day in the field, and weave all
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night," and that his equally industrious helpmeet "would spin a fortnight by one pitch pine knot;" and to illustrate the same general character of these men, it was said of Abraham Burnham, a cooper by occupation, that he " would sit up till midnight, and get up at twelve o'clock." They were not mi- serly, yet were saving of time, as well as of money. They found no time or disposition to be idle-to loaf. They did not know the modern meaning of the word. With them, loaf was a substantive, and had a wholesome substantial meaning in their every day experience.
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It is but just to say, that this working all night, was not for " filthy lucre's sake," so much as to fulfil engagements. Seldom, indeed, did one neighbor remind another of that sin- gular, but significant expression of Soloman-"One unfaith- ful man in time of trouble, is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint." How it is in this particular with the present generation, I have nothing to say ; for I am to speak of the old folks, not the children.
Feeling the great importance of education by their own want of the advantages of schools, the fathers made every practicable effort to give their children all the privileges in this direction in their power. The earliest school teacher I heard of was "Master Hogg,"celebrated for his severities in his treatment of erring pupils. On the authority of the late ex- cellent Major John Mills, who, I think, had good reason to re- member this teacher's method in respect to one class of delin- quents, I will state that a lesson from the catechism was then exacted of every scholar of competent capacity, to be recited, on Saturday. If the scholars failed on that day, he had the privilege of trying again on Monday morning. Failing this time, the unfortunate delinquent was subjected to a punishment as degrading as it was cruel. Should I describe the instrument employed, and the position of the unhappy victim in these sav- age inflictions, you would not wonder that the boys disliked both the catechism and the whipping. In process of time, the catechism was whipped out of school, and in these days, the children, I apprehend, seldom get either the catechism or the whipping.
To show the value our fathers set upon education, and the earnest desire of their children to secure the benefits of schools, we need only to refer to the facts then existing-such as the thinness of the population, the scantiness of the means, the absence of school houses and school books, well qualified teachers, &c. For instance, my brother, Samuel, when a mere
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child, so small that my mother was actually afraid the bears would catch him, came two miles afoot and alone through the woods to this very ground where we are gathered, to attend school. Still, she sent him, and the child went. This same boy, when a young man went to college the first, I think, that did so, from this town. And he fitted for college on the plow- beam. That is to say, taking his Latin grammar to the field, when the team stopped for rest, he sat upon the plowbeam, or the unploughed ground, and studied his grammar ; and when prepared with a lesson, he walked over the same ground as in his childhood, and recited to his pastor, Rev. Mr. Harris. So did Thomas Jameson, Abraham and John Burnham, and other young men of those, and subsequent days.
The number of college graduates from this town is, at least, forty, and the average population, I believe, less than a thou- sand.
And in this connection, I wish to refer to one of these early graduates, because I do not see his name in some lists of the educated young men of the place, and who, I apprehend, is not recollected except by here and there an individual of the people now living. And I speak of him, also, as an illustra- tion of the perseverance of these early sons of the town in the work of securing an education.
I refer to Isaac Garvin, the son of Sam Garvin, as he was called, who I suppose to have been a poor, insignificant indi- vidual, from the fact, that when describing any worthless, good for nothing fellow, the people in our neighborhood would say, "he is as shiftless as Sam Garvin." As it regards manual labor and worldly wisdom, Isaac was the son of his father ; but somehow he obtained a Latin grammar, and ventured to appear before his pastor, and ask him to hear a lesson. Mr. Harris, who encouraged young men in all their efforts in this direction, positively refused to hear him recite, bidding him "go home and go to work." But Isaac persisted and came again, and at length obtained a hearing.
Tom Merrill, as he was called, a young man from Deering, afterward Rev. Dr. Merrill, one of the leading ministers in Vermont, and others, fitted and went on, leaving Garvin plodding at his task ; and he kept on plodding, and got into College ; and at the end of four years, got out honorably, and disappearing from these parts, he went to Newark, N. J. , studied Theology with Rev. Dr. Griffin, then at the head of American Preachers, came back, and in the presence and the pulpit of the venerated pastor, who once refused to hear his
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first Latin lesson, preached to his great satisfaction, and to the astonishment of the citizens. Thus much for one Dunbar- ton boy, and he, the son of Sam Garvin-a strong illustra- tion of the sayings, "By diligence and perseverance the mouse ate in two the cable," and "little strokes fell great oaks ;"- also another saying, I think of Richard Baxter-"Prayer and painstaking will do anything."
As to the civil concerns and order of the fathers, nothing definite will be expected from me. I think the people in the early years were of a staid, conservative character, not given to change. When they found a man qualified, and at the same time willing to accept an office, they kept him in as long as they could. Thus, Judge Page, Esquire Story, Maj. Mills, John Stinson, Daniel Jameson, Jolm Gould and others, held the same offices from ten to thirty years in succession.
Those were days of honesty and simplicity. For many years you had no Lawyer, and only two Justices of the Peace -in the town. Judge Page, at Page corner, and Esquire Story at the South end. You needed no more.
_ I ought to speak of the religious character of the fathers.
It has been said and written that the early settlers leaned to Arminianism, a sentiment then somewhat prevalent in this region ; but I can scarcely admit this to have been the pre- vailing faith of our fathers. In support of this, take the Scotch portion of the population who came from Londonderry. They believed in the catechism, and the Bible, too, (and so do I, though a Yankee ; for I think the two books are very much alike in their teachings. ) As to the pure Saxon portion-the Storys and Burnhams, they came from Ipswich, Mass.,-were trained under the ministry of Rev. John Cleaveland, one of the "New Lights" and able preachers of his day-a disciple of Whitefield, and a thorough believer of the Evangelical doc- trines. At any rate, our fathers could not have been irrelig- ious-nor very strong Arminians-nor bad men in any sense. Arminians held to works, the Calvinists to faith and works too, and, put them together, and you have a very good people.
Another point : If not substantially evangelical, would they have received for their first Pastor, such a man as Walter Harris-celebrated for forty years in all New England, as one of the champions of her pulpit-unsurpassed among the preachers of his day in a clear statement, powerful defense, and pungent application of the peculiar doctrines of the Cal- vinistic system, so called.
He was sometimes called the "Broad ax and the sledge-
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hammer of the New Hampshire ministry," and he did in fact cut a way errors in doctrine and practice on the one hand ; and on the other, beat in the truth till it would "stay put," or, he exemplified his own words in giving advice to me, then a young preacher-" to hit the nail on the head, then drive it through and clinch it."
But I need not give an account of his beliefs, or his prac- tice, his power as a preacher, his great and excellent influ- ence, or the blessed results of his ministry. I will take occa- sion, however, here to state to this great assembly what Dr. Harris did not believe on one single point, on which much falsehood has been uttered.
When I was a young school teacher and was boarding with Zachariah Chandler, Esq., of Bedford, father of Hon. Thomas and Samuel Chandler, Esq., I heard this aged gentleman say, that Mr. Harris, of Dunbarton, believed and preached that all "infants, when they died, went to hell." Did you hear him say that, said I. "No, Sir," he replied, but Mr. - heard him." And that is the shape, by the way, in which this statement comes. I have never met with the person, who said he, himself, heard Dr. Harris, or Dr. Payson, or any other Rev. Dr. utter, such a sentiment, but Mr. or Mrs. so and so, heard him. Now it so happened in the orderings of Providence, that I passed the next Sabbath in this place, and heard Dr. Harris preach a sermon having reference to the death of a highly respectable citizen, (Capt. William Parker) your father, Mr. President, if I mistake not-from Job, 14, 10. "But man dieth and wasteth away ; yea, man giveth up the ghost and where is he." In the sermon Dr. H. said that it had often been alleged that Calvinists, that he himself, be- lieved and taught the doctrine above referred to, and did use the horrid phrase, which had been so long in circulation among certain classes, that I need not offend this audience by repeat- ing it. For himself, and all others justly denominated Cal- vinists, he denied the charge. And then, throwing his spec- tacles above his eyes, raising his right arm, and assuming an expression of countenance, such as no other man I ever saw in the pulpit could put on, he solemnly challenged every person who had heard him preach during his whole ministry, to show that he ever uttered such a sentiment. "Why should I ?" said he. "Such a thought never entered my heart. I have been acquainted with a large portion of the Calvinistic min- isters of New England, and am conversant with their writ- ings ; and I feel justified in saying that such a doctrine was
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never entertained by them or by the denomination, as such, and I reject the charge as wholly false ;" and Dr. Harris added an earnest exhortation that all present should never repeat, but whenever heard, should contradict the slanderous allegation he had denounced. Returning to my boarding place the next day, and obtaining the assent of my venerable host, that Dr. Harris and myself were honest, I related the facts as just stated and exhorted him to do as Dr. H. had enjoined upon his people.
Allow me thus to charge this assembly. I have stated facts and you will grant that Dr. H. was honest and the pres- ent speaker honest also. Never then repeat the allegations referred to. It is a slander. No true Calvinist believes any such doctrine. No ! millions upon millions of infant souls are to-day, through the grace of God in Christ, in heaven, sing- ing "Hozanna to the Son of David." "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and has redeemed us to God by his blood." Please accept the declaration I have here made in your pres- ence as truth and fact; accept it for Dr. Harris, and for all real evangelical christians the world over.
I should trespass on time and patience, were I to indulge myself in further expressions of my admiration of Dr. Harris -the excellence of his character-his singular powers as a preacher, and the happy results of his long and faithful min- istry among this people.
I knew your second pastor, Rev. J. M. Putnam, an excel- lent man, a devout christian, and good minister of Jesus Christ. Also your third and present pastor, the son, as I am, of a godly Deacon , and if he uses the office of a minister as well as his father has used the office of a Deacon, as I trust he will, he too, will "purchase to himself a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."
. That our fathers believed and loved the gospel, and the ministrations of the Sanctuary, is evident from the early ef- forts they made to secure the privileges of public worship, and the sacrifices to which they submitted to hear "a gospel sermon." For instance-my parents would, and did ride on one horse with two children seven miles Sabbath morning "across lots,"so to speak, to South Weare, to hear Rev. Amos Wood, a well educated and devout minister of the Baptist denomination. So highly did they esteem him, that they gave me his name. I never saw the good man, but when in College, I found and now have a printed Election Sermon preached by him at Amherst, 1794, when John Taylor Gil-
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man took his seat, the first time, as Governor of this State. Allow me to refer, briefly, to some of the families and indi- viduals who come within my own recollection.
The Stinsons .- Capt. William Stinson was of Scotch de- scent, a pattern of industry, economy, uprightness, and other kindred virtues ; esteemed a christian-a cheerful supporter of the gospel, and constant attendant on public worship at home, though he joined the church in New Boston, because, . I believe, Dr. Harris was unwilling to baptize the good man's grandchildren on the faith of their grandfather.
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