Sketches of successful New Hampshire men, Part 24

Author: Clarke, John B. (John Badger), 1820-1891, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Manchester, J.B. Clarke
Number of Pages: 674

USA > New Hampshire > Sketches of successful New Hampshire men > Part 24

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Mr. Clark was soon recognized as a moving force among men, was made city solicitor in 1858-59, representative in the legislature from ward one in 1859-60, and was appointed solicitor for Hillsborough county in 1861 and again in 1866, holding the office ten years in all. In the midst of his varied activities the war broke out; he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Eleventh Regiment, Col. Walter Harriman, and went to the front to assist in putting down the rebellion. In March of the succeeding year he was promoted to the rank of captain, and was wounded in the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864. He remained with his regiment until the close of the war, and was mustered out of service in June, 1865. In 1867 he was mayor of the city of Manchester. He has been a director in the Merrimack River Bank (now First National) and trustee of the Merrimack River Savings Bank, since their organization, and is a director of the Nashua, Acton, & Boston Railroad and of the Manchester Horse-Railroad. He was for several years a director of the First Baptist society of Manchester, and chair- man of the building committee, which erected probably the finest church of that denomination in the state.

In 1878-79 he represented ward three in the legislature, and was chairman of the finance committee; and was a member and clerk of the committee for the erection of the soldiers' monument in Manchester in 1879. He married, September 12, 1862, Mrs. Mary Jane (Peabody) Smith, daughter of James H. and Roxana Peabody, of Manchester. She died August 15, 1873, leaving two children, - Mary P. and Joseph M.

This record, so brief and yet so full, will suggest better than any words the general estimation of Mr. Clark among those who know him. Undemonstrative and quiet in his manner, cautious and prudent in action, simple and temperate in habit, he is, above all, a thoughtful and patriotic citizen, whose vote is given for the best measures, and whose example lends force to his words. Conservative by nature, he is yet not slow to place himself on the side of equal justice and truth.

HON. GEORGE W. NESMITH.

FROM HISTORY OF ANTRIM, BY REV. W. R. COCHRANE.

JAMES NESMITH, one of the signers of the memorial to Gov. Shute, March 26, 1718, and one of the proprietors of Londonderry, was also one of the origi- nal sixteen that first struck for settlement on the soil of that ancient town, April 22, 1719. He was a strong man, worthy of respect, and honored by his asso- ciates. Was appointed elder of the West Parish Presbyterian church, at its formation in 1739. The date of his death was 1767, and his age seventy-five. He married, in Ireland, in 1714, Elisabeth, daughter of James McKeen and Janet Cochran. This Elisabeth McKeen was sister of Janet McKeen, Dea. Isaac Cochran's mother. She died in 1763, aged sixty-seven. The Nesmiths lived in the valley of the Bann in Ireland, and emigrated to that place from Scotland in 1690. Dea. James Nesmith had two children in Ireland, and seems to have buried the eldest child there. Seven children were born to them in America. The names of all were : Arthur, buried in infancy in Ireland ; James, born in Ireland in 1718; Arthur, born in Londonderry April 3, 1721; Jean, born March 12, 1723; Mary, born Jan. 24, 1726; John, born Feb. 11, 1728 ; Elisabeth, born Jan. 8, 1730; Thomas, born March 26, 1732; Benjamin, born Sept. 14, 1734.

James Nesmith, Jr., the son born in Ireland, was born early in 1718, just before embarking for America, and was brought over in his mother's arms. He married Mary Dinsmore and settled in the northern part of Londonderry. Though an old man when the Revolutionary war broke out, he went with all his heart into the struggle against the British ; marched among the minute-men at. the first call, and was a participant in the battle of Bunker Hill. He had chil- dren : James, Jonathan, Robert, Elisabeth, Mary, and Sarah ; and died where he settled, July 15, 1793. Of these six children, we will only say as follows : James, the oldest, was born in 1744; married Mary McClure (Parker's History is wrong in saying Martha); was elder in the West Parish church ; left chil- dren, - William M., Robert, Isaac, James, Martha, Jane W., and Margaret, - of whom William M., the first named, married. Harriet Willis, and was father of Hon. James W. Nesmith, long U. S. Senator from Oregon. Senator Nesmith was born in 1820, married Pauline Goffe in 1846, and now lives in wealth and honor at Dixie, Ore. The second child of James, Jr., was Jonathan of Antrim ; Robert, the third child, married Jane Anderson; Elisabeth, the fourth child, mar- ried James Cochran of Windham; Mary, the fifth child, married James McClure of Acworth ; and Sarah, the sixth, married Daniel Anderson of Londonderry ..

Returning now to Arthur, the third child of Dea. James the emigrant, we have to say that he was born April 3, 1721. He married Margaret Hopkins, and settled in the south part of Londonderry ; but in later life he moved to the state of Maine. He had two sons in the Revolutionary army, one of whom, John, was a captain noted for valor and strength, but died near the close of the

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HON. GEORGE W. NESMITH.

war from effects of excessive exposure and hardship. Of Jean and Mary, daugh- ters of the first Dea. James, I know nothing. But John, the sixth child of the emigrant, married Elisabeth, sister of Gen. George Reed of Londonderry, settled on the first Nesmith homestead with his father, and died there in 1815, aged eighty-seven. His children were : James of Antrim ; Arthur of Antrim ; John, Jr., who married, first, Susan Hildreth, and, second, Lydia Sargent, and died on the homestead in Londonderry in 1844; Ebenezer, who married Jane Trotter ; Thomas ; Elisabeth, who married Dea. James Pinkerton ; Mary, who married John Miltimore, moving to Reading, Penn .; and Jane, who married Hugh Anderson. Of Elisabeth, the emigrant's seventh child, I have no data. Thomas, the eighth child, was born March 26, 1732 ; married Annis Wilson, and settled in Londonderry (now the north part of Windham), and had three children : John, Elisabeth, and Thomas, Jr. Of Benjamin, the ninth child of the first Dea. James, I have no information of importance in the present undertaking.

JONATHAN NESMITH, second child of James and Mary (Dinsmore) Nesmith, and grandson of the proprietor Dea. James, was born in Londonderry, in August, 1759. He came here in May, 1774, and began to clear the farm that remained in possession of the family until 1865. He made successive clearings each year, and with vigorous hand put up his log cabin, -though only a boy of sixteen years when he began. He permanently moved here in 1778. He sub- sequently had to pay for the most of his land a second time. Was one of the leading spirits of the town. Was eleven years selectman, and was four times chosen representative of the town. Was always on important committees, and was known and confided in by all. He was chosen one of the elders of the Presbyterian church at its formation in 1778, though only twenty-nine years of age. For fifty years he only failed of officiating at one communion. Dea. Nes- mith was a man of great sociality, - up to jokes, -genial , jolly, and good- natured; was very hospitable and benevolent; anxious for the public welfare; stoutly in earnest to maintain the faith of his fathers ; a man of strong ability, good judgment, and irreproachable character. He was an honor to the town he helped to establish .. His death occurred Oct. 15, 1845, aged eighty-six. His first wife was Elenor Dickey, whom he married in 1781. She was the daughter of Adam and Jane (Strahan) Dickey of Londonderry, and granddaughter of John and Margaret Dickey, of Londonderry, Ireland. She was born Jan. 1, 1761, and died Sept. 17, 1818. He married, second, Mrs. Sarah (Wetherbee) Hamblin, of Concord, Mass. She was twelve years of age when she witnessed the battle of Lexington and Concord from her father's door. She saw those brave men fall, remembered everything, and was always fond of telling of those first blows for liberty. She died Jan. 16, 1852, aged eighty-nine. Dea. Nesmith's cabin was burned one day when the family were absent; and he used to remark, in after years, that he never felt so poor as then. Yet, undismayed, he went about build- ing another, being generously aided by neighbors he had himself always been for- ward to help. After several years he put up a substantial framed house, which was burned March 4, 1841, from a spark catching on the roof. In his old age Dea. Nesmith resigned his office in the church ; and it is spoken of as a remark- able scene, when he stood in the public assembly and offered his resignation, and then, with trembling voice and with uplifted and palsied hand, invoked God's blessing on his successors in coming time. His children were : -

1. JAMES, b. Oct. 5, 1783 ; m. Polly Taylor April 10, 1810 ; cleared and set- tled west of the pond and west of the Steele place, on land now George Brown's, -often called the Boyd place ; went thence to Solon, N. Y., in

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1822, with six children. There his wife d. in 1846. In 1852 he m. 2d, Mrs. Susan Clark ; moved to Waukon, Io., and d. there in 1862. He had children : -

Mary, (b. in 1811; d. in infancy.)

Mary E., (b. in 1812 ; m. John Stillman of Cortlandville, N. Y., in. 1833 ; went to Waukon, Io., in 1857, where they now live.)

Rev. John T. G., (b. in 1814 ; studied at Cazenovia Seminary ; m. Harriet N. Taylor ; entered the Methodist ministry ; was a faithful and able man ; d. while pastor, at the age of 36.)

Hannah E., (b. in 1816; m. John Reed ; moved to Waukon, Io., in 1857, and d. there in 1877.)

Abigail S., (b. in 1818; became second wife of Isaac Barker in 1847; went to Waukon, Io., in 1854.)

Mark W., (b. in 1820; d. unm., at Solon, N. Y., in 1848.)

James A., (b. in 1822 ; carried to Solon, N. Y., when an infant; went thence to Illinois in 1844 ; m. Laura Post.)

George W., (b. in Solon, N. Y., in 1825 ; m. Mary C. Farrar of Fairfield, Vt .; resides at Waukon, Io.)

Dr. Milton W., (b. in 1828; m. Margaret Donoughue in 1852; is now phy- sician and druggist at Waukon, Io.)

Woodbury T., (by second wife ; b. in 1852; remains at Solon, N. Y.)

2. JEAN, now called " Jane," or " Jenny ; " b. May 14, 1787 ; m. John Dunlap, June 26, 1807, and d. March 29, 1835.

3. THOMAS D., b. March 22, 1789; m. Martha Weeks, March 30, 1813; suc- ceeded his father on the homestead. His first wife d. in 1828, aged 35, and he m. 2d, Nancy Gregg, Feb. 4, 1830. He d. Sept. 10, 1841, aged 52. The second wife d. Feb. 9, 1856, aged 63. He was known in town as " Capt. Nesmith ; " was captain of the " Antrim Grenadiers," and was often marshal of the day on special occasions. He was a useful man, and d. in his prime. His children were : -

Robert W., (b. May 3, 1814 ; m. Olive Dunlap of Bedford, June 1, 1839 ; settled in Jefferson, Tex., and d. at Sulphur Springs in that state, Nov. 28, 1866. He left two daughters: Oriette, now in the Metropolitan Railroad office, Boston ; and Sally V., who m. Com. Decatur Morris, and lives in Little Rock, Ark.)

Jonathan, (b. Jan. 24, 1816; m. Marietta F. Morrill of Franklin, Nov. 15, 1841 ; inherited the homestead of his father and grandfather, sold the same in 1865, and two or three years later moved to Hancock, where he now re- sides. He was the last of the name in town. At one time there were three Dea. Nesmiths in town, known as "Dea. James," "Dea. Arthur," and " Dea. Jonathan," and they each had nine children, - making, with sisters and friends, nearly forty by that name in this place. Jonathan's children are : Jennie M., who was b. Sept. 23, 1842, - an excellent teacher ; Thomas S., who was b. May 12, 1846, and d. at the age of three years ; Fannie H., who was b. Dec. 8, 1848, and m. Frank H. Baldwin, June 19, 1876, resid- ing in Keene; Annie M. T., who was b. Sept. 12, 1852 ; Abbie Isabel, who was b. Nov. 15, 1854, and d. 1856; Miles G., who was b. Sept. 26, 1857; Addie M., who was b. Jan. 27, 1860 ; and John S., who was b. May 5, 1863.)

Sarah E., (b. Dec. 24, 1818, m. John W. Buttrick, and lives in Lawrence, Mass.)

Miles, (b. Feb. 2, 1821 ; went to California in 1849, and was driver for the California Stage Company ; the horses became unmanageable, and the whole

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HON. GEORGE W. NESMITH.

team was thrown down a fearful precipice near Virginia City, Nev., by which the driver, all the horses, and most of the passengers were instantly killed. This sad event occurred in December, 1862.)

Harriet F., (b. Feb. 2, 1823, m. Walker Flanders, and lives in Lawrence Mass. )

Martha J., (b. June 9, 1825; m. Isaac P. Cochran of Windham, Nov. 12, 1846. )

Melvin, (b. Dec. 20, 1830 ; d. in Sacramento, Cal., Dec. 31, 1853.)

Hiram G., (b. Feb. 18, 1833; d. in Jefferson, Tex., in 1857.)

Nancy R., (b. Jan. 24, 1836, m. Josiah Melville, and lives in Nelson.)

4. ADAM, b. March 5, 1792 ; m. Rebecca Dale ; settled in Beverly, Mass., and d. Jan. 15, 1865.

5. MARY D., " Molly Dinsmore " on town record, b. April 11, 1794; called " Long Mary," being tall in form ; a talented, respected, and Christian wo- man ; d. unm. April 6, 1874.

6. MARGARET, b. May 4, 1796; d. unm. in 1827.

7. ISABEL, b. March 6, 1798; d. unm. March 8, 1862.

8. HON. GEORGE W., b. Oct. 23, 1800; was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1820; m. Mary M. Brooks ; settled in the practice of law at Franklin ; was long judge of the New Hampshire supreme court, remaining on the bench until relieved by the constitutional limitation of years. Is now presi- dent of the N. H. Orphans' Home, and trustee of Dartmouth College ; is a man of noble principles and honored life, enjoying in his old age the high- est confidence and esteem of men. The degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him by Dartmouth College. He stands among the best and noblest of the sons of New Hampshire, and is an honor to his native town.

CHARLES MARSH.

YANKEE courage, integrity, and judgment have won no more substantial or more splendid triumphs in the business world than are reflected from the dry-goods palace of Jordan, Marsh, & Co., a house whose grand successes have made it famous throughout the mercantile world. The foundations of this magnificent establishment were laid in 1851 and 1852, by three young men, two of whom were natives of New Hampshire. The head of the firm, Eben D. Jordan, when fourteen years old had gone up to Boston from his home in Maine, and began his business career as an errand boy, and in a short time had been promoted to a clerkship, in which position he made himself master of the dry-goods business, and while doing it became acquainted with two other young men, Benjamin L. and CHARLES MARSH, who had left their father's house in Chesterfield, N. H., and sought in Boston an opening in which pluck, push, and perseverance, unaided by influential friends or unearned capital, could carry them on to success.

In 1852, Messrs. Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh established the firm of Jordan, Marsh, & Co., and the next year Charles Marsh, then a clerk in the store of Pearl, Smith, & Co., was admitted as a partner. The house began in a small way; it had behind it little but the splendid courage and the remarkable abilities of the three young partners ; but these were sufficient to win a fair share of business, and a reputation which was better than money, and in a short time it was firmly established in the confidence of the mercantile world and the good will of the public. In eight years the business had grown to two million dollars per annum, and since that time it has steadily and rapidly increased, until the firm controls the dry-goods market of New England, and, in many lines, of the entire country.

The elder Marsh died in 1856, leaving his partners to carry on and com- plete the grand enterprises he had helped project and begin. His brother still remains to share with Mr. Jordan the triumphs of the firm. In the early days of the business, Charles Marsh was an active salesman, and was accounted one of the best ever known in Boston. Afterwards, he took charge of the wholesale department, which has since been and still is under his personal supervision.

In commercial circles and in the store he has a clearly defined and high rank as a manager, with rare combination of talents. His coolness, his thorough knowledge of the business, his level-headed judgment, and organizing and execu- tive capacity are abundantly attested in the great and rapid growth of the whole- sale business. He is a balanced man ; and how necessary this quality is to success in an enterprise of this magnitude, only those who have seen houses go to wreck for lack of it can tell. The elements of personal popularity in his character, and his extensive acquaintance throughout the country, help to explain his success. For nearly thirty years his steady hand has been felt at the helm, and yet he seems to-day only in the prime of his powers.

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HON. GEORGE BYRON CHANDLER.

THE subject of this sketch is a member of a family that has long occupied a prominent and honorable place in New Hampshire history. His parents, Adam and Sally (McAllister) Chandler, were worthy representatives of the strong- minded, able-bodied, industrious, and successful citizens who in the early part of the century tilled the farms and shaped affairs in our farming towns. They re- sided upon a fertile farm in Bedford, which was the birthplace of their four children. Of these, the three sons - Henry, John M., and George Byron - are all citizens of Manchester, and are now engaged in the banking business. The only daughter is dead. The boys spent their boyhood upon the farm, doing their share of the work ; but their parents were solicitous that they should be fitted for some more profitable calling, and gave them all the school privileges of the neighborhood, which were afterwards supplemented by academical instruc- tion at several state academies.

His home work, his studies at Piscataquog, Gilmanton, Hopkinton, and Reed's Ferry academies, and his duties as a teacher at Amoskeag, Bedford, and Nashua, occupied the boyhood of GEORGE BYRON CHANDLER until the age of twenty-one, after which he spent one year as a civil engineer in the employ of the Boston, Concord, & Montreal Railroad.

In the spring of 1854 he decided to devote himself to a business instead of a professional career, and, coming to Manchester, entered the grocery house of Kidder & Duncklee as a book-keeper. The next year he was offered a similar position in the Amoskeag Bank, which he accepted, and filled so acceptably that eighteen months later he was promoted to the teller's counter, and remained there until the organization of the Amoskeag National Bank, in 1864, when he was elected its cashier and entered upon the discharge of the duties of this re- sponsible position, which he still holds. That he has won in it the continuing confidence of its managers, who are among the most sagacious of financiers, and the hearty approval of its numerous owners and patrons, is the best testimony to his fidelity and efficiency. His success in this capacity led the trustees of the People's Savings Bank, when it was organized, to select him as its treasurer, and the success of this institution is another reflection of his patient and skillful work. These two banks, of which he is the chief executive, are among the strongest in the country ; and it is much for him to be proud of that they have grown so great in resources and public confidence during his administration.

Mr. Chandler has also been prominently, honorably, and profitably indenti- fied with many other financial enterprises which have been conspicuous for their success. He has been the treasurer of the New Hampshire Fire Insurance Company since its organization, in 1870 ; he was for five years a director of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad, and has been for several years its treasurer ; he was a director of the Blodget Edge Tool Company and of the Amoskeag Axe Company, during their existence ; and he has been for years constantly

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HON. GEORGE BYRON CHANDLER.

intrusted with numerous private trusts involving the management of most exten- sive and important interests.

Mr. Chandler has an ample fortune, and a large income which he scatters with a free hand. He gives liberally and buys freely. The representatives of a worthy object who appeal to him for aid seldom go away empty. His residence and grounds, which occupy an entire square, are among the most costly and at- tractive in the city, and are noted as the home of good taste, elegance, and hearty hospitality. He is a leader in social life and active in city affairs. For several years he has been an officer of the Amoskeag Veterans, and is now president of the New Hampshire Club, composed of the leading business men of New Hampshire, which he was largely instrumental in organizing. He has read much, and traveled extensively in this country, and has a wide acquaintance with its distinguished men, and a valuable knowledge of the resources, customs, and char- acteristics of its several sections, which he has often been called upon to utilize for the benefit of others in lectures before schools and also in addresses before public assemblies.

From his early days Mr. Chandler has been an active member of the Uni- tarian Society in Manchester, and has served for years as one of its directors and president. Like other organizations with which he has been identified, this has been frequently indebted to him for liberal donations in money and a zealous support in many ways.

In 1874, the Democratic party of the Manchester district elected him to the state senate, where he served with credit to himself and the city. He declined a renomination.

In 1862, Mr. Chandler married Miss Flora A., daughter of Hon. Darwin J. Daniels, an ex-mayor of Manchester, who died in May, 1868, leaving an infant daughter, who did not long survive her mother.

His second wife, who now presides over his mansion, is the only daughter of Col. B. F. Martin, of Manchester, to whom he was married in 1870. Three children -- Benjamin Martin, Alexander Rice, and Byron-are the fruit of this union. Of these, the oldest and youngest are living.

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HON. NAPOLEON B. BRYANT.

BY HON. J. M. SHIRLEY.

THE subject of this sketch was born at East Andover, N. H., on February 25, 1825. His mother was of Revolutionary stock, and from one of the oldest fam- ilies in town ; and was one of those sunny-souled "Mothers in Israel," who, half a century ago, were alike the glory and honor of our New England homes. His father was a man of high character and fine natural endowments; but was in straitened circumstances. As there was no lawyer in that part of the town where he lived, nor within several miles, he acted as a magistrate, trial and otherwise, for many years; and his services were sought in making deeds, wills, and con- tracts, formulating notices and the like, organizing voluntary corporations, settling the estates of deceased persons, and in this class of business usually intrusted to lawyers. His son grew up in this atmosphere, the influence of which, with his father's strong desires, determined the choice of his profession.

The world lavishes its praise upon, and often loads with honors, the self-made man, for that implies a successful one. It too often forgets the rugged path which leads thereto, and the hard discipline - the heroic treatment that so often kills-which enables him to attain that position. As a rule, it crowns with honors the victors as they sweep the summit-heights, but furnishes no headstone for the dead that mark the ascent and block the pathway.

Young Bryant had the hard lot so common "among the hills ;" but he had health, hope, courage, ambition, and the glow-fire of a fervid imagination, which enabled him to succeed when others

" By the wayside fell and perished,

Weary with the march of life."

Until ten years of age, he had the limited educational advantages afforded by the district school, gaining one term at a private school when about seven, by walking two miles and a half each way, daily, to attend it. At ten he entered the high school at Franklin, taught by Master Tyler of Andover, an author of some note and a teacher of high repute in those days, and remained for half a term,-all that the limited means of the family would permit. A similar privilege was accorded at eleven and again at twelve. At the age of fourteen he borrowed money enough of a relative to defray the expense of an entire term at Boscawen Academy, then under the charge of Mr. Ballard, of Concord, a graduate of Dartmouth, giving, his note therefor, which he repaid with interest at the end of three years. Here he studied trigonometry and surveying, and for several years afterwards earned considerable sums to aid him in prosecuting his studies by sur- veying in his own and adjoining towns. When fourteen he " cast off the lines" and assumed the entire burden of his support and education. To aid in this work he commenced teaching when fifteen, and taught every winter until he left college. Thus lacking means, he drifted about, a term at a time, among the various academies in the state, at Concord, Claremont, Gilmanton, and New Lon- don, until he entered New Hampton, joining a class which was to fit for college

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Sketches of successful New Hampshire men, Part 24

Author: Clarke, John B. (John Badger), 1820-1891, pub Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Manchester, J.B. Clarke Number of Pages: 674

Author: Clarke, John B. (John Badger), 1820-1891, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Manchester, J.B. Clarke
Number of Pages: 674