USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Some things about Coventry-Benton, New Hampshire (town history) > Part 4
USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Benton > Some things about Coventry-Benton, New Hampshire (town history) > Part 4
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The new names appearing on the check list in 1818 were those of Timothy Ayer, Benj. R. Davis, John Huntress, Abner Palmer, Jonathan Welch, Stephen Lovejoy and Abel Marshall. Of these Jonathan Welch alone remained in town for a sufficient length of time to become permanently identified with its interests. He settled in the "High Street"
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neighborhood, and his two sons, Silas M. and Bartlett, both became prominent citizens, each serving on the board of selectmen, and both dying in their early manhood within a few days of each other of malignant diptheria. George Welch, one of the sons of Silas M., still resides in town, and another, Edgar, is engaged as a carpenter, builder and manufacturer of woodwork at Barton, Vt.
James Ball came to Coventry in 1819, but soon removed to East Landaff where he lived to an advanced age, and where some of his descendants still reside. Nathaniel Howe, brother of Daniel and Peter Howe, also settled in town the same year. The names of John Ford, James Harford and Moses Knight, Jr., also appear on the check list for the first time this year.
The new voters in 1820 were John Atwell, Augustus Coburn, Caleb Page and Ona Snow. John Atwell was a native of Maine; he married Dolly, a sister of William Whitcher, and settled on a farm on the road leading to the east part of the town, afterwards known as the Stephen Sherman farm, but now destitute of buildings, and mostly grown up to young forest. He was killed by a falling tree, and his widow survived him but a few years. One son, Chase Whitcher Atwell, went to Massachusetts, and at the time of his death, about 1889, was engaged in the real estate business in Boston. Caleb Page was a son of Samuel Page, but after his marriage removed to Haverhill and dur- ing the latter part of his life lived on the Oliverian road in East Haverhill, near the Benton line. Augustus Coburn was the first of a family coming later to town, who were im- portant factors in its life.
New names added to the voting list in 1821 were Aaron Knight, Asa Howe, David Corwin, Ezra Niles, John Flan-
1
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ders, Noadiah Lund, Thomas Treffren, Moses Mead and David Elliott. Aaron Knight was the son of Moses Knight, and Moses Mead was the son of William Mead, who had settled on the Meadows some years previously. The son, Moses, lived in town the greater part of the time for the next thirty years, and for much of the time was engaged in the profitable occupation of peddling. Asa Howe, a brother of Peter and Daniel, came from Landaff to the north part of the town, but remained only a few years, when he remov- ed to Sutton, Vt., where he spent the remainder of his life.
In 1822 the name of James J. Page appears on the voting list, and he became immediately active in all the affairs of the town. Of liberal religious views, fond of good living, a good story teller, holding pronounced views in politics and on social questions he became early a leader. William Jenness had become the owner of the large Jonathan Hale farm, and his name was another of the new ones appearing in 1822. In the latter part of the same year Israel Flan- ders, accompanied by his father, Josiah Flanders, came to town from Bradford, Vt., and settled in the easterly part of North Benton on the farm where he lived until his death, followed the next year by his brother, James Flanders, who settled on a farm adjoining. Josiah Flanders had been a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and lived but a few years after coming to town. His grave is in the East ceme- tery. In each of the three cemeteries in town is found one such grave, that of Obadiah Eastman being at High Street, and that of Joseph Young in the West cemetery. Israel Flanders married Polly, a sister of Enos Wells, who bore him two sons and two daughters ; John, LaFayette, Mahala, who married John E. Keyser, and Hannah, who married for her first husband Nelson F. Noyes. John settled on a
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farm near his father where he resided until his death in 1903. LaFayette removed to Haverhill where he still resides. Hannah lives with a daughter in St. Johnsbury, Vt., and Mahala, the widow of John E. Keyser, still resides in town. Israel and Polly Flanders were simple, quiet, thrifty, God fearing people, who brought their family up, so far as lay in their power, to follow in their steps. They "got religion" of the fervid Methodist sort early, and enjoyed it during their long lives of nearly ninety years. They seldom ventured far from home, their hill farm supplied their simple wants, they knew nothing of the fret and anxiety caused by hustling and bustling to secure large wealth. They avoided debt, and while their earthly possessions were few, they would have scorned the thought of being regarded poor. There are some scores of people living who would travel some distance to hear "Uncle Israel" once more sing in a Methodist prayer meeting :
"Oh how happy are they Who their Saviour obey," etc.
or to hear "Aunt Polly" declare that she meant "to perse- vere on to the end and at last land her weary soul in the broad bay of heaven, to go no more out forever in a never ending eternity." Aunt Polly sometimes mixed her figures of speech, but she was fervidly eloquent.
James Hopkins Cox also came to town in this same year, 1822, and established himself a little to the east of the North and South road, where he cleared a farm which became pro- ductive, though it was a common saying that there was no place on his farm where an ox cart could stand level except on the barn floor. His eldest son, Albert, settled near him on reaching his majority, while his second, Thomas, lived with his father until about 1865, when they sold their farm
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and removed to Lisbon. His youngest son, George, re- moved to Bath, and later to Manchester. Mr. Cox was a man of a good deal of energy and originality of character. He was outspoken, not to say loud spoken, in his views, and his neighbors were never at a loss to know where he stood on any question of interest to the public. His name appears on the check list for the first time in 1823. Other new names were those of David Quimby, Joseph Pearsons, Ben- jamin Page, Robert Hunkings, Joseph Day and Smith Jackson.
New names on the list in 1824 were Daniel Batchelder, Daniel Day, Moses French, Samuel Page, Jr., and Asa Smith. Daniel Batchelder was a clergyman, who remain- ed in town but a little while, but his son, Daniel Batchel- der, Jr., who became a voter in 1825, became during the next twenty years one of the leading citizens of the town. He served on the board of selectmen, for several years rep- resented the town in the General Court, where, in 1840, he secured the passage of the act changing the name of the town from Coventry to Benton. There are few of the resi- dents of the North Country who do not remember "Dan Batchelder", who from 1830 to 1860, was probably the most popular country auctioneer for a large section of Grafton county, New Hampshire, and Orange county, Vermont. Rough and brusque in manner, boisterous in his demeanor, quick witted, and ready with story and repartee, he was in himself an attraction on auction days, and knew just how to deal with the crowds who attended the sales of farm crops, farm stock, farming utensils, and "other articless too numerous to mention", which went to make up the auctions at farm houses. He was a man of great tact, and of influ- ence in the councils of his party. He removed from Benton
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to Corinth, Vt., but later returned to New Hampshire, buy- ing a home in Haverhill, near what is now Pike, where he spent the later years of his life.
Ara Smith settled on the South road in North Benton, in what was known as the Wells neighborhood. He had one son, Henry, who left town in early manhood. Other new comers whose names appear on the check list for the first time in 1826 were Nathan Coburn, Robert Coburn, Jacob Currier, William Mann, Josuha Knight, (a son of Moses Knight), Jonathan Noyes, Joseph Palmer and Daniel Patch. Nathan and Robert Coburn were brothers of Au- gustus Coburn, who came to town six years before. Na- than became prominent in town affairs, serving as town clerk, selectman and representative, but removed from town in 1835. Robert was less active, but was greatly interested in religious matters, was licensed and later ordained as a preacher in the Christain denomination, but, while preach- ing occasionally, never held a regular pastorate. The hill lying to the east of the South road, and to the west of what were known as the Clough and Wright farms, was long known as "Coburn hill." Jonathan Noyes was a brother of the wife of William Whitcher. He remained but a few years in town, when he returned to his native town, Landaff. William Mann settled just off the East road next to Lan- daff line, and near Tunnel Stream, and his farm was one of the best in that section. The buildings have long since dis- appeared, but as late as 1860 the apple and fruit orchard, which he had planted, was one of the best in town.
The new names in 1827 were those of James Hinkley, Nathan Johnson, Jonathan Bailey, Moses Ellsworth and Benjamin C. Hutchins. The latter had a large family, and of his sons, Lucius, Joseph, Benjamin F. and Noah, were
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for a long time residents of the town. Noah married Hannah Jesseman, of Franconia. A daughter married Rev. George Brown, the well-known Advent clergyman of Centre Haverhill, and their son, Solomon J., resides in Ben- ton on the William T. Torsey farm. Noah Hutchins died of consumption in middle life, and his widow subsequently married William T. Torsey. Lucius Hutchins spent the most of his life in town, but none of his family now live there. Joseph Hutchins, late in life, removed to Haverhill, and one son, Charles, resides in Woodsville. Benjamin F. Hutchins died in the early fifties of cancer, and his three daughters married and removed from town. The eldest daughter, Susan, married Kimball F. Woodman, of Bath. The widow of Benjamin F. Hutchins subsequently married Amos C. Mann. The Hutchinses all resided in the east part of the town, as did Asa Merrill, who married the daughter of Benjamin C. While none of the family succeeded in ac- cumulating property they were, for the most part, industri- ous people, who contributed to the growth and development of the town. There was a comparatively large immigration into the town in 1827, and the tax list of 1828 bore a large number of new names. These were : Nathan B. Davis, Jeremiah B. Davis, John K. Davis, Israel H. Davis, Jona- than Davis, Jonathan Davis, Jr., William Davis, William Doty, Daniel Doty, Winthrop Elliott, David Elliott, Fay- ette Wells, Daniel Coburn, Jacob Whitcher, Thomas W. Ford, Daniel Young, Wm. Keyser, Oliver Farmer, Sam- uel Tyler, Winthrop G. Torsey, Amos Tyler, Abel Batch- elder, Jeremiah Davenport and Roswell Elliott.
William Keyser settled in the east part of the town, clear- ing the farm on which his son, James H., now lives. He was also a cooper by trade, and found plenty of occupation
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for the exercise of his trade. In later years, when the man- ufacture of potato starch became an important industry in Benton, Bath, Landaff and Franconia, he did an extensive business in the manufacture of starch casks, and by patient unremitting toil made his farm one of the best in the east- ern ยท section of the town. His sons, Charles B., John E. and James H., all remained in town, being numbered among the most useful citizens. Fayette Wells was a brother of Capt. Enos Wells, and David and Caleb Noyes came from Landaff, remaining, however, but a little time, when they returned to Landaff. The Elliotts and Dotys lived on the Meadows. Jacob Whitcher was a younger brother of William. He married Sarah Richardson, of Warren, and settled near Haverhill line at the foot of Black Mountain, his farm subsequently being known as the Charles M. Howe farm. The buildings have long since dis- appeared, and a large part of the farm has reverted once more to forest His sons, Hazen, Jacob, Jr., Alonzo, Levi and Stephen, left town in early life, removing to Mass- achusetts, where their descendants still live, in Stoneham, Woburn and Quincy. A daughter, Sarah Jane, married the Rev. Andrew K. Crawford, a Methodist Episcopal clergyman of New York. She died at an early age, leaving two children.
The Davis family settled in North Benton and were for many years largely identified with the growth and develop- ment of the town. Jonathan Davis married Miriam Bart- lett and came from Essex county, Mass., to Northfield, N. H., where his eleven children were born, and all of whom, except one, David, who remained in Northfield, came with him to Coventry in 1827 or a few years later. Of his sons who came to Coventry, Nathan B. Davis married Abigail S.
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DARIUS K. DAVIS.
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Batchelder. He settled on the farm at the summit of what is now known as Davis hill. Of his six children three died in infancy, but three grew to the estate of manhood and wo- manhood. Darius K., born in Northfield, Nov. 7, 1825, married Susannah, daughter of Daniel and Phebe Howe. He resided in Benton until about 1860, when he removed to Northfield and to Haverhill, where he was engaged in mer- cantile pursuits at East Haverhill, Pike and Warren Sum- mit for many years. In more recent years he has resided in Woodsville with his only child and daughter. Mrs. Oliver D. Eastman. As a young man before leaving Benton he served as superintending School Committee and also as one of the selectmen of the town. His brother Abel, S. E. B., born in Benton, Aug. 28, 1827, removed to Indianapolis, where he still resides. His sister, Abigail, born in Benton Apr. 29, 1837, married W. H. H. Grimes, of Franconia, and also removed to Indianapolis, where she has since resid- ed. Nathan B. was prominent in town affairs, holding all the various town offices. He removed to Haverhill about 1859. Jeremiah B. Davis, the second son of Jonathan and Miriam, married Susan, daughter of Kimball and Sally Streeter Tyler, and settled near the County road just to the north of Kimball Tyler's farm, the buildings standing near the farm buildings now owned and occupied by Byron A. Tyler. They had a large family of children, Wesley, Mary, Laban T., Eliza, Kimball T., Sally, Jeremiah B., Jr., Constantine and Dennison. Of these, only one, Mary, who married Charles B. Keyser, now resides in town. Laban T. resides in Lynn, Mass, and Jeremiah B. in Easton.
Israel Davis married Sally Batchelder, a sister of the wife of Nathan B., who bore him one son, Israel B., who was familiarly known as "Gould" Davis, alleged physician,
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insurance agent, and "promoter" in a small way of various schemes. Israel remained in town but a short time, remov- ing to Haverhill, where he lived many years on the Lime Kiln road, so called.
John K. Davis married Sarah Ann Marshall, and settled on the South road on a farm recently owned by George Brill. They had four sons, Lorenzo D., who removed to Tilton ; Marcellus M., who was for many years in the em- ploy of the Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad as road master, and who, about 1874, moved west ; Frank and Gil- man. They had also two daughters, Maria and Sally Ann. Jonathan Davis, Jr., also married a Batchelder, Lydia, a sister of Abigail and Sally, and settled at the top of the hill on the west side of what is known as Davis brook. Of their two daughters, Irene became the wife of William T. Tor- sey and Sabrina died at about the age of seventeen.
George Davis, another son of Jonathan and Miriam, was a Wesleyan Methodist clergyman. He married Phebe Bradbury, and spent a brief time in town, living near his brothers, but his life was naturally an itinerant one, and he died in Canaan, leaving one son.
William Davis married Sarah Torsey and settled on a farm just to the north of that of his brother Jonathan. He left town sometime in the sixties, removing first to Tilton, and later to Piermont, where he died about 1897. They had two daughters, Amanda, the wife of Edward E. Grimes, of Piermont, and Anna.
Three daughters were also born to Jonathan and Miriam Davis. Polly was the first and Sally the second wife of Moses Batchelder, a brother of the wives of Nathan B. Isra- el and Jonathan Davis, Jr. It was not often that two families became so closely connected by marriage as did
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these two of Davis and Batchelder. The other daughter, Irene, married a Philips but did not reside in town. Two of the Batchelder brothers, Kinsley and Abel, came to Ben- ton about the same time as did the Davises and remained in town some years. The Davis family was a large one, and for many years, indeed until about 1860, was an important element in the life of the town. Israel, Jonathan and William Davis were members of the Free-will Baptist church and will long be remembered for the part they took in the prayer meetings of their denomination. They used to sit in the "Amen Corner", and the "Amens" of Israel and William were frequently heard by those a mile distant from the meeting. Jeremiah B. had for a time a li- cense to preach and exercised his right in the barns and school houses and farm kitchens, which were the places of meeting for religious worship in the days before the meeting house was erected. There was a fervid emotional element in the Davis' nature, which in times of revival, gave rise to shouting and bodily exercises, which were a source of amuse- ment, if not of edification, to the younger element in attend- ance on the revival services. But one representative of this large Davis family is now in town, Mary, the widow of Charles B. Keyser, the daughter of Jeremiah.
In 1829 there were six new names added to the check list : Elisha Ford, Jr., Kimball Tyler, Jr., Moses Whitch- er, Horace Webber, Hazen Hinkley and Benj. M. Eastman. The first three named were sons of early settlers, indicating that the town was beginning to grow and develop from with- in, a fact made the more patent the next year, 1830, when among the new names on the list were those of Jesse East- man, Jr., Orrin Marston, Marcus B. Jackson, Elijah Gray, Jr., Kimball Tyler, Jr., Moses Torsey, Jr., and William,
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Whitcher, Jr., all sons of early settlers. Moses and Wil- liam Whitcher, soon atter reaching their majority, formed a partnership, engaging extensively in farming and in the manufacture of lumber, and soon became noted for their energy, enterprise and thrift. William died at an early age, and his widow, Lucinda, married Harrison Blake and re- moved to Landaff. Moses married Sarah, the daughter of Samuel and Dorcas Royce, and was killed by the falling of a tree in March, 1846, in the thirty-ninth year of his age. He had served on the board of selectmen, and represented the town in the General Court, was town clerk, and, at the time of his death, was doubtless in point of business enter- prise and ability, in the merited confidence reposed in him by his townsmen, the first citizen of his town. Marcus B. Jackson was the eldest of the seven children of Samuel Jackson, Jr., who was prominent in town affairs in the first quarter of the century. The other children were Dan Young, William Wilson, Fletcher, Eliza, Thomas Branch . and John. The family removed to Haverhill, where the sons, especially Marcus B., Thomas Branch and John be- came leading citizens. Kimball Tyler, Jr., remained but a few years in town, going to Stoneham, Mass., where he was followed later by several of his brothers and sisters. Jesse Eastman, Jr. remained in town a few years, but with most of his family, left for other localities. Orrin Marston mar- ried a daughter of Moses Torsey and established his home on a farm he cleared just north of the long stretch of forest through which the North and South road runs. He spent nearly his whole life in town, but after the death of his wife, removed to Franconia, where he spent his last years. One of his sons, Stephen Marston, lives in Woodsville.
Among the new comers in 1829 were John Stow, Ebe-
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neezer Scribner, William Lane, Samuel Kimball, Ezekiel C. Rogers and John Browley. John Stow se tled at first on the David Marston farm, later owned by William Whitcher, and now owned by Bert Cox. He later remov- ed to the eastern part of the town on what is now known as the Charles B. Keyser farm. Still later he owned an excel- lent farm on the hill to the west of Enos Wells' saw mill, which had formerly been occupied by the Lother brothers. This is now numbered among the abandoned farms, and though largely grown up to forest, and with buildings long since gone, is known as the Stow place. One son, William C., known as Carlos Stow, resided in town some years, as did also his eldest son, John Stow, Jr., and his two young- est sons, Nathan and Nathaniel, known as the Stow twins. Later these two latter married sisters, Ruth and Julia Weed, and removed to Stoneham, Mass.
Among the new comers in town in 1830 were John Brown, Richard Brown, David Whitcher, Daniel Weeks, Charles K. Merrill, Timothy Ayer, Levi Bradish, David Chaney and Daniel Chaney, Jr. David Whitcher was a brother ot Wil- liam Whitcher. He settled near his brother Jacob, but died in 1835. He was one of the selectmen of the town at the time of his death. He married Phebe Smith, and his three sons, Joseph, David and Daniel removed to Meredith. The brothers, John Brown and Richard Brown came from Andover. The former settled on a hill farm to the south- west of William Keyser's, where he lived until his death. His son, Jonas Galusha, lived in town until about 1868, when he removed to the farm at Haverhill Centre, where his son, Rev. George E. Brown, and his grandsons, Jonas N. and Allen Brown now reside. Another son, John C. Brown, removed to Michigan in 1856, following his broth-
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er Jesse, who had gone there earlier, another, Daniel W. Brown, died in early manhood. One daughter married Joseph Hutchins, and his youngest daughter, Eliza, married John Flanders, and still resides in Benton. Jonas G. Brown was one of the most thrifty and substantial citizens of the town, and acquired a competence trom his farming and lumbering operations. His mill on Tunnel stream, which he owned in company with Ira Whitcher, was the first in the north part of the town to substitute the circular saw for the old fashioned "up and down" saw. His wife was Angeline Whiteman, of Warren. He embraced the Ad- ventist faith, and for many years refrained from voting be- cause of conscientious scruples. His son, George E. Brown, has been for many years a respected minister of the Advent denomination. The eldest of his three daughters, Merium, married Chester Clough, of Benton ; Clara J., married Wil- lard W. Coburn, of Haverhill. Both are deceased. A daugh- ter of Clara, is the wife of Russell T. Bartlett, of Woods- ville. The youngest daughter of Jonas G. Brown, Imogene, is the wife of Calvin W. Cummings, of Ashland. Richard Brown settled in what was known as the "South Neighbor- hood", on a farm adjoining that of James H. Cox. He lived here until about 1860, when he removed with his son Leon- ard to Bath on the farm owned by William Burnham at the foot of Bradley Hill. One of his daughters married Bart- lett Marston, and another, Nelson F. Carter, the latter re- moving to Michigan.
There were few new settlers in town in 1831, and the check list for 1832 shows but two new names, Asa Noyes and Calif Day. John Lathrop purchased the Jesse East- man farm in 1832, and Josiah F. Jeffers began to clear his farm and establish himself on the North and South road,
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the last settled on the road from High Street to North Ben- ton. Deliverance Woodward had purchased the Jonathan Hale farm and came to reside upon it, entering actively into town life. Edward P. Coolidge, the son of William Cool- idge, returned to town to reside with his grandfather, Jona- than Hale. Other new voters in 1833 were Weare Leavitt, Hiram Pool, Paine Blake, Timothy Hildreth, Timothy Wilmot, David Young, Jr., Daniel Weeks, Amos Whitch- er and John Stow, Jr.
During the next two years most of the new names appear- ing on the voting list were sons of early settlers, the chief exceptions being those of George W. Cogswell and Barzilla Pierce in 1834, and Samuel Mann in 1835.
Barzilla Pierce was a Methodist Episcopal clergyman, who lived only a short time in town. He was a man of Episcopal proportions, weighing upwards of three hundred pounds, but he never reached the Episcopacy. This was reserved for Elijah Hedding, who was Presiding Elder for several years of the New Hampshire district of the New England Conference, and who, according to tradition, once preached in David Marston's barn in North Benton while visiting the Landaff Circuit. This is believed to be the only time that a bishop, or one who was to become a bishop, ever visited the town. Major Samuel Mann, who married Mary Howe, a sister of Daniel and Peter, settled on the farm subsequently owned by his son, George W. They were the parents of seven sons, Jesse, Moody, Amos C., Samuel, James A., Edward F. and George W. Jesse went to Massachusetts, where he resided several years, re- turning later to Bath, where he resided during the remain- der of his life. While in Massachusetts he resided in Charleston, and was one of the leaders of the mob which
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