USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > The Londonderry celebration. Exercises on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of old Nutfield, comprising the towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham, and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Salem, N.H., June 10, 1869. > Part 5
USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hudson > The Londonderry celebration. Exercises on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of old Nutfield, comprising the towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham, and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Salem, N.H., June 10, 1869. > Part 5
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Londonderry > The Londonderry celebration. Exercises on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of old Nutfield, comprising the towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham, and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Salem, N.H., June 10, 1869. > Part 5
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Derry > The Londonderry celebration. Exercises on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of old Nutfield, comprising the towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham, and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Salem, N.H., June 10, 1869. > Part 5
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Windham > The Londonderry celebration. Exercises on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of old Nutfield, comprising the towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham, and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Salem, N.H., June 10, 1869. > Part 5
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Salem > The Londonderry celebration. Exercises on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of old Nutfield, comprising the towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham, and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Salem, N.H., June 10, 1869. > Part 5
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LINEN MANUFACTURES.
3. " In the House of Representatives, May 7th, 1731.
" Whereas there are great frauds and deceit practiced by persons travelling in this Province by selling of Foreign Linnens under pretence they were made at Londonderry, in this Province, which tends to the Damage of those who really make and sell the Linen in Londonderry, &c., for prevention of which and for encouraging the manufac- turing Linen in said Town,
" Voted, That an Act be drawn up authorizing the said Town to make choice of a suitable person to seal all such linen as shall be made in the said Town, and to have a Seal with the name of the Town engraved on it, and authority to such sealer (if suspect 'twas not made in the Town) to administer an oath to the persons that bring linen to be sealed, that it was bona fide made in said town."
The foregoing extracts from the Province Records estab- lish three important points :
1. The good character of the first settlers.
2. The interest they felt in schools.
3. The excellence of their home manufactures of linen.
Engraved by GF PerineNYork
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ADDRESS.
DE HON. SAHON R. STAEMME
ion meet here to-duy, amighty conto of the nas. in the solemin and mojostie (Desenro of the dond. .. assembled to Nowor a brave mud sturdy pesary, wood ta rejoice in the faitlen of those Iators which was yes We them in the willst of suffering, pristine sont danger: 54 scene could be to ve more suggestive, in osabr mn teresting. Berie you are the habitations of ting, Il growth of jirosperey ap yes, the homes of industry and independence. Krouno you are the brond sud birillo where for gerogratinune jour wecestory plowed prol word and reaped the harvests which are the reward of soul amd industry .. The sunlight or pence pez upop tis co-dns with beams as refulgent a the brightness of the morning. J rend in your countendices, turned now upon ane who 14 to mest of you & stranger, the noerring aigue of Tappless und contentment, prekes Gol Ime roucheslut to mat 0 the great struggle of ble. Von bary stirred the touromi with your shorts of welcome, and warmed' the hearte of your guests willy words of Nindost greeting, hdl you have spread the bounty of your hospitality woli bavili bant before the gunered children of Old Laufenderry. I thank you for it all. . I rejoice with you Today, axol del that " in is good for us to be Bere.", "Eur, whichor nie ders come up to our brysting place to renew er énquinta and associations w former yeors, to ampken the port, wyd memories of the jam, to graag once agore in manboud age the hands that were last unsleshed in the Nicos of arky childhool, to mik whh oxidation the improvement kod
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ADDRESS.
BY HON. AARON F. STEVENS.
FELLOW CITIZENS OF LONDONDERRY :
You meet here to-day, a mighty concourse of the living, in the solemn and majestic presence of the dead. You are assembled to honor a brave and sturdy ancestry, and to rejoice in the fruition of those labors which were begun by them in the midst of suffering, privation and danger. No scene could be to us more suggestive, no occasion more in- teresting. Before you are the habitations of man, the growth of prosperity and peace, the homes of industry and independence. Around you are the broad and fertile acres where for generations your ancestors plowed and sowed and reaped the harvests which are the reward of skill and industry. The sunlight of peace rests upon us to-day with beams as refulgent as the brightness of the morning. 1 read in your countenances, turned now upon one who is to most of you a stranger, the unerring signs of happiness and contentment, such as God has vouchsafed to man in the great struggle of life. You have stirred the heavens with your shouts of welcome, and warmed the hearts of your guests with words of kindest greeting, while you have spread the bounty of your hospitality with lavish hand before the garnered children of Old Londonderry. I thank you for it all. I rejoice with you this day, and feel that " it is good for us to be here." For, whether we have come up to our trysting place to renew the acquaintance and associations of former years, to awaken the sweet, sad memories of the past, to grasp once more in manhood or age the hands that were last unclasped in the hope of early childhood, to mark with exultation the improvement and
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progress in human affairs, and the prosperity and almost universal happiness which spring from them, or to contem- plate the heroic character of your ancestral kindred who now slumber with the great congregation of the dead, we shall, I am sure, each and all of us, draw from this occa- sion an inspiration which shall be to us in all time to come the spirit of beauty and joy.
Fellow citizens, the study of human character, as con- nected with the lives of men true, great and noble, in the various departments of human action, is among the most interesting and useful occupations of the human mind. To me the contemplation of the cliaracter and services of those men whom we class as the pioneers of Old London- derry is the most natural and pleasing of the day's exer- cises. The good, experienced man, says an old pliiloso- pher, is the last measure of all things.
With you I have listened to the words of the historian to-day with pride and pleasure, as he brought before us vividly and truthfully the record of the cliaracter and ser- vices of the fathers. I can detain you only to unite my tribute of praise, and to cast an unworthy garland before the passing pageant. It becomes me to speak briefly and modestly of the past in this presence, and in connection with memories and thoughts which are awakened by this occasion. The historic associations of the old township are mine by birth and citizenship alone. It is not mine to trace a lineage to the brave old families who first cleared the forests and tilled the hitherto unbroken soil of London- derry ; who pierced the savage wilderness with hearts of oak and the weapons of civilization, and who planted here the seeds of Christian progress, that their children and their children's children might reap the golden harvest. But allow me to say that it is in no spirit of affectation that I claim to share the pride and the satisfaction with which you, their descendants, cherish their memories and bear their name. Their labors and their achievements are
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the common heritage, and we will all unite here and here- after, to do them honor.
To a descendant of one of the most eminent of the ancient families of Londonderry has been assigned the honorable duty of commemorating in fitting terms the progress of a century and a half in the history of your township. How well it has been accomplished, let your plandits attest. I shall not seek to follow closely in his footsteps. But think not, my friends, that, as I listened to the voice of merited approbation and encomium, I was a stranger to the associations which came thronging upon you. I thought how, for a period passing the memory of man, the family whose honored name he bears had worn, with dignity, usefulness and honor, the robes of the chief magistrate and the senator, the ermine of the judge, and the arms of a soldier of the Union. I felt, as I listened, that I should have the right to recall the personal and pro- fessional friendship of earlier years, which linked me in sweet and pleasant memory with the illustrious names of Londonderry. Yes, my friends, the associations of a life not destitute of vicissitude and change have brought me face to face with the representatives of your' early ancestry. I might, indeed, forget that friendship which is formed from the common intercourse of life, that confidence be- tween man and his fellow which comes of ordinary asso- ciation ; but how could I fail to remember those which spring from the brotherhood of the camp and the field ? And so, as I listened, there came crowding upon me thoughts and recollections, not only of the friendship of those high in elevated station, honored in civil life. but of one, a comrade in arms, a husband and a father, one of the earliest to march with me to the field, whose young blood was poured out on the altar of his country in that gallant yet fearful conflict, when amid bloodshed and carnage the blended arms of the Union triumphed, the laurels of Porter and Terry were won, and on the bloody bastions of
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Fort Fisher Louis Bell fell in the arms of victory, in the glory of his youth, in the splendor of his fame !
Yes, my friends, there is something, after all, arising out of the events of life, which gives us a right to cherish the memory of your noble ancestry. Do not mistake me. I speak of ancestry in in its true, American sense. I have little respect for that genealogy which traces its origin to accidental causes, while I would cherish with the warmest sentiments of esteem that which has descended worthily through trial, effort, endeavor, enterprise or honest thrift, and is ennobled by virtue and patriotism. Your pride of ancestry cannot rest on the accidents of life. Your an- cestors were neither rich nor titled. The early records and traditions of Nutfield show anything but that. They were poor in the riches of the world, but opulent in hope and resolution. They were earnest, firm, steady, and filled with faith. They believed in labor, and were not destitute of that martial spirit without which no people can preserve their liberties or become powerful. They abhorred forms, and were not the victims of superstition. Surrounded by the most discouraging circumstances, they cherished educa- tion as second only to practical religion. The energies which in other newly settled countries have been ex- hausted in trade, commerce or manufactures, were by them expended in clearing the forests, in tilling the soil and enhancing the comforts of home. With prosperity came their love of country and their desire for independ- ence. With surmounted trials came the inspirations of liberty, and out of the oppression of the mother govern- ment they sprang forth in the strength of effort and virtue, a nation among the nations of the earth, the pioneers of a free republican form of government, founded on the theory of the equality of man, and resting on the education and intelligence of the people.
How fortunate are we who meet here to-day, the surviv- ors of an era which seems to have tested, through the terri-
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ble trials of early rebellion, foreign war and civil commo- tion, the strength of this free and popular government of our fathers. The race from which we sprung has con- tended for centuries, in peace and war, against the doctrine which recognizes the divine origin of a government where the ruler is independent of the will of the subject and governs without responsibility to human power. Out of these contentions, and on the theory of inherent power in the body of the people, our English ancestors secured for themselves the habeas corpus, the right of conscience and trial by jury ; and the progress of events happily indicates for them a broader recognition of the right of self govern- ment. But it has been reserved for our own country and for your day and mine, to illustrate the principle by legal recognition, that all power is derived from the People, with- out respect to former distinctions, and that, as applicable to the necessities or requirements of government, it is in its very nature inalienable. We live in an age and at a day when that government, founded and established on this cardinal principle, has just emerged from the severest trial of its history - the Rebellion of the Nineteenth Century.
When your fathers, fifty years ago, met to mark with due observance the lapse of a full century in their history, they congratulated each other, aye, with solemn services they thanked God, that through the throes of revolution, out of the dangers of foreign war, they had come forth triumphant. Might they not then felicitate themselves that this young, magnificent ship of state, launched by the hands of Washington and Lafayette, of Hamilton and Jefferson, was destined to sail successfully down the stream of time, no phantom shadow, but a living, majestic tribute to the wisdom and virtue of the fathers.
Yet even then, in that year of 1819, the clouds were gathering portentously in the horizon. The " Missouri question " was culminating. Slavery, the slumbering de- mon forced upon us by England, and which our fathers
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and permitted to sleep in the folds of the constitution, had been aroused, and was struggling with his chains. Thank God, it no longer finds place or countenance in American legislation or American jurisprudence. It has sunk to rise no more. It has gone down in that sanguinary sea of civil strife through which the nation has just passed, shar- ing the fate of like oppressions - the Spanish Inquisition, the fire and fagot of persecution. Our fathers of that day, apprehensive, were yet hopeful. Had a prescience of the future of the next half century been vouchsafed them, how quickly their rejoicing would have been turned to mourn- ing! How they would have shrunk from the terrible vision ! What a history it has been ! A foreign war, in which the proud and triumphant arms of the nation pene- trated with irresistible valor the empire of a sister republic ; the expansion of territory, reaching from ocean to oceall, the golden slopes of the Pacific linked in one government with the Alleghanies and the Atlantic; one flag from sea to sea across the wide continent ; a country magnificent in extent and terrible in the grandeur of its people and its resources ! Yet they would have beheld the institution of slavery, then in its infancy, now controlling every depart- ment of the national government, executive, legislative, licial, pressing sharply on the liberty of the states, and
't rearing its horrid front athwart the sky, THE TER- "BELLION OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY ;- a civil war 01 .. ars' duration, the fierce battalions struggling for mastery over a territory such as the Roman eagles never looked upon, with a valor worthy of the race and of their country, but with a cruelty overshadowing the annals of medieval warfare, when prisoners were slain, not starved : a war which called the youth and manhood of New Hamp- shire from their mountain homes to carry the mingling banners of state and nation to final triumph by sea and land ;- the downfall of slavery and rebellion, the final vic- tory, and again Peace, white-winged and lovely, rising
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out of the horrors of civil war and waving her wand of beneficence over all the land.
Such was not the vision of those who in 1819 celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the settlement of London- derry. Theirs was a vision of peace and prosperity ; theirs were the aspirations of hope. If they had reason to hope for the future of their country, have we not reason to rejoice in our triumphs over the unforeseen national trials which this generation has surmounted, and the greatness which it has achieved ? Nations can no more escape trial and disaster than individuals. As we surmount the ob- stacles and trials of life, hope, aspiration and joy advance to assume the places of doubt, distrust and fear. As our country has successfully withstood its new and greatest trial, though we may not dismiss apprehension, we may cherish a stronger faith in her grander destiny and in the success of free institutions. Those institutions have been baptized anew in the blood of heroes who now sleep on the banks of the Mississippi and the Ohio; who are gath- ered from a hundred battle-fields to their final rest at Arlington and Gettysburg.
With such a price has our liberty been twice purchased, and it is appropriate that here on this spot, surrounded by the blessings which bring happiness to human existence and stability to human institutions, the blessings of national liberty, of universal education, and the teaching of Chris- tianity, we should anew dedicate all we have and all we hope to be, to the maintenance of that government which has been transmitted to us from the fathers.
Young men who mingle to-day in these most interesting ceremonies, let me invite you, in the spirit of an intelligent manhood, to turn and recall the lives and services of those early children of Londonderry who laid the foundations of this fair heritage, who followed closely the footsteps of the earlier pioneers, or who improved on what had been so worthily begun. Read and reflect upon what they did in
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their day and generation, for the family, the state, the nation. Follow them into the household ; go with them to the halls of legislation and justice ; tread with them the path of martial duty and success. You will not, it is true, find them without error, but you may safely ask your- self where, in all history, will you find higher, purer, better examples of virtue and patriotism, of Christian character and Christian progress, than are recorded of these men, of the olden time. And if you find that in contentment with their lot, in attachment to the religion of their fatliers, in a warm and ardent patriotism ; in the frugal decencies of a country life, now so often shunned and contemned ; in a patient and continued industry which seldom fails to bring success ; in devotion to the interests of the family, while not neglectful of the interests of the neighborhood and state ; in the courage to repel wrong, and to contend, even to death, for the right; in the just and moderate ambition to heighten and improve their condition in life, to increase the comforts and happiness of life by the unquestionable agencies of wealth and knowledge, and finally, to trust with implicit confidence and faith that Power whose mer- cies were recognized by the starving garrison on the banks of the Foyle, and by the struggling patriots at Bunker's Hill and Yorktown,-if you find in these the elements of character and evidences of success which we proudly cele- brate to-day, then I am justified in the sententious admo- nition, " Go thou and do likewise."
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ADDRESS.
DE ARV. CATERED W. DISEÑODE. .
MR. PRESIDENT
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gathering. 1 . that the Evile paom, of which muchs honorable menibe, has just boen maps, Ma bozar det to put pointed in not besent from vous / M,onl-h-l kindred at my fan, hailing Kentucky.
hear. Please . friend,
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1 certain piges la Roman vis -olla Uuml. the gods daily for Home ibinge, Tir .: Bras, chat de sus & won: secondly, Must as a Roman; and Hardly, That bir was estemporane was the greek Feta. Chight wy not to caprese our heartfelt far that we are porrofered to enjoy this niemorablo gos 0 m. the like of which loga will ourey re -. Eurn ; that # Alod Providence has farorod us with a day so alspicions, ao tall of sunshine unt fer; that the God of our latimes uns henn with their children ; that ho Enen to us such a wolde anciens : and that so many worthy de scendante of the old Londonderry stock, sonid pronpy tos high political and social prestfions, hore come -from weer and from lar " to participate in these festivities E
As I look over tids want assemblage, and playe 60 the
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ADDRESS.
BY REV. CADFORD M. DINSMORE.
MR. PRESIDENT :
I confess to a feeling of embarrassment in being called upon so unexpectedly to speak at this grand centennial gathering. I regret that the family name, of which such honorable mention has just been made, is compelled to put up with so unworthy a representative. We are disap- pointed in not hearing from some one of the distinguished kindred at my left, hailing from New York, Ohio and Kentucky.
Some complaint has been made of not being able to hear. Please, dear friends, give yourselves no trouble about that. I have but little to say, and at this late hour I think you will be glad of it. The eloquent gentlemen who have preceded me have left nothing unsaid.
A certain pious old Roman was accustomed to thank the gods daily for three things, viz .: first, that he was a man ; secondly, that he was a Roman ; and thirdly, that he was cotemporary with the great Cato. Ought we not to express our heartfelt thanks that we are permitted to enjoy this memorable occasion, the like of which to us will never re- turn ; that a kind Providence has favored us with a day so auspicious, so full of sunshine and joy ; that the God of our fathers has been with their children ; that he gave to us such a noble ancestry ; and that so many worthy de- scendants of the old Londonderry stock, some occupying high political and social positions, have come " from near and from far " to participate in these festivities ?
As I look over this vast assemblage, and picture to my
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mind the little band of early settlers, as they appeared a hundred years ago, the words of the prophet are fulfilled in our history, " A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a great nation."
A lady was speaking to me this morning somewhat dis- paragingly of Nutfield : its sandbanks and barren plains ; its shrub-oaks and stunted pines, in lieu of which two mullein-stalks and a huckleberry bush made a grove ; and the pigs so poor and lank that in plucking a spear of grass they would fall over. Now that is all a mistake. What soil has been more prolific ? Its inhabitants have been fruitful and multiplied, and replenished the earth.
If departed spirits take cognizance of what transpires on earth, then may our venerable Scotch Irish grandmothers look down from the battlements of heaven upon these fair daughters and manly sons before me, and with the proud mother of the Gracchi say, " These are my jewels."
Tenacity of opinion was a prominent trait of Scottish character. An old Scotchuman of Boston used to say, " I'm open to conviction, but I'd like to see the man that can convince me." It is related of old Minister Wells, the predecessor of the Rev. Dr. Storrs, of Braintree, Mass., himself a Scotchman, that he used to say : "It behooveth a Scotchman to be right; for if he be wrong, he be for- ever and eternally wrong." He was no modern turncoat. Could the Cynic who said, " I seek a man," have met with a genuine Scotch Covenanter, his wish would have been realized.
Industry characterized the women. They were true helpmeets to their husbands. They were keepers at home, and trained up their children to serve their country and their God. Their piano was the hum of the wheel and the stroke of the loom. They had no time to discuss woman's rights. Their lectures were given in a more pri- vate capacity.
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If the ideas of those loquacious Amazonians prevail, what are we coming to ? In a recent Female Suffrage Convention those gentle agitators unanimously voted that if they could not have their rights they would stop the population of the country !
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ADDRESS.
BY HON. AARON H. CRAGIN.
MR. PRESIDENT :
There is such a thing in this world as too much of a good thing, and I have no doubt this audience have con- cluded they have had enough of speaking, though the speeches have been more than good. Besides, Mr. Presi- dent, I have no right to occupy this stand. I am not a native of this glorious old town, or the descendant of a native ; but I can claim to be a descendant of the same stock. My great ancestor, John Cragin, a Scotchman, was taken prisoner at the battle of Dunbar, and banished to this country. From him have sprung all of our name in the United States. I may, therefore, properly feel an interest in the celebration of the settlement of London- derry by Scotchmen, and a pride in their character and noble deeds. I glory in the virtues and achievements of the founders of Londonderry, and I shall never lose faith in the perpetuity of the free institutions of this Republic and the freedom of the people, so long as such virtues and deeds are reverenced and emulated.
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FINALE. ·
IT WAS now announced by the President of the day that the regular programme had been carried out, and it was moved and seconded that the meeting be adjourned for fifty years. The motion prevailed. Extra trains of cars were in readiness, and were soon on their homeward way, filled to overflowing. Of course great numbers remained in Derry and Londonderry, to revive old associations, and to tell the stories of other days.
All in all, the celebration was a complete, conspicuous and very emphatic success. Not an incident nor an acci- dent occurred to detract from the general effect of pleas- antness and gratification. Fifty years hence may the records of this festival be read to other generations in larger numbers and larger tents, upon the plains of old Londonderry. Long live the descendants of the Scotch Irish !
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
ITON. SAMUEL D. OCH LETI
nes than That of Has To
Hampshire- Ho war's
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