USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Bethlehem > The early history of the town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire > Part 2
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5th. Voted to raise twelve dollars to defray Town charges.
6th. Voted to dissolve the meeting.
Edward Oakes, Moderator. A true copy,
Attest, Moses Eastman, T. Clerk.
At a legal meeting of the legal voters of the town of Bethlehem, held on May the 8th, A. D. 1800, voted as follows: -
1st. Made choice of Lot Woodbury for a moderator. 2nd. Voted to raise three hundred and ninety dollars to repair Highways and Bridges.
3rd. Voted to allow eight cents per hour for
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each man and six cents per hour for each yoke of oxen.
4th. Made choice of Lot Woodbury, Amos Wheeler, Isaac Batchellor, Simeon Burt and Na- thaniel Snow as a committee to look out a place where to build a bridge over Ammonoosuc Riv- er above Wm. Houghton's mills.
5th. Voted that each man shall appear on the Burying ground on Wednesday, the fourth of June next, to clear and fence said ground.
Lot Woodbury, moderator. A true copy,
Attest. Moses Eastman, T. Clerk. ...
CHAPTER 4.
LOVE of wild scenes and exciting adventures as well as a desire to acquire wealth caused immi- gration hither to continue, and various parts of New Hampshire and border states were repre- sented by men and women of strong mental powers and great physical strength in this grow- ing settlement. Increase of population was not confined to immigration, children were born here at an early date. Inquiring and curious
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minds love to penetrate the far off past, and from the gradually thickening gloom gather relics of by-gone days. However interesting recent events may be, there is a charm in those gleamings wrenched from the relentless hand of decay or snatched from the iron grasp of obscurity. Nearly a century ago there might have been seen in Bethlehem a lonely cabin surrounded on all sides by dense forests, a mere speck in that com- paratively unknown wilderness. There was noth- ing peculiar in this rude structure, being in material, plan of make and general features like all cabins erected by the pioneers of civiliza- tion. What a scene for a painter's brush! A home with walls of unsmoothed logs shaped and fitted by the woodman's axe; the roof like the walls, was of rough material being made of poles and covered with bark in which might have been seen an uncovered spot through which the curling smoke might pass in its ethereal wanderings. The aspect of the interior of this dwelling was much like the exterior, rough and unadorned; no carpeted floors or walls adorned with paint, paper or works of art, and no centre table laden with poems, histories or popular novels, organs and pianos were alike strangers in this woodland
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but happy home. Now additional joy has been added to former happiness and new pleasures suffuse the entire household. New hopes and fears have found a place in their meditations and conflicting emotions reveal their existence in looks and actions. Welcome sights greet the eyes of happy parents and pleasant scenes come like music to the ear. A babe was born, the child of Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Brown, whose name was Abigail, the first child born in this town. As cares and anxiety increased naturally the mother contemplated the liabilities and probable events that would attend the progress of her little one from the cradle to mature years, and with true motherly instinct she anticipated the training of her new charge to fill with credit the responsible position she might be called upon to occupy in after-life. She hoped to be able to impart to her daughter all the information and skill in those branches of industry so necessary for women to have in those early times. They were expected to know how to convert raw material into needed food and clothing. A young lady that could not with success roast potatoes, make bean porridge or bake on a board before a roaring fire, a corn- meal cake, or could not skillfully use the cards,
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convert toe and flax into yarn, weave it into cloth and make it into garments, patch, darn, or, milk a cow, was regarded as having a very imperfect education and not prepared to cope with real hardships and the ever-changing fortunes of life.
We now change locations, retaining essentially like scenes, and go to the cabin of Jonas Warren, to whom a son was born, named Otis, this was the first male child born in Bethlehem. With pleas- ure and joyful anticipations those happy parents looked forward to the time when developed phy- sical strength and unfolded mind would fit their son to share in the laborious work of applying the axe, piling logs and clearing land, be a bless- ing to the household and occupy an honorable position in society. New hopes cheered them in their daily toil and many dark clouds that skirted the horizon ominous of coming evil, disappeared before the rising sun of prosperity.
Those hardy, self-denying pioneers, dwellers in their humble home, were destined to share the common lot of all our race. No constitution so strong or physical power so great that it will not yield to the great Creator's mandate. Mrs. Whip- ple sickened and it became apparent that she must soon bid farewell to loving friends, yielding
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to that inherent principle of decay which is a con- stituent part of all organic life. The angel of mercy, a never-failing friend of suffering human- ity came to the afflicted family bringing the cheerful thought that the fatal moment might be long delayed, but hope and love could not roll back the gathering gloom soon to gradually deep- en into darkness of death. One last, lingering look, one more soft pressure of the hand, a faint " Good bye," a gasp, the heart no longer beats, all is silent as death itself. She had gone beyond, passing through the mystic gate to that which is to us comparatively unknown, we call it Eternity. The antagonistical principles of life and death had long and strenuously contended for the mas- tery, but the latter finally triumphed, which must always be the result in all like conflicts. Life ceased to animate that once active form, death followed as a natural result; life and death are opposite to each other, death is when the life that was, is not.
Amid the wild grandeur of Nature's scenery, loving friends with tearful eyes and sorrowful hearts silently consigned the cold, inanimate form to the mother Earth and all that was visible disappeared from sight. But the invisible, that
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impress of character and influence left on the family circle, and to a greater or less extent on all their associates, can never die. Seeds of morality and christianity sown by an · affectionate mother and loving wife must silently but unceasingly work out their important mission, producing a legitimate harvest through rolling ages, and in that boundless expanse, that immeasurable and fathomless unknown, that which had its begin- ning in a rudely constructed cabin, must con- tinue to fulfill its mission through the cycles of eternity. This was the first death in Bethlehem, and on a tombstone, worn by the ravages of time in the old burying ground on the street, are the following inscriptions: Mrs. Lydia Whipple, died March 17, 1795; Mrs. Elizabeth Warren, died March 6, 1797.
CHAPTER 5.
THE first inhabitants of Bethlehem shared the lot common to all first settlers. There were cab- ins to be erected, a heavy growth of timber to be removed and the soil to be prepared to re-
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ceive the seed. To do all this required time. As the annual productions of the soil for the first few years must necessarily have been far below the demand, a large portion of the food used must have been supplied by forest and streams, and when every effort had been made to secure suitable sustenance they were forced to live on humble fare and none too much of that, even when prepared with skill and economy by a pru- dent housewife.
To be secure from cold, hunger and wild beasts, who were constantly on the alert to invade their barnyards, pigstyes and harvest grounds, was paramount. The near proximity of hunger was no strange thing, and strong men and wo- men shuddered at future prospects and increas- ing cold. The nearest place where grain could be obtained or ground into meal was in the town of. Bath, a distance of about 25 miles from Beth- lehem street.
It was the month of June, bright stars were preparing to veil their nightly splendors and ajar were the warning gates through which, softly and silently, were creeping rays of mellow light -harbingers of coming day-when a man of medium size, with a knapsack strapped to his
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back and trusty gun on his shoulder, stepped
the threshold of a small log cabin sur- rounded on all sides by primeval forests. He was strong and muscular, and care had left its mark on his honest but sunburnt face. His gar- ments, though made of coarse material, showed the skill of well-trained hands; his hat, though somewhat worn, gave evidence of having seen better days. He stopped a moment, as if to speak to some one within, and then stepping forth into the open air, in a low tone soliloquized thus: " It looks a little like rain. That belt of reddish color stretched across the eastern sky foretells a change in the weather, or I have failed to read correctly signs that precede coming storms in this hilly region;" and then, looking in the opposite direction, said: "It is a long way and may be I shall have to come back without it, but I must go; I see no help for it," and started off in a westerly direction. With quick but steady steps he soon passed through the clearing that was before him and was lost to view in the great forest beyond. Guided by marked trees and other familiar signs, fast becoming visible by in- creasing daylight, he commenced to sing, in a style peculiar to a woodman, the following :-
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" I love to roam 'mid giant trees, And dwell in Nature's bowers, With silvery streams and pure cold springs, . Adorned with fragrant flowers.
" I dearly love my mountain home, Its many cares and toils, I love to fish, to pile the logs, And till the virgin soil.
" I labor hard, day after day, Forgetful of my sorrow, My dreams at night are sweet with thoughts Of better times to-morrow.
" The bread I eat, the bones I pick," --
The remainder of his song was lost, for at.that moment a noise in close proximity stopped short his singing. Immediately bringing his gun to his shoulder, his eyes penetrating the thick growth of timber from which the noise came, he heard the sound fast dying out in the distance. He had been so absorbed is his own thoughts he did not discover old Bruin, who was quietly tak- ing his morning nap beneath the branches of a stately maple and whose ears, being quicker than the woodsman's eyes, had been alarmed by strange sounds, and started off on double-quick time without waiting to find out who the intru- der was.
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Our hero gave one glance in the direction the bear had taken, exclaiming as he did so:
" Good bye, good bye, my happy sır, I'm in a hurry now, But we will meet some other day, And then I'll show you how."
So saying, he turned and walked away, none the worse for his early adventure.
Nature was in her most pleasant mood, clothed in her best garb and adorned in the most lavishing manner. Tall trees were con- spicuous in the broad sunlight which was pene- trating nook and corner and fastening itself on every available object; gentle zephyrs sighed in the thick foliage and wild flowers, catching the inspiring influence, gracefully bowed their heads to the passing breeze, while feathered songsters acted a conspicuous part in filling the air with their sweet melodies.
Amid such surroundings one might be led to exclaim: O, Nature! thou great enchantress; the embodiment of the visible beauty and material manifestations of the glory, wisdom and grand- eur of the Great I Am, ever directing our
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thoughts to the vastness, incomprehensibleness and power of the Invisible, thy Creator !"
On reaching the Ammonoosuc river, the sub- ject of our sketch crossed over on a large tree that connected the two banks, directing his foot- steps down the stream, making no stop until he reached the town of Lisbon; here he halted and seated himself at the foot of a large pine tree. After placing his gun in an upright position against the trunk of the same tree that he might be able to grasp it at a moment's warning and, removing the knapsack from his back, pausing a few minutes to rest his weary limbs and while his thoughts were busy about the inmates of the humble home he had left at early dawn, he opened his sack and soon had spread before him his humble fare, which consisted of dried meat, some cold potatoes and a slice of bread made of that obtained by sifting bran the second time, which he ate with a relish born of necessity and a keenly sharpened appetite. No murmuring thoughts disturbed his mind, no words of com- plaint escaped his lips, but he felt very grateful for this humble meal and was truly thankful that his condition was no worse. Having finished his repast and replaced his gun and knapsack, he
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started on his journey and in due time reached his place of destination, which was the grist mill in the town of bath.
The sun had passed the meridian when the woodsman, placing his newly-ground grist in his commodious knapsack, started homeward. Reaching the top of a small eminence a short distance from the mill, he turned his head to take a hurried glance at the western sky, as he did so with some anxiety on his countenance, he ex- claimed; "I was right in my opinion this morn- ing about the weather; I must hasten." And in another moment he was suiting actions to his words with increasing pace. He did not pause again until he reached the pine beneath whose shady branches he had eaten his frugal meal a few hours before; here he halted to rest and take another survey of the heavens.
The distant cloud that bounded his vision at the time he stopped to view the sky when not far from the mill had so increased in size that it now extended to the north and south as far as the eye could reach and was high up in the heavens. He was about to start when a frightened rabbit came hopping by, calling his attention to the ground, revealing the footprints of some large
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beast and his skillful eye at once told him that they had been made by old Bruin only a short time before, and which, for ought he knew, might at that very moment be in close proximity to him.
Being in a hurry he had no time to investigate, and, thinking it best to postpone an interview with his shaggy enemy, again started homeward.
The sweet loveliness of morning was fast dis- appearing, being suppressed by the more solemn grandeur of declining day and rapidly gather- ing showers, giant kings, nodded in the increas- ing breeze while their outstretched arms waved in graceful recognition of coming changes. The dense foliage trembled in anxious suspense, wild flowers were closing their petals while their tiny forms seemed to seek shelter beneath the thick shrubbery and interwoven, overhanging branches as if preparing for approaching rain and night- fall. The feathered tribe had retired to a place of safety except a few venturesome ones not car- ing for storms, and lovers of darkness could now be seen on the wing enjoying gloom. Having reached the locality now the site of Littleton village, our traveller recrossed the Ammoonoosuc at the same point and on the same tree used by
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him in the morning. Guide-marks on the trees were now partially obscured by the darkness that covered the forest; but he had no doubt of his ability to move in the right direction. He had not proceded more than half a mile when a sud- den flash of lightning lit up the tree-tops and in a few moments a peal of thunder came rolling on the clouds from no great distance in a westerly direction. The shower was now at Haverhill and lashing Warren Heights with maddened fury. Fortunately for our traveller the shower at this point divided, leaving between the two parts an intervening space of considerable width that did not receive the full force of the storm. As soon as he became aware of this fact he felt assured that if he could reach home before the two di- visions united, which they might do at some' point to the east, all would be well. With those thoughts he hastened forward as fast as his weary limbs and the thick darkness would permit.
The almost unceasing flash of lightening whose light penetrated the now appalling darkness pre- vented him from losing his way. He had now reached a point about a mile from home when he became conscious that the neutral ground
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over which he was passing was fast yielding to the powers of warring elements narrowing down to a mere line, and that he was near the spot where the divided shower would coalesce.
Giant trees were now bending before the blast which threatened to uproot and prostrate their noble forms. The forest was stripped of its fo- liage and hurled in all directions, while broken branches filled the air with their mutilated forms. Great drops of rain fell thick and fast on the carpet of green that covered the ground. Nearer and nearer from either side came the unceasing roll of deafening thunder, while at no great dis- tance a blaze of light penetrated the heavens, showing that the electric current had split and ignited some large tree venerable with age. Howling wind, terrific thunder and wild confus- ion, lit up by lightning's vivid glare, all conspired to make more grand and sublime this mountain storm.
At the moment when the warring elements which had been marshalling their forces for a fi- nal struggle, came in contact in all the madness of their wild fury and rain began to fall in tor- rents, the traveller, whom we have followed
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through the day, entered the humble cabin from which he came at early dawn.
Benjamin Brown had returned to cheer an anxious wife with his presence as well as with the meal made from a peck of corn, which cost its market price at the grist mill in Bath and a jour- ney of fifty miles. ·
Fanciful as it may seem, kind reader, that one would journey on foot a distance of fifty miles to obtain the meal of a peck of corn, neverthe- less, it is true, as persons will testify who were born here or came with their parents to mingle with the trying scenes of pioneer life, who are now venerable with age. The contrast between a life in Bethlehem as it then was and now is, being so great and the time between the two so long that we cannot fully realize the dangers and great hardships surrounding every-day life and connected with every transaction pertaining to a home in a vast wilderness. The real struggle to sustain life in the cheapest and most simple way and in every manner their ingenious minds could devise, so familiar to them are to us unknown, and as we read the records of those far off days we have only a slight conception of what the reality must have been. 1235092
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CHAPTER 6.
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NAMES and worthy deeds of those who figured so conspicuously in their sphere of action are rapidly becoming obscured by gathering gloom that follows in the footsteps of advancing time. Not only are names and deeds lost to memory but those marks of respect erected to show the exact spot, the last resting place of loved ones are fast disappearing before the merciless power of unyielding fate. Not many years hence names, deeds, and once sacred graves will all be forgotten, and feet of careless strangers will thoughtlessly press the ground where once grew the fragrant flowers planted by loving hands and watered by many tears of sorrow. When a knowledge of those worthy sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives who so patiently and heroically endured the hardships and braved the dangers of a wilderness home shall have lost its place in memory and all his- toric record of them become obsolete, the last epitaph obliterated by the march of time, and the headstone which has stood so many years as
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a faithful sentinel to guard the sacred spot shall cease to be; then will all record of them be buried forever in the darkness of oblivion. Inscriptions may become illegible, the plain uncarved stone, the marble slab engraved by skillful hands, and costly monumental piles will crumble and pass away, but influence never dies; and who can tell to what extent those influences that germinated in those early cabins are interwoven in the des- tiny of our town? Notwithstanding the untold hardships and many sufferings the first tillers of the soil enjoyed life. The causes that would le- gitimately produce happiness existed · within themselves; coming from the land of the de- scendants of the Pilgrims they possessed many of those qualities characteristic of the Pilgrim Fa- thers. They were an honest, industrious people, applying all their energies to the accomplishing of laudable objects and contented with the lot they had chosen, they cheerfully performed their daily labor. Peaceful and quiet were their hours of slumber, undisturbed by those frightful de- mons that might arise from idleness, overeating too richly prepared food, or a conscience dis- turbed by many crimes. Not that this people were perfect, but they had good intentions, de-
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siring to know their duty and then to do it.
They had strong minds and positive convic- tions, teaching their children that strict integrity, good habits, industry and economy were essen- tial to success. A spirit of true friendship en- tered largely into the makeup of their happiness. Not a friendship that blossomed in prosperity and vanished on the first indication of adversity, that exhausted itself in sympathetic expressions and flattering words, but a friendship that bloomed in poverty and sorrow, that shone most conspicuously where it was most needed in the darkest hours of life. If one of their number was sick or by accident disabled the neighbors would all go and do him a substantial kindness in cutting wood, sowing the seed, or gathering in his harvest. A knowledge of this fact was a powerful element in their every day life, for they were confident that if they or their's should be unfortunate neither of them would suffer or die of starvation, if the others could prevent it, and this feeling of security kept from their minds those fearful thoughts that otherwise would de- stroy present happiness and blight their fondest hopes. Sociability was an important factor in their eventful lives. When, at times, weary and
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despondent from many cares and heavy burdens, as any mortal would be in like circumstances, the social element would come to their rescue, like the green oasis to a weary traveller in a barren land, or when fear for a moment would reign su- preme and their frail bark seemed to be at the mercy of every rolling wave on life's stormy sea, a social chat would be to them like a fertile gem in mid ocean to the storm-tossed mariner. Its influence had a power for good on the minds of that overtasked people. It would calm their tears, dispel their gloom and reinstate those bright gems-Hope, Confidence, and Cheerful- ness- in their proper places. To be social was not an exception but the general rule. When or where they met, whether by appointment, in- vitation or otherwise, in field, forest, or at the hearthstone in their humble dwellings, the glad- ness expressed on their countenances and warm grasp of the hand (not the tip of the fingers), were conclusive proof of the existence of warm hearts and true, loving sympathy. Together they toiled and lived in the bonds of real friend- ship, sharing each other's joys and sorrows. Un- like those societies of to-day, the germ of which was planted one hundred years ago, that little
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settlement had no castes or dividing lines. No money-grasping misers, rich in land, stock and government bonds to domineer; no self-con- ceited petty tyrant to look upon the honest la- boring class as mud-sills of society; no idlers in- fested those industrious homes. No dandy, with artificial polish, his lily-white hands covered with fancy colored kid gloves and clothed in all the styles belonging to his kind, was present to live on the earnings of honest toil, there being no necessity for that class of men.
This secluded settlement had not only the ele- ments essential to happiness and development but they were free from those counteracting in- fluences to which thickly settled localities are subjected.
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CHAPTER 7.
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THE desire to acquire and enjoy homes of their own being inherent in human nature, was as strong with our ancestors as with this generation and the necessity of marriage relations in ac-
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