USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Boscawen > The history of Boscawen and Webster [N.H.] from 1733 to 1878 > Part 37
USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Webster > The history of Boscawen and Webster [N.H.] from 1733 to 1878 > Part 37
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
431
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
PRICE, EBENEZER, REV.,
The first pastor of the Congregational church in Webster, was born in Newburyport, 14 Sept., 1771, and was the youngest child of William Price [see Gen.]. His parents, from his birth, de- signed that he should receive a collegiate education. He began his preparatory studies at the age of seventeen, in Moore's Charity School, Hanover, then under the tuition of Rev. Daniel Dana. He entered Dartmouth in 1789, and graduated in 1793. His sister had married Rev. Mr. Hidden, of Tamworth, with whom he passed several months after graduating, where he made a public profes- sion of religion, 24 Aug., 1794. Deciding to enter the ministry, he placed himself under the theological instruction of Rev. Elihu Thayer, D. D., of Kingston. He was licensed to preach, January, 1795, by the Deerfield association of ministers, and began his labor as a minister of the gospel in Belfast, Me., March, 1796, and was ordained pastor of the church in that place on the 26th of Decem- ber following. He was married 20 Jan., 1799, to Miss Lucy Farrer, eldest daughter of Humphrey and Lucy Farrer, of Hano- ver, N. H. He remained in Belfast till the 22d of September, 1802, a period of six years.
The burning of the meeting-house at the east end of Bos- cawen, the refusal of the town to build a second edifice, and the erection of a building by a society on the Plain, brought about an abnormal state of affairs. The town owned the frame at the West end, and individuals owned the pews. There was no church or society. At the invitation of the citizens of this section, Mr. Price began his labors. His preaching was followed by a manifest increase of attention to religion on the part of the people. The Westerly Religious Society was organized in Janu- ary, 1804, and a church of eight members formed the 10th of September following. Mr. Price accepted a call to become their pastor, and was installed on the 26th of September. He main- tained this pastoral relation thirty-three years, the connection being dissolved by mutual council, 10 May, 1837.
During his pastorate, there were several marked seasons of religious interest. The whole number added to the church dur- ing his pastorate was 262. The greatest number in any one year was 60, in 1838. The greatest number of members on the church rolls at any one period was 198.
432
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Mr. Price continued to reside in the town, and became superin- tendent of the Sabbath-school, which position he held for eleven years.
Upon the formation of the Granite Mutual Fire Insurance Co., he was elected secretary, which office he held till he removed to Boston, in 1859, to live with his eldest son, Ebenezer Sewell Price, where he died in 1863, aged 92.
He took a lively interest in every benevolent or other move- ment looking to the welfare of the community. He was a genial man, a perfect gentleman, respecting the rights of all, and exceed- ingly courteous. He dignified his office as a minister of the gos- pel, and adorned it by an exemplary life. Those most prejudiced against religion could find no word of fault against it on account of any dereliction of duty on his part. Being one of the super- intending school committee from 1809 to 1835, he became ac- quainted with nearly all the children in town; and if they stood in awe of him on account of his official position, they learned to love and respect the man who placed his hands on their heads so benignantly, smiled so genially, and overlooked their short- comings in the kindness of his nature.
He was fond of riding on horseback, and no gentleman of the old school ever sat more gracefully than he in the saddle.
He was settled in town at a time when liberty gave place to license, when there was an uprising of some of the worst elements in society ; and in the middle period of his ministry came the struggle for possession of the West meeting-house. But those who dissented from his religious opinions respected him as a man, and welcomed him heartily to their homes. His influence was ever on the side of law and order, justice and right. After his retirement from the ministry, his fellow-citizens manifested their regard for him by twice electing him to represent them in the legislature.
In 1820 Mr. Price collected materials for a chronological his- tory of the town. Much of his information in regard to the early settlement of the town was obtained from George Jack- man, Esq., and from conversation with the oldest inhabitants. It was printed in 1823, by Jacob B. Moore, of Concord. The town appropriated fifty dollars as compensation. It was pub- lished by private subscription. His sermons preached at the
433
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
funeral of Dea. Benjamin Sweatt, and upon the death of Rev. Dr. Wood, were published by request. He was the author of the let- ter to Hon. Daniel Webster, which elicited his reply to his New Hampshire neighbors. The letter and reply are to be found in the published correspondence of Mr. Webster.
His relations to the church and society, and especially to his successor in the ministry, Rev. Edward Buxton, were always frater- nal and helpful. As a pastor, he was ever mindful of the wants of his people, sympathizing with them in their bereavements and afflictions, and entering as heartily into all their joys. He was so mindful of all classes, that in his public prayers "the aged, the middle-aged, the young, the youth, the infants," were all remem- bered. His desire to leave nothing undone, to neglect no class, to fill the full measure of his own responsibility, not infrequently made his prayers and sermons of undue length. On special occa- sions his prayers sometimes exceeded his sermons in length, occu- pying from fifty to seventy minutes.
In this respect he did not stand alone. In the ministry at that period, brevity was the exception, length the rule. At the begin- ning of the century, people expected a service to occupy at least two hours. During the short days of winter, those who lived farthest from meeting sometimes saw the sun disappear behind the Warner hills before they reached home. Nor were they rest- less under a sermon that occupied an hour in the delivery. They expected a long sermon, and would have found fault with the brevity of the sermon of the present day.
His last years were marked by serene peace and composure. He was an attendant at Mount Vernon church, in Boston, and listened with delight to the preaching of Rev. Dr. Kirk, who looked upon him as a father in the ministry. His influence for good never can be measured, for under his preaching such men as Rev. Enoch Corser, and Revs. Jacob and Henry Little, were led to enter the ministry ; and through their instrumentality thousands have been brought to a religious life.
The night before his death, Father Price called his son Sewell and wife to his bedside, and, taking their hands in his, thanked them for their continued kindness to him, and trusted that in their last days they might be cared for as tenderly. Sewell asked his father how he felt in regard to death. "Oh ! that was all fixed 28
434
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
years and years ago. I committed myself into the hands of my Maker : he has taken care of me hitherto, and I have no fears for the future."
Rev. Jacob Little, in a sermon preached in Granville, Ohio, and published in the Church Union, 20 May, 1876, thus alludes to Rev. Mr. Price :
66 * A good man never dies. His good works follow him, and he lives in them.
" Ready to return from a New England visit, I called to say good-by to my pastor, who had outlived his years of preaching. With tearful eyes he said,-' I shall never see you again. You will again visit your friends, but before that time I shall die.' Wishing to cheer him, I re- plied,-' Mr. Price, you will never die. I have received from you doc- trines, precepts, feelings, and ways of doing good, and in central Ohio am impressing them on a great people. Sabbath teachers and preach- ers are coming up in my congregation to scatter what I have received from your lips, and pass it to the next generation. In Indiana, Bro. Henry is doing the same thing on a larger scale, and so are others who have gone from your congregation. What you have taught by exam ple and precept is spreading wider and wider, and going to the second and third generations, and will ever keep going, so that you will never die.' ""
ROGERS, JOHN, M. D.
Maj. William Rogers was born in Newbury, Mass., 1741, and married Abigail Worth of the same town. He was a lineal de- scendant of John Rogers, who was burned at the stake in Smith- field in 1555. He was drowned at the mouth of Merrimack river, 25 Sept., 1786. They had five children.
John was born 24 May, 1787, at Newburyport, Mass. His mother married Moody Chase, and moved to Chester, N. H. Before preparing for college, he learned the art of dressing cloth of William Hesalton, of Suncook. He graduated at Dartmouth, 1816, studied medicine with Dr. Chadbourne, of Concord, grad- uated from the Medical Department of Dartmouth college in 1819, commenced the practice of medicine in Chester, and re- moved to Boscawen in 1821 or 1822. He lived in the large dwell- ing-house (shown in the cut) near the church, where he practised medicine until his death, 5 Jan., 1830. He married Sarah, daughter of Caleb Knight, of Boscawen, in May, 1825. Their
435
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
children were,-Sarah, born 23 Sept., 1826, married W. H. Har- low, of Everett, Mass .; John, born 23 Sept., 1826, died Sep- tember, 1828; Abbie, born 6 Feb., 1828, who resides with her sister.
SARGENT, WALTER H.,
Son of Isaac and Rebecca (Farnum) Sargent, was born in Bos- cawen in 1825. He enlisted in 1862, in Co. D, 14th N. H. Regi- ment, was appointed sergeant, and on account of a fracture of one of his legs was appointed recruiting officer, and enlisted fourteen soldiers from Webster and vicinity. The regiment was on duty along the Potomac during the fall and winter of 1862-3, and he was detailed at Georgetown to prevent the smuggling of liquor and other contraband articles into camp, a position requiring the closest scrutiny and circumspection.
From Georgetown he was detailed with fifty-seven men to do guard duty at the old capitol prison. It was in midsummer. The officers and soldiers were ordered to appear at all times in regula- tion dress, an order of the regulation martinet, who sacrificed the health of the detachment to sustain military red-tape. Broken down in health, Lieut. Sargent was ordered to New Hampshire upon recruiting service, where he remained till the last of January, 1864.
While on duty near Harper's Ferry he fell upon the ice and injured one of his legs-one that had previously been broken- which became exceedingly painful. While suffering from the fall, he commanded a scouting party of twenty men, reconnoiter- ing the country as far south as Snicker's Gap.
On the 20th of March, 1864, the regiment sailed from New York, on steamer Daniel Webster, for New Orleans. The vessel came near foundering in a terrific storm, which carried away wheel-houses and bulwarks. The steam-pipe burst. The steamer, however, reached Hilton Head, was refitted, and the regiment finally reached Carrollton, a suburb of New Orleans, April 12. After service on the Mississippi the regiment returned to Fortress Monroe, joined the army under Gen. Grant at Petersburg, was joined to the 14th Army Corps, sent to the Shenandoah, and was in the battle of Perryville, in the thick of the fight. The regi- ment charged across an open field, driving the enemy. A rebel
436
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
fired at Lieut. Sargent from behind a tree, but missed him ; where- upon Lieut. Sargent rushed upon him, and the man threw down his gun, and surrendered. A second rebel drew up his gun to fire, but a stroke from the lieutenant's sword induced him to change his mind, and both were brought into the lines prisoners. In the retreat which the regiment was compelled to make, Lieut. Sargent was knocked down by a piece of shell. In the mêlée which followed the charge of the enemy, he was wounded in the arm, while a second bullet struck him above the right eye. His clothes were riddled, and he fell forward upon his face. The enemy rushed over him. A rebel surgeon came to take his sword. Lieut. Sargent gave him his revolver, but refused to surrender his sword except to an officer of the line. The surgeon took him to a major, and the sword was given up.
With other prisoners he was taken up the Shenandoah valley. Watching an opportunity he secreted himself in the bushes at night, but was discovered. He ran through a piece of woods, gained the river, plunged in, dived beneath a pile of drift-wood, and managed to get his head above the water amid the brush, but was discovered and delivered to the provost guard. He was close- ly watched. From being chilled he came near dying, but was compelled to march day after day. He had nothing to eat for several days except raw corn, and a bit of bread which a rebel officer gave him from his own rations. His arm was fearfully swollen, and his lame leg was exceedingly painful, while his feet were worn to the bone. He could go no farther. His guard or- dered him to move on, and stated that his orders were to shoot him if he did not move. "I shall not move, and you will not dare to shoot me," was the fearless reply. The soldier cocked his gun and levelled it, but did not dare to fire. He was put in an ambu- lance, taken to Libby prison, and endured its horrors till 7 Oct., when he was paroled. On the 15th of January following, he was honorably discharged.
Lieut. Sargent resides in Bridgewater, N. H. He is fond of hunting, and is renowned for his success in that line.
437
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
SHEPARD, FOREST, PROF.
Prof. Forest Shepard, son of Daniel and Ann (Forest) Shep- ard, was born in Boscawen, 31 Oct., 1800. He graduated at Dartmouth college, 1827, and studied theology at New Haven.
Prof. Shepard carly manifested a love for science, especially geology and mineralogy. He has been connected with the vari- ous geological surveys of the United States and Canada, and his observations have been extended over a large area. In Canada he explored the region occupied by the Hudson's Bay Company. He has visited England, and made the acquaintance of the scien- tists of that country. His explorations have been extended to Panama, Cuba, New Grenada, Mexico, and California. He has made many important discoveries of mines. He has filled the chair of natural science at Western Reserve college, Hudson, Ohio, and at other institutions. He married Miss Sophia W. Storer, of Rutland, Vt. His present residence is in Connecticut.
STONE, PETER.
Dea. Peter Stone, son of George and Hannah (Lovering) Stone, was born in Boscawen, 19 Dec., 1799, and has always resided upon the old homestead. He married Ruth Call, daughter of Silas Call, of Boscawen. He was an active member and officer of the Chris- tian church and society, while that denomination maintained pub- lic worship, and when emigration and change made it impossible longer to sustain a church of his order, with a catholic spirit he became an attendant upon the Congregational church. He has been an exceedingly industrious man, laboring early and late, not compelled by necessity, but doing it as a duty and pleasure, carry- ing into his daily life the scriptural injunction, " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."
STONE, FREDERICK P., CAPT.
Capt. Frederick P. Stone, son of Peter, was born 24 March, 1841. He remained on his father's farm until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in the cavalry [see Military Hist. ], Co. I, 17 Dec., 1861. He was promoted to first sergeant 1 March, 1863, reënlisted 5 June, 1864, promoted to first lieutenent Co. D,
438
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
15 April, 1864, and captain 10 June, 1865. He was in the fol- lowing engagements :
Warrenton Junction,
16 April, 1862.
Rappahannock,
18
66
Cedar Mountain,
9 Aug.,
North Rappahannock,
21 66
Catlett station,
Rappahannock station,
23
Sulphur spring,
26
Groveton,
28
Second Bull Run,
30 66
Chantilly,
1 Sept.,
White's Ford,
12 Oct.,
66
Mountville,
31 44 66
Hazel Run,
16 Nov., 66
Fredericksburg.
13 Dec.,
66
Hartwood church,
25 Feb., 1863.
Rapidan river,
1 May,
Ellis ford,
4 “
66
Brandy station,
9 June, 66
Middlebury,
17 «
Warrenton,
12 Oct.,
Auburn,
14
Bristow station,
14
66
Some of these engagements were between small parties, others where the enemy was in force. At Groveton, a valuable horse which Capt. Stone had taken from Boscawen was shot beneath him. At Chantilly he was near Gen. Kearney when he fell. At Mountville he was one of six that escaped, out of a party of sixty that were captured. At Middlebury, which was one of the sharp cavalry engagements of the war, he was taken prisoner and im- mured in Libby prison, Richmond, and at Belle Isle was kept in durance thirty-five days.
After his reenlistment his regiment was attached to Sheri- dan's command in the valley of the Shenandoah. At the battle of Winchester, fought 21 Sept., 1864, he was again captured, was again sent to Libby, thence to Salisbury, N. C., and thence to Danville, Va., in all, five months. He reached Washing- ton in season to join the corps that hunted down the assassins
C
Fre Q. Stone
439
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
who were engaged in the plot to murder President Lincoln and Secretary Seward.
He was mustered out of service 15 July, 1865, was married to Miss Lovilla Sanborn, daughter of Joseph K. Sanborn, of Web- ster, and sailed for California 22 Oct., 1865, since which time he has been connected with the great publishing house of Bancroft & Co., of San Francisco, holding a position of honor and profit, en- joying in a great degree the confidence of his employers, and the respect of his fellow-citizens.
SULLIVAN, MARIAN M., MRS.
She was daughter of Col. Timothy Dix. After his death she moved to Littleton, Mass., where she married John W. Sullivan, Esq., a merchant of Boston. During her early married life she wrote for the press, particularly for the New England Magazine, and for Mrs. Hale's Ladies' Magazine. She early gave her at- tention to music, and became a teacher of the piano-forte and guitar, and a composer of ballads. The " Blue Juniata " and the " Field of Monterey " became immensely popular. Her genius for musi- cal composition led to the publishing of two volumes of music,- the "Juniata Ballads " and " Bible Songs."
Not merely as a writer and composer will she be remembered, but as a woman of rare virtues,-sweet, gentle, sympathetic, quick in her perceptions of the beautiful in nature, keenly alive to want and suffering, ever ready to aid where help and sympathy were needed, visiting the homes of the poor, caring for the widow and orphan. By such virtues as these she endeared herself to all. Her death occurred in 1860.
SMITH, AMBROSE, REV.,
Was born in Ossipee July 9, 1820, son of John and Sally (Am- brose) Smith. He graduated at Dartmouth, 1845, studied theol- ogy at Andover, graduating there in 1849. He was ordained as a minister at Northfield, 9 July, 1850, and was installed at Bos- cawen, 15 June, 1853. He died in office, greatly beloved by his people. His style was clear, forcible, and impressive. He had great excellence of character, and his loss was deeply felt. He married Cynthia Maria Edgerton, of Hartford, Vt.
440
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
WEBSTER, JOHN, CAPT.
One of the proprietors of Boscawen, Capt. John Webster, was from Kingston. His name frequently appears on the proprietors' records. He took an active part in promoting their interests. When the Indian troubles broke out, in 1745, he joined Capt. John Chandler's company, and scouted around Penacook and Contoocook, in midwinter, from 21 Jan. to 16 Feb.
He enlisted in Capt. John Goffe's company, 1 Jan., 1746, and was in service till the 7th of April. Dea. Jesse Flanders, John Flanders. Jr., and Wm. Corser enlisted in the same company in March. They scoured the woods all the country round.
In 1748 he was lieutenant of Capt. Goffe's company from 28 May to 5 Oct. The company consisted of 54 men, and kept a vigilant watch of the frontier.
In 1754 began what is known as the French and Indian war. The Indians began hostilities by capturing Nathaniel Meloon's family at West Stevenstown. Gov. Wentworth at once ordered out a company, and gave the command to John Webster, whose energy, efficiency, and experience admirably fitted him for the place. His command consisted of twenty men, who served about six weeks,-returning home 24 July. The next week the Indians killed Mrs. Call in East Stevenstown (Franklin), and Gov. Went- worth ordered out a full company of sixty-two men, under Capt. Blanchard, to do service in the Merrimack valley. This enabled Capt. Webster and his men to rest.
In 1755 New Hampshire sent a regiment of six hundred men, under Col. Joseph Blanchard, of Dunstable, against Crown Point. In this expedition Capt. Webster served as a private in Capt. Joseph Eastman's company. This was the regiment that made its rendezvous on the Webster farm at South Franklin, and built boats to pass up the Merrimack river and into the Connecti- cut by water, so little was the country between the two rivers known. It finally marched across the state to No. 4, and then to Albany and Crown Point.
The next year, 1756, another expedition was sent against Crown Point, and the energetic John Webster enlisted,-this time in Capt. Doe's company. Col. Meserve, of Portsmouth, commanded
441
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the regiment. He enlisted 1 May, and was in service till 21 Sept.
· In 1757 another expedition was sent out. Col. Meserve was ap- pointed a second time to the command, and John Webster enlist- ed in Capt. Emery's company,-serving from 7 March to 5 Nov. The regiment was at Fort William Henry when it surrendered, and suffered terribly in the massacre that took place.
Upon the close of the war Capt. Webster was instrumental in obtaining a charter for the town, and was one of the first select- men in 1760. The succeeding year he was chairman of the board.
The proprietors of Stevenstown, in 1759, granted him one hun- dred acres of land for the building of a saw-mill. There was no obligation, no contract, but the mill was built on Punch brook,- on land owned by Ebenezer Webster, father of Ezekiel and Daniel, and not far from their birthplace. The foundations of the dam are still visible, and the rude stones of the grist-mill are still lying by the brook.
Capt. Webster remained a citizen of Boscawen till abont 1764, when he removed to Salisbury, and became one of the leading spirits of that town, as he had been of Contoocook. He was one of its best citizens, and exercised a wide influence for good. The one hundred acres of land granted him by the Stevenstown proprietors is the land upon which the West village in Frank- lin is now located. Capt. Webster died in 1788, aged 77.
DANIEL WEBSTER, HON.,
America's greatest statesman, prepared for college and began his public life in Boscawen. He was a citizen of the town for about three years, identified himself with its interests, voted at town- meeting, paid taxes, enrolled himself as a member of the religious society, and took part in the district school meetings. It was ever a pleasure to him to return to the place, not alone to visit his brother Ezekiel, but to renew his acquaintance with the peo- ple. The history of the town would be incomplete if no allusion were made to his residence here.
He came to Dr. Wood's in February, 1797, at the age of fifteen. He had been to Exeter academy, where he had spent six months, and had seen a little of the world,-for Exeter was the capital, and
442
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
there was more life there than in the quiet Salisbury home. Of his residence with Dr. Wood, Mr. Webster thus speaks in his autobiography :
" In February, 1797, my father carried me to the Rev. Samuel Wood, in Boscawen, and placed me under the tuition of that most benevolent and excellent man. On the way to Mr. Wood's, my father first inti- mated to me his intention of sending me to college. The very idea thrilled my whole frame. He said he then lived but for his children, and if I would do all I could for myself he would do all he could for me. I remember that I was quite overcome, and my head grew dizzy. The thing appeared to me so high, and the expense and sacrifice it was to cost my father so great, I could only press his hands, and shed tears. Excellent, excellent parent! I cannot think of him now without being a child again.
" Mr. Wood put me on Virgil and Tully, and I conceived a pleasure in the study of them, especially the latter, which rendered application no longer a task. With what vehemence did I denounce Catiline! With what earnestness struggle for Milo! In the spring I began the Greek grammar, and at midsummer Mr. Wood said to me,-' I expected to keep you till next year; but I am tired of you, and I shall put you into college next month.' And so he did But it was a mere breaking-in. I was indeed miserably prepared, both in Latin and Greek. But Mr. Wood accomplished his promise, and I entered Dartmouth college as a Freshman, August, 1797. At Boscawen I found a circulating library, and read many of its volumes. I remember especially that I found Don Quixote in the common translation, and in an edition, as I think, of three or four duodecimo volumes. I began to read it, and it is liter- ally true that I never closed my eyes till I had finished it; nor did I lay it down for five minutes, so great was the power of that extraordi- nary book on my imagination."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.