USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Canaan > The history of Canaan, New Hampshire > Part 46
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The Dustin Family.
The Dustin family were originally from Haverhill, Mass. Jonathan Dustin was a millwright and carpenter. He and his son David served in the Revolution and after their discharge in 1780, emigrated to Canaan and became purchasers of rights in the proprietary. In the old surveys, he is described as Lieut. Jonathan Dustin. The family always resided upon the farm known by that name, which Jonathan purchased of James Tread- way in 1780 for "400 pounds L. M.," and David, the son, deeded to Joseph the grandson in 1840. It is now owned by M. E. Cross. Jonathan was the owner of the right of Phineas Sabine and when he came to Canaan, built his log house in the field northeasterly of where the present house of Mr. Cross is. William Douglass had the only house there before him in this section. Mr. Dustin's land was on the west and north of Doug- lass', and extended on the east to the shores of Hart Pond.
Jonathan Dustin died July 4, 1812 ; he lived to be over ninety- three years old. His children were David, Hannah, who married Simeon Arvin, Ruth, named after her mother, who married David Fogg November 23, 1788, Susanna, Daniel, Samuel, Jona- than, Jr. David Dustin died September 10, 1840, aged seventy- nine years, he married Rebecca Cross, daughter of Jonathan Cross of Methuen, Mass., and then of Canaan. She died Novem-
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ber 24, 1849, aged eighty-two years. "Uncle David," he was always called, a kind friendly man, whom the young people always liked. He had several sons. James, born in 1791, who served an apprenticeship with Jacob Dow, the tanner, and was a volunteer of the War of 1812. He emigrated to Ohio. Caleb, born August 24, 1799, lived and died in Canaan January, 1891, at a ripe old age of over ninety-one years. He married first Nancy Miller, daughter of Jacob, January 27, 1824; she died December 3, 1857, aged fifty-five years. They had three children : Emily, who died February 28, 1841; Caroline E., who died March 8, 1841, and Loraine H., who married William G. Somers, March 12, 1849. He died April 13, 1880, aged fifty-seven. They had one son, William B., who died February 29, 1868, aged three months. Caleb Dustin was engaged in the lumber business with his son-in-law. He married second, Mary G. (Kelley) Gilman, daughter of Moses Kelley and widow of Col. Eliphalet C. Gil- man. Franklin Dustin, another son of David, went to St. Au- gustine in the '30's and never returned. Dudley B., the young- est, was to take care of the old folks and have the farm, but Dud- ley and Betsey Pierce had a quarrel and she went with another man. Dudley grew restless and uneasy, and believing there were better chances in the world than the farm offered, sometime in 1825, gave up his place to his brother Joseph, and followed the western trail, until he reached the banks of the Williamette in Oregon, where he long resided and died, February 2, 1878, aged seventy-five years. He first went to Ohio; then to Iowa, where he lived until 1849. In Oregon he received 320 acres of land and became a man well filled with worldly riches, which de- scended to his four sons. There were two Betseys, daughters of Jonathan and Ruth, one of them died young and the other married Rev. Jonathan Hazeltine of Hebron, November 30, 1820, a Methodist preacher, who, when public opinion protected mobs and outlawed abolitionists, braved the whole of that bad element by denouncing the sin of slavery everywhere.
Joseph Dustin, another son of David, was born October 25, 1795, and died at one o'clock April 3, 1877. He was an old man with a young heart, and all the days of a long life mani- fested a hearty interest in all questions that occupied the pub- lic mind. Politics, religion, schools, town affairs, - upon all
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subjects he had decided opinions and up to the day of his death, was engaged in active business. He possessed a very tenacious memory of men and events, and possessed a large fund of in- formation upon the occurrences of his last seventy years. No man has ever had so precise knowledge of all matters relating to the titles to real estate in Canaan. In connection with Hon. Daniel Blaisdell, he became the owner of all the undivided land in town. These lands consisted of corner lots, gores, and small patches, that fill in between hundred-acre surveys, and the looking up these surveys made him an authority upon boundary lines and titles. He was cheery and affable, and as his years increased, he delighted more and more in the society of chil- dren and youth. He had large charity for young men who were sowing their wild oats. For he had been young himself once and had sown an abundant crop. While still a young man, he became interested in religion. He had been Godless, often- times recklessly wild, exhibiting great contempt for the teach- ings of Elder Wheat's ponderous sermons, and the long prayers of his solemn deacons. But his hour of repentance came and he was a changed man ever after. He became an enthusiastic Methodist and was a liberal and cheerful supporter of the in- stitutions of that church, sometimes making up from his own purse any deficiency there might be in the year's appropriations. He married on Thanksgiving day, November 27, 1818, Sally, daughter of Judge Daniel Blaisdell. Fifty-nine years they traveled the long road upon which they set out, and as "Brother Joe" and "Sister Joe," they ended their long lives. Brother Joe carried the mail for many years and no boy ever failed to get a ride. He held many town offices and was a selectman in 1844 and 1847.
Mrs. Dustin survived her husband and died March 18, 1885. She was born June 17, 1799. They had two sons and three daughters : James, who died September 20, 1826, aged six years ; John B., born September 13, 1821, died single, April 18, 1851; Emeline, born December 12, 1822, died April 20, 1891, married Simeon Hadley, they moved to Lowell, Mass., where he died in 1853; they had two children, Lizzie and Emma, who married a Sleeper, and had two children, Ethel and Grace, who
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married a Stevens and had one child, Hazel; Rebecca A., who lived and died at home unmarried April 4, 1889, aged fifty-nine, and Harriet B., who married Mark Purmont, and after his death in 1878, came back to the old farm. She kept a millinery store before her marriage at East Canaan, and was burned out when Barney Bros. store was destroyed in December, 1872. She af- terward, with the assistance of her father, built the building now occupied by the post office and carried on the same business.
Daniel Dustin, son of Jonathan, married Deborah Barber February 8, 1789, and had one daughter, Susanna, born April 8, 1791. Samuel Dustin married Eunice Martin, February 19, 1791, and had two children, Nathan, born November 14, 1791, and Sophronia, born March 24, 1795.
The Blaisdells.
Part of the following about the Blaisdell family is taken from a manuscript prepared more than half a century ago by Joshua Blaisdell, who died more than forty years ago. Mr. Joshua Blaisdell was the son of Daniel, the early settler of this town. It is a dingy and much worn account and so far as it relates to the origin of the family the credit of it is due to him, as well as the authenticity. Mr. Blaisdell says :
The family originated in Denmark and came to England after the Danes were subdued by Alfred the Great, and his successors, many of whom settled in the northeast part of Wales. From this quarter our family came to this country. They had been forgemen since they set- tled in Wales. Ralph Blaisdell married into the royal family (but how far "into" the record does not state). "Sir Ralph Blaisdell of Wales" Lord Eldon states, "was a noble generous knight." Several of the name were members of Parliament. The name should be "Blaisdale," with a Scripture name before it. We gloried also in a coat of arms, which I cannot describe, only as it had the name "Blaisdel" inscribed on it, and this was the way my father spelled it up to 1808, when he was elected to Congress, and his name was so spelled in his certificate of election, after which he spelled it "Blaisdell."
Three brothers came from the northeast part of Wales and landed in Newbury, Mass., previous to 1675. Their mother accompanied them, the father died before the family left England. His name was Enoch. Some time after their arrival she married a second husband named Satterlee. About the year 1811 my brother Elijah (of Canaan) visited Newburyport and had an interview with the daughter of a son by this
Sally (Springer) Blaisdell
Hon. Daniel Blaisdell
Hon. Elijah Blaisdell
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marriage. The daughter was over one hundred years old, and was called Granny Satterlee.
Enoch first, was a forgeman. The names of his three sons were Enoch, Abner and Elijah. Enoch settled in Maine, and for most part was ancestor of the Blaisdells in that state and in Strafford and Rock- ingham Counties in this state. Abner went to New York. Elijah set- tled at Amesbury, Mass. It is not known how many sons he had, but there were several of the name in Amesbury, and it is not easy to as- sign them any other origin. There certainly was one named Elijah, and nearly equally as certain there was a Jonathan. Jonathan went to Kingston to a place called Fishing Falls. He had two sons called Jonathan and William. Jonathan, Jr., had two sons, William and Ralph, who settled in Salisbury in 1740. Jonathan, Sr., was a black- smith and went to Kingston on account of the superior facilities for iron working. His son Jonathan, born July 13, 1723, was also a blacksmith.
Elijah (third of the race) married a widowed woman and remained in possession of the old place in Amesbury. They had born to them four sons and one daughter, Elijah, Jonathan, Enoch, Jacob and Abi- gail. Jonathan once visited my father (Daniel) in Canaan on his way to search for a western home. Enoch also followed him to Ohio. Jacob was a forgeman as usual. He went to Burton and afterwards to In- diana. The reason for his leaving for the west was that the boundary lines between Burton and Eaton were changed somewhat, and he lost some property thereby. He declared he would stay no longer in a state where property was not protected. Abigail died when young. Elijah the father was a brave soldier, he lost an arm in battle and lived and died in his own home.
Elijah (fourth of the race) married Mrs. Mary Keazer Sargent, widowed daughter of Capt. Timothy Keaser, a sailor out of Newbury- port. He lived and died at Amesbury, a schoolmaster. They had three sons born to them, perhaps more, Parrot, Daniel and Sargent. When Daniel was seven years old his father died leaving his family destitute. Some years after the father's death the widow moved her family to Henniker, N. H., and thence to Hopkinton, where she married Nathaniel Whittier. Daniel was twelve years old when his mother left Amesbury. He lived in Henniker two years and three years in Hopkinton, during which time he served a campaign as a soldier of the Revolution at forty shillings per month and twelve shillings blanket money. He left the army at seventeen years of age and went to Canaan.
Parrot Blaisdell, spelled "Parrit," was born in Amesbury, Mass., November 11, 1759, married on Thursday, May 5, 1785, Mrs. Ruth (Folsom) Ball, daughter of Josiah and Abigail Folsom, born in Haver- hill, Mass., March 22, 1759. He lived in Canaan, Orange, Hanover and Montpelier, Vt., and died at Fort Covington, N. Y., August 3, 1836. He no doubt came to Canaan about the time of his brother Daniel, for his name appears on the inventory of 1782, which would show he was here in 1781. They had three sons and seven daughters:
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1. George H., born the first day of March, 1784.
2. Abigail, born on Wednesday, February 8, 1786, on the old Cochran farm; she died at Stoneham, Mass., at the home of her granddaughter. She married Russell Putnam.
3. Ruth, born December 23, 1787; died December 4, 1836, "at quarter past four." She married Henry Howe.
4. Polly, born January 7, 1790; died November 20, 1790.
5. Polly, born May 22, 1791; died at Potsdam, N. Y., November 22, 1865; married her cousin, Joshua, son of Daniel Blaisdell.
6. Sally, born on Thursday, January 29, 1793; married Otis Standish.
7. Azurbah, born December 15, 1794, married Pierce B. Smith.
8. Parrit, Jr., born May 4, 1796; died August 3, 1839, at Fort Coving- ton, N. Y., "of collery also his son Edwin of collery August 4, 1839." He had one son and one daughter. He was a sailor.
9. Clarissa, born October 4, 1798; married John C. Wolf.
10. Elijah, born May 5, 1801. He was editor and publisher of the Vergennes Vermonter in 1848. His cousin Joshua says of him: "He is hale fellow well met, drinks a glass with a friend and pays the bill, is a tattling bragging man, has one son of good promise and two others and one daughter."
Another account of the Blaisdells is here given, furnished me by Alfred O. Blaisdell from investigations made by Dr. W. O. Blaisdell :
The family were from Lancashire, where in Preston, there were at one time fifteen families of that name. Ralph Blaisdell and his wife came to this country in 1635, having embarked at Milford Haven, Wales, on the ship Angel Gabriel. The ship seems to have belied her name, for, arriving on the coast of Maine in a severe storm, she became a total wreck. All on board were saved. Ralph and his wife settled in York, Maine. In 1642 he sold his property as shown by the county records and moved to Salisbury, Mass., that part which was afterwards Ames- bury, where for several years he kept an inn. He had but one son, Henry, who married Mary Haddon, and also a second wife, Elizabeth. By the two wives he had nine children, six boys and three girls. He combined the trades of farmer and tailor. One of his sons Jonathan, born October 11, 1676, was a blacksmith and at the age of twenty-two married Hannah Jameson of whom the seventh was Enoch, born July 9, 1714. Enoch married Mary Satterlee, had eight children of whom the third was Elijah, born December 31, 1740. Elijah married Mary Sargent March 14, 1759, and lived in the west parish of Amesbury until a year or two after his marriage when he moved to Warner, N. H. He was the father of Daniel, Parrot and Sargent.
In the town records for 1787, appears a "greeting to Samuel Joslyn, Constable of the town of Canaan." "You are required
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forthwith to notify and warn to depart from said Town of Canaan, the following-named persons now residing in sd Canaan that they not become chargeable in sd town, viz .: Sargent Blaisdell and his wife Susanna and you are to make due return of this warrant and of your doings unto the selectmen of Canaan." Samuel read the warrant in the hearing of the per- sons named, but it does not appear that he caused any of them to "depart from" Canaan. The name of Sargent Blaisdell's wife does not agree with Joshua Blaisdell's tale, but there is no doubt that he was Daniel's brother. Mr. Joshua says: "Sar- gent Blaisdell married Mary Blue, a woman with a lively tongue. They lived in Canaan, Enfield and Grafton. It was in the latter town he left his wife with three children, Sargent, Peter and Mary, and the last heard of him he was at Cherry Valley under the assumed name of Sargent Johnson. Sargent, Jr., found his father there, and resided there. Peter died in Canaan, was not considered a bright boy. Mary married and lived in New York state. The facts in regard to his elopement were these, which occurred probably about the years 1789-90. Daniel lived near to Samuel Noyes in the southeast corner of the town. Mr. Noyes had lost a horse by a thief. Sargent was at work for Noyes and was sent upon another horse to search for it. He also sent Daniel upon his own horse and charged them not to come back without the thief. Sargent in taking leave of his wife, repeated the order. She told him 'Go along and never show your face in this house again, without that thief.' Daniel went towards Hopkinton and caught the fellow. Sargent took a different route and, finding no trace of the thief, pushed on and was never seen here afterward. He left a good farm, implements and tools and took nothing but his horse, like a true knight."
The mother of these three boys, Mary Keazer, married in Hopkinton a third husband, Nathaniel Whittier, and died in Canaan May 15, 1806, aged seventy-nine years. She had four children by Mr. Whittier: Elijah. Samuel, Nathaniel and Abi- gail, who became the wife of Thomas Cole. Elijah married Nancy Kenniston, who was afflicted with a trace of insanity, which was transmitted to some of her descendants. Samuel
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married Mehitable Bedel October 23, 1796, who, in her old age, wandered from the Bickford place and was found drowned in Hart Pond. Nathaniel married Polly Sleeper. All had large families in Canaan.
Among the early settlers in Canaan, no one was more dis- tinguished for good sense, for integrity and for uprightness in his relations to society than Daniel Blaisdell. He, with his brother Parrot, had done service in the War of the Revolution, and being honorably discharged about the year 1780, in com- pany with other soldiers, emigrated from Amesbury, Mass., to this town, and here made his home during all the years of his long and honorable life. He was eighteen years old at the time of his arrival, with but little knowledge of books, but possessing a constitution inured to toil and hardship. He came here like many others, because it was reported to be a goodly land, where a man might make himself a home by the labor of his own hands. The soil was rich and fruitful and only needed persevering labor to be made to bring forth abundantly. After looking about among the scattered settlers for a few days, he engaged to work for Joseph Flint for six months at six dollars per month. Mr. Flint had been a merchant in Newburyport. About a year previous to this time he had come here from Hopkinton and began to clear up the farm where George W. Davis now lives. The work was very laborious and the master was hard and ex- acting upon all who fell under his control. Early and late they toiled, - daylight calling them to breakfast and candle light to supper. He used to tell young Blaisdell if he would remain in his service he would make a man of him and having a large family of girls, he supposed their company to be sufficiently magnetic to make the young man forget the hard labor to which he was subjected. He served his time faithfully and well and then hired himself to Capt. Charles Walworth, who lived on South Road. The captain was strongly religious, having im- ported his Puritan sentiments with him from Connecticut. He was a man of great natural kindness and often gave his young friend good advice. While employed with Captain Walworth, some of the ungodly young people got up a ball, to which they invited Blaisdell. The captain objected to his going, using all the arguments then in common use, against the sinfulness of
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dancing, - all of which failed to convince the young man. Then the captain told him if he would stay from that wicked gathering of scoffers, he would the next day, show him some- thing that would be of great advantage to him. Daniel stayed away from the ball, but his heart was there all the evening, because little Sally Springer was to be there, and he had begun to believe that the angels had not all left the earth. The next day the captain took him down into a densely timbered region (the farm where Prescott Clark once lived), and advised him to buy it, build a log house, get married, and make himself a home ; in two years he could pay for it with the crops. He bought one hundred acres, agreeing to pay Mr. Walworth $300 there- for, and went to work clearing it up and it is said, the first crop of wheat paid for the land. He built himself a log house, and then wooed and married the little girl (who was an angel to him), January 28, 1782, being scarcely twenty years old, and in due time they had sons and daughters born unto them - a house full. He worked hard and was rewarded with increase in various ways. He. became a teacher; he studied politics and was elected to various town offices; he stored his mind with much practical knowledge, which he imparted freely to all his neigh- bors. He often acted as a justice and his decisions were re- garded as just and right. In twenty-one years eleven children were born to him. More than a hundred years ago a tax was levied by the Legislature which was very burdensome to some of the new towns. Caleb Seabury was said to have been the occa- sion of it. He was sent to Exeter as a representative. He thought he would signalize his term of office by assuring the Legislature of the great wealth of Canaan. Its soil yielded spon- taneously and enriched its people. The effect of this speech or talk was the passage of the law which burdened the people with taxes. The next year Mr. Blaisdell was sent to Exeter to ask for the modification of the law. He told them that it was true that the lands of Canaan were exceedingly rich and fruitful. It was like all other new soil upon which the timber forests had been reduced to ashes. If they would make wheat, rye and corn, legal tender for taxes, it would relieve the people greatly, but there was no money and no market for their commodities. Lands, cattle, hogs, ashes, grain, etc., were the circulating
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medium. Nearly all purchases were made by way of exchange. In this way he pleaded with them, until they consented to modify the law, which greatly pleased the people and made him more popular than ever. Before Mr. Baldwin left town, Mr. Blaisdell had passed through the mysterious process which men call "a change of heart, had joined the new Baptist Church and was ever afterward a consistent Baptist, and advocate for the stated preaching of the gospel." His manner of stating his opinions was somewhat diffuse and like a small piece of butter on a large slice of bread, was a good deal spread out. He some- times stated it thus: "We believe that the preaching of the gospel was instituted by the all-wise Governor of the universe as a means whereby to communicate his special grace to a ruined world; and we believe, also, that a regular, peaceful gos- pel, tends to promote good order and strengthen the bonds of society." He was prominent in all the services of the church, and also in all the connections of his party. As a Christian, the Baptist Church was his strong tower; a belief in its tenets could alone save lost souls. His political faith was as fixed and unalterable as his religion. The Federal party had the immortal Washington for its head, and through that organization alone, could our free institutions be perpetuated. It was the sacred privilege of Federalists to hate Thomas Jefferson, as it was the duty of Baptists to avoid the devil, and flee from the wrath to come. These two principles governed all his actions in religion and politics. His first appearance in public life was as a legislator at Exeter in 1793. He was sent again in 1795 and remained there until 1799, representing the towns of Canaan, Grafton and Orange. He represented Canaan in 1812 and 1813, and in 1824 and 1825, and was a judge in the Court of Common Pleas for Grafton County. His sturdy sense and fearless expres- sion of opinions attracted attention and won the applause of his party. He enjoyed the honors he was winning and had vivid dreams of future greatness. Several years he was elected senator . and five times he was elected councilor and one term he served in Congress from 1809-11. While in Congress he was an active partisan and opposed all measures involving the peace of the country. He was an aggressive politician and many times came in conflict with the leaders of the war party. Being a rough de-
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bator with few courtesies of speech, he received from John Ran- dolph the sobriquet of "Northern Bear," a title which clung to him all the days of his life.
Two letters are inserted here which have lain perdue for two generations. The spelling is a little unusual, also the use of capitals, showing defects in his early education. These have been corrected. The first letter might, with propriety, be made to refer to scenes and events of more recent date and both ex- hibit in strong light the unyielding nature of the man.
WASHINGTON CITY, Jan. 18, 1810.
Dear Sir:
I received yours only last evening, which I read with pleasure. You complain of Democratic orators dealing out falsehood; I thought you knew them better than this, for if I should find them dealing in any other commodity, I should think them insane, or that they had deserted their cause. This I apply to their leaders, and not to all who call themselves Republicans, for there are many among them who are well disposed men, and need only to be here one week, and hear the threats in Congress, to convince them they have been misled. A leader among them, three days since, in Congress, made a war speech, and in reply to a gentleman who had spoken against war, said: "Some gentlemen seem to regret the loss of blood and treasure more than submission to Great Britain. I, also," said he, "regret the loss of the blood of some of our citizens, but if we go to war with England, Canada must be taken, and we very well know what men must be engaged in taking that country." And many more such expressions, which would make the blood of our New England Republicans boil. I immediately went to him and required an explanation. He looked beat and paddled off as well as he could.
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