USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Canaan > The history of Canaan, New Hampshire > Part 6
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Richard Joslen
Joseph Walter
Charles Walworth
Thomas Baldwin
Ezekiel Wells
Jehu Jones
Eleazer Scofield
his
Caleb Welch
Thomas Baxter X
Job Scipio
mark
Robert Burts
Canaan July 1st. 1776
To the Honble Committee of Safety for the Colony of New Hampshire. These are to certify that every man in this town signed this agree- ment.
Attest
EBENr EAMES ? Select- SAMUEL JONES men
(1) 1st On Condition thay no man who is taken a Captive from the British forces be made an officer or let to be a Soldier in the Continental Army a2ly that every American found and taken in a arms against the United Colonies be Immediately put to Death and 3ly that all and every of the British Troops that are Captivated by the Continental forces by Sea or land or any other way taken shall be kept in Prison or Close Confinement and 4ly than every Commanding Officer or a Soldier or any Person or Persons imployed in any Business whatever in the Cintinental Forces who is found & proved to be a Traitor to the United Colonies in America be put to Death Immediately.
Upon these aforementioned Conditions do I sign this Declaration. Witness my hand
JAMES TREADWAY
With the above was sent the following request from the Com- mittee of Safety of Canaan and Enfield. Each town had its own committee appointed to look out for its defense.
To the Honble Committy of Safety For the Colony of New Hampshire, A Request from The Comitty of Safety for the Towns of Canaan And Enfield alias Relhan in sd Colony;
Whereas we Being in Eminent Dange of being Ravaged and De- stroyed by the Savages, and other of our Unnatural Enemies, And we Being Unable to Defend our Selves in the Lest; for the want of guns
Ezekiel Gardner
53
TOWN MEETINGS, 1770-1785.
& aminition We therefore humbly Request that your Honors Would send us Sixteen guns, forty two pounds of Gunpowder and 1681bs of Lead 21 Dozen of flints B Lieutt Saml Jones of sd Canaan and Mr Elisha Bingham of Enfield Which men are chosen for the Said Purpose. Gentn your Compliaire with this Request will Greatly Oblige & Enable us to Defend our Selves in these frontier Towns.
EBENT EAMES - Committee of Safety
SAMI MEACHAM
THOS BALDWIN
The Reasons Why this Paper was not Signed By two of the Com- mittee is Because one is Absent and the other is the Bearer
S. MEACHAM
The Provincial Congress on July 5, 1776, "voted that Samuel Jones of Canaan and Elisha Bingham of Enfield have and re- ceive out of the treasury 5 pounds for the purpose of purchasing Lead and flints for the use of the inhabitants of said towns. They giving good security for repayment of said sum when re- quested." The council on the same day voted to give them twenty-five pounds of powder and five pounds in money.
There are no more records for the year 1775, but a warning for the annual meeting. If Paul Revere's message was heard in Canaan we do not know. The fires of Bunker Hill and Lexing- ton did not illuminate these forest homes; but these laborers did join the band of patriots, although they left no record of it. Their actions spoke louder than any words they could write.
The Committee of Safety of New Hampshire, in order to de- termine the strength of the colony, requested a census of the town, which was as follows:
The accompt of Inhabitants,
Males under 16 yrs. 16
Males over 16 yrs. to 50 not in army. 17
Males above 50 yr's. 3
Persons gone to the Army
3
All females. 28
Negroes and slaves.
Canaan Sept. 22. 1775
67
Upon diligent search .we find that we have a Gun for every one capa- ble of yousing them. As for Power & ball we have none with us.
ASA KILBURN EBENZ EAMES Selectmen.
54
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
In 1776 more new names appear: "Chose Thomas Baldwin Constable." Jonathan Bingham was surveyor and Jehu Jones tithingman; Asa Williams, pound-keeper. Capt. Samuel Jones, Thomas Miner and Caleb Welch were appointed to look out for a burying-place. They selected and laid out the grounds known as "The Cobble," near Jehu Jones' house on South Road. Un- der date of September 30, 1776, the towns of Canaan, Hanover and Cardigan were notified to meet to elect someone to represent them in the General Assembly and Council at Exeter the next December. They met at Hanover November 27 and refused to elect anyone, being dissatisfied with the methods of representa- tion and that their advice was not taken in the government. They had been requested two years before, in 1774, and had declined. In 1774-'76 Lebanon, Hanover, Relhan, Canaan, Cardigan and Grafton were classed together and entitled to one represent- ative, but they failed to send anyone. On September 18, 1776, Hanover, Canaan and Cardigan were classed together as being large enough to send one representative, but they did not send anyone in 1777. And here ends the record for that great year.
In 1777 the annual meeting was held at the house of Joshua Harris, son of George. The records of this meeting are un- usually elaborate, which is due to the fact that they "Chose In- sign Thomas Baldwin, Clerk." In this case Mr. Baldwin has recorded himself. The name of Richard Clark, 3d, is added to the list of freeholders. "Voted that the Committee of Safety be desired to administer the oath to the other officers." This committee was a patriotic committee, deriving its powers from the Council and Assembly, and had charge of military affairs when the Council and Assembly were not in session. John Scofield was a member and beyond this fact nothing is known. That some of our friends and neighbors did shoulder their muskets in the cause of popular liberty is evident from the fol- lowing liberal bounty offered by the town :
Voted that every person that has ever been in the Continentals service, or may enlist the ensueing year, and may be gone through the usual season for business, shall not be liable to pay any taxes in this town for that year he is so gone.
Here appears the first vote of the town to defray town charges : "Voted to raise by a rate on the Poles and ratable Estate of the
55
TOWN MEETINGS, 1770-1785.
inhabitants of this town the sum of 3 pounds L. M. for the de- fraying town charges. What is paste and for the Insuing year."
All the back rates on the highways were to be worked out this year. The penalty for not paying the rate on polls and estates should be the same as for not working on the highway.
The only other business is contained in the following :
Voted to appoint Capt. Joshua Wells, Caleb Welch and Eleazer Sco- field fence-viewers, to examine fences, where any damage is done by hogs, and see if such fence is sufficient to stop hogs yoked according to law. If they adjudge the fence not sufficient then the owner of the fence shall not be liable to pay the damage, provided the swine are yoked and ringed according to law.
It might be interesting to those concerned to learn who, by the terms of this vote, is "holden to pay the damage." The owner of the fence is exempted. The swine, if yoked according to law, are not liable to pay, and the owner of the swine is not men- tioned. Now who is to pay the damage when Joseph Craw's hogs pass through Samuel Jones' poor fence, with their yokes and rings on, and commit trespass to Samuel Benedict's garden ?
By the record it appears that Thomas Baldwin was elected clerk for three years, 1777, 1778, 1779. Beyond the record of 1777 he confines himself to a copy of the warnings of the other two years; no record of the doings of the meetings, and thence onward for six years longer the record is a failure -years of great events to the town and nation - until 1786. All is blank; nothing appears save a few marriages, births and deaths among the people, and these are in an unknown handwriting. Thomas was unfaithful to his trust. He might have done much for our enlightenment, for he was a young man of ability. He gained a great reputation in the Baptist Church, but as a town clerk he was a fraud.
There was increase in population; new names appear, old names disappear. What were all these toilers doing in these long years ? Who can tell us? Lands were surveyed and roads built, taxes were voted and many of the people joined the three regiments that were voted to support the War of Independence. Beyond these facts we shall never be able to look into the social condition of those times. Had they preachers or schoolmasters,
.
56
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
and what were their names? During this time town meetings were held; petitions in the archives of the state department show that. The warning for the town meeting in 1779 contained an article "to take into consideration a tax bill from the Treas- urer of New Hampshire." The town evidently voted to have William Ayer present a petition respecting it, as the following shows, but with what result is not known.
' To the Honorable Council & House of Representatives of said State. The petition of William Ayer of Canaan in the County of Grafton in said State in behalf of said town humbly sheweth that by means of the unsettled state of said County & the claim of Vermont they have never made their state tax but are now desirous to make the said taxes & to discharge the same: but the said town being much too high in the pro- portion of the State tax the petitioner prays the same may be examined & set right & said town will immediately proceed to make & discharge their taxes & as in duty bound shall ever pray.
Exeter June 17. 1779.
WM. AYER.
The petition was successful, for the Assembly voted to adjust the rate at twenty shillings on every 1,000 pounds of state and continental money for the years 1777, 1778, 1779, "said taxes now being all in arrears."
On the 20th of October, 1780, the Indians from Canada at- tacked and burned Royalton, Vt. An express was sent with the exciting intelligence for relief from the neighboring towns. A company of twenty men was instantly raised in Canaan to join those from Lebanon to go to the assistance of the unfortunate people of Royalton and to scout along the frontiers, lest the enemy should fall upon other settlements unawares. Joshua Wells was placed in command of this company. The names of those volunteers are known and their service also recorded by their captain, who sought payment for their services.
There seems to be no further inconvenience in regard to mills. The people were fully accommodated. Mr. Eames' grist-mill was running at the Corner. Mr. Miner's sawmill was running on Moose Brook. Jonathan Carlton of Amesbury had built a saw- mill on the Mascoma at the outlet of the pond, and Capt. Robert Barber had come in from Newmarket and built the mill after- wards known as Welch's. He also built a second mill on the Mascoma, not far from the site of the old paper mill.
57
TOWN MEETINGS, 1770-1785.
The first settlers in Canaan, except James Clark, were all from Connecticut, and came here chiefly through the influence of George Harris, who, as one of the grantees, was much interested in the new settlement. Craw, Williams, Jones, Benedict, the Wellses, Welch, Joslyn, Walworth, Gates, Lathrop, Eames and others came with or followed after Mr. Harris. It was a long and weary way they traveled, on foot or on horseback. Roads were not marked out in many places. In others they were ob- structed by stumps and logs. They left Colchester and Norwich in the opening spring and arrived early in the summer. These first-comers, most of them, located upon the ridge of land now called South Road, extending from John Scofield's, near Mas- coma River, near West Canaan, to the farm once owned by S. D. Gorham, which was the homestead of Charles Walworth, a half brother of Amos Walworth, the grantee. These men and fam- ilies endured much of hardship and suffering. They found here no shelter, no food, no ground fit for tillage, and but little seed to put in the earth when it should be prepared with axe and brand. These were soon followed by families from Haverhill, Amesbury, Plaistow, Hampstead, Newmarket and other eastern towns, inclined to settle here chiefly through the influence and representations of the friends of the governor, who had been made grantees and were anxious to realize something from their grants. Among these were the Dustins, father and sons, the Blais- dells, Clarks, Ayer, Bartlett, the Barbers, Sawyer, the six Rich- ardsons. Some of these found their way to Sawyer Hill and to various other parts of the town, but chiefly upon the uplands, believing that they thus received the best lands for corn, vege- tables and grass.
The inventory for the year 1783, seventeen years after the set- tlement of the town, shows some progress. Two hundred and seventy-nine acres of land had been subdued and made use of by the settlers.
A true Inventory of the Polls and rateable Estate in town of Canaan in said State in the year Anno Domini 1783-
No. Polls 50
No. Horses 28
No. Cows 62
No. Oxen 29
58
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
No. of 3 years old
14
No. of 2 years old 20
No. of yearlings 10
No. acres pasturing
118
No. acres mowing
127
No. acres tillage 34
No. acres wild land fit for improvement.
12,000
WM. AYER
WM. RICHARDSON 5 Selectmen.
It was during the years of unwritten history that the seces- sion of the sixteen towns took place. Canaan was one of these towns. The people severed their connection with New Hamp- shire and voted themselves a part of the new territory of Ver- mont. The history which records this peaceful uprising is sub- stantially as below condensed :
The original grant of New Hampshire was made to John Mason, and extended sixty miles from the sea. The line passed from the town of Rindge through the west part of Concord, striking Winnipesaukee Lake. Later grants extended its western boundary to Lake Champlain. Under these later acts, grants of townships were made on both sides of the Connecticut River. In 1764 a decree of the king in council was passed limiting the boundary of New Hampshire on the west to the Connecticut.
The grants to New York were not more definitely bounded, and in consequence a fierce strife arose as to the right of New York to control the lake and the river. The inhabitants of the towns on both sides of the river were mainly from Massachusetts and Connecticut, and their views of public policy coincided. They were not well satisfied with the line which separated them from each other, and after the Revolution, when New Hamp- shire adopted measures for framing a constitution, their dissat- isfaction was expressed in acts as well as words. Vermont peti- tioned Congress to be received into the confederacy as an inde- pendent state, and a majority of the people in many towns on this side of the river desired to unite with them, by petition dated June 11, 1778, the result of conclusions they had reached in March. There were sixteen of these towns, as follows: Cornish, Lebanon, Dresden (now Hanover), Lyme, Orford, Piermont, Haverhill, Bath, Lyman, Apthorp (now Littleton),
59
TOWN MEETINGS, 1770-1785.
Dalton, Enfield, Canaan, Orange, Landaff, New Concord (now Lisbon), and Franconia. They took the position that since the government of Great Britain was overthrown, they were left to their own natural sovereignty, that the original grant of New Hampshire extended but sixty miles from the sea, that these townships were independent grants, each in itself a sovereign political organization and that as the power which had created them was thus overthrown, they were at liberty to attach them- selves to whatever state they pleased. On the other hand it was maintained that by their own acts in receiving grants and protection from New Hampshire, they had acknowledged the sovereignty of that state over them. There was much discus- sion in the towns bordering on the river. They refused to send delegates to the convention which formed the constitution of New Hampshire, but united in a petition to the Vermont as- sembly, which then met at Windsor, to be received as a part of that state. The question was submitted to the people of Vermont in their general assembly and the union with the sixteen towns was accepted June 11, 1778. They were accordingly admitted as a part of that state and gave notice to New Hampshire to that effect, and asked for an amicable settlement of the boundary line between the two states. The government of New Hamp- shire was by no means disposed to recognize the right of seces- sion. The president of New Hampshire, Hon. Meschech Weare, wrote to Governor Chittenden of Vermont, August 22, 1778, reclaiming these towns, making a strong argument therefor. He said : "Were not these towns settled and cultivated under the grant of the governor of New Hampshire? Are they not within the lines thereof? Did not the most of these towns send dele- gates to the convention of this state in 1773? Have they not from the commencement of the war applied to the State of New Hampshire for assistance and protection? It is well known that they did, and that New Hampshire at her own expense supplied them with arms, amunition &c, to a very great amount. I
earnestly desire that this matter may be seriously attended to, as I am persuaded that the tendency thereto will be anarchy and confusion." He also made an appeal to Congress to inter- pose and prevent, if possible, the shedding of blood. Congress by a resolution on August 2, 1781, made it an "indespensible
60
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
preliminary " to the admission of Vermont as a state and freeing them from the claim of sovereignty of New York, that Vermont give up all claim to the towns on the east side of the Connecticut River. The movement of these towns received no encourage- ment from Congress and Canaan was not in sympathy, as ap- pears by the following petition :
Canaan January 22 1782
To the Honorable and Generable assemble of the State of New Hamp- shier greating we haveing for a Long time bin under a broken situ- ation the pretended State of Vermont pretend to Exercise athority over us which causis a great confusion among us & there being more than one half of the inhabitants of this town that have bin and now are will- ing subjects to this state pray that we mite be put in sum regularasion that we may have a Justice of the peace & militare officers that we may be in a way to defend our selves against the Enemies of the united States for we think our Selves in great danger having 10 authority amongst us but the pretended athority of vermont which we are not willing to be under if we can have any other N. B. we the subscribers beg the privilege that the Honorable Cort wold commisonate William Ayer as Justice of the peace & that we mite be led to the choyce of miletery officers
Joseph Stickney
Thomas miner
Joseph flint
Daniell Carr
Daniel farnum
William Smith
Samuel Chatman
Leonard hor
NathI Barlet
Benjaman Sawer
Joshua wels
Samuel Meacham
Samuel Josen
Robard Barber
Mathew Man
Jonathan Stickney
Josiah hall Bartlet
Ezkel wels
Benjamin Burt
David fogg
James woodbury
John Bartlet
henry springer Jaspur barber
Samuel Hinkson
At the first meeting of the assembly of Vermont, February 22, 1782, after the people had voted to receive these towns and the delegates from this side had taken their seats, the question arose whether these towns should be erected into a separate county. This was refused, whereupon the delegates again seceded and left the Vermont assembly in disgust. Their friends on this side of the mountains, bound more strongly to them than those on the other side, proposed to unite with them to form a new state on both sides of the river, to be called New Connecti-
61
TOWN MEETINGS, 1770-1785.
cut. Then followed a series of contentions between New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, which is not interesting here, all of which were finally settled by the admission of Vermont with her present boundaries into the confederacy of the United States, a settlement which was hastened by the shrewd policy of Ethan Allen, who conferred with the British authorities in Canada and elsewhere as if he desired a union with them.
In some of the towns concerned in this contest there was manifested a spirit of lawlessness and disorder. In others Com- mittees of Safety were appointed with unlimited powers. A meeting of the Committee of Safety for Canaan, Hanover, Leba- non, Plainfield and Grantham was held at Lebanon and the following vote was passed : "That the laws of our country ought and shall be the rule of our procedure in judging of the qualities of offences and punishing the same only with such variations as the different channel of administration requires." It appears from the record that in 1786, after the question of sovereignty had been settled, that the people of the town, like honest men, voted that the uncollected taxes during the years of their seces- sion should be paid. The amount is not known.'
At the beginning of the year 1785 two petitions were pre- sented to the president and council, which show the unsettled condition of affairs in town :
To his Excellency the Pres & Honble the Council
That as we are not represented in the house to our satisfaction we can not rest easy to have advice taken from that quarter in your Honor- able Board respecting the appointment of Civil & Military officers.
We take liberty to inform you that Caleb Clark Esq will give best satisfaction for a Civil Magistrate of any man in town Canaan Jan 26 1785
Asahel Wells*
Jonathan Stickney
Josep Stickney
Zebulon Gates
Benj Harris*
William Richardson*
Robart Barber
James woodbury
Joseph Flint
Jehu Jones*
Samuel Hinkson* William Smith
Ezekiel Gardner* Caleb Welch
William Douglass*
George Harris*
Thaddeus Lothrop
Turner Peterson*
Humphrey Nichols
Abel Hadley*
Samuel meacham* benjamen burts*
Elias Lothrop*
Benja Sawyer*
62
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
Another petition of the same date requested the appointment of Capt. Robert Barber for a field officer: "that he would give much the best satisfaction. We understand a certain Mr. Jones has been mentioned, who will not answer the valuable pur- pose of peace in sª Town." It was signed by seventeen men, twelve of those on the above petition marked * and Joshua Harris, Elisha Lathrop, Ezekiel Wells, Richard Clark, and Isaac Walker. Samuel Jones was a major in the Twenty- Fourth Regiment the previous year.
It was in 1785 that a petition was presented to the General Assembly by Col. Elisha Paine and others, to form a new town out of portions of territory of the towns of Lebanon, Hanover, Canaan and Enfield. The part of Canaan to be included was in the southwest corner. The petition was not successful.
.
CHAPTER VI.
TOWN MEETINGS, 1786-1797.
It is now nine years since our town clerk made any record. His name was Thomas Baldwin, and in that time he had become converted to the Baptist belief, had studied divinity, theology, been ordained as an evangelist, and placed in charge of the new Baptist Church, which was organized six years ago. In that capacity he served well and left a large mark for future theolo- gians to look at, but his style of keeping town records is not commendable.
Our new clerk, Mr. David Fogg, who had recently married Ruth Dustin, daughter of old Jonathan, lived in a log house some fifty rods southerly from the house John M. Barber after- wards built. Some of the apple trees he planted are still stand- ing. He wrote a firm, even hand, and his record is diffuse as to the appointment of officers. Mr. Fogg's name comes to sight several times in the few coming years, and then he disappears, and there is not even a grave-stone to perpetuate his exit.
When Demophile was near her end she said to me: "Do you ever go and read those names and bits of verses on the stones yonder? You and Aspasia used formerly. Some of them tell us to be sad and sorry for folks who died a hundred years ago; others to imitate men and women we never should have had a chance of seeing, had they been living yet. All we can learn from them is this - that our country never had any bad people in it, but has been filled with weeping and wailing from its foun- dation upward."
In 1786, twenty years after the first settlement of the town, the census of the inhabitants was 142 males and 111 females. This year appears the first vote in reference to schools. "Voted to raise fifteen pounds L. M. for the support of schooling," and Capt. Robert Barber, Eleazer Scofield and Richard Clark were appointed a committee to divide the town into school districts. The schools had not been a feature in the town, no system existed,
64
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
any respectable person, who could strike a good square blow with a ferrule or rod, had merit sufficient to become school-master And sometimes persons were employed who had to spell words of a reading exercise before pronouncing them. Ignorance was rather winked at, other desirable things being equal. Two months in the winter, when there was nothing else to do, was all that could be afforded by these hard working settlers for schooling.
New names appear: Joseph Flint and John Hall Bartlett as tithingmen ; among the six surveyors of highways is Abel Hadley ; Richard Otis and William Douglass are hogreaves; Benjamin Sawyer and Esquire Ayer are fence-viewers. "Voted to raise 16 pounds L. M. to defray town charges." Compare with March 9, 1886, a hundred years later : "Voted to raise $3000 to defray town charges." The selectmen had grown to be as careless as the clerks. The finances and affairs of the town had fallen into confusion. It was voted to have a thorough investigation thereof for the years from 1781 to 1786, and Joseph Flint, Daniel Blais- dell and Richard Otis, were appointed for the purpose. They made a full report, which was "excepted," but they fail to in- form us if they discovered any "rings" by which the town had been swindled. It is fair to infer that after James Treadway left, honesty was a prevailing virtue, although sometimes harrassed by incapacity and ignorance. Ten shillings on the pound was raised for the repair of roads, not to include the large bridges. A new pound was voted to be built near the "South end of the town." It was located on South Road at the northeast corner of John May's. Joseph Flint was appointed as constable to collect back taxes for the year 1781, "and an extent for the deficiency of soldiers for this town."
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