USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Dublin > The history of Dublin, N.H. : containing the address by Charles Mason, and the proceedings at the centennial celebration, June 17, 1852, with a register of families > Part 2
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f. L. Seward.
xvii
REVEREND J. L. SEWARD. D.D.
and in the delivery of these papers made serious inroads upon his time and diminishing strength, but his real interest in the movements and causes thus commended to the attention of the public, made refusal difficult.
Amid these services which added not a little to the social life of a considerable territory, but were to him largely a source of recreation, in comparison with his constant pastoral duties and the persistent labor of historical work, Dr. Seward spent his later years. His efforts in these various fields were helpful to many who were attracted by his kindly social temper, his many-sided activity, ample store of information and real in- terest in good things.
His friends, and they were many - were thankful that he retained to the end his mental powers, his lifelong devotion to the "things that endure," that he died in harness and went unafraid into the great silence.
COLUMBUS, OHIO, March 19, 1919.
S. C. DERBY.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
ADDRESS OF CHARLES MASON, ESQ., OF FITCHBURG, MASS., A NATIVE OF DUBLIN, AT THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, JUNE 17, 1852
Introduction - Original Grant - First Settler - Scotch-Irish - Settlers PAGE from Sherborn - Roads and Bridges - Mills - First Meetinghouse - Political Organization - Incorporation - Name of Dublin - Preaching - First Minister - Minister's Salary - Rev. Edward Sprague's Ministry - Revolutionary War and Soldiers - Federal Constitution - Constables - Tax Collectors - Paupers - Wild Animals - Military Affairs - Ex- penditures for Meetinghouse - Mr. Sprague's Salary - Rev. Edward Sprague - New Meetinghouse - Baptist Church - Trinitarian Con- gregational Church - Methodist Meetinghouse - Schools - Teachers' Wages - School Fund - First School Committee - Soil - Natural 1
Beauties - Conclusion.
CHAPTER II
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, JUNE 17, 1852
Celebration Committee - Sub-Committees - Arrangements - Program - Responses to Sentiments: "The First Centennial of Dublin" - Letter from Aaron Appleton, Esq. - "The Primitive Inhabitants of Dublin" - Letter from Thomas Hardy, Esq. - "Our Revolutionary Soldiers" - "The Patriots of Bunker Hill" - "Our Forefathers" - "The Memory of Three Morses" - Letter of Rev. Abiel Abbot, D.D. - "Our Fore- mothers" - Communication from Dr. Ebenezer Morse - "The Late Rev. Edward Sprague" - "Emigrants from Dublin, Present and Absent" - Letter from Charles Whittemore - "Our Pleasant Beverage from New York" - Letter from James L. Perry - Letter from Rev. James Tisdale - Letter from Dr. Ambrose Lawrence - "Natives of Dublin who have not Emigrated" - "Our Clergymen" - Letter from A. A. Livermore - "Our Sabbath Schools" -"Our Common Schools" - Letters from Samuel Appleton, Esq .; Hon. James Batcheller; Hon. William Parker; John H. Foster, M.D .; Rev. Adams - "The Late Amos Twitchell, M.D., of Keene," "Our Departed Friends" - "Our Female Friends," "The Contribution of Dublin to the Population of our Large Cities" - "The American Flag" - "Old Monadnock" "The Liberty of the Press" 37
"Beard's Telegraph" - Adjournment .
CHAPTER III
NATURAL HISTORY
Situation - Boundaries - Fish - Fauna - Birds - Trees - Reptiles - Flora - Insects - Climate - Geological Formation - Soil - Gold Mine Chemical and Bacteriological Laboratory
101
XX
CONTENTS
CHAPTER IV
SETTLEMENT OF DUBLIN
Masonian Proprietors - Deed of Grant - List of Proprietors - Grantees PAGE and Grantors - First Settlers - Proprietors' Meetings - Delinquents - Injunction by "Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests" 132
CHAPTER V
INCORPORATION OF DUBLIN
Original Charter - Name of Town - Voters - Invoices of 1771-1778 - Warnings out of Town - Prices of Sundry Commodities . 156
CHAPTER VI
DUBLIN IN THE REVOLUTION AND THE LATER WARS
First Public Action by Town - Resolves of First Continental Congress - Second Provincial Congress of New Hampshire - Committee of Inspec- tion - Resolution of Second Continental Congress - Association Test - Declaration of Independence of New Hampshire - Signers of Declaration - Ammunition - List of Revolution Soldiers - War of 1812 - War with Mexico - Civil War - Volunteers from Dublin - Volunteer Recruits - Substitutes - Recruits Procured by Dublin Men - Soldiers Mentioned by a Town Committee in 1870 - Dedication of Monument - Monument - Spanish-American War - Philippine War . 166
CHAPTER VII
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY - FIRST CONGREGATIONAL (UNITARIAN) CHURCH
Proceedings - Members - Admissions - History of Ministers - First Meetinghouse - Second Meetinghouse - Third Meetinghouse - Town's Right in the Meetinghouse - Church Warming - Church Lighting - Aqueduct Water - Sacred Music, Singing Masters, and Singing Schools - Instrumental Music - The Bible - The Hymns - Clock - Gifts - Deacons - Communion Service - Ministerial Exchanges - The Sunday- School - Close of Dr. Leonard's Ministry - Dr. Leonard's Death and Grave - Rev. William Federick Bridge - Rev. George Matthias Rice - First Union Service - First Services of Protestant Episcopal Church - Death of Mr. Rice - Rev. Hasket Derby Catlin - Rev. Granville Pierce - Rev. George Wilbur Patten - Rev. George Willis Cooke - Rev. Franklin Kent Gifford - Installation of Electric Lights - Rev. Josiah Lafayette Seward, D.D. - Visit of President William Howard Taft and of Viscount James Bryce - Pulpit Supplies during the Summer - Dedica- tion of Meetinghouse - General use of Vestry - Singing Teachers - Literary Society - Lecturers and Entertainers
CHAPTER VIII LATER CHURCHES
Trinitarian Congregational Church: Organization - Proceedings - His- tory of Pastors - Contest of Sprague Fund - First Services - New Meetinghouse - Deacons - Original Covenanters - Subsequent Mem- bers - Emmanuel (Protestant Episcopal) Church: First Services - His- tory - Pastor - Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Roman Catholic):
220
xxi
CONTENTS
First Services - Consecration - Rectors - Baptist Church: First Men- PAGE tion - Members - Record of Ministers - First Meetinghouse - Metho- dist Episcopal Church: Meetinghouse - Clergyman - Services - Second Adventism - Mormonism - Harrisville Congregational Church - Mc- Kinley Memorial Services 307
CHAPTER IX CEMETERIES
The Old Cemetery at Dublin - Cemetery in Northeast Part of Marlbo- rough - Chesham Cemetery - Harris Cemetery 344
CHAPTER X POPULATION STATISTICS
State and Federal Census - Alphabetical Census List for 1850 - Sum- mary - Value of Materials Used in Manufactures- Capital Employed - Industries - Churches - Physicians - Summary of Inventory of 1910 . 447
CHAPTER XI POLITICAL AND MUNICIPAL HISTORY
Consideration of State Government - Suggested Alterations - Conven- tion of 1850 - Votes - Town Officers - Votes for Chief Magistrate - Voters - Valuation and Taxes - Surplus Revenue - Pauperism - Post Offices and Mail Stages - Town Hall - Division of Dublin 465
CHAPTER XII SCHOOLS
School and Ministerial Funds - Schools and Schoolhouses - Inspection of Schools - Selectmen - School Committees - Reports - Number of Pupils - List of Schools - Supervisors - Teachers' Institutes - Ap- pleton Fund - The Stars and Stripes - Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Discovery of America - Graduates - New Schoolhouse 507
CHAPTER XIII LIBRARIES AND SOCIETIES
Dublin Social Library - Literary Society - Ladies' Library - Juvenile Library - Public Library - New Building and Dedication - Lyceum - Altemont Lodge - Temperance Reformation - Bible Society - Peterbo- rough Cavalry - Town Improvement Society - Welfare Association - Monadnock Grange . 535
CHAPTER XIV MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST
Hardships of Early Settlers - Anecdotes - Fatal Casualties - Justices of the Peace - Letter of Matthew Thornton - Province Tax of 1770 - Slaves - Prices of Various Articles - Military Affairs . 554
CHAPTER XV INDUSTRIES
Manufactures - Gristmills - Wool Carding - Braiding - Pearlashes - Shoes and Shoe Pegs - Brick Making - Drovers - Teaming - Ice
xxii
CONTENTS
Business - Tanneries - Charcoal - Livery Stables - Electrical Busi- PAGE ness - Water and Heating - Hotels - Boarding Houses - Stores - Mechanics: Carpenters - Blacksmiths - Shoemakers - Wheelwrights - Millwrights - Painters - Plumbing - Masons - Machinists - Coopers - Stone Cutters - Gravestone Cutters 572
CHAPTER XVI PHYSICIANS, SICKNESS, AND MORTALITY
Sketches of Physicians - Records of Deaths and Diseases - Precentage of Deaths - Consumption, etc. - Lists of Aged 597
CHAPTER XVII DUBLIN AS A SUMMER RESORT
Changes since 1852- Causes of the Changes - The Lure of Natural Beauty - First Summer Visitors - Summer Boarding Houses - Summer Cottages - Permanent Residents - Artists-Physicians -Eminent Men and Statesmen - Authors, Men of Letters, and College Professors - Clergymen - Winter Sports - Scenic Beauties - Influence of Visitors - Dublin Lake Club - Golf Club 605
CHAPTER XVIII OCCUPANTS OF LOTS
Tabulated Lists of Occupants and Owners 617
CHAPTER XIX DUBLIN IN THE WORLD WAR
Volunteers - Registration Days - Army and Navy Service - No Fatali- ties - Commissions - 2nd and 26th Divisions Commended for Bravery - War Gardens - Agricultural Committee - Canning Demonstrations - War Lectures - Subscription to Loans - Contributions to Y. M. C. A. and Red Cross - Rallies for Sales of Thrift Stamps - Financial Report - Salvage Society - Italian War Relief Fund -Town Flags - Town Oval - Patriotic Meetings - Dublin Branch of Red Cross - Surgical Dress- ings - "Spanish Influenza" -Committee on Public Safety - Signal Lights - Appointment of State Historian in 1917 - Appointment of His- torian of Dublin - Dedication of Honor Roll - Description of Design - List of Dublin's Men in Service - Appropriation Raised for Reception to Returning Soldiers - Soldiers Officially Credited to the Town -In Serv- ice Overseas - Summer Residents in Service - War-time Duties of Dublin Residents - Camouflage an American Creation - Its Expounder 669
GENEALOGIES
Introduction - Abbreviations - Register of Families - Marriage Rec- ords - Birth Records - Nonresident Taxpayers 687
EMIGRANTS
List of Male Emigrants from Dublin before 1853 952
ADDENDUM . 958
INDEX OF PERSONS
959
ILLUSTRATIONS
Rev. Levi W. Leonard, D.D. Frontispiece OPPOSITE PAGE Rev. J. L. Seward, D.D. xvi 1
Charles Mason .
Photograph of the Charter of Dublin, granted by King George the Third, 1771
8
Jonathan K. Smith 42
Dr. Ebenezer Morse 50
Samuel Appleton 76
Daniel Elliott 92
Monadnock Mountain and Lake from Monadnock Post Office 102
Monadnock Lake from Pumpelly Hill 124
Monadnock Mountain and Lake from the Northwest 128
Dublin Village
156
Dr. Samuel A. Richardson .
198
Portraits of Volunteer Civil War Soldiers enlisted from Dublin 200
Rev. Edward Sprague 230
Church in Dublin, N. H., erected 1818 258
Church in Dublin, N. H., erected 1852
262
Solomon Piper 268
274 Jacob Gleason 270 James Allison
Rev. George M. Rice 292
Later Churches 308
Rev. Reuben Kidner 330
L. F. Richardson 448
Fred S. Piper 456
J. C. Learned 460
Fred C. Gowing 464
Wilfred M. Fiske 468
William S. Leonard 472
Rufus Piper 476
Henry D. Learned 480
Warren L. Fiske 484
Samuel Adams, Jr. 488
Clifford Gowing 492
John Ripley Morse
508
XXIII
xxiv
ILLUSTRATIONS
OPPOSITE PAGE
Schoolhouse No. 1
510
Henry H. Piper 520
Samuel C. Derby 524
Henry C. Piper 530
Frank E. Spaulding
532
Public Library and Soldiers' Monument
536
J. Francis Allison 552
Dublin's Honor Roll 554
John H. Mason 568
Charles F. Appleton
584
Milton D. Mason .
590
George W. Gleason
592
Dr. Amos Twitchell .
596
Dr. John G. Parker
598
Dr. H. H. Smith
600
Dr. C. A. Wood 602
Dr. A. H. Childs
604
Henry D. Allison 672
Dublin's Men in Service 676
Isaac Appleton . 704
Aaron Appleton 706
John Bixby
720
John Crombie 738
Asa H. Fisk 760
William Greenwood, 2d
770
Ebenezer Greenwood
780
James Hayward
790
Moses Marshall
816
Thaddeus P. Mason
828
Willard H. Pierce
858
Cyrus Piper
864
John Piper
866
William Rice
876
Charles Whittemore
938
THE HISTORY OF DUBLIN, N. H.
Charles Masow.
HISTORY OF DUBLIN
CHAPTER I
Address of CHARLES MASON, EsQ., of Fitchburg, Mass., a native of DUBLIN, at the Centennial Celebration, June 17, 1852
W HETHER a particular settlement were made within the limits of this town or of that, or when made, or by whom, are questions which, in themselves, may be of little moment. But from our habits of viewing things, and from the relation in which we stand to them, matters of this kind sometimes assume a grave significance, and become invested with a peculiar in- terest. We are accustomed, for some purposes, to consider a given portion of territory, or period of time, as detached from the rest, and possessed in itself of the attributes of unity and completeness. Thus, we are used to look upon our native town as a separate domain, having a history of its own, constituting a distinct chapter, - a chapter, too, of deep and absorbing interest to us, however obscure and unimportant the place it may hold in the annals of the world at large. In the same way, we attach a like idea to a specified measure of duration, - to a year or a century; which, when we have once fixed the be- ginning and the end, wears a seeming of eternity, - becomes something that we can contemplate as one, as though it were a piece clipped from the web of time, and submitted, as an iso- lated, tangible reality, to our deliberate inspection.
We are assembled to-day upon the Hundredth Anniversary of the settlement of this town. We stand upon the confines of two mighty conventional tracts of time, - upon that narrow belt, the living present, which divides the dead, receding past from the new-born, advancing century. We are the remnant, shattered and scanty, of the generations which the first cen- tenary of its inhabited existence has gathered within the borders of our town, - the balance, which, in the final clos- ing up of its own affairs, it now transfers to the account of its successor.
2
HISTORY OF DUBLIN
It is fitting in us to commemorate an event which naturally carries back our thoughts to the time when the history of the town, as the abode of civilized man, takes its date; when the first hardy adventurer dared to brave the toils and hardships and privations of a wilderness life, and the sounds of human labor were, for the first time, heard in the depths of the primeval forest, where before silence reigned, and nature slept, undis- turbed, save by the voice of the thunder, the roar of winds, and the wild beasts' howl. And it well becomes us to trace and contemplate the course of events, as, from that primal day, through the long progress of a hundred years, it has swept adown the stream of time.
In performing the duty which, by the kindness of the com- mittee, has been assigned to me, I shall endeavor to bring to view such incidents in our local history as seem to be of most interest and importance. There are no extraordinary events to be recounted. Nothing of a very remarkable character has ever taken place in the town. With the exception of a single individual (Dr. Amos Twitchell), who attained to eminence in his profession as a surgeon, it has produced no men particularly distinguished for talents or learning or enterprise, or any other of the qualities or possessions which go to make up vulgar greatness.
Neither would we regard it as an especial calamity, that we have in our history so little that is allied to fame. It is but the common lot of humanity. As it is of familiar, everyday inci- dents, mainly, that the texture of life is woven; so, of the grand aggregate of human existence, by far the greater, and, in that view, the more important part, is lived and suffered and en- joyed by human mediocrity.
We claim, then, for ourselves but to be mere common human people; and as such we are here today. We are assembled as townsmen, kindred, friends, for our own proper satisfaction and purposes. Dealing with common, homely materials, I shall pretend to nothing beyond treating them in corresponding style. I shall undertake neither to philosophize upon facts, nor to expatiate upon fancies.
The tract of land, constituting the town of Dublin, was originally granted, by the proprietors of land purchased of John Tufton Mason, to Matthew Thornton and thirty-nine others named in the grant. These forty grantees resided in different towns, mostly in the middle and eastern parts of New Hampshire. None of them, it is presumed, ever became settlers
3
ADDRESS OF CHARLES MASON
in the township. The deed of grant, which bears date, No- vember 3, 1749, was given by Col. Joseph Blanchard of Dun- stable, pursuant, as the recital states, to the power vested in him by the proprietors, by a vote passed at a meeting held at Portsmouth, in June preceding. This grant, embracing a territory of thirty-five square miles, - being seven miles in length and five in breadth, - was made upon certain condi- tions, of which the most important were the following: -
The whole tract of land was to be divided into seventy-one equal shares, each share to contain three lots, equitably coupled together, and to be drawn for, at Dunstable, on or before the first day of July, 1750.
Three shares were to be appropriated, free of all charge, "one for the first settled minister in the town, one for the support of the ministry, and one for the school there, forever;" and one lot of each of these three shares was to be first laid out, near the middle of the town, in the most convenient place, and lots coupled to them, so as not to be drawn for.
The lots were to be laid out at the expense of the grantees, and, within four years from the date of the grant, forty of the shares, or rights, as they were called, were to be entered upon, and three acres of land, at the least, cleared, inclosed, and fitted up for mowing or tillage; and, within six months then next, there was to be, on each of these forty settling shares, a house built, the room sixteen feet square, at the least, fitted and furnished for comfortable dwelling, and some person resident in it, and to continue inhabitancy there for three years, with the additional improvement of two acres a year for each settler.
A good convenient meetinghouse was to be built, as near the centre of the town as might be with convenience, within six years from the date of the grant, and ten acres reserved there for public use.
All white-pine trees, fit for masting his majesty's royal navy, were granted to him and his heirs and successors forever.
There was a proviso, that, in case of any Indian war happening within any of the terms and limitations for doing the duty con- ditioned in the grant, the same time should be allowed for the respective matters after such impediment should be removed.
The township was accordingly divided into lots, making ten ranges running through it from east to west, with twenty-two lots in each range, or two hundred twenty lots in all.1 The lots
1 The northern three ranges, containing sixty-six lots, were taken for a part of the new town of Harrisville, incorporated, July 2, 1870. - J. L. S.
4
HISTORY OF DUBLIN
varied considerably, especially in length. They were drawn for on the first Tuesday of June, 1750. The seventy-one shares, of three lots each, would, of course, leave seven lots undrawn. Some of these, though not all, were upon the Monadnock.
The terms of settlement and the like, imposed by the grant, cannot have been complied with, to the extent specified, till certainly more than ten years later than the times prescribed. Whether the grantors dispensed with the conditions as to time, on the score of Indian wars apprehended, or for any other cause tacitly waived those conditions, or whether they granted an extension of the times, does not appear.
Of the first settlement of the town, but little is known with accuracy or certainty. The first settler was William Thornton, who established himself where Mr. Isaac Appleton now lives,1 probably in the year 1752. His daughter, Molly Thornton, it is said, was the first child born in the township. He remained but a few years, -it is not known how long, - when he abandoned his settlement, it is supposed through fear of the Indians, and never returned. He was a brother of Matthew Thornton, who was the first named, as he was by far the most distinguished, of the proprietors of the township, and was much the largest landowner in it; having, at one time, it would appear, twenty-eight shares, or eighty-four lots. Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland. He was a physician, and settled first at Londonderry, but afterwards resided in Merrimack. He was a colonel of militia, a delegate to the Continental Con- gress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a judge of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, and was, in short, one of the leading men of the state.
The settlers who next came into the township were Scotch- Irish, as they were called, being the descendants of Scotch people who had settled in the north of Ireland, whence they came to this country, and established themselves at London- derry and elsewhere, and, at a later date, settled in Peter- borough and numerous other towns. As early as 1760, or there- abouts, there were in the town, of this description of persons, John Alexander; William McNee; Alexander Scott and William Scott, his son; James Taggart and his son, William Taggart; and perhaps others. They came mostly from Peterborough. Henry Strongman came at a later day. With the exception of
1 The site of Thornton's cabin was lot 1, range VI., No. 2, on the map, and is now marked by a monument. It is south-east of the Appleton (in 1916, the Hannaford) house a little way. - J. L. S.
5
ADDRESS OF CHARLES MASON
him, none of this class of settlers became permanent inhabit- ants of the township. They left probably at different times, but all prior to the year 1771, as none of them are found upon the tax list of that year. Most or all of them returned to Peter- borough. This William Scott is the same Captain William Scott of Peterborough, who, in his youth, served in the French War, and who signalized himself by gallant achievements dur- ing the War of the Revolution, and by no less heroic deeds in scenes of danger afterwards. He is said to have settled, when in Dublin, on the lot where Mr. John Gleason now lives.1
As early as 1762, several of the settlers from Sherborn, Mass., were in the township, and worked upon the roads. Probably none of them established themselves here that year. During the next two years, several became permanent inhabitants. Among the earliest settlers were Thomas Morse, Levi Par- tridge, William Greenwood, Samuel Twitchell, Joseph Twitchell, Jr., Ivory Perry, Benjamin Mason, Moses Adams, Silas Stone, and Eli Morse.
Of the first settlers, Captain Thomas Morse appears to have been the leading man. He was doubtless the oldest person in the settlement, being sixty-three or sixty-four years of age when he came to reside here. He was a man of stability and force of character, and, it is said, of remarkable shrewdness. Withal, he was ardently attached to the cause of liberty. He was the first captain of the earliest military company in the town. His commission bore date, June 2, 1774.
It would seem that a road was opened through the township as early certainly as 1762, as in the record of a meeting of the proprietors, held in November of that year, "the main road through the town" is spoken of; and a committee was, at that same meeting, appointed to lay out from it a road "from near the centre to the south part of the town, and another from the centre to the north-west part of the town, where the settlers are beginning," with authority to "employ proper help to open and clear the same, so that it be feasible travelling." The sum of ten pounds, old tenor, was assessed upon each right (of which there were fifty) in the township, liable to the payment of taxes, to be expended upon the roads. As may well be im- agined, the roads in those times were of the most rude and primitive description; being, in fact, little more than openings cut through the dense, continuous woods, with some slight demonstration towards a partial removal of the rocks, logs,
1 The lot on which stands the mansion of George B. Leighton in 1916. - J. L. S.
6
HISTORY OF DUBLIN
and stumps, and levelling of the grosser inequalities of the surface.
At a meeting of the proprietors, held, Feb. 14, 1764, a com- mittee was chosen "to agree with some person to build a bridge over the Mill Brook (so called), the east side of the town, and also a bridge over the Half-way Brook, by Thomas Morse's, by letting out the same to be done by the great; and, if that cannot be done, to employ suitable persons by the day, and bring in their accounts."
The two meetings of the proprietors already mentioned were held at Dunstable. In September, 1764, their first meeting in the township was held at the house of William Greenwood.1 Eli Morse was chosen proprietors' clerk; and he continued to hold the office ever after, and left a record, which is still pre- served, of the doings of their meetings. At this first meeting, it was voted, that six hundred pounds, old tenor, be raised upon the rights subject to taxation; four hundred pounds to be laid out on the main road and bridges, and the remainder "to be given for the encouragement of the person who shall erect a saw-mill in the town." It is presumed that Eli Morse built the first saw-mill in the town, and received this encourage- ment money.
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