USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hancock > The history of Hancock, New Hampshire, 1764-1889 > Part 6
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J. L. Leward,
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structive, and acceptable. He was a thoroughly good man, a faithful, loving servant of Jesus Christ; and while specially devoted as a pastor, he identi- fied himself with all the interests of his people. Thus he won great respect and esteem, not of his immediate charges alone, but extensively among his ministerial associates and the churches in the vicinity of his labors.
The united ministry of Rev. Messrs. Paige, Burgess, and Bigelow, covered a period of eighty years. It is worthy of notice, and perhaps a fact without parallel in our state, that the three and only pastors of a given church have served it till death, and have their sepulture among their people, side by side.
The present acting pastor, Mr. Hervey Gulick, is a young man of promise. The "Clergy of Hancock " may properly include other names, -sons of the church, who went out to serve the Master in other parts of His vineyard, - of one of whom, my brother beloved, Samuel Wallace Clark, you will par- don me if I make special and tender mention. He was a truly loyal son. He loved his native hills, and cherished a profound respect for the excellent men and women reared under their shadow. He loved the church at whose altar he sealed his vows of consecration to his Lord and Master. He was settled in the ministry at Greenland, N. H., in 1829; was of feeble health, and died in office, after a pastorate of eighteen years, at the age of fifty-two. Thirty-five years after his decease, a successor in that pastorate writes of him: " Rev. Samuel Wallace Clark was a man of high order of intellect, genuine, thor- ough scholarship, pure, disinterested benevolence, Christian simplicity, and godly sincerity. His memory is had in very affectionate regard by all who knew him."
REV. MR. SEWARD'S ADDRESS.
Mr. Seward said he was introduced as a descendant of Robert Mathews, one of the first settlers of the town, whose name did not appear in the list of the early worshipers at the old meeting-house, for the reason that the Scotch Presbyterians of that day only wor- shiped in the Presbyterian churches. Robert Mathews and wife attended a Presbyterian church in Antrim. Their church rites, in those days, differed materially from those of the Puritan or Congre- gational churches. Their communion bread and wine were not passed by the deacons. On certain Sundays a long table was spread in the broad aisle, and about this table the communicants gathered and broke their bread and poured their wine. The importance of education as a most important ally to the church in promoting the best interests of mankind was clearly presented, and he congratu- lated Hancock that in the support of good schools, she had acquitted herself honorably.
" New England Character in its Influence on the Destiny of our Country." In reply to this toast, a letter from Hon. Chas. A. Robbe, of Augusta, Ga., was read by Mr. C. B. Pearson, of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
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in which the writer expressed his regret at being called in another direction on the day set apart for the centennial celebration,1 after which Mr. Pearson fittingly responded in his stead.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
"New England Character in its Influence on the Destiny of our Country " is the sentiment on which Mr. Robbe was invited to speak. I am here to- day by the polite invitation of the Centennial Committee, who have requested me to read a letter of apology, sent by Mr. Robbe, who could not be present, and then to say a few words upon the subject.
In speaking of character, and especially New England character, three ele- ments have presented themselves to my mind as most prominent, viz : the re- ligious, the educational, and the industrial -a trinity of vital characteristics. First, and to my mind the most important of all, is the religious element ; for this is the foundation of all that is truly great and good in any community or land. Our fathers came to this country to enjoy religious and civil freedom, and they brought their charter with them when they brought the blessed Bible, -the Book of Books, and almost the only book they brought. This they read and studied, and from this they learned how to be truly good men and women, and how to train their children for happy and useful lives.
The family Bible and family altar have always been the safeguard of the New England home; and there is truly no other. Doctor Newton, it is said, just before his death, asked a friend, who was standing by his side, to read to him. "From what book shall I read ?" inquired his friend. Newton looked up to him, and said, "There is only one Book : the Bible !" And so our New England fathers thought ; they lived by it and died by it, as the great educator of the immortal soul and mind. It was to them like the honey Prince Jonathan, son of King Saul, found in the olden time, and which, when he had eaten, opened his eyes and gave him wisdom and strength to fight the battles of life.
Education also entered largely into the New England character, As we find always the world over, so in our loved New England : Religion and Education go hand in hand.
As early as 1641 a legislature, representing New Hampshire and Massa- chusetts, jointly passed laws compelling each town to provide for the educa- tion of all the children; and many towns set apart one sixty-third of their territory for this purpose, and also fixed a fine to be paid by town officers who neglected to provide schools; thus showing how important they felt it to be that a good education should be given to all, rich and poor alike. The result has been that a high standard of education has always been main- tained, which has given New England girls and boys a good start in life; and as they grew to manhood and womanhood, they were able to maintain a good position in society, if not to lead, which has usually been the fact, as they have gone out into the world and have taken up the responsibilities of mature life. -
1 Mr. Robbe was attending the national council of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Baltimore, as a delegate from Georgia. He sent a telegram of good cheer to the assembly, which was received at the right time and read.
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In addition to these two very important elements spoken of, Industry is with- out doubt one of the peculiar characteristics of the New Englander. Parents and children alike found it a necessity to apply themselves to hard and con- stant labor to make themselves a comfortable living ; and if they made more, it was the exception rather than the rule. But that did not make them un- happy or discouraged, and thus they toiled on in life from generation to generation, using what they honestly earned with frugality and Christian charity ; thus pleasing God, who prospered them to a wonderful degree, until now broadcast over the land you will find the New England people maintain- ing and doing what they can to perpetuate the highest interests of this great and rapidly-growing country, by showing the world, whose eyes are all turned towards us, what makes the individual, the family, and home, the town, state, and country, truly great, prosperous, and happy, is Bible religion, education, and industry.
My dear friends, let me urge you, one and all, to train your children in the fear, nurture, and admonition of the Lord. Give them a good education, teach them to be industrious and frugal, and you will fit them to be useful, happy, and influential, as well as honored, citizens of our own loved New England and beloved land.
Let me say in closing, that I am most happy, after an absence (mostly) of more than forty years, to come back again to dear old Hancock and enjoy with you the keeping of this Centennial Day. It brings back fresh to my memory many - very many -of the earliest associations of my life, which are very dear to me. And I thank God to-day that my lot in early life was cast here, and that, having lost my father when I was very young, I had such a good New England mother to guide my early footsteps. She now sleeps in yonder cemetery with many of our beloved dead, " who still live "; and I am proud in being able to speak of her as one of the many Christian New England women who stamped their characters indelibly upon the hearts and minds of their sons and daughters, and thus made them better fitted for positions of honor, trust, and influence, in moulding the destiny of our country ; as progenitors and leaders in civil and religious freedom, which, with Christ as our pattern and guide, shall ultimately be the heritage of the peoples of the whole earth.
Music by the band. " The Physicians of Hancock." Response by Dr. Henry Weston, of New York.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
It seems almost preposterous for a doctor to try to make a speech. Our life is one of deeds, not words. But if I ever feel impelled to speak, it is in honor of the noble profession which I represent. I will preface my remarks by saying that I am glad once more to be in the good old town of my nativity ; to breathe again the fresh, pure air of these my native hills; to feast my eyes upon this panorama of beauty spread out before me ; - but, above all, to look into the faces of the friends of my boyhood. I remember as a boy how I
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK, NEW HAMPSHIRE:
used to look out upon the grand old mountains that skirted the horizon of the little world in which I lived, and wonder what there was beyond. Since those days I have been beyond those mountains and have seen something of what there is the other side of them; but, my friends, I have come back to you to-day with a heart just as warm for my native town as when I left.
During the past one hundred years your medicinal welfare has been guarded by some twelve regularly-educated physicians. There have also been numer- ous quacks and charlatans who have come and gone.
The first physician who practised medicine in your midst was Doctor Kittridge, who owned and lived in the house now occupied by Mr. Oren Nel- son. He was a successful physician, and was a good man as well as a good doctor. He was a deacon of the church, and so had a double title, being sometimes called " deacon" and sometimes "doctor." He died about 1806, after practising some twenty years, leaving his practice with Dr. Peter Tuttle, his successor.
Doctor Tuttle was born in Princeton, Mass., April 15, 1781. He com- menced'practice in Hancock in October, 1806, and was a very skilful physi- cian. He married his predecessor's daughter in 1808, and raised a family of children. He was the grandfather of your present postmaster. He held the office of justice of the peace, and was respected both as a magistrate and as a citizen. At the time of his death Doctor Tuttle was vice-president of the southern district of the New Hampshire Medical society, and was much es- teemed as a member of that society. He was also a Mason, belonging to the Altemont lodge, and at his death, which occurred March 13, 1828, he was buried with Masonic honors. Doctor Tuttle was a genial, fun-loving man, always ready for a joke, and decidedly a popular physician. He practised in town longer than any other doctor who has ever resided here, and died mourned and lamented.
Some years previous to Doctor Tuttle's death, Doctor Hutchinson came here from Milford. He was quite a different man from Doctor Tuttle; - tall and fine-looking, and quite stern and dignified in his manner. He first re- sided in the house now owned by Mr. Richard Emerson. Subsequently he came into the village, and lived in the house afterwards used as a hotel by William Weston. He was a man of fine powers and great energy ; was town clerk and representative to the state legislature. During his sojourn in town he joined the Baptist church, and was largely instrumental in founding the old seminary, which was so prosperous for a few years. He remained in Han- cock till the year 1842, when he returned to Milford, where he died. He was an influential citizen, and his removal was a cause of regret.
Contemporaneous with Doctor Hutchinson we find Doctors Rand and Wood. Of Doctor Wood we will speak later. Doctor Rand will be re- membered from having one limb considerably shorter than the other. He came here from Francestown, and removed to Nelson, after practising a few years. He built the house which Doctor Wood occupied while in town, and which is now owned by Capt. David Hunt. He was considered a good physician.
In the year 1842 Doctor Stickney came to Hancock. He was a son of Dr.
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Jeremiah Stickney, of Antrim ; he was a very pleasant man, and was liked both as a physician and citizen. After remaining here six or eight years he removed to Pepperell, Mass., where he has been very prosperous, -accumulating a neat little fortune, a thing I am afraid he never would have done here, for you are decidedly too healthy a people to afford a doctor the chance of mak- ing much money.
About this time, I believe, a certain "Doctor" Gould came here, but his stay was short. The only thing I could learn about him was that he was once called to see Deacon Boutelle, who had a lot of thistles in his thumb. After considering the case a while and looking very wise, he gave the good deacon a powerful emetic, hoping thereby to dislodge the thistles.
Doctor Wilkins spent a short time in Hancock after Doctor Wood and Doctor Stickney left. He bought out the former. Although he was liked he did not remain long.
Next on our list we find Doctor Hadley, who was a native of Hancock. He was born June 12, 1823, on a farm in the north part of the town, where he spent his boyhood. He was educated at New Hampton and Meriden, N. H., and was graduated in medicine at Woodstock, Vt., in 1849. He practised eight years in his native town, and died Feb. 11, 1859. Doctor Hadley was a promising physician, and was just beginning his life-work when disease laid a heavy hand upon him. He was an excellent man, universally liked, and his death was a sad blow to his numerous friends.
You were fortunate in having Dr. I. Craigue for your next physician. He was born in Troy, Vt., in 1832, and was graduated in medicine from the Harvard Medical College, Boston, Mass., in 1857. For a while he was as- sistant physician at the Insane Retreat at Hartford, Conn. From there he came to Hancock, and remained till 1863. He then went to Chester, Vt., remaining there till 1875; but finding country practice too severe for him, he removed to Lawrence, Mass., where he resided until his death in 1877. During his residence in Hancock he married Mr. Josiah Stone's eldest daugh- ter, who still survives him. Doctor Craigue was a universal favorite, and although but a young physician, was much looked up to and trusted. His removal was a cause of general regret. While in Chester he had an excellent practice, and the same good fortune followed him to Lawrence; but that terrible disease, pneumonia, laid him low just in the prime of manhood. He was a true Christian ; always found on the side of truth and right, and very in- fluential in the church of which he was a member. Such men are always missed.
I will mention, in passing, Doctor Mather, who practised but a short time. Not liking general medicine, he studied dentistry, in which profession he gained quite a reputation. He died in town but a few years ago.
Last on my list I find the name of Dr. Albert H. Taft. He commenced his medical career in Hancock in 1867, and remained till 1872, when he moved to Winchester, N. H., where he has a fine practice, and has earned himself a lasting reputation. He remembers with gratitude the interest the good people of the town took in him while he was among you. Doctor Taft had a great many friends here, especially among the young people.
Before closing, I desire to say a few words in memory of Dr. Jacob A.
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Wood. He was born in the southern part of the town on the old Wood place, May 14, 1810, and spent his boyhood working on the farm summers, and attending school in the winter. When sixteen years old, he went to Francestown to learn the saddler's trade, but his health not being very firm, he returned home. Some years later he studied medicine with Doctor Crombie, of Francestown, whose daughter he afterward married. Still later he was a pupil of the celebrated Doctor Twitchell, of Keene; attended med- ical lectures in Boston, and at the Vermont Medical College at Woodstock, and at the latter place received his degree in 1836. He commenced practice at once in his native town. Though highly esteemed, he thought best to seek a wider field, and therefore about the year 1851 removed to Boston, remaining there some six years. During his stay in Boston he commenced treating Pott's disease of the spine on an improved principle. He became so celebrated in the treatment of spinal diseases that his friends in New York urged him strongly to establish himself in that city. He finally did so, and there remained until his death, March 21, 1879.
Doctor Wood was certainly the most celebrated physician the town ever produced, and among the most celebrated of the state. He was very fond of athletic sports, and in his youth developed the fine, erect figure which he preserved till the day of his death. Some of you will remember how erect he used to sit as he rode through the village in his old gig. Doctor Wood always took delight in telling about his Hancock experiences.
Although he was a skillful surgeon and an excellent general practi- tioner, yet he attained his greatest success in the treatment of spinal dis- eases, and in the treatment of them won fame and many friends all over the country. He was a member of Doctor Booth's church, of University place, New York. A good friend, a devoted husband; as a man, dignified, firm, and decided, yet gentle, genial, and generous, he gladdened the hearts of those with whom he came in contact. He lived a noble and self-sacrificing life, and died trusting firmly in the Master he had served so faithfully.
And now, my friends, I trust the health of your town will be as well guarded during the next one hundred years as it has been in the past, and that you may raise up many who will do honor to our profession.
" Hancock Artillery, and other Military Organizations of Han- cock." Col. David A. Wood, of Somerville, Mass., had been selected to respond to this sentiment, but not being able to be present, his manuscript was read by Z. W. Brooks, after which the orator of the day gave a few reminiscences of the various military organiza- tions which have existed here. Besides the Artillery there have been at different times well-officered but ununiformed companies, known as the "String Beans " and "Slam Bangs," and at one time there was a company of cavalry called "the Troop," made up in part, at least, of men belonging to Hancock.
Song-" One Hundred Years Ago," by members of the Artil-
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lery in modern, and some of the older citizens in Continental, uniform, the band playing accompaniment.
" Lawyers of Hancock." Response by Carl E. Knight, Esq., of New London.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
I wish that the person selected to respond to this sentiment could have been present to-day, because it seems especially fitting that a native of Han- cock should have the pleasure and the honor of responding in behalf of her lawyers. Although I can not call myself a son of Hancock, I feel as if I was next of kin, for here my great-grandfather and my grandfather lived, my own father was born, reared, and educated, and always pointed with pride to the old seminary as his alma mater, and I felt myself at home when I taught for a year your high school.
Hancock has sent out men who have been successful in every trade and calling, and she can point with especial pride to her sons who have made the law their profession, for they have filled and adorned every department of justice : they have sat upon the bench, have influenced courts by their strong and logical arguments, have carried juries by their oratory, and have been authors of legal works which were standard authority. If we mention those who attended the academies, we shall find there one who reached the highest position in the gift of the American people, and another who was an honored judge of our New Hampshire courts.
Every institution of learning has sent out men who have worked nobly and well and made for themselves an honorable reputation more lasting than marble, and the academies of Hancock have furnished their full quota for every profession and trade; but the list of lawyers who have been here to school is too long for me to undertake to name them; nor is it within the range of my subject, for their names will be told in other towns, at other centennials, and to-day we celebrate, not an anniversary of the schools, but of the settlement of the town.
Nine persons, born, or early in life residents, in the town of Hancock, have studied and practised law, and of some of this number little else is known than that they lived in Hancock and have practised law in other states. Some moved from town in early life, and few are left who ever knew them; so that it is impossible for me to do more than to name them. A Mr. Wheeler, a great-uncle of Hon. Charles J. Fox, was a resident of the town, but moved to North Carolina, where he practised his profession with honor and success, and was at one time a member of the bench. Charles Wheeler, an uncle of Hon. Charles J. Fox, - but whether a son of Judge Wheeler or not, I have been unable to ascertain,1- went to Missouri, where he had an extensive and lucrative practice.
Charles James Fox was born in Hancock Oct. 28, 1811, and graduated from Dartmouth college with high honors in 1831. Three years later we find him treasurer of the Nashua & Lowell railroad, and county solicitor. Soon after-
1 He was a nephew.
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wards he was appointed a commissioner of bankruptcy, and before he was thirty years of age, he was associated with Judges Bell and Parker to revise the statutes of New Hampshire. In 1843 he published the "Town Officer"; a work of great merit and value, which was a standard authority for many years. He was not only a student of the law, but amid the cares of a labo- rious profession, he found time for the study of general literature, which he fondly loved ; and had his life been prolonged, he would have taken a high place in the field of letters. His early death, in 1846, deprived New Hamp- shire of one of her ablest lawyers and purest men; and, in the language of one of his friends, he was " one of the greatest and best of men."
The Whitcomb brothers, Charles and Adolphus, went to the land of golden promise (California) in the early days of emigration to that Eldorado, to practise law. Charles lived but a short time after their arrival, but Adolphus continued to practise his profession for many years, by which he amassed a fortune; so that now, retired from the cares and vexations of the law, he passes the greater part of his time in travelling. But he is not forgetful of his native town, and to his munificence Hancock will be indebted for her commodious library building.
Algernon B. Baldwin went to the city of Chicago, where, by integrity and industry, he has gained for himself an extensive practice; and in the next decade of years we expect to hear much more of him.
Charles A. Wood is a lawyer in Idaho, and George Stevens, now of Lowell, is district-attorney of Middlesex county, Mass.
Edward B. Knight was born in Hancock in 1835, and graduated from Dartmouth college in 1861. He commenced the practice of law in the city of Dover, N. H., but stayed there only a few months, when he moved to Charleston, West Virginia, where he still resides, engaged in the active duties of his profession, in which he has gained the reputation of being one of the ablest lawyers in the state.
All have stood high in their profession, and were always found on the side of right and truth; following the example of the honored man whose name this town bears.
The greatest of American statesmen and jurists, himself a native of the Granite state, who to-day sleeps peacefully beneath the green sod of his own beloved Marshfield, within the sound of the mighty ocean, whose music so delighted his ear, -when at a public dinner he was called upon to reply in behalf of the lawyers, gave this toast : "The law. It has honored us; may we honor it." To-day, Hancock can invert the toast, in the proud conscious- ness that her sons have not only been honored by the law, but that they have imparted a charm and a lustre to a profession already adorned with the most talented and gifted of mankind.
"Hancock Forty Years Ago." Hon. A. W. Sawyer, of Nashua, who had been engaged to respond to the above sentiment, being unable to be present on account of pressing professional engage- ments, responded ably by a letter, read by John P. Hills, Esq. We
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