USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Hillsborough > The history of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921, Volume 2 > Part 9
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IV. CHILD.
1. Frank C., b. August, 1861; was fireman on railroad train and killed in a collision between Hancock and Harrisville, 1888.
2. Edwin L., b. June 5, 1843 ; m. in Henniker, July 4, 1867, Eliza, dau. of Lewis E. and Letetia (Manning) Randall, of Tewksbury, Mass., b. January 22, 1848. He enlisted in the service of the U. S. September 24, 1861, priv. Co. D., Seventh Reg., N. H. Vols., in Hawley's Brigade, Terry's Div., Tenth Corps. He was in the following battles: Fort Wagner, S. C., July 16, 1863 ; siege of Fort Wagner to September 6, 1863; also at Olustee, Fla., February 20, 1864, where he was captured and went to Andersonville prison, where he was kept seven months, and then transferred to Florence prison to remain until his parole, March 1, 1865, having been in prison 374 days. Sent to Annapolis, Md., he was mustered out and honorably dis- charged by reason of close of the war, May 8, 1865. Mr. Carr res. on the old homestead.
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
IV. CHILD.
1. William L., b. April 4, 1868 ; m. April 10, 1890, Laura Howard, and res. in Milford. Holds a responsible position with the American Express Company.
V. CHILDREN.
1. Howard F., b. January 9, 1892; m. May, 1913, Sadie Lowe, of Cambridge, Mass., where they res.
VI. CHILD.
1. Virgina F., b. May 18, 1914.
2. Edwin T., b. October 19, 1893.
NATHAN. While I have very little about Nathan Carr- nothing of his ancestry-and not much of him that is good, with a picture of his house in Volume I, which stood near the Lower Village, I cannot pass him by in silence. He was, during a certain period in his life, a counterfeiter! But if you have seen the list of his agents, as I have seen him, you would not condemn him. With an unanswered desire to be rich, and living in a day when currency was easy to imitate; when lotteries were upheld by the government even to building churches, you cannot blame him; when the "best" men in town were willing to take his money and circulate it, you scarce can blame him.
He was a tall man, with broad shoulders, and a military bearing, as in truth he was a Captain in the Militia. His figure was very erect, and he carried himself with the pride of a king. At one time, on the very day he was putting out his bogus coin, he was surprised and taken prisoner. In speaking of this after- wards he said to one of Hillsborough's leading citizens :
"Ah, Mr. Manahan, if I had been one minute sooner in know- ing they were after me, I could have laid down on my pillow that night the richest man in town. The news came to me too late!"
Upon being sentenced to hard labor in the state prison, and taken to Concord, he was told to bow his head and keep it down. His eyes flashing, as you and I can imagine, he replied defiantly :
"God almighty made me to look man in the face!"
The result of that speech, which we cannot help admiring, was nineteen months in solitary confinement, with his head chained down! When the old bridge that spanned the Contoocook
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CARR-CARTER.
River was torn away to make room for the new one, plenty (yes, plenty ) of his money was found stowed away in the crevices of the wall.
Nathan Carr served a second term in' prison, but this time it was to save the honor and the family of a leading citizen engaged in smuggling goods from Canada. Smuggling in those days- that is, running goods past the revenue officers-was not looked upon as a serious crime,-by those who did it. Judge him as you will ; his name is here.
The cost of Carr's trial the first time, was heavy, for those days, and many doubted if it paid. It cost him ten years behind the bars.
CARTER.
SAMUEL was b. Oct. 1758, in Wilmington, Mass. ; m Nov. 26, 1791, Polly Abbott, of Londonderry, b. May 18, 1769. He came to H. in 1786 and settled on a farm now deserted in the northeastern part of the town; d. Oct. 26, 1826; wid. d. Mar I, 1855.
II. CHILDREN.
1. Jennie, b. January 4, 1794; m. November 1823, John, s. of Robert and Hannah (Henry) Duncan, b. September 7, 1796, in An- trim; she d. July 8, 1829.
III. CHILD.
1. Mary C., b. October 14, 1825, in Antrim; m. May 12, 1853, George G. Hutchinson.
2. Nathan, b. January 11, 1796 ; m. November 24, 1819, Margery, dau. of Aaron and Sally (Wood) Wadsworth, b. September 19, 1801, in Henniker. He settled in the west part of Henniker ; carpenter ; highly respected citizen; d. June 4, 1880.
III. CHILDREN, ALL BORN IN HENNIKER.
1. William H., b. March 1, 1822 ; d. August 16, 1828.
2. Caroline M., b. July 8, 1824; d. February 26, 1826.
3. Samuel W., b. February 6, 1827; m. February 1, 1849, Fidelia H. Smith, b. July 29, 1827, in Langdon.
IV. CHILD. ,
1. Ella Matilda, b. August 2, 1856; m. October 19, 1876, Wallace A. Howlet, b. July 20, 1853, in Bradford.
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
4. Nathan F., b. January 6, 1830; m. March 12, 1860, Hattie F. Weeks, b. July 15, 1833, in Exeter.
5. Henry C., b. November 30, 1834; m. July 1, 1860, Clara A. Ferren, b. June 3, 1841, in Concord.
6. Harrison, b. January 16, 1837.
7. William F., b. November 11, 1840; d. April 14, 1859.
3. Samuel C., b. September 1, 1800. (See)
4. Benjamin, b. September 28, 1802; d. October 8, 1825, unm.
5. Cyrus, b. April 4, 1805 ; m. June 5, 1832, Eunice Sargent, of Brad- ford; res. in Bradford, but rem. to Henniker, where he d. June 8, 1879 ; wid. d. October 31, 1880.
III. CHILDREN, ALL BORN IN BRADFORD.
1. Elizabeth H., b. November 22, 1834; d. December 23, 1860, unm.
2. John H., b. January 17, 1837; d. August 30, 1851.
3. Mary A., b. December 10, 1841; d. February 14, 1843.
4. Lydia A., b. September 20, 1845; d. June 17, 1859.
6. Ira, b. April 8, 1807; m. first March 29, 1836, Clarissa Adams, of Bradford; she d. in Errol and he m. second, December, 1854, Minerva Clough, of Colebrook.
7. Lucy, b. June 24, 1809 ; m. December 1, 1841, Alsinus Hoyt, of Brad- ford. He d. March 15, 1858, in Errol; wid. d. November 30, 1876, in Henniker.
SAMUEL C., s. of Samuel and Polly ( Abbott) Carter, b. Sept. I, 1800, settled on the homestead of his father; m. in April, 1833, Mary, dau. of Silas and Rebecca (Colby) Ray, of Hen- niker. He d. Mar. 20, 1874; wid. d. in Henniker, Feb. 20, 1880.
III. CHILDREN.
1. Jane, b. July 6, 1833; m. September 5, 1852, George W. Piper, of Hopkinton.
2. Buren, b. November 28, 1835 ; m. first, December 15, 1861, Louisa J., dau. of Thaddeus and Dolly (Kezar) Goodwin, b. in Henniker, September 1, 1842. She d. January 29, 1870, and he m. second, Lucinda Stickney, of Grafton.
3. Benjamin, b. August 24, 1838 ; m. May 7, 1888, Mrs. Mary L. Gile, dau. of Levi and Elzina Davis, b. July 14, 1842.
4. Hiram, b. February 26, 1843; d. January 8, 1871.
5. Enos B., b. August 13, 1845 ; while at work in a bedstead factory at Bridge Village, he lost an arm; rem. to Henniker, became a paper maker; was collector of taxes in that town in 1876, and Selectman in 1877-78 ; m. December 1, 1878, Ella Burtt, of Henniker.
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CARTER.
6. Samuel W., b. February 23, 1847; m. October 1, 1872, Belle A. Mead, of Manchester; he d. in Manchester, March 21, 1876.
7. Cerilla, b. August 6, 1851 ; m. January 8, 1877, James P. Glover, of Warner.
JAMES, b. in Wilmington, Mass., was probably a brother of Samuel; came to H. in 1758; was a soldier in the Revolutionary War (see Revolutionary Chapter). He settled in the northeast section of the town, a district that is now deserted, with fifteen or twenty ruined cellar walls, the only monuments of homes that were once fairly prosperous and sharing in the world's ambitious aims. His son Eli was the last occupant of the old homestead. He was m. first, to Hannah Buck; she d. leaving two children ; m. second, November 21, 1793, Mehitabel Straw; she d. leaving four children; m. third, May 27, 1802, Abi, dau. of Oliver and Hepsibah Wheeler; she d. Mar. 6, 1846, leaving seven children ; he d. Oct. 16, 1847, in H.
II. CHILDREN, BY FIRST MARRIAGE.
1. Hannah, b. January 29, 1789 ; m. September 21, 1814, Joseph Muzzy.
2. Lydia, b. January 24, 1791; m. Eli Wheeler. (See)
II. CHILDREN, BY SECOND MARRIAGE.
3. James, Jr., b. December 30, 1794; m. Mary Bates; he d. October 26, 1873.
4. John, b. September 11, 1796.
5. Joseph, b. April 15, 1798 ; m. June 8, 1815, Betsy, dau. of Oliver and Hepsibath (Monroe) Wheeler; d. at sea, buried on the shores of South Carolina. They had one child, Jason H. T., whose last name was changed to Newell. (See)
6. Ezra, b. February 11, 1800.
II. CHILDREN, BY THIRD MARRIAGE.
7. Abi, b. April 20, 1802.
8. Oliver, b. December 11, 1803; d. February 16, 1808.
9. William, b. March 10, 1806; Eliza Endicott; d. January 10, 1882, in Salem, Mass.
10. Eli, b. February 27, 1808. (See)
11. Olive, b. July 6, 1810.
12. Lovey, b. December 8, 1813 ; m. Robert Colby.
13. Sally, b. March 31, 1815 ; m. Lorenzo Dow.
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
ELI, s. of James and Abi (Wheeler) Carter, b. Feb. 27, 1808; m. Mrs. Hannah Colby, dau. of Samuel and Hannah (Sargent) Ferson, b. Mar. 27, 1818, in Bradford. He res. on the old home- stead and at Bridge Village, where he d. Feb. 26, 1882; wid. d. Sept. 20, 1882.
III. CHILDREN.
1. Alonzo E., b. November 30, 1845; m. January 1, 1870, Sarah C., dau. of Cyrus and Eliza (Carr) Colby. He served in the Civil War; she d. May 31, 1911.
IV. CHILDREN.
1. Charles A., b. June 6, 1872; d. May 29, 1876.
2. Fred W., b. February 22, 1874; m. Hoyt. This couple had children.
3. A. Inez, b. August 16, 1876 ; m. June 28, 1900, Daniel W. Cole. V. CHILDREN.
1. Dorothy C., b. August 26, 1902.
2. Warren A., b. July 6, 1904.
3. H. Rosmon, b. March 28, 1914.
4. Elsie J., b. January 23, 1882 ; m. December 31, 1903, Francis A. Saunders; she d. in September, 1906; one child, Nina F., b. December 6, 1904.
5. Helen E., b. October 1, 1889 ; m. September 27, 1916, Thomas S. Nichols of Peterboro.
2. Wallace F., b. February 21, 1847; m. Minetta Hubbard; d. July 28, 1914.
3. Josie K., b. July 3, 1849 ; m. Charles W. Buxton.
4. Mary E., b. November 30, 1851; d. October 15, 1852.
5. James E., b. December 25, 1853 ; d. October 26, 1873.
6. H. Etta, b. January 30, 1857; m. Fred Abbott. (See)
7. Nina F., b. June 10, 1860; d. June 12, 1876.
WILLIAM S., s. of Isaac C. and Hannah (Nelson) Carter, was b. in Stoddard, in 1825, where he res. until 1868, when he rem. to the Joseph Bickford place at H. Upper Village. He m. Dec. 24, 1855, at Bellows Falls, Vt., Emily A., dau. of Lewis and Sally (Stacy) Barden of Stoddard, who d. Aug. 16, 1888. He d. Jan. 18, 1910.
II. CHILDREN, THREE OLDEST BORN IN STODDARD.
1. Emma F., b. September 20, 1856; m. first, Elmer Washburn; m. second, Solomon Wallace, of Lowell, Mass.
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CARTER-CHADWICK-CHANDLER.
2. Ida E., b. April 9, 1861; m. Albert W. Page, of Lowell, Mass .; d. April 29, 1899.
3. Gertrude F., b. April 2, 1866.
4. Lillian M., b. September 5, 1872; d. October 21, 1917.
5. Orson R., b. February 19, 1877.
JOEL, s. of Joel and Sarah (Jenkins) Carter, m. April 28, 1796, Betsy Eames, b. Jan. 17, 1776; res. in H .; d. Sept. 20, 1850, in Woburn, Mass. Had two sons, Albert and Anthony, both b. in Woburn.
CHADWICK.
Joseph W., 3d., s. of Lazeah D. and Sarah E. (Goddard) Chadwick, and grandson of Abel and Betsy (Starrett) Chadwick. was b. in China, Me., Oct. 26, 1860; m. Dec. 25, 1890, Bertha Mabel, dau. of Andrew J. and Mary J. (Morrell) Harriman, of Gardner, Me. Mr. Chadwick was educated in Maine Central Institute and Bates College; taught school fourteen years, res. in China, Pittsfield, Lewiston, and Gardner, Me., coming to Hills- borough in 1899, since which time he has been editor and pub- lisher of the Hillsborough Messenger; member of Board of Education for fourteen years.
IV. CHILDREN, ALL BORN IN GARDNER, ME.
1. Ralph Harold, b. February 6, 1892.
2. Florence Augusta, b. February 4, 1895.
3. Elinor Mary, b. February 22, 1897.
CHANDLER.
SAMUEL, b. in Andover, Mass., Jan. 25, 1767; m. Sarah Jaques, b. in Dracut, Mass., July 25, 1761 ; came to H. in 1787, and settled on a farm east of the Baptist Church, since known as the "pest house lot"; rem. to Antrim in 1835, where he d. Jan. 12, 1842 ; after his decease his wid. lived with her dau. on Bible Hill.
II. CHILDREN.
1. Sarah, b. 1799 ; m. John Kidder, of Antrim.
III. CHILD.
1. Warren Kidder, who lived and d. in Hillsborough, dates un- known.
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
2. Samuel, b. July 7, 1803; moved out west and very little is known of him.
3. Hannah, b. February 17, 1809 ; m. October 12, 1837, David B. Gould, who d. September 3, 1890.
III. CHILDREN.
1. Sarah, b. July 10, 1839; d. December 28, 1840.
2. Charles R., b. December 28, 1841.
CHAPMAN.
EDSON J., youngest of four sons of Samuel and Lydia (Dim- ond) Chapman, was b. in Windsor, Mar. 27, 1854; was educated in the common schools, and lived for a time in Boston, where he m. May 21, 1881, Emma Gilman ; later he returned to the George D. Goodell farm in this town, where he res. until his death, Jan. 4, 1908. No children.
CHASE.
SAMUEL W., s. of Charles and Fanny (Whittle) Chase, b. in Weare, Jan. 1, 1813; m. May 7, 1840, Martha A., dau. of Isaac J., and Sarah (Tobey) Cooledge; after death of wife's parents came to H. and res. on the Cooledge homestead, until her death, Nov. 26, 1885, when he returned to Weare, where he d. Nov. II, 1895.
III. CHILDREN.
1. Arabella F., b. 1842; d. May 20, 1861.
2. Edwin H., b. June 3, 1846 ; m. Jennie H. Crooker.
IV. CHILDREN.
1. Mabel F., b. March, 1873; m. Albert Wilkinson.
2. Ella M., b. 1876; m. Herman D. Paige.
3. Ida B., b. 1878, M. Arthur B. Snow.
4. Albert H., b. October 1, 1880.
5. Charles H., b. July 5, 1887.
3. Henry W., b. December 3, 1849; m. first, Anna E. Smith, who d. July 1, 1885 ; he m. second, Ada J. Collins.
IV. CHILDREN, FOUR BY FIRST MARRIAGE.
1. Nina M., b. July 3, 1882 ; m. Avery C. Johnson.
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CHASE.
V. CHILDREN.
1. Jesse W., b. December 10, 1899.
2. Carroll F., b. May 9, 1902.
2. Chester M., b. May 26, 1885.
3. Samuel D., b. June 7, 1886.
4. Charlotte M., b. January 7, 1888.
5. Fred M., b. July 27, 1889.
6. Leora B., b. January 24, 1894.
7. Loren C., b. September 28, 1896.
4. Horace F., b. June 5, 1852 ; m. October 13, 1870, Martha J., dau. of Lemuel A. and Mary A. C. (Fisk) Cooledge, of Boston, Mass .; settled on the Luke Mcclintock farm, Bible Hill; afterwards rem. to E. Washington.
IV. CHILDREN.
1. John F., b. January 22, 1872; d. January 15, 1876. 2-3. William C. and Mary A., twins, b. March 23, 1875.
5. Frank L., b. in 1859; m. first, Jennie M. Purington, b. Weare, October 5, 1867; d. October 25, 1895; m. second, Florence L. Osborne.
IV. CHILDREN, BY SECOND MARRIAGE.
1. Frederick A.
2. Habel I., b. October 16, 1902.
STEPHEN, s. of Chevy (s. of John and Sarah Morrill), and Abigail (Brown) Chase, b. Dec. 25, 1810; in Weare ; m. Hannah, dau. of Jesse A. and Hannah (Brown) Hazen, come to H. having bought the George Gould place near Stow's Mountain.
JAMES, s. of Richard and Mary J. (Gault) Chase, was b. in Bedford, Sept. 4, 1822; m. Sarah J., dau. of William H. and- (Morrill) Heath; lived in H. most of his active life; served in the Civil War as Corporal, Company B., 16th Reg. N. H. Vols .; after discharge re-enlisted as private in Company K., 18th Reg.
III. CHILDREN.
1. William O., b. October 7, 1848 ; m. October 7, 1874, Donzella F., dau. of James and Lora (Mckellips) Gove, of Weare; farmer, lived in other towns temporarily, but mostly in H.
2. Ella J., b. October 5, 1851 ; m. George W. Ray. (See)
3. Sarah T., b. May 6, 1856; d. in Washington, April 10, 1861.
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
DR. ISRAEL P., M. D., s. of Charles and Mrs. Nancy ( Peter- son) Chase, b. in Weare, Mar. 7, 1827 ; learned the printer's trade in Manchester; editor; but went to California during the gold fever of 1849. Returning to N. H. he studied medicine with Dr. James Peterson, of Weare; after graduation he rem. to Rich- mond, Va., where he practiced his profession nearly two years, after which he settled in Henniker in 1856, but came to H. Bridge Village in 1871. He m. in 1854, Sarah Frances Vose, of Fran- cestown, b. Sept. 7, 1831. In 1875 he and his son became proprietors of the Hillsborough Messenger, but disposed of it after his son's death. He was a skillful and successful practitioner of the Homeopathic school. He d. May 25, 1890; wid d. Aug. 19, 1890.
III. CHILDREN.
1. James P., b. in Richmond, Va., February 2, 1856; was a printer by trade, and a young man of much promise; d. November 1, 1876.
2. Emma, b. in Henniker, July 7, 1859; she has taught music many years ; m. first, - Henry ; m. second, Charles W. Thompson. (See)
3. Alice, b. in Henniker, August 28, 1862 ; m. Ira P. Smith.
CHENEY.
The first to bear this name in town was Dea. Tristram Cheney, b. in 1720, probably s. of William and Abigail Cheney, Dedham, Mass., who settled on a farm near the Jacob Whitte- more homestead just over the line in Antrim. According to the first survey made for Col. John Hill, these estates were both on this side of the line, and Philip Riley and the original settler of the Cheney place both supposed they were living in Hillsborough, and associated with her inhabitants. In fact, Deacon Cheney, in connection with his sons, owned a homestead lot near the Centre, but he afterwards rem. to Antrim, and the house he occupied has long since been gone and the site forgotten. Tradition, the father of history, says the barn was rem. to the Harvey White place.
The exact date of Tristram Cheney's coming to H. with his good wife, Anna Clapp, of Dorchester, Mass., is not known, as he came before there were any records of the settlement. It is rec- orded in the Church records that he was chosen Deacon of the
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CHENEY.
first church in H., May 15, 1775. He d. at Danville, Vt., in Dec., 1816, aged 96 years. The date of his wife's death is unknown to the writer.
They had at least four sons, and probably two or three daughters, though the records of their births have not been found. The names of the sons were Elias, John, William and Tristram, Jr. Elias settled on The Diamond Dodge farm near Cork Plain bridge. He m. first, Lucy Blanchard, of Deering; m. second, Deborah Winchester, b. in 1777, of Hillsborough; she d. 1853; he d. in Concord, Vt.
III. CHILDREN, RECORD OF TWO NOT FOUND.
3. Jesse, b. October 3, 1778 ; m. November 25, 1813, Alice Steele, of Antrim. He was a blacksmith, having served his apprentice- ship with Isaac Baldwin; he located at the Lower Village, in 1812 ; lived for a time in the house later occupied by Hannah Batchelder, in the meantime building him a dwelling which is now owned by Kirk D. Pierce, Esq. In 1825 he rem. to North Branch, Antrim; his wife d. July 28, 1849; he d. in Manchester, June 23, 1863.
IV. CHILDREN.
1. Benjamin Pierce, b. August 12, 1815. (See)
2. James Steele, b. July 1, 1817; m. Augusta Osgood; b. Septem- ber 25, 1824; d. at Manchester, February 16, 1873.
3. Jesse, b. November 19, 1819; d. Goffstown, April 18, 1896.
4. Gilman, b. January 25, 1822 ; m. Mary A. Riddle ; d. September 13, 1898, in Montreal, Canada; wid. d. August 19, 1913.
5. Lucy Ann, b. January 11, 1824; m. John Plumer; d. in Man- chester, November 3, 1897.
6. Alice M., b. May 26, 1827 ; m. Dr. Wm. Hewson Boetzel, of Bal- timore; d. in Manchester, August 26, 1874.
7. Charlotte, b. July 8, 1829; m. William H. Plumer, of Man- chester.
8. John, b. May 21, 1833; d. in Manchester, August 18, 1863.
BENJAMIN PIERCE, the oldest child of Jesse and Alice (Steele) Cheney, and named for Gov. Benjamin Pierce, of Hills- borough, was b. August 12, 1815, and was given by his worthy patron three sheep for his name. Unfortunately for the hopes of the young namesake, the year of 1816, following his birth, was noted for its unproductiveness on account of its extreme cold,
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
and the parents of the boy were obliged to kill the sheep for food, so he lost at the very outset his flock with its future prospects.
At ten years of age Benjamin was taken from the district school and given work in his father's blacksmith shop; two years later he became employed in a country tavern at Francestown, and when sixteen, he began to drive the stage between Nashua and Exeter, soon changing to the route between Nashua and Keene, a distance of fifty miles. Railroads at that time were few, so most of the people traveled by stage and much of the lighter merchandise was shipped by these coaches. In course of the five years he followed this vocation, finding him then at his majority, Mr. Cheney was widely noted for his skill as a horseman, also for his accuracy and efficiency in the performance of the various duties falling to his occupation. In the course of his long daily drives he became acquainted with noted men, not the least among them being Daniel Webster, with whom he formed a life-long friendship.
His reputation for honesty and intelligent performance of his duties won for him the confidence of business men and bankers, so he was frequently intrusted with large sums of money con- signed from place to place. As the business of staging grew and lines were consolidated so one company controlled the several routes radiating through New Hampshire and Vermont, and into Canada, he was chosen general agent and manager of the entire system. He then removed from Hillsborough and took up his residence in Boston.
His acquaintance with the stage business and realization of the need of a system of the conveyance of parcels and even mer- chandise by some improved manner over the unintelligent way then existing, he enlisted the assistance of Nathaniel White and William Walker and formed a company under the name of Cheney and Company's Express for the purpose of transporta- tion of general articles between Boston and Montreal. This partnership was made in 1852, and in 1852 he purchased the busi- ness of Fisk and Rice's Express controlling the route between Boston and Burlington, Vt., by way of Fitchburg Railroad. Con- tinuing this purpose he consolidated other express lines running in various directions, until finally founding the United States and Canada Express Co., whose routes covered the states of Northern
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CHENEY.
New England, with many outlying branches. In 1879, the great business he had founded was merged into the American Express Company, he being its largest stockholder and Treasurer until his retirement from active business life.
Mr. Cheney possessed a wonderful grasp of business detail, a remarkable ability to master accounts and an untiring energy in the accomplishment of his purpose,-qualities that easily made him a pioneer in the express business and his association with Mr. Harnden and other founders of the American Express Co., placed him in touch with the overland mail to San Francisco, Cal., and with the Wells, Fargo Company's Express, and with the early trans-continental railroad enterprises. Thus he became one of earliest promoters of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the Santa Fe system. It was natural through his extended activities he should amass a large fortune, and of a generous nature his benefactions were frequent and widely distributed. He gave to Dartmouth College $50,000, and presented a large sum to found an Academy in Washington Territory (now state), which in honor of his generosity was called by his name. In 1886 Mr. Cheney presented to the State of New Hampshire a statue of Daniel Webster, which stands in the State House yard at Con- cord, while he was the donor of other gifts too numerous to mention.
At the breaking out of the Civil War, Mr. Cheney was re- quested by Governor Andrew of Massachusetts to purchase horses for the cavalry of that state and mounts for the different regiments, which he did, examining every horse personally, and advancing the money to pay for them, receiving notes from the state signed by the governor payable at the end of the year. When these sums with interest were tendered him, he declined to accept the interest taking only the amounts he had actually paid out. He was twice drafted-once in California, where he had gone on business, and again in Massachusetts on his return. Having lost his right arm in a railroad accident in 1854, he was not available as a soldier, but in both cases he sent a substitute. The reward of his business career was not merely a large competence accum- ulated wholly by honorable endeavors, but the better part was the respect of the wide circle of acquaintances in which he moved.
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HISTORY OF HILLSBOROUGH.
Mr. Cheney married June 6, 1865, Elizabeth, dau. of Asahel and Elizabeth Searle (Whiting) Clapp, of Dorchester, Mass. She was a lineal descendant of Nicholas Clapp, one of the early settlers of Dorchester, and she counted among her ancestors Capt. Roger Clapp and Major-General Humphrey Atherton, both distinguished in the military and civil affairs of Massachusetts colony. On her maternal side she was descended from Rev. Samuel Whiting, of New England, whose wife, Elizabeth St. John, was a sister of the Lord Chief Justice of England in the reign of Charles I, and so of royal descent.
Mr. Cheney d. at his country residence "Elm Bank", Well- esly, Mass., July 23, 1895.
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