USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Derry > The history of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. > Part 24
USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Londonderry > The history of Londonderry : comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31
This rude beginning was followed by a much better method. The solid balls were thickly covered with layers
* This notice of James Wilson is copied, with but little alteration, from an article which appeared, a few years ago, in a newspaper pub- lished in Vermont.
252
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
of paper, firmly pasted together. This shell was then divided into hemispheres, which, being removed, were again united, and finished with due regard to lightness and smooth- ness. But how were these spheres to be covered with maps, equal to those of the European artists ? Mr. Wilson pro- cured copper plates of sufficient size for his thirteen-inch globes, protracted his maps on them in sections, tapering, as the degrees of longitude do, from the equator to the poles, and engraved them with such admirable accuracy of design, that when cut apart and duly pasted on his spheres, the edges with their lines, and even the different parts of the finest letters, would perfectly coincide, and make one surface ; truly representing the earth or celestial constellations.
Though in the use of the graver he was self-taught, and this species of design and engraving was incomparably more difficult than plain work, yet, by his ingenuity and incred- ible perseverance, he succeeded admirably, and brought forth globes, duly mounted, and in all respects fitted to rival in market any imported from foreign countries. In the prose- cution of this work, Mr. Wilson doubtless derived important assistance from the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, which consti- tuted the principal part of his library.
He published the first edition of his globes in 1814; and personally presented to the people of Boston the first Amer- ican globes which were seen there. Quite a sensation was produced among the literati by such a novelty; and when earnest inquiry was made, "Who is this James Wilson ? where is he?" he has been heard to say that he felt exceed- ingly mortified, in consideration of his rustic garb and manners, when obliged to come out and confess himself. . But the gentlemen in question knew how to prize his talents, and were proud of the honor which he had done to his country. They encouraged him to prosecute his under- taking, by the assurance that he should find a ready market for all the globes he could furnish. For a time he pursued
253
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
his vocation on a small scale, at -Bradford, Vt., and also at Londonderry, N. H., but finally, in company with his sons, who inherited a good share of their father's taste and inge- nuity, he established, about the year 1815, a large manufac- tory in Albany, N. Y., and in 1826, brought out from fresh engravings a still more perfect and splendid edition. These globes, consisting of three different sizes, so elegantly ยท and' scientifically constructed, are an honor not only to their makers, but to the American people. The manufactory at Albany is yet sustained ; though the young artists who commenced it went down to early graves, and their aged father, not long after, wholly withdrew himself from the business.
Mr. Wilson, with a remnant of his once flourishing fam- ily, is still (1850) living on his farm in Bradford, and at the age of eighty-six years, retains his strength, especially of mind, in a remarkable degree. His love for geography, astronomy, and the mechanical arts connected with them, remains unabated. Since he was eighty years of age, he has contrived, and with his own hands constructed, a machine, which finely illustrates the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth, the cause of the successive seasons, and the sun's place for every day of the year in the ecliptic. These move- ments are produced by turning a crank, which causes the earth to revolve about the sun in the plane of the ecliptic ; always retaining its true relative position. The machine is also furnished with the means of enabling the student to see and understand precisely what is meant by the precession of the equinoxcs, a difficult thing without some such means of illustration. The large copper plate, on which are printed the months of the year, with their days, and the corresponding signs of the zodiac, with their degrees, was engraved by Mr. Wilson, after he was eighty-three years of age. Can a sim- ilar instance anywhere be found?
A specimen of this curious apparatus may be seen at
22
254
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
Thetford Academy, Bradford Academy, or at Mr. Wilson's residence ; which last is an improvement on the others. Every academy ought to have something of the sort; and the aged and very ingenious maker ought to realize some profit from so scientific and useful a contrivance. The machine, for the want of a more definite name, is called Wilson's Planetarium ; the latter term he used in a restricted sense. If this planetarium should be thought clumsy, still, it finely illustrates what it was intended to do, and it may yet be reduced to any degree of elegance. It would in any fam- ily be an appropriate accompaniment to Wilson's globes.
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY.
The following sketches of the families of some of the early settlers of Londonderry, are derived in part from records and in part from traditions and the recollections of aged people. It can hardly be expected that, depending as they do in some measure upon the memory of the aged, they should be entirely free from error. But as they have been prepared with much care, it is believed that they will, with but rare exceptions, be found correct. There were many important and respectable families, of which no information sufficient for a connected sketch could be obtained.
The names of the first ancestors of the families in Amer- ica, are printed in small capitals ; those of their children, in italics, and where perspicuity seems to require it their grand- children are designated by numerals.
FAMILY OF WILLIAM ADAMS.
WILLIAM ADAMS emigrated from the north of Ireland to this town, soon after its settlement, and settled upon the farm now owned and occupied by Nathaniel Brown. He had five sons, as follows : --
James, who had eight children, namely, James, Mary, Wil-
255
GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES.
liam, of whom a short notice has been given, Elizabeth, Sarah, Samuel, Rachel, and David. David, the youngest son, married Janet Wilson, daughter of Colonel Robert Wilson, in 1800 ; and had nine children, namely, Jane, James, Mary M., Robert W., William, David B., John B., Jonathan, and a child that died in infancy.
Jonathan, who was born in 1729 and died in 1820. He married Sarah Smith, and settled on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Captain Josiah H. Adams. He was an active, energetic man ; was a soldier in the Revolution, and subsequently held the commission of captain in the militia. He had six children, as follows: 1. Jane, who died unmar- ried. 2. Jonathan, who lived with his parents and retained the homestead. He was a very worthy man ; was distin- guished for his frankness and sincerity, and was for many years an elder in the church. His children were William, Josiah H., Daniel M., Jabez F., Sarah Jane, and Moses. 3. William, who married Margaret Duncan, and had three children, Mary, Jane, and Sarah. 4. James, who married Judith Rolfe, and had ten children, namely, Jonathan, Ann R., Joseph R., James, Jane S., Sarah, John S., Elizabeth, Lucinda, and Henry R. 5. Mary, who married William Eayres, and removed to Rutland, Vt. 6. Susannah, who died unmarried.
Samuel, who settled at Casco Bay.
William and David, of whom no information has been received.
FAMILY OF EDWARD AIKEN.
EDWARD AIKEN emigrated from the north of Ireland to this town, about the year 1722, and settled on the farm now owned by John Folsom, Esq., and which continued in the possession of his descendants more than a century. Edward Aiken had three sons, who settled in Londonderry, Nathan- iel, James, and William. Nathaniel lived on his father's
256
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
farm, James on the farm now owned by Mr. Bradford, and William on that owned by Mr. David Carr. Hence that neighborhood was early designated as the "Aiken's Range."
Nathaniel, the eldest son, had five sons. Edward, John, James, Thomas, and William. Edward settled in Windham, Vt., and was the grandfather of Rev. Samuel C. Aiken, of Cleaveland, Ohio. John, the grandfather of Hon. John Aiken, of Andover, Mass., and of Rev. Silas Aiken, of Rut- land, Vt., settled in Bedford, N. H. James remained in Londonderry, and had a large family of sons and daughters. Thomas and William, the two youngest sons, settled in Deering, N. H., and had large families. Many of their descendants still remain in that town.
James had three sons and three daughters. His son James commenced a settlement in Antrim, N. H .; and his family was the first and only one in that town for several years. His son John inherited his farm, and had several sons, some of whom removed to Benson, Vt.
William had two sons, Edward and William. Edward settled in Windham, Vt., and had several sons and daugh- ters. William removed to Truro, Nova Scotia.
Of the descendants of this early and very respectable family of the settlers of Londonderry, no correct and full account has been obtained, except of one branch, that of John, the second son of Nathaniel, the eldest son of Edward. The statistics of his numerous descendants have been recently collected by Hon. John Aiken, of Andover, a synopsis of which is here inserted.
JOHN AIKEN was born November 18, 1728. In 1758, he married Annis Orr, eldest daughter of John and Margaret Orr, of Bedford. They resided in Londonderry eight or ten years, after their marriage, when they removed and settled in Bedford, where they passed the residue of their days. Their children were John, Phineas, Margaret, Susanna, Annis, Sarah, Mary, and Jane.
257
GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES.
John, their eldest son, married Mary McAfee, of Bedford, in 1781, and ten years afterwards removed to Merrimack, N. H., where he died. He had twelve children, namely, Samuel, Mary, Annis, Susan, Sarah, Jesse, John, Phineas, Jane, Lucinda, Benjamin F., and Eliza F.
Phineas married, December 8, 1789, Elizabeth Patterson, of Amherst, N. H. He died in 1836, having resided in Bedford from early childhood. His widow still survives. They had nine children, as follows: 1. Nancy P., their eldest daughter, was married, in 1809, to Jonathan Aiken, of Goffstown, son of Captain James Aiken, of Londonderry. He graduated at Dartmouth College, in 1807, and settled in Goffstown as an attorney at law. In 1838, he removed to the State of Illinois, where he died in 1839. His widow still survives. Their children were James, David, Elizabeth, John C., Charles, Jonathan, Nancy, Henry M., Jane, Silas, Walter H., and George E. 2. Lucy, in 1816, married Frederick A. Mitchel, M. D., of Bedford, and had seven children. 3. Betsey, in 1818, married Isaac Riddle, Jr., of Bedford, and had five children. 4. John graduated at Dartmouth College, 1819; was tutor there for two years (1820-1822). Resided in Bennington county, Vt., from 1823 to 1834, most of the time in the practice of law ; removed to Lowell, Mass, in 1834; resided there till 1850, as agent of a manufacturing company. In 1849, he was a member of the governor's council. In 1850, he removed to Andover, Mass., where he now resides, being the treasurer of the Cocheco Manufacturing Company, Dover, N. H. He married, in 1826, Harriet R. Adams, daughter of Prof. Adams, of Dartmouth College, by whom he had three children. In 1832, he married Mary M. Appleton, of Amherst, daughter of the late president Appleton, by whom he lias five children. 5. Silas graduated at Dartmouth College, 1825 ; was tutor there three years (1825-1828) ; was settled in the ministry at Amherst, N. H., 1829. He
22*
258
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
subsequently removed to Boston, and was for several years pastor of Park Street church. He is now settled in Rutland, Vt. In 1829, he married Mary Osgood, of Salem, Mass., by whom he had three children. In 1837, he married Sophia Parsons, of Amherst, Mass., by whom he has two children. 6. Charles, in 1839, married Adeline Willey, of Campton, N. H., and had seven children. 7. David, in 1844, married Lydia W. Root, of Greenfield, Mass. She died in 1846, and in 1848, he married Mary E. Adams, of Amherst, Mass. 8. Sarah A., in 1829, married William P. Black, of Man- chester, Vt., and had six children. 9. Phineas died in early life.
Margaret, in 1787, married Josiah Chandler, of Goffstown. About the year 1799, they removed to Pomfret, Vt., where they both died. Their children were Mary B., John A., Annis, David, Lucinda, Josiah, and Calvin.
Susanna, in 1790, married Jonathan Barron, who then resided in Merrimack, subsequently in Rockingham, Vt., and now resides at Nunda, Livingston county, N. Y. Their children were Polly A., Annis, Moses, Harriet, Abel, Sally, Lucius H., Quartus H.
Annis, in 1813, married Abner Campbell, of London- derry, and died, in 1839, without issue.
Sarah, in 1791, married Samuel Gilchrist, of Goffstown, N. H., and after his death married, in 1822, Captain John Smith, of Goffstown, with whom she still lives. Her chil- dren by her first husband were John, Fanny, Alexander, Samuel, Sophronia, Jason, Margaret A., James A., and Hiram.
Mary, in 1814, married William Reed, of Litchfield, N. H., and had one son, Phineas A.
Jane, in 1807, married James Aiken, of Goffstown, who died in 1809, without issue. In 1831, she married Rev. Walter Harris, D. D., of Dunbarton, N. H., who died in 1843, leaving her a second time a widow.
259
GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES.
According to the statistics of this branch of the Aiken family it appears, that from this one grandson of Edward Aiken, the first ancestor of the family in this country, there are two hundred and sixty-three descendants, two hundred and twelve of whom are now living. As Edward Aiken had thirteen grandchildren, if the descendants of the other twelve were as numerous, the whole number of his descendants would be three thousand four hundred and nineteen.
FAMILY OF JAMES ANDERSON.
Of the first sixteen settlers of the town, were ALLEN and JAMES ANDERSON. Allen had no children ; James had seven ; namely, Samuel, Robert, James, Thomas, David, Jane, and Nancy.
Samuel married Martha Craige, and had four children : 1. James married Nancy Armstrong. 2. John married Anna Davidson, and for his second wife, Mary Williams. 3. Sam- uel married Mary Davidson. 4. Margaret married John Graham.
Robert married Agnes Craige, and had nine children: 1. James remained unmarried. 2. John married Jane Wallace. 3. William married Margaret Wilson. 4. Allen married Sally Moor. 5. Robert married Mary Darrah. 6. Samuel married Anna Alexander, and removed to Acworth. 7. David married Sally Barnett. 8. Mary married James Dinsmore. 9. Jane married David Campbell.
James married Nancy Woodburn, and subsequently widow Elizabeth Barnett. By his first wife he had eight children ; and by his second wife, four : 1. James, who married Mar- garet Reid, was lieutenant under Captain George Reid, at the battle of Bunker Hill, and subsequently captain of the company, on the promotion of Captain Reid. He continued in service during the whole of the war, and died at Troy, N. Y., 1827. 2. John married Mary Morrison. He was also a short time in the service of his country. 3. Rufus, of
260
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
whom a biographical sketch has been given. 4. Joseph, who removed to the West. 5. Mary married Thomas Aiken of Deering. 6. Margaret married James Moor. 7. Alice married the Rev. Joseph McKeen. 8. Nancy married John McClary. 9. Alexander married Martha McGilvery. 10. Benjamin married Lydia Jackson. 11. William married Prudence Ladd. 12. Jane married Alexander McCollom.
Thomas married Mary Craige, and had seven children : 1. Daniel, who married Sarah Nesmith. 2. James, unmarried. 3. John, unmarried. 4. Mary, who married William Ander- son of Candia. 5. Jane, who married Robert Nesmith. 6. Martha, who married Robert McClure of Acworth. 7. Margaret, unmarried.
David married a Miss Wilson, and had three sons : Robert, who married Naomi Aiken, James, and Andrew.
Jane married Elder James Taggart, and had two sons, Samuel, of whom a particular notice has been given, and Thomas.
The children of John, the son of Samuel, and grandson of James the first settler, were as follows : Martha, who mar- ried David Robinson; Jesse, who married Martha Morrison ; John, who removed to South Carolina, and married there ; Samuel, who married Mary Wilson, and afterwards Eliza- beth Armstrong; Sarah, who married John Holmes ; Jane, who married John Hills ; James, who married Nancy An- derson, and Betsy, who married James Towns.
The children of Margaret, daughter of Samuel, who mar- ried John Graham, were William, Martha, Samuel, Jane, and Elizabeth.
FAMILY OF JOHN ANDERSON.
JOHN ANDERSON, with his wife and family, came- from the north of Ireland and settled in Londonderry as early as 1725. Their children, John, James, Robert, and Jane, came with their parents.
261
GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES.
John married and lived in Londonderry, but died young, leaving three children, Matthew, John, and Jane. Matthew and John were at the battle of Bunker Hill, and after the close of the war, Matthew married Nancy Taylor, daughter of Adam Taylor, and John married a Miss Archibald, and. both removed to Vermont, where they lived and died. Their descendants are very numerous in Vermont, New York, and the Western States. Jane married David Paul, of the East parish in Londonderry, where many of her descendants reside.
James married Isabel McQueston, about the year 1728, and had nine children ; namely, Jane, Hugh, Sarah, Mary, James, John, William, Mary Ann, and Joseph. Of these, Jane, James, and John died young and unmarried. Hugh was out in the wars about the year 1760, and was known to have been engaged in a running fight with the French and Indians, where his party was overpowered by numbers, and was never heard from afterwards. William married Agnes Clark, in 1769, and had eight children ; Hugh, Robert, Mary Ann, James, William, Letitia, Elizabeth, and John, no one of whom survives excepting Mary Ann, who now resides, at an advanced age, on the old family homestead in London- derry. Hugh, son of William, married Jane Nesmith in 1797, and left three children ; William, John N., and Eliza- beth N., all of whom are living and have numerous descend- ants. Robert, son of William, married Sarah Stearns, in 1804, and eight of his children are now living in New Hamp- shire and Massachusetts. William, son of William, married Mary Bell, daughter of John Bell, Esq., in 1808, and left two daughters, each of whom is married and has several children. One of them resides in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the other in the State of Ohio.
Robert married, and resided in that part of Londonderry now Manchester, but left no male issue ; his daughters were married, and many of their descendants are now living.
Jane was married, and many of her descendants are now living in New Hampshire and Vermont.
262
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
The original homestead on which the common ancestors settled in Londonderry, in 1725, has ever since remained in the family, and is now in the possession of their descendants, William Anderson of Derry, and John N. Anderson of Lon- donderry.
FAMILY OF JOHN BELL.
JOHN BELL, though not one of the first of the emigrants who began the settlement of Londonderry in April 1719, must have arrived there in 1720, as the first mention of his name upon the records is in the grant of his homestead, a lot of sixty acres, in Aiken's Range, upon which he spent the rest of his life, and where his son John always lived. This record bears the date of 1720. Other lands were allotted him in 1722, and afterwards, to the amount of three hundred acres. After commencing a clearing upon a part of his lot near the brook, and building a cabin there, he returned in 1722, to his native country for his wife and two surviving daughters, two of his children having died in infancy.
Mr. Bell was born in the vicinity of Coleraine, probably in the parish of Ballymony, in the county of Antrim, in 1678. He married Elizabeth Todd, a daughter of John Todd and Rachel Nelson, and sister of Col. Andrew Todd. He appears to have held a respectable position among his townsmen, and for several years held various offices in the town. He died July 8, 1743, aged sixty-four years. His wife was a person of much decision and energy of character, and survived him till August 30, 1771, when she died, aged eighty-two years. After their removal to Londonderry, they had two sons and two daughters.
Samuel, his eldest son, was born September 28, 1723. He removed to Cambridge, New York, and married Sarah Storow. He, and two of his sons and two brothers-in-law, were taken prisoners by the advance of Burgoyne's army, his stock was driven off, and his buildings burned. His
263
GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES.
sons, John and Matthew, died not long after their return from captivity. Mr. Bell died about 1803, at the age of eighty, leaving many descendants.
The four daughters of John Bell, all married persons of the name of Duncan, three of them brothers, and sons of George Duncan, Esq., of Londonderry, and the other a nephew, the son of John Duncan, their.eldest brother.
Letitia, born in Ireland, married Deacon George Duncan of Londonderry.
Naomi married Captain William Duncan of Londonderry. Elizabeth married James Duncan of Haverhill, Mass.
Mary married George Duncan of Peterborough, N. H. (For the children of these four daughters, see family of George Duncan.)
John, of whom a biographical sketch has been given, mar- ried Mary Ann Gilmore, daughter of James Gilmore and Jean Baptiste, and, besides three children who died in early life, had five sons and four daughters, as follows: 1. 2. James and Ebenezer died in youth. 3. Jonathan died at Chester in 1808, leaving no children. 4. John, born July 20, 1765, early engaged in trade with good success, and was elected a member of the legislature from Londonderry. About the beginning of this century, he settled in Chester, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1803, he was elected senator for the third district, and served one term. In 1817, he was elected councillor, and continued in that office five years. In 1823, he was appointed Sheriff of Rockingham County, and held that office until he was elected governor in 1828, in which office he served one term. He was fortunate in the acquisition of property, and left at his death, in March, 1836, a handsome estate. He married Persis, daughter of Dr. Isaac Thom, of Londonderry, and had a family of ten chil- dren. Of these, one son, Charles Henry, a graduate of Dart- mouth College, 1845, alone survives. Governor Bell was distinguished through life for sound judgment, accurate business habits, and strict integrity.
264
HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY.
5. Samuel was born February 9, 1770, graduated at Dart- mouth College, 1793, studied law with Hon. Samuel Dana, of Amherst, and was admitted to practice in 1796. He practised law at Francestown to 1808, and at Amherst to 1810. He was representative in 1804, 1805, and 1806, and was speaker the two last years. He was senator and pres- ident of the Senate in 1807 and 1808, and was councillor in 1809. In 1812, he removed to a farm in Chester, where he has since resided. In 1816, he was appointed a judge of the Superior Court. In 1819 to 1823, he was elected gover- nor, and from 1823 to 1835, senator in Congress. He has been twice married ; first, to Mehitable B. Dana, daughter of Hon. Samuel Dana, by whom he had six children. Three sons survive. Hon. Samuel D., justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, James, counsellor at law, at Gil- ford, N. H., and Hon. Luther V. Bell, LL. D., superintend- ent of the McLean Asylum, at Somerville, Mass. She died in 1810. His second wife is Lucy G. Smith, daughter of Jonathan Smith, Esq., of Amherst. They have four sons, George and John, students at Dartmouth College, Charles, student at Brown University, and Lewis. 6. Elizabeth died June 22, 1786, at the age of twenty-three years. 7. Susan- nah married John Dinsmore, Esq., whose sons, John B. of Ripley, N. Y., and James (Dartmouth College, 1813,) of Walnut Hills, Ky., survive and have families, and other descendants remain. 8. Mary married Captain William Anderson and left two daughters, one of whom married a Mr. Dickey, now of Alleghany, Penn. 9. Mary Ann died unmarried.
FAMILY OF JAMES CLARK.
JAMES CLARK, afterwards Deacon James Clark, one of the first settlers of Londonderry, lived on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Deacon Matthew Clark. He had four sons and one daughter, namely, John, Samuel, George, Matthew, and Eleanor.
265
GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES.
John settled in the western part of Londonderry, and had several children. Some of their descendants still reside in the town.
Samuel and George settled in the town of Windham. Each had a family of children, and some of their descend- ants now live in that town.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.