USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Warren > The history of Warren; a mountain hamlet, located among the White hills of New Hampshire > Part 43
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Carding Mill, &c .- Col. Moses H. Clement established a card- ing mill for the manufacture of rolls, which the farmers' wives and their daughters spun into yarn, and wove into cloth. It was built beside his grist mill, and he had in connection with it a fulling mill and dye house. Ebenezer Cushman continued the business and employed Moses W. Pillsbury for many years to work for him. Philo Baldwin followed Mr. Cushman, and after him Haselton & Eaton. Hobart Wyatt used to do the dyeing for them.
Clapboard and Shingle Mills .- Moses H. Clement also had a shingle mill. Ebenezer Cushman in Mr. Clement's mill, and Sal- mon Gleason at the East-parte, have sawed an immense quantity of shingles. Shingles have also been made at the Sawtelle mill, the Joseph Merrill mill, Kelley mill, and at Warren Summit. But very few are now made in town.
Col. Isaac Merrill had the first clapboard mill in Warren. It was located on Patch brook, just below Rocky falls. Then Hasel- ton & Eaton had one at the Stevens Merrill mill, and both together they cut out and sent to market millions of clapboards. Not a clapboard is made in Warren now.
* Others who have tended .mill there are Moses H. Clement, Joshua Copp, Jr., James Mills,(1) the perpetual motion maker, Ebenezer Cushman, Page Kimball, Robert B. Stevens, John Haselton, E. B. Eaton, Ira Merrill, and George Prescott, miller.
(1) Mills worked on " perpetual motion " all his life, but did not make it go.
t Some grinding has been done where the peg mill is now. Salmon Gleason once had a corn mill at the East-parte. Levi F. Jewell now grinds corn, and long ago the Curriers had a grist mill in the edge of Benton on Warren Summit. True Stevens "named " Moses H. Clement's grist mill. He said, " What came by Hazen's industry was Tamar's delight," and many other things of the same sort.
502
HISTORY OF WARREN.
Pegs .- Barker & French commenced the manufacture of shoe pegs, near the close of Warren's third generation. They made thousands of barrels of them, the very best sent to market, and employed many boys and girls in the manufacture. They carried on business just at the end of the old Coos Turnpike near the Joseph Merrill mill, and had both steam and water power. John M. Whiton succeeded them and had a small pond on Cold brook north cast of the railroad, in which to keep his peg timber soaked.
Tanning .- Walter Whipple, brother to Dr. Thomas Whipple who went to congress so many years, built a tannery on the Mi- kaseota, just below the Blue ridge, and a dwelling-house near by. The house was for many years the old parsonage, and Anson Pills- bury lives in it now. Joseph Boynton, the great Methodist class leader, succeeded Whipple in the business, and Joshua Merrill fol- lowed him. Col. Isaac Merrill had a tannery on Ore-hill brook, and William Pomeroy bought him out and carried on the business for many years.
Window Shades .- Haselton & Eaton commenced the manu- facture of window shades, and carried it on extensively at the old Stevens Merrill mill. The material is got out here, but almost every woman in town has a loom and weaves window shades. Merrill & Clark still continue the business.
Starch .- F. A. & M. E. Cushman built a starch factory at the Stevens Merrill mill. They made the starch from potatoes. Shortly after, Russell K. Clement built another starch factory by Rocky falls on Patch brook, where he manufactured potato starch for a few years. He then moved his mill to the mouth of the Mi- kaseota, where in company with Daniel Q. Clement he has con- tinued the trade, and they have both acquired considerable property.
Bobbins .- Levi F. Jewell built a bobbin mill at the mouth of Berry brook and has made money making bobbins. He uses more than a hundred thousand feet of hard-wood lumber annually, and has usually sold in Nashua. Mr. Jewell made wash-boards for a few years. Nathaniel K. Richardson made bobbins a short time at the Sawtelle mill.
Coopers .- A cooper came to town long years ago, Mr. Asa Thurston. His shop stood exactly on the spot where the first
11 1
Very truly yours, Dr. W. E. Boynton.
503
OTHER OCCUPATIONS.
school-house in Warren was built. Mr. Thurston employed George W. Prescott, trader, and John Lord, to work for him. Afterwards George Bixby, Sen., and Samuel Bixby and Samuel Goodwin made buckets, kits, and barrels, and Leavitt, on the Height-o'-land, made " leach-tubs " for Anson Merrill.
Shaved Shingles .- Old Antony McCarter, the hermit, made shingles by hand, and Samuel Osborn, Stephen Richardson, Isaac Clifford, on Red-oak hill, William Stearns,* by Kelley pond, Na- thaniel Richardson, Daniel Bailey, James Dow, and Stevens Mer- rill, son of 'Squire Jonathan Merrill, Tappan Craige, Stephen Craige, and numerous others in town, have followed the same business. Nathaniel Richardson and his son Nathaniel, high up on the side of Moosehillock mountain, made the long shingle for the Prospect House. They camped out in the woods while thus engaged. Persons who shaved shingles were called "shingle weavers."
Pearlash .- Capt. Benjamin Merrill, son of 'Squire Abel, made salts and pearlash. His potash stood down the bank from the old first school-house and Thurston's cooper shop. Ashes were plenty then and Thomas Pillsbury and Col. Ben. Clement worked night and day for him, leaching, boiling, and pearling. What hot fires they kept! Preston & Keezer bought out Col. Ben. Merrill and continued the business.
Anson Merrill built a potash just west of the depot " crossing " and did a large business. He always made A No. 1 pearlash, and got the highest price for it. William Wells worked for him a while and then he employed Hobart Wyatt, Daniel Day, Col. Ben. Clem- ent, " Biger " Wright, Nathan Willey, Thomas Pillsbury, Stephen Whiteman and others in the business. Old settlers say "lots of rum used to be drank in the potash premises ;" but this must be a mistake, for although all the ministers in those times invariably drank what liquor they could get, yet it is well known that all or nearly all the above worthies were, or ought to have been, good
temperance men.
* Stearns once stopped at Glines' hotel at East Haverhill. He had in a few glasses and felt good. He called for supper; Glines asked if he had any money. Stearns said "yes." Glines made him show it, then had a good supper prepared. When it was ready he wanted Stearns to walk in. The latter did so, went twice around the table, walked out into the bar-room and told Glines that he had seen the money, and the supper had been seen, and now he guessed they were even. Stearns then walked off, leaving Glines in a very pleasant mood.
504
HISTORY OF WARREN.
Uncle Eben Cushman built a potash at the lower village and worked it a long time. Then Hobart Wyatt* got exclusive control of these important manufactories, and with his son Vanness, t was the last who ever carried on the pearlash business in Warren.
Brick .- Brick making has never been very extensive in our town. Long ago clay was dug in the bottom of Runaway pond, and brick made from it just below Beech hill bridge on the south bank of the Mikaseota; but who did it the oldest inhabitants of the present day have forgotten. Three-fourths of a century ago a kiln was burned at the forks of Ore-hill stream where the road turns off to the mine, from the turnpike, and Dr. French burned several kilns in the East-parte region.#
Oils and Essences .- Every one has heard of Stephen White- man's large essence manufactory, by Berry brook on the Summit. He made peppermint essence, checkerberry essence, hemlock oil, fir oil, spruce oil, pipsissiwa, and others, at his renowned distillery. Mr. Whiteman says Ellsworth and Woodstock will soon be grand places to make spruce oil, for the lazy farmers of those towns are letting their farms all grow up to spruce bushes. Once Dr. David C. French had a large fir oil manufactory on the East-parte road near where old McCarter was not murdered.
Blacksmithing. - The following persons: Joseph Kimball, Samuel Knight, Samuel Gilman, Joseph Rollins, Stephen White- man, (he served seven years to learn the trade,) Deacon Peter Stevens, on Red-oak hill, David Colby, Enoch R. Weeks, Moses H. Clement, ** James Clement, Joseph Clement, George Libbey, at
* Hobart Wyatt once got mad at Moses Ellsworth and chased him all round Joseph Merrill's bar-room trying to kick him; but Moses was too spry for him and kept out of the way. Both were " balmy." The next day Ellsworth was. " tight " and went into the potash to whip Wyatt. He " hit him once," when Wyatt, who was a very strong man, seized "Fortyfoot" by the nape of the neck and the seat of the breeches and ducked him in a lye tub. " You are wetting me," sung out Ellsworth. " Then I'll dry ye," said Wyatt; and he held him at arms length be- fore the fire. "Yon are burning me," screamed " Fortyfoot." "Then I'll cool ye," said Wyatt, and he soused him in the lye tub again. Just then somebody came in and stopped the pleasant fun, much to the disgust of both parties.
t Van Wyatt went to a revival one evening after having collected ashes all day. He was sleepy. One of the ministers approached and asked him if he was looking. for religion. Vanness raised his eyes meekly and replied in the most honest man- ner imaginable, " No sır, I am looking for ashes." The minister laughed in spite of himself, and passed along.
# They made a kiln of brick in 1801, near Aaron Welch's on Pine hill road.
** Lemnel Keezer once agreed to pay Col. Moses H. Clement in mutton for blacksmithing. One morning the colonel found two sheep tied in the shop, one very fat and the other awful poor. Col. Clement, the next time he saw Keezer, asked him what he meant by such work. Keezer said that some of the blacksmith- ing was good, but some mighty poor, and the bad mutton was for that.
505
MINOR MANUFACTURES.
the East-parte, Hazen Libbey, Walter Libbey, Moses Abbott, Ha- zen Abbott, Paul White, George W. Jackson, Moses W. Pillsbury, Emerson Pillsbury, Anson Pillsbury, James Harriman, and others have made horse shoes, axes, hoes, and nails, and shod oxen and horses, and ironed wagons, sleighs and sleds.
Shoemakers .- In later times George W. Jackson, Jared S. Blodgett, John Merrill, son of Capt. Daniel, Ezra B. Libbey, Wil- liam Weeks, Enos Huckins, Nathaniel Libbey, Coleridge Marston, have worked at making shoes and boots. Long ago Caleb Noyes, (Noyes bridge was so called for him ) Joseph Patch, Benjamin Brown, Frederick Brown, Tristram Brown, John Abbott, Chase Whitcher, and Luther Gove, made boots and shoes and mended the same for our ancestors. These good men, knights of St. Cris- pin, often went about the town "whipping the cat," as it was called. The farmer with his ox cart would go for the shoemaker, load in his bench, lasts, leather, and all the rest of his " kit, " and drive him jolting -home. A gallon of rum generally went with him. Old men tell us how in one corner of the room the shoe- maker sat, in a red flannel shirt and a leather apron, at work on the kit mending and making shoes. With what long and patient vibration and equipoise he draws the threads and interludes his hammer strokes upon leather and lap-stone and pegs, with snatches of songs, banter, and laughter. The next farmer who wanted his services came and carried him away, when his job was done, and thus he " whipped the cat" all over town.
Tailoresses .- Warren has had many of them. They used to . go all about, just like the shoemakers, making clothes for the farmers and their families. Hitty Smith, daughter of Simeon Smith, was the first one. She was an excellent workwoman, and after long years of service, married a Mr. Clark, of Dorchester. After her, in order, came Jane Parkinson, who married Adams Preston, of Bradford; Nancy Marsh, Sally Barker, who married Jesse Eastman ; Nancy Barker, who married Col. Isaac Merrill, and Sarah Clement, who married George Noyes. There were numer- ous others, but these are best remembered.
Among the minor manufactures we should not omit to men- tion that Richard Whiteman, sometimes called "Sir Richard," made kitchen chairs; that Jacob Whitcher and George Libbey
506
HISTORY OF WARREN.
made baskets; that Frank Cushman made whetstones and " scythe rifles;" that A. L. Noyes made jewelry; that J. M. Spaulding and John C. Sinclair made harnesses; that Amos Clement, J. M. Wil- liams, Morrill J., Sanborn, and numerous others made soft coal; that Ruel Bela Clifford made rakes; that Hazen Kimball, Charles Chandler, James M. Hartwell, Damon Y. Eastman, Addison W. Eastman, Joseph M. Little, and Henry N. Merrill made carriages. and sleighs; that Amos F. Clough was a photographer,* and Chas. A. Fiske, a painter; and both made beautiful pictures, Mr. Fiske came to Warren about 1863, and afterwards built "Green Lane Studio," with a trout pond by it, the pleasant pine woods near, where the Asquamchumauke bends away to the East-parte.
If the making of maple sugar is a manufacture, then certainly it is the sweetest and largest, and more profitable than all the rest, and every farmer in town is or ought to be engaged in it as we have before mentioned. Don't! don't cut down the sugar places.
Warren has done a great deal more than the average of country towns in manufacturing, and could the reservoirs we have men- tioned be built, and the surplus water of Berry brook and the Oliverian be carried down into them, as could easily be done by a skillful engineer, a large manufacturing village could be built up. Two good mill privileges on the Blue ridge, the Joseph Merrill pond, the fall at the depot, the Stevens Merrill pond, the fall at the mouth of the Mikaseota, and the old deep-hole fall would fur- nish a series of mill sites, such as few towns possess, and water enough the year round.
Progress in manufacturing has made mighty changes in War- ren during its first century, as well as everywhere else. No more do we have the rude camp and log cabin, except in the French settlements, stone chimney and Dutch oven outside, and ill fitting windows through which the wintry winds come whistling; but our modern house is a snug and silken nest of delight, rising in some lovely spot light and airy, with heavy carpets, rich curtains, and elegant beds. The rude fashion of furniture and vessels for the table, pewter ware, wooden knives, forks, and spoons, and noggins, and the rude style of cooking, bean porridge hot and
* Charles F. Bracey was also a photographer in Warren.
507
CONTRAST-THEN AND NOW.
cold, has departed. Now we have a superior grace in fashion of furniture and all household utensils,-silver and gold, brass and steel, porcelain and glass, wrought into beautiful shapes, and for the morning meal China and the Indies send their coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, and preserved fruits ; the West its flour, and our own farms an abundance of rural dainties.
No longer do we have a dearth of books and pictures, with a life of story telling around the hearth, little intercourse with the outer world, roads almost impassable, and hunting and carousing for the chief pleasures and amusements ; but to-day on our tables are daily papers from Boston and New York, bringing news from the whole world. There is nothing going on in the Legislature, in Congress, in the courts of law, in public meetings. religious, political, or musical, in any town in the country ; no birth, mar- riage, death, or any occurrence of importance; nothing in the mer- cantile, the literary, or the scientific world, but they are all laid before us. We sit in the midst of our woods and groves in the quietness of the country, a hundred miles from the capital, and are as well acquainted with the movements and incidents of society as though we were almost omnipresent.
So much for the advancement of one century. Will the next show as much?
CHAPTER X.
OF SEVERAL THINGS THAT HAPPENED; CONCLUDING THIS HISTORY WITH SINCERE THANKS AND MANY KIND WISHES.
WARREN'S wars have seemed to repeat themselves once in a hundred years.
King Philip's war in which our Indian chief Waternomee, sometimes called Wattanummon, took his first lesson, occurred in 1675, and a hundred years after came the revolution, in which the first settlers of our hamlet distinguished themselves.
Then came Queen Ann's war of 1712, and Capt. Baker's fight, one of its battles, in which Waternomee was slain, and a hundred years after was the war of 1812, with the British, during which in our hamlet there was such lively volunteering.
King George's war came in 1743, with its memorable expedi- tions through and about our mountain valley, with the capture of Louisburg, and a hundred years after came the Mexican war, when Henry Albert went in Captain Daniel Batchelder's company to Mexico.
The next great conflict was the old French and Indian war, the result of which, with Robert Rogers' great fight,- his rangers. against the St. Francis Indians,- made Warren a safe place for white men to live in. This struggle ended in 1760, and a hundred years later happened the war of the great rebellion, just at the close of Warren's first century, and of this great history.
Our citizens took a lively interest in this last conflict. A ma- jority of them said it was all about the negro, as some of the win-
509
THE "GREAT REBELLION."
ning party now boast, got up to free their man and brother from slavery, and that it was fought under cover of a lie; the aboli- tionists loudly proclaiming that it was to preserve the Union and the Constitution, and to maintain the flag, when in fact it was nothing more nor less than a negro crusade. Now it is over they good naturedly suppose it is all right, although some of them think that the result will be very fatal to the " poor darky."
The citizens of Warren, many of them, did not believe in the war, thought there was no need of it; but they had to sustain it as some said " at the point of the bayonet."
At first quite a number of Warren's sons volunteered, some of them from patriotic motives, and some thinking the war would not last long, and they would have sort of a holiday excursion ; but the latter soon got disabused of that idea, and when a new quota was called for the town was compelled to offer bounties. One hundred dollars to a man was first offered, the State and the United States each also paying the same men one hundred dollars, and a few young men inspired by patriotism, took the bounty and went. Then when another call for troops was made, the town voted to pay a bounty of one thousand dollars in addition to the State and United States bounty, to each man, and a few more got exceed- ingly patriotic and went away to the war.
Afterwards when a quota was demanded from Warren, like every other town in the State, her selectmen paid three hundred dollars for her part, filled it up with Canuck substitutes and other foreigners, and these bounty jumpers " skedaddled " or deserted the very first opportunity, as can be seen by any one who will take the pains to look at the Adjutant General's Reports for New Hampshire. Nearly all the persons from Warren in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and part of the 8th regiments were bounty jumpers and deserters.
The following list of soldiers from Warren, was kindly furnished by George Bartlett Noyes. It was taken from the reports of Adjutant General Natt Head :- First Regiment :-
Ward C. Batchelder.
Second Regiment :- Lieut. Andrew G. Bracey. William Clifford. Osco H. French. Aaron Goodwin. Lieut. Thomas B. Little.
Eighth Regiment :-
John S. Hennessy.
John Ryan, captured at Sabine Cross Roads, La., April 8, 1864.
James Ragan.
John Sullivan.
John O. Sullivan,-deserted. Walter Veasey.
510
HISTORY OF WARREN.
Thus the war went on past 1863, the year Warren was one hundred years old, and ended in April, 1865; a little more than four years from its commencement. Every body rejoiced when the war was over, and every bell in the whole North rang a jubi- lee when peace came.
Some of Warren's sons behaved with much gallantry and gained credit on the battlefield. Others did not do so well. Their names and their records are all truthfully preserved in the Adju- tant General's Report. Gen. Natt Head* did his work well, " and
Fourth Regiment :-
Oliver R. Counter. James Dougherty.
Joseph Hartman. John Kehoe,-deserted.
Rufus L. Colby,-died at Falmouth, Va., Feb. 7, 1863. Reuben Gale,-killed at the battle of Chancellorsville, Va., May 3, 1863. Horace W. Gleason.
Michael King,-deserted.
Daniel Sayers.
Henry C. Scott.
Jas. Welch,-wounded Aug. 16, 1864.
Charles H. Hinman, corporal.
Jonathan K. Kelsea,-died at Wash- ington, D. C., Jan. 24, 1864.
Fifth Regiment :-
Alphonzo Brochat,-wounded Apr. 7, 1855.
John Cochran.
Chas. W. Cowen,-promoted to sergt. April 1, 1855.
Edward Jones,-deserted.
Perkins H. Mott,-promoted to corp. then deserted.
John McCarter.
Antoni Robba,-deserted.
Benjamin Varney,-wounded April 7, 1865.
Fernando Hobbs,-died May 17, 1863. John S. Varney,-wounded Sept. 19, 1864. Richard Varney; - died in 1864 of wounds received at Winchester, Va. Killed there.
Sixth Regiment :-
Andrew Ballman,-wounded May 12, Fifteenth Regiment :- 1854. John Kimball,-died May 28, 1863. Charles M. Hosmer,-deserted. Jolın Wiggin.
Thomas JJones,-deserted.
Edw. Nero,-wounded June 22, 1864. First Regiment N. H. Cavalry :-
Edward Saliske,-deserted.
Edward I. Robie.
John Saunders,-deserted. John Smith.
First Regiment Heavy Artillery :- Leonard Colburn.
Edwin Fifield.
Osco H. French, corporal.
Proctor E. Harris.
Henry T. Latham, corporal. George M. Little.
Seventh Regiment :-
Henry D. Noyes.
Samuel Allen,-deserted.
Darius O. Swain, wounded. Dr. John F. Willey.
Twelfth Regiment :- Joseph M. Bixby . Charles H. Caswell.
Ezra Walton Libbey, musician. George W. Merrill, musician.
James M. Noyes,-wounded May 3, 1863; promoted sergt .; wounded severely May 14, 1864.
Lieut. Charles H. Sheldon,-wound- ed June 3, 1864; died of wounds, June 27, 1864.
Fourteenth Regiment :-
Joseph Tarbell,-wounded June 28, 1854. Samuel Wilson,-wounded May 12, 1864, died of wounds June 21, 1864.
* Gen. Natt Head is the grandson of Nathaniel Head, of Hooksett, who was a captain in the Revolution. He was Adjutant General during the whole war, and had great pride in New Hampshire soldiers, and did more than any other man to preserve their record. Through his efforts we are able to give so complete a list of the soldiers from Warren.
FT.Stuart.Boston ...
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511
RESULTS OF THE WAR.
pity 'tis " that our ancestors, soldiers of the revolution, could not have had the memory of their deeds as well preserved. Warren can be proud of her sons,
As one of the results of the war our town is staggering under the burden of an enormous debt; and the millions owed by the State and the nation make taxes high, and the poor to be oppressed. The bondholders are now in the hey-day of their glory.
One of the grand things that happened while the war was going on was the telegraph put up in Warren in 1862. Arthur Knapp erected the poles from Plymouth to Littleton. The opera- tor first had his office in W. S. Doggett's store, and then in Jewett & Eaton's, at the railroad crossing.
About this time, although not exactly in chronological order, happened a great boundary feud, like those of ancient time, be- tween our flourishing democracy and old Peeling, now called Woodstock. It occurred in the selectmenship of Jesse Little, Ira M. Weeks, and David Smith. ' The preceding year, and in fact for several successive years before, the dwellers in the East-parte regions would see the smoke of strange fires curling out of the woods on Mts. Kineo, Cushman, and Waternomee; but no one could tell what they were. Some said they were fishermen, some that they were deer stalkers ; and others that they were diamond hunters camping there; but this year it came out that they were parties of land surveyors from Woodstock.
Soon the selectmen got a notice that a hearing would be had at the Moosilauke House. It came off in the summer, and the citi- zens of Warren then learned what Woodstock claimed. By its charter, Woodstock was granted as nearly a square township, cut-
The following persons from Warren served in regiments out of this State, in some capacity :-
Capt. Dudley C. Bixby. Anson Chandler. Commodore Clifford. Rev. Addison W. Eastman.
Andrew Jackson. Merrill S. Lund,-died in the army.
Harvey Eames,-died in the army,- brought to Warren for burial.
Martın V. Libbey. Joseph Noyes. Delano Prescott.
Thomas Miles.
Charles N. Harris.
Charles Merrill.
Daniel French,-died in the army,- brought to Warren for burial.
George Miller.
Charles F. Bracey.
Hazen Libbey.
John T. Bailey.
Newell S. Martin.
George E. Swain.
Albe W. Merrill.
Thomas J. Clifford.
512
HISTORY OF WARREN.
ting a square of about six hundred acres out of the north east corner of Warren. Our democracy was chartered in the same manner, nearly square, and cutting about the same amount of land out of the south west corner of Woodstock. Warren was chartered first, but Woodstock had her charter on record first, and hence the controversy - which town should own that six hundred acres of land.
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