USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Weare > The history of Weare, New Hampshire, 1735-1888 > Part 16
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Colonel Goffe was a fine soldier, and was the military teacher of the Rogerses, the Todds, the Hazens, the Stevenses, the Starks, and that host of brave soldiers all of whom took part in the Seven Years' war and the Revolution.
He was a man of marked character, full of energy and enterprise. Through all the military grades from private to colonel, the highest office in the gift of the Province, he sustained the character of an energetic and brave soldier, and won his promo- tions by actual service in the field. He never failed to receive the hearty commenda- tions of his superior officers.
At the breaking out of the Revolution he espoused the cause of the people. Gov- ernor Wentworth, who had favored him by office and grants, thought to control him, and was much chagrined when the colonel told him he was wrong in his course. The Governor was mad, lost his self-control and abused Colonel Goffe, when the latter seized the Governor, and would have thrown him from the room had not friends interfered.
Colonel Goffe was a religious man. For many years when there were no meetings in town he held services at his own house, and thither persons from all the neighbor- ing towns resorted for worship. It was said "he was apt in exhortation and prayer." He was generous, paid freely toward building and repairing the meeting-
132
HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
[1764.
the meeting to order and presided as moderator, an honorable posi- tion. It must be filled, for without this officer the business can not go on. By the law he could say who should speak and who not. He had the power of the Province behind him to keep order. All must be silent at his request under penalty of five shillings, and no one should interrupt an orderly speaker. He read the charter, and the first thing the town did they voted to accept it. They were now a body corporate, and they went on with the business.
They decided to choose the officers by "pool " [poll]. This was by counting the heads of those who rose in favor of a nomina- tion, and then of those who rose against it. Sometimes those in favor went to one side of the room, and those opposed to the other, and there their heads were counted.
They voted that the selectmen should have no pay for labor except for charges " born" by the town. There was a law for this, and then if a selectman accepted the office he could collect nothing for his services.
Chose Jeremiah Corliss town clerk. His duties at that time were to keep an account at the meeting of all votes passed and officers chosen; to make a fair record of the same; to record births, mar- riages and deaths, and all acts of the town officers.
Voted to have five selectmen this year. The law was optional about the number. In 1636, the General Court enacted that every town should have the power and liberty to choose prudential men, not exceeding seven, to order the affairs of the town. These were at first called " the seven men," then "town's men," then " towns men select," and finally " selectmen."*
Chose Capt. Nathaniel Martin, John Mudgett, Moses Quimby, Jeremiah Corliss and Moses Gile, selectmen. They were to assess taxes, pay town charges for preaching, for schools, and the sup- port of the poor. They hired the minister, took care of the
house, for preaching, and no worthy person went from his door without experienc- ing his hospitality.
Goffstown and Goffe's Falls, so called for Colonel Goffe, will hand down the name to posterity. He married Hannalı Griggs, by whom he had several daughters, onc of them Marcie, the wife of Nathaniel Martin, the first settler of Weare, and one son, Maj. John Goffe, an officer both in the French war and the Revolution, who lived in Bedford.
Colonel Goffe dicd Oct. 20, 1786, in Derryfield. In the old grave yard in Bedford, there rest side by side the mortal remains of Jolin Goffe, Esq., Col. John Goffe and Maj. John Goffe. At the right hand side of each repose the ashes of their wives .- Ilist. of Bedford, p. 242 ; Hist. of Manchester, p. 518; Adjt .- Gen.'s Report, vol. ii, 1866, p. 79.
* The first town-meeting held in this country was in Charlestown, Mass., February, 1634-5. Eleven selectmen were chosen with power to act for one year, with advice of pastor and teacher in every case of conscience.
C
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133
FIRST TOWN-MEETING.
1764.]
meeting-house, and had the whole charge of the schools and school- houses. They laid out and made roads and built bridges.
Chose Ens. Jacob Jewell, Jonathan Clement, Thomas Worthley and William Darling, surveyors of highways. They were to work out the highway taxes, thus keeping the roads in repair in summer and well broke out in winter.
Chose John Jewell constable. This was a high office. The town could choose as many as they pleased, but one was enough for this year. By direction of the selectmen constables warned the town-meetings, collected the taxes, warned poor people out of town, could serve writs for small sums and make arrests.
Chose Josiah Brown and Jonathan Clement " Committy men." They were auditors to look over the town accounts to see that they were rightly kept and cast, and the business done correctly.
Chose Aaron Quimby assessor to take the "Invoys " [inventory]. The selectman usually did this, and why they should depart from the usual custom is not clear. It was done differently then from what it is now. They were well acquainted with every man, knew how much property he had, and without going about they set against his name the amount he ought to pay, omitting those too poor, and gave the list to the constable to collect. It was no proof a man did not live in town that his name did not appear in the tax list.
Chose Abraham Johnson and Asa Heath "Hogh Reafs" [hog- reeves ]. The law said swine were not to run at large from April 1st to Oct. 1st, without some protection to the public, and these officers were to yoke and ring hogs. Two hog-reeves must be chosen each year. The yoke was of wood, to be as long above the neck as the depth of the neck, and one-half as long below; the ring to be a strong, flexible wire inserted in the top of the nose, the ends so twisted as to project an inch above, to prevent rooting. At first this office meant something, then it became a burlesque, all "new- married men" being elected hog-reeves.
Chose Nathaniel Corliss tithing man. He was to keep good order in church during divine service and make complaints of any disorderly conduct. He was an effectual bug-bear to juvenile church-goers. He was also to inspect licensed houses and inform of all disorders in them, look after all idle persons and vagabonds, profane swearers, Sunday travelers and Sabbath breakers generally, to arrest and punish them. As a badge of his office he carried a
1
134
HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
[1764.
black staff two feet long, tipped at one end for about three inches with brass or pewter. Two were generally chosen in Weare, one for the north meeting-house and one for the south, or may be one for up-stairs and one for down, in the meeting-house.
"put to vot to raise money for preaching and voted to the Nega- tive."
Voted £48 old tenor to Colonel Goffe for his trouble and charges in getting the charter, and £18 of the same kind of poor depreciated currency "for swearing the officers and other trobles." They then adjourned.
Aaron Quimby at once took the "Invoys." He knew what property each man had, and did not go to look at it. Then he sat down and made out a tax list, placing against each man's name the sum he thought he ought to pay. Some who were poor and had no cash he did not tax at all. He also left off Zephania Pettee, Samuel Johnson, Ebenezer Mudgett, merchant and new-comer, and several others. The town had voted to raise £66 old tenor, and to get it he assessed the voters £405 12s. 2d. It was probably collected, but they have given us no account of what they did with the surplus .*
The constable is next recorded as having done a duty in his line! This is it : Capt. Nathaniel Martin took up a stray horse, had it prized according to law, paid to himself for "taking up" £2, to Jeremiah Allen for administering the oath to the appraisers, £1; for drawing up the prize bill, £1; "carrying the cries to the constable," and "clark" £1; "to the prizers" £1, to the "clark " for entering it on the town book, 16s .; to the constable for setting up
* THE TAX LIST .- FIRST INVENTORY .- The citizens were thus taxed : -
£
S.
d.
£
S.
d.
James Emerson.
6
10
0
Thomas Worthly
.16
4
5
Jonathan Clement.
.12
16
8
Paul Dustin ..
6
0
0
Ezra Clement.
6
10
0
William Dustin.
.13
4
5
Jotham Tuttle
7
10
0
Jeremiah Allen, Esq.
4
5
Stephen George ..
8
0)
0
John Jewell ..
14
5
Thomas Worthley.
6
0
0
Moses Quimbe. 12
0
0
Jonatham Atwood.
10
4
5
Samuel Nut.
9
10
0
Caleb Atwood.
11
0
0
James Dicke ..
6
0
0
Josiah Brown.
8
0
0
John Mudget.
9
4
5
Stephen Emerson ..
.24
17
5
Asa Heath.
9
0
0
Stephen Emerson, Jr
5
0
0
John Simons.
8
0
0
Moses Gille.
.15
10
0
William Hutchins
8
0
0
Benoni Coburn
6
0
0
Insine Jacob Jewell
8
4
5
Moses Huse.
8
10
0
1
13
4
Joshua Corlles,
9
0
0
Aaron Quimbe
10
0
0
Nathaniel Corlles
7
0
0
William Quimbe.
9
10
0
Caleb Emery.
6
0
0
Bond Little ...
6
0
0
Timothy Corless.
8
10
0
William Sniitlı.
14
5
Timothy Corlles, Jr
10
0
Abraham Johnson.
0
0
Jeremiah Corlles ..
.11
10.
0
Joshua Mackesfeld.
5
0
0
Joshua Martin.
1
0
0
Ebenezer Bayly ..
9
0
0
Captain Nathaniel Martin . .17
9
5
George Little ..
7
11
6
..
.15
19
135
LAYING OUT HIGHWAYS.
1764.]
said cries £2. The horse, not very valuable, was "prized" at £40. This money was all old tenor. The "setting up the cries" was the most important part, and the constable should have the most credit. There was much pure satisfaction in doing these things under the charter .*
The selectmen also acted their part, and at once laid out two highways. The first began at New Boston line, on the road that leads from Moses Little's to Jonathan Clement's grist-mill, and ran north up the Piscataquog by James Emerson's, Abraham Johnson's, Capt. Nathaniel Martin's, over the bridge that crosses the river, by Stephen Emerson's, Moses Gile's and Samuel Johnson's, to Joshua Maxfield's land.
The second led from Jonathan Clement's grist-mill, crossed the river near it (did they have a bridge there then ?) and ran west by Jonathan Clement's, over Otter brook, by Jotham Tuttle's, Zeph- aniah Pettee's, Thomas Worthley's, Ebenezer Mudgett's, Aaron Quimby's, crossed Meadow brook, by Nathaniel Corliss', Timothy Corliss', Josiah Brown's, Moses Quimby's, Jacob Jewell's, over the Peacock, by John Jewell's and Ebenezer Bailey's, to Asa Heath's land. These, the first laid-out highways in town, were only cart paths through the woods, with stumps still standing, hills ungraded and streams unbridged.t
* " December the 18: 1764. Taken up by Cpt Nathaniel Martin of Weare a Stray Horse Supposed to be about Six or Seven years old and is prised acording to Law to Cpt Marten for Taking up Said Horse 2 pounds old Tenor To administrin an oth to the prisers-1 pound old Tenor To the prisers of said Horse one pound old Tenor to Drawing up Said prise bill one pound old Tenor To the Clark for his Entering it upon Town Book 16 Shillings To the Constoble for Setting up Said creyes 2 pounds old Tenor to cariing Said cries to the Constoble and Clark one pound old Tenor Said Horse was prised at forty Pounds old Tenor Said Crys and prise bill
" JEREMIAH ALLEN ESQR
" A true Record by me JEREMIAH CORLLES Town Clark."
t The first highway laid out by the selectmen of Weare, after the incorporation of the town, was from New Boston line up the Piscataquog river to the south end of lot 70, in the 3d range, and is thus recorded, -"A Highway begining at New Boston line on a road that Leads from Moses Littles, Near to Jonathan Clem- ents Grismill and Running Chefly Northerly to End that now is, Running to the west of James Emersons House and so on to the west of Abraham Jolinsons House from thence to the East of Capt. Nathaniel Martins House and from thence to the Bridge that crosses the River and to the East of Stephen Emersons House and from thence to the west of Moses Gilles House and from thence to the East of Samuel Johnsons House and from thence to Joshua Macksfield Land "
"a Highway leading from the first, begining Near Jonathan Clements griss Mill crossing the River near said Griss Mill and Runing Chefly Westerly, to the South of said Jonathan Clements House and from thence to the Northest of Jotham Tuttles House and from thence to the Souwest of Zepheniah Pettes House, so on to the South of Thomas Worthlys House and from thence to the South of Ebenezer Mugets House and from thence North of Aaron Qumbes and from thence to the North of Nathaniel Corlles House and from thence South of Timothy Corlles and North of Josiah Browns House and from thence to Moses Qumbes and from thence to Jacob Jewells South of the House to the South of John Jewells House and so on South of Ebenezer Bayles House and from thence to Asa Heath's Land" This was nearly the same as the present road from Oil Mill leading by Abraham Melvin's, 2d, Rodney Emerson's, the post-office, church, 'Squire Gove's, Eben B. Bartlett's, to lot 43 in the Ist range.
136
HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
[1765.
The very next spring they enjoyed their new " Prebilidgs " once more by holding the annual town-meeting. The selectmen made out the warrant* for it. It was directed to the new constable, John Mudgett, who was required to notify and warn all the legal voters, of the time and place of the meeting and the business to be done. He did this by posting a copy of the warrant in some public place.
The meeting was held March 12, 1765, at Jeremiah Allen's inn. Paul Dustin was chosen moderator, and then, as was the custom, they had a prayer. What a motley array must have risen up before the man of God ! Hats of skins, fur on, and woolen night-caps, doffed and held under their arms, their faces unshaven, hair un- kempt and uncombed, many with moose-hide or sheep-skin trousers, some with their leather aprons, all with short sheep's-gray frocks ; and heavy boots or moccasins on their feet. They bowed their un- covered heads reverently while the minister raised his voice in prayer.
Then amid some noise and confusion, many talking at the same time, they elected new men to the offices filled at the first meeting, and in addition chose :-
Aaron Quimby, " howerd" [hayward]. His duty was to take up and impound neat cattle and other domestic animals found unlaw- fully running at large in the highway or on the common land. The fee was one shilling a head for puttting horses and neat cattle in the pound, and three pence for each sheep and swine, to be paid by the owners.
* The record made by the town clerk is imperfect, but the following shows what was done : -
" PROVINCE OF - To John Mudget Constable of Weare Greting: In his Majesty's NEW HAMPSHIRE , name you are hereby required to notify and warn all the inhabi- tants of the town of Weare, qualified by law to vote in town affairs to meet at the house of Esqr Jeremiah Allen in said town on Tuesday the twelfth day of March next at ten of the clock on said day : to act on the following particulars :
" 1St to choose a moderator for said meeting,
"2d to choose all town officers for the ensuing year as the law directs
"3dly to see how much money the town will raise to defray town charges for the ensuing year
"4th to act upon anything else they shall think needful when niet.
" Hereof fail not but make due return of your so doing at or before the eleventh day of March next. Given under our hands and seals this twenty first day of Feb- ruary Anno Domini, 1765 and in the fifthi year of his Majesty's reign
" JOHN MUDGET MOSES QUIMBE Selectmen. JEREMIAHI CORLLES
" A true record by me JEREMIAH CORLLES, Town Clark.
" PROVINCE OF 1 Weare February 26, 1765. By virtue of this within warrant I NEW HAMPSHIRE , have warned all the free holders in Weare to meet at the time and place within mentioned.
"By me JOHN MUDGET, Constable for Weare.
" A true record by me JEREMIAH CORLLES Town Clark."
137
FIRST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING.
1765.]
Caleb Atwood and Abraham Johnson, field drivers. Their duty was the same as haywards, and we can only account for the selec- tion of the latter on the ground that the voters did not know exactly what they were about, nor that the words "howerd " and "field driver " were synonymes.
Samuel Nutt and Capt. Nathaniel Martin, fence viewers. They divided line fences, and did other duties like those done by such officers now.
Moses Gile and Jonathan Atwood, cullers of lumber, to perform the same duties as surveyors of lumber.
"Insine " Jacob Jewell and Asa Heath, deer-keepers, to see that deer should only be killed at such seasons as would not diminish their in- crease. The law said " deer reeves." should be elected every year, but gentlemen Jewell and Heath attended to their duties so well that the office was at once unpopular, the citizens refusing ever after to fill it .* Venison was a great luxury, and the settlers must have meat.
James Emerson, " sealer of mesers," commonly called sealer of weights and measures. He probably did nothing but hold office, for it was many years before the town got a set of weights and meas- ures with which their duties could be performed.
John Mudgett, sealer of leather; he might have been a tanner, but more likely he was the shoemaker.
Jonathan Clement, keeper of the charter, a very important office, not provided for by law, somewhat similar to that of the keeper of the great seal of England. But the charter was not so well kept, in time it got mislaid, lost, and now it can not be found.t
The fourth article in the warrant was " to act upon any thing else they shall think needful when met." Under this they voted to build a pound near Aaron Quimby's house ; to free Joshua Maxfield, James Dicke and Stephen George from paying rates the past year ; to excuse Timothy Corliss, Sr., from paying rates the ensuing year ; to raise £80 old tenor for preaching, to be had at the house of Esquire Allen, and £50 to defray town charges.
And now their measure of happiness was completely filled, for almost every man held town office.
* By the law of 1741, it was a crime to kill deer between the last day of December and the first day of August; fine £10; if not able to pay, then to work forty days for the government; for second offense fifty days. Deer-keepers had the power to enter and search all places where they thought skins or flesh of deer unlawfully killed, might be concealed.
t Other offices filled in after years, were corder of wood, culler of staves, representa- tive, overseer of the poor, school committee, treasurer, fish warden, supervisor.
138
HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
[1765.
They let all male citizens, twenty-one years old, who had a resi- dence, vote in Weare. Ours was a pure democracy, no class distinc- tions. In old Puritan times, one to be a freeman and a voter was legally required to be a respectable member of some Congregational church. Persons also might be made freemen by the General Court, and also by the courts of the county. None but freemen could hold office or vote for rulers. All these requisites were obsolete in our town.
But they had a few property qualifications. A voter must be a freeholder or have other taxable estate to the value of £20. Only owners of real estate could vote to settle a minister and fix his salary, yet they taxed all, no matter how poor, to pay it, - a slight injustice. To vote for a representative one must own real estate to the value of £50, and to be a representative one must have real estate to the value of £300. Even these requisites were generally a dead letter ; besides it did not take much real estate to be worth £300 old tenor, the money was so depreciated.
Stephen Coben, from New Boston, miserably poor and exceed- ingly shiftlesss, was a new settler about this time. There was a law that poor people could be " warned out of town," and thus pre- vented from getting a "pauper settlement," or in other words, "gain- ing a residence." Here was the opportunity, and our town among its other " prebilidgs " must exercise it. And so the selectmen or- dered John Mudgett, constable, "to warrne Stephen Coben & his Wife Mary with their Children Susanna: Thomas: phebe : Charles & Sarah to depart from this town to New Boston the place of their last Resedends from whence they came to prevent there being a charge to the town."
The constable did the work at once and made a return to the town clerk that he had warned "the parsons " to depart out of this town to the place from whence they came.
It soon became the custom to warn out nearly all new comers, both rich and poor. It was an act of precaution to save expense. Folks were firmly told to go, but the officers knew they would not and did not wish them to. It was done in perfect good nature and was received in the same spirit.
When paupers were really fixed on the town they were sometimes "rode out," on a rail perhaps, to make them hate the citizens, so they would not come back. Occasionally they were carried away and left somewhere so far off they could not easily get back. The town
139
FIRST LAWS.
1765.]
officers hired it done, and it is told that in a neighboring town they paid a man five dollars to carry one to his former place of residence. But the selectmen of that town did not want the burden, and they cunningly gave the driver six dollars to take the pauper back, which he did, much to the disgust of his first patrons. Paupers were often hired for a small sum to leave town, which was a good idea, when they stayed away.
A little democracy like ours, among other things, must do some legislating. At one of the first town-meetings it was enacted "that the common ox Sleds Should be four feet betwixt Joynts, that is used," and "that 5s. fine for any that shall use under."
A second law was as follows: "the fece [fence] to be four feet high." No penalty was attached.
Then they made laws about horses, cattle, sheep and swine run- ning at large, and no doubt the proper officers they elected saw that they were enforced.
In due time Aaron Quimby built a pound, he being chosen by the town for that purpose. It was made of logs, with a stout plank door, and stood on the north road from South Weare to Oil Mill, about one-half mile east of Meadow brook. Stephen Emerson was appointed a committee "to prize the worth of Building the pound," and he brought in 18s. lawful money, which was paid. This was for domestic animals.
But our early citizens never set up any stocks, pillory, or whipping- post, house of correction or jail, for men; they did not need them. They had these things at Amherst and other more pious towns further south.
Our body politic, the town corporate, was now well established. Its state machinery was in good running order, its officers fast learning to perform their duties, and "taxes sure as death" were raised.
We shall now go on to show how it exercised some other "prebi- lidgs," and then, with augmented numbers, took part in the great contest of the Revolution.
140
HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
[1765.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE FIRST CHURCH.
HALESTOWN grant provided for a minister, the ministry and a meeting-house. Robiestown grant did the same thing. What the town proprietors did for these things we can not tell, as the record has not come down to us.
At the first town-meeting the subject of raising inoney for the support of preaching came up, but it passed to the negative. At the first annual meeting, voted to raise £80 old tenor for preaching, and that it be at the house of Esquire Allen.
Who preached the first sermon in Weare? When and where did the Robiestown proprietors, if at all, build the first meeting-house ? We have found no one who could answer these questions. The memory of them is buried in the grave along with the generation who heard the sermon and built the house.
But the vote of £80 brought a goodly number of ministers to Weare, although it is hardly probable, they were the first. Samuel Haven of Portsmouth, John Strickland of Andover, Mass., John Houston of Bedford, a stout loyalist in the time of the Revolution, and David McGregor, a sturdy Scotch-Irishman from Londonderry, came to our town in 1765 and preached. They were paid £1 4s. each for their services. They were staunch Presbyterians or Con- gregationalists, were out on missionary trips, but they formed no society and founded no church.
The next year, 1766, the town voted £10 lawful money for preaching, chose Stephen Emerson a committee man to " hier " a gospel minister, and appointed Ebenezer Mudgett's house as the place to have the preaching. Mr. Mudgett had bought out Esquire Allen, and it was the most convenient and central place for the meeting.
Elders Hezekiah Smith* of Haverhill, Mass., and Samuel Hovey
* Elder Hezekiah Smith was the pastor of the Baptist church at Haverhill, Mass. He was born on Long Island, New York, April 21, 1737, of pious and reputable par- ents. He received his public education at Princeton college, where he graduated in 1762, and took his master's degree in 1765. He spent some time in travel for the benefit of his health. He was ordained at Charleston, S. C., as an evangelist, after which he traveled the first year in the United States more than four thousand miles, and preached about two hundred times. He made many missionary tours from Haverhill, often coming to Weare, and his preaching was attended with remarkable success. He was endowed with a commanding presence, rare social qualities and pulpit talent. He preached without notes; and his plain and practical sermons, able expositions of Scripture, strong voice and impressive manner drew together large audiences. He was a firm friend of Brown university, traveled through the country and collected large sums for its benefit, and in 1797, it conferred upon him the hon- orable degree of Doctor of Divinity. He died Jan. 24, 1805, aged 68 years. - Hist. of Haverhill, p. 584.
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