The history of Weare, New Hampshire, 1735-1888, Part 44

Author: Little, William, 1833-1893. cn
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Lowell, Mass., Printed by S. W. Huse & Co.
Number of Pages: 1240

USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Weare > The history of Weare, New Hampshire, 1735-1888 > Part 44

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).

Martha was a town charge for many years. She was vendued to this one and that,* was often sick, and the town paid many doctors' bills for her.

As has been said, the town warned out nearly all new comers, to prevent their gaining a residence and becoming a town charge. It also carried out actual paupers and left them in the towns from whence they came. In 1780 the town "paid Joseph Huse for Carr- ing the hogg family to Dunbarton £93 7s." The town of Dunbarton was indignant and had its constable, Israel Clifford, remove the Hoggs back to Weare, and paid him for carrying William Hogg

* " 1788 Mch 11. Martha Kimball Bid off to Edward Fifield for one year at ten pence pr weed."

Pd. Edward fifield for Doctring Martha Kimball. . 0: 9:0" " 1794 Pd. Doctor Butler for Doctoring Marth Kimball. 12 :18 :0 :0 "

385

TOWN PAUPERS.

1789.]

twelve shillings, and George with his family nine shillings .* But the town of Weare was not thus to be imposed upon and it soon treated its distinguished visitors to another free ride over the border.t

The Superior Court ordered Ephraim Hadley to pay, in 1789, six- teen shillings per month toward the support of Ephraim Emerson, another very young pauper. This young gentleman was boarded at the house of Joseph Webster, and the town paid Webster and col- lected the sum paid from Hadley.

A little after this the selectmen by vote of the town gave Joseph Basford with his lady a complimentary transportation "out of the town of Weare to his last place of abode as the law directs."

Thomas Sargent was sick and the town paid Dr. Asa Kittredge £7 19s. for doctoring him. He died and the selectmen charged four shillings for digging his grave.

Our town was never very heavily burdened with paupers. In 1802 only $44 was paid for their support. Hardly any thing ap- pears on the town books till 1816, when they had trouble about the Willets family at Loudon, and the John Kimball family at Hanover. To care for these impecunious persons, Ebenezer Peaslee, Moses Hodgdont and John Paige were chosen overseers of the poor.

The town of Hanover sued Weare for the support of the Kim- balls ; Abraham Morrill, and Samuel Eaton were chosen agents to defend. The case was vigorously contested, and Weare won it on some technicality. Then Hanover thought Morrill and Eaton had made themselves personally liable and so sued them. Weare choose

* Dunbarton, March 14, 1786. " Voted, To allow Israel Clifford's account .£0:12s : 0

brought in for carrying William Hogg to Weare, and allowed him.

" For warning out Mrs. Dawsonl. 0: 2: 0

" For warning out George Hogg. 0: 3: 0

" For carrying George Hogg and family to Weare .. 0: 9: 0

" Voted, Not to allow David Story's account against Joshua Folsome, but to sup- port said Story in bringing an action against said Folsome, for bringing said Hogg's family unlawfully into town."- Hist. of Dunbarton, p. 138.

t " 1785. Paid John Simons for carrying George Hogg and wife out of town, £1 : 2 : 0: 0" " betty Johnson out of town twise " was carried.

Į MOSES HODGDON, son of John and Susanah (Hussey) Hodgdon, was born at Weare Aug. 22, 1773. He received a common school education, was brought up a farmer, and inherited his father's farm. He was a man of splendid physique, six feet four inches in height and would weigh two hundred and fifty pounds. He was very ener- getic and took the lead in all his farming operations. In 1882 Hon. Jolin Hodgdon, his son, said of him, " He was the best farmer I ever saw; with him it was always ' Come Boys' and every one readily responded to the call; his energy was con- tagious." Mr. Hodgdon, like his father, was a member of the Society of Friends; tolerant and liberal-minded, generous and sympathetic in deed, but chary in words. 'He was a man of large property, partly inherited from his father, and much in- creased by himself. He was the largest stockholder in Concord bank and had much to do in the management of its affairs.

He married (1) Dorcas Neal Dow, Nov. 8, 1795. Issue, one son, Hon. John Hodgdon, and five daughters; (2) Hannah Roberts Austin. Issue, one son, Hon. Moses A. Hodg- don. Mr. Hodgdon died Sept. 8, 1841.

386

HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

[1824.

Josiah Danforth, lawyer, to help fight their suit at the expense of the town. The case was litigated for a long time and Hanover again beaten .*

Some county paupers lived in town and made considerable trouble. Zacheus Brooks, one of them, broke Samuel Sargent's windows, Sargent asked the town to pay for them but the voters refused to do it.

The selectmen sent Thomas Cilley, in charge of a messenger, home to Seabrook; Cilley's wife had died in Weare and they sent a bill for her funeral expenses, support, doctor's bill and Mr. Cilley's board, and demanded pay. They also demanded that the messen- ger's expenses be paid, all of which must have been exceedingly pleas- ant to that sea-side town.

It was becoming fashionable for towns to buy a poor farm and Weare must needs be in fashion. So at the annual town-meeting, in 1824, they chose Joseph Philbrick, William Whittle, Moses Hodgdon, James Baker and Abraham Morrill a committee to take the subject into consideration.

In 1825 they reported that a farm should be bought. The town continued them in office, and in 1826 they said they had changed their minds, that they were not in favor of buying a farm but of setting up an establishment for the poor. There were but eleven paupers this year. Mary Bailey, aged ninety-two, being the oldest and " Mary Matthewson, daughter of Sally Kinson, " aged two, the youngest .; In accordance with the report they were all let out to a contractor to be supported, and he was to buy books and send the children to school. This way of caring for the poor continued for twelve years. It was more humane than setting them on the auc- tion block and striking them off to the " loes" bidder who would keep them the cheapest.

Poor children were bound out when good places could be found for them. Clarinda Silley was thus apprenticed to Clark Bailey, who was to furnish her ample food, clothing and schooling. He did not comply with his agreement and was particularly derelict in not sending her to school. Moses Hodgdon was chosen to attend

* Weare beat Hanover in the last suit on the ground that the selectmen were the town's agents and acting within the scope of their authority, and consequently were not personally liable. When this suit was ended the original claim was outlawed and no further proceedings were had.

t Thomas Worthly, 89, Hannah Flood, 84, Sarah Collins, 81, were also some of the worthy poor.

387

THE TOWN FARM AND ITS REGULATIONS.

1838.]

to the matter and he put Mr. Bailey under bonds to give Clarinda as good schooling as anyone had.

At the annual meeting, in 1838, the subject of a poor farm was again agitated, and Osgood Paige, Abraham Morrill and Levi Gove were chosen a committee to examine and report what suitable farms could be had.

They attended to their duties at once. At a special meeting, held April 14th, they reported that they had examined the Wright farm, now owned by John Robie, containing about one hundred and sixty acres of good land, well fenced, well divided, an abundance of water, plenty of wood and timber, except pine, enough to make repairs, two good barns, but no house; price $3000. They had also examined the Abraham Morrill farm which was not quite so good. They added that they inquired and found that other towns who had bought farms had made a success of it. They concluded by saying, " We are bound by every principle of virtue and religion to mitigate, so far as possible, the sorrows and sufferings of the unfor- tunate poor, and we believe it can best be done on a farm."

The town accepted the report ; voted to buy a farm ; to hire the surplus revenue of the financial agent and pay for it ; that the above committee and the selectmen manage it for the ensuing year; that it also be a house of correction, and that Amos W. Bailey, Daniel Paige and Moses Peaslee draft and report suitable by-laws for the proper management and government of the same.

The committee did not buy either of the farms recommended ; they bought for $3000 the Eliphalet Cram place in the gore, a much wiser selection.

The committee on by-laws reported at the annual meeting, in 1839. The town accepted the report and established the following rules : 1, All the town's poor shall live at the farm and be under the charge of the selectmen and overseers of the poor ; 2, an agent of regular habits and good moral character shall be appointed each year to manage the establishment and take care of the inmates ; 3, the agent shall make all work who are able, shall stop all vicious and evil practices and shall furnish school books at the town's ex- pense for the children and send them to school; 4, religious instruc- tions shall be given the inmates once in two months by the various pastors of the town and each person shall have a bible and half an hour a day to peruse it; 5, one or more members of the board of selectmen, or overseers of the poor, shall visit the farm as often as

388

HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. [1839.

once in three months, make a thorough inspection and advise the agent ; 6, the agent shall keep an accurate account and render it at the end of his term; and 7, the selectmen, or overseers, shall make a full report to the town at the end of each year.

The committee also recited the law of 1828 about houses of cor- rection ; stated who might be sent to them, for how long and in what manner and how they might be punished. They could be treated like refractory children or placed in solitary confinement not exceeding forty-eight hours.

The pauper farm was soon in running order, Luther E. Gould was appointed the agent or superintendent of the same, the average number of paupers the first year was eighteen and one-third, and the expense of boarding, clothing and doctoring each pauper was about the enormous sum of forty-six cents a week. Abraham Mor- rill was the next agent ;* twenty-three and one-half paupers were supported, and the cost of each was forty-eight cents a week. The town voted to tax the poor farm, in 1840, a very wise idea, as if one could get rich by taking money out of one pocket and putting it into the other.

The citizens of Weare have always been much pleased with their poor farm and the light pauper expenses. In 1868 a few disaffected persons got a vote passed that the overseers of the poor should yearly make a full report so that the people could see for what the money was paid, and then they tried to pass a vote to sell the farm ; but the town refused to do it by a large majority. In 1872 another similar attempt was made but the town promptly dismissed the article.

The citizens have always opposed the county farm. In 1850 they voted 167 to 2 to sell it, and none voted in favor of the county farm system while 140 were against it. A resolution was passed in 1869 disapproving of county poor farms and censured dragging the poor away from their towns and subjecting them to strict discipline as

* AGENTS OF THE POOR FARM.

Luther E. Gould, 1839.

Abraham Morrill, 1840, 1841.

Nathan G. Cram, 1855, 1856, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865.

George W. Hoyt, 1857, 1858. James C. McIntire, 1866, 1867.

Joseph Cram, 1868, 1877, 1878.

Silas McKillips, 1869, 1870, 1871.

Luther E. Gould, 1872. Almus L. Sleeper, 1873, 1874, 1875.

Gorham P. Kendrick, 1847.

Leonard Cram, 1848, 1849. Ivers Smith, 1850.

George H. Jones, 1876. Frank P. Cram, 1879, 1880, 1881.

Daniel L. Beckman, 1851.

Harrison C. Flanders, 1882, 1883, 1884.

Almond Lufkin, 1852, 1853, 1854.

Dennis C. Peaslee, 1885, 1886.

Jacob K. Clark, 1842, 1843, 1844. Moses M. Cram, 1845. Thomas N. Gove. Moses M. Cram, 1846. Jacob K. Clark.

389

THE MINISTERIAL FUND.

1784.]

though they were criminals. They instructed their representatives to get the law establishing county farms repealed and to oppose the passage of any law to abolish town farms.

The town has always been liberal to its poor, but at the same time it has managed with strict economy. In 1818 Dr. Matthias Spaulding was paid $35 for operating on John Maxfield, and Josiah Gutterson $3 for a truss for Maxfield. In 1811 Winthrop Colby received $2 for a coffin and William Eastman $1.50 for digging a pauper's grave. In 1819 $4 were paid for two coffins and $2 for two graves. Compare these sums with the hundreds of dollars paid for fashionable city funerals and one can see what the actual ex- pense might be, and what is paid to minister to the pride and vanity of the living.

CHAPTER XLVII.

THE MINISTERIAL FUND.

THE Lord Proprietors, as has been told, reserved lot one in the second range and one in the fifth range for the minister, and lot six- teen in the fourth and sixth ranges for the ministry or to support preaching.

The preachers of Weare, who were numerous, wanted the income for pay and it was a great study with them and the elders and deacons of the church how to get the largest amount possible.

The ninth article in the warrant for the annual meeting, in 1781, was "to see if the town will chose a committee to let out the minis- ter lot near Isaac Sargent's to be fenced and improved and the pro- phets returned to the Yause of the town if any"; but the voters refused to do it.

The town, in 1784, chose John Robie, Timothy Worthley and Oba- diah Eaton a committee to take care of the parsonage lots. The next year John Robie and John Hodgdon took care of them, and after that the selectmen performed that duty for several years. In 1788 John Robie, Ebenezer Breed and Samuel Brooks Tobie* were

* SAMUEL BROOKS TOBIE was born in 1749. Who his parents were we have never been able to learn. At an early age he was bound out to Jonathan Dow, with whom lie lived till he was twenty-one.

He then married Elisabeth, daughter of Lieut. Samuel Caldwell, set up housekeep- ing on the bank of Toby brook and shortly after opened a store.

But he soon turned his attention to farming, bought a fertile lot of land on Toby

390

HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

[1787.

a committee to take care of the public lands. The income of these lots was small at this time. One year the town gave Isaac Sargent the income of one on which he had made a clearing and in 1787 Benjamin Silly paid eight shillings for the income of the lot near his house.

The town settled a minister, Rev. Amos Wood, in 1788, and they voted that he should have his choice of either of the minister lots and the income of the remainder of the ministerial lands as long as he performed the ministry of the whole town. The reverend man selected lot. one, range two. Soon after the town chose John Robie to take a quit-claim deed of Mr. Wood of the other minister lot which the town reserved. It is doubtful if Mr. Robie got the deed.

Quakers were often on the committee to take care of the minister and ministry lands, yet the town would not give that sect its share of the income from them. It also twice voted, first in 1791 and again in 1802, not to set off a part of the parsonage land to the Quakers, although they petitioned for it. In 1803 voted to divide

hill and selected the site of his future home at the suggestion of an old hunter named Martin, who told him of a never failing spring near by. He first built a long shed; with a room at one end to live in; his stock were housed in the other end and the hay was stored in the middle. He felled with his own hands the first tree on his farm, and with the aid of his wife cleared his first acre. She was in the habit of working " out doors and in." Wolves and bears came round his house at night and he caught many of the latter in traps. The halloo of the bear and the howl of the wolves was common inusic on Toby hill in those early days. His nearest neighbor was his former master, Jonathan Dow. Mr. Tobie soon began a new framed house, built one room at first then added a room at a time till there were five. Into these primitive dwellings his wife moved her furniture, the finest in town, for her father gave her a splendid outfit. Many of her curious dishes are still preserved.

Mr. Tobic was a man of fine ability and a curious genius as well. He was deter- inined to keep people alive to the fact that he lived in town. He bought a large cow bell, with a tone so clear and loud that on a calm day it could be distinctly heard on Center Square; the bell is still preserved. He drove a pair of bay horses, very fleet and high spirited. He called them his colts, named them " Rock " and " Yallar " and with them would drive at a Jehu pace over the hills of Weare. He was very much attached to them, and they showed an affection for him. When he was a little tipsy, and he often got that way, he would lie down on the ground under them, bite their heels and tickle them. They seemed to understand the situation, enjoyed it and never gave him the least injury. He kept them nearly forty years, till they died of old age and always called them his colts.

He was usually gentle in disposition but was terrible in his anger, and it was cn- during. Once a lien scratched up his garden, He tied her up by one leg to a tree and let her hang till she was dead. A boy who worked for him enraged him fearfully and he gave him such a whipping that he could not get up for three hours. He had some trouble with David Gove, his neighbor, and Tobie vowed that Gove should not travel by his house ; he built up a solid stone wall across the highway. There was no re- cord that a road had ever been laid out there and neither the highway surveyor nor the selectmen could take the wall down ; it stood. Mr. Tobie and his wife would fre- quently have a falling out and then they would not speak to each other for wecks at a time. He would often have hired men at work for hini; he would go in, set down tlic saddle bags for a luncheon, his wife would fill them ; not-a word said. Mrs. Tobie fell through the trap door down cellar. Tobie never got up from his chair but asked at the top of his voice if she wanted any help. He would never read his newspaper if any one happened to look at it before he did.

Uncle Tobie, as he was familliarly called, and his wife had unbounded hospitality for those whom they liked. When guests arrived to spend the evening Aunt Tobic would begin at the foundation to make mince pies by boiling the meat, chopping the apples and preparing the crust, while Uncle Tobie would kill a turkey and light a fire in the great brick oven to make a first course for the grand turkey supper which

391

SAMUEL BROOKS TOBIE.

1803.]

it among the religous societies that have a legal claim to it, and in 1805 "to divide the interest of the parsonage and ministerial lots among the several regular and constitutional christian societies in Weare agreeable to charter." The town held that the Quakers were not a regular and constitutional society. Such votes were passed every few years for more than half a century .*

There were two churches in town, one at the south, the other at the north-east, and the last thought it would be best to divide the lands among the religious societies that have a legal claim to it. April 25, 1803, the town voted to make such division and chose Jon- athan Atwood, Jr., Ezekiel Cram, Abraham Melvin, Samuel Paige, James Emerson and Jonathan Edmunds a committee to appoint three persons, not inhabitants of Weare, to divide it. They did not appoint, but nominated Robert Alcock, Benjamin Pierce, father of the President, and Joshua Morse and the town chose them to make the division.

would be served at four o'clock in the morning. Aunt Tobie got hundreds of such suppers during her long life.

Uncle Tobie, when he was so disposed, was a man of haughty mien and kingly bearing. He was disowned by the society of Friends for his drinking habits. Being present when the committee reported that they had concluded to deny him the right of membership, he rose, bowed in the most stately manner, said " Gentlemen, I thank you " and withdrew.

Mr. Tobie had the respect and esteem of his townsmen. They often chose him to positions of trust, elected him eight times moderator at the annual town-meetings, and sent him for seven years as their representative to the legislature. When he was attending a session at Portsmouth one of his colleagues asked him, "Haven't they better men in Weare than you?" "O! plenty of them " he replied, " but they thought I was good enough to send into such company." At his boarding-house table they asked him what he wanted; he said he " wanted the best they had got, even if it was a baked minister." One year he had to work hard for his election. Benjamin Felch opposed him and labored all day to prevent it. After Tobie was declared elected he invited his friends to Whittle's tavern to take something. Mr. Felch was dry, he followed over, shook hands with Tobie and congratulated him on his success. Tobie winked to Charles Chase, the bar-tender, and whispered "give him a rotten egg in his." Chase broke one into a generous tumbler and told Felch to down with it quick which he did. It came up as quick as it went down, spluttered all over Felch's clothes and he put for home feeling a little the neatest of any man in the world. The next time Felch met Chase he said "Uncle Tobie is a nice man, he is, a nice man ; but Charles Chase you're the devil, you are."

Uncle and Aunt Tobie never had any children. They adopted a son who died in Newbury, many years ago. They also adopted Betsey McNeil, Mrs. Tobie's neice. Betsey married a Mr. Mudget and her daughter Esther, who married Nathan Phil- brick, inherited the farm.

Mr. Tobie selected his burial-place on the hill-top, not far from his dwelling. He died Jan. 31, 1836, aged 87 years. On his tombstone is this inscription :-

As you are now, So once was I, Possessed of activity, As I am now so you must be Therefore prepare to follow me.

His wife survived him many years. She had a habit of sitting for hours with a dictionary before her, looking out the meaning of words that were unfamiliar to her. She continued this practice aslong as she lived. Despite her life of toil, her quarrels with her husband and the nervousness and anxiety they produced, and all her hearty midnight suppers, she lived to a good old age and died Aug. 19, 1848, aged 99 years, 2 months, 8 days.

* 1810, March 13. Voted that the Friends should not have any part of the securities or money which lot one was sold for.

392

HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

[1804.

They attended to their duties and made a report to the town. But the opponents of the plan rallied, it was not accepted and the division was not made. There was much ill-feeling about it and the whole labor went for naught. It had become evident to the major- ity that the only way to realize anything substantial was to sell the lots and put the money at interest.

So at the annual meeting, in 1804, the town voted to sell* the par- sonage and minister lands, and each "persuation " to have an equal proportion of the interest arising from the proceeds. At a special meeting, April 23d, chose William Whittle, Jonathan Atwood, Jr., John Page and Richard Philbrick a committee to sell the parsonage land, viz: lots sixteen in the fourth and sixth ranges. This action excited intense opposition, and nearly every man in the north-east portion of the town signed a petitiont to the selectmen to call a town-meeting. Aug. 27th, to see if the action cannot be reconsidered. But they could not change it, although Humphrey Eaton stoutly protested against the sale. Sept. 17th the committee sold at auction lot sixteen, range six, to Aaron Cilley for $2408 and con- veyed it to him by a lease. Sept. 24th they sold, the same way, lot sixteen, range four, to Stephen Gove for $1688.

But the opponents of the sale were determined to make trouble. They got Rev. John Cayford, who had recently been settled as a Congregationalist minister in town, to move onto lot sixteen, range six, and claim it. Aaron Cilley had to bring a suit against the rev- erend gentleman to dispossess him. The town proposed to assist him, and a meeting was held Oct. 14th, to see what should be done.

* In 1801 the town voted to sell the ministerial lot and the parsonage lot joining Center Square, and chose Elijah Butler, Capt. George Hadley and John Robie a com- mittee to make the sale. They did not act at once and at a special meeting Jan. 18, 1802, the vote was reconsidered.

t " To the honorable Select Men of Weare humbly showeth. -

" that whereas in time past there has been a vote in the town of Weare to sell the Parsonage Lands in the town at publick auction contrary as we believe to the intent purport or design in the charter of the town we the subscribers request your honors to call a mecting as soon as may be warning all the legal inhabitants of the town of Weare except the people denominated as Quakers or friends to see if the sale cannot be reconsidered please to insert it as one article in your warrant for a meeting to be held on the twenty seventh of August Instant

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.

The history of Weare, New Hampshire, 1735-1888, Part 44

Author: Little, William, 1833-1893. cn Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Lowell, Mass., Printed by S. W. Huse & Co. Number of Pages: 1240

Author: Little, William, 1833-1893. cn
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Lowell, Mass., Printed by S. W. Huse & Co.
Number of Pages: 1240