USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Windham > The history of Windham in New Hampshire (Rockingham country). 1719-1883. A Scotch settlement (commonly called Scotch-Irish), embracing nearly one third of the ancient settlement and historic township of Londonderry, N.H > Part 33
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293
PROMINENT TRAITS OF THE SCOTCH CHARACTER.
The Derry fair was held after the model of the Enniskillen fairs in Ireland. To it, as to a common centre of attraction, flocked the inhabitants of the surrounding towns, counties, and States. Londonderry thus became a great depot of live stock, agricultural products, and manufactures, brought together by their owners, to be sold, bartered, or exchanged. Amusements formed no small part of the exercises of the day. Horse-racing and trotting, foot-racing and wrestling, had their appropriate hours ; and these fairs holding three days, the evenings were spent in social gatherings, love-making, marriages, and the like, with their accompaniments, music and dancing. At these social gath- erings, the customs of the Scotch, Irish, and Yankees were blended together ; and the Scotch jig. Highland fling, Irish reel, and Yankee breakdown were blended together in innocent merry- making.
We have yet to learn that this industrious, honest, and warm- hearted people were worse for these merry-makings. Sure are we that one result of these fairs has been not only superior agri- cultural, mechanical, and manufacturing skill, but an honest, stal- wart race of men, whose superiors are not to be found in our land.
These fairs often brought 10,000 people together, 2,000 head of cattle of all kinds, and $10,000 worth of the produce of "the farm, the loom, and the anvil."
The language spoken by our ancestors in Windham and London- derry was not the pure English. They spoke the Scotch dialect, and at least two honored sons of Windham, -William Dinsmoor and his son, Robert Dinsmoor, the "Rustic Bard," - wrote in that tongue, and have thus perpetuated the language of old Scotia for the benefit of posterity. Though the rich brogue has died out, yet it was common in the accent of our grandfathers and grandmothers. When Dr. Morison, of Londonderry (who could speak and write in Gaelic), preached before the Legislature of New Hampshire, it was proposed to print a number of copies of the sermon, when a member arose and wished to have the number increased, "pro- vided they would print the brogue."
The settlers here were of a heroic mold. Their fathers and ancestors belonged to a race of heroes-were heroes, and had, in Scotland and Ireland, battled against powerful odds.
They themselves were trained to habits of wonderful endur- ance in the stern school of adversity, and shrunk not from dan- ger and hardship. It could not be otherwise in a people who planted themselves in an unbroken wilderness, as our fathers did in Windham, with no roads, no cultivated lands, no mills, no houses, no schools or churches, no beasts of burden, but little money or worldly goods, and none of the modern contrivances for saving human labor. Primeval forests were everywhere about them, and nothing was promised for their support save the nuts upon the trees of "Nutfield," and the green herb-
294
HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
age of the meadow-land. They were to make homes, fell and burn the forest trees, build the mills, the roads, the meeting-house, the school-house, and to set in operation all the paraphernalia of civilized life and a well-organized community. They were full of determination, full of "grace and grit, " and all was accom- plished.
But even amid their almost ceaseless toil, they had their seasons of rest and recreation. At their annual fairs, at house-raisings, corn-huskings, stone-pickings, log-rollings, etc., there was gener- ally a season of mirthful games, such as hide-and-seek, leap-frog, throwing weights, and other athletic games. Marriage occasions were the times for great festivities, and the solemn event of death, and the burial of those they loved, did not prevent scenes of hilarity which would shock our ideas of propriety. They were of a proud, high-spirited race, which would bear no constraint. They respected themselves, thought well of them- selves, enjoyed leadership and places of trust. They were not a miserly, money-hoarding people, but were thrifty, industrious, and saving, that they might give generously. The rich and the poor were hardly distinguishable by their dress.
They were very plain and direct in their methods. They had opinions, and were not afraid to express them. When they liked anything, if they said anything, they said they liked it; if they were displeased, they were sure to let it be known.
They were straightforward and mightily in earnest, and when a task was commenced by them, it was pretty sure to be accom- plished. They would "stick ": to an undertaking " till the crack of doom" before they would yield to obstacles or give it up. The race is noted for its firmness, persistence, and undaunted energy in what it undertakes. When John Knox was laid in his grave, it was said, "There lies one who never feared the face of man " ; and what was said of him may be said of the race, "It never shrinks from responsibilities, and it fears not the face of man." They were slow in forming their opinions, or in changing from the old-fashioned ways, the " good old ways." They were very tenacious, and having once formed an opinion, were very slow to give it up. This character is illustrated in the case of the Scotch elder, who prayed that he might always be right, adding, " For ye ken, Lord, that I am uncommon hard to turn."
This tenacity of purpose is one of the strongest points in the Scotch character, and this pertinacity has won them success in forming settlements in the face of marvelous obstacles, of meet- ing and overcoming superior numbers where hostile forces met, and in the various callings of this active world.
The physical powers of the founders of this place were above those of the majority of men. Some were of gigantic stature, like David Gregg, who was six feet four inches in height, whose weight was 340 pounds, and who could with ease lift 1,200 pounds ; or like Alexander McCoy, who was six feet
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295
PROMINENT TRAITS OF THE SCOTCH CHARACTER.
seven inches in height, whose weight was 296 pounds, and whose strength was proportionately great.
The mode of life of our ancestors developed muscle and powers of endurance. They were a witty race, very fond of jokes, and no one was secure from their hard hits. Their thrusts were keen, and they spared not any petty weakness of one of their number. In any gathering, the jokes, keen and sharp, went round, and the laughter was loud and long.
Many years ago the farmers teamed their wood to Haverhill, Mass., and several neighbors would usually go in company, start- ing long before the break of day. A good story is told of one, noted for his enjoyment of wit and for his uproarious laughter. He and his friends one morning had started for market with loads of wood, and had reached the top of Kimball's Hill in Salem, where they halted to rest their teams. It was now sunrise, and the bright beams of the sun on that autumnal morning were tinging the hills of Windham with glory, which were plainly visible to them. It was at this moment the "guid wife" of one was standing in the yard front of the house, where Olin Parker now lives, and at the same moment her husband, four miles away, had just listened to a witty story, and was convulsed with his usual loud laughter, which she distinctly heard.
The Scotch are distinguished for their intellectual abilities. The colonies which they planted in America were of the best and strongest mental type, and this settlement was not one whit behind the rest. They had brains, and they knew it, and used them. They were a thinking people, large-hearted and strong- minded. They educated themselves as opportunities presented ; they possessed a strong, robust manhood, and there was nothing weak or effeminate in their nature; their constancy was worthy of all praise.
This sketch cannot be better closed than by an extract from an able address of a descendant, the Rev. John H. Morison, D. D., of Boston, Mass., in which the prominent traits of their character are set forth. In speaking of the Peterborough branch of the Londonderry colony, and which is equally applicable to the resi- dents of Windham, he says :-
"The next remarkable feature has been courage. It was shown by our fathers in Ireland, and has not deserted their sons. As a people, they have never shrunk from peril. At the first sound of danger, their custom has been to fly to the field of action. So was it in the Indian and French wars; so was it after the news of the battle of Lexington. Many instances might be adduced which would serve to illustrate the courage which has always been a prominent feature in their character, distinguishing alike their habits of thought, of social intercourse, of public and private enterprise. In whatever they have undertaken, they have gone forward with the same fearless spirit.
"If at any time a man had hard thoughts of his neighbor he
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
did not whisper it about in private scandal, but the offender was the first to hear it; there was no secret, underhanded dealing, but their voices were always loud, their gait erect, their conduct open."
"While ready to maintain their own and their neighbors' rights, they have also, it must be acknowledged, never been back- ward in proclaiming their own merits; yet they have not been a conceited, boasting race, but men who knew their strength, who judged correctly of their merits, and would not suffer others to destroy or impair their just appreciation.
"Our ancestors dearly loved fun. There was a grotesque humor, and yet a seriousness, pathos, and strangeness about them, which, in its way, has perhaps never been excelled. It was the sternness of the Scotch Covenanter, softened by a century's residence abroad, amid persecution and trial. Wedded there to the comic humor and pathos of the Irish, and then grown wild in the woods among these our New England mountains, I see in them and their genu- ine descendants the product of the heaths and highlands of Scot- land with their border wars, of the rich, low fields of Ireland with their mirth and clubs, modified afresh by the hardships of a new settlement and the growing influence of a free country.
"They were a devout and religious people. With their Pres- byterian predilections confirmed by the inhuman massacres, extortions, and wars through which they had passed, their first object in settling here was that they might be free in their relig- ious faith. And nowhere upon the shores of New England, every part of which was sought for a religious end, have prayers been offered more fervent and sincere, or the Scriptures read with more constaney and reverence, than in the first rude dwellings of our fathers.
"The unbending purpose, the lofty principle, the almost haughty adherence to what they believed to be true, and high, and sacred, resting on a religious basis, was the real substance of their character. They had foibles, they had weaknesses and errors ; but well may it be for us, if the refinements of a more advanced society, and a more liberal culture, should serve to give grace, beauty, and light to the same strong powers of thought ; the same courage, though in a different sphere; the same gener- ous elevation of soul ; the same vivacity ; and above all, the same deep, thoughtful religions principles that belonged to them."
history of families in Windham, N. £).
GENEALOGY AND HISTORY
OF THE
FIRST SETTLERS OF WINDHAM
IN NEW HAMPSHIRE,
AND THEIR DESCENDANTS,
FROM THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN TO ISS3, .
WITH THE HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF OTHER FAMILIES WHO HAVE SETTLED IN TOWN AT A LATER DATE, INCLUDING EVERY FAMILY NOW PERMANENTLY LOCATED IN WINDHAM,
EMBRACING MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED FAMILY NAMES.
" One generation comes,
Another goes and mingles with the dust, And thus we come and go, and come and go, Each for a little moment filling up Some little place; and thus we disappear In quick succession, and it shall be so, Till Time in one vast perpetuity Be swallowed up."
20
INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF FAMILIES.
THIE desire to know the history of one's own family, and to per- petuate its remembrance, is prevalent among all enlightened and even semi-barbarous peoples. It bas existed in all ages, and may justly be called an instinct of human nature.
They who appear utterly indifferent to their lineage, or to the his- tory of past generations of their own race, and term all interest in such matters a foolish weakness, are acting contrary to a strong principle of nature, and lay themselves open to the assumption that they have a pedigree of which they are not proud, a family history which they think had better be consigned to oblivion.
Says a late writer, "To read a genealogy may be, to a thinking and reflecting mind, like walking in a cemetery, and reading the inscriptions on the gravestones. Each of the names in the table of one, or on the stone in the other, is the memorial, perhaps the only memorial, of a human heart that once lived and loved, -a heart that once kept its pulsations through some certain period of time, and then ceased to beat, and has moldered into dust. Each had its joys and sorrows, its cares and burdens, its afflictions and hopes, its conflicts and achievements, its opportunities wasted or improved, and its hour of death. Memorials of the dead are not memorials of death only, but of life also."
Into this portion of the History of Windham, N. II., I have inserted the history of individuals and of the various families of the town. It includes all there is of biography. It is in fact just what it claims to be, -a History of Families: and gives dates of birth, death, mar- riage, and residences, when such information could be obtained.
Many persons will find here the only record of their families they ever saw, and the only information of their ancestors they ever had.
In the orthography of proper names I have generally adopted the spelling furnished me in the records. Where errors appear in dates. the blame must rest on those furnishing them; for records are often written illegibly, oftentimes varied when given by different members
299
INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF FAMILIES.
of the same family, and occasionally when given at different times by the same person. And discrepancies often appear between the dates upon the town records and those of the family register.
The dates of births, marriages, and deaths are as full as an extended research could make them.
Many families have never had any written records, trusting entirely to their memories for dates.
The record of many families is incomplete, in consequence of a non-compliance with my repeated and urgent requests for informa- tion. I have made all proper efforts to have the genealogies and the biographical sketches accurate.
Many families are as fully traced as in a family history. The work of doing this is immense, but it makes the record of greater value. As the different generations are designated by figures, it enables one to see at a glance to which generation from his emi- grating ancestor he belongs.
ARRANGEMENT.
In the arrangement, the Slafter system has been followed in the main. Consecutive numbers are used upon the left margins of the pages, no two persons in the same family appearing with the same number. Many persons are entered twice, -first as a child, and enclosed in brackets [] at the right is the number the person bears as head of a family. Turning to the number the child bears as head of a family, at the right, enclosed in brackets [], is the number the person bore as a child.
For want of space, sometimes two and three or more generations of a family are given in close succession; in such cases the name of the parent is numbered in the usual way, and the change of type, and small figures over the names of individuals, will readily show the order of connection and the generation from the emigrating or from the earliest known ancestor to which each belongs.
A mark of interrogation (?) after a name implies uncertainty or doubt.
ABBREVIATIONS.
The letters unm. (unmarried or single) are sometimes employed. Other abbreviations used, -such as b. for born; m. for married ; d. for died, or dec. for deceased; æ. for aged; res. for reside, resided, or residence, according to the manner it is used; dau. for daughter; 20. for wife; ch. for children; J. P. for Justice of the Peace, etc.
GENEALOGICAL AND HISTORICAL REGISTER OF WINDHAM FAMILIES.
[The running-titles on every page indicate the family or the individual whose history appears beneath; the small figures over an individual's name indicates the generation to which the person belongs.]
ABBOT FAMILY.
1. Rev. Jacob Abbot" was the sixth generation removed from George Abbot1, one of the first settlers of Andover, Mass., in 1643, and who came, according to tradition, from Yorkshire, England .* His parents were excellent persons, and being pros- pered in their calling, were enabled to afford three of their sons a collegiate education ; their eldest son, Rev. Abiel Abbot, was for a long time the excellent pastor of the church in Peterborough.
Jacob, second son, was born in Wilton, N. H., Jan. 7, 1768. He labored on his father's farm, except that he attended school eight weeks each winter till he was eighteen years of age. In 1786 he commenced his preparation for college at the academy in Andover, Mass., and finished his preparation under a Mr. Birge, of Wilton, N. H. He entered Harvard University in 1788, and graduated in 1792. He held a high rank in his class, and sustained a character which commanded the respect of instructors and classmates.
In 1792 he taught school in Billerica, Mass,, employing his leisure time in the study of theology. He continued his theolog- ical studies at Cambridge, and commenced preaching in 1795. In August, 1798, he was ordained minister of the Unitarian church in Hampton Falls, N. H., where his pastoral relation to that church and people was pleasantly and profitably continued till his resignation in April, 1826.
About this time he bought the "'Squire Armour" farm in Windham " Range," of two hundred acres, for $4,000, to which he moved with his large family. From this time to his death his in- terests were identified with the people of this town. He preached here after the formation of a Unitarian society, and served as superintendent of the schools. He possessed a sound, enltivated mind, and discharged faithfully the duties of life. His family was one of refinement, culture, intelligence, and mental strength.
* Ile was the son of Dea. Abiel Abbots, of Wilton, N. H., who was son of John4, son of John3, son of John2, son of George Abbot1, the emigrant. The last four lived in Andover, Mass.
301
GENEALOGIES : EBENEZER-T. ABBOTT.
The circumstances of Mr. Abbot's death were painful in the extreme. On Sunday, Nov. 2, 1834, as he was crossing Cobbett's Pond on his return from meeting, the boat was upset, and he and John Dinsmoor were drowned. His age was 66 years, 9 months, 26 days.
He m. in 1802, Catherine, dau. of Rev. Ebenezer Thayer, of Hampton, N. II. She was a descendant of John Cotton, the first minister of Boston, Mass. She was a kind, thoughtful woman, and her influence diffused itself for good through her children. She d. Jan. 27, 1843, a. 63. Children, b. in Hampton Falls, N. H.
2. Sarah-White", b. Nov. 11, 1802 ; she m. 1830, Robert Moore, of Nashville; and d. in Washington, D. C., July, 1879; she had lived in Nashua and Peterborough, and in every place in which she lived she left " behind her marks of her wise and disinterested activities, and a grateful remembrance of the strong impression she made by her disinterested and beneficent qualities."
CHILDREN.
1. Catherine", b. Oct. 1831.
2. Sarah-II.", b. 1834.
3. Lucy-E.", b. 1836.
4. George-II .* , b. 1839.
5. Jacob-Abbots, b. April Is, 1845.
3. Ebenezer-T.7, b. May 27, 1804 ; he res. on the home farm in Windham, was an energetic business man and a very suc- cessful farmer. Under his management the farm and buildings were kept in excellent appearance, the farm in a fine state of cultivation, and a large income was derived from it. He was genial and urbane in manners, a kind neighbor, and a good citizen. He belonged to the Democratic party, which was always in the minority, and so he seldom ocenpied public position in town. He was selectman in 1842-43. He d. March 2, 1853. He m. 1838, Elizabeth, dau. of Jacob and Margaret (Dinsmoor) Nesmith, who d. Dec. 3, 1846, leaving 2 ch. He m. 2d, Betsey, dau. of Abel and Betsey (Morrison) Dow, Ang. 29, 1849. She was b. June 26, 1818; d. Dec. 27, 1854, leaving one ch.
CHILDREN, BORN IN WINDHAM, N. H.
1. Margaret-Elizabeth“. b. Sept. 9, 1840; m. Dec. 13, 1860, Charles, son of Rev. Dr. George Putnam, of Roxbury, Mass., and res. in Lexing- ton, Mass.
2. Katie-Thayer", b. Dec. 12, 1845 ; m. Oct. 1869, Rev. Edward Hathaway, of Princeton, Ill. ; he d. 1871; she m. 2d, Dec. 22, 1880, Rev. George A. Thayer, of Boston, now res. in Cincinnati, Ohio.
3. Jacob®, b. June 17, 1850; d. Sept. 20, 1857.
4. Martha-Thayer7, b. March,29, 1806: m. June 2, 1827, N .- P. Cram, of Monmouth, Me., and rem. to Hampton Falls, 1833; still living in Winchester, Mass.
302
GENEALOGIES : GEORGE-JACOB ABBOTZ.
CHILDREN.
1. Catharine-A.8, b. June 25, 1828 ; m. Oct. 14, 1857, S .- H. Folsom, of Win- chester, Mass., attorney and assistant register of probate of Mid- dlesex County ; he was b. at Hopkinton, N. H., Feb. 23, 1826 : five children : Anna-Abbot, b. Oct. 29, 1861; Sarah-Thayer, b. Nov. 9, 1864, d. Feb. 13, 1869 ; Fritz-Porter, b. June 29, 1866, d. Aug. 11, 1867; Martha-Thayer, b. March 31, 1870; Catharine-Elizabeth, b. Nov. 11, 1871.
2. Sarah-Thayers, b. Jan. 3, 1833 ; she was a teacher in Windham in 1852, and is affectionately remembered by her old pupils. She was gentle, yet very decided, correct in her judgment, clear in her mental perceptions; she infused her own enthusiasm into her pu- pils, and persons once brought under her refining influence would remember her always. She was an excellent teacher and a rare type of womanhood. Thirty years have passed away since teacher and scholar met ; yet the author, once that scholar, grate- fully and gladly brings this slight tribute to her memory. She d. July 26, 1856, at the early age of 24 years.
3. Frank-Porter8, b. June 5, 1843; m. Jan. 8, 1871, Helen-B. Tilton ; res. Hampton Falls; three children.
4. Elizabeth-Abbot-Livermore8, b. Jan. 21, 1847; d. Feb. 17, 1879.
5. Catherine7, b. March 18, 1808 ; m. July 18, 1833, Hon. John- William-Pitt Abbot, of Westford, Mass., a prominent and respected citizen. He graduated at Harvard Coll. 1827; was pres. of the Stony Brook R. R. Corp. for several years, State senator in 1866, and held other positions of honor; he d. Aug. 16, 1872. Seven children ; three died in infancy.
CHILDREN.
1. John-William8, b. April 14, 1834; manufacturer in Westford; he m. Oct. 21, 1857, Elizabeth Southwick, of Boston, Mass. ; children : Catherine, b. March 28, 1861; Emma-S., b. July 17, 1863 ; Lucy-K., b. March 26, 1870; John-C., b. Feb. 25, 1872.
2. Julian8, b. May 25, 1837 ; killed by an accident on the Boston & Lowell Railroad, Dec. 30, 1857.
3. Georges, b. Feb. 17, 1845; grad. at Ilarvard Coll. in 1864; res. San Francisco, Cal., and is a member of the firm of Grisar & Co .; he m. Feb. 23, 1875, Elizabeth-T. Davis, of Portland, Me. ; one child : Ethel, b. Oct. 18, 1876.
4. Abiel-Jacob", b. Jan. 8, 1850; manufacturer and res. at Westford, Mass. ; he m. April 22, 1880, Mary-Alice, dau. of Hon. E .- S. Mosely, of Newburyport, Mass.
6. Elizabeth-Dorcas7, b. March 24, 1810; m. 1838, Rev. Abiel- Abbot Livermore. She, was a person of rare mental qualities and worth, and was universally respected. They res. in Keene, N. H., and since 1863, in Meadville, Pa., where her husband is pres. of the Meadville Theological School. She d. Sept. 13, 1879.
7. George-Jacob7, b. July 14, 1812; graduated at Harvard Coll. 1835; opened a school in Washington, and had great suc- cess in the training and education of boys. Became the private secretary of Daniel Webster while secretary of state, and lived on confidential terms of personal intimacy with Mr. Webster, for whom he had the highest admiration. Under Mr. Lincoln's
303
GENEALOGIES MARY-ANN-T. ABBOT.
administration he was United States consul at Sheffield, Eng., and tilled the office faithfully for six years ; then returned to the United States, and was for several years professor in the Theo- logieal School at Meadville, Pa. Declining health compelled him to relinquish this position, and he entered the government service as consul at Goderich, Canada, where he died Jan. 1879. He m. Ang. 30, 1841. Anna-Taylor-Gilman, dau. of Hon. Nicholas Emery, of Portland, Me. ; b. May 15, 1815; d. Jan. 31, 1861.
CHILDREN.
1. Mary-Jane-Catherine", b. Dec. 30, 1812; m1. April 8, 1868, Everett-S. Throop; lawyer; res Cincinnati, O. ; children : Anna-A., b. Oct. 17, 1869; Luey-A., b. JJune 10, 1871 ; Mary-S .- E , b. Dec. 12, 1872 ; George-W .. b. Nov. 9, 1875; Everett-A., b. Aug. 23, 1878.
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