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 47
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93
7. Mary5, b. Waldo, Oct. 19, 1829; m. Nov. 22, 1847, James-F. Merrian ; res. Lawrence; ch. : George-E.6, b. Lawrence, Oct. 15, 1851 ; d. May 17, 1855 ; Frank-W.6, b. April 6, 1854; physician ; res. New
432
GENEALOGIES : DEA. JAMES DAVIDSON3.
York City : Walter-H.6, b. March 16. 1859; d. Sept. 16, 1859. Henry-P.6, b. June 5, 1863.
8.
Abbie5. b. Feb. 18, 1834; m. April 6, 1869, Sewell Grimes, of Hub- bardston, Mass ; ch. : Abbie-O.6, b. June 21, 1872; Lucy-H.6, b. Ang. 30, 1873.
44. Mary4, b. May 10, 1785 ; m. Aug. 29, 1805, Samuel Senter, b. Nov. 25, 1781; res. Litchfield and Bedford ; she d. Aug. 31, 1839.
45. Annat, b. Nov. 30, 1787; m. Nov. 11, 1810, John Arm- strong ; res. Bedford ; d. Aug. 17, 1854. He d. Dec. 2, 1842. (See Armstrong family.)
46. William4, b. Jan. 26, 1790; m. Feb. 13, 1817, Clarissa, dau. of Dea. Robert Dinsmoor, b. Nov. 11, 1792; no ch. He lived with his father on the James Emerson farm till Lowell began to grow from the plain. He moved to Lowell and was connected with the mills. He was an elder and active in the church, and was a genial, upright man. He was a good singer, and was a member of the choir in Windham. She d. Jan. 19, 1855. He survived her ; m. 2d ; rem. to Vermont, where he d.
47. Dea. James3 [17] (John2, William1). He was. b. in Tewksbury, Mass., Jan. 12, 1752; was brought to Windham when an infant; when he arrived at manhood's estate he lived upon the farm now owned by Lewis-L. Fish, in the west side of the town; the house then stood upon the opposite side of the highway. He was much respected by his townsmen, and often occupied prominent positions of trust in the town and church. He was a revolutionary soldier at Cambridge the first of the war, and at Saratoga at surrender of Burgoyne. He was moderator at annual meetings in 1797, '98, '99, 1800, '03, '16; selectman in 1779, '80, '86, '87, '98, '99, 1800, '01, '05, '12, '13; clerk in 1789, '90, '91, 1809; member of the Constitutional Convention in Sept. 1791, which framed the existing constitution of the State. He was made a deacon during the ministry of Rev. Samuel Harris, and previous to 1826. He m. Feb. 10, 1778, Hannah, dau. of Robert Hemphill, who was b. Sept. 29, 1757, and who d. July 22, 1820. He d. July 3, 1837, a. 85 yrs. Ch., b. Windham. -
48. Nathaniel4, b. April 17, 1779; m. Margaret Wetherspoon ; settled in Aeworth, in 1800; d. 1815.
CHILDREN.
1. Samuel, b. 1805; m. Lydia Jackman; res. Colebrook.
2. Alvanº, b. 1807 ; m. Anna Howe.
3. Eries, b. 1809; in. Harriet-P. Shepard ; res. Georgia, Vt.
4. Hannah5, m. Henry Woodbury.
15 Sally-L.5, m. Samuel-H. Woodbury ; 2d, Henry Woodbury, of Acworth.
49. Peggy+, b. May 24, 1781 ; m. Jeremiah Hills, of Hudson, and resided in Windham. (See Hills family.)
50. Sarah4, b. Oct. 15, 1783; m. Jonathan Alexander, and res. in Londonderry ; 14 children.
433
GENEALOGIES : DEA. JAMES-NUTT DAVIDSON ..
51. Anna4, b. July 16, 1785; d. Oct. 29, 1789.
51a. Samuel4, b. Jan. 20, 1788; m. Martha, dan. of Samuel Anderson, of Londonderry, b. Nov. 13, 1794. He built the house which Ambrose Richardson now owns in West Windham; was made an elder during Rev. Samuel Harris's ministry ; was select- man in 1830, '31. He sold his farm to Ira Hilands, Oct. 4, 1825, and removed to New York ; d. Sept. 1865.
CHILDREN.
1. Achsah5, b. Nov. 16, 1816; in Dec. 14, 1837, William Dodge.
2. Almiras, b. Nov. 2, 1818; in. Dec 14, 1845, M .- E. Adams.
3. Martha5, b. July 25, 1826; d. July 20, 1828.
4. Zoe5, b. April 26, 1828; m. March 31, 1852, John Foster; d. May 13, 1858.
5. Harriet5, b. Oct. 23. 1829; m. March 24, 1858, S. Cummins; d. Nov. 15, 1860.
6. Marys, b. May 11, 1831; m. Dec. 9, 1857, C. Lyman.
7. Samuel-A.5. b. Ang. 7, 1834; m. Dec. 23, 1858, Mary MeLaughlin.
52. James-Nutt4, b. Sept. 19, 1792; d. Aug. 19, 1793.
53. Maryi, b. April 15, 1795; d. Feb. 6, 1819.
54. James-Nutt4, b. July 12, 1797; m. Feb. 4, 1819, Lucy Lancaster, of Acworth, b. Jan. 24, 1795; had 11 ch .; d. Nov. 20, 1855. Hem. 2d, Cynthia White, who d. in Chicago, Aug. 28, 1858. He united with the church in Windham in 1822; sold his farm to William Davidson, Feb. 2, 1827; moved to Goffstown in 1827, and was one of ten to organize a Congregational church, and was made a deacon in 1828. In May, 1835, he moved to Sandusky, Ohio, joined a N. S. Presbyterian church, and was made a deacon ; was connected with the church in all places in which he lived. He was a pronounced abolitionist, and the fleeing slave could always find a friend in him, and in his house a refuge. He d. in Elgin, Ill., August, 1873.
CHILDREN, FIVE OLDEST BORN IN WINDHAM.
1. Mary5, b. Dec. 20, 1819; d. Sept. 1. 1845.
2. Aminters, b. Jan. 23, 1821; m. April 3, 1845, Mary-F. Hathaway ; b. Dec. 25, 1822. He was captain of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, and d. Aug. 7, 1879; ch. : Edward-L.6, b. Buffalo, Oct. 11, 1846; d. Sept. 10, 1848; Mary-E.6, b. July 5, 1848; Charles6, b. Albany, March 10, 1850; d. Aug. 30, 1851 ; Clarence", b. Elgin, Ill., May 6, 1852; drowned in Saginaw Bay, Dec. 4, 1873.
3. Daniel5, b. June 16, 1822 ; in. Feb. 13, 1848, Sarah-E. Congdon, b. Jan. 16, 1827, at Buffalo. Ile was an efficient superintendent of the "underground railroad " at Chicago; ch. : Kates, b. Dec. 6, 1848 ; m. E .- A. Kimball; Wallace-D.6 and Harriet6, b. Jan 13, 1851, d. Aug. 12, 1852; Lneys, b. Dec. 19, 1852; d. April 13, 1853 ; Daniele, b. Sept. 9, 1855.
4. Nathaniels, b. Nov. 12, 1823; m. Jan. 2, 1851, Sarah-C. Nash, b. Sept. 3, 1826; d. Aug. 29, 1857; 3 ch. b. in New York City ; he m. 2d. Mrs. - , of Virginia; res. Washington, D. C .; ch. : Julia", b. Nov. 14, 1852; d. Jan. 5, 1853; Annies, b. April 4, 1854 ; d. Jan. 30, 1863; James6, b. Aug. 24, 1857; d. March 17, 1858.
5. Orlando5, b. May 3, 1825 ; m. May 26, 1848, at Grafton, Wis., Caroline- A. Gifford, b. Millport, N. Y., May 26, 1827, dau. of James-T.
434
GENEALOGIES : DEA. WILLIAM DAVIDSON3.
Gifford, founder of Elgin, Ill. He is an efficient business man, and president of the National Bank at Elgin, III. Ch. : Lucy-L.6, b. March 28, 1849; d. July 14, 1849; James-G.6, b. Jan. 19, 1851; Laura-R.6, b. July 10, 1853; May-C.6, b. May 14, 1857 ; Jennie-E.6, b. Oct. 30, 1860; Stellas, b. Nov. 19, 1862.
6. Elizabeth5, b. Oct. 8, 1826; m. April 10, 1856, at Chicago. S .- Milton Moore; res. Chicago. (See Moore family.)
7. Cynthia-Ann5, b. May 17, 1828, at Goffstown; m. at Chicago, June 9, 1853, James-H. Stead; res. Chicago; ch. : Charles-11.6, b. March 28, 1854; Frank-Osborn6, b. Oct. 17, 1855; Minneiska", b. Jan. 16, 1862.
8. Charles5, b. Oct. 29, 1829; m. Feb. 18, 1856, Jennette Lathrop, at Alexander, N. Y. ; d. Dec 18, 1873.
9. Janes, b. April 15, 1832; m. at Elgin, Oct. 21, 1851, Gilbert-G. Edger- ton, res. Fremont, Ohio.
10. James5, b. May 13, 1834; d. July 20, 1835.
11. James5, b. Sandusky, O., April 27, 1836. A brave soldier; was mem- ber of Seventh Regiment Illinois Vols. ; after the war was an edi- tor in Monticello, Ia .; also, county superintendent of schools, and in 1866, postmaster; m. Sept. 21, 1864, Adaliza-E. Dean, of Conneant, Ohio; ch. : James-G.6, b. Aug. 26, 1865; Charles-D.6, b. Oct. 27, 1867 ; Ley-L.6, b. Aug. 8, 1871. Henry-S.6, b. Feb. 12, 1874.
55. John-Hemphill4, b. June 4, 1802; d. May 18, 1805.
56. Deacon William8 [21] (John2, William1), b. in Windham, Oct. 15, 1761; m. Dec. 14, 1790, Jane, dan. of John Barnet, of Londonderry, b. June 24, 1765. He owned a farm adjoining his brother James, and now owned by Benjamin-E. Blanchard. The house stood back from the present one on the hill, a few rods from the main highway. In his personal appearance Mr. David- son was pleasant and affable; kind and courteous in his bearing towards others. He was popular in the town; became a deacon in the church previous to 1826: was selectman in 1806, '10, '11, '13, '16, '17. He d. March 14, 1839; she d. May 23, 1832. Chil- dren, b. in Windham : -
57. John4, b. Oct. 13, 1791; d. Sept. 2, 1808.
58. Jonathan-B.4, b. Dec. 24, 1792; d. Jan. 16, 1793.
59. Jonathan4, b. Jan. 6, 1794; d. June 2, 1796.
60. Sarah-N.4, b. Dec. 4, 1795; m. Nov. 19, 1818, Benjamin Blanchard. (See Blanchard family.)
61. Anna-B.4, b. Nov. 26, 1798; m. Robert Anderson, of Londonderry. Ch: William-D.5, d. March 9, 1834, æ. 3 yrs. 5 mos. 20 days. She m. 2d, Dea. Matthew Hohnes, of London- derry.
62. William4, b. July 19, 1802 ; m. Dec. 27, 1827, Annis Nes- mith, and in 1835 settled on the Holland purchase in western New York. He d. Feb. 6, 1855; she d. March 31, 1877.
CHILDREN.
1. Infant5, d. in infancy, Sept. 28, 1828.
2. Wallace-N.5, b. Sept. 29, 1829; d. March 4, 1834.
3. William-E.6, b. in Windham, March 25, 1831; m. March 2, 1854, Lucy-
J. Smith, b. in Portage, N. Y., Dec. 15, 1830; he was a soklier in
135
GENEALOGIES ! DAVIDSON ; DAVIS
the late war in the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery ; res. at Fol- som Street, Buffalo, N. Y .; ch. : Sarah-Anniss, b. Feb. 3, 1861.
4. John-N.6, b. April 14, 1833: single; twice member of Assembly ; res. Wiscoy, N. Y.
5. Thomas-A.º, b. Aug. 26, 1834; d. Feb. 13. 1875; m. Ang. 4, 1856, Julia-E. Ross; belonged to the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery. Ch : Wallace-G.º and Anna-C."
6. Charles-W.s, b. Jan. 4, 1836; d. Dec. 30, 1836.
7. George-Hf 5, b. April 17, 1837; m. Feb. 11, 1869, Rowena Davidson. Ch. : Halleys, b. Ang. 21, 1871; Ednas, b. Sept. 2, 1873; res. Dutch Flat, California.
8. Francis-J.5, b March 19, 1839; m. Ang. 17, 1862, Mary Merchant ; C'h. : Nellie-B.5, Cora-E.6, Frank-N.", William-A ", Mary-E.s; was a member of Fourth New York Heavy Artillery In the late war; res. Wiscoy, N. Y.
9. Albert-0.5, b. Dec. 21, 1840; in. Feb. 22, 1871, Helen Frye. Ch. : Fredericks: manufacturer; res. Watertown, Mass.
10. Jacob-M.5. b Feb. 25, 1842; m. Dec. 23, 1869, Cornelia-A. Ross. Ch. : Robert-S.6, res. Wiseoy, N. Y.
11. Annette5, b. Sept. 6. 1844; d. Sept. 16, 1844.
12. Irving-H.5. b. Feb. 11, 1848 ; single ; cotton and wool broker, ? Cen- tral Street, Boston: res. Watertown, Mass. ; was a member of Sixth Mass. Regiment in the war.
63. Zoe4, b. Feb. 20, 1805; d. March 4, 1827.
64. Jane4, b. Dec. 7, 1808; m. Francis Anderson; lived in Londonderry, across Beaver Brook from West Windham. (See Anderson family.)
CHARLES-HENRY DAVIS'S FAMILY.
1. Charles-Henry Davis2, b. in Geneva, Ill., Nov. 16, 1837; son of Thomas-Benton Davis1, of Canterbury, N. H .; carpenter and farmer; came from Lawrence, Mass., to Windham, Sept. 30, 1872, having bought the Hiram Steele property on the turnpike of Loring-R. Hadley. He m. June 17, 1862, Susan-Elizabeth, dau. of Humphrey Holt and Mehitable-B. (Hardy) Nichols, of Grove- land, Mass .; b. Bradford, Nov. 18, 1839. Child : -
2. Grace-lnez, b. Windham, Feb. 15, 1874.
DR. HENRY-S. DAVIS'S FAMILY.
1. Dr. Henry-S. Davis2 was the son of William-P.1 and Eliza- beth (Dolge) Davis, of New Boston, where he was born June 30, 1846; was educated at Francestown and New London academies ; studied medicine at Dartmouth Medical College, and graduated at the Eclectic Medical College of Philadelphia, Pa., April 1, 1868; practised his profession at Danbury, N. H., two years ; came to Windham in Nov. 1870, and practised his profession; re- mained till Dec. 1, 1876; he then rem. to Lowell, Mass., where he remained till April, 1877, when he rem. to Ware, Mass. In Feb.
436
GENEALOGIES : DAVIS ; DEMOTT ; DICKEY.
1879, he was ordained to the Gospel ministry, and was pastor of the Wendell and Irving churches one year, and of the West Brattleborough, Vt., Baptist church one year, and in March, 1881, ' moved to Waseca, Waseca Co., Minn., and is pastor of the First Baptist Church. While in Windham, he, with his mother, occu- pied the farm now owned by Elisha Worden. It was bought by Mrs. Davis in April, 1871, and disposed of to Mr. Worden, Dec. 1878. He m. Oct. 5, 1869, Clara-M., dan. of Stillman Coburn, of Cornish Flats, N. H. She was b. Feb. 18, 1845.
CHILDREN.
1. William-H.3, b. June 21, 1870.
2. Bertha-E.3, b. April 27, 1872.
3. George-K.3, b. March 13, 1874.
DEMOTT FAMILY.
1. John Demott1, a native and resident of Paris, France, settled in Lisbon, Portugal, where his son Lewis2 was born. The latter came to Scarborough, Me. He m. Jane Seavey. Their son,
2. Stephen Demott3, of Windham, was b. in Scarborough, Dec. 4, 1818 ; was a sea-faring man. Came to Windham about 1864, and moved to his present place April, 1878. He m. Cathi- erine, dau. of Ephraim and Mary (Harmon) Berry, of Saco, Me., who was b. Jan. 23, 1804. He m. 2d w., Jane Baker, of Wool- wich, Me., Nov. 22, 1844. Two ch. by 1st w.
3. Charles-Newell4, dec.
4. Angusta4, m. James Braddish ; res. Saco, Me.
5. George4 (Allen), an adopted son, b. in Portland, Me., July 3, 1848 ; res. Windham ; served as constable 1879, '80, '81, '82.
DICKEY FAMILY,
1. William Dickey1 was in Windham in 1755. He lived in what is now L .- A. Morrison's sheep pasture. The old cellar is still there, and a cherry tree blossoms there yearly. This William was probably the father of Ensign William Dickey, one of the revolutionary soldiers of Windham. The land and buildings were sold to Samnel Merrill in 1785. A letter states that " Hon. William Dickey, of Fort Kent, Me., is probably a descendant of Ensign William Dickey." Letters of inquiry have failed to awaken a response.
2. James Dickey1, probably a relative of the preceding, m. Mary, dan. of George Clark, and resided on the James Smith farm, in the northwest part of Windham, till after 1805. Chil- dren : -
TOR NY
THE
137
GENEALOGIES : DIMOCK ; DINSMOOR.
3. Annis2, b. Dec. 22, 1796; m. Chandler Chase, of Pel- ham, N. H.
4. Mary", b. Oet. 3, 1799; m. Robert Alexander, of Derry. William-C. and James-D. Alexander, of Lawrence, Mass., are their sons.
5. Eleanor2, b. March 30, 1801; m. William Johnson ; res. New York.
6. Robert-Clark?, b. Feb. 13, 1803 ; d. Ang. 26, 1804.
7. Naney-Jane", b. Jan. 19, 1805: m. John Priest; res. Mil- ton, Me.
S. Sarah2, m. Solomon Hodgman ; res. Manchester.
9. Besmith2, m. Ambrose Charles; res. Lowell, Mass.
10. Eliza2, m. James Alexander ; res. Mount Vernon, N. H.
11. Harriet2, m. - Phelps ; res. Vermont.
DIMOCK FAMILY.
1. Dr. Daniel-Wright Dimock2 was b. Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 27, 1837, at South Coventry, Tolland Co., Conn. He is the son of Timothy Dimock1, M. D., and his wife, Mary-Ann Moody, and came of Puritan stock. He entered Yale College in 1857, but ill health compelled him to leave after one term; commenced the study of medicine in the winter of 1859 in his father's office, which he continued till the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he enlisted, Aug. 1861, in the Twenty-fifth Regiment Conn. Vol- unteers; served as hospital steward till investment of Port Hudson, when he was promoted to assistant surgeon regular army, and remained in the army till Nov. 20, 1865, when he left the service. Ile graduated at Dartmouth Medical College in 1866 ; practised medicine in Suffield, Conn., four years. In Nov. 1876, he came to Windham, where he practised his profession till tbe spring of 1881, when he removed to Monson, Mass. He m. July 4, 1873, Emily-C. Howland, b. July 5, 1851, at Sandwich, Mass. She was a dau. of Solomon and Cordelia-F. (Hatch) Ilowland. Child : -
2. Roy-E.8, b. in Windham, Aug. 13, 1880.
DINSMOOR, OR DINSMORE, FAMILY.
BY HION JAMES DINSMOOR.
The Dinsmoor-Dinsmore family is fortunate in having for its historian an honored member of the family, and a loyal son of Windham, to whom they and all owe a debt of gratitude for his excellent history. In the History of Windham, N. H., his native town, he has taken a deep and abiding interest, and I
438
GENEALOGIES : JOHN DINSMOOR1.
welcome, with thanks, this contribution from his pen. The following letter which I received from Mr. Dinsmoor explains itself.
STERLING, ILL., July 7, 1882. L. A. MORRISON, EsQ., Windham, N. H.
My Dear Sir, - Here please find my contribution to the His- tory of Windham, N. H., my native town. I hope no reader will as sensibly feel its defects as I. The time devoted to this has been snatched from the duties of an exacting profession and a busy life. For statistics I have been compelled to put myself under obligations to many to whom the persual of this record will be their only compensation. In relation to the spelling of our ancestral name, I have a word to say. Our ancestor, John, spelled the final syllable moor. His descendants in Windham for generations invariably so spelled it. The elder Governor Dinsmoor, and Col. Silas Dinsmoor, of Kentucky, both trained in early life to accurate scholarship, and the " Rustic Bard," whose personal familiarity with the family history was superior to that of any man living in his day, with scrupulous care spelled the final syllable moor. Now what authority is there for the change to more? The only authority I have been able to find is in a foot- note to a letter from Robert Dinsmore, of Bellywatick, Ireland, Aug. 12, 1794, and I give it entire.
" Dinsmore and Dinsmoor are different ways of writing the name, adopted by different branches of the family. The former is considered the true spelling."
I respectfully submit that our ancestor, who had the enter- prise to come to this country, the tact to escape from Indian captivity, the native worth to be so appreciated by his fellow- citizens of Londonderry that they gave him a farm to induce him to settle among them, is fairly to be presumed, by his de- scendants, to have known how to spell his own name, and that all his descendants should take a clannish pride in preserving the ancestral spelling.
To the many who have aided me, I would be glad to express my obligations by mentioning their names, but the entire list would swell this letter to too large proportions, and the mention of a few would seem to be making distinctions when they really do not exist. Thanking you for your great labor of love, and honor to your native town, I am,
Sincerely yours, JAMES DINSMOOR.
John Dinsmoor' was the eldest son of John Dinsmoor, who went over from Scotland to Ireland, and settled in the county of An- trim. The latter was the second son, and is said to have run away from his father at the age of seventeen in consequence of being required by his father to hold the stirrup while his elder brother mounted his horse, an indignity that he would not brook. He
439
GENEALOGIES : JOHN DINSMOOR !.
lived to the age of 99 years, and was widely known for his piety. John1 (the son) first landed in America at a fort at the islands called " The Georges," off the coast of Maine. He commenced building a house on the coast, and was engaged in shingling it, when he was taken captive by the Indians. He made himself useful to the chief of the tribe, and soon became his favorite. It is related of him that one day, in the absence of this chief, he was accused of holding a conference with some Englishmen on the coast, and was condemned to be burned to death. He was accordingly bound to a tree, and the brush piled around him, which were to be fired, when, providentially, his friend, the chief, came upon them and commanded the execution to be staid till he could make an investigation of the charge, saying, at the same time, that if there had been a conference on the shore, the tracks could be found on the sand. Happily, investigation failed to reveal any tracks, and he was released. When this tribe was about to leave that part of the country, and had taken up their line of march, they came to a stream which they were about to cross, when the chief entered his canoe, and JJohn was about to push it off as usual before stepping into the stern, when the chief forbade him. John begged leave to go with him, saying to him, "The Indians will kill me." But the chief said, "No; you much honest man, John, you walk to Boston." He then gave him some nuts and bear's grease ; told him where he could conceal himself from the other Indians in a cave, and gave him this parting admo- nition : " Indians and French have all this country. You walk Boston, take English canoe and walk your own country ; you much honest mau, John." Our progenitor then found the cave, concealed himself there for three days, saw tribe after tribe of Indians pass by, till all had gone. He then started to find his way back to " The Georges," and came near perishing from hun- ger before he reached the fort. On his way he found some cran- berries which grew in the swamps, and greatly relieved his hunger, so that he reached the fort in safety. From thence he took passage to Boston ; from Boston he proceeded to visit a colony of Scotch-Irish that had settled in that part of Rocking- ham County now called Derry, then Nutfield. Here he found his old friends and neighbors from Londonderry, Ireland, and, either as an act of charity on account of his captivity, or as an induce- ment to him to settle there, the proprietors of that settlement made him a donation of sixty acres of land, and conferred it to him and his heirs by deed in fec .* He was a mason by trade, and
* The following is taken from the Londonderry Records : -
LONDONDERRY, May, 1724.
"Pursuant or by virtue of a vote passed March the fifth one thousand seven hundred and twenty-four, at their annual meeting the town granted to John Dinsmore sixty acres of good land. We have laid out to John Dinsmore sixty acres of good land, be it more or less, lying between
440
GENEALOGIES : ROBERT DINSMOOR2.
built a stone house for himself, and sent to Ireland for his wife and children. His children were named Robert2 and Elizabeth2, and these were the only children he ever had.
Subsequently to their arrival, "Daddy Dinsmoor," as he was called in the settlement, divided his farm equally between his two children, and he and his wife lived with his son-in-law, John Hopkins, in the stone house. This stone house stood in what is now Derry. The front door stone was a noted point on the line between Derry and Windham. An early apple tree in the garden of Phineas-D. Scott (generally known as the Hopkins place), north of his house, recently marked the spot of the door stone. The stone house stood between this apple tree and the well. It was supposed by Robert Dinsmoor, the " Rustic Bard," to whose care and affectionate regard for his ancestry we are indebted for most of these statistics, that John1 had married a second wife before leaving Ireland. There is no evidence that I can find which warrants this belief. On the contrary, some circumstances seem to indicate a different conclusion. Mr. Dinsmoor had been in this country some years before she came. Both of his children were married and had families, and when she came over with children and grandchildren she went to live with Elizabeth2, who would have been a step-daughter, -a most unusual occurrence, and not to be presumed. John Dinsmoor1 died in 1741. His children were: -
1. Robert2 [3], b. 1692; d. Oct. 14, 1751, at Windham.
2. Elizabeth2, m. John Hopkins. (See Hopkins family.)
3. Robert2 [1] (John1), was b. in 1692, and came to America with his wife (Margaret Orr) and four children in 1730. He lived in what is now known as the Barnet field, which is the westerly field south of the brook, near the Scott house, and which lies beside the railroad, and is near, or a part of, the original tract given to John Dinsmoor1. His house stood on the top of the hill three or four rods west of an old cellar, some ten or fifteen rods north of the railroad, and some thirty or forty rods
Dracut road and Ezekiel's pond meadow, and is bounded at the most northerly corner with a heap of stones lying on a rock, and so running southwest and be west one hundred and eighty rods to a stake and stones, from thence running sonth cast and be south eighty rods to a stake, and from thence running north east and be east one hundred and eighty rods to a stake, and from thence running eighty rods north west, and be north to the bounds first mentioned, but whereas there lyeth some laid out meadow within said bounds, it is exempted from said Dinsmore, and it is farther agreed upon in the aforesaid vote yt said JJohn Dinsmore is to have a year's space after the peace is concluded to settle said land, and if the said Dinsmore or his son do not settle said land against the prefixed time yt then said land shall fall in and return to the said grantors.
Recorded this 8th of June, 1724.
pr JOIIN MCMURPHY, Town Clerk.
DAVID CORGILL,
JOIIN MCMURPHY, S Committee.
441
GENEALOGIES : ROBERT DINSMOOR -.
west of the old highway, now discontinued. Another old cellar can now be seen about four rods east of the place on which the Dinsmoor house stood. The Barnet cellar is in a small field near the old highway.
Soon after the death of his father in 1741, he moved on to the land in Windham which has ever since his death been owned and enjoyed by his descendants. It is now the residence of Edwin- O. Dinsmoor. The dwelling-house, which is said to be on or near the original site selected by Robert?, is ou a fine swell of land, and commands a view of the country to the east and south for miles. Robert- divided his land by lot among his three sons. John8, the eldest, drew the land lying to the north of the homestead, com- prising the farms lately owned by Messrs. John and Daniel Kelly; Roberts drew the homestead of his father ; and William3 the west portion, embracing the land lying south and west of "Jenny's Hill," so called, extending to Cobbett's Pond. He died of fever and ague, on his homestead, Oct. 14, 1751, aged 59 years. His widow Margaret (Orr) survived him till June 2, 1752. His son Samuel® died Nov. 12, 1753, aged 20 years. From the Town Records it is evident that he was one of the men who helped mould its institutions. He was one of the three commissioners appointed to organize the town of Windham, March 8, 1742, and was elected one of the selectmen of the town on that day. The next year he was a member of the committee on lawsuits. It is not known what the duties of that committee were, but quite probably they were to protect the actual settlers in the town from claims of patentees under the crown of England. In 1744, '45, '46, '47, and '50, he was moderator at the annual town-meetings, a position which not only indicates his urbanity of manners, his knowledge of parliamentary law, his tact in governing men, but also the esteem of his fellow-citizens. Children : -
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.