USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Lyndeborough > The history of the town of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire,1735-1905 > Part 43
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3. Another tannery was managed by John Woodbury, north of Badger Pond. Possibly this was the same which had been previously operated by Peter Farnum, who, according to Francestown History was drowned in his own tanvat.
4. At North Lyndeborough, opposite the house of Mr. J.
*S .- C., P. 37. t Page 172.
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H. Goodrich was a tannery owned by Paul Atwood ; and David Atwood did custom shoemaking in the same neighbor- hood.
5. Still another tannery is said to have been located near where Mr. Moses Fuller lives, on the side of the small stream which flows in front of his house. It was carried on by Mr. Archelaus Fuller, an uncle of Moses. A near neighbor used to buy sheep and kill them largely for the hides and tallow. The tannery disposed of many of the skins.
POTASH WORKS.
1. Mr. Nehemiah Boutwell had potash works near his resi- dence in the valley west of Mrs. Charles R. Boutwell's house. This was on the old road from the meeting-house to Putnam's corner, now South Lyndeborough.
2. Potash was also made by Mr. John Stephenson, on the place now owned by Willis J. Stephenson, a great grandson of John. The John here named was doubtless he who was author- ized to call the first town-meeting under the Provincial charter. More than a year before the late Mr. Jonathan Stephenson's decease, he pointed out the spot where his grandfather's ashery stood, which was near an elm tree growing close to the little brook, a few rods north of Mr. Willis Stephenson's residence.
3. Major Daniel Gould, who used to own the place where Mr. Fred A. Richardson lives is said to have had an ashery in a field not far south of his house.
4. The field nearly south of Mr. George Spalding's house is owned by Mr. Fred A. Richardson, and is called " the potash field," because there, the owner's grandfather, Timothy Rich- ardson, made potash.
5. Back of the residence of Mr. J. H. Goodrich, at North Lyndeborough, was a potash shop owned and carried on by his grandfather, Benjamin Goodrich.
BRICK MAKING.
I. The oldest brick yard in town was probably that on the side hill back of Mr. E. H. Putnam's saw and shingle mill. The late Mr. Daniel Cram of South Boston, a son of Benjamin and Olive (Chamberlain) Cram, testified that he worked at brick making in this town when a young man in the year 1820. It cannot be positively said that he labored at that particular spot ; but it is very likely he did.
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2. A second brick yard was located near the bend of the road between the clay-pit and the mill brook, east of South Lyndeborough village. The brick were made on land over which the road now passes, and also on land now owned by Mr. Albert Cram. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, father of townsman, Mr. Rufus, is said to have carried on the business at this yard.
3. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain is said to have carried on brick- making also near where Mr. G. W. Eastman now lives.
4. The Amherst Cabinet of Oct. 15, 1818, contains Samuel Chamberlain's advertisement of a farm of 100 acres in the west part of Lyndeborough for sale, with good orchard and brick- yard. This brickyard was in the neighborhood of Rose moun- tain, and was one of the very old ones of the town.
The Farmers' Cabinet of Oct. 11, 1817, gives an advertise- ment of Jacob S. Gould and John Carkin, stating that they have fifteen or twenty thousand good merchantable brick for sale.
5. When the glass works were started here many of the bricks needed for the construction of them were made on the ground. Some of the land where the brick kiln stood is said to be now covered by the railroad. Mr. Boutelle, the father- in-law of Mr. David P. Hartshorn, was the brick-maker. The clay for them came from the old clay bank near the bend of the road mentioned in number 2 of the above yards. The experi- enced brickmaker, Mr. Boutelle, said "that the brick made there were as nice as any he ever saw."
THE GLASS FACTORY.
" The Lyndeborough Glass Company" appears to have been formed in 1866, and an act to incorporate it was passed by the Legislature, and approved June 26, 1866. The incorporators were George H. Sanborn, Luther Roby, John Hartshorn, Joel H. Tarbell and Charles F. Eaton. The act enabled them to carry on the business of the manufacture of glass, to purchase and hold real and personal estate not exceeding two hundred thousand dollars. Capital stock was to be fixed, and shares were to be one hundred dollars each.
A year later an act to incorporate "The New Hampshire Silex Company" was passed, and was approved June 29, 1867. The incorporators of this company were Luther Roby, Timothy T. Putnam and Charles F. Eaton. The business of the com- pany was "to establish, manage and carry on the manufactur- ing of silex into sand for glass and fire-brick, and other articles
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and substances of which silex or quartz is a constituent part. Place of business at Lyndeborough, or at any other place in the State, etc .; and may purchase and hold real and personal estate not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars. Amount of capital stock to be fixed by the company .*
These companies were parts of the same general enterprise. In May, 1868, the stockholders numbered one hundred and eleven. Fifty-three of these were New Hampshire residents. Fifty-one were from Massachusetts, chiefly from the cities of Lowell and Boston ; and seven were from the State of Maine.
The factory building proper was a large wooden structure, stated to have been about forty by sixty feet in dimension. It stood on the low, level spot southeast of the store at South Lyndeborough. The various other buildings connected with it were spread over two or three acres of ground. Early in the morning of June 15, 1868, the main building was destroyed by fire, causing the business a serious reverse and much extra ex- pense. The company at once set about rebuilding it and con- tinuing the work. Mr. Charles Foster was employed as master- builder, and Mr. J. D. Putnam was made general superintend- ent and agent. A brief description contained in the "Milford Enterprise " of 1878 states that through the courtesy of Mr. J. D. Putnam, the agent, and Mr. Byron Putnam, the overseer, the reporter "was shown over the establishment." During the past year business in that institution has been good. All kinds of bottles, from the common ounce bottle to the carboy, contain- ing fourteen gallons, are made here. The silex from which the glass is made is taken from a ledge about a half mile distant. The wares manufactured here are sent all over New England and the Canadas. t About fifty workmen were at that time employed, and experienced glass workers affirm that no better glass is made in the country than that which was manufactured here.
But the factory seemed to be unfortunate and unremunerative from the start. No one got rich out of it. Almost every one connected with it complained of having lost more or less money in its employ. In 1886 it suspended operations, and for more than a year afterwards there was much doubt whether the work would ever again be resumed. Mr. Putnam, the agent, died suddenly of apoplexy in February, 1888, and the owner of the factory, Mr. Tripp of Lowell, in the course of two or three years
* Copied by W. H. Grant, Esq., at Sec. of State's office. t See also pp. 104, 105.
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closed up the business, selling both the wares and the real estate at great sacrifice and loss.
The old buildings were sold at auction, and one after another of them was taken down and removed. The agent's residence is now owned by Mr. Benjamin Joslin. Another of the old buildings serves him as a barn. What was formerly the office is now a dwelling owned by Mr. J. A. Carkin, while another of the buildings, moved across the highway and much changed, is the residence of Will C. Carkin.
Thus the old glass factory, once so busy and lively, so pro- ductive and prominent, has faded and vanished from the scene, leaving us little more than a hazy reminiscence.
ESSENCES AND FLAVORING EXTRACTS.
A somewhat extensive business was carried on in town, in the manufacture and sale of articles bearing the above names. The owner of the business was Mr. Joseph A. Tarbell, half brother of the late Joel H. Tarbell. He was a native of Mason, born Feb. 22, 1844, and came to Lyndeborough with his parents when a child. After the death of his father, in 1851, he spent seven years in the family of Mr. Benjamin Crosby of Lynde- borough. He afterwards changed about from place to place, till he was about the age of 23, when he married and settled 011 a farm in Hancock. His wife was Amaret, daughter of Joshua S. Lakin. He remained on the farm but a few years, and then purchased the extract business. He commenced oper- ations in West Wilton, but soon removed to South Lynde- borough, where for several years he conducted quite a flourish- ing business both as merchant and manufacturer. In extracts alone he is said to have done a business amounting to six or eight thousand dollars per annum, and his goods were accounted of a superior quality. They were sold largely by his teamster and salesman throughout all this section of southern New Hampshire and Vermont, and northern Massachusetts, and were said to be favorites in "thousands of New England house- holds." Mr. Tarbell sold his extract business to his brother- in-law, F. B. Richards, and removed to Hancock in 1881, where he has ever since resided.
Mr. Richards has been carrying on the business now for about twenty-five years. He is regarded by his townsmen as upright in business relations, and they have honored him by electing him representative to the General Court one term, and to other positions of public trust from time to time.
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE "OLDEN TIME " IN LYNDEBOROUGH.
BY J. A. WOODWARD.
If any of the farmers of the Lyndeborough of today were required to go into the largest wood-lot in town, say in March or April, and cut down trees, build themselves log-houses to shelter their families, make clearings and raise crops sufficient for maintenance during the succeeding twenty-four months, they would undoubtedly think themselves obliged to deal with a pretty hard proposition. But that is what the first settlers of Lyndeborough undertook to do in A. D. 1735-1740. Besides, the heaviest growth of wood or timber within the limits of the town now, is not to be compared with the immense trees that constitute the celebrated "original growth."
The building of some sort of house on the lands they had bought was the first task of the pioneer, and it must of a neces- sity be a log-house. Sometimes these were built by the un- aided efforts of the settler and his family, but frequently some- one who planned to settle in the neighborhood would "change work," and in that way make the labor of lifting the logs into place easier. These log-houses were often built with one end against a large boulder, this to serve as a backing for the fire- place. Jeremiah Carleton's was built that way and so was Adam Johnson's. The fire-place was usually a mammoth affair, and it needed to be to warm the loosely-constructed house. It was made of stone laid in clay, with a low, wide chimney. Bricks were not to be had at first, and they were not used to any great extent until framed houses were substituted for the rude hut.
One could sit in the corner of these old fire-places and, look- ing up, see the stars at night. Even after bricks came into general use people still built their fire-places on a generous scale, and the chimneys likewise. Probably the last of those old chimneys to be torn down was the one in the Jonas Kidder house; Jesse Simonds had it taken down. It was 12 feet square at the base and continued at that size up through the second story, in the hall of which was a fire-place large enough to
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burn "four-foot " wood. Into these fire-places was hauled an immense back-log, and some of the houses were so arranged as to allow a horse to haul it right into the room, then a somewhat smaller fore-stick was placed, and then smaller wood placed on top, and the result was a roaring fire, that warmed every thing near it, and left the back of the room cold and draughty. Hav- ing his house built and covered with split pine shingles, and the hearth-stone warm, the next work of the settler was to make a clearing, and get some land ready for crops.
Ususually the trees were felled one by one, but sometimes the choppers would commence on one side of a lot and chop the trees nearly off, and then one or two large trees would be felled against those, and down would go the whole lot. I have heard my grandfather tell the story of one such fall on land north of the mountain. It was not a common practice, how- ever, and was only tried when there was a "chopping bee." There was great danger to the choppers. A sudden gust of wind, or some workman chopping too far into the tree, was liable to set the "fall" going, to the great danger of those engaged in the toil. But it was said that the trees were packed more closely together by this method, and a much better "burn " could be obtained. These fallen trees were allowed to remain until partially dry, and then came the burn. Such a mass of trunks of trees, limbs and dried foliage and twigs made a most tremendous fire, and at this day one wonders what was done to prevent it from spreading into the adjoining woods. Perhaps it did and the settlers did not care.
Of course even after the best "burn" the trunks of the immense trees and the larger limbs remained unconsumed, and then came the log-piling. As soon as enough settlers had come into the town, this part of the work was generally made the occasion of a " bee." The men and boys came with their oxen and axes, and logs were chopped into convenient lengths and hauled together and piled. It was hard, sooty work, and would not appeal to a present-day farmer as very desirable toil ; but those men are said to have had great fun and excitement in the logging " bee," and they had the satisfaction of knowing that they were lending a helping hand to a neighbor. Possibly, too, the New England rum, which was always plentifully supplied on such occasions, had something to do with the merry excite- ment. These log piles were fired, and when consumed, left an immense residue of ashes to fertilize the soil.
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The first crops raised were Indian corn and rye, and usually a small plot of flax. The seed must be all planted or sowed by hand, and the tools our forefathers had to use were of the most primitive kind, heavy and cumbrous. A plow was of no use whatever on account of the roots in the soil. The rye was scratched in with a three-pronged implement, and the iron in the hoes would have made a half-dozen of those of the present day. With these tools the corn was covered among the roots and stones, and it would be interesting to know how much they raised to the acre in that virgin soil. It was not until many years later that potatoes were raised to any great extent. This vegetable was slow in coming into general use as an article of food. Mrs. Chase Hadley told the writer that her husband raised two bushels one year and divided them with the neigh- bors, keeping only one-half bushel for his own family ; and that no one wanted them or ate them in those days. That must have been about the year 1800.
Hoes, axes, scythes, etc., were all made by the nearest black- smiths. The shovels were made from a riven oak plank, blade and handle all one piece, the blade concave on one side and con- vex on the other, and sometimes shod with a piece of steel. Probably there are none of these old relics in town now, but one of these shovels was kept in Sherebiah Manning's hop- house for years, and was much worn.
Sometime later a very narrow harrow with teeth top and bot- tom was used to harrow in rye on burnt ground. If the roots threw it bottom side up, the team might still go on and the har- row would do business.
When the roots had decayed to some extent, and some of the larger stone had been cleaned away, plows came into use. These plows were manufactured in the town and were the joint product of the blacksmith and the carpenter. The beam was six or seven feet long, made of oak or ash, perhaps five inches in greatest diameter, tapering toward the team and handles. The "plow irons," made by a blacksmith, were the share, the point and the wing ; the mold-board was made of wood, and on this were fastened pieces of steel or sheet-iron to prevent the furrow from wearing it away. About forty years ago one of these old plows was in existence and was used in repairing the highway in District No. I. It had pieces of old saw plate fast- ened to the mold-board. The handles were very low, but it was said to do better work than the more modern plows; and
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it may be added it took more team to draw it. In the process of time the land was cleared of stone, and the miles of wall were built, wheat and oats and potatoes were raised, hop fields were planted (this last industry to be abandoned when the Western States began to raise hops), and the fields of Lynde- borough practically as they are to-day, were evolved. The sin- gle and double walls in town show what was taken from the soil besides crops, and the muscular energy the fathers ex- pended in wresting smooth fields from the forest.
How long the log-cabin period in the history of Lynde- borough continued there are no traditions to tell. They were rough, uncomfortable habitations at the best, and generally con- tained one room and a small loft, this last reached by a ladder. A hole dug under the hut and reached by a trap-door in the floor, served as a cellar. During the severe winters common to the climate the occupants must have suffered much from the cold, in spite of all contrivances, such as hanging bed-quilts around the fire-place, and the use of the " settle," with its high back. These low houses must have been nearly buried in the deep snow, but doubtless this was a blessing, as it made the interiors all the warmer. Green wood was burned, and this had to be dug out of the snow. None was ever housed in those days, and, in fact, a generation or two passed before woodsheds became common. When the boys got chilly they were sent to the woodpile to ply the axe until they were thoroughly warmed.
It is probable that as soon as saw-mills were established and boards could be obtained, the settlers began to build framed houses. These at first were invariably of one story. The frame was made of hewn timber, much of it seven and eight inches square, almost strong enough to have supported a modern "sky-scraper."
Carpenters always worked by "scribe " rule in those days in framing a building, either house or barn. Square rule did not come into use for almost a hundred years later.
These new houses were loosely-constructed affairs, and it was necessary to retain the generous fire-place, to which was added the brick oven. Then, as the people grew prosperous and forehanded, they began to build the more pretentious two- storied houses.
Nails were very scarce and hard to obtain, and some of the houses had the boarding fastened to the frame with wooden pins. The older part of the house on the old "town farm " has
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the boards fastened in this way. The pins are of oak, about three inches long and perhaps three-eighths of an inch square at the head, tapering to a point. This part of the house was built by Eleazer Woodward just previous to the Revolutionary War. Nehemiah Boutwell made nails for years, and many of the houses in town were built with them.
David Stratton built the seventh framed house in Lynde- borough. Such is the tradition, but tradition is silent about the preceding six. The site of Stratton's house was about twenty rods south of where Fred Holt lives.
Much has been written about ambitious youth studying by the light of the open fire or by the aid of pitch pine splints, doubtless all true ; but it is also doubtless true that those first settlers went to bed as a rule almost as soon as it was " dark under the table." They had few books, no newspapers, and the out-of-door life, with its vigorous muscular labor in clear- ing the land, would be likely to promote a drowsy feeling, come night. But if they were inclined to sit up late, the light of the open fire or of a pitch pine torch was all they had at first. There were rude lamps in existence at that day, but they had no means to provide the oil to burn in them. But as they began to have herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, candles came into use, and the making of the year's supply of "tallow dips " was quite an event in the household economy.
Peeled willow sticks about eighteen inches long, and a little less than a half-inch in diameter were provided, and on these were looped six strands of candle wicking of the length of the required "dip." These were placed about a couple of inches apart on the stick. Two small poles were then placed on some support, generally two chairs. These poles were long enough to hold some dozens of candles and were laid far enough apart to allow the candles to hang between. A large kettle of tallow was then melted, and when all was ready, these wicks were dipped in the hot tallow. In withdrawing them of course they stuck together more or less, and then a finger was used to separate them, and the stick was placed on the poles to cool. By the time the last stickful was dipped, the tallow on the first had hardened sufficiently to allow of its being dipped again, and so the process was continued, the candles growing in size, until they were large enough. Usually enough were made at a time to last a year.
Later, candle-molds came into common use. These were tin
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molds of the size and shape of a candle, fastened together in groups of a dozen. The wicking was drawn through them and secured by a knot at the bottom. Melted tallow was poured into them and allowed to cool. These candles, it was claimed, were not as good as "dips," being more inclined to run. Although there were " snuffers " in every household, it was a common practice to snuff the candle with the fingers, and it was quite a trick to do it without burning the fingers or putting the candle out. By holding the candle between the eyes and the book or paper, (and incidentally catching the falling grease in one's lap) one could read quite comfortably by its use.
Whale oil lamps were used to some extent in the early days, but they were smoky things and only those who were considered opulent could afford them. Camphene, a highly explosive oil or liquid, was also used for illuminating purposes but was rather dangerous. -
In the decade between 1850 and 1860 kerosene oil became the common light, and has continued with many improvements in lamps to the present day.
The writer's father bought the first of this oil in 1858, paying twenty-five cents per quart therefor.
The clothing of the pioneers of Lyndeborough was all home- made, home-spun and woven in a rough loom set up in the kitchen, usually. Wool was not very plenty at first, and about the first crop raised was a patch of flax. This was pulled at the proper time and laid out to rot, as it was termed, then it was cleaned of its seed, and broken with what was called a " flax breaker," a machine which required considerable muscle to operate. Next it was swingled to clean out the coarser parts, combed to get rid of the tow and then was ready to be spun on the "little wheel." Sheets, pillow-cases, towels, and women's dresses, together with shirts for the men, were made from it. The boys had to wear a product made from the tow, coarse and rough.
Some of this linen was figured, and compares very favorably with the linen of to-day. Mrs. E. C. Curtis has some of the table linen made by her grandmother from flax raised on the old homestead in Johnson's Corner. It was spun and woven in the old house on that farm, a house in which was no plaster- ing and no paint. That such fabrics could have been made with the rude looms of the times, alinost passes belief. They are as fine in texture and figure as those of the present day.
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Some of the designs were called the "American Beauty," "Orange Quarter," etc. Mrs. Curtis also has some towels made by her great-great-grandmother, more than a hundred and fifty years ago, which show artistic design in figure.
All the girls were brought up to card and spin and weave and knit. Forty-two knots of filling, or six skeins, or thirty-five knots of warp, or five skeins, was a day's work of either kind, and fifty cents per week and board was the pay when working out.
Mrs. Asher Curtis, senior, used to milk two cows for an addi- tional compensation of eight cents.
As the sheep increased in numbers, the carding, spinning, and weaving of woolen fabrics was added to the home indus- tries of the forefathers. The hum of the " big wheel " mingled with that of the " little " or flax wheel, and then came the era of the "striped frock," a garment made of wool, belted at the waist, and worn almost universally by the men of two or three generations. It was warm and comfortable and was almost the only outside garment many had. It was worn "to mill and to meeting " and retained its popularity until comparatively recent years. John Richardson was about the last man in the "mid- dle of the town " to give it up. The well-to-do and the poor alike wore them.
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