USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Lyndeborough > The history of the town of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire,1735-1905 > Part 56
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The descendants of both men have held and still hold a large and honored share in the affairs and population of Lynde- borough.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM BARRON .- William Barron was a citizen of Lyndeborough as early as 1768. He married Olive Johnson.
One article of the warrant for town meeting, Mar. 8, 1768, was, " To see if town will except of a road laid out from Josiah Dutton's to where it strikes the other road near William Bar-
*Wilton History, pp. 42, 43.
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ron's house." Nov. 28, 1769, he was one of a committee chosen to examine what land was allowed for the meeting-house, and to see that the land was bounded and put on record. In 1771 he was overseer of the poor and a member of the school commit- tee. In 1772 he was a selectman, and the next year tithing man. In March, 1775, he was chosen highway surveyor, and called Lieut. Barron ; and in 1776 the town allowed his account for horse-hire to go to the army at Winter Hill. He seems to have been commissioned as captain to raise a company to defend Fort Ticonderoga, and to go to Canada in 1776, and led thither sixty men. The muster roll of his company is in the Revolu- tionary Rolls of N. H., Vol. I., pp. 358-360. It is also in N. H. Town Papers, Vol. XI., p. 720. The men who went from this town were as follows : -
Capt. Wm. Barron
Nathan Batchelder
Isaac Dey (Day)
Peter Russell
Samuel Stevens
Asahel Stiles
James Barnum
Hezekiah Hamblet
John Savage
Joseph Ellinwood
John Rowe
John Carkin
Philip Fletcher
John Bofee
Reuben Batchelder
Samuel Butterfield
From 1777 to 1779, Wmn. Barron was constable in Lyndebor- ough, and in 1778 he signed a protest against paying Lyndebor- ough men for military services which were performed for other towns, and for which those towns had already paid.
In 1779 Wm. Barron was one of the committee of nineteen men, chosen to set a value on the necessaries of life in the town, and to guard against any breaches of the agreement thereon.
In 1781 he was on a committee chosen to enlist the quota of the town for the army. His associates were Amos Pearson, Eleazar Woodward, together with the commissioned officers ; and in the same year he was appointed one of the committee to examine the plan of government for the state of New Hamp- shire. He was licensed as a tavern keeper year after year, for a long period ; and in one official capacity or another, as highway surveyor, constable, overseer of the poor, sealer of weights and measures, school committee, keeper of the town stock of powder, kept in the church loft, and deacon of the church, he rendered service almost every year from 1770 to 1800, and later.
Rev. F. G. Clark says : -
"During the Revolution a hotel was kept by Capt. Barron, north of the Badger pond, where F. B. Tay lives. When Burgoyne was captured, a
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large number of people gathered there to celebrate the event. A cask of tar was raised to the top of a pine tree, over which was placed an image of the British commander, and after dark the enemy was burnt in effigy .*
CAPT. WILLIAM BLANEY .- He is said to have been a sea captain, and was probably a relative of Major Joseph Blaney, one of the original proprietors of Salem-Canada.
On a commanding elevation, a little west of south from South Lyndeborough village, and about three-fourths of a mile distant, is the ruin of a cellar, over which once stood the residence of Capt. Wm. Blaney. South of the cellar may be seen aged apple trees, the remnants of what was early in the last century a flour- ishing orchard. Captain Blaney owned extensive pastures in this part of the town, a portion of which, now the property of W. N. Cheever, still bears the name of " the Blaney pasture." A short distance to the north of the old cellar are traces of the tan-pit where he evidently conducted a tannery. He is on rec- ord as having bought what was known as the "Stockwell yard" in Wilton, the deed of which was dated Nov. 13, 1799 .*
Oct. 3, 1794, Rev. Sewall Goodridge gave him a deed of a tract of land adjoining Wilton. (See p. 485 ; also p. 326.) His pew in the old meeting-house was No. 6 on the ground floor.
He was a revolutionary soldier, and not only did active service himself, but also, with many others, hired substitutes.
On a gravestone near the residence of Samuel Dolliver is the inscription : -
" In memory of Christopher S. Blaney, son of Capt. and Mrs. Ruth S. Blaney, who died July 22, 1789, aged 13 years, 5 months, and 25 days.
Affliction sore long time I bore, Physicians strove in vain, Till God was pleased to give me ease And took away my pain."
Capt. Blaney died in 1802, leaving wife and five minor chil- dren. After his decease the family left town, removing to Marblehead, Mass. On the Probate Docket of Essex County, . 2,637, Mrs. Ruth Blaney, widow, of Marblehead, was appointed guardian of the minor children, Oct. 15, 1806.
OSGOOD CARLETON .- According to "Memorials of the Carletons," Osgood's brothers were Jeremiah, Timothy, David and Ebenezer ; and his sisters were Mary, who married Reuben Batchelder, and Abigail, who married first, John Johnson ; and second, Ensign David Putnam; and third, Capt. Jonas Kidder.
*Salem-Canada, p. 37. +Wilton History, p. 172.
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The state papers, edited by Hon. A. S. Batchellor, Vol. XXVII, pages 414 to 418, give samples of his engineering work or draughtsmanship .* "Carleton's Compendium of Practical Arith- metic ; Applied to the Federal and Other Currencies," was compiled at the request of the "Associated Instructors of Youth," in Boston, and published in 1810.
A well preserved copy of this work, kindly lent by descend- ants of one of the Carleton family, furnished the facts above cited. The work was creditable, and esteemed as one of the worthy successors of the great arithmetic of Nicholas Pike, teacher in Newburyport, Mass., though it is less than half the size of that famous and formidable volume.
Mr. Carleton was married and settled in this town. His wife was Lydia, one of the Johnson family, of the east part of the town. His farm, according to a letter of John Carleton, was about a half mile south of the meeting-house. This tallies with an old deed, from "Benjamin Lynde to Osgood Carleton, of Second Division Lot No. 56, containing 130 acres." This deed was dated Dec. 21, 1768. He built a house on this lot, and seems to have lived there several years. . The place is now known as the Lucas place ; and was formerly the Manuel place.
He must have left Lyndeborough a short time before the commencement of the Revolutionary War, for he enlisted in his native state, Massachusetts, May 1, 1775, and was soon pro- moted. (For his promotion, see Rev. Rolls.)
W. H. Grant, Esq., found a record stating that Osgood Carleton "delivered to M. Hillegas, Continental Treasurer in 1781, six boxes containing thirteen million one thousand six hundred thirty-seven Dollars, Continental money."
Mr. John Carleton, a grandson of Jeremiah, affirmed that he, himself, had seen among Osgood Carleton's papers, receipts from General Washington acknowledging several million Pounds Sterling which had been paid to him.
From another source comes the account of Osgood Carleton as transportation agent of the government money, as well as army paymaster, stating " that he traveled with two horses and an old cart, escorted by six men who pretended not to know him, or have anything to do with him. His clothing was old
* The writer found in the Old State House, in Boston, a " map of the city from actual surveys made by Osgood Carleton." It is described as, "A copy of a rare map of Boston, presumed to be the only one extant, published by George B. Foster, Boston. Copyright Secured 1878."
0
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and everything was done to avert suspicion of his having any money, and he was never molested."
Authorities differ as to the date of his death. The work en- titled, " Memorials of the Carletons," gives the date as 1814; "Drake's Dictionary of American Biography" describes him as "a teacher of mathematics and navigation ; d. Litchfield, N. H., June, 1816. A resident of Massachusetts, he published valuable maps of that State and of the district of Maine." Other publications were "The American Navigator," in 1801 ; "The South American Pilot," 1804; "A map of the United States," 1806. The memorials of the Carletons report his hav- ing three sons : Osgood, b. 1783 ; John and David. He is said to have died at the home of his son, in Litchfield, N. H. (See Genealogies. )
CAPTAIN PETER CLARK of Lyndeborough was a descen- dant of Hugh Clark, who settled first in Watertown, Mass .; and afterwards removed to Roxbury, Mass., where he died July 20, 1693. The direct line of descent is Hugh,' Uriah,2 Rev. Peter,3 a graduate of Harvard in 1712, Peter,4 a graduate of Harvard in 1739, Capt. Peter,5 of Lyndeborough.
The parents of the latter were both natives of Danvers, Mass. His father preferred farming to professional life; and Deacon Hobart of Braintree, his grandfather, gave him a farm in that town, on which he settled, and October 22, 1741, married Anna Porter of Danvers. There, in Braintree, February 4, 1743, Capt. Peter was born.
In the 21st year of his age, October 20, 1763, he married Hannah Epps of Braintree, the daughter of Daniel Epps, Esq. and Hannah (Prescott) his wife. Daniel Eppes was one of the old Salem-Canada proprietors ; was for several years proprie- tors' clerk, and one of the heaviest shareholders in the town- ship. It was doubtless through the influence of his father-in- law, that in the troubled times of 1775, Peter Clark removed to the well-wooded and quiet town of Lyndeborough, N. H. Here he made for himself a home and reared a noble family, and left a worthy record, not only of heroism, but of civic virtue as well. He lived on what has been known in later years as the Holden place.
Soon after coming into the town in 1775, he was commis- sioned as a captain of the 9th Regiment of New Hampshire Militia. On the alarm connected with Burgoyne's invasion, he
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led 60 men, proposed destination Ticonderoga, to join Stark's command. This was on July 1, 1777. The fort had been evacu- ated, and his company, not being needed in camp, returned to their farms. Twenty of these with their captain belonged in this town, and their names are to be remembered. They are given on pages 162 and 163.
Capt. Clark set out on a second expedition, July 21, 1777. He then went to Bennington, joined Stark's army, and with his men rendered excellent service in that noted battle. Capt. Clark was said to be one of the first men to mount the British defenses. Twenty of our townsmen, including the captain, were in that noted fight. Their names are on page 163. The time of service of these men was 68 days.
Captain Clark marched a third time on the 29th of September, 1777, and bore a part in the battle of Saratoga, and assisted in the capture of General Burgoyne. On this last expedition, there were, including him, 16 of our citizens, whose names we give, page 163.
Before the close of the Revolutionary War, Capt. Clark was commissioned major in the military service. His commission is one of the cherished heirlooms of the family, issued November 16, 1779, and signed by Meshech Weare, President of the Council at Exeter, then the seat of our State Government.
JOHN CLARK, brother of Capt. Peter, went to Lynde- borough in 1775. April 24, 1776, he married Margery Hay- ward, who died November 26, 1808. He was an honest man and a good citizen, and died in Lyndeborough March 19, 1814. Child.
SALLY CLARK, b. November 19, 1778. m. 1802, Benjamin, son of Rev. Sewall Goodridge of Lyndeborough.
FRANCIS CLARK, son of Capt. Peter, moved to Barre, Vt., and died there. He was the father of Rev. William Clark, who assisted much in securing the genealogy from which this information is derived.
JOHN CLARK, youngest son of Capt. Peter, was remarkable for his musical talent, led the choir for many years, and both he and his sons furnished music on many public occasions.
HANNAH DEBORAH CLARK, sister of Rev. B. F., was educated at New Ipswich Academy, and at Maplewood Institute,
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at Pittsfield, Mass. She became a successful teacher, and after residing at North Chelmsford two or three years with her brother, was married at his home, March 7, 1843, to George F. Gillmore, Esq., of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. "The Gillmore Mission School" of that city was named for her. She was noted for the energy and earnestness of her Christian character.
For other notices see Genealogies.
CRAM .- The first settler in Salem-Canada was, undoubt- edly, Mr. John Cram, who came from Wilmington, Mass., with his wife and married sons and marriageable daughters, and with several grandchildren. As he was foremost among the settlers, so also was the Cram family one of the oldest of whom we have any record among all the inhabitants of the town.
The origin of the Crams has been traced back to very remote antiquity. It appears first among the Slavonic people who came early into northeastern Germany, where they established themselves and were noted for their warlike spirit. Here a branch of the family was raised to baronial dignity and a long succession of knights and titled nobility reflected honor on the name. Another branch of the family penetrated into France, whence it entered the Duchies of Lower Saxony and Brunswick in the ninth century. The name, however, appeared first in the archives of those principalities in A. D. 1181, 1206, and 1225, where it was written, Von Cramm, the prefix Von in German names being a well-known mark of nobility. From north Germany, a branch of the family crossed the German ocean and established its home in England, in 1528. The founder of this branch was Hans (or John) Von Cramm, who " with six men at arms," entered the service of the Bishop of Durham, and was a successful and honored soldier. "In con- sideration of goodlie service at warr," the Dean and Canons of Durham "devised unto the sayde Hans Von Cramm their dwelling-place at Felling in the county of Dunholm, lately called the Priorie." Thus was the family enrolled among the landed gentry of England.
It is noted as a peculiar coincidence that Hans, twelfth child of Burkard Von Cramm, was the founder of the family in England; and still another Hans, or John, the twelfth child of another Burkard and Barbara Cram, became the founder of the family in America.
The progenitor in England was buried at Jarrow, about a
SOUTH LYNDEBOROUGH, FROM LUTHER CRAM'S HOUSE.
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half-mile south of the Tyne, near the shore of the German ocean. His tombstone is built into the side of the south porch of the old church at Jarrow. The place is noted as the scene of the labors of the venerable Bede, and the church is said to contain the old oak chair which he graced. A copy of the in- scription on the old tombstone of John Cram is here given : " Hic jacet John Cramm qui obiit nonadecimo die Februarii Aº Dni Mº DCLIII nonagesimo quarto ejus aie ppetur deus Amen"
The English Crams have the same general ensign as the German family, the crest alone being changed, to indicate that "they got it as vassals or liegemen of the Abbey," i. e. of Durham. As a matter of interest both coats of arms may be compared, that of the German branch being copied from the archives of Brunswick, the form in which the family "have borne it for centuries." Such armorial decorations were always highly valued, and indicate the honor in which the family or race were held.
JOHN .- This was the name of the first one of the family in America. He was born at Newcastle on the Tyne, in 1697, and was the son of Burkard, and grandson of John of Jarrow. He is said, by one authority, to have probably begun "to live in Boston as early as 1635, and in 1637 was assigned sixteen acres of land at Muddy River (Brookline.)"* " The New York Crams " states that "he and his wife Esther came to Boston in 1635," and Savage, another authority, is said to have given 1637 as the time of his arrival there. But Major General T. J. Cram, U. S. A., December 24, 1874, wrote, "I have examined every page of the 'Records of the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay,' and the name of John Cram nowhere ap- pears. If he had ever been in Boston it is certain that his name would somewhere be seen." But "John Cram's name never appears, and to my mind, it is clear that he never was in Boston, but that he came first to Exeter, where he was one of 'Wheelwright's Combination.' "'
The Provincial Papers of New Hampshire lend color to this opinion of Major General Cram.t For the name of John Cram is seen on several petitions and other papers connected with Exeter. Exeter History states that "he had wife and two or more children when he came to Exeter." His son Joseph, supposed to be the oldest, was drowned June 24, 1648,
* Bell's History of Exeter, p. 24. + Bouton I, pp. 135, 145, 168. 179.
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aged 15 years ; and his daughter Lydia was born July 27, of the same year. He served as townsman 1648 and 1649, and soon after removed to Hampton, and there died, March 5, 1681-2. The town record commemorates him as "good old John Cram, one just in his generation." He was twice married, his first wife being named Lydia; his second, Esther. The latter died May 17, 1677. They had four children.
I. Benjamin, who married Argentine Cromwell, a relative of old Oliver, Protector.
2. Thomas, who was a soldier in the Narragansett, or King Philip's war, which ended in 1676. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Nathaniel Weare, a member of the Governor's Council, and one of the most distinguished men connected with the early history of New Hampshire.
3. Mary, who married Abraham Tilton. (of Bow ? )
4. Lydia, of whom there is no record, save her birth in 1648.
John Cram and his wife were both members of the Hampton church. It is said that " no Crams have been found in America whose ancestry could not be traced back to him."
JOHN CRAM, grandson of the fore-named, was the first settler of both Salem-Canada and Lyndeborough. It is true that the territory included under both these names is not exactly the same. Salem-Canada included all the territory now in Lyndeborough, and much more. But the property of John Cram was in both the old grant issued by the General Court of Massachusetts, and also in that covered by the charter of the Masonian Proprietors, which was later confirmed by the Pro- vincial Charter, under Governor Benning Wentworth. Because of his priority of settlement and the influence of his many descendants, it seems proper to extend somewhat our notice of his life.
John Cram, the pioneer in this town, was born in Hampton Falls, January 12, 1685. He was the son of Thomas Cram and Elizabeth, the daughter of Hon. Nathaniel Weare, later Chief Justice of the Province. Thomas Cram, the father of our townsman, had been a soldier in the Narragansett, or King Philip's War, and in 1738, was one of the selectmen of Hamp- ton Falls .* In 1749, we find his name, or possibly his son's, attached to a petition to the governor, for a grant of land for a township. Connected, thus, with prominent families, both
* State Papers, XII, pp. 131, 136, 137.
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through the Weares and the Crams, the early advantages and social standing of John were doubtless of the very best. This is believed to be implied by the respectful terms in which he is mentioned in the earliest Proprietors' Records of Salem-Canada, as well as by the various responsibilities devolved upon him by the primitive settlers of the town. The esteem in which he was held in his native place was, doubtless, undiminished by his marriage in 1707, to Sarah, daughter of Henry Holt, of Andover, Mass. The next year after his marriage, we find him performing military duty at Fort William and Mary, in which year, also, Jonathan, his eldest son, was born .* It is of some importance to note this fact; for at a later day, both father and son served in the French and Indian War, after they had become citizens of Salem-Canada.
Among the names on the schedule attached to the royal charter of the town of Chester, granted in 1722, is found that of John Cram.t The list of the proprietors of Chichester whose charter bears date of 1727, also contains the names of Thomas, John and Benjamin Cram. Such a recurrence of his name indicates that John Cram must have possessed some pecuniary resources; that he was something more than an ordinary settler. His large family, well situated and well con- nected matrimonially, must have added somewhat to his influ- ence and to the esteem in which he was held by his fellow- citizens in Salem-Canada.
He settled first, after his marriage, in his native town, Hampton Falls. There three of his children were born. He and his wife were dismissed from the church at Hampton Falls, April 13, 1712. He was settled in Woburn, Mass., in 1713, and there all his remaining children were born. Among these were two sets of twins, his daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth, constituting one set, and his sons, Eli and Benjamin, the other.
May 16, 1727, he sold his Woburn property to Benjamin Abbott, and removed to Wilmington, Mass. He united with the church in Wilmington, October 24, 1733.# On May II, 1737, he sold one-half of his farm to his son Jonathan, and settled in Salem-Canada, New Hampshire.
In the sketch of Lyndeborough by Mr. David C. Grant is the statement :
" The first settlers in what is now Lyndeborough were Cram, Putnam
* Prov. Papers, XII, p. 112. t Batch. XXIV, p. 568. # Wilmington Church Record.
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and Chamberlain, descendants of whom now reside in town. But the first settler in Salem-Canada (now Wilton) was John Badger."
It would be more exact to say that the first settlers in Salem- Canada, the greater part of which is included in Lyndeborough, were Cram, Putnam and Chamberlain. But the first settler in that part of it which is included in Wilton was John Badger.
The latter statement is believed to be correct, and leaves little room for any misunderstanding. That there was a fort, also, in old Salem-Canada can hardly be counted a matter of doubt, though it is very doubtful whether it was built pre- vious to 1740, the year of Badger's decease.
There seems conclusive evidence that John Cram established a permanent residence here in 1737, when his youngest chil- dren were about sixteen years of age. His twin daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth, were about eighteen years of age. The former married Ephraim Putnam, who was for a time "com- mander of the fort or blockhouse; " and was prominent in Revolutionary movements ; the latter married Jonathan Cham- berlain, who, with his son, Jonathan "marched from Lynde- borough for Ticonderoga, on July 1, 1777, in Capt. Peter Clark's Co. of militia." * Not only were there grown-up sons and daughters, but there were grandchildren when he came into this town, although he preceded them by three years or more as a resident.
Some of the first work in clearing roads and building the meeting-house was done by Mr. John Cram and his oxen. The first proprietors, most of whom dwelt in Salem, Mass., and in adjoining towns, began in 1738 to bargain with him about building a saw mill, and he engaged with them to build it. He fulfilled his agreement apparently to the satisfaction of the pro- prietors, and received No. 39, the mill lot, containing 130 acres, situated west of the village of South Lyndeborough, for the service. Until that date, 1740, the dwellings were log cabins, and were not numerous.
The saw-mills of Nathaniel Putnam and John Cram now began their operations, and prepared the boards and smaller timbers needed for the framed houses. In a very few years, however, the work of the settlers was interrupted by the French and Indian War, also known as Queen Anne's War. In this war both John Cram and his son Jonathan bore a part. The father must at that time have been about sixty years of age.
* Chamberlain Family, p. 12.
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According to records preserved in the family of Mr. Andrew Harwood, but now lost, " Sarah the wife of John Cram died in Sept. or October 1757, between seventy and eighty years of age ; and John Cram died in Amherst in 1759 .* Thus ended an ac- tive, honored, prosperous and useful life.
JAMES S. CRAM was a great-grandson of Mr. John Cram, the earliet settler of the town. He lived on what is now known as the Rose place, situated on what was then the thoroughfare between Amherst and Greenfield, and the Asheulot townships. Amherst was the seat of "The Aurean Academy," which James S. had the privilege of attending. His manuscript book, which bears date of 1795, is quite a marvel of neat penmanship for those days. It is devoted entirely to mathematics. The subjects of which he treated were often printed with his pen in ornamental letters, like Old English or German text, or some- times in neat, round English script of the writing-master. His skill in mathematics led many people to seek his aid in the solu- tion of difficult problems, which presented little difficulty to him, and were easily mastered. His manuscript book begins with involution and evolution, passes on to progressions, to plane and solid geometry, mensuration of plane surfaces and solids, sur- veying and trigonometry. His figures, geometrical drawings, and pen and ink sketches of hills, towers or steeples show the talent of an expert.
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