USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Sunapee > The story of Sunapee > Part 3
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John Wendell, Agent for the Town of Saville."
Portsmo July 2d 1776
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Attacks from Canada were threatened, and ac- tually came. A regiment was stationed in the fort at Charlestown. Capt. Gunnison had a company at Saville, made up of residents of that town and other towns. It was a northern outpost.
"Statement Relative to Service in the War: Addressed to the General Assembly, 1786."
"The Petition of the Selectmen of Saville, formerly so called, but weh is now incorporated by the name of Wendell, in behalf of themselves and the Other Inhabitants of said Township, unto Honours humbly shews-
"That the Honble Treasurer of this State, hath lately Issued an Extent on Your Petitioners, for the want of their Propor- tion of Men, during the War, which occasioned the Greatest Surprize to You Petrs, as they were conscious that the said Inhabitants, taken in a comparative view, have done more service During the War, than Any Town in the whole State, as they Humbly conceive they shall make to appear to any Committee of this Honble Court; Your Pet's never received any List or Demand for their Proportion from any Public Officer what ever, excepting a Latter from Colo now Gen1 Bellows to Capt Gunnison for the Names of such man as went from sd Town unlisted for Three Years or during the War with the Names of the Officers under whom they Served, on which You Pet's Gunnison returned the Names of William Lang jun" William McBrittain Jun' & S1 Sisco In- habitants of said Town who were then in actual Service en- gaged for Three Years, One of whom was wounded in Battle & afterwards died thereof And Excepting a few Old men Every man in the town has Occasionally served in Person on
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Alarms and Whenever Colo Bellows sent out for them, All which they humbly hope to make appear Wherefore they Re- quest a Committee of this Honb) Court may be appointed to take the Prayer of their Petition into Consideration and to Report thereon as to Justice belongs, And Your Pet's as in duty bound shall ever Pray"
(Signed) Sam1 Gunnison - Selectmen of moses true Wendell
"Wendell January 2ª 1786."
The following from "State Papers" give us the best de- scription we could expect to have of the poverty and hard- ships of those earliest pioneer emigrants in Saville. It should be studied carefully. We note how a gripping, human story blazes through bad composition, grammar and spelling. It is a revealing document, viz-
"To his Honor the President and the Honorable the Coun- cil and House of Representatives, to be Convened at Con- cord the 2nd Tuesday in June 1782: In and for the Common Wealth of New Hampshire"-
"The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Wendell most Humbly Sheweth that Your Petitioners have Received Tax Bills from the Treasurer of this Common Wealth to the amount of £160-15-New Emmission & £6-0-6 Speice for the years 1781-& for the year 1782 the amount of £194-4-7 to be paid in Silver and Gold, as our Proportion of the State Tax. We therefore beg leave to Inform Your Honrs of our Inability to pay same-As under is true and deplorable State of the Town-there is but 25 families in the Town & 3 of them is So infirm that they pay no Pole Tax- & 11 Single men Some of the families hafe one Cow each Some 2 Others none at all-after a strict Enquiry Could not find above 4 families that has Bread Corn enough to Last to English Harvest & all the Rest are buyers of Corn some of which have nothing to buy with-And we Humbly Con- ceive there has been no Town Settled by Inhabitants in Such Low Circumstances as this-as Some Have Ever Been Obliged to Go Twenty miles after Bread Corn to eat yearly we have Ever been Ready to Assist our Proportion in the Continental Army both Personal & in all other Exigen- cies-There is so many non resident Proprietors of Land Living Oute of the town owning the Principale of the Town
1233685
35
that our Roads are in bad condition and having no mills we are Obliged to go to the next Towns for Every thing we may want in that way which makes our situation really Dis- tressing-As we are ordered by a Special Act of the Assem- bly not to tax the lands of the Non Residents toeards defray- ing the Expence of making or repairing the Roads in the Town we are not able to do it our Selves-Your Humble Petitioners do Conceive the Poverty of the Town is Deplor- able-many of those families have no money and if these taxes are enforced on them must sell there stock and there Families suffer-We Humbly Conceive that our Precept is much bigger than our Just Proportion for want of a true knowledge of our situation-11y we are on a Gore of Land which other towns Infringe upon us and we Cant help it 2ly we Humbly Conceive we have not our quantity of land by Reason of So much watter in town-the tax bill for the year 1781, was Recd march 25th, 1782 the tax bill for the year 1782 was Recd may 16-1782-on the Receipt of which the Inhabitants was called to Gether to Consider of there mel- ancholy situation and to Petition to the Assembly for redress therefore your Petitioners most Humbly Pray Your Honors will be pleased to take there Distressed Case into there most Serious Consideration & they will in Duty Bound Ever Pray-voted in the above Sd meeting that mr moses True forward this Petition to the General Assembly at Con- cord-"
"Attest Sam11 Gunnison town Clark-may ye 23d 1782."
* AUTHOR'S NOTE: A part of these taxes were abated. A law ex- empting non-residents from paying taxes suggests a connection with the fact that many prominent politicians were non-residents and were given free land in many towns. The complaint that they had too much water and too little land seems odd to us now, since the river and Pond really saved us.
"To the Honourable the Committee of Claims or bord of war In and for the Common wealth of Newhampshire this may inform your honours that Colo Hunt has brought A Extent to the Amount of as our Purpotion of our Delinquent Soldier Tax for the Late War which we humbly Conceive is Come Against us by Reason of your honours not having a Rite Knowledge of what the Inhabitants of this Poor feeble town has Dun by Calls on all Sudden Emergences from our field officers and also voluntiers Going So much that we Actually believe that we ought to have credit Rather than to be Called uppon for the Least Sum-we humbly Conceive we have a Just Rite to Chalange the whole State that their
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is not a town in it Considering our Poverty and numbers that have Done near So much as the People of this town have in actual Service without hire from other towns there- fore we would Earnestly Desire your honours would take the above account under your Consideration & we humbly beg the Extent now in Colo Hunts hands may be with Drawn -this from your humble Peteniors in Duty Bound Ever Pray-
Wendell october ye 14th-1785-"
Samuel Gunnison Moses True Joshua Gage
Select men of Wendell
"State Papers" give us the following petition for a new charter-
"The Petition of Subscribers Inhabitants of the Township of Saville, so called, in said State, unto Your Honours humbly shews :-
That your Petitioners labor under many Inconveniences for the Want of Incorporation of the said Town, and as Your Honours have indulged other Towns, far less Inhabited than this, They humbly hope for the same Favour,-Your Petitioners have exerted themselves on all Occasions in the present War, greatly beyond their Abilities, and have sig- nalized their Attachment to the State of New Hampshire, and its Jurisdiction,-Your Petitioners Pray that said Town- ship may be incorporated with the Privileges of other cor- porate Towns, and that it may hereafter bear the name of Wendell, for which indulgence: yr Petitioners will ever pray-"
"Samuel Gunnison William Lang his Benja B. R. Rand mark
daniel woodward
Daniel Sherburne
Sam Wilson
Esek Young
Abiathar Young
George W. Lear
Robrd young
Joseph Lear
Edward young
Robert Rand
Jemes young
Moses True
Joshua Whitne
Daniel Grindel
William
John Beven
E Sisco (by mark)
Rob woodward
Sam Sisco (by mark)
Nehemiah Woodward
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William Lang for his son William in the Army. Twenty- four. That was all.
"(The Town was incorporated April 4, 1781, by the name of Wendell."
These twenty-four petitioners for the incorporation of the township of Wendell revealed changes in the inhabitants of the town since the Association Test list, of eighteen names in 1776. There were seven names missing from the 1776 list who had moved away or died, viz .: William Mack Breney, Benjamin Thurber, Samuel Thurber, Michael Bowden, Ephraim Bradbury, Benjamin Howard, and Joshua Gage.
That left 11 of the 18 Association Test names, as follows: Robert Woodward, Capt. Samuel Gunnison, Joseph Lear, George W. Lear, Daniel Grandell, Benjamin Rand, William Lang, Sam W. Sisco, Elezer Sisco, Daniel Sherburne, John Beven.
But these 11 voters, hero "survivors of the Association Test in Saville," had been augmented by 13 newcomers, to make twenty-four names who signed this petition to incorporate Wendell in 1781, viz .: (new names) Nehemiah Woodward, Daniel Woodward, Abiathar Young, Robert Young, Esek Young, Edward Young, James Young, Robert Rand, Moses True, William Lang, Jr. (in the Army), Samuel Wilson, Joshua Whitne, and William Whitne.
This addition to the town shows the arrival of five "Youngs," which family has continued in Sunapee continu- ously to the present day, a strong family, having a large part in Sunapee's history. They settled on "Young's Hill."
Between these dates ('76 and '81) we note the name of Moses True, who became a delegate to the famous State Con- stitutional Convention to ratify the Federal Constitution in 1788, and voted "No." That "No" sounds like Rhode Island, which was a year or so late in ratifying the Constitution.
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CHAPTER XI THE CHARTER OF WENDELL
"The following is the 'new Charter'.
State of New Hampshire
In the Year of Our Lord 1781
An Act, to incorporate a Tract of Land, heretofore known LS by the name of Saville, in the County of Cheshire."
"Whereas a Petition has been preferred to the Genereal Assembly by the Inhabitants of a certain tract of land in the County of Cheshire commonly known by the name of Saville, setting forth, that they labour under grate Inconveniences for want of an Incorporation and praying that they may be Incorporated and that the said tract of land may hereafter bear the name of Wendell of which Petition and order of Court thereupon due notice hath been given and no Objec- tion being made thereto:
Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representa- tives in General Court Assembled and by the Authority of the same that the said tract of land containing all the Lands and bounded as set forth in the Charter of the Grant thereof be now erected and incorporated into a township by the name of Wendell. And the Inhabitants of the said Town are hereby erected into a Body Politic and corporate to have continuance and succession forever and are invested with all the Powers and enfranchised with all the Rights, Priv- ileges, Benefits and Immunities which any Town in this State can legally possess, hold and enjoy. Thold to the Said Inhabitants and their successors forever by the Name of Wendell aforesaid. And Samuel Gunnison Esq. is hereby fully authorized and empowered to call a meeting of said Inhabitants for the purpose of chusing all necessary and customary Town Officers, giving fourteen days Notice at least of the time, place and design of the Said Meeting and the Officers then and there chosen shall be invested with all the Powers, Priviledges and Authorities that the Officers of any other Town in this State are by Law invested with and every
39
other Meeting which shall be annualy held in Said Town for that purpose shall be on the Last Wednesday of March forever."
State of New Hampshire
In the House of Representatives March 30, 1781.
The foregoing bill having been read a third time, voted that it pass to be enacted.
Set up for Concurrence
(Signed) JOHN LANGDON, Speaker
In Council, the 4th of April 1781.
This Bill was read for a third time and voted that the same be enacted.
(Signed) M. WEARE, President.
Copy exa'd.
By JOSEPH PEARSON Depty Secy.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It will be observed that it gave full recognition to the land titles that came from the original grant by the Crown.
The Revolutionary War was not then over. The surrender at Yorktown was six months later, but President Weare did not wait for that, nor for the Peace Treaty which was not signed until September 3rd, 1783. John Langdon, Speaker, later became Governor and United States Senator.
CHAPTER XII JOHN WENDELL
On the outside covers of a sizeable book of records of the town (called Wendell in 1781), is written, "This book is pre- sented to the inhabitants of the town of Wendell for a Town Book by their friend and man of law" (signed) John Wen- dell, and dated July 7, 1789. (Perhaps it should read 1779.)
John Wendell was one of the ninety-six grantees. He lived in Portsmouth, and practiced law there. He was the father of Jacob Wendell who was the father of Barrett Wendell,-the famous Harvard Professor and Author.
IAm Wendell Portsmouth,
The John Wendell whose name Sunapee bore for three-fourths of a century, and whose name the Depot postoffice in Sunapee still bears, was a real estate lawyer in Portsmouth, born September 10, 1731, died April 29, 1808,-a man of wealth, well-known to all celebrities of his period, a patriot and a vigorous character as his portrait shows. Boston-born, Harvard educated, he, of the fifth gen- eration in America was the first of the New Hampshire line, which follows: John 1, Jacob 2, Jacob 3, Barrett Wendell 4, author Wil- liam Greenough Wendell 5, who now resides in the old Wendell homestead from the walls of which the writer borrowed the por- trait herein.
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It is stated that he purchased shares of the town from sev- eral who wanted to sell out.
He advertised for settlers in some of the towns he repre- sented.
When the War was coming to a close he sought a new Charter from President John Weare. The town's name was changed to his name.
He sought and obtained "powder and ball" for Saville to put up a defense during the War.
He built a log cabin near the first settlers from Ports- mouth. It was later burned down.
John Wendell retained the sheep-skin on which the King's Grant was written and executed, presumably for safe keep- ing. It belonged to Sunapee.
One hundred and twenty-eight years thereafter (1768 to 1896), the writer, while teaching school in Portsmouth, pur- chased it from a collector of antiques for twenty-five dollars and presented it to the Selectmen of Sunapee, to-wit, to Selectman Charles E. Russell of George's Mills.
CHAPTER XIII VOTED "NO," AND LOST ITS TAIL
A memorable date in American history was June 21, 1788, for on that date the decision was made to unite the thirteen colonies into the United States of America by adopting the Federal Constitution. How about June 21, 1788? Well, it was on that date that New Hampshire put the world-wide problem over by being the ninth State to favor it. Only nine States were necessary. How did that concern Wendell? We are ashamed to tell, but history cannot lie. Wendell sent Moses True to the State Convention, and he voted "No." The vote of our State was fifty-seven "Yes," and forty-seven "No." So we did no real harm.
Wendell soon lost its tail to Goshen-Daniel Grandell, Benjamin Rand and William Lang, Saville's first three set- tlers, joined twelve later arrivals to the "South end" to make a move to create Goshen as a matter of convenience to them.
SPRINGELELD
OTTER
Brook
sr
Georges Mitt P.O.
St
00.00
POND
BROOK'
TROWS
HILL
0
PERKINS
SA
0 POND
U
ISH
BARTLETT
Brack
No point
Krook
o. from ...
MASONIAN CURVE
YOUNG
BUDE DERKY
The map after losses
Joshera and new London
GOSHEN
8 cotto cover
SUNA PE
'S.
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The twelve other South enders were: Moses True, Nathaniel Gunnison, Ephraim Gunnison, John Wheeler, James Libby, George W. Lear, Joseph Lear, Benjamin Rand, Jr., Stephen Lang, George Ayers, Daniel Shirbon, and Parker Tandy. The petition addressed to the General Court, found in "State Papers," was as follows: "The petition of us the Subscribers Inhabitants of Wendell, Lemster, Unity, Newport and Fish- erfield living on a Tract of Land lying in the Remote corners of the Towns aforesaid which makes it Exceedingly Incon- venient on Account of all Town Affairs as Publick Town Meetings and Religious Societies by our being at Such a Distance from the Centre of those Towns that we are now Incorporated with, Therefore the Prayers of your Petition- ers is that your Honrs will consider us in our Situation and Incorporate us as a Town as Shall be Set forth in the Plan herewith Exhibited or otherwise as your Honrs in your wisdom Seem meet and your petitioners as in duty bound Shall ever Pray"
Lemster December ye 22 A D 1789"
"Asa Hebard
Benjn Willey
Joseph Lear Benjamin Rand
Allen Willey, Jr.
Benjamin Rand Junr
Milan Hebard
Luther Martin
Nathaniel Gunnison
Nathan Willey
Moses True
Reuben Willey
William Lang
Eleazer Carey
Stephen Lang
Daniel Shirbon
Daniel Grendel
Daniel Shiron, Jr.
Arthur Humphrey
John Wheeler
Stephen Gilman
James Libbey
Elisha Thatcher
Parker Tandy
Ephraim Gullison
George W. Lear
George Ayres"
The above signers were from the five towns but the 15 first named in this chapter were from Wendell. The people of Wendell disliked to have the land and the south end resi- dents cut off, but they saw the reasonableness of it. Those 15 Wendell names must be cancelled from the census list of fifty-one families in 1790 as they were enumerated in the
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1790 census as of Wendell. The petition was granted in December, 1791.
CHAPTER XIV
THE FIRST GRIST-MILL
A grist mill was the first and indispensible necessity of pioneers. They must eat what they raise, and raise what they eat. Corn must be ground into meal. For the first few years the Savillites had no grist mill. They could be seen with a bag of corn on their backs, trudging through pathless woods, even as far as Walpole or Charlestown, some eighteen miles, to get the corn ground. They lived mostly on corn dishes, bannock, mush, and corn pone. Newport first pro- vided a grist mill. That was much nearer for Saville folks. But in 1882 a record shows that Joel Bailey of Newport was induced, by offer of land in Wendell, to start a grist mill there. He must have done so for we find "Bailey's Grist Mill" referred to in earlier town records of Saville and Wendell. Notwithstanding this fact, historical writers have, in the past, usually credited John Chase with having erected the first grist mill in Wendell in 1786 on the Sugar River water power, near the Pond. Blodgett and Runals had a saw mill there later and now it is an electric power station, just east of the Woolen Mill bridge, formerly the Hame Shop bridge. In about 1800 this grist mill was moved down stream, on the south side thereof, on a newly erected dam. This grist mill was run by a man named "Purington," and continued so late that the writer recalls Mr. Purington, and recalls himself, as a boy, hauling corn there with steers hitched to a sled. It has been discontinued as a mill for many years. The tall wooden building then became used as a dwelling, and is now torn down.
Joel Bailey did remove to Wendell. That is shown by the birth records of three children born in Wendell between 1785 and 1790, and by the census of 1791. Chase is now thought to have succeeded Bailey, or else Chase owned it and Bailey ran it. But we find in the town records where
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it speaks of the layout of a road to Bailey's grist mill, and that in two cases.
CHAPTER XV
LAST OF SAVILLE-FIRST OF WENDELL
The last town meeting under the name of Saville was held March 29, 1782. Daniel Shirburn was chosen Moderator; Captain Gunnison, Clerk; Gunnison, True and J. Lear, Select- men; Joseph Whitne, Constable.
The first town meeting under the name of Wendell was held on May 23, 1782. True, Moderator, voted to send a "petition to the court" in behalf of those tax bills for 1781 and 1782. Moses True was delegated to carry the petition to the Court at Concord in June, next.
Again, on July 11, 1782. Voted to raise the Beef called for by the State. Chose Esek Young, Moses True and George W. Lear, a Committee to get the Beef.
The following receipt was recorded: Claremont, July 15, 1782. Then received of George Lear of Wendell Beef cattle to the value of 3075 pound weight towards their State Rate Grant in 1782, to be paid the last day of June 1782.
Rec'd by me (Signed) SAMUEL TROTT
(attached to receipt)
Joshua Gages
oxen
wt.
1200
Samuel Gunnisons
OX
wt.
725
John Bevens
COW
900
Esek Young
COW
900
Wm. Mebrittons
COW
350
3075
Five miles travel with cattle.
These cattle, or beef, constituted a charter tax in lieu of cash, which they did not have. The state must have had a better market for them.
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CHAPTER XVI
THE FIRST WRITTEN RECORDS OF SAVILLE
The first town meeting recorded in this record book con- cerns Saville, and not Wendell and is dated some ten years before the book was supposed to have been given. It fol- lows:
"State of New Hampshire
Whereas Benjamin Giles, Esq. and William Heywood, Esq. or either of them were appointed by the General Assembly to notify any Township in the County of Cheshire in the State aforesaid not Incorporated to meet after fifteen days notice and either of the aforesaid Justices being present when met to proceed and chuse a Town Clerk, three Select- men, a Constable and other Town officers necessary to assess and collect the said Town's proportion of the State taxes and to be duly qualified by either of said Justices who may be present."
"These are therefore to warn the Inhabitants of the town of Saville in the County of Chesire to meet at the dwelling house of Ephraim Bradbury in said Saville on the twenty second day of April next at Eleven clock before noon and when met to proceed to chuse Town officers as mentioned above."
"Cheshire, March 30, 1778 Benjamin Giles, Justice of the Peace."
"Saville, April 22, 1778. Pursuant to the notification of Benjamin Giles, Esq. the Inhabitants of this Town and it happening to be on the day of the Continental Fast, by di- rection of said Benjamin Giles, Esq. they were adjourned till tomorrow at 11 o'clock A. M."
"Saville, April 23, 1778. The Inhabitants having met Ben- jamin Giles, Esq. present, proceeded on the business of Notification, viz."
"Voted that Capt. Sam Gunnison be the Town Clerk for the present year. Voted that Moses True, Esek Young, and
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Captain Samuel Gunnison be Selectmen of this town for the present year. Voted that Michael Bowden be the Con- stable of this town for the present year. The business being finished this meeting is dissolved."
(Signed) Present BENJ. GILES."
WRITER'S NOTE: The discrepancy in dates is thought to mean that the Town Clerk, when he received this very fine book in 1789 saw fit to copy his badly-kept prior records into it.
It purports to be a record of the first meeting of Saville, and was authorized by the State Assembly. Moreover, we believe there must have been town meetings before this, but perhaps not official.
Take notice that it was held in a dwelling house.
This first town meeting revealed three new names in town since 1776. They were Moses True, Esek Young and Benjamin Giles. We find no record of where they came from, but perhaps from Rhode Island, to join friends, as was quite common.
A second recorded Town Meeting, viz, in 1779, was held at the house of John Bevens, and it elected as Selectmen: Joshua Gage, Esek Young and Samuel Gunnison. John Bevens was chosen Constable, and Moses True, Town Treasurer.
The total money raised that year was 95 pounds, 15 shill- ings and 11 pence. Samuel Gunnison was chosen Town Clerk.
The Saville Town Meeting of 1780 reveals additional new names in town as follows: Nehemiah Woodward, a preacher, Joshua Whitney, William Bowler, and Doett Sprague.
(Notice for a meeting)
"State of New Hampshire SS Cheshire
Wendell, October 21, 1782. Notice is hereby given to the Inhabitants of the Township of Wendell, Heretofore Known by the name of Saville that agreeable to the Act of Incor-
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poration of said town, the Subscriber am appointed to call a meeting of said Inhabitants for the purpose of Chusing a town Clerk, Selectmen and all other officers for the present year. Therefore I do appoint Monday the fourth day of No- vember next ensuing for the said Inhabitants to meet at the house of Messers George and Joseph Lears at ten of the Clock forenoon in said town then and there to chuse, viz.
moderator to manage said meeting
Town clerk three Selectmen
Constable and all necessary town officers to serve untill the last Tuesday of March next.
And the said Inhabitants are desire to attend accordingly.
SAM. GUNNISON, ESQ."
(Meeting Held)
"November 4, 1782. Agreeable to the above the Inhabi- tants met. Samuel Gunnison chosen town clerk, Moses True, Samuel Gunnison and Joseph Lear chosen Selectmen. Joshua Whitne chosen Constable. Voted that Daniel Shur- burn, Joshua Gage, George Walker Lear and Thomas Woodword and Moses True be a Committee to lay out Road in town. Voted that George Walker Lear be surveir. Voted that John Bevens be Surveir. The above men that are chosen to Servei untill the last Wednesday of March next. The Business being finished the meeting Dissolved."
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