USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Derry > Willey's book of Nutfield; a history of that part of New Hampshire comprised within the limits of the old township of Londonberry, from its settlement in 1719 to the present time > Part 34
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
28
200
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
manent camp-meetings were organized with tents, horses to the preachers who came from other furniture, provisions, and sleeping accommoda- towns and needed good roadsters, and by exchange and barter, enriched himself to the amount of three or four hundred dollars at the expense of the ministers. At a large camp-meeting held in the woods west of the Messer house, ealled the Watts lot, the good order of the Millerite services was disturbed by the boisterous conduct of some of the townspeople who attended the meetings mainly from curiosity, and being rather inclined to humor, saw something ridiculous in the devout Millerites shouting "Glory" when the preacher happened to say something that appealed to their feelings, and shouted also with pertinacity "Go it !" Three of these noisy persons, Joel Annis, George Boyce, and David Barker, were arrested and taken to court at the Lower village to answer to the charge of disturbing the meeting. The defendants in the case procured the services of Squire John Porter, and the Adventist plaintiff in the case em- ployed Squire Joseph Gregg. In the sequel the three disturbers of the peace paid each a small fine as penalty and were sworn to keep good order in the future. To make the keeping of good order more certain afterward, the sheriff, Samuel Marshall, was ordered to be present at the meetings. The tions and exciting addresses. Continual conver- sions followed by day and by night. Carpenters abandoned their occupation, leaving unfinished buildings. Farmers neglected their corn, and potatoes remained in the field, and cattle were allowed to run at large. In most of these cases of abandonment and neglect the neighbors interposed to save the wanton waste of property. In the instance of the entire abandonment of crops related of the enthusiastic Ralph Nevins, who lived on the farm afterward owned and occupied by Jonathan Dana on the westerly side of Beaver brook, the selectmen of the town went to him one day and said : "Mr. Nevins, we understand you do not intend to gather your corn this year." He replied : "I have more important business on hand." The selectmen added: "Then we will attend to the gathering of your crops, Mr. Nevins, so that they shall not be wasted." The devoted believer tried to remonstrate with them upon the folly of wasting their time in gathering earthly treasures when the consummation of all things was so very nigh, but they were not moved by his arguments, and soon afterwards sent men to do the harvesting.
Early in the summer cottage lectures were delivered at the houses of Ralph Nevins, Joshua Austin, west of the Mammoth road, near Henry Crowell's residence (the widow of Joshua Austin still lives on the old place) ; at John Morse's house, where Joseph Eaton now lives; at Stephen Morse's house, which was the old Joseph Paige place, where were numerous other earnest believers and workers; at Jonathan Webster's house, that stood on the hill eastward of the Hardy place ; at the Messer house, where the widow of Cyrus Messer lived, between Albert Tenney and John Merrill's homes, and at Jimmy Lindfist's house, on the road from Cheney village to Windham. Cheney village was the name applied to a cluster of buildings formerly located a little west of Derry Depot. William Cheney was a notorious trader of horses, and it is alleged that during the time when the Millerites were encamped in great num- bers around the Ralph Nevins buildings, holding services day after day, he exhibited some of his
Adventists, as they were also named, held meetings in the woods of Robert Jeffers, and some of the citizens retaliated upon the preachers there for the arrest of the three young men by arresting some of them who sold hymn books, familiarly termed Penny Royal Hymns, or other trifles, on the Sabbath day, and they were taken to court and fined. One of the more widely known preachers of the Millerites was Joseph Moore, a man highly respected throughout a long life. From the fact of his having been engaged in the mills at spinning previous to his becoming a preacher, he was very commonly spoken of as Spinner Joe Moore. His widow and daughter are still living in London- derry. Robert Henry Perham was converted to this faith. There was also Father Dustin, who lived on the turnpike above the village, and Father Hazelton, who was at the time pastor of the Methodist society in Derry village. His conver- sion led him to preach the doctrine of an imme- diate coming of Christ and the conflagration of the world, which created great excitement and for
291
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
a time threatened to dismember the Methodist body in Derry.
The aetions of some of the believers were extremely ludierous, in spite of the seriousness of their faith. Jonathan Webster, at a eamp-meeting held around Joshua Austin's premises, related to the audienee that he had a revelation to eommuni- eate from a toad that spoke to him in the field where he was digging potatoes, to the purport that the final eatastrophe of the end of the world had been deferred for a little longer to give a farther opportunity for conversions. It eaused great merriment from the fact that he went without shoes in summer, and onee, while hoeing in the field, had mistaken his own toe for a toad stieking up through the dirt, and struek it a blow with his hoe, mueh to his pain and chagrin. From the time of this revelation the name of the medium was inseparably linked to his surname. The interest in these large eamp-meetings subsided with the approach of cold weather, and while the more ardent continued to labor, it was deemed inexpedient to attempt the formation of any per- manent organization in the town.
ROSECRANS W. PILLSBURY.
R OSECRANS W. PILLSBURY, son of Col. William S. Pillsbury, was born in London- derry, Sept. 18, 1863. His early education was
R. W. PILLSBURY'S RESIDENCE, LONDONDERRY.
received in the publie sehools, and after being prepared for college at Pinkerton Academy, he entered Dartmouth with the class of 1885. Ill health, however, compelled him at the end of the first year to abandon thoughts of a collegiate course. After recovering his health he became bookkeeper in his father's shoe factory at Derry and remained there for a time. A mereantile career was not to his liking, however, and he determined upon the study of law, entering first the office of Drury & Peaslee in Manchester, and later the Law School of Boston University. He is now engaged in the praetiee of his profession at Derry Depot. Mr. Pillsbury has frequently been a member of the Republican State Central Com- mittee, and in 1889 was the youngest member of the Constitutional Convention. Gov. Smith offered him the position of judge advocate general on his personal staff; but Mr. Pillsbury deelined the honor. In 1885 Mr. Pillsbury was married to Miss Annie E. Watts of Manchester, and two children have been added to the family.
202
WILLET'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
H JON. HORATIO FRADD, son of Richard and Elizabeth ( Warren) Fradd, was born in Cornwall, England, May 17, 1832. In 1849 he came to America and settled in Boston, finding employment at his trade as brass founder. About five years later, in 1854, he came to Manchester and opened a hat and cap store in the Merrimack bloek, at that time one of the few briek business structures in the new eity. Four years afterward he went into the grocery busi- ness with James A. Stearns, and subse- quently established himself in the same line of trade at the corner of Main and Granite streets, in Piscataquog. There he has since re- mained, oeeasionally changing partners, but always progress- ing. He is today the oldest groeer in Manchester and is still active in super- intending his affairs, although his nephew and partner, Chas. H. Fradd, has charge of the details of the busi- ness. He has always been a Republican, and the voters of Ward eight have shown their eonfi- denee in him by the gift of many publie offices. He was overseer of the poor in 1863-64; assessor during the three following years; alderman for three years ; member of the house of representatives in 1872-73; member of the last state constitu- tional convention, and state senator in 1889-90. In the senate he served on the committees on fisheries, roads and bridges, labor, and other mat- ters. One of the substantial men of Manchester, always upright and straightforward, he has made
friends in all walks of life. In 1853 Mr. Fradd was married to Mary E. Cayzer of Boston, and one child, Lizzie M., now the wife of Joseph R. Fradd of Manchester, was born to them. Mrs. Fradd dying in 1872, Mr. Fradd, in 1877, married Jennie McDonald of New York state. Five chil- dren have been the fruit of this union : Edwin H., Ralph D., Annic M., Norman W., and James M. These make a happy home on Dover street, West Man- ehester, where the father has lived for more than thirty years. They attend the Main-Street Con- gregational chureh and take a leading part in loeal society affairs. Mr. Fradd is a member of the Royal Areanum and of Uneanoonue Lodge of Odd Fel- lows.
HON. HORATIO FRADD.
THE first tramp on record in Nutfield was Daniel Mt. Aferson. He seems to have given the citizens a good deal of annoyanee, forin 1738 they voted in town meeting " that the selectmen provide irons to seeure Daniel Mt. Aferson from hurting or disturbing any of the inhabitants of the town. Each inhabitant shall lodge said Mt. Aferson 24 hours and then pass him to the next neighbor-penalty 10 shillings." Eight years before this, in 1730, the town voted " to let Hugh Wilson be prosecuted for an idler, as the law direets." It is probable that Hugh reformed and went to work, for there is no record of any prosecution against him. He was related to one of the original proprietors of the town.
STARK AT BUNKER HILL, AT BENNINGTON, AND AT HOME.
TARK AT BUNKER HILL .- John Stark's born, one of his captains: "When we reached S services to the cause of American freedom Charlestown Neck we found two regiments halted in consequence of a heavy enfilading fire across it of round, bar and chain shot from the frigate Lively, from floating batteries anchored in Charles river, and a floating battery lying in the river Mystic. Major McClary went forward and said to the com- manders that if they did not intend to move on, he wished them to open and let our regiment pass. This was immediately done. My company being in front, I marched by the side of Col. Stark, who was moving with a very deliberate pace. I sug- gested the propriety of quickening the march of the regiment, that it might sooner be relieved from the galling cross-fire of the enemy. With a look peculiar to himself, he fixed his eyes upon me and observed : 'Dearborn, one fresh man in action is worth two fatigued ones,' and continued to advance in the same cool and collected manner." When Stark reached the battlefield he saw that the British troops, now reinforced, were preparing to advance, and were marshalling a large body of light infantry and grenadiers to turn the left flank of the Americans. Col. Knowlton and his 120 men from Connecticut were posted at the south end of the grass fence. Stark saw at a glance the point of danger, and directed his men to extend the grass fence to the beach on the Mystic and rear a stone wall across the beach to the water, taking stones from the beach and adjacent fences. He then placed his large force in three rows behind the fence and wall, directing the first rank with the best marksmen to fire, and the second and rear ranks to load rapidly as they knelt upon the ground; then, stepping in front of his line, he planted a stake sixty yards in advance of his fence, on the memorable 17th of June, 1775, ean scarcely be overestimated. Although the fascinating story of the battle of Bunker Hill has been told and retold a hundred times, it never loses its interest to the sons of New Hampshire because of the role which Granite State men played in that great struggle. According to the best authorities, they formed about two thirds of all the American forces engaged in the conflict, and had there been any deficiency in their numbers, their energy, efficiency, and freshness would have counter- balanced it. During the forenoon of that day Stark's regiment was ordered to the relief of Prescott. The men were without powder. It was too valuable to be trusted to new levies until they went into action. Stark's troops marched at once to their arsenal, and each man received a spare flint, fifteen bullets and a gill cup of powder for his flask or horn. Their fowling- pieces had few or no bayonets, and were of dif- ferent calibres. A little time was lost in fitting or exchanging bullets or in hammering them down to suit their guns. By one o'clock Stark's regi- ment was on the march and was joined on its way by the Third New Hampshire, under Col. James Reed, and they bore to Prescott's wcary men the important accession of at least nine hundred hardy troops in homespun dress, without a cartridge, and with few bayonets, but with somc experience in war under veteran officers. Before two o'clock Stark, with his regiment, had reached the narrow causeway which crossed Charlestown Neck, less than a mile from the redoubt. His march and bearing on that day are thus described by Dear-
293
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
and returning to his men, told them that he should New Hampshire provineials in homespun clothes shoot the first man who fired before the British passed the stake. At half-past three o'clock
to fly at the first onset. But they remained behind the fence and wall as still as death. The British British reinforcements landed, and Lord Howe passed the stake planted by Stark, and then came
MYSTIC RIVER.
Landina of
State's
3513
1 .. Int
-
35 38 3
height 35 feet
Army
2
0
5
. 4
Marines
38
standing of reinforce
BREED'S
HILL
height 62 feet
13
CHARLESTOWN turned
down
PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL, SHOWING THE STAND MADE BY STARK'S AND REED'S NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENTS.
EXPLANATION OF THE PLAN .- At the top appears the Mystic River. At the right is Moulton's (or Morton's) Point, where the British troops first landed and formed. Extending downward from the shore of the Mystic, on the left, appear the rail fences, behind which were posted in their order Col. Stark's New Hampshire regiment, Col. Reed's New Hampshire regiment, and Capt. Knowlton's Connecticut companies. In front of the rail fences are represented the eleven companies of British Grenadiers, in line, advancing to the attack ; and on the beach of the Mystic River the eleven companies of the British Light Infantry, marching with a narrow front, in their attempt to flank the American left. The numbers of the regiments to which the Light Infantry companies severally belonged are given in the figures, as in the plan of De Berniere. The Light Infantry company of the Thirty-Fifth Regiment appears both on the river beach and on the higher bank at the right of the Grenadi ers. It is supposed that in one attack it occupied one position and in the other attack a different one. Below the rail fences and a little at their right appear the earthworks of Col. Prescott. Charlestown Neck is not represented on the plan. It would be much further to the left.
arrayed his men for the attack. At least 3000 men moved forward to assail the breastworks and the fenee. They were the flower of the English soldiery, and doubtless expected those half-armed
a fire, so intense, so continuous, and so deadly, that offieers and men went down before it. They rallied again and again, only to reeoil. Nearly every officer on Howe's staff was killed or
Cann Reeds+ +
regiment Realmente
. Grenads
Grund:
295
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
wounded. Stark and Reed lost but ninety men, next morning only eighty-three answered at roll- but in front of the one company from Derryfield, under Capt. John Moore, at the stone wall on the beach, ninety-six dead bodies of the foe were eounted. Stark's forees were assailed by the Weleh Fusileers, a eraek regiment that had fought at Minden with distinction. They entered the field at Bunker Hill seven hundred strong, and the
eall. The ammunition of the Americans was fast giving out, and retreat soon became imperative. With a few rounds more of ammunition, Stark and Reed might have turned the fortunes of the day. They brought off, however, their forees in good condition, and returned like vietors from the field. (See "Nutfield in the Revolution," page 103).
STARK AT BUNKER HILL,
206
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
S TARK AT BENNINGTON .- As Stark and the New Hampshire forces had prevented the battle of Bunker Hill from resulting disastrously to the American cause, and almost succeeded in turning the defeat into victory, so, two years later, it was again the same leader with New Hampshire men who contributed most materially to the defeat of Burgoyne. For there can be no doubt that the success of the Ameri- can arms in the battles ncar Benning- ton led to the subsc- quent surrender of the British at Sara- toga, which was one of the turning points in the great struggle of the colonics for liberty. The follow- ing brief chapter in American Revolu- tionary annals, dcal- ing with Stark's vic- tories ncar Benning- ton, has been written by H. W. Herrick, a recognized histori- cal authority :
In the spring of 1777, Stark, while engaged in recruiting and forwarding his regiment to Ticon- deroga, learned that his name had been dropped by Congress from the list of colonels recommended for promotion. This was the second indignity of the kind offered him since the opening of the war. Conscious of patriotic motives and of success in his position, he ascribed the action of Congress to the jealousy of enemies, and declared that honor forbade his remain- ing any longer in the service. Notwithstanding the appeals made to him to remain in the army, he resigned his commission and retired. But he did not relax his efforts as a citizen in the patriot service ; he sent his own sons to the field, and urged on enlistments for the army. Four months changed the aspect of affairs in the Northern military department. The fall of Ticon- deroga, the repulse of Hubbardton, the exposed situation of the young settlements in Vermont, and the rumors of the advance of Burgoyne through eastern New England, spread alarm in
every"quarter threatened. The delegates to the colonial Assem- bly of New Hampshire, stimulated by the spirit and liberality of John Langdon, their presiding officer, voted to raise two brigades, the command of one for the immediate exigency being offered to Stark.
No time was to be lost. A messenger was dispatched to bring the retired officer before the committee of military affairs, and the command was tendered to him. It was accepted on condition that the troops should act independently of Congress or of officers appointed by that power. A commission as brigadier was therefore issued, giving Stark dis- cretionary powers to act in connection with the main army or independently, as circumstances might require. Recruiting for three months' service was now carried forward briskly ; a day sufficed to enlist and organize a com- pany in the larger towns, and Gen. Stark was enabled in about a week to start with a large por- tion of his force for the rendezvous at Charles- town, on the Connecticut river. Two weeks only had passed since the first alarm from the capture of Ticonderoga, and yet Stark was organizing and drilling his force for action. The last week in July he sent forward a detachment of a few hundred men to the support of Warner's broken regiment of Continentals at Manchester -- a town twenty-two miles north of Bennington. On the 4th of August a scout of one hundred men, under Col. Emerson, was sent to the valley of Otter Creek, north of Manchester, with directions to rendezvous at the latter place, whither Stark himself marched with the remainder of his force, after leaving two hundred men at Charlestown as a garrison. The column, in its march across the Green Mountains, was augmented by militia under Col. Williams.
STARK AT BENNINGTON.
The Vermont Council of Safety, a committee of twelve, sitting at Bennington, had acted with such vigor in recruiting and correspondence that Gen. Schuyler anticipated great assistance from the militia. When Stark, therefore, arrived at Manchester, he found Gen. Lincoln, acting under orders from Schuyler, ready to march the whole force to " the Sprouts,"
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
297
a rendezvous at the mouth of the Mohawk. High words passed between the commanders, and Stark, showing that his commis- sion gave him plenary powers, flatly refused to leave Bennington uncovered. He, however, wrote to the commander of the
Cre
Route .
Hampshire Tr
TOWN OF
BENNINGTON BATTLE GROUND
Cul.
House iwhere Baum dxd
-
Bridge
S
HAFTSBURY
AND VICINITY
Z
Town Line
0 Houses
oridye
Stark's 2nd Camp 14th Aug.
uReso
LO
Camb
-
Sancoic Min
Creek
Road
TOWN
OF
LOCALITY OF []2ND BATTLE
HOBART
40
COL.SIMMONS
Wallonmeac
Walloom8a
ABK & NOW
LOOMSAC STATIO
Route of
Col. Flerrick
BENNINGT
0
N
E
State Line
BENNINGTON
Troops
Earth Works
CENTRE
Cannon
+ +
Dimick house
first camp of Stark. Aug.9.
Northern army offering to co-operate in any manner with him when the immediate danger to Bennington was over. Lincoln left only two days before the battle, to report his failure.
Rumors of a foray by Burgoyne in the direction of the Con- tinental stores at Bennington now became frequent : Stark, therefore, on the 8th of August, left Manchester with his brigade for the former place. His whole force was but about nine hun- dred, the scouts under Emerson not having arrived, and several companies being detained at Charlestown. Col. Warner now sent out a small force under Capt. Chipman, to bring in a quantity of muskets left stacked in the forest by the enemy near Hub- bardton at the breaking up of Hale's regiment in the retreat : then leaving the remainder of his force to await orders, he went forward with Stark to assist by his counsel and knowledge of the country.
Bennington was at this time a frontier town having about 1,500 inhabitants. It was named in compliment to Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire, under whose auspices it was settled about twenty years preceding, being then included in the towns surveyed on the disputed boundary line between New York and the New Hampshire Grants. The Council of Safety had been in session here about a month. having their headquarters at the Green Mountain House, afterward better known as the Catamount Tavern-a name given it from the stuffed skin of a catamount placed on the summit of the pole supporting the landlord's business sign. The council chamber of the committee was a busy place ; Stark was in daily consultation with the members, and scouts were several times a day sent out on all roads leading to the north and west. The town was filled with militia, two regiments of Vermonters being in process of organization.
On the 9th of August Stark encamped in the west part of the town, a few miles from the village, but soon judged it pru- dent, from the report of scouts, to move to a point better adapted for attack, on the Walloomsack river, nearly north from his former position, and near the road leading from Bennington to Cambridge, N. Y. This was hardly accomplished, on the 13th, when he received the information of the arrival of a force of about one hun- dred and fifty Indians at Cambridge, twelve miles distant. A force of two hundred men, under Lieut .- Col. Gregg. was immediately sent against the enemy. At night a courier arrived with the intelligence that the Indians were but the advance guard of a force of the enemy advancing, with artillery, under Col. Baum, assisted by Gov. Skene. Swift couriers were now sent to Manchester for War- ner's and Emerson's men, and tidings forwarded to Bennington, six miles distant, for the immediate help of all the militia in the vicinity. Leaving a camp guard, Stark, on, the morning of the fourteenth, moved his whole force westward across the Walloomsack. on the road to Cambridge, to meet the enemy : but he had. advanced only a short distance when he met Gregg falling back in good order before a superior force half a mile distant. A line of battle was immediately formed ; seeing which, the enemy stopped pursuit and began manœuvring with the evident purpose of avoiding a collision. Failing to draw the enemy onward, and the ground being unsuitable for general action, Stark retired his force a mile and encamped, intending to attack when the reinforcements came up the following day.
Scouts soon reported that the enemy was encamping west of the state line, on the banks of the little river, at a point easily fordable. At this place a bridge and six or eight rude log houses in a clearing gave them some advantages of shelter and position. The accompanying map, drawn by direction of ex-
OLD CONSTITUTION HOUSE, WINDSOR, VT.
Gov. Hall of Bennington, gives an accurate view of the battle- ground and camps. In this position. with scouts occupying the neutral ground, the belligerents slept on their arms.
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.