USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > Willey's semi-centennial book of Manchester, 1846-1896, comprised within the limits of the old Tyng Township, Nutfield, Harrytown, Derryfield, and Manchester, from the earliest settlements to the present time > Part 25
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Pr. JOHN MACMURPHY, Town Clerk.
The lot laid out to the Rev. James McGregor is now owned by Alexander McMurphy and occu-
picd by Charles A. Burnham. The homestead and second division of one hundred acres laid out in one lot to Daniel McDuffce remained many years nnder his management and ownership, and the name still lives and is perpetuated in the cus- tom of calling some farms by the names of former owners. The McDuffee farm is now owned and occupied by Albert A. Pressey. Danicl McDuffee and Ruth, his wife, lived to a good old age, and their bodies lie in the old burying ground by the First church. A large horizontal slab resting upon four pillars tells the story. From the town records one reads : "Hugh McDuffec, son of Daniel McDuffee and Ruth his wife, was born March 25, 1721," and "John McDuffee, son of Daniel McDuffee and Ruth his wife, was born September 14th 1723." And thus by sure steps the old places are restored and peopled with the shades of the departed.
TOWN ACCOUNTS were rigidly audited in the early days of Nutfield. Scrupulously honest as those old Scotch-Irish settlers were, they thought it well that all should know where every penny went. There had evidently been some fault found with the expenditures in 1729. for at the annual town meeting in the following year. " Alexander Nichols, James Aiken and John Mor- rison were chosen to serve as a committee to the end that the town may be made sensible of the disbursements of their money."
THE FIRST FRAME HOUSE was built in - Nutfield (in the present town of Derry) in 1728, for Rev. James MeGregor. There were two stories in front and onc in the rear, where the kitchen was situated, extending nearly across the house, with ample "dressers," and a sink at one end and a bedroom at the other. Two large rooms were in front, and upstairs were four bed- rooms. As late as 1863 this house was occupied as a dwelling by its owner, Joseph Morrison. In the fall of that year, having retained nearly its original form to the last through the vicissitudes of 135 years, it was torn down. (See page 71.)
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C HARLES WELLS, M. D., was born in political honors, although they were frequently Westminster, Vt., June 22, 1817. His offered to him, his only public service was as a mem- grandfather, Captain Hezekiah Wells, a native of ber of the common council in 1847-48, and as an alderman in 1848-49. He assisted in making the first city report, and the plan - suggested and matured by him has been in use ever since. He was for many years vestryman and treasurer of Grace Episcopal church. The ostentatious show of wealth was very distasteful to Dr. Wells. Solid worth and merit alone weighcd with him, and no man was ever quicker to recognize the true and the genuine and to denounce shams and hum- bugs. As citizen, neighbor, and friend, he filled the measure of every expectation, and no resident of Manchester cvcr departed this life more gen- crally esteemed or more deeply lamented. Of fine physique and of prepossessing appearance, he was gentle, courtly, dignified, and affable in his de- meanor. Dec. 21, 1847, he was married to Miss Mary M. Smith, who survives him. Their union, though not blessed with children, provcd most felicitous. His death, of which there had been no premonitions, occurred very suddenly of heart discase at his home in Manchester, Dcc. 28, 1884. Windsor, Conn., served with distinction in the Revolutionary war and died in 1817. His more remote ancestors were Lamson Wells, born in 1706; Joshua Wells, born in 1672, and Joshua, Sr., born in 1647, all natives of Windsor. Dr. Wells thus traced his lineage through the best of New England ancestry, back to the sturdy Pilgrims. Dr. Wells had but one brother, Dr. Horace Wells of Hartford, Conn., celebrated as the discoverer of anæesthetics. He died in New York Jan. 24, 1848, at the age of thirty-three, while engaged in the introduction of his discovery into general use in surgery, as well as in dentistry, in which hc made its first application. A beautiful statue has been erected to his memory in the public park of Hartford. Dr. Charles Wells was educated in the public schools of Bellows Falls, Vt., where the family resided and where his father died in 1829. After academic courses at Walpole, N. H., and Amherst, Mass., he began the study of medicine in 1837 with Dr. Josiah Graves of Nashua, and was graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1840, at the age of twenty-onc. Hc began his professional career at Chili, N. Y., but the field O NE OF THE QUAINT ENTRIES in the parish records of the First church, Nutfield, rcads as follows, under date of Dec. 6, 1736: "Six pounds to Mrs. Clark, remainder of salary due the Rev. Matthew Clark, deceased, which clcars the town of his debts from the creation of the world to this day." The parish evidently did not intend to recognize any old unpaid claims which might of practice proving unsatisfactory, he removed in 1842 to Manchester, where he continued to reside until his death. Never an aggressive practitioner, but always content with the share of patronage that fell to his lot, he enjoyed in a high degrec the confidence and respect of his professional brethren. Such, however, was his success, and such his rare financial skill and judgment, that while still in the possibly be presented.
prime of manhood he was relieved of the burden of further professional labor, and was enabled to withdraw from active practice and devote the remain- ing ycars of his life to the management of his large estate and to those domestic and social enjoy- ments which were ever the source of his greatest happiness. For more than forty years he was an enthusiastic member of Hillsborough Lodge of Odd Fellows, being the last survivor of the little band who introduced the order in Ncw Hamp- shirc. He was the recipient of all the honors the order could bestow, and was cver a generous con- tributor to its benevolent work. Never seeking
M RS. JANE M. WALLACE, who died in Merrimack Nov. 28, 1866, at the age of eighty-one years, was the eldest daughter of Rev. Dr. William Morrison, who for thirty-five years was the minister of the West Parish, Londonderry. His death occurred in 1818. His epitaph says of him that he possessed "all the virtues which adorn the man and the Christian," and that " as a divine, a prcacher and a pastor he held acknowledged eminence." His sermons were said to be "awfully alarming to the wicked."
Charles Wells
EARLY SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS.
T HE Nutfield colony rapidly pushcd forward in clearing away the forests around the spots chosen for building log cabins for residences and shelters for cattle. Private roads werc temporarily laid out and recorded for the communications of the families. With the demarcation of homestead allotments and the definite arrangement and loca- tion of proprietors, concerted action in reference to privileges obtained, and after the early resolu- tion to erect a meeting-house in the centre of population had matured and passed into established materialization in the First church, so called at this day, the inhabitants next turned their atten- tion to the duty of providing a regular means of education for their large households of numerous children. In the unsettled and provisional state of the colony of Nutfield, without guaranty for the possession of the lands on which they had settled, the education of children had been very meagre and confined to the ability of the individual heads of families to engage the services of a tutor or governess. But in the struggles of three years from the time of settlement in 1719, fortune favored the colony in the obtaining of a good and valid charter from Great Britain, and in assured possession the inhabitants, having been called together, and duly organized in a town meeting Jan. 20, 1723, voted for the erection of a schoolhouse in the town; the building to be con- structed of logs, the length to be sixteen fect, and the breadth twelve feet, and the side walls to be seven feet in height. In the town there had been several persons of moderate scholastic attainments who had gathered children at their houses for instruction and received remuneration by subscrip- tion, but the poorer families not being able to pay anything, it was deemed expedient to make a general provision for the education of all classes. At a general town meeting held at Londonderry March 6, 1726, the town voted to maintain but one school at the public charge for the en- suing year. The provincial statutes required that every fifty householders must be provided with a schoolmaster to instruct the youth in reading and writing, and every community of a hundred house- holds must be furnished with a grammar school.
In that ycar the town was moved to favor the cause of education by a resolution to build a schoolhouse eighteen feet long, clear of the space allowed for the chimneys at one end, where two fireplaces were to be made as large as the house would allow. The wages of a schoolmaster at this time were thirty-six pounds for the year, a salary perhaps not out of proportion with wages in other occupations. March 25, 1732, the town came to the aid of education in a vote to pay the wages of two schools at the public charge.
In searching for the location of these schools maintained at the public expense, it is instructive to note that both were in the same neighborhood, not far from the First church. There were private schools in other parts of the town, under the instruction of young men who afterward beeamc famous. The West Parish was struggling into existence in an unrecognized capacity, temporarily building both churches and sehools as the centre of population moved farther away. The Aikens Range, the Eayers Range, and the High Range became powerful influences in establishing other rallying points and eventually led to the districting of the town and the apportionment of a general school tax to the maintenance of a number of schools.
Rev. James MacGregor was an experienced school teacher, and before the wages of his parochial services were adequate to the support of his family he was accustomed to supplement these with reccipts obtained from teaching. His son, Rev. David MacGregor, was also a noted teacher and pastor in this town. In both private and public capacity these carly teachers deserve such memorialization in history as shall preserve their names in honor. Robert Morrison, Eleanor Aiken, John Barnett, William Harvey, and Archi- bald Wier had served as teachers as early as 1725. Only ten years later the list of teachers whose names have been preserved was increased by the following : John Wilson, William Wallace, Ezekiel Steelc, Thomas Boycs, Francis Bryan, Morton Goodall, Matthew Campbell, Thomas Bacon, Wil- liam McNeil, and John Eayres were teachers in this town in the year 1736. In the next year were
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
added the names of Daniel Todd and Mary McNeil. towns. Londonderry must have higher grades.
For more than half a century the town of The town was not ready to act as a unit, and influential men moved among the people to obtain subscriptions for maintaining a high school. The common by the First church was the location of the first high school building. It was supposed that other adjoining towns would send pupils to assist in defraying a part of the expenses of main- taining a classical high school under a competent college graduate. Professor L. S. Moor was one Londonderry had no established school of higher grade than the common or grammar school, but during this time the higher education was not neglected. There were many young men who had ambition and talent, and obtained by private instruction such knowledge of Greek and Latin as enabled them to enter colleges and prosecuting their curriculum to graduate with honors. As the number of college graduates increased in town, of the first teachers. He afterward became an
MCGREGOR BRIDGE, MANCHESTER.
the sentiment grew that a fitting sehool was a necessity. Yearly demands for education at home were made until in the latter part of the century, very soon after the elose of the Revolutionary war, there was an immense impulse given to every industry, eredit revived, and private fitting sehools, or sehools of a grade to make both young men and young women proficient in many specialties hitherto not taught in the town sehools, werc advocated. The young women began to wish for better advantages and went to aeademies in other
instruetor at Dartmouth and later assumed the presideney of Williams and Amherst colleges. Several teachers sueeeeded for short periods, until Professor Samuel Burnham, a man of collegiate attainments and some executive ability, took the management of the sehool and for nearly a quarter of a century maintained financially and cdueation- ally a very sueeessful classieal institution. The year 1814 saw the establishment of Pinkerton Academy, a history of which is given elsewhere in the present work.
HON. JACOB FRANKLIN JAMES.
H ON. JACOB F. JAMES was born in Deer- field July 9, 1817, son of Moses and Martha (Young) James, being one of a family of eight children. When he was very young his family removed to Candia, where his boyhood was spent in farming and in improving such necessary cduea- tional advantages as the distriet school afforded. When fourteen years of age he went to Lowell, Mass., and became an operative in one of the earding-rooms of the Lowell Manu- facturing Company. After four years of this employment, aided by the savings he had aeeumulated, he entered the Old Baptist Seminary at New Hampton, where he studied for two years. In April, 1837, he returned to Lowell and was made overseer of the eard- room in which he had formerly worked, holding the position for three years, when he resigned to enter . the employ of the Massachusetts Cor- poration of Lowell as superintendent of carding. In February, 1842, he aceepted an invitation to come to Manehester and take charge of two carding-rooms in No. I mill, Stark Corporation, and in less than two years his abilities were such that he was made superin- tendent of the whole system of earding in that cor- poration, and retained this position until he fol- lowed the natural bent of his mind by devoting himself to making surveys and conveyances, this being a part of his studies at sehool which he had
HON. JACOB F. JAMES.
followed with enthusiasm. Mr. James took an active part in the early political history of the city. In 1845 the Whig party eleeted him as a repre- sentative to the legislature, and re-elected him the
following year. In the spring of 1847 he was chosen mayor, serving continuously until 1849, and was again elected in 1856, serving to 1858. In 1877, on the res- ignation of Mayor Ira Cross, he was eleeted by the eity couneils to fill the vaeaney, but deelined the proffered honor. He was chief en- gineer of Manches- ter fire department in I851 and 1855, and as long as his life lasted his interest in the firemen never ceased. In 1862 he served as second member of the eom- mittee having charge of the construction of the high school building, and devoted a great deal of time to the superintend- ence of the work. For six years he was a member of the board of county com- missioners for Hills- borough county, being elected in 1864 and re- elcetcd in 1867. He was one of the trustees of the Amoskeag Savings bank, and a member of the city committee having the public cemeteries in charge from 1867 until his death, and gave much attention to their eare. In 1840 Mr. James married Harriet, daughter of Charles Priest of Lancaster, Mass., who is still living, but none of the three children now survive. He became a member of Hillsborough Lodge, I. O. O. F., on
20
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
January 8, 1844, and passed the chairs in 1847. In 18444 he was initiated in Wonolanset encamp- ment and passed the usual chairs in 1856. He was made a member of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows in 1859. His death occurred April 15, 1892. Mr. James was an ideal type of an honest man and enjoyed in a remarkable degree the confidence of the people.
PLEASANT VIEW CEMETERY .- This cemetery, situated upon the west side of the Mammoth road in North Londonderry, has been in use but a few years. There repose, however, the remains of some departed citizens of carlier years that have been removed from older yards, notably those that have been taken from the Baptist Cemetery. The following is an alphabeti- cal arrangement of the inscriptions to be found in Pleasant View Cemetery at the present time :
ADAMS, George (son of Nathan and Elizabeth J. Adams) died Aug 31. 1874, aged 22 yrs 8 mos ; Gertrude (dau of Nathan and Elizabeth J. Adams) died Nov 19, 1883, aged 13 yrs 10 mos ; Rowena (dau of Frank and Alma E. Adams) died Aug 15, 1881, aged 4 mos 13 dys.
AUSTIN, Joshua born Oct 17, 1800, died May 27, 1861.
BARKER, Samuel C. born Oct 15, 1812, died Aug 16, 1893 ; Hannah D. (wife) born March 27, 1818.
BLODGETT, Isaac died Jan 11, 1858, aged 50 yrs 7 mos 16 dys ; Celestia A. (dau of Isaac and Bethiah Blodgett) died Oct 14, 1863, aged 13 yrs II mos ; Isaac Joshua (son of same) died April 6, 1854, aged 2 dys.
BOYCE, Ladd born Sept 21, 1835, died Aug 2, 1883.
BOYDEN, Joseph, Co F 29 Reg Mass Vols, died July 7, 1893, aged 66 yrs.
BARKER, Affie and Effie (twin daughters of David C. and Eliza J. Barker) died Sept 21, 1860, aged 3 mos.
CHASE, Elijah G. born March 22, 1819, died April 19, 1893 ; Phebe M. (wife) born July 20, 1822 ; Nathan P. born June 13, 1812, died Oct 5, 1893 : Mary P. Whidden (wife) born Sept 1, 1820 ; Trueworthy D. born Sept 11. 1828, died Feb 24, 1872 : Nancy M. Pettingill (wife) born July 6, 1832, died Sept 6, 1892 ; Frank E. born Nov. 21, 1862, died Feb 21, 1884 ; John H. born May 29, 1864, died Aug 29, 1864 ; child, Dec 30, 1866 ; child, Jan 3, 1868 ; Hannah died March 30, 1890, aged 56 yrs II MOS.
CORNING, Mary (dau of William and Hannah Corning) died Jan 23, 1879, aged 17 yrs 5 mos ; Nathaniel born July 17, 1804, died Aug 14, 1869 ; Mary McMurphy (wife) born April 4, 1808, died April 1, 1893; George W. (son of Nathaniel and Mary M. Corning) born Aug 21, 1843, died Sept 5, 1844; Nathaniel, Jr, born Feb 9, 1839, died June 9, 1878 ; Alexander M.
(son of same) born April 25, 1833, died Dec 12, 1893 ; Anna J. (dau of Alexander M. and Roxana Corning) ; Almira N. (dau of same).
FARRELL, Potter died Oct 11, 1890, aged 60 yrs 8 mos. FLING, John W., stone ; Mary A. (wife) born Feb 16, 1837, died June 10, 1890 ; infant (son) born March 17, 1869, died April 5, 1869.
FROST, Edgar, (no date).
FURBER, J. S., 1819-1891 ; Elbridge W., 1863 - 1881; John W., 1846 - 1885.
GREELEY, George W. died Aug 3, 1888, aged 67 yrs 10 mos ; S. Arvilla died Jan 3, 1882, aged 31 yrs 8 mos.
GUTTERSON, Eli S. born July 19, 1818, died May 19, 1863.
HALL, Robert and Henry R., monument ; Nancy E. (wife of Robert Hall) born March 30, 1819, died Feb 16, 1868; Ella M. (wife of Henry R. Hall) born Jan 23, 1856, died July 18, 1890 ; Elsie L. (dau of Henry R. and Ella M. Hall) born Feb 18, 1887, died June 7, 1889. On same monument.
HALE, Etta M. (wife of Samuel C. Hale) born Dec 6, 1851, died Aug 22, 1891.
KIMBALL, Isaac born April 10, 1821, died March 10, 1890 ; Rebecca J. (wife) born Dec 24, 1832, died March 3, 1892.
MCGREGOR, George F. born Jan 9, 1841, died Jan 20, 1891 ; Rhoda A. (wife) born Aug 16, 1842 ; Augusta M. (wife of Wm R. McGregor), 1860 - 1889 ; Gracie, 1887 - 1894.
NESMITH, Jonathan Y. and Lucian H., stone ; Oreal (son of J. Y. and A. A. Nesmith), 1859-1863 ; Cyrus, 1801 - 1881 : Lydiah (wife), 1807 - 1876 ; Luzetah J. (dau of Cyrus and Lydiah), 1841 - 1842 ; Capt Thomas, 1791-1861 ; Nancy B. (wife), 1795 - 1880.
NORCROSS, Joshua L. died Sept 1, 1862, aged 34 yrs 4 mos ; George N. died July 1, 1861, aged 3 yrs 11 mos.
NOYES, Freddie (son of J. M. and A. P. Noyes) died Sept 29, 1876, aged 2 yrs II mos 20 dys ; Eva F. (dau of the same) died Jan 4, :889, aged 9 mos 7 dys ; Mary (wife of Joseph T. Noyes) died March, 1885, aged 47 yrs 3 mos 20 dys ; Sylvester C. (son of Benning and Mary B.) died May 21, 1856, aged 12 yrs 7 mos ; Ella L. (dau of same) died Nov. 11, 1869, aged 12 yrs 5 mos.
PAGE, Leonard died June 15, 1886, aged .67 yrs 12 dys.
SMITH, Nathan S., stone ; Lizzie A. Choate (wife) died Jan 15, 1890, aged 50 yrs 4 mos 2 dys ; Elisha died May 26, 1887, aged 86 yrs 4 mos 9 dys : Rachel Sanborn (wife) died March 28, 1893, aged 83 yrs 23 dys.
WHIDDEN, John P. (son of J. W. and E. R. Whidden) died March 14, 1884, aged 5 dys ; Ellen Maria (dau of John P. and Alice) died Dec 3, 1857, aged 5 dys.
WHITCOMB, Harriet C. (wife of H. B. Corliss) born Dec 17, 1826, died Feb 11, 1892.
WHITE, Reuben died March 31, 1858, aged 63 yrs ; Rachel Corning (wife) died March 25, 1885, aged 83 yrs 5 mos ; Ruel B. (son) died Sept 23, 1883, aged 41 yrs 1 mo 22 dys ; Samuel G. (son) died Dec 1, 1892, aged 67 yrs ; Nelson (son) died May 24, 1851, aged 17 yrs 5 mos ; Elisa A. (dau) died Nov 11, 1838, aged 1 yr 5 mos.
WILLEY, Jacob N. born Feb, 1804, died Jan 29, 1867 ; Rachel T. (wife) born May 18, 1822, died Aug 31, 1886.
SAMUEL CALDWELL FORSAITH.
SAMUEL C. FORSAITH was born in Goffs- town, Sept. 29, 1827, the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Caldwell) Forsaith. His father being a farmer, he spent his early life upon a farm, receiving his education in the common schools of his native town. When a mere boy he manifested a remarkable aptitude for mechanical work, and at the age of eleven years had eonstrueted and set up a miniature sawmill, paper establishments throughout the country with his improved folder. While manu- facturing these folders he was also building sawmills, mill gearings, water-wheels, ctc., and the number of his em- ployees increased from four to twelve. In 1863 hc leased the entire scale works plant, and in 1867 built a new shop which proved to be the nueleus of the set of buildings now owned by the company which bears his name. In 1872, William E. Drew, a former employee in the shop, was taken into partnership, and the business continued to grow until 1884, SAMUEL C. FORSAITH. when the ownership was merged into a stock company with a capitalization of $275,000. In the winter of 1884-85, while Mr. Forsaith was southern states, he was stricken with apoplexy and died at Philadelphia, March 23, 1885. complete in all its parts, and in running order. At the age of seven- teen he came to Man- chester and entered the Amoskeag machine shop as an apprentice. There he remained until thrown out of employment by a de- struetive fire, which led him to seek a situation in the Stark mills machine shop, where he continued until Sept. I, 1850. He then removed to Milford, where for eight years he had charge of the repair shop connected with the mills in that town. He left Milford to assume charge of the Saco Water Power machine shop at Bid- deford, Me., holding this position for two years. In 1860 hc returned to Manchester and went into business on his own account, beginning in a room which he rented in on a trip to the Bermuda Islands and the the shop of the Manchester seale works, his announcement to the public being that he was prepared to do all kinds of job work, and thus the present and extensive plant operated by the S. C. Forsaith Machine Company had its early beginning.
tants and was obliged to enlarge his workshop. At this time he purchased a patent machine for folding newspapers, which was so defective that it was of little practical value. Here wa- an oppor- tunity for the display of his rare genius as : mechanic, and he at once applied himself to the perfceting of this machine with such success that he cventually reecived large orders to supply news-
Mr. Forsaith will long be remembered as a pioncer in the machine business in Manchester, his genius as a machinist, indomitable perseverance, and great energy overcoming the most unfavor- able conditions. . He was one of the most com-
Mr. Forsaith's success was such that at the end of the first year he was employing four assis- panionable of men, was prominent in Masonry and
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
Odd Fellowship, and was an officer in the Amos- Lexington. The Thompson homestead was in keag Veterans. In politics he was a Democrat, the possession of Charles Hurd in 1865. In the town of Merrimack the only residence noted on the map is that of Edward Goldstone Lutwyche, an English gentleman of education and fortune who left the country on the breaking out of the Revolution. Rev. Edward Lutwyche Parker, for forty years pastor of the First church in Derry, was named for him. and on several occasions received the enthusiastic support of his party as a candidate for the New Hampshire state senate. Feb. 20, 1848, he mar- ried Nancy W. Pierce, who died April 20, 1871. These children were born to them: Frank P., George B., and William, the first named now de- ceased. Dec. 23, 1875, he married Clara J., daugh- ter of Col. J. C. Smith of Salisbury, her mother being Clara Johnson. The issue of their marriage was three children : Samuel C., Jr., born Dec. 16, 1876 ; Clarence S., born Feb. 19, 1879; and Dar- win J., born Oct. 19, 1880.
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