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 26
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O N HOLLAND'S MAP of New Hampshire, published in London in 1784, the only house indicated in the old town of Londonderry is Samuel Thompson's. He was a Revolutionary soldier who enlisted in the first company that went from Nutfield, immediately after the battle of
R AISING THE FIRST CHURCH .- It must have been a royal time which the old worthies had at the raising of the First church in Nutfield in 1769, when a new meeting-house was built, for the records state that the parish voted " that the Committy buy four hundred weaight of Cheas, and two thousand Bisket, and three Barl of Rum & five Barl of Syder for the meeting hous raising." Curiously enough, the ercetion of the house of worship was immediately followed by a season of great religious awakening.
A F.PERRY
RE DRUG MEDICINE
LOWELL STREET, MANCHESTER .- 1885.
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
R EV. O. G. TINGLOF, pastor of the Swedish Evangelical Mission church, Manchester, was born in Sweden in 1856. His parents werc in humble circumstances, and although they were
REV. O. G. TINGLOF.
not professing Christians they taught their son to respect the established religion of the country. After becoming acquainted with the religious movement outside the state church of Sweden, Mr. Tinglof was converted to active Christianity in 1874. He ascribes his further enlightenment in religious matters to a book entitled, "The Lord is Right," published the following year, and written by Rev. P. Waldenstrom, D. D., a member of parliament. Some years after his conversion, Mr. Tinglof began to take part in Christian work. Coming to America in 1882, he settled in Boston, where he worked in a machine shop, and preachcd the gospel to his compatriots on Sundays. In 1888 he returned to Sweden and took a two years' course at Christinehamn in a college supported by the Swedish Evangelical Covenant. In the spring of 1890, while still in college, he accepted a call from the American Congregational Home Mis- sionary Society in Massachusetts to engage in organized the church.
missionary work among the Swedes in that state, and began the work in August of that year. In the spring of 1892 he was called to Manchester by the Swedish Evangelical Mission church. This church was organized Dec. 9, 1889, with twenty- five members, its church polity and creed being similar to that of the Congregational body in the United States. From the start it was partly sup- ported by the Congregational Home Missionary Society of New Hampshire, but in 1892 it became self-supporting, and its work has been prospering and its numbers increasing until now the member- ship is 115. The First Congregational church opened its chapel for the first services of the little congregation, but as it was necessary to have a place of worship where several meetings could be conducted during the week, a room was hired for that purpose in the City Mission chapel, and the meetings are still held there. Since 1893 the church has been working hard to erect a house of worship of its own, and for that purpose a lot of land on Orange strect was purchased in the spring of 1893. In the early part of 1895 this land was sold, and another lot, situated on the northwest corner of Pine and Orange streets, was bought for
PROPOSED SWEDISH MISSION CHURCH.
$4,100. The society intends to build a church therc the present ycar, and the people of Manches- ter are generously aiding with their contributions. The first pastor of the society was Rev. P. E. Dillner, who came to Manchester in 1889 and
HON. ALFRED G. FAIRBANKS.
H JON. ALFRED G. FAIRBANKS was born Mr. Fairbanks has always taken a lively interest in in Francestown, Jan. 16, 1822, and is the son the politics of the city and state, being first a of Deacon Bucknam and Cynthia (Downs) Fair- Whig and later an ardent Republican, and filled various official positions with honor to himself and advantage to the community. In 1881-82 he represented ward 4 in the state legislature, and was one of the com- missioncrs of Hills- borough county for a period of six years beginning in 1883, being chairman of the board two of those ycars. He was a member of the state senatc in 1892-93 from the seventeenth district, serving on the commit- tces on finance, state prison, insane asylum, and soldiers' home. It has been grace- fully written of him in this connection : banks. He was educated in the common schools and academy of his native town. His carliest work was performed on his father's farm, where he laid the foundation of a strong and vig- orous manhood. He came to Manchester in 1843, and began his independent career as a black- smith in the employ of the Amoskeag Corporation. Hc had learncd the trade in his native town. In 1857 hc went into trade for himself, and after several years of success purchased a farm in what was then called 'Squog, on the Mast road toward Goffstown, and lived there about seven years, engaging in various mercantile pursuits mcanwhile. Hillsborough county built a new jail at Manchester in 1862- 63 and Mr. Fairbanks was appointed HON. ALFRED G. FAIRBANKS. deputy sheriff and jailer in 1864. This position hc held nearly ten years, until New Hampshire chose a Democratic governor and other political affiliations were wanted. General business engaged his attention for several years, and finally he formed the partner- ship with F. L. Wallace, mentioned clsewherc. In every position Mr. Fairbanks has made warm friends and always held the highest respect and esteem of his fellow-townsmen, among whom hc has been a prominent factor for advancement.
Senator Fairbanks, though one of the oldest members of the senate, is one of the most vigorous. His long experience in public affairs enables him to secure a prominent position in the proceed- ings of the senate. As a conscientious and faithful legislator, Senator Fair- banks stands pre-eminent. His voice is seldom heard in debate, but is never heard without respect and influence. Constant in his attentions upon his public duties, he wins the esteem of his constituents, and faithful in his guardianship of their interests, he adds to his reputation for integrity. In the city of Manchester, where Senator Fair- banks has resided for nearly fifty years, he is justly regarded as one of her leading citizens in all good works. His charity is unostentatious, yet liberal ; his friendship not boastful, but cordial. Thrown constantly into association with all classes of society by reason of his business duties, Senator Fairbanks has developed the most sterling qualities of manhood, sympathy, and tact.
228
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
Mr. Fairbanks was married to Harriet A. for young ladies at Ipswich, Mass. They were Dodge of Francestown in 1844, and to them thrce children have been born : Henry B., a prominent business man in Manchester ; Ellen Cynthia, who lives at home ; and Anna Frances, some years ago deceased. Mrs. Fairbanks died in August, 1891, at the family home on Wilson hill, where Mr. Fairbanks was one of the pioneer settlers twenty- one years ago. He is a member of the Amoskeag Veterans and was quartermaster fifteen years. Hc is also a member of the Franklin-Street Congrega- tional church, joining soon after its organization in 1844.
A
DAMS FEMALE ACADEMY .- Although
this institution no longer exists, having been merged into the public school system of Derry in 1887, during its life of nearly two thirds of a cen- tury it was one of the chief educational centres of New England. Being the first incorporated female academy in the state, and among the first in the country in which a regular course of studics was prescribed, the school may justly be called a pioneer in the cause of woman's education in America. There had been a female department in Pinkerton Academy, but the trustees deemed it expedient to separate the boys from the girls, and a female seminary was opened in the building originally erected for an academy. Jacob Adams, who dicd in 1823, bcqueathcd about four thousand dollars of his property to endow a female academy, " to be located within one hundred rods of the East Parish meeting-house, in Londonderry." The school was accordingly established, and in April, 1824, went into operation under the charge of Miss Z. P. Grant, who had been a pupil, and was then an assistant, in the seminary of Rcv. Joseph Emerson. She was aided by Miss Mary Lyon, who subsequently became distinguished as a teacher at Mt. Holyoke Seminary in carrying out the plan of female education originally adopted at Adams. Under the supcrintendence and instruction of Miss Grant and Miss Lyon, the academy soon attaincd a high reputation and attracted pupils from all parts of New England, the attendance reaching one hundred. In 1827 circumstances led the two teachers to sever their connection with the school and open an academy
succecded by Charles C. P. Gale of Exeter, a graduate of Yale, who remained principal for ten ycars. One of Mr. Gale's pupils has paid this tribute to his character: "Hc was a magnetic man, full of candor, hope, and all high ideals. He attracted everybody towards him, made lasting and loving friendships, and rarely failed to create among his pupils strong personal loyalty and affec- tion. Our lessons in Paley's Theology and Evi- dences were often only texts for eloquent and suggestive lectures, quickening and kindling our thoughts, so that when we left his presence we were glowing with a new life." On Mr. Gale's resignation, John Kelly of Atkinson was appointed principal, and remained in charge three years, being succeeded by Miss Laura W. Dwight, who also remained three years. Edward L. Parker, the next principal, resigned in 1848, after a four years'. service, and during the next twelve years the academy had nine different principals, as follows : Rev. Eli T. Rowe, Henry S. Parker, Miss Abby T. Wells, Nathaniel E. Gage, Miss E. C. Rubies, Nathaniel J. Marshall, Miss Jennie M. Bartlett, Miss Mary A. Hoyt, and Benjamin F. Warner. In 1860 the trustees were fortunate in securing the services of Miss Emma L. Taylor of Derry, youngest sister of Dr. Samuel N. Taylor of Phillips Andover Academy. Under her management the school prospered greatly, and the course of study was much extended. She remained in charge many ycars, her assistants at different times being Miss Mary F. Rowly, Miss Mary E. Burnham, Miss Elizabeth Train, and Mrs. William Crawford.
The fiftieth anniversary of the academy was celebrated July 1, 1873, the occasion bringing to Derry the alumna from many states of the Union. A very interesting feature of the event was the presence of Mrs. Bannister of Newburyport, the first teacher of the school. She was in her eighty- second year, and had not visited the school since leaving Derry, forty-seven years previously. There were addresses by Rev. Mr. Parker, Rev. Dr. Deriner, Mr. Edward L. Parker, and at the colla- tion which followed in the town hall speeches were made by Rev. Dr. Wellman, Hon. E. H. Derby, Dr. Hooker of Boston, and several others. In the list of graduates or former pupils of
2.30
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
the school are the names of the first wife of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the two sisters of N. P. Willis, the poet, one of whom became widely known as " Fanny Fern," the Penhallows and Salters of Portsmonth, the Cilleys of Nottingham, the Derbys of Boston, the Bells, Aikens, Frenches, and Richardsons of Chester, the Tuekers, Thorns, Taylors, Greggs, MacGregors, Farrars, Dows, Parkers, Prentices, Pattens, Adamses, Choates, and Eastmans of Derry and Londonderry. Miss Lucinda J. Gregg, a graduate of the sehool, read the poem on the occasion of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary.
With such a long and honorable record of use- fulness, the academy, to the great regret of its friends, elosed its separate existenee in 1886. During the last few years the attendanee had been very small, owing to various eauses, and the trustees felt that the purpose for which the institu- tion was founded could be better carried out by its union with the common school system of the town. Steps were accordingly taken to bring this about, and in October, 1887, the General Court approved the " Aet to Establish the Adams School Distriet in Derry." After defining the boundaries of the distriet and speeifying its officers, the aet provides that :
The duties of the president shall be to preside at all meet- ings of the district, of the clerk to keep all records of the dis- trict, and of the joint board and of the treasurer to receive any money paid by the trustees of the will of Jacob Adams, late of Derry, deceased, or any other money properly paid to him for school purposes.
The authority of the town under the laws of 1885, chap- ter 43, as to assessing and collecting taxes in said Adams School District and appropriating the same for school purposes shall continue as if this act had not passed. When it shall be decided by the courts of this state, upon application made, that the real estate and the income of the personal property, now in the hands of the aforesaid trustees, can be used and appropriated by said trustees for educational purposes in connection with the district school in the said Adams School District, then the said president, clerk, and treasurer shall constitute a joint board to act with the town school board in selecting a teacher and fixing the compensation, and it shall then be the duty of the board of education of said town to contract with said trustees and pay a reasonable rent for the use of the school building now held by said trustees, with the assent of said joint district board, and any scholars from other parts of the town district may attend the school in said Adams School District free of tuition with the consent of the town board.
Such sum as shall be paid for rent, together with the income of any fund in the hands of said trustees, shall be appropriated as nearly as may be for the education of females, together with all school children of said district, and for increasing the efficiency of the district school at a location according to the will of said Adams.
Jº JOHN MOORE seems to have given the early settlers of Nutfield no little trouble. Siekness had brought on poverty, and there was no appro- priation for the support of the poor. Accordingly, in the warrant for the annual town meeting in 1730 the eighth article read: "To see what the town will do about John Moore." Providenee, however, interfered before the meeting was held and saved the town from its embarrassment, for the record says: "8th artiele deferred by reason John Moore is dead."
SOLDIERS' MONUMENT, MANCHESTER.
James & Brugsen
THE HIGH RANGE AND MOOSE HILL.
BY REV. JESSE G. McMURPHY.
T HE importance of a range is not estimated by the quality of the soil, but by the characteris- tics and persistent economical habits of the people. The most refractory and inhospitable portions of the township have yielded to sturdy and repeated attacks of the husbandman through many years of working days not limited to ten hours, nor even measured by the rising and setting sun. Every settler was a proprietor at the beginning, and probably few among these proprietors had any money for the hirc of assistants. The greater part of trade consisted in the exchange of products of the land for necessary imports.
An examination of the records of the town of Londonderry in respect to the original occupa- tion of the High Range and adjoining lands dis- closes the fact that while the allotments were not made until the town had been settled nearly twenty ycars, the samc names appear in the schedule. Some of thesc proprictors appcar to have considered the acquisition of territory a source of revenue, and the wisdom of their judg- ment is generally manifested in the long contin- uance of the ancestral namc in the community. As an instance of this characteristic and of this persist- ence of name, it may be noted that Abram Holmes was the proprietor of a homestead of sixty acres of land in the Eaycrs Range, and for his second division he received a farm that was called forty acres, more or less, and measured cighty acres, being one hun- dred and sixty rods long and cighty rods widc ; also one acre and one hundred and forty-five rods of meadow at Bear hill, just west of Samucl Mor- rison's lot ; also a meadow of thirty-five rods ncar
John McClurg's lot; also seventy rods of meadow between the lots of John Wallace and John Givean ; also thirty rods of meadow between John Wallace's and David Morrison's lot. These mea- dows were seattered widely and must have been harvested with considerable difficulty. Under date of Oct. 28, 1720, there is upon record the state- ment that Abram Holmes had not complied with the homestead conditions and had requested the committee of public affairs to allow him until the first of January to make a settlement upon his lot. Permission was granted, with the understanding that he must scttle then or the lot would be dis- posed of to others ready to make immediate scttlement :
Londonderry November 30th 1736. Then laid out to Abra- ham Holmes ninety acres of land for twenty eight acres of good land which is thirteen acres of amendment land, said land lieth north of Bear meadow in said town : beginning at a pine tree marked standing at a meadow that goes by the name of Cald- well's meadow, then west one hundred and sixty three rods to a maple tree marked, then north one hundred and three rods by marked trees to a stake and stones, then east one hundred and sixty three rods to a pine tree marked J. H. then south to the bounds first mentioned. Note there are four acres of land in said bounds reserved for a highway to the town where they see cause to lay it out, in said land, and this with some land in Canada is full satisfaction for the amendment land of the afore- said Holmes. Note : all the corners are marked J. H. John Archibald, James Rogers, John Wallace, committee. Recorded this Sth of September, 1738. Pr. JOHN WALLACE.
Town Clerk.
At a meeting of the proprietors of Londonderry June Ist 1738, the foregoing record was read and approved of by the pro- prietors aforesaid for the aforesaid Abraham Holmes' benefit and his assigns forever. Attest per JOHN WALLACE.
Town Clerk.
21
233
Abram Holinès
Finely acre's Cid out in Londonderry Nov by 30, 1736. Recorded Sept 81738
meadow
Jo Stephen Pierce Wamel Morrison Thirty acres laid out Non 71736 Recorded March 31. 1740
Guldurles
1
1
To Matthew Glask
one hundred and ! Sixty acres laid out in Londondury Fabry 23 1730 Recorded March 11739
Bear huadow
To Samuel Barr!
utch
hune tue
quat June
Tree marked
1
il buch tu
.
To Samuel Houston
One hundred and ! forty four acres laid out in Londonderry June 25, 1729
Recorded January! 24th 1730
To James Gregg Benjamin Kidder Henry Green one hundred and seventy five acres ! land out in Londonderry January 7, 1731 Recorded Fabry 12 , 17:31
John Goff's Land
David Gargell's Land Laid out in Londondury
Recorded June 23, 1429 forly acres, June 17, 1720, Zur hundred and
W
map of a portion of the High Range Fand Moose Hill prepared and drawn by the Reept J. G. mcmurphy all rights reserved.
0 25 50 75 100
S one hundred rods
-
Havia Mac Allister Sixteen acres laice out in Londonderry any 20173 Recordfor me 3 1738
Free
To David 9 Thomas Boyles Three hundred and ten acres land out in
Londonderry November. 14, 1728
Recordect January 4,729
1
David Rogles meadow
Eighty acres, lard. out in Londonderry, ToAbraham Holmes Finity acres laid out an Londonderry November 30 17300 Recorded Beht 8 1738,
Juicy 3 738 Record June 1 1738
Five + twenty acre meadow rd
William Arken 150 acres
.
Samuel No
MAP OF A PORTION OF THE HIGH RANGE AND MOOSE HILL,
to Doved horison Two hundred and forty four acres laid out in Londonderry January 13 1729 Recorded May 13, 1724
To Andrew Spalding Tunely acres edid vist in Londonderry Hec 6.1730 Recorded June 30 1736
1
-
235
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
Londonderry, November 30th 1736. Then laid out to Abraham Holmes ninety acres of land for twenty two acres of good land which is for eleven acres of amendment land, said land is situated and lieth in Londonderry aforesaid south west of the five-and-twenty acre meadow, beginning at a pitch pine tree marked standing on the line of David Morrison's land from thence south-west-by-south one hundred and sixty six rods by marked trees to a pitch pine tree marked J. H. from thence south east eighty two rods by marked trees to pitch pine tree marked J. H. and bounding on the common land, thence north- east-by-north to the five-and-twenty acre meadow to a stake and stones, then up said meadow bounds thirty nine rods to said Morrison's land, then southwest about twenty five rods to a pitch pine tree marked, then northwest to the bounds first men- tioned. Note that there are four acres of land in said bounds reserved for a highway to the town where they see cause to lay it out. Also note that the laid out meadows in said bounds are reserved to their owners. John Archibald, James Rogers, John Wallace, Committee. Recorded this 8th of September 1738.
Pr. JOHN WALLACE, Town Clerk.
At a meeting of the proprietors of Londonderry June Ist 1738 the foregoing record was read and approved of by the aforesaid proprietors for the aforesaid Abraham Holmes' benefit and his assigns forever. Attest pr JOHN WALLACE, Town Clerk.
In the allotment of land to Abram Holmes the reader is made acquainted with a common feature of the records. There were other proprie- tors who received much more land, but this is an average amount, and the name has remained to the present. The farm of ninety aeres laid out to Abraham Holmes at the north end of the High Range at this present time is divided into several parts and owned by Plummer, Greely, Gage, and MeAllester. All except Daniel Gage of Lowell are townspeople. Jonathan McAllester, a lineal deseendant of David McAllester, owns a portion and lives near by on his aneestral domains east of Bear meadow on the road leading to the High Range over Moose hill. David Morrison was a brother-in-law to David McAllester, and within ten years of the time the two hundred and forty aeres were laid out to him, or about the period of his brother-in-law's settlement in Londonderry, eon- veyed a large portion of this land to him, and there the name of McAllester has remained for more than a hundred and fifty years.
The farm next south of Abraham Holmes, laid out to Stephen Pieree and Samuel Morrison, is owned by George Plummer. Stephen Pieree,
who was the grandfather of President Franklin Pieree, as a proprietor under the charter, received a homestead between the English Range and the Three Quarter Mile Range.
The farm assigned to Andrew Spalding has been divided into many portions. One portion was known as the Dismoor farm. Bennett, Hurd, and Greely about eover the limits of the original lot. Matthew Clark was a large landholder and left his sons many farms in various parts of the town. His homestead was located in the English Range. He was drowned accidentally at Amos- keag Falls, May 28, 1731, and his estate passed to his heirs soon after this lot of one hundred and sixty acres of land was assigned to him.
The present owners of the Matthew Clark lot are Lowd, Miller, Towns, and Farley. Samuel Houston's lot deseended to the Caldwells, and Bolles, perhaps, although it is not always clearly evident that certain boundaries are original, and the former lines of division cannot be ascertained without actual surveys.
It is traditionally affirmed that Charles S. Pillsbury occupies the original lot of James Gregg and Benjamin Kidder. At the date of the laying out of this lot of one hundred and seventy-five acres to Gregg and Kidder the southern boundary was recorded as touching on John Goffe's land. The clerical ambiguity is permitted to remain in the spelling of the name, as no person can identify the owner at the present time, and the land was soon afterward assigned to John Woodburn and John Senter, two persons whose histories are indelibly impressed upon the lives and memories of many generations.
The highway leading southward across the easterly ends of the High Range farms was a very important line of communication before the .con- struetion of the Mammoth road. It connected at the south end with the old Dunstable path, now known as the Nashua road from Derry.
The lot of eighty acres laid out to Samuel Barr came into the possession of the family of Peter Patterson and remained a long time in their name. They also obtained a part of the Cargill land, the upper portion, and Thomas Patterson died there a few years ago. The greater part of the Cargill land was eventually converted into
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WILLER'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
farms, and by patient industry became the cul- the country in 1730, and if credence is to be given tivated and valuable homesteads of the Boyds. to the reports of some of the oldest residents of that part of the town, those pitch pine trees marked with initials of owners on one or more sides stood a long time, in fact, were of longer duration than the generation that saw them marked and registered. Col. Calvin and Mason Boyd, making extensive improvements on their farms, erecting large build- ings, raising large families, and dying at an advanced age, are worthily remembered and hon- ored by their townsmen.
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