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 36
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
IT CA' NO' SP'AK THE WORDS .- Among current traditions of controversies in the reli- gious soeietics of Londonderry is one concerning the introduction of instrumental music in the West Parish church. For economical as well as political reasons, the Presbyterian socicties were very aus- terc and rigid in their adherence to certain customs of worship, and bitterly opposed to the ornamenta- tion of religious houses, or the use of pleasing accessories, or comforting conveniences, such as bells, organs, fiddles, stained glass, cushions, and stoves. These were all abominations and hin- drances to the pure ideal worship. But a change came after long years of singing in the West Parish led by some man who carried in his pocket a pitch pipe, or tuning fork made of steel, and after the announcement of the psalm, or hymn, struck the keynote, holding the instrument to his ear, and with his voice sounding out the intervals to make the necessary transposition, and starting the tunc. The progressive younger generation heard of the bass viol being used in the churches at Portsmouth, Haverhill, and Boston, and desired to have one purchased for Londonderry. To bring about the desired feeling in reference to the purchase of the bass viol, it was deemed expedient to canvass the community and take account of opinions and carry a subscription paper for those to sign who were in favor of buying the bass viol. When the subscription list arrived at the house of Dcacon David Brewster, who lived near Scobcy's Pond, where Major John Pinker- ton's first store was crected, the dcacon glanced at the list and handed it back, saying : " I ha' objec- tion to 't." When asked for it he replied: "It ca' no' sp'ak the words in kirk." Some of the congregation were pleased to say they thought the bass viol could speak the words almost as plainly as the deacon.
31
316
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
W AETER GREENLAND AFRICA, son scope of his business activities. He is treasurer of of J. Simpson and Dorothea Corbin the Manchester Electric Light Company ; treasurer of the Brodie Electric Company, which is engaged in the manufacture of electric specialties ; treasurer of the Ben Franklin Electric Light Company ; director of the Merchants' National bank, and of the board of trade. During the time that Mr. Africa has been connected with the companies the gas business has in- crcased fifty per cent, and the electric light company now fur- nishes 680 arc and 7,000 incandescent lights, in place of 37 of the former and 240 of the latter in 1887. Since coming to Manchester he has associated himself with the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in Wash- ington Lodge, Mt. Horcb Royal Arch Chapter, Adoniram Council Royal and Select Masters, and Trinity Command- cry, Knights Tcm- plar, and wearing the insignia of the thirty- second degree by virtue of his mem- bership in Edward A. Raymond Con- sistory of Nashua, WALTER G. AFRICA. Ancient and Ac- cepted Scottish Ritc. He is also a member of the Derryfield Club and of the Franklin-Street Congre- gational church. Mr. Africa is an active member of the New England Association of Gas Engineers, of the American Gaslight Association, and of the Guild of Gas Managers. Nov. 17, 1887, he mar- ried Miss Maud Eva Cunningham of Huntingdon, and they have three children : Dorothea Cunning- ham, born Nov. 18, 1888; Esther Bessie, born Jan. 21, 1890; and Walter Murray, born April 22, 1892. (Greenland) Africa, was born in Huntingdon, Peun., April 11, 1863. His education was obtained at the public and private schools of that town and at Juniata College. After his graduation he entered the service of the First National bank of Huntingdon, where he remained about a year and a half, devoting his leisure time to the study of civil en- gineering. Leaving the bank, he became connected with the firm of Elkins & Widener, widely known as sucecssful promoters of gas, electric and water- works enterprises, where he formed an intimate acquaint- ance with that im- portant class of prop- erties. In 1885 he Icased the Hunting- don gas works, which hc successfully oper- ated until 1887, when he came to Manches- ter, at the time of the organization of the People's Gas- light Company, which soon acquired control of the Man- chester Gaslight Company. At first Mr. Africa was superintendent of the new con- cern, but two years later he was chosen treasurer, and since then has acceptably filled both positions. Before leaving Pennsylvania, his abilitics and technical knowledge had been recognized by the state authoritics, and he was designated to inves- tigate the glass sand mining industry of that state, publishing an illustrated report upon it in 1886. His present responsible position with the People's Gaslight Company by no means fills the
317
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
D ANIEL GOODWIN, son of Josiah and he ran to the nearest tree and began to climb for Esther (Jones) Goodwin, was born in Lon- dear life. The bear paused a moment to smell the donderry Sept. 9, 1832. He married Abby C. Austin Oet. 19, 1853, and they had three children : Ira F., born Oet. 13, 1856 ; John H. S., born Sept. hat and then followed Dodge to the tree. He was about six feet from the ground, and the bear, rising upon her hind legs, gave one stroke with her fore paw, the nails just eatching in the sole of Dodge's shoe. In a moment he was out of her reach and shouting vigorously for help, making, if possible, more noise than the eow. The other men soon reseued him, shot the bear and took the eubs alive. This story is given on the authority of Jonathan MeAllister of Londonderry, who heard it from his father, Isaae McAllister, who shot the bear.
DANIEL GOODWIN.
21, 1859, and A. Adella, born Nov. 27, 1861. Mr. Goodwin enlisted in Co. K, Fourth New Hampshire Volunteers, Sept. 18, 1861, and re- enlisted Feb. 28, 1864. He was killed while on picket duty in front of Petersburg, June 27, 1864.
ISAAC DODGE AND THE BEAR .- Bears made frequent attaeks upon the eattle in the early days of the Nutfield eolony. It is related that one Sunday afternoon the settlers around Bear Hill, hearing the prolonged bellowing of a eow as if in distress, immediately rallied to learn the cause. The animal was found under a thiek hemlock tree endeavoring to evade the attacks of a she bear and her cubs. The ferocious beast was biting and tearing the eow's flesh, occasionally seeuring a pieee for her cubs. At the approach of the men the bear hastily withdrew with her offspring, and was met by Isaae Dodge, who was hurrying to the seene. Throwing his hat at her,
JOSEPH WHITE, the son of John and Han- nah (Bradstreet) White, was born in Rowley, Mass., in 1824 and moved to Derry in 1846. In April, 1851, he married Miss Sarah A. Stiekney of Derry, and by her had four children : Hannah M.,
JOSEPH WHITE.
Ella A., Joseph W., and John F., the last named dying in 1863. In January of the following year Mrs. White died, and in April, 1866, Mr. White was again married, this time to Miss Melinda Noyes.
WILLET'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
C OL. GEORGE WASHINGTON LANE had in hand. After learning his trade he went
was born in Candia Sept. 27, 1819, his parents being Thomas B. and Polly ( Worthen) Lane. Like many others who have won marked success in life and attained high distinction among their fellow men, he was nurtured at the rugged breast of poverty. When he was only six years of age his father died, and being the eldest of five children, it fell to his lot to do what little he could
-
COL. GEORGE W. LANE.
to help his mother bear her heavy burdens. So at that carly age he went to work in a mill, his pay being $6.25 a month, $6 of which he gave to his mother. After the first six months his wages were raised to $11, so that until he was fourteen he was enabled to save considerable of his earn- ings. Going to Boston, he served a seven years' apprenticeship at the carriage builder's trade, which he learned thoroughly. Indeed, it was one of his chief characteristics to do well whatever he
into business for himself, and so intent was he upon achieving suecess that for a time he worked 365 days a year. Prosperity attended his efforts, and having accumulated considerable property he purchased the American Hotel in Baltimore and was its landlord for twenty years. While lere he had frequent opportunity of visiting the National Congress and hearing the oratory of Webster, Adams, Clay, and other famous statesmen. His carly lack of educational advantages was thus supplemented in the very best of schools. During his residenee in Baltimore his interests were by no means confined to the hotel business, for he visited Europe several times and seeured contraets with the Russian government to raise sunken vessels in the Baltie and Black scas and elsewhere. In this as in everything else his efforts were erowned with sueeess. He also introduced an Ameriean ear coupler into Germany, and was interested in various other enterprises, all of which prospered under his hands. On the outbreak of the Rebellion in 1861 he offered his services to the government and was appointed by President Lineoln to a position of trust in the Army of the James. He was with Gen. Butler in New Orleans, and a strong friendship grew up between the two men. After the elose of the war he obtained from the United States government a license to raise the ironelad Keokuk, sunk at Charleston, and also to raise other sunken vessels. When this work had been aecomplished he settled in Boston, where he was superintendent of a water and alarm gauge company until 1869, when he purchased the General Derby place in East Derry. From his earliest youth it had been the dream of his life to own this historie estate, and now at the age of fifty his dream was realized. He expended nearly $60,000 in improving the farm and in making it the best in New Hampshire. It contains three hundred aeres, half of which is under cultivation. Col. Lane put in nearly four miles of underground drainage, built extensive barns and stables, and began farming in a seientifie, systematie way and with the thoroughness which characterized every- thing he undertook. The house (a eut of which is given on page 21), built in old English style in 1765, is 50 feet front, 45 feet deep, three-story,
319
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
with observatory on top, two-story ell, 22 x 84. The cattle barn is 45 X 117 ; horse barn, 50 x 40; the work or repair shop, 20 x 30, contains horsc- power to saw wood and thresh grain; the swine department is 20 x 40 ; the creamery is 18 x 20 with ell, with pony-power for making butter. The house was owned by General Derby in 1825, who was visited by Lafayette and his aides. Judge Prentice once lived there, as did also Judge Wood-
MRS. EMMA C. (KENT) LANE.
bury, and Judge Doe was born there. Although the farm is on high land, there is a pond, fed by springs, back of the buildings which supplies them with running water. This pond, which is ninc hundred feet long and one hundred and fifty fect wide, is 239} feet higher than the railroad track at Derry Depot.
Col. Lane was always actively interested in military affairs. He was a member of the Amos- keag Veterans of Manchester, and of the Gov-
ernor's Horse Guards of Concord while they were in existence. In 1876 a company of infantry was organized in Candia, his native town, and attached to the first regiment of the brigade. It was named the Lane Rifles in honor of the coloncl. The company was disbanded in 1887, and the equip- ments were taken to Derry for the use of a company organized therc. Col. Lanc was a member of St. Mark's Lodge, No. 44, A. F. and A. M., and of Gen. Stark Colony, Pilgrim Fathers, of Pelham. He was married three times, his last wife being Miss Emma C. Kent of Pclham, to whom he was united March 24, 1884. His death, which occurred Jan. 15, 1894, was mourned by hosts of personal friends and acquaintances, for although a man of iron will and at times a seem- ingly rough exterior, hc had a tender heart, and there are many who can testify to his quiet deeds of charity. Giving employment to a great num- ber of men, he was a public benefactor and con- tributed much toward the material prosperity of Derry. The history of New England, rich though it is in examples of distinguished success attained under difficulties, shows very few instances of distinction won by men so heavily handicapped as was Col. Lane in his youth. All that is mortal of the colonel rests in Forest Hill Cemetery, East Derry.
A
BOUT LIBRARIES .- It was in 1793 that
the historian of New Hampshire, Dr. Bel- knap, recommended the establishment of social librarics in towns, and it was two years later that an association of gentlemen, among whom were Amos Weston, father of ex-Gov. Weston, Isaac Huse, Elijah A. Nutt, Samuel Jackson, Ben- jamin F. Stark, John Stark, Jr., Samuel P. Kidder. forty-seven in all, founded the Social Library of Derryfield. For about thirty years it seems to have supplied the needs of the town, and at the last recorded meeting of the shareholders Ephraim Stevens, Jr., Lieut. Job Rowell, and James Griffin were chosen directors, and Samuel Jackson librarian.
It was about sixteen years later when the Manchester Atheneum was founded. The Amos- keag corporation gave $1,000, the Stark and Man-
320
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
chester $500 cach, and $500 was paid in member- library was installed in its old place. Here it ship fees, toward the new enterprise. The price remained for about fourteen years, when the present building was erected by the city at a cost of $30,000 on land given for that purpose by the Amoskeag Company. (See cut on page 147.) No member of the original board of trustees, except ex-Gov. Smyth, is living. Gentlemen who have been chosen as trustees since the first organ- ization in order of time are as follows: Lucien B. Clough, David Gillis, Samuel Webber, Phinchas Adams, Waterman Smith, Isaae W. Smith, Nathan P. Hunt, Moody Currier, Thomas L. Livermore, Benjamin C. Dean, Herman F. Straw, Walter M. Parker, Charles D. McDuffie, and Frank P. Carpenter. Of the above Messrs. Clough, Gillis, Adams, and Waterman Smith have deceased, and Messrs. Webber, Livermore, and Dean have removed from the city. The trustees at present are as follows: William C. Clarke, mayor, John T. Gott, president of the common council, ex-offieis; Isaac W. Smith, chosen in 1872; Nathan P. Hunt, in 1873; Moody Currier, in 1876; Herman F. Straw, in 1885; Walter M. Parker, in 1891 ; Charles D. McDuffie, in 1892; Frank P. Carpenter, in 1895. The librarians have served as follows: Francis B. Eaton, from 1854 to 1863 ; Marshall P. Hall, October, 1863, to June, 1865 ; Benjamin F. Stanton, June, 1865, to April, 1866 ; Charles H. Marshall, April, 1866, to 1877; Mrs. Mary Jane Davis Buncher, July, 1878, to February, 1894. Mrs. Buncher was suceeeded by Miss Kate E. Sanborn, the present librarian.
of shares was fixed at $14, and young men were admitted to the reading room on payment of one half the value of a share. Admission to the library and reading room was $3 a year. The organization was as follows: Samuel D. Bell, president ; Cyrus W. Wallace, viee president ; David Gillis, Daniel Clark, and William P. Newell, directors ; William C. Clarke, secretary ; Herman Foster, treasurer ; David Hill, librarian. The rooms were in the second story of No. 6 Union bloek, recently the office of Lucien B. Clough. In his inaugural address of that year, Mayor Frederick Smyth advocated the establishment of a free publie library, and several gentlemen con- nected with the Atheneum proposed to transfer its books and other articles of value to the city for that purpose. The offer was aeeepted with its conditions, which were, in brief, that not less than $1,000 a year should be appropriated for the pur- chasc of books and periodicals, and that the current expenses be provided for. In the autumn of 1854 the library was removed to Patten's block and installed under the earc of Samuel N. Bell. The board of trustees was as follows: Frederick Smyth, mayor, David Clark, president of the com- mon couneil, ex-officis; Samuel D. Bell, Daniel Clark, David Gillis, William P. Newell, Ezekiel A. Straw, William C. Clarke, Samuel N. Bell. The last named was chosen treasurer and Francis B. Eaton, librarian. The library was open to the public Nov. 8, 1854. For a time the convenienees for delivery , were of the most primitive kind. There were about 4,000 books on the shelves, more than half of which were taken out in the first two months. Affairs, however, were soon put into better shape, and a reading room was opened. On the morning of Feb. 5, 1856, Patten's block was partially destroyed by fire and nearly all the books were burned. The volumes rescued were hastily removed to Smyth's block and quarters provided for them in Merchants' Exchange, where they remained for nearly a year. In the meantime new books were purchased, the old replaced as far as possible, and the public was served with but brief interruption. At the close of the year, better rooms were provided in Patten's block and the
From time to time the library has received bequests and donations of considerable amount, the largest being that of Dr. Oliver Dean, which has now increased to nearly $7,000, and will be devoted to the purchase of technological and kin- dred treatises; the Eliza Eaton bequest of $2,974.59 for the general purposes of the library, and the Mary E. Elliot fund of $1,039.28, to be devoted to the purchase of works on medical science. Ex-Gov. Moody Currier has given an edition of Bohn's classical publications and some of the early Christian Fathers, and the Hon. Gardner Bremer of Boston gave 683 volumes of various works, mostly of the Tauchnitz edition.
Much of the work incident to the formation and progress of the library was gratuitously done
321
WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
by Hon. Samuel N. Bell, who was trustee and treasurer until his resignation in 1879, when he was succeeded by N. P. Hunt, who is practically the general manager of the library. It may be said that the library, valuable as it is, has been very much restricted as to its best use by the publie from lack of proper catalogues and from the defective shelving, which, after a few years of growth, made it impossible to group works on kindred topies together. This was the fault of no one in particular, save that the appropriation for
THE SNOW STORM OF 1888 .-- This storm was the most severe that has ever been known in Manchester. It began Sunday evening, March 11, very gently, continuing through the night and the next forenoon, when the gates of the Aretie regions seemed to have been opened, and the storm burst with terrific fury over the city. It lasted all that day and far into the night. The wind blew a gale, piling up mammoth drifts in picturesque forms, blockading the railway trains, and tearing down telegraph wires in all directions.
ELM STREET, MANCHESTER .- NEXT DAY AFTER THE BIG STORM, MARCH 13. 18SS.
current expenses was never large enough to Tuesday morning the snow was twenty inches warrant the introduction of a better system. It is indeed only in recent years that the business of the librarian has risen to the dignity of a profes- sion, while to shelve, catalogue, and make acees- sible to the public a large library, or one even with 40,000 volumes, but which is growing every day, is no easy task. It is believed now, however, that the trustees have taken the matter in hand and that they are to be congratulated on having secured the services of such a competent librarian.
deep, elinging to everything it touched, making artistie and grotesque images from the plainest and most obscure objects. Business men closed their stores and offices long before the usual hour on Monday and started home amid blinding sheets of snow that prevented one seeing an object a block distant. The barometer fell from 30.68 to 29.27 in twenty-four hours. The storm of March I. 1886, was less severe in the quantity of snow, but the wind was about equal in velocity.
322
WILLEYS BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
M ATTHEW THORNTON, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Ireland in 1714, his father, James Thorn- ton, emigrating to America two or three years later, and taking up his residence first at Wiscas- set, Me., and subsequently at Worcester, Mass., where the son was educated. He studied medicine and began practice in Londonderry about the year 1740. Here he acquired a wide reputation as a physician, and in the course of several years of successful practice became comparatively wealthy, taking an influential part in the affairs of the town. In 1745 he joined the expedition against Cape Breton as a surgeon in the New Hampshire division of the army, consisting of five hundred men, and of the number only six died during the campaign, although they were subjected to cxccs- sivc toil and constant exposure. The troops, a company of which was from Nutfield, under the command of Capt. John Moor, were employed, during fourtecn successive nights, with straps over their shoulders and sinking to their knces in mud, in drawing cannon from the landing place to the camp, through a morass. Dr. Thornton's name appcars frequently in the Nutfield records. In 1758 he drew up and headed a memorial to Gov. Wentworth and the General Court, thanking him for their "late gracious Act, in which it is Stipu- lated that Londonderry shall have no more than three Taverns and two Retailers, for the present and four Ensuing years, and we had rather the number were diminished than increased." He was a representative to the General Court in 1758-60 and a moderator of the town meeting in 1770-71, and again in 1776. He was president of the provincial convention which met May 17, 1775, after the termination of the British govern- ment in New Hampshire, and was a member of the convention of Dec. 21, 1775, which afterward resolved itself into a house of representatives. In September, 1776, he was appointed by that body a delegate to represent New Hampshire in Con-
gress, but he did not take his seat until November, four months after the passage of the Declaration of Independence. He immediately acceded to it, however, and his signature is among those of the fifty-six immortals. He was subsequently appointed a judge of the superior court of New Hampshire,
having previously been chief justice of the court of common pleas. His knowledge of the law seems to have been acquired by private study. He removed from Londonderry to Exeter, and later fixed his residence in Merrimack, having purchased the confiscated estate of Edward Gold- stone Lutwyche, situated on the Merrimack, near Lutwyche's (now Thornton's) Ferry. Judge Thornton died while on a visit to his daughter, Mrs. John McGaw, at Newburyport. The monu- ment over his grave in Merrimack bears this inscription : " Ercetcd to the memory of the Hon. Matthew Thornton, Esq., who died June 24, 1803, agcd cighty-ninc ycars. The honest man." He was not only honest, but he had a ready wit, like most of the Scotch-Irish racc. About the year 1798 hc attended as a spectator the scssions of the legislature, which met at Amherst, about cight miles from his homc. Happening to mcet a former neighbor of his at Nutfield, who was then a member of the legislature, and who was not dis- posed to underrate his own consequence, the latter said to the judge : " Do you not think the Gen- eral Court has much improved since you had a seat in it ? Does it not possess more men of ability now and more eloquent speakers? For then, you know, there were but five or six who could talk; but now all we farmers can make speeches." The judge replied: "To answer that question I will tell you a story about a farmer who lived a short distance from my father's home in Ireland. He was very exemplary in his observance of religious duties, and made it a constant practice to read a portion of Scripture every morning and evening before addressing the throne of grace. It happened one morning that he was reading the chapter which gives an account of Samson's catching three hundred foxes, when his wife inter- rupted him by saying : 'John, I'm sure that cannot be true, for our Isaac was as good a fox hunter as there was in the country, and he never caught but about twenty.' 'Nonsense !' replied the husband, ' you must not always take the Scripture just as it reads. Perhaps in the three hundred there might have been cighteen, or maybe twenty, that werc real foxes; the rest were all skunks and woodchucks.' " The legislator drew his own inferences and was silent.
NUTFIELD RANGES AND BOUNDARIES.
A LTHOUGH the boundaries of the original grant of Nutfield specified in the conveyance of John Wheelwright in 1719 appear to have been very definite, it is nevertheless apparent, on close examination, that the only fixed line in the case was the bank of the Merrimack river, with no starting place, no distances, and no terminal point except the uncertain line of Dunstable. The boundaries of Chester were not fixed at that date ; consequently the northern limit of Nutfield was tentative. Haverhill limits were not settled, and Nutfield's eastern boundary was likewise undeter- mined. The southern boundary of Nutfield, dependent upon the limits of Dracut and old Dun- stable, was indefinite, as the assumptions of their proprietors were not established by valid deeds, and in the settlement of the state line and the limitations of royal charters they did not touch Nutfield anywhere. But the western boundary of Nutfield could not be moved by the encroachments of neighbors or the decisions of the general court, although it is seen by the charter of Londonderry in 1722 that even the last definite boundary of Nutfield, the Merrimack river, was sacrificed to Litchfield, and no original side or corner can now be claimed as coinciding with the description afforded in the first dced.
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.