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 7
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keag falls and following in nearly the same course of the river road to Archibald Stark's place, where the State Industrial School is now located.
On the same day we find that a portion of the road from Litchfield to Amoskeag, of which men- tion has been made, was duly recognized by the town in being laid out by the selectmen. This section extended as far as " Abraham Merrill's 'dugway,' " which was at a sandhill near where the gasworks are located. The 27th of November the balance of this route to its junction with the Old Falls road at the southeast corner of Tremont common was duly laid out by the selectmen. But the course taken by this part of the road proved unsatisfactory to the inhabitants living along the bank of the river and who had lumber to draw to the falls. Thus the following year two selectmen in sympathy with these disaffected ones being elected, and knowing the town would not votc to discontinue the road as laid out, they pctitioned to the court as follows :
PROV. OF
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
To the Hon'ble His Majesty's Court of Gen- eral Quarter Sessions of the Peace to be holden at Portsmouth, for the Province afores'd upon the First Tuesday of Septem- ber next Insuing.
The petition of us, the Selectmen of Derryfield, Humbly sheweth, that we apprehend that it is greatly necessary to have a County Road Laid out from the head of nameskeg falls unto Litchfield, as near the river as the ground will admit, not only for the benefit of Travelors up and Down said River, but as our River has become a martime plase for Transporting Timber, Plank and Board, we know severall who have been injured very much for the want of said Road, and therefore we now earnestly Pray your Honours to take the Premises into your Considera- tion and grant us such Relief as the Law in such Cases Directs and your Petitioners as in Duty bound, shall forever pray.
JOHN GOFFE ARCHIBALD STARK, Selectmen.
Augt 20th, 1752.
The court acted favorably to the petitioners, but the dissatisfaction of the town as a whole was so great that a special meeting was called, and Feb. 2, 1753, it was voted not to pay the court's eost, which amounted to £44. At the annual clection following, in March, Messrs. Goffe and Stark failed of a re-election, and the new board of selectmen petitioned to the legislature for redress. Accordingly a committee of two, consisting of
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Riehard Jenness and Zebulon Gidding, were the two rivers. As was the custom in those times, appointed to " view the two ways" and give their no provision was made for erossing the rivers, except by fording, and in 1757 Thomas Hall petitioned for a bridge across the Piscataquog. The town refusing to bear this expense, Mr. Hall entered a complaint for damages, when, securing judgment, a settlement was obtained and the first bridge over the Piscataquog river was built in 1759-60. conclusions. They differed in their reports, Mr. Jenness favoring the majority of the town and his colleague deciding that the road was needed. The outcome was that the petition for redress was dis- missed, leaving the town obliged not only to build the road, but to pay the costs, which were con- siderable by this time. The road was evidently needed. July 6, 1753, the road from the Centre to Derry line was laid out by William Perham and John Riddell, selectmen.
March 1, 1755, what is known as the Candia road, starting at the corner where MeGregor Hall now lives and running to Youngsville, was laid out by William McClintock and John Hall, select- men. Jan. 16, 1756, the road to Martin's Ferry was laid out by the selectmen, John Harvey and Daniel McNiel. These include the principal roads and sections of roads laid out up to this date, though the records show that the seleetmen had accepted several more of minor importanee. In faet, it had been necessary to relay out and accept all of those passing through what had been the territory of Harrytown, and to lay out new roads for the benefit of its inhabitants.
All of the roads which have been designated were laid out three rods wide, except the river road, which was six rods in width. Others were laid out but two rods, though not many belonged to this class. As low as half a dollar an acrc was allowed as land damage. It might be added that Chester records, Sept. ye 16, 1748, show that the road from Mosquito pond to Smith's ferry was laid out four rods in width. Also a road to Capt. McClintock's mill was laid out the same width as the last.
The records of Narraganset township, No. 5, show that as early as 1739, in January, it was voted to raise £20 "to rectify the way from Souhegan river to Piseataquog river." This vote was evidently fruitless, for the following year we find the matter again under consideration, and that it was voted in January and in June that 6s. 8d. in all be voted at the two meetings to meet the expense of opening up the way. Robert Walker was chosen eommittee to carry out the vote, and it is probable a eart road was that year made between
The " mast road," so ealled, was no doubt the first road from the west leading into what is now the territory of Manchester, and was the outgrowth of the teaming of ship's masts from the forests beyond the mast landing, or rolling plaee, at the mouth of the river. Many of these huge trees were brought as far as from New Boston and were noted for their excellent quality. The date of the development of this team path to what might be termed a road is not known. The records first refer to it as the "mast road" in 1756, when speaking of laying out a highway "beginning at the westerly end of the river range of home lots and running to the northwest corner of Samuel Patten's river home lot, No. 20."
April 16, 1768, the records state that the selectmen laid out a road " beginning at the line of Bedford and Goffstown, where the mast road that was last improved crosses the said line, thence, as said mast road was formerly improved to the hill next to the mast rolling place, thenee down on the south side of the said Piscataquog river to the mouth of said river, where it empties into the river ' Merrymae'; thenee down said Merrymae about twenty five rods or so far as to take in the head of the eddy in the river next to the mouth of said Piscataquog : the whole of said road to be four rods wide from the top of the upper bank."
In 1770, ten years after it was built, the bridge across the Piscataquog was decided unsafe, and it was rebuilt under the supervision of Major John Goffe. This bridge seemed to be a source of considerable expense, as it was necessary to repair or rebuild it about every ten years, until it was re- built in 1843. It was again rebuilt, of stone, in 1895.
Oct. 30, 1792, referring again to the records of Derryfield, it was voted "not to accept the Roads from the Bridge to the meeting house," but it was voted "to aeeept the road from the
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meeting house to Londonderry line by Corning's 8, 1823, it was unanimously voted not "to join in mills." It was this meeting that voted to annex the building of such part of the road as came in Henrysburgh to the town. September 7, 1793, it. was voted " to discontinue or not to have a road from Amoskeag to Humphrey's brook." This was a portion of the original road from Londonderry to Amoskeag falls, Humphrey's being but another name for Amoskeag or Cemetery brook, as it is sometimes called. At this time there were seven highway districts. March 3, 1800, it was voted to raise one dollar on a poll for highway tax. A man's wages was fixed at four shillings a day, and ten cents an hour to be allowed for a good horse. In 1806 the town was divided into eight highway districts. March 14, 1809, it was voted to petition to have the road from Amoskeag bridge to Deer Ncck, Chester, now Auburn, discontinued. This road ran past or near to the meeting-house at the Centre.
March 14, 1815, it was votcd to open a road from McGregor bridge to Hall road, and June 6, 1817, " the selcctmen opened a road on the reserve land from the great pond by Levi Russel's and John Proctor's to the road leading from the mccting house to the road leading to John Frye's." In 1818 there were nine highway districts. March 14, 1820, it was voted at the annual clection to set apart highway district No. 10.
After having discussed the feasibility of the scheme for somc timc, in 1821 the citizens of Concord and Lowell, Mass., urged on by the pro- prietors of the stage lines connecting those places and many of the inhabitants along the route, began a determined effort to cstablish a more direct high- way than was then existing between the two towns. A survey was made beginning at Paw- tucket bridge and leading through Dracut, Pelham, Windham, Londonderry, Manchester, and to a union with the Londonderry turnpike in Hook- sctt, thence by that road to Concord, a route pronounced perfectly fcasible. But immediate opposition was met along the entire line by those who could see but little if any dircct benefit coming from so expensive an enterprise, and the proposed thoroughfare was christencd in no uncertain terms "the Mammoth Road." The strongest opposition was met in Londonderry and Manchester, so at the annual meeting here, March
this town." It proved that the projectors had at least one friend here, for Sept. 8 of the same year, through the efforts of Capt. Ephraim Stevens, Jr., a special meeting was called, when the road was again voted down, the ballot being 45 to 1 " not to join in the laying out of a road from Hooksett to Pawtucket falls." It was further voted that Joseph Moor be an agent "to join the committee chosen by the town of Londonderry to oppose the laying out and opening of the road," etc. Those favor- ing the enterprise petitioned to the county court to assist them. This caused the opposition in this town to call a special meeting July 26, 1828, which was adjourned to August 16, when it voted to choose an agent to oppose the building of the road, and Danicl Watts was chosen to act in that capacity, subject to the advice of the sclectmen. At its session in October, 1830, the court proved its friendship to the road by ordering that it be built so far as it was within the limits of this county.
Still, the citizens of Manchester were detcr- mined not to yield as long as possible, and March 8, 1831, it was voted to petition the county for lcave to discontinue that portion of the Mammoth road in this town, or, "if failing to accomplish that, to make an extension of time and liberty to alter the road as the interests of the town may require and the public good permit." This action only served to delay the work on the road, which was doubt- less the intention, and again, March 13, 1832, it was "voted to discontinue the Mammoth road if the county docs not object."
The hopelessness of pursuing the fight must even then have been apparent; the court soon after decided that the road should be built as originally intended, when Nov. 5, 1832, the town votcd "to build the Mammoth road through Man- chester !" At the meeting, March 11, 1834, it was votcd to raise $750 to lay out on the Mammoth road. This vote was made necessary by the demand, which would brook no more delay. The rest of the road had been nearly completcd and the neglect of. this town was dcemed a public damage. The following summer work was begun in carncst. Once morc the matter of the Mammoth road
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
appears in the records of the town, this time a making fourteen in all. As latc as Oct. 26, 1839, vote to discontinue " that part of Mammoth Road commencing at a sycamore tree westerly of Isaac Huse's dwelling house, thence southerly 8} degrees, thence east 55 rods to the old road." This was done, as this town in building the road had followed a more feasible and less expensive route at this point, and the court had granted them leave to place the substitute in lieu of the original survey. This was Nov. 7, 1836, sixteen years from the beginning of the contest which had ruined several of those interested in the great undertaking for those times, and which had cost the towns dearly for small returns. A little over five years later the steam horse was drawing its long train of coaches and freight cars up and down the valley of the Merrimack ; the stage horscs were relegated to farm work ; centres of population changed, and without sufficient travel at sections to retain the wheel-marks of the old, dethroned stages left to decay, the Mammoth road became little more than a vanishing memento of the dreams of its short- sighted projectors.
In 1836 a new highway district was sct off, making the eleventh in town. March 14, 1837, the matter of building another road, which had aroused considerable opposition among the majority of citizens, reached what secmed its climax, when it was " voted not to do anything regarding the road laid out by the court of com- mon pleas from Amoskeag bridge to Chestcr." The road leading through East Manchester from Lake Avenue to the corner at McGregor Hall's placc and thence through Youngsville to Auburn and called the "Candia Road " is a portion of the road proposed at that time. This opposition was not of recent origin, for the records show that at lcast the part of this road from Mr. Hall's to Youngsville was laid out by the selectmen as far back as 1755. In November, 1837, however, the town voted to build the road, and chose Benjamin Mitchell agent. At the annual meeting in March, 1838, it was voted to borrow $2,300 for the purpose of building this piece of road, but the selectmen evidently neglected to do this, for Dec. 13 wc find them again authorized to raise that sum " to make the Candia Road." This year three new highway districts were added to the list,
we find it recorded that the town votcd to com- plete the Candia road. At this meeting it was " voted to discontinuc that portion of the road from Amoskcag bridge to Manchester street, if the court does not object." It is presumed there was no objection, as no farther record is found relative to the matter. At the samc meeting the road leading from Amoskeag bridge to Janesville, that running from David A. Bunton's, afterwards the S. B. Kidder house, near the falls to Stark housc, and another lcading from the south side of Granite street to "the point below Stark's mills where Canal street intersects the same," were all discontinued, with a view to make a better street arrangement. The Nutt road was laid out this year.
In fact, the history of the roads from this time is relegated to the background by the accounts of the building of streets. From time to time we find sections of highways discontinued to allow the march of improvement, but there is no mention of roads of any importance being built. Manchester is now divided into twelve highway districts, and each was under the charge of a surveyor elected annually by the city government, until by virtue of an act of the state legislature April 1, 1893, they were superseded by a board of street and park commissioners of three members, one of each elected by city councils biennially for a term of six years. This board has the entire management of the building and maintaining of the streets, highways, bridges, lanes, sidewalks, drains, public sewers, parks, and commons of the city, and appointing the subordinate officers necessary to carry out this work.
STREETS.
In 1838 the Amoskeag Manufacturing Com- pany had a plan made for what was to prove the heart of the future city, laying out the original strcets in regular order, thus making the founda- tion for that systematic network of thoroughfares that is rightly the pride of the town. May 5, 1840. upon petition of this company, the selectmen officially accepted Elm street from the old road near Mrs. Young's to Lowell street as already built by the Amoskeag Company, and thence laid
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WILLEY'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
out northerly " till it intersects the old road from on the west Franklin, Bedford, State, and Canal Manchester town house to Amoskeag falls in the streets, the latter following nearly the track of the same direction as the same is now laid out and old river road from its junction with Elm street made from Lowell street to Bridge street of the on the south to falls bridge on the north. On the breadth of one hundred feet, twelve feet on each cast of Elm, counting only those streets that extend through the heart of the city, are Chestnut from Auburn to Clarke; Pine, from Nutt road to opposite 76 Webster; Union, from Nutt road to River road north near Hooksett line; Becch, from Brown avenue to Salmon street ; Maple, from Cilley to Gore ; Lincoln, from Cillcy to Amherst ; Wilson, from Clay to Hanover; Hall, from Clay to Harrison ; Belmont, from Clay to Harrison. side to be for sidewalks, and ten feet in the centre for ornamental trees. To be from Bridge street north only fifty feet in the centre opened and used by the public till the adjacent land is sold." Bridge street was laid out from Elm westerly to the bridge across the upper canal sixty feet wide, and from the west end of said bridge to the old river road forty feet wide. The company, in laying out this street, agreed to build and maintain At right angles to the above streets, beginning on the south with Cilley road, there are Baker and Shasta, Clay, Somerville, Silver, Harvard, Prcs- cott, Young, Merrill, Valley, Green, Grove, Sum- mer, Auburn, Cedar, Spruce, Lakc avenue, Cen- tral, Laurel, Merrimack, Manchester, Hanover, Amherst, Concord, Lowell, High, Bridge, Pearl, Orange, Myrtle, Prospect, Harrison, Brook, Blod- get, Pennacook, Sagamore, Salmon, North, Web- ster, Appleton, Clarke. a bridge aeross their canal and become aecountable for any and all damages which might occur from neglect of repairs. The selectmen further laid out Lowell, Coneord, Amherst, and Hanover streets till they interseeted with the road from the town house to the falls, the first and last cach fifty feet wide and the others forty feet. Manchester street alrcady laid out to said road fifty fect widc, was accepted ; Pine, from Lowell to Hanover, as already madc, forty fcet wide, thence to Manches- ter fifty fcct in width; Chestnut, from Amherst to Hanover, forty feet wide, and then to Merrimack fifty feet in width. Seven feet on each side of all these streets were reserved for sidewalks.
The inerease of streets soon became very rapid, making them too numerous to admit of detailed description here. Elm street has become, as it was intended, the main business thorough- fare and now extends from Baker on the south to a point opposite the State Industrial School on the north, a distance of two and three-fourths miles, with a certainty that it will be soon con- tinued considerably farther at both terminals. It follows nearly the direction of the river, and though the elm trecs planted along its centre by its projectors were long ago destroyed by the gas escaping from leaky pipes, the last dying in 1855, and the majority of those set next to the sidewalks have been removed for one reason and another, it is nevertheless, with its well kept stone paving, its great width, its uniformity of course, its impos- ing business blocks, one of the handsomest, as well as one of the longest streets in New England.
Running parallel with Elm street there are
The streets on the west side of the Merri- mack, conforming more to old lincs of travel, are of less regularity than those in the east seetion. The principal ones are Main, from Granite to Mill opposite Front at Amoskeag; South Main, from 354 Granite to Bedford line; Mast, from Main near bridge to Goffstown line; North Bed- ford, from Mast to Bedford line; Granite, from Elm across river to Weare and Henniker railroad ; Milford, from South Main to Bedford line; Amherst is the outgrowth of the old road to the Souhegan. Front street is the only one of impor- tanee at Amoskeag, and that with Main of Pis- cataquog follows the course of the old road from the up-country to Boston.
Manchester had, Jan. 1, 1896, 109.297 miles of streets, 61.25 miles of roads, 8.36 miles of avenues, making an aggregate of 177.907 miles of streets, roads, and avenues. It had 121.297 miles of walks in the city proper, 0.897 miles of walks in the suburbs, and 628 miles on avenues, giving a total of 128.953 miles. It had over 90 miles of shade trees, 4.899 miles of macadam, and 56.236 miles of sewers. Its entire arca comprises over 21,700 acres, or 33.906 square miles.
BALLOU - McGREGOR.
E
field, Nov. 5, 1799, and was employed in his father's store until he came to Londonderry and settled at
DWARD BALLOU, the son of Jonathan and Feb. 6, 1841, married George A. Seavey of Wind- Janet (McGregor) Ballou, was born in Deer- ham, whose sketch is given elsewhere ; (9) Naney R., born May 21, 1843, married to Caleb Clark of Windham, Sept. 6, 1865, by Rev. L. S. Parker of Derry, and had three children : Lilly, died young ; Edward B., born 1872 ; Mary Louise, born 1874, a popular teacher in Windham ; (10) Samuel E., born Aug. 29, 1845, unmarried ; (II) E. Louisa, born June 25, 1848, took care of her mother's aunt in Boston many years and inherited her fortune, mar- ried Thomas Chapman, and with her husband lives in Windham ; (12) Edwin L. Parker, born April 25, 1851, married Mrs. Sarah Josephine Clay Johnson and lives on the John Bell place at the upper end of the Aiken Range in Derry.
EDWARD BALLOU.
the upper end of the Aikens Range, where the family has sinee lived. Nov. 13, 1823, he married Isabella D. MacGregor, daughter of James and Rosanna (Aiken) MaeGregor, who lived on the Major John Pinkerton place, lately occupied by Alexander MacGregor, and now in the possession of Deacon T. T. Moore. This marriage was sol- emnized by Rev. Daniel Dana of Londonderry, and twelve children blessed the union : (1) George W., born Jan. 19, 1825, who was never married and earries on the farm ; (2) Samuel A., born March 3, 1827, died Sept. 16, 1843 ; (3) Jennette MeG., born April 19, 1829 ; (4) Rosanna A., born March 8, 1831, died Feb. 20, 1833 ; (5) Naney MeG., born Aug. 31, 1833, died Feb. 10, 1837 ; (6) Sarah W., born Dee. 21, 1835, a school teacher, married to William S. Baker of Portsmouth Sept. 14, 1858, by Rev. E. N. Hidden of Derry ; no children ; she died Sept. 11, 1865 ; (7) Isabella MeD., born Sept. 26, 1838, died July 31, 1855 ; (8) Mary B., born
Edward Ballou, the father, was a justice of the peace, served as seleetman in Derry several years, was representative in the legislature two years, and died Sept. 19, 1863. James MacGregor Ballou is living (1895).
ISABELLA D. (MACGREGOR) BALLOU.
The father of Mrs. Ballou was born in Lon- donderry March 28, 1777, and married Rosanna Aiken of Chester, Dee. 22, 1803. She was born March 2, 1784, the daughter of Samuel and Isa-
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WILLER'S BOOK OF NUTFIELD.
bella (MeDole) Aiken. The marriage was per- formed by Rev. Mr. Colby of Chester, now a part of Auburn. Their children were : (1) Agnes, born Oct. 10, 1804, died July 15, 1811 ; (2) Isabella D., married Edward Ballou ; (3) Alexander, born Nov. 6, 1800, married Sarah Wyse ; (4) Lewis A., born Aug. 12, 1812, married a Whittier and Au- gusta Blodgett ; (5) Eliza Jane, born July 14, 1820 ; (6) John A., born Oet. 14, 1822.
After the death of Mr. MacGregor the widow married Dearborn Whittier of Hooksett, Jan. 3, 1827. She died Nov. 23, 1867 ; he was killed by the cars at Wilson's Crossing, Jan. 26, 1850. Mrs. Ballou had her first child in her arms when she shook hands with Lafayette at East Derry in 1824.
James MaeGregor, the second of the name in Londonderry, and father of James 3rd, married Agnes Cochran. Their children were : (1) Jennet, who married Jonathan Ballou of Deerfield and had a family of children ; (2) Mary Ann, who never married ; (3) Rev. David, of whom a. portrait is herewith given ; he graduated at Dartmouth, studied theology, beeame a Presbyterian elergyman and was the first settled pastor of the society in Bedford. He married Mary Butterfield of Hano- ver, and after her death he married Mary Orr of
GREGOR
Bedford ; she died, and his third wife was Rebeeea Merrill of Londonderry. He left children. (4) Alexander, who married Polly Pinkerton and lived in Londonderry, and he had one son, John P., adopted by Major John Pinkerton. (5) Susan, who married Thomas Bassett, a storekeeper in
Londonderry, who had previously kept a store in Deerfield ; they had a son, Thomas, who became a physician and settled in Kingston. (6) Robert, who married Polly Hovens of Rhode Island and lived there some years, until the death of John MaeGregor, when he returned to Londonderry and
REV. DAVID MACGREGOR.
settled at the Upper Village. He afterward bought the farm where Reed P. Clark lately lived in Lon- donderry, and lived there, raising a large family of children, and some of the descendants remain there still. (7) Betsey, never married. (8) Polly, mar- ried Jonathan Emerson, lived on the Pinkerton place on the turnpike, and had one son. (9) James, of whom an account is given elsewhere.
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