USA > Vermont > Orange County > Newbury > History of Newbury, Vermont, from the discovery of the Coos country to present time > Part 19
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D. Allen Rogers was born in Columbia, N. H., September 11, 1828, and died at Wells River, July 11, 1881. He was a son of Rev. Daniel Rogers, who died at Stewartstown, N. H., many years ago, but subsequent to his son coming to Wells River. Mr. Rogers was a good academical scholar. He read law with Lyman T.
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Flint, Esq., at Colebrook, N. H., and was admitted to the bar of Coos County at the May term, 1854. He held the office of postmaster at Colebrook, for some years. Mr. Rogers sold out his practice at Colebrook and bound himself not to practice there, under the expectation of going into the law practice with Cornelius Adams, Esq., at Washington, D. C., but Mr. Adams soon after died and that ended his high aspirations. He was forced to leave Colebrook and go to St. Johnsbury, Vt., where he remained about one year, when he became a partner with the writer, in January, 1860, and removed to Wells River where he lived until his death. Mr. Rogers was state's attorney for Orange County in 1876, and for two years, which office he so well filled that the presiding judge, who was holding court at Chelsea, during the session of the Republican convention, held during Mr. Rogers' incumbency of that office, recommended that he be nominated again, he having filled the office so well that the county and state would be benefitted by his being again nominated and elected, but the office-seekers prevented that being done. Mr. Rogers was elected to represent the town of Newbury in the General Assembly for the biennial session, 1872, and held the office of selectman of Newbury for two years, and filled all of these trusts well. He was an excellent Biblical scholar and was the superintendent of the Sabbath school at Wells River for many years. Being well read in the word of God he was an able and pleasing instructor and so beloved by the scholars that they placed a granite monument at his grave.
There have been other lawyers of later years who have been ornaments to the profession, one of whom I will speak of because of his successful conviction of a man who called himself "Dr. W. H. Howard," namely, Charles C. Dewey, then state's attorney for Orange County. Howard had performed a criminal operation upon a young woman at Bradford, Vt., and she died from its effects. Mr. Dewey was a very well read and strong lawyer, and by his management of the Howard case so successfully, he was brought into prominence as a lawyer. He went to Rochester, N. Y., from Wells River, but soon came back to Vermont and located at Rutland, and died there of softening of the brain.
The first paper-mill was erected on the south end of the same dam and privilege that supplies the water that propels the machinery in the present mill. "Bill" Blake, as I understand it, came up from Bellows Falls, Vt., and built the mill, and afterward Samucl and Stephen Recd, brothers, and natives of Rindge, N. H., came here from Bellows Falls, and succeeded Mr. Blake in the ownership of the mill. They manufactured writing and wrapping paper, and after a few years they formed a copartnership with Captain Ira White, and finally sold out to Mr. White and moved away. Thesc brothers had four sisters that came to Wells River,
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one after the other, from Rindge, N. H., where the Hales came from, to work in the hotel kept by Joshua Hale. Pretty soon after one of the girls came she would get married, and Mrs. Hale would send for another of the sisters until they were all married. One married Timothy Shedd, one Captain Ira White, one Emory Gale, and the other Charles Hale, the only son of Joshua Hale, and Mrs. Charles Hale was the grandmother of Charles Hale Hoyt, the celebrated playwright.
Capt. White was born in Swansey, N. H., in the year 1789, and when he was twelve years of age went to Surry, N. H., to live with Judge Lemuel Holmes* during the rest of his minority. Upon his arriving at the age of twenty-one years, March 22, 1810, Judge Holmes gave him a nice recommendation as to his faithfulness and honesty. In April, 1810, Mr. White went to Bellows Falls, Vt., where he lived five years, when he came to Wells River to live in 1816, being then twenty-six years old. After he bought out the Reeds, he increased the paper-making business greatly. Writing paper and brown wrapping was manufactured by him and by the Reeds too. The manner of manufacturing paper in those days was very much different from what it is now and the quality poorer. The rags were brought to the mill by Mr. White's peddlers, several of them sent out over the northern part of Vermont and New Hampshire, where they gathered cotton and linen rags, bought by way of a barter trade and delivered at the paper-mill where they were assorted and cut up by female help, and then ground into paper pulp, the white ones for writing and the colored ones for wrapping paper. In some of the wrapping paper straw was mixed with the rags. After the rags were beaten into pulp, in two great beaters, the pulp was put on to a wire sieve, made the size of the sheet of paper, and shaken to even it on the sieve, when it was put on to woolen felt cloth. The felt and pulp were used alternately, till the pile was of the proper size, when the mass was put into a larger press, capable of giving great pressure, and after the proper time, was taken from the press and the paper removed from the felting and dried in a room in the second story of the mill, having sliding pieces of boards, so that the air had free access to dry the paper. After the paper was sufficiently dried it was finished by having first, all the lumps picked out of the paper and it was callendered so as to make it smooth and fit to write on, whether it was in the sheet, or in a blank or account book. Of course, it would be hard to use steel pens upon it, but in those early days, the quill was what the pen was made of. Mr. White had a store, two rooms, in the south end of the second story of the Hutchins & Goodall store. The stairs by which the rooms were reached were on the outside of the building. Mr. White afterwards erected the
*Judge Holmes afterward came to Newbury, and died here.
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building now used by Mr. Sheldon as a jewelry store and tenement. Here Mr. White had on the lower floor, his store, or salesroom, in front, and in the rear was a part of his book-bindery, a portion of the second story being also used as a book-bindery. The rest of the second floor was used as a printing office.
Mr. White was the first man to introduce a printing-press into Wells River. The first one was what was called a Ramage press, and after that he got a newer and better pattern of a press. He printed spelling-books and testaments. He finally went to work and dug the canal to take water from the pond to the present mill, and it proved to be so costly that it failed him. There was a grist-mill in the old paper-mill, which was used to grind unbolted meal, after the grist-mill that stood just below the willow tree near William G. Buchanan's dwelling-house, ceased to be used. Captain White was a man of strict integrity, and of good habits, and lived to be ninety-eight years and eight months old. His children were three; one son and two girls. One of the girls is the wife of William G. Buchanan, and the other married a Mr. Fay of Boston and died there a few years since. The son, Henry K. White, was a natural trader and peddled all of his business life. He died at Toronto, Ont., leaving a widow and daughter. After Mr. White's failure the paper-mill property went into the hands of his bondsmen, Timothy Shedd and Charles Hale. They let Captain White's son, Henry K. White, take it into his hands and operate it for a short time, and finally Durant & Adams bought it and did a larger business. This firm was succeeded by Adams & Deming.
One of the early settlers of Wells River was John L. Woods, Esq. He came from Corinth, Vt., and soon became the possessor and owner of a large part of the land in and around the village. The records of the town will show when he came and the lands he owned. He owned and lived in a house which stood where Mrs. Samuel A. Moore's house is and was engaged in farming and lumbering, and also to a limited extent in brick-making, having kilns on the field which Mrs. Moore now owns and one where Jerry Sullivan lives. He administered upon the estate of William Eames, who has been before spoken of, and a large amount of litigation grew out of its settlement, which Mr. Woods put into the hands of the late Judge Underwood, who had just come baek from Maine, and for whom Mr. Woods took a liking. Doubtless more lawsuits were had than were really necessary and the estate was insolvent in consequence. Mr. Woods became the owner of the sawmill located at the mouth of the Ammonoosue River, in Woodsville, where the dam now is, and went over there and built a dwelling house and store near the sawmill, where he lived until his death. His grave is in a little lot, just large enough for it, just south of the public highway, leading under the railroad bridge in that village. At the time Mr. Woods went to Woodsville to reside,
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there were but two dwelling houses there, one of which was a large two-story house, called the Brock house, situated at the northeasterly end of the village, and the other a farmhouse, then occupied by Cyrus Allen, and now owned by Joseph Willis, situated at the southwesterly extremity of the village, which is named for Mr. Wood, and which has come to be, by railroading and court- house, an important center of business. Mr. Woods was a good hearted man and friendly to the poor, whom he helped. He was a man of good judgment as to values of properties and of first-class business tact and integrity.
One of the early industries in Wells River was the cloth-dressing business. John W. Leslie and his younger brother, George R. Leslie, came from Bradford, Vt., in 1818. John bought the clothing works and took his brother, George R., who was by trade a clothier, into company with him, and John W. engaged in the lumbering business quite extensively, and to a limited extent carried on farming. In those days cloth-dressing was an important trade. Woven cloth was home-made, both for men's and women's wear, and brought to the cloth-dressing shop, where it was fulled in a fulling-mill, to make the fabric thick and close in fibre. It was then colored and a knap raised by teazles, and then sheared and pressed, and much of the cloth when finished was fine looking and made handsome suits. Girls, until they became of age, wore dresses made of flannel, colored . red and wine color, which were warm and comfortable. The clothier's shop was situated on the bank of Wells River, on the premises now occupied by Mr. Graves. The water privilege was granted by Er Chamberlin to one Quimby and by Quimby to one Felch, I think, and then to the Leslie's. The land title records will show as to this.
The parents of the Leslies were Alexander Leslie and Lucy Warner Leslie, who raised ten children-five sons and five daughters. They are of Scotch descent and can trace their genealogy back to the reign of James I., under whom they held important offices. John W. was the father of the writer, as has been hereinbefore stated, and George R., the father of the late George Leslie, who was for many years the able cashier of the Bank of Newbury, both while it was a state bank and when it became a national bank. It is one of the best banks in the state, its officers, one and all, having been conservative and first-class business men. The cloth-dressing and wool-carding business ceased under the management of George R. Leslie, it having ceased to be of any importance because of the great woolen manufacturers' establishments at Lowell and Lawrence, Mass., and other places.
The old blacksmith shop, now standing on Main street, is not the original one that stood there. The first one was burned down some time prior to 1830, and the present one, now called the "Old Smithy," was erected on the same site. It was owned by the Wells's
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when burned and they built the "Old Smithy," but were not the first blacksmiths that plied their trade in the village, one John Sly and one Williams, examine the land records for Mr. Williams' full name and the time he came here and left.
Abel Wells and his sons came quite early in the settlement of the village. I have understood they came from Peacham, Vt. Abel's wife was a Morse, if I remember aright. His sons were Waterman, Jared, Hiram, Augustus, and Horace Wells, and there was one daughter, a Mrs. Mack. The old folks resided in a house which stood where Mrs. Lucinda C. Baldwin now lives. Waterman was the first one who was married, his wife being a Miss Sleeper, and they lived in the south half of a double house standing on the ground now occupied by C. B. Leslie's dwellings. Jared married a sister of the late Abner B. White and lived in the old homestead of his father, the same doubtless being the property of the sons. The father, Abel Wells, was driving a horse and carriage on the hill near Mr. C. W. Eastman's present residence, when he met a peddler, whose cart was loaded with rags and sheep skins, which frightened Mr. Wells' horse and he ran away. Mr. Wells was thrown out and killed, his neck being broken. The Wells's made cow-bells. The bells were put into clay mortar, heated to a great heat, and when sufficiently brazen, cooled gradually by throwing them about with pitchforks.
The first physicians came early in the settlement of the village, from Lancaster, N. H. Their names were Samuel Carter and a Dr. Burnside. They did not stay here long. The next one was Enoch R. Thatcher, who came from Woodstock, Vt., about 1827, and practiced here with good success for a great length of time.
Emory Gale and his brothers, Leonard and Justus, came here early, from Guilford, Vt. Emory married one of the Reed sisters, hereinbefore spoken of. He was the father of a large family, among whom now living are Mrs. A. B. White, Miss C. A. Gale, and Mrs. Carlos M. Morse of Plymouth, N. H. Mr. Gale was engaged in lumbering and farming, and was a good citizen. Leonard Gale was never married. He was a mechanic and owned the building now occupied by Sherwin & Son, which had water power under it to propel the necessary machinery used by Mr. Gale, who manufactured various articles. The most important were shingle machines, to saw out short shingles, which were used all about the country. The other important branch of his manufactory was a machine used in manufacturing writing paper. He was a nice man, accumulated considerable property, and died here at a ripe old age. Justus kept the hotel for a short time and went west.
Charles J. Scott and Cyrus J. S. Scott, sons of John Scott, who married a Miss Johnston, at one time owned the farm on which
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Peter Burbank lived and died, called "The Hermitage," near South Ryegate in Newbury. This farm they exchanged with Mr. Burbank for land in Wells River village. They immediately after went into the lumbering business here. They were shrewd business men and accumulated quite a property. Cyrus, the younger, married a daughter of Timothy Shedd, and was a scholarly man. Their lumber business was large and that of Cyrus extended into the state of Michigan. Mrs. Susan Colby, of Woodsville, is a daughter of Cyrus Scott.
In the early days of state banks they were obliged to keep a place of redemption of their circulation, which, for this section of New England was in Boston, Mass. Each bank was under the necessity of redeeming its own bill, by the bills of other banks or by gold and silver coin, and the way they got their money to and from Boston was by way of stage drivers, who were common carriers for that purpose. The bank here put into the hands of one John Hawes, a large sum of money, to be taken to Haverhill Corner, N. H., to be then delivered to another driver. It was in the summer of 1842, or thereabout, and when Mr. Hawes reached Haverhill he looked for the money put into his care, and it could not be found. The passengers were searched but nothing came of it, and men were immediately sent back with rakes, who raked the highway from Haverhill to Wells River without success. The bank took measures to at once bring suit against the stage company for the money, and it so happened Farr & Underwood were both out of town. The writer ventured to bring the suit and the claim was secured. Nothing more was heard of the money until the making of repairs on highways the next year, while repairing a small bridge at Stair hill, the package was found all safe, which was a great relief to Mr. Hawes, whose honesty never was doubted.
About the year 1828, in September, there came a great flood, and the village of Wells River, as well as all sections of the country were inundated and flooded. The people at the north end of the village went on to the hill back of Baldwin's block and staid there all day until the waters receded. At this time the sawmill on the north end of the dam, before spoken of, was torn down sufficiently to relieve the great body of water that came down Wells River, from further flooding the village, the water being from four to six feet deep in the upper end of Main street. The water broke around the south end of the dam, which was badly gutted, so as to necessitate building a part of the present dam of stone. At the time of the first grist-mill, just below the willow tree, before spoken of being in use, of course the present dam had not been built, and the public highway bridge crossed the river just below the grist-mill and above the dam. When the dam was erected, the
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'bridge across the river was then put at the head of Main street, where it has been ever since-for ninety years, more or less.
After the cessation of the mill at the "willow tree," the dam being washed away that brought the water into the flume, the machinery was taken up to the paper-mill, and there used till the Shedds built the present mill.
It was taken to the paper-mill probably about 1812, and used for grinding supplies for the army, and the custom grinding for the farmers about. There was for many years a bolt in it, and it did a large amount of business.
Photo. by Corliss.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
CHAPTER XXV.
THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
ACTION OF NEWBURY AND HAVERHILL .- MR. SILAS MOODY .- PASTORATES OF REV. PETER POWERS .- REV. JACOB WOOD .- REV. NATHANIEL LAMBERT .- REV. LUTHER JEWETT .- REV. CLARK PERRY .- REV. G. W. CAMPBELL .- REV. A. DEAN .- BURNING OF THE MEETING-HOUSE .- REBUILDING .-- REV. H. N. BURTON .- REV. S. L. BATES .- REV. J. L. MERRILL .- DEACONS .- BELLS .- CHOIR .- ORGAN .- COMMUNION SERVICE .- PARSONAGES. 1
N EXT to the town organization itself, the oldest institution in Newbury is this church. We can only mention here the chief events in its long and honorable record. At the third meeting of the proprietors of Newbury held at the inn of John Hall in Plaistow, N. H., on the 3d of October, 1763, it was voted, "To pay a Preacher with the Proprietors of Haverhill, to preach at sd towns two or three months this fall or winter."
On the same day the proprietors of Haverhill held a meeting at the same place, and voted, "To join with Newbury in paying for preaching one or two months this year." In September Mr. Silas Moody, a relative of the Littles', who had recently graduated at Harvard College, was induced to come to Coös, with the expectation that if he and the people were mutually suited, he was to become their pastor. According to an old receipt signed by him, it would seem that he preached three Sabbaths in Newbury, and two in Haverhill, being paid by each town in proportion. Mr. Perry seems to think that he came again in the spring of 1764, and preached, and it would seem that he gave satisfaction, as the proprietors at a meeting at Hampstead on the 1st of March, instructed Jacob Bayley, "To apply to Mr. Moody, or elsewhere to preach at Coös next summer." He did not see fit to settle here, but after teaching a few years, became pastor of the Congregational church at Arundel, now Kennebunkport, Me., where he died, after a ministry of forty-five years. Professor Moody of Bowdoin College is his great-grandson, and he has other well known descendants.
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Mr. Moody not being available, General Bayley made a most fortunate choice in Rev. Peter Powers, who had returned to his native town of Hollis, after a pastorate at Newent, now a part of Lisbon, Conn., of six or eight years. He came to Coös at the end of May, 1764, and preached in houses and barns, to the settlers in both towns. Mr. Powers and the people were mutually pleased and on his return to Hollis, a church was organized in September, consisting of members who had settled, or were about to settle, on each side of the river. This was the second church formed in Vermont, the one at Bennington, two years earlier, being the first. Mrs. Asa Bayley's autobiography tells us that there were fifteen original members, eight of whom were present at Hollis, at its organization. There has been some discussion as to whether this was a Congregational or a Presbyterian church. General Whitelaw, writing home to Scotland in 1773, speaks of it as Presbyterian, and Mr. Powers was a member and clerk of the Grafton presbytery. The early records are lost, yet it seems safe to infer that it bore resemblance to both systems of church government, but that, after some years, it became entirely Congregational, without any particular vote to that effect, on the part of its members.
On the 24th of January, 1765, the town tendered Mr. Powers a formal call, and the selectmen, Jacob Bayley, Jacob Kent, and James Abbott, who were deacons of the church as well, were appointed to wait upon him, and receive his answer. They were also instructed, "To apply to the town of Haverhill, and to the propriety of both Haverhill and Newbury, to see what assistance they will give us toward getting the gospel and supporting the same." It will thus be seen that there were five distinct bodies uniting in the settlement of the minister-the church, the two towns and the proprietors of each town.
In those days the minister was settled by the town, and supported by direct tax. Such usage, however repugnant to our ideas of the independence of church and state, was in accord with the law and custom of the time, and worked well enough when the people were all of one mind in their religious views.
On the 1st of February the town met, and received Mr. Powers' acceptance of the call, and directed that the installation should be on the last Wednesday of the month. It voted also that Rev. Abner Bayley of Salem, N. H., Rev. Daniel Emerson of Hollis, Rev. Henry True of Hampstead, Rev. Joseph Emerson of Pepperell, Mass., and Rev. Joseph Goodhue, should be a council for the installment. It was also voted that Jacob Bayley, Esq., should represent the town of Newbury at the council, which was to be held "down county, where it is tho't most convenient." There being no church of any kind within sixty miles, the council was most conveniently held in one of the older towns, where there were
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churches and people. We have no record to show that the church itself was represented by a delegate at the installation of its own minister, but as Jacob Kent was present, he may have attended on its behalf. Mr. Powers preached his own installation sermon which was afterwards printed, from Matt. 22:8, 9. He moved his family to Newbury about the end of March, several men and teams going down to Charlestown, to bring his goods up on the ice, which, before their return had become unsafe.
On the third Tuesday in April a town meeting was held, at which it was voted that James Abbott, Capt. Fowler and Dr. Smith should be a committee to provide the materials for Mr. Powers' settlement. He was to receive seventy-five pounds lawful money, six shillings to the dollar, paid semi-annually, and thirty cords of wood, carried to his house, yearly. He was also to receive $450, as settlement money, $200 to be paid in cash and the remainder in labor and material to build a house, all this to be paid within ten months of his acceptance.
The Haverhill town records show that Mr. Powers received from that town for the first three years £89. 5s. 6d., and that after 1771, the proportion of Haverhill was £35 until 1777, when its share was £37. 6s. Mr. Powers' labors were not confined to Newbury or Haverhill, but it does not appear that any other of the towns in which he labored, contributed to his support. He was, for several years, the only minister in this part of the Connecticut valley, and was called upon to preach, solemnize marriages, and bury the dead, all the way from Hanover to Lancaster. He is said to have preached the first sermon in twenty-seven towns in this vicinity, and organized several churches, on a Presbyterian platform. For twenty years at least, the meeting-house at the Great Ox-bow, in Newbury, was the only church building within many miles, and people came there to meeting from Mooretown, now Bradford, from Ryegate Corner, and from Bath, on foot, both men and women. It is probable that in pleasant weather, all the settlements from Thetford to Peacham were represented in the meeting-house at Newbury.
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