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Biographical Review

THIS VOLUME CONTAINS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF

LEADING CITIZENS OF

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

 

“Biography is the home aspect of history”

 

 

BOSTON
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY
1896
Ke
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Lio
R1BGt

Ny. JOUSs)
PREFACE.

AVING wrought as we were able with the material kindly furnished us, we take pleasure
in offering to our subscribers this volume of up-to-date Rockingham County biog-
raphies, feeling that, howsoever it may fall short of ideal perfection, or the superior

excellence striven after, it meets in a way a real need, gratifies a taste of the times, and occupies
a place hitherto unfilled. It has happily come to be recognized as the duty of every genera-
tion, not only to live its own life, but to write its own records for the benefit of posterity.
History sets forth the principal events marking the progress of civilization, deals with the
nations and a few great leaders; genealogy offers a study of dry names and dates; biography,
acknowledging its indebtedness to both, has its own special province, concerns itself with the
individual, is history intimately written, shows personal character and action on the stage of
existence. The average newspaper of to-day gives undue prominence to the evil done by men
of ill-will or misguided passion. To the writer of select biographies falls the pleasant task
' of setting down what is best deserving of remembrance and emulation in the virtuous lives,
earnest and efficient, of workers in various fields of useful activity. The lineage of some whose
fortunes are traced in these pages extends back to the early settlers of ‘‘Strawberry Bank,’’ of
Hampton, of ‘‘the Chestnut Country,’’ of ‘‘Old Nutfield,’’ or of other historic localities ;
and most, if not all the worthies here commemorated are of native birth, and come of stock
well rooted in the soil.

Coming generations will do well to honor the memory and emulate the virtues of ancestors,
near and remote, who, to borrow the eloquent language of another, ‘‘ by their industrious toil

and faithful citizenship have kept sweet the heart of New England civilization.’’

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW PUBLISHING Co.

SEPTEMBER, 1896.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL.

 

LADD. of Portsmouth, N.H.,
a representative citizen ina
community noted for wealth,
literary culture, and refine-
ment, numbers among his an-
cestral connections some of
the oldest families in the
State. He was born in this
ancient town by the sea on
July 27, 1815, son of Alex-
ander and Maria Tufton (Haven) Ladd, the
former a native of Exeter, N.H.

Mr. Alexander H. Ladd, whose portrait
appears as the frontispiece in this volume, is
of the eighth generation in descent from Lieu-
tenant Daniel Ladd, a native of England, who
came to America in the “Mary and John” in
1633, was in Ipswich, Mass., in 1637, and in
1640 was one of the twelve persons by whom
the first settlement was made at Pentucket,
now Haverhill, Mass. He was early chosen
one of the Selectmen of the new town; and in
1658 he and a Mr. Shatswell built the first
saw-mill on the Spicket River. Daniel Ladd
was the father of Nathaniel and grandfather
of Nathaniel Ladd, Jr., who was the father of
Joseph Ladd. The immediate progenitor of
the family in Portsmouth was Joseph’s son,
Colonel Eliphalet Ladd, who removed to this
city in 1792. He married in Exeter, in 1772,
Miss Abigail Hill, by whom he had ten chil-
dren, eight living to maturity, among them
being two sons — William and Alexander.

Colonel Eliphalet Ladd was an enterprising
merchant and ship-owner in the palmy days of
Portsmouth as a commercial centre. He was
a person of great decision of character, a lib-
eral-minded, progressive, public-spirited citi-
zen, one of the builders of Portsmouth. In

 

 

 

1797, nearly one hundred years ago, he and
two or three others formed the Aqueduct Com-
pany, and, purchasing the Oak Hill Springs,
furnished the city with an unfailing supply of
pure water. Colonel] Ladd’s eldest son, Will-
iam Ladd, who was born in Exeter in 1776,
was graduated at Harvard College, and died
in Portsmouth in 1841, was widely known as
the “apostle of peace,” being one of the
founders of the American Peace Society, of
which he was President for a number of years.

Another son of Eliphalet Ladd, Alexander,
named above as the father of Alexander Ham-
ilton Ladd, born in Exeter, was, like his
father, a successful merchant of Portsmouth.
He married Maria Tufton Haven, daughter of
the Hon. Nathaniel Appleton Haven, of this
city. She was a descendant of Captain John
Mason, who received from the Plymouth Com-
pany in England successive grants of land,

‘embracing the greater part of New Hampshire,

the title to which is said to have been con-
firmed by King Charles I.

Alexander Hamilton Ladd fitted for college
at Phillips Academy, Exeter, N.H., one of
the most noted preparatory schools in New
England, and, entering Dartmouth, continued
his studies there for one year only. Prefer-
ring a life of business activity to scholarly
seclusion or. professional routine, as soon as
he attained his majority he embarked in the
enterprise of refining sperm oil, which proved
a profitable undertaking. A few years later
he turned his attention to the manufacture of
cotton yarns, he, with others, erecting a large
steam-mill for the purpose. After that he
was for a number of years engaged in buying
cotton in Southern Texas, still, however,
making his home in Portsmouth. His time is
now devoted to the care of his private inter-
10 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

ests and the indulgence of his taste for litera-
ture, art, and antiquities.

Mr. Ladd was married in Portsmouth to
Miss Elizabeth Wyer Jones, a native of Ports-
mouth, daughter of William and Ann (Parry)
Jones. They have four children, namely:
Annie, now Mrs. J. Langdon Ward; William
J., clerk of the Board of Directors of the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad;
Elizabeth, wife of Charles E. Wentworth;
Maria Tufton, wife of Manning Emery. Be-
sides these, Mr. Ladd has eighteen grand-chil-
dren living.

Mr. Ladd owns and occupies the house |.

erected by his great-great-grandfather, John
Moffatt, more than one hundred years ago,
a spacious Colonial mansion, the first, three-
story dwelling-house built in the’ State.
Among the distinguished guests who have
been entertained within its walls may be
named Presidents Washington, Adams, and
Pierce. The mantel-piece in the library was
formerly in a house belonging to Mr. Ladd’s
far-off ancestor in England, and was brought
over when this house was built. The exten-
sive grounds, beautified by application of the
principles of landscape gardening, and the
artistic furniture, the numerous paintings, in-
cluding portraits in oil representing seven
generations, the library of choice and rare vol-
umes — luxuries of literature —and the many
other curios and antiques betoken the ample
means and elegant tastes of the owner, who is
a connoisseur of art and a gentleman of the old
school, courteous and kindly.

In church affiliation Mr. Ladd is a Uni-
tarian, holding that “practical religion is
summed up in love to Godeand love to man”;
and in politics, formerly a Whig, he has been
a Republican ever since the formation of the

party. 2

 

FOHN M. FREEZE, of Deerfield, an
ex-member of the New Hampshire leg-
islature and for many years a promi-
nent figure in local affairs, was born

upon the farm he now owns and occupies,
September 3, 1821, son of Jacob and Eunice
(James) Freeze. The family is of English
origin. Its ancestors were early settlers in

 

Rockingham County, and representatives of it
from time to time have served the public 19
various positions of responsibility and trust.
Andrew Freeze, the grandfather of John M.,
was born in Epping, this county, October 1;
1747. When a young man he settled in
Deerfield, where for many years he was
gaged in both farming and milling. He o
a prominent part in developing the towal pn
he was actively identified with its business
interests until his death, which occurred Octo-
ber 19, 1814, at the age of sixty-seven years.
He was a Democrat in politics, and served as
a Selectman and in other town offices. In
his religious belief he was a Congregational-
ist. He married Shuah Thurston, and had six
children; namely, Sarah (first), Sarah (sec-
ond), Ann, Jacob, Gordon, and Dudley, none
of whom are living.

Jacob Freeze, a native of Deerfield, was
born October 29, 1778. In young manhood
he adopted his father’s occupation of farming
and milling. He operated the mills here for
many years, doing a large and profitable busi-
ness. The community, whose entire confi-
dence he had, intrusted him with the trans-
action of all their legal business during his
long and useful period of activity. In poli-
tics he was a vigorous advocate of Democratic
principles. A leader in public affairs, he
served as Chairman of the Board of Selectmen
for a number of years, was a State Senator for
one term, and a member of the House of Rep-
resentatives for several terms. He was a
Congregationalist in his religious views, and
continued an active member of that church
until his death, which occurred August 14,
1843, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife,
who was before marriage Eunice James, be-
came the mother of eight children, three of
whom are living, namely: Jackson, a resident
of Pittsfield, N.H.; Clarissa A., who is resid-
ing with her brother in Deerfield; and John
M., the subject of this sketch. It is a fact
well worthy of mention that four of the sons
of Jacob Freeze — Andrew, Benjamin, Jack-
son, and John M. — were elected to the House
of Representatives for one or more terms;
while Andrew Freeze, who was born August
17, 1804, served as Clerk of both the House
and Senate for a number of years.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW i

 

 

John M. Freeze received his education in
the common schools of Deerfield and at Pem-
broke Academy. After completing his studies
he engaged in operating a saw and grist mill
here, which he successfully continued for sev-
eral years. He finally relinquished that busi-
ness for the purpose of devoting his entire
attention to the cultivation of the homestead
farm, where he has always resided. The
property contains two hundred and fifty acres
of valuable land, the tillage portien of which
is exceedingly productive. He has been ex-
tensively engaged in general farming and
stock raising. At the present time he keeps
about six head of stock, and employs one as-
sistant. Like other members of the family, he
has filled a prominent place in public affairs.

He was elected Selectman by the Democratic

party for some years, was Town Agent when
the present school-houses were built; and he
represented this district in the legislature dur-
ing the years 1862 and 1863. Mr. Freeze is
a Master Mason in Rockingham Lodge, No.
76, of Candia. He attends the Congrega-
tional church.

 

.

 

ZRA BARKER, of Stratham, the span

of whose useful existence lacks but a

few years of a century, was born on

the farm he occupies and owns, May 22, 1803,
son of Levi and Mary (Wiggin) Barker. His

grandfather, Ezra, likewise a native of Strat--

ham, who was born in 1722, spent bis life on
the farm, and, with his wife, there reared his
children. In religious belief Grandfather
Barker was a Baptist. He lived to a green
old age, leaving to his children, with his
worldly possessions, the more precious inheri-
tance of an unblemished name.

Levi Barker, who was born on the old farm
in 1768, also followed the occupation of
farmer, was very successful, and became an
influential man in the community. He also
professed the Baptist faith, was successively
a Whig and a Republican, and served the
town as Selectman and as Representative in
the State legislature. He married Mary
Wiggin, and became the father of eight chil-
dren, three sons and five daughters, all of
whom attained maturity. They were: Mark,

 

George, Mary, Nancy, Elizabeth, Ezra, Martha
J., and Abbie. All but Ezra are now de-
ceased.

Ezra Barker, the sixth-born of his parents’
children, received his early education in the
schools of Stratham. Subsequently he took a
supplementary course at Greenland Academy,
after which he returned to the old homestead,
and engaged in farming, which has been his
principal occupation since. He inherited the
farm from his father. It contains one hundred
and ninety acres, and it is managed in a
manner that brings a good income. He has
also established a fine nursery business in
Stratham, and has been a most successful
fruit grower.

During the earlier period of his life Mr.
Barker was noted for his business plans.
Though he is the oldest resident of his town,
he is still full of interest in general affairs.
He has rarely during his past life missed one
of the town meetings; and now, in his declin-
ing years, he still attends them, putting lag-
gards to the blush and setting a worthy
example to all. In his political affiliations
he is a Republican, while his religious belief
is broad and liberal. Although Mr. Barker
has never married, and has none of the usual
domestic ties that bind a man to the social
conventionalities, he has a host of affectionate
friends about him who look up to him with
reverential respect. Old and young of
Stratham both love and reverence in him its
faithful citizen and oldest inhabitant.

 

OSHUA P. DRAKE, of North Hamp-
ton, who represents one of the old New
Hampshire families, was born on the
family homestead in this town, Janu-

ary 22, 1823. His parents were Samuel and
Mehitable (Pickering) Drake, the mother a
member of the old and distinguished Pickering
family of Newington, N.H. The homestead
was first occupied by two brothers named
Drake, who redeemed it from the primeval
wilderness. Abram Drake, great-grandfather
of Joshua P., and Nathaniel, the grandfather,
were born there. Nathaniel Drake, a very
wealthy farmer and a man of intellect and
decision, was often called upon to settle dis-

 
12 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

putes regarding estates in the locality. At
the time of the Revolutionary War he contrib-
uted a yoke of oxen to the patriot cause, and
took an active part in the hostilities, bearing
the rank of Colonel, and shared in the fights
at Ticonderoga. Colonel Drake lived to at-
tain the great age of ninety-nine years. He
married Elizabeth Jenness, a native of Rye,
N.H. Samuel Drake spent his life in his
native town, attending the district school in
boyhood, and devoting his mature years to the
pursuit of agriculture on the homestead. He
died when comparatively young, leaving a
family of eight children, namely; Fabyan,
Samuel J., Joshua P., Abbie, Olive, Emily
A., Mary E., and Freeman.

Joshua P. Drake was educated in the schools
of his native town and at Andover (Mass. )
Academy. When a young man he thought of
engaging in some other business than farming,
and attempted to sell the homestead; but cir-
cumstances over which he had no control
changed his purpose, and he has followed in
the footsteps of his forefathers up to the pres-
ent time. His home, which is now on the
line of the Eastern Railroad, has been a point
of interest to the travelling public for many
years. In the old days of stage-coaches and
informal good fellowship the stages that plied
between Portsmouth and Boston used to stop
here and change horses. The railroad was
opened in 1840, taking a mile of the Drake
farm, so that travellers still pass the old
place, though the iron horse makes no stop
for the interchange of civilities. The pro-
prietor erected a fine set of buildings in 1889.

Mr. Drake was married in 1851 to Sarah
D., daughter of Simon and Julia (Chapman)
Leavitt, of Northampton. Of their eight
children four are living, namely: Justin E.,
born in 1855; Elmer, in 1861; Annie F., in
1862; and Hetty P., in 1868. Justin, who
assists his father on the farm, was married in
January, 1894, to Ethiel Tobey, daughter of
Hiram and Esther (Sayward) Tobey, members
of two of the oldest families of Kittery, Me.
Justin Drake and his wife have one daughter,
Esther. He is a Republican and a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of
Hampton. Mr. Drake cast his first vote for
the Whig candidate, Henry Clay, in 1844.

 

He held a high office in the Know oe
party, and has been a member of the Repub-
lican party since its formation.

 

OBERT ROWE’S SONS, manufact-
urers in Brentwood of whecls, bodies,
seats, gears, and other carriage be-
longings, are potent factors in the
industrial interests of this town. The family
is widely known and esteemed throughout the
county. Robert Rowe, the father, was born
on the homestead in this town now owned by
his sons. His parents were Jonathan and
Annie (Robinson) Rowe, who here reared
their family of three children. Robert, with
a natural bent for mechanical work, learned
the carpenter’s trade when a young man.
After following that trade in Lynn, Mass., for
a number of years, he returned, to Brentwood,
settling in Crawley’s Falls, and here resided
until his death, June 20, 1882, at the age of
seventy-two years. Some time before his
death he established a mill, and laid the foun-
dation for the present extensive business of
his sons. His wife, a native of Brentwood,
whose maiden name was Sallie T. Sinclair,
passed away February 7, 1885, aged seventy-
one years. They reared five children — Ellen,
Jonathan S., James H., Joseph R., and George
R. Ellen, now deceased, married Andrew
Brown, who resides in Fremont. township.
Jonathan S., who served as a volunteer in the
late Civil War, was killed December 13,
1862, at the battle of Fredericksburg. James
H., Joseph R., and George R. constitute the
firm of Robert Rowe’s Sons.

James H. Rowe, the eldest member of the
firm, is now Postmaster of Brentwood. He
was born September 1, 1843, in Crawley’s
Falls, and was there reared to manhood. He
married Miss Emma P. Little, a native of
Epping, this county, and has a son and a
daughter. These are: Annie, the wife of
W. C. Hoyt, of Bradford, Mass.; and John
M. Rowe, who belongs to the fraternity of
Knights Templars. In politics James H.
Rowe is a stanch and loyal Democrat.

Joseph R. Rowe was born January 1 1846
in Brentwood, where he has so far spent ic
life, and of which he is now one of the fore-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 13

 

 

most residents. He is a stalwart Republican
in politics, and takes an active interest in local
affairs. He has served acceptably in various
town offices. In 1885 he represented Brent-
wood in the State legislature. On September
6, 1871, he married Miss Sarah Abbie Robin-
son, a descendant of a well-known family of
this place: and they have one child, Lil-
lian S.

The Hon. George R. Rowe is the youngest
of his parents’ children. He was born Feb-
_ruary 22, 1849, and was married July 3, 1870,
to Miss Betsey J. Gordon, a native of Brent-
wood. Two children have been born to him
and his wife, namely: G. Russell, who mar-
ried Gertrude Faulkner, and now lives in
Brentwood; and Robert G., now a student of
Dartmouth College. In politics the father
supports Republican principles, both by
speech and vote. He represented his town in
the State legislature in 1889, and served as
State Senator in 1891 and 18g2.

The three brothers are members of the
Masonic Order, having affiliation with the
Blue Lodge, No. 84, of Kingston, N.H.  Jo-
seph R. and George R. are members of De
Witt Clinton Commandery, Knights Tem-
plars, of Portsmouth, and of the Aleppo Tem-
ple, Mystic Shrine, of Boston, Mass., where
they frequently attend banquets.

After the death of their father these three
sons took charge of the business left by him,
and have since prosperously conducted it.
They execute orders for carriage woodwork of
all kinds with promptitude and thoroughness.
They also manage the homestead farm, which
contains one hundred acres of land, largely in
a good state of cultivation and conveniently
located about six miles from the city of
Exeter.

 

 

 

OHN O. EDGERLY, of Epping, a
well-known farmer and ex-Representa-
tive to the State legislature, was born
in Lee, Strafford County, N.H., Sep-

tember 5, 1835. His parents were Orin and
Betsey (Shaw) Edgerly. His father, Orin
Edgerly, who was a native of this county,
spent his early years in Epping, subsequently
removing to Strafford, where for some years

 

he was engaged in farming. He finally re-
turned to Epping, and died there, October 3,
1885, having almost attained the age of ninety
years. His life was spent in faithful atten-
tion to the duties near at hand. His wife,
who was a native of Brentwood, N.H., closed
her earthly career on November 20, 1861.

John O. Edgerly, after acquiring the ele-
ments of knowledge in the district schools,
learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he fol-
lowed for several years, but subsequently
turned his attention to agriculture. He has a
fine farm of one hundred acres, to which he
has given his exclusive attention of late; and
his excellent crops attest his thorough knowl-
edge of farming. In politics he has always
held firmly to the principles of the Democratic
party; and in 1876, also 1877, he represented
his town with credit in the State legislature.
For several years Mr. Edgerly has been iden-
tified with the Masonic Order.

On November 22, 1868, he was united in
marriage to Annie E. Plumer, a daughter of
Samuel Plumer, who belongs to one of the
oldest families in Rockingham County. Mr.
and Mrs. Edgerly have three living children—
Walter S., Lewis: L., and Bessie I. The
mother is a member of the Congregational
church. Mr. Edgerly has spent his life in
the community, to its betterment, and is
fairly entitled to the social respect and recog-
nition which he receives.

EORGE D. RAND, First Selectman
of Chester, was born in this town,

August 22, 1848, son of John B. and
Dorcas (Hobart) Rand. He belongs to the
third generation of the family. His grand-
father, Joseph Rand, who was a native of the
town of Gilford, N.H., moved to Chester,
when his son John was about seven years old.
John B. Rand, who was born in Gilford, grew
to manhood in Chester. He worked as a
farmer, laborer, and carpenter. He moved
from Chester to Lynn, Mass., and from there
to Minnesota. While in Minnesota he was
engaged in agriculture successively in Stearns
and Todd Counties. His last days were spent
in Chester, where he died March 27, 1895.
His first wife, whose maiden name was Lois

 
14 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Seavey, was born in Chester, and died in that
town. She was the mother of four children,
namely: Melissa, now deceased; Jane M.,
who lives in East Candia, N.H.; Charles J.,
residing in Santa Fé, N.M ; and a child who
died in infancy. His second marriage was
contracted with Mrs. Dorcas (Hobart) Barrett,
a widow, her first husband being Robert Bar-
rett, of Nashua, N.H., where he died. By
her first union she had five children, namely:
Amanda, now in Candia; Aldustia, in Chester;
Mary and Lydia, both deceased; and a child
who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Rand had
but one child besides our subject. This was
Laura Etta, now the widow of John Brown,
residing in Todd County, Minnesota.

George D. Rand obtained his education in
the common schools of Chester and New
Hampton, N.H. After finishing his studies
he went to Lynn, Mass., where he obtained
employment in the heeling department of a
shoe factory, and remained about twelve years.
In 1879 he returned to Chester, and settled
upon the farm which has been his home since.
As a farmer he has been very successful. He
also burns charcoal on his land, thereby add-
ing materially to his income. His’ farm,
which lies about a mile west of Chester vil-
lage, was originally a very large one. Mr.
Rand has sold part of it, retaining forty acres
for his own use. He is prominent in the
councils of Grange No. 169, Patrons of Hus-
bandry, to which he has belonged for some
time.

Mr. Rand has also been twice married. By
his first marriage, contracted November 27,
1869, in Lynn, Mass., he was united to Miss
Julia Allen. A native of North Berwick,
Me., she was a daughter of Augustus Allen, a
farmer and shoemaker, who resided for some
time in North Berwick and Lynn. She died
January 21, 1881, leaving three children,
namely: Myra, who was born December 1,
1871, now the wife of George E. Stevens, of
Epping, this county; Charles D., who was
born November 2, 1875, now living with his
father; and Jennie E., born April 4, 1879,
who resides in Methuen, Mass. Mr. Rand’s
second marriage was contracted January 11,
1883, with Miss Lenora L. Parker, a native of
Sandwich, N.H., who was born February 12,

 

1857, daughter of Samuel S. and Aas
(Wentworth) Parker. Mr. Parker, who a
native of Franklin, N.H., and a shoemaker by
trade, is now living in the village of ee
His wife, a native of Deerfield, N.H., -
April 9, 1881. By his second union .
Rand has had six children, namely: Maude
R., born September 24, 1883; Lulu May,
born March 26, 1885; Lauren Stillman, born
April 21, 1887, who died July 19, 1888;
George Edward, born August 31, 1889; Lena
Melissa, born August 8, 18913 and Adell Au-
gusta, born April 10, 1895.

Mr. Rand cast his first vote for the Demo-
crats, but he has since changed his views and
joined the Republican party. He has been
First Selectman of Chester for the past three
years, and has efficiently filled a number of
minor offices. He is a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church, while his wife is a
member of the Baptist Society. The family
is highly esteemed in Chester.

 

HARLES E. TASKER, a well-known

influential citizen of New Market, an

lb ex- Representative in the New

Hampshire legislature, and for

many years Chairman of the Board of Select-

men, was born in this town, November 30,

1833, son of Jewett and Louisa (Haskell)
Tasker.

Mr. Tasker’s father was a native of North-
wood, who settled in New Market when a
young man, and established himself as a
contractor and builder. He conducted a pros-
perous business for many years, becoming
prominently identified with the growth and
development of this town; and his valuable
experience and extensive knowledge in build-
ing operations gave him a strong influence,
which he used upon every occasion to secure
the introduction of notable public improve-
ments. Being naturally of a retiring dispo-
sition, his quiet every-day life was undis-
turbed by political aspirations; and what
leisure time he could spare from his private
business was devoted to forwarding the gen-
eral welfare of the community. He died in
1872, leaving an honorable record as an up-
right man and useful citizen. His wife,
 

CHARLES E. TASKER,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 17

 

 

formerly Louisa Haskell, a native of Beverly,
Mass., died in 1840.

Charles E. Tasker acquired his education in
the public schools of New Market and in
Beverly, Mass. At an early age he com-
menced to learn the carpenter’s trade with his
father, whom he assisted in his building oper-
ations until 1858, when he joined the exodus
for the gold fields in California, arriving in
San Francisco in August of that year. He
was engaged in mining at Placerville for a
short time, later being employed as a pattern-
maker in a foundry, subsequently purchasing
the business, and carrying it on for three
years. Selling out, he started another enter-
prise of the same character, manufacturing
machinery and castings for quartz-mills at
Silver City, Nev. ; and he continued in busi-
ness there until 1864, when he sold out and
returned to New Market. A short time after
reaching home he engaged in the undertaking
business, having purchased an old establish-
ment, which he improved and developed; and
at the present time he is one of the leading
undertakers and embalmers in Rockingham
County, and is also superintendent of the New
Market cemetery.

In 1861 Mr. Tasker married Georgiana,
daughter of the Rev. L. B. Tasker, a native of
this State. Of the children born of this
union three are now living, namely: Louisa,
wife of William T. Folsom, of Fort Payne,
Ala. ; Edward M., an undertaker of Portland,
Me.; and Harry B., who is engaged in busi-
ness with his father.

Mr. Tasker is an active supporter of the
Democratic party, and has filled many posi-
tions of responsibility and trust. For several
years he has been Chairman of the Board of
Selectmen, was Town Treasurer, a member
of the School Board, and superintendent of
schools for three years; and in 1870 and 1871
he represented his town in the legislature with
marked ability. As a citizen he is stirring
and progressive, believing in continuing the
march of public improvements; and his long
and varied business experience is of material
benefit to the community. Mr. and Mrs.
Tasker are members of the Congregational
church.

In Masonry Mr. Tasker is well advanced,

 

being a member of Rising Star Lodge, A. F.
& A. M., of New Market, of which he was
Master for five years; Belknap Chapter of
Dover, Orphan Council, No. 1; and St. Paul
Commandery, Knights Templars; and he has
received the Scottish Rite. He is also a
member and Past Chancellor of Pioneer
Lodge, Knights of Pythias.

EACON CHARLES C. GRANT, a
leading farmer and milk dealer of

9 Auburn, was born in Greenfield,
N.H., February 15, 1822, son of
Charles and Mary B. (Ballard) Grant. The
family was founded by one of three brothers
who emigrated from the Island of Jersey in.
the English Channel. Two of the emigrants
journeyed West in search of a suitable place
to settle; while the other remained in the
East, and took up his abode in Greenfield,
Hillsborough County. John Grant, Deacon
Grant’s grandfather, who was a native of the
Island of Jersey, became a prosperous farmer
in Greenfield, where he reached an advanced
age. He was the father of seven children,

some of whom are still living.

Charles Grant was born in Greenfield, April
18, 1783. He was an industrious tiller of the
soil during the active period of his busy life,
was widely and favorably known in his local-
ity from his connection with public affairs,
having served as Constable and in other pub-
lic capacities, to which he was elected by the
Whig party. He was an upright, conscien-
tious man and an active member of the Con-
gregational church. He died in Greenfield,
at the age of sixty-two years. His wife,
Mary, became the mother of nine children.
Of these the only one now living is Charles
C., the subject of this sketch.

Deacon Charles C. Grant attended the com-
mon schools of Peterboro, Hillsborough
County, and Greenfield, for the usual period.
He then went to Andover, Mass., where he was
employed as a farm assistant for twenty-five
years. After this he bought the Ray farm
in Auburn, where he has since resided. The
property, which originally consisted of one
hundred and fifteen acres, has been since in-
creased by the purchase of adjoining land to

 

 

 

 

 
18 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

three hundred acres. Deacon Grant has
greatly improved the soil. His pasture land
is well adapted for feeding cattle; and the
residence, barns, and out-buildings, have all
been rebuilt. He has four horses, keeps from
twenty to twenty-five cows, and raises some
cattle, having at the present time ten head of
young stock. He deals largely in milk,
which he buys from his neighbors and sells
to the local creamery and to Boston dealers.
In politics he is a Republican, and he has
always taken a leading part in local affairs.
He served with ability as a Selectman for five
years. He was Town Treasurer for three
years. He was a delegate to the Constitu-
tional Convention in 1876, and he was elected
to the State legislature for the year 1877-78.
He is a prominent member of the Congrega-
tional church, of which he has been a Deacon
for the past thirty-seven years.

* In 1843 Mr. Grant was united in marriage
to Salome Senter, who became the mother of
three children, none of whom are living. He
contracted a second marriage with Frances
Anderson, of Londonderry, this county, who
bore him five children, of whom two are liv-
ing; namely, Addison M. and Erwin F. For
his third wife he wedded a Miss Brown, who
bore him no children. . His present wife, a
native of Auburn, whose maiden name was
Hattie F. Coffin, is the mother of five chil-
dren, namely: Hattie F., who resides in Con-
cord, Merrimack County; Charles Henry, who
is residing at home; Perley C., who is attend-
ing school in Derry, this county; Mary B.
and Edgar, who are both at home. Addison
M., who was educated in the schools of
Derry and Auburn, is now residing in Law-
rence. He married Mary Hall, of Chester,

N.H.; and of the four children born of the |
union Herbert, aged nineteen years, is the:

only survivor. Charles Henry Grant, born in
June, 1873, acquired a good education in the
schools of Auburn and Manchester. On April
15, 1896, he married Jennie E. Benson, of
Manchester, and is now engaged in assisting
his father at the farm. Charles Henry (first),
Mr. Grant’s eldest son by his first wife, hav-
ing enlisted in September, 1862, in Company
A, Tenth New Hampshire Volunteers, was
captured by the rebels at the battle of Fair

 

other year.

Oaks, and taken to Salisbury Prison, Narth
Carolina, where he died of starvation, Febru-
ary 10, 1865.

 

 

 

 

 

[ ANA C. HEALY, of the firm Healy
s & Brown, shoe manufacturers of
2)

 

Raymond, was born here, April 39,
1850, son of John and Sarah
(Heath) Healy, of this place. His grand-
father, Moses Healy, came to Raymond from
Chester, this county. He was a prosperous
farmer and lumberman. During the War of
1812 he was on duty at Portsmouth, N.H.
At his death in 1861 he had attained the age
of eighty-one years. He married a Miss Pills-
bury, of Candia, this county, by whom he be-
came the father of five children. Of these the.
only one now living is Ruth, the widow of
James Stone, of Charlestown, Mass. John,
born here in Raymond, was a farmer and
lumberman. He took much interest in public
affairs, served for a number of years as Select-
man, and was a Representative to the General
Court at Concord. Jn politics he held the
views of the Democratic party. When he
died, on November 5, 1889, he had reached
the age of seventy-three years. He and his
wife, Sarah, were the parents of eight chil-
dren. Of these there are still living three
sons and a daughter, namely: Mary J., the
wife of Isaac F. Underhill, of Candia; and
James M., Dana C., and Edward S., all of

_ Raymond.

Dana C. Healy received his education in
the common schools and at the Raymond and
Chester Academies. He began his business
career by working in a saw-mill in Albany,
Me., for six years. Returning to Raymond,
he was employed as a clerk in the grocery
store of B. F. Tilton. After four years spent
in this capacity he purchased his employer’s
business, and in partnership with Clark C.
White conducted the store for the ensuing
four years. He then bought out his partner’s
interest, and was the sole proprietor during
the next four years. At the end of that
period he received E. C. Rowell as a partner
with whom the business was carried on under
the firm name of E. C. Rowell & Co, for an-
Mr. Healy then sold his interest.
BIOGRAPHICAL

REVIEW 19

 

 

Previous to this he had begun to build his
present factory. It was completed in the fall
of 1890, and has since been occupied by Healy
& Brown. The building is thirty feet wide,
seventy feet long, and three stories in height.
The firm manufactures women’s shoes, em-
ploys from one hundred to one hundred and
twenty-five hands, and has a capacity of one
hundred and twenty-five cases per week.
From 1885 to. 1890 Mr. Healy was also en-
gaged in the lumber business, in company
with P. B. Corson. They bought standing
timber, and converted it into lumber at their
steam saw-mill in Raymond. In the fall of
1895 he repurchased the grocery business
formerly conducted by him, and now carries on
the store in addition to performing his part in
the management of the factory.

In politics Mr. Healy is a Democrat.
While in Albany, Me., he was Selectman for
one year, filled the office of Town Clerk for a
time, and served on the School Board three
years. Since his return to Raymond he has
served on the School Board for five years, has
been Town Clerk ten years, was Selectman in
the year 1893-94, and in 1891 was elected
member of the General Court at Concord. In
1874, during his residence in Maine, Mr.
Healy joined Oxford Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, No. 61, of Waterford,
and later Wildey Encampment, No. 2, of
Norway. He has withdrawn from these or-
ganizations since he came to Raymond, and is
now a member of Junietta Lodge, No. 47, and
Granite Encampment, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Raymond, in both of which he
has filled all the chairs. He is also a Master
Mason in Rockingham Lodge, No. 76. Hav-
ing passed all the chairs in said lodge, he isa
member of Mount Horeb Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons, Adoniram Council, and Trinity Com-
mandery, Knights Templars, and of the local
grange.

Mr. Healy was first married in 1872 to
Miss Emma L. Wight, of Albany, Me. Of
their four children the only survivor is Myrtie
B., who is attending school in Raymond. On
March 2, 1892, Mr. Healy was married to his
present wife, whose maiden name was Hattie
L. Page. She is a native of Raymond. They
have a little daughter, Ada P., two years old.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Healy attend the Methodist
Iepiscopal church.

 

 

AVID E. BROWN, an enterprising

farmer and lumber manufacturer of
\) Candia, was born in this town, Janu-
ary 3, 1834, son of David and Mary

 

 

 

 

(Bagley) Brown. The family, which is of
English origin, was founded by an_ early
settler in Amesbury, Mass. Mr. Brown’s

great-grandfather, Caleb Brown, who was prob-
ably a native of Rye, this county, settled in
Candia, where he cleared a good farm from the
wilderness. He was prominently concerned
in the early growth and development of Can-
dia, where he continued to reside until his
death, which occurred after he had reached an
advanced age. Of his seven children David
Brown (first), the grandfather of David E., was
a native and lifelong resident of this town.
He followed the trade of a cooper, and carried
on farming throughout his active period.
Though not officially concerned in public
affairs, he took a deep interest in the pros-
perity of the town, and supported the Whig
party in politics. He married Elizabeth Mar-
tin, of Amesbury, Mass., and with her reared
four children, none of whom are living. His
death occurred in 1833, at the age of sixty-five
years.

David Brown (second), the father of David
E., was born in Candia. In young manhood he
learned the cooper’s trade, which was his chief
occupation for some years after. He became
prominent as an agriculturist, owning and cul-
tivating a good farm for the greater part of his
life; and he died in this town, June 15, 1870,
aged eighty-one years and eight months. He
was an upright, conscientious man and a
worthy citizen, who was ever ready to aid in
any movement for the general good. He fol-
lowed the majority of the old Whigs into the
Republican party at its formation. His wife,
Mary, a native of Candia, was a descendant of
an old Amesbury family. Her grandmother,
Sarah Goodwin, who was born in Amesbury
in 1749, died in Candia in 1848, after reaching
the age of ninety-nine years. Mrs. David
Brown became the mother of six children, five
of whom are living, namely: Freeman M.,
20 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

who is residing in Auburn, N.H.; George
W., a resident of Candia; Edmund D., of
Manchester; John A., of this town; and David
E., the subject of this sketch.

David E. Brown acquired his education in~

the common schools of his native town. At
the age of eighteen he commenced to learn
shoemaking, and subsequently followed that
trade until he was twenty-four years old.
For the next fourteen years he was engaged in
teaming and farming. After this he settled
upon his present farm, and has since been
chiefly occupied in managing it. It contains
seventy acres of good land, especially adapted
for general farming and the pasturing of
cattle. Mr. Brown keeps some excellent
cows, and produces some first-grade butter.
He also engages in the manufacturing of lum-
ber, operates a saw-mill, which turns out sev-
enty thousand feet of lumber annually. His

energy and enterprise in this direction, while }

profitable to himself, are also beneficial to the
town. He is also interested in the Candia
Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which he
is President.

On December 16, 1858, Mr. Brown wedded
Susan M. Hardy, of Candia, by whom he is
the father of four children, namely: Edwin
Ii., who lives in Manchester, Hillsborough
County; and Harry G., Dana H., and Elmer
D., who are residing at home.
Mr. Brown is an active supporter of the Re-
publican party and a leading spirit in local
public affairs. At the present time he is a
member of the Board of Selectmen. He was
Supervisor for two years. Both he and Mrs.
Brown attend the Free Will Baptist church.

\PAZEN W. BATCHELDER, | the
owner of a large saw-mill in Ray-

Ly mond, was born here, June 16, 1848,

son of Hazen and Betsy (Wason)
Batchelder. He is a descendant of a Congre-
gational clergyman who emigrated from Eng-
land to this country at an early date. This
ancestor subsequently died in England, hav-
ing left here a part, if not all, of his large
family of children. Jonathan Batchelder, the
great-grandfather of Hazen W., coming from
Hampton, this county, with his brother John,

 

 

-the old Batchelder homestead.

In_ politics .

| six years.

 

was one of the first settlers of this town,
where he took up the land now comprised in
The Batch-
elders of the northern part of Raymond and of
the town of Deerfield are his descendants.
Jonathan Batchelder served all through the
Revolutionary War. Excluding that period,
the active part of his life of more than four-
score years was spent in agriculture. He was
the father of seven children, all of whom have
now passed away. Amos, who was born in
Raymond, followed farming, the calling to
which he was reared. Although his father
was a Democrat, he became a supporter of the
Whigs. He was a Deacon in the Free Will
Baptist church. For his first wife he married
Miss Mary Lane, of Raymond, by whom he
had four children, of whom the only one now
living is Amos Batchelder, a resident of Ray-
mond. His second and last wife, a native of
Chester, N.H., whose maiden name was also
Mary Lane, had no children. He died in
1861, at the age of eighty-two years.

Hazen Batchelder, the father of Hazen W.,
learned the trade of a carpenter, which he
followed for a time. He then engaged in
farming. Fora time he also conducted a saw-
mill, erected by him on the Lane Road. In
the latter part of his life he dropped the saw-
mill business and conducted the farm only.
He attended the Methodist Episcopal church.
Politically, he was a Democrat, and was very
prominent in town affairs. He served for a
number of terms as Selectman, being Chair-
man of that Board during a portion of the
time. By his wife, Betsy, he became the
father of five children, of whom three are liv-
ing. These are: Charles A., residing on the
old homestead in Raymond; Mary A., wife of
Levi Moulton, of this town; and Hazen W.,
the subject of this article. The father died
in 1882, seventy-four years of age.

Hazen W. Batchelder gained a good knowl-
edge of the common branches of study in the
public schools of Raymond. Entering upon
the more serious duties of life, he worked for
S1x years at the painter’s trade. Subsequently
he rana circular saw for two years. At the
end of that time he purchased an interest in a
portable saw-mill, with which he travelled

Finally, in 1884, he purchased his
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 21

 

 

present establishment of E. T. Nutter & Co.
of Portland, Me. The upper mill was erected
and furnished with a circular saw by Blake &
Locke, who sold out in 1867 to Mr. Batch-
elder’s predecessors. In April, 1893, a large
part of the building was destroyed by fire; but
it was immediately rebuilt. Steam and water
power are used in the mills; and the machin-
ery includes three planers, a moulder, an en-
gine lathe, two box machines, two long-edge
squaring-up machines, and a clipper. Three
men are employed in the upper mill and
seven in the main mill; and together they
turn out sixty thousand boxes per week, be-
sides doing a large amount of log-sawing,
finishing, and moulding. The place is the
largest concern of the kind in Raymond.

In 1883 Mr..Batchelder was united in mar-
riage with Miss Lilla Walcott, of Raymond,
Me. They have had two children, but only
one is living; namely, Vernon S., now about
seven years old. They reside in a fine resi-
dence opposite the mill. In his political rela-
tions Mr. Batchelder is a Democrat. He has
served very acceptably on the School Commit-
tee. He is a member of Rockingham Lodge,
No. 76, A. F. & A. M., of Candia; also of
the United Order of the Golden Cross, Paw-
tuckaway Lodge, No. 437, of Raymond.

 

OVELL B. SMITH, a carriage manu-
facturer of Brentwood, was born Sep-
tember 30, 1850. His father, John

Smith, also a native of Brentwood,

was born in 1807. At one time he had a high
reputation throughout this locality as a teacher
of penmanship; and now, although eighty-nine
years of age, he uses the pen with skill. He
has in his possession many beautiful speci-
mens of his penmanship, executed in his ear-
lier days. After a time he abandoned the
teaching of penmanship, and engaged in farm-
ing. He followed this calling as long as he
was capable of doing so, and is now living
with his son, Lovell B. He married Sophia
P. Darrah, who was born in the town of Bed-
ford, this State, in 1806, and died in Brent-
wood, April 20, 1889. She bore him seven
children, of whom Abigail, Jabez James,
Frank, and Charles H. have passed away.

 

The others are: George Byron, of this town-
ship; John B., of Boston; and Lovell B., the
subject of this sketch.

Lovell B. Smith was reared and educated in
Brentwood, living on the home farm, which
he assisted in carrying on until the time of
his marriage. In 1872 he established himself
in the business of carriage-making, which,
with blacksmith work, he has since carried on,
He and his father still own the farm, which
contains three hundred and thirty-three acres
of land. They raise corn, hay, potatoes,
grain, and small fruit, including apples.
From the apples they make cider, in which
they do a considerable business. The farm,
which was mostly improved by the father, is
one of the finest in this vicinity. In politics
both Mr. Smith and his father are strong ad-
herents of the Democratic party, and the latter
has served as Town Clerk and in other offices.

Mr. Smith was married September 3, 1891,
to Miss Viola C. Neal, who was born April
6, 1854, in Barrington, N.H., daughter of
John P. Neal. Mr. Neal was engaged in
general farming in Rochester, N.H., until] his
death, July 21, 1887. Mrs. Neal, whose
maiden name was Elvira S. Hoyt, survives
her husband, making her home in Newbury-
port, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have but
one child — an adopted daughter named Alice
Sophia, who was born April 17, 1892. Mr.
Smith is esteemed by the community as a man
of sterling integrity. .

DWARD HAYFORD, a_ well-known
carriage manufacturer of Newton, was
¢ born in Kingston, N.H., December

6, 1846, son of John B. and Mary W.
(Badger) Hayford. Mr. Hayford’s father, who
was born in Atkinson, N.H., in 1819, died
when Edward was a small boy. His mother
was born in Kingston, N.H., July 28, 1820,
daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Wadleigh)
Badger, both of whom were natives of Kings-
ton. Benjamin Badger was an_ industrious
farmer. He spent his whole life in Kingston,
and died at the age of eighty-five. His wife’s
death occurred when she was fifty years old.
They were the parents of six children — John,
Daniel, Samuel, Joseph, Mary W., and Dolly.

 

 
ee BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

 

Of these Mary W., Mr. Hayford’s mother, is
the only survivor. She reared three children,
as follows:
Lefavor, of Newton; Edward, the subject of
this sketch; and Samuel B., a resident of this
town.

Edward Hayford grew to manhood as a farm
boy in Kingston, receiving his education in
the common schools. He has never learned
a trade; but early in life he developed a
genius for mechanical work, being handy with
tools. In 1870, with a capital of one hundred
dollars and one assistant, he engaged in the
carriage business, upon a small scale, in New-
ton. Steadily applying himself to this in-
dustry, and increasing his facilities as his
business increased, he has surpassed all his
. competitors in this section, and is now con-
ducting a large and exceedingly profitable
manufactory. He employs thirty workmen,
and makes twenty different styles of vehicles,
turning out from nine hundred to one thousand
annually. His carriages find ready sale
throughout the New England States, where
they have acquired a good reputation for
strength, durability, and excellence of finish.
His plant has been twice destroyed by fire, the
last time in 1887; but he made rapid recov-
eries from these reverses, and now has a large
and well-equipped factory. The painting and
finishing departments are in charge of his
brother, Samuel B. Hayford, who has eight
skilled workmen under him. |

On November 28, 1866, Mr. Hayford was
united in marriage to Mary F. Bartlett, who
died February 4, 1876, leaving two children.
These were: Etta M., now the wife of D. P.
Battles, of Newton; and John E., who is
associated with his father in business. In
October, 1878, Mr. Hayford wedded for his
second wife Ella C. Bartlett. . By this union
there have been two children — Eva May and
Minnie B. The latter died May 15, 1890,
aged three years and six months. Both par-
ents are members of the Baptist church. In
politics Mr. Hayford is a Democrat. He is
connected with Twilight Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, of this town. The
family occupy a very handsome residence in
the village, erected by Mr. Hayford some time
ago.

Fanny J., now wife of Horace |

 

 

 

 

 

R. CALEB W. HANSON, of North-
wood, N.H., who has followed his
J profession of physician in this town
for thirty-eight years, was born in
Barnstead, N.H., October 14, 1832, son of
Nathaniel and Margery (Evans) Hanson. He
comes of old New England stock. On the
paternal side his family belongs to the branch.
that settled in Dover, N.H., then called
Cochechee, about the year 1623. The use of
the word ‘“‘timothy’’ to designate a kind of
hay is alleged to have originated from the act
of one of the Doctor’s ancestors, Timothy
Hanson, who went from New York in 1720 to
the Carolinas, and took with him a kind of
grass which was easily cultivated and proved
valuable as fodder for cattle. From the Caro-
linas it was taken to England, where also it
became an established favorite. It is now
known in the two hemispheres as timothy.
Ebenezer Hanson, Dr. Hanson’s_ grand-
father, who was born in 1759, was a farmer
of Strafford, N.H. He married Abigail
Caverno, and reared thirteen children. Na-
thaniel Hanson, the doctor’s father, was born
in Strafford, May 11, 1807. He was a wheel-
wright, and followed his. trade during a great
part of his life, at the same time cultivating
afarm. A Republican in politics, he cast his
vote at elections for the best man; but he
made no effort to attain public office. He
lived to be fourscore and four. His wife, who
was a daughter of Edmund Evans, of Strafford,
died at the age of eighty-two. Both attended
the Baptist church. The children reared by
them were: John, Caleb W., Levi H., Na-

thaniel R., Eben, Lewis F., Joseph B.,
George, and Jennie. Jennie is now Mrs.
Foss.

Dr. Caleb W. Hanson received his early
education in the New Hampton and Mount
Vernon Academies. A part of his professional
training was obtained at the New York Uni-
versity and Bowdoin College, in each of which
he studied for a year. Graduating with the
class of 1858 from Hanover College, he im-
mediately began practice at Northwood, which
has been the scene of his labors ever since.
The demands of his profession in the past
thirty-eight years have often been of a most
arduous character. He has been obliged to
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 213.

 

 

take long rides into the country at all times of
the night and day and in all kinds of weather.
Now, conceiving that his time has come for
the enjoyment of some leisure, he is gradually
reducing his visiting list.

In 1859 he was united in marriage with
Emma A., daughter of Morris Knowles, of
Lawrence, Mass., the builder of the mills at
that place. Dr. and Mrs. Hanson have had
one child, Nellie B. She is the wife of John
G. Towle, of Northwood, and has three chil-
dren — Murray H., Gertrude E., and Helen
A. Dr. Hanson is a member of the State
Medical Association.

 

ICAJAH OTIS HALL, who was
born in Strafford, N.H., May 16,
1822, is now a resident of Green-
land, Rockingham County, N.H.
His name will wake a throb of interest and
pleasant recollection in the hearts of many of
his old pupils who studied under his direction
in the neighboring towns and in Newburyport,
Mass., and people with whom he had dealings
in Boston as stationer and book-keeper. He
is the son of Ralph and Lydia (Pearl) Hall,
and is a representative of an old Colonial
family of English origin. Mr. Hall has a
plate which came from the mother country
and is marked with his father’s name.
Among the early settlers of New England
were so many bearing the name John Hall
that there exists in regard to them, it is said,
“no little confusion.” Savage mentions
John, of Charlestown, who “came in 1630, it
is thought, from Coventry, probably in the
fleet with Winthrop”; John, of Dover, and
his son John, also born in England, who was
a Deacon; John, of Lynn and Salisbury;
John, of Concord; John, of Middletown — not
to mention others. Mr. Micajah O. Hall’s
grandfather, Samuel Hall, and his immediate
ancestors were born in Strafford, N.H., and
spent their lives there, following the pursuit
of agriculture. Samuel Hall died in the
house where his father and grandfather had
closed their eyes in the last sleep. His wife
bore the sweet old name of Charity.
Their son, Ralph Hall, grew up like the
majority of farmers’ boys in his day, acquiring

 

his education in the district school and work-
ing in the fields as soon as old enough to be of
use. Of an ambitious disposition, he hoped to
do better away from home; and, purchasing his
time of his father, he went to Boston, Mass.,
where he was for some time in the employ of
Josiah Quincy, then Mayor of the city. Re-
turning to Greenland, he leased the Robinson
farm, which he cultivated for thirteen years,
then buying the Shaw farm, which is .now oc-
cupied by his son, the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Ralph Hall was one of the most success-

_ful farmers in the State, and was one of the

leading men in Greenland. He was a mem-
ber of the Town Board of Selectmen for sev-
eral years, and was two years in the State leg-
islature. A member of the Methodist church,
he was noted for his liberality in contributing
toward all its worthy enterprises. He died in
1876, aged seventy-seven years. His wife,
who was the daughter of Abram Pearl, died at
the age of sixty-eight. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph
Hall were the parents of the following chil-
dren: Mary C., Sarah E., and Lydia E., who
have passed to the other life; Anna Maria,
wife of F. R. Mitchell, of Brooklyn, N.Y.,
and mother of two children— Mary A. and
Pearl; and Micajah Otis, the subject of this
sketch.

M. Otis Hall applied himself diligently to
his books in boyhood, finishing his studies
at Greenland Academy. For some time after
leaving school he worked at farming in the
growing season, and taught during the winter
terms, presiding over schools in his native
town and in Rye, New Castle, and Portsmouth.
He subsequently gave his whole attention to
teaching, obtaining a position as master of a
school in Joppa, a part of Newbury, Mass.,
and then taking charge of a school in Bell-
ville, in the same town. He was next in-
stalled as principal of the Centre School in
Newburyport, with two assistants. It has
been said that, considering the amount of
nervous force and mental energy expended,
no profession is so ill paid as school teach-
ing. Hoping to realize a little more finan-
cially, Mr. Hall purchased of Moses H. Sar-
gent, in Newburyport, a book and stationery
store, which he conducted till the war began,
when he disposed of it and obtained a posi-
24 : BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

tion as paymaster’s clerk on the frigate
“Sabine”; and after that he took up book-
keeping as an expert, and also opened a sta-
tionery store on Cornhill, Boston. . He event-
ually sold his store on Cornhill, and was
engaged as a book-keeper on India Street, the
great commercial warehouse centre of Boston.
About this time he was called to Chicago on
business; and after his return he was employed
in the Boston custom-house under Collectors
Russell, Simmons, Worthington, Beard, and
Saltonstall. On the death of a sister who had
been living on the homestead in Greenland
he purchased her half of the farm; and he has
since made his home here, enjoying a season
of well-earned leisure after years of mental
work.

Mr. Hall was first married in 1846 to Re-
becca A., daughter of Dr. George Odell, of
Greenland, N.H. Mrs. Rebecca A. Hall
died in 1869, while he was engaged as book-
keeper on India Street, Boston, leaving five
children, namely: George Ralph, a widower,
who has lost two children; Alice, unmarried,
who is with her father; Micajah O., who mar-
ried Miss Claire Pond, and is book-keeper for
Brown, Durrell & Co., of Boston; Sarah H.,
wife of Charles H. McIntosh, of Wellesley
Hills, Mass., and mother of four children —
Elsie, Helen, Bernice P., and Arthur; and
Caroline A., who is the wife of Thomas W.
Berry, a native of Nova Scotia, and mother of
five children — Gertrude R., Charlotte H.,
Ralph H., Henry O. (deceased), and James
O. Mr. and Mrs. Berry reside on the home
farm with Mr. Hall, Mr. Berry superintending
the farm work. Mr. Hall contracted a second
marriage, his wife being Charlotte M. Jenkins,
a member of the Jenkins family that owned
Jenkins Island, off Portsmouth. He has been
a Republican sincé the formation of the party.
While in Newburyport he was a member of
the School Committee, Secretary of the Board,
and Secretary of the Lyceum Board. Mr.
Hall is a Royal Arch Mason.

 

ILLIAM R. BUNKER, of Epping,

who was for nearly a quarter of a

century proprietor and manager of

the Perkins Hotel, was born in Milton, N.H.,

 

in 1815, son of Enoch and Hannah (Drew)
Bunker. Enoch Bunker was a native and
lifelong resident of the Granite State, and
devoted the greater part of his days to agricult-
ural pursuits. He was a quiet and unassum-
ing citizen, respected by all who knew him.
His wife, who likewise. was born in New
Hampshire, died in 1862.

William R. Bunker had only the advantages
of a common-school education, and the com-
mon schools in the early part of the century
were much inferior in the matter of equipment
to the schools of to-day. The branches of the
tree of knowledge were not bent to the juve-
nile grasp as they are at present; but the
child who would excel had to put forth his
utmost endeavor and work hard for the boon
of learning. The school-houses in the rural
districts were far apart, and the Bunker lad
was accustomed to walk two and a half miles
to recite his lessons. When sixteen years of
age, he found employment in the cotton-
mills at New Market, N.H., where he re-
mained four years, going then to Lowell,
Mass. After working fifteen years in the
Lowell cotton-mills, Mr. Bunker returned to
New Hampshire, and for about eight years
was engaged in farming at Lee. In 1860
he purchased the brick hotel in Epping
now known as the Perkins Hotel; and for
twenty-four years he successfully managed
the house, making many friends by his so-
cial qualities and genial disposition. He is
now retired from active business, and devotes
his time to looking after his farm and other
real estate.

In 1845 Mr. Bunker was married to Miss
Hannah Stilson, of Lee, N.H., who died in
May, 1890. He has no children living. In
politics he favors the Democratic side, and he
has the respect and confidence of his fellow-
partisans. He has served his townsmen in the
capacity of Selectman, and has creditably rep-
resented the district in the New Hampshire
legislature. A member of the Masonic fra-
ternity, he has passed the thirty-second de-
gree, and is one of the oldest men in the
order. Though Mr. Bunker has seen four-
score winters, he is still hale and hearty, and

bids fair to enjoy many more years in his
pleasant home.
 

WILLIAM R. BUNKER.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 27

 

 

ARK SCRIBNER, one of Ray-
mond’s most enterprising real es-
tate owners and an ex-member of
the New Hampshire legislature,
was born in this town, September 7, 1845, son
of Daniel and Annie H. (Langford) Scribner.
The family is of Scotch origin; and Mr. Scrib-
ner’s great-grandfather, John Scribner, was a
native of Fremont, N.H. He bought one
thousand acres of land in the town of Ray-
mond, -his original tract including the farm
which is now owned by his great-grandson;
and he eventually divided his property equally
among his sons. He was a prominent busi-
ness man of the town, transacting all the legal
affairs of its early residents; and he was known
as an able, upright, and worthy citizen. He
died in 1813. He was the father of three
sons — Manoah, Samuel, and John.

Manoah Scribner, Mr. Scribner’s grand-
father, was born in Fremont, and accompanied
his parents to Raymond. He inherited a por-
tion of his father’s estate, becoming one of
the most prosperous agriculturists of his day;
and he served as a soldier in the Revolution-
ary War. He died in Raymond, December
8, 1818. He married for his first wife Anna
Taylor, of Fremont, N.H., who died February
14, 1794, leaving three children; namely,
Mary, Betsey, and Grace. For his second
wite he married Sarah Fitts, of Sandown,
N.H., who died August 26, 1841, and by this
marriage five children were reared; namely,
Annie, Daniel, Sylvia, John, and Abigail.

Daniel Scribner, son of Manoah and Sarah
F. Scribner, was born upon the farm which is
now occupied by his son Mark. Succeeding
eventually to its ownership, he became a stir-
ring and progressive farmer and one of the
most prominent citizens of the town. In pol-
itics he supported the Democratic party, by
which he was elected a member of the Board
of Selectmen for several years; and he repre-
sented his district with ability in the legis-

lature. He died June 27, 1871, aged seventy-
four years. He attended the Congregational
church. His wife, Annie Langford, a native

of Portsmouth, N.H., became the mother of
seven children, six of whom are living,
namely: Abigail, wife of Dr. James F.
Brown, of Manchester; Elizabeth, wife of

 

D. L. Guernsey, of Concord, N.H.; Martha,
who resides with her mother in this town;
Mark, the owner of the homestead; Charles,
also a resident of this town; and Julia, who
resides in Boston.

Mark Scribner acquired his education in
the common schools of Raymond, and after
finishing his studies he assisted in carrying on
the farm. Since starting in life upon his own
account, he has advanced rapidly in prosper-
ity, conducting various business operations
with good judgment and practical ability.
His property contains four hundred acres,
divided into tillage, pasture, and wood land,
and the cultivated portion is extremely fertile.
He deals in uncut ‘timber, also carrying on
lumbering operations quite extensively, and
handles a large amount of wood for: fuel pur-
poses. He has long occupied an important
position in the management of town affairs,
and is a leading spirit in the Democratic
party, by which he has been elected a Select-
man for eight terms. In 1883 he represented
the district in the legislature with credit both
to himself and his constituency.

In May, 1867, Mr. Scribner was married to
Helen Kimball Fitts, his first wife; and by
this union there were five children, of whom
the only survivor is Fanny S., wife of Charles
Brock, of Raymond. In April, 1890, he
wedded for his second wife Georgia E. Batch-
elder, of this town.

Fraternally, Mr. Scribner is connected with
the Rockingham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. &
A. M., of Candia; Junietta Lodge, No. 47,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and
Granite Encampment, No. 14, of Raymond, of
which he has filled the principal chairs; and
Raymond Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, of
which he has been Master for nearly two
years. Mr. and Mrs. Scribner attend the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr.
Scribner is a member; and he has acted as
Steward and Trustee.

 

 

ACKSON M. HOYT, a well-known and
respected citizen of Newington, was

born in this town on January 15,

1850. The Hoyt family, which was
probably of German extraction, settled in the
28 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

town of Newington in the year 1703, when the
place was not separate from what are now the
towns of Dover and Portsmouth. Mr. Jack-
son M. Hoyt’s great-great-great-grandfather
was William Hoyt, who was born, it is said,
in Amesbury, Mass. William Hoyt had a
son, John, who had a son, Dennis, born in the
town of Newington, May 1, 1744. This Mr.
Hoyt had a son, Samuel, who was born on
August 15, 1772, and who had in turn a son
named John, who was born on March 30, 1802,
in the birthplace of so many of his ancestors.

John Hoyt, son of Samuel, was a brick-
maker by trade; and he struck the first brick
on the Rogers estate in Portsmouth, where his
son Alffed now lives. John Hoyt was mar-
ried three times. His first wife was Eliza-
beth Dame, whom he wedded about the year
1826. By her he had seven children — James
W., who resides in the town of Newington;
John E., who died on August 12, 1893;
Martha, the wife of Joseph S. Hoyt; Mary
F., the wife of James Packard; Alfred C.;
Samuel W., who lives in Portsmouth; and
Martin, who also resides in Portsmouth.
Mrs. Elizabeth D. Hoyt died in September,
1842. Mr. Hoyt next married. Miss Martha
Nutter, by whom he had one child, Martha
A., who is the wife of Ira Coffin, of Pittsburg,
Pa. He was married the third time in 1844
to Miss Abigail P. Coleman. Five children,
four sons and one daughter, were the result of
this union. Those that survive are: Henry,
who resides in Lynn; Jackson M., the subject
of this sketch, further mentioned below; and
Nancy, the wife of Charles A. Nutter, of the
firm of Nutter, Barnes & Co. of Boston,
Mass. Two children died in infancy, some
time apart. They both bore the name of Win-
field S. Mr. John Hoyt came to the farm
whereon his son Jackson now resides in 1845,
and died in 1868. His wife died in 1878, at
the age of sixty-four years.

Jackson M. Hoyt was born and reared on
his father’s farm. He received a district-
school education, and later took a business
course at Comer’s Commercial College in Bos-
ton, Mass. He was eighteen years of age
when his father died; and he returned to take
charge of the farm, one of thirteen acres,
which he finally purchased in 1872. He has

 

been a teacher for five terms in various towns
outside of Newington, and has taught the
Newington school] for three terms.

In 1876 Mr. Hoyt was appointed by the
Governor of the State a Justice of the Peace
for the county of Rockingham, which office he
held for fifteen years, refusing then to have
his commission renewed. In 1892 he served
on the Board of Building Committee for the
erection of the Langdon Public Library Build-
ing, a structure to which every loyal citizen
points with pride.

Mr. Hoyt showed his efficiency and his ca-
pacity for bearing the burden of office at the
early age of twenty-one, when he was elected
Town Clerk of Newington, which office he
held for three successive years, valid testi-
mony of the confidence his fellow-townsmen
reposed in his integrity and ability. He was
appointed Tax Collector in 1872, and again in
1875, a member of the Board of Education in
1833, 1884, and 1885, and Selectman in 1886,
1887, 1894, and 1895. He has held the
office of superintendent of the Newington
Cemetery since 1890. Mr. Hoyt is a solid
Democrat in political faith, always doing his
best to assist his party in every way, not from
any hope for the possible spoils, but from
a rigid sense of duty anda sincere desire to
improve the political status of the county of
Rockingham. He is an earnest and enthusi-
astic member of and a true and_ unselfish
worker in the Congregational church, at whose
meetings he always fills the office of clerk in
a thorough and typical manner.

Mr. Jackson M. Hoyt was married on No-
vember 28, 1878, to Miss Mary S. Pickering,
of the town of Newington, daughter of Frank
T. and Sophia E. G. (DeWitt) Pickering.
Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt have been blessed with
eight children, namely: John F.; Martin D.;
Martha S.; Mary B.; Abigail D.; Jackson
Manning; one child that died in infancy: and
Willis Hadley.

)P ENRY A. SHUTE, Eso, Judge of
the Exeter police court, was born in

Exeter, November 17, 1856, son of
George S. and Joanna (Simkins)
Tis great-grandfather was Nathaniel

 

 

Shute.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 29

 

 

Shute, a. ship-builder of Newfields, this
county; and his grandfather, Henry Shute,
was born in Newfelds, April 17, 1794. Henry
Shute, who lived for a number of years in
Exeter, was a merchant, a lumberman, and a
manufacturer. It was he who furnished the
lumber needed in the erection of Exeter town
hall. His death happened at Exeter in De-
cember, 1858. His wife, whose maiden name
was Eliza Rowe Smith, reared two sons and
two daughters. Their eldest son, Henry A.,
a Dartmouth graduate and a classmate of
Daniel Webster's son, was a bright student,
and was to have qualified for the bar if he had
not died at the age of twenty-one. The sec-
ond child, Ann Eliza, died of consumption at
the age of thirty-three. The third, George
S., was the father of Henry A. The young-
est, Sarah F., who is unmarried, lives with
her brother.

George S. Shute was born in Exeter, March
4, 1827, and there received his education.
He was subsequently a clerk in the naval
department of the custom-house at Boston for
many years. In 1889 he retired from active
work, and is now residing on Court Street,
Exeter, where he took up his residence in
1870. In politics Mr. Shute is a Republican.
His marriage took place in March, 1853.
His wife, who was a native of Brereton, Eng-
land, died in February, 1895, aged sixty-nine
years. She was the mother of nine children,
seven of whom attained maturity; namely,
Celia E., Cornelia F., Georgie W., Annie P.,
Frank F., Edward, and Henry A. Cornelia F.
is the wife of C. E. Byington; and Georgie W.
is a teacher in Albany, N.Y.

Henry A. Shute received his early educa-
tion in Exeter, preparing for college at
Phillips Exeter Academy. He graduated at
Harvard in 1879, with a class numbering two
hundred and sixty members. He was admitted
to the bar in 1882, and commenced practice
immediately. In April, 1883, he was ap-
pointed Judge of the police court, a position
which he has efficiently filled up to the present
time. Judge’ Shute was married November
18, 1885, to Amelia F. Weeks, daughter of
Nathaniel and Frances (Prescott) Weeks, of
Exeter. Mr. Weeks, who was a merchant
grocer, died in 1880; and his wife died in

‘children: Sarah (Mrs. Durgin),

 

1885. They had besides Mrs. Shute a son,
Everett P. Weeks, of Exeter. Mrs. Shute
died January 27, 1895, in her thirty-fourth
year, leaving two children — Richard Everett
and Nathalie, aged respectively eight and two
years. Judge Shute is a Republican. He
belongs to one social organization, the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. In religious
belief he is a Unitarian.

 

LBERT B. MOORE, Town Clerk and
Treasurer of Northwood, was born in
this town, November 18, 1856, a
son of Samuel S. and Anna M.
(Batchelder) Moore. His grandfather, John
Moore, was a native of Stratham, Rockingham
County, and an active member of the farming
community of that town. John Moore lived
to the age of eighty years. His first wife,
Lydia Wiggin, died while still in the fresh
bloom of womanhood, leaving the following
Marguerite
A. (Mrs. Peck), Lydia W. (Mrs. Peck), Eliz-
abeth W., and. Samuel S.

Samuel S. Moore learned the shoemaker’s
trade, and, after following it for a number of
years, engaged in mercantile pursuits. The
last fifteen years of his life were devoted to
agricultural work on a farm in this town. A
Republican in politics, he served for two
years as Town Clerk of Northwood. He died
at the age of fifty-nine. His wife, Ann, was
a daughter of Benjamin Batchelder, of North-
wood, and a grand-daughter of Simon Batch-
elder, a native of this town and a Revolution-
ary patriot. She is still living. Mr. and
Mrs. Moore attended the Congregational
church. They reared but one child, the sub-
ject of this sketch.

Albert B. Moore was educated in the public
schools of Northwood. Like his father, he
learned the shoemaker’s trade, and worked at
it for some time. He then abandoned the
bench for the field, and for some years he has
been prosperously engaged in general farming.
He has a good farm, on which he has made
many improvements; and almost every foot of
his property is turned to good account.

Mr. Moore was married in 1891 to Mary E.,
daughter. of Eben French, of Lawrence, Mass.
30

Mrs. Moore died in 1892, at the age of thirty-
five. Mr. Moore is a Republican in politics.
He has served as Town Clerk since 1885 and
as Town Treasurer since 1888, and has the
confidence and esteem of the citizens of North-
wood, regardless of party lines. Fraternally,
he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, being a member of Olive Branch
Lodge, No. 83, of Northwood Narrows. A
representative of an old Northwood family,
Mr. Moore is well known in this part of Rock-
ingham County and as widely respected. He
is also Secretary of the Board of Trustees of
Coe’s Northwood Academy.

 

HARLES R. ROWE, a prominent
farmer of Candia and a representa-

tive of an old and reputable New
Hampshire family, was born in

Candia, July 26, 1834. The records of this
family date as far back as 1595, when its
founder, Nicholas Rowe, it is said, was a citi-
zen of Plymouth, England. He emigrated to
the American colonies a few years after the
landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, and settled
at Strawberry Bank, now Portsmouth, N.H.
Nicholas Rowe was one of twenty inhabitants
of that settlement who on May 25, 1640,
signed a deed, making a grant of fifty acres of

land to certain trustees for a glebe, to be held

for church purposes forever.

A large family of children were born to
Nicholas Rowe and his wife Elizabeth. One
of their descendants, Daniel by name, married
Abigail Stockman, of Hampton Falls, and
lived there until 1762. In that year they
came to Candia with their son Isaiah, settling
on a farm on the Pine Hill Road, subsequently
removing to Candia North Road, where they
located permanently on the farm now owned
by Deacon George S. Richardson. Daniel
Rowe taught school in Candia. His wife was
known as an earnest Christian woman.

Isaiah Rowe, great-grandfather of Charles
R. Rowe, was a prominent man in Candia,
where he held many offices, being one of the
organizers of the town. He was a patriot
soldier in the Revolutionary War, holding
the rank of Sergeant in Captain Moses Baker’s
company in 1777. He died in 1810, and was

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

buried beside his parents in Hill Cemetery,
where are now resting the remains of members
of six generations of the Rowe family. Isaiah
Rowe and his wife, Sarah Healey, had eleven
children, one of them a son named Jonathan;
and this Jonathan left a son called Moses,
born in the town of Candia, July 27, 1793.

Moses Rowe married Miss Sarah Brown, of
Candia, and was the father of ten children,
eight of whom are living — Moses E., in Bed-
ford, Mass.; Mary J., the wife of Joshua D.
Guyer, a manufacturer of Boston, Mass.;
Hiram D., a dentist living in Brewster, Mass. ;
Francis D., a resident of Candia; Charles R.,
of Candia; Lorinda L., the wife of Gilman
K. Worthen, of Manchester; Lavinia T., the
wife of Henry W. Rowe, of Boston; and Hen-
rietta, wife of Calvin A. Rowe, also of Bos-
ton, Mass.; Mary and Emeline both died in
infancy.

The father of this family was a man who
never cared for public offices, preferring to
live quietly and independently. He was a
Whig and subsequently a Republican. Farm-
ing and trading were the principal interests of
his life; and he was also a cooper, so that in
the case of either or both of the other enter-
prises failing he still had a certain livelihood
secured. This respected and law-abiding citi-
zen of Candia passed into the other life
March 25, 1866, aged seventy-three years.
His family attended the Congregational
church.

Charles R. Rowe was educated in the com-
mon schools of Candia and the literary insti-
tutions of New Hampton and New London.
After leaving school he engaged in farming,
and during the winters taught in various
towns, among which were Candia, Hookset,
New London, Suncook, and Pembroke, all
schools of different grades. This occupation —
he followed before and after the war, in all a
period of about twenty-five years. In 1862
Mr. Rowe enlisted in Company I, Eleventh
New Hampshire Volunteers, with forty-two
comrades from Candia, under Colonel Harri-
man and Captain W. R. Patten, for a three
years’ term. The company was mustered in
in Concord, N.H.; and the young soldiers
who set out on the journey little knew what
perils they were now to encounter, or when
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 35

 

 

they should again see their homes. Mr. Rowe
remained in the service until the close of the
war.

He was in his first baptism of blood at
Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, and
was camped on Falmouth Heights, opposite
the ill-fated city, which was so soon to be the
scene of such suffering. From there his com-
pany was ordered to Newport News, Va.,
to recruit, and from there to Mississippi,
where the troops were holding Vicksburg in
siege. From Vicksburg he went to Kentucky,
then to Cairo, Ill., and from that point back
to Vicksburg, where he remained until the
evacuation of the city on July 4, 1863, then
following the Southern army to Jackson,
Miss., returning afterward to camp in the
rear of the deserted city until they should
be transported North. The men of Company
I were then sent to Annapolis, marched over
the Cumberland Mountains to Knoxville,
Tenn., where they remained during the siege
of that city, returning subsequently to Wash-
ington, D.C. During the siege of Knox-
ville, in the winter of 1863 and 1864, suffi-
cient supplies could not be transported to the
army; and the men were destitute of sufficient
clothing and shoes. Soldiers marching with
bare feet left blood marks on the frozen
ground, and food became so scarce that two
ears of corn were issued as a day’s ration.
Mr. Rowe saw some of the most severe fight-
ing of the Civil War, and his army record is
one of which his descendants may feel proud.
He fought through the bloody battles of the
Wilderness, which made the date of May 6
to 12 a memorable one for both armies, Cold
Harbor, Spottsylvania Court-house, North
Anna River, and City Point, and then re-
paired to the siege of Petersburg, where he
was on duty until the city was taken. The
war was shortly terminated; and Mr. Rowe re-
ceived his discharge June 10, 1865, after a
service during which he had not had a single
day’s furlough from military duty.

Very soon after his return to Candia he
purchased the estate known as the Joshua Lane
place, and has continued farming and dairying
upon it ever since. Mr. Rowe was married
December 7, 1865, to Miss Lydia J. Worthen,
of Candia. Two children were born to them

 

— Carrie B., who married Allan H. Nelson,
of Candia; and George L., who is engaged in
the livery business at Candia Depot. George
L. Rowe does an extensive amount of trans-
porting, as there are always passengers to be
taken to and from the railroad station.
Charles R. Rowe is a Republican in poli-
tics. He has been superintendent of schools
in Candia for several years, and is a man
whose influence is always cast on the side of
right and justice. A Congregationalist in
religious belief, he has been a stanch sup-
porter of the church of that denomination in
Candia, having served as one of its Deacons
for ten years. In his family relations he has
been especially blessed, both of his children
living in the town where their parents reside;
and in the social and business circles of his
town he has an enviable reputation for integ-
rity, sound judgment, and steadfastness of
purpose. ;

 

 

AMES M. HEALEY, .-a _ well-known
mill operator and extensive box, manu-
facturer of Raymond, was born in this
town, June 32, 1848, son of John and

Sarah (Heath) Healey. The family is a
highly reputable one in this locality; and an
account of Mr. Healey’s ancestors is given in
the sketch of Dana C. Healey, which appears
elsewhere in this work.

James M. Healey acquired the elements of
knowledge in the common schools of Ray-
mond, Me., and worked at farming on the
family homestead until reaching the age of
twenty years. He then engaged in the mill
business, sawing shingles, grinding corn, and
advancing steadily in prosperity until 1892,
when he engaged in the manufacture of both
wood and paper boxes, which he is now carry-
ing on upon a large scale. The mill, which
was formerly the property of Abram Hodgkins,
he bought in 1888; and he has rebuilt and en-
larged it to its present proportions, eighty by
twenty feet, and two stories in height. He
put ina new and improved planing machine,
manufactured by Hall & Brown, of St. Louis,
at a cost of eight hundred dollars. He em-
ploys twelve girls and from seven to twelve
men, producing some twenty-five thousand
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

32

boxes, large and small, per week; and the
sawing capacity of the mill, which is provided
with both steam and water power, is about
thirty thousand feet per week. Besides the
mill Mr. Healey owns two fine residences and
a number of barns, storehouses, and other
buildings. In politics he supports the Demo-
cratic party, and has served on the Board of
Selectmen for eight years in succession, hav-
ing been Chairman for three years. On May
I, 1869, he was united in marriage to Laura
J. Underhill, daughter of Moses Underhill, of
Chester, N.H. Two children came to enlarge
and brighten the family circle — Annie L.,
now a teacher in this town; and Ruth S., who
resides at home.

Mr. Healey is connected with several frater-
nal organizations, being a member of Rock-
ingham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M.,, of
Candia; Junietta Lodge, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, No. 47, of Raymond, in which
he has filled important chairs; and Raymond
Grange, No. 138, Patrons of Husbandry, of
which he is at the present time Master and
Overseer. The family attend the Methodist
Episcopal church.

LWIN C. MILLS, a prosperous farmer
and shoe manufacturer of Sandown, was
born October 24, 1851, in Lebanon,
York County, Me., son of John and Sarah
(Cowell) Mills, both natives of the same town.
John Mills lived in Lebanon several years
after his marriage, being actively engaged in
farming and shoemaking. In 1865 he re-
moved with his family to New Hampshire,
locating in the town of Hampstead, where he
has since devoted himself to agricultural pur-
suits. His wife Sarah bore him five children,
as follows: Elwin C., the subject of this
sketch; Herbert W., residing at Hampstead,
who married Miss Annie Knight; Flora M.,
who is the wife of Daniel W. Knight, of
Dorchester, Mass. ; Cynthia, who married
Walter Knight, also a resident of Dorchester ;
and John E., who married Miss Annie Saw-
yer, and lives in Hampstead.
Elwin C. Mills completed his schooling in
the academy at West Lebanon, Me. He re-
mained under the parental roof-tree until his

 

 

marriage. Coming then to Sandown, he took
up his residence on what was then known as
the old Plummer homestead. He has since
been intimately associated with the agricult-
ural and business interests of the town. He
owns one hundred and fifteen acres of land,
which he industriously cultivates, harvesting
good crops each year and raising some stock.
During the warmer months Mr. and Mrs.
Mills entertain summer guests, most of whom
come from Boston and its suburbs. Their
house has accommodations for about sixty
boarders., Mr. Mills’s factory is equipped
with the latest approved machinery for making
shoes, is supplied with steam-power, and gives
constant employment to about fifteen men.
He carries on a good business, selling the
larger part of his manufactures in Boston. In
politics Mr. Mills is a stanch supporter of the
principles of the Republican party. He is
public-spirited and progressive, and takes an
intelligent interest in local affairs. He has
served on the School Committee six years.
He was Selectman for two years, and for a
time was Tax Collector. He is a member of
Gideon Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M., of
Kingston, and is Master of Pomona Grange,
which he assisted in bringing to its present
high standing among its sister societies,

Mr. Mills was united in marriage January
29, 1873, to Miss Sarah M. Davis, a daughter
of the late Giles M. and Mary W. (Plummer) -
Davis. Both her parents are natives of this
county, the father having been born in Plais-
tow, and the mother in Sandown, where she
spent her life. Mrs. Mills was born on the
homestead farm in Sandown, March 21, 1849,
and, after -attending the academy at New
Hampton, was engaged in teaching school for
eight years. She has had nine children, as
follows: Cecil E., born April 7, 1874; Mabel
E., born October 23, 1875, who is a teacher
in the public schools; Arthur E., born No-
vember 22, 1877; Willie, born April 13,
1879, who died September 5, 1879; Roscoe
S., born August 12, 1881; Mary Alice, born
July 10, 1883, who died August 30 of the
same year; Herbert M., born April 16, 1885;
Abbie E., born July 8, 1886; and Flora Ly
born November 23, 1889, who died September
8, 1890.
 

ALBERT C. BUSWELL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 35

 

 

LBERT C. BUSWELL, M.D., a pop-

ular medical practitioner and promi-

nent. citizen of Epping, N.H., was

born in the town of Wilmot, N.H.,

October 3, 1853. His parents were Hiram

and Mary J. (Frazier) Buswell. Hiram Bus-

well, who was a native of New Hampshire

and for many years a resident successively of

Nashua and Weare, N.H., was for some time

engaged in railroad work of different kinds.

The latter part of his life was devoted to agri-

cultural pursuits in the town of Weare. He

died in 1893, his estimable wife having passed
away in 1877.

Albert C. Buswell in his boyhood attended
school in Nashua, N.H., and later took a four
years’ course at Colby Academy, New Lon-
don, N.H., graduating in 1871. He then
began the study of medicine with Dr. A. R.
Dearborn, and was subsequently with Dr.
G. W. Currier, of Nashua. He was grad-
uated from the Medical School of Maine,
Bowdoin College, in 1878, and began to prac-
tise in Amherst, N.H., where he remained
two years, spending the following year in
Brooklyn, N.Y., and locating in Epping in
1881. Thoroughly grounded in medica] sci-
ence, and naturally gifted with the qualities
that make the successful physician, he is one
of the leading professional men of Rocking-
ham County, and has a large practice in and
about Epping. Dr. Buswell was Secretary of
the Rockingham Medical Association during
its existence.

He was married to Lillian H. Wilcox,
daughter of William R. Wilcox, of Nashua,
in 1879, and six children are now growing up
in his home; namely, S. May, Wilcox F.,
Charles D., S. George, H. Wynn, and Albert
Cis JG . :

ee: Dr. Buswell is a stanch Demo-
crat. Though not seeking official honors, he
has served on the local Board of Health and on
the Board of Education, and takes an active
interest in the progress of town affairs. He
is a strong advocate of popular rights, and
opposed at all times to monopolies. Believ-
ing in the good accomplished by brotherhoods
and social organizations, which unite so many
members of the human family by the ties of
common interest, he belongs to a number of

 

them. He is a member of Sullivan Lodge,
No. 19, A. F. & A. M., St. Albans Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons, is Past Master of Rock-
ingham Grange, Patrons of Husbandry; and
has been identified with the order of Knights
of Pythias since 1890, being at present Grand
Chancellor of the Grand Domain of New
Hampshire. The Doctor and his wife are
members of the Baptist church.

 

OHN H. FOSTER, of the firm Foster &
Rowe, general merchants of Candia, was
born in this town, January 18, 1844, son
of True and Data C. (Hobbs) Foster.

The founder of the family was an English emi-
grant who settled in Scarboro, Me. Joseph
Foster, the paternal grandfather of John H.,
followed the trade of a carpenter and cabinet-
maker in Candia during the active period of
his life, and died at the age of seventy-four
years. He reared a family of three children,
all of whom have passed away.

True Foster, who was a native and lifelong
resident of Candia, was also a carpenter, and
worked at his trade during his long and active
career, attaining a wide reputation as a skilful
and reliable mechanic. After living seventy-
four years, he died in May, 1869. In politics
he was a Democrat, and in his religious belief
he was a Congregationalist. He married for
his first wife Sally Clay, of this town, who
died leaving no children. His second wife,
in maidenhood Data C. Hobbs, became the
mother.of three children, namely: Abbie, who
resides in this town; John H., the subject of
this sketch; and Effie, the wife of Albert
Preston, of Auburn.

John H. Foster acquired his education in
the common and high schools of his native
town. After finishing his studies, he learned
shoemaking, at which he subsequently worked
for about fifteen years. He then abandoned
the trade, and became a.clerk in the general
store formerly carried on by the late W. J.
Dudley, with whom he continued for nine
years. He was employed in the same capacity
by J. A. Lane, of Hampton, during the fol-
lowing two years, at the end of which he re-
turned to Candia, where he resumed his former
position with Mr. Dudley. He remained this
36 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

time until Mr. Dudley’s death, which oc-
curred in 1895. Forming a copartnership

with E. L. Rowe, he succeeded to the busi- ,

ness of his late employer, which had been
established over thirty-eight years. Messrs.
Foster & Rowe have had a very flourishing
trade from the start. The store is well
stocked with general merchandise, including
groceries, dry goods, hardware, grain and
feed, with other staple and necessary articles
for farm and family use. Its customers come
from an extensive section of the district.

On December 23, 1866, Mr. Foster was
united in marriage to Mary S. Godfrey,
daughter of Jason Godfrey, of Candia. Mr.
and Mrs. Foster have been bereft of the two
children born of their union. Politically, Mr.
Foster acts with the Republican party. He
has served with ability as Town Clerk for two
years, was supervisor of the check list for
the same length of time, and has for the past
year been Assistant Postmaster. He is a
Free Will Baptist in his religious belief, and
has been a member and a Deacon of that church
and the superintendent of its Sunday-school.
He is also Clerk and Treasurer of Rockingham
Quarterly Meeting.

 

AVID SANBORN is well known to
the people of Fremont township as
9) the owner of one of the finest farms
within its limits, on which he is
actively engaged in cultivating the soil. He

 

 

 

 

is a native of this place, his birth having’

occurred December 31, 1826, on his present
estate, then the homestead of his father,
Ebenezer Sanborn.

Ebenezer Sanborn was born in Danville,
also in Rockingham County, and there lived
until after his marriage with Miss Lydia Bean,
a native of the same town. He subsequently
came to Fremont, here buying a portion of the
land now owned by his son David. He cleared
and improved a good homestead, and, besides
carrying on mixed husbandry, worked at his
trades of tanning and shoemaking until his
demise, in 1857. His widow spent her last
days in Raymond, dying in 1858. Of their
family of ten children eight have passed to
the other shore; namely, Mary, Daniel, Al-

 

vina, Elizabeth, Amos, Ebenezer, Jr., Calista
M., and Lydia. The two now living are:
Elijah, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere
in this volume; and David.

David Sanborn obtained a practical educa-
tion in the public schools. Being the young-
est son of the household, it fell to his share
to assist in the work of the farm; and, as his
parents began to feel the infirmities of age,
he assumed the management of the property,
and also looked after their welfare, caring for
them in their declining years. After their
death he bought out the interest of the remain-
ing heirs, and has since been prosperously en-
gaged in general agriculture. Besides culti-
vating and improving the original homestead,
he has added to his estate other land, till he
is now the owner of four hundred acres. Mr.
Sanborn’s farm is among the largest in this
vicinity, and, with its substantial and conven-
ient dwelling and farm buildings, its well-
tilled fields and its fine equipments, reflects
great credit on him, and is an ornament to the
town.

In September, 1862, Mr. Sanborn enlisted
in his country’s defence, joining Company K,
New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, under
Colonel Kingman, Lieutenant Colonel Henry
W. Blair, and Captain Hall. With his com-
rades he was an active participant in the siege
of Port Hudson, as well as in other engage-
ments of less importance, serving until the
expiration of his term of enlistment, when, in
1863, he was honorably discharged at Concord,
this State. In politics he is a stanch Demo-
crat, faithful to the interests of his party, and
has filled various town offices, including that
of Selectman, with fidelity. In 1869 and
1870 Mr. Sanborn represented his district in
the State legislature, and in the discharge of
his duties was never unmindful of the welfare
of his constituents.

 

Pine Grove Farm, a fine estate of one
hundred acres in the town of Kensing-
ton, N.H., was born in Washington
County, Maine, May 28, 1826, son of Gilman
and Esther (Leavitt) Lamprey. The land
which he occupies has been in the family

J P. LAMPREY, proprietor of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 37

 

 

since 1732, his ancestor, Henry Lamprey, hav-
ing pre-empted it at that time. It was then a
part of the primeval wilderness, and was a
favorite spot with the Indians; and relics of
the departed race are still found from time to
time.

Samuel Lamprey, the father of Gilman, was
born on the Lamprey farm in 1762, son of
Samuel Lamprey, first, who also was one of
the pioneers of Kensington; and Gilman,
father of John P., was born here in 1795.
Gilman Lamprey was in trade as a merchant
in Eastport, Me., in his early manhood; and
in 1843 he retired to his farm in Kensington,
where he spent the remainder of his life. He
was one of the influential citizens of the town,
a Democrat in politics, and served for some
time as Selectman. In religious belief he was
a Universalist. He died in 1850. His wife
was born in Eastport, Me., in 1794, and died
in Kensington in 1870. She was the mother
of five children -— Gilman, Samuel, Sarah J.,

Esther E., and John P., the last named being
the only one living to-day. Mrs. Esther
Leavitt Lamprey’s father, Jonathan Leavitt,
was born in Hampton Falls, N.H., in 1756.
He went to Maine in early life, and was an
important factor in the first settlement of
Eastport, better known then as Passamaquoddy.
He served as Captain in the Revolutionary
War. He died January 25, 1810. A grand-
son, General S. D. Leavitt, now residing in
the city of Eastport, is one of its most promi-
nent citizens, has been twice elected to the
State legislature, was Collector of Customs
under President Cleveland, and subsequently
Mayor of the city.

John P. Lamprey was fifteen years of age
when his parents removed to Kensington.
The greater part of his education was ac-
quired in Eastport, Me. He has now been
living on the homestead upward of fifty-four
years, and has_ been engaged during the
greater part of that time in the pursuit of
agriculture. The Lamprey farm, which orig-
inally covered three hundred acres of land,
now comprises one hundred acres of good
farming ground, and is beautifully situated.
The residence is roomy and substantial, fur-
nished in excellent taste; and a limited num-
ber of guests of the highest respectability find

 

quiet recreation at Pine Grove Farm every .
summer, renewing their strength amid its
pleasant surroundings.

Mr. Lamprey was married September 7,
1854, to Mary L., daughter of Samuel and
Ellen (Neal) Cobb. She was born in Liming-
ton, Me., in 1827. Mr. Cobb was born in
Limington, March 11, 1785, but spent most of
his active life in Bartlett, N.H. He was an
active and energetic man, a good farmer, and
a soldier in the War of 1812. He died in
Bartlett, December 8, 1854. Mrs. Cobb, who
was a native of Rhode Island, was born Au-
gust 16, 1793, and died August 25, 1882.
She was the mother of eleven children. As
an artist Mrs. Lamprey has received a number
of diplomas from different societies, and she
has decorated her dwelling with paintings and
sketches of a high order of merit. Her artis-
tic taste also appears in the other furnishings.
Mr. and Mrs. Lamprey had one child, Gilman,
who was born September 7, 1856, and died in
January, 1895.

Mr. Lamprey is a Democrat, and has served
as Selectman of Kensington. On the subject
of religion he holds liberal views. His wife
is a member of the Congregational church.
As old residents of the town of Kensington
Mr. and Mrs. Lamprey are widely known and
esteemed, and whoever has spent a summer at
Pine Grove Farm looks back to the time with
feelings of unmixed pleasure.

 

RTHUR W. DUDLEY, a successful

agriculturist of Brentwood township

and one of the most prominent and

popular citizens of this part of the

county, was born July 22, 1846, on the farm

where he now resides. He comes of distin-

guished New England ancestry, being the

lineal descendant of Governor Thomas Dudley,

of Massachusetts. His grandfather, John S.

Dudley, was a lifelong resident of Brentwood,

and here reared his family of children, which

included Winthrop H. Dudley, the father of
Arthur W.

Winthrop H. Dudley, who followed the ex-
ample of his ancestors by making general
farming his principal occupation, is now re-
siding with his son Arthur on the old home
38

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

farm. He succeeded to the property, and,
except when travelling, has resided on it con-
tinuously since. During the late Civil War
he was employed by the United States govern-
ment to procure for the army a certain amount
of hay, which he bought principally in New
York State and Canada. He is a stanch Dem-
ocrat in politics, and for five years faithfully
and ably served as County Treasurer. In
1844 he married Mary F. Robinson, a native
of Brentwood, who died in 1867, leaving two
children — Arthur W. and Sophia C. The
latter now lives in North Carolina.

Arthur W. Dudley completed his early edu-
cation at the Pinkerton Academy in Derry,
from which he graduated with the class of
1863. He then entered Dartmouth College,
and subsequently graduated in the class of
1867. After leaving Dartmouth he studied
civil engineering, in which he has been en-
gaged much of the time since. Some of his
first important work in this business was per-
formed for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad Company, in whose employment he
spent about a year. He was subsequently en-
gaged by the New York, New Haven & Hart-
ford Railroad Company for a year and a half,
having his headquarters at Bridgeport, Conn.
Returning then to the family homestead, Mr.
Dudley conducted the farm for some time.
In 1880 he went to Florida, where for the
following six years he was employed by the
Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railroad
Company as chief engineer and superintendent
of construction. Since that time he has lived
on the home farm, which he is managing with
good success. It contains two hundred acres
of fertile land, and yields large crops of hay,
corn, and potatoes each year. Mr. Dudley
is away from home a good deal still, employed
in his profession. He takes a warm interest
in local and county affairs, and is now serv-
ing as Representative to the State legislature
from Brentwood, having been elected thereto
in 1894 on the Republican ticket. While
looking closely after the interests of his town,
he renders good service to the Commonwealth
as Chairman of the Committee on Roads,
Bridges, and Canals. He has been a member
of the Town School Committee, for some
years was Chairman of the Board of Select-

 

men, and was a member of the Constitutional
Convention of 1889. He is prominently
identified with the Masonic fraternity, having
been a member of the Star in the East Lodge,
No. 59, of Exeter, for the past twenty-four
years. He likewise belongs to the Keenbor-
ough Grange, No. 172, of Brentwood, of which
he was the first Master, being at the present
time Lecturer in the organization.

On August 20, 1872, Mr. Dudley married
Miss Mary I. Lampiey, of Laconia, N.H.
She died August 22, 1880, leaving three chil-
dren, namely: Fred L., a graduate of Philips
Exeter Academy, who lives in Exeter; Mary
F. and John H., both of whom are in school.
On January 18, 1881, Mr. Dudley was again
married, taking for his wife Miss Clara F.
Hook. Mrs. Dudley was born February 22,
1862, in Brentwood, a daughter of Wilson G.
Hook, of this town. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Dudley attend the Congregational Church of
Brentwood.

 

UGUSTUS D. LYFORD, the repre-
sentative of one of the earliest fami-
lies to settle in Rockingham
County, was born December 3,
1830, in Brentwood township, where he has
always lived. His father, the late Joshua S.
Lyford, was a farmer and a well-known citi-
zen. He spent his entire life in this town-
ship, being engaged the larger portion of his
time in general farming. He married Lydia
L. Sanborn, a native of Hampton township, by
whom he had eight children, as follows: Maria
L., living in Kingston; John A., in Califor-
nia; Woodbridge S., living in Lawrence,
Mass.; Augustus D., the subject of this
sketch; Bambridge V. B., who died in 1892;
Loren D., of Kingston township; Joshua S.,
who died in infancy; and Joshua E. G., like-
wise a resident of Kingston township.
Augustus D. Lyford acquired his education
in the district schools, and on the home farm
received practical instruction in farming,
which he subsequently selected as his life oc-
cupation. After the death of his parents he
took charge of the old homestead, which he
now owns and occupies. The estate contains
sixty acres of land, which he manages success-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 39

 

 

fully and profitably, raising hay, corn, and
potatoes as his chief crops. By dint of per-
severing industry, shrewd forethought, and
judicious management Mr. Lyford has stead-
ily climbed the ladder of success, and now oc-
cupies a high position among the sclf-made
men of this county.
low-townsmen in various local offices, and in
politics has always given his undivided sup-
port to the Democratic party. In religion
he is a Congregationalist, being an esteemed
member of the church of that denomination
in Brentwood.

On July 4, 1862, Mr. Lyford married Julia
A. Davis, who was born in Kingston town-
ship, a daughter of Moses Davis, of that
place, a well-known farmer. She passed to
the life immortal December 5, 1885, leaving
five children, of whom the following is the
record: Mary Isabelle, widow of the late
Charles Day, lives in Kingston, N.H.;
George A., who owns a farm near the parental
homestead, is a carpenter and builder by
trade, his time being wholly devoted to that
business, and he married Lydia A. Goodwin,
of Kingston; Francis S., who lives on the
home farm, married Miss Carrie E. Holbrook,
of Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Eddie P., living in
Exeter, N.H., is a machinist by trade; and
Ella Gertrude is the wife of Jesse Gray, of
South New Market, N.H.

 

 

 

VERY M. FOSTER, M.D., a grad-
uate of Bowdoin College and a suc-
cessful physician and surgeon of
Candia, was born in Gray, Me.,
April 11, 1851, son of Moses B. and Eliza A.
(Benson) Foster. The family is of Scotch
extraction. Dr. Foster’s great-grandfather,
Isaac Foster (first), a native of Braintree,
Mass., served in the Continental army during
the Revolutionary War, and afterward settled
in Gray, Me. Isaac Foster (second), Dr.
Foster’s grandfather, was born in Gray, of
which town he was a prosperous farmer and a
lifelong resident. He lived to the age of
eighty-four years, and reared a family of three
children, none of whom are living.
Moses B. Foster, who was a native of Gray,
in young manhood learned the shoemaker’s

He has served his fel-

 

trade, and thereafter followed it throughout
his active period. He was an industrious
man, and had the esteem and good will of his
fellow-townsmen. He used his vote, how-
ever, in a manner which he considered most.
beneficial to the community, and retained a
deep interest in political affairs, and always
voted with the purpose of serving the commu-
nity. His death occurred in 1886, at the age
of seventy-four years. His wife, Eliza, a na-
tive of Gray, was a daughter of George Benson,
formerly a well-known blacksmith of that
town. Mr. Benson removed from Bar Harbor,
Me., to Gray, where he lived to be nearly
eighty years old, and reared a large family of
children. Dr. Foster’s maternal grandmother
was a Humphrey, whose family trace their
ancestry to John Alden, the “ Mayflower” Pil-
grim. The Doctor has in his possession an
antique mug, which is alleged to have been
brought over on the “Mayflower.” Moses B.
Foster and his wife reared seven of their eight
children, six of whom are living. These are:
Caleb, who is a preacher in Brunswick, Me. ;
Samue] H., a machinist of the same town;
Emma A., the wife of Elisha Thompson, of
Gray; Hannah, the wife of Thomas J. Gould,
of Lisbon, Me.; Avery M., the subject of
this sketch; and Eliza E., the wife of John B..
Clark, of Bradford, Me. Sarah J. died in
1888, aged twenty-eight years; and Nelson
F., the third-born, died when two months old.

Avery M. Foster, M.D., acquired his early
education in the schools of Gray and at
Nichols’s Latin School. He afterward grad-
uated from Bowdoin College in the class of
1875. Entering upon the practice of his pro-
fession, he opened an office in Lincolnville,
Me., where he remained some sixteen months.
From there he went to Belmont, Me., remain-
ing six years. He then practised successively
in Guilford, Abbot, and Lewiston, making
a stay in the last-named city of about two
years. For the past eight years he has been
located in Candia. Since entering his profes-
sional career he has given several notable
demonstrations of his skill as a surgeon,
having successfully performed some difficult
operations, including a number of amputa-
tions. Recently he removed a cancer from
the lip of a person over eighty-six years old,
40

and the patient is now rapidly recovering.
He is well and favorably known in this sec-
tion as a reliable physician and surgeon, who
can be depended upon to exercise the greatest
care and skill in the treatment of all cases in-
trusted to his charge; and his practice extends
over a radius of ten miles.

In December, 1876, Dr. Foster was united
in marriage to Mary Drinkwater, of Lincoln-
ville, Me. Of his children by this union the
only survivor is Myra I., now attending
school in this town. On April 29, 1896, he
entered a second marriage, contracted with
Susan A. Cate, daughter of J. P. Cate, of
Candia. In politics Dr. Foster is a Demo-
crat. While residing in Belmont, Me., he
was for two years Supervisor of Schools. He
is highly esteemed socially, and attends the
Congregational church.

 

AMES G. STONE, of North London--|

derry, N.H., one of the rapidly de-

creasing list of surviving veterans of

the Civil War, in which he fought
gallantly for the Union, and one who, since
the return of peace, has continued to hold the
respect and confidence of his townsmen, was
born May 20, 1844, in Lancaster, N.H.
That town was also the birthplace of his par-
ents, Samuel and Deborah V. (Stalbird)
Stone.

Among the early colonists of New England
were several of English birth bearing this
surname, as the Rev. Samuel Stone, of Hart-
ford, Conn., Deacon Gregory Stone, of Cam-
bridge, Mass., and his brother Simon, of
Watertown. An early ancestor of Mr. James
G. Stone settled in Portsmouth, N.H., whence
he subsequently removed to Lancaster in this
State, which has been the birthplace of the
succeeding generations of his branch of the
family. Samuel Stone, the great-grandfather
of James G., served in the Revolutionary War.

Samuel Stone, second, his grandson, the
father of James G., was a carpenter and joiner
by trade. He assisted in building the old
Central Bridge across the Merrimac River,
joining the city of Lowell with Dracut. He
was considered a skilled workman, and was
several times employed by the late General

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

B. F. Butler. He moved to Lowell, Mass.,
with his family in 1847, and resided there
until his death on December 29, 1861. His
wife died in Virginia, Mo., on May 20, 1883;
and in 1884 Mr. James G. Stone made a trip
to that place, and had her remains taken to
Lowell, Mass., to rest in a grave beside his
father’s. Of the children of Samuel and
Deborah V. Stone the following are living:
Frances M., wife of Gilman Veasey, of Sum-
ner County, Kansas; Caroline A., wife of
Lorenzo Bateman; Eunice, wife of Henry
Quimby, of Bloomington, Ill; George N.,
a Captain in the Civil War, and now Vice-
President of the Bell Telephone Company
and General Manager of the company in Ohio,
residing in Cincinnati (it was he who reared
the famous Maud S. after she was six months
old); James G.; and Samuel H., in Ogle
County, Illinois.

At three years of age James G. Stone moved
with his parents to Lowell, Mass. He was a
regular attendant of the public schools until
twelve years old; but between the ages of
twelve and fifteen years, when his school days
closed, his opportunties for attending school
were mostly limited to the winter season.
Whenever an opportunity did present, how-
ever, he made the most of it, and all his life
has kept himself well informed through read-
ing good books and papers. At twelve years
old he was thrown on his own resources; and,
leaving his home, he lived during the follow-
ing summer with W. C. Harris, of Windham,
N.H. The succeeding winter was spent in
the home of Archibald Varnum, of Dracut,
Mass., where he attended school, and did such
chores as he was able. The next summer he
returned to Rockingham County, and worked
for a short time for Deacon Samuel Dinsmore,
of Auburn, and subsequently in Windham,
where he was apprenticed at the shoemaker’s
trade to M. B. Kimball, by whom he was
afterward employed as a journeyman, and for
about three years was a member of Mr. Kim-
ball’s family.

He continued to work at shoemaking in
Windham until October 7, 1861, at which
time he enlisted in Company K, Seventh New
Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, and during the
greater part of his service was in the Ninth
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 41

 

 

Army Corps under General Gilmore. He
participated in the siege of Charleston. He
also took part in three different charges on
Fort Wagner, and was engaged in a number
of skirmishes with the guerillas in Florida.
On the morning of October 1, 1863, while he
was riding as an Orderly, his right ankle was
shattered by a piece of shell, the wound being
so scrious that he was obliged to undergo an
amputation. The time between that and
April, 1864, when he was honorably dis-
charged, was spent in several different hospi-
tals.” On his return to Windham he resumed
his former occupation of a shoemaker. In
1867 he came to Londonderry; and, with the
exception of a brief time spent in Haverhill,
Mass., this town has since been his home.
For about eighteen years he was a shoe-cutter
in different factories; but in 1888 he retired
from that line of work, and has since lived
practically in retirement. He is a man of
genial hospitality, and an entertaining conver-
sationalist, being well informed on the lead-
ing topics of the day.

Mr. Stone was married in Manchester,
N.H., to Miss Elizabeth B. Hicks, who is a
native of Derby, Vt., but whose parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Henry J. Hicks, were both born in
England. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Stone
has been blessed by the birth of one daughter,
Anna M. She is now the wife of John E.
Ray and mother of one son, J. Harold. Mr.
Ray is a well-known meat and provision dealer
of Londonderry.

Mr. Stone has been called to fill positions
of honor and trust. He served as Clerk of
Londonderry one term, as Supervisor of the
check list of the town for about three years,
for many years was Justice of the Peace in
Rockingham County, and now holds the office
of Quorum Justice for the State of New
Hampshire. Fraternally, he is an honored
member of St. Mark’s Lodge, No. 44, A. F.
& A. M., of Derry; Mizpah Lodge, No. 151,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Haver-
hill, Mass.; and the Londonderry Grange,
Patrons of Husbandry, of which he was Master
one year, and was elected for the second year,
but declined to serve. He was formerly a
member of the Wesley B. Knight Post, No.
41, Grand Army of the Republic, which he

‘of affluence.

 

served one year as Commander, and was its
first Quartermaster, holding the office for
three years.

 

ATHANIEL BURLEIGH GLID-
DEN, a progressive farmer of Brent-

wood, was born, December 10,

1836, at  Tuftonboro, Carroll

County. His father, William Glidden, was
also born in Tuftonboro; while his mother,
Drusilla Pendexter, was a native of South
New Market, this county. The father was a
mechanic, and worked many years in Dover,
N.H., where his death occurred January Io,
1842. The mother died five years later, leav-
ing two sons — William H. and Nathaniel B.

Nathaniel B. Glidden was left an orphan
at the age of eleven years. Of the following
five years four were spent in Wolfboro, Carroll
County, living with James B. Young. He
subsequently worked in different towns of the
State, among them being Strafford, Dover,
Barrington, and South New Market. In 1877°
he settled in Brentwood, bought land near the
county farm, and engaged in farming. After
two years he sold out, and purchased his pres-
ent farm. Here he has one hundred and thirty
acres, on which he carries on general farming.
He keeps a fine dairy of twelve cows, whose
milk he ships to Boston. Mr. Glidden is a
self-made man: in every sense, having worked
his way step by step to his present condition
In politics he is a steadfast
Democrat, uniformly casting his vote for that
party’s ticket. He is likewise a member of
the local grange.

Mr. Glidden has been twice married. His
marriage with Hannah F. Hall, a native of
Strafford, was performed in Dover, October
28, 1856. She died June 1, 1873, leaving
three children, as follows: George B., who
married Miss May Brown, and now lives in
Pawtucket, R.I.; Mary L., who is the wife
of George W. Gould, of Newton Junction,
this county; and Annie C., who is wife of
Fred Pingree, and resides in Charlestown,
Mass. On January 8, 1874, Mr. Glidden was
again married, Miss Emma E. Davis becom-
ing his wife. She is a native of Dover, born
in April, 1838, daughter of William Davis.
42

Her father is a mechanic, now eighty-five
years of age, living in Dover. Her mother,
whose maiden name was Sarah _ Frances
Libbey, died in September, 1886. Mr. and
Mrs. Glidden are the parents of one child,
Nellie E., who lives at home. Mrs. Glidden
is a consistent and valued member of the
Baptist church.

 

HARLES EDWARD HODGDON is

an enterprising citizen of Portsmouth,

who takes a prominent part in civic

affairs, and as an ice dealer carries

on a large and prosperous business. He was

born on October 27, 1848, son of Benjamin

and Hannah (Frye) Hodgdon, his birthplace

being the farm which he now owns and
occupies.

Mr. Hodgdon comes of a race of sturdy and
prosperous farmers, at least three generations
of whom were born in Newington, N.H. His
great-great-grandfather on the paternal side,
a prosperous farmer, was, so far as known, a
lifelong resident of that town. He married
a Miss Hoyt; and of this union was born Ben-
jamin Hodgdon, Sr., the next in line of de-
scent. This gentleman added to his agricult-
ural labors the work of carpentry. He spent
his life in Newington, and married a Miss
Coleman, of that place. Their son Ephraim,
the grandfather of Charles E. Hodgdon, was
of a more adventurous spirit than his prede-
cessors, and moved from place to place, though
always following the pursuit of agriculture as
a means of earning a livelihood. He spent
the latter part of his life in Portsmouth. His
wife was a Newington girl, named Abigail
Thomas.

Benjamin Hodgdon, son of Ephraim, was
born in Newington, but passed much of his
boyhood in Portsmouth. After his marriage
he purchased a farm on the west side of
Woodbury Avenue, a place at that time well
adapted to agricultural purposes, but now in-
cluded within the city limits. There he
passed his life, and died in his ninetieth
year. His wife, Hannah Frye, a native of
Portsmouth, daughter of Isaac Frye, attained
the age of seventy-six years. Her mother’s
maiden name was Rebecca Foster. Mr. and

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mrs. Benjamin Hodgdon reared four children
—Lizzie H., Lydia F., Henry C., and
Charles Edward. Henry C. enlisted in 1861
in Company K, Thirteenth Regiment of New
Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, and died in
the service when only eighteen years of age.

Charles Edward Hodgdon, the subject of
this sketch, was educated in Portsmouth, where
for some time he was a student at the Wood-
bury School. In early boyhood he took an
active part in the farm work, and his practical
knowledge of agriculture grew with his
growth. He succeeded his father as owner of
the homestead, and has for years been en-
gaged in general farming, displaying much
enterprise and ingenuity in his methods of
raising crops. As a dairyman also he has
been very successful, and now has a fine herd
of registered Jerseys. At the age of nineteen
he started in the ice business, beginning in a
small way; and his trade increased from year
to year, so that he now has houses with a ca-
pacity of twenty-five hundred tons. The ice
is of a fine quality, coming from a pond fed by
springs, which is drained in the summer sea-
son, the ground being cultivated to keep the
bed of the pond free from weeds and grass.

January 4, 1876, Mr. Hodgdon was married
to Martha Jane Locke, a native of Rye, N.H.,
who died in 1879; and on November 30, 1882,
he was married to Lillie Robertson, who was
born in Northfield, N.H., daughter of Lewis
and Lizzie (Carter) Robertson. By his
second marriage he has three children — Cora
E., Mildred, and Winifred.

In politics Mr. Hodgdon is a Republican,
taking an active interest in the welfare of his
native city. He was elected Alderman in
1895. In social matters he is interested
also, and belongs to prominent organizations,
including Osgood Lodge, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, No. 48, of which he has been
Trustee for ten years, Strawberry Bank En-
campment, No. 5, Canton Senter, No. 12,
R. M., and Union Rebecca Lodge, No. 3, of
which his wife also isa member. He attends
the Baptist church, while his wife belongs to
the Methodist.

A picture of unusual interest here meets the
eye of the reader —a family group made clear
by the following description: —
 

CHARLES E. HODGDON, WIFE, AND DAUGHTERS.
July 21, 1896.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 45

 

 

“Alderman Hodgdon is the central figure,
with four-year-old baby Winifred on his knee.
She wears a yellow chrysanthemum, and he a
blue and white Sons of the Revolution button.

“Mrs. Lillie Robertson Hodgdon stands on
the left, wearing the silver cross of the King’s
Daughters and a bit of mignonette. She has
an ancestor on the maternal side that entitles
her to join a society of Daughters of the
Revolution. Cora Elouise stands beside her
mother, and wears a spray of the same fragrant
blossoms. Twelve years she has been a help
to her parents. Mildred, the ‘mascot,’ is the
author of many wise and droll ideas and say-
ings. She has brought luck to the household
in many ways since her coming, eight years
ago. A bright nasturtium and feathery green
foliage nestle on her shoulder in the folds of
lace.
happy family.”

RANK P. BROWN isa successful and

l, prominent business man of East Can-

dia, N.H., his native place. He was

born on August 2, 1852, only son of Jeremiah
and Caroline (Cass) Brown.

Earlier generations had their home in the
old town of Candia, of which James L. Brown,
grandfather of Frank P., was a native. He was
a carpenter by trade, following this occupa-
tion during the entire active period of his life,
earning his bread by honest industry and faith-
ful effort. He married Sally Griffin, of Can-
dia, and bad ten children. Only five of this
large family are now living, namely: Charles
C., in Candia; Joseph L., a resident of Ray-
mond; Hannah, the wife of P. M. Towle, of
Candia; John K. Brown, of Manchester,
N.H.; and Jeremiah Brown, of Candia, N.H.

Jeremiah Brown, one of the ten children of
James L., was born in the month of March,
1826, in the town of Candia, where the family
seems to be deep-rooted in New Hampshire
soil. In his early life he was a shoemaker,
and sat at his bench in this capacity for thirty
years. Since his son Frank has been a mer-
chant, however, he has been associated with
him in the store. Mr. Jeremiah Brown's first
wife, whose maiden name was Caroline Cass,
and who has been mentioned as the mother of

 

 

All together, the picture portrays a |

 

the subject of the present sketch, died on
April 5, 1855. By his second wife, Eliza J.
Currier, whom he married September 25,
1855, he had one child — Ared A., who died
in 1873, aged seven years.

Frank P. Brown received a good common-
school education in the public schools of East
Candia and the high school of Raymond,
N.H., and, when a young man, was employed
as book-keeper and clerk in the depot village
store. In 1873 he formed a partnership with
L. H. Dearborn, which was continued for a
few months. The latter's interest was then
purchased by Mr. Brown, who continued alone
the business for which he seemed to have a
natural talent; and in an incredibly short time
his trade had so increased that it was neces-
sary to enlarge his storehouse. In 1885 he
was appointed Postmaster at the depot village;
and he at once opened a store there, not neg-
lecting the East Candia establishment. About
two years later he disposed of the depot store,
and he has since given his concentrated ener-
gies to the East Candia venture.

In the year 1873 he was married to Miss
Rosa M. Lakin, of Sanbornton. Three chil-
dren were born to bless this marriage — Fred
A., who is with his father in business; and
Conna G. and Lena R., both at school in
Derry.

During the years of 1879 and 1880 Frank
P. Brown served as a Representative in the
legislature. He was a Selectman in 1878 and
1879, and held the office of Town Treasurer in
1892. He is a member of Rockingham
Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., of Candia,
and belongs to Junietta Lodge, No. 47, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of Raymond,
having passed the various chairs of the latter
organization. His allegiance is pledged to
the Democratic party; and, as a man of grow-
ing influence, his political support is of value.
Mr. Brown attends the Methodist church.

OSEPH B. T. GRAVES, a well-to-do
farmer residing in Brentwood, was born
here, September 4, 1819, son of Joseph
and Rebecca (Thyng) Graves. He

comes of an old pioneer family of Rockingham
County. His grandfather, William Graves,

 
46 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

came to Brentwood in the early days, and here
reared his family. His son Joseph, a native
of the town, spent his entire life here, chiefly
occupied in farming. Being a well-informed
man, with a good deal of business ability,
Joseph transacted much probate business for
his neighbors. His death occurred at the age
of seventy-one years. He married Rebecca
Thyng, also a native of Brentwood, who, hav-
ing outlived him, passed away January 4,
1864. They had four children — Lyford F.,
William, Joseph B. T., and Dorothy A. Of
these Joseph B. T. is the only one now living.

Joseph B. T. Graves is one of the oldest of
the residents who are natives of the town.
IIe received a good education, which was
completed in Lowell, Mass. He subsequently
resided at the homestead until his marriage.
Soon after that event he assumed its manage-
ment, finally succeeding to its ownership. It
contains one hundred acres of land. He has
made improvements of a substantial character.
The residence and out-buildings are neat and
convenient. He and his wife, though quite
aged, still carry on farming with the assist-
ance of hired men. Mr. Graves also raises
some stock, and keeps a small dairy, selling
the milk. He has been a zealous advocate of
Republican principles, and has served his
townsmen in nearly every office within their
gift. He was Chairman of the Board of
Selectmen for one term, was Town Clerk
eighteen years, and in 1885 represented his
district in the State legislature. Both he and
his wife attend the Congregational church,
although neither is connected by membership
with any religious organization.

Mr. Graves was married December 29,
1842, to Harriet M., daughter of Asa and
Grace (Stewart) Wood, both lifelong residents
of Brentwood, where Mr. Wood was engaged
as a merchant for many years. Mrs. Graves
was born in this town, June 20, 1819, and has
here spent her long and useful life. She is
the mother of three sons — John. W., Rufus
I., and Eugene E. John W. married Miss
Emma Morrill, and lives in Haverhill, Mass.
Rufus E. is the proprietor of a restaurant in
Newfield, N.H. Eugene E., who married
Miss Louise Pollard, is also a resident of
Haverhill.

 

HARLES H. DAY, proprietor of one
of the best farms in the town of .
l Derry, N.H., with a homestead
that makes such a pretty rural pict-
ure that it attracts the attention and wins
the admiration of the passer-by, was born in
Derry, April 28,.1842, son of Daniel J. and
Harriet N. (Calef) Day. The branch of the
Day family to which he belongs came origi-
nally from Bradford, Mass. The: father of
Daniel J., Little Day, who was an early set-
tler in Derry, lived on a farm about a mile
from his grandson’s present residence. Daniel
J. Day was a lifelong resident of Derry. He
obtained his education in the district school,
and, like most of the boys in his neighbor-
hood, was trained to habits of industry on the
home farm. Of an active and ambitious tem-
perament, he learned the carpenter’s trade in
his youth, and worked at it for a number of
years, at the same time managing a farm;
and, his trade making it necessary for him to
select and buy lumber, he became gradually
interested in the lumber trade, and eventually
managed a large business as a Jumberman.
He cast his first vote with the Whigs, and was
afterward a member of the Republican party.
Mr. Daniel J. Day took an active interest in
religious matters, and was for some time Dea-
con of the First Church in East Derry. He
was gifted with a strong constitution, and
lived to be nearly eighty years old, passing
away in January, 1878. His wife, Mrs. Har-
riet N. Day, who was a native of Hampstead,
this county, died in 1896.

Charles H. Day is the only surviving child
of his parents. He received a good education
in his early years, attending the public schools
of Derry, and Atkinson and Pinkerton Acad-
emies. He has been engaged in agricultural
pursuits since boyhood, and his success as a
farmer is such that he is regarded as an au-
thority on matters pertaining to the cultivation
of the soil and stock raising. He has been
connected with Nutfield Grange, No. 37,
Patrons of Husbandry, headquarters at East
Derry, for nineteen years, and is now serving
his second term as Master of the Grange.

November 24, 1864, Mr. Day was married
to Martha Sanborn, daughter of William and
Mary (Greenleaf) Sanborn. She was born ‘in
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 47

 

 

Hampstead, this county. Her parents were na-
tives of Chichester, Hillsborough County; and
her father’s father, Jeremiah Sanborn, resided
in that town for a number of years.
Sanborn was a resident of Hampstead for more
than half a century, and died there in 1893,
over eighty years of age. His first wife, Mrs.
Day’s mother, died when her daughter Martha
was three years old. Two of the children of
his second marriage are living; namely, James
W. and John C. Sanborn, both in Hampstead.
The three children who have blessed the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Day are Lucy E. (de-
ceased), Mary H., and John W. The latter
is a student at Pinkerton Academy. Miss
Mary H. Day, who is a graduate of Pinkerton
Academy and of the Bridgewater (Mass.)
Normal School, is teaching in Quincy, Mass.

Mr. Day votes the Republican ticket. He
is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Echo Lodge,
No. 61, at Derry Depot. Mrs. Day is a
member of the First Church at East Derry.
Both are highly esteemed in the town where
they have lived together for over thirty years,
and reared their children to promising ma-
turity.

 

EREMIAH BENFIELD, a_ general
farmer and merchant cf Fremont, has
been the architect of his own fortunes,
having by study, diligence, and busi-

ness tact won his way from a condition of
poverty to one of comparative affluence. He
was born August 4, 1821, in County Oxford,

England, son of Job and Mary (Berry) Ben-.

field. His parents had nine other children,
of whom tke only survivor is Maria, who
lives in County Durham, England.

Jeremiah Benfield, having left his native
land on March 5, 1850, arrived in Boston
with scarce a penny to his name. He spent his
first night on board the ship that had brought
him over the ocean, and then proceeded to
Dover, N.H., where he worked at anything he
could find to do. He finally began peddling
linen and table covers, carrying a pack for
about four months. Desirous of becoming
master of some trade whereby he might earn
his livelihood, he then gave his time to learn
shoemaking, at which he afterward worked in

William °

 

Chester, N.H., for ten years. In November,
1861, he removed to his present home in Fre-
mont, and here worked at shoemaking for a
short time. He then opened a store of gen-
eral merchandise, which he has since success-
fully conducted. He is now doing a very
profitable business. He also carries on gen-
eral farming, having sixty acres of land, on
which he has made many improvements. Mr.
Benfield is mainly self-educated, his only
schooling having been obtained at the evening
schools. His religious faith is that of the
Church of England.

In July, 1851, Mr. Benfield was united in
matrimony with Miss Mary J. Wilcomb at
Haverhill, Mass. Mrs. Benfield was born in
Chester, daughter of Ebenezer Wilcomb, a
cooper of that town. Mr. and Mrs. Benfield
have had a family of nine children, three of
whom died at an early age. The others are:
Arthur E., who is a teamster for a wholesale
firm, and lives in Peabody, Mass.; Albert J.,
who keeps a boarding-house in Boston, Mass. ;
Mary Belle, who is the wife of George Pollard,
of Raymond, N.H.; Manson, who works in a
paper box factory in Boston; Wilcomb Hoyt,
who is a resident of Fremont township; and
Amon O., who isa clerk in a store at Ports-
mouth, N.H.

APTAIN WILLIAM L. DWIGHT,
a retired sea captain, is one of the

 

oldest native-born citizens now

residing in Portsmouth. He is a.
lineal descendant of John Dwight, a native of
England, who came to America in 1635, and
was one of the first settlers of Dedham, Mass.
He was a man of large means, and.was promi-
nent in public affairs. His wife Hannah and
three sons came with him to this country.
The line of descent from John Dwight is con-
tinued, through John (second), Timothy, Na-
thaniel, Nathaniel (second), and Elijah, to
Dr. Jacob Dwight, who was the father of our
subject.

Dr. Jacob Dwight was born in Belchertown,
Mass., in 1775. He graduated from Yale in
1794, at the age of nineteen, and in 1799 re-
ceived his medical diploma. He then came
to Portsmouth, and was engaged in practice
48

here over fifty years. He died in 1855. His
wife, Susannah Thompson by maiden name,
was born in Portsmouth, and was a daughter
of Captain Thomas Thompson, who was a Cap-
tain in the navy during the Revolutionary
War. Captain Dwight now has in his posses-
sion his grandfather’s commission, signed by
John Hancock. Mrs. Jacob Dwight died in
1843. She reared three children —- William
L., Martha S., and Ann B.

William L. Dwight commenced the life of
a sailor at the age of seventeen, and in 1833
became commander of a vessel. While in the
merchant marine service he visited various
ports in Europe, and followed the sea until
1852, in which year he retired, and has since
resided in his pleasant home on Middle Street
in this city.

Captain Dwight was married in 1841 to
Adeline Rice, who was born in Portsmouth in
1811, daughter of Captain William and Abi-
gail (Parker) Rice. She died in 1895. Cap-
tain Dwight has one daughter — Susan Thomp-
son, widow of Captain Arthur Yates, United
States Navy; and she is the mother of .two
daughters — Adelle Austin and May Lansing.

 

 

OSES P. FRENCH, formerly an
extensive farmer and_ prominent
citizen of Kingston, N.H., was
born in this town, November 30,

1795. He was a son of John and Nancy
(Peaslee) French and great-grandson of Simon
French, who came from Salisbury, Mass., to
Kingston at an early epoch in the town’s
history, and settled upon the farm which has
since remained in possession of his descend-
ants. David French, son of Simon, was in
early manhood a Congregational preacher; but
failing health caused him to retire from the
pulpit, and the rest of his life was spent in
carrying on the homestead farm in Kingston.

John French, son of the Rev. David and
father of the late Moses P. French, was a na-
tive and a lifelong resident of Kingston; and,
succeeding to the ownership of the farm, he
conducted the property with ability until his
death, which took place January 31, 1843.
His wife, who was before marriage Nancy
Peaslee, and was a native of Newton, N.H.,

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

became the mother of three children, all of
whom have passed away. They were as fol- |
lows: Moses P., the subject of this sketch;
Anna, who was born in 1799, and was the wife
of the late David Dudley; and Lavinia, who
was born in 1801, married T. Sanborn, for-
merly of Kingston, and later of Sutton, N.H.,
where he died. Mrs. Nancy P. French died
April 28, 1851.

Moses P. French acquired a good education,
and for a number of years he was engaged in
teaching school. After his father’s death he
settled upon the home farm, which he con-
ducted with a vigorous and progressive policy,
utilizing every opportunity for advancement;
and he accumulated a good estate. Being a
man whose intellectual faculties were exceed-
ingly well developed, he was well informed
upon all current issues of his day; and for
many years he was prominently identified with
local public affairs. He collected a valuable
library, which was the source of much enjoy-
ment to him in his leisure moments. He
was, however, extremely devoted to his farm
and business affairs, always superintending
every detail in the management of his estate;
and his close attention to business continued
unabated until his death, which took place
July 31, 1871.

In 1824 Mr. French wedded Mary E.
Smith, who was born in East Kingston, De-
cember 29, 1798, daughter of Robert and
Hannah (Currier) Smith. Mrs. French was a
descendant of the famous old Duston family of
Colonial times, a relic of which, in the shape
of an antique silver spoon, is still in the
possession of her daughters.

Mr. and Mrs. French were the parents of
eight children, namely: Robert Smith, who
died at the age of twenty-six; John Peaslee,
who died in 1889; Hannah Maria, who was
born October 25, 1829, and is now a retired
public school teacher; Moses Jackson, who
married Alcina Clark, and resides in Kings-
ton village; Arianna E., who died in 1880;
Mary A., a successful teacher, who died in
1879; Annie Lavinia, who was born February
7, 1838, and is also a retired teacher; and
Ellen Josephine, who was born April 17,
1842, and resides with her sisters. Mrs.
French, who was in her early womanhood a
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 49

 

 

schoo] teacher, and who was a lady of high
intellectual attainments for her day and gener-
ation, died April 4, 1876. Some of the chil-
_ dren were graduated at the New Hampshire
Conference Seminary at Tilton, N.H.; and
the others were educated at the academy in
Kingston. The daughters are all members of
the Methodist Episcopal church, with which
their parents were united; and they take an
active part in church work.

After the death of Mr. French the farm was
carried on by one of his sons for a time, and
then the larger part of the farm was sold to
other parties.

 

°

 

OSEPH T. SMITH, of Brentwood, who
is widely known throughout this part
of New England as a successful flori-
culturist and agriculturist, was born

May 4, 1821, on the homestead where he now
resides, son of Nathan and Sallie (Tuttle)
Smith, respectively natives of Brentwood and
Lee, Strafford County. Nathan Smith in his
younger days taught school in every district
of Raymond, N.H. He subsequently en-
gaged in farming in this town, where he re-
sided until his death, at the age of fifty-eight
years. His wife, who died when thirty-six
years old, bore him two children, namely: Jo-
seph T., the subject of this sketch; and
Sallie, now the wife of Asa A. Wood, of
Wood’s Corner, this county.

Joseph T. Smith grew to manhood on the
parental homestead, receiving an academical
education. On the death of his father, which
occurred about the time he came of age, he as-
sumed the management of the farm. The
estate contains one hundred acres of well-im-
proved land, mostly in a high state of cultiva-
tion. Besides carrying on general agriculture
he raises seeds, plants, bulbs, and the other
productions dealt in by the modern florist,
which is at the present time his principal
occupation. He has one of the largest hot-
houses in Rockingham County. He has a
large trade, selling his seeds and plants in all
parts of New England. A specialty is made
of tomato plants, of which he disposes between
fifty and sixty thousand annually. In his
general farming his principal crops are hay,

 

corn, and potatoes, with which he is quite
successful. At one time he manufactured
boots and shoes, and did a large business in
that line.

Mr. Smith married’Miss Grace H. Wood,
December 20, 1842, on the old homestead,
where they still live. Mrs. Smith was born
October 20, 1817, in this town, a daughter of
Asa and Grace (Stewart) Wood. Of the
three children born of their happy union,
Leroy, the first-born, died in 1874. The
others are: Arthur B. and Walter S. Arthur
B., who now lives in Haverhill, Mass., mar-
ried Miss Ida Elliott, of Manchester, N.H.;
and Walter S. married Miss Emma Marshall,
and they now reside in Malden, Mass. In
politics Mr. Smith is an earnest advocate of
Republican principles. He takes a lively
interest in local affairs, promoting on all oc-
casions the welfare of the town and county.
He has served satisfactorily as Selectman for
a number of years; and for two terms he was
Representative to the State legislature from
this town.

 

the farming community of London-
derry, N.H., was born in Melrose,
Mass., January 9, 1831. His parents
were Benjamin and Frances (Vinton) Day, the
former a native of Gloucester, Mass., the
latter of Charlestown. On both sides of the
family he comes of sturdy New England stock.
His grandfather Day was one of the crew of
an American privateer during the War of
1812, which was captured by a British cruiser;
and as a prisoner of war he was confined for
some time, being finally exchanged.
Benjamin Day, Joseph L. Day’s father, was
a shoemaker, and devoted much of his time to
the work of his trade. He died in Wakefield,
Mass. Of his children the following survive:
Joseph L.; Lucy, Mrs. Taylor, a widow liv-
ing in Wakefield, Mass.; Loring, in the
same town; Caroline, wife of Elbridge Larra-
bee, in Salem, N.H.; Gustanza, wife of
George Lord, of Philadelphia, Pa.; Martha,
Mrs. Nichols, a widow residing in Wakefield,
Mass.; Benjamin, also in Wakefield; and
Mary E., wife of Henry Fisher, of Boston.

de. L. DAY, a leading member of
5°

Joseph L. Day, the subject of this sketch,
received a good education, attending the com-
mon schools of his native town and an acad-
emy. He was reared on a farm in Melrose,
Mass. This town, which is one of the pretti-
est places within a radius of ten miles of Bos-
ton, is now largely residential, closely built
up with the homes of prosperous business
men, whose offices are in Boston; but in Mr.
Day’s boyhood it was a place of fertile farms,
broad stretches of loamy meadow, swelling up-
land pasture lands and berry fields and nutting
grounds that satisfied even a boy’s large de-
sires. Some of the farm-houses of that era are
still standing, with a little shop in the rear,
where the farmer-shoemaker patiently drew
his “waxed ends” in and out or industriously
tapped the pegs, as he made by hand the sewed
or pegged shoes. Mr. Day worked at farming
till about seventeen-years of age, and then for
twenty years he was engaged in shoemaking.
He finally left the bench altogether, and gave
his whole attention to the pursuit of agricult-
ure; and in 1877 he purchased the farm
which he now occupies in Londonderry, a fine
estate of seventy acres, which gives him gen-
erous returns for his labor.

Mr. Day has been twice married. His first
wife, Laura Gould, of Hampden, Me., left
one son, Frank, who died June 26, 1884.
The present Mrs. Day was Mrs. Susan A.
Gove Angell, widow of J. Frank Angell, of
Sunapee, N.H., and daughter of John and
Betsey Gove, of Claremont, N.H. Her par-
ents were both natives of the Granite State,
the father born in Salisbury, the mother in
Charlestown. She has Revolutionary blood
in her veins, her grandfather on the maternal
side, Buckminster White, having’ been a sol-
dier in the Continental army. Mrs. Day has
a sister and brother living, namely: Mrs.
Philip Greeley, of Boston, Mass.; and Charles
S. Gove, in Cambridge, Mass.

Mr. Day votes the Republican ticket. He
is a public-spirited citizen, actively interested
in all measures for the betterment of the
town. An earnest believer in the benefits of
religion, he is an Elder in the Presbyterian
church. He has a,pleasant home, which ‘is
a centre of genial hospitality, Mr. and Mrs.
Day being widely known and highly esteemed.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

EORGE W. BASSETT, a skilful
farmer of Fremont, who has met with
a fair share of success in his inde-
pendent calling, is a native of this county,
born February 22, 1837, in the town of
Epping. His father, Samuel Bassett, who
was born and reared in Vermont, in his early
manhood settled in Epping, where he mar-
ried Miss Hannah Peasley. Some time after
he removed to Pittsfield, Merrimack County,
and was there engaged in teaming and farm-
ing for the remainder of his active life. He
passed his last days with his son, George W.,
in Fremont, where his death occurred, June
19, 1872. His first wife, who bore him four
children, died while in Pittsfield; and he sub-
sequently married Sarah Cram, a native of
Pittsfield. The children of his first union
were: Joseph, who died while serving the
Union in the late war; John, who is living in
New York; Mary Ann, now a resident of
California; and George W., the subject of
this sketch.

George W. Bassett began the battle of life
when but eight years of age. Going then to
South Haven, this county, he worked ‘on a
farm until he was eighteen years of age. He
was afterward engaged in different places as
a farm laborer, and for some time sold char-
coal, when he acquired the sobriquet of
“Charcoal Bassett.” At length by good
management he had saved enough money to
warrant him in buying his present farm. The
property contains one hundred and fifty acres.
Since entering into possession he has made
most of the improvements now to be seen on
it, besides bringing the soil to a high state of
productiveness. He carries on general agri-
culture, and continues to deal in charcoal.
In politics he is a loyal and faithful Republi-
can, never swerving from party allegiance.

Mr. Bassett was married May 8, 1866, to
Mrs. Sarah J. (Beede) Blaisdel. She was the
widow of the late D. Albert Blaisdel, who
died in Wilton, Me., in 1863, leaving her
with one child, Albert B. Blaisdel, now in
business in Haverhill, Mass. Mrs. Bassett was
born in Fremont, October 18, 1840, daughter
of Horatio and Hannah Beede, neither of
whom is now living. Her father, a well-
known farmer of this locality, was likewise a
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 53

 

 

lumber dealer. Mr. and Mrs. Bassett have
two children-— Joseph and George S.  Jo-
seph, who married Miss Eva M. Kimball, of
Danville, has one child, George Albert; and
he and his family live on the home farm, as-
sisting Mr. and Mrs. Bassett in its care and
management. George S. is in business in
Haverhill, Mass.

 

ENJAMIN ADAMS, one of Derry’s
most practical and energetic business
men and farmers, was born in Salem,
N.H., July ro, 1824, son of Edmund

and Elizabeth (Karr) Adams. The ancestors
of the family were residents of Massachusetts.
Benjamin Adams’s uncle, Mr. Jacob Adams,
who died in 1823, gave eight hundred dollars
to the parish for the purchase of a bell, and
left a fund for the establishment in Derry,
N.H., of the Adams Female Academy, which
was the first incorporated academy for young
ladies in the State. It was first under the
charge of Miss Z. P. Grant and afterward the
distinguished Mary Lyon, and for many years
enjoyed a prosperous and useful existence; but
it was discontinued some time since.

Edmund Adams, Mr. Adams’s father, was
born in Massachusetts, and during the War of

1812 was among those who constituted the |

garrison at Portsmouth. He resided in Salem,
N.H., until 1830, when he removed with his
family to Derry, where he bought the farm
which is now the property of his son Benjamin ;
and here he devoted the rest of his active life
to tilling the soil. He also engaged in the
manufacture of lumber, owning a saw-mill in
the neighborhood of his residence; and he was
one of the well-known stirring business men
of his day. He supported the Democratic
party, being a prominent figure in political
affairs, in which he exercised a marked influ-
ence for many years; and he died at the home-
stead in 1856. His wife, Elizabeth Karr
before marriage, who was a native of Derry,
surviving him but a short interval, died in the
same year. Of their children the only sur-
vivor is Benjamin, the subject of this sketch.

Benjamin Adams was educated in the dis-
trict school of his neighborhood and at Pinker-
ton Academy in Derry, of which Abel F. Hil-

 

dreth, A.M., was principal from 1819 to 1846.
He was brought up on the farm in Derry, and
at an early age began to make himself useful
in his father’s lumber-mill. When his father
died, he and his brother, Edmund, Jr., took
charge of the business, under the firm name of
Adams Brothers; and the enterprise was car-
ried on very successfully by them until the
death of Edmund Adams, Jr., which occurred
July 1, 1892. Benjamin Adams has resided
upon the farm he now owns since his early
boyhood, and the land under his able manage-
ment has been made to yield abundant crops
and has also increased in value.

On December 15, 1884, Mr. Adams married
Catherine Foster, of Cheshire County, daughter
of Henry P. Foster, a native of the same
county, who served asa soldier in the War of
1812. Mrs. Adams's maternal grandfather,
Daniel Marsh, was in the Continental service
during the Revolutionary struggle. Mr. and
Mrs. Adams have one son — Benjamin Foster,
who was born September g, 1888.

Although favoring Democratic principles,
Mr. Adams is accustomed to vote indepen-
dently, supporting the candidates whom he
considers the most worthy of holding public
office; and he has never allowed himself to be
tied to any political party. He is in favor of
all measures calculated to develop the indus-
trial resources of the town, and may be de-
pended upon for his aid and influence in for-
warding any movement relative to the accom-
plishment of that end. He has always devoted
his time and energies to the farm and business
enterprises therewith connected, in which he
has labored industriously, and as a result is
now enjoying the fruits of long-continued,
well-directed activities. His brother, the late
Edmund Adams, Jr., who was for so many
years associated with him in business, was a
man of well-known ability in public affairs.
He was for several years a member of the
Board of Selectmen of Derry, and was elected
a Representative to the legislature by the
Democratic party, which he always supported
with vigor.

On the opposite page is presented an ex-
cellent portrait of the subject of the foregoing
sketch, who worthily bears a name that has
long stood in New England for sterling qual-
54

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

ities of manhood gracing both public and pri-
vate life.

ILLIAM I. RHODES, a prosperous
and progressive farmer of Brentwood
township, is also a native of the

town, born February 2, 1857, son of William
and Mary E. (Rowell) Rhodes. His paternal
ancestors were among the early settlers of the
Green Mountain State. William Rhodes, who
was born March 27, 1829, in Tunbridge, Vt.,
remained with his parents until twenty years
of age. He then went to Haverhill, Mass.,
where he worked at shoemaking four years.
After this he spent a year in Brentford, and
then resided in Exeter, this county, for more
than twenty years, working at farming and
shoemaking. At the end of that time he re-
turned to this township, and bought the farm
he now occupies. In 1891 he had a severe
attack of ‘‘la grippe,’’ which was then epi-
demic in the country, and has since been an
invalid, living retired from the active pursuits
of life. He married Mary E. Rowell, who
was born in Brentwood, March 8, 1835, and
became the father of three children. These
were: Nellie, now the wife of Alva S. San-
down, of Sandown township, Rockingham
County; William I., the special subject of
this biography; and Mary E., the wife of
Howard L. Prescott, of Plaistow, N.H. Both
parents are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church of Exeter. :

William I. Rhodes, who was bred and edu-
cated in this county, has now the entire charge
of the homestead farm. The estate contains
-about one hundred acres of arable land. The
more important improvements have been made
by his father and himself. He carries on
mixed husbandry, raising the principal crops
of this section of New England, and keeps a
small dairy, from which he supplies butter for
the market. He is also interested to some
extent in stock raising, in which he has had
good success. The place, which was formerly
known as the Robinson farm, is well adapted
for general agriculture, is pleasantly located,
and much of the land is in a good state of cul-
tivation.

Mr. Rhodes and Mary C. Fuller, a native of

 

 

 

Fremont, in this county, were married August
1, 1886; and they are the parents of two chil-
dren — Nellie May and Lillian Alva. The
latter was born April 11, 1896. Politically,
Mr. Rhodes is an uncompromising Democrat,
having been reared in the principles of that
party. Neither he nor his wife is connected
by membership with any religious organization.
He has been an indefatigable worker, and has
met with a corresponding degree of success;
while his sterling traits as a man have won the
good will of the entire community.

ANIEL, CHASE BEAN, a prosper-

ous farmer and dairyman of Kings-

2 ton, was born in Raymond, this
county, November 15, 1824. He is
the son of Benjamin and Naomi (Page) Bean,
both natives of Raymond and lifelong residents
of that town. Benjamin Bean, who was an in-
dustrious man, followed the callings of cooper
and farmer. He was the father of twelve chil-
dren, namely: Hannah, who died in infancy;
Hannah (second), Thomas, John, Gilman,
Sophia, and Betsey, all of whom have passed
away; Abigail; Benjamin, who died recently;
Daniel Chase, the subject of this sketch; and
Moses and Frank, who died some years ago.
Daniel Chase Bean attended school until he
was fourteen years of age, when he hired out
as a farm hand in Raymond. He worked for
wages until 1850, and then established a home
of his own, purchasing the farm on which he
is now living. After residing here five years,
he moved to another farm in the same town- —
ship, where he lived some five years more.
Being appointed Overseer of the Poor, he
moved to the town farm, which was under his
wise and efficient management for twelve
years. At the end of that period he took up
his residence in Haverhill, Mass., and tried
keeping boarders for a while. He found that
a boarding-hcuse keeper had moretrials than
he cared to contend with, and he returned at
the end of three years to his first farm.
Here he has an estate of forty-five acres, on
which he has made many improvements. He
is extensively engaged in general farming,
hiring.men to do the heavy work. He
keeps at an average ten milch cows, and

 

 

 

 

 

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 55

 

 

has a milk route in Kingston village. Mr.
Bean has earned his present measure of pros-
per#ty by working unceasingly since he was a
boy of fourteen.

He was married November 3, 1850, to
Sarah Ann, daughter of Obadiah and Dorothy
(Sanborn) Bean, who resided in Kingston for
a number of years prior to their death. Mrs.
Bean was born in Danville, this county, Feb-
ruary 18, 1829. She is the mother of four
children, namely: Obadiah Everett Gove, who
married Abbie Emerson, and lives in Lynn,
Mass. ; George Herbert Chase, who married
Adeline Hazelton, and resides in Lowell,
Mass. ; Daniel Franklin, who married Hattie
E. Allen, of Haverhill, Mass., and lives in
Lowell; and Dorothy Emma, the wife of
B. H. Rowell, who lives in Sandown, this
county. In politics Mr. Bean favors the Re-
publican side, but believes in electing the best
man, irrespective of party. He attends the
Universalist church in Kingston, is well
known throughout the county, and has many
warm friends.

 

ETH D. LANE, widely and favor-
ably known as an industrious and
skilful agriculturist, has been iden-
tified with the farming interests of

the town of Chester for more than twoscore
years. He was born in Raymond, Rocking-
ham County, January 2, 1832, a son of Jason
Lane.

Jason Lane, who was a descendant of an
early pioneer family of this county, spent his
entire life on the old Lane homestead in Ray-
mond, and died there May 25, 1855. He
engaged in tilling the soil; but he also worked
at the blacksmith’s trade during much of his
time. He married Sophia Doton, of Moulton-
boro, Carroll County, and they became the
parents of six children, as follows: Seth D.,
the subject of this sketch; Clarinda F., who
married Samuel B. Osgood, both now de-
ceased; Matilda, who died August 3, 1880,
leaving a husband, George Rollins, who now
lives in Kingston, this county; Mary Susan,
who died at the age of fourteen months;
Miranda, who is the wife of Orin Bean, of
Raymond; and Emma, who married Ostinella

 

Roby, a farmer of Chester. After the death of
the father the mother again married, becoming
the wife ot the late Ebenezer Wilcomb, of
Chester. She spent her last days in that town,
dying April 29, 1879. Seth D. Lane received
a common-schoo! education in the district in
which he was reared, and on the parental
homestead obtained a practical training in
agriculture. On attaining his majority he
came to Chester to live, and soon after his
marriage he settled on the farm where he now
resides. Here Mr. Lane has one hundred and
sixty acres of valuable land, well improved,
a large part being in a high state of cultiva-
tion. In addition to the general work of the
farm, he carries on lumbering to some extent
and raises some stock. Mr. Lane is an ear-
nest advocate of the principles promulgated by
the Republican party. He is genuinely inter-
ested in the welfare of the town, and liberally
encourages all enterprises for the benefit of the
community. He has reserved as Highway
Surveyor of the township for seven years.

Mr. Lane was married May 9, 1854, to Miss
Mary Basford, who was born in Chester, No-
vember 17, 1828, on the home farm of her par-
ents, Walter and Sarah (Knowles) Basford.
The union has been blessed by the birth of
three children—- Luther B., Austin J., and
Augusta S.”. Luther B. Lane, born April 16,
185s, who isa farmer in Chester, married
Emma Brown, a native of Fremont, born Au-
gust 10, 1859, daughter of Daniel S. and
Mary H. (Bean) Brown, and has one. son,
Walter W. Lane. Austin J., born April 29,
1858, who is engaged in farming and teaming
near the home of his parents in North Chester,
married Mary I. Dow, and is the father of
two children — Anna L. and Lilla M. Au-
gusta S., born July 23, 1861, is the wife of Jay
Marden, a farmer of Chester, and has two chil-
dren— Alice L. and Lena M. Mrs. Lane is
a conscientious member of the Congregational
church of her native town.

 

AMES A. CORNING, a _ prominent
shoe manufacturer of Epping, N.H.,
was born in Exeter, the county seat
of Rockingham County, N.H., in

1851, son of James C. and Ann M. (Lane)
56 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Corning. The father was a native of London-
derry, N.H., where his early years were spent.
He removed to Salem, and subsequently to
Haverhill, Mass., being an extensive shoe
manufacturer there for thirty years. On ac-
count of failing health he then came to Ep-
ping, and purchased the place now occupied by
his son, James A. During his active life he
gave careful attention to business details, with
excellent financial results. Mr. James C.
Corning died in May, 1892; but Mrs. Corning,
who is a native of Exeter, is still in the en-
joyment of good health, at the age of sixty-
nine years.

James A. Corning received his early educa-
tion in the Haverhill public schools, afterward
studying higher branches with a private tutor,
and finally taking a business course in Haver-
hill Business College. At theage of eighteen
he came to Epping, where two or three years
later he became engaged in the manufacture
of shoes, an enterprise in which he has been
continuously engaged ever since. Mr. Corn-
ing prudently began in a small way, gradually
increasing his business until with his present
plant, which is well equipped with modern
machinery, he employs sixty men and women.
When the factory runs, they do an annual busi-
ness of forty thousand dollars.

In. politics Mr. Corning is a Republican,
and, though he does not seek office, has con-
sented to serve as Selectman for two years.
Since his twenty-first year he has been a
member of the Masonic Order, officiating as
Treasurer of the local lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
for several terms. He is also identified with
the Royal Arcanum. He was at one time a
member of the Knights of Honor, and served
several years as its Treasurer.

The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was united in marriage in June, 1875, was
Helen M. Kendall. She is a native of Hins-
dale, N.H., and a daughter of Gilbert Ken-
dall, of Claremont, N.H. Mr. Corning’s
mother resides with him, ,she and his wife
being faithful and valued members of the Con-
gregational church.  Industrious, enterpris-
ing, high-principled, such people as the Corn-
ings live lives of useful activity, and make
their influence widely felt for good in the
community where they dwell.

 

The Corning family, it is worthy of men-
tion, have been successfully engaged in the
manufacture of shoes, which is one of the
most important industries of New England,
employing many skilled laborers, and a large

| amount of capital, for the last fifty years.

James A. and his brother Gilman began in
Haverhill, Mass., when the business started
there in 1846; while their brother Phineas
carried on the manufacture for a long period
in Danversport, Mass., and a fourth brother,
John S. Corning, was in the same line of
business for twenty-five years in Boston,
Mass.

 

AMES S. WOOD, a prosperous dealer
in coal and wood in Portsmouth, Rock-
ingham County, N.H., was born ‘in
Staley Bridge, Lancashire, England, on

March 7, 1851. His father, John Wood, was.
also born there and learned the trade of mortar
grinder. He came to America in 1863, and
went to work in Eldridge’s brewery in Ports-
mouth, where he was unfortunately killed
when he was forty-five years of age by a fall-
ing hogshead of molasses. He left a widow
and five children— Jane, Nathan, James S.,
Lizzie, and Mary Anna. Jane, the eldest-
born, who married a Mr. Jackson, resides in
Portsmouth; Nathan, the second child, like
his father met with an untimely end, being
burned to death when the Kearsarge cotton-
mills were consumed by fire; Lizzie married
James Lomas, a native of England, but a resi- .
dent of this city; Mary Anna married Mr.
Newton, who is also a resident of Portsmouth.

James S. Wood, the third child of his
parents, spent the first twelve years of his life
in England. He began to be a bread-winner
at an early age, going into the Kearsarge
cotton-mills, where he worked steadily on and
up, leaving the factory as section hand at the
expiration of ten years. He then engaged in
the fuel business, which he has successfully
managed ever since, dealing in coal and sawed
and split wood. During the summer he also
runs picnic barges with excellent financial
results. Mr. Wood is a Republican in poli-
tics, but votes especially in local elections for
the best man, irrespective of party lines. He
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 57

 

 

is amember of Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights
of Pythias, and attends the North Congrega-
tional Church.

Mr. Wood has been twice married. His
first wife, whose maiden name was Ann J.
Lomas, was a native of Hyde, England. She
died in 1879; and in 1892, twenty years after
his first marriage, he was united in matrimony
to his second wife, who was formerly Margaret
Jackson, and who also belonged in Hyde, Eng-
land. Aside from the energy which is intrin-
sically his own, Mr. Wood’s success in busi-
ness is partially due to the fact that he was
thrown on his own resources in early life, tax-
ing his developing faculties to the uttermost.

 

ARTIN V. B. GILE, a prosperous

farmer of Raymond, was born here,

- November 17, 1835, son of Jesse

B. Gile, Jr., and Eliza (Towle)

Gile. He is a descendant of Samuel Gile,
who at an early date, accompanied by his
‘brother John, left his English home for

America. On their arrival John settled in
Dedham, Mass., and Samuel in Haverhill,
Mass. From Samuel the line cf descent

comes through Ephraim, Samuel (third), and
Samuel (fourth) to Jesse, the grandfather
of Martin V. B. Gile. Jesse Gile and those
who preceded him were born in Haverhill.
In early manhood he came to Raymond, and
purchased the place since known as the old
Gile homestead, which he tilled successfully,
providing in this way for his own needs and

those of his wife and five children. He died
in 1838, about fifty years of age. The last of
his children has since passed away. In poli-

tics he was a Jacksonian Democrat.

Jesse Gile, Jr., born in Raymond, followed
- the hereditary calling of farmer during the
active portion of his life. He died in Janu-
ary, 1890. His wife, Eliza, bore him twelve
children, of whom ten are now living, namely:
Martin V. B., the subject of this article;
Nancy B., the wife of John Wallace, of Ray-
mond; Lavinia, the wife of P. Small, of
Candia, this county; Elisha and Gilman E.,
both residents of Raymond; Samuel, residing
in Candia; Lydia J., widow of K. Webster,
residing in East Kingston, this county;

 

Erastus, a resident of Michigan; Ellen, the
wife of Charles Hayes, residing in Haverhill;
and Jesse, residing in Candia.

Martin V. B. Gile made the most of his op-
portunities for gaining an education in the
common schools. On leaving the class-room
he entered at once upon the sterner duties of
life, working for different parties until his
marriage, at the age of thirty-one years. He
then settled down to farming on his own ac-
count, and has successfully followed that occu-
pation since. His farm of two hundred acres,
comprising tillage, pasture, and wood land,
bears witness to the painstaking and system-
atic care which its owner has bestowed upon
it. The old buildings have given place to a
new house, barn, and out-buildings; and every
other feature of prominence betokens the
thrifty New England farmer. In November,
1866, he was united in marriage with Miss
Sarah P. Kimball, a native of Kingston, N.H.
Their only living child, Fannie L., is an able
teacher in the public schools of Candia. In
his political relations Mr. Gile is a Republi-
can. He is acommunicant of the Free Will
Baptist church in Candia.

EORGE GOODWIN, a highly es-
teemed resident of Sandown, was

born August 27, 1824, on the home-
stead where he now resides, son of Samuel
and Polly (George) Goodwin. His paternal
grandfather, a native of Rockingham County,
was born, and spent his entire life, in the
town of Newton, where -he was engaged
in farming. Grandfather Goodwin married
Marian Blaisdell, and became by her the
father of twelve children. Samuel Goodwin
was born in Newton, where he worked on the
parental homestead until sixteen years of age.
Then, starting out for himself, he went to
Bow, Merrimack County, and there worked at
farm labor fora time. After this he came to
Sandown, and bought the farm now owned and
occupied by his son George. From that time
until his death, which occurred in 1889, he
was engaged in agriculture. Some time after
his arrival in Sandown he married Miss
George, a descendant of one of the early fami-
lies of this place. They had two children —

 
58

Harriet Newell and George. Harriet Newell
died at the age of nineteen years. The
mother’s death occurred in 1866.

George Goodwin obtained his education in
the district schools and his practical knowl-
edge of farming on the family homestead.
Being the only son, his services were naturally
required on the farm; and when his father’s
health became impaired he was given its
entire management. It is pleasantly located
in the eastern portion of the town, and con-
tains two hundred acres of land, a large part
of which is in cultivation. Mr. Goodwin
carries on general farming, stock raising, and
dairying. He makes an excellent quality of
butter, which he sells at the local markets.
He has always been an energetic worker, and
earned the success he has attained. Recently
he transferred a part of the responsibility of
his work to his two sons. In politics Mr.
Goodwin is a sound Democrat. He has
served with acknowledged ability as Select-
man, and represented Sandown in the State
legislature of 1874-75. He is a member of
the local grange.

On October 28, 1851, Mr. Goodwin married
Mary A. Lane, a daughter of David and Lydia
(Currier) Lane, lifelong residents of Chester,
N.H. They have had four children, namely:
Charles W., born April 20, 1853; John
George, born February 2, 1857; Hattie
Maria, born December 6, 1868; and one child
that died in infancy. The survivors all re-
ceived a good education, and are valued and
useful members of the community in which
they live. Charles W. has been a member of
the Board of Selectmen of Sandown for five
consecutive years. John G. attended the
Danville High School six months, and after-
ward took-a commercial course at the Man-
chester Business College, this State. He is
now agent for the Rockingham County Insur-
ance Company. He has served his townsmen
as Tax Collector, and at the present time is
Justice of the Peace. He belongs to the
grange and to the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, of which he is an active member.
The daughter, Hattie, a successful teacher, is
likewise a member of the grange, and is con-
nected with the Methodist Episcopal church
by membership.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ONATHAN Y. NESMITH, of London-
derry, N.H., is a lineal descendant in
the fifth generation of Deacon James
Nesmith, one of the sixteen Scotch-

Irish immigrants who in April, 1719, settled
at Nutfield; as this historic old town was
called previous to its incorporation in June,
1722. Deacon Nesmith’s wife was Elizabeth
McKeen. Their son, James, second, born in
Ireland in 1718, married Mary Dinsmoor,
daughter of Robert Dinsmoor, of Windham,
N.H., and settled in the north part of the
town of Londonderry. James Nesmith, the
second of the name, fought at the battle of
Bunker Hill. His son Robert married Jane
Anderson, and was the father of five children,
the three sons being Thomas, James, and
Cyrus.

Thomas Nesmith, son of Robert, was an
able carpenter, and had an extensive acquaint-
ance in this section of the county. He
worked on some of the first buildings erected
in the city of Manchester, and their condition
to-day speaks well for his skill and conscien-
tious workmanship. He was commonly
known as Captain Nesmith, being an officer
in the State militia, active in training an or-
ganized company. In politics he was a Whig
and.a Republican. His death occurred in war
time. Of the children of Captain Nesmith
and his wife, Nancy Boyce, Jonathan Y. is
the only survivor. The others were: Jane,
Hannah, and James.

Jonathan Y. Nesmith, son of Thomas and
Nancy, was born in Londonderry on July 6,
1827. He was left motherless when not quite
three years of age, and was reared in the fam-
ily of his uncle, Cyrus Nesmith, in London-
derry. His uncle was a farmer, and the boy
learned to make himself of use in the never-—
ending routine of agricultural labors. When
about eighteen years of age he went to work
for his father; but carpentry did not suit him,
and he subsequently learned the trade of shoe-
making, at which he worked for a number
of years. He finally returned to the pursuit
of his boyhood —agriculture— which has
brought him comfort and prosperity, and his
farm of sixty-five acres shows thrift and good
management. His property has been acquired
by hard work and the exercise of sagacious
Ss =

 

 

TOPPAN LEAVITT.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 61

 

 

judgment, and he is well deserving of a place
in the ranks of New Hampshire’s self-made
men.

Mr. Nesmith was married November 25,
1852, to Adaline A. Boyce, a native of Lon-
donderry, daughter of Robert and Percy (Gar-
vin) Boyce. Her parents, tdo, were natives
of New Hampshire. Mr. Nesmith has an
adopted son, Frank A., who married Clara B.,
daughter of James Corning, of Litchfield,
N.H., and has two children —Eva M. and
Adaline B. A stanch Republican in politics,
he is always ready to do what he~-can for the
betterment of the town, being especially in-
terested in educational matters; but he has
refused to accept office, modestly preferring
to perform his share in the town government
as a voter in the ranks.

 

OPPAN LEAVITT.— The town of
North Hampton, N.H., is remarkable
for its old families, generation after

. generation dwelling in the same spot, tilling
the same soil, and lying down for the last
sleep beneath the same skies that smiled upon
the pioneer. Of one of these old families
Toppan Leavitt, a portrait of whom is here
shown, is a worthy scion. He was born in
North Hampton, July 28, 1818, son of
Toppan, Sr., and Sarah A. (Kimball) Leavitt,
and is of the seventh generation of his family
in this part of New England.

The first of the race in these parts, Thomas
Leavitt, settled in North Hampton in 16309,
locating in the part of the town known as the
West End, and lived there nearly sixty years,
dying in November, 1696, at the age of four-
score. His wife, Isabel, died in 1699. The
next in line was Hosea Leavitt, who married
Martha Taylor; the next, Moses Leavitt; and
the next, John, Mr. Toppan Leavitt's great-
grandfather, who moved to “the hill,” and
kept the old tavern many years. He married

a Miss Marston. Their son, Benjamin
Leavitt, a native of North Hampton like his
immediate ancestors, kept the tavern in the
town many years, and managed a farm at the
same time. His house is now owned and
occupied by Mr. Gove. On his farm he
raised more produce than was necessary for

 

his family needs; and he made frequent trips
to Boston in a schooner which he owned,
carrying potatoes and other vegetables, and
bringing back from the city such things as
were not easily obtainable in a small place
like Hampton. He was familiarly known as
Captain Ben, being a commissioned officer in
the State militia. Captain Ben Leavitt died
in 1835, aged sixty-nine years. His wife’s
maiden name was Abigail Smith. This
couple reared three children — Toppan, Sr.,
Luther, and Benjamin.

Toppan Leavitt, Sr., was born in North
Hampton, and educated in the district school.
Like the majority of his townsmen in his day,
he was a farmer; but he hardly lived long
enough to accomplish much, for he was
drowned at the early age of twenty-four, on
the return trip from Boston, whither he had
taken a load of potatoes in his father’s
schooner. This was in 1818, shortly before
the birth of his son and namesake, whose life
story to the present time is here outlined.

Toppan Leavitt was reared to maturity in
the home of his paternal grandfather, and ob-
tained his education at the district school.
Learning the carpenter’s trade, he worked at
it for a while, but eventually took up the pur-
suit of agriculture, taking charge of the
Leavitt farm after the death of his uncle
Luther. In 1845 he purchased his present
homestead, which includes a good farm; and
for over half a century he has been steadily
engaged in general husbandry.

Mr. Leavitt was married in 1844 to Sarah
Crimbell, daughter of Benjamin Crimbell, of
North Hampton; and three of their children
have attained maturity and established homes
of their own; namely, Delia N., Benjamin
T., and John I. Delia N. Leavitt, whose
home is in Stratham, this county, is the wife
of Daniel Wiggin and mother of nine chil-
dren — Fred B.; Louisa, wife of Bert Brews-
ter and mother of two children, Willis and
Guy; John; George; Prentiss; Hattie; Sarah;
Nettie; and Elmer. Benjamin T. Leavitt,
a resident of Hampton, married Belle Elkins,
and has one child, Louis. John I. Leavitt,
of North Hampton, married first Eliza Rowe,
and second Lucinda Marston. He had three
children by his second wife, namely: a son,
62 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Alverdo; and two children who died in in- |

fancy. Alverdo Leavitt, whose home is in
Portland, Me., married Eveline Allen, and
has four children — Bertie, Lillian, Addie,
and Laura.

Mr. Toppan Leavitt has been a stanch
Democrat through all the fluctuations of po-
litical power. He cast his first Presidential
vote for Martin Van Buren in 1840, the year
of the exciting “log cabin and hard cider”
campaign, when the Whigs drank the health
of their candidate, William Henry Harrison,
in what the Baltimore Repudlican said was his
favorite beverage, and the Democrats worked
zealously for their unanimous choice, Van
Buren. Mr. Leavitt has long been prominent
in town affairs, and has served as Selectman
and as Surveyor of Highways.

 

 

LDEN E. PILLSBURY, one of the
progressive and prosperous farmers of
Sandown, was born on the homestead
he now occupies, July 25, 1837.
His father, Lyman Pillsbury, was born in the
town of Hanover, Grafton County. Lyman
subsequently became a resident of Sandown,
and died there, December 2, 1889. He owned
the farm now in possession of his son, Alden
E., and was there successfully engaged in gen-
eral husbandry for many years. His first wife,
born and bred in Sandown, whose maiden name
was Clarissa Eaton, died a few years after her
marriage. She bore her husband four chil-
dren, namely: Mary J., the widow of the late
Daniel Brickett, living in Haverhill, Mass. ;
Alden E., the subject of this sketch; Martha,
who died at the age of fifteen years; and
S. Newton, who died in 1870. On June 12,
1852, the father contracted a second marriage
with Sarah H. Clay, who survives him, and
is now living at Grand Rapids, Mich.

Alden E. Pillsbury attended the district
schools of his native town in his boyhood, and
afterward completed his education at Andover,
Mass. He was but fourteen years of age when
his mother died. Remaining on the home
farm, he was early initiated in farm duties.
After the demise of his father he came into
possession of the homestead property. Mr.
Pillsbury has a fine farm of one hundred and

 

fifty acres, much of it being in an excellent
state of cultivation. He is profitably engaged
in general farming, stock raising, and dairying,
In politics he favors Democratic principles.
but reserves the right to vote for the men and
measures he deems the best. Although not
an office-seeker, he never shirks a citizen’s
responsibility, and has served his fellow-towns-
men as Selectman, Tax Collector, and member
of the School Board, holding each office two
years. He is connected with the local grange
by membership, and takes an active part in
promoting the welfare of the organization.

On February 1, 1871, Mr. Pillsbury mar-
ried Miss Lizzie P. Sargent, who was born
May 9, 1841, in Amesbury, Mass., daughter
of Orlando and Abigail (Patten) Sargent.
Mr. Sargent, a well-known farmer of that
town, where he and his wife spent their entire
lives, died there in May, 1876. His wife’s
death occurred March 6, 1890. Mr. and Mrs.
Pillsbury have two children, namely: Frank
N., born April 4, 1872, who is living at home;
and Gertrude S., born October 7, 1877, who
is still attending school.

EORGE E. GOWEN, a. successful
general farmer of Stratham and ex-

tensive manufacturer of evaporated
apple, was born in West Newbury, Mass.,
July 1, 1846, son of Ezekiel and Hannah
(Colby) Gowen. Mr. Gowen’s grandfather,
Ezekiel Gowen, Sr., who served as a sol-
dier in the War of 1812, and was an indus-
trious farmer of York County, Maine, died in
Shapleigh at the advanced age of ninety-five
years. He was the father of nine children, of
whom Ezekiel, Mr. Gowen’s father, was the
youngest.

Ezekiel Gowen, Jr., was born at Emery’s
Mills in the town of Shapleigh. At the age
of twenty-one he settled in Massachusetts,
where the rest of his life was passed. In 1846
he bought a farm in West Newbury, and was
thereafter engaged in farming until his death,
which occurred in 1879. He was known and
respected as an upright, conscientious man
and a worthy citizen. In politics he was suc-
cessively a Whig and a Republican. In his
religious belief he was a Methodist. His

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 63

 

 

wife, Hannah, who was born in Newburyport,
Mass., in 1814, became by him the mother of
eleven children, of whom eight grew to ma-
turity. These were: Mary, Benjamin C.,
Sarah E., Charles W., Francis H]., George E.,
Oscar, and Carrie I. Six of the number are
now living. The mother, who still survives,
is a resident of Stratham.

George E. Gowen acquired a practical edu-
cation in the schools of West Newbury. At
the age of seventeen he started in life as a
shoemaker, working upon women’s pegged
shoes for eight years. He then engaged in
farming, and in 1877 he moved to Stratham,
where he bought his present farm of seventy
acres, the cultivation of which has since been
his principal occupation. He carries on gen-
eral farming, while he makes a specialty of
fruit growing and market gardening. He
raises large quantities of apples, which he con-
verts into the commodity known as evaporated
apple, and disposes of at a satisfactory profit.
In 1895 he produced fourteen hundred cases,
each containing fifty pounds of evaporated
apple. He employs an average of twenty
men in this business, and uses the best ma-
chinery, which is run by steam-power.

On February 6, 1872, Mr. Gowen was
united in marriage to Mary A. Smith, daugh-
ter of Lewis W. Smith, of West Newbury,
Mass. Of this union there were born eleven
children; namely, May I., Grace E., Helen
P., Clarence E., Ralph E., Bertha E., G.
Arthur, R. Howard, Benjamin F., Philip L.,
and Shirley W. The mother, who attended
the Congregational church, died in 1895. Mr.
Gowen also attends the Congregational church.

He acts in politics with the Republican
party. He served as a member of the Board
of Selectmen of Stratham for five years, dur-
ing one year of which he presided as Chair-
man; and he is connected with the Patrons of
Husbandry.

 

HARLES H. KNOWLES, a worthy
representative of the farming com-
munity of this county, was born in

~ Chester on the homestead where he

has since resided, May 1, 1838, a son of Dear-
born and Jane C. (Page) Knowles. The

 

homestead, passing from father to son, has
been in the possession of the Knowles family
for several generations. Nathan Knowles,
Sr., the great-grandfather of Charles H., came
to Chester from the neighboring town of
Hampton, and, settling on this farm, began
the pioneer labor of clearing and improving it.
He made much progress in this work, placing
sufficient of the land in cultivation to support
his family. Nathan Knowles, Jr., the grand-
father of Charles H., succeeded to the home-
stead, which he carried on very successfully,
adding materially to the improvements begun
by his father.

Dearborn Knowles inherited the ancestral
acres, and was prosperously engaged in mixed
husbandry until his demise, December 3, 1880.
He married Jane C. Page, a native of Ray-
mond township; and they had two children —
Charles H. and William D. The latter, who
was born in 1843, married Miss Lucy Burn-
ham, and is now living with her at Thetford,
Vt. The mother, remarkably bright and ac-
tive for a woman of eighty-five, resides on the
homestead, cared for by her son, Charles H.

Charles H. Knowles acquired the rudiments
of his education in the common schools of
Chester. He afterward attended the academy
in Chester, N.H. On the home farm he re-
ceived the practical instruction in the various
branches of agriculture that fitted him for his
duties as the next proprietor. He has one
hundred and fifty acres of land, which he man-
ages to the best advantage. In the winter
season Mr. Knowles devotes a part of his time
to lumbering. He is a public-spirited member
of the community, which he has served as
Selectman and in other capacities. In poli-
tics he is an earnest advocate of Republican
principles. During the late war he was
drafted into the army; but he did not serve,
and furnished a substitute in his place.

The marriage of Mr. Knowles with Miss
Mary A. Hook, of this town, was performed
November 19, 1861. Mrs. Knowles was born
November 26, 1840, daughter of George W.
and Betsey (Smith) Hook, both natives of
Rockingham County, born respectively in
Exeter and Raymond. After their marriage
her parents settled in Chester, where they re-
mained for the rest of their lives, the father
64

engaged in farming and shoemaking. Mr.
and Mrs. Knowles have three daughters,
namely: Eva, who is the wife of Burt S. San-
born, station agent at Whiting, R.I.; Jennie
M., who married Samuel E. Ray, a farmer and
butcher of Auburn, this county; and Sadie L.,
who is the wife of Herbert Jenkins, a ma-
chinist in Portsmouth, N.H. Both parents
are active members of the Congregational
church.

 

ENJAMIN G. MOULTON, a well-
to-do resident and real estate owner
of Kensington, was born in this
town, April 18, 1821, son of Benja-

min and Mehitable (Brown) Moulton. Mr.
Moulton’s grandfather, Benjamin Moulton,
who was a native of Hampton Falls, settled
in Kensington in pioneer times, attained pros-
perity as an agriculturist, and died in this
town at the age of seventy-five years. He
was a Whig in politics and a Universalist in
his religious belief. He ‘married Elizabeth
Rowe, who bore him twenty-two children.
Twelve of the number grew to maturity, but
all are now deceased. The mother lived to
the age of eighty-six years. Benjamin Moul-
ton, Mr. Moulton’s father, was born in Ken-
sington, August 15, 1795. He succeeded to
the home farm, where he resided throughout
his life, industriously occupied in its cultiva-
tion. Originally a Whig, he later joined the
Republican party. Besides serving his town
as a Selectman, he represented the district in
the legislature during the year 1837-38. He
also served in the War of 1812 as a soldier.
His death occurred when he was eighty-six
years old. His wife, before marriage Mehita-
ble Brown, born in Hampton Falls, N.H., in
1793, became the mother of three children.
These were: Benjamin G., the subject of this
sketch; Hannah S., who resides on the old
homestead ; and Elizabeth S., who died at the
age of seventy-two years. The mother lived
to the age of eighty-four. Both parents
attended the Universalist church.
Benjamin G. Moulton acquired his educa-
tion in the schools of Kensington, and grew to
manhood upon the homestead farm. He took
charge of the property during his father’s de-

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

clining years, and has followed farming in this
town to the present day. In 1845 he made
his first purchase of real estate, which con-
sisted of four acres of land. This he has in-
creased from time to time by the addition of
adjoining land, so that now the original plot
has become a farm of one hundred and fifty
acres. In 1857 he bought the farm upon
which he now resides, having occupied it
since 1870. He conducts general farming
with success, keeps his buildings in good re-
pair, and enjoys a désirable measure of pros-
perity. Mr. Moulton attends the Universalist
church. In politics Mn Moulton is indepen-
dent, preferring to support candidates accord-
ing to his own opinion of their fitness for
office.

AMES F. SARGENT, of Sandown,
was born here, July 30, 1855, son of

 

Aaron D. and Catharine (Jackson) Sar-

gent. His grandfather was William
Sargent, who spent the larger part of his life
in the town of Loudon, Merrimack County,
although his closing days were passed in San-
down.

Aaron D. Sargent, who was a native of Lou-
don, born in 1829, left the place of his na-
tivity when quite young. He went first to the
neighboring town of Canterbury and thence
shortly after to Lowell, Mass. In Lowell he
learned the trades of machinist and black-
smith. After his marriage he returned to this
county and worked at his trade in Plaistow for
a time. Subsequently, purchasing the farm
where his son, James F., now resides, he car-
ried on general farming and blacksmithing as
long as he was able. He is now practically
retired from active occupation, and he and his
wife are tranquilly passing their declining
years on the homestead with their son and his
family. Soon after the breaking out of the
late Rebellion, he enlisted in Company K,
Fifteenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry.
After the expiration of his term of service he
re-enlisted in Company D, Eighteenth New
Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He was in
action at the siege of Port Hudson and
in other engagements of less importance.
Finally, receiving a severe injury in the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 65

 

 

leg, he was discharged on account of disabil-
ity, and sent home. On recovering from his
wound some months later, he resumed farm-
ing, in which he was engaged until his retire-
ment. His wife, whose maiden name was
Catharine Jackson, was born in 1830 in Car-
lisle, Mass. She bore him seven children; as
follows: Edwin J., who married Johanna C.
West, and has lived with his brother, James
F., since the death of his wife on December
15, 1889; Elmira, who is the wife of David B.
Smith, a farmer in the town of Fremont;
James F., the subject of this sketch; Emma
J., the wife of Charles E. Wood, of Los An-
geles, Cal.; Anna F., who is the widow of
the late Frank P. Sanborn, and lives in Man-
chester, N.H.; Charles A., a shoemaker
living near the old homestead, who married
Miss Louise Hennessy; and Walter H., a
shoemaker, who married “Miss Rachel H.
Galvin.

James F. Sargent was reared and educated
in the town of Sandown, and has always lived
on the home farm. Mr. Sargent is exten-
sively engaged in manufacturing shoes. His
factory, which is located on the farm, turns
out fifteen hundred pairs of shoes a week when
running with a full force. Its average product
is one thousand pairs per week. The shoes
are made by machinery for the Boston whole-
sale trade. Mr. Sargent invariably supports
the Democratic party in politics. He has
served as Selectman for the past six years,
being at the present time Chairman of the
Board. He was Supervisor for an equal
length of time, and he has filled other offices.
In 1891 and 1892 he represented Sandown in
the State legislature with honor to himself and
to the credit of his constituents, having been
elected on the Democratic ticket. He is a
Universalist in religious belief, while his
family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church
of Sandown.

On April 6, 1882, Mr. Sargent married Miss
Florence M. Currier, who was born in Dan-
ville, this county, December 28, 1861, daugh-
ter of David B. and Julia (Hunkins) Currier.
Her mother died when she was an infant; but
her father, now seventy-five years old, still
lives in Danville. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent have
one child, Bertha E., born September 6, 1883.

 

EV. SAMUEL HOYT, late of New-
ington, was born in the year 1809,
on the family homestead in this
place. His father, Samuel Hoyt,
was a farmer;.and the son was brought up on
the home farm. He received his early educa-
tion in the district schools. When he was
eighteen years of age he became a student at
Kent’s Hill Academy in the State of Maine.
This was a Methodist school, and here he
began to prepare himself to enter the minis-
try. Subsequently he was engaged in teach-
ing in Portsmouth, N.H., for some years. At
the end of that time he joined the Methodist
Conference, and was ordained in the same
year. The first church he had charge of was
in Epping, this county. He was afterward
pastor in Concord, Exeter, and other places in
the State. In 1844 his father’s death made
it necessary for him to give up his pastoral
duties, in order that he might return to the
farm at Newington to take on himself the di-
rection and support of the family. At the
same time that he cultivated the farm, which
became his by inheritance, he assumed local
ministerial charges in the immediate neigh-
borhood. He owned at this time between
eighty and a hundred acres of land. He was
a Republican in his politics, and served in the
State legislature as a Representative for three
terms. He was always a Prohibitionist, and
during his last years he supported that party.
The Rev. Mr. Hoyt was twice married.
His first marriage was contracted with Miss
Eliza Colby, who bore him no children. His
second marriage took place May .5, 1855,
when he was united to Miss Harriet Murray,
of Portsmouth, a daughter of Benjamin and
Sarah (Hodgdon) Murray. The lady’s father
was a farmer and a carpenter by trade. Of
Mr. Hoyt’s second marriage three children
were born. These were: Arthur G., who
died in 1888; Frank M., who is a resident of
Boston and a member of the firm Lothrop
Publishing Company in that city; and Emma
H., who is the wife of Mr. Alva R. H. Foss,
of Rye, this county. Mr. Hoyt was an ex-
emplary member of society in all the rela-
tions of public and private life. He died
January 22, 1893; and his remains were in-
terred in the Newington cemetery. His
66

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

widow still resides on the farm. She was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
of which her husband was a minister; but she
afterward joined the Congregational church,
which has no society in the immediate neigh-
borhood. The death of the Rev. Samuel
Hoyt inflicted a real and acknowledged loss
on the community in which he lived. But
the influence of a good life must be felt long
after its material and visible end; and of him
it may truly be said, “His good deeds live
after him.”

 

ICHARD P. GOSS, an_ influential

and valued citizen of the town of

Rye, Rockingham County, N.H.,

was born and reared on the home-

stead that he now owns and occupies. His

father was Joseph Pickering, who married

Mary J. Goss, the daughter of Richard and

Mary Foss Goss, of this town. Mr. Picker-

ing died at the age of forty years; and, his

wife having preceded him to the other world,

their young son, Richard P., was left an
orphan. ’

Richard P. was adopted by a near relative,
and his name changed from Pickering to Goss
by enactment of the State legislature. He
received such educational advantages as his
native town afforded, attending the district
schools in his youth. He has always made
farming his principal occupation: but being a
man of versatile talents, with a mechanical
ability far above that of the average laborer,
he can turn his hand in many directions.
For several summers he has owned and oper-
ated a threshing machine, threshing much of
the grain raised in this locality. He is a
skilful and thorough-going farmer, wise and
systematic in his methods, and has met with
a deserved success in his various undertak-
ings. He has served his fellow-townsmen as
Road Surveyor, Selectman, and School Com-
mittee, performing his duties with fidelity in
each position. Among the local improve-
ments in which Mr. Goss has taken an active
interest is the building and grading of the
public highways, and it is largely due to his’
strenuous efforts that the roads of Rye are in
such a fine condition. In politics he is a |

 

steadfast Democrat, and cast his first Presi-
dential vote in 1856 for James Buchanan.

Mr. Goss married, October 17, 1858, Har-
riet J. Locke, daughter of Richard R. and
Sarah A. (Leavitt) Locke, of this town.
Their union has been blessed by the birth of
six children; namely, Clarence A., Estelle J.,
Annie A., Gilman P., Erastus L., and Walter
W. Clarence A., who lives in Rye, married
Ella J. Garland; and they have two children
— Harriet D.and Annie M. Estelle J. is the
wife of Edward P. Philbrick, of Manchester, »
N.H., and has two children— Neil B. and
Hester. Annie A. died at the age of nine
years.

 

AMUEL J. COLCORD, a highly
respected citizen of Exeter, Rock-
ingham County, N.H., who is suc-
cessfully engaged in lumbering and

milling, is a native of Deerfield, N.H., where
he was born in 1849. At the age of four
years he was adopted by Samuel and Caroline
(Haines) Colcord, residents of Exeter.

Samuel Colcord was a carpenter by trade;
and he followed that occupation at Exeter
until the latter portion of his life, when he
engaged in lumbering. Quiet and retiring,
be entertained no political aspirations, but
lived a life of devotion to his family and of
strict application to his business. He passed
away in 1876, respected by all those who had
the pleasure of his acquaintance; but his esti-
mable wife still survives him, and in her life
has rounded out three-quarters of a century.

Samuel J. Colcord, with whom this bio-
graphical sketch is principally occupied,
spent his boyhood and youth at the home of
his foster-parents. He enjoyed excellent ed-
ucational advantages, being for some time a
student at Phillips Academy in Exeter, a pre-
paratory school of world-wide fame. Conclud-
ing his course of study at the age of fifteen,
he engaged with his father in carpentering,
which he followed for nine years. At the end
of that time he applied himself to the pursuit
of lumbering and milling, a business which
he has conducted very prosperously for the
past twenty years. .

In 1873 Mr..Colcord was united in marriage
obey Buissiy\
Missing Page
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 69

 

 

with Miss Harriet W. Chase, who is the
daughter of Elisha Chase, a resident of Strat-
ham, N.H. They have two children, namely:
Anna J., who is now the wife of Fred H.
Knight, of Exeter; and Fred L.

Mr. Colcord and his family stand high
socially in Exeter and the vicinity. In na-
tional politics he is a vigorous supporter of
the principles set forth by the Republican
party. Although he does not seek for social
or political distinction, yet, as his qualities
and worth are extensively recognized, he has

been elected by his fellow-citizens at various |

times to positions of public trust, and he is
now serving in his second term as Selectman
of Exeter. The town election of 1896 was
the most excitable and hotly contested one
that has been known in the annals of Exeter,
but he received his official appointment by a
majority of one hundred and eleven popular
votes.

He is not unknown in fraternity gatherings,
as he is affiliated with the Royal Arcanum,
being a member of Friendship Council, No.
141, which is located in Exeter. His relig-
ious faith and sympathies, and also those of
his wife, bring them into affiliation with the
Baptist Church of Exeter. Mr. Colcord is
among the prominent business men of Exeter,
and is a citizen of true worth. In spirit he is
broad and progressive, an earnest promoter of
any project that looks to the development of
the natural resources of the town and to the
intellectual, moral, and religious elevation of
the community. He owns and lives in the
enjoyment of one of the finest residences in
Exeter.

The portrait on the page opposite the begin-
ning of the foregoing sketch will be recog-
nized and appreciated as an admirable likeness
of its subject, Mr. Samuel J. Colcord.

 

EORGE W. DOLBER, a prominent
farmer of Chester, was born October

6, 1823, in Candia, this county,

which was likewise the birthplace of his
father, John Dolber, his grandfather, William
Dolber, and of his paternal great-grandfather,
William Dolber, who was an able and indus-
trious farmer, married Abigail Hill, also a

 

native of Candia, and the daughter of a Revo-
lutionary soldier.

John Dolber was a lifelong resident of
Candia, where in addition to general farming
he worked at the carpenter’s trade until his
demise in 1850. In early manhood he ren-
dered military service to the Union with a
company from Portsmouth, N.H. He mar-
ried Polly Stevens, of Chester, a daughter of
Ebenezer Stevens, who was a farmer of Kings-
ton township, this county, where he was born
and reared. Having survived her husband
many years, she died in 1873. They were
the parents of six children, of whom Will-
iam, Ansel, Charles, and Mary are deceased.
George W., the second-born, and Lavinia J.,
the youngest, are living. The latter is the
wife of John Wason, a Chester farmer, of
whom a brief sketch may be found elsewhere
in this volume.

George W. Dolber remained at home during
his earlier years, ‘attending the district schoo]
and assisting on the farm. At the age of
seventeen years he went to Newburyport,
Mass., where he was employed driving a milk
wagon for four years. Returning then to
Candia, Mr. Dolber worked at the shoemaker’s
trade until 1860. In that year he came to
Chester to care for his mother’s brother,
then a man enfeebled by age, and, settling on
his present farm, has since been engaged in
general agriculture. He has been very pros-
perous, and now has a large part of his farm
of one hundred and fifty acres in a high state
of cultivation. By many improvements he
has rendered it one of the most attractive
homesteads in this section of the county.
Besides general farming he is also engaged in
lumbering on quite an extensive scale. The
Republican party receives his support in poli-
tics. He was identified with the Know
Nothings when that party was in existence.
He takes an active interest in local affairs,
and has served in various town offices, includ-
ing that of Selectman, to which he was
elected for several terms.

In 1849, September 16, while living in
Candia, Mr. Dolber was married to Elizabeth
Emerson. Mrs. Dolber was born in Candia,
May 3, 1831, daughter of Jonathan and Mary
(Nelson) Emerson, natives respectively of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

7°

Candia and Allentown, N.H. Mr. Emerson,
who was a farmer by occupation, always made
his home in Candia, although his death oc-
curred in Medford, N.H. Mr. and Mrs. Dol-
ber have two children— John Frank and
George A. John Frank, born November 16,
1850, married Sarah Jane Dearborn, and is
now engaged in farming in Chester. George
A., born April 19, 1862, is a blacksmith in
Laconia, N.H.

 

FRANK FELLOWS, one of the
busiest men of Brentwood town-
‘OJ ship, follows the various callings of
farmer, civil engineer, auctioneer,
numismatist, and real estate dealer. He was
born in this township, May 2, 1840, son of
David R. and Susan (Brown) Fellows. Mi-
chael Fellows, his grandfather, was a son of
Stephen Fellows, an early settler of Fremont,
this county. The grandfather was a nail-
maker, and worked at that trade in Brentwood
until his death in 1854.

David R. Fellows spent his entire life in
this town, where he was prosperously engaged
in agriculture. Possessed of much business
ability, he made the most of his opportunities,
but was not unmindful of the welfare of his
community. He died in 1871, while yet a
young man. His wife, Susan, who was born
and reared in Fremont, now lives with her
son, D. Frank, surprisingly active, though
ninety years old. To her and her husband
five children were born, namely: Abbie A.,
now deceased; Susie F. and D. Frank, twins,
the former being a resident of Melrose, Mass. ;
Mary J., the wife of Daniel S. Mace, of Exe-
ter, N.H.; and Hattie M., who lives on the
old homestead with her mother and brother.

D. Frank Fellows was reared in Brent-
wood, which has been his home for the most
part since. His early education, received in
Brentwood, was supplemented by three years’
study at Kingston Academy under Thomas
W. Knox and one year at Northfield (now
Tilton) Seminary. He spent. six years in
Portland, Me., where he was engaged in the
railway mail service. After the death of his
father he established himself in business as
a tanner, currier, and lumber dealer. Pre-

 

 

 

 

 

viously to this, from 1859 until 1862 inclu-
sive, he had been professionally engaged as a
teacher, having charge of district schools in
Sandown and Fremont townships. In 1885
he settled on the parental homestead, where
he has since been successfully engaged in
farming. He is likewise a civil engineer,
and in this capacity has done considerable
surveying in the county. He is also often
called on to act as auctioneer... For several
years he has dealt largely in real estate, mak-
ing a specialty of buying and selling timber
land. He has quite a reputation as a numis-
matist, and has in his possession a choice col-
lection of rare coins and stamps, some very
ancient and valuable, which he prizes very
highly.

On December 27, 1869, Mr. Fellows mar-
ried Miss M. Lizzie Sleeper, a native of Fre-
mont township and a daughter of Gardner and
Sally Sleeper. Both her parents are now de-
ceased, the father having passed away in 1860,
and the mother in 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Fel-
lows have had four children, two of whom
died in infancy. The others, Susie M. and
Lizzie F., live at home. Mr. Fellows is a
loyal adherent of the Republican party; and
he is:a Mason, belonging to Gideon Lodge,
No. 84, of Kingston, and to St. Albans
Chapter, No. 15, of Exeter, N.H.

 

prosperous farmers of Brentwood town-
ship and a native of the county, was
born in Fremont, October 22, 1845,
son of John H. Carr, Sr., and Mary (Quinby)
Carr. The Carr family is descended from an
Englishman who came to New England in
Colonial days. One of his posterity located in
Fremont, where Moody Carr, the grandfather
of John H., spent his lifetime, working at the
carpenter’s trade. Moody Carr married a Miss
Sanborn, who was a lifelong resident of Brent-
wood. ;
John H. Carr, Sr., was born and bred in
Fremont, where he worked as a mechanic until
the breaking out of the late war. He then
enlisted in his country’s service, was sent with
his regiment to the front, and subsequently
died at Washington while in the service. He

J: HARRISON CARR, one of the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW VI

 

 

married Mary Quinby, a native ‘of Epping,
N.H., who died in Fremont, October 20, 1894.
They were the parents of five children,
namely: John H., the subject of this sketch;
James M., a resident of South Hampton, this
county, who married Miss Jennie Blaisdell;
William Edward, living in Amesbury, Mass.,
who married Miss Lizzie Biddle; Albinus H.,
who married Josie Gale, and also lives in
Amesbury; and Estella, who is the widow of
Elmer Spaulding, and resides in Fremont.

John Harrison Carr received a good educa-
tion by attending the district school, high
school, and then a select school at Fremont.
When but seventeen years of age he enlisted as
a soldier in Company B, Thirteenth New Hamp-
shire Volunteer Infantry, under the command
of Colonel Stephens, of Nashua. He subse-
quently took part in the siege of Petersburg,
the battles of Fort Harrison, Cold Harbor,
Deep Bottom (or the James River). In the
engagement at Cold Harbor he was struck by
a bullet, but not seriously wounded. He was
afterward discharged at Richmond, Va., and
then transferred to Company C, Second New
Hampshire, with which he served until the
expiration of his term of enlistment. He was
honorably discharged in December, 1865, and
returned home and engaged in farm work. In
1870, after his first marriage, he went to live
with his wife’s parents, and for ten years
assisted his father-in-law in the care of his
farm. In 1880 he went to Brentwood, and
bought his present farm. Since then he has
so improved it that it is now one of the most
desirable estates in the locality. It contains
one hundred and twenty-five acres of land.
On it be raises hay, potatoes, and grain, much
small fruit, and some stock. He also keeps
an excellent dairy, deriving his profit from the
sale of cream. ,

Mr. Carr was first married November 21,
1870, to Miss Alvira M. Tuck, daughter of
Israel and Rachel Tuck, of Fremont, both now
deceased. She passed away November 18,
1890, leaving no children. On December 25,
1892, Mr. Carr married Mrs. Sarah Maria
Bean Sanborn. A native of Sutton, N.H.,
she was born April 9, 1847. She was care-
fully reared, receiving a good education, and
resided with her parents until her marriage

 

with George O. Sanborn, who died March
4, 1891, leaving her with three children,
namely: Neva, who resides in Boston; Ernest
F., of Concord, N.H.; and Mary Louise,
who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Carr. Mr. Carr
is a strong advocate of Republican princi-
ples. He has served the town as Selectman
for two years. He is a member of Quascacun-
quan Lodge, No. 39, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Newburyport, Mass., and of
the local grange. Both he and his wife belong
to the Baptist church.

to.

USSELL K. HOOK has been identi-
fied with the agricultural interests of
Rockingham County for several dec-
ades, being an extensive landholder
and a most able and prosperous farmer of San-
down township. He was born September 22,
1837, on the homestead where he now lives,
son of Phineas and Betsey (Sawyer) Hook,
both natives of Danville, this county. His
paternal grandfather, Israel Hook, was for
many years a hotel-keeper in Danville, and
was well known throughout this part of Rock-
ingham County as a most genial and accom-
modating host.

Phineas Hook was born and bred in Dan-
ville, living there until about a year after his
marriage. Coming then to Sandown, he
bought the homestead now owned and occupied
by his son Russell, and here engaged in farm-
ing and lumbering until his demise, January
6, 1876. His wife, whose death occurred
February 14, 1877, bore him four children, of
whom Russell K., the special subject of this
brief sketch, is the only one now living. The
others were as follows: Leonard L.; George
C.; and Jane C., who married William P.
Sanborn, now a resident of Haverhill, Mass.

Russell K. Hook acquired his education in
the common schools of his native town, and
from his youth up labored industriously on
the parental farm, of which he assumed the
entire charge soon after his marriage, while
his parents were yet living. Since succeeding
to the ownership of the homestead, Mr. Hook
has added greatly to its improvements, sparing
neither time nor expense in accomplishing his
purpose. He has four hundred acres of land,

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

on which he carries on general farming, rais-
ing corn, hay, potatoes; and he is also to a
certain extent interested in stock growing.
Politically, he affiliates with the Republican
party, being one of the most loyal supporters
of the principles of that organization. He
is active and influential in the management of
town affairs, and has served as Highway Sur-
veyor and as a member of the School Com-
mittee.

Mr. Hook was married December 31, 1871,
to Miss Grace H. Moulton, who was born in
Hampstead township, this county, January 14,
1851, being one of a family of seven children,
whose parents were Bruce M. and Philena
(Hadley) Moulton. Mr. Moulton spent his
entire life in Hampstead, where he was en-
gaged in the pursuit of agriculture throughout
his days of active labor. His wife was born
and reared in the neighboring town of Plais-
tow, but after her marriage resided in Hamp-
stead, dying there in 1890. Three children
complete the home circle of Mr. and Mrs.

Hook, namely: Jennie M., a_ well-educated |

young lady, now teaching school in Hamp-

stead; Lavinia D.; and Elsie Grace. An-
other child, Bruce M., died in infancy.
Religiously, Mrs. Hook is a conscientious

member of the Baptist church.

 

man of Northwood, N.H., actively en-

gaged as a lumber manufacturer, was

born on the family homestead, Novem-
ber 17, 1833, son of John C. and Rebecca
(Bartlett) Hill. His family has been identi-
fied with the town of Northwood for one hun-
dred and twenty-six years, his great-grand-
father, Benjamin Hill, having settled there
in 1771 or 1772. Benjamir Hill, with his
eldest son, fought in the ranks of the Revolu-
tionary army; and he died at Ticonderoga.
He left a large family. His son, Samuel
Hill, the grandfather of Ivory B. Hill, was a
native and lifelong resident of Northwood.
A blacksmith by trade, he also cultivated a
farm, having purchased the homestead now
occupied by his grandson. He married Judith
Carr, of Epping, Rockingham County, and
reared the following children: Chase C., Sam-

[om B. HILL, a prominent business

 

vel, Dudley C., Joseph, John C., Mark P.,
Edson, Charles C., Oliver N., Mary, and
Charlotte.

John C. Hill, son of Samuel and Judith
(Carr) Hill, was born on the homestead in
Northwood. He learned the blacksmith’s
trade, and worked as a journeyman in Pitts-
field a few years, then settled on the home-
stead in Northwood, of which he eventually
became owner, and devoted the rest of his life
chiefly to the pursuit of agriculture. In poli-
tics Mr. Hill favored the Democratic party.
His wife, Rebecca, was a daughter of Philip
Bartlett, of Northwood. Mr. and Mrs. John
C. Hill attended worship at the Baptist
church. They reared three children: namely,
lvery BL. Lauretta C. (Mrs. Perry), and
Emily A. (Mrs. Bennett). ,

Ivory B. Hill, the special subject of this
sketch, was educated in the vicinity of his
home. He began to learn the shoemaker’s
trade when seventeen years of age, and fol-
lowed it for twenty years; but for the past
twenty years he has been interested in the
lumber business, pursuing his operations in
different parts of the State. In 1880 he set-
tled in Sandwich, N.H., where he had large
interests, and remained there nine years; and
he was a year and a half in Alfred, Me.,
where he had a portable mill in operation.
Since that time his business has been confined
to Northwood. His work is conducted on a
large scale, and he has at times had three
portable saw-mills running at once. During
the past season he sawed one million five
hundred thousand feet of lumber.

Mr. Hill was married to Eliza A., daughter
of Jeremiah and Abigail (Jones) Fogg, of
Northwood, in 1854, and by this union he has
four children, namely: Roscoe, a physician
practising in Epsom, N.H.; Eugene P., a
shoe manufacturer in Pittsfield, of the firm of
Hill, Greene & Rand; Clarence I., at home;
and Alice (Mrs. Ineson), living in Suncook.

Mr. Hill, though a loyal Democrat, has
refused to serve his party in elective office,
preferring to see others bear the burdens
and wear the honors of public life. He has
long been identified with the Masonic Order,
being a charter member of Morrison Lodge,
No. 90.
 

IVORY B. HILL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 75

 

 

OHN SMITH, senior member of the
well-known firm, John Smith & Son,
florists of Brentwood, was born here
May 14, 1812, son of John Smith, Sr.,

and Mary (Tuck) Smith. His great-grand-
father, Joseph Smith, settled in Brentwood in
1752, and reared a family; and his grand-
father, another John, was a Colonial soldier in
the Revolutionary War.

John Smith, Sr., a native of Brentwood,
was a tanner and a farmer, and followed both
callings in this locality until his death in
1856. He served in the War of 1812. His
wife, Mercy, who was a lifelong resident of
Brentwood, died in 1868. They had seven
children, of whom Edward T., Mehitabel,
Charles C., and Hollis are deceased. The
others are: John, Jr., the subject of this
sketch; George, a resident cf Kensington, this
county; and Mehitabel, the wife of Benjamin
Bean, of West Brentwood.

John Smith obtained his education in the
public schools. He remained a member of the
parental household until he attained his ma-
jority. Going then to Holliston, Mass., he
was engaged in shoemaking in that vicinity
until 1837. In that year he returned to
Brentwood to assume the charge of the old
homestead, where he has since lived. In re-
cent years he has been assisted by his son, the
junior member of the firm. The floral branch
of their extensive business was established in
1860. In this industry they have met with
great success, receiving large orders from all]
important points of the county for vegetable
and flower plants and buibs. The firm owns
seventy-five acres of fertile land, mostly in
cultivation. In addition to their special work
in agriculture and floriculture, they keep a fine
dairy, from which they sel] cream. Mr.
Smith and his family are consistent members
of the Baptist church. In politics he has
always been identified with the Republican
party.

On October 29, 1834, while a resident of
Holliston, Mass., Mr. Smith was married to
Miss Sallie Wales. Mrs. Smith was born
October 20, 1812, in Hopkinton, Mass.,
daughter of William and Mary (Hayden)
Wales, farming people of that town. Mr.
Wales died in Vermont, February 20, 1830,

 

and Mrs. Wales in Manchester, this State, on
September 29, 1880, aged ninety years. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith have two children — Sarah
and John W. Sarah, who lives in Brentwood,
is the widow of the late Charles W. Baker.
John W. Smith, who is in partnership with
his father, was born May 31, 1844, and has
always made Brentwood his home. He mar-
ried January 5, 1870, Miss Hannah B. Felch,
of North Sutton, N.H., and became the father
of four children, one of whom died in infancy.
The others are: Freeman M., Lillian M., and
Edson J. John W. Smith is a Republican in
politics, and has always been identified with
that party. He has served the town in nearly
every office within its gift, always with abil-
ity and fidelity. Mr. Smith, Sr., and his
family are members of the Baptist church.
He is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Geneva
Lodge, No. 180, of Epping, N.H., and is
likewise a member of the grange at Crawley’s
Falls.

 

 

ORACE K. EMERY, a respected
citizen of Northwood Narrows, was
born in Manchester, N.H., Febru-
ary 11, 1862, son of John D. and
Susan (Kimball) Emery. His father, who is
a native of Sanford, York County, Me., has
been a resident of Manchester, N.H., for the
last forty-nine years, being now seventy-two
years old. The greater part of this time has
been devoted to his trade, tin and sheet iron
working. Mrs. Emery, who was a native of
Kennebunk, Me., died in 1885, at the age of
sixty-one. They had the following children:
Annetta A. (Mrs. Corwin), Frank A., John
A., Ida E., Ella F. (Mrs. Woodbury), Lizzie
J. (Mrs. Baker), Alda L. (Mrs. Page), Horace
K., and Mabel B.

Horace K. Emery acquired his education
in the schools of Manchester, N.H. He then
learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he fol-
lowed for about three years; but, having no
taste for this pursuit and being quick at fig-
ures, he followed his natural bent, and learned
the art of book-keeping, at which he has been
employed about ten years.

On November 28, 1888, he was married to
Grace M. (Watson) Marsh, half-sister of the
70

Hon. Charles M. Sherman, of Northwood.
Mr. Emery has a pretty home at Northwood
Narrows, and has been a resident of this town
for ten years. Asa Republican, he takes an
active part in local affairs, and is at present
Chairman of the Board of Selectmen of North-
wood. He isa Mason, belonging to Morrison
Lodge, No. 90, and is also a member of Olive
Branch Lodge, No. 83, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and Northwood Grange, No.
293. Though not a native of the town, he
is looked upon as a representative man, and
occupies a high place in the regard of his
fellow-citizens. ‘

+2 ¢ + --—______

 

MOS S. CLARK, an enterprising

farmer and business man of Sandown,

was born on the farm he now owns

and occupies, October 30, 1838,

son of Nathaniel Clark. His grandparents,

David and Anna Clark, who were born in

Haverhill, Mass., and lived there until after

their marriage, moved to Salem, N.H., subse-

quently settling in Sandown. David Clark,

who was a clothier by trade, besides cultivat-

ing a farm, cngaged in the manufacture of

clothing in this town, which enterprise he
conducted until his death.

Nathaniel Clark continued the clothing
business started by his father. Also on the
home farm, of which he became the owner, he
built a large saw and grist mill, and conducted
it, together with his farm, until his demise
in May, 1874. He was twice married. His
first wife, formerly Mary French, of Danville,
this county, bore him one child, Abner, who
died in 1891. The father subsequently mar-
ried Mrs. Anna (Allen) Wheeler, widow of
Amos Wheeler, who died leaving her with
one child, Elizabeth Ann, now the widow of
the late Benjamin Foster, of-Salem, N.H.
Of the second union there were born four chil-
dren, of whom Amos S. is the only survivor.
The others were: Charles, who died jn 1844;
Henrietta; Augusta, who married the late
Major George Marsden; and Mary, who died
in infancy. The mother died October 22,
1868, on the home farm. ,

Amos S. Clark received his education in
the district schools and at Tilton Academy,

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Northfield, N.H. He has always lived on
the homestead, caring for his parents as long
as they lived. On the death of the latter he
succeeded to the farm. He is a large owner
of real estate, which he has skilfully managed
and improved. <A good portion of his land is
ina high state of culture. General farming
is his chief occupation. He gives some atten-
tion to stock raising, and has on his farm a
large grist-mili, which he operates the year
round. Mr. Clark is a stanch Democrat.
He has been Selectman and Town Treasurer
for a number of terms; and for the past thirty
years he has held the office of Town Clerk,
having been first elected in 1867. In 1876
and 1877 he represented his native town in
the State legislature. Mr. Clark is a valued
member of the local grange. He has never
married. His half-sister, Mrs. Foster, pre-
sides over his hospitable home; and with them
lives their aunt, Mary R. Allen, a well-pre-
served woman of ninety. Religiously, Mr.
Clark and Mrs. Foster are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church of Sandown vil-
lage.

 

 

ALTER J. ORDWAY, a successful
painter and decorator, residing near
Epping, Rockingham County, N.H.,
was born in this town in 1867. He is the
youngest of a family of four children —
namely, George F., Annie M., Charles C.,
and Walter J.—born to his parents, George
W. and Mary (Moulton) Ordway. The father
is also a native of Epping, and has spent most
of his life here, having been actively engaged
as painter for many years. He learned the
trade in early manhood, and also carried on
farming, but is now retired, his son Walter
having succeeded him in the business. The
mother, who was of an old Colonial family, *
died in 1891.

Walter J. Ordway received his education in
the Epping High School and Watson Acad-
emy, subsequently learning the painter’s trade
by working with his father. Mr. Ordway is a
Democrat as regards State and national poli-
tics. He is interested in the sound adminis-
tration of local public affairs, has served two
terms as Selectman, and was solicited to accept
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 17

 

 

another nomination, but declined. Socially,
he is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows; and he also belongs to the Re-
bekah Degree of the same order. An indus-
trious and thrifty mechanic and an upright
citizen, Mr. Ordway is much esteemed by his
friends and the public in general.

He was married in 1889 to Nellie J. Hop-
kinson, daughter of Thomas and S. Adelia
(Stott) Hopkinson, of New Market, N.H.
Her father, Thomas Hopkinson, was a highly
respected citizen of this town.

 

DDISON A. BEAN, a prominent agri-

culturist of Chester, was born in
Sutton, Merrimack County, this
State, November 1, 1845. His pa-

ternal grandfather, Jacob Bean, was distin-
guished as being the first male child born of
white parents in the town of Sutton, N.H.,
where he spent his life. Asa Bean lived in
Sutton for the greater part of his life, working
as a farmer. Coming from there to Chester,
he settled on the homestead now owned and
occupied by his son Addison, and_ resided
there until his demise, August 30, 1880.
His wife, formerly Theodaty Bohonnan, was
born in Washington, Vt., and died in Sep-
tember, 1876, in Sutton, N.H., in her seven-
tieth year. They had but two children —
Mary Eliza, who died at the age of twelve
years; and Addison A.

Addison A. Bean was reared and educated
in the common schools of Sutton, and until
his marriage assisted his father in the labors
of the farm. He subsequently carried on
general farming on his own account in Sutton
for five years. He then removed with his
family to Chester, locating on his present
homestead, then known as the Pickett farm.
Mr. Bean now owns ninety-three acres of land,
which he has highly improved by his per-
severing energy and good management. He
carries on mixed husbandry and stock raising,
and has quite a dairy, from which he sells
milk, this latter industry being exceedingly
lucrative. Mr. Bean isa true and loyal Re-
publican. In 1890 and 1891 he represented
the town of Chester in the New Hampshire
legislature. He has served as Selectman of

 

the town five years, besides holding minor
offices, being at the present time township
Moderator. He is an influential member of
Chester Grange, No. 169, of which he was
Master three years; and of the Golden Cross
Society of this town. Religiously, both he
and his wife are members of the Congrega-
tional church, and take an active interest in
all work connected with the society.

On January 7, 1869, Mr. Bean married
Miss Mary It. Gordon, who was born October
10, 1847, in Sandown, this county, daughter
of James W. Gordon. Mr. Gordon, who was
a native of Brentwood, N.H., where he
learned the blacksmith’s trade when young,
is a large manufacturer of low wagons at
Rosemont, N.H. He subsequently became
a resident of Chester, and here spent his last
days, dying November 11, 1876, aged fifty-
seven years. Mr. Gordon married Lucy H.
Wells, of Sandown, this county, who bore him
eight children, as follows: James W., who
lives in Haverhill, Mass.; Susan J., who is
the wife of Francis E. Roby, of Somerville,
Mass.; Addie W., who died November 24,
1860, aged fourteen years; Mary E., now
Mrs. Bean; John B., who is Chief of the Fire
Department of Haverhill, Mass.; Lucy Isa-
belle, who married David Wilcox, of Oxford,
N.H.; Eveline E-, who died July 17, 1878,
aged twenty-five years; and Charles H., an
undertaker in Derry, this county. Mr. and
Mrs. Bean have no children.

 

ONATHAN W. PEABODY, one of
the well-to-do residents of London-
derry, was born in Gilead, Me., July
20, 1821, son of Jonathan and Eliza

(Coffin) Peabody. The family, which is of
English origin, is said to have been founded
by one of three brothers who emigrated from
England and settled in Bradford, Mass., dur-
ing the Colonial period, representatives of a
later generation settling in New Hampshire.

Jonathan Peabody, who was born in Shel-
burne, N.H., having been reared to agricult-
ural life, made farming his chief occupation.
He owned a farm in Gilead, Me. He also
carried on lumbering operations in Maine
during the winter season, generally meeting
78

with good success. In politics he supported
the Whig party, and was during his active
period a stirring and energetic man and a
useful citizen. His wife, Eliza, a native of
Gilead, bore him five children, all of whom
are living, namely: Eliza P., the widow of
Charles Tenney, late of Londonderry; Eve-
lyn, the widow of the late Madison Gilchrist,
of this town; Jonathan W., the subject of
this sketch; Orville A., of Derry Depot; and
Eldridge, who is residing in Londonderry.

Jonathan W. Peabody passed his youth in
Bethel, Me., where his opportunities for ob-
taining an education were limited. Later he
made up for this deficiency in his training by
taking a course at the Bethel Academy. At
the age of eighteen he began to learn the shoe-
maker's trade, at which he worked for some
years, mostly in Londonderry, where he set-
tled in 1843. He subsequently abandoned
the trade to establish himself in mercantile
business here with Arley Plumer. They car-
ried on a large and well-stocked country store
for ten years. He then engaged in general
farming, undertaking carpenter’s and painter’s
work as the opportunity offered.

Mr. Peabody wedded Mary Tenney, a native
of this town and a lady who was highly es-
teemed for her many noble qualities. She
died August 31, 1889, leaving two children —
Henrietta L. and Elbridge A. Politically,
Mr. Peabody is a Republican, and for many
years has been a prominent figure in public
affairs. He was a member of. the Board of
Selectmen for two years. He was one of the
organizers of Londonderry Grange, of which
he has served as Chaplain. In his religious
belief he is a Methodist, having been for many
years an active member and a Steward of that
church in this town. He has made his own
way in life, securing every advancement, in-
his education, through his personal
toil.

ee te i

RTHUR L. EMERSON, M.D., of
Chester, N.H., one of the best-known

and most skilful surgeons in the

State, was born in Hermon, Me.,

April 2, 1849, son of Isaiah and Sarah
(Sleeper) Emerson. Isaiah Emerson, who

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

was a native of Weare, N.H., was a wheel-
wright by trade, and owned some large saw-
mills in Hermon. About 1853 he removed to
Manchester, N.H., where he was employed
for a while in the station of the Concord
Railroad. . He died some four years after
settling in Manchester.

His wife, a native of Bristol, N.H., was a
daughter of Captain Sleeper, one of the
pioneers of that town. After Mr. Emerson’s
death she married Jonathan Emmons, a
farmer and lifelong resident of Bristol. She
died in August, 1886. By her first union she
had thirteen children, namely: James A. B.
(deceased): Nehemiah S. (deceased); Moses
W., a photographer in Lowell, Mass.; Mar-
cia, wife of Sylvanus Warren (both deceased) ;
Mary, living in Massachusetts; John D., of
Greenfield, N.H., for twenty years conductor
on the Boston & Maine Railroad; Lizzie
A., wife of Otis E. White, of East Sau-
gus, Mass.; Lucian W. (deceased): Julia A.,
widow of Lucius: Clogston, living in Ver-
mont, who has children attending college; Jo-
seph A., yardmaster for the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & St. Paul Railroad at La Crosse, Wis.;
Orrin F., a dentist in Franklin Falls, N.H.;
George A., an attorney of Chelsea, Mass.,
whose home is in Everett, that State; and
Arthur L., whose name appears at the head “of
this article. Seven of Mrs. Emerson’s sons
were in the late war. Arthur L., a stanch

patriot at thirteen, enlisted in 1862 in the

Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, but was pre-
vented by his older brother, John D., from
going into the service.

Arthur L. Emerson was obliged to earn
much of the money for his higher education
after leaving the common schools. When a
mere lad he worked for some time in the
cotton-miils in Manchester; and at fifteen
years of age he went to Charlestown, Mass.,
now a part of Boston, to work in the retail
drug store of Dr. William L. Bond, receiving
at first two dollars and a half a week. In this
store he remained three years; and he was sub-
sequently employed ten years in all in the
drug stores of G. H. Rogers, of Waltham, and
Dr. J. R. Hayes and Dr. M. O. Carter, of
Lowell, Mass. Dr. Carter is still in business.
Young Emerson proved such an efficient and
 

. EMERSON,

ARTHUR L
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 81

 

 

valuable clerk that, when he gave up his posi-
tion to prepare for his profession, he was re-
ceiving twenty dollars a week, and his em-
ployer was loath to let him go. He spent
three years in the school at New Hampton,
N.H., and then took up the study of medicine
at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me. He
subsequently attended the College of Physi-
cians and Surgeons, New York City, for three
winters, and received his certificate to prac-
tise in 1878.

Returning to Manchester, Dr. Emerson en-
tered on the work of his life, rich in courage,
but poor in pocket, not having sufficient funds
to open an office. It was not long, however,
before his ability became known; and, though
in Manchester but four years, he received two
official appointments, that of Assistant Surgeon
of the First Regiment and of County Physi-
cian of Hillsborough County. February 5,
1883, he moved to his present residence, the
old homestead of Governor Bell, in the village
of Chester, one of the landmarks of ‘this sec-
tion. His practice is not bounded by the
limits of the town of Chester, however; for
his fame as a surgeon has spread through the
State, and his success in performing difficult
and delicate operations causes a constant de-
mand for his services. He has a large medi-
cal practice, but surgery is his specialty.

Dr. Emerson was married February 5,
1883, to Elthea M., daughter of Charles and
Statira (Dexter) Fish, of Manchester, N.H.
Mr. Fish, who was a native of Plymouth,
Mass., was an iron moulder by trade, and was
foreman of the locomotive works in Man-
chester for a number of years. He died in
1891. His wife, who was a member of the
old Carver family, was born in Frankfort, Vt.
She died in 1877.

Dr. Emerson is a member of the New
Hampshire Medical Society. He takes an
active interest in politics as a Republican,
and has filled a number of official positions.
He was appointed Surgeon-general of the
State by Governor Sawyer, has been Treas-
urer of Rockingham County since 1894, and
is now a candidate for State Senator. The
Doctor is well advanced in Masonry, being a
member of Mechanics Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
of Lowell, Mass.; also a member of Waltham

 

Royal Arch Chapter, of Waltham, Mass.; and
of De Molay Commandery, Knights Templars,
of Boston, Mass. As an Odd Fellow he be-
longs to Massasoit Encampment of Boston,
Mass.; and as a Knight of Pythias he is a
member of Lowell Lodge, No. 11, of Lowell,
Mass. He holds the confidence and esteem
of all who know him, both as a professional
man and as a member of society.

 

RIN B. LEAVITT, a farmer of North
Hampton, was born there October 8,
1849, son of James R. and Elizabeth
(Marston) Leavitt. He represents
the seventh generation of his family. Moses
Leavitt was the keeper of a tavern which had
so great a reputation for its good cheer that
in the year 1751 he was solicited by thirty-
six of North Hampton’s best-known citizens
to come to their town, and open an inn for the
benefit of the public there. The invitation
was accepted, and Moses Leavitt established
a hostelry on the site which is now occupied
by the house of Mr. Eben Gove. Within the
wide-open doors of the old Colonial house Mr.
Leavitt dispensed creature comforts to travel-
lers, and exchanged gossip with the village
folk, with all of hearty good humor that be-
longed to a successful host in the old ante-
Revolutionary days. Moses, the innkeeper,
left a son, John, who was familiarly known as
Captain Leavitt. Captain Leavitt hada son,
Benjamin, who was known as Captain Ben.
He also kept an inn; and he lived out his days
in North Hampton, where he was born and
bred, leaving a son, Philip, to perpetuate his
name,

Philip Leavitt, grandfather of Orin B., was
born in 181s. He lived at the tavern, farm-
ing a part of the original Leavitt estate. As
the years passed, his property became more
valuable. He subsequently owned a large
part of surrounding lands at North Hampton
Centre. He was married to Dorothy Fogg,
and became by her the father of four children.
These were Elbridge, James, Olivia, and
Mariam. James, the father of Orin B., is
the only one now living. The father died in
his sixty-ninth year. James R. Leavitt was
educated in the district schools. For many

 
82

years of his life he drove a stage-coach, carry-
ing passengers and mail between North Hamp-
ton and Rye Beach. ,;

He has always lived at the home of his
youth, and the buildings on his son’s place
were erected by him. He married Elizabeth
Marston, daughter of Jeremiah and Abigail
Marston. Four of their five children reached
adult life. These were James A., Orin B.,
Abbie E., and Sarah A. The fifth child died
in childhood. James married Miss Kettell,
and lives in Hudson, Mass. Abbie became
the wife of Frank H. Seavey, and is the
mother of five children. Sarah A., now Mrs.
Fred H. Grant, is a resident of Lynn, Mass.,
and has two children.

Orin B. Leavitt was educated in the district
schools and at the New Hampton Academy.
He has since made farming his chief occupa-
tion, living at the ancestral home of the
Leavitts. In 1888 he married Mary O.
Drake, a daughter of Freeman and Mary
(Hobbs) Drake, of North Hampton, and has
since become the father of two children —
James F. and Raeline A. Mr. Leavitt has
been Town Supervisor for years. He also
fills the office of Hearse Warden, a position
which his father held with that of Tax Col-
lector. He is a stanch adherent of the Re-
publican party, having been formerly a Whig,
as was his father, and casting his first vote for
William Henry Harrison in the year 1836.
He is a member of the Venus Relief Associa-
tion of North Hampton. Both of his parents
are conscientious members of the Congrega-
tional church, his mother having been within
its fold for sixty-four years, while his father
is a Deacon, and one of the most influential
Supporters of the society.

 

 

HARLES E. BEAN, an undertaker of
Candia, was born in this town, August

16, 1863, son of Bradley C. and

Lucretia B. (Ross) Bean. The

family is said to be of English origin. Its
first ancestor of whom there js any authentic
knowledge was James Bean, who settled in
Hampton, N.H., at an early date in the his-
tory of that town. Joseph Bean, the great-
grandfather of Charles E., settled in Candia

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

upon a tract of land deeded to him by King
George III. and still in possession of the fam-.
ily. Joseph reclaimed a farm from it, and
operated the first grist-mill in this town. He
married a Miss Smith, and reared a family of
eleven children. His son, Daniel Bean,
grandfather of Charles E., was born at the
homestead in Candia, and, succeeding to its
possession, managed it until his death, which
took place in 1851, at the age of seventy
years. He married Hannah Smith, of Ray-
mond, N.H., and reared a family of thirteen
children, six of whom are living, namely:
Lucinda, the widow of Amos: E. Morrison,
late of Brainerd, Minn. ; Judith P., the widow
of Henry Walker, late of Haverhill, Mass. ;
Sarah, the widow of Asa Severance, late of
Townsend, Mass.; Daniel S., a currier and
farmer, who resides at the old homestead ;
Bradley C.; and Mary J., who is residing in
Candia. He was a Democrat in politics, but
not an aspirant to public office.

Bradley C. Bean, Mr. Bean’s father, born
at the family homestead, has followed farming
as his chief occupation, and is well known and
highly esteemed in the town. In politics he

-acts with the Republican party, and has served

upon the School Board. His religious faith
is that of the Free Will Baptists. His wife,
in maidenhood Lucretia B. Ross, has had
seven children, four of whom are living,
namely: Homer B., who is residing in Man-
chester, N.H.; Charles E., the subject of
this sketch; Mary E., the wife of William
Lawn, of Reading, Mass. ; and Sadie L., twin
sister of Mary E., the wife of John Blanch, of
Manchester. The others were George D.,
Clara M., and one who died in infancy.

Charles E. Bean acquired his education in
the common and high schools of Candia. He
resided at home, assisting his father upon the
farm until he was twenty years old. He then
entered the employ of Mr. Young, who for-
merly carried on the undertaking business
here. Since 1892 he has followed that occu-
pation upon his own account, being at the
present time the only undertaker in town. He
furnishes caskets of every description, and
makes a specialty of embalming. His busi-
ness calls him to all parts of this section of
the county.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 83

 

 

On January 21, 1888, Mr. Bean wedded
Lillian M. Young, a native of Candia. Mrs.
Bean is the mother of three children, namely:
Catherine M., aged seven years; E. Everett,
aged two years; and Luna R., aged seven
months.

In politics Mr. Bean is a Democrat, and was
for two years Supervisor of the check list.
He is connected with Lodge No. 70, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he
is now Vice-Grand, with the Lodge of Rebec-
cas, and with the Order of the Golden Cross
of Candia. The family attend the Congrega-
tional church.

 

 

OSEPH M. WHIDDEN was for a num-
ber of years an extensive farmer and ice
dealer of Newington, N.H., where he
was well known. He was a son of

Joseph and Abigail (Sevey) Whidden, and was
born in Portsmouth, N.H., on August 11,
1817. His paternal grandfather, Joseph
Whidden, first, was the earliest ancestor of the
name to locate in Portsmouth. Joseph, sec-
ond, the father of Joseph M., married Abigail
Sevey, and became the father of twelve chil-
dren, four sons and eight daughters, of whom
but two daughters and one son are now living.

Joseph M. Whidden resided on the home-
stead where he was born until 1852, when he
moved to Newington, engaging in the ice
business, which he managed successfully for
six years, selling out in 1873. He died on
October 24, 1875. His mortal remains rest
in the Newington cemetery. In politics he
was a Republican; and, though he did not
seek office, he was elected and served for a
time on the School Board.

On August 28, 1844, the year when the
first United States telegram was sent from
Baltimore to Washington, Mr. Whidden was
united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth A.
Berry, daughter of William and Olive S.
(Locke) Berry. Elizabeth was born in Rye
in June, 1821; but her father was a native of
Greenland, -N.H., an adjoining town. Mr.
and Mrs. Whidden had eight children:
Charles G., who died May 27, 1868, aged
twenty-two years; Mary O., wife of William
C. Laws, of this town; Eldora A. (deceased),

 

wife of Henry A. Searles; Frank L., who has
managed the farm since his father’s death, but
now resides in Portsmouth; Carrie E., a
teacher, who resides in Newington; Ira W.,
who lives in Portsmouth; Edith, wife of
D. Wesley Badger; Joseph W., who resides on
his farm in Newington. Mrs. Elizabeth
Whidden, the widowed mother, still lives on
the homestead farm with two of her children.

a

UGUSTUS F. GREENLEAF, a
capable and enterprising farmer, was
born November 19, 1859, in Exeter,
the town in which he now lives, a
son of Jabez Greenleaf. His father was a
native of New Hampshire, Effingham, Carroll
County, having been the place of his nativity.
Jabez Greenleaf spent his early life in Effing-
ham, where he was employed in a cotton fac-
tory. Removing then to [xeter, he found
work in the cotton-mills, and thus continued
until his marriage in 1840, when he engaged
in general farming, and also carried on a good
business in the manufacture of pegged boots.
He was known as a man of integrity and up-
right principles, and his death in 1866 was
a loss to the community in which he lived.
The maiden name of his wife was Huldah S.
Rowell. She bore him four children, of whom
Augustus F. was the youngest? Mrs. Jabez
Greenleaf long survived her husband, dying
March 21, 1895, aged eighty years:

Augustus F. Greenleaf obtained his educa-
tion in the grammar schools of Exeter; and,
as soon as he was old enough, he began to
assist his mother in supporting the family.
For seven years he was employed in a machine
shop at Exeter; but, the confinement proving
detrimental to his health, he gave up the posi-
tion. He then turned his attention to agri-
cultural employments, and has since been en-
gaged in mixed husbandry. He has one hun-
dred and forty-six acres of land, to which he
faithfully devotes his time and attention, rais-
ing each year excellent crops of hay, corn, and
the cereals common to this part of the country.
Politically, Mr. Greenleaf is a stanch member
of the Republican party. He has served his
fellow-townsmen as Road Surveyor, and is
now Assistant Surveyor, an office which he

 
84

has held the past eight years. Fraternally,
he is a member of Sagamore Lodge, No. 9,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Exeter,
in which he has passed all the chairs, being
now Past Grand Master. He is likewise con-
nected with the Ridgely Protective Associa-
tion of Worcester, Mass. Mr. Greenleaf was
married September 18, 1886, to Miss Irene C.
Johnston, a daughter of Thomas Johnston, of
Philadelphia, Pa. Her mother, Anna Dolloff
by maiden name, was a native of Exeter and
a daughter of Jesse and Hannah (Rowell)
Dolloff. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Green-
leaf has been blessed by the birth of two chil-
dren — Delbert J. and Anna Mabel.  Relig-
iously, both Mr. and Mrs. Greenleaf are
attendants of the Baptist church, in which
they are active workers, the former having
been librarian for nearly eight years.

 

HARLES A. MORSE, M.D., the
efficient and popular Postmaster of
a New Market, N.H., was born in
Salisbury, Merrimack County, N.H.;
September 8, 1857. He is a son of Charles
George and Lucy Jane (Calef) Morse. His
father, who was born in Warren, N.H., when
quite young learned the trade of cabinet-mak-
ing, which he followed for a number of years.
He subsequently turned his attention to agri-
culture, finding in the cultivation of his fields
a healthy pleasure and profitable employment.
He is now living on a farm in Durham, N.H.
His wife also is still living, actively presiding
over her domestic kingdom.

Charles A. Morse pursued an extended
course of study in boyhood, being graduated
from the academy at Penacook, N.H., before
entering college. His professional studies
were begun at Dartmouth College, from which
he was graduated in 1882, and were pursued
in connection with the drug business, to which
he devoted five years, learning thoroughly the
uses of drugs and medicines. In 188> he
began to practice; and, though he has found
time for many other interests outside of his
professional work, he -has notwithstanding
steadily increased his visiting list, and grown
very popular asa physician. He is a member
of the New Hampshire State Medical Associa-

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

tion, Centre District and Rockingham County,
the American Public Health Association, and
the American Medical Society; and he is
Surgeon of the First Uniformed Rank Regi-
ment, Knights of Pythias, of New Hampshire,
holding the rank of Major. He is also a
member of the Grand Lodge, Knights of Pyth-
jas, of New Hampshire. On September 5,
1883, Dr. Morse was married to Anna Eveline
Sanders, of New Market, who lived but a year
and eight months after her marriage, and at
ber death left a daughter, Lucy Annie. On
October 27, 1887, the Doctor married for his
second wife Gertrude May Davis, of New
Market, by whom also hé has one daughter,
Alice Gertrude.

Dr. Morse is a prominent figure in local
politics. He was elected to the legislature
in 1890 and 1891. He served as Postmaster
of New Market during President Cleveland's
first term, and is new again in office; and in
educational matters his judgment is highly re-
spected by his townsmen, who have elected
him to the School Board and made him Super-
intendent of Schools. He is also popular as
a society man and in the fraternal orders. He
is Past Grand of Swamscott Lodge, No. 8,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Past
Chancellor of Pioneer Lodge, No. 1, Knights
of Pythias; and he is a prominent member of
the Rockingham Club, the Granite State Club,
and the New Hampshire Club. In 1896 Dr.
Morse was elected one of the delegates from
the New Hampshire State Society to the med-
ical department of Dartmouth College; and
in 1893 he represented the State Society at the
Rhode Island State Society meeting at Provi-
dence, R.J.

 

OHN W. GREELEY, of Londonderry,
now entering on his seventy-eighth
year, comes of the same stock that pro-
duced Horace Greeley. He was born

in Amherst, Hillsborough County, March 25,
1819, son of Dustin and Sarah (Woodburn)
Greeley, both natives of Londonderry. Zac-
cheus Greeley, grandfather of John W., was
an early settler in Londonderry, where he had
an extensive farm. He was the father of
Horace Greeley’s father, who was, therefore,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 85

 

 

a brother of Dustin. Dustin Greeley was
reared to manhood in Londonderry. After
his marriage he moved to Amherst, and lived
for a time in the house where his distin-
guished nephew and John W. first opened
their eyes to the light. Me subsequently
went to West Haven, Vt., where he died in
1825. Of his children, James M. and
John W. are living.

John W. Greeley was seven years old when
his father died. Shortly after his bereave-
ment he was bound out to a Mr. Woodbury, of
Springfield, Vt., with whom he remained
until of age. He obtained much of his educa-
tion in the district schools of Vermont, at-
tending during the winter season.
taining his majority, he sought to better his
fortune, and spent a short time in Massachu-
setts. Inthe fall of 1841 he came to Lon-
donderry, and three years later he took up his
residence in his present home. The estate in-
cludes a good farm of fifty acres. For a num-
ber of years Mr. Greeley worked at carpentry
as well as farming. Throughout his long life
he has shown a conscientious regard for the
rights of his neighbors. Having risen from
the condition of an orphan “bound boy” to a
position of comparative independence, he may
look back with pride upon his past, and find
the shadow of his “vine and fig-tree” all the
more refreshing.

Mr. Greeley was married May 2, 1844, to
Mary A. Dodge, a native of Bedford, N.H.,
daughter of Benjamin and Polly (Thompson)
Dodge. Mr. Dodge was a son of Isaac Dodge,
a former resident of Londonderry. He has
two children; and his wife was a native of
Merrimack, N.H. Mr. Greeley became the
father of two children: Abbie F., the wife of
Henry J. Caldwell; and Eugene O. In poli-
tics he favors the Republican party. He has
taken an active interest in educational matters,
and taught several terms in the district
school, and has served as Superintendent of
the School Committee in Londonderry. Mr.
and Mrs. Greeley have been connected with
the Presbyterian church in Londonderry for
fifty and forty years respectively. He has
been an Elder in the church for a number of
years, and is commonly called Deacon Greeley.
Mrs. Greeley is a very interesting lady, and

After at-'

 

both she and her husband have many sincere
friends.

 

 

EORGE H. FLOYD, a - retired
farmer, living in Fremont, is a typi-
cal New Itngland man. He was

born May 2, 1825, in Itxeter, this county,
son of Samuel and Mary (Quimby) Floyd.
Samuel Floyd, born and reared in the same
locality, was a farmer by occupation, while he
worked much of his time in a paper mill. He
died in Exeter before reaching the meridian of
life. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary
Quimby, was a native of Durham, Strafford
County.

George H. Floyd was quite young when his
father died. His early years were passed in
Brentwood, this county, where he acquired his
education. He afterward lived in Fremont
until his first marriage, when he removed to
Chester, where he bought and managed a
small farm, and worked at his trade of shoe-
making. In 1852 he disposed of his property
in that town, and came to Fremont Village,
which he made his home for four years. He
then took up his residence on his present
farm. Flere he has been profitably engaged in
general farming since then, bringing his land
to a fine state of cultivation and adding val-
uable improvements. He has likewise dealt
in cattle for more than thirty years, and has
bought and sold much timber, his invest-
ments invariably proving successful. He now
owns two hundred and fifty acres of good land
in Fremont and two hundred acres in Notting-
ham. Since 1888 he has lived in retirement,
enjoying a well-earned Jeisure after his many
years ot industrious toil. Politically, he is a
firm adherent of the Republican party, and
has served his fellow-townsmen in many of the
minor offices of the town.

Mr. Floyd has been twice married. On
February 14, 1850, he was united in matri-
mony with Miss Sarah B. Collins, who was
born in East Salisbury, Mass., daughter of
David and Sarah Collins. Her father was
a farmer and carpenter. Living but a few
years after her marriage, she died in 1856,
having borne two children. These were:
Sarah Jane, the wife of Harrison B. Ellis, a
86 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

farmer and shoemaker in this town; and John
H., who died in infancy. Mr. Floyd was
again married October 19, 1856, to Mrs.
Betsey N. Follett. She was born in Fremont,
daughter of Josiah and Abigail (Robinson)
Norris, with whom she lived until her first
marriage with Freeman A. Follett. She was
a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, in which she was an active worker
until her demise, May 28, 1879.

 

 

ARVEY P. HOOD, senior member
of the firm of H. P. Hood & Sons
(incorporated), wholesale milk
dealers of Derry, N.H., was born
in Chelsea, Orange County, Vt., June 6, 1823.
His parents were Harvey and Rebecca (Smith)
Hood, both natives of Orange County. The
first of his family in that locality was his
grandfather, Enos Hood, who went from
Salem, Mass., when a young man, and with
two brothers settled in what was then the
wilderness of Northern Vermont. The sunny
hills and fertile valleys offered good agricult-
ural advantages, the streams were full of
speckled trout, and the sugar maples held ex-
haustless supplies of saccharine treasure; and
Enos Hood settled permanently in his pioneer
home. Harvey Hood, son of Enos, spent the
greater part of his life in his native State,
engaged in the pursuit of agriculture; but his
last days were passed in Derry, N.H. Four
of his children are now living, namely:
Harvey P., of Derry; Gilbert E., of Law-
rence, Mass.; Eliza P., residing in Boston,
Mass.; and Lucinda R., wife of the Rev.
A. A. Smith, in Berry, Vt.

Harvey P. Hood, who is the direct subject
of the present sketch, acquired his education
in a district school in Chelsea and the acad-
emy at Randolph, Vt., supplementing in after
years the knowledge gained there by wide
general reading, so that he is now justly con-
sidered a well-informed man. He went to
Boston, Mass., when twenty-three years of
age, and was for some time employed in a
bakery, being afterward engaged in the retail
milk business in a section of the city then be-
longing to Charlestown, now a part of Boston.
In 1856 he located in Derry, N.H., and, be-

 

ginning in a small way, gradually built up an
immense business. His shipments to Boston
alone now average four cars of milk daily, and
his business connections extend through a
large part of New Hampshire. Mr. Hood's
success has been gained through close atten-
tion to business, and his natural ability has
been strengthened by years of practical expe-
rience. In addition to his milk trade he deals
in grain to some extent; and he was for many
years a Director in the Derry National Bank.

Mr. Hood and his wife, formerly Caroline
Corwin, of Chelsea, Vt., have six children:.
Laura C., wife of J. W. Johnson, of Man-
chester, N.H.; Clara R., living in Lawrence,
Mass.; Nellie F., wife of N. M. Smith, of
Brookline, Mass.; Charles H., residing in
Somerville, Mass.; and Edward J. and Gil-
bert H., in Derry. The incorporated com-
pany of H. P. Hood & Sons consists of Harvey
P. Hood, President; Charles H. Hood, Treas-
urer; and Gilbert H. Hood, Secretary.

Mr. Hood is a prominent Republican, and °
has served for two terms in the New Hamp-
shire legislature. In religious belief he is a
Congregationalist. He is the happy possessor
of a handsome residence in Derry, and he and
his family are highly esteemed members of
the society of the town.

 

a

RANK H. BUTLER, farmer, a resi-
dent of Nottingham, was born in this
town, November 29, 1852, son of James

H. and Harriett (Amsden) Butler. = Mr.
Butler’s great-grandfather, Henry Butler,
born November 27, 1754, was one of the early
and prosperous residents of the town. He
served in the Continental army during the
Revolutionary War. With his wife, Isabel
(Fisk) Butler, whom he married April 11,
1776, he reared a family of eight children.
Ebenezer Butler, Mr. Butler’s grandfather,
was born in Nottingham, March 13, 1781.
Me was in early life a blacksmith. Later he
engaged in farming, and continued in that oc-
cupation until 1828. In this year he opened
a tavern here, calling it “A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush,” that became a
popular resort for travellers. Of genial man-
ners, he conducted it successfully until his
 

HARVEY

 

P. HOOD.
 

 

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 89

 

 

death, which occurred December 25, 1850.
In politics he was an active Whig, and served
as Selectman for several years. One of the
characteristics which made him popular was
his warm public spirit. In his religious
views he was a Congregationalist. On Octo-
ber 19, 1809, he married Sally Hersey, of
Sanbornton, N.H., and became the father of
four children. The mother died on Novem-
ber 27, 1854.-

James H. Butler, the eldest of his parents’
children, was born in Nottingham, October
27, 1811. Whena young man, he engaged in
the stock business, speculating extensively in
cattle, and driving large droves to Brighton,
Mass., usuaily making the journey in four
days. He later engaged in farming and lum-
bering operations, cutting and hauling a great
deal of ship timber. Subsequently retiring
from that business, he became a merchant,
and had a large and prosperous trade. His
death occurred May 22, 1893. For many
years he was a leading spirit in public affairs,
being an active and influential supporter of
the Democratic party. He was a member of
the Board of Selectmen, and for a number of
years held other town offices. He was a Rep-
‘resentative to the legislature for two terms,
during which he rendered able and valuable
services to the community and the State.

Mr. Butler was twice married. His first
marriage was contracted with Mary H. Dear-
born. of Sanbornton. By this union there
were two children, of whom the survivor is
Mary L., the wife of Joseph N. Cilley, of this
town, who has two children — Elizabeth and
Joseph. Mr. Butler’s first wife died June 19,
1850; and on August 18, 1851, he wedded for
his second wife Harriett Amsden, daughter
of Jacob Amsden, of Charlestown, N.H. She
became the mother of one son, Frank H., the
subject of this sketch. Both parents attended
the Congregational church.

Frank H. Butler acquired the primary
branches of his education in the schools of
Nottingham. Subsequently, after a course at
the Northwood Seminary, he finished his stud-
ies in Portsmouth, N.H. Then, returning to
the farm, he engaged in agriculture, which
has continued to be his occupation since.

On January 1, 1876, he wedded Euleta A.

 

Folsom, daughter of Benjamin and Abbie
Folsom, of Wayland, Mass. Mrs. Butler is
the mother of three children, as follows:
Harriett A., who was born October 17, 1876;
Annie F., who was born March 13, 1879; and
Marion, who was born March 23, 1891. In
politics Mr. Butler is a Democrat, and he has
served as Town Clerk for two years.

 

 

SAAC §. DICKEY, an old resident of
Londonderry, N.H., who, although fast
approaching his fourscore years, is still

actively engaged in tilling the soil,
was born in Manchester, N.H., November 1,
1819, son of David and Martha (Perbam)
Dickey.

David Dickey was a native of the town of
Derryfield, whose name in 1810 was changed
to Manchester. He followed agricultural
pursuits in connection with brickmaking, and
resided there until his death, which took place
in 1855. He was highly respected as an up-
right, conscientious man and a worthy citizen ,

and in politics he supported the Whig party.

His wife, whose maiden name was Martha
Perham, was a native of Manchester. Of her
children there are two survivors, namely:
Robert, who resides in Salem, N.H.; and
Isaac S., the subject of this sketch.

Isaac S. Dickey attended the district school
of his neighborhood, and was reared to farm
life in his native town. At the age of twenty-
three he engaged in shoemaking, which, to-
gether with farming, constituted his occupa-
tion until he was forty years old. In 1842 he
took up his residence in Londonderry, later
removing to Litchfield, where he resided for
a short time; and he then returned to this
town. Some time during the fifties he settled
upon his present farm of one hundred and
twenty acres, one of the best in this section,
which, with the exception of a short interval,
has since been his permanent residence.

For his first wife Mr. Dickey married Mar-
garet Pettingill; and by this union there are
four sons, two of whom, Irving T. and Henry
C., died while serving as soldiers in the Civil
War, Winfield Scott is no longer living, and
Phineas W., the only survivor, is residing in
Manchester. For his second wife Mr. Dickey
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

go

wedded Mrs. Elizabeth Farrell, of Manchester ;
and his present wife was Mrs. Mary J. Mc-
Queston. He has been a tireless worker
during his long and busy life, never permit-
ting an opportunity to be lost which could in
any way contribute to his advancement ; and he
still considers himself among the active resi-
dents of Londonderry. In politics he supports
the Republican party.

 

OHN S. LADD, who is identified with
the mercantile interests of Rockingham
County, is a dealer in hardware, tin-
ware, and house-furnishing goods in the

town of Epping, where he was born October 7,
1856. His father, Daniel B. Ladd, was born
in Deerfield, January, 1826, but has spent the
larger part of his life in Epping. Here he
married Marian Sawyer Jones, and husband
and wife are still living on their well-ap-
pointed farm near West Epping.

John S. Ladd attended the district schools
of this locality until he was fifteen years old,
and for a year or two after that worked on the
farm. Not liking agricultural work, he went
to Raymond, where he learned the tanner’s
trade, which he followed for ten years. On
September 10, 1883, he purchased the well-
established. business of George S. Rundett &
Son in Epping, and has since conducted a
brisk trade in hardware, tinware, and house-
furnishing goods. Mr. Ladd carried on the
business alone for some years; but on April 1,
1895, he suffered a severe misfortune, his
place being destroyed by fire. With un-
daunted energy and perseverance, he went to
work, and built his present establishment,
which is a two-story brick structure, the upper
story of which is used by the Masonic Lodge.’
On the completion of his new store Mr. Ladd
took into copartnership Mr. J. L. Thompson,
the firm name being J. S. Ladd & Co. This
enterprising firm have an extensive trade, and
carry a complete stock of goods, embracing
stoves, hardware, and tinware, sheet iron,
pumps, and lead pipe.

On the 20th of October, 1881, Mr. Ladd
married Miss Belle M. Bagley, a daughter of

 

Daniel B. Bagley, of Raymond, N.H. Of
the children born of their union two are living |

— Stella Fay and Mildred Rosella.  Relig-
iously, Mrs. Ladd is a member of the Congre-
gationalist church, Mr. Ladd is a Master
Mason, belonging to Sullivan Lodge, No. 19,
aud is also a member of Queen Esther Chap-
ter, No. 11, Order of the Eastern Star. He
is a stanch Democrat politically and an influ-
ential member of his party in this locality.
He was elected Selectman in 1891, and served
one term. In 1892 and 1893 he was Auditor;
and he 1896 he was elected Treasurer of the
town —a responsible position, which he is
acceptably filling. Although a comparatively
young man, Mr. Ladd is a thoroughly repre-
sentative citizen, and occupies a firm place
among the leading business men of this part of
the county.

 

 

successful agriculturist of Chester,
was born on his present homestead,

April 19, 1843, son of Benjamin
and Rhoda (Emery) Wilson. Benjamin
Wilson was born in Pelham, this State, where
he grew to manhood. Subsequently going to
Atkinson, this county, he lived there until
after his marriage. Then he came to Chester,
where he resided until his demise, October 4
1880. He bought the farm now owned and
occupied by his son, Charles A., and there
was profitably occupied in farming and lum-
bering. While in Atkinson, he married Miss
Rhoda Emery, who bore him five children, as
follows: Mehitable E.; who diced June 7,
1859; Andrew Jackson, who died October 15,
1852; Elizabeth I., who is the widow of the
late Lucian Kent, and lives in Chester town-
ship; Benjamin Franklin, who married Miss
Abby A. Rowe, and lives at Derry Depot, this
county; and Charles A., the subject of this
sketch. The mother passed away January 17,
1869.

Charles A. Wilson was reared on the home-
stead, attending the district school between
seed-time and harvest, and at other times as-
sisting his parents. After an absence of five
years spent in Massachusetts, at Andover, and
in Manchester and Derry, of this State, he re-
turned to the home farm, which he has since
managed most profitably. The estate contains

CO picacat A. WILSON, a skilful and

©
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW : gi

 

 

one hundred and twenty acres of land, devoted
principally to general agriculture, although
some attention is paid to stock-raising and
lumbering. In politics Mr. Wilson is a
scund Democrat, while he has never been an
aspirant to official honors. In 1867 he was
united in marriage with Miss Ellen Abbott,
who was born in Nottingham, this county,
daughter of Benjamin Abbott, a farmer now
living in the town of New Market, this State.

Mrs. Wilson, who lived but a few years
after her marriage, died May 27, 1871,
leaving no children.

 

ERENO A. PRESCOTT, of Brent-
wood, the worthy representative of
an old and honored family of the
county, was born, June 7, 1840, at

Hampton Falls, N.H., son of Robert and

Almira (Melcher) Prescott. He traces his

lineage back to.one James Prescott, of Stand-

ish, England, who lived in 1564. The
founder of the American family was John

Prescott, who in 1640, four generations later,

came from England, and settled first in Bos-

ton, Mass., but later in- Watertown, near by.
Robert Prescott was born, May 8, 1799, in

Hampton Falls, being the sixth child of his

parents, Simeon and Sarah (French) Prescott.

On January 30, 1822, he married Almira

Melcher, who was born April 29, 1801,

daughter of Joseph Melcher. They became the

parents of ten children; namely, Joseph E.,

Mary O., Charles Smith, Lewis F., Alvah D.,

Samuel M., Thomas C., George S., Sereno

A., and Almon R. Joseph E., born May 23,

1823, who was married in November, 1843,

to Almira Bartlett, enlisted August 1, 1861,

in Company B, Third New Hampshire Volun-

teer Infantry, served for three years in the

Civil War, and died shortly after returning

home, on October 30, 1864. Mary O., born

April 29, 1824, was married, September 24,

1847, to Amos F. Whitney, a tanner, who

was born August 23, 1820. Charles Smith

was born May 14, 1826. Lewis F. was born

March 5, 1828, and Alvah D., June 5, 1830.

Samuel M., born September 11, 1832, served

in the late war, in Company C, First Massa-

chusetts Heavy Artillery. Thomas C., born

©

 

June 14, 1835, served three years in the war
with Company Kk, Seventh New Hampshire
Volunteer Infantry. He married, November
13, 1856, Hannah L., daughter of William
Plummer. George S., born September 21,
1837, who sent a substitute to the war, mar-
ried in 1859 Miss Emma Cotton, who died
twelve months later, in November, 1860. On
December 24, 1864, he entered a second mar-
riage, contracted with Miss Laura D. Sargent.
Almon R., born June 28, 1843, enlisted as a
fireman, April 28, 1862, in the United States
naval service. In 1863 he was transferred to
the South Atlantic blockading squadron,
under Rear-admiral Dahlgren and Captain
Creighton. On August 17 of that year he
took part in the bombardment of Fort Haynes
and Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, being
on board the first wooden gunboat added to the
iron-clad fleet on that occasion. He also
shared in several other naval engagements of
importance.

Sereno A. Prescott received a good com-
mon-school education. At the age of sixteen
he began working on a farm in Kingston,
N.H., and continued occupied there four or
more years. He also sent a substitute to the
war. After his marriage Mr. Prescott lived
for a brief time with his father-in-law, and
then purchased his present homestead in
Brentwood, at that time known as the Veasey
farm. He has eighty-five acres of land, the
greater portion of which is in a fine state of
cultivation. Hay, potatoes, and the grains
usually raised in New England are his princi-
pal crops. He has been quite successful in
dairy keeping, of which he makes a specialty.

On January 30, 1864, he married Miss
M. A. Frances Miller, who was born, June
30, 1839, in Deerfield, this State. Mrs.
Prescott’s parents are Samuel and Anna
(Yeaton) Miller, both natives of Merrimack
County, respectively born at Chichester and
Epsom. Mr. and Mrs. Prescott are the par-
ents of six children, namely: Charles A., who
lives at home; Anna F., who is the wife of
E. Hale Flanders, of Amesbury, Mass.;
George Y., who is at home; Ethel M., who is
the wife of Winfred Varney, and lives in
Rochester, N-H.; and Ida B. and Nellie W.,
who are both at home. In politics Mr. Pres-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

cott is an uncompromising Republican,
always remaining faithful to the best inter-

ests of his party. He has been Supervisor of
’ Brentwood for one year, and has also served
on the School Board.

 

°

 

LVIN J. SEAVEY, general farmer and

milk dealer and one of the town

fathers of Derry, was born in Ches-

ter, this county, December 18, 1853.

His parents were Isaac L. and Mary H.

(Brown) Seavey, the former a native of Ches-

ter and the latter of the town of Fremont, in

the same county. His grandfather, Josiah

Seavey, was an early settler in Chester. Jo-

siah Seavey’s wife was a member of the Lane

family, one of the old and respected families
of Rockingham County.

Isaac L. Seavey was reared on his father’s
farm in Chester, obtaining his knowledge of
the rudiments in the district school. He
adopted agriculture as his chief occupation,
and subsequently was a very successful farmer.
In May, 1864, he moved to the farm now oc-
cupied by his son, and there spent the rest of
his life. He was a stanch Republican. He
and his wife, Mary, reared two children —
Julia A. B., wife of George Converse, of Ches-
ter; and Alvin J. Both parents were mem-
bers of the Methodist church.

Alvin J. Seavey, who was ten years of age
when his parents removed to Derry, received
the greater part of his education in this town,
attending the public schools and Pinkerton
Academy. He has been engaged in agricult-
ure from early youth, and now manages his
farm in the manner of one thoroughly conver-
sant with farming. The estate covers fifty
acres of arable and pasture land. Mr. Seavey
raises general crops, and keeps a number of
milch cows. He finds a profitable market for
much of his produce, and he has a large milk
trade. One of the leading farmers of the lo-
cality, he is a member and the Master of Nut-
field Grange.

On December 25, 1877, he was united in
marriage with Harriett, daughter of James
and Katherine (Goodwin) Sefton, both resi-
dents of Derry. Mr. and Mrs. Sefton, who
were born in Ingland, reared a large family;

 

and five others of their children are now liy-
ing. These are: Elizabeth, residing in
Worcester, Mass., the widow of Guy F. Orrill;
James, residing in Derry; Alfred, in Holyoke,
Mass. ; Frederick, in Auburn, N.Y.; and
Thomas H., in Derry. Mr. and Mrs. Seavey
have two children, namely: Cora Kate, born
June 18, 1879; and Jessie Lane, born May 3,
1886. Mr. Seavey, like his father, is a Re-
publican. He takes a prominent part in town
affairs, and has served as Selectman for three
years. Well advanced in Masonry, he is Past
Master of St. Mark’s Lodge of Derry; and he
is a member of Derryfield Lodge, Ancient
Order of United Workmen, of Derry Depot.
Both he and Mrs. Seavey are members of the
First Congregational Church at East Derry.

 

OHN SCRIBNER, who for many years
was recognized as one of the leading
farmers of Rockingham County, was
born here, June 1, 1822. He was a

son of Elisha Scribner, Sr., also a native of
this town, who, after spending his lifetime
here, passed away in 1856.

John Scribner became a farmer from choice
rather than necessity, having a natural taste
and aptitude for the occupation in which he
was reared. The remarkable success which
he met with proved the wisdom of his selec-
tion. By dint of persevering toil, he brought
his land to a condition of high cultivation, and
made such improvements on the property that
it now stands as a monument to his industry,
enterprise, and skilful management. He was
a stanch Republican in politics, taking an
active interest in all schemes conducive to
the public benefit; and he served ina praise-

worthy manner in various town and county
offices.
Mr. Scribner was three times married.

His first wife, Mary E. (Currier) Scribner,
who was born December 14, 1824, in San-
down, N.H., was a daughter of Jobn and Polly
(Locke) Currier. She died June 22, 1853,
leaving one child, «Mary Ellen, who became
the wife of Dr. Fred. I. Drown. Mr. Scrib-
ner subsequently married Miss Olive R. P.
Packer, who was born in Greenland, this.
county. She lived but a short time after her
 

EDSON E. PEASLEE,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 95

 

 

marriage, having borne a daughter, Sarah Ida,
who has also passed away. On March 25,
1861, Mr. Scribner contracted a third mar-
riage with Miss Sarah A. Stevens, who sur-
vives him, and now occupies the home farm.
Mrs. Scribner is a native of Danville, this
county, and a daughter of Samuel and Sarah
(Hooker) Stevens, both natives of the same
town. Mr. Stevens, who was a farmer, spent
his entire life in the place of his nativity, and
died there in 1850. His widow is still living,
making her home with her daughter, Mrs.
Scribner. She had nine children, six of
whom are yet living. Of the last union of
Mr. Scribner one child was born, S. Olive,
now the wife of Frank W. Clarke, of Anoka,
Minn. Mr. Scribner died June 27, 1863.

 

DSON Kk. PEASLIEE, an enterprising
lumber manufacturer of Plaistow, N.H.,
- and an ex-member of the State legis-
lature, was born in this town, August 20,
1847, son of Daniel and Abigail W. (Peaslee)
Peaslee. Mr. Peaslee’s paternal grandfather,
Joab Peaslee, was a native and lifelong resi-
dent of Plaistow, and for many years was one
of the prosperous tillers of the soil. Asa
sturdy, upright man and a useful citizen, he
was accorded the sincere good will of his
fellow-townsmen. He lived to reach the
age of sixty-three years. In politics he
was a Democrat, and in his religious views
a’Baptist. He married Elizabeth Eaton; and
they reared a family of ten children, of
whom Daniel, Mr. Peaslee’s father, was the
second born. Mrs. Elizabeth E. Peaslee died
at the age of seventy years.

Daniel Peaslee was born in Plaistow in Feb-
ruary, 1812; and in early life he was here
engaged in farming and lumbering. In 1850
he moved to Haverhill, where he continued
in the same line of business for some time,
and, returning to Plaistow, resumed his connec-
tion with the lumber industry, which he fol-
lowed successfully during the rest of his
active period. The last seven years of his life
were passed in retirement, and he died at the
age of eighty years. Among his associates he
bore a high reputation as an able and conscien-
tious man, and entire confidence was placed in

 

his honesty and integrity. Politically, he
acted with the Republican party; and he ably
served for one term as a member of the Board
of Selectmen. His wife, Abigail W. Peaslee,
who is a daughter of the late James Peaslee,
of Newton, N.H., became the mother of ten
children, five of whom are living, namely:
Lorena A., a resident of Plaistow; Ellen, wife
of Valentine B. Sawyer, of Newton, N.H. ;
Ada S., who is residing in this town, is a
noted artist in oil, crayon, and china painting;
Edson E., of Plaistow, to be further men-
tioned; and Frank D., who married Alice,
daughter of Daniel Chase, of Newton, and has
one son—Arthur F. Mr. Peaslee’s father
was a member of the Baptist church, with
which his mother, who is now living at the
age of eighty years, is also united.

Edson E. Peaslee in his early childhood at-
tended the common schools of Plaistow, and
later pursued more advanced studies in Suffield,
Conn. When a young man, he engaged in
business for himself, afterward taking charge
of his father’s Jumber enterprise; and he has
since displayed a great amount of energy in
carrying it on. His saw-mill, which is_ lo-
cated here, manufactures a million feet of
lumber per annum, and employs an average
of fifteen hands, thus being of immense bene-
fit to the wage-earning people of this town.
His progressive methods and advanced ideas
are a stimulus to the business interests of the
locality, and he bas become widely and favor-
ably known as a worthy successor to bis father
in continuing an industry so long established.

On October 10, 1877, Mr. Peaslee married
Harriett A. Peaslee, daughter of Reuben
Peaslee, of Plaistow. Mr. and Mrs. Peaslee
are social favorites, being prime movers in
many of the important society events here;
and they are members of the Baptist church.
Mrs. Peaslee also is an artist of much ability.
Many of her pictures have taken premiums at
fairs both in New Hampshire and Massachu-
setts.

In political circles Mr. Peaslee is regarded
as a leader, being an earnest supporter of the
Republican party. For a number of years he
was Town Auditor and a member of the Board
of Selectmen; and he was elected for a term
of two years a representative to the legislature,
96

where his natural ability was displayed to ad-
vantage. Though he is occupying no public
office at present, be still exercises a deep in-
fluence among his party associates.

 

LBERT C. LANE, a well-known mer-
chant and Town Clerk and Treasurer
of Stratham, N.H., was born in this
town, June 22, 1853, son of Enoch
M. C. and Mary (Seavey) Lane. The family,
which is of English origin, was founded in
this country by William Lane, who emigrated
at an early period in Colonial history The
first ancestor to settle in Rockingham County
was Joshua Lane, who became a resident of
Hampton; and to his son the Stratham branch
of the family trace their lineage in a direct
line. Mr. Lane’s paternal grandfather, Sam-
uel Lane, was a stirring and successful farmer
in this town, who also carried on a tannery,
and was a prominent man of his day. In his
religious views he was a Congregationalist.
He supported the Whig party in politics, and
served in his turn as Town Clerk, an office
which has been held by representatives of the
Lane family for several generations. He
died at the age of sixty-seven years.

His son, Enoch M. C. Lane, Mr. Albert C.
Lane’s father, was born in Stratham. In
young manhood he learned the carpenter's
trade, and at a later period in life he engaged
in tilling the soil at the homestead which he
inherited, and has been both progressive and
successful. He has occupied a leading posi-
tion in political affairs, having served at vari-
ous times as a member of the Board of Select-
men. For many years he has figured conspic-
uously as a member of the Congregational
church, of which he is a Deacon; and he is
to-day one of the oldest and most highly re-
spected residents of Stratham. He married,
January 13, 1842, Mary A. Seavey, born May
13, 1819, daughter of Captain William and
Elizabeth (Ayer) Seavey, of Rye, N.H., and
a direct descendant of Governor John Lang-
don, of Portsmouth. Captain Seavey was a
prominent citizen of Rye and a stanch Demo-
crat. He held the various town offices, and
he also represented Rye several terms in the
State legislature.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Deacon and Mrs. Lane have six children
now living out of a family of nine, namely:

~Caroline, who is now Mrs. Wiggin, and re-

sides in Stratham; Mrs. Fanny Haven, of
this town; William S., a resident of Cleve-
land, Ohio; Henry S., of Springfield, Mass. ;
Albert C., the subject of this sketch; and
Warren L., who resides in Springfield. They
have been bereft of three: John T., Charles
S., and Susan E.

' Albert C. Lane acquired his education in
the common schools of Stratham, and was
reared to farm life at the family homestead.
He was engaged in gardening until 1888, at
which time he entered mercantile business in
this town, and has since successfully con-
ducted a first-class general store.

On April 25, 1877, Mr. Lane wedded Mary
E. Brown, who was born in Georgetown,
Mass., May 21, 1853. They have two chil-
dren: Mildred L., who was born in October,
1890; and Edith C., who was born in January,
1894. Another child who was born to them
died in infancy.

In politics Mr. Lane is a Republican. He
has held the office of Town Clerk and Treas-
urer since 1890, was reappointed a Justice of
the Peace in 1895, and ‘is a very public-
spirited citizen. Both he and his wife are
social favorites here, and are members of the
Congregational church.

 

 

AMES H. EMERSON, a lifelong
farmer of Hampstead, born here on
September 5, 1830, is a son of Daniel
and Ruth K. (Connor) Emerson, and

a descendant of one of the earliest pioneers
of this town. His great-grandfather, Robert
Emerson, was the third settler to locate here
with his family. This ancestor and his son
Caleb, the grandfather of James H., gained
their livelihood by tilling the soil. Daniel
Imerson learned the cooper’s trade, which he
followed first in the employntent of others,
and later on his own account. He also con-
ducted for many years a good farm of one hun-
dred acres here in Hampstead; but when the
combined cares of his trade and farm, by
reason of advanced years, proved too great for
his strength, he disposed of his cooperage,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 97

 

 

and thereafter gave his whole attention to his
farm. He died April 17, 1863, sixty-one
years of age His wife, Ruth K., a daughter
of James Connor, having survived him thirty-
two years to a day, died April 17, 1895, at
the age of eighty-seven years. They were
the parents of eight children, of whom four
sons are living; namely, Daniel H., James
H., Horatio B., and William A. James H.
Emerson, since completing his education in
the common schools of Hampstead, has given
his attention to agriculture and carpentering.
He has a well-kept and productive farm, and is
‘one of the leading agricultadrists of the town.
On November 10, 1857, be was united in mar-
riage with Miss Sarah A. Woodman, a daugh-
ter of Dr. Benjamin E. and Ann (Clement)
Woodman, of this town. Mr. Emerson and
his wife have a son and two daughters —
Charles H., Ruth A., and Mary L. Charles
H., born September 22, 1860, married on No-
vember 2, 1895, Miss Anna Bartlett, daughter
of O. S. Bartlett, of Derry, N.H., and has one
child, Louise W., born July 6, 1896. Ruth
A., born December 22, 1866, married Arthur
Little, of this town, May 27, 1891. Mary L.,
born: December 16, 1871, on October 17,
1894, became the wife of Harry I. Noyes, of
Atkinson, N.H., and has one daughter, Caro-
line Ruth, born December 8, 1895. Mr. and
Mrs. Emerson are attendants of the Congrega-
tional church. In politics he is a Republi-
can; and, beginning in 1884, he served a two-
year term in the lower house of the State leg-
islature. He was on the School Board of the
town five years, and he filled the office of
Town Treasurer for six years.

 

-

[11am S. HAZEL, the Assistant
Postmaster of Portsmouth, is a na-

tive of New Castle, N.H., born Au-
gust 30, 1852. His father, John S. Hazel,
who was born in Demerara, South America,
and educated at Dublin College, Ireland, came
to this country when about thirty years of age,
and was engaged for some time as clerk in a
drug store at Portsmouth, this county. He
married Martha A. Rand, of New Castle, and
became the father of four children. Poor in
health, though a bright, intellectual, and

 

 

highly educated man, he died in 1859, at the
age of forty-two years.

William S. Hazel, the eldest son of John
S. Hazel’s children, came with his parents to
Portsmouth when about twelve months old.
He availed himself of all the educational ad-
vantages offered by the public schools until
he reached the age of fourteen, at which time
he went to work in the book and stationery
store of James H. Head. He had been in
Mr. Head’s employment and that of his suc-
cessor for eight years, when he left it to ac-
cept the post of City Messenger and Clerk of
the Fire Department. After efficiently dis-
charging the duties of that office for two years,
he obtained a desirable position as clerk in
the bookstore of Mercer Goodrich. He con-
tinued in this employment for more than six-
teen years, during which period he won a high
place in the esteem of his employer and of
the large number of people who frequented the
store. Having been appointed Assistant
Postmaster, he left in May, 1893, with the
sincere good will of Mr. Goodrich.

In politics Mr. Hazel is a Democrat. He
was clerk of Ward 3 from 1876 to 1886. He
served on the Board of Aldermen during the
years 1879 to 1880, declining a third nomina-
tion therefor, and represented the city in the
State legislature of 1887 and 1888, having
been a member of the Banking Committee.
A friend of healthful sports and pastimes,
Mr. Hazel is a member of the Portsmouth
Athletic Club. He also affiliates with St.
John’s Masonic Lodge, No. 1, of which he is
Past Senior Warden; with Washington Chap-
ter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons, of which he
is Past King; with Davenport Council, No.
5, Royal and Select Masters, of Portsmouth;
with Osgood Lodge, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of which he is Past Grand; and
with Strawberry Bank Encampment, No. 5, of
which he is Past Senior Warden.

 

 

ATHAN G. HOWARD, a well-known
agriculturist and a respected resident

of Newfields, was born in South

New Market, now Newfields, Feb-

ruary 15, 1847, son of John N. and Nancy
(Smith) Howard. His grandfather, Joel
98

Howard, was among the early settlers and
pioneers of Rochester, N.H., where he passed
the greatest part of his life in general hus-
bandry. He and his wife, Sally (Nutter)
Howard, became the parents of four children,
three of whom still survive, namely: Hannah,
who is now Mrs. George Varney, of New-
fields; Mary K., who resides at Newfields, and
is the wife of Paschal Hall; and Frank. The
father spent the last days of his very industri-
ous and energetic life at Fremont, N.H.,
where he died at a good old age.

John N. Howard, a native of Rochester,
who was the eldest of his parents’ children,
also spent his entire life in agricultural pur-
suits. He resided for the most part at South
New Market, where with his family he set-
tled in 1856, on the farm now occupied by
Nathan G. He subsequently came into pos-
session of the estate. It contained about
seventy-five acres. On it he passed the
greater part of his life, occupied in making
the first improvements, as well as in its culti-
vation. His union with Miss Nancy Smith, a
native of Epping, N.H., was blessed in the
birth of four children, three of whom are yet
living. They were: Nathan G., the subject
of this sketch; Sarah E., who is the wife
of Samuel Neal, and resides in Newfields;
William H., resident of North Fryeburg,
Me.; and John A., now deceased. The father
was a good man, and an industrious and pro-
gressive agriculturist. His demise occurred
September 1, 1880. The mother still sur-
vives him, residing in Newfields.

Nathan G. Heward attained to man’s estate
in his native town, in the public schools of
which he obtained his intellectual preparation
for the duties and responsibilities of life. He
has been engaged, more or less, in various

lines of mercantile activity, including the ice

business; but he has devoted his attention
chiefly to general husbandry. and lumbering.
He now has landed property in Newfields,
Isxeter, and Epping, possessing in all about
one hundred and forty-five acres of land. As
a business man, he is industrious, enterpris-
ing, and progressive. On July 4, 1872, he
was joined in matrimony with Miss Anna
Stover, who was born in Bowdoin, Me., Feb-
Tuary 17, 1848, a daughter of Warren and

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Betsy (Eaton) Stover. Her father died at the
advanced age of seventy years, while her
mother still lives, making her home at Kit-
tery, Me. Mr. and Mrs. Howard have two
children, namely: George M., born March 22,
1873, who now resides at Exeter, N.H.; and
Eva M., who was born October 8, 1888.

Mr. Howard participates actively in the
social life, and is earnestly interested in the
civic affairs, of the community. Yielding to
the solicitation of his fellow-townsmen, he has
served them in responsible public positions.
He has been Selectman for two terms, and for
three years he has officiated as Town Col-’
lector. He has affiliation with the order of
Odd Fellows, being a member of Fraternity
Lodge, No. 56, of Newfields; and he also
fraternizes with the Golden Cross, being iden-
tified with Newfields Commandery, No. 238,
in the same town. In political belief he is
associated with the Republican party. Re-
garding religion he holds liberal views,
though his wife is in fellowship with the
Methodist Episcopal church of Newfields.

 

NDREW BROWN, a gunsmith of Fre-
mont, is one of the most active and
successful business men of the town,
and holds a high position among its
most esteemed citizens. He was born here,
March 11, 1844, son of John and Mary (Til-
ton) Brown. The father was a lifelong resi-
dent of Fremont, where his death occurred
October 27, 1895. He was a carriage-maker,
and worked at that trade more or less through-
out his life. About fifteen years prior to his
decease he established the gun shop now
owned and occupied by his son Andrew, where
he engaged in the manufacture of firearms,
and succeeded in acquiring a very profitable
business. His wife, who spent her early years
in Sandown township, passed away Aug. 30,
1886. Their children were: Andrew, the
subject of this sketch; Lowell N., who died
about the year 1879; Freeman, now an engi-
neer living in Haverhill, Mass. ; J. Tilton, a
machinist, residing in Boston; and an un-
named child that died in infancy.
Andrew Brown received a practical educa-
tion in the common schools, and afterward
 

PLUMMER CHESWELL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

101

 

 

worked with his father in making guns until
he was twenty years of age. Having become
familiar with this trade, he then went to Mas-
sachusetts, where he followed it for five years,
spending the first two years in Worcester and
the last three in Boston. He then returned
to Fremont to assist his father, whose increas-
ing business demanded more attention than he
was able to devote to it. On the death of his
father he assumed the charge of the -businéss,
and has successfully conducted it since. He
now has an extensive trade, mostly custom, in
firearms of all descriptions. His goods have
a wide reputation; and guns, shot-guns, rifles,
etc., bearing his name, may be found through-
out all of the New England States. In addi-
tion to manufacturing Mr. Brown does all
kinds of repairing. He also carries a full line
of sporting goods and cutlery, his stock being
one of the most complete to be seen in any
store of the kind.

In politics Mr. Brown isa firm adherent of
the Republican party. He was Town Clerk
for four years, and for eleven and one-half
years he was Postmaster of the village. He
is a Mason of Sullivan Lodge, No. 19, of Ep-
ping, N.H., and an Odd Fellow of Juniata
Lodge, No. 19, of Raymond Village, N.H.

 

LUMMER CHESWELL, who was
employed as foreman for thirty years
in the Manchester Locomotive
Works, and is now retired from ac-

tive work, living on a beautiful farm in Ches-
ter township, N.H., was born in New Market,
Rockingham County, May 4, 1824. His par-
ents were Joshua B. and Elizabeth K. (Plum-
mer) Cheswell, the former a native of North-
wood, the latter of Londonderry, N.H. For
some years in the early part of the century
Joshua B. Cheswell conducted a grocery and
provision store in Boston, Mass., one of the
first markets in Boston. Returning to Rock-
ingham County,:New Hampshire, he engaged
extensively in building, and while living in
Londonderry was superintendent of the stone
works at Milford. Later, moving to Man-
chester, he helped to build the dams there ;
and he managed a market in Manchester for
twenty-five years. The latter part of his life

 

was spent in Chester, where he followed the
pursuit of agriculture, having purchased a
good farm. He died in Chester at the age of
sixty-seven. His wife lived to be eighty-six
years of age. Seven children were born to
this couple, of whom only the eldest and
youngest are now living, namely: the subject
of this sketch; and his sister Olive, who is
the wife of Nelson Gillingham, a farmer of
Chester. The others were named Martha,
Sarah, Elizabeth, Sophronia, and Jane.

Plummer Cheswell received a  common-
school education. At the age of twenty he
began to give his time to learn the shoe-
maker’s trade, and he worked at the bench
some five years. He then entered the ma-
chine-shop at Manchester, where he worked
eight years, rising to the position of foreman ,
and from there he went to the Manchester Lo-
comotive Works, where he had charge of put-
ting the engines together. Mr. Cheswell
built the old ‘‘Pioneer,’’ the first engine com-
pleted at the Manchester works; and he super-
intended the labor on all the White Mountain
engines now in use. After thirty years of
efficient service he retired, settling on his
farm in Chester, a fine estate of forty acres;
and for some years he was quite active as a
general farmer. He is now practically retired.
Mr. Cheswell has a handsome residence, and
has made many improvements on his farm.
His business career was a successful one, and
he is now enjoying the holiday which naturally
follows an extended season of close and fruit-
ful application to labor.

He was married in 1879 to Miss Marion E.
Carr, who was born in Springfield, N.H.,
September 12, 1840, daughter of Joseph and
Clarissa H. (Blackmore) Carr. Mr. Carr was
foreman in the Print Works yards in Manches-
ter for a while, and he was subsequently in
business with his son, an apothecary of that
city; and during a great part of his life he was
also engaged in farming. He died in Manches-
ter, where his wife also closed her eyes forever.

Mr. Cheswell takes an active interest in
politics as a Republican; but, though many
offices of trust have been offered him, he has
refused to act in a public capacity. He is a
popular member of society, highly esteemed
throughout the community in which he dwells.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW z

102

ICHAEL VAUGHAN, who was

born in Portsmouth, November 24,

1775, belonged to one of the

early established families of New

England, the Vaughans having originated in
England, whence at a very early period three
brothers bearing that name came to this
country. One settled in Massachusetts, one
located among the rugged hills of New Hamp-
shire, while the third sought the wilds of
Maine as a favorable place in which to estab-
lish himself. Representatives of several gen-
erations of this honored name have been asso-
ciated with the building up of Portsmouth,
among them being William Vaughan, the
father of Michael, who spent his life here.
He was a shoemaker by trade, and for many
years was keeper of the almshouse. He was
a man of intelligence, greatly respected for his
integrity and probity, and was long a leading
member of the Universalist church. He
married Catharine Broughton, of this place;
and they became the parents of ten children,
the*number of sons and daughters being equal.

Michael Vaughan, who was the eldest son,
followed the sea when a young man, and for
thirty years was Captain of a coaster running
between Portsmouth and Boston. He was a
man of prominence in advancing the higher in-
terests of his native town, and was a stanch
member of the Universalist church, bringing
up his children in the same liberal faith. He
was a Mason, belonging to St. John’s Lodge,
No. 1. In 1795 he wedded Mary S., daughter
of Captain John Moore, of Kittery Point, and
grand-daughter on the maternal side’ of Will-
iam Snow, a sea captain, who emigrated from
Bristol, England, to Maine, locating at Kit-
tery, of which he was one of the original pro-
prietors. Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan had six chil-
dren, of whom but one is now living — Eliza-
beth M., still a bright and energetic woman,
though eighty-two years old. Mr. Vaughan
died while in the prime of middle life in
1827.

Miss Elizabeth M. Vaughan was bred and
educated in Portsmouth, where she has spent
her long and useful life. In her younger days
she was actively employed with her needle in
making children’s clothes, afterward having
a store or shop in town, where for some years

 

she carried on a brisk trade in the sale of mis-
cellaneous articles. She is a woman of esti-
mable qualities, and held in high regard
throughout the community in which she has
lived so long, and where she is pleasantly
passing her declining. years.

 

 

AMES F. KNIGHT, a_ well-known
farmer of Epping, Rockingham County,
was born in the town of Lee, Strafford
County, N.H., in September, 1833.

His parents were Joseph and Tamson (Cas-
well) Knight, both being natives of the same
county. The father early in life learned the
trade of stone-cutter, which he followed for
many years. He was a member of the town
militia, and his quiet tastes and steady habits
won for him an excellent reputation in the
community. In 1862 he closed his earthly,
career; but his good helpmeet lived to be
eighty-three years old, dying December 6,
1887. ;

James F. Knight’s educational opportunities
were limited, owing to his parents’ moderate
circumstances. At the age of thirteen he
left the parental roof, and began to shift for
himself. He spent four years on a farm,
working for his board and clothes, and then
learned the shoemaker’s trade; but after three
years’ experience of that handicraft he returned
to farm labor. Two years later he engaged as
baggage master and depot agent for the Boston
& Maine Railroad Company, settling in New
Market Junction, N.H., and remaining there
seven years. For the next eighteen months
he was in the mercantile business, finally sell-
ing his establishment to re-engage in railroad
service, and attending switch fora year. Re-
turning to New Market, he again served as
baggage master and station agent, this time
for over six years. In 1874 he purchased his
present farm, consisting of one hundred and
twenty-five acres, which he uses to good advan-
tage in general farming. In politics he holds
firmly to the principles of the Republican
party, and has served the town as Road Com-
missioner, though he is by no means a seeker
after office.

Mr. Knight was married in 1862 to Statira
Nelson, a daughter of John Nelson, of Eliot,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

103

 

Me. He and his wife have five living chil-
dren — Joseph E., Frank W., Fred H., Fan-
nie, and Lulu S. Knight. Mr. Knapp has at-
tained his present comfortable and honorable
position in life mainly through his own un-
aided efforts and by dint of the success-com-
pelling qualities of energy, perseverance, and
thrift. He bears an excellent reputation as a
worthy citizen and good neighbor, and may
fairly be classed as a representative man of
his locality.

 

ERLEY R. CURRIER, a man of
enterprise and push, now devoting
his attention to agriculture in the
town of Fremont, was born here June

15, 1844. His grandfather, Timothy Currier,
who was born in East Kingston, this county,
was the first of the family to come to Fre-
mont. His father, the late Ezra Currier,
also a native of this town, was a farmer in
good circumstances, and resided here until his
demise, in February, 1892. Ezra married
Miss Mary Spofford, a native of Danville,
this county, and became the father of two
children -— Perley R. and Osmond S. The
latter, who married Miss Sabra Diamond, is
now engaged in the manufacture of boxes in
Haverhill, Mass. The mother passed. away in
1889, three years prior to her husband's death.

Perley R. Currier remained at home until
he married. Then he took up his residence
near by. Here he was burned out, after which
he moved to the farm he now occupies. He
has here thirty-five acres of land, on which
he raises the crops common to this part of the
country. He also owns timber and other land,
amounting to about one hundred and thirty-five
acres. When a young man, Mr. Currier em-
barked in the meat business, and for twenty-
eight years drove a meat cart in this vicinity,
having an extensive and__ profitable trade.
This branch of his business he gave up in
1895, and has since confined his attention to
mixed husbandry, which brings him in a good
yearly income. Mr. Currier is a steadfast
Democrat. He isa Mason of Gideon Lodge,
No. 84, of Kingston, St. Alban’s Chapter of
Exeter, and Trinity Commandery of Man-
chester.

 

On July 4, 1870, Mr. Currier married Miss
Laura A. Hoyt, who was born October 14,
1847, in Danville, N.H., daughter of Nathan
and the late Sarah (Hooke) Hoyt. Mrs. Hoyt
died July 25, 1879, while Mr. Hoyt now lives
in North Danville) Mr. and Mrs. Currier
have had one child, Lucy May, now the wife
of Eugene D. Sanborn.

 

 

TEPHEN H. DAVIS, the efficient
and wide awake manager of the
Sovereigns of Jndustry’s general
store at New Market, was born in

Lee, N.H., April 15, 1842, a son of Wier and
Sarah (Dockum) Davis.

Wier Davis was a native of Lee; and his
birth took place in the same house as did sub-
sequently that of his son, Stephen H. The
old Davis farm, which he inherited from his
father, has been owned by the family for at
least two generations. Wier Davis was an
upright, conscientious man and a worthy citi-
zen, whose life was devoted chiefly to the cul-
tivation of his farm. What time he could
spare from his every-day duties was given to
church work, in which he was deeply inter-
ested. He died July 22, 1893, having labored
earnestly for the moral and religious welfare
of the community, and leaving as a legacy to
his surviving associates and fellow-townsmen
the memory of a useful life, devoted to deeds
of kindness and Christian charity. His wife,
Sarah Dockum Davis, who was a native of
Durham, N.H., died April 14, 1890.

“Stephen H. Davis in his youth attended the
district schools, and also received a limited
amount of instruction at a private school, re-
siding with his parents upon the farm until
reaching the age of twenty-one. He started
business life as a tinware pedler, which occu-
pation he continued for one year, and then
transferred his energies to the blacksmith’s
trade, at which he worked for a year and a
half. For the two following seasons he was
employed in a saw and grist mill. Butcher-
ing next engaged his attention; and he re-
mained at it two years, at the end of which
time he became a clerk in a grocery store,
where he obtained a practical experience, last-
ing twice as long. On August 12, 1878, he
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

104,

was appointed manager of the general store of
the Sovereigns of Industry in this town. _ This
establishment is devoted to traffic in a varied
line of merchandise, consisting of groceries,
provisions, crockery, and glassware, together
with many other articles necessary for domes-
tic use; and in its superintendence Mr. Davis
has fully demonstrated his ability as a far-
sighted and enterprising business man.

Mr. Davis has been three times married.
For his first wife he wedded Fanny A. Young,
of Durham, who died in September, 1873.
In November, 1875, he was united in mar-
riage to Annie M. Sanborn, of Exeter, who
died July 6, 1893, leaving two children —
Sadie M. and Francis A., the last-named
being now engaged in assisting his father.
His present wife, whom he wedded July 31,
1895, was before marriage Carrie O. Chesley,
of Durham. Politically, Mr. Davis is a Re-
publican, and is quite active in local affairs,
having served as a member of the Board of

Selectmen. He is at the present time Town
Treasurer. In his religious views he is a
Methodist, having been a Trustee of the
church for the past fifteen years. Mrs. Davis

is a member of the Congregational church.

 

AMES F. YOUNG, a prominent citi-
zen of Londonderry, commanding the
respect and confidence of both social
and business circles, is a native of

Manchester, N.H. He was born November
15, 1831, son of Israel and Esther (Stevens)
Young. Israel Young, who was a native of
Manchester, removed to Londonderry in the
thirties, and died here a few years later. Of
the children born to him and Esther Stevens

Young, his wife, the following survive:
Charles E., Zebedah H., James F., and
David H. >

As he came to Londonderry when but a
small boy, James F. Young was educated in
the public schools of this town. When about
sixteen years old, he began working at the

shoemaker’s trade; and he followed that occu-.

pation until about thirty years of age. He
then purchased his present place, a well-
improved farm of one hundred acres, on which

are a fine residence and comfortable and conven-’

 

iently arranged barns and outbuildings, all of
which indicate the thrift and good management
for which the owner has won a reputation.
He carries on general farming with profitable
results.

Mr. Young married Miss Elizabeth Wilkins,
daughter of the late Danie] Wilkins, of Lon-
donderry. Eight children have been born to
them; namely, Annie C., Charles F., Wesley
J., Frederick A., William D., Mary E., John
H., and Walter S. All are living except
Charles F. and John H.

As was his father before him, Mr. Young
is a stanch Democrat. He is a communicant
of the Presbyterian church, and the family are
highly esteemed members of society.

 

LBERT F. B. EDWARDS, a promi-

nent farmer and manufacturer of lum-

ber in the town of Chester, N.H.,

was born in Charlestown, Mass.,

August 23, 1844, ason of Samuel W. Edwards.
Samuel W. Edwards was born in Newfane,
Vt., where he lived until after the death of his
mother, which occurred when he was but
twelve years of age. From that time he took
care of himself, working at different occupa-
tions and in various places. Going to Massa-
chusetts, he lived for a while in Worcester,
then in Boston, and eventually settled in
Charlestown, now a part of the city of Boston.
Establishing a bakery, he built up a good busi-
ness, living there unti] 1846. Having accum-
ulated some means, he then came to Rocking-
ham County, and bought a farm in Chester,
on what is now known as the North Pond road,
where he engaged in farming and shoemaking
for many years, afterward assisting his son
Albert F. B. in the saw-mill. He died on
January 16, 1878. His wife, formerly Sarah
Underhill, a native of Boscawen, this State,
whom he married in 1838, while a resident of
Charlestown, outlived him several years, pass-
ing away January 17, 1895. They were the
parents of seven children, as follows: Cornelia,
who died when young; Frank, who died in in-
fancy; Albert F. B.; Isabella N., wife of
John Clifford, of Manchester, N.H.; Loren
C., who died in 1861; Howard P., who died
in the same year; and Charles H., who mar-
 

ALBERT F. B. EDWARDS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

107

 

 

ried Malita J. Knights, and now lives on the
old homestead in Chester.

Albert F. B. Edwards attended school, and
assisted in the labors of the home farm until
eighteen years of age. Inspired by earnest
patriotism, he enlisted September 16, 1862, in
Company K, Fifteenth New Hampshire Vol-
unteer Infantry, for nine months, going out
under command of Captain B. F. Hall and
Colonel J. W. Kingman. For eleven months
he endured the hardships of camp and conflict,
his regiment being a part of General Banks’s
force on its expedition to New Orleans and in
active service at the siege of Port Hudson.
Mr. Edwards. was here under fire, but mar-
vellously escaped injury when the barrel of
his gun was burst by a passing ball. With
his comrades Mr. Edwards returned home in
August, 1863; but one year later he re-
enlisted, joining Company D, Eighteenth New
Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, under Captain
Greenough, of Rockingham County. This
regiment was stationed in Virginia through the
following winter, and, besides doing engineer
duty, actively participated in several engage-
ments about Petersburg. Mr. Edwards after-
ward spent some time ih Washington, D.C.,
being present at the grand review and like-
wise at the trial of Mrs. Surratt as an accom-
plice of the murderer of Abraham Lincoln,
subsequently receiving his honorable dis-
charge in June, 1865.

In the spring of 1866, a few months after
his marriage, Mr. Edwards purchased his
present farm and saw-mill; and he has since
carried on a flourishing business both in farm-
ing and lumbering. He has seventy-four acres
of land, which is ina fine state of cultivation
and well improved in every respect. At his
mill he is engaged in sawing, planing, edg-
ing, and matching lumber for his neighbors in
this and other towns, his being the only plan-
ing-mill in this locality.

On November 16, 1865, Mr. Edwards mar-
ried Anna E. Knights, who was born June 30,
1846, in Lowell, Mass., a daughter of Henry
and Deborah (Ford) Knights, both natives of
England. Mr. Knights came to this country
with his wife when a young man, and, after
living in Lowell for a time, settled on a farm
in Chester, but since the death of his wife,

 

June 26, 1882, has lived with his son-in law,
Mr. I:dwards, and now assists him in the saw-
mill. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are the parents
of the following children: Oliver H., who
married Fannie Tabor, and lives near the par-
ental homestead, but is on the road much of
the time, running a portable saw-mill; Henry
A., who lived but three months; Gertrude M.,
the wife of C. C. French, a wheelwright in
Rowe Brothers’ mill in Brentwood; Georgiana
D.; James A.; and Sadie LI. Politically,
Mr. Edwards is a stanch Republican and an
influential member of his party. He is now
a Trustee of the Chester Public Library, Su-
pervisor of the check list, and Justice of the
Peace, in the latter of which he is filling out
his fourth term of four years each; and from
1884 to 1888 he served the town as Tax Col-
lector. He has been connected with the
Grand Army of the Republic since 1880, hav-
ing been a charter member of Joe Hooker Post,
No. 31, then of Fremont, but now of Ray-
mond. In 1893 he changed his membership
to the Bell Post, No. 74, of Chester, in which
he has served as Commander the past two
years. Mrs. Edwards is a prominent and
active member of the Women’s Relief Corps
of Chester, of which she has been President
for the past three years. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Edwards are faithful members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and always take an active
interest in denominational work, Mr. I¢dwards
being one of the Trustees of that church.

 

MERY N. EATON, the station agent
of the Boston & Maine Railroad on the
Eastern Division at State Line,
N.H., and a prominent and esteemed citizen
of Seabrook, Rockingham County, N.H., was
born in Seabrook, January 20, 1860, being a
son of Jacob and Rebecca (Eaton) Eaton.

He is a representative of a long-established
and respected family of this locality, and is
a direct descendant of one of the very earliest
settlers in Rockingham County. The first
progenitor here was John Eaton, whose entire
life was devoted to reclaiming and cultivating
the section of land on which he located. His
son Jonathan became in turn the father of
Jacob Eaton, the grandfather of the subject of

 

   
108

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

this sketch. Jacob, who had his birth in Sea-
brook, engaged there throughout life in gen-
eral agricultural pursuits and in carpentering.
He participated in the Second War with Eng-
land; and, in recognition of his loyalty and of
duty performed, his children received a pen-
sion from the national government. He and
his wife, Martha, were blessed in the birth
of six children, namely: Samuel; Jacob;
Stephen; Emery; Caroline, who still resides
in Seabrook; and Ardesira.

Jacob Eaton, 2d, the next in lineal descent
to the subject of this biography, was also a
native of Seabrook, where he was born in
1830. He received his education in the dis-
trict schools of his natal town, and subse-
quently for some time followed shoemaking
as his vocation, though for thirty-five years he
passed his life on the sea asa fisherman. He
was joined in matrimony with Miss Rebecca
Eaton, a daughter of True Eaton, of Seabrook ;
and their union was fruitful in the birth of six
children — Belinda, Caroline, Jacob T.,
Ikmery N., Caddie J., and Lawrence. Only
one of these, Emery N., now survives. Mr.
Jacob Eaton enjoyed a wide circle of acquaint-
ances, among whom he was universally re-
spected. He for one year served the town in
the official capacity of Constable. He passed
away on January 17, 1894. His wife still
survives him, and makes her home at Sea-
brook with her son, Emery N.

Emery N. Eaton obtained his early intel-
lectual preparation for the duties and responsi-
hilities of life in the district schools of his
ancestral town, and at the expiration of his
period of schooling he learned the shoemaker's
trade from his father. He as well as his
father being also adepts in carpentering, they
erected the buildings which now stand upon
the estate. In January, 18ys5, he accepted an
appointment by the Boston & Maine Railroad
Corporation as station agent at State Line,
a depot on the Eastern Division; and in that
position he stil! officiates.

On July, 1883, Mr. Eaton was married to
Miss Alberta L. Janvrin, a daughter of John
S. and Emma E. A. Follansby, of Weare,
N.H. Into their home have come with bless-
ing two children — Caddy J. and Byron J. L.
by name.

 

Mr. Eaton has been frequently elected by
his fellow-citizens to positions of public trust.
For eight years he has been a member of the
Board of Selectmen; and for three years he
has served on the School Committee, of which
he has during two years acted as the Treasurer.
For two years also he officiated in the capacity
of Town Treasurer and for one term as Town
Clerk. He likewise filled the position of Au-
ditor for several years, and for the last eight
years he has acted as the Moderator of the town
meetings. During the last four years he has
held the appointment of Justice of the Peace,
and in the session of 1890 he enjoyed the dis-
tinction of representing his town and district
in the legislative halls of the New Hampshire
State capital.

Socially, Mr. Eaton is identified with the
Order of the American Mechanics, being affili-
ated with both the junior and senior councils.
In political belief and advocacy he is a mem-
ber of the Democratic party; and he cast his
first Presidential] vote for the present incum-
bent of the chief executive office of the nation,
Grover Cleveland.

 

HARLES E. YOUNG, a prosperous
farmer of Londonderry, was born in
L, Manchester, N.H., November 25,
1821, son of Israel and Esther
(Stevens) Young. His grandfather, James
Young, who was of Irish birth and Scotch ex-
traction, and the first of the family in the
Granite State, settled in Manchester over a
century ago. Israel Young took up his resi-
dence on a farm in Londonderry in the fall of
1837, and died there a few years after. In
religious belief he was a Methodist, in poli-
tics a Democrat. He reared several children,
of whom the following are yet living: Charles
I., the subject of this sketch; Zebadiah H.,
in Hanover, Ill. ; James F., in Londonderry ;
and David H., in Manchester. .
Charles E. Young was sixteen years of age
when his parents removed to Londonderry.
He attended school] irregularly, and generally
only in the winter months, until he was eigh-
teen years of age. This, supplemented by
personal study, has put him in possession of
a good education. After leaving school, he
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

1og

 

 

began to work at shoemaking, and followed
that industry until he was thirty-five years of
age. Since then he has been actively engaged
in general farming, in which he has been very
successful. He has about sixty acres of
land, well cultivated. One of the leading
men in the farming community of London-
derry, he holds the respect that is always ac-
corded a man who rises superior to circum-
stances by industry and perseverance.

In 1848 Mr. Young was united in marriage
with Sarah D. Gilcreast, who died June 3,
1890. On August 4, 1895, he was united to
his present wife, previously Mrs. Margaret
(Moore) Young. She isa native of Manches-
ter, daughter of Joseph and Ann G. (Brown)
Moore, both of that city. Four of the chil-
dren of her first marriage are living, namely:
Henry I., in Wisconsin; Lucy, the wife of

Ellsworth McComb, in Iowa; Ada A., in
Manchester; and David H., in Washington
State. Mr. Young supports the Democratic

party. His first Presidential vote was cast
for James K. Polk, running against the Whig
candidate, Henry Clay, and the Liberty party
candidate, James G. Birney. He is a mem-
ber of the Presbyterian church.

 

AMES PIKE, a worthy and much re-
spected citizen of the town of Exeter,
N.H., was born October 24, 1817, in
the town of Lee, Strafford County, this
State. His parents, John and Sally (Tilton)
Pike, spent a short period of their wedded
life in Masachusetts, but with that exception
were lifelong residents of New Hampshire.
John Pike was a farmer by occupation, and a
quiet, unassuming man, who gave his chief at-
tention to his own affairs. He died in 1825,
before reaching the meridian of life. His
widow survived him many years, departing
this life in 1876.

James Pike, who was but seven years old
when his father died, received but meagre edu-
cational advantages, his mother needing his
assistance in supporting her family of small
children. Mr. Pike has always been engaged
in farming pursuits, and through his unceas-
ing industry and thrift has accumulated a fair
competency. His present farm contains three

 

hundred acres of land, a good deal of which is
in a fine state of cultivation, and is further
improved with a neat and substantial set of
farm buildings. His property is finely lo-
cated, being but three miles from the city of
Exeter, and is one of the most attractive and
desirable estates in this vicinity. In politics
Mr. Pike has been identified with the Repub-
lican party since its formation, but has never
been an aspirant for political favors, although
he has served the town as Overseer of the
Poor.

In 1844 Mr. Pike married Mary Jane Smith,
a daughter of John Smith, one of the pioneers
of Rockingham County. He has one son,
John S., born December 10, 1850, who is now
a prominent agriculturist of this town. A
daughter, Mary A., died in 1857, aged two
months.

 

 

ALTER S. GRAY, Assistant City
Marshal of Portsmouth, was born
here, December 26, 1843. Al-

though he prepared for entrance to the high
school, a desire to try a seaman’s life led him,
at the age of fourteen, to enter the United
States Navy; and he shipped aboard the sloop
of war “Cumberland.” When this vessel
foundered March 8, 1862, he was fortunately
among the number of the crew who were res-
cued. He was rated as a landsman, and was
discharged from the old frigate “ Brandywine ”
on June 3, 1862. Among the battles in
which he took part during his naval career
were those of Fort Hatteras and Fort Scott.
In April, 1861, he enlisted in Company G of
the Tenth New Hampshire Volunteers, under
Captain Giorge W. Towle, and served until
the close cf the Civil War. His regiment
was first assigned to the Ninth Corps, and
later to the Eighteenth. He was at the siege
of Suffolk, the battles of Cold Harbor, Drury’s
Bluff, Petersburg, Fort Darling, the second
battle of Fair Oaks, and at I*redericksburg,
coming through them all without a wound.
After the battle of Petersburg he was _ pro-
moted to the rank of Sergeant. On his re-
turn home in 1865 he entered the navy yard
as a brick mason. Ten years later he left
there, but continued to work at that trade for
110

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

atime. He then entered the employ of C. E.
Boynton, and had charge of a department in
the brewery of C. E. Boynton for ten years.
On resigning his position there, Mr. Boynton
and the employees presented him with an
elegant gold charm as a reminder of their
pleasant relations together.

In his political views Mr. Gray is a stanch
Republican. He served one term as a Coun-
cilman from Ward 1, and declined a second
nomination. On April 7, 1895, he accepted
his present position of Assistant City Mar-
shal, in which he is acquitting himself with
credit. He is a member of Osgood Lodge,
No. 48, Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
of which he is Past Grand, having successively
filled the chairs; Past Commander of Canton
Centre, No. 12; and is Past Governor of
Colony No. 15, Pilgrim Fathers.

 

°

OSEPH MONTGOMERY. — This ven-
erable octogenarian, who is one of the
best-known residents of Derry, and was
formerly a member of the New Hamp-

shire legislature, represents the fifth genera-
tion of his family to occupy the homestead in
this town. He was born April 9, 1816, son
of General William and Mary W. (Anderson)
Montgomery.

The family is of Scottish origin. Hugh
Montgomery, the original founder of this
branch in America, emigrated from the north
of Ireland in 1719, and settled in what is now
Derry, when this locality was mostly a wilder-
ness; and he cut the first tree and made the
‘first improvements upon the Montgomery
farm. Hugh Montgomery was one of the
Board of Selectmen in Londonderry in 1722.
His son, Robert, Mr. Montgomery’s great-
grandfather, who was born in 169s, succeeded
to the ownership of the farm. He enlarged
its tillage area, and otherwise improved the
property, which he cultivated successfully dur-
ing his active period. He died in 1775. The
next in line was his son, Hugh Montgomery,
second, born in 1740, Mr. Joseph Montgom-
ery’s grandfather, who inherited the farm.
He possessed good intellectual attainments,
which he applied to the useful occupation of
school-teaching, being a pioneer educator in

 

 

this town; and he carried on the homestead
farm with energy and prosperity. He died in
1800. His natural ability and sound judg-
ment in public affairs made him especially
serviceable to the town as a member of the
Board of Selectmen, and he was for many
years a leading spirit in the local govern-
ment. /

William Montgomery, son of Hugh, second,
was born at the homestead about the year
1788, and in his turn became heir to the an-
cestral estate. Aside from being one of the
most stirring and industrious farmers of his
day, he was prominent in public affairs, sup-
porting the Whig party in politics; and he
not only served as a Selectman for a number
of years, but was chosen as a Representative
to the legislature for four consecutive terms,
1821-24. His steadfast adherence to the
principles of honesty and integrity: won the
confidence of all with whom he came in con-
tact; and, aside from the political influence
he had acquired, his long and honorable con-
nection with the State militia, in which he
held the rank of General, gave him an exten-
sive acquaintance outside the limits of this
county. General William Montgomery died
very suddenly in 1845, aged fifty-seven years,
being stricken with apoplexy in the field.
He was a member of the First Church. His
wife, who was before marriage Mary W.
Anderson, became the mother of eight chil-
dren, of whom Joseph, the subject of this
sketch, is the only one now living.

Joseph Montgomery was educated at the
Pinkerton Academy in Derry; and for several
years after leaving school he was engaged as
a teacher, both in Derry and Londonderry,
N.H., and in Massachusetts. He succeeded
to the possession of the homestead at his
father’s death, and turned his attention to
tilling the soil with the same vigorous and
progressive policy which had distinguished
his predecessors. In addition to cultivating
the soil he carried on lumbering operations,
which were well conducted, and exceedingly
profitable; and for twenty-five years he was
one of the most active and successful farmers
of this town.

Mr. Montgomery married for his first wife
Lucy J. Reynolds; and, of the four children
 

JOSEPH MONTGOMERY,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

113

 

born to this union, the only survivor is Fanny,
who is the wife of Milton B. Hood, of Mel-
rose, Mass., and the mother of three children—
namely, Mercy M., Joseph M., and Laura.
The other children by his first union were
Lizzie, Nellie, and Lucy. For his second
wife Mr. Montgomery wedded Fanny H.
Chase, who became the mother of two children
— Mary W. and Maria M.

Politically, Mr. Montgomery is a Republi-
can, and has contributed his share of time to
public affairs, having served upon the Board
of Selectmen for several years, and during two
terms as Representative to the legislature,
displaying the same capability and excellent
judgment.in the transaction of public business
which have always characterized his private
enterprises. In his religious views he is a
Congregationalist, having been for many years
a Deacon of the First Congregational Church
at East Derry. He is passing his declining
years at his pleasant home, which has been
the family residence for so many years.

 

 

HARLES P.
cupant of the old Robie homestead in
cE Candia, which has been in the pos-
session of that family for several
generations, was born here, March 23, 1860,
son of Samuel B. and Dolly H. (Beede)
Robie. The family, which is of Scotch ori-
gin, was founded by Ichabod Robie, who came
to this country in early Colonial times, and
settled in Candia. Levi Robie, the great-
grandfather of Charles P., passed the greater
portion of his life upon the Robie farm, and
reared a family of four children. Grandfather
Asa Robie, who was born at the homestead,
followed the trade of a carpenter in his earlier
years, but finally undertook the management
of the farm, and thereafter conducted it until
his death, which occurred April 15, 1868.
He married Sarah Fifield, of Bridgewater,
N.H. Of bis four children, two are living,
namely: Levi J., a resident of Candia; and
Luthera E., the wife of Henry Ames, of Pena-
cook, N.H.
Samuel B. Robie, who grew to manhood at
the ancestral homestead, in his younger days
was engaged in shoemaking. Succeeding to

ROBIE, the present oc-

 

the farm in his turn, its cultivation became
his chief occupation for the rest of his life. .
In politics he supports the Republican party.
Although averse to political notoriety, he
served as Town Clerk with ability for some
time. A generous, kind-hearted neighbor and
a useful citizen, he was held in the highest
esteem by his fellow-townsmen; and his death,
which occurred in November, 1893, was
deeply regretted by all. His wife, Dolly H.
(Beede) Robie, a native of Kingsbury, Me.,
bore him several children, of whom Charles
P., the subject of this sketch, is the only sur-
vivor.

Charles P. Robie acquired a common-school
education in his native town. After complet-
ing his studies, he worked at shoemaking for
two years. He has been since successfully
engaged in farming at the homestead, at the
same time ably maintaining the prominent
position which the family has so long held
among the farmers of the town. He owns
one hundred and fifteen acres of valuable agri-
cultural property, comprising tillage, pasture,
and wood land. In addition to carrying on
general farming he keeps eight head of stock,
and sells considerable milk.

On October 4, 1887, Mr. Robie wedded Ina
M. Westover, of Manchester, N.H. Mrs.
Robie is the mother of four children, as fol-
lows: Leon W., aged five; Albion E., aged
four; Oliver S., aged two years; and Dora J.,
aged seven months. In politics Mr. Robie is
a Republican, and is at present serving as
Road Commissicher. The family attend the
Congregational church. They enjoy pleasant ~
social relations, having a numerous acquaint-
ance, who hold them in high regard.

 

 

WARREN SANBORN, a retired busi-
ness man of Kingston township, was
born May 20, 1833, in East Kingston,
son of Stevens and Mehitable (Smith)

Sanborn. His paternal grandfather, John
Sanborn, lived.and died in East Kingston,
where he reared a family of twelve children,
of whom the only survivor is Hannah San-
born, of Haverhill, Mass., widow of the late
Ira Clough, of that place.
Stevens Sanborn, a native of East Kingston,
114

was a well-known farmer of that town, where
he also carried on a substantial business as
a tanner and currier. After living to an
advanced age, he died April 12, 1881.
His wife, Mehitable, a native of Gilmanton,
Belknap County, passed away at a compara-
tively early age on December 29, 1844. Of
their six children, two died in infancy. The
others were: Betsey J. S., born in 1835,
widow of the late S. J. Perkins, of Exeter,
this county; J. Warren, born in 1833; Abbie,
who was a school-teacher, and died at the age
of twenty years; and Francena M., now a
widow living at Littleton, Mass., who was
the wife successively of Henry H. Titcomb
and Theodore C. Fletcher.

J. Warren Sanborn received an academical
education. From the age of eighteen to
twenty-five he was engaged in teaching, being
employed in the schools at Exeter, and at
Amesbury and Salisbury, Mass. After his
marriage he took up his father’s trade, locat-
ing in Kingston, where he bought the prop-
erty on which he now lives. Besides farm-
ing, he also carried on tanning and currying
and manufactured lumber. In his saw-mill
he operated a circular saw. He owns fifteen
acres of land, on which he has made valuable
improvements. Although retired from  busi-
ness, Mr. Sanborn keeps busily employed.
He is Justice of the Peace, and much of his
time is devoted to settling estates and trans-
acting other probate business. A most loyal
member of the Republican party, he has never
sought political office; yet he has served as
a member of the School Committee, Select-
man, and Town Treasurer. He is a Master
Mason of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, of Kings-
ton.

Mr. Sanborn was married, September 2,
1858, to Miss Rebecca F. Fogg, a native of
Hampton, N.H., born May 13, 1833. Her
parents, Abraham and Mary Fogg, are both
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn have two
daughters and two sons. They are: Abbie J.,
born June 15, 1859; Elmer Ellsworth, born
July 27, 1861; Edward S.,° born April to,
1866; and Mabel Warren, born July 13, 1878.
The daughters are living with their parents.
Mabel, a graduate of the Normal Department
of the Robinson Female Seminary at Exeter,

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

is now engaged in teaching. Elmer E. was
graduated from the normal school at Plym-
outh, N.H., and for some years thereafter
taught school. He married Miss Helen R.
Veazey, of Brentwood, this county; and they
are now living at Amesbury, Mass., where he
is in the grocery business. Edward S. was
educated at Exeter Academy and Yale Univer-
sity, being graduated from the Yale Divinity
School, after taking a three years’ course.
He married Miss Martha E. Pike; and they
have a pleasant home at Ridgebury, Conn.,
where he has charge of a church. The elder
Mrs. Sanborn and her daughters are members
of the Congregational church.

G OHN C. GIDDINGS, one of the oldest

residents of South New Market, was
(el born in Exeter, June 20, 1818, son of

John and Mary (Colcord) Giddings.
John Giddings was a native of Exeter, and
moved from that place to South New Market in
1818, settling upon the farm which his son
now owns and occupies. He was one of the
energetic farmers of his day, and led a life of
toil and industry, providing well for his fam-
ily, and at his death, in 1824, leaving behind
an honorable record as a useful and worthy
citizen. In politics he supported the Whig
party, and he was liberal in his religious
views. His wife, Mary Colcord Giddings,
who was a native of South New Market, be-
came the mother of six children, namely:
Edward, Mary, Elizabeth, and Nancy, who are
no longer living; Charlotte, now Mrs. Hardy;
and John C. The mother died in 1841.

John C. Giddings was educated in the com-
mon schools of South New Market. In early
manhood he entered the employ of the Squam-
scot Machine Company, for which he contin-
ued to work for some thirty years, besides
following farming. Since retiring from the
former occupation he has given his exclusive
attention to agricultural pursuits. He suc-
ceeded to the ownership of the homestead
farm, consisting of over one hundred acres of
good land, provided with substantial build-
ings, which he keeps in the best of repair;
and his farming operations have been very
profitable.

 

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

115

 

 

On October 24, 1884, Mr. Giddings mar-
ried Mary Ellen Scammon, of Stratham, a
daughter of Ira and Ann (Lyford) Scammon,
further mention of whom may be found in the
sketch of Colonel Richard M. Scammon.

In politics Mr. Giddings has acted with the
Republican party since its formation; and,
though not taking any active part in political
affairs beyond casting his vote, he has always
been alive to the best interests of the town,
and used his influence to advance measures for
the general welfare of the community. He
has led an active and laborious life, and in his
declinityg years he is reaping the benefits of
his long-continued perseverance.

 

 

OSHUA B. PICKERING, the well-
known ex-Selectman of Newington,
Rockingham County, N.H., was born
on the home farm in this town en Feb-

ruary 2, 1853. He is the only surviving son
of the late Joshua B., Sr., and Elizabeth Jane
Pickering. His father also was a native of
Newington, born on October 26, 1811. On
the very day of his marriage he settled on the
farm where he remained until his death,
which occurred in 1889. He was a Democrat
in politics, and quite prominent in town offices,
holding the offices of Selectman and Town
Clerk, being re-elected several times to the
former position. He improved and_ success-
fully managed his farm of sixty-five acres,
which he made profitable for general farming,

He married in 1848 Miss Elizabeth Jane
Pickering, daughter of Thomas Pickering.
Three children were the fruit of this union,
namely: Deborah, wife of Frank H. Simpson,
a farmer, resides in Greenland township;
Alvin Gee, now deceased; and Joshua B., the
subject of this biographical notice, who was
the youngest child. The mother died in 1857.
The graves of the departed are in the Newing-
ton Cemetery. ;

Joshua B. Pickering always remained upon
the home farm, to the management of which
he succeeded at the age of twenty-five years.
In politics he follows in the footsteps of his
honored father, voting with the Democratic
party. He improved the educational advan-
tages of the district school, securing a fair

“iam Corning.

 

amount of practical knowledge, which he has
utilized to good purpose. He has served the
town acceptably as Selectman three different
terms, besides filling other offices within the
gift of the town.

 

+2 0 o>

OHN A. CORNING, a well-known

~ resident of Londonderry, N.H., was
born in this town, June 26, 1834, son

of Colonel Freeman and Esther (White)
Corning. His paternal grandfather, Nathan
Corning, was a native of Massachusetts.
Freeman Corning was reared on a farm and
educated in the district school, and like other
country boys learned to use his wits in a way
not necessary to the town-bred lad, himself
mending the broken tool or making a new one
fer his special use; for the country boy’s in-
vention must be always on the alert, and he
must find the way himself out of all diffi-
culties. This early ‘‘standing alone’: ac-
counts for the strong mentality of the New
England farmer and the grand types of men
in the world evolved from the farmer’s boy.
Mr. Corning spent his life in his native town,
following the pursuit of agriculture and taking
an active part in the discussion and settlement
of town affairs. He was familiarly known as
Colonel Freeman, being for many years an officer
in the State militia and a prominent figure on
training days. In politics he was a Whig and
a Republican. He died in June, 1860; and
by his death Londonderry lost one of her most
esteemed citizens. He was twice married.
Two of his children by his first wife are living,
namely: John A. ; and Hannah, wife of Will-
By his second wife, whose
maiden name was Laura A. Blaisdell], he had
three children, one of whom now survives —
Mrs. Mary Ellen Wheeler, wife of Joshua
Wheeler, of Londonderry. John A. Corning’s
life has followed the same general trend pur-
sued by his father’s. Reared to man’s estate
on the farm in Londonderry, he learned to
read, write, and cipher in the district school,
laying the foundations for a structure of knowl-
edge to which he has since added by reading
and observation; and he has been engaged
principally in farming since early manhood,
though he was for a number of years employed
116

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

at intervals as section hand by the Concord
Railroad Company. He owns a good farm of
forty acres, and by industry and good manage-
ment has attained a position of comfortable
prosperity.

Mr. Corning was married in December,
1861, to Celinda P. Parker, a native of Litch-
field, N.H., and a daughter of Edward and
Mary (Kendall) Parker. Mrs. Corning died
May 28, 1893. She was a model wife and
mother, an esteemed member of the Presby-
terian church. Sbe had two children —
Georgie and Edward P. The latter is with
his mother in the world beyond. Georgie is
the wife of Ernest Watts and mother of four
children — Ralph L., Celinda P., John P.,
and Perley A. In politics Mr. Corning is a
stanch Republican. He is identified with
one social order, the Pilgrim Fathers, whose
lodge room is at Derry Depot. A law-abiding
and industrious citizen, he is widely known
and esteemed.

 

 

2

OSEPH P. HARVEY, a well-known
agriculturist and lumberman of Not-
tingham and a native of this town, was
born November 14, 1840, son of Fran-

cis P. and Sally S. (Blaisdell) Harvey. His
father, also a native of Nottingham, was en-
gaged throughout his life in general hus-
bandry, owning about two hundred acres of
land within the town limits. He gave special
attention to lumbering in Epping, this county,
where he operated a saw-mill for many years.
He was thrice married. He and his first wife,
Ilannah (Page) Harvey, became the ‘parents of
two children, neither of whom is now living.
For his second wife he married a sister of his
previous wife, and to them were born three
children, of whom the only survivor is Sally,
the widow of Henry Leach, late of Kingston,
N.H., and the mother of four children —
Fanny, Ada, Charles, and Laura. After the
death of his second wife he contracted his
third marriage with Miss Sally S. Blaisdell,
a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Blaisdell,
of Epping. By this union he became the
father of fourteen children, eleven of whom
are yet living, namely: William A. ; John C. ;
Orrin W.; Joseph P. ; Charles H.; Jane, now

 

the wife of W. Frank Watson, of Nottingham;
Susan F.; Nathaniel B.; Charlotte E.; Mary
E.; and Green C. The others were: Rhoda
E., Elanora A., and Lidaella P. The father
spent his declining years in Nottingham, was
Captain of the old Nottingham company of
militia, was in national politics identified with
the Republican party, held liberal views re-
garding religious subjects, and died June 27,
1864, in his seventy-first year. The mother
passed away October 25, 1873, at the age of
sixty-eight.

Joseph P. Harvey obtained his education in
the public schools of his native town. After
leaving school, he found employment with his
father on the farm and at the saw-mill. In
1864 he purchased his present estate of about
seventy-five acres, on which he has been en-
gaged ever since. He is chiefly occupied in
lumbering, operating a saw-mill, which turns
out on the average one hundred thousand feet
of timber every year. On November 29, 1875,
Mr. Harvey was united in matrimony with
Miss Mary E. Allen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Allen, of Lee, N.H. They have
three children, namely: Goldie B., born March
1, 1879; Allen, born November 19, 1891;
and Joseph W., born June 15, 1895. Mr.
Harvey is a hard-working and energetic man,
and he enjoys the respect and confidence of all
his neighbors. In politics he supports the
principles for which the Republican party
stands.

 

 

ENNING’ S. SCRIBNER, whose
death, February 6, 1883, at his
home in Fremont, Rockingham

County, N.H., was felt asa serious
loss to the community, was a native of this
town, and had here spent a large part of his
life, during his later years carrying on general
farming with marked success. He was born
September 17, 1828, and was the son of a
well-known farmer, Elisha Scribner, a life-
long resident of Fremont, and his wife, Ma-
tilda Hooke, who was born and reared in Dan-
ville, this county. Of their union four chil-
dren were born, three of whom have joined the
silent majority; namely, John, George, and
Benning S. The only one living is Sarah,
 

   

BENNING S. SCRIBNER.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

119
widow of Gilbert Kimball, of Haverhill, | during the greater part of his life. While
Mass. ; serving in the War of 1812 he was taken

Mr. Scribner was educated in Fremont, | prisoner, and confined in Dartmoor Prison,

Hampton, and Northfield; and, on coming of
age, he went to Haverhill, Mass., where he
was engaged as a dry-goods merchant for a few
years. He subsequently returned to the
scenes of his childhood, and from the time of
his marriage carried on the farm now occupied
by his widow and their daughter. Here he
improved and judiciously cultivated his land,
making the place one of the model farms of
the neighborhood.

He was very prominent in public life, com-
manding the respect and confidence of his
fellow-men, and held offices of grave respon-
sibility with credit to himself and to the satis-
faction of his constituents. For three years
he was Treasurer of Rockingham County; and
for two years he served as Representative in
the State legislature, to which position he was
re-elected in 1882, shortly before his death.

Mr. Scribner was married in Epping, De-
cember 7, 1859, to Miss Elizabeth A. Law-
rence, who was born in that town, October 25,
1836, daughter of George W. and Adeline
(Thyng) Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence and his
wife, after residing for some years in Epping,
removed to Concord, N.H., where he died;
and she afterward made her home with her
daughter, Mrs. Scribner, who tenderly cared
for her during her declining days. The union
of Mr. and Mrs. Scribner was blessed by the
birth of two children— George Edwin and
Alice Lawrence. The son, who was born
July 14, 1862, passed to the higher life, June
25, 1876. The daughter, born July 6, 1875,
lives with her mother on the home farm, which
is one of the most attractive estates in this
vicinity.

 

ILLIAM J. FROST, the popular
foreman of a shoe factory in Ports-
mouth, was born in New Castle, this

county, April 10, 1848, son of John S. and
Sarah R. (Chesley) Frost. His ancestors, as
stated in “Rambles about Portsmouth,” were
old settlers of the town. Thomas B. Frost,
the grandfather of William J., also a native,
was a sea captain, ‘and followed that calling

 

England, for eighteen months. In politics
he was a Democrat, and he served for a time
as Representative to the State legislature.
His wife had borne him four children, three
daughters and one son. He lived to be over
seventy-two years of age.

John S. Frost, who was likewise born in
this town, was a carpenter by trade, which he
followed throughout his life. He was a man
of fine physique, standing six feet two inches
high, and weighing two hundred and nine
pounds. He never used either tobacco or
liquor. Politically, he affiliated with the
Democratic party, and served the public in
various offices of importance. He died from
the effects of a sunstroke, at the age of thirty-
nine years. His wife, Sarah R., was formerly
Miss Chesley, of Durham, a sister of Judge
Chesley, of Dover. She had five children,
four sons and a daughter, all now living. Of
these, Thomas B. is City Treasurer of Chelsea,
Mass.; John S. has charge of the Electric
Railroad Station in Somerville, Mass.;
George B. is a Congregationalist minister,
being at present pastor of the church in
Littleton, Mass. The wife of the Rev.
George B. Frost was the first woman preacher
ordained by the Congregationalists. Some
time ago, during an absence of her husband
in Europe, lasting eight months, she ac-
ceptably discharged his pastoral duties.

William J. Frost completed his school edu-
cation in his native town. In 1864, at the
age of sixteen, he enlisted in the United
States Navy, and served one year on the
United States steamer “Vandalia.” Having
been honorably discharged therefrom, he was
employed in the machine shop of Davis &
Furber, at North Andover, Mass., for eigh-
teen months, when his heath failed. He
then went to Mr. Tewksbury’s shop in Haver-
hill, Mass., and served a three years’ appren-
ticeship to shoe-cutting. Later he was em-
ployed as foreman in James Freeland’s shoe
shop in Lynn, Mass., for seven years. In
188s he came to Portsmouth to take charge of
a cutting-room, a position which he has ac-
ceptably filled to the present time. This is
120

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

the largest cutting-room in the country, re-
quiring a working force of one hundred and
seventy-five men.

In 1874 he married Nellie H. White,
daughter of Captain Robert White, of New
Castle. Mr. and Mrs. Frost have one daugh-
ter and two sons. The family resided in Ports-
mouth for nine years, but for the past three
years they have resided in New Castle. Mr.
Frost attends, by preference, the Congrega-
tional church of New Castle. In politics he
is a Democrat. He was once nominated for
Alderman in this city, but he was defeated
by a small majority. On that occasion he
yielded to the solicitation of friends, as he
had no desire for office. He is a member of
Piscataqua Lodge, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, since 1872; also of Lodge No. 22,
Knights of Pythias, all the chairs of which
he has successively filled. He was a member
of the Royal Arcanum of Lynn, of which he
was Regent when he left. He is a comrade
of Store Post, Grand Army of the Republic;
and he has just entered the United Order of
American Mechanics.

 

OSEPH B. BROWN, a well-known and
successful market gardener of Hamp-
ton, was born here, July 19, 1862, son
of John G. and Mary A. (Johnson)

Brown. He is a member of a long-established
and respected family of Hampton. His grand-
father, Simon Brown, was born in Hampton,
where he passed his adult life, working as a
carpenter and employed in general agricult-
ure. He joined in wedlock with Miss Ann
(Sherburne) Batchelder, a native of North
Hampton, and their union resulted in the
birth of seven children; namely, Sherburne,
Samuel, Charlotte, George, Simon, Jeremiah,
and John G. Only the last two survive.
Jeremiah resides in the lower part of the
town. The father died after attaining a goodly
old age.

John G. Brown, who was born on the pater-
nal estate, received his education in the dis-
trict schools of Hampton. For the long
period of forty years he had the management
of the Ballard farm. At the expiration of
that time he engaged in general husbandry on

 

his own account. He purchased the Marston
farm and also the John Mason property, on
which estates he has latterly been occupied in
raising garden produce. He united in matri-
mony with Miss Mary A. Johnson, daughter
of William Johnson, a resident of Boston,
Mass. Their children are Joseph B., John
G., Albert R., and Lottie A. H. The family
circle is still unbroken, as all reside on the
home farm, variously employed in its differ-
ent occupations. The father, who has been a
lifelong resident of Hampton, has a broad
circle of acquaintances, among whom he is
sincerely esteemed. In religious belief and
sympathy he is in intimate fellowship with
the Congregational church of Hampton.

Joseph B. Brown grew to maturity on the
old homestead, receiving his education in the
district schools and at the Hampton Academy. -
Throughout his life he has been more or less
closely identified with the work of the farm,
and he now co-operates with his father in its
management. His sterling qualities have
long been noted by the community, which has
shown its appreciation by electing him to im-
portant offices. He has been a member of the
Board of Selectmen for six years, and he has
served on the Board of Education for three
years. In national politics since his majority
he has supported the Democratic party, cast-
ing his Presidential vote for Grover Cleveland
in the campaign of 1884.

EORGE WALLACE PICKERING,
a well-known contractor and builder
of Newington, Rockingham County,
N.H., was born here on February 18, 1861.
His parents were Joseph W. and Sarah Q.
(Foss) Pickering. His paternal grandfather,
Joseph W. Pickering, Sr., was a native of
Portsmouth. He was a carpenter by trade,
but in his later years kept a grocery store.
His son, Joseph W., the father of George
Wallace, was also a native of Portsmouth,
being born there on January 12, 1806. He
died August 26, 1867. Most of his early
years were spent in his native city; but, when
a young man, he decided on a sea-faring life,
making several whaling voyages of three years’
duration. He married Sarah Q. Foss, daugh-

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 121

 

 

- ter of Solomon Foss, of the town of Rye,

N.H.; and soon after his marriage they began
housekeeping in Newington, where ‘he re-
mained through the rest of his life. His
mortal remains rest in the Newington Ceme-
tery. Mrs. Sarah Q. Pickering still lives
(1896), at the age of seventy-five years. She
is the mother of three children: Hannah
Josephine Pickering, a maiden lady living in
Newington; George Wallace; and Joseph I.
Pickering, who resides in Chelsea, Mass.
George Wallace Pickering received a com-
mon-school education in his native town, but
began working for himself when he was but
nine years old, on a neighboring farm. Hav-
ing a natural taste for mechanics, he also did
some carpentering in his youth. In 1880 he

procured his present home property, to which-

he removed in 1885, since which time he has
made many improvements. Farm work, how-
ever, has been abandoned by him in favor of
contracting and building, which Mr. Pickering
has successfully followed for nearly a dozen
years. In politics he is a Republican, but he
does not seek office. He is a member of ‘the
local lodge, Knights of Pythias.

The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was married on December 14, 1892, was
Annie E. Cooke. She is a native of Newark,
N.J. They have one child, a little daughter,
Margaret.

 

USTUS J. BEAN, who has been a resi-
dent of Brentwood for more than a
quarter of a century, is the proprictor
of a finely improved farm within the

limits of the township. He was born in the
town of Hawk, now Danville, this county,
January 28, 1830, son of Ezra S. and Betsey
K. (Hoyt) Bean.

Ezra S. Bean was likewise a native of Dan-
ville, where he spent the first half of his life.
He was engaged in farming there until 1840,
when he went to Raymond this county. After
spending a year in Raymond, he removed to
Fremont, and there carried on farming, and
worked as a wheelwright until his death.
He married Betsey K. Hoyt, a native of Ray-
mond, who after the death of her husband
made her home with her son, Justus J., as

 

long as she lived. She had a family of six
children, of whom Arvilla, Kzra, and Frances
are deceased. The others are: Justus J., the
subject of this sketch; Lydia, now the wife
of Jacob W. Smith, and living in West
Brentwood; and Napoleon, who married Miss
Lizzie Mace, and now resides in this town-
ship.

Justus J. Bean received a common-school
education. He assisted his father, on the
farm and in the shop, until he attained his
majority. Then he went to West Brentwood, °
and worked for Horace Wood for about a
year. The succeeding fifteen years he worked
in a carriage factory at Crawley’s Falls, this
county, for Albert Brown. At the expiration
of that time he had saved fourteen hundred
dollars. He was subsequently employed in
the same town, but in another factory, for two
years more. Mr. Bean then began working as
a laborer on his present farm, which was then
owned by Squire Morrill, with whom he re-
mained as long as he lived. After the death
of Mr. Morrill Mr. Bean inherited the entire
property. It is a fine farm of two hundred
acres, much of which is in,a high state of
cultivation. In politics Mr. Bean is a sturdy
Democrat. By his straightforward and up-
right methods he has won the cordial respect
of his townsmen.

Mr. Bean married, January 1, 1884, Miss
Lizzie A. Morse, who was born and reared in
Brentwood. Her father, the late Isaac G.
Morse, who was a native of Chester, removed
to this town, where he was engaged in farming
pursuits until his demise. He married
Waitie Ann Bean, anative of Fremont. Mrs.
Bean died October 5, 1894, leaving no chil-
dren.

 

LBERT SHEPHARD SMITH, a
well-known and successful farmer of
Hampton Falls, was born in Exeter,

this county, January 21, 1830, son”

of Shephard and Abigail (Rundlett) Smith.
His father, a native of Candia, this county,
was a stage agent at Exeter. He was united
in marriage with Abigail, a daughter of Joseph
and Priscilla (Wilson) Rundlett, residents of
Exeter. Her mother was a native of Lee,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

N.H. .The union resulted in the birth of
two sons, namely: George, who died in in-
fancy; and Albert S., the subject of this
sketch. On March 1, 1830, the father met
his death accidentally by the overturning of
his coach at Amesbury, Mass., whither he had
driven to attend a political meeting.

Albert S. Smith attended the public schools
of his native town for the customary period of
time. He then found employment ina cotton-
mill at Exeter. Subsequently he learned the
trade of a machinist at South New Market,
this county, and worked at it for many years.
For the greater part of that time he was em-

ployed in the shops of the Boston & Maine

Railroad, located at Charlestown, Mass., hav-
ing special charge of the brass-work. He
abandoned the trade in 1878, and purchased
the estate in Hampton Falls known as the
Atkinson farm, comprising ninety acres of
land. Here he has since resided, engaged in
general agriculture, but chiefly in the produc-
tion and sale of butter.

On June 17, 1849, Mr. Smith was joined
in wedlock with Miss Mary T. J. Beals, a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Asa Beals, residents
of New Market, N.H. They have had seven
children, of whom five attained maturity, and
two are living. The survivors are Mary A.
and Hattie E. Emma C. and Ella D., twin
sisters, died July 8, 1888; Arvilla A. died
August 1, 1856; George A., October 24,
1862; and Alice W., July 5, 1878. The
mother died September 11, 1887, leaving a
grief-stricken husband whose faithful helpmate
and companion she had been for nearly forty
years. In national politics Mr Smith follows
the lead of the Republican party and the
American Protective Association. In his
earlier life he was identified with the Whig
party, and in 1852 he deposited his first ballot
for that party’s Presidential candidate. His
religious convictions have led him into com-
munion with the Baptist church.

 

perous member of the agricultural com-
munity of Rockingham County, New
Hampshire, is engaged in the prosecu-
tion of his independent calling in the town

qs S. COLBY, a practical and pros-

 

of Sandown, where he was born February 6,
1849. He is a son of the late Amos W.
Colby, and the worthy representative of one of
the earliest established families of this local-
ity, tracing his ancestry back to the year
1672. His paternal grandfather, George ©
Colby, was a lifelong resident of Sandown;
and John Sanborn, his grandfather on his
mother’s side, who was a soldier in the War
of 1812, was very prominent in town affairs,
and was a valued citizen.

Amos W. Colby lived in Sandown until
after attaining his majority, but subsequently
removed to Lowell, Mass., where he was en-
gaged as a hack driver for a time, and later
as a teamster. Returning from Lowell to
Sandown, he carried on mixed husbandry until
his death, in March, 1894. He was twice
married, his first wife having been Mary M.,
daughter of John Sanborn, of this town, above
mentioned. She died in August, 1854, hav-
ing borne him four children, the following
being their record: George Everett, their
first-born, died in 1848; Cyrus Porter married
Miss Colburn, of Milford, N.H., where he is
engaged in farming; John S. is the special
subject of this sketch; and George Everett
married Miss Freeman, of Worcester, Mass.,
and is now a railway engineer in Salina, Kan.
After the death of his first wife the father
married Miss Morgan, of Lowell, Mass.; but
of this union there were no children.

John S. Colby was educated in the common
schools of Sandown, living with his grandpar-
ents from the age of five years, when his
mother died, until able to care for himself.
In 1868 he began working as a laborer on the
neighboring farms, remaining in Rockingham
County until after his first marriage, when he
went to Boston, Mass., in search of employ-
ment. The following two years he was a
fireman on the Boston & Albany Railroad;
and he then removed to Worcester, Mass.,
continuing his connection with the same com-
pany till 1875, when he came back to the
scenes of his childhood, and here resumed the
occupation to which he was reared. He pur-
chased his present property, formerly known
as the President Sanborn farm, containing two
hundred acres of land. By dint of persever-
ing energy and good management he has made
 

COLBY.

JOHN S.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

125

 

 

this one of the most attractive and desirable
estates in the locality, having added improve-
ments of an excellent character, and re-
modelled the buildings. In addition to carry-
ing on general farming, in which he has met
with signal success, Mr. Colby opens his
spacious house to city boarders during the
summer season, accommodating about twenty
who wend their way thither from Boston and
its surrounding towns. Socially, Mr. Colby
is a member of the Grange Society of San-
down. Politically, he is an earnest Republi-
can, and, though not an _ office-seeker, has
served as Road Agent and Tax Collector.

Mr. Colby has been twice married. On
March 22, 1869, he married Miss Elizabeth
Purington, who was born March 27, 1847, in
the town of Fremont, this county. Her
father, a lifelong resident of that town, where
he was engaged as a shoemaker, married a
Miss Moss, who now lives at South Danville.
Mr. Colby’s first wife died October 13, 1878,
leaving two children — George W. and Fannie
Esther, the latter of whom died at the age of
fourteen years. Mr. Colby and Miss Elvira
Currier, a native of the town of Danville,
a daughter of Captain David B. and the late
Julia Ann (Hunkins) Currier, were married
on April 7, 1880. Three children were the
fruit of this union; namely, Florence B.,
Agnes Pearl, and Harold, who lived upon
earth but a brief time. On May 1, 1895,
death again invaded the home circle, taking
away the wife and mother.

 

AMUEL D. FELLOWS, an expe-
rienced farmer of Sandown, was
born August 25, 1830. He is of

“

pioneer ancestry, his great-grand-
father, Samuel Fellows, a farmer, having been
among the earliest settlers of this part of the
county. Samuel’s son, William Fellows, the
grandfather of Samuel D., lived and died in
Sandown. George W. Fellows, a native of
Sandown, resided in this town all his life.
He worked at the cooper’s trade for many
years, and was also prosperously engaged in
farming. He first settled on the estate a
mile distant to the south from the one now
owned by his son, Samuel D., and lived there

 

until 1840. In that year he bought the pres-
ent Fellows homestead, and here continued to
till the soil and work at coopering until his’
demise, in 1892. He married Philena Col-
lins, a native of Danville, this county, who
bore him one child, Samuel D. The mother,
who preceded her husband to the grave, died
in 1880.

Samuel D. Fellows received a good educa-
tion in the common schools of Sandown. On
the home farm he was thoroughly instructed
in the details of farming. He worked for his
father until he married. Then he settled in
North Danville, and thence to Kingston,
where he lived two years. From there he re-
moved to the parental homestead, on which he
now resides. He has a finely improved farm,
devoted to the raising of the grains and vege-
tables common to this section of New Eng-
land; and he is somewhat interested in rais-
ing stock. He owns one hundred and fifty
acres of land in the towns of Danville and
Sandown. Mr. Fellows is a member of the
local grange; and, politically, he is a steadfast
Democrat. He is greatly respected as an
upright citizen, and has served acceptably as
Selectman of Sandown for eight terms, besides
holding other minor offices.

Mr. Fellows has been twice married. His
first wife, to whom he was united in 1850, was
Maria F. (Hunkins) Fellows, daughter of
Maynard and Rhoda (French) Hunkins, both
lifelong residents of Sandown. She died in
1854, leaving no children. Subsequently Mr.
Fellows married Miss Lucy A. Hoyt, who was
born in Danville. Mr. and Mrs. Fellows
have one child, Etta, now the wife of Simeon
Clark, of the town of Kingston, this county.
Mrs. Fellows is a consistent member of the
Congregational church.

 

UCIAN EMERY SMITH, at one time
well known throughout the town of
Brentwood as one of its most pros-

perous farmers, was born on the

family homestead, January 10, 1828, a son of
Caleb and Sarah P. Smith. His father took
possession of the land now comprising the
farm when it was in a condition of wilderness,
and cleared a large part of it. In his younger
126

days Mr. Smith was engaged in the butchering
business; but, succeeding to the parental es-
tate after the death of his parents, he engaged
in general farming, which he continued
throughout the rest of his life. He was an
enterprising farmer, a trustworthy man, and
was ever held in high regard by his friends
and neighbors. He died in April, 1891, at
the age of sixty-three years.

Mr. Smith was married, November 25, 1858,
in this township, to Miss Frances Feltch. She
was born in Sutton, N.H., and died on the
homestead in 1876. Four children were born
of the union; namely, Josephine, Burton L.,
Milton Alonzo, and one that died in infancy.
Josephine, the only daughter, is now the wife
of H. P. Fuller, and lives in Haverhill, Mass.
Milton A., a farmer, owning and occupying a
portion of the old home farm, married Miss
Maud Tucker, of Newton, this county.

Burton L. Smith, born July 2, 1863, ac-
quired a practical education in the common
schools. For the ensuing six years he was
employed as clerk in a village store in Brent-
wood. On the death of his father he returned
to the homestead, which he and his brother
own jointly. He has since been profitably
engaged in general farming and dairying, sell-
ing his cream in Fremont. He also keeps
thirteen head of cattle of a good breed, and
_raises some stock. He was married, Novem-
ber 5, 1889, to Nellie J. Wilbur, of Fremont
township. Of their three children, one died
in infancy. The others, Karl E. and Hollis
W., bright and active boys, are at home. In
politics Burton L. Smith is an active Repub-
lican, while in religion he is a valued member
of the Baptist church.

 

 

EORGE H. MILLER, a prominent
agriculturist of Epping, was born in
Wolfboro, N.H., in 1856. His

parents were Asa and Susan A. (Dearborn)
Miller, both natives of the Granite State.
The father was born in Milton, Strafford
County, and lived there for thirty years, then
going to Wakefield, and later to Wolfboro,
where he resided until 1857. He then re-
moved to Epping, where he passed the rest of
his life. He was a quiet man, who was de-

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

voted to his home and family. He died in
1883, having survived his wife but one year.

George H. Miller came with his parents to
Epping when he was but a year old. His in-
tellectual training was received in the schools
of Epping and Durham, while he obtained a
practical knowledge both of farming and me-
chanics. He followed the trade of machinist
for two years and a half, after which he be-
came permanently identified with agricultural
interests, making a specialty of dairying and
the handling of live stock. He takes great
pride in keeping everything up to date; and
his farm, which is near Epping, is one of the
most inviting in Rockingham County.  Polit-
ically, he is a Democrat, and never shirks
the responsibilities of office when his services
are required by his party. He has capably
served the town as Supervisor and Selectman.
Fraternally, Mr. Miller is a member of the
Knights of Pythias. He was married in 1882
to Emma J. Fogg, a daughter of V. B. Fogg,
who was an influential citizen of this town, and
has two children — Russell E. and G. Howard.
Mr. Miller is a progressive man, well known
and widely respected.

 

 

—_—_o-

RS. MARY E. WARNER, Post-
mistress at Kensington and_pro-

prietor of one of the neatest and

most successful general stores in

the locality, is a daughter of -John T. and Mary
E. (Moulton) Blake. The Blake family has
been well and favorably known in this part of
the State for many years. John T. Blake was
born in Kensington, April 17, 1806. <A
shoemaker by trade, he was engaged for many
years in the manufacture of boots and shoes in
Kensington, displaying much business ability,
and successfully managing a store until 1850.
He cast his first vote with the Whigs, but in
his maturer manhood his opinions underwent
a change that led him to join the Democratic
party. He was Selectman of the town for a
number of terms, Justice of the Peace for
several years, and ably represented the dis-
trict in the legislature. A man of more than
ordinary intelligence, well informed on topics
of current interest, he won credit for himself,
and reflected credit on his constituents. In
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

127

 

 

religious belief he was a Universalist. He
died September 7, 1883. On February 1,
1829, he was married to Mary E. Moulton, a
native of Gilmanton, N.H., born October 3,
1806. Mrs. Blake was a member of the Con-
gregational church. She died April 10, 1882.
Of their nine children, John P. died at the age
of thirty-three; George, at the age of sixty-
two; and Henry C. and Augusta, in infancy.
Those living to-day are Thomas H., Mary E.
(Mrs. Warner), Sarah F. (Mrs. Colby), Henry
T., and Maria P. (Mrs. Sawyer).

Mrs. Mary E. Warner was born and reared
in Kensington. On February 8, 1872, she
was married to William Warner, a native of
Newburyport, Mass., born April 10, 1827.
He was an industrious man of sterling charac-
ter, who looked for little leisure, and followed
at different times different lines of business.
‘He died in Newburyport, September 6, 1881,
leaving one child, Esther B., who was- born
December 9, 1872. She is now living with
her motber in Kensington. Mrs. Warner has
supported herself and daughter since her
husband’s death, displaying much ability as
a business woman. Her store is stocked with
a complete general Tine of groceries, all reli-
able goods at reasonable prices. She has now
an established trade that is yearly increasing.
In 1894 she was appointed by President Cleve-
land Postmistress of Kensington, and has sat-
isfactorily filled that office up to the present
time. She is highly esteemed in the town,
her ability and character winning the respect
of all who know her. Mrs. Warren is a mem-
ber of the Congregational church,

 

HARLES H. SMITH is an enterpris-

ing and progressive agriculturist of

the township of East Kingston,

N.H. He was born on the old

Smith homestead he now owns and occupies,

September 3, 1842, son of George D. and

Almira (Webster) Smith. His grandfather

was a resident of Brentwood, this county,
where he followed the occupation of farmer.

George Smith, who was born and bred in

the town of Brentwood, remained at home,

helping on the farm, until he attained his

majority. He came then to East Kingston,

 

and learned the carpenter’s trade. Subse-
quently he worked as a carpenter and builder
in Lynn, Mass., until 1836, when he returned
to East Kingston. Shortly after he built the
buildings now occupied by his son, Charles
H. He also purchased land, and there carried
on farming in addition to working at his trade
until his death, which occurred February 15,
1889. He married Almira Webster, a native
of East Kingston, and became-the father of
five children, as follows: G. Dennis, born
February 8, 1835, who married Lucina
Thomas, of Vermont, and is now living at
Amesbury, Mass.; Warren W., born January
20, 1837, who died April 4, 1838; Warren
W. (second), born September 10, 1839, who
died December 27, 1881, leaving his widow,
whose maiden name was Julia C. Magoon,
now a resident of Haverhill, Mass. ; Charles
H., the subject of this sketch; and Almira J.,
born April 13, 1846, who now lives with
her brother Charles on the homestead. The
mother, who survived her husband, died at a-
venerable age, March 10, 1895.

Charles H. Smith has spent his lifetime on
the homestead. The place is pleasantly situ-
ated in the western part of the town. It con-
tains about ninety acres of land, finely im-
proved by his father. Mr. Smith raises hay,
corn, and potatoes, has a fine dairy, from
which he turns out excellent butter, and car-
ries on an extensive butchering business, as-
sisted by his son, who runs a meat wagon in
East Kingston, Kingston, and Brentwood
townships. Mr. Smith is a prominent mem-
ber of the Republican party, and has served
his town in various capacities, including
that of Selectman and Collector. He has
filled the latter office for the past eighteen
years. He is a Mason, belonging to Gideon
Lodge, No. 84, of Kingston Village; and he
is a member and an officer of the Methodist
Episcopal church.

Mr. Smith was married February 8, 1871,
to Miss Betsey A. Currier, who was born in
this township, May 12, 1845, daughter of
Jeremiah and Sarah T. (Smith) Currier, both
now deceased. Her father was a carpenter by
trade, and well known throughout this vicinity
as a man of integrity. Mr. Smith’s family
numbered four children, namely: George H.,
128

; BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

born September 4, 1872, who lives and works
with his father; Ellen A. and Annie S.,
twins, born June 28, 1875, who died respec-
tively on September 17 and 22 of the same
year; and Nellie A., born December 13,
1876, who lives at Wadley’s Falls, N.H., the
wife of Frank P. Kenerson, a shoemaker in
that place.

 

ILLIAM H. NUTE, M.D., a popu-
lar physician of Exeter, N.H., was
born in Farmington, this State,

May 8, 1858. He is the only son of Charles
W. and Mary L. (Richardson) Nute. His
grandparents, Israel and Hannah (Twombly)
Nute, belonged to Milton, N.H. Israel, who
was a well-to-do farmer, died in middle life.
His wife survived him over a quarter of a cen-
tury, dying in Saginaw, Mich. They reared
four sons and two daughters, all of whom but
one, Charles W., are yet living.

Charles W. Nute was born in Lincoln, Me.,
in December, 1833. One of the Maine men
who responded to President Lincoln’s call,
he was a Major in the First Maine Heavy
Artillery, and died on the battlefield before
Petersburg in 1864. His wife, to whom he
was united in 1856 or 1857, was a daughter of
Lemuel Richardson, of Farmington, N.H. A
merciful Providence spared her the grief
which her husband’s terrible death must have
caused, for she died nine months previous to
that event. At the time of her death she was

at Alexandria, D.C. The remains of husband

and wife are interred at Farmington.

William -H. Nute, M.D., was six years of
age when his parents were taken away. From
that time until he attained his majority his
uncle, George W. Colomy, was his guardian,
and had charge of the property left him by his
father, together with the pension paid by the
government. Heattended the common schools
of Farmington, N.H., and the New Hampton
Institute, entered Bowdoin at the age of eigh-
teen, and graduated from the Medical Depart-
ment in June, 1881. His medical training was
perfected by two years at Bellevue Hospital,
New York, the great finishing school for
American physicians. He began to practise
at North Barnstead, N.H., where he remained

 

about a year. The eight years following he
was at Farmington. In 1890 he located in
Exeter, where he now has a steadily increasing
practice. His good sense and skill in pro-
fessional matters have won the respect of the
people, and his genial disposition, make him
the centre of a large circle of friends.

Dr. Nute was married December 22, 1892,
to Lucy E., daughter of Henry E. and Lavinia
(Davis) Read, all of Exeter. In politics Dr.
Nute favors the Republican side. A strong
believer in the good accomplished by brother-
hoods and beneficiary societies, he belongs
to a number, including the Masonic Order,
in which he has passed the thirty-second
degree, all the chairs in the Blue Lodge, and
is Past District Deputy Grand Master; the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which
he has passed all the chairs; and the Improved
Order of Red Men, in which he is Past Great
Sachem. He has a pleasant home at No. 1
Front Street.

BENEZER GOVE, who, after spending
many years in the Western interior, is |
passing the sunset of his days in
North Hampton, N.H., where the health-giv-
ing air is scented with the breath of the sea,
was born in Tilton, N.H., February 17, 1814.
His parents were Ebenezer and Hannah
(Haines) Gove. The first of his family in
this country came from London, and settled
in the neighborhood of Boston, Mass. He
brought with him two sons, John and Edward,
and a daughter. John Gove, it is said, set-
tled on the Connecticut River, in the western
part of Massachusetts; while Edward located
in Seabrook, N.H., founding the New Hamp-
shire branch of the family.

The subject of this sketch is the fourth in
direct line to bear the name of Ebenezer.
His great-grandfather and grandfather were
both born in Seabrook. His grandfather, who
was a tailor by trade, won the military title of
Major and signed the New Hampshire Test of
Freedom at the time of the Revolution. He
passed his last days in Bradford, Vt., where
he died at the home of a daughter. Grand-
father Gove married Susanna Swain, and lived
for a number of years on the Swain farm.

 
 

EBENEZER GOVE.
>

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

131

 

His wife was one of the patriotic women who
aided the Revolutionary cause while attending
faithfully to manifold household duties; and
many a night she strained her eyes by the
light of a pitch-pine knot, sewing clothes for
the ill-equipped Continental soldiers. Eben-
ezer, second, and Susanna S. Gove had nine
children — Jonathan, David, Susan, Sally,
Miriam, Nancy, Dorothy, Ebenezer (third),
and Richard.

Ebenezer Gove, third, was reared like most
of the New England country boys of his day,
attending the district school and helping
about the farm. He was engaged in agricult-
ural pursuits up to the time of his death,
which occurred when he was forty-three years
old. Five children mourned his loss — Page
P., Reuben, Luther C., John C., and George
S.— Ebenezer the youngest of the name,
being born some time after the sad event.

Ebenezer Gove, who is the only survivor of
his family, obtained his education in the com-
mon schools of Sanbornton, N.H., an academy
near his home, and the academy at Boscawen
Plain, where he spent one term. He learned
to make brass clocks and scales, and in 1835
he went to what was then the Far West,
travelling with a horse and buggy, and making
scales on the way. The latter part of his
journey he made by canal, making Cleveland,
Ohio, his terminus. Settling near Cleveland,
he remained there twenty-five years, manu-
facturing platform scales and managing a
fatm of over two hundred acres, conducting a
dairy of forty cows. He eventually sold his
farm, and moved to Missouri; and in 1874 he
returned East, settling in North Hampton.

Mr. Gove’s first wife, who was Rebecca C.
Cate, of Loudon, N.H., died in Solon, Chio,
in 1858. She was the mother of two children
—Page M., born April 20, 1842, who en-
listed in 1862 in Company D, One Hundred
and Third Ohio Infantry, and died of typhoid
pneumonia in a military hospital, when only
twenty years of age; and Hannah E., who
lived less than two years. Mr. Gove was
again married in 1860, Miranda E. Fuller, of
Concord, N.H., becoming his wife; and the
present Mrs. Gove, who is his third wife, was
Miss Abbie Philbrook, of North Hampton.

Mr. Gove first appeared at the polls as a

 

Whig, and the first Presidential canvass in
which he took an active part was that of 1836.
He has been a Republican since the formation
of the party. Whilea resident of Solon town-
ship, Ohio, he was elected Town Trustee
several times, efficiently filled the office of
Town Clerk, and was at one time County

Assessor. He has been a member of the Con-
gregational church over sixty years, since
1834.

 

 

OSEPH PINKHAM, a prominent Di-
rector of the New Hampshire Trust
Company, an ex-Representative, and
a well-known inventor, was born in

New Market on February 26, 1827. “He is
an American of Americans, tracing his ances-
try back to the first white settlers of the coun-
try, in the paternal line’to Richard Pinkham,
of Dover Point, the grandmothers of which
include the Layton, Tebbetts, Otis, Youngs,
and other old and distinguished families. On
the maternal side he traces to George Smith,
the first Register of Deeds in the State; to
John Hill, the Hon. John Hall, the Hon.
Peter Coffin, and the first Edward Hilton, of
Dover and Exeter; to the Moodys of Ipswich
and Newbury; the Wilsons and Dudleys of
Exeter and Boston, and the first two governors
of Massachusetts — Winthrop and Dudley.”

His father having died at the early age of
twenty-eight, when young Pinkham was but
five years old, he, at the age of eleven, began
to earn his own living. Joseph Pinkham,
with the exception of two or three years when
he boarded in that part of Durham that has
since been annexed to New Market, has always
been a resident of said New Market. His
common-school education was supplemented
by attendance at private schools.

In April, 1846, a little more than nineteen
years of age, he left the home farm, going to
Salem, Mass., to work in a machine shop;
but, the times being very dull, a few months
thereafter he again found employment upon
a farm. In May, 1847, he entered the store
of Colonel James B. Creighton, being em-
ployed by him and his successor, Z. Dow
Creighton, until] the latter sold out in March,
1852. He was afterward re-engaged by Mr.
132

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Creighton off and on, as he was in or out of
business for several years more. During the
next two years he assisted as railroad station
agent in New Market as his services were
needed, and also assisted in the post-office,
officiating as Postmaster during the sickness of
James M. Chapman, Esq., and after his death
until the appointment of a new official, who
was in touch with the administration then in
office.

Mr. Pinkham ‘learned the daguerreotype
business while yet a young man, and a little
later the ambrotype process, which he followed
more or less for about five years. He also
started the custom tailoring business and man-
ufacture of ready-made clothing for large
wholesale dealers in Boston, Mass.; and in
1860, having bought a store and fitted it up
in good style, he purchased a stock of grocer-
ies, ready-made clothing, dry goods, carpeting,
etc., following this business successfully
until his retirement in the fall of 1868. His
own private interests and those of his friends,
however, have assumed such proportions that
he still leads a very busy life. Mr. Pinkham
owns several houses, a dozen or more desirable
house lots, and a first-class store lot, all lo-
cated in the very centre of the village where
he lives. He has manufacturing interests in
Concord, banking interests in Manchester, and
manufacturing and other industrial interests
in Georgia and Alabama, owns a three-hun-
dred-acre farm in Virginia, near Washington,
D.C., a good farm in Portsmouth, N.H., and
other real estate in New Market. He also
owns stock in the Pennsylvania coal mines
and interests in railroads from the Atlantic to
the Pacific as well as from the British Prov-
inces in old Mexico.

In politics Mr. Pinkham cast his first Presi-
dential votes for Lewis Cass and Franklin
Pierce, but from the time of John C. Fre-
mont’s candidature for President he has been a
stalwart Republican. He has been a delegate
to numerous State conventions, and to Dis-
trict No. 1 Congressional Conventions many
times, being one of the Vice-Presidents of the
latter in 1892 and the first Vice-President of
the Republican State Convention (the Hon.
William E. Chandler, President) that met at
Concord, March 31, 1896, to elect delegates

 

to send to the Republican National Conven-
tion to be held at St. Louis, Mo., June 16,
1896, to select the candidates to be supported
for President and Vice-President next Novem-
ber, 1896. He has also been an active mem-
ber of the Republican State Committee since
1892, and was Chairman of Senatorial Conven-
tion District No. 23, September 12, 1894.
His popularity is shown by the fact that he and
his colleague, Frank H. Durgin, served as
Representatives of New Market for the years
1895-96, being the first Republicans to hold
that office in fourteen years; and he is now
being prominently spoken of as a candidate for
County Treasurer or one of the Governor’s
Council. He has been often urged to take
town offices, but has never yet been willing to
accept them. Mr. Pinkham has been Justice
of the Peace for more than a quarter of a
century and a Notary Public since April 4,
1893.

He is socially prominent in a number of
clubs — New Hampshire Historical Society,
the New England Genealogical Society, the
New Hampshire Society of the Sons of the
American Revolution, the New Hampshire
Club, Boston, Mass., Lincoln Club, Concord,
and the Rockingham County Republican Club,
Exeter. Having been very earnestly invited
to join the order of Knights of Pythias, he
handed in his name for membership in Pioneer
Lodge, No. 1, of New Market; and upon tak-
ing his full degrees, February 13, 1896, he
was very cordially and most flatteringly re-
ceived by one of the largest attendances of its
members that the lodge has ever gathered for
a similar purpose. Upon the instituting of
Lamprey River Grange, No. 240, Patrons of
Husbandry, in New Market, with forty-one
charter members, on the evening of the anni-
versary of his birthday, February 26, 1896, he
was, without mention or solicitation on his
part, very unexpectedly unanimously selected
for the Master of the same; and it has been
and is being prospered beyond the most
sanguine expectations of its most hopeful
friends, now having a finely selected member-
ship of about seventy, and has received very
warm and congratulatory compliments on its
good condition and work from the Secretary
and Master of the State grange and others.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

133

 

On the evening of April 31, 1896, at Dover,
N.H., witha large class of some thirty or more,
he was admitted a member of Eastern New
Hampshire Pomona, and was admitted as an
associated member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, George A. Gay Post, No. 18, New
Market, N.H., April 29, 1896. He has an
acquaintance with nearly all of the members
and ex-members of Congress, judges and ex-
judges, governors and ex-governors, many of
the leading manufacturers and bankers, and
other prominent men of the State.

Mr. Pinkham’s indefatigable energy has
further led to the invention of plough im-
provements, carpenter's planes, nut-locking
devices, men’s suspenders, and other articles.
In the most of the various affairs which have
engaged his attention he has met with excel-
lent financial results, being a large owner of
stocks and securities in the New Hampshire
Trust Company, one of the largest institutions
of the kind in the United States. He has
given much time, study, and correspondence
to the mining and other resources of the coun-
try and to local histories and genealogical re-
searches. Mr. Pinkham has travelled through
the thirteen eriginal States and Maine and
Florida, having spent many months in Wash-
ington, D.C., going there many times. He
is, however, a loyal son of New Hampshire,
always returning from his sojourns with a
feeling that his native State or some part of
New England is the only true abiding-place.

In religion Mr. Pinkham is non-sectarian,
tolerating and recognizing the good in every
denomination. He has never used tobacco or
any of its manufactures or liquors or other
stimulants. He has formed no partnerships,
commercial or matrimonial, having gained
his victories singly and alone, and, if he con-
tinues to have his health and lives to a reason-
ably good old age, hopes to be able to accom-
plish much more. He is a square-dealing,
unpretending citizen, who is justly entitled to
the respect and honor which he has achieved.
He has always made it the rule of his life to
pay for everything as he had it, and, notwith-
standing the numerous and very severe losses
that he has met with, owing to panics, dis-
honesty, and scoundrelism generally, still
owns whatever he pretends to.

 

USSELL H. FELLOWS, a _ promi-

nent business man of the town of

Brentwood, was born here, January

16, 1841. His paternal grand-

father, Simeon Fellows, was for many years a

resident of Wood’s Corner, where he was en-

gaged in mercantile pursuits besides being a

job printer. He was an active and influential

citizen, taking a prominent part in the growth

and development of the community, and living

there until his demise in September, 1853.

He married Dorothy Bartlett, who preceded
him to the world beyond, dying in 1849.

His son, Stephen Fellows, father of Russell
H., was a lifelong resident of Brentwood,
where he died at a good age, June 21, 1895.
He was a farmer by occupation and a man of
enterprise and foresight. He established an
extensive lumber business, and in 1860 built
the Fellows box factory, being subsequently
engaged in the manufacture of shoe boxes,
building material, etc., and carrying on a
large and lucrative business. He was twice
married. His first wife, Narcissa G. Sinclair,
a native of Brentwood, died in 1870, leaving
five children, namely: Russell H.; Emma S.,
widow of the late William L. Bartlett; Mary
A., now deceased; Narcissa A., widow of the
late Levi Weeks; and John H. The last
named, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in
this volume, is a large manufacturer in Brent-
wood. He was first married to Sarah Morton,
and after her death to Miss Ella Wilson. In
1873 the father was again married, his second
wife being Mrs. Mary D. (Sanborn) Weeks,
who survives him.

Russell. H. Fellows has been engaged in the
saw-mill and lumber business for thirty-five
years, and has met with great success in this
industry, as well as in manufacturing. For
the past eight years he has manufactured brick,
and is also now running a box factory, hav-
ing an extensive and profitable business. He
gives employment to about one hundred men,
his plant being one of the foremost industrial
enterprises in this part of Rockingham County.
Mr. Fellows is a stanch Republican in poli-
tics, and takes a deep interest in local and
State affairs. For three years he served as
Selectman, and in 1874 and 1875 represented
his town in the State legislature. He is
134

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

prominent in Masonic circles, being a member
of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M.; of
St. Albans Chapter, No. 15, of Exeter; and
of De Witt Clinton Commandery, Knights
Templars, of Portsmouth, N.H.

Mr. Fellows was married in November,
1867, to Miss M. Susan Sanborn, who was
born in Danville, this State, a daughter of
John S. and Johanna B. (Philbrook) Sanborn.
Of their union two children have been born —
Bertie, whose earthly life was brief; and Car-
roll R., who married Gertrude F. Thyng, and
lives in Brentwood, where he is extensively
engaged in farming. Healso has an interest
with his father in the lumber business.

 

TOT ENRY CROWELL, of Londonderry,
N.H., a prominent citizen, who has
{le kos represented the town in the State
legislature, and is now in office as
Selectman, was born in this historic town on
June 22, 1828. He is a son of Samuel and
Sarah (Smithers) Crowell, and is of English
descent, claiming kinship with Oliver Crom-
well, the great Lord Protector of England.
The name Crowell, it is said, was originally
Cromwell, and through the tendency of the
English people to slur over consonants, notice-
able now in the pronunciation of such names
as Grosvenor and Cholmondeley (pronounced
Chumley), the w was dropped.

David Crowell, Mr. Henry Crowell’s grand-
father, who was the first of the family in Lon-
donderry, settled in this town somewhat more
than a hundred years ago. He served in the
Continental army in the Revolution, and in
the latter part of his life drew a pension for
his services.

Samuel Crowell, son of David, was born in
Londonderry, and spent a great part of his
life there. A shoemaker by trade, he was
engaged in manufacturing shoes in Salem,
Mass., for some time, and sold boots and
shoes at retail. He finally retired to a farm
in Londonderry, where he spent his last days.
When a young man Mr. Samuel Crowell was a
Jacksonian Democrat; but as he grew older he
changed his views, and joined the Republican
party. He was a member of the Presbyterian
church. His wife, Mrs. Sarah S. Crowell,

 

 

 

 

who was born in Marblehead, Mass., died in
Londonderry many years ago. Two of their
children are living — Henry, the subject of
this sketch; and Harriet, wife of James K.
Floyd, a resident of Franklin, N.H.

Henry Crowell was educated in the common
schools of Londonderry. Though reared ona
farm, he did not settle down to the pursuit of
agriculture when the time came for him to
choose his vocation, but selected a totally
different line of business. For over thirty
years he has been engaged as a travelling
salesman for the Dunn Edge Tool Company
of Oakland, Me., one of the largest concerns
of its kind in the world. He travels through-
out New England and the Canadas, dealing
with both the retail and the wholesale trade;
and his success is indicated by the length of
his term of service. Mr. Crowell has a good
farm of eighty acres in Londonderry and a
very pleasant home.

He was married October 3, 1850, to Judith
C. Plummer, a native of Auburn, this county,
daughter of Dr. Nathan Plummer. Mrs.
Crowell’s father, who was a son of Nathan
Plummer, Sr., a Revolutionary soldier and an
early settler in Londonderry, was born in this
town. He was educated at Pinkerton Acad-
emy, Derry, and at Dartmouth College Medi-
cal School, Hanover, N.H.; and he was one
of the best physicians of his day, being much
loved and respected by the citizens of Chester,
N.H., where he practised many years. In
politics he was first a Whig and later a Re-
publican. He was a prominent member of the
Presbyterian church at Auburn, in which he
was Deacon for some time. Dr. Plummer
died in Chester. Of his children the follow-
ing are living: Mary, Mrs. Lufkin, a widow
residing in Auburn, N.H.; William M., in
Manchester, this State; Judith C., Mrs. Cro-
well; Edwin, residing in Auburn; Albert, a
physician, in Hamilton, Minn.; and Sarah,
wife of Henry Bond, of Santa Barbara, Cal.
Mrs. Crowell, who is a lady of more than ordi-
nary intellectual capacity, is an interesting
conversationalist, and has acquired a reputa-
tion as a public speaker of ability, though for
some years past she has not appeared in public
as frequently as in her younger days. She
is the mother of five children — Frank S. and
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

135

 

Charles A., living; and Henry P., Clarence,
and Sarah F., dead.

Mr. Crowell is a Republican in politics.
He has served for three terms as Representa-
tive from Londonderry to the New Hampshire
State legislature; and he was in office as
Town Clerk five years, and is now serving his
second term as Selectman. He is an Elder
of the Presbyterian Church of Londonderry.
A citizen who always has at heart the best in-
terests of his town, he stands high in the re-
gard of his townsmen; and his estimable wife
shares with him the esteem of the community.

 

OSHUA BARSTOW JOHNSON, who
has spent a large portion of his four-
score and three years of life in Ports-
mouth, was born March 29, 1813, in

the town of Stratham, Rockingham County,
a son of Brackett and Sophia (Barstow) John-
son. The Johnson family are of English
origin, the first ancestor in this county having
been a minister of the gospel, who crossed the
ocean in the ‘‘Mayflower,’’ bringing with him
his young wife, who was the daughter of a
nobleman.

Philip Johnson, the grandfather of Joshua
B., was born in Durham, this State, where
he was, presumably, engaged in agricultural
pursuits. He was a soldier in the Revolu-
tionary War, in which he served as Captain of
a company. Captain Philip Johnson married
Miss Brackett, a sister of the Jate Dr. Brack-
ett, and they became the parents of four chil-
dren; namely, Joshua, James, Brackett, and
Sarah, of whom the last named married a Mr.
Messer.

Brackett Johnson was born and reared in
Greenland, Rockingham County. After leav-
ing the district school he learned the black-
smith’s trade, which he followed for a while,
but was obliged finally to give up on account
of his health. He then became a sailor, and
during the War of 1812 served on board a pri-
vateer. Abandoning the sea, he subsequently
engaged in the: livery business in this city,
being at one time associated with his brother
Joshua on Hanover Street. While thus occu-

pied he at one time took a cargo of horses to

Demerara, South America. In politics he

 

was a Whig, and cast his first Presidential
vote for John Q. Adams. In religion he was
a member of the Methodist church. He was
twice married. His first wife, Sophia Bar-
stow, bore him but one child, Joshua Barstow,
whose name appears at the head of this sketch.
His second wife was the daughter of a Mr.
Merrill, who edited the first arithmetic pub-
lished in New Hampshire. She was born and
reared in Stratham, where her father was en-
gaged in teaching for mavy years, and was
subsequently Justice of the Peace. Six chil-
dren were born of this union, as follows:
Sophia J.; Brackett, Jr.; Amanda M.; Frank
B., who was for some years prior to his death
City Marshal of Portsmouth; Napoleon B. ;
and John W.

Joshua Barstow Johnson received his educa-
tion in the schools of Portsmouth, and first
began work in the livery stable owned by his
uncle, with whom he remained for many years.
By industry, perseverance, and good judgment
he has successfully fought the battle of life
and accumulated a fair competency as a sup-
port for his declining years. During his long
career he has made many friends, and by faith-
fully discharging the duties of a man and citi-
zen has earned the respect of all.

 

RED C. BUXTON isa prosperous gen-
eral merchant and liveryman of Salem,
Rockingham County, N.H., where he

was born June 12, 1869, son of Joseph and
Rhoda A. Buxton. For upward of nineteen
years his father was engaged in the undertak-
ing business at Salem, N.H. His widowed
mother still resides in town, at Salem Depot.

Fred C. Buxton acquired his early education
in the public schools of Salem, and afterward
attended the Pinkerton Academy at Derry and
the Atkinson Academy. While but a youth he’
engaged in mercantile business, and after a
time went into partnership with Frank D.
Wilson, under the firm name of Buxton &
Wilson. This connection had existed but a
short time, however, when he became sole pro-
prietor. He has since continued in business
alone, carrying a good assortment of dry goods,
hardware, groceries, grain, flour, butter,
cheese, eggs, canned goods, patent medicines,
136

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

and notions, and has a flourishing trade. He
is agent for the American Express Copmany,
and besides his store conducts a small livery
business, keeping ten good horses, the patron-
age bestowed on this branch of his business
bearing ample testimony to its popularity.

Mr. Buxton and Miss Etta S. Tilton were
married in 1888; and their union has been
blessed by the birth of one son, Harold T.

Mr. Buxton has always been a loyal Repub-
lican. He has served as Postmaster of Salem
Depot for several years. Fraternally, he isa
member of Lodge No. 145, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, at Lawrence, Mass. ; also of
Lodge No. 85, A. F. & A. M., of Salem,
N.H.; and of the United Order of Pilgrim
Fathers at Salem Depot.

 

 

BRAM W. MITCHELL, M.D., of
Epping, N.H., the senior county
physician of Rockingham County,
was born -in Lempster, Sullivan
County, N.H., February 8, 1862. He is the
son of Andrew J. and Mary M. (Whittemore)
Mitchell, both natives of New Hampshire,
who are at present residing in  Lempster.
Andrew J. Mitchell was engaged in the early
part of his active life in the manufacture of
boots and shoes, but for some years past has
given his attention solely to agriculture. <A
man of pronounced views, he is an ardent
Prohibitionist, and has taken a prominent part
in public affairs, local and otherwise, serving
at one time in the State legislature.

Abram W.- Mitchell received his primary
education in the public schools of his native
town and at Kimball] Union Academy at Meri-
den, N.H. With a view to defraying the ex-
penses of his professional course of study he
began to teach when quite young, and was
very successful, so much so that he found
ready employment as a teacher, and for about
eight years taught successive terms of school,
continuing his own studies in the mean time.
During two years he was Principal of the
Marlow Academy, and was also superintendent
of schools at Lempster. He took up the study
of medicine when about twenty-one years of
age, at first under the tuition of Dr. Carl A.
Allen, of Acworth, N.H., and subsequently

 

under Dr. Marshall Perkins, of Marlow, and
was graduated at the University of New York
in 1887. lL.ocating at once in Harrisville,
N.H., Dr. Mitchell practised there until his
removal to Epping in the spring of 1888.
That same year he was appointed county
physician, and he is still in office. A man of
scholarly tastes, always seeking to add to his
store of knowledge, he is a close student, and

‘in the winter of 1895 found time to take a

post-graduate course at the University of New
York. Asa physician he is careful and con-
scientious, and his popularity is yearly increas-
ing..

Di Mitchell was married to Miss Hattie F.
Perkins, daughter of Dr. Marshall Perkins, in
October, 1888; and three charming children
are now growing up in his home — Avis, Karl,
and Richard. In politics Dr. Mitchell favors
the Democratic side. He belongs to the two
leading social orders of the day, the Masonic
fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. In religious matters he gives his
aid and support to the Methodist Episcopal
church. He is widely known and esteemed,
his character, as shown by bis career as a
student, a teacher, and physician, possessing
a moral soundness and constancy that win re-
spect and confidence.

 

 

©

ANIEL H. WEBSTER, one of the
leading and successful farmers of
©) Auburn, was born in Manchester,
N.H., September .2, 1843, son of
Joshua and Betsey (Underhill) Webster. His
grandfather, Israel Webster, who was a farmer
of Manchester and also operated a saw:mill
there, first married a Miss Perham, who bore
him nine children, all of whom are now de-
ceased. Israel contracted a second marriage
with Hannah Buswell, who bore him no chil
dren. In politics he was a Democrat. His
brother, John Webster, served as an officer in
the War of 1812, a fact which indicates that,
notwithstanding the pacific pursuits of the
family, there was fighting blood in them.
Joshua Webster, a son of Israel and the
father of Daniel, was a native of Manchester,
and received his education in the schools of
that town and of Auburn. He conducted: a

 

 

 

 
 

 

ee

  

MITCHELL.

ABRAM W.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

139

 

 

grist and saw mill in his native town, and also
was prosperously engaged in farming. His
wife, Betsey Underhill, a native of Chester,
bore him’ seven children, three of whom are
now living. These are: Israel N., who is liv-
ing in Lisbon, N.H.; Daniel H., the subject
of this sketch; and Annie, now the wife of
George M. Robertson, of Concord, N.H. In
his political faith; like his father, he was a
Democrat. He was a conscientious member
of the Methodist church. His death occurred
in 1856, at the age of fifty-six years and five
months.

Daniel H. Webster was reared on his father’s
farm, receiving his education in the district
school. After leaving school he began farm-
ing for a living. He now owns a farm of
about one hundred and twenty-five acres, com-
prising pasture, tillage, and wood land. Be-
sides several horses he keeps a_ half-dozen
cows, with whose milk he supplies quite a
number of Manchester patrons. The people
of Auburn have manifested their esteem for
him by electing him Selectman for five terms,
during one of which he was Chairman of the
Board. He was also made the Trustee of the
Town Library and a member of the School
Board. Following the family line of political
belief, he is a Democrat.

On December 24, 1874, he was married to
Miss Mary E. Crouch, of Haverhill, Grafton
County. Three children blessed the union ;
namely, George F., Minnie L., and Mary E.,
all residing at home. The family enjoy the
comforts of a well-ordered and abundantly
provided country home.

 

 

EWIS E. GOVE, one of the town
fathers of Kensington, N.H., a
‘‘forty-niner’’ and a Grand Army

man, was born in Portsmouth, this

State, February 13, 1825, son of Lewis and
Susan (Tilton) Gove. He belongs to an old
New England family of English origin. His
immigrant ancestor, John Gove, who was a
London man, settled in Charlestown, Mass.,
in 1646, and died there in November, 1647.
His son Edward, who was born in England in
1639, was a resident of Salisbury, Mass., as
_early as 1657, and died in Hampton, N.H.,

 

 

July 29, 1691. His wife’s name was Hannah
Titcomb. They were married some years be-
fore removing to Hampton. (See History of
Hampton, N.H.)

John Gove, the son of this couple, was born
on September 19, 1661, and died in Hampton
Falls, October 15, 1737. John Gove and his
wife Sarah were the parents of John Gove, Jr.,
who was born in Hampton Falls, in that part
of the town later known as Seabrook, May 29,
1689, and died there March 23, 1759. This
gentleman married in 1720 Ruth Johnson, a
native of Hampton, born February 24, 1695,
who died in Seabrook, June 30, 1766. Their
son, Obadiah, the third of a family of seven
children, was born in Seabrook, September 2,
1723, and died in Kensington in 1780. His
wife, Mary Dow, was born in Salisbury,
Mass., November 24, 1728, and died in Ken-
sington, October 21, 1811.

Enoch Gove, son of Obadiah and Mary
(Dow) Gove, was born in Kensington, August
10, 1764. He was one of the most industrious
of the early settlers of the town, and cleared
a large tract of land there. In politics he was
a Whig. He died in Kensington, December
3, 1828. His wife, whose maiden name was
Hannah Dearborn, was born in Kensington,
July 23, 1768, and died there June 2, 1842.
Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Gove were Quakers in
early life, and later joined the Congregational
church. They were the parents of seven chil-
dren, one of whom is living; namely, Mrs.
Lucinda Shattuck, of Ludlow, Ky., who has
one child— Ada, wife of Thomas Howard.

Lewis Gove, son of Enoch and Hannah
(Dearborn) Gove, was born in Kensington,
January 9, 1796, and passed his boyhood on
the farm now occupied by his son. When he
was eighteen years of age he engaged as a
butcher in Portsmouth, N.H., remaining there
until 1837. In that year he returned to Ken-
sington and turned his attention to agriculture,
spending the rest of his life on the home farm.
He was one of the leading citizens of Kensing-
ton, active among the Democrats of the dis-
trict, and served as Selectman and as Repre-
sentative to the Genera] Court. He died in
July, 1842. Wis wife was a daughter of Jere-
miah Tilton, of Kensington. Mr. and Mrs.
Lewis Gove were Unitarians in religious
140

belief. They were the parents of four chil-
dren, as follows: Lewis [., the subject of this
sketch; Harriet A.; Andrew, who married
Miss Rosepha Gillman, and is now living in
South Dakota; and Clinton, who married Miss
Anna Piper, of Stratham, and has two chil-
dren — Irving and Ralph.

Lewis E. Gove received his primary educa-
tion in Portsmouth, being twelve years of age
when his parents removed to Kensington. He
worked about the farm in youth and early man-
hood; and in 1849, one of the first to catch
the gold fever, he went to California, taking
passage on the ship ‘’Charlotte,’’ which sailed
from Boston for San Francisco by the way of
Cape Horn. The voyage consumed one hun-
dred and eighty-eight days; and Mr. Gove ar-
rived in the Golden State, September 8, 1849.
He remained two years, mining with varied
success, and in 1851, weary of the rough and
lawless life of the mining camps, returned to
Kensington. In 1853 he went to Lexington,
Ky., where as a contractor he worked for two
years on the construction of the Cincinnati,
Lexington & Danville Railroad. In August,
1862, he enlisted in the New Hampshire bat-
talion of the First Rhode Island Cavalry, so
called at that time, this State furnishing one
battalion and Rhode Island two. Later there
were two distinct regiments, First New Hamp-
shire and First Rhode Island Cavalry. His
three years in the army —%in malarial camp,
on gory battlefield, and in wearisome forced
marches under the burning sun of the South —
satisfied his adventurous spirit. The war hav-
ing closed, he was discharged from the army
in July, 1865. From 1869 to April, 1877,
Mr. Gove lived in Rhode Island. He has
since resided in New Hampshire. One of the
substantial citizens of Kensington, Mr. Gove
is highly respected by his townsmen, and has
long occupied a prominent place in the com-
munity.

He was married in 1867 to Sophia T.,
daughter of Josiah B. and Mary (Tilton) San-
born, of Kensington. He has no children.
Mr. Gove is a Republican, and has held many
offices of public trust. He was Selectman of
the town one year, Tax Collector one year,
and was elected Representative in 1895. He
keeps fresh the memories and associations of

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the gold diggings in California as a member
of the Society of California Pioneers of New
England; and he belongs to Moses N. Collins
Post, No. 26, Grand Army of the Republic,
of Exeter, N.H. Mr. and Mrs. Gove attend
the Congregational church.

 

 

ALTER H. STICKNEY, a leading

citizen and successful druggist of

Epping, N.H., was born in this

town, October 24, 1849, son of David and
Nancy P. (Hale) Stickney. :

His father, David Stickney, is a native
of Athens, Me., and came to Rockingham
County when a young man. For several years
he was a successful tailor in Epping, and sub-
sequently engaged in farming, which occupa-
tion he still follows. He was for some years
Postmaster of Epping; but his quiet and un-
assuming disposition inclines him to reject
alike the honors and responsibilities of public
office, and he prefers to devote his time and
attention to his own private affairs. His wife,
whose maiden name was Nancy Yl. Hale, and
who was a most estimable woman, died in
1892.

Walter H. Stickney’s opportunities for ob-
taining an education were confined to the
common schools. He made the most of them,
however; and at the age of fourteen he began
life for himself as an operative in a shoe fac-
tory. He was subsequently employed as a
clerk; and in 1871 he engaged in the drug
business, which he has since followed with
energy and success. He has a centrally lo-
cated establishment, which is well stocked
with drugs, chemicals, patent medicines, fancy
articles, and contains the necessary facilities
for the compounding of physicians’ prescrip-
tions. A thoroughly trustworthy apothecary,
Mr. Stickney has secured the confidence and
liberal patronage of the general public. In
politics he supports the Republican party, and
has served as a member of the Board of Select-
men, as Town Clerk, and Treasurer. He has
also been his party’s candidate for Representa-
tive to the legislature. He was Deputy Post-
master under his father and Postmaster him-
self under two Republican administrations.

In 1870 Mr. Stickney was united in mar-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

141

 

 

riage to Clara J. Holt, his first wife, who was
a daughter of Frank Holt, of Wilmington,
Mass. After twenty years of happy married
life, she died in 1890. His second wife,
whom he wedded in 1892, was before marriage
Carrie N. Blanchard, also of Wilmington.
She is a member of the Congregational church.
Mr. Stickney is prominently connected with
various social and fraternal organizations. He
is well advanced in Masonry, belonging to the
Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Command-
ery. He has been Treasurer of the lodge of
Odd Fellows here since its formation, and is
also connected with the encampment. He is
besides a member of the Royal Arcanum.

 

EORGE 5S. ROLLINS, agent for the

American Express Company at Derry

Depot, is a native of Deerfield, this

county, born August 10, 1835. His grand-

father, Francis Rollins, was one of the early

settlers of Deerfield and one of the brave and

patriotic soldiers who won our independence in
the Revolutionary War.

Sewell P. Rollins, born in Deerfield, March
14, 1807, was a lifelong resident of the town.
He was engaged during the larger portion of
his active life in general farming, and was
familiarly known to his townsmen as Captain
Rollins, having served as Captain of a company
in the State militia for several years. He
died September 1, 1888, in his eighty-second
year. Captain Rollins married Sophronia C.
Lang, also a native of Rockingham County.
Of their children two are now living, namely:
George S., the subject of this sketch; and
Annie E., the widow of the late J. Frank
Gordon, of Manchester, N.H. Francis S., an
elder brother of George S., born in Deerfield,
January 10, 1832, enlisted for service in the
Civil War in 1861, becoming a member of
Company D, Eleventh New Hampshire Volun-
teers, and died of disease in the South. In
' politics Captain Rollins was an earnest advo-
cate of the principles of the Democratic party.

George S. Rollins was reared to farm life in
his Deerfield home, remaining with his parents
until twenty years of age. He then began the
battle of life on his own account. Going to
the city of Lowell, Mass., he secured a posi-

 

tion with Hapgood Wright, wholesale and
retail dealer in boots and shoes, and for
a number of years travelled for him, the
route taking him through portions of New
Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
Having decided to make a permanent loca-
tion, Mr. Rollins settled at Derry Depot in
1879, establishing himself in a mercantile
business. He was prosperously engaged in
this for several years, sometimes with a part-
ner and sometimes without, being at one time
the only merchant in this part of the town.
He has been somewhat interested in the real
estate business here, and for a while was Post-
master at Derry Depot. Some time ago Mr.
Rollins retired from active business for a time;
and his son, the late George F. Rollins, opened
a store at this place for the sale of books,
stationery, and patent medicines. In its man-
agement Mr. Rollins gave his son much assist-
ance. Upon the sudden death of the latter,
April 18, 1890, he took the store, and has
since conducted it with signal success. In
July, 1893, he was appointed agent of the
American Express Company, and has since
performed the duties of this office with satis-
faction to all concerned.

Mr. Rollins was married January 1, 1857,
to Miss Rosina Hayward, a native of Vermont.
Their only son, George F. Rollins, died, as
above mentioned, at the early age of twenty-
two years. He was a young man of excellent
business qualifications, a Republican in poli-
tics, popular with his companions and friends,
and a prominent member of the Knights of
Pythias, having been Clerk of the order at the
time of his demise. His father, who is also
a Republican, is now serving on the Town
Board of Supervisors. He is a member of
Echo Lodge, No. 61, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Derry Depot; and of the
United Order of the Golden Cross of Man-
chester, N.H.

 

EORGE W. GOODRICH, a farmer
of Nottingham, N.H., was born here
on August 23, 1844, son of Nathan

G. T. and Betsey Ann (Cate) Goodrich. The
traditional account of the Goodrich family goes
back to William Goodridge and Margaret, his
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

142

wife, who came from Bury St. Edmund’s, Suf-
folkshire, England, to America about 1630,
and a few years later settled in Newbury,
Mass., which comprised the present towns of
Newburyport, West Newbury, Georgetown,
and Byfield. He took up a large tract of land
and cleared himself a farm. William and
Margaret Goodridge were the parents of three
sons — Joseph, Jeremiah, and Benjamin.

Although the descent has not been traced,
it is supposed that George W. Goodrich is a
descendant of Jeremiah, who was born in 1638.
His great-grandfather, Barnard Goodrich, Sr.,
was born in Newbury, Mass. He married a
Miss Carr, of Fremont, Rockingham County,
N.H.; and their married life was spent on a
farm in that town. Barnard Goodrich, Jr.,
was born in Fremont. He chose farming as
a life occupation. In 1800 he came to Not-
tingham, and four years later settled in that
part of the town called Pautuckaway-in-the-
Mountain, where he purchased about one hun-
dred acres of land and cleared a portion of it.
He was a progressive and hard-working man,
and highly esteemed throughout the commu-
nity. For his first wife he married Miss
Eunice Cheney, of Kingston, N.H., by whom
he had six children. The following is a brief
record of five of them who grew to maturity:
Gilman moved to Wisconsin, had a large
family; Moses C. lived in Kingston, N.H.,
had three children; Jeremiah died in Notting-
ham, had two sons; Barnard lived in Gardiner,
Me., had a large family; John lived in Athens,
Me., had several children. Mrs. Eunice C.
Goodrich died in 1807. The second and last
wife of Barnard Goodrich, Jr., was Miss Sally
Gove, who was born in Nottingham on October
8, 1782. Seven children blessed this union,
but all have now passed away.

Nathan G. T., the second child of Barnard
and Sally (Gove) Goodrich, was born February
27, 1810, at the old homestead on the moun-
tain. In early life he learned the shoemaker’s
trade, making the heavy boots and shoes of
those days. After following this calling for
a few years, he returned to the old farm, which
he carried on until his death on June 28, 1884.
He was prominent in town affairs and very
successful considering his opportunities in
life, leaving a good property. Prior to the

 

 

formation of the Republican party he was a
Democrat, but ever after he affiliated with the
new-formed party. He was the first Republi-
can sent from Nottingham to the State legis-
lature, being first elected in 1857 and re-elected
the following year. On June 27, 1840, he was
joined in marriage with Miss Betsey Ann Cate,
a daughter of Francis Cate, of Nottingham.
She was born on March 5, 1818, and died on
June 23, 1877.

George W. Goodrich, the only child of his
parents, received his education in the schools
of Nottingham. After leaving school he
learned photography at Exeter and Concord,
N.H., and conducted a studio on his own ac-
count for a number of years in Newport, N.H.
In 1872 he returned to the old homestead, and
has since devoted his attention to general farm-
ing. ' Six years ago, in 1890, he purchased a
tract of four hundred and fifty acres of land
near the old homestead, but still resides on the
latter.

On November 17, 1887, he was married to
Miss Susan J. Carleton, a daughter of William
and Fanny (Russell) Carleton, of Haverhill,
Mass. They have no children. Mr. Goodrich
holds liberal views in religion, his wife being a
Methodist. He is a member of the Grange of
Patrons of Husbandry of Hampton Falls, N.H.

 

AVID F. BARTLETT, a prominent
agriculturist of Epping, Rocking-
\) ham County, N.H., was born in the
adjacent town of Nottingham, this
county, in May, 1827. His parents were
David and Susanna (Cilley) Bartlett. The
family are of English descent. John Bartlett,
the earliest known ancestor, came from Eng-
land in the ship ‘‘Mary and John,”’ settling in
Newbury, Mass., in 1634.

The succeeding generations were represented
in the order here named by Richard, Thomas,
and Israel, the latter of whom came from New-
bury and established the old Bartlett home-
stead in Nottingham. Thomas Bartlett, son
of Israel and the grandfather of David F., was
a native of that town. He served his country
during the Revolutionary War as Lieutenant
Colonel under General Stark at the surrender
of Burgoyne, and also as commander of a com-

 

 

 

 
A

SSS

 

BARTLETT.

DAVID F.,
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

145

 

 

pany at West Point. He was a man of promi-
nence, who officiated as Representative, Speaker
of the House, and as Judge of the Court of
Common Pleas. David, the father, above
named, son of Thomas, was also born in Not-
tingham, where he spent many years of bis
life, being actively engaged in farming. In
1842 he moved to Epping, and here became a
man of note, dying in 1868. His wife was a
daughter of Greenleaf Cilley, of Nottingham.
The Cilley family were also of English origin,
tracing their ancestry in New Hampshire back
for a period of more than two and a half cen-
turies. Mrs. Susanna C. Bartlett finished her
earthly career ten years before her husband,
dying in 1858.

David F., or Fred Bartlett, as he is famil-
jiarly called by his friends, had only the edu-
cational advantages of a district school. He
was practically trained to farming in his youth,
and has continued to follow that honored call-
ing. He owns a fine farm of two hundred
acres with substantial buildings thereon. In
politics Mr. Bartlett has cast his vote with the
Republican party since its organization. He
does not seek political distinction, but he has
served two terms as Selectman.

The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was married in 1857, was Laura A. Towle.
Her parents were Dearborn H. and Hannah S.
(Blaisdell) Towle, both belonging to old and
prominent families of the county. Mr. and
Mrs. Bartlett bave four children, who are
intelligent, cultivated, and useful members of
society, as follows: Emma J., who married
Frank E. Sanborn, a teacher by profession,
now (1896) engaged in Orleans, Mass., and
has one child, Bernice S.; Susan H. Bartlett,
a teacher in this town; Elizabeth A., who is
teaching in Conway, Mass.; and Mary B.
Bartlett, who is completing her studies in
Durham College. The mother and_ her
daughters are members of the Congregational
church. Mr. Bartlett and his estimable wife
are passing the twilight of their well-spent
lives in their comfortable farm-house near Ep-
ping. They and their family enjoy the re-
spect and good-will of the community.

An admirable. likeness of this representative
citizen of Rockingham County is herewith
presented.

 

ENJAMIN F. CRAM, one of the
oldest active farmers of Kingston,
was born in Hampton Falls, this
county, January 3, 1821, son of Ben-

jamin and Rebecca F. (White) Cram. His
grandfather, Jonathan Cram, a native of Hamp-
ton Falls, where he resided for many years,
moved from there to Marietta, Ohio, where his
last days were passed.

Benjamin Cram was born in Hampton Falls,
and was reared to farm life in that town.
After marriage he settled in Pittsfield, N.H.,
where he bought a farm, and lived on it for two
years. He then sold it, and, returning to his
native town, was engaged in general farming
until his death, which occurred in July, 1831,
at the age of forty-four years. He married
Rebecca F. White, whose mother’s sister was
the wife of Daniel Webster, the distinguished
statesman. She was a native of Pittsfield,
N.H.; and she reared a family of six children.
These were: Mary, who died in 1891; Jona-
than, now deceased; Eunice L., the wife of
Thomas Putnam, of Danvers, Mass. ; Gracia,
the widow of the late Charles Emery, residing
in Boston; Daniel W., who married Emily
Felch, and resides in Monroe, Ohio; and Ben-
jamin F., the subject of this sketch. Mr.
Cram’s mother lived to be over eighty years
old.

Benjamin F. Cram acquired his education
in the district schoo] and at a private academy.
He remained upon the farm after his father’s
death, and when old enough took charge of
the property, which he conducted with success
until his mother’s death. In 1857 he sold the
homestead in Hampton Falls; and, moving to
Kingston, he bought a piece of agricultural
property located near the village. Here he
erected a comfortable residence, which has
since been his home. The farm has been
much improved since it came into his posses-
sion. The land at the present time is in a
good state of cultivation, and the buildings are
good. Besides conducting his‘farm he has
also worked at his trade of shoemaking.  Al-
though he is now seventy-five years old, he
still attends to his every-day duties with a
degree of activity unusual for one of his age.

On November 4, 1846, Mr. Cram wedded
Elizabeth S. Smith. She was born in Brent-
146

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

wood, N.H., December 9, 1824, daughter of
Caleb and Sarah (Tuck) Smith, the former of
whom was a prosperous farmer. Both of Mrs.
Cram’s parents died in Brentwood. Mr. and
Mrs. Cram are the parents of five children,
namely: Julia L., the wife of Woodbury D.
Collins, of Danville, N.H., a shoemaker and
farmer; Frank Herbert, a carriage builder,
who married Hattie Bushnell, and lives in
New Haven, Conn.; Sarah I., the wife of
George E. Bailey, of Kingston village, a
farmer; Milan C., a shoe manufacturer, who
married Ella Perham, and resides in Haverhill,
Mass. ; and Charlotte Lincoln, born on the day
of President Lincoln’s assassination, who is
unmarried, and resides with her parents. Al]
have had the advantage of a good education,
-and are well situated in Jife. In politics Mr.
Cram is a Republican. He has never sought
public office, but he has served the town
efficiently as Tax Collector for the past ten
years. He has been a member of -the Congre-
gational church for fifty-five years, holding the
office of Deacon for fifteen of those years.
Mrs. Cram is united with the Baptist church.

 

LINTON L. SILVER, a well-known
resident of the town of Salem, Rock-
ingham County, N.H., and a prom-

inent member of the Salem School

Board, was born on September 20, 1852, son

of Andrew J. and Elizabeth A. (Crowell)
Silver. His mother was a native of Haver-
hill, Mass. The founder of the family fort-

unes in America was his grandfather, Asa
Silver. He was an Englishman by birth, but
came to this country when a young man and
settled in Salem, where his son Andrew was
born and brought up.

Andrew Silver was in his younger days a
shoe manufacturer, and subsequently worked
at farming and lumbering. He had to make
his own way in life, and worked hard for it.
He was a member of the Republican party.
By his marriage with Miss Crowell he had two
children — Clinton L., whose life story up to
the present time is here outlined; and Lizzie,
deceased. Andrew Silver, who passed all his
life in Salem, died here in September, 1882.

Clinton L. Silver was brought up, like his

 

father, in the town of Salem, N.H., and from
his youth has been engaged in shoemaking and
farming. He received his early education in
the public schools of his native town, and
afterward for a short time attended Pinkerton
Academy in the neighboring town of Derry,
N.H. He was married on September 20,
1875, on his twenty-third birthday, to Paulina
C. Ayer, a native of Salem and the daughter
of William B, and Paulina G. (Kelley) Ayer,
also both of Salem. Her father, William B.
Ayer, had been a resident of Salem all his
life. He was the son of Ebenezer Ayer, who
belonged to a family of old settlers in the
town. :
Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Will-
iam B. Ayer, seven still survive, namely:
Martha E., the wife of N. G. Abbott; Charles
H.; Lucy J.; Benjamin F.; Esther M., the
wife of Amos Spurr; Paulina C., the wife of
Mr. Silver; and William H. Mr. and Mrs.
Silver have five children —- Ernest L., who is
at present a student at Dartmouth College;
Lizzie L.; Edna F.; Lillian B. ; and Elsie A.
Mr. Silver is well known as a_public-
spirited man, who is always willing to help
in every scheme to benefit his fellow-citizens
and his native town in any way. In his poli-
tics he is a stanch Republican. He and his
wife are faithful and energetic members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which church
he is a Trustee. He also officiates both as
superintendent of the Sunday-school and as
leader of the Methodist Episcopal choir. Mr.
Silver and his wife invariably take an active
part in all social gatherings. They are highly
useful members of society, and justly enjoy the
confidence and admiration of their neighbors
and fellow townsmen and townswomen. Mr.
Silver is an influential member of the Salem
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.

RANVILLE W. KNOX, an enter-
prising farmer of Newington, was
York

born in Berwick, County,

Me., on August 18, 1831. His father was
Augustus Knox.

Granville W. Knox lived with his parents

on the home farm in Berwick until he was

eighteen years of age, He then went to Ports-

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

147

 

 

mouth where he became the inside manager
of the Cleaves & Walker Factory, remaining
with that firm for about twenty-eight years.
In political outlook he is a Republican. In
1851 Mr. Knox was united in marriage with
Miss Eliza A. Roberts, daughter of James and
Elizabeth A. Roberts, being one of seven chil-
dren, one son and six daughters.

Her mother was a direct descendant of the
distinguished Adams family of Massachusetts,
being a daughter of Nathan Webb, and great-
grand-daughter of the Rev. Joseph Adams, a
noted preacher here, who established the Con-
gregational church and served as its pastor for
sixty-nine years. He was an uncle of John
Adams, the second President of the United
States. The Rev. Joseph Adams had three
sons and one daughter, who died in infancy.
There were thirty-one acres in the homestead,
where Mr. Adams died at the ripe old age of
ninety-two years. The farm has been in the
Adams family ever since, unti] taken by Gran-
ville W. Knox, the subject of this sketch, who
mortgaged it to the Adams family. The Rev.
Joseph was the first occupant, locating here as
early as 1715. The present house was built
in 1717, and is probably the oldest house
standing in use in the town of Newington.

Mr. and Mrs. Knox have three children;
namely, Eva L., Mary E., and James H. Eva
L. is the wife of Albert Pray. They reside
in Portsmouth and have had eight children -—
Mattie, Richard, Annie L., Bessie, one who
died in infancy, Lucy, Franklin N. (deceased),
and Ruth Pray. Mary E. Knox married
Frank P. Coléman, and in 1891 died, leaving
two children -— Perry A. and William N. Cole-
man. James H. Knox married Miss Lena
Shaw, and has two children — Elbridge A. and
Pauline EK. Knox. They reside on the home-
stead with Mr. Knox, the father and grand-
father.

 

 

ENNING SANBORN, a well-known
shoemaker and farmer of Sandown
township, N.H., was born on the
homestead where he now lives, Octo-

ber 25, 1837. He isason of the late Jona-
than B. and Rachel S. Sanborn.
Jonathan B. Sanborn was born and reared in

 

the town of Fremont, Rockingham County, of
which his father, Moses H. Sanborn, was a
resident. In 1837 Jonathan removed to San-
down, purchasing the farm now owned by his
son Benning, and was from that time until his
death, nearly fifty years later, August 30, 1884,
engaged in agricultural pursuits. His wife,
formerly Rachel S. Tilton, was born and
reared in Sandown, and here passed her last
days, dying December 27, 1887, on the home
farm. They had seven children, as follows:
Benning; Alva S., who is engaged in mercan-
tile business in the village of Sandown; Moses
H., of Haverhill, Mass.; Justin, living in
Londonderry, this county; John, who died
when young; Aroline H., the wife of Horace
T. Grover, of Sandown; and Emma G., who
lives in Derry, N.H.

Benning Sanborn acquired his education in
the common schools of his native town, re-
maining beneath the parental roof until twenty
years of age. Fora time thereafter he worked
in this vicinity as a farm laborer; but, finding
the continuous outdoor toil too hard for him,
he learned the shoemaker’s trade, at which he
was engaged until obliged to return home on
account of the failing health of his father.
Since that time Mr. Sanborn has had control
of the homestead property, and is now the
owner of a farm of one hundred and ten acres.
He carries on general farming quite. exten-
sively, but hires most of the work done, his
own strength still being insufficient for the
labor, and devotes his own time to shoemaking.
His shop is located on his farm; and in it he
makes ladies’ turned shoes, working for a firm
in Haverhill, Mass., and producing on an
average from ten to twelve pairs of shoes per
day.

Mr. Sanborn is a strong advocate of the
principles of the Democratic party, and takes
an intelligent interest in every enterprise con-
ducive to the public welfare. He has served
his townsmen in various capacities, having
been Selectman, Overseer of the Poor, Tax
Collector, and a member of the School Board.
Socially, he is a Mason, belonging to St.
Mark’s Lodge, No. 144, A. F. & A. M., of
Derry, N.H.; and he is a member of the local
grange and also of Pomona Grange of Derry,
this county.
148

Mr. Sanborn was married November 23,
1868, to Miss Flora E. Meader, a native of
Atkinson, Me. Mrs. Sanborn is a daughter of
the late Joseph Meader and his wife, Mercy
Dexter, who died when Mrs. Sanborn was but
nine years old. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn are the
parents of three children, namely: John Frank,
who is working in a shoe factory at Haverhill,
Mass.; Mary E., the wife of Arthur G. Fitts,
of Haverhill, Mass. ; and Florence Alice, who
lives at home. Mrs. Sanborn is a member of
the Congregational Church of Sandown.

YMAN A. DICKEY, Chairman of the
Board of Selectmen of Londonderry,
N.H., was born in Stockbridge, Vt.,

October 20, 1840. He is the son
of William and Phoebe (Webster) Dickey, both
natives of Hillsborough County, New Hamp-
shire. His paternal grandfather, David
Dickey, also a native of Hillsborough County,
was a son of one of the early pioneers of that
section of the State. William Dickey, son
of David, removed from his native place to
Boston, Mass., where he lived for a number of
years. Late in the forties, at the time of the
excitement caused by the discovery of gold in
California, he was one of the first to seek the
E] Dorado of the West; and he died in Cali-
fornia. His wife was the grand-daughter of
Major Webster, an officer in the Revolutionary
army.

Lyman A. Dickey was reared to man’s
estate in Manchester, Hillsborough County, on
a farm, and received a limited common-school
education; but in the years that have passed
since his boyhood he has covered a wide field
of reading, and has largely made up for his
early deficiencies. Having learned the black-
smith’s trade, he worked for a while as a
journeyman; and in April, 1861, amid the
wild excitement caused by the bombardment of
Fort Sumter, he left the fire of his peaceful
forge to face the blaze of the rebel artillery,
enlisting in Company I, Second New Hamp-
shire Volunteer Infantry. One of the first one
hundred men in the State to answer to the
President's call for troops, he was attached to
the Army of the Potomac, and participated in
the initial shock of arms between the two great

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

forces — the first battle of Bull Run. After
that he was in twenty-six important engage-
ments, including many of the battles of Mc-
Clellan’s campaign to Richmond, also An-
tietam, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, the second
battle of Bull Run, Williamsburg, and the
siege of Yorktown, and a number of. skir-
mishes. During the second battle of Bull
Run he was wounded in the right arm. Mr.
Dickey was in the army three years, and was
honorably discharged in June, 1864. For a
number of years thereafter he resided in Man-
chester, managing a small farm and working at
his trade, which he followed for twenty-five
years. In the spring of 1887 he removed to
Londonderry, locating on the farm which he
now occupies, a fine estate of one hundred and
sixty-five acres.

Mr. Dickey was married in July, 1864, to
Miss Emma A. Libbie, and by that union had
three children — Nelson H., William G.,-and
Carrie M. His present wife, who was before
marriage Miss Lana S. George, is the mother
of one child, George W. Dickey.

As a farmer Mr. Dickey is very successful;
and he is a prominent member of Londonderry
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. A_ public-
spirited man, he takes an active interest in
town affairs, and has the respect and confi-
dence of his fellow-citizens. He served as
Selectman of Manchester, and is now serving
his second year as Chairman of the London-
derry Board of Selectmen. Asa Grand Army
man he is a member of Wesley B. Knight
Post, No. 41, of Londonderry.

 

 

LBERT FIELD, of whom a portrait is
presented, is a retired merchant of

South New Market and an:ex-mem-

ber of the New Hampshire legis-

lature. He was born in Peterboro, N.H., July
14, 1825, son of William and Mary (McAllis-
ter) Field. Mr. Field’s grandfather, John
Field, who was a tanner by trade, moved from

. Braintree, Mass., to Peterboro about the year

1785, and followed his calling there for the
rest of his active life. He was a good busi-
ness man, a worthy citizen, had the respect
and good will of his fellow-townsmen, and
lived to a good old age. He married Ruth
 

ALBERT FIELD.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

1S

 

 

Thayer, who also attained an advanced age.
They reared eight children, five sons and three
daughters, of whom William, Mr. Field’s
father, was the third son.

William Field was born in Braintree, No-
vember 18, 1782. In young manhood he
removed to Peterboro, where he afterward was
a successful farmer. He also found time to
discharge the duties of a commissioned officer
in the old State militia. In politics he was
originally a Whig, but in his latter years he
supported the Republican party. He died in
1863, at the age of eighty-one years. His
wife, Mary, who was born in Peterboro, No-
vember 26, 1785, became the mother of fifteen
children, all of whom grew to maturity. Of
these there are living: Catherine, born April
20, 1813; Franklin, born May 1, 1819; Ruth,
born October 9, 1820; Albert, the subject of
this sketch; and Lois, born October 23, 1826.
The others were: William J., born January 4,
1809; Alexander H., born December 22, 1809;
Mary A., born March 22, 1811; John G., born
April 14, 1812; Charles, born September 18,
1814; Harriett, born May 7, 1816; Jeremiah,
born July 12, 1817; Charlotte, born March 11,
1822; Henry, born October 30, 1823; and
Eunice, born October 9, 1829. Both parents
were members of the Congregational church.
The mother’s death occurred in 1857.

Albert Field grew to manhood in Peterboro,
acquiring his education in the district school
and at the academy. In 1847 he came to
Newfields, where he was first employed as a
laborer at the Squamscot Machine Works.
Taking advantage of the opportunity there
afforded him, he Jearned the machinist’s trade,
and thereafter worked at it in the same place
until 1864. He then engaged in a general
mercantile business, and prosperously carried
it on for twenty-five years, acquiring a com-
fortable competence. In 188g he sold out, and
is now living in retirement. Politically, he
is a Republican, and has for many years been
identified with public affairs in this town.
He served as a member of the Board of Select-
men for four years, during two of which he
was Chairman of that body. He represented
his district in the State legislature in 1861,
was Postmaster'from 1868 to 1884, and has
, been a Justice of the Peace since 1857. His

 

connection with fraternal organizations is
limited to membership in the Royal Arcanum.

On January 14, 1851, Mr. Field was united
in marriage to Mehitable Perkins, a native of
Newfields. She died in 1883, leaving one
daughter, Elizabeth P., who is now the wife
of C. W. Scott, of Andover, Mass. On June
22, 1892, Mr. Field wedded for his second
wife Augusta E. Russell. She was born in
Newbury, Mass., May 15, 1861, daughter of
the late Thomas J. and Phoebe (Stillman)
Russel]. Mr. Russell was a native of Rox-
bury, Mass., and lived to be sixty-two years
old; while his wife, who was born in New-
buryport, Mass., died at the age of twenty-four
years. Besides Mrs. Field they reared a son,
John D. Russell, who was born January 13,
1858, and now resides in Beverly, Mass. Mr.
Field has made an unexceptionable record as
a public servant In the State legislature he
was a watchful guardian of the interests of
his constituency. It is needless to say that
he is held in high regard in the town.

 

 

LANSON C. HAINES, the efficient

Cashier of the New Market National

Bank, was born here in 1843, son

of Washington and Abigail (Fol-

som) Haines, both natives of this county.

The father was born in Greenland, this

county, but left there early in life, going with

his parents to Loudon, Merrimack County.

His principal business enterprises were the

manufacture of wood machinery and cotton

batting. He died in 1886. His wife, a na-

tive of New Market, now eighty-six years old,
is still living.

Alanson C. Haines received his education
in the New Market schools, supplemented by
study in Pembroke, Merrimack County. He
subsequently left the home farm to don the
blue. He enlisted in Company D, Fifteenth
New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. After
serving for twelve months, he joined Company
K, Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry,
under Captain, afterward Judge, Sherman.
On his return from the war he learned the
cooper’s trade, and followed it for a time.
He afterward engaged in the manufacture of
cotton batting cards. About this time Mr.
152

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Haines received the appointment of Assistant
Assessor in the United States Internal Rev-
enue Service, and had filled the office two
years when it was abolished. During the
next two years he worked for T. H. Wiswall
& Co., paper manufacturers, as book-keeper.
Mercantile pursuits then engaged his atten-
tion for a few years, after which other occupa-
tions were followed until 1883, when he
entered the New Market National Bank as
clerk. Nine years later he was chosen Cashier,
which position he has filled ever since. In
politics Mr. Haines isa Republican. In 1880
he served as census enumerator, and in 1877
and 1878 he officiated as Selectman. He is
now serving as Chairman of the Board, having
been re-elected in 1895 and 1896. In Febru-
ary he was appointed a delegate to the Na-
tional Encampment of the Grand Army of the
Republic at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1896. Mr.
Haines was also a prominent member of Com-
pany G, First New Hampshire National
Guards, for five or six years, during which time
he was promoted from the rank of First Lieu-
tenant to that of Captain. He is a comrade
of the George A. Gay Post, Grand Army of
the Republic. In Masonry he has reached
the thirty-second degree. He belongs. to the
Knights of Pythias, and also to Lamprey River
Grange, No. 240.

Mr. Haines has been twice married. In
1868 he was united to Olivia Haley, daughter
of John P. Haley, of Lee, N.H., who died in
1883. His second marriage was contracted
with Clara Wiswall, a daughter of Thomas H.
Wiswall, of Durham, N.H. Mr. and Mrs.
Haines have one daughter, Hannah W. The
mother is a highly respected member of the
Congregational church. Mr. Haine’s accept-
able prominence in military and Masonic
circles contributes, no doubt, to his social
popularity.

APTAIN GEORGE 5S. GARVIN,

1 of North Londonderry, N.H., a mari-

© ner who has made many voyages to
the whaling grounds of the South

Pacific and the Northern seas, was born in
Londonderry, March 18, 1845. He is the son

of Benjamin F. and Nancy M. (Spinney) Gar-

 

 

vin, both natives of Londonderry, and a grand-
son of Jacob Garvin, an early resident of Man-
chester, N.H. Benjamin F. Garvin spent his
life in this county. A Republican in poli-
tics, he was a prominent man in Londonderry,
and served on the Board of Selectmen. Of
his children, five are living. These are: Au-
gustus S., residing in Revere, Mass.; Eldora
J., the wife of Frank Read, of Manchester;
Clarence M., a resident of Londonderry;
Arthur O.; and George S.

Captain George S. Garvin obtained his edu-
cation in the public schools of Londonderry.
In November, 1862, at the age of seventeen,
he began an adventurous life by enlisting at
Boston, Mass., in an independent company of
volunteer soldiers. This organization was.
subsequently sent South, and consolidated with
the Third Maryland Regiment of Volunteer
Infantry, which was afterward united with the
Fourth Maryland Regiment. The combined
regiments served in the brigade of General
Dix, who had charge of the troops at Balti-
more, and were stationed in that city and
vicinity for five months. At the expiration
of that period Mr. Garvin was honorably dis-
charged, and he returned to Londonderry.
After some time spent in Londonderry, and a
brief stay in Boston, Mass., in the spring of
1864 he embarked at New Bedford, Mass.,
aboard the “Orytaft,” upon his first whaling
voyage. The vessel went to Hudson Bay, and
was absent eighteen months. Though life
on a whaler is a hard one, it suited Mr. Gar-
vin, who, after returning to New Bedford,
shipped on the bark “Orlando.” With this
vesse] he was connected seven years, making
two voyages to the South Pacific in search of
sperm whales. During the last three years he
was its third mate. Subsequently he sailed
from New Bedford as first mate of the bark
“Stamboul,” which was away forty-two
months, cruising in the South Pacific; was
master of the brig “Isabella,” a Hudson Bay
whaler, which was eighteen months out from
New Bedford; and was chief mate of the bark
“ Gazelle,” which sailed for the Arctic Ocean
by doubling Cape Horn. After the “ Gazelle”
had been away thirty months Captain Garvin
left her at San Francisco, and returned home
overland. He was subsequently chief mate
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

153

 

 

of the bark “Mars,” which took the same
route, and which he left in a similar way at
San Francisco, after a voyage of eighteen
months. He made several other whaling
trips to the arctic seas, including a two
years’ cruise as Captain of the steam bark
“Orca,” belonging to the Pacific Steam Whal-
ing Company, and a three years’ cruise as
mate of the same vessel. A period of four
years he spent at home. Although he has fol-
lowed the sea for thirty-two years, Captain
Garvin has no thought of retiring from his
profession, but expects to make many more
voyages to the home of the whale. He is a
fascinating story-teller, with an exhaustless
fund of anecdote.

October 26, 1877, Captain Garvin was
united in marriage with Laura J. Furber, who
died March 17, 1896, leaving one son, George
O. In politics the Captain is a Republican.
His wife was for thirty years a member of the
Baptist church. He has a beautiful home in
North Londonderry, made doubly attractive
to visitors by his genial hospitality.

 

COBURN HOYT, teller of the
Portsmouth Savings Bank, was born
in Newington, this county, May
5, 1835, son of John and Eliza-
beth (Dame) Hoyt. The family has resided
in Rockingham County for three genera-
tions. Its earliest representatives in this
country appeared in Salem, Mass., in 1638,
and in Salisbury, N.H., in 1640. Little
doubt is entertained that they came orig-
inally from England. Most of the Hoyts,
or Hayts, are descended from Simon and John
Hayt. Many of the Haights in the United
States are descendants of Samuel Haight, or
Hayt, a member of the Society of Friends,
who settled in Flushing, L.I., in 1634. The
probability is that Samuel was a grandson” of
Simon Hoyt, whose surname was the version
used in 1418 and 1453, and is the one com-
monly accepted now.

Samuel Hoyt, grandfather of A. Coburn
Hoyt, was a native of Newington. A farmer
by occupation, he followed that calling in
Newington and Durham, N.H., and died at
the age of seventy. He married his cousin,

 

 

Nancy Adams, a daughter of Ezekie] Adams,
who was a descendant in the direct line of
John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of
the United States. Of their ten children
they reared seven, who were: John, born
March 30, 1802; Mary, born December 25,
1803; Elizabeth F., born February 20,
1806; Samuel, born November 21, 1809;
Alfred M., born April 18, 1812; Sarah R..,
born August 21, 1816; and Charles A.,
born September 10, 1820. Alfred M. kept
school in Portsmouth for many years. Sam-
uel was a Methodist preacher, who followed
his vocation in Durham, Newington, and
Methuen, Mass., and in the last place mar-
ried Eliza Colby.

John Hoyt, who was a native of Newington,
followed farming very prosperously in Dur-
ham, and afterward in Newington, where he
died at the age of sixty-six years. He was
three times married. His first marriage was
with Elizabeth Dame, of Newington, who
died in 1842, having borne him seven chil-
dren. These were: James W., John E.,
Martha Ann, Frances, A. Coburn, Samuel
W., and Martin. By his second wife, Martha
A. (Nutter) Hoyt, he became the father of one
child, Adeline. His third wife, whose
maiden name was Abigail P. Coleman, bore
him five children, of whom three are living;
namely, Henry, Jackson M., and Nancy.

A. Coburn Hoyt received his education in
the common schools of Newington, continuing
his attendance until 1851, when he reached the
age of sixteen years. He taught school in
Auburn, N.H., during the following year, but
spent the next year in studying at the North-
field (N.H.) Seminary, now named Tilton
Seminary. After this he engaged in school-
teaching again, spending the winters of 1853
and 1854 in Rye, this county; of 1855 and
1856 in Portsmouth; and that of 1857 in
Elliott, N.H. He came again to Portsmouth
in 1858, and taught there continuously until
1869, when he accepted the position of teller
in the old Portsmouth Savings Bank. He has
been employed in this capacity since, winning
the sincere respect of all who have had deal-
ings with the bank. In addition to this em-
ployment he has also been engaged in the
business of a civil engineer for the past
154

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

twenty-five years, and at present does all the
surveying needed by the city.

In 1868 Mr. Hoyt was united in matrimony
with Emily S. Rogers, daughter of George
Rogers, of Portsmouth. He has seven chil-
dren, all of whom are living. They are:
Roger, who is book-keeper in the coal office
of J. A. & A. W. Walker, Portsmouth; Frank
C., a graduate of Dartmouth College, class of
1890, who is a designer for the Vermont Con-
struction Company of St. Albans; George A.,
who is a skilful mechanic of Portsmouth;
Emily J., who is the wife of J. Arthur
Heaton, a coal merchant of Brookline, Mass. ;
Grace L., who resides at home; and Robert
E. and Roland, who are still students of the
Portsmouth High School.

Mr. Hoyt is a member of the Unitarian
-church, and has been its Treasurer since 1881.
In politics he has always been a Republican.
He served the city as Alderman in 1876 and
1877. He was on the School Board for six
years, serving three years on the High School
Committee; and he represented Ward 1 in the
State legislature of 1881. His connection
with fraternal organizations embraces member-
‘ship in the Legion of Honor and Royal
Arcanum and Mutual Relief Association.

 

 

ON. JOHN J. LASKEY, ex-Mayor

of Portsmouth, and one of the promi-

nent merchants of the city, was

born in Portsmouth, December 25,

1840. He is a son of William and Martha

(Jones) Laskey, the former a native of New-

buryport, Mass., and the latter of Ports-

mouth. William Laskey, born in 1800, who

learned rope-making in his native town, fol-

lowed that trade for many years in Ports-

mouth, and died there at the age of seventy-

five. His wife, who was a lifelong resident

of Portsmouth, lived to be fourscore and six.

They reared seven children — Martha A.,

Walter B., William F., Lucy M., B. Stowe,
Sarah, and John J.

John J. Laskey received his education in
Portsmouth, attending the Haven School, and
graduating from the high school. He first ob-
tained employment in the grocery store of
Lafayette Leighton, and was next engaged as

 

clerk in the dry-goods store of Jones &
Mendum. In 1863 he went to Detroit, where
for two years he was in the employ of Baldwin
& Co., boot and shoe dealers. He then be-
came a commercial traveller for the same firm,
in which capacity he visited many Western
States, and acquired a valuable experience in
business. In the spring of 1865 he was
drafted into the United States army; but the
Civil War was then near its close, and he was
honorably discharged at the end of five weeks.
In 1867 he obtained employment as clerk in
the office of John A. Johnson, of Boston,
Mass., manufacturer and wholesale dealer in
tinware, with whom he remained three years.
He was then successively employed in Ports-
mouth by Earing & Martin and N. F. Mathes
& Co. In 1882 he opened the grocery store
on Pleasant Street, which he has prosperously
conducted since. In 1890 he was elected a
member of the corporation of the Portsmouth
Savings Bank.

He cast his first Presidential vote for Gen-
eral McClellan in 1864, and has since been
a stanch Democrat. In 1883 he was appointed
Assistant Postmaster of Portsmouth, and
served two years. In 1888 he was elected
City Collector and Treasurer, and served three
years. He served on the Board of Education
continuously from 1883 to 1893, and in 1891
and 1892 he was elected Mayor of the city.
He is Past Chief Patriarch and Past Grand of
Strawberry Bank Encampment, No. 6, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and has mem-
bership in Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of
Pythias:

 

agriculturist of Chester, was born in

Candia, this county, November 16,

1850, a son of George W. Dolber.
His great-great-grandfather Dolber was
among the original settlers of that part of
the county; and there his great-grandfather,
William Dolber, and his grandfather, John
Dolber, passed their entire lives. Both of
the latter were well known as_ successful
farmers. John Dolber was also a carpenter,
and worked at that trade as the opportunity
served. George W. Dolber (of whom a more

dy FRANKLIN DOLBER, a skilful
 

WILLIAM CRANE.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

157

 

 

detailed account will be found elsewhere in
this work) was reared and educated in Candia,
where, excluding four years spent in New-
buryport, Mass., he lived nearly twoscore
years. In 1860 he gave up the shoemaker’s
trade at which he had been engaged, and,
coming to Chester, took to farming. He
now owns a fine estate in Chester, where he
is widely known and respected. To him and
his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth
Emerson, two children were born — John F.
and George A.

John Franklin Dolber received a practical
education in the common schools. He re-
mained at home until eighteen years old,
when he obtained employment in a cotton-
mill at Manchester, this State. After spend-
ing two years in that place, he engaged in
farming, which has been his occupation since.
After his marriage he resided for one year on
the old Dolber homestead and four years on
the old Dearborn farm. In 1882 he entered
on his present estate, where he has since re-
sided. Mr. Dolber has here two hundred
acres of land, a goodly portion of which is in
cultivation. He carries on general farming
with profit. He is a stanch Republican, and
he belongs to Junietta Lodge, No. 47, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of Raymond.
Among a number of old relics preserved by
him he prizes highly an old iron tobacco pipe
with which his great-great-great-grandmother
used to smoke. It was made by hand, and
given to her by her nephew, to be used in
place of the clay pipes which she invariably
broke, being afflicted with shaking palsy.

Mr. Dolber was married May 23, 1876, to
Mrs. Sarah Jane (Dearborn) West, daughter
of Alfred S. and Asenath (Willey) Dearborn,
of this town. Mr. Dearborn was for many
years one of the most prominent citizens of
Chester, and served as Selectman and Treas-
urer of the township for many terms. Mrs.
Dolber was born April 6, 1851, and when
quite young married Nason West, son of John
W. West, of Chester. Nason West was a
shoemaker, and worked at that trade until his
death, December 12, 1874. By him Mrs.
Dolber had one child, Edward Nason West,
born in 1870, now a meat-cutter in Boston,

“Mass. To Mr. Dolber she has borne three

 

children, namely: Lizzie, who died when but
eleven weeks old; Alice M., a child that died
in infancy; and Millie Frances, the baby.

 

ILLIAM CRANE, a venerable octo-
genarian of Candia and an ex-mem-
ber of the New Hampshire legisla-

ture, who has led a life of useful and varied
activity, some of it spent in foreign countries,
occupying responsible positions in connection
with the building of important public works,
for more than forty years has been one of the
leading agriculturists and a prominent citizen
of this town. He was born in Canton, Mass.,
August 10, 1814, son of Simeon and Eliza-
beth (Crane) Crane. The Crane family, of
which he is a representative, is of English
ancestry, its founder in this country having:
emigrated at an early date in Colonial history,
and settled in or near Boston.

Mr. Crane’s grandfather, William Crane,
first, was a resident of Canton, Mass., where
he followed the trade of a watchmaker. He
died about the year 1826, at an advanced age.
He was the father of four children.

Simeon Crane, son of William, the first of
the name, so far as the record is here given, -
was born in Canton, Mass.; and, adopting his
father’s trade, he became a well-known watch-
maker of that town. He was an honorable
and highly respected citizen, who gained the
esteem and good will of all who knew him;
and his somewhat untimely death, which took
place in 1823, when he was but forty-five
years old, was the cause of general regret.
He married Elizabeth Crane, a native of
Canton, and daughter of Major Peter Crane,
who served in the Continental army during
the Revolutionary War. She became the
mother of five children, two of whom are
living, namely: Caroline C., widow of Will-
iam Blackman, of Canton, Mass. ; and William,
second.

William Crane, son of Simeon, and the sub-
ject of this sketch, acquired his education in
the schools of Canton, Mass.; and, after finish-
ing his studies, he went to Boston, where he
served an apprenticeship at the machinist’s
trade with Otis Tufts. For a number of years
he was employed by Carmichael, Otis & Fair-
158

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

banks, an early firm of railway contractors;
but William S. Otis, the inventor of the steam
shovel, wishing to introduce his improved
device in England, Mr. Crane was sent there
to operate the machine; and for two years
he demonstrated its utility by operating it in
the construction of a railway in the eastern
counties. Through the influence of an exten-
sive contractor, who was constructing the line
between St. Petersburg and Moscow, he sub-
sequently obtained a large grading contract
in Russia, where he was engaged for five
years, at the end of which time he returned to
the United States, and rested for two years at
his home in Canton. In 1849 he purchased a
farm in Candia, N.H., where he has since
resided.

In politics Mr. Crane has acted with the
Republican party since its formation, and has
rendered valuable services to both the town
and the State, in the local government and the
House of Representatives. During his term
in the legislature, which extended over a
period of two years, he was instrumental in
securing the construction of the Portsmouth &
Concord Railroad, and for several years he
was a conspicuous member of the Board of
Selectmen of Candia, also serving as an As-
sessor for one year. For a great many years
he was Director of the Merrimac River Na-
tional Bank, of Manchester, N.H.

Mr. Crane and Lucy W. Eaton, of Dedham,
Mass., were married on December 5, 1849.
Of the six children born of this union four
are living, namely: Lizzie E., who is resid-
ing at home; Mary A., wife of John H.
Wason, of Manchester; George W., who
lives in Seattle, Wash.; and Emma W., wife
of Tilton F. Fifield, of Manchester. Mr.
Crane and his family attend the Congrega-
tional church.

 

OHN R. SWASEY, who is actively
engaged in farming pursuits in the
town of Brentwood, was born here,
June 29, 1833, son of Henry and Re-

becca (Rowell) Swasey. His paternal grand-
father was born and reared in England,
whence, accompanied by two brothers, he
came to the United States, and settled in New

 

Hampshire. One brother subsequently be-
came a shoemaker, and the other a commer-
cial traveller. Grandfather Swasey purchased
land in Exeter, where he afterward lived,
occupied in farming, and reared his family.

Henry Swasey early learned the trade of a
paper-maker, at which he was employed for
some time. He subsequently turned his at-
tention to agriculture, buying the farm on
which his son, John R., now lives, and there
resided until his death, January 28, 1877.
His wife, whose death occurred December 11,
1851, bore him seven children; namely,
James H., Mehitabel A., Charles A., Charles
W., Rebecca E., John R., and Aroline E.
James H., born October 10, 1819, who is
a carpenter in Waltham, Mass., married,
June 24, 1847, Susan A. Dudley, and has one
child, Ella B., born March 17, 1848. Mehit-
abel A., born April 13, 1823, died January
26, 1890. Charles A., born September 13,
1826, died in infancy. Charles W., born
June 15, 1828, who is a retired locomotive
engineer, now farming in South Berwick,
Me., married Louisa Boston, and has three
children — Charles H., Frank E., and Arthur
J. Rebecca E., born May 14, 1830, is the
wife of George W. Pressey, a farmer in Dear-
born, N.H., and the mother of two children
— Flora A. and Lizzie R. Aroline E., born
August 20, 1837, married Daniel R. Hoyt, by
whom she had five children — Etta, Daniel,
Ida, Myra, and Roscoe — both parents being
now deceased.

John R. Swasey completed his education in
the Kensington Academy, where his brothers
and sisters had also been pupils. Choosing
farming as his life occupation, he remained
on the old homestead, engaged in that calling,
and caring for his parents in their last years.
At the death of the latter he succeeded to the
homestead. The farm is a valuable property
of one hundred acres, much of which he tills
with profit, raising hay, corn, potatoes, and
the smaller grains. He is held in high re-
gard throughout the community. In politics,
while he is a strong advocate of the principles
of the Democratic party, he has never sought
political favors.

Mr. Swasey was married, December 25,
1863, to Miss Martha J. Fall, who was born,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

159

 

 

September 28, 1835, in York County, Maine.
Her paternal grandparents, Stephen and Eliz-
abeth (Gerrish) Fall, were among the early
settlers of Lebanon, Me. Her father, Isaac
C. Fall, a merchant and farmer, was actively
engaged in business until his demise in July,
1862. He married Martha Pray, who was
born in Lebanon, daughter of Samuel and
Betsey (Wentworth) Pray, both natives of
Berwick, Me. She survived her husband
until May, 1894. They had eleven children,
as follows: Angeline P., now the wife of
B. L. Stevens, of Dover, N.H.; Sylvester, a
merchant, in Chelsea, Mass.; Mary E., the
wife of Hiram Lord, of Berwick, Me.; Har-
riet, the wife of the Hon. William Emery, of
Alfred, Me.; Samuel P., living in Lebanon,
Me., who married Susan E. French, of Brain-
tree, Mass.; Martha J., now Mrs. Swasey;
Isaac C., Jr., who was killed during the late
Rebellion in one of the battles fought in Vir-
ginia; Henry R., of whom no authentic rec-
ord has been preserved; Frank H., living in
Arizona, who married Lottie Coffin; Albert
M., aresident of Everett, Mass. ; and Stephen,
a farmer, in Lebanon, Me. Mr. and Mrs.
Swasey are the parents of five children,
namely: Annie J., born December 31, 1864,
who married John E. Troy, a chef in Boston,
and has two children — Ruth M. and Arthur
S.; Cora H., born June 19, 1869, who is the
wife of James A. Bickford, an undertaker at
Northwood Narrows, this county; Mary R.,
born October 14, 1871; Everett H., born May
6, £875, who died September 4, 1880; and
John F., born March 10, 1877.

 

 

BEN FOLSOM, profitably engaged in
the manufacture of brass plumbing sup-

plies at Exeter, where he established

himself in business about thirty years ago,
was born here on October 25, 1828, son of
Josiah and Mary (James) Folsom. The
Folsom family were among the earliest settlers
of New England. It is alleged that as early
as 1638, on the ship “Diligent,” twelve fami-
lies came thither from Hingham, England,
and that one of these families was John Fol-
som, with his young wife and two servants.
About five years later they settled in Exeter.

 

James Folsom, the grandfather of Eben, and
the son of Peter, was the first-born of twelve
children, his birth occurring on June 22,
1756. He followed the occupations of carpen-
ter and farmer, owning an excellent farm here,
in addition to other property. At the time
of his death he was between eighty and ninety
years of age. His wife, a Miss Folsom before
marriage, was a double cousin. She bore him
twelve children, four sons and eight daughters.

Josiah Folsom, born March 2, 1787, in a
house close by, on his father’s farm, was a
carpenter, contractor, and builder, and also
owned a good farm. At his death in 1874,
when eighty-seven years of age, he left prop-
erty valued at about fifteen thousand dollars.
He was a man of rugged constitution, and
until his final illness he had never suffered on
account of sickness. He was married three
times, first in October, 1812, to Miss Mary
Woodruff, of Connecticut. She left one
daughter, Mary Bragdon, who died in Exeter
in 1895, over eighty years of age. May 22,
1825, the father formed a second union with
Miss Mary James, of Hampton, this county.
There were three children by this marriage,
namely: Josiah James, now residing on the
Folsom estate in the house erected by his
father; Elizabeth, the widow of Samuel Hall,
who was for many years the publisher of the
Exeter News Letter; and Eben, the subject
of this sketch. The third marriage was
contracted with Miss Elizabeth James, also
of Hampton, who had no children.

Eben Folsom completed his education at
Phillips Academy. When seventeen years of
age, he became an apprentice of James Derby
at the machinist’s trade, which he has suc-
cessfully followed throughout his life. With
the exception of a year in Providence, R.I.,
and one in Mittineague, Mass., he has worked
for the most part in this place. From 1849
to 1860 he held the position of foreman in the
shop of Sanborn & Richardson here and at
East Boston, Mass., and was for four years in
charge of the brass department of the Squam-
scot Machine Company at South New Market,
this county. In 1865 he established his pres-
ent business, the manufacture of brass goods
used in plumbing, in which he now gives em-
ployment to between thirty-five and forty men.
160

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

On April 24, 1862, Mr. Folsom was united
in marriage with Miss Hannah 5S. Bagley,
born int Salisbury, Mass., January 29, 1829,
daughter of William Bagley. Their only son
and child, Wendell Burt Folsom, is now in
partnership with his father, and the book-
keeper of the firm. He married Miss Bessie
Knowles, of Augusta, Me. In politics the
elder Mr. Folsom is a supporter of Republi-
can principles. In 1872 he represented the
town of Exeter in the State legislature. He
is a member of the Masonic Order. Both he
and Mrs. Folsom have lived in their present
home since their marriage, a period of more
than thirty years.

 

 

ALTER J. DUDLEY, of Raymond,
the present owner of the old Dudley
homestead, was born here, June 26,

1855, son of James T. and Harriett (Joslyn)
Dudley. He isa descendant on his father’s
side of Governor Thomas Dudley, the founder
of the family in this country. Governor Dud-
ley, who was born in England in 1576, came
to America in 1630, and settled in Boston,
Mass. After serving as governor of the
colony for several years, he died in 1653, aged
seventy-seven years.

Barnard Tucker, the paternal grandfather of
Walter J. Dudley, was born in Raymond,
and spent his life in agricultural pursuits.
He married Miss Sallie Dudley, a grand-
daughter of Judge John Dudley. Judge Dud-
ley, who was born on April 9g, 1725, came to
Raymond in 1776, and purchased the home-
stead which has since been owned by his de-
scendants. He married Eliza Gilman; and
his son, Moses Dudley, was the father of Mrs.
Tucker. Moses, who was born on the old
place in Raymond in 1766, followed farming
all his life, was very prominent in town and
State affairs, served as a Representative in the
State legislature for a number of years, and
died July 2, 1843, aged seventy-seven years.
He married Miss Nancy Glidden, of Exeter,
N.H. Of the ten children born to them the
only survivor is Mrs. Tucker, now ninety-eight
years old. She has borne her husband nine
children, of whom a son and four daughters
survive. These are: Annie L., the wife of

 

Ezra Young, of Boston; Sarah A., the wife of
H. G. McClure, of Raymond; Jennie T., the
wife of Frank R. Grout, of Raymond; Isaac
N. Tucker, a resident of Boston, Mass.; and
Helen T., the wife of John Eaton, of Ray-
mond. The father was a Whig in politics.
Although not a man who cared for official po-
sition, he was prominent in town affairs. He
died in August, 1869, sixty-seven years of age.
James T. Dudley was a son of Barnard and
Sallie (Dudley) Tucker. On coming into
possession of the old Dudley homestead, he
changed his name to Dudley, the maiden
name of his mother. He was born in Ray-
mond, and during the active years of his life
was engaged in farming. He attended the
Congregational church. In politics he was a
Democrat. From the time he was old enough
to cast his first vote he took great interest in
town affairs, and served very creditably as
Town Treasurer, and on the Board of Select-
men, of which he was Chairman for a number
of years. He was also a member of Junietta
Lodge and Granite Encampment, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, of Raymond; of Rock-
ingham Lodge, No. 76, of Candia; the Royal
Arch Chapter and Trinity Commandery, A. I.
& A. M., of Manchester. He married Miss
Harriett Joslyn, and the two sons born of the
union are both living, namely: James W., re-
siding in Franconia, N.H.; and Walter J.,
the subject of this sketch. The father died
February 20, 1895, seventy years of age.
Walter J. Dudley acquired his rudimentary
education in the common schools of Raymond.
This was supplemented by a scientific course
at the New Hampton Institute, from which
he graduated with the class of 1874. At the
close of his school life he returned home,
and after his father’s death became the
owner of the old homestead. The farm
contains three hundred acres of fertile land,
well adapted to mixed husbandry, which Mr.
Dudley carries on very successfully. In 1883
he was joined in marriage with Miss Ida F.
Hale, of Boston, who has since made him the
father of two sons andadaughter. These are:
Frank, who is attending school; Harriett J.,
now three years old; and James T., the

_youngest child.

Mr. Dudley is a stanch Democrat. In
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

161

 

 

1885 he was a Representative to the State
legislature. He was County Commissioner
from 1887 to 1893, and he served four
years as Selectman of the town. He is
a member of Junietta Lodge, No. 47, and
of Granite Encampment, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, of Raymond; and of Rock-
ingham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., of
Candia, in which he has served as Master
four years. The family are regular attendants
ot the Orthodox church.

 

 

RA N. BLAKE, of the firm of Blake,
Allen & Co., shoe manufacturers of
Northwood, was born in Kensington,
this county, October 11, 1832, son of
Ira and Dorothy (Sanborn) Blake. His great-
grandfather, Hezekiah Blake, who was a farmer
of Kensington, died. in 1842, at the great age
of ninety years. His grandfather, Hezekiah’s
son John, who was born on the Blake home-
stead in Kensington, spent his life in that
town, engaged in the pursuit of agriculture.
Jobn Blake died in 1840, at the age of sixty-
five. His wife, who wasa Miss Blake of the
same place, also lived sixty-five years. This
couple reared the following children: Ira,
John T., Phillman, Newell, Lucy, and
Elizabeth. Elizabeth is now Mrs. Wadley.
Ira Blake was born on the homestead in
Kensington in 1799. He was adopted by his
uncle, John Blake, who at his death left his
farm to his nephew. Mr. Blake took up civil
engineering when a boy, and followed the
profession during his active life. His ser-
vices were often demanded to settle estates,
write deeds, and transact other business of a
kindred nature. Successively a Whig and a
Republican, he was active in political affairs.
In his native town he presided as Moderator at
the town meetings for thirty years, and he
represented the place in the State legislature
during one: session. He died at the age of
seventy-six. His wife, who was likewise a
native of Kensington, lived to be eighty-three.
Their children were: John A., Lucy E., Ira
N., Mary S., and Sarah E. Lucy E. and
Sarah E. are married to husbands named
Cram. ,

Ira N. Blake began to learn the shoemaker’s

 

trade when eighteen years of age. Not long
after he started in business for himself, filling
orders for ‘‘turned work’’ in his native town.
Two years later he established a business of
the same kind in Hampton Falls, this county,
where he remained about three years. Then,
after spending a few years in the oi] regions,
he engaged in machine work at Seabrook, this
county... This was in 1869. In 1872 he
opened business in Hampton Falls again. He
began in 1876 to perform contract work for
C. B. Lancaster, of Boston, of whose factories
in Pittsfield, N.H., he was superintendent
until 1887. He became closely identified
with the business interests of Pittsfield while
there. When the Farmer’s Savings Bank was
organized, he was made President, in which
capacity he labored hard for its success. He
was also extensively interested in rea] estate
there. He purchased a farm that stretched
down the hillside from Main Street to the
river, opened up a new street, putting up seven
new cottages for his workmen, and erecting an
elegant residence for himself at the corner of
Main and Blake Streets. In 1887 he estab-
lished his present business in Northwood. |
The enterprise has been very beneficial to this
town.

Mr. Blake is a strong Republican. While
in Pittsfield, though making no effort to ac-
quire political influence, he nevertheless won
the good-will of the people of the town, who
twice elected him to the State legislature.
He has also been returned to that body from
Northwood, holding his seat two years; and he
was a delegate to the National Republican
Convention in 1892.

 

 

ILLIAM BUTTERWORTH, one of
the prosperous, self-made men of
Londonderry, was born in Lanca-

shire, England, March 9, 1830. He is a son
of John and Ann (Dana) Butterworth, both
English born. His parents with their chil-
dren came to America in 1839 in the “ Mara-
thon,” a well-known merchantman of that day.
After a voyage lasting six wecks they landed
in Boston, and subsequently resided in Massa-
chusetts, first at North Andover, and then in
Lowell. The father was a shoemaker, and
162

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

worked at his trade in England and America.
Both parents died in Lowell. Three of the
children are living: Benjamin S., in Chicago,
Ill.; Samuel D., in Lowell, Mass.; and Will-
- jam, the subject of this sketch.

William Butterworth was nine years of age
when he arrived in America. He received his
education chiefly in the public schools of
Lowell, Mass., which he was seldom able to
attend for more than three months in the
year. With the years of discretion, however,
came a desire for more knowledge; and by
reading and observation he has since largely
made up for his early loss. He worked for
several years at the forge, making various
kinds of iron articles. Then he took up farm
work, and in 1866 obtained employment in the
town of Windham, this county. In 1875 he
moved to Londonderry, and settled on the farm
he now occupies. Here he has seventy-five
acres of land in a high state of cultivation, the
neat and substantial buildings and well-kept
grounds witnessing to the thrift and good
‘taste of the manager.

Mr. Butterworth was married, November 30,
1854, to Mary A. Way, a native of Unity,
N.H., and a daughter of Joseph and Lurena
(Currier) Way, who were both born in Sulli-
van County. He has one adopted son, Will-
iam A. Butterworth, who lives in London-
derry.

Mr. Butterworth is prominent among the
Democrats of the district, and has. served as
Selectman of the town. He is well known
and respected in Londonderry.

 

town, a section of Seabrook, this

county, was born in Seabrook, Feb-

ruary 20, 1848, son of Jeremiah and
Eliza (Stevens) Smith. Smithtown takes its
name from the family, who have been resi-
dents for some time. Jacob Smith, the grand-
father, also a native of Seabrook and a tanner
by trade, died there at an advanced age.
Jeremiah Smith obtained his education mainly
in the district school. He wasa boot-maker ;
and, besides managing a farm, he followed his
trade in Seabrook almost to the day of his
death. A man of much intelligence, he was

A: JOSEPH S. SMITH, of Smith-

 

 

one of the leaders in the community. John
Wesley had few more ardent disciples than
Jeremiah Smith. He was one of the founders
of the Methodist church in Seabrook, and
therein officiated as an Elder for many years
preceding his death, which occurred in his
seventy-seventh year. His wife, who was a
daughter of Joseph Stevens, of Salisbury,
Mass., attained the advanced age of eighty-six.
The children reared by them, all living in
Seabrook, are: Eben F., Abram M., Jacob,
Mary, James, and Joseph S.

The Hon. Joseph S. Smith obtained his edu-
cation in the district school and at Sea-
brook Academy. He afterward learned the
shoemaker's trade, and worked at it for a while
in Haverhill, Mass. In 1876 he built a store ”
near his home, and therein started a general
merchandise business. This enterprise proved
quite successful, and he has carried it on since.
He now has a well-established trade.

Mr. Smith was married in 1872 to Miss
Annie A. Brown, daughter of Captain John L,
Brown, of Seabrook. Captain Brown was a
‘‘forty-niner,’’ and spent four years in Califor-
nia. Mrs. Smith is the Postmistress of Smith-
town and the Treasurer of Seabrook Library.
She is the mother of one child, Jeremiah L.
Mr. Smith has been a Democrat since he came
of age. In 1872 he cast his first Presidential
vote for Horace Greeley and B. Gratz, when
the Republicans nominated Grant and Wilson.
He occupied a seat in the New Hampshire
legislature of 1887-88. He is an Odd Fellow,
belonging to Rockingham Lodge, No. 22, of
Hampton, N.H., and Hunto Encampment;
and a Trustee of both Dearborn Academy and
the Methodist church in Seabrook.

 

APTAIN SAMUEL _ BILLINGS,
formerly a resident of Portsmouth,

was one of the ablest commanders

of our merchant navy in the middle

years of the century. Born within sight and
sound of the ocean waves at Kittery Point,
Me., July 14, 1809, he was a ‘‘toiler of the
sea’’ at the age of eleven. Seven years later
he was master of his own vessel. His last
voyage was made to Australia. At the time
of his marriage he was master of the schooner
 

SAMUEL BILLINGS.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

165

 

 

‘‘Franklin,’’ built at Eastport, Me. Subse-
quently he commanded, being at the same
time a part owner, the brig ‘*Empress,’’ the
bark ‘‘Apphia Maria,’’ the bark ‘‘Mary-
Annah,’’ the ships ‘‘Granite State’? and
“Ella E. Badger.’’ In the ‘‘Apphia Maria’’
Captain Billings transported troops to Mexico
during the Mexican War, but he was chiefly
engaged in carrying cotton to Europe.

A most creditable incident in his life, as
it is one of much interest in the history of our
commerce, was that which brought him the
distinction of being the first master of a ship
to take an American vessel with its cargo,
after crossing the ocean, up through the wind-
ings of the river Seine, in France, to the city
of Rouen. He did it when all other masters
of American vessels, who had been invited to
do so, had refused to make the attempt, and in
opposition to the wishes of the other owners
of the ‘‘Mary-Annah,’’ in which he did it.
On the occasion he carried a cargo of cotton
from New Orleans. All the way up the Seine
he and his ship were the objects of one contin-
uous ovation, with cannon firing, people cheer-
ing, and the flags of France and America flying
everywhere. At Rouen he was met by an im-
perial band of music and a deputation of repre-
sentative citizens, who escorted him to where
a superb banquet was laid to do him honor.
Before leaving the place, the Free Society of
Trade and Industry of Rouen gave him a re-
ception, at which he was presented with a sil-
ver medal and an engrossed address commem-
orative of the event. Among other souvenirs
then received by him were: a complete Atlas
of Marine Charts; a volume of fine engravings
of the principal buildings of Rouen; a perfect
mode] of the ‘‘Mary-Annah”’ for the Captain’s
wife; and a vase of exquisite flowers, under
glass, for his two daughters, after whom the
bark was named. The date of the event, as
fixed by the medal, was April 4, 1852.

It is further claimed for Captain Billings
that he was the first master to take a temper-
ance crew out of Eastport, and that the cargo
of fish brought back by this crew was larger
than any ever before unloaded at Eastport.
His lucky star, or rather that of his profes-
sional skill, was as much in the ascendant in
the last important voyage he made as it was

 

throughout his previous career. He reached
his destination, Australia—+ the same as that
of his first voyage — without any mishap worth
considering, in the ‘‘Ella A. Badger.’’ Re-
turning, he arrived at the port of Baltimore as
the Civil War was beginning. Ignorant of
the fact, he was surprised to be unable to get
a pilot as he entered, and to miss some of the
lights. However, his greatest surprise came
when he, one of the most careful of masters,
found himself in shoal water. The cause, he
afterward learned, was the fact that the rebels
had altered the location of the lights with a
view to facilitate the capture of Northern
vessels. It then was a matter of surprise to
him that, all things considered, the ship did
not go ashore. He managed to get her into
port safely. Shortly after this incident, hav-
ing followed the sea for forty years, he retired
to private life, taking up his residence in
Greenland, N.H., this county, on a fine estate
purchased on that occasion.

In 1835, February 3, he was married to a
daughter of George Tetherly, of Portsmouth.
The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Billings,
William Tetherly, fought for independence in
the Revolutionary War. Her father, who was
a native of Eliot, Me., came here when he
was eighteen years old, and obtained employ-
ment in the soap and candle factory of Mr. :
Frothingham. He subsequently followed that
business for forty years, living to the age of
ninety-four years. His wife, Nancy, a daugh-
ter of Ephraim Billings, of Portsmouth, came
of Scottish ancestry. She bore him ten chil-
dren, of whom but Mrs. Billings and another
are now living. Mr. Tetherly was not ‘con-
nected with any church; but he read his Bible
every day, and tried to live a Christian life.
His wife, who was active in Sunday-school
work, very frequently had ministers for guests.
She was seventy-four years old when she died.
Captain and Mrs. Billings had three daughters
and two sons, all of whom, except the eldest,
Mary E., are now deceased. Their son-in-law,
William Grace Billings, who made his home
with Captain Billings, was born September 10,
1852, and died September 1, 1893. He was
engaged in the sash and blind business for
some years; was Grand Master in Piscataqua
Lodge, No. 6, Independent Order of Odd
166

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Fellows; Past Master of St. John’s Lodge,
holding the thirty-second degree of Masonry,
and having membership in Aleppo Mystic
Shrine; P. E. C. of De Witt Clinton Com-
mandery, Knights Templars; member of
Damon Lodge, Knights of Pythias; a member
of the Mechanics’ Fire Association; a Past
President of the Associated Mechanics and
Manufacturers of New Hampshire; Vice-Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade; a Director of the
Mercantile Library Association; and for three
years an Alderman of Portsmouth.

Captain Samuel Billings died June 14, 1870,
in his sixty-first year. When he removed to
Greenland, he gave one hundred dollars for the
purchase of a bell to the Congregational church
of that place. He was a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, but took little
interest in the organization. Excepting the
six years spent in Greenland, Mrs. Billings has
been a resident of Portsmouth all her lifetime.
She is now eighty-two; but with the excep-
tion of her hearing, which is failing, she is in
full possession of her faculties..

EORGE H. McDUFFEE, one of the
foremost citizens of Candia, N.H., a

brick-mason by trade, now serving
the first year of his second term as a Repre-
sentative to the lower house of the State legis-
lature, is of Scotch-Irish descent. There
were three brothers— Archibald, John, and
Daniel — that emigrated with their parents,
John and Martha McDuffee, to America, the
one who settled in Massabesic, Hillsborough
County, N.H., becoming the progenitor of this
branch of the family.

Archibald McDuffee, grandfather of George
H., was born in Auburn, a town adjoining
Massabesic, but within the borders of Rocking-
ham County. When eighteen years of age, he
came to Candia, and purchased a farm; and
from that time until his death he was proft-
ably engaged in mixed husbandry. In politics
he was a Republican, but was never an active
participant in political matters. He died in
1887, aged eighty-five years. The six chil-
dren born to him and his wife are all living,
namely: John, of Candia; Harriett, wife of
J. W. Harris, of Candia; Sarah A., wife of

 

 

Hiram Barnard, of Boston, Mass. ; Hannah,
wife of A. C. Ferrin, of Concord; Lowell F.,
father of George H., residing in Candia;
Mary, wife of C. G. Pressy, of Concord.

Lowell F. McDuffee has followed farming
here in Candia, and is one of her most highly
esteemed citizens. Quiet and unobtrusive in
character, he is no aspirant for official honors,
neither is he a member of any fraternal order,
preferring the enjoyments of home life to those
of club or social functions. He married
Dilley L. Crandal, daughter of Horace Cran-
dal, and they are the parents of three children,
namely: Horace, in Candia; Oscar, in Man-
chester; and George H., whose name intro-
duces the present sketch.

George H. McDuffee, born here May 15,
1857, was educated in the common schools of
this town. He then went to Concord, and
learned the mason’s trade with Ordway & Fer-
rin, with whom he remained six years after
completing his apprenticeship. During the
next thirteen years he was employed at several
different places in Massachusetts and in Man-
chester; and finally he started in business for
himself, with headquarters in Candia. His
standing and business methods are unques-
tioned, and he receives contracts from all parts
of the State.

On May 15, 1883, Mr. McDuffee was united
in marriage with Miss Leverte A. Smith,
daughter of Coffin F. Smith, of Candia.
Their only living child, Frank L., ten years
old, is a commendable little student, having
thus early formed habits of notable prompt-
ness, receiving in his nine terms of school
attendance but one mark for tardiness.

In politics Mr. McDuffee is a stanch Re-
publican. First elected as a member of the
State legislature in 1893, he served so credita-
bly that he was re-elected for a second term of
two years. During his first term he was on
the Labor Committee, which was instrumental
in the passage of the bill for a State Labor
Bureau. He also assisted in the organization
of that bureau, which has proved a marked
success. Since his re-election he has been on
the committee in charge of the matter of Re-
trenchment and Reform. The appropriation
for the new court-house has also been made,
Mr. McDuffee being a member of the County
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

167

 

 

Committee recommending the appropriation
and amount. The fraternal organizations with
which he is affiliated are Rumford Lodge,
No. 46, Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
of Concord, N.H., and Rockingham Lodge,
No. 76, of Candia.

 

 

OHN Q. PIKE, Postmaster of Epping
and Treasurer of the Epping Savings
Bank, was born in this town, February
18, 1855, son of John H. and Eliza J.
(Thompson) Pike. John H. Pike, also a
native of Epping, was a lifelong resident of the
town. Beginning life with scant capital, he
attained wealth and prominence, and was one
of the most successful merchants and lumber
dealers of Epping. A quiet and unassuming
citizen, he was yet one of the public-spirited
men of the town, and did a great deal for its
development. He died in the fall of 1884.
His wife, who is a native of Lee, is still
living, and enjoys good health.

John Q. Pike attended the district school,
Kingston Academy, and was one year at
Exeter. When quite young, he engaged in the
grocery business, and has since carried it on
successfully. He is one of the leading busi-
ness men of the town, and has also for some
time been active and prominent in politics,
having been a member of the Democratic
party since the year of his majority. He has
been Town Clerk for some time, and has just
closed a five-year term of service as Town
Treasurer. In 1889 he represented the town
in the New Hampshire legislature, and he
has held the position of Postmaster of Epping
since 1893. He is well advanced in Masonry,

belonging to St. Alban Chapter of Exeter, the

Commandery at Portsmouth, and E. A. Ray-
mond Consistory of Nashua; and he belongs
to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

In 1875 Mr. Pike was married to Miss
Lenora M. Cutting, daughter of Erastus Cut-
ting, of Epping. She died in 1882, leaving
three children — John H., Ella Frances, and
Frank W. On December 25, 1884, Mr. Pike
entered a second marriage, by which he was
united to Sadie A. Rowe, daughter of George
Rowe, of Epping. Mrs. Pike was born in
Deerfield, this county, August 16, 1865, and

 

was one year old when her parents removed to
Epping. She attended the public schools in
the latter town, graduated from Watson Acad-
emy in 1882, and subsequently engaged in
teaching. A lady of pleasing personality,
she is very popular in social circles, and has
accomplished much for thé Eastern Star auxil-
iary of the Masonic Order. She was the first
to take active measures in organizing Queen
Esther Chapter of Epping. Much credit is
due her for the services she has rendered it
during the four years of its existence. Her
official work began as the first Associate Con-
ductress. In the same year she was repre-
sentative to the Grand Chapter. She was
then elected Associate Grand Conductress, and
subsequently filled, in her own chapter, the
position of Conductress and Worthy Matron.
Fulfilling her duties with ability and without
ostentation, she has continued to advance step
by step, and is now Grand Matron of the
Grand Lodge of the State of New Hampshire.
Mrs. Pike is the mother of a bright little
daughter, Eliza T., whose talent as a singer
makes her a most desirable addition to social
gatherings.
Mr. Pike attends the Congregational church,
of which his wife has been a member since
1888. She has been a zealous church worker,
and is at present one of the Executive Com-
mittee. Mr. and Mrs. Pike have a pleasant
home in Epping. Their wide circle of ac-
quaintance extends beyond the limits of the

| State.

 

r AVID S. COFFIN, a retired busi-
ness man residing in Hampton, is a
©) native of Newburyport, Mass., born

in February, 1818. His parents
were William and Elizabeth (Swett) Coffin,
natives respectively of Newburyport and of
Hampton Falls. Mr. Coffin’s grandfather,
Captain Samuel Coffin, one of the wealthy
merchants of Newburyport in the days when
the old town was famous for her wealthy mer-
chants, acquired his wealth in the course of
many years spent in the West India trade.
Captain Coffin married Elizabeth Loud, of
Boston, Mass., and by her became the father
of William Coffin. William for a while was

 

 

 

 
168

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

foreman of a distillery in Newburyport. Sub-
sequently he was engaged in distilling rum
from West India molasses, and owned a num-
ber of vesse]s employed in importing molasses
from the West Indies. His wife, Elizabeth,
was a member of an old Hampton Falls family.
David S. Coffin is their only child who lived
after attaining maturity. A daughter died at
the age of twenty-one.

David S. Coffin obtained his early education
chiefly at a district schoo] in Newburyport.
He worked on a farm for a while after leaving
school, and then learned the hatter’s trade,
working as an apprentice until of age. This
trade he subsequently followed for thirty-five
years. About the year 1874 he opened a sum-
mer hotel in the seaside town of Swampscott,
Mass. ; and he was afterward in the hotel busi-
ness at Magnolia, a charming resort on the
Massachusetts coast. His enterprises brought
him a fortune, upon which some time ago, in
consideration of his advancing years, he felt
justified in retiring. He makes his home in
pleasant quarters at the Whittier Hotel in
Hampton. In 1884 Mr. Coffin was married to
Miss Jane M. Burgess, who died in.1887. He
has voted the Democratic ticket since he was
qualified to exercise the suffrage, casting his
first Presidential ballot for Martin Van Buren
in 1840.

ILLIAM H. FAY, of Portsmouth,
the leading dealer in gentlemen’s
clothing and furnishing goods, was

 

_ born in Windsor, Vt., May 24, 1866. His
parents were Edmund Stone and Frances
(Kendall) Fay, both natives of Windsor

County, Vermont, respectively born in the
towns of Readmng and Felchville. His great-
grand-father, Major Ezra Fay, in the early
part of this century migrated from Westboro,
Mass., to Reading, Vt., and, securing two hun-
dred acres of land, spent the rest of his life in
that town, engaged in agriculture. Major
Fay's death occurred in Reading in 1841. He
was twice married. His second marriage was
contracted with Mrs. Olive (Lincoln) Chamber-
lain, who was a descendant of Governor Lin-
coln of Massachusetts, and who, after living to
_ a great age, died in Felchville in 1854.

 

“Levi C. Fay, the grandfather of William
H., was born in Reading, April 25, 1807.
He learned the tailor’s trade at Woodstock,
Vt., and afterward the shoemaker’s trade,
serving an apprenticeship of three years for
that purpose with David Hammond, of Read-
ing. Then, purchasing Mr. Hammond’s stock
in trade, which consisted of boots, shoes, and
farm implements, he was in business for a
while. In 1838 he purchased the Slayton
Hotel at South Woodstock, Vt. This proved
a disastrous venture; for, after it had been re-
paired and otherwise improved, within three
months after its purchase it was destroyed by
fire. He then leased the Ransom House in
the same town, which he managed for two
years. In 1840 he returned to Reading, and
again engaged in trade. Four years later he
disposed of the business, and leased the Dart-
mouth House at Hanover, N.H. This he con-
ducted for a few months; and then, concluding
that he was better adapted for trade than for
the hotel business, he engaged in the sale of
merchandise in Felchville. When he finally
settled down to business, he was very success-
ful; and for twenty years he conducted a thriv-
ing store in Felchville. In 1863 he pur-
chased three stores in Windsor, Vt., and took
his sons into partnership. He subsequently
sold his interest to Martin Hubbard, and re-
tired. In the course of his business career
he erected Fay’s Block and other buildings
in Windsor, was an extensive dealer in real
estate, and had money invested in Western
mortgages. Regarding these last-named in-
terests he made yearly trips West from 1843
to 1885, in order to give them his personal
attention. His death occurred in February,
1891. He was married December 1, 18209, to .
Susan Stone, daughter of Edmund and Louisa
(Sherman) Stone, and grand-daughter of Sam-
uel Stone, of Connecticut. Samuel Stone was
an early settler of Vermont. It was he who
gave its name to Weathersfield, Vt., in com-
memoration of the historic settlement in
Connecticut. Susan (Stone) Fay was of the
same lineage as the late General Tecumseh
Sherman and Senator Hoar of Massachusetts.
She reared four children, namely: Collamer
A., a merchant of Holyoke, Mass. ; Amanda
M.; Edmund S.; and Julia, Edmund Stone
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

169

 

 

Fay was born October 19, 1840. Taken into
partnership by his father in 1863, he was in
trade in Windsor until 1872, when he estab-
lished the business now carried on by his son
in Portsmouth. A capable and conservative
business man, he conducted a prosperous trade
up to the time of his death, April 19, 1893.
Though in no sense of the word a politician,
he always did his duty at the polls, and served
with credit during one term as Mayor of Ports-
mouth. His wife, who was a daughter of
Harrison Kendall, of Felchville, died in 1875.

William H. Fay was six years of age when
his parents removed to Portsmouth, and his
first acquaintance with books was made in the
primary schools of that town. He afterward
attended both public and private schools in
Boston, Mass. In the same city he took his
first lessons in trade, serving as clerk for two
years in the clothing house of Leopold Morse
& Co., and later working for the wholesale
house of Thompson, Witherill & Willis. In
1887 he returned to Portsmouth, and became
associated with his father. On the death of
the latter he became sole proprietor of the
business, which he has conducted since. It
is already apparent that Mr. Fay has inherited
his father’s capacity for business. He was
married November 30, 1893, to Anna Louise,
who was born in Portsmouth, September 6,
1872, daughter of George N. and Clara Jones.
Mr. Fay votes the Republican ticket. So far
he has taken no active part in politics.

 

EONARD BAILEY SMITH, a well-
known farmer and Jumberman_ of
Exeter, was born in Andover,

© Mass., September 25, 1818, son of

John and Abigail (Bailey) Smith. John
Smith, a native of New Hampshire, when
quite young removed to the State of Massachu-
setts, and engaged in the business of a tanner
and currier, and subsequently worked at it
until he was fifty years of age. At that time
he bad reverses in business; but, not utterly
depressed, he rounded out another quarter of
a century of life, and finally, at the age of
seventy-five, he passed away, highly esteemed
by all those who had the pleasure of his ac-
, quaintance. Mr. Smith had been very promi-

 

nent in military affairs. His worthy wife,
who survived him, died at the venerable age
of eighty-seven.

Leonard Bailey Smith had very meagre op-
portunities of acquiring an education in his
youth. He was unable to attend the district
schools for more than one month in each year.
Very early in life he found employment in
a woollen-mill, and retained it until he was
twenty years old. He then purchased his time
from his father for fifty dollars; and, engaging

with the Boston & Maine Railroad Corporation,

he initiated a relationship which continued
for a score of years. He subsequently en-
gaged in farming and lumbering, which indus-
tries have since been his principal occupations.

Mr. Smith has been twice married. His
first marriage was contracted in 1841 with
Miss Betsey Dole, a native of Haverhill,

Mass., who died in 1845. She left two infant
children, namely: Charles, who now resides at
Exeter; and Abbie, who has become the wife
of James Rollins, of Stratham, this county.
Mr. Smith’s second wife, Mary (Folsom)
Smith, a native of Laconia, Belknap County,
died in August, 1893. Her children were:
Leonard F., who is engaged with his father in
the lumber business; Addie, who is the wife
of John Hourth, of Amesbury, Mass.; and
Fannie. He has represented his town and
district with credit in the New Hampshire
legislature. In national politics he is iden-
tified with the Republican party, and is a full
believer in its principles. In religious faith
Mr. Smith is a Congregationalist, and he isa
member of the First Congregational Church of
Exeter. He is an estimable and prominent
citizen, now seventy-cight years old, and num-
bered among the venerable residents of the
town. He enjoys excellent health, and hasa
good prospect of being vouchsafed many years
more of usefulness.

 

ILLIAM RICHARDSON, M.D.,

a popular physician and surgeon of
Londonderry, is a native of this

town, born February 26, 1860, The fourth
William of the family, he is a son of William
P. and Sarah H. (Goodwin) Richardson.
His great-grandfather, William Richardson,
who came from Methuen, Mass., was the first
of his race to settle in Londonderry. This
William’s sen, William M., was the father of
William P. William P. Richardson was also
born in Londonderry. He was an enterprising
and industrious man. Besides working at the
blacksmith’s trade, he managed a farm, and
was extensively engaged in lumbering. He
was well known throughout the district, was
a prominent member of the Democratic party
of the section, and discharged the duties of
Justice of the Peace for some forty years.
His death occurred May 13, 1803. Now in
her sixty-fourth year, his widow resides with
her son, Dr. Richardson. She had three other
children — Harry, Myron, and Sarah. Harry
is deceased, and Sarah is the wife of Charles
U. Annis.

William Richardson, M.D., grew to man’s
estate in Londonderry, obtaining his early
education in the schools of his native town.
He subsequently pursued the more advanced
course of the McGaw Institute at Reed's
Ferry, N.H. When about twenty years of age,
he took up the study of medicine with Dr.
George A.. Crosby, of Manchester, N.H.,
under whose tuition he laid a lasting founda-
tion for the edifice of his professional knowl-
edee. He then made the usual course at
Dartmouth College, and graduated from the
Medical Department in November, 1883.
He entered upon his profession in Westford,
Conn., and there followed it for some five
years. In December, 1892, he opened an
office in Londonderry, taking up his residence
in,the house where he was born. Here he
has been very successful, and already has a
large and lucrative practice, due not only to
the kindly feeling of his townsmen for one of
their own “‘boys,’’ but also to his proved
skill and his sympathetic and conscientious
treatment of all cases.

In 1884 Dr. Richardson was united in mar-
riage with Esther IF. Whidden, a native of
Auburn, this county, and a daughter of Joshua
Whidden of that town. Three children —
Florence E., Mabel E., and William P.-—— now
brighten their home. Dr. Richardson votes
the Democratic ticket. He is interested in
popular education, and is at present Secretary
of the School Board. His home is in North

r BIOGRAPHICAL

 

REVLEW

Londonderry; and he is a member of Horace
Greeley Council, No. 12, Order of United
American Mechanies of that section of the
town.

wo

 

LFRED FRANKLIN HOWARD, of
Portsmouth, Secretary of the Granite
State Fire Insurance Company, was
born in the town of Marlow, Chesh-
ire County, February 16, t8g2. OF English
extraction, he is a son of Ervin and Philinda
(Simonds) Howard, both natives of Cheshire
County. His grandfather, Thomas Howard,
who was born in Lyme, Conn., June 22, 1757,
fought in the Revolutionary War with the
Connecticut troops. After the close of the
war he settled in New Hampshire upom a
tract of timber land in the wilds of Cheshire
County, now in the township of Marlow.
After clearing his land, Grandfather Howard
erected good frame buildings and planted fruit
trees; and, when the embryo town began te
take form, no estate was in better condition
than his. He died at his home August 23,
1842. His wife, whose maiden name was
Hannah , born December 4, 1756, died
May 4, 1801. They reared seven children —
Nathan, Phebe, Phomas, Martin, Daniel,
Fanny, and Irvin. :

Ervin Howard was born in Marlow, March
19, 1801. Reared on his father’s farm, he
acquired a good knowledge of agriculture, and
when a young man he learned the hlacksmith's
trade. ITe purchased a farm at Baker's Cor-
ners, not far from his father’s home, and cul-
tivated it for many years; while he also
worked at his trade. The latter part of his
life was spent in) Marlow village, where he
died in 1882. His wife, who was born in
Alstead, Cheshire County, January 30, 1803,
daughter of Elisha and Lucey Simonds, died in
Marlow in 1886. They reared three children,
namely: Alfred F., the subject of this sketch;
Mary I., the wife of James G. Freeman; and
Martha A., the’ wife of Albert S. Thompson.
Mrs. Thompson died in 1884.

Alfred Franklin Ifoward received his early
education in the district school near his home,
in Marlow Academy, and in the New Ilamp-
shire Conference Academy at Tilton. He

 
 

STD TA

   

 

     

ALDEN E,. COLBY.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

173

 

 

entered the teaching profession when twenty
years of age, and taught at intervals for five
years. Beginning in 1865, he studied law
with Judge W. H. H. Allen, of Newport,
Sullivan County, and in 1868 was admitted
to the bar. He commenced practice immedi-
ately in Portsmouth, after which he was in
active professional work until 1873, when he
was appointed Deputy Collector of Customs.
A year later he was made Collector —- an office
he most efficiently filled until he resigned it,
in 1885. In this year he became associated
with the Hon. Frank Jones in the organization
of the Granite State Fire Insurance Company,
with which he has been connected ever since.

Mr. Howard was married in 1869 to Eliza
Fiske, daughter of the Hon. Amos Fiske, of
Marlow. She died in 1875, and Mr. Howard
subsequently entered a second marriage, con-
tracted with Mabel Y. Smith, of Willimantic,
Conn. He has one son, Arthur F., who grad-
uated from Amherst in the class of 1895, and
is now taking a course in electrical engineer-
ing at the Boston Institute of Technology.
Mr. Howard cast his first Presidential vote for
Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and has been a
stanch supporter of Republican principles
since that time. A man of culture himself,
he takes an active interest in the furtherance
of educational projects. He has been Super-
intendent of Schools in Newport, and has
served on the school boards of Marlow and
Portsmouth. He belongs to St. Andrew’s
Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M., and to Wash-
ington Commandery, No. 3, and De Witt Clin-
ton Commandery, Knights Templars. He is
widely known and respected in social as well
as business circles.

 

 

ESTER A. COLBY, who in company
with his mother, Mrs. Lucy A. Colby,

is carrying on a successful business

in the manufacturing of wooden

boxes at Danville, N.H., is a native of this
town, having been born October 2, 1860. He
is a son of the late Alden E. Colby, and comes
of pioneer ancestry, being descended from Or-
lando Colby, who was born in 1705, and
settled in the town of Sandown when a young
man. His son Moses, the next in line of de-

 

scent, born in Sandown in 1731, became one
of the early settlers of Danville, where he
died in 1777.

Enos Colby, a son of Moses Colby, was born
in Danville, May 13, 1761, and died May 30,
1827, on the farm now occupied by his great-
grandson, Lester A. Colby. Enos Colby was
a blacksmith by trade, an occupation in which
his son Thomas, grandfather of Lester A.,
was also engaged, their smithy standing on the
site of the present box-mill. They both car-
ried on an excellent business, being industri-
ous and enterprising. In grinding axes, they
made use of water-power. Thomas Colby was
a lifelong resident of Danville, the date of
his birth being April 23, 1786, and that of his
death April 12, 1859.

Alden E. Colby, son of Thomas, was born
in 1830. He attended the district school in
his childhood, then went for a while to the
academy at Kingston, after which he fitted for
college at Andover, Mass. He spent his
active years in this town, and besides farming
he was engaged in lumbering and the manu-
facture of wooden boxes for over twenty-five
years. His first mill being burned in 1875, he
erected the one now used by the present firm.
A man of unusual energy and of sterling traits
of character, he was quite successful in busi-
ness, and was highly esteemed by his asso-
ciates. His death occurred on August 31,
1876. To him and his wife, whose maiden
name was Lucy A. Spofford, four children were
born, as follows: Osmon S., who died at the
age of eighteen years and eighteen days; Les-
ter A.; Herbert E., a former student at New
Hampton, N.H., and a graduate of Dartmouth
College, class of 1891, who also has an interest
in the firm of L. A. Colby & Co., and has
spent most of his time here when not at school ;
and Charlotte M. Mrs. Colby, senior member
of the firm of L. A. Colby & Co., with her
family still occupies the homestead.

Lester A. Colby acquired his preliminary
education in the public schools of Danville,
completing his studies at the New Hampton
Commercial College. He has always remained
an inmate of the parental household; and two
years after the death of his father, forming a
partnership with his mother, he again started
the business in which his father had been
‘74

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

employed. Reopening the box factory, the
new firm began the manufacture of wooden
boxes on a small scale, selling them princi-
pally in Haverhill, Mass. In addition they
are carrying ona substantial lumber business,
having a large saw-mill, and selling their lum-
ber in the rough. They own about two hun-
dred acres of land, and in connection with
their-other work are engaged in general farm-
ing. The firm of L. A. Colby & Co. is widely
known as one of the most successful and flour-
ishing in Southern New Hampshire, having
built up an extensive and lucrative trade
through good management and wisely directed
business efforts.

Mr. Colby is a man of sterling integrity,
popular with his fellow-citizens, whom he is
now serving as Town Treasurer, being likewise
a surveyor of lumber. In politics he is a
stanch Republican. Outside of his native
town also he is known as a man of good finan-
cial ability, being one of the Directors of the
Haverhill Safe and Deposit Company, of
Haverhill, Mass. He is a Free Will Baptist
in his religious views, belonging, with his
mother, brother, and sister, as did their father,
to the church of that denomination.

HARLES M. REMICK, a well-known
resident of Rye, is a representative
agriculturist of this part of the

county. He was born here Septem-

ber 18, 1857, son of John S. and Mary F.
(Seavey) Remick. His grandfather, John Y.
Remick, also a native of Rye, came of pioneer
ancestry. Grandfather Remick during his life
was chiefly engaged in farming; and he partly
cleared and placed under cultivation the home-
stead now occupied by his grandson, Charles M.
John S. Remick, who was born September
21, 1826, in Kittery, Me., was educated in
the common schools of this town and Ports-
mouth, and at an early age became familiar
with farm occupations. Having succeeded to
the homestead property, he greatly improved
it, and lived there throughout the rest of his
life. In politics he was a Democrat. He
served his townsmen as a member of the Board
of Selectmen, and in 1885 was elected to rep-
resent the town of Rye in the State legisla-

 

 

ture for a term of two years. Shortly after the
latter event he died on the home farm, Sep-
tember 5, 1885. His wife, Mary, who was a
lifelong resident of Rye, born January 18,
1830, died March 2, 1861. Their children
were: Lizzie, Etta, Charles M., and John.
Lizzie, who married Charles W. Spear, died,
leaving one child, Elvarine. John first mar-
ried Miss Julia Reed, who died, leaving one
child, Alberta. He subsequently married
Miss Elizabeth Moore.

Charles M. Remick acquired a_ practical
education in the common schools of his native
town. He has always resided at the home-
stead. In his early manhood he assisted his
father in the farm work, and divided with him
the labor of building the present commodious
residence. Mr. Remick, like his father, has
always voted the Democratic ticket. He cast
his first Presidential vote for General Hancock
in 1880. He takes an active part in the man-
agement of town affairs, and for the past two
years has been Selectman and Road Surveyor.
He is a member of the newly organized
grange of Rye.

Mr. Remick was married December 24,
1884, to Miss Emily B., daughter of Charles
J. and Mary A. Drake Brown, of this town.
Mr. and Mrs. Remick have three children —
Mary B., John Harold, and Charlotte B.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Remick are members of
the Congregational church.

 

© LONZO W. K. GREEN, a successful

grocer of Portsmouth, was born at

Rye, N.H., October 14, 1845, son

of Thomas and Elizabeth (Foss)

Green. The Greens have been residents of

this part of the State for some generations.

One of the distinguished ancestors of the

family was General Greene, famous for the in-

valuable services he rendered the country in

the Revolutionary War. Mr. Green’s grand-

father, Richard Green, who was a native of

Rye, followed the occupation of farmer, and
died at a ripe old age.

Thomas Green, son of Richard, was also
a native of Rye, born in the year 1811. After
receiving such education as the district schools
of the time afforded, he learned the trade of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

175

 

 

a mason. Subsequently he followed that
calling in partnership with George White-
house, under the firm name of Whitehouse &
Green, for a number of years. He repre-
sented Rye in the State legislature for two
years. His wife, Elizabeth, who was a daugh-
ter of Job and Martha Foss, of Rye, made him
the father of five boys and five girls, of whom
Alonzo was the sixth in the order of birth.

Alonzo W. K. Green, having obtained his
education in the common schools of Rye,
came to Portsmouth at the age of sixteen
years to fill the position of clerk in the grocery
store of Richard Walden. When Mr. Walden
died in 1877, Mr. Green bought out the busi-
ness, and has conducted it successfully since.
As clerk and proprietor, he has worked in the
same store for thirty-five years.

In 1878 Mr. Green was united in matrimony
to S. Amanda Walden, daughter of his former
employer, Richard Walden. They have had
two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom
are now deceased. In politics Mr. Green is
a Democrat. He has served the city as Coun-
cilman from Ward 4, and as Alderman for two
years respectively. In 1894 he was chosen
Selectman by the legislature. He has been
a member of Piscataqua Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, since 1866; and of St.
Andrew's Lodge, A. F. & A. M., wherein he
has advanced to the thirty-second degree, and
to fellowship in Washington Chapter, De Witt
Clinton Commandery, the William A. Ray-
mond Consistory, Aleppo Temple and Mystic
Shrine of Boston.

 

OHN O. FOSS, a prosperous farmer
and meat dealer of Rye, is a native of
this town, born August 19, 1830. His
parents were Deacon Richard and Eliza

(Shapley) Foss. On both sides he is de-
scended from early settlers of the town.
Deacon Foss was identified with the material
interests of his native town for many years.
He was also a leading member of the Congre-
gational church, holding the office of Deacon
for a long time. He married Miss Eliza
Shapley, by .whom he became the father of
six children, namely: John H. and Orrin,
who died in infancy; Robert S., who died in

_sons and two daughters.

 

1889; John O.; Eliza E.; and Chalcedonia.
Robert S. served in the late war, going out
as a teamster with the Thirteenth New Hamp-
shire Volunteer Infantry. [Eliza FE. lives at
Newton, N.H. Chalcedonia, now deceased,
was the wife of Daniel M. Foss.

John O. Foss attended the district schools
in his youth. Since attaining his majority,
he has been more or Jess occupied in farming.
Thirty years ago, with commendable enterprise,
he started in the butcher business, which he
has carried on since with increasing prosper-
ity. His many excellent traits of character
have won the regard of the community. He
cast his first Presidential vote in 1852 for
Franklin Pierce, and since the formation of
the Republican party has been one of its
stanchest adherents. Osgood Lodge, No. 48,
of Portsmouth, registers him an Odd Fellow.

On November 10, 1853, Mr. Foss married
Mary A. Green, who was born and bred 1n the
town of Rye. They became the parents of two
These are: Charles
H., Willie J., Carrie M., and Mabel J.
Willie J., who is an electrician, living at Rye,
married Emma Merrill, of Plymouth, N.H. ;
and Carrie M. is the wife of Hollis W. Mar-
den, of this town. The mother died on May
11, 1864. In September, 1867, Mr. Foss
married again, taking for his second wife
Sarah A., daughter of Samuel and Cecilia
(Foye) Marden, of Rye. Of the five children
born of this union, Herbert F., Edith C.,
Ernest, and Myron S. are living. Charles
O., the first-born, was drowned July 4, 188r.
Herbert E. married Miss Charlotte Odiorne,
a member of the distinguished family of that
name, and has one child, Ray Herbert.

 

+26 >

AMES COCHRAN, a prominent resi-
dent of Windham, was born in this
town, July 4, 1820, son of Captain
Isaac and Nancy (Dinsmoor) Cochran.

The family is an old and prominent one in
this locality, its representatives having been
for several generations closely identified with
the growth and development of Windham.
James Cochran, Mr. Cochran’s grandfather,
was one of the prosperous and influential resi-
dents of his day.

 
176

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Captain Isaac Cochran, a native of Wind-
ham, born September 30, 1788, was brought
up a farmer, and owned a valuable piece of
agricultural property, which he cultivated with
success during the active period of his life.
He figured conspicuously in local affairs, serv-
ing with ability as Selectman and Town Treas-
urer, and holding for several years a Captain’s
commission in the State militia. He died at
his home in Windham, March 26, 1862. Cap-
tain Isaac Cochran was twice married. Of
his children by one wife, whose maiden name
was Nancy Dinsmoor, a native of Windham,
there are now living: Mary, the wife of B. E.
Plumpelly, of McLean County, — Illinois;
James, the subject of this sketch; William
D.; Charles; Ellen; and Isaac.

James Cochran acquired his education in the
district school. From his early youth he has
been engaged in tilling the soil. He was
profitably engaged in lumbering for several
winters. His chief attention, however, has
been given to his farm, from which by vigor-
ous and progressive management he has ob-
tained a good income. Politically, he acts
with the Republican party. He takes a lively
interest in public affairs, was Town Clerk for
a number of years, and was chosen a delegate
to the State Constitutional Convention held
in 1889.

On October 8, 1846, Mr. Cochran wedded
Sarah A. Hughes. She was born in Wind-
ham, March 3, 1824, daughter of John and
Elizabeth (Thom) Hughes, both of whom were
natives of this town. Mrs. Cochran’s grand-
father, John Hughes (first), a native of the
north of Ireland and of Scotch ancestry, emi-
grated to America, and, after serving as a
Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, settled
in Windham. Mr. and Mrs. Cochran have
eight children; namely, James A., Mary A.,
John H., William B., Sarah A., Emma M.,
Ellen R., and Charles H. Mary A. is the
wife of A. L, Barker; Sarah A. is the wife
of Joseph Currier; Emma M. is the wife of
George E. Snelling; and Ellen R. is the wife
of John H. Oberg, of Dorchester, Mass.
Both parents are members of the Presby-
terian church at Windham Centre. Mr.
Cochran, who is one of the oldest and best-
known residents of Windham, has devoted a

 

considerable portion of his useful and industri-
ous life to the general welfare of the commu-
nity. He is now passing his declining years
at his pleasant home in the enjoyment of a
well-earned rest. Both he and. his wife are
social favorites, having a large circle of
friends and acquaintances.

 

ARREN CASWELL, a farmer and
fisherman of Rye, was born May 10,
1832, on the homestead where he
now lives. For some generations the ances-
tors of Mr. Caswell passed their lives on the
Isles of Shoals, making fishing their principal
occupation. His paternal grandfather, Sam-
uel Caswell, resided there until incapacitated
for active occupation by age. He then came
to Rye, where he made his home with his son
until his death in August, 1846, at the age of
eighty-five years.

William Caswell,.a son of Samuel and the
father of Warren Caswell, was born and bred
on the Isles of Shoals, receiving but three
months’ schooling. He was engaged in the
chief industry of the place, that of fishing, for
many years, thereby earning a good living.
Subsequently, desirous of becoming a land-_

| owner, he bought a farm in the town of Rye,

and thereafter gave a portion of his time to
its cultivation. He was an industrious, hard
working man, and lived eighty-four years.
He married Mrs. Polly Green, of Rye, who
bore him five children -— Mary, Elizabeth I.,
Sulie A., Maria S., and Warren. Of these
Warren is the only one now living. Mary
married Warren Clay, and their only child
died in infancy. Elizabeth became the wife
of Gilbert C. Berry, by whom she chad ten
children, of whom three are now living — Mrs.
Alice Smith, Mrs. Florence Salter, and John
O. Berry. Sulie A. married Edward Lunt;
and they’ had one son, Augustus C. Mrs.
William Caswell had three sons by a former
marriage, but none of them are now living.

Warren Caswell, who was educated in the
district schools of Rye, has succeeded to the
occupations and the homestead of his father.
Both as fisherman and farmer, he is one of the
most prosperous residents of the town, and is
justly respected by all who know him. He
 

HERVEY KENT.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

179

 

cast his first Presidential vote for James
Buchanan in 1856, and has ever since been
a stanch supporter of the Democratic party.
In 1881 and 1882 he represented the town of
Rye in the State legislature, but on account
of trouble with his eyes has been forced to
decline other official honors.

Mr. Caswell has been twice married. His
first wife, whose maiden name was Sarah E.
Knowles, died August 2, 1866, leaving one
son, Charles L. The latter, now a resident
of Somerville, Mass., married Mabel Pierce, a
native of that town, and has one child, Alice.
On March 13, 1867, Mr. Caswell was again
married, taking for his wife Miss Mary E.,
a daughter of Samuel E. Berry, and a descend-
ant of one of the early families of this place.
Three children have been born of this union;
namely, George H., Ella M., and Chester W.
George H. married Miss Maud I. Gilbett,
and is-now living in Massachusetts.

 

 

ERVEY KENT, a retired manufact-
urer residing in Exeter, N.H., was
born in Alstead, Cheshire County,
N.H., on April 26, 1818, son of
Captain Asa and Polly (Abel) Kent.

The Kent family was early represented in
New England by a number of immigrants bear-
ing this surname. Among them were three
brothers — James, Richard, and Stephen.
(See Savage’s “Genealogical Dictionary. ”)
Isaac Kent, the grandfather of Hervey, came
from Connecticut to Alstead. His brother
Benjamin _ settled in New York, and_ his
brother Zarah in Nova Scotia. Grandfather

Kent was a remarkable man, being at seventy- |

five years of age apparently in his prime; and
up to the time of his death, in January, 1833,
when he was ninety-two years old, he retained
his faculties. He was married four times, his
third wife, Sarah Holbrook, being the mother
of Captain Asa Kent, also of two other sons
and a daughter. These two sons, Stephen and
Arad, emigrated to near the Scioto River,
Ohio, where they became prosperous farmers;
and their numerous descendants still live in
that section.
Asa Kent was born in the year 1794 In
Alstead, N.H., and died there in 1880 in the

 

house in which his birth occurred. His wife,
Polly, was a daughter of the Rev. Alfred Abel
of Lempster, Sullivan County, N.H. Her
father, who engaged in the twofold occupation
of a farmer and Baptist preacher, lived to be
ninety-three years of age. Her uncle, Dr.
Truman Abel, was a man of Ictters, being the
author and publisher of the Abel Almanac.

Asa Kent and his wife were the parents of
five children, two sons and three daughters,
as follows: Hervey; Harriet, who became the
wife of James S. Patridge, of Alstead, and
died in 1870, leaving three children; Charles
H., who went to Davenport, Ia., forty years
ago, and is successfully engaged in business
as a land broker; Sarah, who married a Mr.
Fisher, and died in Lawrence, Mass., in 1871,
leaving no children; and Emily S., the wife
of Mahlon J. Manville, of Crete, Neb. In
her early years, under the instruction of Dr.
Richards at Meriden, N.H., Mrs. Manville,
then Miss Kent, fitted herself for a teacher;
and *she has since been actively engaged in
educational work, in which she has won an
enviable reputation, being now, although sixty
years of age, at the head of the Crete (Neb.)
High School. The fact that she has never
ceased to be a student has, no doubt, had not
a little to do with her success as a teacher.
She is the mother of two sons and a daughter,
all of whom have inherited large mental abil-
ity, and are winning a name for themselves.
Mrs. Asa Kent died in 1850, at fifty-one years
of age.

Hervey Kent remained on the home farm
until near the close of his minority. He re-
ceived a good practical common-school educa-
tion; and, beginning at nineteen years of age,
he engaged in teaching for three terms.
When he started out in life for himself he
possessed no cash capital. He first went to
Nashua, where he secured employment in a
mill, receiving but fifty cents per day, and
soon after went to the First Mill in Man-
chester as third hand; but in a short time he
was advanced to the position of second over-
seer. From Manchester he went to Newton
Upper Falls, Mass., where he held the posi-
tion of overseer. In June, 1845, he went to
Fitchburg, and, in company with another
gentleman, hired a mill, which they had oper-
180

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

ated for two years, when the Walker tariff of
1846 affected the business to such an extent
that Mr. Kent accepted a position with Mr.
John Smith, of Barre, Mass., as superintend-
ent, a position he held one year. After that
he accepted a position in the Atlantic Mill of
Lawrence, Mass., as overseer, and was there
some four years. Thence he went to Great
Falls, N.H., as superintendent of the Great
Falls Mills, under John A. Burleigh, agent,
and was there until the panic of 1857, when
half of the mills were stopped, and for six
months Mr. Kent was without employment.
He then secured a position with the Pittsfield
Mills at Pittsfield, N.H., as agent, the mills
being controlled by Dale Brothers, of Boston.
Having remained with the firm almost two
years, he secured the position as superintend-
ent of the Androscoggin Mills of Lewiston,
Me., with which he remained almost two
years. He then was engaged by Dale Brothers
& Co. as agent of the Exeter Manufacturing
Company at Exeter, N.H., and to have an
oversight of the Pittsfield Mills. He re-
mained with this company until 1895, acting
as Treasurer and Agent for over thirty-three
years.

On October 14, 1841, Mr. Kent was united
in marriage with Miss Eliza Jane Hanson, of
Derry, N.H. Four children have been born
to them, as follows: Georgia L., residing at
home; Emma J., a young lady of much musi-
cal talent, with whom they were called to part
in 1870, when she was but twenty-two years of
age; Cora L., the widow of John J. Bell; and
George Edward, residing in Pittsfield, N.H.,
having been associated with the Pittsfield
Mills for seventeen years. In May, 1895,
George E. Kent succeeded his father as agent
of the mills. He is a bright, capable busi-
ness man and a good financier, and has served
two years as State Auditor. He is married,
and has two sons and a daughter.

Mr. Hervey Kent has been a lifelong Re-
publican, but has never been an aspirant for
public office. He isa member of the Masonic
Order, belonging to Star in the East Lodge,
A. F. & A. M., of Exeter, and also the Royal
Arch Masons. Mr. Kent is a leading member
of the Second Congregational Church of Exe-
ter, having been Deacon upward of twenty-five

 

years. Throughout his life he has been a
believer in special providences; and in trying
to help others it is a pleasure to remember
that he was unwittingly helping himself, as
later developments proved. Now that he has
laid aside the cares of business, and has leisure
to enjoy the fruits of his many years of close
application, the ties and friendships here
formed have influenced him to continue his
residence in Exeter.

 

EREMIAH M. AVERY, a prosperous
farmer of Londonderry, and the super-
intendent and manager of the famous
Lithia Springs, was born in this town,

April 21, 1826, son of Foster and Rebecca
(Robinson) Avery. His first ancestor in this
country, William Avery, an Englishman,
settled in Topsfield, Mass., in the early part
of the last century. From him the descent
was continued by Paul (first) and Paul (second)
to Mark, the grandfather of Jeremiah M.
Mark Avery, a native of Middleton, Mass.,
was a Revolutionary soldier. He removed
with his family to Londonderry, where he pur-
chased the farm now occupied by his grandson
from Zaccheus Greeley, the grandfather of the
celebrated Horace Greeley.

Foster Avery, son of Mark, was also born
in Middleton. He was sixteen years old when
the family came to Londonderry. The rest of
his life was spent on the home farm, to which
he succeeded upon the death of his father. In
politics he was a Whig, in religious belief a
Presbyterian. One of the representative citi-
zens of the town, he was widely known and
respected, and died in 1868, at the age of
seventy-four. His wife, who was born in
Hudson, N.H., was also of Revolutionary
stock, her father, Andrew Robinson, having
borne arms against the British in the War of
Independence. Of their eight children there
are living: Jeremiah M., the subject of this
sketch; Sarah, now Mrs. Stiles, a widow,
living in Lowell, Mass.; and Eadee, the wife
of Nathaniel Ballou, of Iowa. John, one of
the deceased sons, was the father of George S.
Avery, a Presbyterian clergyman in New York
City, who is widely known as a worker in the
Young Men’s Christian Association.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

181

 

 

Jeremiah M. Avery acquired the rudiments
of his education in the district school, and
attended a select school at Hudson for one
term. He has resided on the home farm all
his lifetime. The property contains about one
hundred acres of land, and is in a high state
of cultivation. For some thirteen years he
has been superintendent and manager of the
Lithia Springs, which are on an adjoining
farm; and his teams transport the water to the
bottling-house at Nashua, N.H. It is hardly
necessary to state that this water is known and
used all over the Union and even in Europe,
resulting in an immense demand.

On October 19, 1854, he was united in mar-
riage with Julia A. Upton, daughter of Jona-
than and Nancy (Whittemore) Upton, natives
respectively of Reading, Mass., and Hudson,
N.H. Mr. and Mrs. Avery have had five
children, three of whom are living, namely:
Mark, who resides in Lowell, Mass.; and
Frank and Alice, living in Londonderry. A
deceased daughter, Ida F., who married Wil-
ber E. Barrett, was before her marriage a
very successful teacher.

Mr. Avery votes the Democratic ticket. He
is one of the influential men of Londonderry,
whose opinion on public matters always carries
weight. Mrs. Avery is a member of the Pres-
byterian church.

 

ATHANIEL HEMPHILL, a_ farmer

of Derry in the first half of the cen-

tury, was born here, May 22, 1788.

The family was founded by Nathan-

iel Hemphill, a native of County Antrim, Ire-

land, where he was born in 1700. In 1728 he

emigrated to America, and settled in Wind-

ham, this county, where the family name and

possessions have been handed down to the

present generation. Nathaniel’s son Robert

left a son Nathaniel, who was the father of the

Nathaniel who is the subject of this article.

Nathaniel Hemphill (second), who was a

native of Windham, married Jane Moore, who
was born in Derry.

Nathaniel Hemphill was reared and educated
in Derry, and there was subsequently engaged
in farming. He was an adherent of the Whig
party. Asa member of the First Church in

 

East Derry, he set a good example to the
rising generation by his acknowledgment of
religious duties. He died in August, 1843.
His widow, who survived him eighteen years,
died in 1861. Of their children the survivors
are: Martha A., a resident of Manchester,
N.H.; Eleanor, who lives on the home farm;
Margaret, the widow of George R. N. Sargent,
and now living in Rutland, Mass. ; John, who
lives in Derry; and Joseph, also residing on
the home farm. The Hemphill estate has
been in possession of the family since 1738,
a period of more than a century and a half.
As its proprietor Joseph represents the family,
and honorably discharges the duties that are
the natural heritage of an old and respected
name. He is a Republican in his political
relations, and has won the esteem of the com-
munity in which he lives. The old adage,
“Like father, like son,’’ is strikingly appli-
cable here; for Joseph Hemphill is perpetu-
ating in his own life and history those traits
and characteristics for which his father was
known and respected.

EORGE OLIVER HODGDON, a
well-known public man of New

Market and an ex-member of the
State legislature, was born in this town, July
21, 1853, son of John W. and Elizabeth A.
(Caswell) Hodgdon. Mr. Hodgdon’s grand-
father, David Hodgdon, was a resident of
Barrington, Strafford County. John W.
Hodgdon, a son of David and a native of Bar-
rington, came to New Market when he was six-
teen years old. Here he learned the painter's
trade, and followed it thereafter for the rest of
his life. His upright character and quiet,
unassuming manners gained for him the es-
teem of the community; and his death, which
occurred October 28, 1877, was mourned by
many. He married Elizabeth A. Caswell,
daughter of William Caswell, of Northwood,
this county. She is still living, having
reached the age of seventy-four years.

George Oliver Hodgdon attended the public
schools in his early boyhood. At the age of
twelve he began work in the cotton-mills,
where he was employed for two years. He
then returned to schoo] for another year, after

 

 
182

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

which he learned the painter’s trade. He has
since followed that calling, and is now known
as one of the most expert and reliable painters
and decorators in town.
prominent member of the Democratic party.
He has served the town as Selectman and
Town Treasurer, was Tax Collector for five
years, represented the town in the legislature
for two terms, and in 1894 was the only

Democratic candidate for office elected in this

town, :

In 1873 Mr. Hodgdon wedded Eudora,
daughter of William and Abigail Otis Rans-
bottom, of Rochester, N.H. Of their chil-
dren three survive, namely: Josephine, the
wife of Charles A. Sinclair, of this town;
George W., who in early life had the misfort-
une to lose his eyesight, and is now residing
at home; and Elizabeth G. Both parents are
members of the Baptist church, which the
father has served for some time in the capacity
of Treasurer. Mr. Hodgdon is at the present
time Senior Warden of the local Masonic
- lodge, Past Grand of the lodge of Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, Trustee of the lodge
of the Knights of Pythias, Master Workman of
the Knights of Labor, and a Director of the
Young Men’s League. When a mere boy he
entered the fire department as torch bearer,
becoming later a regular member and the clerk
_ of the company. When it was reorganized as
a hose company, he was elected to the same po-
sition, which he still holds in addition to that
of Treasurer. He has been a member of the
department for nearly thirty years, having
served in an official capacity for twenty-five
years ; and he is now the Nestor of the company.

EVI W. DEARBORN, a busy farmer

of North Hampton, was born here, Jan-

uary 6, 1832, son of Jeremiah and

Hannah (Dearborn) Dearborn. He

is descended from an early settler of the

county. Simeon Dearborn, his grandfather,

also a native of North Hampton, was a farmer,

spent his whole life in the neighborhood of

his birthplace, and died in his seventy-fifth

year. He married Mary Smith, and was the

father of a son, Jeremiah, who inherited the
farm at his death.

 

In politics he is a-

‘then returned to his home, and

 

Jeremiah Dearborn was educated in the
district schools. He also remained all his
lifetime on the home farm, having inherited
his father’s love of home. He married a
North Hampton maiden, Hannah Dearborn,
by whom he became the father of four sons and
two daughters. These were: Isaac N., who
died aged eighteen; Henry M., who died in
1862; Levi W., the subject of this sketch;
George; Martha J.; and Ellen. Ellen passed
away in 1861. George married Augusta A.
Batchelder, of North Hampton, and resides in
North Hampton. Martha married Thomas J.
Philbrook, who died leaving her a_ widow.
Her only son, George A., also died in early
boyhood, aged fifteen, so that Mrs. Philbrook
is alone in her bereavement.

Levi W. Dearborn was educated in the dis-
trict schools and at Hampton Academy.
After leaving school he engaged in farm
work. . He also learned harness-making from
his father, who had followed that trade in his
youth. “He was afterward employed as a
track repairer on the Eastern Railroad, now
the Eastern Division of the Boston & Maine
Railroad, from October 1, 1861, to October
31, 1895. “In this occupation he had charge
of a large number of workmen, and he was
frequently called upon to repair the damages of
wrecked trains and other railroad accidents.
Rheumatism, contracted while engaged in this
work, at last forced him to resign it. He
has since
been occupied in cultivating his thirty-five-
acre farm. He also occupies himself some-
what with harness making and repairing.

Mr. Dearborn was joined in matrimony with
Mary E. Batchelder, a daughter of Nathaniel
Batchelder, of North Hampton. Their only
child, Herbert N., the light of his parents’
lives, died in 1865, at the age of six years.
Seventeen years ago they adopted a little girl,
Lila A. Dearborn, whom they have educated and
otherwise treated as their own child. In 1883
Mr. Dearborn was sent to represent this town
in the legislature, and he discharged that duty
efficiently and with ability. He is a member
of the Rockingham Relief Association, and
is in the communion of the Congregational
church. Since he cast his first vote for James
Buchanan in 1856, -he has been loyal to the
 

WILLIAM FRENCH.
*

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

185

 

 

Democratic
report.’”’

party through ‘‘good and_ evil

 

OHN NORRIS, a prosperous farmer of
Exeter, was born here in 1818, son of
Josiah R. and Betsy (Conner) Norris.
Josiah Norris, who was a native of Ep-
ping, this county, followed the occupation of
farmer throughout the greater part of his life
in Exeter. He took an active part in local
politics, and served the town in several impor-
tant capacities, including those of Selectman
and Overseer. To the day of his death he en-
joyed the esteem and confidence of all who
knew him. His wife, who deservedly shared
the respect entertained for her husband, sur-
vived him several years, having passed all her
lifetime in Exeter.

John Norris grew to manhood on the pater-
nal farm, receiving his education in the dis-
trict schools of Exeter, at a boarding-school in
Newfield, and at another in Hampton. Hav-
ing finished his schooling he returned to the
homestead, and, complying with his father’s
wish, he applied himself to acquire the practi-
cal knowledge of agriculture necessary to con-
duct the farm. Some time after, the entire
management devolved upon him; and _ later,
when his parents died, he succeeded to the

property. The estate contains three hundred
acres. All the buildings are modern and sub-
stantial.

In 1838 Mr. Norris was united in marriage
with Miss Mary B. Brown, a native of Ep-
ping, this county. Of the several children
born to them only two daughters survive,
namely: Carrie E., who is now the wife of
Moses A. Perkins, a resident of Epping; and
Mary E., who is the widow of Mr. Harmon,
lately deceased. Josiah Norris, who was the
eldest son, served with distinction as a soldier
in the Civil War. In the engagement at Port
Hudson he received a gunshot wound, which
ever afterward proved a sore affliction. In
November, 1891, he answered the last call,
and passed to the silent majority. John L.
Norris, another son, removed to the State of
California, where he subsequently died. The
mother passed away on February 15, 1846.
In politics Mr. Norris is ruled by conservative

 

principles, and votes independently of al]
parties. He has attained to the venerable age
of seventy-eight years, while his healthful ap-
pearance gives the impression that he is fully
a score of years younger. Surrounded by
comfort and ease, he bids fair to enjoy many
more years of life.

 

 

ILLIAM FRENCH, of whom a por-
trait is herewith presented, has the
distinction of being the oldest resi-

dent of Sandown. He was born here, July 1,
1808. His father, also named William, who
was born in South Hampton, this county,
came when a youth to Sandown, where he
afterward resided. He bought the farm now
owned by his son William, and there carried
on mixed husbandry during the working days,
while he preached the gospel on Sunday. His
death occurred in 1860. His wife, whose
maiden name was Phoebe Mitchell, a native
of Haverhill, Mass., died on the homestead,
April 19, 1859. To her and her husband nine
children were born; namely, Rhoda, John,
William, Nathan, David, Abner, Mary, Eliz-
abeth, and George. :

William French is the only surviving mem-
ber of his parents’ family. He obtained his
education in the scbaols of Sandown and New
Market, N.H. In his youth he assisted on
the home farm, assuming its supervision
after his marriage. His farm contains four
hundred acres of land, which he devotes to
general farming. In point of improvements
and equipments it is one of the most com-
plete in the vicinity. He is now living re-
tired from active pursuits, keeping a hired man
to attend to the farm labors, and a maid to
assist in the housework. For some years he
transacted some insurance business in addition
to his other employments. He has been an
active and useful member of the Democratic
party. Besides representing Sandown in the
State legislature for two years, he was Justice
of the Peace for many years before resigning
the office in 1895, Selectman for a number of
years, and much of his time Superintendent
of Schools. He and his family belong to the
Methodist Episcopal church. é

On May 22, 1850, Mr. French married
186

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Mrs. Hannah (Lane) Morrill, the widow of
Nathaniel Morrill, who was engaged in mer-
cantile pursuits in Epping, this State, until
his death in 1848. Mrs. French was born
March 12, 1820, in the town of Epping,
daughter of John and Judith (Rowe) Lane,
the latter a native of Brentwood, this county.
John Lane spent his life in Epping, where he
was engaged in agricultural pursuits much of
his time. He learned the carpenter’s trade
when a young man, and in his native village
built many houses, some of which are still
standing. By her first union Mrs. French
had no children. Of her marriage with Mr.
French two have been born — a daughter, Mary
Frances, who graduated from Tilton Semi-
nary, Tilton, N.H.; and a son, George Mor-
rill. Mary Frances is the wife of the Rev.
Willis P. Odell, pastor of a Methodist church
at Buffalo, N.Y. George Morrill, who mar-
ried Miss Anna M. Emery, of Suncook, N.H.,
is a very successful and prominent physician
of Malden, Mass. Mr. French and his family
are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church at Sandown village.

DWARD J. MOULTON, who for fifty

| years has been successfully engaged in
the business of a joiner in Ports-

mouth, was born on Jefferson Street, this
city, on January 13, 1824, son of John and
Sarah (Drown) Moulton. His great-grand-
father, Joseph Moulton, who was born here in
the year 1743, at one time served as Sheriff
of this place. He married Miss Leah Bick-
ford, by whom he had seven children; and his
death occurred on December 8, 1808. Thomas
Moulton, the second of the seven, and grand-
father of Edward J., was born here, February
25, 1768. He learned the trade of a black-
smith, which he followed for many years with
success. After that he conducted a livery
stable business for several years. His death
occurred on June 25, 1835, when he was sixty-
seven years of age. He married Miss Mary
Pitman, who bore him ten children; namely,
Lucy P., Thomas T., Sarah, John, Benjamin,
Daniel, Olive, Joseph Walton, David, and
Mary. Lucy P. married Samuel Hawks;
Thomas T. married Miss Sarah Pike; Sarah

 

 

became the wife of Hiram Paul; Benjamin
married Olive Wiggin; Daniel married Miss
Cyrenia Brown; Olive Clark became the wife
of Joseph Drown; Joseph Walton married
Miss Margaret Potter for his second wife;
David married Esther Lang, and died in Cali-
fornia; and Mary Jane is the wife of Samuel
Adams, of the firm of Barker & Adams.

John Moulton’s birth occurred May 22,
1798, in the house opposite the present resi-
dence of his son. At an early age he learned
blacksmithcraft; and, as his name headed the
first pay-roll of the navy yard for many years,
he must have been one of the first smiths em-
ployed there. He died in 1869. His wife,
Sarah, was born March 2, 1798, daughter of
Major Drown, who was extensively engaged in
the beef shipping business. She bore her
husband the following children: Eliza J.,
who married George Barry, and lives in Bos-
ton, Mass.; Edward J., now of Portsmouth;
Thomas, residing in California; Sarah, who is
the wife of Henry A. Turner, of Boston; Jo-
seph, who was formerly in business here, and
Warrenton, both now deceased.

Edward J. Moulton received his education
in the schools of Portsmouth, after which
he learned the trade of a house joiner with
Lenard Moses, of Boston. Soon after, in
1846, he returned to Portsmouth, and started
in business for himself. This he still con-
ducts, and it is now quite prosperous. In
1849 he went to California, where he spent
three years; and just forty years later he
was in California again. On September 7,
1851, he was married to Miss Susan J. Leach,
daughter of Joseph Leach, of Eliot, Me.
They have had three children — Susan, who
died on April 3, 1863, six years of age; War-
renton, now engaged in the grocery business
on Cabot Street; and Henry T., who is carry-
ing on a plumbing business at Cambridgeport,
Mass.

Mr. Moulton was formerly a Democrat, but
during the Civil War he became a Republi-
can. His first Presidential vote was cast for
Martin Van Buren in 1848. Before Ports-
mouth became a city, he served as Selectman.
In 1861 and 1862 he was an Alderman, and
for two or three years he has served as Asses-
sor. For thirty-four years he has been a
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

187

 

 

member of New Hampshire Lodge, No. 17,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has
been through all the chairs. He has belonged
to the Mechanic Association for twenty-nine
years, and in 1890 was elected its President,
filling that office two years. In 1874 he wasa
Trustee of the association, also a member of
the Finance Committee; and at the present
time he holds the office of Treasurer. He is
a member of the First Universalist Church of
Portsmouth, of which he has been Warden,
and is now a Deacon.

 

 

EORGE L. STOKELL, an esteemed
resident and farmer of Exeter, was
born in Lowell, Middlesex County,

Mass., in 1846, son of George L. and Jane
(Dexter) Stokell. George L. Stokell, Sr.,a
native of New Hampshire, in his young man-
hood removed to Massachusetts, where he has
been engaged in mercantile pursuits for the
greater part of his life. He is now seventy-
three years old. His wife, also far advanced
in years, is still the partner of his joys and
sorrows.

George L. Stokell attended the public
schools of Boston, Mass., until his sixteenth
year. When the tocsin of war sounded in
1861, he donned the blue, enlisting in Com-
pany A of the Eighteenth Regiment, Massa-
chusetts Volunteer Infantry. At the expira-
tion of his term of three years he re-enlisted,
and entered on a second period of service.
At the battle of the Wilderness he received in
the right arm a gunshot wound that necessi-
tated the amputation of the limb at the
shoulder. In this engagement he also fell
into the hands of the enemy, and was held in
confinement at Andersonville for nine months.
In March, 1865, after four years spent in the
country’s service, and having suffered the ir-
reparable loss of his right arm, he was honor-
ably discharged. Returning to Boston, he
embarked in mercantile pursuits, in which he
continued for sixteen years. In 1881 he re-
moved to the farm in Exeter, where he has
since made his home.

Mr. Stokell has been twice married. In
1871 he was joined in matrimony with Miss
Ella Randall, who, passing away in 1883, left

 

one son, Edwin Stokell. Mr. Stokell’s sec-
ond marriage was contracted in 1884 with
Miss Alberta Carroll, daughter of Dr. Albert
Carroll, a practising physician at Exeter for
many years. This union has been blessed in
the birth of six children: namely, Reginald,
Arthur, Ruth, Margaret, Anna, and Charlotte.
In national politics Mr. Stokell is a stanch
Republican, believing firmly in the principles
of the party. He keeps fresh his memory of
the war by association with the Grand Army
Post of Exeter and by membership in the
Prisoner of War Association. In religious
belief both’ he and Mrs. Stokell are Meth-
odists, and are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church of Exeter.

 

HARLES TODD WOODWARD, a.
well-known physician of West Rye,
was born in North Adams, Mass.,
September 13, 1869, son of Luther
Warner and Mary (Todd) Woodward. His
grandfather, Orrin Woodward, was a resident
of Swanzey, N.H., where for the greater num-
ber of his mature years he worked at the
trade of wheelwright. Orrin Woodward de-
voted much attention to water-wheels, and
constructed very many of those put up in that
vicinity. He passed his last years in North
Adams, where he closed this life at the age of
seventy-eight years.

Luther Warner Woodward was born at
Woodford, Vt., and received his education in
the public schools of Bennington, Vt., and
those of St. Johns, Canada. He is a gas and
electrical engineer, and has followed that call-
ing in North Adams, where he has resided
throughout his mature years. He united in
marriage with Miss Mary Todd, a daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. John Todd, of North Adams.
They have three sons and one daughter —
Jennie M., Robert W., John O., and Charles
Todd.

Charles Todd Woodward acquired his prepar-
atory education in the public schools of North
Adams. At the completion of his common-
school course he matriculated at Dartmouth
College, from which institution he duly grad-
uated in the class of 1893. On September
17, 1894, he entered on his medical profes-
188

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

sion at Rye, where he has since resided. He
has now an increasing and lucrative business.
On November 3, 1890, Dr. Woodward was
joined in wedlock with Miss Carrie Harrower,
a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Harrower,
of North Adams. They have one child, Mar-
garet H. Dr. Woodward maintains an inti-
mate relationship with the medical profession
of the vicinity and of the State through the
medium of membership in the Portsmouth
Medical Association and in the Dartmouth
Medical Society. His political belief and as-
pirations bring him into fellowship with the
Republican party, of whose principles he is an
earnest advocate and a vigorous promoter.

TOT ERBERT W. MARSHALL, manu-

facturer of all grades of light top and

ls. open buggies, road wagons, demo-
— crats, Concord wagons, and other
vehicles at Kingston, is a worthy representa-
tive of the native residents of this town. He
was born August 1, 1853, son of James and
Miranda (George) Marshall, the latter of whom
was a native of Lyndon, Vt. The first of the
Marshall family to locate in Kingston was
James Marshall, Sr., the grandfather of Her-
bert W. He came here from the northern
part of New Hampshire a barefooted boy, and
subsequently became one of the most prosper-
ous business men of this locality. He first
learned the business of carriage-making, and
afterward the blacksmith’s trade. Having
become proficient in both, he established him-
self as a carriage manufacturer, building a
shop, which is still standing near the carriage
factory of his grandson, Herbert W., and
thereafter conducted the business for sixty
years. He was also engaged in farming ona
large tract of land in this vicinity owned by
him. His wife, whose maiden name was
Mary Dudley, bore him six children, three of
whom — Moses F., James, Jr., and Mary —
have passed away. Mary lived but three
years. The three surviving children are:
Samuel C., who married Adaline Hurd, and is
now a resident of Kingston village; John P.
Marshall, a professor of Tufts College, Massa-
chusetts; and Jesse P., who married Sarah
Nichols.

 

 

 

 

 

James Marshall, Jr., was born, bred, and
educated in Kingston. Succeeding to his
father’s business, he carried it on for the re-
mainder of his life. He was also engaged in
general farming. His death occurred March
8, 1887. His wife, who died July 5, 1884,
bore him three children — John P., Herbert
W., and Harold. John P., who was engaged
as a carriage manufacturer in Franconia, N.H.,
was accidentally killed at his factory by a
piece of wood projected from a circular saw.
Harold, who attended Tufts College for three
years, subsequently travelled extensively in
this country and in some parts of Europe, lect-
uring on different subjects. He is now
located in Beverly, Mass., having charge of
the Universalist church. Since his arrival in
Beverly, he has raised and paid the amount of
the heavy debt with which the church was
burdened. He married Miss Bertha Hills, of
Boston, Mass. He has many friends in Bos-
ton, chiefly made through membership in sev-
eral clubs of that city.

Herbert W. Marshall completed his educa-
tion in the Exeter Academy. At the age of
nineteen years the charge of his father’s busi-
ness devolved upon him, and he has success-
fully conducted it since. The business, which
is one of the oldest in this section of the
county, was first established in 1800. The
factory, distant about a half-mile from the
village, is one hundred and eight by fifty feet,
with ninety thousand feet of floor space. Con-
nected with it is a large blacksmith’s shop.
Nothwithstanding that he has been burned out
three times, Mr. Marshall has been very pros-
perous. After each burning he rebuilt on a
more extensive plan. Formerly he manufact-
ured for the retail trade, but now his dealings
are almost entirely with wholesale houses.
In the interest of his business he travels exten-
sively throughout the States. When running
his factory at full force, he employs about
twenty-five hands, and turns out fifty or more
carriages a month. In politics he is a sound
Republican.

Mr. Marshall was married September 21,
1882, to Miss Lelia Brown, who was born
March 6, 1859, in the villagé of Kingston,
where her parents, Elijah and Sylvania
(Moore) Brown, are still living. Mr. Brown,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

189

 

 

who was formerly Postmaster of Kingston, and
worked as a custom tailor, was born in New-
buryport, Mass. ; while Mrs. Brown was born
and reared in Brunswick, Me. Mr. and Mrs.
Marshal] have two bright and interesting chil-
dren, namely: Marguerite, born September 2,
1887; and Ethel, born June 2, 1891.

 

°

ATHANIEL HAINES SIMPSON, an
industrious farmer of Greenland, was
born in that town, December 3,

 

1819, son of John and Comfort
(Haines) Simpson. His grandfather was

David Simpson. John Simpson, also a native
of Greenland, was a prosperous farmer and a
successful business man. He married Com-
fort Haines, daughter of Nathaniel Haines, of
this town, and by her became the father of
eleven children, ten of whom reached matu-
rity. These were: Charles, Catherine, John,
Sarah A., Augustus W., Mary, Nathaniel H.,
Phila M., Joseph, and Susan. Charles died
at the age of twenty-one years; Catherine died
in Exeter, at an advanced age; John died at
the age of fifty; Sarah A. passed away at the
age of seventy; Augustus W. also died at the
age of fifty; Mary married Mr. Augustus
Lovering; Phila M. died on December 30,
1895; and Susan, who is the wife of Mr.
Erastus Hartford, resides in Boston. The
father died in 1864 at the age of eighty-four
years. His wife passed away in 1876, at the
age of eighty-seven.

Nathaniel Haines Simpson was born on the
old homestead, where he still lives. He at-
tended the district school and the academy,
thereby securing a fair education. At his
father’s death he succeeded to the homestead,
which contains sixty well-cultivated acres.
He served the town acceptably as Selectman
for three years.

On March 11, 1864, Mr. Simpson was
united in marriage to Miss Anne Rosamond
Pickering, daughter of Judge James Pickering,
of Newington, N.H. Mrs. Simpson com-
pleted her education in the Portsmouth Acad-
emy, and at the age of nineteen she accepted
an engagement to teach in South Carolina.
When tbe Rebellion broke out, she returned
to Newington, where she continued teaching

 

until her marriage. Her father, Judge Picker-
ing, was a native of Newington, born in 18or.
He served as Associate Judge for several
years. In 1826 he was united in marriage to
Miss Ruth A. Miller, of Portsmouth, and
became the father of seven children. These
were: Harriet A., who died November 9,
1895, at the age of sixty-eight; Mary, who
married Charles T. Emery, of Portsmouth,
and died in 1876; Anna Rosamond, born in
1830, now Mrs. Simpson; Juliette, who died
in 1879; Frances, who is the wife of Samuel
C. Perkins, and resides in Boston; James F.,
of whom no record exists; and Ruth A., who
died at the age of twenty-four. Mr. and Mrs.
Simpson have a son and a daughter. The son,
James C., who graduated from Dartmouth Col-
lege in 1887, is superintendent of schools in
Portsmouth. He taught the high school at
Woodstock, Grafton County, for a_ time.
Then he was superintendent of schools at Bel-
lows Falls, Vt., for four years. Ruth Simp-
son married Herman A. Nolte, of Milwaukee,
Wis., who is engaged in the insurance busi-
ness.

 

 

LIVER W. HAM, successfully  en-
gaged in the furniture and under-
taking business at Portsmouth, was
born here on October 16, 1852, son

of Oliver W. and Mary J. (Frost) Ham. His
grandfather, also Oliver W. Ham, and a native
of this place, was engaged in business here for
many years, and owned the property known
as Noble’s Island. He married Miss Mary
Green, of Portsmouth, and became the father
of two sons and two daughters, of whom the
daughters survive. Oliver W. Ham, Jr., who
was a stone-cutter by trade, worked for eight
or ten years asa diver in building the walls
around Kittery navy yard. His wife, Mary
J., was a daughter of Dependence Frost, of
Elliott. They had nine children, of whom all
but three are still living. The father died in
his forty-second year.

Oliver W. Ham, the eldest child, received
his education at Portsmouth. He began his
business career as an employee in Rogers’s
wood-yard. He afterward learned the soap
business in the factory of Horton D. Walker,
190

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

with whom he remained for seven years, having
been superintendent for three years of that
period. Following that he engaged in the ex-
press business on his own account, and fol-
lowed it successfully for twenty years. Sell-
ing out in April, 1895, he purchased the fur-
niture and undertaking business of S. S.
Fletcher. He is now the leading undertaker
of Portsmouth, at the same time carrying a
large and well-selected line of furniture for
the wholesale trade.

In 1876 he was married to Miss Mary
Hunter, a daughter of William Hunter, of
Portsmouth. She died in 1881, leaving their
only child, Oliver W., who lived but seven
and a half years.

In politics Mr. Ham is a Republican. He
is a member of St. John Lodge, No. 1, A. F.
& A. M., of Portsmouth; of Washington Chap-
ter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons; of De Witt
Clinton Commandery, Knights Templars; and
of Osgood Lodge, No. 48, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, of Portsmouth. He is a
communicant of the North Congregational
Church, and for twelve years he was sexton of
the Calvin Baptist Church.

 

ham’s prosperous farmers, a highly in-

telligent and influential citizen, was

born in this town, originally a part of
Londonderry, November 30, 1824, son of
Jesse and Hannah (Campbell) Crowell: The
ancestors of the Crowell family in this country
came originally from England. The Campbells
of Londonderry, N.1H., came directly from the
north of Ireland, but were of Scottish blood and
the Presbyterian faith. Mr. Crowell’s paternal
grandfather, David Crowell, a native of Mas-
sachusetts, was the first of his family to locate
in New Hampshire. He settled in London-
derry, and became a prosperous farmer.

Jesse Crowell, Mr. Crowell’s father, was
born in Londonderry, where his boyhood and
youth were passed upon his father’s farm; and
after his marriage he settled in Windham.
He was one of the stirring men and successful
agriculturists of his day, was widely and
favorably known for his many estimable qual-
ities; and he continued active until his death,

aye: P. CROWELL, one of Wind-

 

which took place January 15, 1844. In poli-
tics he was a Jacksonian Democrat. His wife,
Hannah Campbell, a native of Windham, was
a daughter of Henry and Isabel (Gregg)
Campbell. Of their children, six are living,
namely: Joseph P., the subject of this sketch ;
David, a resident of Methuen, Mass. ; Charles
H., who is residing in California; Stephen D.,
of Methuen; Jane C., wife of Charles W.
Campbell, of Westerly, R.I.; and Mary, wife
of Charles E. Fegan, of Haverhill, Mass.
Joseph P. Crowell attended both common
schools and select schools of Windham; and,
after completing his educational course at the
Francistown and Pembroke Academies, he was
qualified for school-teaching. During his
early manhood he followed farming and _ shoe-
making, being engaged for several winter sea-
sons in the last-named occupation; but he has
since devoted his entire time and energies,
except when engaged in the service of the pub-
lic, to the cultivation of his farm. He owns
one hundred and eighty-five acres of fertile
land, which equals any in town for improve-
ment and productiveness; and during his long
and successful career as a general farmer he
has maintained an unabated prosperity.
- He is one of the leading public-spirited men
of the town, always ready with his aid and
influence in securing any measure calculated
to advance the general welfare; and his ability
in the administration of public trusts has been
practically demonstrated. For several years
Mr. Crowell has served as a Justice of the
Peace and as Notary Public. In politics he
supports the Republican party. He has held
the various offices connected with the manage-
ment of town affairs, as that of Auditor, Treas-
urer, and Selectman. In the years ending
March, 1863 and 1864, he was Chairman of
the Board of Selectmen and agent to fill the
quota of the town with soldiers to aid in sup-
pressing the War of the Rebellion. He has
also represented the town in the State legisla-
ture. Looking back upon his official life, he
considers that furnishing soldiers for the de-
fence of the country, and obtaining money to
meet the expenses connected with the same,
were the most arduous and responsible duties
that devolved upon him. The young people
of the present day have little conception of
 

JOSEPH P. CROWELL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

193

 

 

the toils, anxieties, and cares of all who had
anything to do with the management of the
good ship Union in that stormy period.

Mr. Crowell and Susan Coburn, a native of
Massachusetts, were married on December 15,
1849, and are the parents of three children,
namely: Frank A., who is agent for the
Nashua & Rochester Railroad at West Wind-
ham; Mary J., wife of Charles Clyde, of
Nashua, N.H.; and Frederick J., a prominent
dentist of Nashua, N.H.

Mr. Crowell is connected with the Masonic
fraternity, being a member of Rising Sun
Lodge of Nashua. Both he and his wife
occupy a prominent social position here.
They attend the Presbyterian church, of which
they are active members.

 

OHN E. SEAVEY, a successful farmer
of Greenland, was born here August 17,
1852, son of Shadrach and Lucinda
(Edgerly) Seavey. Shadrach Seavey,
a native of Durham, Strafford County, was born
February 27, 1816. He came to Greenland
with his parents when he was about five years
of age. In 1840 he took charge of the town
farm, and held it for periods of ten and five
years respectively. In politics he affiliated
with the Democratic party. He married Lu-
cinda Edgerly, who was born in Wakefield,
Carroll County, November 21, 1816. By her
he became the father of three sons, namely:
James F., a contractor and builder, who lives
in Lynn, Mass. ; George F., also a resident of
Lynn, and in partnership with his brother,
James F.; and John E., the subject of this
sketch. The father was a Christian, though
he never joined a church. He died on October
10, 1894; and his remains were interred in the
Greenland Cemetery. His wife still lives,
enjoying the best of health, although in her
eightieth year.

John E. Seavey received his education in
the district schoo] and at Houghton Academy.
In early manhood he took charge of the home
farm. This property contains sixty acres.
Mr. Seavey also owns another farm of one hun-
dred and fifty acres. He makes a specialty of
dairy farming. Like his father, he is iden-

tified with the Democratic party. He has

 

been Collector of the town, served as Select-
man for ten years, and was elected to the lower
chamber of the State legislature in 1893.

On October 27, 1879, he was united in mar- ~
riage to Miss Georgia A. Shepherd, daughter
of Elizabeth Shepherd, of this town. Mr. and
Mrs. Seavey have four children, three of whom
are living. These are: Florence E., the first-
born, who died when she was eleven months
old; Edward; Alice G.; and Marion T. Sea-
vey. Mrs. Seavey is a member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church.

 

HARLES G. GOOCH, of Exeter, the
e) efficient pattern-maker of the Exeter
‘o Brass Works, was born here, Decem-
ber 6, 1851, son of William L. and
Frances F. (Safford) Gooch. William L.
Gooch, who was a native of this State, early
in life applied himself to learn the business
of carriage-building, and subsequently followed
that trade for a number of years. Being
naturally a quiet, unassuming man and of a
retiring disposition, he preferred the avoca-
tions of his home to the exactions and public-
ity of a political life. He, however, took an
active part in church work, and was a strong
supporter of the society of which he was a mem-
ber. His death, which occurred in 1895, was
mourned by a large circle of friends. His
wife, also a native of the State, now eighty-
three years old, still survives him. ‘
Charles G. Gooch received his education in
the public schools of his native town. At the
conclusion of his school-days he served an
apprenticeship to the carpenter’s trade, and
was subsequently engaged in that calling and
in farming until 1881. In this year he be-
came the pattern-maker of the Exeter Brass
Works, in which capacity he has been em-
ployed uninterruptedly up to the present time.
In 1881 Mr. Gooch was united in marriage
with Miss Eliza J. Webster, a daughter of
George B. Webster, of East Kingston, N.H.,
and has since become the father of three chil-
dren — George Webster, William S., and
Laura Frances. He is intimately associated
with the political and social life of his town.
Since he attained his majority, he has been
a member of the Independent Order of Odd
194

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Fellows, being now Past Grand of his lodge.
He has been Selectman since 1889. In the
last election, held at the town meeting of
1896, alleged to have been the most exciting
one ever held in Exeter, Mr. Gooch received
a majority of one hundred and eleven votes.
He is a stanch Republican in national politics.
In religious faith he and his wife are Congre-
gationalists, and in fellowship with the First
Congregational Church of Exeter. The fam-
ily have a pleasant home on a farm of thirty
acres, which receives its due share of attention.

 

OHN NUTTER, for many years one of
Portsmouth’s best-known citizens, was
born July 13, 1814, and died Octo-
ber 5, 1895. His opportunities for

obtaining an education were sadly limited,
as he was obliged to leave the public school
at the age of ten years. However, he ade-
quately made up for the loss by diligent study
evenings at a private school. His school-days
were curtailed as mentioned, for the purpose
of apprenticing him to the trade of a baker
with Robert Smith. Mr. Smith’s bakery was
then located near the foot of Daniel Street.
In 1826 he removed to Water, now Marcy
Street, taking his apprentice along with him.
After attaining his majority, Mr. Nutter con-
tinued in Mr. Smith’s employ for many years,
working first as journeyman, and then as fore-
man of the bakery. Subsequently he pur-
chased the bakery, and carried it on prosper-
ously until 1865. In that year he closed it
out, and established a grocery in the same
building,. thereafter acquiring an extensive
trade in fancy and staple groceries.

Complying with an old statute of the State
concerning all able bodied men between the
ages of eighteen and forty-five years, Mr.
Nutter trained in the militia. He was for a
time in the Portsmouth Artillery, with the
rank of Orderly Sergeant, successively under
the command of Captain Jabez Rowe and his
brother, Captain Theodore Rowe. At first a
Democrat, Mr. Nutter became a Republican in
1861. He was not an active politician in the
modern meaning of the term, but he was ever
loyal to his country and State. In religion
he was a Congregationalist, having been a val-

 

ued member of the North Church for more
than threescore years. He was an industri-
ous, truth-loving, and law-abiding citizen,
honorable and upright in all his dealings, and
well worthy the high esteem in which he was
held by the community. He was governed in
his daily life by the highest principles of
morality, and was never addicted to the vices
which have such a corrupting influence on our
generation, being absolutely free from the use
of tobacco or liquor. He retained his mental
faculties to the last, and never was obliged to
use glasses to aid his sight. His death oc-
curred on October 5, 1895.

In 1845 Mr. Nutter was married to Lucy
M. Walsh, and had one daughter, now the
wife of George Worthen, a prominent business
man of Lowell, Mass., and by whom she has
had five children. He was conspicuously
identified with the Masonic fraternity for
more than half a century. He was made a
Mason in St. John’s Lodge, May 1, 1839, tak-
ing the degree of Fellow Craft October 2 of
the same year, and being raised to the rank of
Master Mason on December 4 following. He
was Tyler in 1840, Junior Deacon in 1846,
and Senior Deacon in 1848 and 1849. In
1841 he was exalted in Washington Chapter,
becoming Mark Master February 13, Past
Master April 16, Most Excellent Master
April 17, and Royal Arch Mason April 23.
Dating from 1854, he was Treasurer of the
chapter. He was made a Knight Templar
June 16, 1841, in De Witt Clinton Command-
ery, of which he was Sentinel from 1878 till
1885. Subsequently he received the side de-
gree of the Cross and Shell from Robert
Morris, of Kentucky, the eminent Masonic
traveller and author. He was an active worker
in the order, and had taken all of Scottish
Rite degrees up to and including the thirty-
second degree. On February 22, 1892, St.
John’s Lodge gave a complimentary reception
in honor of its four half-century members,
the three besides Mr. Nutter being John Dame,
Henry F. Wendell, and the late General Had-
ley. The occasion was one long to be remem-
bered in the annals of the lodge, commemorat-
ing, as it did, the fidelity of the four men who
had openly maintained its worth and useful-
ness in the days of yore. The impressive
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

195

 

 

funeral services of Mr. Nutter were attended
by large delegations from the various Masonic
bodies of which he was a member, as well as
a large throng of loving friends and neighbors.

The body was subsequently interred at Lowell,
Mass.

 

ENJAMIN T. PRESCOTT, M.D.,
of Newington, was born, November
30, 1850, in Boston, Mass., son of
Dr. Benjamin and Margaret (Rol-
lins) Prescott. James Prescott, Knight, his
earliest known ancestor, was a native of Pres-
ton, Lancashire, England. He came _ to
America in 1663, locating in the town of
Hampton, this county. The generations suc-
ceeding James were represented by: Jonathan,
born in 1675; Benjamin, born November 30,
1700; Philamon, born in 1729; Philman, the
great-grandfather of Dr. Prescott, who served
his country in the Revolutionary War; Mark,
the grandfather, who was born in 1771; and
Dr. Benjamin, the father, who was born in
Brentwood, this county, in 1800. The family
retains the coat of arms worn by their ances-
tor, Sir James Prescott.

Dr. Benjamin Prescott was
from Dartmouth Medical College in
after which he located .in Boston, and
practised medicine there until 1850. He
then took up dentistry in the same city,
and followed it until within a few years
before his death. He was twice married.
His first wife, Mary H. (Sanborn) Prescott,
had three children, namely: Sarah F., now
the wife of the Rev. G. E. Gordon, of Eng-
land; Elizabeth, who died in 1864 or 1865;
and Benjamin T., who died at the age of six
years. The second wife, Margaret A., was a
daughter of Ephraim and Abigail (Frink) Rol-
lins, born July 26, 1826. She bore him two
children, namely: Martha A., who resides in
Boston with her mother; and Benjamin T.,
the subject of this sketch. The father died,
April 11, 1873, in Boston, where his widow
still resides.

Benjamin T. Prescott, M.D., after graduat-
ing from the Boston Latin School, in 1872
entered the Harvard Medical College, from
which he graduated in the class of 1876. He

graduated
1825,

 

has since made a specialty of surgery, having
hardly practised medicine. Dr. Prescott is a
literary man, having been a contributor to va-
rious papers and magazines. In 1885 he moved
to New York City, but making Newington his
summer residence. For the past five years,
however, he has resided continuously in New-
ington. The farm occupied by the Doctor,
now containing seventy acres, originally
covered four hundred acres, and was formerly
owned by the Rollins family, his mother’s
people. In 1891 he was united in matrimony
with Melina R. Heckart, daughter of Colonel
J. J. Heckart, of Port Deposit, Cecil County,
Md. He belongs to the brotherhood of A. F.
& A. M.

EORGE E. FIFIELD, senior mem-
ber of the firm of Fifield & Whittier,
of Newfields, manufacturers of en-

gines and heavy machinery, was born in Strat-
ham, this county, March 31, 1828. He is a
son of George B. and Mary (Smith) Fifield,
and comes of a long race of sturdy New Hamp-
shire farmers. William Fifield, the founder
of the family in America, who was an Eng-
lishman by birth, landed in Newbury, N.H.,
in 1634, and settled in Hampton, N.H., in
1639. His son Benjamin, who was born in
1636, was killed by Indians. Benjamin’s
son, Edward, settled in Stratham in 1706.
Joseph Fifield, Edward’s son, and the great-
grandfather of George E., had a son, Coker
Fifield, who was the grandfather. Coker Fi-
field was born on the family homestead in
Stratham, which was also the birthplace of
George B., the father of George E. Fifield.
George B. Fifield was born in 1798. He
was a successful farmer; and, being an enter-
prising and intelligent man, he was prominent
inthe community. He was Captain in the old
State militia, and one of the leading Demo-
crats of the district. For several years he
served the town as Selectman; and he repre-
sented it in the State legislature in 1840,
1841, and 1842. In religious belief he was a
Free Will Baptist. He died November 16,
1872. He was twice married. His first wife,
Mary (Smith) Fifield, died in June, 1838,
leaving four children, who attained maturity.

 
196

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

These were: George E., Emma, Mary O., and
Charles W. George E. is the only one living
to-day. The second wife, whose maiden name
was Catherine Simpson, bore two children,
namely: Sarah, now Mrs. Rollins, who resides
in Exeter, N.H.; and Henry, who lived but
four years.

George E. Fifield grew up on the homestead
in Stratham, receiving his education in the
common schools. When eighteen years of age,
he went to Exeter, and was apprenticed to the
machinist’s trade. After finishing his ap-
prenticeship, he worked as a journeyman in the
vicinity of Exeter some four years. He was
then employed as an engineer in Cuba for
about the same length of time. After his re-
turn to the States he was connected with the
Squamscot Machine Company at Newfields for
another four years. In 1857 he located at his
present stand, beginning in a small way.
Since then he has gradually enlarged both the
scope of his business and his facilities for
carrying it on, so that now he and his partner
control one of the most important industries
in the locality. They carry in stock a variety
of machinery of improved patterns and late
designs, and they undertake all kinds of repair
work in their line. Mr. Fifield has been ex-
tensively engaged in the manufacture of tram-
way locomotives for the Georgia trade, has
erected many heavy saw-mills, and has built
many engines for local manufacturers. Mr.
Fifield is to-day the oldest business man in
the town. He has worked hard to accomplish
his present success, and has travelled exten-
sively, including many trips to the South.
His partner, Albert E. Whittier, was one of
his apprentices.

On September 16, 1852, Mr. Fifield was
married to Hannah M. Paul, of Newfields,
who was born in December, 1834. She died
in 1876, and Mr. Fifield has remained faithful
to her memory for twenty years. He has one
son, George S. Fifield, who was born April 9,
1871, and is now an apothecary in Somerville,
Mass. Mr. Fifield is a Republican in poli-
tics. He served as legislative Representative
in 1867, and has worked for the interest of
the town as Selectman and as member of the
School Committee. He is an Odd Fellow,
belonging to Fraternity Lodge, No. 56, of

 

Newfields. In religious belief he is liberal,
favoring the Universalist church.

 

EORGE W. SOUTHWICK is the
proprietor of the Southwick House,
Chester, N.H., a favorite resort for

| people from the city who desire to spend

their summers where they can enjoy an un-
limited supply of pure air, appetizing viands,
and genuine home comforts and service. Mr.
Southwick was born, November 4, 1845, in
Groton, Grafton County, N.H.

His father, Isaac D. Southwick, was born
and reared in Weare, N.H. In early manhood
he learned the carpenter’s trade, which he sub-
sequently followed in his native town and in
Philadelphia, Penn. From the latter city he
returned to Grafton County, this State, and
during his remaining days was engaged in
agricultural pursuits, dying April 4, 1879.
He married Laura R. Annis, a native of Or-
ford, Grafton County, N.H.; and of their
union five children were born, namely: Willie,
the eldest, who lived but a year; Hannah W.,
who became the wife of Josiah Wheat, of
Grafton, and died at the age of thirty-three
years; George W.; Laura R., wife of Harvey
P. Maxfield, residing at Stevens’ Point, Wis. ;
Frank A., also a resident of Stevens’ Point,
who married Miss Mattie Sawyer.

George W. Southwick had fair educational
advantages in his boyhood, attending the com-
mon schools in his native town. In 1872 he
removed from Groton to Windham, this
county, where he engaged in farming for two
years. Going thence to Lowell, Mass., Mr.
Southwick bought out a store and restaurant,
which he conducted for two years, being sub-
sequently engaged in the patent medicine busi-
ness until 1885. During that year he came to
Chester, and bought the farm of an aged uncle,
the late Amos Southwick, whom he cared for
until his death. Mr. Southwick has since
been engaged in farming, expressing, and
freighting, in the latter occupation making
daily trips between Chester and Manchester.
To his farm, which contains sixty acres of
land, he has added extensive improvements,
including a beautiful house and fine barn, hav-
ing now one of the most beautiful places in
 

SOUTHWICK.

GEORGE W.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

199

 

 

the county. During the summer season Mr.
Southwick devotes his attention to the comfort
and pleasure of guests from the city of Boston
and its surburban towns, his house being annu-
ally filled with boarders delighted with their
surroundings and entertainment. In_ politics
Mr. Southwick votes with the Republican
party, of whose principles he is a stanch sup-
porter.

Mr. Southwick was first married on June 18,
1870, to Miss Mary Hobbs, daughter of Reu-
ben Hobbs, a trader and lumberman of Went-
worth, N.H.; and on April 7, 1883, Mr.
Southwick married Mrs. Rose Turner, who was
born June 15, 1852, in Bath, N.H., a daughter
of Samuel G. Simons. Her first husband was
Milo Turner, a conductor, who was accident-
ally killed January 22, 1876, on the New
London & Northern Railway. Mr. and Mrs.
Southwick have one child, Addie Estella, born
April 19, 1886.

—~

 

EORGE HURD, late of Londonderry,
was a progressive farmer, an able
legislator, and a model husband and

father. He was born in Malden, Mass., July
14, 1823, son of Charles and Rachel (Lovejoy)
Hurd. His father and mother, respectively
natives of Massachusetts and Maine, lived for
a number of years in Derry, N.H., where they
settled about the year 1831. George Hurd
was eight years old when his parents removed
to Derry. He grew up on a farm in that
town, acquiring his early education in the pub-
lic schools. When eighteen years of age, he
started to learn the printer’s trade, which he
worked at for about a year anda half. Subse-
quently he attended Pembroke Academy for
the same length of time. He then obtained
employment as clerk in a store, and some time
later started a store of his own in Londonderry,
stocking it with general merchandise. At
the end of five years he turned his attention
from trade to agriculture and _stock-raising.
His farm, covering two hundred and twenty-
five acres of land, was one of the largest in
the locality. Both as a merchant and farmer
he was very successful. Mr. Hurd was a
prominent member of Londonderry Grange.

He was married February 28, 1850, to

 

Nancy J. Woodburn, a native of Londonderry.
She is a daughter of John and Mehitabel
(Melvin) Woodburn, both likewise natives of
Londonderry, and a descendant of one of the
original Scotch-Irish families who settled and
named Londonderry. The founder of the fam-
ily was her great-grandfather, John Woodburn,
a native of the north of Ireland and of Scotch
extraction. John Woodburn’s son, David,
Mrs. Hurd’s grandfather, was a lifelong resi-
dent of Londonderry, and one of the leading
men of the town. Mrs. Hurd is a cousin of
the late Horace Greeley, of national fame.
The other surviving children of her parents
are: James, who resides in Sacramento, Cal. ;
Mary A., the wife of David Sargent, of Dun-
barton, N.H.; Caroline H., the wife of Isaac
Clifford, of Concord, N.H.; and Sarah E.,
the wife of William Chapman, of Danielson-
ville, Conn. Eight children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Hurd, seven of whom are living.
These are: Florence, the wife of David Mc-
Gregor, of Manchester, N.H.; Henry L., now
residing in Dracut, Mass.; Horace P., resid-
ing in New London, N.H.; Elmer E., a resi-
dent of Manchester, N.H.; Walter, residing
in Londonderry; George A., residing in
Haverhill, Mass. ; and Laura, in Londonderry.
The one who died was named Nancy M.

Mr. Hurd was one of the leading Republi-
cans of the district. He served for two terms
as Selectman of Londonderry, was Town
Treasurer for a number of years, and was for
two years in the State legislature as Repre-
sentative. Honest and upright in all his deal-
ings, he had the full confidence of his towns-
men; and, as an obliging neighbor, a kind
husband, and an indulgent father, he won love
as well as respect. He departed this life June
10, 1875, leaving an ample provision for his
widow, who is living on the pleasant home
farm, and who, no less than her husband, has
the esteem and good will of her neighbors.

 

JUDSON PERKINS, a well-known
farmer of Exeter, was born here in
_ 1838, son of Benjamin R. and Mary
J. (Dolloff) Perkins. Benjamin

Perkins, who was a native of Strafford County,

after spending several years in the employment
200

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

of the Dover (N.H.) mills, came to Exeter,
and was there engaged for a considerable num-
ber of years in the manufacture of cotton bat-
ting and other goods. He subsequently settled
on a farm, where he was engaged in general
farming for a prolonged period, and died in
October, 1890. His wife’s decease occurred
- in 1870.

B. Judson Perkins grew to manhood on the
paternal estate, receiving his education at the
Exeter Academy. At the age of sixteen,
while assisting in blasting rock, his left hand
was torn from the wrist. This injury has
necessarily hampered him since. -He has al-
ways been more or less connected with agri-
cultural pursuits. For very many years he
sold farming implements. He also was travel-
ling agent for various firms who dealt in these
goods. In 1864 Mr. Perkins was joined in
matrimony with Miss Sarah E. Giles, a daugh-
ter of William and Mary J. (Langley) Giles,
both natives of Strafford County. Mrs. Per-
kins has borne her husband five children,
namely: William H. H., who is with the
Kimball Carriage Company of Manchester;
Lillian F., who isa teacher in the village of
Exeter; Mary J., who for seven consecutive
years was a teacher in the public schools of
Exeter, but is now pursuing an advanced
course at the Bridgewater (Mass.) Normal
School; Edwin R., who resides at home; and
Flora K., who is a member of the Senior Class
of the Robinson Seminary.

Mr. Perkins was Town Supervisor for a num-
ber of years. He has been annually chosen
Selectman sincé 1893, receiving a majority of
one hundred and fifteen votes at the last elec-
tion. In national politics he is a Republican.
His religious belief is that of the Congrega-
tionalists. Lillian and Mary, his oldest daugh-
ters, are members of the Second Congrega-
tional Church of Exeter.

 

REDERICK A. PIKE, formerly a
well-known business man and prosper-
ous farmer of Hampstead, and for two

years a member of the New Hampshire legis-:
lature, was born in Camden, Me., in February, |
1818. Being but a small boy when his father |
died, young Pike went to Chester, N.H.,:

 

where he was brought up and educated. In
early manhood he came to Hampstead, and

‘| engaged in the lumber business in this town.

He also became the owner of a farm of forty
acres, which he conducted in connection with
the Jumber business for the rest of his life,
dying at his home in Hampstead, January 25,
1883. He was an industrious and progressive
man and a sterling citizen, respected and és-
teemed by the entire community. He was a
leading spirit in the Democratic party in his
section, was twice elected Representative to
the legislature, and served his constituents and
the general public with ability and credit.
He was particularly interested in educational |
matters, having been one of the incorporators
of the Emerson High School in this town;
and he served as one of its trustees up to the
time of his death.

He married on October 23, 1851, Mary A.
Garland, who was born in Hampstead, August
28, 1820, a daughter of Benjamin B. and
Mary (Calef) Garland. Mr. and Mrs. Pike
had no children. Mrs. Pike, who survives
her husband, is now residing with her brother,
John W. Garland. She is a pleasant and in-
teresting old lady, sincerely beloved by a large
circle of friends and acquaintances, and has
been united with the Congregational church
for many years,

 

APTAIN DAVID ANDERSON, who

is also familiarly known as Elder An-

derson, is one of the oldest residents

of Londonderry, having been born

here, April 21, 1816. He is a son of James
and Nancy (Campbell) Anderson, his father
having been a native of Londonderry, and his
mother of Litchfield, N.H. The first of the
family to emigrate to this country was James
Anderson, who was of Scotch-Irish parentage,
and came in 1719 from the north of Ireland,
and settled in Londonderry, N.H. The old
Anderson homestead has been in the family
for over a century and a half. From this
James Anderson the descent follows, through
James (second), John, and James, to David.
John Anderson was among those valiant Revo-
lutionary soldiers who fought for American
liberties in the decisive battle of Bennington.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

201

 

 

David Anderson reccived a district school
education, and until reaching the age of twenty
years lived upon a farm. He then began to
learn the shoemaker’s trade, and followed it
for a quarter of a century. He finally gave it
up, and, resuming the occupation to which he
was reared, has since carried on general farm-
ing with profit. On October 13, 1842, Cap-
tain Anderson was married to Miss Persis
Tenney, who was born in Londonderry, Octo-
ber 4, 1823, a daughter of David and Persis
(Plumer) Tenney. Their union has been
blessed by the birth of five children, of whom
three — Helen F., Eliza G., and George V.—
have passed away. The two living are: Persis
T., wife of Alberto C. Brown, of Lynn, Mass. ;
and Mary J., wife of Mathew Campbell, of
Litchfield, N.H. Captain Anderson is a pub-
lic-spirited citizen. He is a Republican in
politics, and has been a stanch supporter of
that party since its organization. When a
young man, he was for a period of four years
Captain of a militia company, which he drilled
at regular intervals. In 1842, the year of
their marriage, Captain Anderson and his wife
became members of the Presbyterian church
at Londonderry. Ten years later he was
ordained as Ruling Elder in the church, and
still officiates in that capacity. They have a
large circle of friends and acquaintances.

 

AMUEL S. CHASE, an esteemed
resident of Stratham, was born in
this town, May 3, 1817, son of An-
drew and Sally (Clark) Chase.

The family is of English origin. Thomas
Chase, great-grandfather of Samuel S., was an
early settler in Stratham. His children by
his wife Lore were: Sarah, born September
26, 1744; Mary, born December 15, 1746;
and Dudley Leavitt, born January 4, 1751.
Grandfather Dudley L. Chase, who was a
native of this town, kept a hotel here in his
early days. He also owned a good farm,
which he carried on with energy until his
death, which took place at an advanced age.

He was known as a stirring man and a useful

citizen, firm in his convictions, and always
ready to speak his mind. He was a stanch
patriot during the troubles that culminated in

 

the Declaration of Independence, and he
served as a Major in the Continental army
during the Revolutionary War. He married
successively a Miss Ayers and Mrs. Mary
(Ayers) Davis, both daughters of Perkins
Ayers. By his second marriage, which took
place September 24, 1780, he became the
father of three children, namely: Nancy, who
was born January 23, 1781; Betsey, who was
born January 8, 1784; and Andrew, the father
of Samuel S.

Andrew Chase was born in Stratham, March
10, 1787. He learned the carpenter’s trade,
and settled in Roxbury, Mass., where he be-
came one of the prosperous builders of his
day, and was prominently identified with the
early growth and development of that town.
In 1837 he retired from business, and, return-
ing to Stratham, bought the Jonathan Leavitt
farm, which he later enlarged by adding some
adjoining Jand. He was an active member of
the Christian Baptist Church, and in his later
years he supported the Republican party in
politics. His wife, Sally, who was a native
of Stratham, became the mother of eleven chil-
dren; namely, Sarah, Dudley, Andrew, Mary,
Miltimore, Samuel S., Benjamin C., James,
Levi, John W., and Susan. Of these the only
survivors are: Mary, the widow of Horace
Littlefield, of Prospect, Me. ; and Samuel S.,
the subject of this sketch. The mother lived
to the age of seventy-one years; and the father
died in 1875, at the age of eighty-eight.

Samuel S. Chase was but a year old when
he went with his parents to Roxbury, Mass.
After acquiring his education in the public
schools, he learned the carpenter’s trade with
his father. He continued to reside in Rox-
bury after his father’s retirement, and was con-
nected with the building interests of that
place for many years previous to its annexation
to the city of Boston. In 1874 he relinquished
business pursuits and returned to Stratham,
where he now occupies a part of his father’s
farm. The property contains fifty-eight acres
of excellent land, and the buildings are in a
good condition.

On June 4, 1840, Mr. Chase was united in
marriage to Elizabeth Curtis, who was born in
Dover, N.H., January 4, 1819. She is a
daughter of William and Betsey (Knowlton)
202

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Curtis, the former of whom was a ship carpen-
ter by trade, and resided in various places dur-
ing his period of activity. He was the father
of five children. Of these three grew to ado-
lescence; namely, Mary, William, and Eliza-
beth. Elizabeth, now Mrs. Chase, is the only
survivor. She has had two children — Asher
Moore and Elizabeth Edla. Asher Moore,
born March 24, 1841, served in the Fourteenth
Massachusetts Battery during the Civil War,
and died January 12, 1874, leaving a widow
and two children — Charles E. B. and Asher
St. Clair. Elizabeth Edla, who was born
February 2, 1844, died at the age of fifteen
years. Both parents attend the Universalist
church. In politics Mr. Chase is a Democrat.
He was for one year a member of the Board of
Aldermen from Ward 5 in Roxbury. He was
upon the Board of Engineers for some time.
He served as Assistant Engineer of the fire
department for six years, and he was Captain
of a militia company. During his residence
in Stratham he has been quite active in public
affairs, and has served one year as Town Treas-
urer. He was initiated into Masonry at
Washington Lodge of Roxbury. His life has
been a busy and successful one; and he has
earned ease and affluence, in which he is
spending his declining years.

 

OLONEL ALBERT L. EASTMAN,
who died at his home in Hampstead,
L, N.H., in 1891, was one of the many

: successful business men whom the
Granite State has given to the world. He
was born in Hampstead, October 17, 1815, son
of Tappan and Susan R. (Boynton) Eastman,
the former a native of West Hampstead, N.H.,
the latter of Newburyport, Mass. His father’s
father was a native of West Hampstead, and
died there at an advanced age, his father’s
mother also living to be full of years. They
were the parents of four children, our sub-
ject’s father being the second.

Tappan Eastman was born in November,
1789, being the second of a family of four
children. He learned the shoemaker’s trade,
and worked at it for a number of years
in his native town, also managing the farm
on which Colonel Eastman’s widow is now

 

living; and he was successfully engaged in
the manufacture of shoes in the town of
Woburn, Mass., for about eight years, retiring
to his homestead in Hampstead in 1841.
There he spent the remainder of his life, en-
gaged in farming, and doing a little shoemak- _
ing. He was a progressive and industrious
man, temperate in all his habits, and was
highly esteemed in the community. A loyal
Republican, he was prominent in town affairs,
but made no effort to attain public office. He
died in September, 1864, in his seventy-fifth
year. His wife passed away in April, 1883.
Both were members of the Baptist church in
Woburn, Mass. They had but one child, the
subject of this sketch.

Albert L. Eastman attended the Pinkerton
Academy at Derry, N.H., and also the Put-
nam School at Newburyport, where the poet
Whittier was one of his schoolmates. Shortly
after leaving school, he obtained a clerkship in
a general store in Haverhill, Mass. This was
the initial step in his mercantile career. He
was afterward for several years in the employ
of T. D. Whitney & Co. of Boston, some
years in a store of the same kind in Louis-
ville, Ky., a short time in Philadelphia, Pa.,
and a number of years connected with the well-
known firm of Arnold, Constable & Co. of
New York City. In 1843 he established there
the house of Eastman, Townsend & Sheldon,
importers of silks, laces, and trimmings, a
house that soon took rank among the best and
most reliable concerns of the kind in the coun-
try, and was the centre of a large ‘trade for a
number of years. In 1856 some changes were
made, and the firm reorganized under the name
of Eastman, Bigelow & Dayton, Colonel East-
man still being the moving spirit of the enter-
prise. By his good judgment and remarkable
ability he kept his business constantly on the
increase, successfully weathering the gales of
financial disaster, coming through the panic
of 1857 almost unscathed, and steadily ac-
cumulating property, so that at his death he
was owner of much valuable real estate in New
York. In 1881 he retired to his early home
in Hampstead, where he died January 12,
18Ql. /

Colonel Eastman was active in politics as
a Republican. He was Representative from
 

EASTMAN.

ALBERT L.
- BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

205

 

 

Hampstead to the General Court for three
terms, the last in 1881, and was Colonel of
Governor Cheney’s staff; and he was one of
the electors at large for President Garfield.
As a Mason, he was a member of St. Mark’s
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 44, of Derry,
N.H.

He was married June 29, 1881, to Mrs Mary
E. Irving, daughter of Deacon Jonathan and
Clarissa (Page) Kent, of Hampstead. Deacon
Kent, who was for many years prominent in
the Congregational church of Hampstead, died
in 1874. His wife, a member of the same
church, passed away in 1865. They were the
parents of nine children, Mary E., Mrs. East-
man, being the youngest. Mrs. Eastman has
.one child by her first marriage, Henry Albert
Irving, who is living in Hampstead. She isa
member of the Congregational church in this
town. Her home on the old Eastman estate
is one of the pleasantest in a locality where
pleasant homes are the rule, and the sweet
breath of the open fields rises unhindered to
the boundless sky, where the crowded condi-
tion of city life is unknown, and the world-
weary worker feels a happy sensation of expan-
sion and rest.

 

EACON DANIEL SMITH, a prom-
inent and well-known resident of
©) Brentwood township, was born here,
February 16, 1823, son of Deacon
Daniel Smith, Sr., and Hannah (Tuck) Smith.
His great-grandparents, who emigrated from
England to America in the middle years of
the last century, resided in Exeter, this State,
for a time, after which, in 1752, they came to
Brentwood, where they afterward spent their
last days. His grandfather, Caleb Smith, born
in Exeter, was a mere lad when he came with
his parents to Brentwood. His home here was
situated on the road running from Kingston to
Epping. Deacon Daniel Smith, Sr., spent
his entire life in Brentwood township. He
was an industrious, enterprising man, who was
comparatively successful in his undertakings.
He was a carpenter, and for a time was en-
gaged in the Brentwood cotton-mill, the first
factory of the kind erected in New England.
Subsequently he bought the homestead now

 

 

 

 

 

owned and occupied by his son Daniel, and
there followed general farming, besides work-
ing at his trade, until his death in 1845. He
married Hannah Tuck, who was born in Brent-
wood, and they became the parents of nine
children. Of these six have died; namely,
Susan (whose death occurred in February,
1896), Emeline, Mary, John T., Benjamin F.,
and Elizabeth. Those now living are: Daniel,
the subject of this sketch; Ferdinand E., re-
siding in Alabama; and Mary A., the wife of
J. W. Moulton, of Hampton Falls, this
county. All the children had good educa-
tional advantages for the time, having made
their advanced studies in academies, and some
being graduates of high schools. The mother,
who was sedulously cared for by her son in her
widowhood, died in 1866.

Deacon Daniel Smith was the fifth-born of
his parents’ children. He remained on the
home farm until nineteen years of age, when
he began to learn the carpenter’s trade. He
afterward worked at this craft for three or four
years in Boston. On the death of his father
he returned to the old homestead, where he
has since lived. The farm comprises sixty
acres of land. Deacon Smith, who has made
the’ more important improvements, has also
managed it with signal success, raising chiefly
hay, grain, and potatoes. In politics he affili-
ates with the Republican party. He repre-
sented his district in the State legislature for
two years, and was Selectman three years.

Deacon Smith has been twice married. In
1847 he was united to Lydia A. W. Barker,
daughter of Benjamin and Lydia Barker, of
Exeter. She died in 1851, having borne him
two children. One of these died in infancy;
and Emma F., who finished her education at
the Robinson Seminary, Exeter, lives with her
father. Having remained a widower for nearly
a score of years, Deacon Smith married again
in 1869, when the bride was Miss Mary E.
Moulton, of Hampton Falls. She died in
1889, leaving two children— Fannie N. and
Sarah M., both graduates of Mount Holyoke
Seminary. Fannie N. is now the wife of Dr.
John Whitmore, sub-principal of the high
school at Lynn, Mass.; and Sarah M. is
teaching in the public schools of Brockton,
Mass. Deacon Smith and daughters are mem-
206

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

bers of the Baptist Church at Exeter, which
he serves in the capacity of Deacon.

 

AMUEL W. EMERY, a well-
known and _ respected citizen of
Portsmouth, Judge of the Police
Court, was born in this city, March

30, 1863. He was educated in the public

schools; and, after graduating from the Ports-

mouth High School, he entered the office of

W. C. Harriman, and took up the study of

law. On April 24, 1884, he was admitted to

the bar at Exeter, N.-H. He commenced the

practice of his profession in January, 1885.

Mr. Emery is a Republican in politics. He

was City Solicitor of Portsmouth for the years

1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, and 1890, and served

as County Solicitor of Rockingham County

from July 1, 1887, to July 1, 1891, inclusive.

On December 1, 1894, he was appointed Judge

of the Police Court of Portsmouth, and still

holds that position. He is a member of St.

Andrew’s Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M.; also

of Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias.

 

 

UGUSTUS D. BROWN, the pro-
prietor of a large undertaking and
insurance business in Epping, was
born May 20, 1843, in Deerfield,
this county, son of Alfred A. and Sarah
(Young) Brown. Alfred A. Brown, born in
this county, was here reared to farming pur-
suits, in which he was engaged throughout his
life. His last years were passed in Deerfield,
where his death occurred in 1854. His wife,
whose maiden name was Sarah Young, sur-
vived him several years.

Augustus D. Brown had but limited oppor-
tunities for obtaining an education. But
eleven years old when his father died, he was
thereafter obliged to work for his living. He
secured work on a neighboring farm, and from
that time until eighteen years of age was
engaged in tilling the soil. Tlaving learned
shoemaking, after this he was subsequently
foreman of the Epping Shoe Factory for four

years. Then he was engaged in the clothing

business for fifteen years, after which he be.
came a copartner with his uncle in the furni-

 

ture and undertaking business. His uncle,
the late Jesse M. Young, died in April, 1895.
Since that time Mr. Brown has been sole pro-
prietor of the establishment, and has managed:
the business with eminent success. He has
a well-selected stock of goods, is one of the
most experienced and skilful embalmers in the
county, and his high reputation brings him
patronage from quite an extensive district.
In politics he casts his vote irrespective of
party lines, but in accordance with his own
opinion of men and measures. He has served
the community as Town Treasurer, and for a

number of years has been a member of the

Board of Health. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, belonging to Sullivan
Lodge, No. 19, of Geneva; and he has affilia-
tion with the Epping Lodge, No. 80, of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On December 20, 1871, Mr. Brown was
married to Miss Helen Morrison, of Chicago,
daughter of the Rev. John Morrison, an emi-
nent divine. They have had two daughters,
one of whom, Hattie, died at the age. of eigh-
teen months. The surviving daughter, Miss
B. Helena Brown, isa bright and active member
of the social community in which she resides.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown, with their daughter, are
members of the Congregational church. Mr.
Brown has been a member of the church Exec-
utive Committee for ten years. He has also
been Secretary of the Sunday-school, and is
now Warden. His reputation is that of a man
of high integrity, much public spirit and
generosity.

 

IMON L. CHESLEY, of  Ports-
mouth, formerly a prosperous mer-
chant of Rye, was born in_ this
town, April 1, 1821, son of Simon

and Olive (Elkins) Chesley. His grand-

father, Lemuel Chesley, was a native and life-
long resident of Lee, Strafford County, where
he had a good farm. Lemuel married Nancy

Woodman, of whom it is related that she was

once carried into captivity by Indians, that

she escaped, and, after suffering extreme pri-
vations for two wecks in the woods, with
nothing to eat but the carcass of a skunk, she
finally reached the home of a white settler.

Po
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

207

 

 

She and her husband reared seven children.
Simon Chesley, the father of our subject, ac-
quired his education and the blacksmith’s
trade in Lee. The latter was learned under
the instruction of his brother. After working
at it for fifteen years in his native town, he re-
moved to Rye, settling in the part now called
Chesley’s Corner, and established a forge.
He had reached the age of sixty-seven years at
his death. He married Olive Elkins, and
with her reared five children, namely: Sam-
uel, who lived to be sixty-seven years of
age; John, who died about the age of fifty;
Eliza, who lived to be seventy-eight; Hannah,
who died at the age of forty-five; and Simon
L., the subject of this sketch

Simon L. Chesley obtained his education
in the district school. The sea, to whose
voice he had listened from infancy, seemed to
invite him; and, as soon as he had closed his
books, he immediately entered upon the call-
ing of a sailor. A few years of practical
experience sufficed to dispel his youthful illu-
sions regarding a sea-faring life; and he re-
turned to the home farm a wiser, if a disap-
pointed, man. He then went to Quincy,
Mass., and learned the trade of stone-cutting,
after which he was employed for two years by
Mr. Wetherbee, of Boston, Mass., as foreman.
Believing that he could do better in trade, he
opened a twelve-foot store in Rye, and gradu-
ally built up a good business, making addi-
tions to his store as his trade demanded it.
At one time he had a branch store in Boston.
He was in partnership with his brother Will-
iam until the death of the latter. Since that
time he has been sole proprietor. He recently
moved to Portsmouth, this county. Mr.
Chesley is an able and energetic business man,
and his record is such that he has the confi-
dence of all who deal with him.

He was married in 1858 to Susan N. Green,
daughter of John Green, of Rye, and has two
sons. These are: William, who has gradu-
ated from Bryant & Stratton’s Business Col-
lege in Boston; and Frank, the elder, who
married Miss Ella Moulton, of North Hamp-
ton, and has one child, Mildred. Mr. Chesley
cast his first Presidential vote for James K.
Polk in 1844. He is very popular among the
Democrats of his native town, always carry-

 

ing a Democratic vote, and has served for
some time on the Town Building Committee.
During the late war he was active as a re-
cruiting officer.

 

UFUS W. WEEKS, a general farmer

of Greenland, was born in this town

on August 20, 1819, son of Stephen

M. and Mary S. (Gookin) Weeks.

Ichabod Weeks, his grandfather was also born

here on September 16, 1738. When a young

man, he came to the farm now occupied by

Rufus W., and lived there many years. He

was a noted physician, had a large and lucra-

tive practice, and was generally respected.

Dr. Weeks was three times married. After

his death his remains. were interred in the
Greenland Cemetery.

Stephen M. Weeks was born on the home
farm in 1781, lived there al] his lifetime,
served the town as Selectman and in other im-
portant offices, and died in 1878. His wife
Mary, who came from Portsmouth, N.H., had
six children, namely: Charles M., a physician,
who died in Georgia; Caroline, a very fine
artist, and the painter of the portraits of Gov-
ernor Bartlett and Dr. Bartlett, which are now
in the State House, who died in 1873;
Stephen M., Jr., deceased; Nathaniel, a sea
captain, also deceased; Ichabod, who died in
1856; and Rufus W., the latest born, and the
only survivor. Both parents are also deceased,
the father dying at the age of ninety-seven,
and the mother in her ninety-fourth year.
They were highly respected members of the
Congregational church.

Rufus W. Weeks was born on the home
farm, and there remained with his parents
until he was seventeen years of age. He then
went to New York City, where he was em-
ployed for two years as clerk. After this he
returned home for a short stay, and then went
to Kalamazoo, Mich. Two years later he re-
turned to take charge of the old homestead,
which is a valuable farm of one hundred acres.
Mr. Weeks is an enterprising farmer. He
carries on general farming and fruit-growing,
and keeps also a dairy. In politics he is a
Republican. He has been Selectman seven
different terms, member of the School Com-
208

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

mittee for a number of years, and in 1860 he
was elected as Representative to the State
legislature. On June 24, 1861, Mr. Weeks
was united in marriage to Miss Ellen J. Belk-
nap, of Sherbrook, Canada. They have had
four children: Belknap, who married Miss
Bessie Cole, and lives in this town; Goldwin
I., a music-teacher, who died July 21, 1891;
Arthur H., a farmer of Greenland; and Rufus
W., Jr., a student in the Boston Medical Col-
lege. Mr. and Mrs. Weeks are members of
the Congregational church.

 

OHN GARDINER GILMAN, of Exe-
ter, a prominent man of affairs, was
born on November 26, 1820, his birth-
place being in what is now the heart of

the city, covered by dwellings, churches, and
blocks of stores. His parents were Captain
Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Gardiner) Gilman,
the former of Exeter, the latter of Philadel-
phia, Pa.

His first ancestor in this country was Ed-
ward Gilman, a native of Hingham, Norfolk
County, England, who was born about 1587.
He was made a freeman in Hingham, Mass.,
in 1638, and a few years later removed to
Exeter, N.H., where his three sons, Edward,
second, John, and Moses, settled in 1647.
The second Edward, from whom the subject of
this sketch traces his descent, was born in
England in 1617. He came to Exeter from
Ipswich, Mass., was accepted as a townsman,
and erected mills on the Squamscot. An
active and judicious man of enterprise, he was
very prominent and popular. He was married
in Ipswich to a daughter of Richard Smith.
John Gilman, son of the first Edward, was
known as Councillor John, being a member of
the Governor’s Council. In 1693 he was
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Jobn Gilman died in Exeter at the age of
eighty-four.

Mr. John G. Gilman's great-grandfather
Gilman was in the treasury department of the
Continental Loan Office, and was one of the
Committee of Safety during the Revolution.
A man of more than average intelligence, he
furnished the brains for much of the local offi-
cial business at that time. Three of his sons

 

were prominent men, namely: the Hon.
Nathaniel Gilman, the grandfather of John
G.; John Taylor Gilman, Governor of New
Hampshire; and the Hon. Nicholas Gilman,
one of the leading merchants and ship-builders
of his day, a member of the House of Repre-
sentatives, and afterward United States Sen-
ator. (See Genealogy of the Gilman Family,
by Arthur Gilman, published in 1869 by Joel
Munsell; and Searches into the History of
the Gillmans or Gilmans of England, Ireland,
America, and Belgium, by Alexander W. Gill-
man. London, 1895. Elliott Stock, Printer,
62 Paternoster Row.)

The Hon. Nathaniel Gilman was born in
Exeter, November 10, 1759. <A prominent
business man, he was also a leader in public
affairs. He succeeded his father in the treas-
ury department of the Continental Loan Office;
was in the State Senate in 1795 and 1802;
was Representative in 1804; and State Treas-
urer from 1805 to 1814, declining after that to
assume the cares of office. He died in Exeter,
January 26, 1847. The Hon. Nathaniel Gil-
man was twice married. His first wife, Abi-
gail Odlin, daughter of the Rev. Woodbridge
Odlin, of Exeter, was the mother of the fol-
lowing children: Captain Nathaniel, above
mentioned; Frances, wife of Colonel John
Rogers; Abigail (deceased), wife of Dr. Will-
iam Perry, of Exeter; Anna, second wife of
Colonel John Rogers. Mr. Gilman’s second
wife was Dorothy Folsom, daughter of General
Folsom. She was the mother of seven chil-
dren, as follows: a daughter, Mary Olivia,
who married Commodore Long; and six sons
who settled in different parts of the Union —
namely, Nicholas, Daniel, Samuel Taylor,
John Taylor, Charles Edwin, and Joseph
Taylor.

Captain Nathaniel Gilman was born in
Exeter in 1793. His title was earned by
active service in the War of 1812. A ship-
ping merchant connected with an extensive
trade, he succeeded his wife’s father in Phila-
delphia, and was for some time associated with
his own uncle, Woodbridge Odlin, in general
commercial business. About the year 1820
he removed the seat of his operations from
Philadelphia to Exeter, and was for many
years a leader in the business circles of this
 

JOHN G. GILMAN.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

211

 

 

city, active as a merchant, a manufacturer,
and a dealer in real estate. He was not an
aspirant for public office, but was elected to
the State legislature. His death occurred Oc-
tober 27, 1858.

Elizabeth Gardiner, who became the wife of
Captain Gilman in 1817, was the eldest child
of John and Mary (Jervis) Gardiner. Mr.
Gardiner was a wealthy shipping merchant of
Philadelphia. Mrs. Gilman was a lady of
Vivacious temperament and brilliant intellect,
and wrote freely in prose and verse. Her
social and family ties caused her to cherish
a warm interest in the Society of Friends,
and the adoption of their phraseology lent a
peculiar charm to her conversation and letters.
Her fascinating qualities of mind and heart
insured the warm esteem of all who knew her.
She died April 30, 1838, aged thirty-eight
years.

By this union Mr. Gilman had seven chil-
dren: Nathaniel G., who died July 30, 1891,
aged seventy-three years; John Gardiner, the
subject of this sketch, and Elizabeth Frances,
who lives with him; Charles Jervis, a former
member of Congress from Cumberland Dis-
trict, State of Maine, a resident of Brunswick,
Me.; William Henry, a Yale graduate, who
practised law fer a while in Dayton, Ohio, and
died in Exeter, June 3, 1860; Gardiner, who
is unmarried, and lives with his brother and
sister in Exeter; and Nicholas, a brilliant and
popular young man, who was graduated from
Harvard with honors, and whose death, which
occurred soon after, on October 31, 1854, was
a crushing blow to his father. Mr. Gilman’s
second wife was Lydia Colton, of Springfield,
Mass., who died in 1872, in her sixty-sixth
year. She had no children.

John Gardiner Gilman was prepared for col-
lege at Phillips Exeter Academy, but did not
take a college course, preferring to enter on
his business career at once. In 1852 he went
to Philadelphia, where he was in business
twenty-five years, and had charge of an estate
left to his mother by her father. He returned
to Exeter in 1878; and, since the death of his
brother Nathaniel, he and his brother Gardiner
have had charge of the large estate left by their
father. This property includes large tracts of
timber and arable land, and the brothers are

*

 

engaged in genera] husbandry on an extensive
scale. Mr. Gilman is a Republican in politi-
cal preference. He carries the burden of his
years gracefully, and appears much younger
than he is.

tO 0 oe

o>} LIPHALET CHASE BROWN, one of
the leading citizens of Epping, was
born in this town, July 11, 1833.
A son of Benjamin and Lydia (Chase) Brown,
both natives of Epping, he belongs to two of
the oldest families of the locality. His pater-
nal grandfather, Ezekiel Brown, a native of
Epping, who was a_ Revolutionary soldier,
died in 1816. Benjamin Brown, a son of
Ezekiel, was also born in Epping, and resided
there all his lifetime. He was a wholesale
and retail merchant; and, with his teams de-
livering goods in all parts of the surrounding
county, he was very well known in the dis-
trict. A very busy man, he yet was always
ready to help the general good, and found time
to discharge the duties of Captain of a militia
company. His death occurred in 1839, when
he was in the prime of life; and his funeral
was the largest ever seen in Epping. His
wife was a daughter of Eliphalet Chase, of
Epping, and was of the fourth generation of
her family in the town, and of the sixth gen-
eration in the county.. Her great-great-great-
grandfather was a resident of Hampton, this
county; her great-great-grandfather was a
resident of Stratham, this county; and her
great-grandfather, James Chase, resided in
Epping. Her grandfather, Josiah Chase, was
born in this town. She bore her husband two
sons and three daughters. Of these Ezekiel
Burley Brown died in 1862, while serving in
the Union army. One daughter, Rebecca C.,
the wife of John G. Ordway, is living.
Eliphalet Chase Brown, familiarly addressed
as Chase Brown, received his early education
in the schools of Epping. Being rather deli-
cate in health, he was not sent to work as
early as was customary at that time. After
he attained his majority, he engaged in farm-
ing, which he still pursues. He has dealt
largely in real estate, and the land on which
some of the leading factories of Epping are
erected was sold by Mr. Brown. Though he
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ty
=
ta

 

is now nearing his sixty-third milestone on
life’s journey, his good health gives promise
of its prolongation for many years more.

In 1855 Mr. Brown was married to Mary,
daughter of David H. and Annie (Webster)
Safford, of Amesbury, Mass. Mrs. Brown was
educated in Amesbury and Epping. She had
three children, namcly: George, the eldest,
who had entered on a promising career as a
merchant in Epping, but died at the age of
twenty-four; Annie E., whose death occurred
when she was but three and a half years old;
and Frank W., who is now a student at Tilton
Seminary. Mr. Brown is interested in poli-
tics, voting the Republican ticket, but not as
an aspirant to office. His wife is a prominent
member of the Relief Corps in Epping. Both
attend the Congregational church. In their
pretty home they preserve many heirlooms;
and during the World’s Exposition in Chicago
fifteen pieces of their rare china, which has
been in the family for two hundred and fifty
years, were on exhibition.

DRIC A. WADE, M.D., a highly
skilled physician and surgeon of Salem
Depot, N.H., is a native of Ballard-
vale, Mass., having been born May 18, 1851,
a son of Asel M. and Marian O. (Noble)
Wade. His father was a native of Rhode
Island, and his mother of Maine. Concerning
the early representatives of the family in this
country, little is known save that they were
of English descent. Asel M. Wade was for
many years identified with the cotton and
woollen manufacturing business, principally
in Lawrence, Mass. He died in 1889.

The boyhood of Edric A. Wade was chiefly
spent in Lawrence. He received his prelimi-
nary education in the common and high schools
of that place, then for about two years attended
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at
Boston. In 1876 he matriculated in the Med-
ical School of Harvard University, from which
he was graduated in June, 1879. Shortly
after, in 1880, he opened an office here at
Salem Depot, Rockingham County, and is now
enjoying a successful and lucrative practice.
Dr. Wade is a member of the Harvaid Medical
Association and of the New Hampshire State

 

 

.

 

Medical Society. He belongs to the United
Order of Pilgrim Fathers at Salem Depot, in
which he holds the position of Medical Exam-
iner. In politics he has always been a stanch
Republican.

He married Miss Mary J. Scruton, daughter
of Tobias Scruton, of New Hampshire; and
three children have been born to them —
Harold R., Ethel B., and Norman S. Dr,
Wade is the possessor of one of the finest
homes in this section.

 

-

 

DWIN D. RAND, a resident of New
Castle, was born in the town of Rye,
this county, May s, 1843, a son of
David L. and Mary S. (Yeaton) Rand. He
is a descendant of one of the earliest families
to settle in this part of the Granite State.
His paternal grandfather, John Rand, who
lived and died in Rye, was a well-known
farmer, and noted for his potato crops, which
generally exceeded those of his neighbors both
in quality and quantity. John Rand married
Sidney Lang, a native of Lee, Strafford
County.

David L. Rand, also a native of Rye, ob-
tained his education in that town and at
Phillips Exeter Academy. He subsequently
learned the carpenter’s trade, at which he
worked until his death, which occurred when
he was but thirty-two years of age. He mar-
ried Miss Mary S. Yeaton, a daughter of Hopley
and Lydia (Foye) Yeaton, respectively natives
of New Castle and Rye. Three sons were
born of their union; namely, Francis W.,
John A., and Edwin D. Francis W., who
enlisted for service in the late war in the
Ninth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry,
died defending the Union. John A. is mar-
ried, and now lives at Portsmouth, N.H.

Edwin D. Rand was educated in the district
school, and afterward worked on the home
farm until eighteen years of age. His patri-
otic ardor was then aroused by the call for vol-
unteers to suppress the rebellion of the Slave
States, and he enlisted in the Seventh New
Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He was in
active service until August, 1865, when he
was mustered out, having been with his regi-
ment three years and ten months. He was a
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

participant in eighteen pitched battles, besides
several minor engagements; and by brave con-
duct on the field he won promotion from the
rank of private to that of Corporal, Sergeant,
Sergeant-major, and finally to that of Captain
of his company, for which he received the com-
mission on January 1, 1865, at Wilmington,
N.C. After his return from the war he was
employed in the Portsmouth navy yard for sev-
eral years, for the greater part of the time in
the capacity of foreman of the engineering
department.

Captain Rand was married in 1872 to Miss
Elizabeth T, C. White, a daughter of Albert
H. and Frances (Yeaton) White, both lifelong
residents of New Castle, and representatives of
prominent pioneer families of this part of the
county. Politically, the Captain has always
been identifed with the Republican party, and
cast his first Presidential vote in 1872 for
General U. S. Grant.  Public-spirited to a
high degree, he takes a lively interest in the
welfare of his ‘town. He has been a member
of the Board of Selectmen for the past two
years. He isa Knight of Pythias, belonging
to Wentworth Lodge, No. 22, of New Castle;
and an esteemed Comrade of Storer Post, No.
1, Grand Army of the Republic.

 

oF

EORGE A. PERKINS, formerly one
of Portsmouth’s esteemed citizens,
was born August 3, 1842. He was

a son of Elias Perkins, who was the father of
ten children, all now deceased except Langdon
M. Perkins. Mr. Perkins received his educa-
tion in the common schools of Portsmouth,
and remained beneath the parental roof-tree
until twenty-two years of age. He then
bought the business of one of his brothers,
who had a substantial ice trade. This he car-
ried on until 1867, after which he and his
brother, Langdon M., under the firm name of
the Portsmouth Ice Company, continued it for
five years. At the end of that period, in
1873, the firm was dissolved, after which Mr.
Perkins alone supplied ice to his numerous
patrons until the time of his death, which oc-
curred on January 8, 1889.

In his political relations Mr. Perkins was a
consistent Democrat, and for two years he ably

a

 

213

served the city as Alderman. «He was a prom-
inent member of Osgood Lodge, No. 48, and
of Strawberry Bank Encampment, No. 5, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, had filled
all the chairs in each organization, and was a
delegate to the Grand Lodge. A member of
the Knights of Honor, he served as Dictator
of the lodge, and as a delegate to the Grand
Lodge. He was likewise an active member
of Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias,
all the chairs of which he had occupied. He
also belonged to the State Cavalry, in which he
held the rank of Sergeant. In religion he was
a working Christian, and a conscientious mem-
ber of the Calvin Baptist Church, to which his
widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins, still belongs.
He took an earnest interest in religious enter-
prises, and gave his encouragement and finan-
cial support to the Young Men’s Christian
Association when it was first organized.
Naturally benevolent and generous, he gave
liberal donations toward charitable purposes,
and for some time supplied the Cottage Hospi-
tal and the Old Ladies’ Home with ice, free
of charge. He was temperate in every re-
spect, pure and clean in thought and habit,
both his public and private life being above
reproach. Domestic in his tastes, he found
his chief pleasure at the family fireside, where
he hospitably welcomed his many friends, and
where his influence is still felt.

Mr. Perkins was united in marriage, May
25, 1869, with Elizabeth A., daughter of
Richard Rothwell, of Dover, N.H., where her
ancestors lived for many years. Mrs. Perkins
was educated at the Dover High School, re-
maining with her parents, who had a family
of ten children, until her union with Mr.
Perkins. She is a woman of many estimable
qualities, and shared with her late husband
the respect of the community.

 

OSEPH P. SIMPSON, the well-known
Supervisor of the town of Greenland,
was born here, August 24, 1826, son of
John and Comfort (Haines) Simpson.

John Simpson, his grandfather, was born at
sea, while his parents were coming hither
from Ireland. John Simpson, Jr., the father
of Joseph P., was also a native of Greenland.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

He was a Democrat in politics, and prominent
in town affairs, serving as Selectman and
Tewn Treasurer. His wife, whose maiden
name was Comfort Haines, a native of the
same town, had several children; namely,
Charles, Catherine, John A., Sarah P., Au-
gustus, Mary, Nathaniel, Fila, Elizabeth,
Joseph P., and Susan. Nathaniel, Joseph,
and Susan are the only living members of this
large family. The father died in October,
1862, in the eighty-first year of his age. His
wife passed away in 1875, in her eighty-
seventh year. The remains of both were in-
terred in the Greenland Cemetery. They
were highly respected members of the Congre-
gationalist church.

Joseph P. Simpson was born upon the home
farm, and there resided until 1865, when he
moved to the farm he now owns and occupies.
This estate contains seventy-five acres, which
he utilizes for general farming. He has also
worked at the carpenter's trade. He served
three years in the militia, one as Captain and
two as First Lieutenant. Mr. Simpson has
been Selectman for four terms, and he has
been Supervisor for the past sixteen consecu-
tive years. He is an influential member of
the Democratic party. ;

On May 13, 1868, Mr. Simpson was united
in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Frink, sister of
J. S. H. Frink. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson have
one daughter and two sons, namely: Mary F.,
who is unmarried, and lives at home; John S.,
who is an electrician; and Joseph O., at pres-
ent studying in Dartmouth College.

 

EV. EDWARD G. SMITH, pastor

of the First Congregational Church

of Epping, N.H., was born in Mon-

mouth, Me., October 21, 1839.

He is a son of Jacob G. and Jane (Tilton)

Smith. His father, who is now an octogena-

rian, has been engaged in agriculture since his

boyhood. He has been prominent in local

affairs, serving on the Board of Selectmen six-

teen years. Mrs. Smith passed to the world
beyond in 1854.

The Rev. Edward G. Smith’s

spent on his father’s farm.

early education in private

boyhood was
He acquired his
schools near his

‘like period.

 

home, and attended Monmouth Academy, after-
ward teaching for four years in this institution
and in neighboring schools. After being
graduated from the seminary at Bangor, he
was ordained in 1871, and installed as pastor
of the church at Mattapoisett, Mass., which
was under his charge about four years and a
half. His next pastorate was at Essex, Mass.,
where he remained two years; and from there
he went to North Leominster, Mass. Here
he built a neat and substantial church; and,
after four years and a half of conscientious
and unremitting labor, he was placed in
charge of the church at Sharon, which he re-
modelled and greatly improved. Mr. Smith
was six years at Sharon, and was then called
to Saugus, Mass., where he remained for a
In 1893 he assumed the duties
of his present charge, and under his ministra-
tions the congregation has steadily increased.
Mr. Smith is a zealous and persistent worker,
and endeavors to better his charges temporally
as well as spiritually. He is an able preacher,
filled with the enthusiasm which comes from
a firm belief in the doctrines which he
preaches.

Mr. Smith was married, May 30, 1871, to
Miss Ella H. Greeley, a native of Levant,
Me., and daughter of Jacob Greeley, of Salis-
bury, N.H., who was related to Horace
Greeley. Mr. Smith has one son, Eugene
Greeley Smith.

Though a pronounced Republican and an
enthusiastic admirer of Thomas B. Reed, Mr.
Smith is not active in politics. He is always
ready to aid the cause of education, and served
on the School Committee in Monmouth and
on the School Board in Saugus during the
greater part of his pastorate there. He be-
longs to the’ Masonic Order, and Mrs. Smith
is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

 

ONATHAN A. LANE, one of Ray-
mond’s_ well-to-do farmers, was born
upon the farm he now occupies, De-
cember 3, 1832, son of Jonathan and

Betsey (Lane) Lane. The first representative
of the family in America of whom there is any
information was Andrew Lane, who became a
resident of Hingham, Mass., about 1639.
 

LANE.

JONATHAN A.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

217

 

 

William. Lane, who came from England in
1651, was the first to establish his residence
in Raymond, having previously been a resident
of Boston; Mass. William was twice married,
and reared a family of seven children. Jona-
than A. Lane is a direct descendant of An-
drew Lane. Andrew’s son, John Lane, who
was born February 16, 1685, married Mary
Libby, of Rye, and was lost at sea. John’s
son, David Lane, who was great-grandfather
of Jonathan A., reared five children. Of these
David Lane, Jr., a native and lifelong resi-
dent of Raymond, who was accidentally killed
at the age of thirty-six years, married Mary
Morris, and was the father of three children —
Jonathan, Daniel, and David.

Jonathan Lane was born in Raymond. As
his father died when he was but eight years
old, he was obliged to look out for himself
before reaching his teens.
he managed his own affairs with a knowledge
and judgment that would have done credit to
a much older person. Having inherited the
homestead farm, he conducted it successfully,
and was besides largely interested in lumber-
ing. In the latter business he was also abie
to make money by cutting and hauling the
stumpage after felling the standing timber.
He was one of the most enterprising business
men of this section for many years. In the
State militia he held the rank of Major, and
was commonly addressed as Major Lane. He
was a Whig in politics, and he served the town
in the capacities of Tax Collector and Select-
man for several years. By his death, which
occurred in July, 1870, when he was seventy-
one years old, the community lost one of its
most useful and respected members. He mar-
ried Betsey Lane, a native of Chester, N.H.,
who by him became the mother of eight chil-
dren. Of these there are living: Olive, the
wife of Richard Clough, of Raymond; Mary
J., the wife of Isaiah Young, of Deerfield, this
county; Julia, who married Tracy Clough, of
Ashby; and Jonathan A., the subject of this
sketch. Both parents attended the Congrega-
tional church, of which the father was an
active member.

Jonathan A. Lane was educated in the com-
mon schools of this town and of Chester, Vt.
Since he came into possession of the home

At the age of ten’

 

farm he has carried on general husbandry upon
a large scale, according to the most advanced
methods. He keeps ten head of choice cattle,
four horses, thirty sheep, and makes his own
butter. The estate contains three hundred
acres of land. Besides this he owns seventy-
five acres located elsewhere.

On December 14, 1868, Mr. Lane wedded
Helen Maria Moss, daughter of Hazen Moss,
of Chester, N.H.; and he has a daughter,
Mamie F., who is residing at home. In poli-
tics he is a Republican. He has served with
ability as a member of the School Committee.
In his religious views he is a Congregation-
alist, and has been a member of that church
for some years. A portrait of Mr. Lane is
presented with this sketch.

 

EORGE BOSS, who is. successfully
engaged in business as a_ provision
dealer in the city of Portsmouth, is a
worthy representative of the German element
of New England. He was born July 7, 1855,
at Kirdoff-by-Hamburg, in Hesse-Nassau, Ger-
many, a son of William Peter Boss, who was
born in the same place. The father spent his
life in the place of his nativity, being em-
ployed as a forester for a score of years. This
appointment, which is bestowed for life by the
town officials, gave him the jurisdiction of five
thousand acres of woodland, in which he had
to oversee the cutting of the timber and super-
vise the cultivation; for in some parts of the
Fatherland portions of the forest have to be
tilled. He died while still in the prime of
manhood, being but forty-five years of age.
He had married Margaret, daughter of John
Werheim, of the same village; and, of their
family of four sons and a daughter, the sons
are all living.

George Boss acquired a high-school educa-
tion in his native land, where he lived until
fifteen years old. Coming then to America,
he found employment in New York City,
where he remained for three or four years.
The first year he was a clerk in the Thompson
Market, afterward occupying the same position
in the Washington Market for eighteen
months, and the next few months was em-
ployed by a Mr. Burke of the same city. In
218

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

1874 Mr. Boss came to Portsmouth, and fora
little more than a year worked on the farm of
Mr. John Elwize. Desirous of establishing
himself permanently in some congenial occu-
pation, he started his present business in 1876,

and from a modest beginning has won an ex-_

tensive and lucrative trade. He buys live
stock, and does his own slaughtering. In the
selection of beeves and other animals he is
particular, and in the care of his meat gives
his personal attention, having always a choice
selection for his customers.

Mr. Boss was married December 2, 1882, to
Minerva, daughter of Jonathan Varrel, of Rye,
N.H.; and they are the parents of one child,
a son named Victor G. In politics Mr. Boss
is a stanch Democrat, and takes an intelligent
interest in municipal] affairs, having capably
served two terms as a member of the Common
Council. He belongs to Massasoit Tribe, No.
16, Improved Order of Red Men, and relig-
iously is a conscientious member of the Ports-
mouth Congregational church.

 

EE PICKERING, an __ enterprising
farmer and an ex-Representative of
Newington, was born here, May 30,

1818, son of Thomas and Lydia (Low) Picker-
ing. His grandfather was John C. Pickering.
Thomas Pickering was also a native of New-
ington. He was united in marriage to Miss
Lydia Low; and they had five children,
namely: Thomas, who went to California in
1849, and died there in 1852; Richard, who
died in 1860; Mary lives in the town of New-
ington, being now in her eightieth year; Gee,
the subject of this sketch; and Elizabeth, who
became Mrs. Joshua Pickering. The father
was a Colonel in the War of 1812.

Gee Pickering, after receiving his education
in the district school, went to Nantucket,
Mass., and was there’ apprenticed toa carpen-
ter. While here his remuneration was his
board and forty dollars a year. He subse-
quently worked at the trade in that town, in
Fal] River, and in Boston. He spent twelve
years in Boston, after which, in 1847, he came
to Portsmouth, and remained there two years.
In the spring of 1849, attracted by the news
that gold had been found in California, he em-

 

barked on the steamer ‘‘Crescent City’’ at
New York, and went to San Francisco by the
Isthmus of Panama route. The journey lasted
about two months, and among the passengers
was Mrs. John C. Fremont. Mr. Pickering
went prospecting to the. mines for six weeks;
then worked claims near San Francisco and
San Diego, improving the time to the best of
his ability until his return to the East in 1852.
He then, in Boston, resumed work at his trade,
which he followed for ten years. He again
returned to Portsmouth for a short time.
Going subsequently to Newington, he bought
a farm, and lived upon it until 1877. In this
year he moved to the farm which he now occu-
pies. This property covers seventy acres.
The other farm, containing forty acres, he
still owns, and there carries on general
farming. In politics he supports the Dem-
ocratic party. He has acceptably filled the
office of Town Clerk for two terms, and he
also served in the capacity of legislative Rep-
resentative.

On July 1, 1863, Mr. Pickering and Miss
Sophia DeRochemont were united in mar-
riage. They have one daughter, Helen, a
graduate of the Portsmouth High School and
Wellesley College, who is rising to distinction
as a teacher in the Manchester High School.

OODBURY SEAVEY, one of the

oldest native residents of Rye, was

born June 10, 1815, son of John L.

and Sidney S. (Seavey) Seavey. His geneal-
ogy is traced back to William Seavey, one of
the original settlers of this part of the county,
who came from England in 1623. Locating
on territory now embraced in Rye, then a dense
wilderness, he made a clearing, erected a log
house, and subsequently reclaimed a farm from
the surrounding land. Here he reared his
family and made his home for the remainder
of his life. From his son, William, Jr., who
was born in the log cabin, sprung the branch
of the Seavey family to which Woodbury
Seavey belongs. Amos Seavey, the next in
line of descent, was a farmer, and spent his
life in Rye. He cleared a portion of the Jand,
and built the house now occupied by his great-
grandson, Woodbury Seavey. Of the children

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

219

 

reared by him and his wife, their son William
was the grandfather of Woodbury.

Grandfather Seavey, who was an industrious
and thrifty farmer, served in the Revolutionary
War, having been Lieutenant of a company
stationed at Fort Constitution. He married
_Martha Trefethen, and of their nine children
John L. was the youngest child. The grand-
father was a man of prominence and influence
in the community, which he faithfully served
as Selectman for twenty consecutive years.
John L. Seavey, also a native of Rye, followed
the occupation of farmer. During the War of
1812, not having been drawn in either of two
drafts, he then enlisted as a volunteer. His
wife, Sidney, who was born in Rye, daughter
of Joseph and Martha (Patten) Seavey, reared
him six children. These were: Woodbury,
William, Sidney L., Anne Elizabeth, John
W., and Caroline B. William died in 1824.
Anne E. married Albeit Dow, of Rye; and
they with their children have since passed
away. Sidney L. married O. Jenness, of this
town, and has become the mother of five chil-
dren -- John W., Rufus, Minerva, Annie, and
Florence. John W. Seavey married Emily
Seavey, and they died at about the same time.
Caroline B. is the wife of William Mathes,
and has one child, Willis.

Woodbury Seavey obtained his education in
the public schools of his native town and a
thorough knowledge of agriculture on the home
farm. After having assisted his father on the
homestead for many years, he removed to
Portsmouth, where he was engaged in farming
for some time. In November, 1888, Mr. Sea-
vey returned to the homestead, and thereafter
managed it successfully until a few months
ago. The home of his childhood is the home
of his old age. He is a stanch Republican in
politics, having been identified with this party
since its formation. He cast his first Presi-
dential vote in 1836, for Martin Van Buren,
the candidate of the Democrats of that time.
He has served the town in the offices of Select-
man, Treasurer, and Collector.

On February 21, 1839, Mr. Seavey married
Martha A. Philbrick, daughter of Joseph and
Martha B. (Knowles) Philbrick. Mrs. Seavey
is of pioneer stock on both the paternal and
maternal sides. Her father, a son of Jonathan

 

Philbrick, was one of the many descendants,
scattered throughout the country, of the Phil-
brick who came with Sir Richard Saltonstall]
to America, and located in Salem, Mass. Her
mother was a daughter of Nathan Knowles, a
representative of a New England family whose
founder settled in Rye prior to the Revolution.
Mr. and Mrs. Seavey have three children —
Anginette, John L., and Sarah EK. Anginette,
who lives at Stratham, N.H., is the wife of
Joseph G. Barnard, and has one son, Herbert
S. John L., a resident of Greenland, this
county, married Fanny N. Goodall, and is the
father of three children — Sarah U., Helen L.,
and Gladys. Sarah FE. married James L.
Tarleton, and lives in Boston.

 

 

(vues H. GLIDDEN, a prosper-
ous farmer and stock raiser of Brent-
wood township, was born June 13,
1834, at Tuftonboro, Carroll County, son
of William B. and Drusilla (Pendexter) Glid-
den. William B. Glidden was a native of this
State, born October 3, 1810, in the town of
Alton, Belknap County. He was bred to a
farmer's life; and after some years spent in
the place of his nativity he removed to Tuf-
tonboro, where he continued at farming for
atime. From there he went to Dover, where
he remained until his death, January 10, 1842.
He married Drusilla Pendexter, who was born
in Dover, N.H. She survived him and was
again married, becoming the wife of Ibenezer
Morrison. She spent her last years in Tufton-
boro, dying April 28, 1845. Of her union
with Mr. Glidden two children were born —
William H. and Nathaniel B. The latter was
married successively to Hannah F. Hall and
Emma Davis. :
William H. Glidden was educated in the
district schools. After the death of his father,
which occurred when he was quite young, he
made his home for six years with Eli Hurd,
of Alton. He then worked for two years in
the employ of Peter Stackpole, of Tufton-
boro, after which he spent two years learning
the shoemaker’s trade in Dover. Thereafter
he was employed in a cotton-mill until the
breaking out of the late Civil War. In 1861
he enlisted in Troop I, First Battalion, New
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

te
tw
Oo

England Cavalry, under Captain John L.
Thompson and Lieutenant Arnold Wyman.
\With his comrades he was sent South, the
larger part of his time being spent on Virginia
soil. While there he was an active participant
in many of the more important engagements,
and had some thrilling experiences. At one
time his horse was shot from under him. He
was discharged January 4, 1864, by reason of
re-enlistment same date. At the expiration
of his second term of enlistment he was finally
discharged, being mustered out at Cloud’s Mills,
Va., July 15, 1865. For meritorious service
he was promoted to the ranks of First Corporal
and First Sergeant, and received the commis-
sion of Second Lieutenant with his discharge.
Returning then to the Granite State, he con-
tinued his residence in Strafford County until
November 5, 1865, when, he went to Tufton-
boro, and there engaged in agricultural
pursuits for twelve years. Coming then to
this county, he bought a farm in the town of
Epping, where he lived for a year. His next
removal brought him to Brentwood township,
where in 1879 he purchased the estate then
known as the Kimball farm. This has been
his residence since. The property contains
one hundred acres of land, which he has
managed most successfully, adding valuable
improvements, and placing much of it in a
high state of cultivation. Mr. Glidden carries
on various branches of agriculture, and is much
interested in stock raising, besides keeping a
smal] dairy, from which he sells milk.

On December 10, 1855, Mr. Glidden was
married to Mary E. Hall, who was born Decem-
ber 15, 1828, in Strafford County. She is a
daughter of John Hall, a farmer who spent his
life in that county. Mr. and Mrs. Glidden
have an adopted son, Frank S., who married
Annie G. Miles, and now lives at Brentwood

Corner. In politics Mr. Glidden is an active
member of the Republican party. He has
served acceptably as Selectman for three

years, as Road Agent for two years, and
for the past four years has been one of the
Board of Supervisors. He is a member of
Sullivan Lodge, No. 19, A. F. & A. M., of
Epping; and of the Keenesboro Grange, No.
172, of Brentwood, in which he now holds
the office of Master.

 

DWIN J. GODFREY, an enterprising
contract shoe manufacturer of Candia
Village and a veteran of the Civil
War, was born in this town, September 8,
1839, son of Jason and Hannah (Dudley)
Godfrey. The family descends from early
pioneer ancestry. Mr. Godfrey's great-grand- |
father, Jonathan Godfrey, served as a soldier
in the Revolutionary War; and his grand-
father, Nathan Godfrey, was a sturdy farmer of
Hampton, N.H., who died in that town at an
advanced age.

Jason Godfrey, son of Nathan, was a native
of Hampton, and was there reared to farm
life. He was an energetic and industrious
man, whose active period was spent -in tilling
the soi] and asa tanner. Hedied February 3,
1887, aged seventy-three years. He served
as a Captain in the old State militia, acted
with the Republican party in politics during
the latter years of his life, and in his relig-
ious views was a Free Baptist. He married
Hannah Dudley, who was born and reared in
Brentwood, N.H., and she became the mother
of eight children, five of whom are living,
namely: Albert M., a resident of Candia;
Mary S., wife of J. H. Foster, of this town;
Alice M., wife of Frank Frisbee, of North
Andover, Mass. ; Samuel D., who occupies the
old homestead; and Edwin J.

Edwin J. Godfrey, the subject of this sketch,
acquired his education in the common and high
schools of Candia; and after finishing his
studies he was employed as a cutter for three
years at Dudley’s shoe factory in Candia. He
subsequently followed shoemaking in Haver-
hill, Stoneham, and Lynn, Mass. ; and in 1861
he enlisted as a private in Company B, Second
Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, under
Captain Simeon G. Griffin and Colonel Gil-
man Marston, of Exeter, for three years’ ser-
vice in the Civil War, and participated in the
first battle at Bull Run. He contracted
malaria, on account of which he was finally
discharged from the army; and the disease so
undermined his health as to prevent him from
engaging in any laborious occupation. Upon
his return from the service he resumed his
connection with the shoe manufacturing busi-
ness, carrying on a shop of his own in Candia,
where he conducted a prosperous enterprise.
EDWIN J.

 

GODFREY.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

223

 

He is now producing misses’ and children’s
spring-heeled shoes for Haverhill _ parties,
turning out an average of twenty cases per
week, which requires the services of seven
hands.

On June 21, 1861, Mr. Godfrey was united
in marriage with Harriet M. Dearborn, of
East Candia, the ceremony occurring after his
enlistment in the service, being performed by
the Rev. E. M. Hidden at the Congregational
church, in the presence of as many of his fel-

low-townsmen as could be accommodated
within the edifice. Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey
have had four children, two of whom are

living, namely: Oscar M., who is now em-
ployed as book-keeper for the Davis & Furber
Machine Company of North Andover; and
Harry E., who is residing at home.

In politics Mr. Godfrey supports the Repub-
lican party. He has served as Town Clerk for
one term, was Moderator for four years, and
has refused other offices. He is a comrade of
David B. Dudley Post, No. 79, Grand Army
of the Republic, of which he was Commander
for four years. In his religious vicws he isa
Free Will Baptist.

 

DWIN G. EASTMAN, of Exeter, the
} present Attorney General of New
Hampshire, was born in’ Sullivan

County, November 22, 1847, son of William
H. and Paulina (Winter) Eastman. The fam-
ily was founded by Roger Eastman, who came
from England in 1642. Benjamin Eastman,
a native of Concord, N.H., and a tanner by
trade, was great-grandfather of Edwin C.
Eastman. His son, Benjamin, Jr., who was
born in Fryeburg, Oxford County, Me., in
1788, learned the trade of tanner, but subse-
quently became an itinerant Methodist preacher
in Vermont and New Hampshire. He died in
1858, at the age of seventy years. His son,
Charles G., a graduate of the University
of Vermont and a man of decided literary
ability, was the proprietor and publisher of the
Montpelier (Vt.) Argvs, and also an author
of some note. Charles G. Eastman died in
Montpelier in July, 1860. William H.
Kastman, the father of Edwin G., and a native
,of Barnard, Vt., was born in December, 1815,

 

son of Benjamin and Mary (Gamage) Eastman.
He was a local preacher of the Methodist
Episcopal church, but retired from the minis-
try, and resided for a time upon a farm in
Grantham, Sullivan County. He married
Paulina S. Winter; and they had one child,
Edwin G. Mr. William H. Eastman, now
an octogenarian, is a resident of Lisbon, N.H.

Edwin G. Eastman lived on the home farm
until be was sent to Kimball Union Academy
to be fitted for college. After being graduated
from Dartmouth College in 1874, he read law
with Judge Carpenter, now one of the judges
of the New Hampshire Supreme Court in
Bath. Soon after Mr. Eastman’s admission to
the bar he came to Exeter, this county, where
he has been in practice ever since. For four-
teen years he was associated with General Gil-
man Marston, under the firm name of Marston
& Eastman. Since 1890 he has been a mem-
ber of the firm of Eastman, Young & O'Neil.
He is a Republican in politics, and has served
one term in each chamber of the State legis-
lature. Mr. Eastman was County Solicitor for
four years, and in 1892 he became Attorney
General. He is also a Director in the Exeter
Banking Company and a Trustee of the Five
Cents Savings Bank.

Mr. Eastman has been twice married. The
first marriage was contracted March 14, 1877,
with Elma EK. Dodge, of Newport, N.H. She
died in October, 1880, at the age of twenty-
eight, leaving a daughter, Helen M., who is
now a student in Robinson Seminary. Five
years later, on March 16, 1885, Mr. Eastman
entered a second marriage, contracted with
Morgie Follansby, of Exeter. They have
two children— Ella F. and Edwin Winter
Eastman.

 

+t.

EV. HENRY EMERSON HOVEY,
Rector of St. John’s Church at Ports-

mouth, was born in Lowell, Mass.,
November 23, 1844. He prepared

for college in the Lowell public schools, and
entered Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., in
1862, graduating near the head of his class in
1866. Thereupon he at once entered the Gen-
eral Theological Seminary in New York City,
and was graduated from that institution in
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

1869, being ordained Deacon in the same year.
Shortly after his graduation he went abroad,
spending much of his time at Oxford, England.
He passed the period of his diaconate as Rec-
tor of St. John’s Church, Fort Hamilton, in
New York Harbor. Shortly after his advance-
ment to the priesthood, which took place in
1870, he was elected Rector of the Church of
the Ascension, Fall River, Mass. He had
charge of this large parish until 1872, when he
accepted the rectorship of the then new and
struggling parish of St. Barnabas, Brooklyn,
N.Y. Here he remained ten years, declining
all other offers. In 1883 he left St. Barnabas
parish firmly established and a_ centre of
power and influence in the Eighteenth Ward
of that great city.

In 1880 Mr. Hovey took a vacation on the
continent of Europe. In 1882 he was simul-
taneously offered the rectorship of the Ameri-
can Episcopal Church in Geneva, Switzerland,
and that of St. John’s and Christ Churches in
Portsmouth. He chose the latter, and came
here in February, 1883. His work here since
is well known. In that time St. John’s
Church has been largely restored and beauti-
fied; St. John’s Guild, now so fruitful in
good works, has been organized; Christ Church

has been placed in a position to maintain:

itself and to dispense with Mr. Hovey’'s ser-
vices in all but the honorary capacity of Rec-
tor Emeritus; and the Cottage Hospital has
been founded and partially endowed, Mr.
Hovey being President of this corporation, as
well as that of the Children’s Home.

In 1884 the Rev. Mr. Hovey delivered the
address of welcome on behalf of the citizens of
Portsmouth to the Greely party coming from
the Arctic regions, and in 1885 the civic ora-
tion at the local commemoration of the death
of General Grant. He was elected a Trustee
of the Faith Home in this city in the last-
mentioned year, a Trustee of St. Mary’s Di-
ocesan School at Concord jn 1885, in 1887 a
member of the Board of Instruction here, and
in 1893 President of the New Hampshire So-
ciety of the Sons of the Revolution.

With the multifarious duties connected
with these various offices, with the care of a
large parish and the management of two Sun-
day-schools, with the calls made upon his time

 

by the Cottage Hospital and the Children’s
Home — which institutions, though wholly un-
sectarian, naturally look to him for many of
their services—and with a large amount of
other work quite outside of his parochial rela-
tions, the Rev. Mr. Hovey is probably as busy
aman for seven days of the week as there js
in our community.

A man of wide reading, of strong convic-
tions, and of generous sympathies, an accurate
scholar, an admirable organizer, a stanch
churchman, and an affectionate rector, the
people of St. John’s may well be proud to
follow his leadership. As a preacher Mr.
Hovey is unusually simple, direct, and logical.
His sermons, graphic, tender, earnest, are
entirely free from sensationalism; yet he holds
the hearer’s attention from the first word to the
Jast. No doubt the hope expressed by many
is the wish of the townspeople generally — that,
so long as he lives, he may remain the incum-
bent of the venerable parish of St. John’s. In
1871 Mr. Hovey was married to a remote
cousin, Miss Sarah Louise Folsom, daughter
of the late Charles J. Folsom, of New York
City.

 

ILBERT P. HOYT, Treasurer of the
town of Newington, was born there
on February 6, 1826, son of Hanson

and Olive (Coleman) Hoyt. William Hoyt
was the grandfather of Gilbert P. Hanson,
a son of William, followed farming throughout
his adult years. A Democrat in politics, he
was prominent in the affairs of town and State.
He served the town as Selectman for fifteen
or twenty years, and he was elected Represent-
ative to the State legislature five times. He
married Olive, daughter of James and Nancy
(Piper) Coleman. Their children were: Sarah,
Gilbert P., Jackson, Charlotte F., an un-
named child that died in infancy, Joseph S.,
James W., and Thomas B. Sarah, the widow
of Colonel Isaac Frink, resides in this town.
The father died many years ago, and the
mother in 1890. Their remains were interred
in the village cemetery.

Gilbert P. Hoyt attended district school,
remaining with his parents until he was nine-
teen years of age, when he began life for him-
BIOGRAPHICAL

REVIEW 225

 

 

self. or six years thereafter he was engaged
in farming. At the age of twenty-five he went
to Great Falls, Strafford County, where he was
employed in foundries for seven years. Mr.
Hoyt then moved to the farm now occupied by
his brother, Thomas Benton. In the centen-
nial year he went to Greenland as superin-
tendent of the town farm, which position he
held for four years. He was then called to
the responsible superintendency of the farm
of St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Concord.
At the end of five years he retired to this farm
of seventy acres, where he has since carried on
general farming. Mr. Hoyt is an active mem-
ber of the grange. Beginning in 1865, he
served as Representative for two years in the
State legislature. He is at present Town
Treasurer, which office he has held in all for
about six years. In politics he is a Democrat.

In 1861 Mr. Hoyt and Miss Elizabeth La
Gro joined hands and hearts at the altar. She
was a native of Rochester, N.H. They had
two children, namely: Addie J., the wife of
Charles Mitchell, of Dover, N.H.; and
Chauncy B., who is a member of the firm of
Hoyt & Dow of Portsmouth. After the
mother's death the father married Mrs. Louisa
(Norton) Fabyan.

Mr. Hoyt, who has a commendable amount
of public spirit, has been ever ready to help
all well-considered enterprises designed to
serve the public.

 

 

ANIEL MACDONALD, the popular
janitor of the Portsmouth High

9) School, was born March 17, 1830,
in Inverness, Scotland. He emi-
grated with his parents to Cape Breton Island,
Nova Scotia, when he was seven years old.
Nine years later, at the age of sixteen, he com-
menced a seafaring life on an English vessel
in the merchant service. Landing at Boston
some three months after, he has resided in the
States ever since. For two seasons he was
a Newburyport fisherman, after which he went
to Seabrook, N.H., where he engaged in shoe-
making for two years-more. Going thence to
the Isles of Shoals, he was employed as a boat-
‘man by the Hon. Thomas B. Leighton. On
(September 16, 1852, he came to Portsmouth,

 

 

 

 

6

 

where he has been more or less engaged for
thirty years in the calkers’ gang of the mer-
chant service, and also in the navy yard. En-
listing in the United States Navy in 1862, Mr.
Macdonald served on the ‘‘Ossipee,’’ ‘‘Aga-
wam,’’ and ‘‘Circassian.’’ While aboard the
‘““Agawam’’ on the St. James River, he shared
in what is described as a ‘‘continuous engage-
ment’’ for sixteen months, serving as_ first-
class fireman. After he was discharged in
April, 1865, he came home, and worked at in-
tervals in the navy yard for a number of years.
For over twelve years he was intrusted with
the responsible position of bank watchman.
He served on the police force from 1881 to
1885. He also served as watchman of the
Portsmouth Shoe Factory for a number of
months, at the end of which failing health
compelled him to resign. On February 12,
1891, Mr. Macdonald was appointed janitor of
the high school in this city, and has accept-
ably filled that position to the present time.
In politics he is an Independent with a lean-
ing to the Republican party.

In 1854 Mr. Macdonald was united in mar-
riage to a daughter of John P. and Olive Mar-
den, of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald
have had ten children, of whom a son and a
daughter are living — Allen, the son, resides
with his father; and the daughter, who is mar-
ried, lives in this city. Mr. Macdonald is a
member of Osgood Lodge, No. 48, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, and belongs to
Strawberry Bank Encampment, having passed
all the chairs. He has also affiliation with
the Union Veterans’ Union of Portsmouth.
He attends the St. John’s Episcopal Church,
of which his wife isa member. His faithful
discharge of his duties in the various responsi-
ble posts he has held has well earned the
confidence placed in him.

 

oo+——

ESSE P. MARSHALL, a retired car-
riage manufacturer of Kingston, now
living on his home farm, was born
in this town, May 19, 1829, son of

James and Mary (Dudley) Marshall. Mr. Mar-
shall’s paternal grandparents, James and Lydia
(Eaton) Marshall, removed from the vicinity
of Boston, Mass., to Landaff, Grafton County,
226

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

N.H., at an early period of its settlement, and
there reared their family and spent their re-
maining days.

James Marshall was but a boy when he
came to Rockingham County in search of em-
ployment. An industrious and ambitious lad,
with an aptitude for mechanical work, he
learned the trades of blacksmith and carriage-
maker. When a young man he established
himself in the latter business, and was there-
after successfully engaged in it until his death,
April 7, 1858. His wife, who was born in
Brentwood, this county, died in Kingston,
November 30, 1874, having survived her hus-
band many years. They had six children, as
follows: Moses I*., deceased, born June 27,
1813, who married Susan Bartlett, also de-
ceased; James F., born October 18, 1815,
who married Mary M. George, both now de-
ceased; Samuel C., born May 20, 1818, now
living in the village of Kingston, who married
Adeline Hurd; John P., born August 11,
1823, who married the late Caroline E. Clem-
ent, of Claremont, N.H., and has been a pro-
fessor in Tufts College, Medford, Mass., since
it was founded; Mary S., born September 18,
1825, who died July 26, 1826; and Jesse P.,
the subject of this sketch.

Jesse P. Marshall attended an academy until
nineteen years of age. He took up the car-
riage-maker's trade, and also engaged in
farming. He continued engaged in the manu-
facture of carriages for many years. While in
the carriage business he travelled through
various parts of the country as salesman, re-
taining many of his father’s customers for
more than forty years. In 1890 he retired
from business, and is now living on his pleas-
ant farm. The estate contains one hundred
and forty acres of land. Most of the impor-
tant improvements, which have made it one of
the most valuable properties in this Vicinity,
were made by Mr. Marshall. During the late
war he was drafted for service in the army,
but was rejected as a soldier. In politics he
isa stanch Republican. He is deeply inter-
ested in educational matters. He has served
on the School Committee, was for several
years a Trustee of Kingston Academy, and is
now a Trustee of the Sanborn Seminary. Al-
though never an active politician, he repre-

 

sented Kingston in the State legislature of

1864-65.
Mr. Marshall was married December 26,
1858, to Miss Sarah Frances Nichols, a

native of this town, born November 7, 1837.
Mrs. Marshall’s father, Oliver P. Nichols,
was a lifelong resident of Kingston; while his
wife, whose maiden name was Eliza Robinson,
was born and reared in the town of Brentwood.
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall became the parents of
three children, namely: Carrie Frances, born
April 21, 1860; Nellie Perry, born August 18,
1861; and Mary Florence, who was born May
13, 1863, and died September 10, 1865. The
mother passed away October 25, 1885. Since
then Mr. Marshall's daughters have had charge
of the household affairs.

 

OSEPH L. ELKINS, M.D., the oldest
practising physician in New Market,
N.H., was born in this town, Novem-
ber 19, 1834, son of Deacon Joseph and

Lucy (Low) Elkins. Deacon Joseph Elkins,
who was a native of Gilmanton, N.H., born
March 27, 1797, was a brick and stone mason
by trade, a first-class workman, ambitious and
enterprising, who in the latter part of his life
was very successful as a contractor and builder.
He settled in New Market in 1826, and he was
employed for many years by the New Market
Manufacturing Company. Many of the build-

ings in this town were erected by him, and in

Salmon Falls also there are standing to-day
many samples of his handiwork. In_ politics
he took an active interest, casting his maiden
vote with the Whigs, supporting the Free Soil
party during its existence, and voting last
with the Republicans. He was Deacon of the
Congregational] church in New Market for a
number of years. He died in this town,
March 16, 1860, sixty-three years of age.
Deacon Elkins was twice married. By his
first wife, Mary Low, born June 30, 1795, he
had three children, one of whom, Mary, died
as she was entering her teens. The others are
living, namely: Mrs. Rebecca Tapley, in
Marlboro, Mass. ; and Mrs. Lucy J. Staples, in
Dedham, Mass. His second wife, Lucy Low,
born August 15, 1793, lived to be seventy-four
years of age, passing away in 1867.
 

J. LOW ELKINS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

229

 

 

Joseph L. Elkins, who was her only child,
received his early schooling in New Market,
subsequently attending Phillips Exeter Acad-
emy. He entered Dartmouth College in 1853
as a member of the Sophomore Class, and was
graduated in the class of 1856. To qualify
himself for his profession he took up the study
of medicine with Dr. William Folsom, of New
Market, and later took a course inthe Medical
Department of Dartmouth College, graduating
in 1859; and the following winter he attended
a course of lectures at the Harvard Medical
School. July 1, 1860, he opened an office in
New Market, where he has now been in active
practice thirty-six years. Entering on his pro-
fessional work with an enthusiasm born of
love for his chosen vocation and a strength
gained from a thorough technical training, Dr.
Elkins soon built up a large practice; and he
holds his own to-day among the younger phy-
sicians. He is gifted with considerable abil-
ity as a business man, and has been very
successful in financial matters.

June 4, 1863, he was united in marriage
with Francena Dearborn, of New Market,

daughter of George and Martha (Garland)
Dearborn. Mrs. Elkins was born March 12,
1840. Dr. and Mrs. Elkins had one son,

George A., who was born September 12,
1868, and died September 28, 1871. They
now have a boy living with them, William
G. Rich.

Dr. Elkins votes the Democratic ticket.
He is actively interested in town affairs, 1s
often called upon to preside as Moderator at
the town meetings, and has held the office
of Justice of the Peace several terms. In edu-
cational matters especially he is a moving
spirit, and at present he is Superintendent of
the School Board. Dr. and Mrs. Elkins are
prominent members of the Congregational
church.

 

ALLACE P. MACK, an extensive

fruit grower of Londonderry, N.H.,

and a manufacturer of evaporated

apple, was born in this town, November 7,

1863, son of Andrew W. and Frances A.

(Preston) Mack. Representatives of the Mack

family have resided in Londonderry for over
*

 

one hundred and fifty years; and its original
founder in America was John Mack, a native
of the North of Ireland, of Scottish ancestry,
who, with his wife, Isabella Brown, emigrated
in 1732, and became one of the early settlers
here. Andrew, son of John, and Robert son
of Andrew, Mr. Mack’s great-grandfather and
grandfather, respectively, were natives and
lifelong residents of Londonderry, and were
prominent among the stirring men and suc-
cessful agriculturists of their day. Andrew
Mack married Elizabeth Clark, daughter of
Robert Clark, who came to Londonderry about
1725.

Robert Mack was for upward of half a cen-
tury a Justice of the Peace in this town. He
also served as a Selectman and as a member
of the New Hampshire House of Representa-
tives. He was one of the original projectors
of what was known as the Mammoth Road,
built in 1831, which was for many years the
stage thoroughfare between Concord, N.H.,
and the cities of Lowell and Boston, Mass.;
and he was one of the original Directors of
the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad. For
many years he occupied a leading position in
the business enterprise and political affairs of
Londonderry, and he lived to be eighty-six
years old.

Andrew W. Mack, son of Robert and Ann
(Clark) Mack and brother of the late Robert
Clark Mack, the historian, was born in Lon-
donderry, and became one of the prosperous
residents and conspicuous public men of his
day. He served as a member of the Board of
Selectmen, was Town Clerk, and represented
this district in the legislature, having been
originally a Whig, but later supporting the
Republican party. He was a member of the
Presbyterian church here, and continued ac-
tive in its affairs until his death, which took
place in 1877. His wife, who was before
marriage Frances A. Preston, was born in
Danvers, Mass., in 1830. Of her children
two are living, namely: Wallace P., the sub-
ject of this sketch; and Anne B., who resides
in this town. Mr. Mack’s mother still sur-
vives, and is residing in Londonderry.

Wallace P. Mack was educated in the com-
mon schools of Londonderry and at Pinkerton
Academy. He conducts general farming with
230

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

energy and success, having a very desirable
piece of property; and his well-tilled fields
and pleasantly located residence constitute one
of the handsomest and most inviting appear-
ing homesteads in this town. He makes a
specialty of raising small fruits, and is like-
wise engaged in the manufacturing of evapo-
rated apple, a business which has proved
exceedingly prosperous. He now has_ the
largest evaporating plant in the State.

Mr. Wallace P. Mack and his wife, Mrs.
Harrict L. Pillsbury Mack, daughter of Colo-
nel W. S. Pillsbury, are the parents of three
children — Lillian W., Lavinia P., and An-
drew R.

In local public affairs Mr. Mack takes an
active interest, and for a number of years has
served as Chairman of the Board of Super-
visors. He is highly esteemed as a liberal,
public-spirited citizen, who occupies a promi-
nent social position, is connected with. the
Knights of Pythias of this town, and is a
member of the Presbyterian church.

 

 

of Portsmouth, was born in Notting-

eel
ql RUE W. PRIEST, a well-known citizen
—- ham, this county, October 19, 1835,

 

son of Thomas J. and Harriett (True) Priest.

The father, who was also born in the town, re-
sided there all his lifetime, engaged in farm-
ing. and died at the age of forty-two years.
He served the town for a time as Selectman,
and was prominently connected with the Bap-
tist denomination. He married Harriett True,
a daughter of Nathaniel True, of Chichester,
N.H.; and they had seven children, six girls
and one boy.

True W. Priest, the eldest child of his par-
ents, obtained his education by attending the
common school and subsequently private
~ schools. He afterward spent three years
learning the machinist’s trade at the Amos-
keag machine shop in Manchester, N.H. He
was then employed by the New Jersey Cen-
tral Railroad as locomotive engineer upon
a train running from Elizabethport, N.J.,
to Easton, Pa. In 1861 he enlisted in the
United States Navy at Portsmouth, and served
in the engineer’s department for three years.
He was on the “Kearsarge” during the en-

 

gagement with the “Alabama,” having charge
of the fire and the hot water hose. From
1864 to 1868, he was occupied in the navy
yard. After leaving the service he worked
as engineer and machinist. He was then
employed by the Rensselaer & Saratoga Rail-
road Company as foreman of the shops at
the Vermont end of the road, and served in
that capacity for eight years. In 1876 Mr.

Priest returned to Portsmouth, and opened a
saloon, which he has since successfully con-
ducted. In politics he is a Democrat. He
has been a Councilman for one year and Alder-
man, representing Ward 2, for two years.

Mr. Priest has membership in St. John’s
Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M.; Washington
Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons; Osgood
Lodge, No. 48, Independent Order of Odd

Fellows; Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of
Pythias; Massasoit Tribe, No. 16, Red Men;
Knights of the Golden Eagle, in which he is

Past Master; Storer Post, Grand Army of the

Republic, in which he is serving for the

second term; Kearsarge Veterans, serving for

the second time as Captain;, Portsmouth

Lodge, No. 97, Benevolent and Protective

Order of Elks; and in the Knights of Honor.

On January 2, 1866, Mr. Priest was united

in marriage to Elizabeth H. Wendell, of
Portsmouth. They have two promising chil-

dren-—H. Gertrude and Oliver W. The
daughter is attending the Cowles Art School |
in Boston, and has shown considerable ability,

painting in water colors and oil, and model-
ling in clay. The son is attending Smith’s,
Academy in Portsmouth.

 

AVID S. CLARK, M.D., a skilful
physician and surgeon and _ promi-
© nent citizen of the town of Derry,
N.H., was born in August, 1824,
in Limington, York County, Me., son of
Nathaniel and Mary (Small) Clark, both na-
tives of the same county.
Nathaniel Clark was the son of Ebenezer
Clark, who spent his entire life in Vork
County, Maine, and was an active participator
in the pioneer work of building up and im-
proving the county, his father having been
one of the original settlers of that locality.

 

 

 

 

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

231

 

 

Nathaniel Clark, the Doctor’s father, was a
practical and progressive agriculturist and
one of the best-known and most influential
citizens of his day. For sixteen consecutive
years he represented the town of Limington
in the State legislature, was State Senator for
a time, served most acceptably as a member
of the Governor’s Council, was a member of
the Board of Selectmen of Limington for a
long period, being Chairman of the Board for
twenty years, and for a large part of his life
served as Justice of the Peace. His death in
1849 closed a life of remarkable activity and
usefulness, and was a cause of universal regret
to his wide circle of warm friends and ac-
quaintances. Of his children three are now
living, as follows: Dr. David S. Clark; Abbie,
widow of the late Judge Lord, of La Crosse,
Wis.; and Statira Staples, widow of the late
George W. Lakin, for many years a prominent
attorney of Milwaukee, Wis.

When about eleven years of age David S.
Clark removed with his parents to Danville,
Me., where he lived for a number of years.
After leaving the district schools he continued
his studies at the Lewiston Falls Academy;
-and he was then engaged in teaching during
the winter terms for several seasons, being
employed in various towns in that part of his
native State. In this way he accumulated
sufficient money to pay his expenses while
preparing himself for the medical profession.
While teaching he began to read medicine
with Dr. Charles Millett, of Lewiston Falls,
Me.; and he continued to study with him three
years, in the mean time attending lectures at
the Castleton Medical College, where he ob-
tained his degree of M.D. in 1854. The fol-
lowing winter Dr. Clark spent in New York
City, where he devoted himself closely to the
study of his chosen profession, attending the
old College of Physicians and Surgeons, the
old University of New York, and the New
York Medical College, three noted institu-
tions, and in addition took a special course in
clinics. During the late Civil War the Doctor
was commissioned as Assistant Surgeon of the
Fifty-ninth Maine Volunteer Infantry, and for
a number of months was with the Army of
the Potomac, being with General Grant at the
siege of Petersburg. In 1864 Dr. Clark lo-

.

 

cated in Derry, this county, where he has
since been successfully engaged in the prac-
tice of medicine and surgery. During his
thirty and more years of residence in this
town he has won in an eminent degree the
confidence of the people of the community,
both professionally and socially, and is held
in high regard by all. He is a valued mem-
ber of the New Hampshire Medical Society.

Dr. Clark was married in 1855 to Miss
Mary Latham, who has borne him six chil-
dren, namely: Walter Stanton; Carrie, wife
of Edward Pettee, of New York City; Mabel;
Howard, a resident of Haverhill, Mass. ; Her- °
bert G., of Hartford, Conn.; and Sylvia, who
lives with her parents.

 

ERBERT BEANE DOW, a popular
dealer in stationery, picture frames,
and musical instruments, member
of the well-known firm of Hoyt &
Dow, of Portsmouth, was born in Newington,
Rockingham County, N.H., on March 30,
1865. His parents were Isaac and Abby W.
(Beane) Dow. The Dows are an old family
in Newington, and Herbert B. is a descendant
in the eighth generation of the Pickerings,
who were prominently associated with the
early history of the colony. Isaac Dow has
been a contractor and builder in Newington
and Portsmouth for some years. He has been
employed by the government in the Ports-
mouth navy yard, and also in other places, but
is now, in his seventy-first year, living the
life of a retired gentleman in Newington. In
politics he is a Republican, has served the
town as Selectman, and has also been a Rep-
resentative to the State legislature. His wife
was a daughter of Ruel Beane, of Milton,
Mass. They had two children, the youngest
of whom, Greenleaf Clough, died at the age
of five years.

Herbert B. Dow was graduated from the
Portsmouth High School in the class of 1884.
On leaving school he found employment as
clerk with DeMerritt & Burnham, lumber
dealers, having yards in Dover and Durham,
where young Herbert had general charge of
their business. In 1888 he resigned that po-
sition in favor of his present partnership.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

te
oO
Nw

Like his worthy father, he is a Republican in
politics, and, as he says, a strong one, prob-
ably because it is not in the Dow constitution
to vield half-allegiance to any cause. He is
at present (1896) a member of the Board of
Registration, having been appointed by the
State legislature. In 1895 he was a member
of the Common Council from Ward 2. He
is an active politician, taking a great interest
in party issues. He is a member of Damon
Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias, and also
Lucullus Division, Uniform Rank, Knights
of Pythias. In the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, where he has held the princi-
pal chair, he is Past Exalted Ruler, and is at
present officiating as Treasurer. Mr. Dow is
an Episcopalian in religion, being a member
of Christ Church, of Portsmouth, and has been
Vestryman for a number of years.

 

 

ANIEL M. BOYD, an honored and
respected citizen of Londonderry,
born here, April 23, 1856, is a son
of Mason and Mary (Dodge) Boyd.

His father, who is no longer living, was a na-

tive of Londonderry, and his mother, of Eden,

Vt. William Boyd, grandfather of Daniel

M., was the son of an early settler of the

town, a soldier of the Revolutionary War.

His son Mason was educated in the district

schools of Londonderry, and, although unable

to pursue his studies beyond the common
branches, subsequently by an intelligent course
of reading kept himself well informed on the
general topics of the day. In politics he was

a Republican and in religion a member of the

Presbyterian church. He served as Appraiser

of Property, and for two terms represented the

town of Londonderry in the State legislature.

He was one of the prime movers in securing

the erection of the soldiers’ monument in this

town, a work reflecting great credit on all who

were interested in promoting it. He was a

stirring, energetic man, and acquired a valu-

able estate; and by his death in September,

1890, Londonderry lost one of her best and

truest citizens. His widow, Mary Dodge

Boyd, now in her sixty-fifth year, is living

on the old homestead. She is identified with

the Presbyterian church. Five of their chil-

 

 

 

 

8)

dren are living, namely: Martha J.; Abbie
E., wife of Frank Crowell; Maria W.; Emma
D., wife of Frederick Young; and Daniel M.
Another child, George H., has passed away.

Daniel M. Boyd, the youngest surviving
child, grew to manhood in Londonderry, and
received his education in the public schools of
this town. He married Miss Hattie Mullins,
a daughter of Simon Mullins, of Londonderry.
In the spring of 1896 he wes elected Road
Agent for Londonderry. Both he and his
wife are members of the Londonderry Grange,
and are well known and highly esteemed in
this locality. In politics Mr. Boyd is a-Re-
publican.

 

 

PHRAIM A. WILEY, a much respected
citizen and prosperous agriculturist of
Londonderry, is a native of Lynn-

field, Mass., born December 20, 1817, a son
of Samuel and Lucy (Tapley) Wiley, both
parents being natives of Massachusetts. Left
fatherless at five years of age, Ephraim A.
Wiley came to Londonderry to live with his
uncle, Ephraim Avery, and remained with
him until about sixteen years of age, receiving
his education in the public schools of the
town. He then learned the trade of a shoe-
maker, which he followed for a number of
years, being employed by different firms suc-
cessively. Since then he has been engaged in
farming; and his homestead consists of two
hundred acres of fine farming land, a large
proportion of which is under good cultivation
and yielding profitable returns. On Septem-
ber 16, 1841, Mr. Wiley was married to Miss
Nancy A. Blood, by whom he has been the
father of seven children, those now living
being: Charles and George B., residents of
Haverhill, Mass. ; and Martha E., the wife of
Jobn P. Hardy, of Derry Depot, N.H. On
September 16, 1891, Mr. and Mrs. Wiley
fittingly celebrated their golden wedding at
the homestead. A year and a half later, on
February 29, 1893, the devoted wife, who had
been the husband's helpmate and counsellor
for over half a century, was called to the home
beyond, leaving behind her a wealth of love
and affection and many friends to mourn her
| loss. Mr. Wiley is a notable example of the

 
 

EPHRAIM A. WILEY.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

235

 

 

self-made man, successful and public-spirited,

and enjoying the respect and confidence of all
who know him.

 

EKORGE H. GUPTILL, M.D., a ris-
ing pbysician and surgeon of Ray-
mond, was born September 5, 1864,
son of Albert W. and Addie J. (Roberts)
Guptill, of Berwick, Me. The family is of
English origin. Moses Guptill, the paternal
grandfather of George H., was a farmer of
Berwick. He married Mary Goodrich, and
had six children, of whom the only survivor is
Albert W. The maternal grandfather, George
Roberts, a native of North Berwick, Me.,
who was a painter by trade, married Miss
Susan J. Cotton, of Laconia, Belknap County,
and became the father of an only daughter,
Addie J. In politics he was a Whig. Seven
years of his life were passed in Minnesota,
where he filled a number of public offices.
He served three years in the Civil War with
the Seventh Regiment of -New Hampshire
Volunteers. He took part in a number of en-
gagements, and was taken prisoner and confined
in Andersonville aud Libby Prisons. He died
in January, 1892, sixty-nine years of age.
Albert W. Guptill, who resides in Berwick,
Me., his native town, is there engaged in
farming, which calling he has followed since
early manhood. He and his wife, Addie Tes
are the parents of five children, all living,
namely: George H., Ernest L., and Oscar Iss
all of Portsmouth, N.H.; Florence M., the
wife of Arthur Hall; and Susie, who is still
attending school. The father is a Democrat
in politics and an Adventist in religion.
George H. Guptill, M.D., received his pre-
liminary education in the common schools,
Sullivan High School, and Berwick Academy.
He subsequently entered the Maine Medical
School; and, pursuing his studies with zeal
and industry, he was graduated in the class of
1888. That same year he settled in Raymond,
opened an office, and has been in active prac-
tice here since. Some time ago he erected a
modern residence. He is a member of the
New Hampshire Medical Society, an associate
physician of the Eliot Hospital at Manchester.
He has also membership in Junietta Lodge,
*

 

No. 47, Independent Order of Odd Fellows;
in the United Order of the Golden Cross,
Pawtuckang Lodge, No. 437, of which he is a
Past Commander; in the Patrons of Hus-
bandry; and in~Lamprey Lodge, No. 40,
Knights of Pythias, of which he is Past Chan-
cellor. His political principles are Demo-
cratic, and he has served three years on the
School Board.

Dr. Guptill has been twice married. His
first wife, Nellie M. (True) Guptill, a daugh-
ter of F. B. True, of Raymond, died May 29,
1892, leaving a son— Bernard Bailey, born
June 30, 1891. Dr. Guptill was married to
his present wife, Lizzie C. (True) Guptill,
daughter of Frank and Ellen (Poore) True, on
February 12, 1896.

 

2-2 > ——____

EV. JOHN CANNING, pastor of St.
Michael’s Catholic Church of Exeter,

N.H., was born in Hamilton, Scot-

land, son of John and Mary (Ham-

ilton) Canning. His father, John Canning,
aman of means and leisure, was a lifelong res-
ident of Hamilton, living to the age of four-
score years and five. John Canning’s wife
died in her native land at the age of seventy-

three. They reared four of six children, two
sons and two daughters. .The daughters,
Mary and Margaret, are living with their

brother, Father Canning; the son, Hugh, who
is a civil engineer, resides in New York City,
is married, and has a family of seven sons.
Father Canning attended Blair’s College at
Aberdeen, Scotland, studied at Boulogne-sur-
Mer, France, and was a student at the Scots’
College, Rome, in 1861-62. His first parish
was at Alexandria, Renfrewshire, Scotland,
and the next in Stranraer, Wigtonshire.
Coming to this country in 1878, he went to
Portland, Me., and was placed in charge of the
Machias Church. Four years later he was
made pastor of St. Michael’s, Exeter, which
has now been under his wise direction fourteen
years. His immediate predecessor was Father
Power, who followed Father Lucey. The
latter, who was a man of frail constitution but
energetic spirit, a zealous and conscientious
worker for the advancement of his church,
built besides St. Michael’s Catholic Church at
236

Lewiston, Me., that of Salmon Falls, N. H.,
that of Great Falls, now Somersworth, and
another. He died at Exeter. The church of
St. Michael, which was erected some twenty
years ago, is a modest brick structure of
Gothic architecture, with the richest of stained
glass windows, bearing ornamental and his-
toric subjects. The interior finish is rich and
harmonious, and the statuary is in keeping
with the whole. Father Canning has under
his spiritual direction in Exeter and Newfield
a thousand souls. He is a strong man men-
tally and physically, and has won the love and
esteem of his parishioners and of many others
outside his special charge. A profound
scholar, his mind is stored with treasures of
old-world lore. His reminiscences of his stu-
dent days in the quaint old French seaport and
the Eternal City are linked with historic asso-
ciations connecting the present day with long-
past ages.

 

———

AMUEL 5S. GOVE, a respected
citizen and practical agriculturist of
Nottingham, born here on October
25, 1837, son of Jonathan and Lydia

(Norris) Gove, traces his ancestry through
seven generations back to the early Colonial
days in New England. John Gove, born in
old England, paid rent to the Crown in Lon-
don in the years 1646 and 1647, and shortly
after emigrated to America and settled in
Cambridge, Mass. He had married some
years before, and it is probable that he was
accompanied on his journey across the Atlan-
tic by his wife and children. He died in
Cambridge on April 28, 1679. Another John
Gove was an early settler in Charlestown,
Mass. His will, made in 1647-48, mentions
two sons, John and Edward. (See Wyman’s
Genealogies of Charlestown. )

Edward Gove, born in England, son of
John (of Cambridge or Charlestown), was
married, about the year 1660, to Miss Hannah
Titcomb. In 1661 Edward Gove and his wife
were residents of Salisbury, Mass. ; and five
years later they had established a home in
Hampton, N.H., where the remaining years
of their lives were passed. He died on July
29, 1691. They were the parents of a large

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

family of children, seven of whom Jived to
maturity and were married; namely, John,
Hannah, Abigail, Mary, Ebenezer, Sarah, and
Ann.

John Gove, eldest son of Edward, and the
next lineal descendant in this branch of the
family, was born in Hampton in 1661. He
and his wife Sarah had five children; namely,
Mary, John, Hannah, Jonathan, and Sarah.
Jonathan Gove, son of John and Sarah Gove,
was born in Hampton, N.H., on May 2, 1695.
He married first, in 1720, Miss Mary Lancas-
ter; second, in 1730, Hannah Wirthen. His
children by his first wife were: Lydia, John,
and Mary; and by his second wife: Hannah;
Nathan; Della; Hannah, second; Sarah; Jon-
athan, Jr.; Michael; Samuel; Richard; Eli-
jab; and Ann. :

“Two of his sons— namely, Jonathan Gove,
Jr., whose birth occured in Seabrook, N.H., on.
July 16, 1742, and Samuel — were the first of
the family to settle in Nottingham. They
came hither in 1765, and took up a large tract
of wild land, which they cleared and converted
into a goodly farm. Jonathan Gove, Jr., en-
gaged in farming until his death on May 209,
1832. He was twice married, his first wife
being Sarah Swett, and his second wife Ruth
Philbrick. There were three daughters —
Jane, Hannah, and Sarah — by the first union,
and seven sons and six daughters by the
second, namely: Jonathan; Elijah; Elias;
Olive; Mary; Samuel; Olive, second; Nancy;
Bradbury; Eleanor; Dolly; Caleb P.; and
Sherburn.

Samuel Gove, the fourth son of Jonathan,
Jr., was born in Nottingham, February 18,
1780. He became a_ sturdy, hard-working
farmer, and was highly respected by his towns-
men. In politics he was a Whig, and took a
deep interest in the welfare of the community
in which he lived. He served one term as
Selectman. He married Miss Sally Norris,
a daughter of Daniel Norris, of Raymond,
N.H., and settled on the old homestead in
Nottingham. But two of their children lived
to maturity. He died at the age of seventy-
two, and his wife at seventy-nine. They were
Congregationalists in religious belief.

Jonathan Gove, third, their eldest child,
was born in Nottingham on October 3, 1809.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

237

 

 

He remained with his parents, and after their
death continued to carry on the old Gove
farm, proving himself a practical farmer, and
commanding the confidence of his townsmen,
who showed their appreciation of his ability
by conferring upon him some of their highest
official honors. He was a member of the
Board of Selectmen four years, served as Mod-
erator at town meetings for many years, and in
1847 and 1848 was sent as a Representative to
the lower house of the State legislature. He
was married four times, but had no children by
his second and fourth wives. By his first wife,
Lydia Norris Gove, a daughter of Joshua Nor-
ris, of Centre Harbor, N.H., there was but
one child, Samuel S., that grew to maturity.
Mrs. Lydia N. Gove died on July 8, 1853; and
he married for his second wife Miss Cena
Tucker, of Loudon, Merrimack County, N.H.
By his third wife, Mercy E. Holman before
marriage, a native of Nottingham, he had one
son -— Frank W. Gove, born in 1868. The
father died on January 30, 1882, survived by
his fourth wife, Abby Osgood Gove, who was
born in Raymond, and who died in February,
1896.

Samuel S. Gove, whose name appears at the
head of this sketch, acquired his education in
the schools of Nottingham and in Chester,
N.H. He then went to work in a store in Ep-
ping, N.H., and later in Nashua, returning
from the latter place to the old homestead,
where he has since successfully carried on
general farming. He has about seventy-five
acres of land, about one-half of which is under
cultivation. In political affiliation Mr. Gove
is a Democrat. He is a member of the
Patrons of Husbandry.

On March 24, 1860, Mr. Gove was married

to Miss Sarah E. Fogg, a daughter of Joseph
and Hannah (Morrell) Fogg, of North Ber-
wick, Me. They have had three children, of
whom but one survives. Charles W., born
November 30, 1861, died in Florida on No-
vember 9, 1886, leaving a widow, formerly
Miss Emma A. Fifield, of Manchester, N.H.,
but no children. Carrie M. Gove, born Au-
gust 29, 1864, died December 30, 1884.
Fred L. Gove, the surviving son, born Decem-
ber 14, 1870, was married in 1892 to Miss
Leona B. Jennings, a daughter of George N.

 

and Mary E. (Dwinnell) Jennings, of Haver-
hill, Mass., and has two children — Marion
C., born April 7, 1893, and Charles W.,
born August 31, 1894.

 

 

ALTER S. CLEMENT, a_ well-
known and prosperous farmer and
milk dealer, and a representative

citizen of Derry, Rockingham County, N.H.,
was born in Salisbury, Merrimack County,
N.H., January 20, 1852, being a son of Jona-
than H. and Nancy M. (Smith) Clement.

Jonathan Clement, whose birthplace was
New London, N.H., enjoyed in his youth ex-
cellent educational advantages; and for several]
years in his early manhood he engaged in
school teaching. He subsequently for a quar-
ter of a century conducted a general mercantile
business at Salisbury, N.H.; and there he also
engaged in the wool industry and in the manu-
facture of shoes. The first-mentioned occu-
pation he later continued for several years
likewise at Concord, N.H. He was joined in
wedlock with Miss Nancy M. Smith, a native
of Unity, Sullivan County, N.H. Of the
children who sprang from that union, only the
three following survive; namely, Frances H.,
Walter S., and Nellie M. In politics Mr.
Jonathan Clement was a member of the Re-
publican party, the principles represented by
which he vigorously supported and advocated.
The learning which he acquired and rendered
profitable mainly through his own ambition,
energy, and application, made him an intelli-
gent man, his memory being exceptionally
well-trained and retentive. Mr. Clement
passed away in January, 1893, and his wife in
April of the same year.

Walter S. Clement spent his boyhood and
youth in his native county of Merrimack, and
in his twentieth year removed with his parents
to the town of Derry. Fortunate beyond the
average country lad in his educational privi-
leges, he learned his first lessons in the public
schools of Merrimack County, was next en-
rolled as a student at Pembroke Academy, and
later at Penacook Academy; and subsequently
he pursued a course of study at the Manchester
Commercial College, from which he was grad-
uated in 1871. Fora short time thereafter he
238

engaged in school teaching; and in 1879 he
settled on his present estate, where he has
been successfully occupied in general hus-
bandry. On his farm, which comprises one
hundred and forty acres, he raises the usual
crops grown on anew England farm, and also
conducts a milk business.

On September 24, 1879, Mr. Clement was
united in marriage with Miss Martha A.
Langmaid, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James
Langmaid, of Chichester, N.H. Into their
home have come five children; namely,. Rufus
W., James H., Clarence E., Ray A., and
Helen E.

Mr. Clement participates very actively in
local affairs, both civic and social, and he is
now serving his fellow-citizens in the respon-
sible capacity of Chairman of the School
Board. He is public-spirited, and is an ear-
nest and vigorous advocate of any object that
by judicious means seeks the promotion of the
general welfare, the development of the ma-
terial resources of the town, and the elevation
and improvement of society. In national
politics Mr. Clement is identified with the
Republican party; and religiously he is affil-
iated with the First Church of East Derry, in
which he fills the honored position of Deacon,
a capacity in which he has served for a number
of years. He is a well-known citizen, and
lives in the trust and esteem of all those who
are included in the circle of his acquaintance.

 

ILLIAM H. CROWELL, Town

Clerk of Londonderry, N.H., was

born in this town, December Il,

1844, son of Samuel and Hannah (Eastman)
Crowell. Samuel Crowell, who was a native
of Marblehead, Mass., came with his parents
to Londonderry when a boy, and was reared
and educated in this town. He was for many
years engaged in agricultural pursuits, resid-
ing on the farm now occupied by his son, and
some times in winter worked at shoemaking.
In politics he followed the march of progress,
and was in turn a Whig, a Free Soiler, and a
Republican. He died in Londonderry on
December 28, 1882. His wife, who was a na-
tive of Hollis, N.H., departed this life Janu-

ary 31, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Crowell |

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

were members of the Presbyterian church. Of
their children three are living: William H.,
whose name appears at the head of this article;
Hannah E., wife of Stephen A. Estey, of
Londonderry; and Sarah E., wife of John C.
Quimby, of Derry Depot.

William H. Crowell obtained his education
in the public schools of Londonderry, finish-
ing with the high school. He was nearly
twenty-one years of age when he entered the
cutting department of the shoe manufactory of
Warren Richardson at Wilson’s Crossing.
There he remained about three years, and then
entered the employ of Colonel W. S. Pills-
bury, shoe manufacturer at Derry Depot.
The fact that Mr. Crowell has now been em-
ployed by Colonel Pillsbury as cutter for over
twenty-six years in the same shop is strong
testimony to his ability and conscientious dis-
charge of duty. He owns a good farm of over
thirty acres; and, while working at his trade,
he has also been quite successful as a farmer.
He resided for a number of years in Derry,
returning in 1887 to the home of his boyhood,
the farm where his home now is.

Mr. Crowell was married, September 20,
1866, to Almira A. Parker, a native of Lon-
donderry, daughter of Edward and Mary R.
(Kendall) Parker. Her grandfather, Elder
John Parker, was a native of Litchfield, N.H.;
and her parents, who are now dead, resided
in that town for a number of years. Three
children have blessed the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Crowell: Nellie I.; Mary E., wife of
Daniel M. McQuesten, of Manchester, N.H.;
and Myron W. (deceased).

In politics Mr. Crowell is a Republican,
but he has the confidence and esteem of both
parties. He has now been in office as Town
Clerk for eight successive years, prompt and
efficient when called to act as a scribe, and
ever the faithful and courteous custodian of
the old records of the town, whose time-worn
pages contain matter of inestimable value to
the student of local history. Mr. Crowell be-
longs to a number of social orders, including
the A. F. & A. M., the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and the Pilgrim Fathers, being
a member of the lodges at Derry. Mrs. Cro-
well is an esteemed member of the Presbyte-
rian church.
 

JOHN L. TRUE.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

241

 

 

8 YRON RICHARDSON, an active
and enterprising business man of
Derry Depot, where he is en-
gaged in the manufacture of
staves, was born March 21, 1864, in the town
of Londonderry, son of William P. and Sarah
H. (Goodwin) Richardson. William M.
Richardson, his grandfather, born and reared
in Massachusetts, was the son of a Revolution-
ary soldier. He was himself a soldier in the
War of 1812, after which he settled in this
county. He located in the north-western part
of Londonderry, and there resided during the
remainder of his life.

William P. Richardson, who was a native
of Londonderry, grew to man’s estate in that
town. He worked at the blackgmith’s trade
in his earlier life; but he subsequently became
an extensive dealer in lumber, confining his
transactions chiefly to this county. At times
he had several mills in operation, manufactur-
ing lumber. He was a self-made and self-edu-
cated man, possessing much business ability.
He served for many years as Justice of the
Peace, being known throughout this section of
the county as Esquire Richardson. For sev-
eral years he was a trustee of the estate of the
late William Plummer, of Manchester, N.H.,
who had been a resident of Londonderry for
a short time. At his death, which occurred
in May, 1893, he left three children, namely:
Dr. William Richardson, of Londonderry;
Myron, the subject of this sketch; and Sarah,
the wife of Charles U. Annis, of London-
derry. One son, Harry, the first-born, died
at an early age. The mother, also a native of
Londonderry, is spending her widowhood on
the old homestead in Londonderry.

Myron Richardson obtained his early educa-
tion in the public schools of his native town,
afterward completing his studies in the Mc-
Graw Institute at Reed’s Ferry, Hillsborough
County. After attaining his majority he as-
sisted his father in lumbering and farming
until 1891, when he located in Derry Depot
as a dealer in lumber and building material.
Two years later, with characteristic enter-
prise, he established his present prosperous
business, that of manufacturing staves.
These, which are mostly intended for fish
barrels, are shipped to different markets by

?

 

the carload. His mill is further equipped
with a cider press, and in each fall since 1891
he has made large quantities of cider. He
gives employment to five or six men, and the
business is progressing. While residing in
Londonderry Mr. Richardson served as Deputy
Sheriff for four years. In Derry Depot he
served two years in the capacity of Town Con-
stable. He is a popular and active member
of the Democratic party. In 1892 and 1894
he was the Democratic nominee for State Rep-
resentative; and, notwithstanding that Derry
is a Republican stronghold, he ran ahead of
his ticket on both occasions, although he was
not elected. He is affiliated with the Odd
Fellows Lodge of Derry Depot.

On November 30, 1889, Mr. Richardson
married Miss Augusta R. Nutt, a native of
Manchester, daughter of Rodney and Ruany
(Call) Nutt, neither of whom is now living.
Mrs. Richardson is a_ half-sister of the late
Commodore Nutt, the celebrated dwarf who
travelled for many years with the late P. T.
Barnum. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson have one
son, an interesting and active little fellow
named Myron Harold, born March 4, 1895.

 

 

OHN L. TRUE, station agent and gen-
eral store keeper at West Epping, was
born in this town, January 26, 1832,
son of John and Sarah (Purrington)
True. His father, who was a _ native of
Chester, spent the active period of his life as
a prosperous farmer in this county. His
quiet, uneventful life was void of any desire
for public prominence, he preferring to devote
his time and energies to the cultivation of his
farm and the enjoyment of domestic felicity.
He won the sincere respect and good will of
his neighbors and fellow-townsmen; and at
his death, which took place in 1869, he was
mourned as a worthy man, and a useful, ex-
emplary citizen. He married Sarah Purring-
ton, a native of Epping; and she died January
4, 1877.

John L. True acquired a common-school ed-
ucation, and his youth was passed in tilling
the soil. At the age of twenty he left the
farm, and was employed at a rubber factory
for a year anda half. After this he engaged
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

te
i
te

 

 

in carpentering for a time, and later took
charge of a grist-mill, which he conducted for
about eleven years. In 1868 he was ap-
pointed station agent at West Epping, a posi-
tion he has since filled to the general satisfac-
tion both of the company and the public.
He also attends to the local business of the
American Express Company here. In 1871
he established a general store, in which he
carries on a profitable trade; and his business
is at the present time in a thriving condition,
In 1855 Mr. True wedded Harriet A. Til-
ton,’ daughter of Jonathan Tilton, a well-
known and worthy citizen of Fremont, N.H.
Mr. and Mrs. True have two children, namely:
Almon L., who is engaged in business with
his father; and Sarah E., wife of William C.
Brown. Mrs. True is a member of the Second
Advent Church. In politics Mr. True is a
Republican; and, although his business occu-
pies the greater portion of his time, he has
rendered good service to the town as a Se-
lectman, Supervisor, and Treasurer. He is
public-spirited and progressive, ever on the
lookout to advance the interests and develop
the resources of his locality, to which objects
he has given much of his time and influence.

 

 

LARENCE M. pe ROCHEMONT,

e) a prominent and highly respected

‘ resident of Newington, N.H., was
born on his father’s farm in this
town on December 18, 1850. His father was
Frederick W. de Rochemont, who was born in
Portsmouth, N.H., in 1804; and his paternal
grandfather was Maximillian J. de Rochemont,
who came from France to America in the year
1781.

The latter was a man of a broad and fine ed-
ucation, but, like most political refugees, was
very poor; and so he took up the profession of
teaching, which he followed for many years in
Portsmouth with great success. He also be-
came a translator for the merchants. He
afterward edited for a few years a journal,
The Political Star, by name. In the year
1804 he was married to Miss Sarah Ham
Moses, of the town of Portsmouth. By this
marriage he became the father of nine chil-
dren, of whom the eldest was Frederick W.,

 

the father of Mr. Clarence M. de Rochemont.
In 1823 Maximillian de Rochemont went
down South, and he was suddenly murdered
in New Orleans because of his pronounced
views on Abolition.

Mr. Frederick W. de Rochemont married
Miss Maria L. de Wit, a native of George-
town, Demerara, South America, where she
was born while her parents were sojourning
there in 1811. This lady is still living, and
is enjoying the best of health for one of her
age. She never wore glasses until 1891.
Mr. Frederick de Rochemont had gone to
South America at the youthful age of fourteen
years, and on his arrival went into a large
mercantile establishment there, and remained
in business until 1837, when he returned to
the United States. Soon after his return he
went into the business of fire insurance, which
he, and afterward his son, conducted until
1895. He had an office on High Street, Bos-
ton, about 1837. He purchased two home-
steads in Newington, one of seventy and the
other of eighty acres in extent. His son now
owns and lives upon the old homestead.

Mr. Frederick W. de Rochemont was Post-
master of Newington almost all his life, in
the old post-office which has been standing in
the town for over sixty years. He died April
14, 1885, at the age of eighty-one years. His
remains are interred in Newington cemetery.
He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and had served one term as Repre-
sentative, besides filling many smaller town
offices. He was the father of ten children,
namely: William H., born September 11,
1829, who died May 11, 1871; Charles J.,
born October 6, 1831, who died December 24,
1845; Sarah A., born September 28, 1833,
died May 18, 1850; Maria L., born Septem-
ber 13, 1838; Frederick W., born April rt,
1841; Amelia, born August 23, 1843, who
died October 15, 1869; Mary J., born May 7,
1846; Elizabeth J., born August 3, 1848;
Clarence M., born December 18, 1850, who
is the direct subject of this biographical
sketch; and Herbert T., born August 15,
1853.

Clarence M. de Rochemont attended the
district schools of the neighborhood in his
early years, and remained on the farm with
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

243

 

 

his father, taking entire charge of it when he
was but twenty years old. This has always
been his home, and he still lives here and
carries on general farming. He was married
on December 21, 876, to Miss Ella G. Wil-
son, of Wilson, N.Y. They are the parents
of six children, all of them living, namely:
Hetty W., born July 29, 1879; Henry M.,
born November 24, 1881; Percy E., born De-
cember 8, 1883; Fanny, born January 20,
1886; Allen C., born September 12, 1888;
and Margherita G., born December 6, 1890.

In 1872 Mr. De Rochemont started a cider-
mill; and a short time ago, in 1890, he added
a steam saw and grist mill. He is a mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity, also of the Odd
Fellows Society, and the Improved Order of
Red Men. In politics he is a Democrat, and
has been a Selectman of his native town sev-
eral different times. He is a member and
Deacon of the Congregational church, to which
his wife also belongs. He has been Town
Clerk, and has filled several smaller offices.
He and his wife are at the head of all social
life in the town of Newington, where they are
as much respected as they are admired.

 

ANIEL PICKERING PAUL, a suc-
cessful farmer of Newington, Rock-

9) ingham County, N.H., was born
in Eliot, York County, Me., on
August 8, 1841, the year when President
William Henry Harrison died. Mr. Paul’s
parents were Stephen and Mary Nelson
(Pickering) Paul. Stephen Paul, who was a
carpenter by trade, was a native of Eliot. He
came to Newington in 1861, and purchased
the farm of fifty acres upon which his son
Daniel resides. Stephen Paul married Mary
Nelson Pickering, and they had five children
—Mary Pickering; Drusilla Weare (de-
ceased); Daniel Pickering; Anna Elizabeth;

 

 

 

 

and Stephen Weston, who is a commercial —

man in Chicago. ‘The father died on the farm
in 1888, in the eighty-third year of his age.
Daniel Pickering Paul, after receiving a
good common-school education, began at the
age of fifteen years to learn the carpenter’s
trade, working with his father. He has always

lived on the home farm. In politics Mr. Paul

 

is influential in the ranks of the Democratic
party. He served the town one term as Se-
lectman, and in 1874 he was a Representative
to the State legislature.

Mr. Paul and Miss Sarah Maria Gerrish
were united in marriage in 1869. Of the four
children born to them, one, Stephen Knowlton,
died in infancy, and three — Sarah Drusilla,
Mary Gerrish, and Daniel Pickering, second,
unmarried — still reside at the parental home.

 

ANIEL G. ANNIS, who has been
a member for many years, in various
S capacities, of the town government
of Londonderry, N.H., and is now
serving his twelfth year as Collector, was born
in this place, January 25, 1839, son of John
and Delilah (Coburn) Annis.

His grandfather, Isaac Annis, was an old
settler of the town of Litchfield, Hillsborough
County, N.H., and was a soldier in the War
of 1812; and his father, John Annis, was a
native of Litchfield. John Annis in 1820
purchased a farm near North Londonderry,
where he made his home during the rest of his
life. He was a member of the old Whig
party and of its offshoot, the Republican
party. His death occurred April 22, 1871.
His wife, who was a native of Rockingham
County, died in 1853. Of the children born
to this couple five are living, namely:
Adaline, wife of John P. Wilson, of London-
derry; Martha C., wife of George W. Boyce,
of Napa County, Colorado; Joel C., in
Nashua, N.H.; Delia, wife of Dr. Jacob F.
Spaulding, of Salisbury, Mass. ; and Daniel G.

Daniel G. Annis, the subject of this sketch,
received his education in the public schools
of Londonderry and Pinkerton Academy in
Derry, at which he spent one term. Reared
on a farm, he engaged in the pursuit of agri-
culture until 1878, when he organized the
firm of D. G. & Rk. Annis, for the sale of gen-
eral merchandise and lumber, managing a saw-
mill in connection. The place of business
was North Londonderry. The firm carried a
successful trade for a number of years, and
was then merged into the corporation known
as Annis & Co., which finally became the
Annis Grain and Lumber Company, now one

 

 

 

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

of the best-known mercantile concerns in the
State. Mr. Annis was connected with the
enterprise some sixteen years, and was an im-
portant factor in its success. Since his with-
drawal from the corporation, in April, 1894,
his time has been occupied with his farm work
and his official duties. He has a good farm
of sixty acres, and has never lost his interest
in agricultural matters;.and he is a regular
attendant at the meetings of Londonderry
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, organized in
1875, of which he is a charter member.

Mr. Annis, who is a Republican, has been
actively interested in political matters since
he was qualified to exercise the right of suf-
frage; and he has been elected to a number of
offices of trust. He was four years Postmaster
of North Londonderry, Selectman of London-
derry two terms, and Chairman of the Board
one term, Town Clerk of Londonderry for a
number of years, and Town Treasurer; and he
held the office of Collector of the town ten
years in succession, from 1873 to 1883, and
was again clected in 1894, and has been in
office since.

Mr. Annis has been twice married. His
first wife, Mina, daughter of Samuel Gilcreast,
left one son, John S. His second wife,
Fanny, daughter of John W. Fling, of Lon-
donderry, has no children. In religious belief
he is a Presbyterian. A public-spirited and
enterprising citizen, he is an important mem-
ber of Londonderry society, and is widely
known and esteemed.

 

ALTER A. ALLEN, M.D., a rising
young physician of Hampstead,
Rockingham County, N.H., was

born in Boston, Mass., January 10, 1869,
son of George and Sarah A. (Collins) Allen.
Dr. Allen’s father was born in Plaistow,
N.H., December 1, 1838. Whena young man
he learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he
followed until some ten years since, when he
settled upon a farm of one hundred acres in
Hampstead, where he is now prosperously en-
gaged in general farming. He has always
been an exceedingly industrious man, stil]
continuing active and energetic, and is a useful
and highly esteemed citizen. In politics he

 

acts with the Republican party. His wife,
who was before marriage Sarah A. Collins,
is a native of Danville, N.H., and daughter of
Jonathan Collins of that town. Walter A.,
the subject of this sketch, is the only child of
their union. Dr. Allen’s mother is a member
of the Baptist church in Danville.

Walter A. Allen acquired his elementary
education in the common schools, advancing
by attendance at the high school, from which
he was graduated in 1885, and later taking
a three years’ course at Phillips Academy,
Exeter, N.H. His professional studies were
pursued at Dartmouth Medical College, Han-
over, N.H., from which he was graduated in
1892. About three years later, still further
qualified through experience obtained by
spending a year as assistant physician at the
State Hospital at Tewksbury, Mass., another
at St. Elizabeth’s, Boston, and a short time at
the Emergency Hospital in that city, he in
1895 located in East Hampstead, N.H., where
he has since continued to practise successfully.
He is well equipped both by education and
natural genius for the medical profession, and
his steadfast devotion to the arduous duties of
a country physician has already won for him
the confidence and patronage of a large number
of the inhabitants of this and the surrounding
towns.

On November 1, 1895, Dr. Allen was
united in marriage with Grace A. Roberts.
Mrs. Allen possesses many amiable character-

_| istics, which enable her to fill, with grace

and honor, the prominent social position she
now holds. Dr. Allen isa member of Gid-
eon Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 84, of King-
ston, N.H.; and in politics he supports the
Republican party.

 

RS. ELIZABETH JULIAN CON-

NER, a highly esteemed resident

of Exeter, N.H., belonging to

one of the first families of the

place, was born in this city, and has spent the

greater part of her life here. Her parents

were Luke and Abigail (Moses) Julian, who
were married in Exeter in October, 1832.

Mrs. Conner’s paternal grandfather was An-

drew Julian, a Spaniard who settled in Exeter
 

 
 

MARSHALL.

K

JOHN D
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 247

 

 

when a young man, and was married in 1803
to Mrs. Catherine Currier, of Portsmouth.
' Luke Julian, son of Andrew, and father of
Mrs. Conner, was a man of enterprise and
ability, prominent for many years in the busi-
ness world of Exeter. He was for some time
engaged in the manufacture of carriages, and
was subsequently in the wool business, being
at the time of his death one of the leading
wool merchants of the city. He was called to
rest from earthly labor March 3, 1877. Mr.
Julian was .not a man who sought political
perferment; but he was a public-spirited citi-
zen, always interested in the welfare and ad-
vancement of the community. His wife, who
likewise was a native of the Granite State,
passed away January 3, 1881.

Elizabeth Julian received her edueatinn: in
her native city, remaining with her parents
until the time of her marriage in 1865. Her
~ husband, Freeman Conner, was born and
reared in Exeter, and left that city when about
twenty-one years of age, going to Chicago.

Two daughters who were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Conner are living with their mother in
Exeter-— Blanche Julian and Lucy Bridge
Conner. Mrs. Conner has a pleasant home
in the historic New Hampshire city, and
enjoys the esteem of a large circle of friends.

 

OHN D. K. MARSHALL, of Lon-
donderry, a veteran of the Civil War,
and bearing as an honoring badge the
scar of a rebel bullet, was born in

Grafton, N.H., September 16, 1837. Heisa
son of Robert and Patience (Kilton) Marshall,
natives respectively of Hudson and Grafton.
Robert Marshall lived in Hudson unti] about
thirty years of age, when he moved to Grafton.
After a number of years spent here he re-
turned to Hudson, and lived there some thir-
teen years more. At the end of that period,
about the year 1854, he removed to London-
derry, settling in the southern portion of the
town, on the farm now occupied by his son.
This continued to be his home for the remain-
- der of his life, which closed February 8, 1886.
In politics he was a Democrat. An industri-
ou3 and thrifty man, he attained prosperity
through unremitting toil and judicious econ-
*

 

omy. His wife's death occurred March 24,
1877. Of their children two survive — Celia
J. and John D. K.

John D. K. Marshall was reared on a farm,
and received his early education in a district
school of Hudson. He subsequently pursued
his studies at intervals until nineteen years
of age, resuming school attendance in London-
derry for a number of winter terms. Since
then he has read a great deal, and is well in-
formed on all subjects of current interest. In
early manhood he chose farming for his life
occupation; and he has followed that calling
since, except when engaged in military service.
On August 11, 1863, he enlisted in Company
D, Fifth Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry,
and subsequently, in the Second Army Corps,
participated in some of the most momentous
engagements of the Civil War. At the battle
of Cold Harbor he was wounded in the right
shoulder; and for three months thereafter, in
an exceptionally warm summer,. his injury
confined him to the Summit House Military
Hospital at Philadelphia. When sufficiently
convalescent to go on duty, he was assigned to
the One Hundred and Thirty-first Company of
the Invalid Corps of the Veteran Reserve,
guarding government property. Honorably
discharged from military service July Io,
1865, he returned to his farm in Londonderry,
where he has since resided. Mr. Marshall is
thrifty and well-to-do, and is one of the prom-
inent citizens of the town. He is unmarried,
his sister presiding over the household. In
politics he favors the Democratic side, believ-
ing, however, in giving public office to the
man best qualified to perform the duties.

 

> —______

REEMAN R. GARRETT, a promi-
nent resident of Portsmouth, and a
member of the Board of Commissioners

of Rockingham County, was born in_ this
city, June 3, 1856, a son of Henry L. and
Louisa (Merrill) Garrett. His father, who
was born in Boston, Mass., was for a number
of years an engineer on the Eastern Railroad ;
but, his health failing, he resigned his position,
and engaged in the grocery and provision busi-
ness in Portsmouth. He met with such suc-
cess that he remained in that business up to
248

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

the time of his death in 1876. He and his
wife reared seven children, including the sub-
ject of this sketch.

Freeman R. Garrett received his education
in the public schools of Portsmouth. He
went to work in early boyhood, helping as he
could in his father’s store. His elder brother,
Charles H., was also an assistant in the store;
and after the father’s death Charles H. and
Freeman R. together carried on the business.
They are still in partnership, and have a most
prosperous trade, their popularity, no less than
their business ability, making their establish-
ment one of the best patronized of the kind in
the city.

Freeman R. Garrett was married in 1881 to
Miss Annie B. Sides, a native of Portsmouth,
N.H., and daughter of Captain William and
Margaret Sides.

Mr. Garrett is a stanch Republican, and
cast his first Presidential vote for General Gar-
field in 1880. A man of energy and good
judgment, he stands high in the estimation of
his fellow-partisans, and has served as a mem-
ber of the Common Council of Portsmouth, and
as delegate to different county and Congres-
sional conventions. He was elected County
Commissioner in 1892, and re-elected in 1894.

 

ACOB WEBSTER, a worthy representa-
tive of the agricultural community of
this county, and an esteemed citizen of
the town of Kingston, was born here,

January 30, 1822. He comes of pioneer stock,
his paternal grandfather, also named Jacob
Webster, having been the first male child born
of white parents in Kingston. Jacob was a
farmer by occupation, and, having spent his
entire life in this locality, died April 20,
1836. He reared nine children: Benjamin;
William; Jacob, Jr.; John; Sarah; Polly;
Lucy; Susan; and Nancy —all of whom have
passed away.

John Webster followed farming, the occupa-
tion in which he was reared. He was also en-
gaged in lumbering. He built the saw-mill
now standing on the farm of his son Jacob,
and carried on a good business until his de-
mise. He married Miss Hannah Swett, who
was born in East Kingston, and died on the

 

home farm in Kingston. They were the par-
ents of eight children, as follows: Elizabeth,
who died in 1894; Elihu, who died in 1890;
Sarah, deceased; Nathaniel, living at South
Kingston, who married Miss N. Davis; John,
who died in 1867; Jacob, the subject of this
sketch; Hannah, the wife of Gilman Crane,
of Kingston village; and Stephen, who died
in 1888. Stephen married Miss Harriet
Winslow, who after his death married An-
drew West.

Jacob Webster received his education in the
district schools. After his marriage he en-
gaged in lumbering and farming. He owns
seventy-five acres of land, which he has farmed
with success. He has ‘placed the land in a
good state of cultivation, besides making sub-
stantial improvements. He manufactured
lumber for many years, operating the old saw-
mill built by his father until 1882, when he
was seriously injured in the side by the falling
of a log from a sled. Since that time Mr.
Webster has lived retired from active pur-
suits, enjoying the closing years of his life on
his pleasant homestead. He has a_ natural
talent for music, which he taught throughout
this county from his eighteenth year; and he
sang in the village choir, and he was a valued
teacher in the Sunday-schoo]. In his younger
years he was active in political work, being an
earnest advocate of the principles promulgated
by the Republican party. He was for a num-
ber of years Justice of the Peace, besides serv-
ing as Selectman and in other minor offices.

On May.4, 1843, Mr. Webster was united
in marriage with Miss Hannah Quimby, who
was born in Kingston township March 6, 1822.
Mrs. Webster’s grandfather, Jacob Quimby,
was a well-known farmer of Hampstead, this
county. Her father, Nathan Quimby, a
native of Hampstead, who was a shoemaker by
trade, in his earlier years removed to King-
ston, where he married Marion Davis, and was
afterward engaged in farming and shoemaking
until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Webster have
four children, namely: Loriah, who is the
wife of I. Purington, of Kingston village;
Lucy A., who lives in Kingston village, and
is the widow of the late William Huse;
Henry D., also a resident of the village, who
married Mrs. Carrie Davis; and Luella C.,
 
 

WOODBURY D. DEARBORN.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

251

 

 

wife of J. B. Towle, of Haverhill, Mass. On
May 4, 1893, Mr. and Mrs. Webster cele-
brated their golden wedding, and on that mem-
orable occasion received many valuable pres-
ents from their friends, who vied with each
other in their efforts to make the anniversary
a happy one. In religion Mrs. Wesbter is a
sincere member of the Methodist Episcopal
church of Kingston.

 

OHN EDWIN LEAVITT, the es-
teemed Postmaster of Portsmouth, is a
son of Carr and Eliza J. F. (Lane)
Leavitt, and was born at Rye, N.H.,

June 10, 1848. The family is one of the old-
est in New England. Its earliest American
progenitor was Thomas Leavitt, one of two
brothers who came from Scotland some time
between 1630 and 1640, and settled in Hamp-
ton, this county. Thomas lived within the
limits of Hampton several years. Later an-
cestors fought in the French and Indian War,
and Postmaster Leavitt’s great-grandfather
served as a private in the War of Indepen-
dence. His grandfather, Ebenezer Leavitt,
born at North Hampton, in addition to being
a carpenter by trade, was a Christian ordained
minister. He gave the working days of the
week to his trade; but he spent Sunday in
attending to the spiritual needs of a district
that included Hampton, North Hampton,
Greenville, and Rye, in each of which places,
except Greenville, he established a church.
He married Sally Jewell, of Stratton, N.H.,
and they reared eight children; namely, Ben-
ning, Eben, John, Joseph, Carr, William,
Sarab, and Ursula. His useful life reached
the Scriptural limit of threescore and ten
before it closed.

Carr Leavitt, who was also a native of
North Hampton, resembled his father in being
a carpenter and a deeply religious man. He
resided for the greater part of his life in Rye,
was a member of the Christian church there,
and in his later years kept the Washington
House at Rye Beach. His wife, who was a
daughter of Joshua Lane, of Hampton, bore
him six children; namely, Eben T., Eliza T.,
John E., Vianna J., Eben (second), and
Sarah.

*

 

John Edwin Leavitt received his rudimen-
tary education in the common schools of Rye
and Manchester, N.H., and then completed the
higher course of studies pursued in the Foster
Academy at Pittsfield, N.H. After this he
was trained in the trade of carpenter, and
subsequently followed it for some years. At
a later date he was engaged in the business of
contractor in Rye. In 1866 he bought his
father’s hotel, which has since remained in
his possession. He was appointed in 1885 to
the office of weigher and receiver in the navy
yard at Kittery. From this position he was
subsequently advanced to that of book-keeper
in the same department. He discharged the
duties of book-keeper faithfully and efficiently
until 1889, when he resigned to accept a
more lucrative employment as clerk with the
Granite State Fire Insurance Company. He
was still filling this position in 1893 when
he was appointed Postmaster.

In December, 1873, Mr. Leavitt was united
in matrimony with Addie Philbrick, daughter
of James and Dolly Philbrick, respected citi-
zens of Kittery, Me. Both he and Mrs.
Leavitt are members of the Christian church.
In politics Mr. Leavitt has been an active
Democratic worker. He is a Free and Ac-
cepted Mason, in affiliation with St. Andrew’s
Lodge, No. 56, of which he is the present

Master; with Washington Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, No. 3, of which he is the
Treasurer; and with the De Witt Clinton

Commandery, Knights Templars, of which he
was Prelate. He is also a member of Osgood
Lodge, No. 48, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, having been its Chaplain for several
terms; of Langdon Colony, No. 3, Pilgrim
Fathers; and of the Massachusetts Sons of the
Revolution. Mr. Leavitt’s management of the
post-office of Portsmouth, besides giving gen-
eral satisfaction, has shown him to possess
executive ability of a quality capable of deal-
ing with a much more responsible charge.

 

 

[oopnury D. DEARBORN, of
the firm of Dearborn Brothers, pro-

prietors of the largest shoe factory
in East Candia, N.H., is a lineal descendant
of Godfrey Dearborn, who came to this coun-
252

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

try from England, and established a home in
Hampton, N.H. But little concerning his
life and that of his immediate descendants has
come down to the present generation. John
Dearborn, grandfather of Woodbury D., born
in Danville, this State, came thence to Candia
when a young man, and engaged in the shoe
business until toward the latter part of his
life, which was spent in retirement. He
died about 1866, aged fourscore years: Six
children were born to him and his wife, but
all have now passed away. He was a Demo-
crat in politics.

His son, John C. Dearborn, father of. the
subject of this sketch, was born in Danville.
He was a young man at the time his parents
came to Candia; and, accompanying them
thither, he spent the remainder of his three-
score years and ten profitably engaged in the
manufacture of shoes. He died about 1891.
He was a Democrat, but took no special in-
terest in public affairs, devoting his attention
strictly to the interests of his business. In
religious affiliation he was a Methodist. He
married Miss Mary A. Griffin, of Candia, the
fruit of this union being ten children, eight
of whom are now living, namely: James ES
who is connected with his brother’s business;
Elmon, in Candia; John H., a physician in
Beverly, Mass.; Edwin B., in Haverhill;
Jane, widow of Nathan Magoon, of Raymond;
Maria, wife of E. Godfrey, of Candia; Wood-
bury D., and Jenness, who constitute the firm
of Dearborn Brothers.

Woodbury D. Dearborn, son of John C.,
born in East Candia, April 29, 1845, began

the preparation for the duties of life in the
common schools of his native town. Even
before this was accomplished the shadow of
the great civil strife hung over our land; and,
enlisting in Company I of the Eleventh New
Hampshire Volunteers, Woodbury D. Dear-
born, a lad of seventeen years, but a man in
heroic purpose, stepped, as it were, from the
school-room to the battle-field. His company
was commanded by Captain Patten, and Colo-
nel Harriman was at the head of the regi-
ment. Mr. Dearborn was in the Wilder-
ness, and all the battles of that campaten.
After his honorable discharge and return home
in 1865 he engaged in the lumber business,

 

which he followed for eleven years, finally, in
1888, taking up his present business in com-
pany with his brother Jenness.

Their first shop was a small building twenty
feet square, and in it but a dozen men were
kept at work. The demand for their goods
steadily increased, however, until to-day their
business furnishes employment to five times
the number first employed, and is the largest
shoe manufacturing industry here.

Their present shop is about eighty feet long
and thirty-two wide, one entire wing, and
sixty feet on the other, being two stories in
height. They manufacture women’s wear ex-
clusively, but have a variety of styles, such
as the McRoy Oxfords, McKay boots, and
others. The average weekly output is one
hundred and twenty-five cases, of sixty pairs
each.

In 1867, two years after his return from the
war, Mr. Dearborn was joined in marriage
with Miss Annie F. Lakin, of Sanbornton,
N.H. They have no children. Politically,
Mr. Dearborn is a Republican. He, however,
takes but little interest in such matters, pre-
ferring to devote his attention strictly to busi-
ness. He is an attendant of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and a member of Rocking-
ham Lodge, No. 96, A. F. & A. M., of
Candia, also of Junietta Lodge, No. 47, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of Raymond.

ENNESS E. DEARBORN, the junior
member, financial manager, and buyer
of the enterprising shoe manufacturing
company of Dearborn Brothers at East

Candia, was born in Candia on April 7, 1862,
son of John C. and Mary A. (Griffin) Dear-
born. He received his education in the com-

‘mon schools and in the high school of Candia.

When about eighteen years old, he went .to
work in the shoe shop with his brothers, re-
maining for about three years. During the
succeeding two years he was employed by John
Holt in fitting stock. He then started in
business for himself in company with William
H. Dearborn, under the style of J. E. &
W. H. Dearborn, which arrangement was con-
tinued for a year and a half, when he pur-
chased his partner’s interest in 1884, and took
. BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

253

 

in his present partner, his brother, Woodbury
D. Dearborn; and the firm has since been
known as Dearborn Brothers. Prior to this
the work had been done by foot power; but
the new firm enlarged the plant, and put in
improved machinery, so they were able to turn
out about ten cases per day. Later on they
further increased their business facilities by
putting in a thirty-horse power engine and
boiler, and were then able to make about fif-
teen cases, of sixty pairs each, per day. They
continued the business on this basis until
June, 1895, when they made still further im-
provements, putting in a twenty-horse power
engine and a sixty-horse power boiler, also
new machinery for the manufacture of the Mc-
Kay sewed shoes; and they now have a weekly
output of one hundred and twenty-five cases,
and employ sixty hands on full time. They
manufacture only women’s wear. In the sum-
mer of 1896 they erected an addition, measur-
ing about seventy by thirty-two feet, and two
stories in height; and they now occupy a
space of one hundred and twenty-five thousand
square feet of floor room. Finding their
water supply insufficient for so large a busi-
ness, they dug a spring twelve feet square and
eight feet deep in the rear of the residence of
Mr. Jenness E. Dearborn, and erected a wind-
mill, which draws the water five hundred and
fifty feet; and it is then forced into a three-
thousand-gallon tank, which supplies their
plant, besides the houses of both members of
the firm. In 1893 they became interested: in
farming, and purchased the Charles Bickford
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in East
Candia, which is now known as the Dearborn
Brothers’ stock farm. It is well stocked with
cattle, and they cut about forty tons of hay
yearly. They have made extensive repairs in
the house, barns, and out-buildings since they
purchased the place. The Dearborn brothers
are both self-made men; and their success has
been achieved entirely through their energy,
perseverance, and business ability.

Jenness E. Dearborn was married on Octo-
ber 18, 1883, to Laura E. Bartlett, a daughter
of G. W. Bartlett, of Brentwood, N.H. They
have a son and daughter: Leon E., aged
eleven years; and Eunice E., aged eight,
both attending school.

 

In 1892 Mr. Dearborn was clerk of the
School Board. He is a member of several
fraternal organizations, including Rockingham
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 76, of Candia;
the Mutual Relief Lodge, No. 86; Eagle En-
campment of Haverhill, Mass.; the astern
Star Lodge of Masons; and Rebecca Lodge
of Candia. The family attend the Methodist
Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Dearborn is
a member. Mr. Dearborn has been a Trustee
of the society since the church was built,
being the present Chairman of that board.

 

LONZO F. TUTTLE, of Nottingham,
a shoemaker by trade, also engaged in
farming on a small scale, was born
here, January 3, 1831, son of Oliver
and Sarah (Ham) Tuttle. His grandfather,
Nathaniel Tuttle, also a native of the town,
born July 30, 1782, maintained himself and’
his family in comfortable circumstances by
farming and operating a grist-mill. Na-
thaniel married Joanna Davis, who was born
on August 10, 1781, and by her became the
father of ten children, all of whom have now
passed away. He died on January 22, 1863,
and his wife, four years later, on January 14,
1867.

Oliver Tuttle, the eldest of his parents’
children, was also a native of Nottingham,
born February 28, 1801. He learned the
trade of a mason, and became so expert a
workman that his services were sought by
people in many places throughout the State.
After a number of years spent at his trade he
retired to a farm, the care of which, and the
occasional making of shoes, were his chief oc-
cupations up to the time of his death in May,
1879. His wife, Sarah (Ham) Tuttle, who
was born January 9, 1805, daughter of Joseph
Ham, of Dover, N.H., survived him until
December 5, 1894. She was a communicant
of the Free Will Baptist church. In his po-
litical views he was a Democrat. Of their
nine children, five are living, namely: Alonzo
F., the subject of this article; Oliver B., born
April 3, 1833; Sarah Jane, born June 15,
1835; Esther Y., born October 18, 1837;
and Lydia P., born May 21, 1840. Oliver
B. married Miss Eliza N. Ranger, and has
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

254

 

five children living; namely, Walter, Ed-
ward, Leora, Blanche, and Helen. Sarah
Jane is the wife of Lorenzo Ranger, a brother
of Mrs. Oliver B. Tuttle, and has three chil-
dren — Jennie, Lulu, and Alice. Esther Y.
married John D. Daniels. Lydia P. married
Frank P. Ranger, and has five children —
Lillia, Oliver, Bertha, LeRoy, and Essie.

When Alonzo F. Tuttle had completed his
education, which was acquired in the common
schools of this town, he learned the shoe-
makcr’s trade, and is still actively engaged in
that occupation. He also has a farm of about
forty acres, where he carries on mixed farm-
ing. On March 31, 1863, he was married to
Miss Fanny L. Tuttle, a daughter of Ebenezer
S. Tuttle, of this town. Their only child, a
daughter, Iber L., was born January 26, 1870.
Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle are liberal in their relig-
ious views. In politics he is a Republican,
and he has served for several] years on the
Board of Selectmen. He is a member of
Equity Lodge, No. 35, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Northwood, this county.

 

highly esteemed physician and surgeon

of Derry Depot, was born, August 10,

1846, in the town of Pomfret, Vt. On
the Adams side he is of English descent, and
on the maternal side of Scotch descent. His
paternal grandfather, Issachar Adams, who
was born in Hubbardston, Mass., settled in
Croydon, Sullivan County, N.H., where his
son Jarvis, the Doctor’s father, was born.
Jarvis Adams continued a resident of his na-
tive State until thirty-two years of age, when
he removed to Pomfret, Vt. He was closely
associated with the business and political in-
terests of Pomfret until his death, September
25, 1880. In politics he was a strong Repub-
lican. He served his fellow-townsmen as Se-
lectman, and in other responsible positions
for several years. While living in New
Hampshire he was prominent in military cir-
cles, and held a Colonel’s commission in the
State militia. Colonel Adams married Miss
Eunice H. Mitchell, who was a native of An-
dover, N.H.

Ira H. Adams, M.D., spent his early life

1" H. ADAMS, M.D., a successful and

 

on the parental farm, obtaining his elementary
education in the public schools. He was sub-
sequently graduated from the Randolph State
Normal School, the first normal school estab-
lished in Vermont, and for several years there-
after was engaged in teaching school. Com-
ing then to New Hampshire, he took the full
college preparatory course at the Kimball
Union Academy in Meriden, becoming espe-
cially proficient in Greek and Latin. Subse-
quently, having decided to enter upon a medi-
cal career, he began the study of medicine
with Dr. Hubert Sleeper, of Meriden. A
year later he entered the Medical Department
of Dartmouth College, from which he was
graduated in 1874. He immediately began
the practice of his profession in the town of .-
Hookset, Merrimack County, where he con-
tinued busily engaged for eight years. In
1882 he came to Derry Depot, where he has
built up a large general practice, winning the
confidence of the people of this community
and the surrounding country. He is a mem-
ber of the Rockingham County Medical So-
ciety and of the New Hampshire State Medi-
cal Association. Prominently identified with
the Order of Odd Fellows, he belongs to Echo
Lodge, No. 61, of Derry Depot, and Mystic
Encampment, having been Grand Patriarch of
New Hampshire in 1893-94, and Grand Rep-
resentative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge in
1895-96. He is a Republican in politics,
and has represented the town of Derry in the
New Hampshire legislature.

Dr. Adams was married, August 31, 1875,
to Miss Louise S., daughter of A. F. Perley,
of Lempster, N.H., and became the father of
two children — Richard H. and Jennie L.
He and his family are active members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and are held in
high regard throughout the community.

 

A= S. REYNOLDS, Town Treas-

 

urer of Windham, and an ex-member
ot of the New. Hampshire legislature,

was born in Caledonia County, Ver-
mont, February 3, 1828, son of Enoch and
Mary (Sabin) Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds's par-
ents were residents of Vermont, of which State
his mother was a native. His paternal grand-

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

255

 

 

father, Enoch Reynolds (first), served in the
Continental army during the Revolutionary
War.

Hiram S. Reynolds was reared by his ma-
ternal grandfather, Elihu Sabin, his mother
having died when he wasachild. He acquired
his education in the common schools. At the
age of sixteen he was thrown upon his own re-
sources by the death of his grandfather; and,
starting in life as an operative in a saw-mil],
he continued in that employment for some
years in Vermont and New Hampshire. In
1848 he came to this State, and, after working
in Nashua for a time, settled at West Wind-
bam, where he was employed in a saw-mil] for
ten years. He then had charge of the Wind-
ham town farm for a time, after which, in
1866, he entered upon his present farm, where
he has since resided. In politics he actively
supports the Republican party, displaying a
competence in handling public affairs that has
won the hearty appreciation of his fellow-
townsmen. He served as a member of the
Board of Selectmen for several years, was
elected a Representative to the legislature in
1888, and he has filled the office of Town
Treasurer for a number of years past.

On April 10, 1852, Mr. Reynolds wedded
Mary J. Prescott, who was born in Bridge-
water, N.H., January 3, 1826, daughter of
Josiah W. and Dorothy (Leavitt) Prescott,
respectively natives of Bridgewater and New
Hampton, N.H. Mr. Prescott served in the
War of 1812, doing garrison duty at Ports-
mouth, N.H. Of his large family of children
there are four other survivors, namely: Ira B.,
who resides in Deerfield, N.H.; Arah W., a
resident of South Hookset, N.H.; Charles
L., residing in New Boston, N.H.; and
Delano, who lives in Lowell, Mass. Mr. and
Mrs. Reynolds, have two daughters, pamely:
Mary E., the widow of the late G. G. Robinson,
having three children — Charles A., Edward
G., and Eva G.; and Lottie A., the wife of
Charles A. Steele, of Hudson, N.H., having
four children living — Lena M., Ida N.,
Charles L., and Charlotte M.

Mr. Reynolds possesses the esteem and con-
fidence of the general community. Both he
and his wife occupy a prominent social posi-
tion here. They are now enjoying the fruits

*

 

of their usefut lives, marked as they are by
many benevolent deeds, having the sincere
wishes of their numerous friends and acquaint-
ances for a long continance of their happiness.

 

o>.

RESCOTT C. HALL, now living in
retirement at Salem Depot, was at
one time a very successful shoe man-
ufacturer. He isa native of Salem,

born March 16, 1834, son of Alva and Nancy
(Coburn) Hall, respectively natives of Salem
and Pelham, N.H. Jonathan Hall, the father
of Alva, was a son of Joshua, who came from
England. Joshua was an early settler of
Salem, and a Revolutionary soldier who fought
at the battle of Bunker Hill. Alva Hall was
a carpenter and contractor, and worked at his
trade throughout his life, which was spent in
his native town. He died in February, 188s,
in the eighty-second year of his age. Of the
children born to him and his wife Nancy, the
survivors besides Prescott C. are: [mily, the
wife of George H. Colburn, of Salem Depot ;
and Helen, the wife of George Greeley, of
Glendora, Cal. 5;

Prescott C. Hall attended the common
schools of Salem for the usual period, and
subsequently was a student of the Tilton
(N.H.) Seminary for two years. His busi-
ness life began at the age of eighteen years,
when he went to work as a clerk in a store in
Haverhill, Mass. After some five years spent
there, he returned in 1856 to Salem Depot,
and began in a small way to manufacture boots
and shoes. He met with unusual success, and
continued in the business until 1888, when he
sold out to his sons. At the time of his re-
tirement he owned and conducted four different
factories, one each in Salem, Natick, Lynn,
and Topsfield, and employed about fifteen bun-
dred hands. When it is considered that he
started with but a very smal] cash capital, his
success commands admiration.

In 1859 Mr. Hall was united in marriage
with Miss Mary A. McCurdy, daughter of
Daniel McCurdy, of Dunbarton, N.H. Four
sons have blessed the union; namely, Clarence
P., Arthur C., Clifton S., and Lester W.
All but Arthur C., who resides in Boston, are
living at home.

 
256

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Mr. Hall has represented the town of Salem
in the State legislature for one term, having
been elected on the Democratic ticket. Al-
though not a church member, he contributes
freely to the funds of the church. He has
done much toward building up Salem Depot,
many of the residences here having been
erected through his instrumentality. Both he
and his wife are highly esteemed members of
society. Their home is one of the most beau-
tiful and commodious residences in this place.

 

RANCIS C. BARTLETT, an ener-
getic and prosperous member of the
farming community of the town of

Kingston, Rockingham County, N.H., is a
native-born citizen, the date of his birth being
April 2, 1845. His father, the late William
Bartlett, was born and reared in Kingston,
and with the exception of a year or two spent
in Boston, Mass., made this town his perma-
nent abiding place. He worked at the
cooper’s trade in his younger days, but subse-
quently turned his attention to the butchering
business, beginning in a small way by selling
meat from a cart in different towns of this sec-
tion of the county. He gradually enlarged his
business, eventually giving up his retail trade
and becoming a wholesale dealer in meats.
He died in April, 1886, at a good old age.
William Bartlett married Miss Betsey Bean,
a native of Raymond, this county, by whom he
had eight children, namely: Mehitabel, the
wife of John P. Bean, residing at Haverhill,
Mass.; Elizabeth, who died February 23,
1896; William J., living in Kingston, who
married Lettie Crane; Abbie J., wife of J. W.
Marshall, of Malden, Mass. ; Ichabod, who
died when thirteen years of age; Francis Gos
Rinda, the wife of T. B. Smith, a merchant in
the village of Kingston; and one child that
died in infancy. The mother died May 20,
1866, while yet in the prime of womanhood.
Francis C. Bartlett acquired a practical
common-school education in his native town,
remaining with his parents until twenty-three
years of age. He then began teaming, and has
since carried on quite a profitable business in
this line. He owns a farm of nearly one hun-
dred acres, which he manages judiciously,

 

carrying on general farming with most excel-
jent results. This farm, which is one of the
most attractive in the neighborhood, has a fine
location near Kingston Plains village, and is
in a good state of cultivation, yielding in
favorable seasons bountiful harvests. Mr.
Bartlett is a loyal Democrat in politics, active
in local affairs, and has served with satisfac-
tion to his constituents as Selectman of
Kingston for two years and township Super-
visor four years. Socially, he is a member
of Columbia Lodge, No. 85, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, of Kingston village;
of the Daughters of Rebecca; and of the local
grange.

On January 29, 1869, Mr. Bartlett was
united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Rowe,
who was born in Manchester, N.H. Mr. and
Mrs. Bartlett have four children, namely:

Albert E., of Brentwood; Walter W., residing

in Haverhill, Mass. ; and Lela and Clarence,
living with their parents.

 

   

REDERICK PICKERING, a respected
_citizen of Newington, Rockingham

County, N.H., was born in this town
on his father’s farm, May 29, 1849. Mr.
Pickering’s earliest American ancestor was
Jobn Pickering, by birth an Englishman, who
came to this country about the year 1633, and
located in what is now Portsmouth, N.H., then
called Strawberry Bank. He was one of the
first settlers of the town of Portsmouth, and
became a large land-owner there, also owning
and running. a grist-mill. A part of his
estate was entailed on his male descendants
and their immediate issue. John Pickering
died in his adopted home in 1669. He left
a son named Thomas, who was born in Ports-
mouth, and who died in 1719, leaving a son
also called Thomas, born November 28, 1703.
The eldest son of the second Thomas Pickering
was Nicholas, born in 1727, a native of New-
ington, whither the father had moved. Nich-
olas Pickering in turn left a son Thomas, born
in Newington in October, 1778, who was the
grandfather of Frederick Pickering.

James Alfred Pickering, a son of the last
Thomas Pickering and the father of Frederick,
was also born in Newington in September,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

257

 

 

1810. Like his forefathers, he was a success-
ful farmer. On May 28, 1848, he married
Miss Susan E. Mathes, who was born May 31,
1818, in Durham, Stafford County, daughter
of Daniel and Elizabeth Mathes. They be-
came the parents of three children; namely,
Frederick, Alice B., and Sarah M. Sarah M.
Pickering died June 19, 1889. James A.
Pickering was thirteen years old when _ his
father took possession of the farm now owned
by Frederick Pickering. At that time it con-
tained about sixty acres of land. During his
lifetime James A. added fifty acres more to the
estate, and extracted a comfortable living from
it by general farming. He was elected to the
House of Representatives of the State of New
Hampshire in the year 1876. He also served
his native town as Selectman for several terms,
was Town Clerk for a few terms, and was for
a long time a member of the Schoo] Commit-
tee. The Congregational church had no more
zealous member. He died on June 12, 1889;
and his remains are interred in the Newington
Cemetery.

Frederick Pickering, who was born just
a year and a day after the marriage of his par-
ents, attended the district school until he was
seventeen years of age, after which he com-
pleted his course of study at Hampton Acad-
emy. He commenced teaching schoo] at the
age of twenty years, a profession that he fol-
lowed for seven years, working on the old farm
with his father between the winter sessions.
On the death of his father he took sole charge
of the estate. He has been a Selectman of the
town for three years, a member of the School
Board for a long time, and is, moreover, Jus-
tice of the Peace. He, his mother and sister,
are earnest and active members of the Congre-
gational church.

 

AY DEARBORN, one of Brentwood’s
enterprising farmers, was born October

8, 1834, in Wakefield, Carroll County,

son of Jonathan and Olive (Manson)
Dearborn. His father, also a native of Wake-
field, was reared in that town, and there fol-
lowed general farming throughout his active
period. His declining years were passed in
Epping, this county, where his death occurred

 

March 11, 1862. His wife, Olive, a native
of Newfield, Me., preceded him to the grave,
having died in 1842. They were the parents
of twelve children; namely, John, Lucy,
Louis, Caroline, Susan, Margaret Ann, Emma,
Jay, George, Henry, and two that died in
infancy.

Jay Dearborn lived on the home farm and
attended the district school until fifteen years
of age. He then went to Rochester, N.H.,
and there was employed five months cutting
wood for a new railway. Going from there to
Troy, N.¥., he there drove a coach for his
brother for two years. He then returned to
Carroll County, where he spent one season
working in Wakefield. Afterward he came to
this county, and was employed in New Market
and Epping. In the latter place Mr. Dear-
born learned the shoemaker’s trade, and he
thereafter worked at it and at farming until
1869. In that year he came to Brentwood,
and purchased the farm he now occupies. He
has since carried on general farming, dairying,
stock raising, and fruit-growing with profit.
In 1873 he had the misfortune to be burned
out; but, two years later, he erected new
buildings, remarkable for their strength and
convenience. The farm contains one hundred

‘and sixty acres of land, a large portion being

in a good state of cultivation. Mr. Dearborn
also owns a farm of ninety acres in Epping,
and one of fifty-six acres in Brentwood. The
latter has two houses, two barns, and a black-
smith shop. In politics Mr. Dearborn is a
steadfast Democrat, but has neither sought nor
cared for public office.

Mr. Dearborn was married January 1, 1854,
to Miss Mary A. Carlton, who was born at
New Market, September 5, 1838. Her father,
Samuel Carlton, who was a blacksmith, worked
at his trade in New Market for many years.
Her mother, whose maiden name was [liza
Goodwin, died when Mrs. Dearborn was quite
young. Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn have had six
children — Addie Belle, Georgiana, Carrie E.,
Hattie E., Fred P., and Ernest J. Addie
Belle, Georgiana, and Ernest J. are deceased.
Carrie E. was first married to George W.
Currier, of Deerfield, N.H. He died; and
she subsequently became the wife of a physi-
cian of Brentwood, by whom she has one child,
258

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Eva May. Hattie E. is the wife of Amos
Dearborn, of Haverhill, Mass. Fred P., who
resides in Epping, married Jennie Pike, and
is the father of two children— Fred and Es-
telle N. ;

 

HOMAS E. SIMPSON, since early
youth a resident of Deerfield, N.H.,
where he is a leading farmer and a mer-

chant, was born in Winona, Minn., February
10, 1856.

Andrew Simpson, the first ancestor of Mr.
Thomas E. Simpson in America, was a linen
weaver in Scotland, where he was born about
1697. He came to New England in 1725,
and, after living in Boston a few years, re-
moved to Nottingham, N.H., where he bought
afarm. Here a dreadful tragedy was enacted
in the year 1747, when his wife, Elizabeth
Simpson, with two other victims, was brutally
murdered by the Indians. (See Belknap’s
History of New Hampshire. )

Andrew Simpson’s son Thomas was the next
in genealogical order. He was born in Scot-
land in 1720. He was a land surveyor in
Deerfield, where his father had settled, and
was selected with his brother Andrew to fix
the boundary line between Nottingham and
Deerfield at the time Deerfield was set off as
a separate town in 1766. In that year also he
was chosen First Parish Clerk of Deerfield,
a position he held until 1773, when he re-
moved to Newburyport, Mass., where he re-
mained until his death. He married in 1747
a Miss Sarah Morrison, who died in 1753;
and he afterward formed a second marriage
with Mrs. Mary Cochran, the widow of David
Cochran, of Londonderry.

Thomas Simpson left a son by the name of
John, who was destined to be remembered for
two honors: he fired the first gun at the battle
of Bunker Hill, and he was the maternal
grandfather of Ulysses S. Grant, the warrior
President of the United States, John Simp-
son’s daughter, Hannah, marrying Jesse R.
Grant. Their first son, the future President,
was born at Point Pleasant, Clermont County,
Ohio, April 27, 1822. John Simpson was
born December 1, 1747. He married Mary
Whidden. At Bunker Hill he was promoted

 

 

to the rank of First Lieutenant in Captain
David Moore’s Company, and afterward he was
made Major. He died October 28, 1825.

Thomas Simpson, son of Major John and
Mary (Whidden) Simpson, was born August
2, 1788. In 180g he was married to Elizabeth
Lamprey. He was a carpenter by vocation,
and while working on the State House in
Concord he fell, receiving an injury that made
him acripple. The remainder of his life was
devoted to ministerial work, in which field of
labor for the spiritual welfare of humanity he
died December 1, 1872, aged eighty-four
years.

The Rev. Thomas Simpson left a son, who
bore the name of Joseph L. Simpson, born
February 10, 1815, in Lowell, Mass. He was
a machinist by occupation, or, rather was
taught that trade with the intention of follow-
ing it as a means of Jivelihood; but, moving to
the West in his early youth, he became a
farmer. He married for his first wife a Miss
Bowker, by whom he was the father of one son,
and for his second wife Mrs. Hannah B.
Randall. Two sons were born of this union:
Thomas E., of Deerfield; and Fred L., who
lives in Greenland, N.H. Mr. Joseph L.
Simpson held no public offices, but devoted
his whole time to the cultivation of his farm.
He died in his Western home, September 19,
1861, aged forty-six years, seven months, and
six days. His wife, Hannah B. Jenkens in
her maidenhood, later widow of a Mr. Randall,
was born April 3, 1824, and died March 3,
1874.

Thomas E. Simpson, their son, was a little
boy of nine years old when he .was brought
East to the land of his forefathers. Having
completed his educational course in the com-
mon schools of Deerfield, he immediately
began farming on the estate that afterward
became his own by inheritance. In addition
to the management of his place, Mr. Simpson
carries on a store of general merchandise in
Deerfield, keeping a large and diverse assort-
ment of goods.

The Simpson farm comprises one hundred
and eighty acres of land, forty-six of which
are under cultivation. The soil is rich, and
the management of the whole place systematic
and intelligent. The average yield of grass
 

THOMAS E. SIMPSON.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

261.

 

 

from its fields is fifteen tons a year, which is
a good crop for this latitude. The present
owner of this estate has recently built a large
and handsome barn, which measures sixty by
thirty-eight feet, has a capacity for storing
fifty tons of hay, and comfortably sheltering
eighteen head of cattle. Mr. Simpson  for-
merly kept as much stock as his barn would
accommodate, but does not now deal in cattle
so extensively, although he stil] has a dairy
supplied by four cows, while he has constant
use for three horses and generally keeps some
young stock on hand. There is no farm in the
vicinity of Deerfield in better condition than
that of Thomas E. Simpson, and in matters of
agricultural import and interest he is an
authority.

October 29, 1880, was the date of his mar-
riage with Miss Mary P. Dow, of Canterbury,
N.H. One child, a son, was the issue of this
union, Samuel W., who is busy at school,
preparing himself to take part in the world’s
work.

In political affiliation Mr. Simpson is a Re-
publican. The family attend the services of
the Congregational church of their town, and
occupy a prominent place in its social circle.
Thomas E. Simpson’s name is enrolled on the
lists of a number of fraternal societies, includ-
ing the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
Union Lodge, No. 32, of Deerfield, Hildreth
Encampment of Suncook, and Canton General
Stark, of Suncook, N.H. He has taken all
the degrees of the subordinate lodge. For two
years he has been Selectman, and has served
for the same period of time as Supervisor of
the check list.

The Simpson family has in the past been
closely associated with the development and
progress of their section of country, and it may
be prophesied that the name will still con-
tinue to be borne by future generations who
shall represent the best types of American
citizens.

 

EWIS W. BREWSTER is the senior
member of the publishing firm of

L. W. Brewster & Son, editors and
proprietors of the Portsmouth /owr-

nal, one of the oldest papers in the country,

 

now well entered on its second century. The
Brewsters of Portsmouth are of the ‘‘May-
flower’ Pilgrim stock, being descendants of
Elder William Brewster, of Scrooby Manor,
England, who was one of the leaders of the
Plymouth Colony.

Charles Warren Brewster, a native of Ports-
mouth, father of the subject of this sketch,
entered the office of the Jovrua/, then known
as the Portsmouth Ovacle, in February, 1818,
to learn the printer’s trade. In July, 1825,
he and T. H. Miller, forming the firm of
Miller & Brewster, assumed the ownership and
publication of the paper, whose name had pre-
viously been changed to the Portsmouth /owr-
nal of Literature and Politics. Ten years
later C. W. Brewster became sole proprietor.
He conducted it alone until 1856, when he
took as a partner his son Lewis W., an
arrangement that lasted until the death of the
veteran editor on August 4, 1868.

In 1828 Charles W. Brewster married Mary
Gilman, who died October 29, 1879. They
had nine children, four sons and five daugh-
ters, of whom Lewis W. and Helen A. G.
survive.

Lewis Waterbury Brewster was born June
30, 1830. He attended the public schools of
Portsmouth, graduating from the high school
in 1846. In the following November he began
his career aS a newspaper man, never leaving
the office of the Journal from that time on
except to take a further course of study at
Rockingham Academy. He was married
August 14, 1855, to Miss Annie B. Greene, of
Hampton Falls, this county. She died No-
vember 18, 1895, having given birth to three
children, a daughter and two sons, of whom
Arthur G. is living. Arthur G. Brewster has
taken up the hereditary occupation; and in
1895, at the age of thirty-one years, he became
the junior member of the firm of Lewis W.
Brewster & Son.

The Portsmouth /owrna/l has always main-
tained a high standard of journalistic integrity
and usefulness. A remarkable feature of its
columns for some time was the very interesting
series of historical and descriptive articles,
prepared at a great expense of time and labor
by the elder Brewster, entitled ‘‘Rambles
about Portsmouth,’’ afterward published in
262 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

covers, forming two choice volumes, rich in
reminiscences of this venerable seaport town.

 

 

 

HARLES R. BAILEY, a representa-

tive man of Londonderry, who has

been honored by his townsmen with

a seat in the New Hampshire legis-

lature, was born in Lebanon, Grafton County,
March 1, 1851. He isa son of James D. and
Adaline S. (Sweetser) Bailey, natives of
Hillsborough County. James D. Bailey, who
was a son of Daniel Bailey, lived in the town
of Merrimack, Hillsborough County, until he
was about forty years of age. He then moved to
Macon County, Illinois, where he died shortly
after settling. After his death his widow
resided for a number of years in Scranton,
Pa., and then moved to Manchester, N.H.
She contracted a second marriage, thereby
becoming the wife of David R. Leach, for-
merly of Londonderry, and died in May, 1888.

Charles R. Bailey, the only surviving child
of his parents, spent his early childhood in
Illinois, and was about twelve years of age
when his mother removed to Scranton, Pa.
His education was acquired in the common
schools of Illinois and Scranton; the high
school in Manchester, N.H., from which he
graduated early in the seventies; and the acad-
emy at New London, N.H. In 1883 he
settled on the farm in Londonderry, where he
still makes his home, and has since given his
chief attention to agriculture. He owns some
eighty acres of land, and carries on his farm-
ing operations in a progressive way, often
taking the lead in special crops.

He was married in August, 1878, to Au-
gusta G. Hunkins, a native of Manchester,
and daughter of George W. and Cynthia
(Dow) Hunkins, both of Manchester. Of
their nine children eight are living; namely,
Edwin J., Addie, Anna M., Ara B., Berta,
Imma, Grace, and an infant not named at
this writing. The second son, Fred, died in
early childhood. The father votes the Repub-
lican ticket. He was for three years Select-
man of Londonderry, serving one year as
Chairman of the board. He was Representa-
tive in the State legislature one term, and was
elected three years in succession Highway

 

Agent of Londonderry. He is a member of
the Masonic brotherhood, having membership
in St. Mark’s Lodge at Derry. He is a
charter member of Horace Greeley Council of
the United Order of American Mechanics at
Londonderry, and he is an active member of
Londonderry Grange. A well-educated man,
with advanced ideas and liberal views, Mr.
Bailey is held in high regard by his townsmen.

 

 

OHN WASON, an energetic and enter-
prising farmer, residing at North Ches-
ter, was born in Chester, February 1s,
1840, a son of Frederick and Rebecca

(Knowles) Wason. He is descended from an-
cestors who came among the earliest settlers
of the town of Chester, where James Wason,
the great-great-grandfather, as well as the
grandfather of John, spent their whole lives.
Frederick Wason was also a lifelong resident
of Chester, and one of its highly respected cit-
izens. He worked at farming and lumbering
during his years of activity, being for many
years the owner of a saw-mill. After attain-
ing a ripe old age, he died in 1886. He had
survived his wife, whose death occurred in
1878. They were the parents of seven chil-
dren, as follows: Harriet, who died October
20, 1879, and was the wife of Hendrick Hall,
of Haverhill, Mass.; Nathan, who died in
1862; Robert, a soldier in the late Rebellion,
who died in the service in 1862; John, the
subject of this sketch; Albert, who likewise
served in the Civil War, died during his term
of enlistment in 1864; Elbridge, residing in
Haverhill, Mass., who married Miss Ellen
McCreddy; and Loren S., living at Haverhill,

eMass., who married Miss Clara Hills.

John Wason obtained his education in the
district schools of Chester and in the academy
at Derry, N.H. In 1861 he engaged as a
farm laborer in this town, and was employed
in that way for four years. Returning then
to the old homestead, he remained with his
parents until his marriage, when he estab-
lished a household of his own. He had saved
enough money while working as a farm hand
to warrant him in purchasing the farm in
North Chester where he now lives. Laboring
here with the energy and perseverance that had

 

 

oan
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

263

 

hitherto characterized his efforts, he, in due
course, had his estate paid for, and many im-
portant improvements made. The property
contains one hundred acres of finely improved
land. In addition to cultivating his land,
Mr. Wason employs his winters in Jumbering.
In politics he is an earnest supporter of the
Republican party, and has served in various
minor offices of the town. Somewhat of an
antiquary, he cherishes among other old relics
a copy book that has been preserved in the
Knowles family for more than a century. He
has also an old flint-lock rifle, formerly owned
by his great-grandfather, that he prizes highly.

In December, 1864, Mr. Wason married
Lavina J. Dolber, a native of Candia town-
ship, this county. She was born in 1840,
daughter of John Dolber, who worked at the
carpenter's trade in. Candia for many years.
Her mother, Polly (Stevens) Dolber, also a
native of Candia, surviving her father, passed
her last days in Chester. Mr. and Mrs.
Wason have had three children, namely: Al-
bert H., who died March 30, 1888, in New
Hampton, N.H.; Susan Jennie, who is teach-
ing school in New Salem, this State; and
William B., who resides at home..

 

 

HARLES T. BROWN, of Hampton
Falls, a successful farmer and a repre-
sentative man of the district, was

born in this place, September 29,

1827. He isason of Thomas and Elizabeth
(Drake) Brown, both members of old New
Hampshire families. On the paternal side his
first ancestor in this part of the world was
John Brown, an Englishman born in 1588,
who came to America in 1635, and established
a home in the town of Hampton, N.H. His
property is now owned by Zaccheus Brown, a
lineal descendant. John, one of the posterity
of the first John Brown, married Sarah or
Elizabeth Brown, and settled in the south-
eastern part of Hampton, now Seabrook.
Benjamin, a son of this couple, had a son
Jacob, who married Mary Green; and Nathan,
the son of Jacob and Mary (Green) Brown,
was the great-grandfather of Charles T.
Brown. The grandfather, another Jacob
Brown, was one of the most successful farmers

‘in the annals of New Hampshire.

 

known in the town of Hampton, where he set-
tled when a young man, after moving from
Kingston, this county.

Thomas Brown, a native of Kingston, born
in 1793, was two years old when his parents
removed to Hampton Falls. He was reared
in the latter place, receiving his education in
the district school and the academy. On fin-
ishing his studies he settled on a farm adjoin-
ing the homestead. There he spent his quiet
and useful life of seventy-five years, tilling
the soil and holding friendly intercourse with
the neighbors, many of whom he had known
from his earliest recollection. In 1868 he
hired as a farm hand aman named Josiah L.
Pike, who, after working for him six months,
committed one of the foulest murders recorded
This man
killed Mr. and Mrs. Brown with an axe, strik-
ing the defenceless old lady first, who did not
regain consciousness after the blow. Mr.
Brown lived four days. Pike was caught and
hanged at Concord, N.H. Mrs. Brown was a
daughter of Abraham Drake, of Hampton.
She reared the following children: Jacob T.,
a farmer on the homestead of his mother’s
father in Hampton; Abigail A., now de-
ceased, who was the wife of James W. Green,
and had two children, also deceased; and
Charles T., the subject of this sketch.

Charles T. Brown received a good practical
education in the district school and at the
Rockingham and Durham Academies. He
taught school for a while in New Market and
Exeter; but subsequently, having learned shoe-
making, made shoes for firms in Lynn, Mass.
Finally, however, he took up the occupation
of general farmer, which had brought prosper-
ity to so many members of his family. His
farm is a part of the old Brown estate, and
was purchased in his boyhood. He erected the
buildings in 1854.

Mr. Brown was married in 1854 to Martha
R., daughter of Josiah and Mary (Shaw) Rob-
inson, of Exeter. Mrs. Brown died June 14,
1871, having given birth to four children.
These were Eddie R., who lived but six years;
Helen F., who married David F. Batchelder,
of Hampton Falls, and has three children —
Arthur D., Martha R., and Paul E. ; and Mary
E. and Everett, who were twins. Everett
264

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

 

died at the age of sixteen. Mary E. married
Bertram T. Janvrin, and has one child, Everett
B. Mr. Brown contracted a second marriage
with Alice W., daughter of Joseph P. and
Elizabeth (Rundlett) Batchelder, of Hampton.
Mr. Brown has voted in the interest of the
Republican party for nearly half a century,
although he cast his first Presidential vote for
John P. Hale, the candidate of the Free Soil
Democrats in 1852. He represented the dis-
trict in the legislature in 1872-73. He
served as Selectman in 1867, 1868, and 1869.
He was also a member of the School Board,
and efficiently filled the office of Town Treas-
urer for sixteen years. He has officiated as
Justice of the Peace since 1854, and has ad-
justed many estates in the vicinity.

 

ENJAMIN M. PARKER, surveyor

of lumber and ex-Secretary of the

New Hampshire Mechanics’ Asso-

ciation, one of the oldest and most

respected residents of Portsmouth, N.H., is a

native of Kittery, Me., where he was born

December 27, 1819. His parents were Ben-
jamin and Joanna (Mugridge) Parker.

Benjamin Parker followed the life of a sea-
man, and was for many years mate of a vessel.
IIc died at sea from yellow fever, contracted
at Havana, but four of the crew surviving the
scourge. His wife, Joanna, was a daughter
of Thomas Mugridge, a successful farmer of
Kittery. She bore her husband three chil-
dren, respectively named: Samuel, Thomas,
and Benjamin M.

At the time of his father’s death Benjamin
M. Parker was a little over a year old. In
1836, when between sixteen and. seventeen
years of age, he came to Portsmouth, and
learned the trade of a house carpenter and
joiner, and worked at the latter employment
for two years. He then left that business;
and in 1844 he joined the Rockingham
Guards, continuing with them for four years,
when he received a commission as Captain of
the Fifth Company of the First Regiment of
New Hampshire militia. In 1862 he was
elected Secretary of the Mechanics’ Associa-
tion; and he remained in office till 1893,
when he resigned after thirty years of faithful

 

and efficient service. His name has been on
the membership roll fifty-four years; and he
is one of the oldest, if not the oldest person
connected with the organization.

In 1844 Mr. Parker was joined in marriage
with Miss Sarah A. Webster, a daughter of
Richard Webster, of Epsom, N.H. At the
close of her earthly life, in 1863, she left five
children; namely, Anna, George W., Abbott
B., Ida F., and William H. In 1865 Mr.
Parker was married to his present wife, Miss
Frances S. Norton before marriage, a daughter
of Samuel M. Norton, of Kittery. This
union has been blessed by the birth of four
children — Alice A., the wife of William
Ward; A. Thurston; Grace E., who married
George E. Fife; and John S.

In political affiliation Mr. Parker has always
been a Democrat. He has served as Surveyor
of Wood and Lumber since 1861. From 1860
up to 1894 he held the office of Justice of the
Peace. In 1863 he was made a Notary Public,
and he still holds that position. Fraternally,
he is a member of Piscataqua Lodge No. 6, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in which
he has held nearly -all the chairs. He is
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the
State, and was a representative to the United
States Grand Lodge for two years. He is a
communicant of the Middle Street Baptist
Church, which he joined in 1840, and has
served as Warden. The year after his first
marriage Mr. Parker moved into his present
residence, 20 Cabot Street, which abounds
with the memories and pleasant associations
of the half-century that has passed since that
time.

 

AMES OWEN, a prosperous agricultu-

rist of Chester, was born June 1],

1829, in Northampton, England, where

his grandfather, Richard Owen, and

his parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Lines)

Owen, spent their entire lives. Samuel Owen

was a shoemaker, and worked at that trade and

general farming throughout his life. He was

the father of ten children, namely; Austin,

John, Thomas, James, William, Isaac, Eli,

Mary Ann, and two others who died in in-
fancy.
 

BENJAMIN M. PARKER.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

267

 

 

James Owen had very limited educational
facilities in his native country. He remained
beneath the parental roof until twenty years
of age, and then began the battle of life for
himself. He married when quite young, and
for twenty or more years thereafter worked in
a corset factory in England. In 1872, accom-
panied by his wife and children, he came to
America in search of more remunerative em-
ployment. Sailing from Bristol May 4, on the
“ Awrongain,” he landed in New York City
just two wecks later. The following year he
worked in a corset manufactory in Boston,
Mass., there saving a little money. Going
then to Kansas, he was engaged in farming in
the town of Kinsley for a year. He then
returned East again, and -worked at corset-
making for two years each in New Haven,
Conn., and in Boston.
his trade, Mr. Owen spent the next two and a
half years in the cities of Detroit, Mich., and
Chicago, Il]. From the latter city he came
to this county, settling in Chester. Here he
bought a farm, and had managed it success-
fully for three years when he had the mis-
fortune to be burned out. Nothing daunted,
however, he bought the farm on which he now
lives, but still retained possession of his first
purchase. He now owns one hundred and fif-
teen acres of land in this township, and car-
ries on general farming after the most ap-
proved methods. He is also somewhat
engaged in stock raising. In politics he is
identified with the Republican party, and
takes an earnest interest in the welfare of the
district.

On September 30, 1852, in his English
home, Mr. Owen married Ruth Tyler, a native
of Birmingham, England. She was born June
9, 1829, a daughter of Thomas and Ruth
(Hall) Tyler, the latter of whom died when
Mrs. Owen was a young girl. Her father, a
tin worker by trade, continued his residence
in Birmingham until his death. Mrs. Owen
has had seven children; namely: Sarah, who
lives in Manchester, N.H.; Austin, a farmer,
who married Sophia Wedow, lives near his
parents, and has three children — Ruth, Will-
iam, and James; Henry, who is a resident of
Detroit, Mich.; William, who is Physician
Director of the Young Men’s Christian Asso-

*

Still continuing at:

 

ciation of New Bedford, Mass.; Mary, who
lives with her parents; John and one child
unnamed, who both died in infancy. Both
parents and children are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.

 

EVI E. CROSS, a respected resident

of Londonderry and a veteran of the

Civil War, was born in Hudson,

N.H., in August, 1831, and is a

son of Levi, born in Litchfield, N.H., and
Fannie (Goodwin) Cross, born in Merrimack,
N.H. His great-grandfather Cross is said to

‘have been a Revolutionary patriot; but little

has been handed down concerning the ancestry
of the family. Levi Cross removed from
Litchfield to Hudson, where he resided for
many years. He died there previous to the
outbreak of the Civil War. In political affili-
ation he was a Whig. His wife, Fannie, bore
him seven children, three of whom are living,
namely: Cyrus, who served in the Civil War,
and is now residing in Amherst, N.H.; Levi
E.; and Marietta, wife of Clark Holden, of
Wolfboro, N.H.

Levi E. Cross received his education in the
district schools of Hudson. His early years
were spent on the homestead farm; and, with,
the exception of about a year.-during which
he worked at the shoemaker’s trade, he has

been steadily engaged in agricultural pursuits

since he was old enough to work. He owns
a farm of one hundred acres, the tillable por-
tion of which he has under good cultivation;
and everything about the place betokens the
thrifty New England farmer. In 1861 Mr.
Cross enlisted in Company A, Eighth Regi-
ment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry.
This regiment went to New Orleans under
command of General B. F. Butler, and was
present at the surrender of that city. At the
end of his term of enlistment Mr. Cross was
honorably discharged; and in 1864 he again
enlisted, this time in Company F, Eigh-
teenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry,
with which he participated, under General
Grant, in the siege of Petersburg, and was at
Appomattox when General Lee surrendered.
He received his final discharge in the spring
of 1865, and since that time has resided in
268

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

 

Londonderry, where he enjoys the good will
and respect of his neighbors and many friends.

Mr. Cross married Miss Mary J. Miller, of
Hudson, N.H., and they are the parents of
the following children: Anna F., wife of
Walter B. Chase: Ella M.; George E.;
Charles D.; Martena (deceased) ; and Arthur
H. Mr. and Mrs. Cross are communicants of
the Baptist church. In political views Mr.
Cross is a Republican. He is a member of
Wesley B. Knight Post, No. 41, Grand Army
of the Republic.

RANK W. DANIELSON, a foreman
in the factory of the Portsmouth Shoe
Company, was born in this town, April

6, 1858, son of Daniel and Adeline F.
(Grover) Danielson. The Danielsons are old
residents of the town. Grandfather Danielson
came here from Norway before the year 1800,
and engaged in the real estate and shipping
business. At his death he left a large prop-
erty to his heirs. His wife was related to
Lord Nelson, the celebrated British admiral.
Her life needed but four years to complete a
century when she died. Her husband’s death
occurred at the age of sixty-one. They reared
six children, of whom Daniel was the second-
born.

Daniel Danielson, who is a native of ‘Ports-
mouth, born September 8, 1830, worked at the
blacksmith’s trade as journeyman for forty
years. He is now employed in the finishing-
room of the Portsmouth Shoe Company’s fac-
tory. In politics he has been a Republican
since he cast his first vote in a Presidential
election for Franklin Pierce in 1852. At
one time he served in the office of Health In-
spector. When the Civil War broke out he
joined the United States Navy, and served for
eighteen months on the frigate ‘“ Macedonia.”
Upon being discharged from the navy at the
expiration of his term of service in 1862, he
immediately enlisted in Company K, Six-
teenth New Hampshire Volunteers, with the
rank of Corporal, and subsequently shared in
the actions at Fort Hudson and Fort Burton
on the Red River. In the course of his ser-
vice the duties of Sergeant frequently de-
volved upon him. While on the Red River

 

 

he received a wound in the leg that obliged
him to remain in the hospital for three weeks.
He is a member of Stooer Post, No. 1, Grand
Army of the Republic, and of the Kearsarge
Veterans. In religion he is a Free Will Bap-
tist, having been a member of that church for
many years. His wife, who is a daughter of
Captain John Grover, of York, Me., has borne
him four boys, of whom three are living.
These are: John, who is a conductor on the
Western Division, Boston & Maine Railroad,
and resides in Portland, Me.; Alfred H., who
is a finisher in the employment of the Ports-
mouth Shoe Company, and lives in Greenland,
this county; and Frank W., the chief subject
of this notice.

Frank W. Danielson, who is the second
child of his parents, after receiving his educa-
tion in the public schools, worked for three
years as clerk in the wholesale store of
Spaulding & Parrott, iron dealers of Ports-
mouth. At the end of that period the store
was closed, and Mr. Danielson obtained em-
ployment in the factory of the Portsmouth
Shoe Company as finisher. Two years later,
in 1882, he was appointed foreman of the
finishing-room, a position which he has filled
with credit up to the present time. In 1892
he received the further charge of the making
department, and he has since superintended
both departments to the complete satisfaction
of his employers.

In 1884, March 9, he was united in matri-
mony with Lucy A. Burke, daughter of B. F.
Burke, of Portsmouth. They have had five
children, of whom one died in infancy, and
another at a later period of pneumonia. The
three survivors are boys. In addition to being
a member of the Free Will Baptist church, he
has been treasurer of the society for some
time, clerk of the same for fourteen years,
and a Trustee, as well as Sunday-school super-
intendent for about eight years. He has
also been Vice-President of the Christian En-
deavorers for the past two years. He takes
no active interest in politics, while his prin-
ciples are Democratic. His first vote was cast
in behalf of Frank Jones for Governor of the
State and in behalf of General Hancock for
President of the United States. He is a
member of the Ancient Order of United Work-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

269

 

 

men, and of Osgood Lodge, No. 48, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows.

 

REENLEAF K. BARTLETT, at-

torney-at-law, Derry, N.H., was

born in this town, June 17, 1856.

He is the eldest son now living of -Greenleaf

C. and Charlotte J. (Kelly) Bartlett, and a

descendant of Richard Bartlett, who came

from England in 1637, and settled at Bart-
lett’s Cove in Newbury, Mass.

His father, Greenleaf C. Bartlett, was born
in Nottingham, Rockingham County, N.H.
He read law in Epping, this county, and was
admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1847,
having passed the usual State examination.
He practised first in Salem, this county, mov-
ing to Derry in 1855, and for many years was
prominent as an attorney in this section,
building up a large and lucrative practice
through the strength of his own merits alone.
A Republican in political preference, he was
one of the strong men of the party, and repre-
sented Derry in the State legislature for two
years. In local matters he was active and
prominent, giving of his time and money for
the improvement of the town. His death oc-
curred April 10, 1893. He was for many
years identified with the Masonic Order, be-
longing to St. Mark’s Lodge at Derry, and
was buried with Masonic rites. His wife,
who was a native of Salem, this county, died
April 13, 1896. Of their children the fol-
lowing are living: Greenleaf K., subject of
this sketch; Charles; William; and Jennie S.
Bartlett.

Greenleaf K. Bartlett was reared to man’s
estate in Derry, receiving his early education
at Pinkerton Academy, from which he was
graduated in the class of 1873. He read law
with his father, and was admitted to practice
in February, 1878, working with his father
from 1879 until the death of the latter in
1893. Father and son conducted a large and
successful general practice under the firm
name of G. C. & G. K. Bartlett; and, when
the head of the firm died, the younger man
easily assumed the management. He now
controls a large legal business, and at the

same time is active in other business enter-
a

 

prises. He isa member of the insurance firm
of Bartlett & Shepard, is a Director and at
present Vice-President of the Derry National
Bank, a Director of the Chester & Derry Rail-
road Association, and President of the Derry
Electric Light Company.

Mr. Bartlett is a Republican in politics, ac-
tively interested in local public affairs. He
is a thirty-second degree Mason, and is Past
Master of St. Mark’s Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
of Derry, High Priest of Bell Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, of the same town, and a mem-
ber of Trinity Commandery, Knights Tem-
plars, of Manchester, N.H. He is identified
also with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows and with the Knights of Pythias.

Charles Bartlett is a graduate of Pinkerton
Academy and a man of versatile business
talent. A practical druggist, he is proprietor
of a drug store in Derry; editor and publisher
of the Derry News (an influential local jour-
nal); is one of the projectors and a Director
of the Chester & Derry Railroad Association,
which is to operate an electric line between
Derry and Chester, N.H.; and a Director of
the Derry Electric Light Company. He, too,
is a Republican, and is at present Town Treas-
urer of Derry.

 

LBERT L. REMICK, keeper of the
life-saving station at Rye Beach,
Rockingham County, was born in
the town of Rye, December 25,
1854. His father, David Remick, was a son
of Joseph and Sally (Clark) Remick, lifelong
residents of this town, belonging to the thrifty
community of farmers. David Remick, who
was born and educated in Rye, learned when a
young man the trade of a stone mason, at
which he worked during his life, besides car-
rying on general farming. He lived to the
good old age of seventy-eight years. His
wife, whose maiden name was Abby Johnson,
was a native of Rye also. They had but two
children — Albert L. and George O. George
O. is connected with the life-saving service,
being stationed at Wallace Sands, where he
has lived for the past fourteen years. To him
and his wife, Clara E., two children have
been born — Emma and Austin.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

270

 

Albert L. Remick obtained his education
in the district schools of his native place, and
from that time until attaining his majority he
was engaged in nautical pursuits. Since 1875
Mr. Remick has been connected with the life-
caving service, and, before assuming charge
of the Rye station, gave assistance in sixteen
wrecks, often at the risk of his own life.
Since accepting his present responsible office,
he has been instrumental in saving the follow-
ing vessels and lives: September 3, 1884,

the sloop “Bertie”; October 15, 1884, the.

schooner “Statesman”; a man in an open
boat; the schooners “Express,” “Nettie
Adams,” “Darius Eddy,” “Flying Dart,”
“Chilian,” “The Rising Star”; three small
boats that he picked up; the sloop “Sea
Gull”; a man who had lost his oars, and had
drifted from Newburyport, Mass., in a small
dory; two nearly drowned men; these, with
the schooners “Elder” and “Glendon,” com-
pleting the list of persons and vessels that he
has rescued or assisted. The life-saving ser-
vice when first established, in 1874, was
rudely and meagrely equipped; but each year
important additions have been made to its ap-
paratus and appurtenances, rendering it one of
the most valuabie and efficient institutions of
the government. Mr. Remick married Miss
Annie C. Mace, daughter of John Mace, of
Rye; and into their pleasant household circle
three children have been born—~ Mabel L.,
Walter H., and Albert M.

 

 

ERLEY C. ROBINSON, who is now
somewhat retired from the active
pursuits of life, was for many years
one of the most substantial and

prominent business men of Fremont, N.H.,
and an important factor in advancing the pros-
perity and growth of the town. He was born
here on February 26, 1830, and is a great-
grandson of Josiah Robinson, who served as a
drummer boy in the French War, and later
was one of the early settlers in what is now
the township of Fremont; being the first of
the family to make his home in Northern New
England. Mr. Robinson still has in his pos-

session the drum carried by his great-grand-
father.

 

Ezekiel Robinson, a carpenter and farmer,
son of Josiah, spent his entire life in Fremont
township, as did his wife, who was formerly
a Miss Carr. Their son, Perley: Robinson,
the father of Perley C., likewise Jived and
died in this his native town, where he owned
and improved a farm. He was a man of
varied abilities, being a skilful carpenter and
also a custom tailor, making the latter trade
his chief occupation through life, giving it up
but a few years before his death, which oc-
curred in 1887. He married Polly Currier,
a native of Salisbury, Mass, now deceased.
Three of their six children are now living;
namely, Perley C., Lizzie J., and Albert B.
The last two reside on the old Robinson home-
stead in this township. The others were:
Polly B., the wife of the late Joseph A.
Smith; Abigail A.; and John C.

Perley C. Robinson received a common-
school education, and on the home farm was
initiated into the mysteries of farming, spend-
ing the first twenty-six years of his life on the
parental homestead. He then started out on
his own account, even with the world. With-
out a penny in his pocket, he began work as a
clerk in a store of general merchandise in
Fremont village, continuing three years.
Going then to Haverhill, Mass., he worked
in a dry-goods store four years, subsequently
occupying a similar position in a Boston store
fora year. After working in a shoe store in
Lawrence, Mass., for another year, Mr. Rob-
inson returned to Haverhill, where he entered
a shoe factory, and for about a year worked
on the first machine-sewed shoes ever manu-
factured. Leaving that position, he came
back to Fremont, and here established him-
self in business, investing the money which
he had ‘accumulated in a stock of general
merchandise; and for thirty years he carried
on a lucrative business. Mr. Robinson is
now a real estate owner, being the possessor
of six houses, five of which bring him a
good annual rental, and two farms, embracing
about a hundred acres of land. He has made
many substantial improvements on his farms;
and he built the store in the village, thus
assisting in the growth of the town, while
adding to his own prosperity. He keeps busy
a portion of the time in the insurance busi-
 

ROBINSON.

PERLEY ©.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

273

 

 

ness, being agent for two companies, the
kockingham Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Com-
pany and the New Hampshire Fire Insurance
Company.

Politically, Mr. Robinson is a Free Trader;
and he uniformly casts his vote with the
Democratic party. For two years he served
as Town Treasurer, and for four years on the
School Board. He is a prominent member of
the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Rocking-
ham Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Candia, N.H.;
to St. Alban Chapter, No. 15, Royal Arch
Masons, of Exeter; and to the Trinity Com-
mandery, Knights Templars, of Manchester,
this State. He is alsoa member of the Fre-
mont Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.  Indus-
trious, enterprising, self-reliant, he has
bravely won his way by hard work; and he en-
joys the respect and good will of the commu-
nity where he dwells.

Mr. Robinson was married, May 4, 1863,
to Miss Dora Webster, who was born October
21, 1842, in this township, a daughter of Ben-
jamin P. and Clara C. (Gibson) Webster.
Mrs. Webster is not living, her death having
occurred September 23, 1874; and Mr. Web-
ster now makes his home with Mr. and Mrs.
Robinson. The union of Mr. and Mrs.
Robinson has been blessed by the birth of four
children, namely: Nellie May, who died No-
vember 19, 1889; Abbie Louise, who is teach-
ing in Fremont; Eva Gertrude, who resides in
Brighton, Mass., being the wife of Louis H.
Hamlin, of that place; and Clara Emma, who
lives with her parents.

 

 

EV. RUFUS P.
of the Congregational church at
Hampstead, was born in Orland,
Me., September 14, 1858, son of
Jesse and Abigail J. (Hatch) Gardner. His
grandfather, Peleg Gardner, was a native of
Castine, Me. A competent and energetic
house carpenter, Peleg Gardner followed his
trade in his native town up to the time of his
death, by which time he had accumulated a
good property. He owned much land, and de-
voted part of his time to agriculture, in which
also he was very successful. Asa member of
the old Whig party he was very prominent in
*

GARDNER, pastor

 

town affairs, filling many offices of trust,

and died at the age of sixty-nine years. His

wife attained the advanced age of eighty-two.

Both were members of the Methodist church.

They had eleven children, two of whom are

living, namely: Mrs. Mary S. Heath, of -
Castine; and Peleg, who resides in the State

of Ohio. Jesse, the father of the Rev. Rufus

Gardner, was the third youngest child.

Jesse Gardner, born in Castine, June 10,
1819, was a ship-carpenter in early life, and
became accustomed to doing fine work. Jater
he turned his attention to house building, at
which he was quite successful. After living
in Orland for a number of years, he moved to
Castine in 1868 and to Boston in 1871. He
built many large structures by contract, sev-
eral of which are still standing to-day in dif-
ferent parts of New England as monuments of
his skill. It was he who erected the State
Asylum at Middletown, Conn., and the Union
Passenger Station at Worcester, Mass. His
last work was done on the Insane Asylum at
Danvers, Mass. He performed his contracts
promptly and well, and he was known far and
wide for his upright dealing. In 1887 he re-
tired to his homestead at Castine, where he
died in 1890, aged seventy-one years. He
was a Republican in politics, and served for
some time as Selectman of Castine. He was
a Master Mason, and at his death he was a
prominent member of the lodge in Castine.
In 1842 he was married to Abigail J., daugh-
ter of Jonathan Hatch, of Castine. Mrs.
Gardner, who was born July 24, 1819, is now
living in Danvers, Mass. She is a member of
the Methodist church, as was her husband.
She had seven children, of whom George W.
and Rufus P. are living. George W., who
was born in Orland, October 18, 1852, married
Catherine C.. Ramsey, of Prince Edward
Island, Canada, and has two children — Annie
and Abbie J.

The Rev. Rufus P. Gardner, after graduat-_
ing from the Castine High School, completed
a commercial course at Bryant & Stratton’s
Business College, Boston, from which he grad-
uated in 1876. He subsequently graduated
from the Eastern State Normal School in
1878, after which he taught in the seminary
at Bucksport, Me., for two years. Then, be-
274

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

coming interested in missionary work, he
labored as an evangelist in the State of Maine
for two years. In 1883 he entered the Theo-
logical School at Bangor, Me., and in 1886
graduated therefrom, and was settled as pastor
-over the Congregational church at Waldoboro,
Me. Having spent two years here, he ac-
cepted in 1888 a call to the church in Marion,
Mass., which was under his charge five years.
On December 5, 1893, he assumed the duties
of his present charge. In the short time that
has since elapsed he has done a great deal for
the church. He is very popular among his
associates, and has won the esteem of many
outside his own particular field. Mr. Gardner
is Secretary and Chairman of the Business
Committee of Taber Academy of Marion,
Mass., which was organized in 1889, this
being his seventh year in office. He is also a
trustee of an industrial school at Manassas,
Va., and President of the Board of Trustees
of the Hampstead High School.

Mr. Gardner has been twice married. His
first wife, in maidenhood Miss Ada Myrick,
of Hampden, Me., was the mother of one
child, Ada B., born December 23, 1881. His
second marriage took place June 8, 1886,
when his bride was Belle B., daughter of
George O. and Hannah Clement, of Freedom,
Me. By this union also he has one child,
Harold P., born December 23, 1890. Asa
Mason Mr. Gardner is a member of Pythag-
orean Lodge of Marion, Mass.; and as an
Odd Fellow he belongs to Germania Lodge,
No. 76, of Waldoboro, Me.

 

OHN SANBORN CRAM, whose death
in 1883 deprived Hampton Falls of one
of her most enterprising citizens, was
born in this town, July 23, 1825, son

of Joseph and Sally (Sanborn) Cram. He
was a direct descendant of John Cram, who
came to New Hampshire with the-Rev. Mr.
Wheelwright, the pioneer minister of Exeter,
in 1638. John Cram, after residing for a
while in Exeter, settled in Hampton, where
he died in 1682. He is spoken of in the town
records, it is said, as “ good old John Cram in
his generation.” (See History of Exeter,
N.H.) John Cram’s son Benjamin was the

 

 

father of a second John Cram; and Jonathan,
first, son of John, second, had a son, Nehe-
miah, who was the father of Jonathan, second,
Mr. John S. Cram’s grandfather. This last-
named Jonathan Cram was a prominent farmer
of Hampton Falls. His wife’s maiden naine
was Rhoda Tilton. Their son Joseph was the
father of the direct subject of this sketch, now
to be further spoken of.

John Sanborn Cram obtained his education
in a district school in Hampton Falls and
Pembroke Academy. He was engaged in gen-
eral farming in his native town for a while;
and then, going to Minnesota, he bought a
large tract of prairie land. After a stay of
four years in the West he sold his land, and,
returning home, purchased a farm at Hamp-
ton Falls, on which he made many improve-
ments, erecting a fine set of buildings. But
he was not content to settle down in his native
town while there was money to be made else-
where without the expenditure of the time and
labor necessary for successful farming opera-
tions here; and he again started westward,
stopping at Oil City, Pa., where he remained
a year. He then went to Florida, and became

interested in orange raising; but there he

met with an accident from which he never
recovered. He died in Florida, October 7,
1883. Mr. Cram served as Selectman of
Hampton Falls, and was for some time a mem-
ber of the School Committee. He was identi-
fied with the Unitarian church. He was mar-
ried to Lucy Ellen Blake, daughter of Ira
Blake, of Kensington, this county, In 1851;
and three children who blessed this union
attained maturity — Ellen Parker, Edith Gil-
bert, and Joseph Blake. Edith is a successful
music teacher in North Attleboro, Mass.

OSEPH BLAKE CRAM was born at
Hampton Falls, January 1, 1870, and
acquired his education in his native
town. After his father’s death he took

charge of the farm at Hampton Falls, which
he has since successfully managed. He makes
a specialty of dairy farming, and has some
handsome cattle. He is well versed in agri-
cultural science, and is a prominent member
of the grange of Patrons of Husbandry at

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

275

 

 

Hampton Falls. A Republican in politics,
he has entered on his second year as a Select-
man of the town.

 

ILLIAM GILES, who has been en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits for
more than threescore years in East

Kingston, was born September 19, 1814, in
the town of Lee, Strafford County, son of
Paul and Sarah (Randall) Giles. Both par-
ents were lifelong residents of that place.
Their farnily included nine children; namely,
Paul, Jr., William, John, Susan, Elizabeth,
Sarah, Charles, Job, and Joseph. Besides
William but two of these children are now
living. These are: Susan, who lives in Ken-
sington, now the widow of the late Edwin
Stevens; and Job, who resides in Haverhill,
Mass.

William Giles attended the district school
as the opportunity offered, up to the age of
thirteen years, when he began to make his
own living. During the first three years
thereafter he worked in a country hotel at
Lee, doing the errands of the house and as-
sisting on the farm. Coming then to Epping
in this county, he worked at the tanner’s and
shoemaker’s trade for three years. At the
end of that time he returned to the town in
which he was born, and there worked at shoe-
making until his marriage. In 1837 he
bought a farm in Lee, which he successfully
conducted until 1855, when he came to East
Kingston. Here he bought his present farm
property. This he has since managed with
manifest skill and judgment. It contains
one hundred and sixty acres of land, much of
it in a good state of cultivation. Besides
raising the usual grains, vegetables, and fruit,
he pays considerable attention to stock rais-
ing. Having started in life with no other
capital than brains, a willingness to labor, and
the usual amount of muscle, Mr. Giles is a
good sample of our self-made men. In poli-
tics Mr. Giles bas always gone with the Dem-
ocratic party. He has served the commu-
nity as Selectman for several terms, and in
1875 he represented the town in the State leg-
islature.

,On January 24, 1837, Mr. Giles married

 

Miss Mary Jane Langley, who was born in
Alton, N.H. Having been left an orphan
when quite young, she was reared by relatives
in Lee. She died October 4, 1888, leaving
five children — Sarah, George, Charles W.,
Alvin, and Willard. Sarah is the wife of B.
Judson Perkins. George, who is engaged in
farming in this township, married Miss Sa-
lome B. Parker. Charles W. married Isa-
bella Wadleigh, with whom he resides in
Kensington. Alvin is a resident of Cali-
fornia, where he is chiefly engaged in buying
and selling stock. Willard, who is unmar-
ried, lives on the home farm.

G

 

JENNESS RAND is one of the pro-
gressive agriculturists of Rye. He
was born December 14, 1838, on the
homestead which he now occupies, son
of Samuel H. and Emily (Jenness) Rand.
His grandfather, Joseph Rand, who was also a
native of the town, contributed his full share
toward developing the agricultural resources
of this section of the State. Joseph Rand
was a fisherman in his early life. Afterward
he was engaged in farming, and continued a
resident of Rye until his death, at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-six years. He married a
Miss Marden, who spent her life in this town,
They became the parents of eight children,

namely: Joseph, born January 21, 1796;
Samuel H., born April 28, 1803; Eliza,
born November 14, 1804; Nathaniel, born

September 16, 1806; Mary, born January 29,
1808; Susan, born July 28, 1809; Levi, born
April 23, 1811; and Ira, born September 28,
1814. Nathaniel learned the blacksmith’s
trade in Rye, and afterward moved to Maine,
where he married, reared a family, and was
succeeded in business by one of his sons.
Ira, the youngest son, -became the owner of
the original Rand homestead, and at his death
left it to his two sons, Gilman and Albert,
who now reside there.

Samuel H. Rand, likewise a native of Rye,
was educated in the district schools. Early
in life he decided upon farming as the means
by which he should earn a livelihood. Soon
after his marriage he located on the farm now
owned by his son, J. Jenness; and from that
276

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

time until his demise, January 5, 1876, he
was prosperously employed in_ his chosen
occupation. Of his marriage with Emily
Jenness, who was a daughter of Jonathan and
Abigail Jenness, of this town, but one child
was born, J. Jenness. The mother passed
away, August 5, 1866, at the age of fifty-nine
years.

J. Jenness Rand received his elementary
education in the district schools of Rye, and
afterward continued his studies at a select
school fora time. Succeeding to the home-
stead on which he was reared, he has since
been closely identified with the agricultural
and industrial interests of his native town,
and is one of its most respected residents.
During the late Rebellion Mr. Rand was
drafted into the service of his country. In his
political affiliations he is a steadfast Repub-
lican. He cast his first Presidential vote in
1860 for Abraham Lincoln. He has served
acceptably in the capacity of Road Surveyor of
Rye. He belongs to the Odd Fellows, being
a member of Osgood Lodge, No. 48, of Ports-
mouth.
ried Martha A. Marden, daughter of Samuel
and Cecilia (Foye) Marden, of Rye. They
have two sons— Herman O. and Edgar J.
Herman O., a mason by trade, living in Rye,
married Miss Lizzie A. Rand, daughter of
H. S. Rand, of Rye.

 

EV. CURTIS HOYT DICKENS,
pastor of the Church of Christ, First
Universalist Parish, of Portsmouth,
was born July 24, 1865, in Brook-
field, Conn., son of Samuel Francis and Kath-
tryn Drake (Elwood) Dickens. His grand-
father, Simon M. Dickens, in his early man-
hood came from Kent County, England, to
the United States about the year 1820.
Simon’s occupation was that of a contractor of
mason work, which he followed in Ridgefield,
Conn., until his death in 1865. To him and
his wife, who was an English woman bearing
the name of Kathryn Drake prior to her mar-
riage, six children were born, most of whom
have passed away.
Samuel Francis Dickens, Simon's eldest
child, learned the mason’s trade from his

On January 11, 1865, Mr. Rand mar-’

 

father, and made it his life occupation, follow-
ing it for the larger part of the time at Purdy’s
Station, Westchester County, N.Y. He died
at Norwalk, Conn., at the early age of forty-
two years, his death being the result of a cold
contracted while hunting. A successful and
able business man, he had the respect of his
fellow-townsmen of Purdy’s Station, who
elected him Selectman for several years. In
religion he had a firm belief in the God-love
truth of universal redemption, and was a
valued member of the Universalist church.
He married Kathryn Drake Elwood, daughter
of John Elwood, of New Haven, Conn., and
became the father of two children — Curtis H.
and Charles.

The Rev. Curtis Hoyt Dickéns, the younger
son of Samuel F., from his earliest years man-
ifested a love for learning. After leaving the
common schools of Purdy’s Station, he com-
pleted the course of a business college in Phil-
adelphia, and then entered Tufts College, Mas-
sachusetts, graduating from that institution
with the class of 1894, on which occasion he
was marshal of the class. While in college,
having a fine baritone voice, he was a member
of the Tufts College Glee Club, with which he
made a tour of the United States, for a time
being soloist. After his graduation Mr.
Dickens accepted a call to his present pas-
torate, where his labors have greatly increased
the society, and aroused in it much energy
and enthusiasm. At his first sermon in the
church the attendance numbered but twenty-
three, while now more than a hundred regu-
larly attend each service.

On July 17, 1894, Mr. Dickens was married
to Olive Springer Cochrane, who was born in
Woonsocket, R.I., daughter of George Harris
and Mary Jane (Jackson) Cochrane. On the
maternal side Mrs. Dickens is descended from
John Adams and Andrew Jackson. Mrs.
Dickens, who is a woman of culture, has con-
siderable artistic talent, as evidenced by many
paintings of hers, both in oil and water colors,
decorating the walls of her home. Mr. Dick-
ens is a member of the Improved Order of
Red Men, Massasoit Tribe, No. 16; of Paugas-
sett Tribe, No. 3, of Danbury, Conn., of
which he is a charter member, and in which
he was for a time one of the working team; of
 

EDWARD A. WITHERELL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

279

 

 

Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias; and
of St. John’s Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M.

 

VERETT E. THOMPSON, a shoemaker
and farmer residing in Brentwood town-
ship, was born in the town of Not-
tingham, this county, April 29, 1855. He
is a son of Jonathan Thompson, a native of
Durham, Strafford County, now residing in
Nottingham, where he has been engaged in
farming for many years. Jonathan Thompson
worked as a machinist in his younger days,
being first employed in the locomotive shops
at Manchester, this State, and afterward in
Lowell, Mass. After leaving Lowell, he lo-
cated on a farm in Nottingham, which has
since been his permanent home. At one
period of his residence here he was engaged
in lumbering. He is now retired from active
pursuits, although both he and his wife are
living on their farm. He was married in
July, 1845, to Mary A. Doe, a native of Rock-
ingham County; and in July, 1895, they cele-
brated the golden anniversary of their wedding.
They have had nine children, as follows: Jo-
seph Henry, now of Deerfield township; Susan
J., now the wife of John A. Seaward, of
Strafford, N.H.; Rose, the wife of Leroy Os-
good, of Nottingham; Charles, a resident of
Nottingham; George, who died at the age of
nine years; Everett E., the subject of this
sketch; Anson F., now of Nottingham town-
ship; and two that died in early infancy.
Everett E. Thompson obtained his education
in the public schools of his native town and at
a private school. He remained with his par-
ents until his marriage, when he went to New-
field, N.H., where he worked at farming for
eighteen months. Returning to Nottingham,
he engaged in carrying the United States mail
from Lee station to East Northwood for a
time. When daily deliveries were introduced,
he changed his place of residence to North-
wood, where he lived for three years, carrying
the mai] in the meantime from both North-
wood and Lee. He then moved to South New
Market, this county, where he worked for a
year in the machine shop, and subsequently
at farming.
Brentwood, and_ here bought the property

In 1882 Mr. Thompson came to

 

known as the Masten farm, on which he has
since lived. His farm contains forty acres,
and is in a good state of cultivation. Besides
carrying on mixed husbandry very successfully,
he works at shoemaking, having quite a num-
ber of customers, who esteem him a superior
workman.

On November 9, 1876, Mr. Thompson mar-
ried Nellie J. Smith, of Nottingham, a daugh-
ter of the late Stephen Smith and his wife,
Mary (Burley) Smith, who is now living in
Nottingham. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have
three children— Fred J., Jessie May, and
Mara Nellie. In politics Mr. Thompson affil-

‘iates with the Republican party, and takes an

active interest in local affairs. He was Se-
lectman of the township for three years, being
Chairman of the Board one year, and was Con-
stable for two years. He is an Odd Fellow,
belonging to Geneva Lodge, No. 180, of Ep-
ping, N.H.

 

°

 

DWARD A. WITHERELL, © senior
member of the firm of Witherell &
Collins, manufacturers of women’s,
misses’, and children’s slippers at South Dan-
ville, N.H., was born in Fremont, another
Rockingham County town, July 27, 18509.
His father, Orrin O. Witherell, removed from
Fremont to Ohio many years ago, settling in
the town of Weights, Wood County, where he
is engaged in farming and manufacturing lum-
ber, owning a saw-mill.

Orrin O. Witherell first married Miss Sarah
M. Collins, who died a few years after their
marriage, leaving four children, namely:
Charles; Frank, who was killed by an accident ;
Edward A., the special subject of this brief
biography; and William. The father subse-
quently married Minnie Philbrick, a native of
Rockland, Me., and of this union eight chil-
dren have been born, as follows: Mattie, Al-
bert, Velmer, Mertie, Leila, Arthur, Verna,
and Clement.

Edward Witherell was but a little fellow of
six years when he was deprived of a mother’s
care and guidance. Much of his early life
was spent in Ohio, where he acquired his edu-
cation, completing his studies in the Toledo
High School. Wishing to turn his mechan-
280

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

ical ability to account, he learned the trade of
hard-wood finishing, at which he afterward
worked in the cities of Toledo, Cincinnati,
and Chicago. Coming from the great Western
metropolis to Danville, Mr. Witherell worked
at the shoemaker’s trade, and here learned to
make a ‘‘turned shoe.’’ In 1887 he formed a
partnership with Mr. M. A. Collins, of South
Danville, continuing in business with him a
year. The following five years Mr. Witherell
was engaged in the manufacture of slippers;
and then, as his business had increased, he
took in as an equal partner Mr. Clarence M.
Collins. This enterprising and progressive
firm employ about: one hundred men in their
business, their plant being among the leading
factories of South Danville, and turning out
a large number of slippers of a superior grade
each month. Their trade, which is exclusively
wholesale, covers all of the Eastern States,
and extends westward to the Pacific Coast.

Mr. Witherell was married December 31,
1885, to Miss Cora M. Collins, of South Dan-
ville, a daughter of J. H. Collins, a well-
known resident of this town. Mr. and Mrs.
Witherell have one child, Martin C., born
August 28, 1891. Socially, Mr. Witherell is
prominently identified with the Masonic frater-
‘nity, belonging to Gideon Lodge, No. 84,
A. F. & A. M., of Kingston, and St. Albans
Chapter of Exeter. Politically, he affiliates
with the Republican party.

 

 

LBERTUS COBURN, a prominent and

esteemed resident of Salem in_ his

time, was born in Milford, N.H.,

March 24, 1815, son of Job and

Abiah Coburn. (Further particulars respect-

ing his parents will be found in the sketch of
Eliphalet Coburn, of North Salem. )

When a young man he removed with his
parents to the town of Salem, and shortly
after settled on the farm where his daughter,
Sarah F. Coburn, ‘now resides. He had at-
tended the public schools of his native town
in his youth, but such education as he had
was mostly self-acquired afterward. He was
a great reader all his life, and in that way
gained much general information. He kept
himself well informed on all the more impor-

 

tant subjects of the day, and easily held his
own wherever he went. His farm contained
one hundred and twenty-three acres. On it
stood his dwelling, a handsome structure, in
which he took much pride, though it was said
to be about one hundred years old.

Mr. Coburn was married to Mrs. Charlotte
Sanborn, the widow of John Sanborn and a
daughter of Judge William Spencer, of Cor-
inth, Vt., her native State. The three chil-
dren born cf this marriage were: Sarah F.,
Etta J., and George A. Etta J. is now the
wife of John P. Atwood, of North Salem; and
George A. is deceased. The mother died
July 1, 1869. Mr. Coburn subsequently con-
tracted a second marriage, by which he was
united to Elizabeth P. Chase, who died in
April in the year 1894.

Mr. Coburn took a lively interest in the
welfare of the town, and served it for a time
as Selectman. An obliging neighbor, a faith-

‘ful friend, and a charming and pleasant ac-

quaintance, he was generally respected and
admired. He died March 11, 1895, mourned
by all who had enjoyed the pleasure of his ac-
quaintance.

————__ +e

 

IRAM L. ROWELL, a dealer in
general merchandise at East Kings-
ton village, was born January 21,
1837, in Haverhill, Mass., son of
Leonard F. and Sarah Louisa (Kimball) Row-
ell. Leonard F. Rowell was a native of Ver-
mont, where he spent a large portion of his
life in the pursuit of agriculture. For a few
years he carried on general farming in Haver-
hill, Mass.; but he returned to his native
State in 1844, and there spent his remaining
days. He married Sarah Louisa Kimball, a
native of Haverhill, and they became the
parents of nine children, namely: Lucy, Caro-
line, and George, now deceased; Hiram L.,
the subject of this sketch; Lydia, the wife of
Charles Andrews, of Berlin, Vt. ; Gardner B.,
who married Ella Andrews, and resides at
Berlin, Vt.; Aaron, a resident of Montpelier,
Vt.; John C., an engineer, living at Mont-
pelier, who married Belle Lenox; and Hattie,
the wife of Henry Reed, of Berlin, Vt.
Hiram L. Rowell remained beneath the pa-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

281

 

 

rental roof-tree until eighteen years of age,
when he came from Vermont to East Kingston
in order to learn the shoemaker’s trade with
his brother. He subsequently worked for him
and others until 1863, when he enlisted in the
Second New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry as
Sutler of the regiment. In 1864 he was trans-
ferred to another regiment, and until the close
of the war stationed in Maryland. He passed
through many exciting scenes, including some
of those enacted the night of President Lin-
coln’s assassination in Washington, where he
was then stopping. On his return to Rocking-
ham County, Mr. Rowell was engaged in the
manufacture of boots and shoes in East Kings-
ton village for five or six years. He subse-
quently removed to Milton, N.H., where,
besides carrying on a good business as a mer-
chant for some months, he had the supervision
of a shoe manufactory. Going thence to
Rochester, this State, he was there employed
in the boot and shoe business for one year,
after which he returned to East Kingston and
established his present store. He carries an
excellent assortment of general merchandise,
and is a large dealer in wood and coal, which
he sells throughout the township. He is Post-
master of the village, the post-office being
located in his store. In politics he is a stead-
fast Republican. He served as Town Clerk
for three years, and for the past ten years he
has been Justice of the Peace and Notary Pub-
lic. He also accommodates the travelling
public at a small but well-managed and popu-
lar hotel, and ably discharges the duties of an
auctioneer whenever his services in that ca-
pacity are demanded.

On September 16, 1870, Mr. Rowell mar-
ried Miss Clara F. Batchelder, a native of
East Kingston, born July 30, 1848. Her
father, Nathaniel Batchelder, was a carpenter
by trade, spent his life in this township, and
died in 1885. Mrs. Batchelder, whose maiden
name was Abbie Marsh, was also a lifelong
resident of East Kingston, and died here, March
2, 1896. She bore her husband three other
children — Austin F., Abbie L., and Etta E.
Abbie L. lives in Newton township, this
county; and Etta E. lives in Nashua, N.H.
Mr. and Mrs. Rowell had ten children, as
follows: Albert L., born February 10, 1872;

*

 

Hattie M., born April 26, 1874; Irving H.,
born September 7, 1875; Charles W., born
September 17, 1877; Eddie A., born August
31, 1879; Walter G., born April 8, 1884, who
died August 16 following; Annie T., born Au-
cust 2, 1885; Marion L., born May 11, 1889;
Allen B., born June 29, 1892, who died Janu-
ary 17, 1894; and Fred B., born June 9, 1895.
Mrs. Rowell attends the Methodist Episcopal
Church of East Kingston village.

 

ESSE GIBSON, living in retirement at
Derry, was born June 10, 1816, in
Pelham, Hillsborough County. His
parents, Jesse Gibson, Sr., and Sarah

(Atwood) Gibson, both lifelong residents of
the county, were natives of Pelham. Jesse
Gibson, Sr., a son of James Gibson, who was
born and reared in Hillsborough County, grew
to manhood in Pelham, and became one of the
most honored and respected residents of the
town. He represented it in the State legis-
lature for a time, and was Selectman for a num-
ber of years. After attaining a ripe old age
he died in 1876, leaving three children.
These were: Jesse, the subject of this sketch;
Sarah, now the wife of Alexander McMurphy,
of Derry; and James, who resides in Lowell,
Mass. The father was a man of upright char-
acter, and, though not united by membership
with any religious organization, was a regu-
lar attendant at divine worship, and contrib-

uted liberally toward the support of the
churches. In politics he was a sound Demo-
crat.

Jesse Gibson lived on the parental home-
stead until he attained man’s estate, obtaining
his education in the common schools of his
native town. Desirous then of changing his
occupation, Mr. Gibson removed to Manches-
ter, N.H., at that time but a hamlet, and
there carried ona thriving mercantile business
for several years. Coming thence to Derry,
he was engaged in business here for a number
of years, and then returned to Pelham, where
he lived with his parents until their demise.
In 1884 he returned to Derry, and is here liv-
ing in retirement, enjoying the fruits of his
industry and enterprise in earlier years. He
is a steadfast Republican in politics, support-
to
wn
ty

ing the principles of that party by voice and
vote.

Mr. Gibson was married October 26, 1854,
to Miss Hannah Carter, who was born Octo-
ber 8, 1828, in Concord, N.H. Mrs. Gibson’s
parents were Simeon and Eliza (Abbott)
Carter, both natives of Concord, this State.
Her grandfather, Moses Carter, was an early
settler of Concord and a son of Joseph Carter,
who distinguished himself by bravery in the
Revolutionary War. She is also of pioneer
ancestry on her mother’s side, as the Abbotts,
who were among the earliest settlers of An-
dover, Mass., afterward helped to lay the
foundations of Concord. Mrs. Gibson.and her
sister, Mrs. Elvira George, of Jowell, Mass.,
are the only survivors of their parents’ chil-
dren. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson have no children
of their own; but they have one adopted
daughter, Miss Hattie Gibson. Mrs. Gibson
is a member of the Congregational church.
Both she and her husband are highly esteemed
throughout the community.

 

Postmaster at West Epping, N.H.,

© an ex-member of the New Hamp-

shire legislature, and a veteran of

the Civil War, was born in Epping on Au-

gust 14, 1824, son of Samuel and Hannah S.
(Norris) Shepard.

Joseph Shepard, Sr., Captain - Shepard’s
great-grandfather, removed from Gilmanton,
N.H., to Epping, and during his active period
was identified with the agricultural develop-
ment of the town. He bought the old Harri-
man farm, which was originally cleared and
improved by Asa Harriman, great-grandfather
of Colonel Harriman, Commander of the
Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, and ex-
Governor of the State; and he managed the
property with energy and success until his
death, which took place on May 11, 1793.
His wife, Anna Shepard, died March 27,
1807, aged seventy-seven years. Their son,
Joseph Shepard, Jr., Captain Shepard’s grand-
father, was a native of Gilmanton, born March
27, 1769, and died November 9, 1845. He
was one of the most prominent residents of
Epping, being a farmer and surveyor; and he

Oy oss GEORGE N. SHEPARD,
i

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

served as a member of the Board of Selectmen
for twenty-two years in succession. His
wife, whose maiden name was Jane Gove, was
born May 28, 1767, and died August 16,
1849.

Samuel Shepard, son of Joseph and Jane,
was born on June 18, 1798. He was a farmer,
a merchant, and a land surveyor. He also
engaged in teaching, his short life being one
of active usefulness. He enjoyed the esteem
and confidence of his fellow-townsmen; and,
although his quiet, unassuming nature pre-
vented him from aspiring to political honors,
he was elected to some of the important town
offices. He died December 16, 1834. His
wife, formerly Hannah S. Norris, a native of
Raymond, N.H., survived him many years,
and died in 1882.

George N. Shepard was in his eleventh
year when he lost his father. He acquired a
good education, commencing his studies in the
public schools of Epping and Dover, and com-
pleting them at Hampton Academy. He re-
sided at home with his mother until starting
out in life for himself as a clerk in this town,
and some three or four years later he returned
to the farm. After that he taught school for
some time, did considerable land surveying,
acted as Justice of the Peace and conveyancer,
drawing up deeds, contracts, wills, etc., and
was thus employed until 1855. He then
visited Iowa on a prospecting tour, and bought
a tract of land in Benton County, with the

intention of settling there; but circumstances

prevented him from taking this move. Re-
turning. to Epping, he continued to reside here
until after the breaking out of the Rebellion,
when he enlisted as First Lieutenant of Com-
pany A, Eleventh Regiment, New Hampshire
Volunteer Infantry, and was in active service
from the fall of 1862 to the close of the war.
He participated in several of the most decisive
engagements of the war, receiving a gunshot
wound in the left side at the battle of Fred-
ericksburg and another in the left hip at Cold
Harbor; and he was promoted to the rank of
Captain, and assigned to duty as Commander
of Company I of the Eleventh Regiment.
When the war was over, and he had received
his discharge, he returned once more to the
Epping farm, where he resided for a year;
 

GEORGE N. SHEPARD.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

285

 

 

and, associating himself with W. N. Dow, he
engaged in general mercantile and lumber
business at West Epping. The firm carried
on a large and profitable trade until 1876,
when Captain Shepard bought his partner’s
interest. He has since conducted the busi-
ness alone with continued success.

In politics he acts with the Republicans,
taking a lively interest in local, State, and
national issues; and his well-known ability
makes him of especial value to the party in
this section. For nine years he has been
Chairman of the School Board, being at the
present time treasurer of the school district,
has been Postmaster at West Epping since
1876, and represented his town in the legis-
lature for two years, 1860-62, with unusual
vigor.

On December 30, 1845, Captain Shepard
was united in marriage with Rowena L.
Thyng, daughter of Dudley Thyng, a prosper-
ous farmer and well-known resident of Deer-
field. Of the children born of this union
the only survivor is Herman T., a graduate of
Phillips Exeter Academy, of Harvard College,
and of the Andover Theological Seminary,
who is now a Congregationalist minister in
South Dakota. Captain and Mrs. Shepard
are members of the Congregational church.
On December 30, 1895, their many friends
and acquaintances assembled at their resi-
dence to celebrate their golden wedding, on
the completion of a half-century of married
life; and the event was a most pleasant and
memorable one.

We are happy to present herewith a portrait
of Captain Shepard, who is very popular in
this community and a special favorite among
the veterans of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lic. He is highly respected as a thoroughly
upright man, a public-spirited citizen, influen-
tial in educational affairs and active in all
matters relating to the general welfare.

 

 

UEL G. SHAPLEY, one of the well-

to-do farmers of Rye, was born here,
October 23, 1825. He comes of

pioneer stock, his great-grandfather,

Henry Shapley, who was born and reared on
the Isles of Shoals, having been among the

 

first settlers of this section of the county.
Henry Shapley was a merchant, and carried on
a fair business in Rye until hisdeath. Henry
Shapley, Jr., the grandfather of Ruel G., was
born in Rye, which was his home during his
life. He owned some land, but preferred sea-
faring pursuits to farming, and so spent a
large part of his time on the ocean. His
wife, Mary (Berry) Shapley, was a daughter
of a pioneer settler of this town. Their son,
Reuben Shapley, was the father of Ruel G.

Reuben Shapley, a native of Rye, who was
educated in the common schools of this place,
after finishing his studies followed the example
of his father, and became a sailor. After
spending several years in this occupation he
gave it up; and, buying sixty acres of land in
his native town, he there engaged in general
farming until his demise, at the age of sixty-
three years. A man of scrupulous integrity,
he was highly respected in his community.
For more than thirty years he was senior
Deacon of the Congregational church, of which
his wife likewise was a member. He married
Lavinia Robinson, a daughter of Robert
Robinson, of Portsmouth, N.H. They had
seven children; namely, Ruel G., Margaret,
Jotham, Emily, Robert, John, and Samira.
Ruel G. and Emily are the only members of
the family now living. Robert and John
served in the late war with the First New
Hampshire Cavalry, in which they enlisted in
1861. John, who was Orderly Sergeant of
Company M, was killed in 1864, at Waynes-
boro, Va., while under the command of Gen-
eral Phil Sheridan. Robert, the First Lieu-
tenant of the same company, died in June,
1865, of small-pox, at Darnestown, Md. The
mother, who survived her husband, passed
away on the old home farm, at the age of
seventy-five years.

Ruel G. Shapley was reared and educated
in Rye. Here he also learned the carpenter's
trade, by which he supported himself for
nearly twenty years. He then returned to the
homestead, and has since been prosperously
engaged in farming. In politics Mr. Shapley
affiliates with the Republican party, which he
joined at the time of its formation, casting
his first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont
in 1856. Mr. Shapley has been twice mar-
286

ried. By his first marriage, contracted in
1872, he was united to Abbie Rand, daughter
of T. Jefferson and Adeline Rand, both na-
tives of Rye. She died in 1881, leaving two
daughters — Nora and Abbie. In his second
marriage Mr. Shapley wedded Miss Maria
Haines, who was born in Greenland, daughter
of Mathias and Eunice Haines.

 

business man of Kingston, whose time
~ now is mainly occupied with looking
after his real estate interests, was born in
Marblehead, Mass., January 19, 1816. He is
a son of Thomas G. and Mary (Green) Dolli-
ver, both natives of Marblehead, and belongs
to two of the oldest families in that place.
His great-grandfather on the paternal side,
who came from France, erected the first build.
ing there. His father, Thomas G. Dolliver,
who was a lifelong resident of Marblehead,
and a seafaring man like most of the early
residents, was lost at sea about 1836. His
first wife, the mother of Thomas H., was the
daughter of Thomas G. Green, who came from
England, settled in Marblehead, and subse-
quently died there. She died in 1826, leav-
ing six children, namely: William B., who
was the owner of the ill-fated vessel on which
his father met his death, and was drowned at
the same time; Mary, the widow of Samuel
Roundy, late of Marblehead, who died in
1891; Hannah C., who is the widow of the
late Thomas G. Field, and is now living with
Thomas H.; Thomas H., the subject of this
article; Samuel G., who married Elizabeth
Humphrey, and is now living with her in
Marblehead; and Peter G., who married a
Miss Mullett, since deceased, and is now liv-
ing with his son in Salem, Mass. After the
death of his first wife Mr. Dolliver matried a
Mrs. Weed, of Marblehead, who attained the
great age of one hundred years. She was the
mother of two children — Sarah, the wife of a
Mr. Griffiths, of Marblehead; and Leza, also
a resident of Marblehead.

Thomas H. Dolliver received a common-
schoo] education. On account of the death of
his mother he went to live with an uncle in
Tuftonboro, Carrol] County, when he was nine

eee eel
a HOMAS H. DOLLIVER, a retired
y

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

years of age. This uncle was a farmer, and
the boy was called upon to take an active part
in the work about the farm. He learned the
carpenter’s trade, and in early manhood was -
employed on important public works. He
built adam in Tuftonboro and Laconia for the
water-power company, and erected several
buildings in Laconia, where he lived for some
time afterward. He subsequently took charge
of the work of the Essex Company, a building
corporation, which practically laid the founda-
tions of the city of Lawrence, Mass., and was
connected with them until 1855. Then he
was in the produce business until 1861, when
he enlisted for service in the Civil War.
After the war he engaged in the real estate
business. In 1877 he came to Rockingham
County, purchased the farm on which he now
resides in Kingston and the old Rowell Mills
at Newton Junction. Until quite recently he
managed a large business at the saw-mills,
having a box factory connected, and was at
the same time extensively engaged in general
farming. Mr. Dolliver has been very busy
during his active life, and the success which
he has achieved was fairly earned. He now
owns property in Epping, Plaistow, Kingston,
and many other towns of the county, and in
Massachusetts. His home in South Kingston
is one of the handsomest estates in the
county.

Mr. Dolliver was married in April, 1838,
to Alice Dolloff, of Sutton, Vt., who died in
1854. She was the mother of four children,
who are also deceased; namely, Sarah, Levi,
Mary, and Charles H. In 186 Mr. Dolliver
again was married to Sarah Bowers, of Pots-
dam, N.Y., who died in 1857, leaving one
child, Sarah, who died at the age of twenty.
His third wife, Elvira (Eastman) Dolliver,
who came from Sutton, Canada, lived sixteen
years after her marriage, and had three chil-
dren — William, who lived but five years ;
a child who died in infancy; and Eva J., born
in 1866, who is now with her father. On No-
vember 29, 1877, he entered another marriage
with Alice A. Marden, who was born in Deer-
field, this county, January 3, 1821, daughter
of Sewell and Sarah (Avery) Marden. Mr.
Marden, who was a farmer of Deerfield, moved
to Newburyport, Mass., where he and his wife
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

287

 

 

died. Mrs. Alice A. (Marden) Dolliver is
living with her husband in South Kingston;
and the household circle is: completed by an
adopted daughter, Miss Annie M. Pike.

Mr. Dolliver, at first a Democrat, has been
a strong Republican since Taylor was elected
in 1849. He served as Assessor in Lawrence,
Mass., for a number of terms. In Lawrence,
also, he was a member of the Baptist church;
and, though he favors that denomination, he
has not joined any church in this county.
He is one of the prominent citizens in this
section, and is esteemed by all who know him.

 

HARLES P. WENDELL, a. well-
known agriculturist of Rye, Rocking-
ham County, N.H., was born in
Portsmouth, this county, April 28,
1863. His parents, John S. and Martha (Per-
kins) Wendell, were blessed with the birth of
eight children. He is a representative of one
of the old and respected families of Ports-
mouth and its vicinity, and is a lineal de-
scendant of an early settler of New York
State.

The immigrant progenitor was Evert
Jansen Wendell, who was born in Embden,
Holland, in 1615, and migrated to America
in 1640, settling first in New Amsterdam, as
New York City was formerly called, and later
removing to Albany. His character was such
as to win the respect and confidence of his
fellows; and he served them in several public
capacities, in 1660-61 officiating as Magis-
trate. One of his sons, who bore the name
Johannes, became the possessor of extensive
real estate: and he had the honor of being
elevated to important positions of public trust.
In 1685 he was a Captain in the militia,
in 1686 he was one of the first Aldermen of
Albany, and for several years he served as a
Magistrate.

Abraham Wendell, son of Johannes, en-
gaged in mercantile business in Boston for
several years; and his son John, in turn, was
a merchant and importer of that city. John
Wendell was Captain of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery in Boston in 1740. The
next in lineal descent bore his father’s name,
John. He was born in Boston in 1731, at the
*

 

age of fifteen matriculated at Harvard College,
and was graduated in 1750. He became a
lawyer, and settled in Portsmouth. In 1768
he received the degree of A.M. from Yale
College and in 1773 from Dartmouth. He
wedded Sarah, the eldest daughter of Daniel
and Elizabeth F. Wentworth, of Portsmouth,
and an aunt of Eben Wentworth. They be-
came the parents of eleven children; and by a
subsequent marriage with Miss Dorothy Sher-
burne, of Portsmouth, he had eight children.
He died in Portsmouth, April 29, 1808, at
the advanced age of seventy-six years.

Jacob, the sixth child of John and Dorothy
S. Wendell, was born at Portsmouth, Decem-
ber 10, 1788. ° For many years he was a mer-
chant engaged in the Russian and West Ind-
ian trade, and he accumulated a large prop-
erty. In 1815, in company with his brothers
Isaac and Abraham, he founded some of the
earliest cotton factories in New Hampshire,
buying several water privileges in the town of
Dover, N.H., and constructing the original
mill of the Great Falls Corporation. At a
critical pecuniary period in the history of the
infant enterprise, in the panic of 1827, caused
by President John Quincy Adams’s Tariff
Bill, they became insolvent. Abraham Wen-
dell was the eldest of the three brothers, and
was the leading business man in manufactur-
ing and in building up Dover as well as Great
Falls; but the tariff of 1827 ruined him with
his brothers, and he was the greatest sufferer,
as he had invested his all. Jacob, without
notifying his brothers of his intentions, took
advantage of the bankrupt law; but Abraham
and Isaac devoted the rest of their lives to
clearing off their liabilities, including those
of their brother Jacob —a heavy and all but
hopeless task, which, however, they finally
accomplished. These two brothers
Quakers in religion, while Jacob was a Uni-
tarian.

Mr. Jacob Wendell was an antiquary, and
in 1847 associated himself with the New Eng-
land Historical Genealogical Society as a cor-
responding member. In that capacity he had
the honor and pleasure of receiving and of en-
tertaining General Lafayette at the time of
his visit to Portsmouth in 1811.

Mr. Jacob Wendell’s marriage with Miss

were :
288

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Mehitable Rindge, of Portsmouth, was blessed
in the birth ot seven children — Mehitable,
Caroline, Evert Jansen, Mary, George, Jacob,
Jr., and Mark R. Jacob Wendell, Jr., and
Mark R. are the only ones of the seven now
living. In religious faith and affiliation the
father was a member of the South Parish
Church of Portsmouth. He departed this life
August 27, 1865.

Abraham Wendell, the grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, was a ship-chandler,
and also the proprietor of a general store at
the corner of State and Water Streets, Ports-
mouth. Also for several years he was in
partnership with his brother Jacob, under the
firm style of A. & J. Wendell, in the cotton
manufactory at Dover and Great Falls; and
after the discontinuance of that association he
removed to Bow Street, where he conducted
until a few months previous to his decease a
hardware store, carrying also ship-chandlery.
His matrimonial union with Miss Susan
Gardner was fruitful of the birth of nine chil-
dren, namely: Daniel D.; Jacob L.; Abra-
ham Q.; Henry F.; John S.; Tunis D.;
Gardner; Susan, who is still residing on the
ancestral estate; and Vallina V., the widow
of Edwin A. Peterson, of New York, who was
a member of the firm of E. A. Peterson &
Co., dealers in carpets, his associate being
his brother, Archibald Peterson, a prominent
merchant of New York City. The former
was the President of the New Hampshire Na-
tional Bank for eight years. Mr. Wendell’s
youngest daughter, Ann, a talented musician,
died in comparatively early life. Mr. Abra-
ham Wendell attained to the venerable age of
eighty years, passing away on March 27, 1865.

John S. Wendell for many years was en-
gaged in the ship-chandlery business in com-
pany with his father in Portsmouth, where he
still makes his home. He was joined in mar-
riage with Miss Martha Perkins, a daughter of
Elias Perkins, of Portsmouth, a pensioner of
the war with England, and from that union
sprang eight children, four of whom grew to
maturity, namely: G. Montgomery, who died
aged fourteen; Dora, who died at the age of
forty-one years; Ellen, who died in her
twenty-fourth year; Susan G.; Emma;
George H., who was drowned in 1874, aged

 

seventeen; John S., Jr., and Charles P., who
are the only ones living. John wedded Miss
Lucina Hunkerford, and into their home came
four children; namely, George, Delma,
Martha, and Justin. Mr. John S. Wendell,
who has been called upon to mourn the death
of his wife and six children, yet resides in
Portsmouth.

Charles P. Wendell, who was left mother-
less when he was only three years old, was
educated at the public schools of Portsmouth
and at Blunt’s Academy. He learned the ma-
chinist’s trade at the Mason Locomotive
Works in Taunton, Mass., and for four years
followed his calling at Taunton and Ports-
mouth. After that he was employed on his
father-in-law’s farm for several years; and
he then purchased an estate of one hundred
and seventy acres in Rye, on which he has
been successfully engaged in general hus-
bandry to the present time, having sold his
wife’s homestead to Professor Parsons, of
Philadelphia, Pa. On September 7, 1883, he -
married Miss Mary E. Dow, a daughter of
Captain Albert and Mary (Cronin) Dow, of
Rye; and by this union he has become the
father of two children— Auburn D. and
Dora S.

Mr. Wendell has served his fellow-citizens
in the capacity of Surveyor of the Highways.
In national politics he has regularly supported
the principles and candidates of the Demo-
cratic party since the attainment of his major-
ity. He cast his first Presidential vote for
the present incumbent of the chief magistracy
of the nation, Grover Cleveland, in 1884.
Religiously, he is a constant attendant upon
the services of the Congregational Church of
Rye.

 

EVI W. TAYLOR, the popular Post-
master of North Salem, N.H., and a
prominent citizen of the town, was

born in Salem, N.H., March 20,

1845, son of Daniel and Ruth M. (Duston)
Taylor, the father a native of Salem, and the
mother of Windham, N.H. Joseph. Taylor,
father of Daniel, was an early settler of Salem.
He represented the town in the State legis-
lature, and was a prominent citizen and well
 

W. TAYLOR.

LEVI
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

291

 

 

known, living to be eighty-three years old.
Daniel Taylor, residing in North Salem, is in
his eighty-second year, being one of the old-
est residents of the town. Besides engaging
in agricultural pursuits, he has done quite an
extensive lumber business, and for a number
of years made a specialty of getting out ship
lumber. His wife, who is also living, is in
her sixty-fifth year. Levi W. Taylor received
his early education in the public schools of
Salem, afterward attending Atkinson and Til-
ton Academies. When about nineteen years
old he went to Haverhill, Mass., and became
-a clerk in a dry-goods store. On leaving that
position he ‘started a general store at North
Salem in company with an uncle, A. S. Hill,
under the firm name of Hill & Taylor; but
after a time he purchased his uncle’s interest,
and became the sole proprietor, and has carried
on the mercantile business successfully alone
for a quarter-century. In addition to this
Mr. Taylor is extensively engaged in the wood
and lumber business, buying large tracts of
standing timber, the sawing and cutting of
which he contracts for, and marketing the
product in Lawrence and Haverhill, Mass.

Mr. Taylor has been twice married. His
first wife was Lizzie F. Brown, a native of
Windham. After her death he
October 4, 1877, his present wife, formerly
Miss Ellen L. Taylor, a daughter of the Hon.
M.H. Taylor, of North Salem, N.H. They
have one daughter, Mabel.

Being public-spirited and taking a keen in-
terest in political matters,
often been chosen for official honors. During
several terms and under different administra-
tions he has served as Postmaster. He has
represented the town in the State legislature
one term, and has served as Selectman two
terms. He isa member of the Masonic fra-
ternity at Salem.

 

TEPHEN BROWN, one of the old-

est and most prosperous farmers of.

Kensington and a member for many
years of the town government, was
born on the farm where he now lives, Febru-
ary 4, 1817. A son of Stephen and Susan
(Bagley) Brown, he is descended in direct

©

matried on

Mr. Taylor has °

 

line from the first settler of Hampton, N.H.,
an Englishman named John Brown. — John
Brown, who was born about 1589 and was a
fellow-voyager with Mr. Dummer on_ the
‘‘Whale,’’ located in Hampton in 1636. Two
years later he was sent with -his brother James
to England for colonists to people the district.
After living nearly one hundred years, he died
in Hampton, February 28, 1687. He married
Sarah Dummer, who died July 6, 1672. The
farm on which Mr. Stephen Brown resides was
reclaimed from the wilderness by his great-
grandfather, Jonathan Brown, who took posses-
sion of it in 1725, when this part of the country
was very sparsely settled and heavily wooded.
He died there when about sixty years of age.
His son Joseph, grandfather of Stephen, suc-
ceeded to the homestead, and devoted his life
to the pursuit of agriculture. He was an in-
dustrious. and exemplary citizen, and for a
time represented the district in the State
legislature. His death occurred in his
seventy-seventh year. His wife, in maiden-
hood Miss Anna Brown, lived to an advanced
age.

Stephen Brown, Sr., was born on the home
farm in 1780, and like his forefathers engaged
in husbandry. He was very successful in
his chosen calling, and became one of: the
leading men of the town. He was successively
a Whig and a Republican. He served for a
time as Selectman of Kensington, and during
the War of 1812 he was Captain of a company.
He died at the age of seventy-six. His wife,
who was born in Salisbury, Mass., in 1783,
died in Kensington at the age of seventy-four.
They had nine children, of whom Stephen
Brown, Jr., and Dr. Moses Brown, a physician
living at’ Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., are the
only survivors. The others were named: Jo-
seph, Amos, Mary, Nancy, John, Jonathan,
and Susan R. Both parents were members of
the Congregational church.

Stephen Brown received his education in
the schools of Kensington. He has lived on
the homestead since birth, and has been en-
gaged in general farming throughout his active
life. His estate, which contains about three
hundred acres, is one of the largest and best
farms of the township.

Mr. Brown was married December 2, 1840,
to
‘oO
ta

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

to Dolly Batchelder, of Hampton Falls, who
died in 1865. He was again married in 1868
to Esther Lamprey, daughter of Gilman and
Esther (Leavitt) Lamprey and sister of John
P. Lamprey, of Kensington. The second Mrs.
Brown died in 1894. Of Mr. Brown’s chil-
dren five are deceased; namely, Daniel, Daniel
(second), Mary, Anna, and Moses. Moses was
frozen to death in Dakota during a blizzard.
The others are: John C., a farmer in Colorado,
who was a soldier in the late war; Amos, a
farmer in Illinois, who also served in the late
war; Emery, a miner in Colorado; Joseph, a
farmer in I]linois; David, a farmer in Ken-
sington; and Stephen, a farmer, who is with
his father. Mr. Brown has also fourteen
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren
living. A loyal Republican since his party
was organized, Mr. Brown has represented the
town in the State legislature, and served on
the Board of Selectmen for several years. He
is always interested in any good work for Ken-
sington, and his opinions are received with
respect by his townsmen. He is a member
of the Congregational church. Though nearly
fourscore years of age, he is alert and active,
and still supervises his farm.

 

DWIN N. WHITNEY, the leading gen-

* eral merchant of Derry Depot, dealing

in dry and fancy goods, boots and
shoes, crockery, hardware, paints and oils, was
born in the town of Windham, Cumberland
County, Me., April 17, 1851. He is a son of
Obadiah H. and Louisa (Bangs) Whitney,
both natives of Cumberland County, Maine,
and descendants of pioneer settlers in that
section. Obadiah H. Whitney, who was a
cooper and farmer, died in 1884.

Edwin N. Whitney acquired the rudiments
of his education in the public schools in Cum-
berland County, and laid the foundation of his
commercial knowledge in Gray’s Business
College at Portland, Me. He remained on
his father’s farm in Windham, Me., until
eighteen years of age. Then, entering the
employ of Whitney & Thomas, wholesale boot
and shoe dealers in Portland, he worked in
the store for a while as clerk, after which he
was sent on the road as travelling salesman,

 

and travelled for fourteen years, principally
in New Hampshire and Vermont. During
these fourteen years, having dealings with all
kinds and conditions of men, Mr. Whitney
acquired a valuable amount of experience. In
1888 he started in business for himself at
Derry Depot, opening the only department
store in the town. Located on Broadway, the
store is in a favorable position for business.
Mr. Whitney receives a large trade from out-
of-town customers. With its well-selected
stock and reasonable prices, the establishment -
has been a success from the beginning. Mr.
Whitney is at present one of the Directors of
the Derryfield Building Association.

Mr. Whitney married Mrs. Mary A. Smith,
the widow of Alden B. Smith, of Derry
Depot. In politics he is prominent among
the Republicans of the district. He served
as Selectman of Derry for two years, and is at
present the Secretary of the Republican Club
of Derry. A pubiic-spirited man, he is in
favor of every project calculated to serve the
town. He is connected with a number of -so-
cial organizations, including the Masonic
Order, the Knights of Pythias, and the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is widely
known and esteemed, and has the confidence
of the entire business community.

 

ENERAL CHARLES A. NASON,
of Hampton Falls, one of the few
surviving officers of the old New

Hampshire militia, was born here, December 9g,
1822. His parents were Jonathan and Mary
(Gordon) Nason, the former of Hampton Falls,
and the latter of Exeter, N.H. He belongs to
the seventh generation descended from the
family’s founder, who came from England to
this country in 1648 and settled in Berwick,
Me. This ancestor, after having established
a home in the wilderness, like so many who
left the security of their native land for the
danger-haunted forests of the New World, was
killed by the Indians in the doorway of his
house. He was married in 1664, and left two
sons, Richard and Jonathan. Richard was the
founder of the Hampton Falls branch of the
family. From him the line is traced through
Jonathan and Richard. Richard Nason, the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

293

 

 

grandfather of General Nason, was prominent
in town business. He was a surveyor of land,
and laid out and surveyed Weare and other
townships. He lived to be eighty-five years
old. His wife, whose maiden name was Han-
nah Cram, reared a large family.

Jonathan Nason, General Charles A.
Nason's father, studied reading, writing, and
arithmetic at the district school, and acquired
a practical knowledge of agriculture on the
home farm. He was a thrifty and progressive
farmer, and added by purchase to the home-
stead, also building a portion of the house now
occupied by his son. In 1812 he was a Cap-
tain in the State militia of Hampton Falls,
and went to Portsmouth with his company to
defend it against an expected attack by the
English. He was afterward commissioned
Major of the Third Regiment. A man _ of
character, he was prominent in the town, and
served as Selectman and Surveyor of High-
ways. He died in 1846, at the age of sixty-
two. His wife, who was a daughter of Benja-
min Gordon, of Exeter, passed away in 1864.
She reared but two children — Charles A. and
George W. The latter married Mary A. Per-
kins, and had one son, who is now deceased.

General Charles A. Nason received a good
practical education, studying the elementary
branches in the district schoo! and the more
advanced subjects in Rockingham Academy at
Hampton. He has spent his life on the home-
stead, principally engaged in general farming
and stock raising. In 1887 he built a fine
barn, one hundred by forty feet, for the express
accommodation of his cattle. He keeps a
number of cows, and has bred some of the best
stock raised in this section. When a young
man Mr. Nason joined the State militia, in
which his soldierly bearing and proficiency in
drill won him rapid promotion. He rose from
the rank of First Sergeant to those of Lieuten-
ant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier-general, and
was finally appointgd Major-general by the
Governor of New Hampshire. He retired
from the militia in 1856.

Mr. Nason was married December 9, 1856,
to Mrs. Mary A. (Perkins) Nason, the widow
of his brother George. She is a daughter of
Captain Nathaniel and Mary (Janvrin) Perkins
and a grand-daughter of David Perkins, of

 

Hampton Falls. Wer grandfather and father
were members of the State militia, her father
holding the rank of Captain. Seven children
have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Nason.
Charles A., their eldest son, died at the age
of eighteen years. Daniel died at the age
of fourteen years. Richard married Alice
Jacobs, and has no children. Mary married
Alva Brewer, of Kensington, N.H., and has
four children — Charles A., Mildred N., Her-
bert A., and Elmer P. Jonathan married
Martha L. Janvrin, and has no. children.
Martha married Ralph H. Blatchford, and has
one son, Ralph N. David, the youngest son,
who is a musician, lives in Newburyport,
Mass. Mr. Nason’s first Presidential vote was
cast in favor of Henry Clay, the Whig candi-
date in 1844; and he has given his allegiance
to the Republican party since its formation.
He was a Representative in the State legis-
lature of 1860-61, has officiated as Moderator
of the town meeting, and has been a member
of the Board of Selectmen for two years.

HOMAS P. MAJOR, a_ respected
resident of Derry Depot, was born
April 25, 1822, in the town of Derry,
this county, son of John and Martha (Cheney)
Major. He is of English origin, his paternal
grandfather, Captain Major, having been born
and reared in England. The Captain, who
for many years resided in this part of New
Hampshire, and here brought up his family,
was a seafaring man during the greater part
of his life, and obtained command of a vessel.
After making many voyages, he was lost at sea.
Jobn Major was born in that part of old
Derryfield now included within the limits of
Manchester, Hillsborough County. After his
marriage he settled in this county, where he
spent his remaining days. His wife, who was
a lifelong resident of the county, bore him
several children, of whom the survivors are:
Philip, now residing in Derry; Isabella, wife
of Ellsworth Carlton, of Derry; Thomas P.,
the subject of this sketch; and Rebecca, who
married James Reed, of Derry village. The
father was a man of strict integrity, in view of
which fact he was familiarly called by his many
friends and acquaintances ‘‘Honest John.’’

 
294

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Thomas P. Major attended the district
schools for a few years. Being an intelligent
reader, he has since kept himself thoroughly
acquainted with the general topics of the day.
At the age of ten years he was put to work on
a neighboring farm, and continued so engaged
until he came of age. He subsequently
learned the trade of a tanner and currier, at
which he had worked about four years when
ill health obliged him to give it up... In 1878
Mr. Major removed to Derry, and was one of
the first to build in the locality. Since then
he has watched with satisfaction the rapid
growth and improvement of the place. In
politics he is identified with the Republican
party. For three years he served as Select-
man of Derry, and for a time was Highway
Surveyor. He is a prominent member of
the various organizations of Derry, including
the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities,
the Knights of Pythias, the United Order of
Pilgrim Fathers, the Eastern Star Lodge,
and the Order of Rebekah.

Mr. Major has been twice married.
September 24, 1845, he married Rachel E.,
daughter of Deacon Daniel W. Hayes, of
Farmington, N.H. She died in 1882, leav-
“ing no children. In 1884 Mr. Major was
again married, Mrs. Harriet N. McGregor,

On |

the widow of the late W. Kk. McGregor, of ©

Derry, becoming his wife.

Mrs. Major was |

born and reared in this section of New Hamp- |

shire, as were her parents, James and Mary
(Plummer) Nevins. The latter was a native

of Londonderry, where two of her three sur- .
viving children are now living, namely: Will- |

iam P. Nevins; and Mary, who is the wife of
Frederick Gilcreast.
ber of the Congregational church.

 

5 RANK O. TOWLE, a_ representative
farmer and large land-owner of South

Mrs. Major is a mem- |

Hampton, was born in Hampton Falls, »

this county, December 7, 1846, son of Will-
iam F. and Hannah D. (Berry) Towle. At
least five generations of his family have resided
in Hampton. His great-grandfather lived in
the town for a number of years, and it was
the birthplace of his grandfather, Caleb Towle.
The latter, who was engaged in the manufact-

 

ure of shoes when a young man, later became
a farmer. He was also toll-keeper on the toll
road for a number of years. In the War of
1812 he served as Captain of an artillery com-
pany. He was a Democrat in politics. In
religious belief he was a Christian Baptist.
He died in Hampton Falls at an advanced
age. His children were: Oliver, Mary Ann,
Sarah, William F., Elbridge E., Elizabeth,
Almira, and Emmons B. The last three are
living. The parents celebrated their golden
wedding, at which were present eight grand-
children as well as their eight children.
William F. Towle, the father of Frank O.,
born in Hampton, March 5, 1821, was a com-
petent farmer and a shrewd business man.
He was engaged in trade for some time.
From Hampton proper he moved to Hampton
Falls, and subsequently to South Hampton,
settling in 1851 on the farm now occupied by
his son. A stanch Democrat, he took an ac-

| tive part in local politics, serving as S€lect-

man for a number of years, and represented
the town at Concord in the legislature of
1869-70. In religious belief, like his father,
he was a Christian Baptist. He died in
South Hampton, August 12, 1893. His
wife, who was born in Chichester, N.H., Oc-
tober 24, 1806, died in South Hampton, Octo-
ber 12, 1893. They were the parents of three
children: Otis W., born July 22, 1843, a
farmer of South Hampton; Frank O., the sub-
ject of this article; and Charles H., born
March 25, 1845. The mother by a previous
marriage with Joseph Brown had three chil-
dren— Sarah A., John J., and James D.
Brown.

Frank O. Towle attended the schools of his
native town and Barnard Academy. He after-
ward qualified himself as a book-keeper at
a commercial school in Boston, Mass. For
some time he was watchman at the State Farm

| of Rhode Island, and later was similarly em-

ployed at the Dexter Asylum in Providence,
R.I. In 1876 he returned to his native town,
where he has since been extensively engaged
in general farming. His farm contains one

| hundred and twenty-five acres of upland, from
| which a beautiful view is obtained.

He also
owns land in South Hampton and East Kings-
ton. As a farmer he is very successful,
 

ELIPHALET HUNT.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

297

 

 

partly owing to his commercial training,
which has made him a methodical and compe-
tent business man. He has a pretty home and
good farm buildings, and he spares no pains to
keep his estate in good condition. Mr. Towle
is a member of the society of Patrons of
Husbandry at Kensington.

On December 30, 1880, Mr. Towle was
married to Sarah E. Parker, who was born
April 25, 1845, daughter of Edmund B. Bart-
lett, of Kingston, N.H. In politics he is a
Democrat. He represented the district in the
State legislature in 1885, has served as Se-
lectman of the town, and is now a member of
the Board of Education. He belongs to
Warren Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Amesbury,
Mass. ; and to Wehanowowit Tribe, No. 22,
Improved Order of Red Men, of Exeter, N.H.
On religious subjects he holds liberal views.

 

RANKLIN HUNT, a prominent and
prosperous farmer of Sandown town-
ship, son of Eliphalet Hunt, was born

May 19, 1833, on the homestead where he
now Jives. He is of Massachusetts ancestry,
his grandfather, Zaccheus Hunt, having been
a native of Salisbury, in that State. He was
born March 12, 1764. While serving his
country, Grandfather Hunt took cold from ex-
posure, and died March 12, 1795, while yet
a young man. His wife, whose maiden name
was Miriam Swett, outlived him more than
half a century, dying in October, 1852. They
had six children, namely: Lois, who was the
wife of Joseph Jackman, of Newburyport,
Mass.; Miriam, who married. Israel] Blake;
Nancy, who married Peter Hardy, and Betsey,
her twin sister, who became the wife of Moses
Anson; Abigail, who married David French;
and Eliphalet, the father of Franklin Hunt.
None of the family are now living.

Eliphalet Hunt was born October 28, 1791;
and from the time he was five years old until
his death, November: 20, 1876, with the ex-
ception of three years spent in Manchester,
this State, he lived on the farm now occupied
by his children. He was a farmer, also a
surveyor of land, and was one of the surveyors
employed in 1825 in determining the boundary
between New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

| November

his residence on the home farm.

 

He married Susan Webster, a native of Rock-
ingham County, where she spent her life, her
birth occurring March 17, 1790, in Chester,
and her death April 7, 1871, on the homestead
in Sandown. They had nine children —- Mary
Ann L., Richard L., Elizabeth W., Susan,
George Washington, Lydia W., Joan C., Brad-
ley W., and Franklin. Mary A. L. Hunt,
born August 23, 1814, died March 27, 1896.
She married Moses Dudley, a farmer, and
lived in the towns of Raymond, Fremont, and
Sandown. Richard L., born March 8, 1816,
is now living in Boston, Mass. Elizabeth W.,
born February 16, 1818, died February 14,
1845. Susan, born February 5, 1820, died
October 20, 1893. George Washington,
born June 5, 1822, was for many years a well-
known hotel-keeper of New York City, among
the hotels of which he has had the charge
being the St. Denis, Winchester, Irving, and
several others of like prominence. He mar-
ried Elizabeth Ingalls, daughter of Samuel and
Eliza (Clough) Ingalls, and is now living on
the old Hunt homestead with his brother
Franklin, engaged in farming. Five children
were born to George W. and Elizabeth I.
Hunt; namely, Lisette G., Seward, George
S., Agnes C., and Irving. Lisette G. married
George S. Sanborn, who resides in Sandown.
They have had two children-— Musette and
Sherburn E., the latter now deceased. Agnes
C. is a public teacher in the schools of San
Diego, Cal. Seward, George S., and Irving
are no longer living. Lydia W. Hunt, born
July 9, 1824,,and Joan C., born August 13,
1828, also make their home on the old farm,
living with their brothers, the latter having
but recently come from Boston, where she
has lived for thirty years. Bradley W., born
29, 1830, died July 15, 1841.

Franklin Hunt, the youngest member of the
parental household, with his brothers and
sisters attended the district schools of San-
down, afterward studying at the Atkinson
Academy in this county. With the exception
of a short time spent in Manchester, N.H.,
when he was quite young, Mr. Hunt has made
This hand-
some property, belonging to him and his brother
and sisters, contains two hundred acres of valu-
able land, which is kept in a fine state of culti-
298

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

vation. They have made the larger part of the
improvements, having now a spacious and con-
venientiy arranged house, a commodious barn,
with plenty of good out-buildings for the stor-
ing of their machinery, tools, and farm prod-
ucts. In addition to general farming they
raise some stock, and are specially engaged in
dairying, making some butter and a large
quantity of cheese. In politics Mr. Hunt and
his brother uniformly vote the Republican
ticket. For three terms Mr. George W. Hunt
represented his native town and Fremont in
the State legislature.

 

 

(iu1aM P. NEVINS, Chairman of
the School Board of Londonderry,

was born in this town, May 23,
1841, son of James and Mary (Plummer)
Nevins. His father was a native of Pelham,
N.H., and his mother of Londonderiy. The
Nevins family is one of the old families of
Pelham. Robert Nevins, grandfather of Will-
iam P., was a native of that town. James
Nevins settled in Londonderry when he was
a young man, locating on the farm now occu-
pied by his son, but originally owned by the
Rev. Dr. Morrison, one of the pioneer clergy-
men of this town. A hard-working and _pro-
gressive farmer, he was very successful, and
was in comfortable circumstances at the time
of his death. In politics he was successively
a Whig and a Republican. He was in com-
munion with the Presbyterian church, which
he served in the capacity of Elder. Mr.
Nevins lived to round out three-quarters of a
century. Of his children two besides William
P. are living, namely: Harriet, the wife of
Thomas P. Major, of Derry Depot, N.H.;
and Mary, the wife of Frederick A. Gilcreast,
of Londonderry. The others were: John,
James E., Henry A., and Sarah E.

William P. Nevins was reared on the farm
where he now makes his home, receiving a
good education in his native town, and gradu-
ating from Pinkerton Academy in 1864. On
February 14, 1865, he enlisted in Company H,
Eighteenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infan-
try. His regiment formed a part of the Ninth
Army Corps under General Meade, and took
part in a number of important engagements,

 

including the siege of Petersburg and some
of those immediately preceding General Lee’s
surrender at Appomattox. Receiving his dis-
charge July 30, 1865, he returned to London-
derry, where he has since been prosperously
engaged in general farming. He has a fine
estate of some two hundred acres, including
the homestead farm, much of which is under
cultivation, and a commodious residence, the
whole making a pleasing picture of rural pros-
perity. ;

Mr. Nevins was married September 14,
1871, to Julia D. Shipley, a native of London-
derry, daughter of John Shipley. Her grand-
father, Amos Shipley, was a native of Hollis,
N.H.; while her father, John Shipley, was
born in Londonderry. The latter, who was
one of the prominent Republicans of the town,
which he represented for a time in the State
legislature, died in 1875. Mr. and Mrs.
Nevins have lost two children —-Charles H.
and an infant; and they have three living —
Mabel F. M., Harriet J., and William S.

Mr. Nevins has been twice elected Select-
man of Londonderry, and served two years in
the State legislature’ He has been a member
of the School Board for a number of years,
and, as already mentioned, is now Chairman of
the Board. A member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, he belongs to the lodge
at Derry Depot. Mrs. Nevins is a member of
Rebekah Lodge at Derry Depot and of the
branch of the Woman’s Relief Corps at the
same place. Both are members of the Presby-
terian church at Londonderry, in which Mr.
Nevins is an Elder.

 

TEPHEN BAILEY, a retired shoe
manufacturer residing in Salem,

was born in this town, February 23,

1820. He is a son of David and

Abiah (Haseltine) Bailey, both natives of
Massachusetts, respectively born in Haverhill
and Methuen. David Bailey, a son of Benja-
min Bailey, who was also a native of the old
Bay State, managed a general store in North
Salem, N.H., for some time, and then, in the
early part of the present century, came to
Salem. He was an enterprising man, took an
active interest in town Affairs, and was Lieu-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

299

 

 

tenant ina militia company. Mr. Bailey was
married in 1809; and of his children three are
now living — David, Stephen, and Elizabeth,
all residents of Salem.

Stephen Bailey grew to manhood in Salem,
receiving a limited education in the public
schools of that town. He learned the shoe-
maker's trade when a boy, followed it for a
number of years, and finally engaged in busi-
ness as a shoe manufacturer. In 1872 he
retired and turned his attention to agriculture,
in which he has achieved marked success. He
has a valuable farm of eighty acres, with a
handsome and commodious residence. Mr.
Bailey is a self-made man, owing his pros-
perity to his sagacity and perseverance.

He was married July 31, 1845, to Hannah
M. Cluff, a native of Salem anda daughter of
Benjamin and Rachel (Austin) Cluff, also
natives of this town. Mrs. Bailey is con-
nected with some of the old families of Salem,
her grandparents on both sides having been
residents of this town. She has had two chil-
dren, namely: Osmon C., residing in Chelsea,
Mass. ; and Medora E., the wife of Fred O.
Wheeler, of Salem. Mr. Bailey is a member
of the Democratic party, and was at one time
very active in politics. He represented
Salem in the State legislature for atime. In
his early manhood he was Captain of a militia
company. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, and is widely known in this section
of the county.

 

ONATHAN P. ROBINSON, an _ old
resident of Hampton and scion of one
of the oldest families in the State, was
born in the southern part of North

Hampton, N.H., May 20, 1807. He is a
son of Jonathan and Dorothy (Towle) Robin-
son, and belongs to the seventh generation of
the family in this part of the State. Four
generations claim Exeter, N.H., as their birth-
place. The pioneer was John Robinson, who,
it is said, was the first white child born in
Haverhill, Mass. When a young man he
settled in Exeter, N.H., and converted a tract
of wild land into a good farm. This farm was
in the family until a few years ago, when
Jonathan P. sold it. John Robinson met with

 

a tragic death, having been shot by the Indians

while riding into town on the same horse with
his son Jonathan. Jonathan was a native of
Exeter and a farmer. Josiah Robinson, great-
grandfather of Jonathan P., was a Captain in
the State militia. He married the grand-
daughter of the Rev. Mr. Dudley, the first
minister of Exeter, and reared twelve children.
Of these the boys were all farmers, and the
girls the wives of farmers. Jeremiah Robin-
son, one of Josiah’s sons and grandfather of
Jonathan P., was a very prominent member of
the farming community in old ‘Exeter. He
was a Selectman of the town, a Lieutenant of
militia, and he lived to be eighty years of age.
His wife, Mary, was a daughter of Jonathan
Page, Jr., and a grand-daughter of Jonathan
Page, Sr., of North Hampton. Jeremiah and
Mary (Page) Robinson reared the following
children: Jonathan, Sarah, Josiah, Mary, and
Abigail.

Jonathan Robinson, who was a native of
Exeter, received a district-school education,
the educational facilities in those days being
vastly inferior to the graded school system of
the bustling city of to-day. Like his fore-
fathers, he tilled the soil for a livelihood; and .-
he was an officer in the militia, bearing the
rank of Lieutenant. He died before his thir-
tieth birthday. His wife, who was a native
of Hampton, this county, had five children,
namely: Jonathan P., the subject of this
sketch; Mary Lamprey, now eighty-six years
old; Abigail; Sarah; and Jeremiah. Jere-
miah is a resident of Grafton, Mass. The
family has been remarkably long-lived, one of
the daughters, as just stated, being now eighty-
six years of age, and one of the sons eighty-
five; while Jonathan P. is eighty-nine.

Jonathan P. Robinson made the most of bis
opportunities in the district schools, and sub-
sequently attended Hampton Academy for two
years. He afterward was engaged as teacher
for several winters in the neighboring towns,
making a reputation for the successful manage-
ment of difficult schools. He then learned
the carpenter’s trade, and worked at it in
Boston until the fall of 1837, when he re-
turned to the homestead in North Hampton.
Since then he has had the old buildings pulled
down and replaced with good modern ones,
300

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

thereby greatly improving the appearance of
the estate. Mr. Robinson boarded for forty-
eight years uninterruptedly with Mr. Simon
Brown in North Hampton. During the past
two years he has been living with a nephew in
Hampton. One of the oldest voters in this
section, he cast his first Presidential vote in
1828 for John Quincy Adams; and he has
given allegiance in turn to the Whig, Free
Soil, and Republican parties. In town affairs
he has taken a prominent part, and has been
elected Chairman of the Selectmen a number
of times.

 

EV. EBENEZER GREENLEAF
. PARSONS, President of the Board of
Trustees of Pinkerton Academy,
Derry, was born in what is now
Westport, Me., May 15, 1813. He is the son
of Captain Jotham and Olive (Greenleaf) Par-
sons, both natives of Westport. On the
father’s side he comes of English ancestry,
and on the mother’s side he is descended from
a French Huguenot family. The Maine family
began with John Parsons, who was made a
freeman of York, Me., in the latter part of the
seventeenth century. Captain Josiah Parsons,
grandfather of the Rev. Ebenezer Parsons, was
one of the Revolutionary soldiers who fought at
Bunker Hill. He was married in York to
Sarah Sewell, a descendant of Henry Sewell,
Esq., an ex-Mayor of the historic old town of
Coventry, England, who settled in Newbury,
Mass., in Colonial times. Captain Jotham
Parsons was a well-to-do sea captain and ship-
owner. A man of intelligence and much
business ability, he carved his own fortunes.
One of his many good deeds was the contribu-
tion of twenty-five thousand dollars for the
benefit of the Theological School now con-
nected with Bates College. On the maternal
side the Rev. Mr. Parsons is descended from
Edmund Greenleaf, who settled in Newbury,
Mass., in 1634, and from Stephen Greenleaf,
of the third generation from Edmund, who lost
his life at the taking of Louisburg in 1745.
The Rev. Ebenezer Greenleaf Parsons
attended school at Wiscasset, Me., whither
his parents removed when he was six years of
age. He entered Bowdoin in 1829, and grad-

 

uated in 1833 with the degree of A.B. Sub-
sequently, in 1836, the same institution con-
ferred on him the degree of A.M. After .
leaving college he taught school for a year at
Reading, Pa. ‘The ensuing year was spent in
study at the Theological Seminary of Andover,
Mass. He graduated from the Bangor Theo-
logical Seminary in 1837, after which he was
immediately called to the pastorate of the
First Congregational Church at Freeport, Me.
At Freeport he had labored zealously for four-
teen years, when, in October, 1851, he was
installed as pastor of the First Congregational
Church at Derry, where he remaiped eighteen
years. A broad and general scholar, and
always pleased to impart knowledge where it
was needed, he put no strain on himself in
stepping from the pulpit to the teacher’s desk.
From 1869 to 1872 he was Principal of Pink-
erton Academy at Derry; and from 1872 to
1882 he was Principal of Dummer Academy at
Byfield, Mass. Resigning the latter position
in his seventieth year, he returned to Derry,
where he now resides. Though he has aban-
doned arduous work, he is stil] actively inter-
ested in the cause of education. Since 1853
he has been a member of the Board of Trustees
of Pinkerton Academy, and the President of
that body since 1881. Much of the success of
this institution is due to Mr. Parsons’s zeal
and energy. He has been a strong advocate
of school improvement in Derry, cheerfully
giving aid and support for that object; and for
a number of years he served as superintendent
of schools, sometimes alone and sometimes
associated with others. He has been one of
the Overseers of Bowdoin College since 1864,
and he served for several years on its Class
Examining Committee. In politics he is a
Republican and a Prohibitionist.

Mr. Parsons was married in 1840 to Caro-
line Mellen Nye, a native of Freeport, Me.,
who died in 1862. She was the mother of
three children, namely: Caroline N., the wife
of Frank G. How; Maria S.; and Frances
Appleton. Frances is now deceased. In 1865
the Rev. Mr. Parsons was again married, tak-
ing for his wife Sarah Dana McMillan, a na-
tive of Danville, Vt., daughter of the Hon.
Andrew and Emily (Dana) McMillan. Mrs.
Parsons-is no less esteemed than her husband,
 

ALFRED CONNER.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

393

 

 

and the couple are the centre of a large circle
of sincere friends.

 

OHN E. COCHRAN, Town Clerk of
Windham and a member of the Board
of Selectmen, was born in this town,
December 23, 1862, son of Isaac P.

and Martha J. (Nesmith) Cochran. The fam-
ily, which is a very reputable one in this sec-
tion, is of Scotch-Irish origin.° Captain John
Cochran, Mr. Cochran’s grandfather, who was
a native and lifelong resident of Windham,
served as Town Clerk, Treasurer, and Select-
man of the town for some years.

Isaac P. Cochran, Mr. Cochran’s father, was
born in this town, where the active period of
his life was spent in tilling the soil. A
sturdy, energetic farmer, he made the best of
his opportunities; while he won the sincere
good will of his neighbors and fellow-towns-
men. . He died at his home in this town, Oc-
tober 14, 1892. His wife, Martha, who was
a native of Antrim, N.H., became the mother
of two children, namely: Miles H., who is
residing in Rochester, N.H.; and John E.,
the subject of this sketch. She is now seventy
years old, and resides with her son, John EI.
She is a member of the Presbyterian church,
and so was her husband.

John FE. Cochran acquired his education in
the common schools of Windham. He has
since made agriculture his principal occupation
in life. He has conducted general farming
upon a progressive system, availing himself of
all modern improvements and approved scien-
tific methods. In local affairs he has been
a conspicuous figure. He has been Town
Clerk since 1888, is now serving his third
term as a‘Selectman, and has for many years
acted asa Justice of the Peace. In 1880 he
was appointed Librarian of the Nesmith Li-
brary, and served with ability in that capacity
for eight years. At the. present time he is
a member of the Board of Trustees by virtue
of his office as ‘Town Clerk.

On January 1, 1893, Mr. Cochran wedded
Nellie C. Parker, of Windham, a daughter of
Olin and Betsey A. (Kelley) Parker. Mrs.
Parker is deceased. Mr. Parker resides in
Windham. Mr. and Mrs. Cochran have one

 

son, Olin J., who was born July 8, 1895. Mr.
Cochran, who possesses a commendable degree
of public spirit, is held in high regard by his
townsmen. He is connected with the Wind-
ham Grange, of which he was formerly Treas-
urer. Both he and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian church.

 

LFRED CONNER, a retired carpenter

and builder living in Exeter, N.H.,

was born here on August 12, 1814,

son of Nathaniel and Tirzah (Ly-
ford) Conner.

Mr. Conner’s grandfather, Jonathan Con-
ner, whose death occurred between 1820 and
1825, spent his life on the old farm, which
had come to his early ancestors as a grant from
the government. This place has been occu-
pied by at least seven generations, and at the
present time is owned by the grandson of
Alfred Conner’s cousin, Arthur J. Conner,
of Boston. No deed has ever passed for this
property, the original title still holding it.

Grandfather Conner married a Miss Jewett.

Of their children their son Jesse settled in
Maine; Daniel, a farmer by vocation, lived to

be over ninety years of age; Jedediah lived to

be threescore years and ten. The others who
grew to adult age were: Nathaniel; Mary
Barstow; and Eunice, who never married.
Jedediah was the heir to the old farm, which
he left to his son Jewett, who left it to his
son William, and he in turn to his grand-
son, the present owner.

Nathaniel Conner, son of Jonathan, was
born in the town of Exeter, on a farm three
miles from the village, in October, 1773.
Throughout the active period of his life he
was a leading carpenter and builder here. He
died in this village on July 5, 1849, at
seventy-six years of age. His marriage with
Miss Tirzah Lyford was solemnized about
1797 or 1798. Their daughter, Mary Ann,
born in February, 1800, married Benjamin
Wiggin, a carpenter and builder of Boston,
where she died in April, 1891; Oliver, a
printer, died in 1838, while yet in early man-
hood; John L., a carpenter of Exeter, died
when about forty-three years of age, leaving

six children; Charles, a dry-goods merchant
é
304

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

in Exeter, died at about ,eighty years of age,
leaving two sons — Daniel and Charles; Will-
iam, born in 1808, a carpenter in his younger
days, and later a first-class farmer, died in
Exeter in 1887, leaving two sons; Thomas,
who was in company with his brother Charles
in the dry-goods business, lived to be seventy-
five years old, and at his death left one son,
George T. Conner, of Vermont; Alfred was
the youngest child that lived to maturity, and
is now the sole survivor. His parents lost
four children in infancy or early childhood.

Nathaniel Conner married for his second
wife a widow, Mrs. Elizabeth (Moore) Palmer.
The son born of this union, Freeman Conner,
lives in Chicago, and at the present time. is
associated with the courts of that city. Dur-
ing the Civil War he served as a private in the
Zouaves of New York City, and was wounded
in service. He was advanced to the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel, and still later was bre-
vetted a Colonel. He is a man about three-
score years of age, and has two daughters here
in Exeter. The mother of Alfred Conner died
on August 28, 1828, at fifty-four years of age,
and the father in 1849. He left a good prop-
erty for those days. In political views he was
a Whig. For many years he was connected
with the fire department, being a fire war-
den. Two of his four fire buckets, which
were made of leather, and the large homespun
linen bag which they carried in those days
to put goods in, dated 1811, both lettered
“N. Conner, F. S. [Fire Society], Nos. 3
and 4, 1829,” are carefully treasured by his
son.

Alfred Conner began in early boyhood to
learn the carpenter's trade under his father’s
guidance. Although his parents gave him
good educational privileges, the need of avail-
ing himself of them did not then appeal to
hrm; and after a year spent in Phillips Acad-
emy he left school, at the age of sixteen.
For four years he worked at the carpenter’s
trade in Boston. During that time he was
employed on the Park Street Church, a part
of his work being the taking down of the stag-
ing for the repair of the steeple, which is up-
ward of two hundred feet in height; and in
1838 he was one of the four who worked on the
tower of the Old South Church, his compan-

 

ions being Messrs. Tinkham, Smith, and
Saboorlish, all of whom have passed away.
Among the residences erected here under his
supervision are those of Amos Tuck, Professor
J. G. Hoyt, and also his own modest but sub-
stantial dwelling, which he built in 1845.
He was the builder of Abbot Hall; and
shortly after, in 1856, he relinquished the
pursuit cf his chosen vocation. He then en-
gaged in the stove and tinware business with
William N. Tilton, the firm being Tilton &
Conner. After Mr. Tilton’s death, in 1861,
the business was sold out. He next engaged
with Jacob Carlisle in the foundry business,
at which they did a_ successful business.
Since 1876 he has lived in practical retire-
ment.

Mr. Conner has been twice married, first in
1844 to Miss Mary E. Merrill, the oldest
child and only daughter of Abner and Sally
W. (Leavitt) Merrill. She died on November
6, 1894, aged seventy-seven years. No chil-
dren were born of this union. On November
15, 1895, he married Miss Anna E. Emerson,
a native of Brentwood, N.H., a daughter of
Lorenzo G. and Mary Jane (Wiggin) Emer-
son. Mr. Emerson is a resident of Exeter,
but spends his winters in Florida. His wife
died here in 1890, leaving two sons and three
daughters. Mrs. Conner is a lady of musical
talent, possessing a fine voice, and being a
skilled pianist. Mr. Conner has since early
manhood been identified with the band here
in Exeter, in which he has played the clari-
net and other instruments. Their enjoyment
of music gives them many a pleasant hour.

Politically, Mr. Conner is a Republican.
In 1857 and 1858 he served as Selectman of °
Exeter, and in the years 1877 and 1878 he was
a member of the legislature. He has also
served. on various committees, among which
may be mentioned that in charge of the erec-
tion of the engine-house, and of the new town
library, the cost of the latter exceeding the
amount appropriated by less than one hundred
dollars. Mr. Conner is a communicant of the
Second Congregational Church and a member
of the Building Committee for the new church
building. The present wooden structure was
erected by his father about seventy-three years
ago. His own residence was erected by him-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

3°5

 

 

self over fifty years since. No birth has ever
occurred here, and the only death is that of
his first wife.

 

eo

ACOB EATON, one of the leading
farmers and fruit growers of South
Hampton and an ex-member of the
New Hampshire legislature, was born

in this town, November 21, 1823. He was
educated in the public schools, after which he
was employed in various kinds of business.
For some twenty years he conducted a carriage
manufactory here. He was also engaged in the
lumber and wood business, both as a manu-
facturer and dealer. On July 27, 1860, he
settled upon his present farm, which he has
since conducted with success. He owns fifty-
eight acres of land, which he has brought to a
high state of cultivation. All the improve-
ments were made by him.
general farming he makes a specialty of fruit
growing. His orchard of six acres is devoted
to choice varieties of apples, pears, peaches,
quinces, and other fruits, all of which find a
ready market at good prices.

On June 27, 1860, Mr. Eaton wedded
Lizzie Paige, of South Hampton. She was
born June 27, 1828, daughter of Samuel and
Rebecca B. Paige. Mr. Paige and his wife
were born respectively on September 15, 1793,
and October 31, 1791. The former, an early
settler and a prosperous farmer of this town,
who was well known and highly respected,
died September 3, 1872; and his wife’s death
occurred August 10, 1865. They had one son
and four daughters, of whom the only survivor
besides Mrs. Eaton is John Paige, born Sep-
tember 6, 1826, who lives in South Hampton.
The others were: Ruth, who became Mrs.
Hill, and died October 18, 1856; Mary, who
became Mrs. Collins, and died June 23, 1890;
and Rebecca, who became Mrs. Breed, and
died January 15, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton
have had five children, as follows: Rebecca
L., who was born May 28, 1866, and died Au-
gust 24 of the same year; Arthur B., who was
born December 8, 1867, and died August 24,
1868; Fanny B., who was born July 22, 1861,
graduated from Barnard Academy, and is now
a school teacher, residing at home; Lizzie P.,

While carrying on-

 

who was born June 22, 1863, married F. M.
Jewell, of this town, and has one daughter;
and Ella Abbie, who was born October 15,
1864, and resides at home.

In politics Mr. Eaton, who was originally
a Whig, has supported the Republican party
since its formation. His public services ex-
tended through a long period. For thirteen
years he was a member of the Board of Select-
men, for nine of which he presided as Chair-
man. He was Town Clerk for three years,
Collector two years, Treasurer seven years,
member of the School Board five years,
and Moderator for fifteen years. He repre-
sented South Hampton and East Kingston in
the legislature of 1866-68 and_in that of
1889-90. Now, in his seventy-third year, he
looks well-developed physically, having a
strong constitution; and he still possesses un-
dimmed the clear intellect that has enabled
him to render in his public capacities many
valuable services to the general community.
While he takes a liberal view of religious
doctrines, Mrs. Eaton is a member of the So-
ciety of Friends.

 

 

OSES A. PERKINS, the popular

and obliging landlord of the Per-

kins House at Epping, was born

in Exeter, N.H., February 21,

1840, son of Solomon J. and Armina (Good-
win) Perkins. Mr. Perkins’s father was born
in Lee, N.H., August 18, 1804. At the age
of ten years Solomon went to Exeter, where,
beginning work in the yarn-mills, he remained
three years. During the next few years he
was employed at the Rockingham Mills in the
same town, from which he went to Dover,
N.H. Here he spent ten years, at first work-
ing in the upper mills, but later in the mills
at the landing. He had charge of the weav-
ing and dressing department of the mills in
Pittsfield, N.H., for the next two years.
Then, in company with his brother, Benjamin
R. Perkins, he bought the Rockingham Mills
at Exeter, in which they engaged in the man-
ufacture of batting and coarse warp yarn.
Some time after, leaving his brother in charge
of this enterprise, he engaged with Captain
N. Gilman to superintend his mill at “ Pick-
306

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Pocket,” and did so for two years. In 1836
he bought the Gordon place, situated on what
is now known as Perkins Hill. Here he
spent the rest of his life, and died October 15,
1882. He was one of the best-known and
most practical men of his day in his line of
business, and was highly respected as a worthy
and useful citizen by all who knew him. In
politics he supported the Republican party,
and in religious belief was a Congregation-
alist. He married Armina Goodwin, a native
of Maine; and she became the mother of seven
children, of whom Moses A., the subject of
this sketch, is the third son. Mr. Perkins’s
mother survives; and, although she is’ now
eighty-two years old, her health is unusually
good for one of her age.

Moses A. Perkins obtained his education in
Exeter, and Pembroke, Mass., and Kingston,
N.H. He was reared upon a farm, where he
continued to reside until 1864, when he visited
the South, sojourning at Wilson’s Landing,
Fort Pocahontas, and other points in the State
of Virginia. He returned home in the follow-
ing year, and after a brief rest obtained em-
ployment in the iron foundry at Exeter. He
was here four years, when, in 1870, he came
to Epping, where he engaged in manufactur-
ing. In the course of the next four years he
invented an improved method for making bat-
ting. Receiving the appointment in 1876, he
was clerk in the Railway Postal Service for
ten years, his route being from Boston to St.
Albans, Vt., the longest in the New Eng-
Jand States. His connection with the hotel
business in Epping dates from the time of his
retirement from the postal service. He then
became proprietor of a hostelry, which he
carried on successfully for some eight years.
In 1894 he took charge of the Pawtuckaway
House, now known as the Perkins House,
which he has since successfully conducted,
giving complete satisfaction to the many
guests. :

In 1864 Mr. Perkins wedded Caroline E.
Norris, daughter of John Norris. Mr. and
Mrs. Perkins have had four children, two of
whom are living, namely: Fred M., who re-
sides in this town; and Blanche B., now the
wife of W. A. Spiers, of Boston. Mr. Per-
kins enjoys a wide circle of friends and ac-

 

quaintances, and is a general favorite among
the members of the various fraternal organiza-
tions to which he belongs. In Masonry he
has advanced to the commandery, being also
a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is con-
nected with the Red Men, the Royal Arcanum
of Boston, the Order of the Eastern Star,
Amoskeag Veterans of Manchester, N.H., and
the New Hampshire Club, a social order that
meets six times annually in Boston. He is
one of the oldest members of the Knights of
Pythias in New Hampshire, having been the
first Chancellor of Squamscot Lodge, No. 2,
the second lodge organized in the State. He
was the first Grand Patriarch of the Grand
Lodge of New Hampshire, and its first repre-
sentative to the Supreme Lodge of the United
States from New Hampshire. Mr. Perkins,
who has been a lifelong Republican, cast his
first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln.

 

 

OSEPH T. VESSEY, one of the prom-
inent farmers of Deerfield, was born in
this town, March 20, 1820, son of
Thomas and Elizabeth (Goodhue) Ves-

sey. Mr. Vessey’s grandfather was Simon
Vessey, a native of Stratham, N.H., who set-
tled in Deerfield, where he was engaged in
farming as long as his health permitted.
Grandfather Vessey’s later years were passed in
retirement; and he died in this town, June 23,
1845, aged eighty-nine. He was a man of
unusual intelligence, who gained considerable
notoriety as a Bible student; and he was an ac-
tive member of the Baptist church. He mar-
ried Susan Ham, of Deerfield, and she reared
five children, as follows: Thomas, Mr.
Vessey’s father, who was the eldest; Joseph,
born May 5, 1785, who died June 23, 1816;
Betsey, born November 7, 1787, who died
June 9, 1821; Simon, born October 8, 1789,
who in 1814 married Mary S. Pike; and Ben-
ning, born February 13, 1792, who married
Jeanette Tilton, of Deerfield, and became the
father of five children — Joseph H., Simon,
Elizabeth, Isabel, and Susan _I. Benning’s
son, Joseph H., who was born December 6,
1822, married Sarah Locke, of Pleasant Point,
Me. His son, Simon, who was born Decem-
ber 22, 1824, married Dorothy Jones, of Strat-
. « Northwood Seminary.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

397

 

 

ham, N.H. His daughter Elizabeth was born
in January, 1827. Isabel, who was born May
27, 1830, died September 1, 1832. Susan I.
was born September 20, 1832.

Thomas Vessey, Mr. Vessey’s father, was
born at Pleasant Point, January 18, 1784.
He learned the cooper’s trade, which he fol-
lowed together with farming during the active
period of his days. In his later years he sup-
ported the Republican party. He served as a
Selectman for several years, and represented
his district in the legislature of 1853-54.
He professed the Baptist faith, and continued
a member of that church until his death, which
occurred May 16, 1876, at the advanced age
of ninety-three years. His wife, Elizabeth,
whom he married in October, 1807, was born
in Deerfield, August 17, 1788. She became
by him the mother of four children, as fol-
lows: Joseph T., the subject of this sketch;
Elizabeth, of whom there is no further infor-
mation; Susan H., born August 8, 1808, who
married Peter Sanborn in July, 1831, and died
May 23, 1839; and Sally G., born February 3,
18ro, who married Bryant Stearns in January,
1834, and died in September, 1834, at the
age of twenty-four years.

Joseph T. Vessey obtained his education in
the common schools of Deerfield and in acad-
emies at New Hampton and Pembroke, this
State. After finishing with school he engaged
in farming upon his present property. The
estate contains two hundred and seventy acres
of well-located land, of which twenty-five are
under cultivation. Besides producing large
and superior crops, he raises considerable
stock, keeping an average of fifteen head.
His natural desire for occupation keeps him
constantly busy, when there is nothing else
to do, in increasing the fertility of his land
and otherwise improving his property. He
“is connected with the Deerfield Grange, is a
member of the Calvinist Baptist church, and
in politics supports the Republican party. |

In 1854 Mr. Vessey married Elizabeth A.
Stearns, of Deerfield. Of their two children
Bryant S. is living. He was born October 2,
1857, acquired his earlier education in the
common schools of Deerfield, and finished his
studies at the Deerfield High School and the

 

Since leaving school

he has remained at the homestead, assisting
his father in carrying on the farm; and he is
known in this section as an able farmer and a
successful dealer in live stock.

 

O. ALEXANDER, of Canobie Lake,
in the township of Windham, is with-
out doubt the busiest man in this
locality. In addition to caring for
his private concerns, he discharges the duties
of Postmaster and of agent for both the Amer-
ican Express Company and the Boston &
Maine Railroad. He was born in Windham,
May 22, 1857, son of Gilbert and Hannah C.
(Nichols) Alexander. The family descends
from Randall Alexander, one of the original
incorporators of the town of Londonderry,
N.H., which, since his day, has been divided
into several towns. He settled in that part
of the grant which was eventually set off as
the town of Windham. David Alexander, Mr.
Alexander’s grandfather, a native and lifelong
resident of Windham, was prominent in the
community.

Gilbert Alexander was born in Windham.
When a young man he learned the ship-car-
penter’s trade, and followed that occupation
industriously for several years. He finally
engaged in farming, and followed it prosper-
ously until his death, which occurred May 7,
1874. His wife, whose maiden name was
Hannah C. Nichols, was a native of Wind-
ham. Of her children, A. O. Alexander, the
subject of this sketch, was the second-born.

A. O. Alexander was reared to farm life,
becoming capable in the lighter duties when
he was thirteen years old. From that time

until he reached the age of sixteen his time

was occupied in farm labor and attending the
common schools. He then went to Boston,
where for two years he was employed by the
Sherman Wringer Company. From Boston he
came to South Windham, and was fora time
engaged at the Golden Brook Woollen Mills.
He then worked as a farm assistant for four
years in the employ of Abel Dow. After this
he took up the lumber business at Canobie

‘Lake, and carried it on successfully for quite

a while. In 1886 he opened a store for
general merchandise, thereby becoming the
308

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

pioneer merchant of the locality, and has con-
ducted it since. Besides his large stock of
staple articles he handles agricultural machin-
ery and farm implements, deals extensively in
grain, having a spacious storehouse for that
department, and is agent for the best fertilizer
concerns, including the Bradley Company and
the Frank Coe Company of New York. He
has built up a flourishing trade by gaining
the confidence of the business public. In
November, 1885, he was appointed station
agent at Canobie Lake for the Concord Rail-
way, which has since been absorbed by the
Boston & Maine system. Having learned
telegraphy by personal study, he is now opera-
tor here for the Western Union Company,
For a number of years he has been agent of
the American Express Company. He was
appointed Postmaster in February, 1885. Al-
though he is kept constantly busy by his many
duties, he succeeds in giving adequate atten-
tion to all, with time to spare.

In December, 1880, Mr. Alexander wedded
Lizzie L. Dow, daughter of Abel Dow, his
former employer. She died February 2, 1893,
leaving two children — Hannah M. and Annie
M. Asa progressive and enterprising business
man and a public-spirited citizen Mr. Alexan-
der is held in high esteem by the entire com-
munity. In politics he is a Republican.

 

 

UGUSTUS L. BARKER, of Wind-

ham, Chairman of the Board of Se-

lectmen and a member of the New

Hampshire legislature, was born

here, April 9, 1847, son of Jacob B. and Annie

M. (Marden) Barker. Mr. Barker’s grand-

father, Solomon Barker, was a native of Pel-

ham, Hillsborough County. Solomon’s wife,

whose maiden name was Butler, was a relative
of the late General Benjamin F. Butler.

Jacob B. Barker, who was born in Pelham
in March, 1827, moved from there to West
Windham. In young manhood he learned the
trades of a carpenter and wheelwright, which
he afterward followed for many years. He
finally engaged in agriculture in this town,
where he resided until his death, which oc-
curred March 3, 1888. In his later years he
‘favored the Republican party. He married

 

Annie M. Marden, a native of New Boston,
N.H.; and she became the mother of a large
family of children. Of these the survivors
are: James, Charles H., and Augustus L.,
who reside in Windham; Mary C., who is now
the widow of A. R. Ashby, of this town; Har-
riet N., the wife of Frank Robbins, of Wal-
tham, Mass.; and Angeline, the wife of
Charles K. Barker, of Windham.

Augustus L. Barker received his education
in the public schools of Windham. At the
age of twenty years he became travelling sales-
man for N. W. Burke, a cracker manufacturer
of Nashua, Hillsborough County. After being
upon the road for ten years, he settled upon
his present farm in Windham. The property
contains one huhdred and five acres of well-
improved land. Since he took possession of
it he has managed very successfully, and is,
in consequence, regarded as one of the most
progressive general farmers of this locality.
In politics he is an active supporter of the Re-
publican party. He served the town as Super-
visor for several years. For the past six years
he has been a member of the Board of Select-
men and for the past four years Chairman of
that body. He was elected to the legislature
in 1894, and he has been there since.

On January 1, 1873, Mr. Barker wedded
Mary A. Cochran. She was born in Wind-
ham, daughter of James and Sarah A.
(Hughes) Cochran. Mr. Cochran was born in
this town in 1820. His wife is also a native
of Windham. The founders of the Cochran
family settled in Londonderry, N.H., in 1719,
and in 1742 removed to Windham, where their
descendants have since resided. Mrs. Bar-
ker’s father has been prominent in public
affairs here. He served as Town Clerk fora
number of years, and was a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention held in 1890. Be-
sides Mrs. Barker he had seven other children,
as follows: James A., who is a resident of
East Boston and a member of the Massachu-
setts legislature; John H., a resident of Bos-
ton proper; William B. and Charles H., resi-
dents of East Boston; Sarah, the wife of Jo-
seph Currier, of Salisbury, Mass. ; Emma M.,
the wife of George E. Snelling, of Winchester,
Mass. ; and Ellen R., the wife of John Oberg,
of Dorchester, Mass.
 

~CHARLES M. EVANS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

aii

 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Barker have one son— Walter
C., who was born October 25, 1874. Mr.
Barker generally takes an active part in every
movement designed to benefit the town. He
exercises much influence in politics, as well as
in other affairs of public interest. Mrs.
Barker isa member of the Presbyterian church,
and is active in the Ladies’ Benevolent So-

ciety. Mr. Barker attends church with his
wife.

 

.

 

HARLES M. EVANS, a rising young
farmer and dairyman of South Hamp-
L, ton, N.H., was born in Salisbury,
Mass., September 20, 1860, son of
Charles A. and Abbie A. (Merrill) Evans.
Mr. Evans’s father, a sketch of whom appears
elsewhere in this work, and to which the
reader is referred for an account of the early
ancestors of the family, is at the present time
one of the largest farmers of the neighboring
town of Kensington, N.H. He was born in
Seabrook, N.H., March 4, 1830; and his first
wife, mother of Charles M., was born in Salis-
bury, Mass., August 14, 1836. Charles A.
Evans is a Republican in politics, and 1s
prominent in public affairs in Kensington,
having served as a member of the Board of
Selectmen and as Supervisor. His first wife,
Abbie A. Merrill, was the mother of ten chil.
dren, eight of whom are living, namely: Mary
Frances; Eliza M.; Charles M. and Daniel
M., twin brothers; Amos M.; John A.;
Moses W.; and Joseph C. The others were:
‘Sarah Abbie; and John, who died young.
Charles A. Evans wedded for his second wife
Abbie C. Lowe, a native of Maine, and by this
union has had three children — Arthur W. ;
Grace M.; and Marion, who is no longer
living.

Charles M. Evans, the subject of the pres-
ent sketch, grew to manhood in Salisbury,
Mass., Kensington, and South Hampton,
N.H.; and his education was acquired in the
schools of these towns. At the age of twenty
years he bought his first real estate, a smal]
piece of land in South Hampton containing
about thirty acres; and, having added to his
acreage as he advanced in prosperity, he now
owns a good farm of one hundred and seventy-

 

five acres, and is one of the most extensive
general farmers and dairymen in town. He
keeps some excellent stock, and has four or five
acres devoted to the raising of apples, pears,
peaches, and small fruits, the marketing of
which yields him a good income annually.
He conducts his property upon a progressive
scale, taking advantage of all modern im-
provements, and by his able management has
reached a position among the well-to-do agri-
culturists of South Hampton. He was for
some time interested in lumbering with his
brother, Daniel M.; and he later carried on
a thriving business in that industry upon his
own account with profit.

On April 11, 1882, Mr. Evans was united
in marriage with Eliza Palmer, who was born
in Carleton County, New Brunswick, May 16,
1863. She isa daughter of Jacob and Louise
(True) Palmer, both of whom are living, her
father being a retired farmer.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans have five children, as
follows: Abbie M. and Ethel D., twins, who
were born January 31, 1885; Willis J., who
was born December 15, 1888; Ralph P.,
who was born July 29, 1891; and Howard T.,
who was born April 10, 1895.

Politically, Mr. Evans is a Republican.
He has served with marked ability as a mem-
ber of the Board of Selectmen for one term,
was for three years upon the School Board, and
has held other town offices. He is possessed °
of those essential qualities of manhood which
are the elements of success in life, and his
present substantial prosperity is the result of
his own energy and perseverance. Mr. Evans
is a member of the Congregational church, of
which Mrs. Evans is an attendant.

 

 

OHN A. BLAKE, one of the leading
residents of Kensington and an ex-
member of the New Hampshire legis-
lature, was born upon his farm in this

town, December 8, 1828, son of Ira and Doro-
thy (Sanborn) Blake. Mr. Blake's great-
grand-father, Hezekiah Blake, was an early
settler in Kensington, where he died at an
advanced age; and Mr. Blake’s grandparents,
John P. and Sarah Blake, were natives and
lifelong residents of this town. The ancestors
312

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

of the family have been successfully engaged |

in farming here for three generations.

Ira Blake, Mr. Blake’s father, was born
in Kensington in November, 1799, and resided
upon the farm now owned by his son, John A.,
from the age of thirteen years until his death.
He conducted general farming in a progressive
way, taking advantage of every known method
to increase the fertility of his land and enhance
the quality of his crops. He also did a great
deal of probate business, settling many estates,
and was well known as a surveyor of land and a
general conveyancer. He was prominent in
politics, successively supporting the Whig and
Republican parties, and served with ability for
two terms both as a Selectman and legislative
Representative. He had the sincere esteem
and hearty good will of his neighbors and the
townspeople generally, and his useful life ter-
minated in 1876. In religious belief he was
a Unitarian. His wife, Dorothy, who was
born in Kensington in 1801, became the
mother of five children, as follows: John A.,
the subject of this sketch; Lucy E., who is the
widow of John S. Cram, and lives at Hampton
Falls, this county; Ira N., a resident of
Northwood; Mary S., who resides with her
brother in this town; and Sarah E., who is the
wife of William A. Cram, of Hampton Falls.
The mother died in 1884.

John A. Blake passed his youth as a farm
boy, obtaining his education in the schools of
Kensington. In young manhood he engaged
in agricultural pursuits upon his own account ;
and, succeeding to the ownership of the home-
stead, he has since carried it on successfully.
The estate contains one hundred and thirty-

five acres, is well located, and has excellent

buildings. On March 17, 1859, Mr. Blake
was united in marriage to Lydia A. Prescott,
who was born in Kensington in 1830. She
died in 1890, leaving no children. Mr. and
Mrs. Blake had an adopted son, William B.,
who was born in 1878. In public affairs Mr.
Blake has figured quite conspicuously. He
has been Town Treasurer, was Sélectman
three terms and a Representative in the legis-
Jature of 1865-66. In politics he supports the
Republican party. In his religious belief he
is a Universalist. He is connected with the
Patrons of Husbandry, and is President of the

for some eight years.

 

Board of Trustees of the Kensington Social
Library.

 

 

OHN W. FORSAITH, one of South
Hampton’s representative farmers, was
born upon the farm where he now re-
sides, November 20, 1849, son of John

C. and Mary W. (Healey) Forsaith. Mr.
Forsaith’s grandfather, Dr. Robert Forsaith,
was a leading physician of his day in the town
of New Market, this county. In the winter of
1817, being then comparatively young, he was
found dead in his sleigh, having been pros-
trated by the severe cold while making his
usual calls.

John C. Forsaith was born in New Market,
November 25, 1811. In early manhood he
engaged in mercantile pursuits in Massachu-
setts, residing successively in Salem, Chelsea,
and Boston. He was also in business in New
York City previous to 1840. He then came
to South Hampton, and was in business here
At the end of that time
he relinquished mercantile pursuits, and in
1847 settled upon the farm of one hundred
acres, where his sons now reside. He was
an industrious farmer, and made on the prop-
erty various improvements that are still visible.
His death occurred on February 6, 1876. He
took an active interest in the general welfare
of the community, was a Jacksonian Democrat
in politics, and served in the legislature of
1856-57. He was well informed upon all
current subjects of the day, was especially in-
terested in educational matters, served as a
Trustee of Barnard Academy, and was a mem-
ber of the Universalist church. His wife, in
maidenhood Mary W. Healey, who was born
in Kensington, September 19, 1820, became
the mother of six children. These were:
Elizabeth E., born August 4, 1843, who now
lives in Newburyport, Mass. ; George N., born
December 14, 1845, who died January 31,
1891; Mary O., born November 12, 1847,
who resides in East Kingston; John W., the
subject of this sketch; Ella A., born Janu-
ary 25, 1852, who died July 21, 1881; and
Frank Pearce, born January 15, 1855, who oc-
cupies the homestead with his brother. The
mother died June 19, 1884.
BIOGRAPH ICAL REVIEW

313

 

 

John W. Forsaith was educated in the dis-
trict schools of South Hampton and at Barnard
Academy. He-has given his attention to gen-
era] farming at the homestead, which he car-
ries on in company with his brother. The
property is one of the best-kept estates in the
township. He is industrious and enterprising,
and is counted among the foremost people of
this place. On November 20, 1868, Mr. For-
saith was united in marriage with Lizzie H.
Evans. She was born in Salisbury, Mass.,
July 18, 1852, daughter of Benjamin F. and
Mary S. (Hale) Evans. Mr. Evans was a
native of Salisbury, born in 1826; while his
wife, a native of Newburyport, Mass., was
born in 1832. Both are still living, and
reside in Salisbury. In politics Mr. Forsaith
is a Democrat, while he is liberal in his re-
ligious views. He is a member of the Board
of Trustees of Barnard Academy. The pres-
ervation of his family history is a matter of
deep interest to him.

 

AVID C. HAWES, of Hampton
Falls, who is extensively engaged
©) in the manufacture of phosphate,
was born in New Bedford, Bristol
County, Mass., June 15, 1832, son of Levi
and Azubah C. (Capen) Hawes. His father,
a native of Stoughton, Mass., was there en-
gaged in general husbandry, and also in con-
veying firewood to Boston, Mass. He subse-
quently removed to New Bedford, Mass.,
where he purchased a farm, and there passed
his declining years. He was twice married,
the first time to a Miss Turner. His second
marriage, contracted with Miss Azubah C.
Capen, resulted in the birth of seven children ;
namely, Levi (deceased), Elenor, Azubah
(deceased), Jonathan C., Thomas, Elisha, and
David C. The father passed away in 1880, at
the venerable age of eighty-nine years. His
wife’s death occurred in 1878, aged eighty-
nine years.
David C. Hawes obtained his education in
the district schools. At the age of eighteen,
in company with his brother Thomas, he set
out for California, making the journey in sixty
days by way of the Isthmus of Panama.
Under the direction of his brother he “pros-

 

 

 

 

 

pected” in California until 1857, after which
both returned home by the same route they had
taken going out. Mr. Hawes afterward pur-
chased a portion of his father’s farm, and was
thereon engaged in farming until the outbreak
of the Civil War. In 1863 he removed to
Hampton Falls, N.H., and bought the estate
known as the Melcher farm, containing about
one hundred and thirty acres of land, on which
he has resided uninterruptedly to the present
time. About 1893 he started his present busi-
ness, the manufacture of phosphate. The
annual output of his factory now is about fifty
tons of the product. The beneficial effects
of the industry are already visible in the sur-
rounding country, where the commodity is
used as a fertilizer, although he manufactures
it largely for special purposes.

On May 15, 1857, he joined in matrimony
with Miss Mary H. Sanborn, of Kensington,
N.H., who has borne him six children, as fol-
lows: Levi M., who resides in the State of
California; Edwin D., who lives at Lynn,
Mass.; Frank S., a resident of Orange, N.J. ;
Samuel C., residing at home; Henry W., also
a resident of California; and Mary A., resid-
ing at home. Mr. Hawes has served his fel-
low-citizens in the capacity of Selectman for
two years. In national politics his principles
bring him into affiliation with the Republican
party. He deposited his first Presidential
vote in 1856 for J. C. Fremont.

 

 

ILLIAM J. HOLMES, a= well-
known agriculturist of Rye, was
born in Portsmouth, N.H., Decem-

ber 1, 1831, son of William and Mary (Rand)
Holmes. His grandfather, James Holmes,
also a native of Portsmouth, was there engaged
in general farming, and plied his trade of shoe-
maker. James Holmes was united in marriage
with Miss Deborah Libbey, of Portsmouth;
and they became the parents of three children,
only one of whom, William, attained maturity.
He participated in the second war with Eng-
land, in which he was either killed or dieda
natural death. His wife passed away when a
comparatively young woman.

William Holmes, who was a boy when he
lost his father, passed his youth in Ports-
3t4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

mouth, receiving his education in the district
schools. Subsequently he removed to Rye,
where he purchased a small farm, the nucleus
of that on which his son, William J., now re-
sides. There he passed the remainder of his
life, occupied in general farming. He joined
in wedlock with Miss Mary Rand, a daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rand, of Rye. Of
the union there were born three children —
Sophia C., Joseph R., and William I.
Sophia, who died in Rye, married John S.
Marden, of Rye, and had one child, Anna.
Anna subsequently married Clarence Mathes,
formerly a surfman for fourteen years, now a
carpenter of Rye, and has one child, an infant.
Joseph R. Holmes received in marriage the
hand of Miss Charlotte L. Seavey, a native of
Rye, who gave birth to three daughters —
Mary E., Anna, and Sarah. Mary E. married
Albert H. Drake, resides at Rye, and has
three children — Ruth, Joseph, and Willard.
The second daughter of Joseph R., Anna
Holmes, is now the wife of Willard Paul, a
dealer in hardware at Portsmouth, and has one
child, now in its infancy. William Holmes,
the father of William I., for a number of years
served on the Board of Selectmen. He was
also Town Appraiser and for many terms As-
sessor. The honor of representing his town in
the State legislature was likewise his. He
died February 22, 1891, at the advanced age of
eighty-five years and nine days. His wife’s
death occurred March 23, 1863.

William I. Holmes acquired his education
in the district schools of Rye. He has always
resided on the paternal estate. Since coming
into its possession he has considerably en-
larged it by purchases made at various times.
At the time of the Civil War he was drafted
for service; but he procured release from that
duty by the payment of the required amount
of money, circumstances rendering that course
very advisable. In 1861 Mr. Holmes wedded
Miss Sarah E. Trefethen, a daughter of Joseph
and Hannah (Berry) Trefethen, of Rye, and
became the father of four children, only one
of whom, Ella G., survives. The others
died, the victims of scarlet fever. Ella was
given in marriage to J. Everett Odiome; and
they now reside in Rye with their children —
Edith H. and Harry E.

 

Mr. Holmes is well known and favorably re-
garded throughout the community. He has
served his townsmen in several public posi-
tions. In national politics he is a ‘‘true-blue’’
Democrat, having continually supported the
candidates and advocated the principles of that
party since his majority. He cast his first
Presidential vote for James Buchanan in 1856.

 

OHN H. GRIFFIN, a prominent hard-
ware merchant of New Market, was
born in Dedham, Mass., in 1855. His
parents were James J. and Irene C.

(McDaniel) Griffin. The father was a native

of Lee, Strafford County, where he was a resi-

dent for about forty years. While in Dedham,

Mass., he was superintendent of the alms-

house. He was also in the lumber business,

dealing quite extensively in wood lots. When
in Lee he was engaged in farming. He died
about 1889. His wife, who was a native of

Barrington, N.H., passed away ten years

earlier.

John H. Griffin was two and a half years old
when he went with his parents to Lee. .His
early education was received in East Kings-
ton, this county. He subsequently attended
schools in New Hampton and Dover, N.H.
He would have gone to college but for the fact
that his mother was an invalid for many years.
At the age of twenty-three he left the home
farm to accept a clerkship in the grocery busi-
ness. Three years afterward he bought a
grocery with his earnings. After starting
with a partner he bought out that gentleman’s
interest nine months later, and thereafter was
sole proprietor for nine years. Mr.. Griffin’s
success in the business was almost phenom-
enal. During the last five years in this enter-
prise his average annual receipts were fifty
thousand dollars. When his father died he
settled the estate, and came to New Market,
buying his present business. He has a large
and complete stock of hardware, and is a live,
progressive man, who stands high in commer-
cial circles. In politics he is a Republican,
with an abiding faith in the purity of the
party. He was Town Clerk in Madbury,
N.H., for four years, and also served as
superintendent of schools. In the spring of
 

KIMBALL,»

DANIEL H.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

317

 

 

1892, much against his wish, he was nomi-
nated as Selectman, and was elected by a
majority of one hundred and three, notwith-
standing the fact that the town had gone Dem-
ocratic for thirteen years previously. During
his two years’ service as Chairman of the
Board there was a marked change for the
better in town affairs. He declined further
service, but it is confidently hoped that he
will accept a seat in the legislature of 1896.
Mr. Griffin is a member of Mount Pleasant
Lodge and the Prescott Encampment, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He also be-
longs to the Knights of Pythias and the U. R.
of the order, being likewise a member of the
Rebekah Degree.

In October, 1888, Mr. Griffin became a
happy benedict by leading to the altar Abbie
G. Bartlett, daughter of James W. and Caro-
line (Goodwin) Bartlett, of Eliot, Me. They
have since become the parents of three chil-
dren — Caroline, J. Bartlett, and Ione Griffin.
The mother is a highly respected member of
the Methodist church in Eliot, Me.

 

RANK P. BLAISDELL, an esteemed
Selectman of Epping, was born in New
Market, this county, in 1853, son of

John S. and Mary E. (Edgerly) Blaisdell.
The father was a native of Epping, where,
excepting ten years that he lived in New
Market, he spent all his life, engaged in
farming and lumbering. He was a quiet, un-
assuming man, who had the respect of the
community, served it as Selectman in 1876,
and died in 1891, at the age of seventy-eight.
His widow is still living.

Frank P. Blaisdell received his education in
the district schools of Epping, having come to
this town with his parents when he was but a
year old. He learned the trade of a carpen-
ter, and subsequently worked at it in Con-
cord, N.H. On account of business stagna-
tion he has had but little work during the past
few years. He has always lived on the home
farm, which is a neat little place of seventy
acres, the buildings being substantial and up-
to-date. In politics Mr. Blaisdell is a pro-
nounced Democrat. He takes an intelligent
interest in public affairs, and was an active

 

member of the Building Committee during
the construction of the Epping town hall. In
1894 he was elected Selectman, and re-elected
in 1895 and 1896, being now in office. He
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows.

The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was married in 1895, was Mabel A. Whitte-
more. She isa native of Chateaugay, N.Y.,
and a daughter of Peter and Almira H.
Whittemore. Mr. Blaisdell is not connected
with any religious denomination; while his

wife is a member of the First Congregational
Church.

 

ANIEL H. KIMBALL, whose death
occurred at the old Kimball home-
2) stead in East Kingston, N.H.,
June 20, 1871, was closely asso-
ciated with the agricultural interests of this
township for many years as one of its industri-
ous and thrifty farmers. He was born De-
cember 16, 1795, at Newton, Rockingham
County, son of Jonathan and Lois (Rowell)
Kimball.

Jonathan Kimball was a native resident of
Newton, his birth having occurred there, May
19, 1759. He was engaged in cutting timber
and tilling the soil throughout the active
period of his life, which embraced little more
than fifty-five years.. He died on September
2, 1814. His wife, whose maiden name was
Lois Rowell, was born in Amesbury, Essex
County, Mass., October 14, 1760, and died at
the family homestead in Newton, September
15, 1848. The six children included in the
parental household were: Daniel H., who was
the eldest child; William R., born February
15, 1798, who died February 25, 1801; John,
born January 20, 1801, who died April 19,
1817; William, born October 6, 1802; Sarah,
born March 1, 1805; and Amos, born August
8, 1807.

Daniel H. Kimball grew to man’s estate in
his native town, where he became thoroughly
familiar with farming pursuits. In 1832 he
came to East Kingston, and settled on the.
farm now occupied by his children With
persevering energy he labored to clear and
improve the land, and before many years had

 

 

 

 
318

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

passed he was numbered among the leading
farmers of this vicinity. He continued living
here until his demise, and was a man of great
intelligence and influence, occupying a promi-
nent position in the community.

Mr. Kimball was married March 4, 1821,
to Miss Hannah Hoyt, by whom he had ten
children, the following being the record:
Sallie L., born. January 26, 1823, died Sep-
tember 2, 1847; Mary A., born September
13, 1824, died September 30, 1828; Martha
Emeline, born July 18, 1827, died November
19, 1890; Mary Ann, born October 2, 1829;
Daniel Harrison, born April 14, 1832; Caro-
line and Angeline Juliet (twins), born Au-
gust 24, 1834, the latter of whom died Novem-
ber 8, 1851; Hannah Louisa, born July 20,
1837; George Warren, born May 23, 18.0,
died February 19, 1849; and Joseph Frank-
lin, born September 18, 1842. Mary Ann,
Daniel Harrison, Caroline, Hannah Louisa,
and Joseph Franklin have always lived on the
home farm, which they have carried on with
gratifying results since the death of their par-
ents.

The Kimball homestead contains one hun-
dred and thirty acres of land, which is in a
good state of cultivation; and here they are
engaged in general farming, including stock
raising to some extent, and having a small
dairy, from which they make butter for the
market. In politics the Messrs. Kimball are
both stanch adherents of the Republican party.
Mr. Joseph F. Kimball, who is an ingenious
mechanic, has in his possession a box, about a
foot square, that he made from woods grown
on the old homestead, these woods, surpris-
ing to tell, being of no less than eighty-eight
varieties. In the house are many ancient and
valuable relics to delight the eye of an anti-
quary, among them being a very old and rare
paper shilling. Miss Kimball has a quilt
made by her great-zrandmother, which con-
tains some pieces of the wedding gown of that
distant ancestress.

 

 

ILLIAM CALVIN HARRIS, a
representative of one of Windham’s
oldest families and an ex-member

of the New Hampshire legislature, was born

 

at his present residence in this town, Decem-
ber 14, 1822, son of the Rev. Samuel and
Ruth (Pratt) Harris. The family is de-
scended from Thomas Harris, who came from
England and settled in Ipswich, Mass., in
1636. Deacon Jacob Harris, Mr. Harris’s
grandfather, was born in Ipswich, but settled
before the Revolution in Ashburnham, Mass.,

where most of his life was spent. He died in
Windham in 1826, aged eighty-five.
The Rev. Samuel Harris, Mr. Harris’s

father, was born in Ashburnham; and in young
manhood he was engaged in teaching school.
He studied for the ministry, and in 1805 was
ordained and installed pastor of the Presbyte-
rian church and congregation of Windham,
which relation he sustained for twenty-one
years, retaining his residence in town till his
death in 1848, at the age of seventy-four.
He preached in what is now the town house
at Windham Centre, and was a faithful and
successful pastor and a highly respected and
prominent citizen, well known in all this re-
gion and active in all educational and reform
movements as well as church work. In addi-
tion to his ministerial duties he tilled the
soil with energy and success, clearing up his
farm from woodland, and in 1811 building the
pleasantly located residence, which, having
been since enlarged and remodelled, is now
occupied by his son. His wife, who before
marriage was Ruth Pratt, and was a native of
New Ipswich, N.H., became the mother of
twelve children, ten of them growing to ma-
turity, each of whom received a good educa-
tion, and filled an honored place in the world.
Of these the only present survivor is the
eleventh, William Calvin, the subject of this
sketch. ;
William C. Harris began his education in
the district schools of his neighborhood, con-
tinuing his studies at private schools of higher
grade in Nashua, N.H.; and before his mar-
riage he taught six terms of school in Salem.
Having been reared upon a farm, he eventually
adopted agriculture as his principal occupa-
tion, and succeeded to the possession of the
homestead property. To this he has added a
large tract of adjoining woodland, which
borders upon Cobbett’s Pond, one of the finest
summer resorts in the county. The tillage
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

3FD

 

 

portion of his farm is carefully cultivated, and
as a general farmer he is still exceedingly ac-
tive and energetic for one of his years.

Politically, he has long been a_ leading
spirit in the Republican party in this section.
He represented his native town in the legis-
lature of 1865, and has almost constantly served
the town in the various offices of responsibil-
ity. He was Moderator of the annual meet-
ings for ten years, Town Clerk four years,
Treasurer six years (1863-68), Chairman of
the Boards of Selectmen and of supervisors of
the check list two terms each, and Chairman
of the School Board for seven years from
1887. He has also been a Justice of the
Peace for about thirty years.

On June 23, 1853, Mr.
Philena H. Dinsmore.
burn, N.H., October 3, 1831, the eleventh
child of Deacon Samuel and Hannah (Blanch-
ard) Dinsmore, both of whom were natives
of Auburn. Mrs. Harris’s great-grandfather,
David Dinsmore, who was a native of the
notth of Ireland, and of Scotch ancestry,
emigrated to America in Colonial times, and
became one of the first settlers of the town of
Auburn. Deacon Samuel Dinsmore, Mrs.
Harris’s father, was a highly respected resi-
dent of Auburn, who served as a soldier in
the War of 1812. He died in 1863, having
reared a family of twelve children, of whom
five now survive. Mrs. Harris’s maternal
grandfather was the Hon. Joseph Blanchard,
of Auburn, a State Senator and Councillor,
and a Presbyterian Ruling Elder for about
forty years.

Mr. and Mrs. Harris have had three chil-
dren, two of whom are living, namely: Will-
iam Samuel, Professor of Science in Coe’s
Academy at Northwood since 1891; and Mary
Ella, wife of John W. M. Worledge, of Wind-
ham. Professor Harris is a well-known
teacher and writer, and the author of a valu-
able history of the Harris family, published
in 1883.

Mr. Harris and his family are all members
of the Presbyterian church in Windham. He
has been for many years closely connected
with all that concerns the interests of the
church, Sunday-school, and religious society,
has been one of the Ruling Elders of the

Harris wedded

She was born in Au--

 

church since 1878, many years a teacher in
the Sunday-school, and was its superintendent
for ten years, 1878-88. Mr. and Mrs. Harris
observed their silver wedding anniversary in
1878. During all their married life, now
more than forty-three years, the comfort and
hospitality of their home have been enjoyed by
multitudes of relatives and visiting friends.

 

[tuiam BURLINGAME, of Exeter,
N.H., agent and Treasurer of the

Exeter Machine Works, was born in
Coventry, R.I., in 1838, son of Elder James
and Lucy (Dana) Burlingame. His paternal
grandparents were Captain Peter and Elizabeth
Burlingame. They reared three sons and one
daughter, namely: Philip, a minister of the
gospel; Peter, who settled in Central New
York, and reared a large family; James, the
father of our subject; and Sarah, who married
Philip Potter.

James Burlingame was born in Sterling,
Conn., May 13, 1794. His boyhood and
early life were passed on a farm, and _his first
knowledge of books was obtained at the dis-
trict school, where, too, it might be said, he
gained his first knowledge of human nature;
for, after finishing his studies, he taught for a
while, and to the teacher human nature is an
open book. He was converted at the age of
seventeen, baptized the next year, 1812, and
began to preach at the age of twenty-one. He
served in the War of 1812, for which the gov-
ernment afterward awarded him a pension and
a Jand warrant. The prodigious labors of his
early ministry required great powers of endur-
ance; but nature had endowed Elder Burlin-
game with a large frame and a strong constitu-
tion, which carried him through successfully.
He had a large and growing family to support ;
and, as ministers of his faith in those days
received no fixed salary, but were dependent on
voluntary contributions, which were necessarily
scanty, he toiled early and late on his farm to
supply the needs of the home; and at the same
time he devoted the small hours of the night
to study, acquiring a remarkable knowledge of
the Bible. He was pastor of a church at Rice
City, Kent County, R.I., from the time of its
organization, 1824, until 1855, when he re-

 
320.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

moved to Connecticut; and in 1866 he re-
turned to his charge, remaining until a year
prior to his death. He travelled and preached
in the New England and Middle States, and
made tours through the West; and during the
antislavery excitement he travelled extensively
in the Southern States, learning for himself
the condition of the slaves and whites. The
Rev. James Burlingame died in Boston, Mass.,
at the residence of his son John, August 20,
1881.

He was three times married. His first wife,
Eliza Dana, to whom he was united when he
was nineteen years of age, died October 28,
1834. She was the mother of eight children,
four of whom survived her. His second wife
was Lucy B. Dana, his first wife's sister. She
became mistress of his home November 22,
1855, and passed away January 29, 1876,
being then seventy-six years old. Eliza and
Lucy B. Dana were the daughters of Colvell
and Lydia (Brown) Dana. Celvel] Dana was
a merchant in the West India trade. A man
of enterprise and courage, he went to France
himself to demand indemnity for his vessels
seized at the time of the spoliation trouble;
and, though his loss was never fully paid, he
had the satisfaction of knowing that his claim
reached headquarters. By his second union
Elder Burlingame had two children —-William ;
and Mary, who died several years ago. His
children now living besides the subject of this
sketch are: Lydia, widow of Jason Vaughn, of
Providence, R.I.; Ann E., wife of Randall R.
Bates, of Rice City, R.I.; and James P., a
resident of Norwich, Conn.

William Burlingame attended Greenwich
Seminary, R.I., and Antioch College at
Yellow Springs, Ohio, studying at the latter
institution when Horace Mann was its Presi-
dent. Mr. Burlingame next learned the ma-
chinist’s trade, serving his time in Providence.
In 1864 he took charge of building the Bray-
ton engines for the Squamscot Machine Com-
pany in South New Market, N.H.; and in
1865 he entered on similar duties for the
Exeter Machine Company, with which he has
since been connected. The Choate Manufact-
uring Company started this business in 1863,
and conducted it until 1868. In that year Mr.
Burlingame and J. Albert Clarke formed a

 

company, and named the manufactory the
Exeter Machine Works. The plant was
burned in 1870, and was rebuilt at once by
the Exeter Foundry and Machine Company,
and leased by these gentlemen, the lease run-
ning to 1876. A stock company, formed in
that year, purchased the plant, which covers
between three and four acres of land, and under
the name of the Exeter Machine Works has
since controlled a prosperous business. The
company employ from one hundred to one hun-
dred and fifty men. They manufacture engines
and heating apparatus, and produce the best
radiators and boilers inthe market. Mr. Bur-
lingame was also one of the founders of the
Exeter Co-operative Bank, of which he is now
President; and he isa Director of the Exeter
Gas Light Company. He has been for twelve
years a member of the Board of Trustees of
the Robinson Seminary.

In 1867 Mr. Burlingame was ‘married to
Amy, daughter of Robert Carter; and by this
union he had two sons -— William B. and James
C., both now married and residents of Exeter.
By his second wife, whom he married in 1877,
Harriet, daughter of Colvell Boyd, of Provi-
dence, R.I., Mr. Burlingame has four chil-
dren — Harold D., ‘who is attending school;
Amy B., a miss of twelve, attending the semi-
nary; Robert A. and Ella W., aged. respec-
tively ten and eight years.

Mr. Burlingame is prominent in the councils
of the Republican party, and represented
Exeter in the legislature two years, 1877 and
1878. He is a Chapter Mason. His home,
where he has lived since 1887, is a handsome
residence on Main Street.

 

 

than a quarter of a century was asso-
oa ciated with the mercantile interests
of Portsmouth, died at his late
home in this city, April 6, 1894. He was
born in July, 1834, in County Antrim, Ire-
land, where he lived until eighteen years of
age. Desiring to better his condition, he then
emigrated to the United States, settling first
in Albany, N.Y., where he worked five years
in McKnight’s brewery, having charge of
different departments of the plant. Coming

A” JOHN CONLON, who for more

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

321

 

 

then to Portsmouth, Mr. Conlon accepted a
position in the Frank Jones brewery, and for
nine consecutive years had supervision of the
scalding department. Being a capable work-
_man, he received good wages, and in course of
time accumulated enough money to establish
himsclf in business. In June, 1868, he
opened a store at 18 Penhallow Street, stocking
it with a complete line of groceries, provi-
sions, and ship-chandlery ; and there he car-
ried on a successful business until his death,
a period of nearly twenty-six years. He
invested his capital judiciously, becoming
interested. in the Portsmouth Brewing Com-
pany, of which he was the third largest stock-
holder. For three years also he was its man-
ager, and had much to do with placing it on
a secure basis as an established manufacturing
company. In business affairs he was keen
and far-sighted, evincing good judgment, and
meeting with invariable success in his under-
takings. His prosperity was the natural result
of his mental sagacity and physical energy,
the whole being balanced by an honesty of pur-
pose that commanded respect.

Politically, Mr. Conlon was a sturdy adhe-
rent of the Democratic party, and for several
years was a member of the County Committee.
He served his fellow-townsmen in various
official capacities, always with credit to him-
self and to the satisfaction of his constituents.
He served as Alderman, Assessor of Taxes,
and for one term as Representative to the State
legislature. A short time previous to his
death he became a member of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks.

On July 3, 1861, Mr. Conlon was united in
marriage with Margaret, daughter of Cornelius
Mead. She was born in Fredericktown, N.S.,
but was educated in one of Boston’s suburbs.
Eight children were born of their union, four
of whom are now living.

 

°

 

ENJAMIN J. SANBORN, senior
member of the firm of B. J. Sanborn

& Sons, dealers in groceries and gen-

eral merchandise and proprietors of

the well-known Sanborn Creamery of Leavitt's
Hill, Deerfield, N.H., was born where he now
resides, October 8, 1823, son of Benjamin and

 

Sally (Fellows) Sanborn. Ancestors of the
family, which is of English origin, were early
settlers in Kingston, N.H.; and Mr. San-
born’s great-grandfather, Peter Sanborn, who
died in that town, January 13, 1810, at the
advanced age of ninety- eight years, had three
sons who settled in Deerfield; namely, Benja-
min, Peter, and Enos.

Benjamin Sanborn, Mr. Sanborn’s grand-
father, cleared and improved the farm in this
town which has since remained in the family
possession. When he first lived here, he was
accustomed to find his way to church through
the dense wilderness by the aid of spotted
trees. He died here November 18, 1824,
aged eighty-four years. He was a supporter
of the Democratic party in politics. He mar-
ried Theodate Batchelder, and reared a family
of ten children.

His son Benjamin Sanborn, second, Mr.
B. J. Sanborn’s father, was born at the home-
stead in Deerfield, and was a lifelong resident
of this town. He succeeded to the ownership
of the property, which he conducted with un-
usual energy and ability during his active
period; and he was prominent in local public.
affairs, adhering to the Democratic party in
politics, and serving asa Selectman. He was
an active member of the Baptist church, and
contributed liberally toward its support until
his death, which took place December 3, 1853,
at the age of seventy-nine years and eleven
months. His wife, Sally Fellows, who was a
native of -Deerfield, became the mother of six
children, two of whom are living, namely:
Peter H., a resident of Deerfield; and Benja-
min J., the subject of this sketch.

Benjamin J. Sanborn acquired his education
in the common schools, and at an early age
began to work upon the home farm of one hun-
dred acres, which eventually fell to him by
inheritance. For many years he devoted his
attention to general farming; and he has al-
ways kept his land up to a high state of culti-
vation, thus realizing the good results from
his diligent efforts. On August 15, 1880,
being at that time proprietor of a general
store located at the family homestead, he took
his two sons, Benjamin E. and Albert F., into
joint partnership; and the firm has since been
known as B. J. Sanborn & Sons. Subse-
322

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

quently they erected a creamery, which is run
by the firm as the Sanborn Creamery, and has
achieved a high reputation for the purity and
excellence of its butter. A short time follow-
ing the inauguration of the enterprise the
average monthly production of butter amounted
to seventeen hundred and forty-seven pounds,
and the demand is increasing so rapidly that
ere Jong it will be necessary to enlarge the ca-
pacity of the creamery. Some idea of the su-
perior quality of Sanborn Creamery products
may be obtained from the fact that at the
Lancaster (N.H.) Exhibit its butter was
awarded the first prize against one hundred and
sixty-four competitors, and its butter also re-
ceived the first premium at the New Hamp-
shire Dairymen’s Association Fair.

Mr. Sanborn has been twice married, and by
his union with Martha M. Tasker, of Stafford,
N.H., whom he wedded April 5, 1849, there
are three children living, namely: Benjamin
E.; Emma E., wife of George C. Arnold, of
Mason, N.H.; and Albert F. In politics Mr.
Sanborn is a Republican. He attends the
Baptist church.

Benjamin E. Sanborn was born at the fam-
ily homestead in Deerfield, March 23, 1856.
His education was acquired in the public
schools of Deerfield and at the Northwood
Seminary, and he is now one of the partners
of the firm as above mentioned. In politics
he is a Republican, and he has served upon the
Board of Selectmen three terms. He is con-
nected with Union Lodge, No. 32, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, of this town, and
is a member of the Baptist church. He mar-
ried Alice J. Johnson, of Deerfield, on May
26, 1880; and he has one son living, Benjamin
E.;. Je

Albert F. Sanborn was born December 14,
1861; and after completing his studies in the
common and high schools he became a clerk in
Manchester, N.H., remaining there for one
year. He then returned to the homestead,
where he has since resided, and is now engaged
in carrying on the creamery and store with his
father and brother. On November 29, 1891,
he was united in marriage with Ella M. Pres-
cott, of this town. They have one daughter,
Mary E., aged two years. Mr. A. F. Sanborn
is a member of the Free Baptist church in

 

Manchester; and, like his father and brother,

he affiliates with the Republican party in poli-
tics.

 

HARLES E. KNIGHT, a representa-

tive man of Salem, N.H., was born in

‘ Shelburne, February 3, 1831, son

of Joseph and Sylvia S. (Ketchum)

Knight. Jvsiah Knight, his grandfather, who

was of English extraction, fought for five years

under Washington and Lafayette in the Revo-

lutionary War. Joseph Knight, who spent

most of his life in Franklin and Clinton

Counties of New York State, was a native of

New England. His wife was born in New
York.

Charles E. Knight was reared and educated
at home until he was about fourteen years of
age. He then joined a civil engineering corps
on the Ogdensburg & Lake .Champlain Rail-
road, where he was employed for several years.
He spent several years more working in ma-
chine shops in various places, and went in
1854 to Manchester, N.H., where he worked
in the Amoskeag Locomotive Works. When
the Civil War broke out he was for a time em-
ployed at the government navy yard at Phila-
delphia. After a period of work there he re-
turned to the Amoskeag Works, where he was
for some time occupied in making rifles for
army use. Subsequently he worked in the
machine shop of the- Stark Manufacturing
Company of the same city, and later spent a
few months in Milford, Mass., superintending
for the New England Steam Engine Company.
After this he went to Chicago and found work
at the Columbian Iron Works. He was next
engaged“in a machine shop at Topeka, Kan.,
and then was employed for several years as an
engineer by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fé Railroad Company. In 1877 he came to
Salem, where he settled on his present farm,
preferring the quiet and pleasant life of a
farmer to working all round the country at his
old trade. He has a neat little place of thirty-
five acres.

Mr. Knight married Diantha E. Flanders,
daughter of Jacob Flanders. Mr. Knight,
having had to earn his own living since he was
a boy, is surely entitled to be called a self-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

323

 

 

made: man. Besides being a Selectman of
Salem, he was for some time Chairman of the
Board. He is well known and liked through-
out the whole town as a public-spirited, plain-
dealing man. He is a stanch Republican in
his political belief.

 

EORGE W. DICKEY, an enterpris-
ing agriculturist and a representative
and influential citizen of Derry,

Rockingham County, N.H., was born in
Salem, this county, July 21, 1834, his par-
ents being David Woodburn and Mary (Davis)
Dickey. He isa direct descendant of one of
the early and respected families of the old
town of Londonderry, N.H.

His father, David Woodburn Dickey, was
a son of Robert and Hannah (Woodburn)
Dickey, born December 25, 1792. He ac-
quired his elementary education in the com-
mon schools, fitted for college at Pinkerton
Academy, and was graduated at Dartmouth
College in the class of 1818. He then
studied law in the office of John Porter at
Derry. A few years after establishing him-
self in the legal profession he removed to
Salem, in the southern part of his native
county, where he became a prominent attorney.
His worthy qualities won the respect and con-
fidence of his fellow-citizens, whom he served
for a number of years in the responsible ca-
pacity of Town Clerk. He married Miss Mary
Davis, who was born in Derry in 1812. Of
the children with whom their union was fa-
vored George W. alone survives. David
Woodburn Dickey, A.M., died January 26,
‘1837, aged forty-four years. (See Chapman’s
“Sketches of Dartmouth College Alumni.’’)
His wife has outlived him many years. She
resides now at Milton, N.H., at the advanced
age of eighty-four.

George W. Dickey, when he was only two
years old, suffered the affliction of losing his
father by death; but his youthful and suscep-
tible years were carefully guarded and _nurt-
ured, and he was privileged in receiving a
course of education at Kimball Union Acad-
emy, Meriden, N.H., and also at Pinkerton
Academy, Derry. At the expiration of his
: period of schooling he engaged for several

 

years in school teaching, principally during
the winter season. In 1857 Mr. Dickey fixed
bis residence in the town of Derry, settling on
the farm on which he has lived and which he
has* successfully managed ever since. The
estate comprises two hundred acres of excellent
land, which Mr. Dickey regularly keeps under
cultivation.

March 17, 1857, he was united in marriage
with Mrs. Sarah A. Dickey, the widow of his
cousin, the late David W. Dickey, who was
named for his father, and a daughter of Robert
M. Campbell, a former resident of Windham,
N.H. By her first husband Mrs. Dickey had
six children-—— Margaret A., Harrison G.,
Horace G., Robert C., Frank A., and Myron
P. Three children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. George W. Dickey, namely: George A.,
who is now the Principal of the South Berwick
(Me.) Academy; Nellie S., who is a teacher
in the public schools of Somerville, Mass. ;
and Etta G., who also is engaged in teaching
in the common schools of South Berwick, Me.

In politics he affiliated with the Republican
party. Mr. Dickey has received at the hands
of his fellow-citizens appointment to several
public trusts. For two years he was a mem-
ber of the Board of Selectmen of Derry, and
for three terms he ably represented the town
in the State legislature. During his period of
service at Concord his son, George A. Dickey,
who is now Professor Dickey of South Ber-
wick, acted first as door-keeper in the New
Hampshire House of Representatives, and was
subsequently promoted to the office of Assist-
ant Clerk, and later was appointed to the posi-
tion of Clerk of the House. For the long
period of thirty-five years Mr. Dickey has held
the office of. Justice of the Peace. He is a
charter member of the Nutfield Grange,
Patrons of Husbandry, at East Derry. Mr.
Dickey is in a real sense a self-made man,
having acquired his present material posses-
sions largely by dint of his own energies and
personal enterprise and industry. He is an
extensive reader, and aims to keep himself
informed along the line of the important
events and the leading questions of his time.
He is  public-spirited, and encourages any
judicious project that tends to the development
and expansion of the town and to the improve-
a4

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

ment and elevation of society. His personal
qualities and his past relation to the commu-
nity have won for him the esteem and confi-
dence of all those who have the pleasure of
his acquaintance.

 

 

OHN H. FELLOWS, who has recently
become a resident of the city of Exeter,
N.H., has from early manhood been
intimately .associated with the manu-
facturing interests of Brentwood, his native
town. He was born August 29, 1850, son of
Stephen and Narcissa G. (Sinclair) Fellows,
both of Brentwood.

Stephen Fellows was an extensive farmer
and Jumberman. He established the manu-
facturing business now carried on jointly by
his sons, Russell H. and John H., by his
energetic and able efforts placing it on a pay-
ing basis. He was twice married, and by his
first wife, formerly Miss Sinclair, had five
children, John H. being the youngest. A
more extended sketch of the parents will be
found in connection with the sketch of Russell
H. Fellows. *

John H. Fellows remained beneath the pa-
rental roof until his marriage at the age of
twenty-one, when he moved on to a farm in
the vicinity. For a quarter of a century he
was actively engaged in company with his
father in the mill business; and since the death
of the latter, June 21, 1895, he has had an
equal interest in the box manufacturing busi-
ness with his brother, Russell H. Fellows.
On December 21, 1895, Mr. Fellows removed
to the old Fellows farm, which his grandfather
reclaimed from the wilderness more than a
hundred years age, and on which his parents
lived to the end of their days. This home-
stead property of two hundred acres was well
improved, much of the land being ina fine state
of cultivation. After occupying the place a
few months, Mr. Fellows sold it and removed
to Exeter, where he is now residing. He still
retains his interest in the box factory, in
which he and his brother are carrying on an
extensive business, giving employment to a
large number of people, their plant being one
of the largest in this part of the county.

In politics Mr. Fellows affiliates with the

 

Republican party, of which he is an active
and influential member. He was Selectman
of Brentwood, and was a Representative to
the State legislature in 1893 and 1894. He

belongs to Gideon Lodge, No. 84, A. F. &

A. M., of Exeter, in which he holds a high
and important office.

Mr. Fellows was married in June, 1871, to
Miss Sarah Celia Norton, who was born in
Northwood Centre, Rockingham County.
Her parents, Thomas B. and Mary J. (Ben-
nett) Norton, are living on a farm in North-
wood, which has been their home for many
years, both now being quite aged, though ac-
tive and hearty. Mrs. Sarah C. Fellows died
in 1879, leaving one child, Narcissa G., who
is now the wife of Edward Stockton, of North-
wood. Mr. Fellows subsequently married Miss
Ella M. Wilson, who was born and reared in
Exeter, where both of her parents passed their
last years. Of this union two children have
been born — Willie, who died at an early age;
and Ernest R.

TIS H. SLEEPER, of Exeter, a
jeweller and a dealer in watches and
gold and silver ornaments, was born
in South Weare, N.H., October 4,

1865, son of Pike and Roxie (Lufkin) Sleeper.
His father was a native of Francestown, N.H.,
born in February, 1820. Pike Sleeper spent
his life in South Weare, engaged in success-
ful farming. His marriage with Miss Roxie
Lufkin took place in the year 1848. She was
a daughter of Cyrus and Mary (Madison)
Lufkin, of Acworth, Sullivan County. Their

 

three children were: Almond L., who resides
on the old farm in South Weare, the place on

which his maternal grandfather settled many
years ago; Ida E., now the wife of Perley E.
Bartlett, of South Ware; and Otis H., the
subject of this sketch. The father died in
1860, forty years of age; and the mother in
December, 1895, seventy-seven years of age.
They are resting in the South Weare cemetery.

Otis H. Sleeper spent his boyhood on the
farm, becoming familiar with agricultural
labor from an early age. After attending the
district school he studied for one term in the
high school. At the age of sixteen years he
 

JOHN H. FELLOWS.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

327

 

 

went to Goffstown, N.H., where he served an
apprenticeship to the jeweller’s trade, under
A. Lufkin, with whom he remained, in all,
four years. He then embarked in business
for himself at Northwood, N.H., beginning in
a small way with fifty dollars borrowed capi-
tal. The show-case, which gave ample ac-
commodation to his stock at that time, twenty
inches wide, thirty inches long, and less than
a foot in height, is used in his present estab-
lishment as a little “catch-all.” Eight years
later, in May, 1884, he came to Exeter, where
in the past twelve years he has built up a
good business. He carries a very complete
stock of general jewelry, watches, and clocks.
His specialty is watches, in the sale of which
he spends nearly six months every year on the
road. In the special line he has a good trade
in New Hampshire and Maine, chiefly among
the lumber camps. As a leader for this
market he carries the Rockford, Ill., watch
in the different grades, and has perhaps bought
more of these than any other retail dealer in
the East. No doubt his success is to be at-
tributed to personal qualities largely. He is
a man of commanding figure, six feet four
inches in height and weighing two hundred
and forty pounds. Being genial and com-
panionable, he makes himself a welcome
visitor wherever he goes. At the same time
he is active and wide-awake, and never slights
details.

On May 20, 1883, Mr. Sleeper was united
in marriage with Miss Emma C. Hobbs, of
Deerfield, daughter of William B. and Caro-
line (Moulton) Hobbs. Her father, who re-
tired from his farm in Deerfield about nine
years ago, is now living with her. Her
mother died in December, 1891, fifty-eight
years of age. A brother, William F., died
in 1882, twenty-one years of age. Mrs.
Sleeper for a number of years previous to her
marriage was successfully engaged in teach-
ing. She has borne her husband four sons,
namely: William H., now ten years of age;
Almond L., five years old; Perley B., four
years old; and Otis H., Jr., one year old.
Mr. Sleeper is a Republican, and so far has
not been an aspirant to official honors. He is
a Royal Arch Mason and a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The

 

family reside at 2 Front Street, in the time-
old residence of the heirs of Thomas Marsh,
formerly the property of Dr. Swett.

 

 

    

UGENE D. SANBORN, a_ prominent
resident of Fremont, and the present
Town Clerk, was born in this town,
September 16, 1868, son of Alvah and Nancy
(Page) Sanborn. He comes of good pioneer

stock. The homestead property has descended
to him from his. great-grandfather, Daniel
Sanborn, through his grandfather Moses.

Alvah Sanborn spent his entire life on the
homestead. He married Nancy Page on Sep-
tember 6, 1842, and by her became the father
wef four children; namely, John Page, Susan
E., Alden F., and Eugene D. Susan E. died
when thirteen years old.

John Page Sanborn, the eldest son of Alvah
Sanborn, after graduating from Dartmouth
College in 1869, at once entered upon the
profession of teaching. He was principal of
the high school at Toledo, Ohio, for two
years, afterward having charge of the Franklin
School at Topsham, Me. . In 1871 he resigned
this last position to accept the editor’s chair
of the Daily News of Newport, R.I. He
conducted the Mews until November, 1872,
when he became editor and proprietor of the
Newport J/ereury, which under his able man-
agement has become one of the leading jour-
nals of the city. He is conspicuous in the
politics and society of Newport. He was
elected a Representative to the General As-
sembly of Rhode Island in 1879, and _ re-
elected in the three succeeding years. In
1885 and 1886 he served with distinction as
State Senator. In 1880 he was a delegate to
the National Republican Convention, and in
1882 was a Commissioner on the Northern
Pacific Railway. He was made a Mason in
St. John’s Lodge, No. 1, of Newport, March
2, 1874, afterward becoming a charter member
of St. Paul’s Lodge, No. 14. In the latter
lodge he was appointed First Senior Warden;
and on June 25, 1878, he was elected Worthy
Master. He was exalted September 27, 1874,
in Newport Chapter, Royal Arch Masons;
was Grand High Priest in 1876 and 1877; was
made Knight Templar in Washington Com-
- Baptist church in the town.

.

328

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

mandery, No. 4, on January 19, 1876; and
was elected Grand Senior Warden of the Grand
Lodge of Rhode Island in 1883.

Eugene D. Sanborn remained with his par-
ents, attending the public schools and assist-
ing in the lighter duties of the farm, until fif-
teen years old, when he was sent away for
further instruction to a private school. He
first spent a year at New Hampton, Belknap
County. Then he went to Ashburnham,
Mass., where he attended Cushing Academy
for'three years. Since then he has been en-
gaged in agriculture. He is the owner of a
highly improved farm of two hundred acres,
left him by his uncle, the late Sherburn San-
born. The latter was formerly one of the
foremost members of the farming community
of Fremont and one of the leaders of the Free
Mr. E. D. San-
born has been very successful in his farming.
His farm compares favorably with the best in
the vicinity. He makes a specialty of dairy-
ing, keeping twelve cows.

Mr. Sanborn was married December 12,
1893, to Miss Lucy May Currier, who was
born in this township, July 19, 1873, a daugh-
ter of P. R. and Laura A. (Hoyt) Currier.
Mr. Sanborn uniformly supports the Republi-
can party, of which he is an influential mem-
ber. For the past five years he has rendered
the town faithful and efficient service as
Town Clerk. He is a member of the local
grange and a Mason, belonging to Gideon
Lodge, No. 84, of Kingston, N.H. Both he
and his wife are regular attendants of the Free
Baptist church.

 

perous manufacturer of Salem, is a
= native of this town, born August

19, 1827, son of John A. and Mary
(Stevens) Wheeler. The latter were born re-
spectively in Salem and Boston, Mass. His
grandfather, Richard Wheeler, who took part
in the War of 1812, was the son of an early
settler of this place; and his maternal grand-
father was the son of a pioneer Methodist
preacher of Salem. The Wheeler family are
said to be of Scotch descent. Of John A.
Wheeler’s children the Hon. John W.

A JOHN W. WHEELER, a pros-

 

 

Wheeler and the Rev. A. M. Wheeler are the
only survivors. The Rev. Mr. Wheeler, who
in past years was a prominent member of the
Vermont Methodist Episcopal Conference,
now resides at Salem Depot, this county.
Both the parents are likewise deceased. -

After attending the district schools of
Salem, John W. Wheeler was for a year a
pupil in the Tilton (N.H.) Seminary. His
boyhood and early manhood were spent on his
father’s farm. At the age of twenty-two he
purchased the old woollen-mill of Bailey &
Merrill, and engaged in the manufacture of
frocking, which he continued successfully for
several years. The brick mill, which he then
erected, was afterward destroyed by fire, but
was soon replaced by the present brick build-
ing. To the manufacture of frocking, after
a time, he added that of flannel and plain
dress goods. When he first started, he was in
company with James W. Bailey, forming the
firm of Bailey & Wheeler; but at the end of a
year the firm dissolved, and both went out of
business. A short time after Mr. Wheeler
formed a copartnership with George Austin,
under the style of Austin & Wheeler. This
firm had lasted several years when Mr. Austin
withdrew, and Mr. Wheeler became sole pro-
prietor. Beginning with limited resources,
Mr. Wheeler by his untiring energy and per-
severance has taken his place in the world as
a successful business man, having won the
esteem and confidence of those with whom
he has dealings.

On December 27, 1849, Mr. Wheeler was
united in marriage with Miss Phebe Dow, who
was born in Windham, N.H., daughter of
Richard Dow (deceased). They have had
three children, namely: Minnie E., now de-
ceased; William, who is his father’s assistant
in the mill; and Ethel M. Mr. Wheeler, who
has gained considerable prominence in poli-
tics, is a stanch supporter of Republicanism.
He was Selectman of Salem for three terms.
For four terms he was a Representative to the
lower house of the New Hampshire legis-
lature; and he served as State Senator from
the Second District for two terms, there being
at that time but twelve Senators in the leg-
islature. During one term of two years he
was a member of Governor Bell’s Council.
*

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 329

 

 

He is a member of the Masonic fraternity
and a communicant of the Methodist Epis-
copal church.

 

-

 

OHN AMAZEEN, of New Castle, who
has held the commission of. pilot for
nearly twoscore years, was born in the
town, April 1, 1815, son of William

and Jane (Jones) Amazeen. The Amazeen
family has been represented in this part of the
county since Colonial days. Christopher Am-
azeen, the paternal grandfather of John, was
a native of New Castle, and resided there
throughout his life. His principal occupation
was that of fisherman, and he died at the ven-
erable age of fourscore and ten. William
Amazeen, also a native of this place, suc-
ceeded his father in business, and for some
years dealt largely in fish. Later in life he
took to seafaring, and died when eighty-six
years old. His wife, whose maiden name was
Jane Jones, spent her lite in this town, which
was her birthplace. She bore him thirteen chil-
dren; namely, Sarah, William, Joseph, Rufus,
John, Mary, Olive, Clarissa, Adeline, Nancy,
Eliza Jane, Henry, and Frances. Of these
Rufus, John, Henry, and Mary are now living.

John Amazeen was educated in the public
schools of New Castle. At the age of seven-
teen years he went to sea, shipping as a sailor
before the mast. With the lapse of time he
rose from rank to rank until he was twenty-two
years old, when he became master of a vessel.
He followed the sea ten years longer, and then
forsook it After this he had worked at shoe-
making for several years, when, in 1857, he
received a commission as pilot. This he still]
holds; and he is, presumably, the only com-
missioned pilot now in New Castle. In _poli-
tics he was formerly a Whig, but became a
stanch supporter of the Republican party upon
its formation. He cast his first Presidential
vote in 1836 for the Whig candidate. In
1877-78 he represented his town in the State
legislature, and he was Collector of Taxes for
thirteen consecutive years. He is one of the
oldest members of the New Hampshire Lodge
of -Odd Fellows, having joined the order in
1845. In religious belief he is a consistent

, member of the Baptist church,

 

At the age of twenty years Mr. Amazeen
married Miss Dorothy Neal, a daughter of
George and Abigail Neal, of Rye, this county.
They had twelve children, eight of whom are
deceased. Four of these died within the short
period of ten days. The survivors are: Ellen;
John, Jr.; Lucy; and Isaiah. John Amazeen,
Jr., was a soldier in the late war, serving with
the Fourth Maine Battery, which was at the
front in many of the important engagements.

 

 

OHN W. YORK, an enterprising and
progressive farmer of Kensington, was
born on the farm he now occupies,
September 29, 1850, son of Daniel G.

and Betsey P. (Nudd) York. The Yorks have
been natives of New Hampshire for several
generations. Solomon York, grandfather of
John W., was born in Allenstown, Merrimack
County, was a hard-working farmer, spent the
greater part of his life in Deerfield, this State,
and died in Brunswick, Me., at an advanced
age. He supported the Democratic principles
with his vote. Of his ten children seven at-
tained maturity

Daniel G. York was born in Northwood,
N.H., April 16, 1818, and grew to manhood
in Deerfield. He was a carpenter-and a com-
petent farmer, and by following both in season
he became very well-to-do. When a young
man he went to Kensington, and resided for
the rest of his life on the farm his wife
brought to him when they were married. He
was a Democrat, and represented the district
in the State legislatures of 1864, 1868, and
1876. In religious belief a Baptist, he was a
member of the Calvin Church. He was a
man of sound judgment, kind disposition,
charitable to all, envious of none. Frugal,
honest, and industrious, he was respected at
home and honored abroad. By his sudden
death on November 20, 1881, the town lost a
good citizen, and his family a wise counsellor,
a devoted husband, and a kind and loving
father. Mr. York was married in Kensing-
ton, March 23, 1842, to Betsey P. Nudd, who
was born March 23, 1819, on the farm now
occupied by her son, John W. She is a
daughter of John and Mary (Worthen) Nudd
and a grand-daughter of Weare Nudd, the
330

original owner of the farm. Her family,
English in origin, is frequently mentioned in
the History of Rockingham and _ Strafford
Counties, which chronicles many interesting
facts concerning its members. Weare Nudd
was born at Red Oak Hill, Epping, this
county, and settled in Kensington in 1780.
Here by persevering labor continued for many
years he reclaimed a good farm from the
wilderness, established a comfortable home
for himself and family, and died at the age of
seventy-seven years. He was a minute-man
in the Revolutionary days. His wife, Jemima,
was seventy-four years of age when she passed
away. John Nudd, Mrs. York’s father, who
was born on the Kensington farm, spent
his adult life in the cultivation of its broad
acres. Daniel G. York and his wife were the
parents of two children, namely: Mary A.,
born September 29, 1848, who is the wife of
Arthur Gooch, and has one daughter, Mary
Alice; and John W., the subject of this
sketch.

John W. York received a good education,
attending the schools of his native town and
Hampton and Kingston Academies. Since
attaining his majority he has given his chief
attention to husbandry, following the most
improved methods. The greater part of his
estate of two hundred and twenty-five acres is
under cultivation. With its handsome resi-
dence, good farm buildings, high-grade live
stock, and choice dairy, it is one of the best
farms in the county.

On June ts, 1871, Mr. York was married
to Marcia, who was born in Hampton, March
4, 1854, daughter of Jonathan and Theodate
(Hobbs) Godfrey. Eight children have
blessed the union, namely: Grace G., the
wife of Henry Tilton, of Dover, N.H.; Frank
N., who married Grace Atkinson, of Chelsea,
Mass., and lives in Dover; Katie E., de-
ceased; and Archie T., Mary F., Priscilla
M., Daniel I., Marion M., all of whom live
with their parents.

Mr. York is a Democrat. He was Town
Treasurer two years, a member of the School
Board three years, a member of the last Con-
stitutional Convention, and in 1893 a Repre-
sentative in the General Court. He is also a
prominent member of the Patrons of Hus-

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

bandry in Kingston. A man of many social
gifts, he is very popular among his townsmen.
He takes a warm interest in all that concerns
the town, and has in his possession editions of
all the books ever published there, including
an atlas and a number of histories.

 

 

OBERT H. HALL, who is _ prosper-
ously engaged in the upholstering
business at Portsmouth, N.H., was
born March 1, 1848, in Hartford,
Conn. His father, Edwin Hall, was reared
and educated in Bristol, England, coming from
there to the United States when a young man.
He followed the sea, being engaged in the
merchant service as mate of a vessel, and was
accidentally drowned on one of his voyages,
leaving his young widow with three children,
Robert H. being the eldest. A short time
after, the mother also passed to the life be-
yond; and the children were taken care of by
strangers.

Robert H. Hall, thus early orphaned, was
adopted by the late George H. Raynes, a ship-
builder of this city. He was given excellent
opportunities for obtaining an education, and
after leaving the common schools successfully
passed the examination for the Portsmouth
High School; but on account of ill health
he was not able to take the prescribed course
of study. He consequently went on a sea voy-
age, after which he began to learn the trade of
an upholsterer with Sheldon Brothers, for whom
he worked two years. He subsequently se-
cured a position with Fletcher & Tanton,
upholsterers; and, after remaining with them
twenty-one years, in 1895 he bought the up-
holstering department, and has since conducted
the business, with which he is perfectly con-
versant, alone. He has an extensive trade,
and does a large business in upholstering and
repairing, well sustaining the praiseworthy
reputation of the previous firm.

In politics Mr. Hall is an uncompromising
Democrat. He has served as Selectman from
his ward, but declined the nomination for
Alderman, which was proffered him in 1895.
In social circles Mr. Hall is a conspicuous
factor, his practical sagacity and unusual ex-
ecutive ability making him an exceedingly
ps
ae
alae

 

ROBERT H. HALL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

333

 

 

helpful member of the numerous lodges with
which he is connected. He has taken the
thirty-second degree in Masonry. In St.
John’s Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M., and in
Washington Chapter, he is Tyler; in Daven-
port Council, Royal and Select Masters, No.
5, and in De Witt Clinton Commandery, he
holds the office of Sentinel. In the Ineffable
Lodge of Perfection he is Grand Tyler; in the
Grand Princes of Jerusalem he is serving as
Tyler; in the New Hampshire Chapter of
Rose Croix he is Captain of the Guard, having
been previously Tyler of this lodge for thir-
teen years, as he was of the Edward A. Ray-
mond Consistory, of Nashua, N.H. Mr. Hall
is likewise a member of Damon Lodge, No.
9, Knights of Pythias, and of Portsmouth
Lodge, No. 97, Benevolent and_ Protective
Order of Elks, as well as the Portsmouth
Athletic Club. In religion he is a commu-
nicant of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Mr. Hall was united in marriage July 21,
1872, with Ejizabeth L., daughter of Newbury
Haley, of Kittery, Me. Mrs. Hall passed to
the higher life February 25, 1896, leaving two
children —- Robert H. and Carrie E. The
son is connected with the large grocery store
of C. A. Taylor, of Haverhill, Mass. The

daughter is the wife of William M. Tarleton,.

of Portsmouth.

 

 

~

ONATHAN K. GORDON, formerly of
Salem, N.H., was an old settler of the
town. He was born here, September
12, 1809, son of Benjamin and Delia

(Wheeler) Gordon. His father, who was also
a native of Salem, died here when Jonathan
was but six years old. He is said to have
been of Scotch origin, and was of the fourth
generation of his family in this country. He
was brought up to manhood on a farm in
Salem. Having received very little schooling,
at the age of nine he was bound out for seven
years. When seventeen or a little over, he
went to work for his brother, Benaiah B. Gor-
don, of North Salem, with whom he learned
the trade of a mason, and remained a number
of years. He spent the rest of his life either
employed at his trade or engaged in farming.
Energetic and intelligent, he was invariably

 

successful in everything he undertook. He
was well known in the community and es-
teemed as a good citizen. In his political
belief he was a strong Republican.- He was
proud of the fact that he was a self-made man
in every way. His death, which occurred on
October 5, 1888, was mourned by all who
knew him.

He was married in the year 1839 to Betsey
A. Merrill, of Methuen, Mass., a daughter
of John and Betsey (Gordon) Merrill. Mrs.
Gordon had moved with her parents to Derry,
N.H., when quite young, and was there mar-
ried to Mr. Gordon. After her marriage she
went to live at Salem with her husband. Mr.
and Mrs. Gordon had three children — Eben B.,

-now deceased; Mary A., the wife of Amos K.

Noyes, of Lynn, Mass.; and Serena E., now
residing on the old homestead in North Salem,
where she is well known. The mother died
in Salem on September 30, 1883.

 

OHN C. EVANS, a prominent farmer
and lumber manufacturer of South
Hampton and an ex-member of the
New Hampshire legislature, was born

in Seabrook, N.H., November 27, 1829, son
of Miles and Sally (Chase) Evans. Mr.
Evans’s grandfather, Lemuel Evans, who was
a Revolutionary soldier, after living a short
time in Rye, N.H., moved to Strafford, where
he cleared a large tract of land, and died, leav-
ing his family well-to-do, at the age of ninety-
eight years. He was a hard-working and
thrifty man and a useful citizen in his day.
He married Sally Caswell, who lived to the
age of ninety-six years. Of her thirteen chil-
dren twelve grew to maturity, but all have
since passed away. Grandfather Abram Chase
was born in Seabrook; while his father, Nehe-
miah, came from England, and was one of the
first settlers in Seabrook. Abram Chase mar-
ried Sarah Gove, who was born in the old gar-
rison of Seabrook. They had seven children,
as follows: Sally, Abram, Abigail, Enoch,
Joseph, Hulda, and Jane.

Miles Evans, who was born in Strafford, in
young manhood settled in Seabrook, where he
was engaged in tilling the soi] for several
years. His last days were passed upon the

 
334

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

farm in South Hampton which his son now
owns and occupies, and he died at the age of
eighty-two years. In politics he was a Demo-
crat and in his religious creed a Free Will
Baptist. He was three times married. His
first wife, in maidenhood Sally Chase, a native
of Seabrook, became the mother of six chil-
dren, three of whom grew to maturity. These
were: Arthur L., who died aged sixty-eight
years; John C., the subject of this sketch; and
Charles A., a prosperous farmer and milk
dealer of Kensington, N.H. The mother died
at the age of thirty-six years.

John C. Evans attended the district schools
of Seabrook, and in early manhood he engaged
in agricultural pursuits upon his present farm
in South Hampton. His property contains
two hundred and seventy-five acres of good
land, the cultivated portion of which produces
abundant crops of a superior quality. He has
the reputation of being one of the most suc-
cessful cattle raisers in this part of the county,
keeping an average of forty head, some of
which are full-blooded Herefords, and the
others fine specimens of graded stock. His
buildings are among the very best seen in the

- locality, and the general aspect of the farm
very plainly reflects the prosperity of the pro-
prietor. In 1856 he built a saw-mill, where
he has since manufactured building material
with profit.

On December 10, 1866, Mr. Evans wedded
Jane N. Frost. She was born in Salisbury,
Mass., November 14, 1842, daughter of New-
ell and Judith (Bagley) Frost. The former

-was a. general farmer, who also followed car-
pentering and blacksmithing in that town, and
was a very industrious man. Politically, he
was a Democrat, and in his religious views a
Universalist. He died at the age of forty-
seven, and his wife at forty-six years. Mrs.
I-vans’s parents had six children, of whom five
grew up, and three are now living, namely:
Emily P., who is now Mrs. Bailey; Jane N.,
who is now Mrs. Evans; and Nelson G. Frost.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans have three sons and one
daughter, as follows: Sally J., the wife of
G. Edward Battis, of Amesbury, Mass. ; Gid-
eon W., John N., and Harry W., who reside
at home. In politics Mr. Evans supports the
Democratic party. He was for two years

 

a member of the Board of Selectmen, has
served as Highway Commissioner and Surveyor
of Lumber, and ably represented the district
in the State legislature of 1871-72. Both he
and his wife are very popular socially, having
a large number of friends and acquaintances;
and they are highly esteemed by all who know
them.

RANK D. LAWRENCE, | residing
near the village of East Kingston, this
county, is a skilful and practical agri-

culturist. He was born April 5, 1849, in this
township, son of Samuel P. and Charlotte ‘S.
(Philbrick) Lawrence. The father was a
native of Londonderry, N.H., but was reared
in this township, having been brought here by
his parents when but six months old. He
bought the land near the present homestead,
and, after living there a while, sold out and
bought the farm now owned and occupied by
his son, Frank D. Here he conducted mixed
husbandry until his death, April 1, 1891.
His wife, who was a lifelong resident of this
town, died on the home farm, January 15,
1892, a few months after her husband. They
were the parents of seven children, namely:
John P., who died when young; Hannah P.,
who died in 1869, and was the wife of Henry
Pratt, now a resident of Connecticut; Ann
M., who lives on the old homestead with her
brother, Frank D.; Frank D., the subject of
this sketch; George, who died young; Ella J.,
who married James Gile, now of Haverhill,
Mass., and passed away in 1891, leaving a
daughter, Annie C., who lives with her father;
and an unnamed child who died in infancy.
Frank D. Lawrence received a common-
school education, and was well drilled in the
several departments of farming on the old
homestead, where he remained until his mar-
riage. He then continued his occupation on
a farm near by, remaining there until the death
of his parents. He then assumed the manage-
ment of the old homestead estate. The prop-
erty contains fifty acres of land. He raises
hay, corn, and potatoes, with which he has
good success, his land yielding bountiful
crops, readily responding to the cultivation
and care that he gives it. He keeps five cows,

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

335

 

 

carrying on a smal} dairy business. In_poli-
tics Mr. Lawrence is a stanch Democrat, and
is a thoroughly upright, honest man, always
dealing fairly and squarely by all. He is an
active and capable business man, always ready
to encourage and aid all beneficial enterprises,
and occupies a high position among the leading
citizens of the town. He has faithfully served
in the various town offices, including that of
Selectman.

Mr. Lawrence was married March 14, 1876,
to Miss Francena E. Dow, who was born and
reared in this place, being a daughter of Aaron
and Lucina (Moss) Dow, both lifelong resi-
dents of East Kingston. Mrs. Lawrence died
January 16, 1892, leaving two children — Joe
F. and Eva M.

 

 

OHN HENRY LANCASTER, one of
Salem’s oldest residents, is a native
of Boston, Mass., born December 19,
1816, son of William and Mary (Brig-
ham) Lancaster. He is a direct descendant
of Henry Lancaster, an Englishman, who emi-
grated to America in 1631, and settled in a
part of this county then known as Bloody
Point, but which now bears the name of
Newington. His grandfather, John Lancaster,
and his great-grandfather, Henry Lancaster,
and two other relatives bearing the same
names, served in the struggle for Ameri-
can independence. William Lancaster, who
learned the trade of a mason at Boston, Mass.,
became a contractor and builder, and erected
many fine residences, churches, and public
buildings in Boston. Seven children were
the fruit of his marriage with Mary Brigham.
Of these there are now living: Sarah, who is
the widow of Caleb Saunders, and now resides
in Hannibal, Mo.; and John Henry and
Thomas D., both of Salem. The others were:
Mary, Eliza A., Thomas D. (first), and “Will-
iam E. The father died in Boston, Septem-
ber 24, 1821.

John Henry Lancaster was deprived of pa-
ternal care at the age of five years by the
death of his father. At that time he was
taken charge of by his uncle, Thomas Lan-
caster, of Newburyport, Mass., with whom he
remained until he reached his majority. Up

 

to thirteen years of age he attended the public
schools of that place, and then learned the
trade of carpenter and joiner. At the age of
twenty-one he went to Boston, and there
worked at his trade until 1851. During the
famous log cabin campaign of 1840, when
W. H. Harrison ran for President, it was
his privilege and pleasure to listen to a speech
by Daniel Webster at a Whig celebration.
In 1851 he came to Salem, and in the follow-
ing year he moved with his mother into his
present residence. His mother died February
14, 1869.

On May 8, 1860, Mr. Lancaster was united
in marriage with Miss Maria J. McLaughlin,
of Salem, a daughter of John and Susan T.
(Kimball) McLaughlin. Her father, who was
born in Ireland, came to America when eigh-
teen years of age, and settled in this town.
He was a tailor by trade. Besides Mrs. Lan-.
caster, his wife bore him: James McLaughlin,
of Manchester, N.H.; John D., of Haverhill,
Mass.; Mary E., the wife of L. O. Norris, of
Methuen, Mass.; Clement E., also of Meth-
uen; Kimball M.; and Loren B., of Salem.
Their father died May 29, 1864. Mr. Lan-
caster, who is a stanch Democrat, served in
1859 as a Representative in the State legis-

lature. For three years he was Collector of
the town. He is identified with the Masonic
Order. Mr. Lancaster, who is a man of ster-

ling integrity, and his wife, a very interesting
lady, are highly esteemed in the town.

 

 

OLONEL RICHARD M. SCAM-
MON, one of the most prominent citi-

zens of Stratham and a representa-

-tive of one of the oldest families in
Rockingham County, was born at the Scammon
homestead in Stratham, December 6, 1850,
son of Richard and Abigail (Batchelder) Scam-
mon The earliest ancestor of the Scammon
family in America was Richard Scammon,
who came to Boston, and removed thence to
Portsmouth, N.H., where he was living about
1640. The family is of English origin, the
first we know of the name being Captain
Edmund Scammon, who was. commander of
an English war vessel, under Admiral Rains-
borough, in 1637. The English branch of
Oo
wn
a

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

the family is at present represented by several
families living in Lincolnshire, where they
are landholders.

The children of Richard, the emigrant,
were: (1) Richard: (2) Anne, who married
about 1650 Major Richard Waldron, of Dover,
and died February 7, 1685 (Major Waldron
was killed by the Indians, June 27, 1689) ;
(3) John, who resided at Kittery, Me., had
one daughter; (4) Elizabeth, who married
first, about 1649, Peter Lidgett, a merchant
of Salem, and second the Hon. John Saffin,
Judge of the Superior Court of Massachusetts
(she died in November, 1687); and (5) Hum-
phrey, who was born at Portsmouth in 1640,
married Elizabeth Jordan, settled at Saco,
Me., and died January 1, 1727, and who has
many descendants in Saco and vicinity.

Richard, son of the emigrant, came to this
country with his father, and married in 1661
Prudence, daughter of William Waldron, Re-
corder of Court at Dover. He lived at Ports-
mouth and Dover until 1665, when he settled
on the tract known as Shrewsbury Patent, of
which he became sole owner. This was
located on the east bank of the Squamscot
River, extending from the mouth of Wheel-
wright’s Creek to the mouth of Moore’s
Creek and three miles inland, covering the
southern part of the present town of Stratham.
Though no part of his property was within the
limits of Exeter, he was reckoned with the
population of that place, held office there, and
was one of the largest tax-payers. He died
previous to 1697.

His son William, born February 28, 1664,
served in war against the Indians in 1696, and
was Selectman at Exeter in 1699 and 1700.
When Stratham was chartered as a township,
1716, he was one of the first Board of Select-
men, serving 1716-19. He married Rachel
Thurber, of Rehoboth, Mass., January 4,
1721, and died September 28, 1743. His
wife died September 25, 1761. She was an
active Baptist and instrumental in laying the
foundation of several churches.

Their son Richard, born on the farm, No-
vember 17, 1722, married in 1753 Elizabeth,
daughter of Lieutenant Samuel Weeks, of
Greenland. He followed farming with much
success. In the latter part of his life he was

 

a ship-owner, and interested in the West
India trade. At the beginning of the Revolu-
tion he served on the Committee of Safety.
He died August 26, 1806. His son Richard
married Elizabeth Chase, and was the father
of the Hon. Eliakim Scammon, of East Pitts-
ton, Me., who was the father of the Hon. J.
Young Scammon, the well-known lawyer and
banker of Chicago, and General E. P. Scam-
mon, of the United States Army.

James, second son of Richard and Elizabeth,
born at Stratham, Apri] 26, 1771, inherited
the homestead, and married in April, 1796,
Lydia P., daughter of Stephen Wiggin. He
was a man of excellent judgment and business
capacity. He gave his attention chiefly to
farming, but dealt in real estate and engaged
in various other enterprises with much suc-
cess, and was the largest land-owner in his
town. He was active in the church, and, po-
litically a strong Democrat, served in the
various town offices. He died April 6, 1859.
Lydia, his wife, died October 15, 1840.

Richard, son of James and Lydia Scammon,
was the father of the subject of this sketch.
He was born at Stratham, October 24, 1809.
Educated at Hampton Academy, he taught
school in his younger years, but made farming
his life work, winning an unexcelled reputa-
tion for industry, good judgment, and integ-
rity. He was a lifelong Democrat, but served
many ‘years as Chairman of the Selectmen,
though his party was a hopeless minority in
the town. He died February 21, 1878. His
wife, Abigail Batchelder, whom he married
February 9, 1842, was born in North Hamp-
ton, February 14, 1813, and died September 6,
1873. They had four children, all of whom
are living, namely: (1) Hezekiah, born Janu-
ary 31, 1843, educated at New London and
Phillips Exeter Academy, resides in Exeter.
(2) James, born June 10, 1844, educated at
Phillips Exeter Academy, Brown University,
and Albany Law School, is senior member of
the firm Scammon, Crosby & Stubenrauch,
lawyers, of Kansas City, Mo. (3) Sarah C.,
born December 16, 1848, resides in Stratham.
(4) Colonel Richard M., the subject of this
sketch. He was educated at Exeter High
School and Cornell University, and resides on
the homestead, which has been a possession of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

337

 

 

the family since 1642, having one of the larg-
est and best farms in a town noted for its
agricultural excellence. His ability and in-
tegrity have won for him a high place in the
community and in the affairs of the State.
Politically a Democrat, he has done effective
work for his party on the State and County
Committees and on the stump. He was
elected Town Treasurer in 1881, Superin-
tendent of Schools in 1883 and 1884, Chair-
man of Selectmen in 1888, served as Modera-
tor from 1884 to 1894, member of legislature
in 1885 and 1886, and member of State Senate
in 1890 and 1891; was nominee for Coun-
cillor in 1894, and ran much ahead of his
ticket; enlisted in the New Hampshire Na-
tional Guard, 1882, and was promoted Lieu-
tenant, Captain, and Lieutenant Colonel,
holding the last commission from 1886 till
1892. He is unmarried, is liberal in his re-
ligious views, anc has a wide circle of friends
and acquaintances throughout the State.

 

 

FRED SANBORN, a wide-awake and
progressive agriculturist of Danville
township, Rockingham County, N.H.,
was born April 30, 1858, on the home-

stead farm which he now owns and occupies.
Farming may be said to be his hereditary call-
ing, both his father, John S. Sanborn, and his
grandfather, Levi Sanborn, having been en-
gaged in this independent occupation in Dan-
ville throughout their entire lives.

John S. Sanborn was an industrious, hard-
working man, who in addition to tilling the
soil did an extensive business in teaming.
He married Johanna B. Philbrick, a native of
this town, and four children were born to
them; namely, Levi F., Susan M., Eugene,
and J. Fred. Levi F. Sanborn married Mary
Morris, of Exeter, N.H. They make their
home in Boston, Mass., he being a traveller for
the hardware firm of Bolles & Wilde. Susan
M. Sanborn is the wife of Russell H. Fel-
lows, of Brentwood, of whom a sketch will be
found on another page of this volume.  Eu-
gene died at the age of three years. Neither
parent is now living, the father having passed
away April 19, 1873, and the mother January

6, 1895.

 

J. Fred Sanborn received an academical ed-
ucation in the towns of Kingston and Tilton,
this State, and at the age of seventeen years
started Westward in search of employment.
He worked as a clerk in a grocery store in
Chicago three years, returning then to the
scenes of his childhood perfectly satisfied to
remain at the old home. The following year
Mr. Sanborn worked for R. H. Fellows in the
box factory, but since that time he has carried
on the home farm. He now owns ninety acres
of land, on which he has made many valuable
improvements, and devotes his time to mixed
farming and dairying. His well-kept farm
and substantial buildings, with their neat and
attractive surroundings, give ample evidence
that Mr. Sanborn is a thorough-going and
practical farmer and an able manager. In
politics he is a sound Democrat.

On July -17, 1887, Mr. Sanborn was united
in marriage with Miss Emma Cloutie, who
was born in Lawrence, Mass., December 25,
1870. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Emede Cloutie. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn are
the parents of three bright and interesting
children, namely: John S., born September 3,
1888; Charles E., born January 27, 1890;
and Harold B., born January 4, 1895.

 

RTHUR M. CHASE, Town Treasurer
of Deerfield, N.H., son of Stephen
and Sally (Philbrick) Chase, was
born on the Chase homestead in
this town, September 13, 1839, and is con-
nected with some of the oldest families of the
town. He is of the seventh generation in
descent from Aquila Chase, who came over
from England with his brother Thomas, and
had grants of land in Hampton in 1640.
Aquila had grants of land in 1646 in New-
bury, Mass., where he then lived. He died
in 1670. He and his wife, Ann Wheeler, had
eleven children. The sixth child, Thomas,
married first Rebecca Follansbee, and second
Elizabeth Mowers, and had eleven children.
Nathan, born in 1704, ninth child of Thomas,
married Joanna Cheney, and reared four sons
— Josiah, Moses, Parker, and Stephen.
Stephen Chase, born in 1750, who was the
great-grandfather of Arthur M., came from
338

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Newburyport to Deerfield. He was one of
those who in 1776 signed the Test Declara-
tion, pledging themselves to oppose the hos-
tile proceedings of the British fleets and
armies against American freedom. He mar-
ried Mollie Sanborn, and reared four daugh-
ters and two sons. The sons were: Henry
D., who settled in Jackson, Me.; and William
S., who was born in Deerfield in 1778, and
lived on the homestead now occupied by his
grandson, the subject of this biographical
sketch. William S. Chase was a shoemaker,
and divided his time between farming and the
work of his trade. He attained the age of
seventy years, his earthly life ending in 1848.
William S. Chase also married a Sanborn,
Miss Nancy Sanborn, of Exeter, N.H., who
died in 1857, at the age of seventy-four. The
children of this couple were: Stephen, the
father, above named; Mary A., who was born
in 1809, and died in 1856; Eliza D., born in
1811, who married Samuel Lang, and died in
1885; and Ruth B., born in 1815, who mar-
ried J. S. Chase, of Jackson, Me.

Stephen Chase, son of William, was born
on the homestead in Deerfield in 1807. Edu-
cated in the public schools of his native town,
he made good use of his opportunities for im-
proving his mind, and began to teach at the
age of seventeen. As a teacher he was very
successful, and was employed in that way
until forty-six years of age; and he was dur-
ing the time superintendent of schools for a
number of years. He was a stanch Free
Soiler, being one of the first in town, and was
Selectman of the town in 1854 and 1855 and
Justice of the Peace for a number of years.
He died in 1855. His wife, Sally, who was

a daughter of Jonathan Philbrick, Pea TOL:

Deerficld, died in 1885, at the age of seventy-
six. The following children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Chase: Elizabeth A.,
who died in 1871, wife of A. L. Sanborn;
Ruth A., who died in 1869, wife of A. M.
Patten; Arthur M.; and Isaac S., who died at
the age of twelve years.

Arthur M. Chase, who is now the only
surviving member of his father’s family, was
educated in the schools of his native town.
When the time came for him to choose his vo-
cation he decided on the pursuit of agricult-

 

ure; and the greater part of his life has been
passed on the home farm, of which he is now
owner. He spent ten years in Nottingham,
this State, and was a soldier in the war for the
Union for a while inthe South. Enlisting in
1862, he was enrolled as a member of Com--
pany D, Fifteenth Regiment of New Hamp-
shire Volunteers, in which he served eleven
months, being in the New Orleans expedition
of 1862, and taking part in the siege and
capture of Port Hudson. Asa farmer he has
been very successful, and he occupies a prom-
inent place in the community.

Mr. Chase and Sarah A. Stevens, daughter
of Robert Stevens, of Nottingham, were mar-
ried in 1860, and seven children have been
born to him, namely: Abbie R., who died
aged ten months; Stephen R., who married
Etta Corson, and has two children — Harry L,
and Arthur; Roscoe S., who married Celia
Ham, of Lowell, Mass.; Andrew P., who was
a brakeman on the Massachusetts Central
Railroad, and was killed December 23, 1891,
at the age of twenty-two, at Jefferson Mills,
by falling between the cars; Lena S., who
died at the age of twenty-one; Etta S.; and
Arthur F.

Mr. Chase votes the Republican ticket.
While in Nottingham he served as Selectman
three years and Town Treasurer one year;
and in Deerfield he has been Selectman one
year, was Postmaster under Harrison’s admin-
istration, is now serving his seventh succes-
sive term as Town Treasurer, and has been
Justice of the Peace upward of fifteen years.
He is Commander of Jere E. Chadwick Post,
No. 70, Grand Army of the Republic, and
belongs to Union Lodge, No. 32, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and Silver Lake, Re-
bekah Lodge, No. 50.

From Aquila Chase, the immigrant ancestor
afore mentioned, to and including Harry L.,
grandson of Mr. Arthur M. Chase, the follow-
ing is the direct line of descendants: —

Aquila Chase, born in England, came to
Hampton, 1630 to 1640; Thomas Chase, born
July 25, 1654; Nathan Chase, born in 1704;
Stephen Chase, born July 5, 1750; William
S. Chase, born February 12, 1778; Stephen
Chase, born January 21, 1807; Arthur M.
Chase, born September 13, 1839; Stephen R.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

339

 

 

Chase, born April 17, 1865; Harry L. Chase,

born June 5, 1885.

 

OSEPH R. CLARK, a prosperous agri-
culturist and a prominent and esteemed
citizen of Derry, N.H., was born in
Beverly, Mass., November 2, 1838,

being a son of. Reed P. and Elizabeth (Per-
kins) Clark.

He is a representative of an old and es-
teemed family of the historic town of London-
derry, N.H., of which Derry was formerly a
part. His great-grandfather, William Clark,
was of Scotch-Irish parentage, being a son of
Robert Clark, who came from the north of Ire-
land and settled in Londonderry, N.H., on
the English Range, north-west of Beaver
Pond, in 1725. William Clark married in
1764 Ann Wallace, daughter of John and
Annis (Barnett) Wallace, who were the first
couple married in Londonderry, May 18,
1721. William Clark and his wife in 1766
settled in New Boston, Hillsborough County,
as we learn from the history of that town.
Their son Ninian, who wasa native of New
Boston, removed when a young man to Han-
cock in the same county; and he there made
his home. His second wife, Sally Warner
before marriage, was a descendant of William
Warner, a native of England, who settled in
Ipswich, Mass., in 1637. 5

Reed Page Clark, son of Ninian and Sally
(Warner) Clark, remained at the paternal
home in Hancock until he attained his major-
ity. After spending some time in Derry and
in other places, engaged mostly in farming,
he purchased in 1839 a farm in Londonderry,
where, with his wife and family, he took up
his abode. He there carried on general agri-
cultural pursuits until his decease. He was
among the foremost men in Londonderry, and
he enjoyed the cordial esteem and confidence
of all his fellow-citizens. In response to
their invitation he served them in prominent
positions of public trust, being for several
years on the Board of Selectmen, and for a
number of terms representing his town in the
New Hampshire State legislature. For two
years he also officiated as a member of the
Governor’s Council, and at the beginning of

 

the Civil War he filled temporarily the office
of Adjutant-general of New Hampshire.

Reed P. Clark married Elizabeth Perkins,
who was a native of Essex, Mass. Three of
their children still survive, namely: Joseph
R.; William, a sketch of whom appears in ,
this volume; and Marianna P., who is now
the wife of W. H. Seaman, of Washington,
D.C., where he is engaged in the Patent Office.
The Hon. Reed P. Clark departed this life in
1882, and in his death the town of London-
derry lost one of its most widely known and
highly respected citizens. He was in a large
sense a self-made man—all that he became, the
property that he succeeded in accumulating,
and the efficient public service that he ren-
dered being much the result of his own vigor
and enterprise, his industry and his practical
wisdom. His worthy qualities were quite
generally recognized; and he became promi-
nent, not only in his own town, but also
throughout the county.

Joseph R. Clark grew to manhood on_ the
paternal estate in Londonderry, and from his
youth onward he engaged in general hus-
bandry. He received his rudimentary educa-
tion in the common schools of his adopted
town, and later enjoyed the privilege of an at-
tendance at Pinkerton Academy, Derry, and
also at Henniker Academy in Hillsborough |
County, New Hampshire. During his earlier
manhood he engaged in school teaching for
several terms in the winter season. He set-
tled on his present farm in 1862, and he has
ever since been successfully engaged in agri-
culture. His property is situated in Derry,
and comprises one hundred and seventy acres
of excellent land.

In 1862 Mr. Clark was married to Miss
Emily A. Chase, a native of Hillsborough
County and a daughter of the late Otis Chase,
of Weare in that county. Their union has
been blessed in the birth of eight children,
all but one of whom are still spared to them.
They are as follows: Otis R.; Edna A., a
teacher in the high school of Washington,
D.C. ; Warren D.; Joseph R., who is now de-
ceased; Harry W.; Augustus R.; James Pek
and Robert S.

Mr. Clark is identified with the Republican
party. For many years he has maintained an
340

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

active participation in local politics, and he
has been elected by his fellow-citizens to
several important offices. For a number of
terms he has constituted one member of the
Board of Selectmen of Derry, and for one term
of three years he has officiated as County
Commissioner. He has likewise enjoyed the
distinction of representing his town in the
State legislature. Socially, Mr. Clark frater-
nizes with the order of Masons, being a mem-
ber of St. Mark’s Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at
Derry. Mr. Clark is public-spirited and a
representative citizen. He is widely and
favorably known throughout his vicinity, and
is prominent in both the civic and _ social
life. What he is and has is largely due to
his own wisely directed energies and to his
thrift and progressiveness, and he lives -in
the enjoyment of the confidence and respect
of the entire social and business community.

 

REEN CLARK FOWLER, of New-
fields, N.H., who was in the employ
of the Concord & Portsmouth Rail-

road over twenty-three years, and is now liv-
ing retired at his home in this village, was
born in the town of New Market, Rockingham
County, February 27, 1823, son of John Cutts
and Mary W. (Nutter) Fowler. He comes of
an old and honorable family of Norman origin,
which has produced a number of distinguished
men in England and America.

Richard Fowler, of Foxby, county of Bucks,
England, who was in the holy wars in Pales-
tine, was the first of a family that flourished
over five hundred years ago in Buckingham-
shire and other parts of England. One of his
descendants, Sir William Fowler, of the
county of Oxford, was knighted by Edward
IV., and was created Chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster. He was a member of Parlia-
ment in 1467. He died November 3, 1477,
leaving a will, directing that St. Rumbold’s
shrine be rebuilt; and in the aisle of the
chapel Sir William Fowler and his wife Joan
were buried. His eldest son, Sir Richard
Fowler, owned a large estate. Edward, the
son and heir of Sir Richard, entertained
Catharine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry
VIII., in September, 1513; and at his home

 

 

she received the joyful news of the defeat of
the Scottish army at Flodden Field. Many
other members of the family were favored by
the royalty of early England. Froude, in his
“History of England,” mentions one John
Fowler, who was a member of the household
of King Edward VI., and whose influence was
such that he was employed by Lord Seymour
to secure the royal assent to his contemplated
marriage with the princess, afterward Queen
Elizabeth, and subsequently the royal approval
of bis already secretly accomplished marriage
with Catharine Parr, the widow of Henry
VIII.

Mr. Green Clark Fowler represents the
eighth generation of his family in this coun-
try. The immigrant progenitor was Philip
Fowler, said to have been born in Marlbor-
ough, England, about 1590, who came to
America in 1634, settling in the town of Ips-
wich, Essex County, Mass., where he re-
ceived a grant of land that is still owned by
his descendants. He died June 24, 1679; and
his wife, Mary Fowler, passed away November
5, 1694. From him the line is traced through
Joseph and:two Philips to Philip, the fourth of
the name, who was the first to settle in Rock-
ingham County, New Hampshire. This
Philip Fowler was born in Ipswich, June 21,
1719, and was married to Sarah Shatwell in
November, 1760. His son, Philip, fifth, the
grandfather of Green Clark Fowler, was born
in New Market, N.H., May 25, 1764. He
was a hard-working farmer, and hardly lived
long enough to reap the reward of his toil.
When a young man he was saved from death
by drowning: but the shock and the strain to
his system weakened him permanently, event-

‘ually causing his death, which occurred No-

vember 6, 1807. Philip Fowler was married
February 25, 1790, to Hannah Cutts, of Bux-
ton, Me., who died November 9, 1859.

John Cutts Fowler, son of Philip and Han-
nah (Cutts) Fowler, was born in New Market,
Rockingham County, N.H., October 3, 1794.
He, too, was an industrious farmer, and was
very successful in his chosen vocation. In
politics he was first a Democrat, then an anti-
slavery man, and last a Republican, and in re-
ligion an adherent of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He died May 3, 1869. Mr. John
 

GREEN C. FOWLER.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

343

 

 

C. Fowler was twice married. His first Wife,
Mary W. Nutter, of Rochester, N.H., to
whom he was united April 4, 1822, was born
October 29, 1798, and died September 21,
1852. She was the mother of his children —
Green Clark, the subject of this sketch; John
Fletcher, who was born March 2, 1826, and is
a farmer, residing on the homestead in New-
fields; and Mary Angelina, who was born
February 16, 1828, and is now the wife of
Mark W. Chase, of Berwick, Me. Mr. John
C. Fowler’s second wife, who was Susan K.
Wiggan, of South New Market, N.H., died
December 30, 1864. John Cutts Fowler and
Daniel Boynton drew Lot No. 3, Letter A, in
Buxton, Me. (formerly Narraganset, No. 1), in
the right of Philip Fowler, originally the
right of Richard Jacobs, for service in King
Philip’s War, 1675, the right having de-
scended to Mr. John C. Fowler from his
father.

Green Clark Fowler acquired his early edu-
cation in the schools of Newfields. In 1849
he entered the employ of the Concord & Ports-
mouth Railroad, first as a track layer, and
gradually worked his way up, acting as fore-
man of the section for a while, and later as
assistant road master. He resigned his posi-
tion on account of physical disability in 1873,
and has since lived in comfortable leisure at
his home in Newfields. While working for a
living he was industrious and energetic; and
even now, though one of the oldest citizens of
Newfields, he is brisk and active. He takes
a deep interest in biographical matters, and
has spent much time in research into the
history of his own family.

Mr. Fowler was married September 25,
1859, to Sarah M. Hall, who was born at Lee,
this State, September 25, 1825. She died
August 25, 1877, leaving one son, James E.,
who was born June 17, 1861, in Raymond,
this county. He was married December 31,
1895, to Elizabeth C. Zingraf, a native of
Germany, born October 16, 1861. On No-
vember 1, 1882, a little more than five years
after the death of his first wife, Mr. Fowler
was united in marriage with Ellen A. Locke,
who belonged to an old family of English
origin. Her first ancestor in this country,
John Locke, was born in London, September

. married Elizabeth Berry in 1652.

 

16, 1627, and came to this country in 1644,
settling in New Hampshire. John Locke
He was
killed by the Indians in Rye, August 26,

1696. The second Mrs. Fowler died in May,
1893.
Mr. Fowler votes the Democratic ticket.

On religious subjects he holds liberal views.
He is something of an antiquary; and one of
his most valued possessions is a wooden goblet,
nicely turned and varnished, a relic of the old
Fowler and Hilton garrison, which was at-
tacked by Indians here, June 3, 1695, and
again in 1706. (See “History of Rocking-
ham and Strafford Counties.”)

 

OHN EDWARD GARDNER, member

‘of the hardware firm of Gardner &
Hilliard, the oldest mercantile house

in Exeter, was born here in January,

1835, son of George and Jane (Lowell)
Gardner. Thomas Gardner, the founder of
the family, was one of three to settle in
Brookline, Mass., where he owned a large
part of the land, then in its primitive wild-
ness. John Gardner, the grandfather of John
Edward, was born in Brookline in 1771, son of
Elisha Gardner. He was at one time a hard-
ware merchant in Boston. From that town he
came to Exeter, where he married Miss Debo-
rah Dean, a daughter of Ward Clark Dean,
one of the first merchants of this place. He
succeeded to the business of his father-in-law,
and conducted it prosperously to the close of
his life of seventy-seven years, when he left
an ample competence. He was a very social
and genial man. His wife bore him four sons
and a daughter. His son George, born in
the year 1801, succeeded his father in the
hardware business. He had as a partner a
Mr. Kelly, who had entered his father’s em-
ploy as a boy. The style of the firm was
George Gardner & Co. The marriage of
George Gardner and Miss Jane Lowell oc-
curred in Portland in the year 1830. She
was the daughter of Daniel Lowell, a sea
captain, who died in early life. His widow
married a Mr. Patten. George died in 1857,
at the age of fifty-six years, in Gibraltar,
whither he had gone for his health. His
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

344
widow survived him until January, 1886.
Their children were: George Lowell, who

died at the age of fourteen years; Cordelia
Alger, who died in Cambridge, Mass., in Jan-
uary, 1896, sixty-three years of age, leaving
one son, Wallace Gilpatrick; John Edward;
Elizabeth, an artist of note, residing in
Paris, distinguished as the only American
who had been awarded a medal at the Salon;
and Maria, the youngest child, who resides in
Cambridge, Mass.

John Edward Gardner graduated from Har-
vard College in 1856, at the age of twenty-

one years. He then read law here in Exeter
for a time, and subsequently spent a few
months in Chicago. In 1857, after his

father’s death, he returned to Exeter, and took
up the business left by his father, with Mr.
Kelly as partner, forming the firm of Kelly &
Gardner. At Mr. Kelly’s death in 1894,
Mr. Hilliard, who had for twelve years been a
junior member of the firm, and had been asso-
ciated with it prior to that as a clerk, took a
larger interest in the business, which has since
been conducted under the name of Gardner &
Hilliard. In 1870 the firm of Kelly &
Gardner were the victims of a disastrous fire,
which necessitated the building of a new
store. On that occasion the present fine brick
block was erected on the site of the old build-
ing. The business was first established in
1770, one hundred and twenty-five years ago;
and Mr. Gardner represents the fourth genera-
tion of Gardners who have been succes-
sively connected with it.

On January 13, 1875, Mr. Gardner was
joined in marriage with Miss Mariam S.
Nightingale, of Boston, a daughter of James
Nightingale, now deceased. Three sons have
been born of the union, namely: Perley, a
young man of twenty years, in the Sophomore
class at Harvard College; John E., Jr., thir-

teen years of age; and George N., seven years
old.

 

 

EORGE W. MILLER, the present
Representative in the New Hamp-
shire legislature from Londonderry,

is one of the successful men of the town.
A native of York County, Maine, he was born

 

in the town of Acton, May 1, 1850, son of
Woodman and Nancy C. (Hurd) Miller. The
family is of English origin. Mr. Miller’s
great-grandfather, John Miller, was the first
settler of the town of Milton, N.H. Wood-
man Miller, who was born in 1809, is one of
the oldest residents of Acton. His wife,
Nancy, was the daughter of Samuel Hurd, of
Acton, Me. She became the mother of a
large family of children, of whom the sur-
vivors are: Cyrus W. and Benjamin F., who
reside in Acton; Charles E., of Dorchester,
Mass.; George W., of Londonderry, N.H.;
and William H. H., who is residing in
Maine; Annie, the wife of Asa M. Hurd, of
Acton, Me.; Tamsen, the wife of James E.
Billings, of Acton, Mass.; Mary, the wife of
William Hubbard, of Dorchester, Mass. ;
Hattie E., the wife of Isaac Hussey, of
Acton, Me.; and Matilda E., also of Acton,
Me. The mother is no longer living.

George W. Miller passed his youth in his
native town, acquiring his education in the
public schools. Subsequently he spent some
time helping on the home farm, and then
went to Manchester, N.H., where he was em-
ployed for a few years in the cotton and
woollen mills. After leaving there he had.
charge of a stationary engine for the Concord
Railroad Company for nine years, and for two
years was engaged in the dry and fancy goods
business in Manchester. He finally settled
upon a farm of sixty-five acres in London-
derry, on which he has been successfully en-
gaged in general farming. He has also a
thriving business as a carpenter and builder.
A Republican in politics, he is a leading
spirit in local affairs. He has served the
town as Supervisor, was Collector for two
years, a member of the Board of Selectmen
for the same length of time, and was elected
to the New Hampshire House of Representa-
tives in 1894 as the candidate of the Republi-
can party.

Mr. Miller wedded Mrs. Nettie E. (Ratray)
Brown, daughter of the late James W. Ratray,
of Londonderry, who was a native of Dundee,
Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two
children — Arthur G. and Lillian M.

In business and political circles Mr. Miller
is widely and favorably known He has affilia-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

345

 

 

tion with the Odd Fellows, the Red Men of
Manchester, and the Patrons of Husbandry in
Londonderry. He is a self-made man of
more than ordinary ability, and the respect
he has gained in the community is amply
justified.

 

OHN FRANKLIN MAGRAW, of
Portsmouth, Deputy Collector of Cus-
toms and one of the most popular men
of the town, was born here, July 26,

1855, son of John W. and Jane A. (White)
Magraw. His grandfather, Pierce Magraw,
was a native of Newfoundland. He married
Sophia Conrad, of Nova Scotia; and they
reared a family, and lived in comfortable cir-
cumstances.

John W. Magraw, son of Pierce, was born
in Port Medway, N.S. In his early manhood
he located in New Castle, N.H., and was a
master of fishing-vessels. Subsequently he
came to Portsmouth, and served efficiently
for many years as messenger of the navy yard.
His wife, who was a daughter of Nathaniel
White, of New Castle, which is in Rocking-
ham County, was a descendant in the sixth
generation, through her mother, of Renald
Fernald, one of the first settlers of Ports-
moutb. Her father, Nathaniel White, was
engaged in the fishing industry all his life-
time, and was Collector of Taxes at New
Castle for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs.
Jobn W. Magraw were the parents of eight
children, of whom five are living; namely,
Emma J. W., John Franklin, James M.,
Annie F., and Gertrude M. Emma J. W.
Magraw is a teacher of ability, being at pres-
ent engaged at the high school of this city.
She also fills the office of Trustee of the
Portsmouth Public Library.

John Franklin Magraw was educated in the
Portsmouth public schools. Having com-
pleted his course of study, he entered the
office of the Portsmouth /ournal, then con-
ducted by Charles W. Brewster & Son, and
learned the printer’s trade. In time he be-
came foreman of the office. His connection
with the Journal lasted six years, after which
period he worked in several offices, both in
Portsmouth and Boston. He then was the

 

superintendent of the 77zmes office for some
years,

An earnest Democrat, Mr. Magraw has al-
ways taken an active part in political contests.
He was a most worthy Representative of Ports-
mouth in the State legislature of 1885 and
1886. He served on the Board of Aldermen
from 1885 to 1887, and was County Commis-
sioner from 1887 to 1893. The erection of
the present court-house and jail was largely
the result of his efforts while serving in the
latter capacity. In 1893 he was appointed
Deputy Collector of Customs, an office which
he has since most acceptably filled.

Mr. Magraw attends St. John’s Episcopal
Church of Portsmouth. His connection with
fraternal organizations includes membership
in St. John’s Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M., of
which he is Worshipful Master; Sagamore
Lodge, No. 258, Knights of Honor, of which
he is Past Dictator; in Portsmouth Lodge of
B. P. O. Elks; in Massasoit Tribe, No. 16,
Improved Order of Red Men; and in Nokomis
Council, No. 7, Daughters of Pocahontas.
Mr. Magraw was commissioned a Justice of
the Peace in 1889 and a Notary Public in
1894 by the Governor of New Hampshire.

 

 

HARLES S. GREELEY, a successful

Ltd farmer in Londonderry, N.H., and for

several years past a leader in local

politics, was born in Derry, N.H.,
November 27, 1852, son of George W. and
Alice P. (Alley) Greeley.

George W. Greeley was born in Amherst,
Hillsborough County, N.H. He was a son of
Dustin and Sarah (Woodburn) Greeley and an
own cousin of Horace Greeley, who was a son
of his father’s brother Zaccheus. The connec-
tion between the two families was yet closer
from the fact that Mary Woodburn, the wife
of Zaccheus Greeley, and Sarah, the wife of
Dustin, were half-sisters, both being daugh-
ters of David Woodburn, who was twice mar-
ried. The Woodburn family is of Scotch-
Irish descent. The immigrant ancestor, John
Woodburn, father of David, was an early set-
tler of Londonderry. Left fatherless when
but six years old, George W. Greeley shortly
after became a member of the family of John
346

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Dickey, of Londonderry, with whom he re-
mained during the rest of his minority, re-
ceiving a practical common-school education.
He resided for many years in the towns of
Londonderry and Derry, dying in August,
1888.

In political affiliation he was a Republican.
In religion he was a Methodist and a church
communicant, as is his wife, formerly Alice
Phillips Alley, who survives him. She was
born in Lynn, Essex County, Mass., January
10, 1824, and came to Londonderry with her
parents, Moses and Hannah (Smethers) Alley,
in 1836. The Alleys of Lynn are an old
Essex County family, descendants, most of
them if not all, of Hugh Alley, who came
over in the “Abigail” in 1635. Moses Alley
was born in Lynn in 1801, and died March
17, 1879. His first wife, Hannah, died Feb-
ruary 23, 1841, aged forty-three years; and
his second wife, Jane D. Boyes, of London-
derry, died September 12, 1875, aged seventy
years. Moses Alley was a son of Moses
Breed Alley, who was born January I, 1770,
and died in Lynn, August 7, 1801, and his
wife, Alice Phillips, born November 27,
1773, who died October 23, 1801. The par-
ents of Moses Breed Alley were James and
Lois (Breed) Alley, the former of whom died
in 1823, aged seventy-nine, the latter in
1810. To Mr. and Mrs. George W. Greeley
were born five children, as follows: H. Jen-
nie, now wife of the Rev. John H. Hillman,
of Greenwich, N.Y.; S. Arvilla (deceased) ;
Charles Sylvester, the special subject of this
sketch; Herbert A., now residing in Boston,
Mass.; and Franklin P. (deceased).

Charles S. Greeley lived in Derry until
about seven years of age, when with his par-
ents he went to Acworth, N.H., where they
lived some twelve years, the family subse-
quently, after a short residence in Goffstown,
removing to Londonderry. Besides attending
the common schools he was a student for a
time at Pinkerton Academy, Derry, N.H.
Mr. Greeley has engaged in farming all his
active life, and, being a good manager and
financier, has been very successful in his
undertakings. In 1880 he purchased and
moved on to his present place, a farm contain-
ing about eighty acres of valuable land, which

 

he bought of John Dickey. This homestead
is very pleasantly located on the south slope
of Bartley Hill. The commodious dwelling
was built by Mr. Dickey’s father, John
Dickey, Sr., in 1804. It is shaded by four
noble elms, three of them over one hundred
years old. Fruit and milk are the special
products of the Dickey-Greeley farm. A
dairy of fourteen cows yields annually about
forty-five hundred cans of milk, which is
marketed in Boston. There is an orchard of
one hundred and fifty apple-trees, some pear-
trees, and one hundred and fifty peach-trees;
and grapes, raspberries, and strawberries are
also cultivated to some extent.

On December 24, 1879, Mr. Greeley was
united in marriage with Miss Hattie A.
Allen, who was born January 8, 1859, daugh-
ter of John Alexander and Charlotte Dorothy
(Richardson) Allen, of Jaffrey, N.H. Mr.
Allen was born in November, 1812, son of
Captain John Allen, a ship-master of Marble-
head. His wife, who died when the daughter,
now Mrs. Greeley, was only seven years old,
was from Reading, Mass.

Mr. and Mrs. Greeley have four children,
namely: Howard F., born July 19, 1881;
Arvilla M., born October 2, 1883; Katherine,
born August 10, 1888; and Edith Allen, born
October 30, 1892.

Mr. Greeley’s mother, now in her seventy-
third year, genial and social, though afflicted
with partial deafness, is a cherished member
of the family, “Grandma’s room,” with its
pieces of antique furniture and old china,
being one of the pleasantest in the house.
Among other interesting heirlooms Mrs.
Greeley possesses a hall clock, still keeping
exact time, and showing the changes of the
moon. It formerly belonged to Moses Breed
Alley, of Lynn, the children’s great-great-
grandfather, and was made, says the label
inside, “by Simon Willard, at his clock dial
in Roxbury Street”? (Roxbury, Mass., where
the Willards were celebrated clock-makers for
over a century).

Mr. Greeley is a stanch Republican and an
ardent advocate of the principles of his party.
He is deeply interested in the welfare and ad-
vancement of his town, and has served three
years on the Board of Selectmen, during one
   

 

SAMUEL CAMPBELL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

349

 

 

of which he was Chairman. He is a member
of the Londonderry Grange, Patrons of Hus-
bandry, of which he has been Master one
year.

 

 

UTHER W. TWOMBLY, a leading cit-
izen of Northwood, who is extensively
engaged in general farming and lum-
bering, was born November 16,
1852, in Alton, this State, son of Benjamin
and Mary J. (Ayre) Twombly. He belongs
to one of the old families of Alton. His
grandfather, Moses Twombly, who was a
native of Farmington, N.H., was one of the
pioneer settlers in Alton. Moses purchased
there one hundred acres of timber land, which
he cleared and converted into a good farm.
He lived to be eighty-one years of age. His
wife, whose maiden name was Sally Dore,
attained the age of eighty-five. She and her
husband reared ten children.

Benjamin Twombly remained on the home
farm until of age. Then, spurred by the rest-
less ambition of youth, he went to Boston,
and in that city became associated with Mr.
Chester Blodgett in a copartnership for grad-
ing railroads under contract. After the firm
had conducted a_ successful business for a
number of years, Mr. Twombly withdrew and
returned to the homestead, where he followed
agriculture for the rest of his life. He died
at the age of sixty-two. His wife, who was
a daughter of Jonathan Ayre, of Lowell,
Mass., lived to be seventy-two years of age.
He voted the Democratic ticket. He and his
wife were members of the Baptist church.
They reared three children, namely: C. Emily,
now Mrs. Varney; Chester A., who resides on
the homestead in Alton; and Luther W., the
subject of this article.

Luther W. Twombly, having received his
early education at Alton, finished his school-
ing at Dover (N.H.) Academy. He went to
Boston when he was eighteen years of age,
and remained two years. Then, returning to
the homestead, he engaged in farming and
lumbering with his brother, Chester A.
These pursuits occupied his attention for
eleven years, after which he left home again,
and spent two years and a half on a cattle

 

ranch in Montana. In 1886 he returned to
Alton, and, with his.brother, purchased a tim-
ber lot in Northwood. Two years later he
became a resident of Northwood, where he has
since been prosperously engaged in farming
and lumbering. An active and bright busi-
ness man, Mr. Twombly is very progressive
in his methods.

In 1890 he was united in marriage with
Alice B., daughter of George Sherburne, of
Northwood. He is a strong Democrat, and
takes an active interest in politics. Standing
high in the esteem of his party, he has been
nominated for Representative, County Com-
missioner, and Selectman, but was not elected,
as the town is Republican by a decisive ma-
jority. It is very hard for a Democrat to carry
a nomination. Mr. Twombly is a member of
Winnipiseogee Lodge, No. 75, A. F. & A. M.,
and one of the influential men of Northwood
Grange, No. 209.

 

EACON SAMUEL CAMPBELL is
a representative citizen of Rocking-
9 ham County, New Hampshire, re-
siding now in the town of Derry.
He was born in Windham, September 1, 1819,
son of Robert Moor and Anna (Carr) Camp-
bell, and on both paternal and maternal sides
comes of the vigorous stock known as Scotch-
Irish. The Campbells of Windham, which
town was until 1742 a part of old London-
derry, N.H., are said to have sprung from the
ancient and illustrious Scottish family, the
Campbells of Argyle. Tradition supplies a
somewhat shadowy remote ancestor, Daniel
Campbell, a native of Argyleshire, Scotland,
born in 1660, who removed to Ireland, and
was an officer in King William’s army at the
battle of Boyne, July 1, 1690.

His son, Henry Campbell, the immigrant
progenitor from whom Deacon Samuel Camp-
bell is the fifth in lineal descent, was born in
1697, in Londonderry, Ireland. He crossed
the Atlantic in 1733, and in the same year
bought land, and shortly established a home
in Windham. The genealogy of the family
is given in Mr. Leonard A. Morrison’s valu-
able History of Windham, to which we are in-
debted for not a few of the names and inter-

 

 

 

 
35°

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

esting facts that follow in this connection.
Henry Campbell and his wife, Martha Black,
whom he married in Ireland, had eight chil-
dren. He died in 1782, she in 1778.

Their third child, Samuel, first, was born
in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1722. He was
one of the first school teachers in Windham,

was Town Clerk 1761~74, a Selectman sev- |

eral years, and an Elder in the church. A
stanch patriot, he served in the war of the
Revolution. He married Mary Robinson,
and was the father of twelve children -— Sarah,
Hannah, Martha, Mary, Henry, James, Eliza-
beth, Isabel, Samuel, John, Abner, and Isaac.
Sarah Campbell, the eldest child, born in
1745, married first Robert Moor, and after his
death married John McConihe. Hannah mar-
ried a Mr. Henry, and lived in Vermont.
Martha married John Henry, and lived in
New Boston, N.H. James married Rachel
Gregg, and settled in Bedford. Abner mar-
tied first Sarah Gregg; second, Elizabeth
Betton; and, third, Annis Aiken. Isaac mar-
ried and settled in Acworth, N.H.

John Campbell, fourth son of Samuel and
Mary (Robinson) Campbell and grandfather
of Deacon Samuel, of Derry, was born in
Windham in 1762. Like his father, he was
an active and influential citizen, serving as
Town Clerk, Selectman, and Representative.
By his first wife, Sarah Burns, he had eight
children. The six who grew to maturity and
married were: Robert Moor, Sally, Jane,
Sophia, Patty, and Eliza.

Robert Moor Campbell, son of John, born
in 1789, worthily bore the family name. He
held office as Selectman and as Tax Collector.
He was four times married. His first wife
was Anna Carr, who died in 1837; his second,
Susan Burbank, who died in 1843; his third,
Elizabeth C. Osgood, who died in 1854; his
fourth, who survived him, Mrs. Mary Clark
Davidson. He had five children, all by his
first wife, as follows: Sarah Ann, who mar-
tied first David W. Dickey, and second
George W. Dickey, of whom a sketch appears
on another page of this volume; John (de-
ceased); Samuel; Arminda (deceased), who
married Aaron C. Osgood; and Clarissa (now
deceased), who married Charles E. Cogswell,
of Haverhill, Mass. Robert Moor Campbell

 

was a Whig prior to the formation of the
Republican party, with which he afterward
affiliated, and, like a true Scotsman, a Pres-

byterian. He died April 24, 1865, leaving
behind him the heritage of an _ honored
memory.

Samuel Campbell, second son of Robert M.
Campbell, was reared in Windham, where he
attended the common schools in his boyhood,
becoming a student of the Francestown Acad-
emy for a short time at a later period.
Though lacking the advantages of a college
education, he is a man of good mental powers
and of wide information upon general sub-
jects. He has followed farming as a vocation
since his youth, and has always taken a lively
interest in affairs of local and national impor-
tance. While a resident of Windham he
served for seven years as Selectman, was for
two years a Representative to the State legis-
lature, and for a time was both Auditor and
Treasurer. When in 1889 he removed from
Windham to Derry, the residents of the for-
mer town had as much to regret his departure
as those of the latter had to rejoice in his
coming; for Deacon Samuel Campbell had
proved that he was a citizen of broad views
and lofty aims, and always using his influence
to promote the welfare and improvement of the
community in which he lived.

On September 19, 1844, Samuel Campbell
was married to Miss Lydia E. Crowell, of
Windham, a daughter of Jesse and Hannah
(Campbell) Crowell, both natives of Wind-
ham. Four children came to bless this
union, namely: Cassius S., born November
19, 1845; Francena E., born in 1848, who
died September 19, 1859; Alphonso F.,
born November 30, 1850, who married Eliza
M. Johnson; and Harlan E., born October
31, 1860, who lives at home with his father.
Cassius S. Campbell fitted for college at
Pinkerton Academy, was graduated at Dart-
mouth in 1868, and has since been engaged
in educational work. He had charge of the
public schools in Hastings, Minn., for ten
years, was principal of the high school in
St. Paul, Minn., five years, then principal of
the academy at Mount Vernon, N.H., four
years; and he has now for eight years held a
professorship in Pinkerton Academy at Derry.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

351

 

 

He married in 1869 Lydia L. Ashley. Their
children are: George A., born November 27,
1870; Arthur F., born October 4, 1872;
Francena L., October 23, 1874; and Percy
A., born August 19, 1877.

The second son, Alphonso F., a farmer and
carpenter, occupies the old Campbell home-
stead in Windham, which he bought of his
father. The farm was deeded to his great-
great-grandfather, Elder Samuel Campbell, in
1758. Alphonso F. Campbell married Ellen
M. Johnson, and they have three children —
Samuel F., born May 21, 1882, in Marlboro,
Mass.; Willis C., born July 14, 1883, in
Windham; and Emma L., born December 6,
1888.

In December, 1889, Deacon Samuel Camp-
bell suffered a great and irreparable loss in
the death of his wife, who had been the faith-
ful and congenial companion of many years.
She was a conscientious member of the Pres-
byterian church in Windham, where Mr.
Campbell held the office that gave him the
title which he still holds. Following the
family bent in politics as well as religious
predilection, Deacon Campbell, whose portrait
accompanies this biographical sketch, is a
Republican of the stanchest type. In the
various relations of life he fulfils his part be-
fitting the representative of a race noted in
their own country for centuries for their loy-
alty and indomitable strength, and in Amer-
ica, the Jand of their adoption, for the most
admirable traits developed by the pioneer
settlers.

 

HARLES S. WHIDDEN, a success-

c _ ful agriculturist of Rye, was born in
Portsmouth, this county, April 27,

. 1852, son of Samuel H. and Data
D. (Brown) Whidden. Mr. Whidden repre-
sents one of the oldest established families of
the county. He is directly descended from
Ichabod Whidden, who took up a tract of land
in the vicinity of Portsmouth during the reign
of King Charles II. This land, which is still
in the possession of the Whidden family, lies
partly in Portsmouth and partly in the adjoin-
ing town of Greenland. From Ichabod Whid-
den the descent was continued by four Samuels

 

and Samuel H. to Charles S. Whidden. Each
ancestor was a farmer by occupation; and gen-
eration after generation occupied the home-
stead, each one making improvements on the
property. One of the Samuels enlisted in the
King’s troops, and was garrisoned at Cape
Town, remaining in the service thirty years.
He then returned to the old Whidden home-
stead, on which he passed his remaining days.

Samuel Whidden (fourth), the grandfather
of Charles S., married Sally Haines, who was
descended from one of the pioneers of the town
of Greenland. He succeeded to the home-
stead, and followed the occupation of farmer
throughout his active years. Samuel H.
Whidden, a son of Samuel, spent his entire
life on the homestead farm, also occupied in
farming until his death at the age of sixty-nine
years. Of his marriage with Data D. Brown,
a daughter of Jonathan Brown, of Rye, N.H.,
two sons and two daughters were born. These
were: Charles S. and Horace D., twins; An-
toinette A., now Mrs. Horace W. Garland, of
Rye, N.Y.; and Anna A., now Mrs. Irvin W.
Garland, of Rye, N.H. Horace D., now de-
ceased, married Mary Hare, and at his demise
left two sons— Samuel S. and Charles H.,
who are the present owners of the original
homestead property. Mrs. Data D. Whidden
died at the age of fifty-six years.

Charles S. Whidden was reared and edu-
cated in Portsmouth, and lived there until
1884, when he removed to Rye. He has al-

ways been closely associated with the agricult-
ural interests of Rockingham County, and is
now one of the leading farmers of his adopted
town. In politics Mr. Whidden has uniformly
supported the Republican ticket. In 1876 he
cast his first Presidential vote in favor of
Rutherford B. Hayes. He is actively inter-
ested in town and county affairs, and was a
member of the Board of Selectmen in 1894 and

1895.
Mr. Whidden married Alice J. Jenness in
1876. Mrs. Whidden was bom in Rye,

daughter of Samuel W. and Eliza Colcord
Jenness, and is lineally descended from Fran-
cis Jenness, one of the original settlers of Rye.
Francis Jenness, who was of English birth,
and came to this country in the early Colonial
times, accompanied by one brother, settled near
35?

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

the New Hampshire shore; while his brother
pushed into the interior, and was never heard
from afterward. Francis continued his resi-
dence in this county, becoming the founder of
the present well-known family bearing his
name. Mr. and Mrs. Whidden have two
daughters, namely: Mary W., a teacher of
music; and Edith E., now attending school.
Both parents occupy the old Jenness home-
stead, in which five generations have been
reared.

 

OHN H. PARKER, now deceased, for-
merly the proprietor and manager of
Seabrook, was born May 10, 1837, in
the well-known Washington House at

Sanford, York County, Me., son of Clement
and Maria (Hubbard) Parker. His father in
early manhood was a confectioner at Sanford
and Great Falls, N.H. Subsequently he was
the proprietor and manager of the Merrimac
House of Boston, Mass., which he conducted
for some years. He married Mrs. Maria
(Hubbard) Heminway, a native of Sanford ;
and they became the parents of five children,
all of whom except John H., the subject of
the sketch, are now living. The father passed
his declining years at Lewiston, Me., where
he died in 1876. The mother had died several
years previously.

John H. Parker received his elementary
education in the common schools of West-
brook, Me. He prepared himself for a college
course, but had not afterward the advantage of
pursuing it. In 1870 he removed to Seabrook
and purchased the Washington House. He
managed it thereafter for several years, ac-
commodating the transient guests only. In
1861 he enlisted for service in the Civil War
in the First Regiment of Rhode Island Cav-
alry, but was at first detailed as a recruiting
officer at Great Falls, N.H. Later he served
in the Second Regiment of New Hampshire
Cavalry, and participated in the engagement
at Kelly’s Ford. Here he sustained serious
internal injuries caused by his horse falling
upon him, from the effects of which he never
fully recovered.

On April 5, 1860, Mr. Parker wedded Miss
Lydia Hall, a daughter of Gilman and Eliza

 

(Tuttle) Hall, who were residents of Barring-
ton, N.H. They had one child, whose death
some time ago was to them a sore affliction.
In national politics Mr. Parker was a Republi-
can. He had affiliation with the Masonic fra-
ternity, being a member of St. John’s Lodge
located at Newburyport, Mass. His recollec-
tions of the Civil War were kept fresh by
association with the Grand Army Post at Lew-
iston, Me., of which at one time he was Vice-
Commander. Mr. Parker departed this life at
Seabrook, July 23, 1875. Since his decease
his wife, Mrs. Parker, has conducted the hotel
now known as the Parker House.

 

OHN JAMES BELL, formerly of
Exeter, who died in Manchester, N.H.,
August 22, 1893, is justly ranked among
the noteworthy men of New Hampshire.

‘‘Flad he lived,’’ wrote one who knew him
well, ‘‘it is probable that his State, which
every year grew more appreciative of him,
would have called him to its chief magis-

tracy.’’ ‘‘His biography in brief,’’ said his
pastor, is ‘‘an honorable man and _ counsel-
lor.’’ His life was a shining example of

virtue and of zeal for every good cause.

He was born at Chester, N.H., October 30,
1827, son of the Hon. Samuel Dana and Mary
(Healey) Bell. His American ancestry began
with John Bell, who came from Londonderry
in the north of Ireland, cast in his lot with
the early settlers of Londonderry, N.H., and
subsequently held the responsible offices of
Selectman, Surveyor, and Moderator of the
town. John Bell’s son, also named John, was
Selectman, Town Clerk, a member of the
Committee of Public Safety, a delegate to the
convention that adopted the first constitution
of government, Colonel of militia, Senator,
Justice of the Peace, and Elder of the First
Parish. His son, Samuel, having graduated
from Dartmouth College in 1793, became a
member and Speaker of the New Hampshire
House of Representatives, State Senator, Presi-
dent of the State Senate, Justice of the Supreme
Court, Governor of the State, United States
Senator for twelve years, besides Trustee of
Dartmouth College. Samuel's eldest child,
Samuel Dana, who was a graduate of Harvard
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

353

 

 

College, read law with the eminent jurist, the
Hon. George Sullivan. In 1820 he removed
to Chester, after which he represented that
town in the State legislature, was Clerk of the
House, Solicitor for Rockingham County,
Colonel of First Regiment of the New Hamp-
shire militia, Commissioner for the revisal of
the laws, Judge successively of the Police,
Common Pleas, and Superior Courts, and
finally Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial
Court.

John James Bell received his education in
the public schools and academies of Manches-
ter, Concord, and Exeter. After studying law
in Manchester, he graduated from the Harvard
Law School, and was admitted to the bar of
Hillsborough County in 1848. He spent the
first two years of his professional career in
Milford and Nashua, N.H., after which he
removed to Carmel, Me. During the fourteen
years he practised law here, he attained a high
reputation for legal acumen. At the end of
that time, feeling the general depression
of business and judging that the condition
of things would become worse, he returned to
this State. Establishing himself in Exeter,
he resumed his law business, and continued it
until he had acquired a competence. Then he
retired from the bar, and gave his chief atten-
tion to literary pursuits and historical research.
In 1874-75 he made a tour of Europe and Pal-
estine. Shortly after his return from abroad
he was appointed Judge of the Exeter Police
Court, a position that he held with distinction
for many years. By the death of his brother,
the Hon. Samuel N. Bell, in 1889, he came
into possession of a large property, which
thenceforth placed him beyond the necessity
of following his profession in any form. It
obliged him, however, to engage actively in
other occupations. He was soon after elected
a Director of the Concord & Portsmouth
Railroad, and both Director and President of
the Pemigewasset Valley, Suncook Valley, and
Suncook Extension Valley Railroads. He was
afterward President of a company formed to
build a railroad from Exeter to Epping, N.H.,
was largely interested in the Manufacturing
Company of Exeter, was the first President of
the Exeter Board of Trade, was subsequently
President of the State Board of Trade, and

 

was Director in the New Hampshire Life
Insurance Company. But while giving due
attention to his multifarious interests, he did
not neglect the duties of good citizenship.
He was a member of the State legislatures of
1883, 1885, 1887, 1889, and 1891, where, as
one of the leaders of the house, few men of
late years have had such beneficial influence
on legislation. It was said of him that ‘‘his
thorough knowledge of the history of legisla-
tion and his familiarity with parliamentary
law and practice enabled him to engage effec- |
tively in debate — often without a moment’s
preparation — making him an influential and
valuable member; while his high charac-
ter and unquestionable integrity gave him a
pre-eminence attained by few of his contem-
poraries.’’ He also did good service for the
State by his efforts in behalf of the insane
poor, asa member of the State Library Com-
mittee, and as one of the commissioners desig-
nated to establish the boundary line between
New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Very
useful work was likewise accomplished by him
as Secretary, Vice-President, and President
of the New Hampshire Historical Society and
as a member of the New England Historical
and Genealogical Society. He was regarded
as an authority upon historical subjects, and
was the writer of several instructive papers,
among which may be mentioned his notable
address at Hampton’s Quarter-millennial,
and: that upon ‘‘The Rockingham County Bar
in the Days of Webster and Mason.’’

A sincere and practical temperance man,
Mr. Bell served as first officer in the State
temperance organization, and filled prominent
positions both in the Sons of Temperance and
in the Independent Order of Good Templars.
He was connected with the Masonic Order for
nearly forty-four years. He took the first
three degrees in Rising Sun Lodge, No. 39,
at Nashua, respectively in October, November,
and December, 1849, afterward advancing to
some of the highest functions known to the
fraternity. He was Deputy Grand Master of
the Grand Lodge of Maine, Grand High Priest
of the Grand Chapter, Grand Principal Con-
ductor of Work in the Grand Council, and
Grand Senior Warden in the Grand Com-
mandery. In the Grand Lodge of New
354

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Hampshire he was Grand Master; in the Grand
Chapter, Grand High Priest; in the Grand
Commandery, Grand Commander; and in the
Grand Council of High Priests, he was Presi-
dent at the time of his demise. He was a
member and a most liberal supporter of the
Second Congregational Church in Exeter. He
also took an active interest in church work,
serving as  Sunday-school teacher, clerk,
Deacon, and parish moderator, acting as dele-
gate to the National Council of Congregation-
alists held in 1892 and as one of the corporate
members of the American Board.

In 1881, April 13, Mr. Bell married Miss
Cora L. Kent, daughter of Deacon and Mrs.
Hervey Kent, of Exeter. The happy union
was made still happier by the advent of two
sons: Samuel Kent Bell, born March 4, 1888;
and John Kent Bell, born February 4, 1891.
When Mr. Bell died, his bereaved family had
the sincere sympathy of Exeter’s people, who
mourned with them, having cause enough in
that a useful man, a good man, a model for
their youth, had been withdrawn forever. His
obsequies were attended by a concourse of life-
long friends; and his remains were interred
August 25, 1893, at Exeter.

 

 

MERY BATCHELDER, who comes of
an old and respected Hampton family,
was born in Hampton Falls, N.H.,
September 18, 1812, son of Reuben and
Betsey (Tilton) Batchelder. The first of the
family born in the town of Hampton was
Nathaniel Batchelder, who was the eldest son
of an English settler. David Batchelder,
grandfather of Emery, was a well-to-do farmer
of Hampton Falls. His second wife, Mary
(Emery) Batchelder, was Emery’s  grand-
mother. David Batchelder reared four sons
and nine daughters, all of whom, except four
of the daughters, had large families.

Reuben Batchelder, the eldest of David’s
children by his second wife, was born on the
old Batchelder place in Hampton Falls, May
11, 1777. He acquired his first knowledge of
books in the district school, and spent his
manhood in the pursuit of agriculture. When
he was twenty-eight years old, he purchased
a farm, where he made his home for the re-

 

mainder of his life, and-died at the age of
ninety years and ten months. Mr. Batchelder
was prominent in town affairs, and served for
some time as Selectman. His wife, who was
the daughter of Micah Tilton, of Hampton,
died in 1837. They had seven children, of
whom Emery and his brother John are the
only survivors. The others died: David at
the age of eighty-three years, Lucy and Rhoda
at eighty, Dolly at forty-nine, and Nathaniel
in infancy.

Emery Batchelder was educated in the dis-
trict schools and at Rockingham Academy.
He, too, has been engaged in farming since
early youth. His farm of fifty acres, formerly
known as the Cram place, came into his pos-
session by purchase. Since then he has
added a residence, which he had moved onto
the estate, and has erected out-buildings.
For some time he has suffered from blindness,
the result of an injury caused by a fall from
a tree in 1878. The loss of his sight was
gradual, until he became totally blind. Mr.
Batchelder was married December 18, 1838,
to Dorothy A., daughter of Simon N. and
Hannah (Towle) Dearborn, of Hampton. Of
seven children born to them six are living.
Charles E., who died at the age of thirty-four,
was married to Lucy M. Tarr, and left one
son, Benjamin F. Anna E. is the wife of
Homer B. Crane, of Amesbury, Mass. John
A. married Angie Woodward, and has five
children— Mary E., Gertrude, Annie Des
David, and John. Ellen P. married Irving
Lamprey, of North Hampton, and has two sons
— Ernest and Harold. Abbie C. is the wife
of Cyrus W. Brown, of Pittsfield, and the
mother of two children — Louise and Florence.
David F. married Helen Brown, and has three
children — Arthur.D., Martha H., and Paul
E. And Mary L. is the wife of John L.
Brown, and the mother of two children —
Leavitt B. and Frank E. Mr. Batchelder’s
son David has served as Selectman of Hamp-
ton Falls for two years.

Mr. Batchelder has been a supporter of the
Republican party since its formation, having
been previously a Whig. He cast his first
Presidential vote in 1836, when no less than
four candidates — William H. Harrison, Hugh
L. White, Daniel Webster, and W. P. Man-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

355

 

 

gum —called for Whig support; while the
Democrats were unanimous in nominating
Martin Van Buren. He represented the dis-
trict in the State legislature of 1868-69, and
served on the Hampton Falls Board of Select-
men for two years. A member of the Hamp-
ton Falls Congregational Church for fifty-four
years, he has been an officer of the society
some ten years. Mr. and Mrs. Batchelder rank
among the oldest residents of Hampton Falls,
and are held in the highest esteem by all their
neighbors.

 

 

OHN W. LOCKE, a successful mer-
chant of Seabrook, was born here Oc-
tober 4, 1841, son of James and Han-
nah P. (Chesley) Locke. He belongs

to the fourth generation of his family born in
Seabrook. The family was founded by Timo-
thy B. Locke, who spent the latter part of his
life in Seabrook and Kensington. John Locke,
the grandfather of John W., was a tanner and
currier, and had an extensive business. He
was fifty-eight years of age when he died.
His wife’s maiden name was Mary Sanborn.
James Locke, who was reared in Seabrook,
his native town, at an early age developed a
talent for trading. He spent some time in the
South at Columbus, Ga., and Apalachicola,
Fla. After his return home it is told that he
occupied an old boat shop. Some time prior
to 1822 he established a store on the premises
now occupied by his son, where he carried on
a successful business in general merchandise
up to the time of his death. He took an
active interest in public affairs, was a Major
in the State militia, and represented Seabrook
in the State legislature. His death occurred
February 27, 1866, in his fifty-ninth year.
His wife, who was a native of Rye, this
county, was a daughter of Simon Chesley, of
that town. Mr. and Mrs. Locke reared three
children. These were: John W., the subject
of this sketch; Mary O., now the wife of Jo-
seph L. Leavitt, of Exeter, N.H., and the
mother of three living children — Major James
Locke, George Thomas W., and Mary Mars-
ton; and James B., unmarried, who lives in
Seabrook. ;
John W. Locke obtained his early education

 

in a district schoo] and at Seabrook Academy.
He was engaged in the store with his father
until the outbreak of the war, when the patri-
otic enthusiasm of the time carried him, too,
from his home to the battle-fields of the South.
Enlisting August 11, 1862, in Company D,
Fourteenth New Hampshire Infantry, he was
subsequently with Sheridan in the Shenandoah
Valley. In the course of the service he was
promoted to the rank of First Sergeant, after
which he was detailed as military detective in
Washington, and served in that capacity from
December 1, 1863, to February 21, 1864.
Receiving his discharge July 8, 1865, he re-
turned home, and engaged in the grocery busi-
ness at the depot in Seabrook. In 1867 he
purchased from his brother the store estab-
lished by their father. He afterward became
manager of the Salem House in Salem, Mass.,
fora while. His present quarters were taken
in 1873, and he has since been occupied in
conducting a flourishing trade in general mer-
chandise.

Mr. Locke was married in 1869 to Sarah E.,
daughter of William Southwick, of Salem,
Mass., and is now the father of two children
— Rinda C. and James Edwin. | He cast his
first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln
in 1864, and has been prominent in the coun-
cils of the Republican party ever since. He
was elected Representative to the General
Court in 1883-85; was Postmaster of Sea-
brook from 1889 to August, 1894; and has
been Justice of the Peace some ten years. He
belongs to Hampton Lodge, No. 21, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, and Hunt’s En-
campment; to Waukewan Tribe, No. 16, Im-
proved Order of Red Men, of Danvers, Mass. ;
Council No. 15, Senior Order of United
American Mechanics; and Council No. 7,
Junior Order of United American Mechanics;
and for a number of years was Commander of
the J. A. Logan Post, No. 21, Grand Army of
the Republic.

 

OSES E. KIMBALL, a successful
business man residing at Windham

Junction, is a native of Methuen,

Mass., born May 28, 18209, son of

Frederick and Azubah (Eastman) Kimball, the
356

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

former of whom is a native of Haverhill, Graf-
ton County, N.H. The Kimball family are
said to be of English extraction. Benjamin
Kimball, grandfather of Moses E., was a Rev-
olutionary soldier. After the close of the war
he lived for many years in Methuen, Mass.,
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits.
His son, Frederick Kimball, spent his boy-
hood on a New Hampshire farm, and _ subse-
quently settled in Methuen, Mass., where he
died in August, 1862. In Methuen he was
engaged in farming, and carried on quite an
extensive lumber business, so that at the time
of his death he had accumulated considerable
property. In politics he was a Democrat.
He served Methuen as Selectman, and was
one of its most prominent residents. Two of
the children born to him and his wife, Azubah
Eastman Kimball, are living, namely: Moses
E., the subject of this sketch; and Emily, the
wife of H. M. Howard, of Byfield, Mass.
Frederick Kimball was a communicant of
the Baptist church.

Moses E. Kimball grew to manhood in
Methuen, Mass., receiving his education in

the public schools of that town. In 1888 he
came from Methuen to Windham Junction,
which has since been his home. His resi-

dence, with its surroundings, is one of the
finest rural homes in Rockingham County.
He owns one hundred acres of land there and
about two hundred and_ thirty-five acres in
Derry, N.H. During the past thirty years he
has been engaged in lumbering more or less
extensively, principally in Salem, Windham,
Derry, and Londonderry, N.H., and in
Methuen and Haverhill, Mass. All his life
he has been a hard worker; and his industry,
combined with his good management, has
caused him to be recognized as a most capable
man of affairs.

On April 28, 1853, Mr. Kimball was
united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Gross,
a native of Methuen and a daughter of the late
Benjamin Gross. Of their six children three
are living, namely: Eugene C., residing in
Lawrence, Mass.; Frank W., residing in
Methuen; and Mabel L., the wife of James
E. Anderson, of Exeter. Mrs. Anderson
formerly sang in the Congregational church
at Methuen, and has a well-established local

 

reputation as a musician, instrumental as well
as vocal. The others were: Seymour M.,
Lillie L., and Jennie M. Jennie M., who
was the wife of Charles A. Wilman, left two
children — Raymond and Maude, who live
with their grandparents. In politics Mr. Kim-
ball follows his father’s lead, being, like him,
a Democrat. He was Selectman and Street
Commissioner of Methuen for several terms. |
The family are much esteemed in Windham
society.

 

°

 

HARLES H. TURNER, one of the
leading business men of Candia and a
veteran of the Civil War, was born
in Candia, January 13, 1847, son of
William and Mary J. (Robinson) Turner.
The family is of English origin. Its founder
built the second house of those erected on the
territory now comprising Candia. Mr. Turn-
er’s great-grandfather, William Turner, who
served in the Revolutionary War, was a resi-
dent of this town when it was a part of
Chester. Moses Turner, Mr. Turner’s grand-
father, was born in Candia, and there was pros-
perously engaged in farming during the active
period of his life. He was a worthy and use-
ful citizen, supported the Democratic party in
politics, and reared four children. His daugh-
ter, Sarah, whose birth occurred in 1747, was
the first white child born in Candia. He lived
to an advanced age.

William Turner was born in Candia toward
the close of the last century, and was reared
to farming in this town. While still a youth
he served in the War of 1812. He owned and
cultivated a farm, and also kept a hotel. In
the time-honored capacity of ‘‘Squire,’’ though
he was called Captain Turner, he transacted
all the legal business of the community for
many years. Acting with the Democratic
party, he was prominent in local affairs. He
served the town as Selectman and in other
offices, and was Postmaster for a number of
years. In his religious belief he was a Bap-
tist. His death occurred March 31, 1851, at
the age of fifty-one years. He married Mary
J. Robinson, a native of Deerfield, this
county; and she became the mother of ten chil-
dren, of whom five are living, and three served
 

DANIEL WADLEIGH.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

359

 

 

in the late war. The survivors are: George A.
and T. Benton, both of whom are veterans of
the Civil War, and reside in Candia; Addie M.,
the wife of Richard Kuper, of New York
City; Sadie C., the wife of Albert C. Smith,
of Somerville, Mass.; and Charles H., the
subject of this sketch. The mother, who is
still living, draws a pension as the widow of
a veteran of the War of 1812.

Charles H. Turner began his education in
the schools of Candia. He also attended
school in Boston for some little time. Subse-
quently he enlisted as bugler in Troop M,
First Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer
Cavalry, under Colonel Thompson and Captain
Rhoades. He served through the whole
period of hostilities, and was present at the
battles of Antietam, South Mountain, Cold
Harbor, White Oak Swamp, Petersburg, Wel-
don Railroad, and other memorable engage-
ments. The only injury he received was
caused by a fall from his horse in front of
Petersburg. He was discharged July 16,
1865. Returning to Candia, he was for the
succeeding year engaged in shoemaking. He
then became a clerk in M. A. Dexter’s store,
where he remained four years, was employed
by E. E. Smith in the same capacity for two
years, after which he worked for W. A. Barker
for one year, and for another year with Mr.
Smith. The next two years he spent ‘“‘on
the road,’’ representing the Athol Cracker
Company. He then formed a partnership with
Natt J. Cate, and engaged in business at the
stand formerly occupied by C. S. Lang. The
enterprise has been quite successful. The
partners soon gained the good will of the gen-
eral community, who now patronize them lib-
erally.

On February 15, 1876, Mr. Turner was
united in marriage with Nellie M. Sanborn, of
Candia. Mrs. Turner is now the mother of
one daughter, Addie L., who is attending
school. Mr. Turner has filled the important
chairs in Leola Lodge, No. 70, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of
Fraternity Commandery, No. 518, United
Order of the Golden Cross, of Candia, and
of the Knights of Pythias of Raymond; and
for the past three years he has been Adjutant
of D. B. Dudley Post, No. 79, Grand Army

‘who settled in Saco, Me.

 

of the Republic. In politics he is a Republi-
can, and was Town Clerk for seven years in
succession. Both he and Mrs. Turner attend
the Congregational church.

 

APTAIN DANIEL WADLEIGH,
one of the best-known residents of
‘© Kingston and an ex-member of the
New Hampshire legislature, was
born in this town, March 1, 1824, son of Jo-
seph and Anna (Sleeper) Wadleigh. The
family, which is of English origin, was
founded in this country by John Wadleigh,
Daniel Wadleigh,
first, Captain Wadleigh’s grandfather, a de-
scendant of John Wadleigh, was a native of
Kingston. He located in the south part of the
town, where he followed the trade of a black-
smith; and he died there.

Joseph Wadleigh, Captain Wadleigh’s
father, was born in Kingston, and in young
manhood began work with his father. After
being engaged in blacksmithing at South
Kingston for some years, he moved to Kings-
ton, where he settled upon the farm which is
now owned by his son and he was an industri-
ous tiller of the soil for the rest of his life.
He died April 21, 1826. His wife, formerly
Anna Sleeper, who was a native of Kingston,
became the mother of five children, as follows:
Jonathan, Daniel, Hannah, and Mary, who are
no longer living; and a second Daniel, now
the only survivor of the family. After the
death of her husband Mrs. Wadleigh continued
to carry on the farm with the aid of hired
assistants until her son was able to take charge
of the property. Her declining years were
passed at the homestead, where she died in
April, 1883, at the advanced age of eighty-
three.

Daniel Wadleigh, the subject of this sketch,
acquired his elementary education in the com-
mon schools, and pursued more advanced
studies at Kingston Academy, which he at-
tended two terms. When of sufficient age, he
took charge of the farm in company with his
brother; and at the death of the latter the entire
management of the place devolved upon him.
He has always lived at his present home, with
the exception of a year spent in the northern
360

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

part of the town. He owns one hundred and
sixty acres of good land, which has greatly
increased in productiveness under his able
management; and he carries on general farm-
ing, his principal crops consisting: of hay,
grain, and potatoes. He has also given some
attention to the raising of cattle and sheep and
fruit growing. Aside from agricultural pur-
suits he carries on lumbering operations upon
quite an extensive scale, and he was for some
time engaged in burning charcoal.

In politics he is a stanch Democrat, having
been for many years an active and influential
supporter of that party; and he has made for
himself an honorable record in the public ser-
vice. He has served as a member of the Board
of Selectmen for one term, and was a member
of the House of Representatives for the years
1874 and 1875. He has served upon the
grand jury for Rockingham County, also upon
the petit jury in the United States District
Court; and for some years he held a Captain’s
commission in the Seventh Regiment, New
Hampshire Volunteer Militia.

On December 24, 1854, Captain Wadleigh
married Maria E. Hoyt, who was born in
Dover, N.H., daughter of Benjamin Hoyt,
late of that city. By this union there was but
one child, who died in infancy. His wedded
life was of short duration, as his wife died
October 23, 1856, less than two years after
matriage.

He has been a tireless worker all of his life,
striving diligently to obtain the most. profit-
able results and to increase the value of his
property; and he is greatly attached to his
homestead and its surroundings. He possesses
some rare books that are more than one hun-
dred and fifty years old, and he takes great
pleasure in showing these to strangers.

 

 

ILLIAM L. WHITTIER is a prom-
inent farmer of Deerfield, where he
was born in the home of his ances-

tors, May 23, 1860. The Whittiers of Deer-
field are descended from Thomas Whittier,
who was born in England in 1620, and came
in 1638 to Newbury, Mass., now a part of
Haverhill. From him sprung. all of the
Whittiers in this country, including John G.

 

Whittier, the poet. The first in this branch
of whom there is record was William Whit-
tier, born-in 1710, the great-great-grandfather
of William L. Whittier. He was one of
those who enlisted under Captain John Hazen
to go to Crown Point in 1760, receiving, ac-
cording to the records, his discharge from duty
in October of the same year. The powder-
horn he carried on that eventful occasion is
now in the. possession of William L. His
gun is preserved by Captain Isaac H. Morri-
son. William Whittier, the Crown Point
soldier, resided at East Kingston, N.H., and
manufactured iron for the wholesale trade at
Crowley’s Falls, Brentwood, N.H. He mar-
ried Abigail Morrill, and died, most probably
in 1771, aged sixty-one years. He left a
son, Isaac, born in 1736, who married Mary
Blaisdell, and resided at East Kingston.
Isaac was engaged with his father in the man-
ufacture of iron at Crowley’s Falls, and died
in 1763.

William Whittier, son of Isaac, born at
East Kingston, married Polly Rowell, who
belonged to a Scottish family. In his early
youth he went to Brentwood, where he also
manufactured iron for the wholesale trade.
He remained there until his forty-sixth year,
when he came to Deerfield, and built the
house now owned and occupied by the grand-
son of his name. [n politics he was a Demo-
crat. Of four children born to him the sur-
vivors are: William, the father of William
L.; and Rice R., who resides with his
brother. Mary, who was born December I,
1808, died in 1863; and Betsy, born in 1811,
died in 1890. The father died November Il,
1831, aged sixty-eight years. William Whit-
tier, the third of the name in a direct line
and the father of the subject of this sketch,
was born December 5, 1814, in the house built
by his father. A magnificent physique was
one of the legacies handed down from his
Scottish forefathers. In his eightieth year
he was sufficiently vigorous to assist his son
in loading a sled with logs, and then walk
from the woods, a distance of a mile, feeling
no fatigue from his exertions. He was elected
to the New Hampshire legislature, serving
two terms, of 1852 and 1853. He married
Hannah F. Dearborn, who bore him two chil-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

361

 

 

dren — William L. and Lizzie M. The latter
is the wife of Byron Swett, of Deerfield.

William L. Whittier received his element-
ary education in the common schools of Deer-
field. Subsequently he was a student of the
New Hampshire College of Agriculture and
Mechanic Arts, from which he graduated in
1883, at the age of twenty-three years. Re-
turning then to the home of his childhood, he
has lived there since. Besides his farming
interests, Mr. Whittier has a shingle and clap-
board mill in operation in Deerficld. The
floor space of this mill building is twenty-
seven by forty fect in dimensions. In charge
of one employee, it turns one hundred and fifty
thousand shingles every year. Clapboard work
is done by contract. For four years he was

- Director of the Creamery Association of Deer-
field, during one of which he was its Presi-
dent.

In 1893 Mr. Whittier was united in matri-
mony with Miss Clara E. Dearborn, of Deer-
field. The principles of the Republican party
find in him an earnest advocate. He held
the office of superintendent of schools under
the old law for one year, and was a member of
the School Board for three years. Asa farmer
he was naturally interested in the grange
movement, and was for a time Overseer of the
grange of Deerfield. He is a Baptist by
faith and profession.

 

ON. ISAAC WOODBURY, of Salem,

who has efficiently served as Com-

9 missioner of Rockingham County,
and has occupied a seat in the New
Hampshire legislature, was born in Salem,
August 11, 1822, the son of Asa and Sarah
(Thom) Woodbury. The Woodbury family is
of English origin, and was established in this
country in the early part of the seventeenth
century. The Hon. Isaac Woodbury’s pater-
nal grandfather, Israel Woodbury, was an
early settler of Salem, and fought for Ameri-
can independence in the Revolution. Asa
Woodbury, a native and lifelong resident of
Salem, was a well-to-do farmer and one of
the prominent men of the town. He was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Though an ardent Abolitionist, he was yet

 

highly esteemed by his townsmen of differing
political opinions, and was elected to the
Board of Selectmen, on which he served -for
some time. His death occurred in 1847, in
his sixty-fourth year.

The Hon. Isaac Woodbury spent the first
sixteen years of his life on his father’s farm
in Salem, attending the common schools of his
native town and the academy at South New
Market, N.H. On leaving school he obtained
a position as clerk in a dry-goods house in
Boston, Mass. He subsequently followed that
line of work until 1847, when on account of
his father’s death he returned home, and took
charge of the farm. From that time to the
present he has been actively engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits, in which he has achieved
marked success. At one time he made a
specialty of raising Devon cattle, and sold
fine-blooded stock in New Hampshire and
other States. He has a valuable farm of
about one hundred and fifty acres, every rood -
of which is used to the best advantage.

Mr. Woodbury has been twice married.
His first marriage was contracted with Caro-
line W. Parker, of Cohasset, Mass., who died
leaving six children. These were: Isaac F.,
now a resident of Allston, Mass., and senior
member of the well-known firm of Woodbury
& Leighton, contractors and builders, of Bos-
ton; Sarah E., the wife of John W. Hall, of
Methuen, Mass.; Mary C., the wife of C. E.
Austin, of Methuen; Charles H., living in
Allston, who is a member of the firm Mitch-
ell, Woodbury & Co., Pearl Street, Boston,
importers and wholesale dealers in crockery
and Japanese goods; and Albert A. and John
P., both deceased. Mr. Woodbury took for
his second wife Mrs. Martha C. Smith, of
Putney, Vt.

Politically, Mr. Woodbury favors the Re-
publican side. He was three years Selectman
of Salem, represented the town in the State
legislature for two years, and was Commis-
sioner of Rockingham County three years.
He is a man of broad intelligence, strong
character, and pronounced views. For a long
time he has been an ardent advocate of tem-
perance. An active worker for religious ob-
jects, he is a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and has for many years been
362

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Steward, Trustee, Sunday-schoo] superintend-
ent, and class leader of the church in Salem.

 

HARLES BATCHELDER, a promi-
nent resident of North Hampton, ex-

l, tensively engaged in horse and

cattle dealing, was born on the
homestead he now occupies, March 18, 1843.
He is a son of Levi and Clarissa (Marston)
Batchelder. The Batcheider family was es-
tablished in this country by three brothers
of English birth, one of whom settled in New
Hampshire, one in Massachusetts, and one in
Maine. The land owned by Charles Batchel-
der has been occupied by five generations of
the family. His grandfather, John Batchel-
der, who was born here in 1774, spent his life
on the homestead, occupied in farming, and
died in 1809 in his thirty-sixth year. His
wife, Abigail, a daughter of Dr. Jonas Pres-
cott, of North Hampton, bore him eight
children, namely: Mark, who married Sophia,
daughter of Jeremiah and Betsey (Prescott)
Brown; John, who married Mary, daughter of
Eben Prescott, of Pittsfield, N.H.; Josiah,
the only one living to-day, residing in Exe-
ter, N.H., who married Deborah Clark, of that
city; Levi, the father of the subject of this
sketch; Sally, who married James Batchel-
der, of North Hampton; Elizabeth, who be-
came Mr. Batchelder’s second wife; Mary,
who married David Elkins, of Hampton; and
Abigail, who never married.

Levi Batchelder obtained his education in
the district school near his home.  Sur-
rounded by the sights and sounds of farm life
from infancy, he following the leading of his
environment, and became a farmer. He spent
his days in the home of his fathers, and died
at the age of seventy years. His wife, who
was a daughter of Jeremiah and Abigail Mars-
ton, and attained the age of seventy-nine,
reared three children, namely: George, now
residing in North Hampton, who married
Georgie Sanborn, of Concord, and has twin
children, Frank and Tranny; Charles, the sub-
ject of this sketch; and Clara, now the wife
of Henry Ring, of Pittsfield, and the mother
of one child, Grace.

Charles Batchelder, like his father, obtained

 

his first knowledge of books in the district
school near his home, while he obtained his
first knowledge of the value and different
characteristics of live stock on his father’s
farm. He has for some years been engaged
as a dealer in horses and cattle. Being a
shrewd business man and an infallible judge
of horses and cattle, he has been very success-
ful. Some time ago he purchased his father’s
estate, on which he has made many improve-
ments, erecting new buildings and a handsome
residence. Mr. Batchelder was married in
1863 to Martha, daughter of Nathan Brown,
of North Hampton, and became the father of
six children. These were: Clarabel A., de-
ceased, who was the wife of Frank Brown, of
North Hampton; George; Louie; Bessie;
Dora; and Charles. Mr. Batchelder has been
an adherent of the Republican party ever since
the war. He and his wife are prominent
members of the Orthodox church in North
Hampton.

 

OMMODORE JOHN COLLINS
LONG, who made his home for many
years in Exeter, was born in Ports-
mouth, this State, September «5,
1795, son of Captain George and Martha
(Hart) Long. Captain George Long was for
many years actively engaged in mercantile
pursuits, and accumulated considerable prop-
erty. He lived to be over seventy years,
and his wife also attained an advanced age.
They reared several sons and daughters, of
whom only the Commodore’s sister, M. Eliza-
beth, is living. M. Elizabeth, now ninety-
five years of age, is the widow of the late
Henry H. Ladd. Remarkably bright and
active for her time of life, she looks much
younger than her years.

Commodore John C. Long entered the
United States Navy when fourteen years of
age. Three years after came the War of
1812, wherein he played his humble part.
He had the honor to serve as midshipman
under the brave Commodore Bainbridge on the
famous frigate “Constitution,” and was in the
naval battle off San Salvador, Brazil, between
the “Constitution” and the “Java.” In 1849
Mr. Long was appointed Post Captain, and the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

363

 

 

eleven years following he was in active service
continuously. He circumnavigated the globe
on the frigate “Saranac”; and it was he who
brought the Hungarian patriot, Louis Kossuth,
to this country in 1852. Shortly after this he
was assigned to the “ Powhatan,” which made a
cruise to Rio Janeiro, and subsequently joined
the squadron in the Mediterranean. His last
command was as flag officer of the ‘t Merri-
mac,” the highest a sailor could attain at that
time. On the “Merrimac” he cruised in the
Pacific for two years, rendering valuable ser-
vice to the government and to the Sandwich
Islanders. In 1860 failing health at length
compelled him to resign his commission, and
retire to the privacy of his home. The Com-
modore in his youth had pledged his lifelong
support to the government; and, when the Re-
bellion broke out, it was a source of the deep-
est regret to him that he was unable to engage
once more in active service. He died in Con-
way, N.H., September 2, 1865, aged seventy
years. A man of active benevolence and deep-
seated piety, he was universally esteemed.

Commodore Long was married June 1, 1829,
to Mary O. Gilman, who was born in Exeter,
March 9, 1810, daughter of Nathaniel and
Dorothy (Folsom) Gilman. Dorothy Folsom
was Mr. Gilman’s second wife. The maiden
name of his first wife was Miss Odlin. Mrs.
Long, who was an only daughter, had six
brothers — Nicholas, Samuel, Daniel, John
T., Charles Edwin, and Joseph T. She is
the sole survivor of her parents’ family, and,
though eighty-six years of age, is well pre-
served in mind and body. She has had no
children of her own. Their residence, which
the Commodore erected over forty years ago,
is one of the pleasantest in Exeter.

 

 

ILLIAM G. CROWELL, an enter-
prising and public-spirited citizen
of Salem, is a native of Methuen,

Mass., born December 21, 1816, son of John
and Anna (Greenleaf) Crowell. On both
sides he is a descendant of a Revolutionary
patriot. John Crowell, who was born in
Haverhill, Mass., son of Jonathan and grand-
son of Samuel, a Revolutionary soldier, spent
the greater part of his life in his native town.

 

He died in 1865. Grandfather Greenleaf
participated in the battle of Bunker Hill.

William G. Crowell, when a boy, removed
with his parents to Haverhill, Mass., where
he acquired a common-school education, which
was supplemented by a bricf course at Brad-
ford Academy under Professor Greenleaf. At
the age of sixteen years he began to learn the
trade of a tanner and currier with Thomas
Harding, by whom he was employed about
four years. He subsequently followed the
trade for a short time, until failing health
compelled him to retire. In 1840 he came to
Salem, and engaged in the manufacture of
lumber, running a saw-mill; and for many
years past he has also given considerable
time to agricultural pursuits.

Mr. Crowell married May 6, 1846, Miss
Melinda I. Armstrong, who was born in
Salem, Rockingham County, September 12,
1823, daughter of Joseph and Deborah (Cor-
liss) Armstrong, her father being a native of
Windham, N.H., and her mother of Haver-
hill, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Crowell have had
three children — John C., residing in Malden,
Mass.; Anna (deceased); and Margaret A.,
wife of Kimball M. McLaughlin, of Salem.
On May 6, 1896, this estimable couple, who
are enjoying the fruits of a life spent in use-
fulness and well-doing, celebrated their fiftieth
wedding anniversary.

As a servant of the town, Mr. Crowell has
an honorable record. For a number of years
he was one of the Board of Selectmen, being
Chairman a portion of the time. For several
years he was Treasurer, for ten years Tax Col-
lector, and for two years a Representative to
the State legislature. He was Justice of the
Peace nearly thirty years. He was also in-
strumental in establishing the public library
in Salem, which institution has proved a suc-
cess by filling a wide sphere of usefulness.
He is a charter member of the Salem Grange.

 

OHN T. HILLIARD, of Kingston,
farmer and dairyman, well known in
Kingston and the city of Exctcr, was
born in Kensington, this county, March

g, 1833. He is a son of Charles and Abbie
(Tilton) Hilliard, both natives of Kensington,
364

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

and a grandson of Theophilus Hilliard, who
was both a native and a lifelong resident of
the place. Charles Hilliard made his living
by boot-making and farming, following both
occupations, as the occasion served, up to near
the close of his life, which occurred in Octo-
ber, 1880. His wife died in September,
1895. They were the parents of six children,
namely: Charles Augustus, who married Ellen
Perkins, and lives in Lynn, Mass. ; Caroline,
now deceased, who was the wife of Jeremiah
Blake, of Kensington, also deceased; John
T., the subject of this sketch; Jeremiah, who
married a Miss Pike, and is living on the
homestead in Kensington; Abbie, who lived
but five years; and Ellen, the wife of David
Brown, of Kensington.

John T. Hilliard obtained his education in
the district schools near his home and at the
high schools of the county. He remained on
the home farm, engaged in farming and _ boot-
making, until] about 1856. The following
two years were spent by him in Bath, Me.,
employed in the retail boot and shoe trade.
Returning then to Rockingham County, he
operated shoe machines for Lynn (Mass.)
manufacturers in Hampton, N.H., for three
years, and subsequently in Kensington until
September 2, 1862. On this date he enlisted
for service in the Civil War in the Eleventh
New Hampshire Infantry, under the command
of Colonel Harriman and Captain William R.
Patten. He was subsequently in the battle of
Fredericksburg, the horrors of which are still
vividly remembered by him. Jn the next
spring he went to Vicksburg, and was there
on July 4 when Grant obtained the famous
“unconditional surrender.’’ After that he
went down the Mississippi to Jackson, Miss.,
where his regiment was engaged in a skirmish.
From Jackson, a long and wearisome march,
brought him to Knoxville, Tenn., in the siege
of which he took part. After the siege he was
detailed as mail agent, his first assignment
taking him to the army of the Potomac. His
duties as mill agent occupied him during the
rest of the war, and he took no further part in
the active hostilities. Receiving his discharge
in June, 1865, at Concord, N.H., he returned
to Kensington, where he made his home for
three years, working in the mean time at shoe-

 

making and farming. In April, 1868, he lo-
cated in Kingston, at his present home. This
place, which was known as the old Piper farm,
is in the north-east part of the town, and com-
prises sixty acres of tillage and pasture land.
Mr. Hilliard has made many improvements on
the estate. With this he owns another farm
of thirty acres in East Kingston. He is ex-
tensively engaged in general farming, and has
a large dairy business, kceping about twenty
head of cattle and running a milk wagon daily
to Exeter, this county.

On December 8, 1853, Mr. Hilliard was
united in marriage with Miss Lizzie S. Hobbs,
of Camp Hampton, N.H., daughter of Daniel
Hobbs, of Hampton, this county. They have
six children, namely: George W., who mar-
ried Miss Grace D. Rollins, and lives in
Exeter; Charles D., who died at the age of
four years; William L., who is with his
father; Emma A., the wife of George T. Kim-
ball, of Exeter; Mabel E., the wife of Charles
E. Hilton, of Lowell, Mass. ; and Carrie L.,
who died in infancy. Mr. Hilliard has been
careful to have his children well] educated.
His son, William L., who shares in the milk
business with him, the firm name being J. T.
Hilliard & Son, resides at home, and is a
member of the Improved Order of Red Men.
He married Miss Flora E. Jewell, of Stratham, °
this county, and has two children — Mildred
Jewell and Leon Wilcomb. Mr. Hilliard is
actively interested in politics as a Republican,
and has served as Town Clerk and Collector
of Kensington. He is a member of the Moses
N. Collins Post, No. 26, Grand Army of the
Republic, of Exeter; and of the order of
Knights of Honor.

 

N.H., is one of the best-known men
in the western part of Rockingham
County. He was born in Spring-

field, N.H., January 14, 1810, and is the son

of Daniel and Nancy (Weare) Noyes, repre-
sentatives of two old New Hampshire families.
His paternal grandfather, James Noyes, was

a prominent citizen of Newbury, Mass., a de-

scendant of one of the early settlers of that

town. His father, Daniel Noyes, was born in

A JOHN W. NOYES, of Chester,

 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

367

 

 

Kingston, Rockingham County, N.H., in
1771. He was very prominent in the town of
Springfield, N.H., where much of his active
life was spent. An energetic and progressive
man, he was a merchant, and engaged in vari-
ous kinds of business in Springfield. He died
August 5, 1812. His wife, Nancy W. Weare,
who was born in Andover, N.H., January 10,
1785, was descended from early settlers of
Hampton, Rockingham County. She died in
Concord, N.H., May 9, 1845.

John W. Noyes was educated at the acad-
emies at Salisbury, Pembroke, and Meriden,
N.H. He was first employed, several years,
as a clerk in a store in Concord, N.H. ‘In
March, 1832, he engaged in business for him-
self in Chester, N.H., as merchant, farmer,
etc. He continued in the mercantile business
until 1855. Since then he has devoted much
of his time and attention to agricultural affairs
and insurance, probate, and justice business up
to 1896, a brief record of more than sixty years.
His home, a beautiful country seat, is in the
village of Chester. In 1840 he was chosen a
Director of the Derry Bank in Derry, N.H. ;
and in 1864, when that institution was made a
national bank, he was elected President, which
position he still holds.

Mr. Noyes has at various times held nearly
all the local offices of the town. He was
Town Treasurer for twenty-five years. For
more than fifty years he has been a Justice of
the Peace and Notary Public. He represented
Chester in the State legislature in 1841, 1842,
1853, 1854, 1875, and 1876, and in 1864 and
1865 was a member of the Executive Council.

Mr. Noyes has been a member of the Con-
gregational church in Chester for more than
sixty years, and a Trustee and Treasurer of the
Ministerial Fund for many years. He is, and
has been for many years, a corporate member
of the American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions, and has been one of the
trustees of several of the religious and benevo-
lent societies of the State. Mr. Noyes’s only
brother, the Rev. Daniel J. Noyes, was pastor
of the South Congregational Church in Con-
cord, N.H., twelve years, and professor at
Dartmouth College more than thirty years.

Mr. Noyes was married September 27,
1836, to Nancy Aiken, of Chester, daughter

 

of Samuel and Nancy Marston Aiken, the for-
mer of Chester, the latter of Hampton, N.H.
Mrs. Noyes died June 20, 1840, leaving one
child, Isabelle. This daughter, who died
September 11, 1868, was the wife of Professor
John E. Sinclair, formerly of Exeter, now of
the Worcester Free Institute at Worcester,
Mass. She left two children — Annie N. and
Isabelle A. Mr. Noyes’s second marriage
took place October 18, 1842, in Concord,
N.H., to Miss Clara D. McFarland, who was
born in Concord, N.H., May 13, 1822, and
was a daughter of the Rev. Dr. McFarland of
that city. She died June 26, 1853. There
were four children by this union, two of whom
died in infancy. The third child, Elizabeth
McFarland, is the wife of William S. Green-
ough, a prominent merchant of Boston, whose
home is in Wakefield, Mass. The youngest
child, Nancy Aiken, died July 30, 1871.

Mr. Noyes was married for the third time,
June 21, 1855, to Miss Harriette S. Bouton,
daughter of the Rev. Dr. Bouton, of Concord,
N.H., and grand-daughter of ex-Governor
John Bell, of Chester, N.H. She was born
January 25, 1832. Two children blessed this
union: Mary Bell, born July 26, 1858, who is
with her parents; and John Weare, born June
17, 1867, who died February 3, 1871. Mr.
Noyes has lived in his present home since his
first marriage.

 

[euiam J. FRASER, a prosperous
mason of Portsmouth, was born in

Nova Scotia, February 2, 1836.
He is of Scotch extraction. His father, who
was married and had three children, was a sea-
faring man. William J., who was the eldest
of the family, came to Portsmouth in 1850.
In the following year he engaged as cook
aboard a fishing-vessel, and followed the sea
for three years. Finally, giving up this occu-
pation, he applied himself to learn the mason’s
trade with Luther A. Hurd, and in due time
became an expert workman. Later, in 1860,
he entered into partnership with Otis Green,
with whom, under the firm name of Fraser &
Green, he carried on a profitable business for
ten years. Since separating from Mr. Green
he has conducted the business alone. Indus-

 
368

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

trious and enterprising, and in possession of
an excellent reputation for good work, he can
seldom or never be found without orders
ahead. In addition to masonry he now exe-
cutes stucco and other ornamental work with
taste and despatch, and employs from ten to
fifteen men.

He was first married to Miss Mary F.
Pratt, by whom he had one son, Clarence W.,
the present Treasurer of the Piscataqua Sav-
ings Bank. For his second wife Mr. Fraser
married Miss Martha J. Otis, a daughter of
Harrison G. Otis, of Portsmouth. Both he
and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Portsmouth. In politics Mr. Fraser
is a Democrat, and served on the Board of
Assessors and in the City Council for a num-
ber of years respectively. He is an Odd Fel-
low, owing his allegiance to Osgood Lodge,
No. 48, Strawberry Bank Encampment, and
Canton Senter, and is a member of the Me-
chanic Association.

 

AILEY SARGENT, a prominent
farmer and a produce dealer of Dan-
ville, was born here March 14, 1838,
son of Samuel and Lois (Page) Sar-
gent, both of Danville. His grandfather,
Samuel Sargent, was a lifelong resident of
Danville. Samuel married Sarah Griffin,
who was a native of Salem, N.H.; and both
died in this town. Their son, Samuel Sar-
gent, Jr., the father of Bailey Sargent, was a
cooper and a farmer, and followed both call-
ings for a number of years. A man of charac-
ter and ability, he was elected Selectman for
a number of terms, and represented the district
in the State legislature. He died May 2,
1890. His wife, a daughter of Daniel and
Mary (Towle) Page, who were esteemed resi-
dents of Danville, is now living with her son
Bailey. She had three children, namely :
Bailey, the subject of this sketch; John Wes-
ley, who died April 14, 1877; and Woodbury
Quimby, who died August 22, 1866. John
W. Sargent married Miss Abbie Merrill, who
died November 29, 1895; and Woodbury Q.
Sargent married Miss Georgianna B. Dow, now
living in Manchester, N.H. The mother is
a member of the Methodist church.

 

| section.

Bailey Sargent received his education in the
district school. The care of the farm fell to
him at an early age, and subsequently he be-
came the sole proprietor. The estate contains
two hundred and twenty-five acres of valuable
land, on which Mr. Sargent has made most of
the improvements. He raises great quantities
of garden produce, which he personally dis-
poses of to wholesale dealers in Lawrence and
Haverhill, Mass., and Nashua, N.H. He
keeps an average of ten head of cattle and six
horses.

Mr. Sargent was married in August, 1863,
to Helen M. Hooke, a native of Fremont, this
county, and a daughter of Moses Hooke, a
farmer of that town. They have four sons,.
namely: Charles H., now in the produce busi-
ness at Haverhill; Alfred B., now a Select-
man of Danville, and residing with his par-
ents; Walter F., a graduate of Sanborn Semi-
nary of Kingston, now teaching in Nashua,
N.H.; and Herbert L., who is attending
school. Mr. Sargent has given all his chil-
dren the best educational advantages. In poli-
tics he is a strong Republican, and an active
worker for his party. He was legislative Rep-
resentative of the town in 1878, Chairman of
the Board of Selectmen for two years, and
Town Treasurer for several terms. His home,
situated in the northern part of Danville, is
one of the handsomest in Rockingham County,
he having spared no pains to make it beautiful.
Mr. Sargent’s friends and well-wishers are
legion.

TEPHEN AUGUSTUS PREBLE,
who has worked at the tonsorial art
in Portsmouth for the past quarter
of a century, was born September

25, 1845, in Weld, Me., son of Stephen and
Julia (Greenwood) Preble. He is descended in
a direct line, seven generations removed, from
Commodore Preble, who with five of his
brothers came to America in the early part of
the seventeenth century. One of the brothers
bore the name Stephen, which has since been
perpetuated in the family. Some of the de-
scendants of these seven brothers located in
York County, Maine, becoming pioneers of that
Stephen Preble, who was a_ black-

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

369

 

 

smith, followed his trade in the towns of
Weld, Lewiston, and Wilton, Me., for some
years, and afterward worked in the Portsmouth
navy yard from 1862 until 1876 inclusive.
He then retired to Auburn, Me., where he
died, aged sixty-nine years. He was a mem-
ber of the Christian Baptist church of Ports-
mouth for a number of years. He married
Julia, daughter of James Greenwood, of Dub-
lin, N.H. Of their three sons and three
daughters, Stephen A. was the fifth child.

Stephen A. Preble was educated in the pub-
lic schools of Lewiston, Me. After leaving
school, he went to Boston in search of employ-
ment, and obtained a clerkship in the gem
shop of FE. S. Mills at 97 Hanever Street.
Here he was engaged until 1862, when, in-
spired by the patriotic ardor of the times, he
enlisted on Boston Common in Company H,
Forty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteer In-
fantry, and went under the command of the
late General N. P. Banks on his secret expedi-
tion to relieve General Butler at New Orleans.
He subsequently participated in many engage-
ments, and returned home with his regiment
through the West at the expiration of his term
of enlistment. While in the army he con-
tracted chills and fever from exposure, and his
health was poor for some years after. Return-
ing to Lewiston, he there learned the harness-
maker’s trade from his brother-in-law, H. G.
Garcelon; but his health compelled him to give
this up, and seek employment less exacting
on his time and strength. Going to Auburn,
Me., Mr. Preble learned the barber’s trade at
the Elm House barber shop. In 1865 he
came to this city, where he worked for the
succeeding five years as journeyman at the
Kearsarge barber shop, 58 Congress Street.
In 1870 he opened his present shop, where
he has since acquired an extensive patronage.
In 1881, with characteristic enterprise, he
opened a pool room, which he manages in con-
nection with his other business. Always a
lover of pets, Mr. Preble has been in the
poultry and pet stock business more or less
during his life. At the present time he is
largely interested in raising fine breeds of
pigeons, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, and pets
of every description, finding this pleasant
pastime quite profitable.

 

In 1869 Mr. Preble was married to Lucy J.,
the youngest daughter of Aaron Mudge, of this
city, and has since become the father of one
child, Stephen FE. Liberal in his religious
sentiments, he attends the Universalist
church. In politics he is identified with the
Democratic party, and he served as Assessor
of Taxes in Portsmouth for nine years. He
is a member of Stover Post, No. 1, Grand
Army of the Republic; St. Andrew's Lodge,
No. 56, A. F. & A. M.; Washington Chapter,
No. 3, Royal Arch Masons; De Witt Clinton
Commandery, Knights Templars; New Hamp-
shire Lodge, No. 17, Strawberry Encampment,
No. 5, Canton Senter, No. 12, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; Damon Lodge, No. 9,
Knights of Pythias; and United Order of the
Golden Cross, Portsmouth Commandery, where
he is the Keeper of Records.

 

AMES H. BATCHELDER, bookseller
and stationer, Burlingame’s Block,
Exeter, and proprietor of the White
Mountain hotel known as the Alpine

House, is a native of Exeter, born in 1856.
He is a son of Nathaniel I. and Elizabeth
(Tuttle) Batchelder. Nathaniel I. Batchel-
der, who was born and reared in Loudon,
N.H., has been for many years a resident of
Exeter. In his early manhood he was occu-
pied for a number of years as a tanner and
currier. Subsequently he turned his attention
to market gardening, in which he is still en-
gaged to a certain extent, though seventy-five
years of age. He is a quiet and unassuming
man, content with the success achieved in his
calling, and having no desire for the notoriety
of public place. His wife, who also is a
native of Exeter, still presides over his house-
hold; and in 18096 this venerable couple will
celebrate their golden wedding.

James H. Batchelder attended the Exeter
public schools until he reached the age of
fifteen. His first work for wages was that of
delivering papers for the leading book and
news store of Exeter. He was subsequently
employed as clerk in a music store in Boston
for a number of years; and then Mr. Lane, of
Exeter, who had an extensive trade in books,
stationery, and music, offered him an interest
37°

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

in his business. Accepting the offer, he re-
turned to Exeter; and the business was con-
ducted for about nine months under the firm
name of Lane & Co. At this time Mr. Batch-
elder and John N. Thompson purchased the
business, and two years later Mr. Batchelder
bought out Mr. Thompson. He has now been
the sole proprietor for the past ten years.
His store, which is well stocked with fine sta-
tionery, books, periodicals, and all that the
reading public is likely to demand, is one of
the best in the city. In 1891 he built the
Alpine Hotel in the White Mountains, a hand-
some structure costing twenty-two thousand
dollars. It is now a most popular summer
resort, and filled with guests every year from
July to October. Mr. Batchelder manages
the hotel himself during the season. He is
well known to society people, for whom only
he has made it his policy to cater.

In 1884 Mr. Batchelder was married to Miss
Alice M. Harding, a native of Haverhill,
Mass. They have two sons—- James H., Jr.,
and Charles H. In politics Mr. Batchelder
takes an active interest, voting the Republican
ticket, while he does not aspire to official
honors, as his business affairs demand all his
time and attention.

 

most highly respected agriculturists of

Rockingham County, was born Novem-

ber 19, 1819, in the town of Hawk, as
Danville was formerly called, on the home-
stead which he now owns and occupies. He
is of pioneer ancestry, his great-grandfather,
Reuben Dimond, having removed to Danville
from South Hampton, where his forefathers
had located in early times.

Israel Dimond, first, the grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, was born, lived, and
died in Hawk, now Danville, his death occur-
ring on his farmin 1825. John Dimond, son of
Israel, first, succeeded his father in the owner-
ship of the home property, and was here en-
gaged in farming and lumbering during his
entire active life, dying in 1845. He mar-
ried Abigail Carter, a native of Newton town-
ship. She bore him three children, namely:
Israel; Sarah, who died December 9, 18473

Hs DIMOND, one of the oldest and

 

and Mariah, widow of the late Charles Whit-
tier, who now lives on the old homestead with
her brother Israel. The mother passed to the
life immortal July 1, 1882.

Israel Dimond, the second of the name, and
the subject of the present sketch, received a
common-school education, and from his youth
upward has been constantly engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits, thereby acquiring an experi-
ence that has placed him among the leading
farmers of his native town. ‘Succeeding to
the ownership of the ancestral acres, of which
he assumed charge on the death of his father,
he has carried on mixed husbandry with good
results, having his farm of one hundred acres
well improved, and a large part of it in a good
state of culture. Mr. Dimond has also been —
extensively engaged in the manufacture of
lumber, and in partnership with Mr. Colby is
now carrying on a large business. He has
always been known as an industrious and pro-
gressive worker; and, notwithstanding that he
has met with reverses, he has by steady per-
severance overcome all obstacles, his efforts
meeting with a well-merited success. Politi-
cally, Mr. Dimond is a very strong ally of the
Republican party, and also an earnest worker
in the cause of temperance. In 1864 he rep-
resented his native town in the State legislat-
ure; and he has served with recognized fidelity
and ability in the various town offices, includ-
ing that of Selectman and Treasurer.

On November 28, 1845, Mr. Dimond mar-
ried Hannah S. Garland, a native of Barn-
stead, Belknap County, N.H. Her father,
the late Elder David Garland, was pastor of
the Baptist church in Barnstead for many
years, living there until his death, which oc-
curred on February 6, 1863. Mr. and Mrs.
Dimond are the parents of two children — S.
Francena and Melbourne J. S. Francena is
the wife of Alfred P. Emerson, of the town
of Hampstead, this county. They have had
seven children — Ada E., Albion D., Herbert
J., George S., Fannie C., Jesse M., and one
child who died in infancy. Melbourne J. has
charge of the Rockingham County farm, lo-
cated in Brentwood township. He married
Miss Emma Davis, of Kingston, and has had
three children — Grace May, Carrie Mabel,
and one who died in infancy. Mr. Israel
 

SAMUEL S. FLETCHER,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

373

 

 

Dimond and his estimable wife are members of
the Baptist church.

 

°

 

OSEPH B. WILBUR, one of the fore-
most farmers and stock-raisers of Fre-
mont township, is a native of this
county, born May 5, 1838, at East

Kingston, son of Warren W.. and Mary
(Blake) Wilbur. Warren W. Wilbur was
born and reared in Westmoreland, Cheshire
County. In his early days he was fitted for
the ministry, and was a preacher in the Mcth-
- odist Episcopal denomination throughout his
active years. He pursued his clerical labors
at many places in New England, including
several towns in this county. In East Kings-
ton he preached for one year. After this
he was called successively to Kingston and

Salem. His last pastorate was in the town
of Chester. From there he came with his son,
Joseph B., to Fremont, and died in the

latter’s house December 9, 1872, at the ripe
old age of seventy-seven years, leaving a
widow, who died October 8, 1874, aged
seventy-three years. He was twice married.
His first marriage was contracted with Mrs.
Betsey Alden, who bore him four children —
Louisa, Warren, Mary, and Betsey. Of these
Mary, who is the wife of Joseph Hart, of
Brentwood, this county, is the only one now
living. He subsequently married Mrs. Mary
Balcom Blake, daughter of a Mr. Balcom, of
Waltham, Mass. Her first husband, Levi
Blake, died a few years after their marriage,
leaving her with one child, Joshua, who died
February 28, 1875. Of this second union
three children were born, as follows: Sylves-
ter, who died November 12, 1870; Joseph
B., the subject of this sketch; and Angeline,
who died May 20, 1873. :
Joseph B. Wilbur remained beneath the pa-
rental roof-tree until he attained his majority.
Thereafter he engaged in teaming and farming
in Chester and Fremont, and worked somewhat
at the carpenter’s trade, with which he was
quite familiar. He made his home in Chester
for some years, but finally removed to Fre-
mont, thereafter making his permanent home
on a farm which he purchased not far from
the village. The property, containing one

 

hundred and fifteen acres of choice land,
has since been much enhanced in value by his
improvements. In addition to carrying on
general farming, Mr. Wilbur raises ‘some stock
each year, and keeps a good dairy, selling his
cream to the Hillside creamery, which is
located near his farm. He is prominent in
public affairs. He served as Selectman for
three years, was Collector two years, and in
1885 he was a Representative in the State
legislature. In politics he is a stanch Repub-
lican; and he is an active member of the local
grange.

Mr. Wilbur has been twice married. On
January 9, 1861, while living in Chester, he
married Harriet Brown, who was born in San-
down, this county, daughter of Joseph Brown,
a prosperous farmer. She died three years
after their marriage, having borne him two
children, both of whom died in infancy. Mr.
Wilbur subsequently married Sarah E. Brown
on October 21, 1865. Mrs. Wilbur was born
in Fremont October 10, 1845, daughter of
Daniel S. and the late Mary H. (Bean) Brown.
Her father, who now lives with one of his sons
near the home of Mr. Wilbur, has been a life-
long resident of this township, while her
mother was born and reared in Wilmot, N.H.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur have a daughter and a
son, Nellie J. and Herbert B. Nellie J., born
November 5, 1866, is the wife of Burton L.
Smith, of Brentwood. Herbert B., born
March 20, 1881, resides at home. Mrs. Wil-
bur is an active member of the Methodist
Episcopal church of Fremont Village.

 

.

 

AMUEL 5S. FLETCHER, formerly
pe; of Portsmouth, will be quickly rec-
ognized by his legion of friends in
the portrait of him herewith pre-
sented. For many years the leading under-
taker of Portsmouth, he was an_ upright,
open-hearted, genial man, was greatly liked
by all classes of people, and was widely
mourned when he died, November 22, 1894.
His obsequies were attended by a concourse of
people; and the floral tokens, including a
handsome cross sent by a Catholic priest, the
Rev. E. M. O’Callaghan, were numerous and
fondly designed.
374

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Mr. Fletcher was a native of Maine, born
at Kittery Point, April 22, 1834. His father,
Samuel Fletcher, born and reared in Kittery,
who for many years was a sea captain, is a
deeply religious man, and a prominent mem-
ber of the Christian Baptist Church. Samuel
Fletcher married Eunice Gunnison, of Kit-
tery; and they became the parents of three
children, of whom Samuel S. was the first-
born. Another son, John, has a good busi-
ness in this city as a dealer in groceries and
provisions. The father is still living, carry-
ing easily his ninety-two years of life.

Samuel S. Fletcher attended the Kittery
High School for a while. At the age of
twelve years he began making sea voyages with
his father. The ship in which he embarked
for a trip to.Europe, when he came of age,
was wrecked, although no lives were lost. At
the age of eighteen years he learned the cabi-
net-maker’s trade with Messrs. Joy & Colcord.
Subsequently, on the death of Mr. Colcord,
he purchased the entire business, including
an undertaking department. After conduct-
ing it alone for some time, he received H. G.
Tanton into partnership, forming the firm of
Fletcher & Tanton. This arrangement, which
lasted several years, terminated at the death
of the junior partner. Thereafter, Mr.
Fletcher successfully carried on the business
as the sole proprietor at the old stand, 60
Market Street, until his demise at the age of
three score years.

In September, 1856, he married Mary A.,
daughter of George Rice, who followed the oc-
cupation of baker for many years in Ports-
mouth. Mr. Fletcher was an earnest sup-
porter of the principles of the Democratic
party. A member of the fire department for
a number of years, he held the position of
Chief Engineer of that department for two of
those years. He was an Alderman of Ports-
mouth for another period of two years.
Among the fraternities with which he was
connected were: St. John’s Lodge, No. 1,
A. F. & A. M.; Washington Chapter, No. 3;
Royal Arch Masons, having occupied all the
chairs in each body; De Witt Clinton Com-
mandery, Knights Templars; Piscataqua
Lodge, No. 6, of Strawberry Bank Encamp-
ment, No. 5, Independent Order of Odd Fel-

 

lows; Massasoit Tribe, No. 16, Improved
Order of Red Men; Knights of Golden Eagle,
Oak Castle, No. 4; the Mechanics’ Associa-
tion, of which he was Treasurer for some
time; of Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, of which he was likewise Treasurer for
a number of years.

 

HARLES F. GREELEY, who is now
living retired from active business
pursuits, is a well-known resident
of East Kingston, where his birth
occurred December 22, 1822. The first of the
Greeley family to locate in this section of the
county was the grandfather of Charles F.
He was a carpenter and cabinet-maker, and
worked at these trades until his demise in
1789. Josiah Greeley, the father of Charles
F., spent his entire life in this town, making
farming his chief occupation, although he
made quite a business of loaning money. He
married Miss Sarah Currier, likewise a native
of East Kingston, and with her settled ona
farm near the present home of their son
Charles, where they resided for the remainder
of their lives. They had eight children, as
follows: Josiah B., now deceased; Sarah,
now Mrs. Eastman, who lives in Malden,
Mass.; Eliphalet C., of East Kingston;
Charles F., the subject of this sketch; Mary
Frances, now the widow Stickney, who lives
at Elk Point, So. Dak., very near Sioux City,
Ia.; Luella B., who is the wife of W. H.
Nelson, of this town; John, who resides in
Boston; and Emily Elizabeth, now deceased.
Charles F. Greeley acquired his education
in the district schools, and on the old home
farm was early trained to agricultural occupa-
tions. At the age of seventeen years he
began working for his grandfather, a substan-
tial farmer, who gave him twenty-five cents a
day for his services. Subsequently, going to
Salisbury, Mass., Mr. Greeley spent three
years working for a farmer, who at parting
made him a present of three hundred dollars
for his faithfulness. After his marriage he
returned to East Kingston, and here invested
his savings in a farm on which he resided a
year. Disposing of that, he purchased his
present snug little farm, which he has since
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

375

 

 

cultivated with most gratifying results. In
1851 he built the present dwelling-house,
which, with the other substantial improve-
ments he has effected, makes the place one of
the pleasantest homes in the locality. He
has twenty-nine acres of land, a part of which
he devotes to the raising of fruit. The yield
of his orchard alone brings him in a handsome
income. In addition to his agricultural work
Mr. Greeley has travelled throughout the
county for the past thirty-five years, taking
orders for marble work, chiefly tombstones.
He has also been engaged in the insurance
business at various times, having had agencies
for some of the most prominent fire and
life insurance companies of New England.
He has been very successful as an agent.
Some years ago, when engaged in selling the
old-fashioned sewing-machines, he occasion-
ally made two hundred dollars in a morning
before breakfast. For the past six years he
has lived retired from active work, and is now
enjoying the fruits of his past years of toil.
Mr. Greeley was married March 28, 1847,
to Miss Mary J. Smith, a native of Salisbury,
Mass., where he was then working She was
a daughter of Enoch and Betsey (Collins)
Smith, both lifelong residents of that place.
At her death, which occurred February 12,
1892, in her sixty-fourth year, she left two
sons, both of whom are engaged in the marble
cutting and granite business in Exeter, this
county, having a large and lucrative trade.
Charles E. Alvin, the elder son, born March
30, 1849, married Miss Susan G. Robinson,
of Tilton, this State, and has one child,
Florence May. Lyman B., born September
27, 1854, married Miss Nellie A. Spofford,
of Kingston. The mother, who was an active
and energetic woman, when her husband was
away from home, supervised the farm, in addi-
tion to caring for her household. Mr.
Greeley’s housekeeper for the past four years
has been Miss Addie Carter, who was born
December 22, 1843, in Rio Janeiro, Brazil,
daughter of an old sea captain. She came to
this country with her parents when quite
young, and was here reared and educated.
Mr. Greeley is a stanch Democrat. Besides
serving as Selectman of the township for a
number of terms, he was a member of the State

 

legislature in 1871. He is a Mason of Gid-
eon Lodge, No. 84, of Kingston, to which he
presented the corner-stone of its present hall.

 

 

OSES J. EATON, the proprietor

of one of the finest farms in South

Hampton, was born on that estate,

April 26, 1834. His parents

were Moses and Betsey (Jones) Eaton, the
former a native of Seabrook, N.H., born Jan-
uary 2, 1791, and the latter a native of South
Hampton, born August 23, 1801. His grand-
father, Aaron Eaton, was one of the early resi-
dents of Seabrook, this county, and probably a
native of that town. About the year 1800
Aaron came to South Hampton, settling near
the centre, and there spent the rest of his life.
He was a typical farmer of the olden time,
hale, courageous, and industrious, knowing no
bodily ailments, so that, when eighty-eight
years old, he was able to rake two acres of salt
hay without stopping for lunch. In politics
he was a Whig, in religion a liberal. He
died November 5, 1863, at the age of ninety-
four. His wife, Elizabeth, passed away Feb-
ruary 11, 1843. Thirteen children were born
to this couple, six of whom reached maturity.
Moses Eaton, the father of Moses J., was
the eldest of his parents’ sons who attained
maturity. One of the leading farmers of the
town in his day, he owned the farm on which
his son resides, a fine estate of one hundred —
and forty acres, taking possession in 1825.
He, too, was a Whig, and served as Selectman
of the town. On religious subjects he held
liberal views. He died August 3, 1869, aged
seventy-eight years. His wife passed away
August 30, 1884. They were the parents of
seven children; namely, Jeremiah, Jacob,
Thomas, Mary, Sarah, Moses J., and Benja-
min F. Jeremiah, who was born December
29, 1821, died September 10, 1895, aged
seventy-three years. Jacob, who was born
November 21, 1823, is a farmer of South
Hampton. Thomas, who was born July 8,
1826, is a farmer in I]liana, Il]. Mary, born
July 13, 1828, taught school for forty years.
She died August 2, 18go0, at the age of sixty-
two. Sarah, born October 6, 1830, is the
wife of Charles E. Tuck, of Kensington,
376

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

N.H. Benjamin F., born September 16,
1836, is a clergyman of the Universalist
church, living in Worcester, Mass.

Moses J. Eaton was educated in the schools
of his native town, taking his final course of
study at Barnard Academy. He began to
help about the farm when a boy. As he ad-
vanced in age and stature, increasing responsi-
bility was placed upon him. At length his
father retired from the active management,
leaving the farm entirely in his charge. He
cared for his parents in their old age; and,
when they died, he naturally took his father’s
place as owner of the old Eaton homestead.
Mr. Eaton has been very industrious and very
successful in his farming. His farm is high
land; and his residence, a comfortable and
substantial farm-house, commands an extensive
view of the surrounding country. He is en-
gaged in general farming, and makes a spe-
cialty of raising fruit. His orchard, one of
the best in the locality, produces a choice
grade of apples and peaches.

Mr. Eaton was married April 13, 1865, to
Mary J., daughter of Joseph and Mary J.
(Woodman) Follansby. She was born in
South Hampton, August 6, 1844. Her father,
Joseph Follansby, who was born February 16,
1822, in Amesbury, Mass., lived for many
years in South Hampton, industriously occu-
pied in agriculture. In politics he was a Re-
publican, in religion a liberal. He died in
April, 1888. His wife, who was born in
South Hampton, October 9, 1826, is still
living in her native town. Besides Mrs.
Eaton four of her six children are living,
namely: Joseph W., born February 16, 1846,
the Postmaster of South Hampton; Sarah A.,
born September 21, 1847, the wife of Benja-
min Eaton, residing in Auburn, N.H.; Emily
F., born July 28, 1852, the wife of Lemuel
QO. Hatch, of Amesbury, Mass. ; and Florence
May, born December 24, 1865. Fanny died
in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton have four
children — William S., Adelaide F., Mary B.,
and Joseph D. William S., born September
5, 1865, who is a carriage-builder, and resides
with his parents, married Susan Manson, who
died leaving one son— Raymond M., born
March 11, 1890. Adelaide F., born March
10, 1867, and Mary B., born November 9,

 

1868, are engaged in teaching school. Joseph
D., born June 11, 1877, is a farmer on the
homestead. Mr. Eaton ‘is active in politics
as a Republican, has held in turn all the town
offices, and served as Representative in 1877-
78. He has been a member of the Board of
Trustees of the Barnard School in South
Hampton for a number of years. In religious
matters Mr. and Mrs. Eaton hold liberal opin-
ions. Genial and whole-hearted people, they
make their pleasant home doubly pleasant by
their generous hospitality, and their friends
are legion.

 

HARLES W. SANBORN, Justice of
the Peace and Notary Public of Ep-
ping, was born here in 1844, son
of Jonathan P. and Mary F. (Rund-
lett) Sanborn. The Sanborn family were
landmarks in this section of New Hampshire,
being representative people in the community,
who had a high standard of living and think-
ing. The parents of Charles W. were also
natives of Epping, and here spent their
lives. The father learned the carpenter’s
trade in early life, and followed it in addition
to carrying on his farm for many years.
While an unassuming man, he has much _ pub-
lic spirit. He still lives on his farm, near
the village of Epping, being seventy-nine
years of age. His estimable wife passed
away in 1895.

Charles W. Sanborn received his early edu-
cation in the district schools, and for several
years attended the seminary in Tilton, N.H.
He still resides upon the farm where he was
born, while he successfully manages the only
job printing-office in Epping. In politics Mr.
Sanborn is a Republican. He has served the
town as Selectman, Auditor, Prosecuting
Liquor Agent, and also as Chairman of the
Town Hall Building Committee. This struct-
ure, which he was instrumental in having
erected, is among the best in the county. He
is at present discharging the duties of Justice
of the Peace and Notary Public. His connec-
tion with secret orders is limited to member-
ship in the Masonic Society.

In 1871 he was married to Julia B. Colby.
Of their children there are four survivors;
 

EPHRAIM G. FLANDERS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

377

 

 

“namely, Mary Lizzie, William C., Clarence
C., and Walter P. Sanborn. The family are
members of the Methodist church. Mr. San-
born is recognized as a public-spirited citizen
and a thorough-going business man.

 

PHRAIM G. FLANDERS, a prominent
business man of the village of Brent-
wood, was born here, August 14,
1834, son of Benjamin and Mary (Gordon)
Flanders. He comes of a well-known family
of Essex County, Massachusetts. His pater-
nal grandfather, John Flanders, was born and
bred in territory that was formerly a_ part
of Salisbury, Mass., but is now included
within the limits of Amesbury. He was a
tanner by trade, and followed that calling
until his death, which occurred at an early
age. He had a natural talent for music, and
for many years led the choir in the old church
at Salisbury.
Benjamin Flanders, born in 1803, was also
a native of Salisbury, where he grew to man’s
estate. In 1824 he came to Rockingham
_County, locating first in the town of Epping.
A few years later he settled in Brentwood,
about a mile from the village, where he lived
until his demise, September 11, 1890, at the
age of eighty-seven. He married Mary Gor-
don, a native of this town, where she spent
her long and useful life, and died in July,
1882. They had five children, as follows:
Adeline M., who died in February, 1882, in
the hospital at Lowell, Mass.; Ephraim G.,
the subject of this sketch; Horace F., now of
Amesbury, Mass.; William M., who lives
with his brother Ephraim G.; and John W.,
now travelling in the North-west for J. C.
Ayer & Co., of Lowell, Mass. The latter is a
lawyer by profession, having, after four years
of study, been admitted to the bar; but on
account of ill-health he has been forced to
relinquish practice, and seek outdoor occu-
pation. ; :
Ephraim G. Flanders remained with his
parents until eighteen years of age. Then,
with the energy and enterprise characteristic
of New England youth, he bought in Brent-
wood a grist-mill, in which shingles, spokes,
and hubs were also manufactured, and for eigh-

 

teen years carried on a_ lucrative . business.
He then sold out, and has since been engaged
in the lumber business. He is also interested
in insurance, being agent for a number of
companies, including one located in New
Hampshire. Mr. Flanders has been Justice of
the Peace for some time, and does a good deal
of probate business, his sound judgment and
honest decisions being well recognized.

Mr. Flanders was married October 16, 1865,
to Miss Hannah FE. Tuck, who was born in
Brentwood, July 2, 1845, daughter of the late
Deacon Coffin and Mary R. (Stevens) Tuck,
both lifelong residents of this place. They
have two sons— Ephraim Hale and Charles.
The elder son, Ephraim Hale, married Miss
Annie Prescott, and is now living in Ames-
bury, where he has quite a reputation as an
artist, many of his paintings having been con-
sidered worthy of prizes at local exhibitions.
At present he conducts a store at Amesbury.
Charles, who is engaged in the manufacture
of shingles and other wood-work, and operates
a grist-mill in Brentwood, married Miss
Grace E. Tucker, of Deerfield, this State.
He has two sons, namely: Charles Ephraim,
born March 8, 1894; and Harry Tucker, born
April 22, 1896. Mr. Flanders, Sr., is a
clever business man, and one of the largest
property owners in this vicinity. Included in
his real estate is a fine farm of three hundred
acres. He is a Republican, and takes a very
prominent part in politics. In 1883-84 he
represented his district in the State legisla-
ture. He has served two terms as Selectman,
and is now Moderator. Mr. Flanders is in-
fluential in the Masonic fraternity, being a
member of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, of King-
ston, N.H.; of St. Alban Chapter, No. 15,
of Exeter, N.H.; of Olivet Council, No. 11,
of Exeter; and of De Witt Clinton Com-
mandery of Portsmouth, N.H.

RANCIS T. FRENCH, an_ esteemed
resident of East Kingston, now retired
from active business, is a native of the

town, born September 2, 1835. He is de-
scended from one of the early settlers of Rock-

ingham County, his paternal grandfather,
Richard French, having been a lifelong farmer

 
378

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

in East Kingston. Richard French married
Judith Hilton, and of their children Enoch S.
was the father of Francis T. Enoch S.
French, born here September 3, 1796, was
bred to agricultural pursuits, which he subse-
quently followed throughout the rest of his
life. He was an influential man in the com-
munity, was.quite prominent in public life,
and represented his native town in the State
legislature at two or three different sessions.
His death occurred February 12, 1879. He
was twice married. His first wife, Permelia
T. (Tilton) French, who was born in Deer-
field, this county, died at a comparatively
early age in July, 1854, leaving six children.
These were: Isabella, the widow of the late
Dennis Veasey, living in Haverhill, Mass. ;
Richard G., who died in 1889; Permelia J.,
who died in 1891, was the wife of the late
Robert Burroughs; Francis T., the subject of
this sketch; Elizabeth N., the widow of
George Minor, and a resident of Chicago,
Ill. ; and Augusta, who makes her home with
her sister, Mrs. Minor. The father subse-
quently married Mrs. Amos Morrill, of East
Kingston, who is now living with her step-son.

Francis T. French, having obtained his ed-
ucation in the common schools of his native
town, began life for himself at the age of
eighteen years. In company with Mr. George
W. Sanborn, who is now one of his near neigh-
bors, he started a butchering business, which
in time grew to a large wholesale and retail
meat trade, and extensive dealings in cattle
throughout the county. The partnership
lasted for about twenty-five years, after which
Mr. French bought out Mr. Sanborn’s inter-
est, and conducted the business alone for ten
years, meeting with signal success. Having
also invested in real estate, he is now the
owner of two eighty-acre farms in this town-
ship and a farm of one hundred and fifty acres
in Kensington. On giving up his meat
market, Mr. French turned his attention to
farming, at which he has since been engaged.
He has taken a leading part in public affairs.
He was Town Clerk and Selectman for several
years; represented the town in the State legis-
lature in 1865, 1879, and 1893; and was State
Senator in 1883.

Mr. French has been twice married. On

 

December 27, 1865, he married Miss Alsina

Stevens, who was born in Newton, this
county, daughter of William and Sarah
Stevens. She died July 13, 1876, leaving one .

child — Francis Enoch, now a farmer and
butcher, living in East Kingston, and married
to Miss Alice Dow, of East Kingston. Mr.
French was again married in 1877 to Miss
Emily S. Chase, who was born in Seabrook,
N.H. She is a daughter of the late Enoch and
Betsy Chase. Her father was engaged in
farming and boat-building during his life.
Mr. and Mrs. French have had three children,
of whom Annie P. and Alice T. survive.
Mabel C. died July 29, 1888, at the age of
nine months.

PON. JOHN TAYLOR, formerly a
manufacturer of woollens, but now
living in retirement at Salem
WY Depot, was born in Lancashire,
England, August 26, 1816, son of John and
Mary (Hutchins) Taylor. His parents, who
were also English born, came to this country
about the year 1827, and with their family of
young children took up their residence at
South Andover, Mass. They did not remain
long in South Andover, but moved about from
place to place, finally settling in Lynnfield,
Mass., where the father, with two other gentle-
men, established a factory for the manufacture
of woollen flannels. John Talyor, Sr., whose
expectations were not realized, withdrew from
the company: at the end of three years, and in
1833 with his family removed to Salem, N.H.
There he formed a partnership with another
gentleman, and began to manufacture flannels
in a small frame building in North Salem.
This venture was a prosperous one; and the
firm eventually erected a large brick mill, and
gave employment to about fifty hands. In
course of time John became sole proprietor,
and the business so prospered that he was
finally able to retire. He died about a year
and a half after his retirement. Of his chil-
dren the following are living: James, residing
in Franklin, N.H.; John, the subject of this
sketch; Ellen, the wife of Matthew H. Taylor ;
and June, the wife of Nathaniel Paul, in
Salem.

 

 
 

JOHN TAYLOR.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

381

 

 

The Hon. John Taylor obtained his educa-
tion chiefly in the school of practical expeti-
ence, having had but few opportunities to
study in any other school. He went to work
in a mill when about eleven years of age, and
“grew up in the business.’’? In 1847 he was
manufacturing woollen goods in Salem on his
own account in a building that occupied the
site where now stands the brick mill of John
W. Wheeler. He had been employed in that
way some ten years, when, wishing for a
change from mill life, he sold his interest,
and purchased a farm in the suburbs of Haver-
hill, Mass., on which he lived for the ensuing
ten years. Then he returned to the manufact-
uring business again, forming with his
brother James the firm of Taylor & Co., and
establishing a factory at Franklin Falls, N.H.
Mr. Taylor is now retired from business.
After living for a number of years in Franklin
Falls, he came in 1888 to Salem Depot,
which has since been his place of residence.

Mr. Taylor married Dorcas Wheeler, a
native of Salem, daughter of Amos Wheeler,
formerly of that town. Her death, which
occurred in September, 1892, was a severe
blow to her husband, whose loving helpmate
she had been for over fifty years. Mrs. Taylor
was a most estimable lady, and many friends
mourned her demise. She was the mother of
four children, two of whom are living, namely:
Leonard M., residing at Salem Depot; and
John A., a graduate of Brown University, now
the manager of the messenger department of
the Bank of the Republic, Boston, Mass. In
politics Mr. Taylor isa Republican. He rep-
resented the town of Franklin, N.H., in the
State legislature for two years, and has served
on the Salem Board of Selectmen. A public-
spirited citizen, he is always ready to aid any
project for the betterment of the town or the
amelioration of general society. His portrait
is presented with this sketch of his life.

 

ROFESSOR EDMUND R. AN-
GELL, the well-known expert in
analytical chemistry, who holds the
responsible position of Chemist of

the New Hampshire State Board of Health,
was born in Scituate, R.I., March 4, 1848.

 

The Angell family in America claims de-
scent from English ancestors. Thomas An-
gell was one of the five men who with Roger
Williams began the settlement of Providence,
R.I., in the spring or early summer of 1636.
He had two sons — James and John; and from
one of these Professor Angell is lineally de-

scended. James Angell married Abigail
Dexter.
Richard Angell, the Professor’s grand-

father, was a patriotic American, serving. as a
soldier in the War of 1812. His son, Ed-
mund R. Angell, the first of this name, was
born in Scituate, R.I., and was a. lifelong
farmer there. He married Susan Dexter, of
the same town, and became the father of the
son and namesake, Professor Angell, of Derry,
N.H.

The younger Edmund spent his early years
on his father’s farm in Scituate, and received '
his elementary education in the public schools.
He was fitted for college at Lapham Institute
in Scituate; and in 1869 he entered Bates
College in Lewiston, Me., where he was grad-
uated in 1873 with the degree of A.B. In the
following year, 1874, he became a student of
Cobb Divinity School, which is a branch of
Bates College. During the two years of his
course at the Divinity School he was engaged
in laborious mental work; for, besides being
a faithful student, he was at the same time a
tutor of mathematics in Bates College, which
made his life one of continued intellectual
effort. Asa teacher, he had already acquired
some experience, having taught school through
the vacations during his course at Bates, and
in this way largely defrayed his expenses at
college. For one term each he was principal
of Yarmouth and Hartland Academies in
Maine, fulfilling his double duty with equal
credit in both lines of work, and becoming,
by the very fact of his honorable efforts, each
day more and more earnest and manly, better
fitted to receive the success his labors merited.

He was next employed for a period of two
terms as principal of the high school in Cas-
tine, Me., coming from that town to Derry,
N.H., March 18, 1876. His experience and
reputation as a teacher made him peculiarly
fitted to hold the position of principal of Pink-
erton Academy; and the people of Derry rec-
382

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

ognized their good fortune in securing him in
that capacity, and retaining him in the same
for nine years.

Soon after the organization of the New
Hampshire State Board of Health, Professor
Angell became connected with it as Analyti-
cal Chemist, a position which he is holding
at the present time. In 1885 he resigned his
charge as principal of Pinkerton Academy, in
order to give his entire time to scientific re-
search, to which his tastes were naturally in-
clined. In his well-equipped laboratory,
which contains all of the most modern appli-
ances for analytical chemical work, he spends
most of his time. He has been especially in-
terested in the investigation of bacteriological
science, and is at present devoting himself
especially to that line of research, having sup-
plied himself with the most advanced means
of investigation. In mineralogy, as well as
in chemistry he has also a wide reputation,
being considered an authority in the analysis
of granites. His acknowledged proficiency as
an expert in detecting and analyzing blood
stains has brought him into prominence in
connection with several murder cases, in which
his testimony has been of vital importance.

But not only has Professor Angell been en-
gaged in purely scientific research, he has also
served his fellow-citizens in the capacity of a
public servant, being a Representative in the
New Hampshire State legislature from the
town of Derry for the term of 1890 and 1891.
He has also been one of the town’s Select-
men. In political affiliation he is a Republi-
can. Socially, he belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and is now Past Grand
of Echo Lodge, No. 61, at Derry Depot.
is also identified with the Knights of Pythias,
Rockingham Lodge, No. 29, and officiates as
keeper of the records and seals in that lodge.
Professor Angell is a gentleman of wide cult-
ure and courteous manner, and has the faculty
of setting those about him at ease at once,
which makes him accessible in spite of all his
learning, and renders him very generally pop-
ular among all classes.

In 1873 Professor Angell was married to
Miss Lizzie James, of Somersworth, N.H.,
and a daughter of John James, late of Lewis-
ton, Me.

He.

 

Of the two children born to them, one,
Ralph R., remains to brighten their home.
The other, also a son, Everett R., born in
1880, passed to the higher life in 1890. His
last earthly resting-place in Forest Hill
Cemetery is marked by two stones of rarely
beautiful design, and without other ornament
than the inscriptions cut upon the exquisitely
polished surface. The headstone below the
name bears the last words of the child to his
father, “See them up yonder!” The other
stone bears the inscriptions, ‘“‘In God’s work-
shop,” and “Until the day dawns and dark-
ness disappears!” There is an inexpressible
pathos in the childish words, so poetic and so
mysteriously beautiful. The reader who
stands beside the little grave feels instinc-
tively that a lovely child-soul has found fitting
employment indeed “in God’s workshop!”

 

New Market, N.H., the oldest prac-
tising lawyer in Rockingham

WY County, was born in New Durham,
N.H., January 1, 1821. He isason of Sam-
uel and Patience (Leighton) Mellows, and is
of Scotch descent by both parents. His great-
grandfather, Samuel Mellows, a Scotchman by
birth, came to America with Governor Went-
worth, but later returned to England, where

A AARON L. MELILOWS, of

 

he died. His son Samuel, the grandfather of
Aaron L., was born in Wolfboro, Carrol]
County. Samuel, who was a strong and sturdy

farmer, lived to an advanced age, spending
several years of his life in Alton, N.H., and
the last part of it at Sandy River, Me. His
wife’s maiden name was Hannah Twombly.
Samuel Mellows, the third Samuel in the
line of descent, born in Middleton, N.H.,
October 20, 1795, was skilful in all branches
of the wheelwright’s trade, which he followed
until within six years of his death. He was
a soldier in the War of 1812, and participated
in the ‘battle of Plattsburg. In politics he
was a Democrat, in religious belief a Free
Will Baptist. The last six years of his life
were spent with his son in New Market, where
he died when nearly eighty-three years of age.
He was twice married, on the first occasion to
Patience Leighton, who was a native of North-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 383

 

 

wood, N.H., born May 22, 1795. She was
a daughter of Aaron and Mary (Murray) Leigh-
ton, and a grand-daughter of Captain John
Murray, a seafaring man of Scottish birth.
Aaron Leighton, who was a shoemaker by
trade, spent the greater part of his life in
Northwood and Barnstead, N.H. When the
colonists were called to arms in 1775, he left
his home, and started for Boston. He was in
the redoubts at Bunker Hill, and subsequently
fought in the ranks of the Continental forces
until the surrender at Yorktown. He died in
Barnstead at the age of seventy-five. His sec-
ond wife, who was a native of New Durham,
lived to be eighty-seven years old. Mrs. Pa-
tience (Leighton) Mellows died at the age of
fifty-two. Of five children born to Mr. Mel-
lows, Aaron L. is the only one living. His
daughter, Harriet M., subsequently became
Mrs. Leeds, and died at the age of twenty-
four; Daniel C., who was a shoemaker, died
at the age of sixty-four; Samuel B. lived but
twenty-eight years; and Patience J., who be-
came Mrs. Rand, died at the age of forty-eight.

The Hon. Aaron L. Mellows received his
early education in the schools of Alton and
New Durham, and at the academies of Straf-
ford, Pittsfield, and Pembroke, all within the
State. After remaining at home until he was
eighteen years of age, he engaged in school-
teaching, which he followed for some fifteen
years. Afterward he worked as clerk in a
country store for five years; and he was edi-
torial writer for the old Dover Gazette for
fifteen or twenty years, and for one year was
editor of the Dover Sev¢inel. Early in life he
had resolved to enter a profession, and he held
to the resolution throughout al] this period.
At length he studied law for three years with
A. F. L. Norris, of Pittsfield, read one year
in the office of Hatch & Webster, of Ports-
mouth, N.H., and, finishing his studies with
William B. Small, of New Market, he was ad-
mitted to the bar in June, 1862. He opened
an office in New Market, where he has now
been established some thirty-four years. Mr.
Mellows is a member of the Democratic party.
While residing in Alton, he served as Select-
man, and was Superintendent of Schools there
for eleven years. In New Market he was Au-

, ditor, member of the School Committee, and

 

Town Clerk for four years, Justice of the
Peace for thirty-five years; and for some time
past he has been Notary Public and the Cor-
oner of New Market. He represented the dis-
trict in the State legislature of 1874-75, and
was a delegate to the Constitutional Conven-
tion held in 1889. During the war he was
active as a recruiting officer, and cnlisted
about one hundred men.

Mr. Mellows was married in 1847 to Lucre-
tia F. Adams, who died in 1850. She had
one child, who died in infancy. On August
27, 1865, Mr. Mellows entered a second mar-
riage, contracted with Harriet A. James, of
Deerfield, N.H. By this union he has one
son — Carl P., born October 20, 1869, who is
studying law in his father’s office. Regarding
religious matters Mr. Mellows holds liberal
opinions. His wife is a prominent member of
the Free Will Baptist church, and is active
in Sunday-school work. Mr. Mellows has
long been a leading man in the busy com-
munity of New Market, and is known and re-
spected throughout this part of the State.

—___—_—_ +

OHN PARNIN, who is successfully en-
gaged in the grocery business at Ports-
mouth, was born July 10, 1846, in
Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England, where

his father, William Parkin, spent the greater
part of his life. William Parkin was a weaver
by trade, and worked at that calling in his
native town. He married Jane Weston, a
daughter of John Weston, of Lancashire, Eng-
land, and by her became the father of seven
children, of whom John was the third child
in the order of birth. ,

John Parkin began to work for his living on
a neighboring farm when but eight years of
age. On attaining his majority, he secured a
situation with Robert Brierly & Son, who
were engaged in manufacturing blankets for
the United States, where the Civil War was
then waging. On December 7, 1870, Mr.
Parkin sailed for America, hoping here to im-
prove his circumstances. Arriving in Phila-
delphia, he entered the United States naval
service, and was soon after sent to the Ports-
mouth navy yard, where he remained three
years. The succeeding nine years he spent

 
384

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

in the employment of the old Eastern Rail-
road Company. He then worked for the late
William Plaisted, who kept a grain and
grocery store, first as a clerk, and afterward
as a teamster, until Mr. Plaisted died. Soon
after,.in company with Staples & Furbush,
he engaged in business on Market Street,
under the firm name of the Portsmouth Grain
& Grocery Company. The firm dissolved at
the end of six years, and Mr. Parkin opened a
grocery store at 22 1-2 South Street. Here
he has since conducted a lucrative trade in
choice and staple groceries, having acquired,
by his straightforward methods, a large and
constantly increasing patronage.

In December, 1878, Mr. Parkin was united
in marriage with Miss Mary Woodruff, of this
city. Their only daughter, Mabel, married
F. W. Buzzell, and now resides in Orange,
Mass. In politics Mr. Parkin affiliates with
the Democratic party, while he has no ambi-
tion for public office. His connection with
fraternal orders includes membership in Pis-
cataqua Lodge, No. 6, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of which he is now Past Grand;
in Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias,
all the chairs of which he has filled; and in
Rebecca Lodge, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, in which he served as Chap-
lain for some time. He likewise belonged to
St. George’s Lodge until the society dis-
solved.

 

 

ESSE L. DOLLOFF, a progressive
farmer and dairyman of the town of
Exeter, N.H., is a native-born citizen,
the year of his birth being 1844. He

is a representative of a well-known family of
Exeter, and a son of the late Stephen P.
Dolloff.

Stephen P. Dolloff, who was born in Exeter
in 1794, spent his life in this town, being ac-
tively identified with its farming interests for
many years. He married Judith A. Rowell;
and together they trod life’s pathway for many
years, ending their earthly journey at about
the same time, both dying in 1882, the hus-
band at the age of eighty-eight years, and the
wife aged seventy-eight.

Jesse L. Dolloff obtained his education in

 

the district schools of Exeter, and worked on
the home farm until reaching the age of eigh-
teen years. In 1862, fired with patriotic en-
thusiasm, and eager to have a part in defend-
ing the Union, he enlisted in Company E,
Thirteenth New Hampshire Volunteer In-
fantry, and, donning the blue, marched with
his comrades to the theatre of war. He.
served bravely for three years, being in many
important engagements and skirmishes, and
with his comrades running frequent and im-
minent risk of death or capture. After re-
ceiving an honorable discharge, he worked for
a time at carpentering in his native town. In
1868 he bought the farm where he now re-
sides, which contains seventy-five acres of
land, and which by judicious management and
persistent effort he has brought to a good state
of cultivation. The improvements on the place
are of substantial and practical character, and
reflect credit upon the proprietor.  Politi-
cally, Mr. Dolloff is an unswerving Republi-
can, but has never sought nor cared for politi-
cal favors. He is a member of Moses M.
Collins Post, No.. 26, Grand Army of the Re-
public, of Exeter.

Mr. Dolloff was married in 1867 to Miss
Margaret A. Lamson, daughter of Asa B. and
Mary Ann Lamson, of Exeter. Into the
household thus established four children have
been born, all of whom are still living,
namely: Edith Gertrude, wife of Walter H. |
Conner, of Exeter; Frank A.; Charles L.;
and Anna M. Mrs. Dolloff is an active mem-
ber of the Baptist church.

 

EVI E. LANE, of Hampton Falls, was
born in that town, February 5, 1810,

son of Levi and Annie (Batchelder)

Lane. The pioneer of his race in

this part of the country, Deacon Joshua Lane
was killed by lightning. Deacon Lane left
fourteen children, who, intermarrying with
other early families here, established a wide
circle of relationship. Jeremiah Lane, grand-
father of Levi E., was a tailor. A man who
never was idle, he worked at his trade, fash-
ioned gravestones, managed a farm, and with
all this found time to study astronomy, devot-
ing hours of the night to observing the stars.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

385

 

 

It was he who established the Lane home-
stead in Hampton Falls, having reclaimed the
land by his labor from the primitive wilder-
ness in which he found it. His death oc-
curred in his seventy-fifth year. He married
Mary Sanborn, of Hampton Falls, and reared
six children.

Levi Lane spent his early years on the
homestead, receiving his education at the dis-
trict school and under the private tuition of
Dr. Langdon, one of the former Presidents of
Harvard College. He learned tailoring from
his father, and worked at that trade and at
farming during his active life. He enlarged
the homestead property by the purchase of
one hundred acres of land, on which, after
erecting there a fine set of buildings, he spent
the latter portion of his life. His townsmen
delegated to him the duty of fixing the tax
rate of the town for over twenty years; and
he served for many years as Selectman and
Town Clerk. He died in 1864, at the ad-
vanced age of ninety years. His wife, who
was a daughter of David and Mary (Emery)
Batchelder, died in 1848. She bore him ten
children, seven of whom attained maturity,
and three died in infancy. They were: Jere-
miah, Mary A., Sarah, Rhoda, Abbie, George
G., Levi E., Emery, David Emery, and
Nancy. Levi E. is now the only survivor of
the family.

Levi E. Lane attended the district school,
and spent two terms at Rockingham Academy.
Succeeding to the homestead, its management
naturally became his chief occupation. He
also added to the acreage of the farm, and now
has a considerable extent of land under culti-
vation. Mr. Lane has made quite a reputa-
tion as a stone-wall builder, and many of the
walls in the vicinity are his handiwork. In
1849 he was united in marriage with Cynthia
S. Lane, who died, leaving one daughter,
Annie Sarah. Annie S. is now the wife of
Charles F. Wadleigh, a native of Kensington,
this county, and has three children -— Mabel
L., Fanny M., and Lawrence E. Mr. Lane
subsequently married Ann Cashan, who died
in 1877, leaving no children. He cast his
first Presidential vote for the Whig candidate,
William H. Harrison, in 1840, and has sup-
ported the Republican party since its forma-

 

tion. He was a Representative in the State
legislature of 1866 and 1867, has served as
Selectman of the town, and has been a Justice
of the Peace for twelve years. Since early
youth he has been actively interested in relig-
ious work, and he has been a member of the
Congregational church for over half a century.

 

°

 

EVI S. GORDON, for many years one

of the most active and prominent citi-

zens of Danville, Rockingham

County, N.H., was a lifelong resi-

dent of the Gordon homestead, now occupied

by his widow, Mrs. Dorothy A. Gordon. Mr.

Gordon was born November 25, 1825, and died

January 11, 1894, in the sixty-ninth year of

his age. He was one of a family of four chil-

dren born to Dudley and Dorothy (Sanborn)

Gordon, the former of whom was a native of
Brentwood, and the Jatter of Danville.

Dudley Gordon came to Danville when
quite young; and after his marriage he
worked on the farm now owned by his son’s
widow, here engaging in the pursuit of agri-
culture until his death, which occurred at a
comparatively early age.

Levi S. Gordon was left an orphan when
but thirteen years of age, and remained on
the homestead in care of his grandparents
until old enough to take charge of the farm
himself. From that time on he continued en-
gaged in general farming, meeting with signal
success in his independent occupation, his
farm, which is situated in North Danville,
being one of the finest in its appointments and
improvements of any in the locality. In addi-
tion to agricultural labors Mr. Gordon carried
on a successful and extensive business in
teaming, and for more than thirty years drew
coal from North Danville to Andover, Merri-
mack County. He was widely known and
highly respected, and for a number of terms
was elected to represent his native town in
the State legislature, besides serving many
years as selectman of the township.

Mr. Gordon was married June 20, 1850, to
Miss Dorothy A. Clifford, who was born in
Kingston, March 25, 1833, a daughter of
Daniel and the late Clara C. Clifford. Mr.
Clifford, her father, now a venerable and re-
386

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

spected man of eighty-nine years, living in
the town of Danville, was formerly engaged
in the manufacture of boxes. Three children
were born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Gor-
don, the following being their record: Alma
L., the wife of Forest Towle, lives in Dan-
ville; Elvira C., is the wife of L. Waldo
Collins, of Kingston village; and Flora, who
lives in the same village, is the wife of Will-
iam A. Bakie, a well-known merchant. Mrs.
Gordon, who continues to occupy the home
farm, is highly esteemed throughout the com-

munity for her many estimable qualities.

Her house is ever hospitably open to her large
circle of friends and acquaintances.

 

 

HARLES S. WOODBURY, a thriv-
ing farmer and honored citizen of
Salem, was born in this town,
March 13, 1850, son of Hiram
Woodbury, a native of Salem, and his wife,
Prudence (Churchill) Woodbury, who was a
native of Nova Scotia. The Woodbury family
is one of the oldest in this town. Israel
Woodbury, the great-grandfather of Charles
S., was a Revolutionary. patriot. Hiram
Woodbury, who is now in his seventy-fourth
year, has been a lifelong resident of Salem,
and is the owner of a fine farm here. Of the
children born to him and his wife, Prudence,
three survive, namely: Charles S., whose name
heads this sketch; Frank L., who has served
as Selectman of Salem; and John, a resident
of Salem Depot. They were bereft of their
only daughter, Marietta. Hiram Woodbury is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church
at Salem Depot, and in political affiliation he
is a Democrat.

Charles S. Woodbury remained with his
parents during the years of his minority, at-
tending the district school, becoming thor-
oughly familiar with the practical side of
farming, and also working at shoemaking to
some extent. On leaving home, he went to
Pelham, N.H., where he learned stone-cutting,
which trade he followed for some twenty-three
years. For the past few years he has devoted
his time exclusively to farming, and owns
about sixty-five acres of fertile land, on which
he has a good house and commodious barns

 

and outbuildings. In 1875 Mr. Woodbury was
joined in matrimony with Miss Emma Web-
ster, a native of Londonderry, and daughter
of James Webster. Four children have blessed
their union, all of whom, with the exception
of Carrie, the second child, are living; namely,
Frederick E., Mary E., and Hattie B.

For two years Mr. Woodbury served on the
Board of Selectmen. He was nominated as
Representative to the State legislature, but
failed of election. He is a member of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen, belonging
to Spicket Falls Lodge, No. 76, at Methuen,
Mass., and a communicant of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Salem Depot, of which
he is also a Trustee. He enjoys in a high
degree the respect of his neighbors, friends,
and business associates.

 

TET’: ALEXANDER JUNKINS, a
sterling citizen of Greenland, Rock-

Ile ingham County, N.H., was born in
— York, York County, Me., Septem-
ber 9, 1813, the year of Commodore Perry's
famous victory on Lake Erie. His parents
were Alexander and Judith (Moulton) Junkins.
They had two children, the other being Alvin,
who was born July 9, 1811, and died in 1886,

 

 

 

| being buried at Eliot, Me., where he was at

the time of his death.

Alexander Junkins, Jr., in bis youth at-
tended the district school, but is largely self-
educated. At the age of seventeen years he
began to learn the trade of a tanner and cur-
rier, serving three years as apprentice in the
village of Eliot, during which time he re-
ceived for his services his board and clothes.
After working a year in Saco, Me., he went
to Boston, where he was employed at his trade
for two years. He then went to Berwick, Me.,
where he opened a tannery, which he con-
ducted for a period of eighteen years, finally
selling out and removing to Eliot, in which
place he engaged in farming. In 1887 he
came to Greenland, where he has since lived
a retired life. Mr. Junkins has been promi-
nent in public affairs. He served as Repre-
sentative in the Maine legislature in 1848,
and again in 1850; and in 1856 he was a mem-
ber of the Senate. He was also Deputy
 

JOHN F. C. RIDER.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

389

 

 

Sheriff of York County three years, and Se-
lectman for several years; and he has been
elected Moderator more than fifty times.
After his removal to Greenland he was elected
Representative from this district in 1894,
being the oldest man in the house. In his
political opinions he is a Democrat.

On April 2, 1837, Mr. Junkins was united
in matrimony to Elizabeth L. Staples, who
was born in Eliot in 1818. They have one
child, Dr. William O. Junkins, the present
Mayor of Portsmouth, who promises to become
as popular and distinguished as his honored
father.

 

OHN F. C. RIDER, of Newfields, a
well-known citizen, who was for many
years connected with the iron manu-
factures here, and is now engaged in

general farming, was born in Newfields, July
6, 1842, son of John Bradford and Elizabeth
Armet (Colcord) Rider. He comes of an old
Colonial family of English origin, which
flourished in Plymouth, Mass., and is con-
nected by ties of kindred with Governor
Bradford and with Peregrine White.

Mr. Rider’s grandfather, John Bradford
Rider, Sr., who was born in Halifax, Mass.,
November 9, 1778, settled in Thomaston,
Me., in 1793. A carpenter and joiner by

trade, he worked on many of the buildings in |

Thomaston, some of which are standing to-
day. He was an artillery officer, and was
known as Captain Rider. He died January
9, 1845, aged sixty-six years. His first wife,
to whom he,was united February 14, 1805,
was Nancy White, a descendant of Peregrine
White, the child born on the “ Mayflower ” in
November, 1620. She was the mother of bis
children: Thomas J., born July 17, 1806;
Nancy, December 18, 1807; Lurania, January
14, 1810; Margaret, October 25, 18113; John
Bradford, Jr., the father of our subject, Au-
gust 25, 1814; and Soveiah, October 25,
1816. Lurania died in 1829. The others
married and reared families. Captain Rider’s
second wife, to whom he was married July 29,
1819, was Mary Simonton Wiggin,

John Bradford Rider, Jr., spent his early
life in Halifax, Mass. He started to provide

 

for himself at the age of fourteen, and as a
youth learned the iron moulder’s trade, serv-
ing an apprenticeship under one Captain Tor- .
rey. Asa journeyman, be worked in various
places; and about 1833 he settled in South New
Market or Newfields, N.H. He was one of
the company which formed the New Market
Iron Foundry in 1834, the others being George
O. Hilton, Amos Paul, and Joseph G. Skinner.
This enterprise had a prosperous existence of
thirty years under the original management,
and was then sold to the Squamscot Machine
Company. After the business was disposed
of, Mr. John B. Rider engaged in general farm-
ing on the homestead now occupied by his son,
which he had purchased in 1841, and onto
which he moved in 1844. He made many im-
provements on the estate, erecting the house
which is now standing, and cultivating the
land to a high degree.

One of the leading men of the town, he was
prominent as a Whig and a Republican, and
represented the district in the legislature in
1859, and served for some time as Selectman.
He died in Newfields, December 28, 1887.
He was married, November 28, 1837, to Eliza-
beth Armet Colcord, daughter of Joseph and
Sally (Jenness) Colcord. She was born in
Newfields, March 28, 1817, and died here Au-
gust 11, 1893. They had the following chil-
dren: Sarah E., born September 30, 1838,
wife of Edward J. Beal, of Newfields; John
F. C., the subject of this sketch; and Carrie
A., born August 16, 1849, who died January
12, 1873, aged twenty-three years and five
months. She was the wife of Charles A.
Scruton, of Somersworth, N.H.

John F. C. Rider received his education in
Newfields and at Andover, Mass. After leav-
ing school, he was employed as clerk in the
office of the Squamscot Machine Company and
New Market [ron Foundry until 1865, when,
in company with Charles H. Sanborn, Rufus
Sanborn, and Levi L. Pollard, he organized
the Union Machine Company of South New
Market. Within a year Mr. Rider bought the
entire plant; and he conducted a successful
business until 1869, when the buildings were
destroyed by fire. He was then engaged in
the patent business until 1875; and the seven
years following that date he was employed as
39°

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

travelling salesman by the Philadelphia firm
of Ely & Williams, iron and steel dealers.
He was afterward engaged for seven years as
New England agent for the firm of Park
Brothers & Co. of Pittsburg, Pa., one year as
clerk for the Boston house of Houghton &
Richards, steel and iron dealers, and was a
short time with the Allen-Governor Company
of Boston. He then settled on the homestead
in Newfields, where he has since been success-
fully engaged in general farming and dairying.
His property covers between sixty-five and
seventy acres, and is one of the best farms in
the locality; and Mr. Rider, having travelled
extensively in different States, has many good
ideas which he has put into practical effect on
his farm.

November 21, 1863, he was married to
Helen A., daughter of Albert S. Freese, of
Newfields. A son, Frank L. P., was born
to them April 6, 1865, and died March 15,
1895.

Mr. Rider votes the Republican ticket. He
isa member of Star of the East Lodge, No.
50, A F. & A. M., of Exeter, N.H.; Pres-
cott Lodge, No. 55, Ancient Order of United
Workmen, of Charlestown, Mass.; United
Order of the Golden Cross; Newfields Com-
mandery, No. 238, of Newfields; the Royal
Arcanum, Suffolk Council, No. 60, of Bos-
ton. On religious subjects he holds lib-
eral views. Mrs. Rider is a member of the

Congregational church.
Londonderry, was born in this

 

TENRY C. SMITH, for many years
prominent among the farmers of

 

town, on the farm which he now

owns, July 13, 1844. His parents were Elisha
and Rachel (Sanborn) Smith, both natives of
Rockingham County. His grandfather, David
Smith, was the son of an early settler of Lon-
donderry, who came from Massachusetts, and
was a soldier in the French and Indian War.
Elisha Smith was born in Londonderry, and
spent his life on the farm now occupied by his
son. He was well known in the locality, and
took an active interest in local politics, voting
first with the Whigs, and then with the Re-
publicans. Though not a professed church

member, he had a sincere respect for religion,
and attended church quite regularly. He
died in May, 1887, in his eighty-seventh
year. His widow passed away in March,
1893. Of their children three are living,
namely: Nathan S., in Salem, N.H.; Sher-
burne D.; and Henry C., in Londonderry.

Henry C. Smith was reared on his father’s
farm, obtaining his education in the public
school of his district and at Pinkerton Acad-
emy. Beginning in early boyhood, he helped
in the farm work, so that by the time he
reached his majority he was a competent
farmer. He is now extensively engaged in
general farming, having a fine property of one
hundred and seventy-five acres. He has also
followed lumbering for several winter seasons.

On April 24, 1877, Mr. Smith was united
in marriage with Susan D. Hazelton, a native
of Chester, this county, daughter of Amos and
Sarah (Morse) Hazelton, both now deceased.
Mrs. Smith, who is an educated and intellect-
ual lady, taught school for several years before
her marriage. She is the mother of five chil-
dren — Alice B., Nelson E., Grace R., Ella
N., and Fred H. Mr. Smith is a member of
the Congregational church. In politics he
favors the Republican party. He was Select-
man of Londonderry for two years, has served
as Supervisor of check lists for several years,
and for a quarter of a century he has been
a Justice of the Peace. Public-spirited to a
commendable degree, he takes an earnest in-
terest in town improvements. He is a charter
member of Londonderry Grange.

 

 

YP ORACE B. JOHNSON, a skilled and
practical clock and watch repairer,
Le residing near Windham -Depot, was
born in Windbam, N.H., January

8, 1842, son of Jonathan B. and Eliza A.
(Stecle) Johnson. His father was a native of
Andover, Mass., and his. mother of Rocking-
ham County, New Hampshire. Jonathan B.
Johnson, who was born in 1811, grew to man-
hood in his native State. He learned carpen-
try, and worked as a ship carpenter for a time
in the Charlestown navy yard. Soon after at-
taining his majority, he settled in Windham,
| N.H., where he found work at farming in the

 

 
 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 391
summer time, and prepared ship timber in the | — Richard, George J., and Elizabeth. While
winter. After residing here for a number of | still a young man, he was lost at sea. His

years, he removed to Salem, this county, where
he died in 1860. He was a supporter of the
Democratic party, and for a number of years
he served as Constable of Windham. His
wife, Eliza A. Stecle Johnson, bore him a son
and daughter — Horace B. and Eliza E., the
last-named being now deceased.

Until reaching the age of fourteen, Horace
B. Johnson lived with his parents on their
farm in Windham. He received a district-
school education, and on leaving home learned
shoemaking, which he followed continuously
until twenty-eight years old. For the last
twenty-five years or more he has given his at-
tention to clock and watch repairing, and in
addition to this has devoted some time to
agriculture, owning about thirty acres of good
farming land. He married Miss Anna M.
Estey, a daughter of Richard Estey, of Wind-
ham; and they have one daughter, Carrie W.

Mr. Johnson is a public-spirited citizen,
and possesses in large measure the esteem of
his fellow-townsmen. He is a Democrat in
politics, and has served as Supervisor of the
check list. He was also Chairman of the first
Board of Supervisors elected under the present
school law; and under the old law he had
served on the Prudential Committee of Wind-
ham. Healso rendered very efficient service
as a Surveyor of Highways in the Seventh
District of Windham. He was formerly iden-
tified with St. Mark’s Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
of Derry, N.H.

 

and retail provision dealer of Ports-

© mouth, is a native of this town,
born February 21, 1856, and comes

of pioneer stock. His grandfather, Richard
D. Smart, who was a resident of this place for
many years, during the War of 1812 com-
manded the brig “Nancy,” the first privateer
to sail out of Portsmouth, and the first to capt-
ure a prize. The money brought to Captain
Smart by this capture was subsequently used
to build the house now owned by his grandson,
Christopher. He married Mary La Rose, of
Ninche, France, who bore him three children

Sees SMART, a wholesale
i

 

widow, who survived him many years, died
in 1878, at the advanced age of ninety-five.
He was a member of the Masonic Order.

George J. Smart, the father of Christopher,
was a lifelong resident of this city, his birth
occurring in 1804, and his death in the fall of
1878. He was engaged in the stone business
for many years. At an earlier period he held
the position of Constable. He was an old-
fashioned Democrat in politics. For thirty-six
years he was sexton of the Unitarian Church
of this city, faithfully attending to his duties.
His first wife, Mary E. (Staples) Smart, pre-
viously of Eliot, Me., bore him seven chil-
dren; and his second wife, previously Lydia
Nutter, of Portsmouth, bore him an equal
number.

Christopher Smart, who was the youngest
of his father’s children, obtained his educa-
tion in the public schools of Portsmouth. At
the age of eleven years he began earning his
living in the hardware store of A. Q. Wendell
& Son, with whom he remained three years, be-
coming somewhat familiar with the business.
During the following seven years he was a
clerk in the hardware establishment of John H.
Bailey; and then for four years he was head
clerk in the same place, under Pryor & Mat-
thews, the successors of Mr. Bailey. Mr.
Smart resigned his position with Pryor &
Matthews in order to engage in business for
himself. Starting in the provision trade ina
modest way, he ran acart for two years, during
which he acquired so large a trade that he felt
warranted in starting his present store at 4
Pleasant Street. On opening his market, Mr.
Smart employed but two men. He is now
obliged to keep four men to meet the demands
of his business. He has also been compelled
to replace his first refrigerator, capable of hold-
ing two beeves, with one that holds twenty-five
carcasses, and to enlarge his premises by the
addition of one room twenty-five feet in
length, and another for cold storage, eightcen
by thirty-nine feet. His wholesale as well as
his retail business is quite large.

In November, 1889, Mr. Smart was married
to Miss Bertha, daughter of Samuel and Jane
Rand, of North Hampton, this county, and has
392

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

now a daughter and a son, respectively named
Beatrice and Christopher. Though often
urged, Mr. Smart has steadily declined to
become a,candidate for the Aldermanship of
his ward. He has always. been an active
worker in behalf of the Masonic Order in
Portsmouth. He is a member of St. Andrew’s
Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M.; of Washing-
ton Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons; of
De Witt Clinton Commandery, Knights Tem-
plars; and is a Scottish Rite Mason, having
taken the thirty-second degree. He has also
membership in Piscataquis Lodge, No. 6, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows; and in
Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias.

 

an ex-member of the New Hampshire

legislature, was born in this town,

February 15, 1834, son of Joseph and
Elizabeth (Williams) Cilley. The first repre-
sentative of the family in this county was
Captain Joseph Cilley, who settled upon a
large tract of land in Nottingham in 1727,
and there cleared a farm, which he cultivated
for the rest of his life. His son, Joseph, Mr.
Cilley’s great-grandfather, a commissioned
officer in the Revolutionary army, afterward
promoted to the rank of General, was among
the early farmers of this town. His son,
Major Greenleaf, Mr. Cilley’s grandfather,
was a native and lifelong resident of Notting-
ham. He engaged in farming, and also con-
ducted a mercantile business for a short time.
He died when he was forty years old. In
politics he was a supporter of the Whig party,
by which he was elected to various town
offices; and he served as Deputy Sheriff for
many years. He married Jennie Nealley, of
this town; and, of his family of seven chil-

dnc N. CILLEY, of Nottingham,

dren, Colonel] Joseph, Mr. Cilley’s father, was '

the second-born. Both parents were Univer-
salists in their religious belief. The mother
lived to be ninety-three years old.

Colonel Joseph Cilley was born in Notting-
ham, January 4, 1791. He resided with his
parents until he was twenty-one years old,
when he enlisted in the Eleventh Regiment,
United States Infantry. He was subsequently
transferred to the Twenty-first Regiment, and

 

he served through the War of 1812. After
his discharge from the army he returned to
the homestead, where he devoted his attention
to farming throughout the rest of his active
period. He was a man of unusual ability.
He took a leading part in the Abolitionist
movement, and was elected to the United
States Senate, where he served for one term.
His death occurred at the advanced age of
ninety-seven years. His wife, Elizabeth,
whom he married December 15, 1824, was a
daughter of Nathaniel Williams, of Notting-
ham. She became the mother of nine chil-
dren, three of whom are living, namely:
Martha A., who is now Mrs. Downs, of Derry,
N.H., and has one son, Joseph C.; Victoria,
the wife of Thomas B. Bartlett, of Notting-
ham, having six children—- Nathaniel C.,
Annie E., Joseph B., Mary Victoria, Jennie
N., and Benjamin T. ; and Joseph N., the sub- ©
ject of this sketch. The mother died at the
age of forty years. She was a member of the
Congregational church, and the father was a
Universalist in his religious belief.

Joseph N. Cilley acquired his education in
the schools of Nottingham, South Berwick,
Me., Pembroke, New Hampton, and New
London, N.H. When his studies were com-
pleted, he began to read law in the office of
Daniel M. Christie, of Dover, N.H., with —
whom he remained for two years. He con-
tinued his law studies with G. C. Bartlett, of
Derry, N.H. Two years Jater he returned to

‘his native town, where he has since devoted

his energies to the management of the home
farm. At first a Director of the New Market
National Bank, he was elected its President
in 1892.

On August 19, 1874, Mr. Cilley was united
in marriage to Mary L. Butler, daughter of
James H. and Mary (Dearborn) Butler, of
Sanbornton, N.H. Mrs. Cilley is the mother
of two children, as follows: Elizabeth W.,
who was born June 28, 1875; and Joseph, who
was born November 21, 1878. Both parents
are members of the Universalist church.

Politically, Mr. Cilley is a Republican, and
is a leading spirit in public affairs. He has
held various offices in the town, and was legis-
lative Representative from this district for two
terms, His fellow-townsmen regard him with
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

393

 

 

sincere respect. He is connected with St.
Mark’s Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Derry,
N.H.

 

OSHUA W. NEAL, a prominent gen-
eral farmer of South New Market, and

\ an ex-member of the New Hampshire
legislature, was born in this town, May

22, 1816, son of Eliphalet and Abigail (Col-
cord) Neal. The founder of the family was
Captain Walter Neal, who settled in Ports-
mouth in 1630; and the first ancestor to

settle in South New Market was his great- |

grandson, Walter Neal. He became a very
prosperous farmer, owned much real estate,
and reared a large family of children. He
died in this town at an advanced age.

Eliphalet Neal was born in South New
Market, and was a lifelong resident of this
town. He resided upon a portion of the an-
cestral estate, tilling the soil with unusual
vigor and success until his death, which oc-
curred at a good old age. He was highly
respected for his intellectual ability, and was
for many years a prominent figure in local
public affairs. He married Abigail, daughter
of Gideon and Mary (Moore) Colcord, and a
native of South New Market. She reared two
children, namely: Joshua W., the subject: of
this sketch; and Mrs. Lydia Ann Wiggin, of
Exeter.

Joshua W. Neal acquired his education in
the district school] and at the academy of South
New Market. Since he came of age he has
been engaged in agriculture in this town. He
owns fifty acres of land, which is well located
and in a good state of cultivation. Now an
octogenarian, he still possesses the activity of
a much younger man. In politics he is a Re-
publican. He has served for one term as a
member of the Board of Selectmen, and he
ably represented this district in the State
legislature during the session of 1865. In his
religious belief he is a Congregationalist, and
with Mrs. Neal was a member of that church.

In 1843 Mr. Neal wedded Frances R. Col-
cord, who was born in this town in June,
1815, daughter of Joseph and Sally (Jenness)
Colcord. Her father was a_ well-known
farmer and a lifelong resident of South New

 

Market, and her mother was a native of Rye.
Mrs. Neal died February 12, 1888, leaving
two sons, namely: George R., born May 25,
1844, a book-keeper in Minneapolis, Minn.,
who married Addie C. Bird, and has one
daughter, Edith F. B.; and Frank C., born
October 26, 1856, a graduate of Comer’s Com-
mercial College in Boston, and a book-keeper
and a highly esteemed resident of his town,
who married Lizzie Mann, and has two chil-
dren — Mabel F. and Lester R.

 

 

ILTON G. WOODBURY, the
popular Postmaster of Salem Depot,

is a native of Salem, Rocking-
ham County, N.H. He was born
December 31, 1844, a son of Israel and
Eliza J. (Graham) Woodbury. His pater-

nal grandfather, who likewise bore the name
of Israel, was one of the brave patriots who
fought for our country’s independence in the
struggle with Great Britain. In the early days
of Salem he was one of her most prominent
citizens, serving as a Representative, also as
Selectman and Clerk, and in minor offices.
Israel Woodbury, Jr., who was a lifelong resi-
dent of Salem was also the recipient of offi-
cial honors, and served as Selectman. He
was a Democrat in political views. His wife,
Eliza J. Graham Woodbury, was a native of
Methuen, Mass. Four of their children are
living, namely: Levi, the proprietor of St.

James Hotel, Washington, D.C.; Charles,
also a resident of Washington; Milton G.;
and Abbie C., the wife of TP. C. Foster.

The father was a communicant of the Baptist
church. His widow, who survives him, is in
her eighty-sixth year, but still enjoys a re-
markable degree of health and mental vigor.
She is living at Salem Depot with her son.

Milton G. Woodbury was educated in the
public schools of Salem. He remained with
his parents on the home farm until twenty-nine
years old, at which time he went to work ina
shoe factory in Methuen, Mass. After spend-
ing three years there, he came to Salem Depot,
and entered the employ of P. C. Hall, a shoe
manufacturer, with whom he remained several
years, subsequently becoming a foreman in the
stock room of F. P. Woodbury & Co.'s shoe
394

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

manufactory. It was while with the last-
named firm, for whom he had worked a number
of years, that he received his appointment as
Postmaster of Salem Depot; and since that
time, May, 1893, he has conducted the office
in a manner most satisfactory to its patrons.
He represented the town in the State legisla-
ture during the sessions of 1887-88 and 1889-
go. He has always been a stanch Democrat,
having been reared to that political faith, and
is a valued member of this community.

HO.

OHN FE. LOCKE, the well-known
wharfinger of Portsmouth, N.H., was
born in Rye, Rockingham County, on
August 25, 1835. His parents were

Elvin and Louisa (Berry) Locke. The pater-
nal ancestors were among the first inhabitants
of Rye, having come from there as early as
1696, two centuries ago. John Locke, the
grandfather of John E., was a native of Rye,
and there pursued farming during his life.
He and his wife had eight children, of whom
Elvin, the father of the subject of this sketch,
was the youngest. He also followed agricult-
ural pursuits all his life, dying there at the
age of seventy-five. His wife, whose maiden
name was Louisa Berry, was a daughter of Jo-
seph Berry, of Rye. Her mother lived to the
advanced age of ninety-eight years. Mr. and
Mrs. Elvin Locke had eight children, history

 

repeating itself in the number of family repre--

sentatives.

John E. Locke was the eldest child of his
parents. After receiving a common-school
education, he left home at the age of fourteen,
and went to work on William Berry’s farm in
Newington, remaining there five years. Later
he was employed on Mr. Pickering’s farm in
the same town for one year, after which he
went into the navy yard, entering the ordinary
department in 1856 and serving one year. He
was engaged the following year with Mr.
Pierce, and then returned to the navy yard,
continuing there for three years, leaving in
1861. In 1864 he became hoisting engineer
for the Concord Railroad, and that position
he acceptably filled for ten years. The ap-
pointment of wharfinger he has now held for
twenty-two consecutive years, having received

 

it in 1874. He superintends the wharves,
and also has supervision of from fifty to one
hundred men.

In politics Mr. Locke is a Democrat, and
bas been prominent in office, having served as
Alderman from Ward 1 for three years, and
also as Representative to the State legislature
for two terms. In 1886 he was sent as dele-
gate to the State Constitutional] Convention.
He is a member of St. Andrew’s Lodge,
A. F. & A. M., and the Piscataquis Lodge,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Mr. Locke has been twice married. He and
his first wife, with whom he was united in
1862, had five children, three of whom are now
living. The mother died in 1877. His
second wife was formerly Miss Hayes. Her
father was Ichabod Hayes, of Milton, N.H.
Capable and efficient, whether as farmer, naval
officer, wharfinger, alderman, or legislator, the
subject of this sketch may be said to have filled
each and all of his positions with an under-
standing worthy the name of John Locke.

PON. MATTHEW H. TAYLOR,
one of the substantial residents of
by Salem, was born in Derry, N.I1.,
November 29, 1829, son of Matthew
and Louisa (Paul) Taylor, both natives of
Derry. He is a direct descendant of Matthew
Taylor, who emigrated from Londonderry,
Ireland, in 1722, and on his arrival in America
settled in what is now known as Derry, then
Londonderry, N.H. From him the descent
comes through William, Adam, and Matthew
to Matthew H.

Matthew H. Taylor remained in Derry until
1846, when he came with his parents to
Salem, and here grew to man’s estate. He
acquired the fundamentals of an education in
the public schools; but it was in active busi-
ness life, under the rigorous discipline of ex-
perience, that his education was completed.
When about twenty-five years of age, he em-
barked in a mercantile business at North
Salem. After carrying that on for several
years, he went, in company with Charles
Austin, forming the firm of Austin & Taylor,
into the manufacture of flannels at the same
place; and they successfully conducted it for

 

 

 
 

 

LOCKE.

JOHN E.
“
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

397

 

 

ten years. Mr. Taylor then withdrew, and for
a number of years thereafter engaged in the
wood and lumber business. In September,
1884, in Lawrence, Mass., he started a grocery

and provision store with three of his sons, |

under the style of Taylor & Co. This venture
prospered, and is still carried on at 57, 50,
and 61 Broadway. The firm do both a whole-
sale and retail business, and have a well-estab-
lished reputation for upright and honorable
dealing. Mr. Taylor, who now resides in
Salem, leaves the business in the direct charge
of his sons.

Mr. Taylor married Miss Ellen Taylor,
daughter of John Taylor, late of Salem. The
union has been blessed by the birth of twelve
children; namely, Ellen L., John H.,
Thomas M., Mary A., Charles M., George
W., Henry P., Cora A., Laura E., Eva B.,
Effie G., and Fred L. Ellen L. is the wife
of Levi W. Taylor, and Mary A. is the wife
of John Crosby. Mr. Taylor has filled many
positions of public trust and responsibility.
He served four terms as Selectman, during
two of which he was Chairman of the board.
He represented the town in the State legisla-
ture of 1867-68 and of 1878-79. In 1871
and 1872 he served as State Senator from the
Second District for fifteen years, and was
Town Moderator under the old statute. Dur-
ing the past eleven years he has been a mem-
ber of the School Board, and for four years
Chairman of the board. In politics he has
always been a strong Republican. Since 1854
he has been identified with the Masonic Order
at Haverhill, Mass.

 

 

UCIAN H. NESMITH, an influential

citizen of Londonderry, N.H., who

has represented the town in the

State legislature, and has been for

years identified with its local government, was

born in Londonderry, August 25, 1834. He

is the son of Cyrus and Lydia (Huse) Nesmith,

the former a native of Londonderry, the latter
of Manchester, N.H.

The Nesmith family were among the very
first settlers of Londonderry. The pioneer of
the race, James Nesmith, who was appointed
Elder of the West Parish Church in 1739,
*

 

erecting a log cabin in the wilderness, clear-
ing the land of heavy timber and underbrush,
and working industriously to render the soil
fit for cultivation. James Nesmith, second,
son of Elder Nesmith, born in Ireland in Au-
gust, 1718, was the great-grandfather of [u-
cian H. Nesmith. Robert Nesmith, son of
James, second, married Jane Anderson, a
grand-daughter of James Anderson, one of the
first sixteen settlers of Londonderry. Their
children were: Thomas, James (third), Cyrus,
Betsey, and Martha. (For further particulars
of the early Nesmiths, see other sketches in
this volume.)

Cyrus Nesmith, third son of James and Jane
(Anderson) Nesmith, and father of the subject
of this sketch, was born in Londonderry, Sep-
tember 15, 1801, almost a century ago. He
was one of the leading men of the place, active
in local politics, and in the latter part of his
life was a strong Republican. A_ lifelong
resident of the town, he served efficiently on
the Board of Selectmen, and represented the
place in the State legislature. He died April
5, 1881. His wife, Mrs. Lydia Huse Nes-
mith, died October 14, 1876. She was born
in‘ Manchester, N.H., October 7, 1807, daugh-
ter of Abel and Joanna (Rowell) Huse. Her
father was a Revolutionary soldier under Gen-
eral John Stark; and her mother was a niece
of General Stark, and a descendant of Hannah
Dustin, of the fourth generation. Two of the
four children of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Nesmith
died in infancy; and a third, Arvilla, wife of
Washington Colby, died November 18, 1893.
Lucian H. is the only survivor.

Lucian H. Nesmith obtained his first
knowledge of books in the district school, and
has since added to his mental acquirements by
reading and observation. He has been en-
gaged in general farming from early youth,
and in this pursuit has been very successful.
Mr. Nesmith was a charter member of London-
derry Grange, and has served as Treasurer of
that body. He has been for twelve years
agent for the Rockingham Farmers’ Mutual
Fire Insurance Company.

On May 23, 1877, he was married to Louise
E., daughter of Simon and Harriet (Cheney)
Mullins, of Londonderry. Mrs. Nesmith was
born in Manchester, N.H., April 12, 1852.
 

 

398 BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

She is a_ great-grand-daughter of Robert | time carrying on farming to some extent. He
Mullins, an English sea captain, who settled | supported the Whig party in politics, was
in Haverhill, Mass. Her father, Simon | highly respected, and died in this town at a

Mullins, who was born in Manchester, N.H.,
is prominent among the Democrats of London-
derry; and, although the town is strongly
Republican, he has several times served in
town office. He has four children besides
Mrs. Nesmith: Eugene E., a physician in
Baldwinsville, Mass.; George M., a practis-
ing lawyer in Millard, Neb.; Ida M., wife of
M. R. Dustin, in Melrose, Mass.; and
Hattie P., wife of Daniel M. Boyd, in Lon-
donderry. Louise E., Mrs. Nesmith, was six
years old when her parents moved to London-
derry. She obtained her education in the
public schools of this town and Pinkerton
Academy, graduating from the academy in
1870. After finishing her studies, she taught
until married, and was very successful, win-
ning the respect and love of her pupils.
Through her possession of a business and ex-
ecutive ability, the schools, churches, and in-
‘dustries of the town have received many bene-
fits. Mr. and Mrs. Nesmith have one child,
Cleon E.

Mr. Nesmith was two years in the State
legislature as Representative from London-
derry. He was for several years Collector of
the town, has served as Treasurer. as a mem-
ber of the School Board, and as Supervisor of
the check list. A representative citizen, he
is widely known and respected, and is a worthy
scion of a strong old family

 

RANCIS D. ROWE, a well-to-do
farmer and extensive lumber dealer of
Candia, was born in this town, January

28, 1831, son of Moses and Sarah (Brown)
Rowe. The first ancestor of the family to set-
tle in Candia was Daniel Rowe, Mr. Rowe’s
great-great-grandfather, a native of Kensing-
ton, this county, and a noted schoolmaster of
his day. It was he who bought the farm ad-
joining the property now occupied by C. R.
Rowe. He lived to an advanced age, and
reared a large family of children. His son,
Jonathan, Mr. Rowe’s grandfather, who served
as a soldier in the War of 1812, kept a general
store in Candia for many years, at the same

 

good old age. He married a Miss Lovering,
of Raymond, N.H.; and she became the
mother of ten children, none of whom are liv-
ing.

oes Rowe was a native and lifelong resi-
dent of Candia. Succeeding to the home-
stead, he cultivated the farm successfully.
He also engaged in the manufacturing of fish
barrels, in which he had a prosperous business
for several years. He was an industrious man,
took no interest in public affairs beyond cast-
ing his vote, and died in 1866, at the age of
seventy-two years. His wife, a native of
Candia, whose maiden name was Sarah Brown,
reared a family of ten children, eight of whom
are living. These are: Deacon Moses E., who
is residing in Bedford, Mass. ; Mary J., the
wife of J. D. Guyer, of Boston; Dr. Hiram
D., a resident of Brewster, Mass.; Francis
D., the subject of this sketch; Charles R.,
who occupies the old homestead in Candia;
Lorinda, the wife of Gilman K. Worthen, of
Manchester; Lavinia T., the wife of Henry
W. Rowe, of Boston; and Henrietta, the wife
of Calvin A. Rowe, also of Boston. Mr.
Rowe’s parents attended the Congregational
church.

Francis D. Rowe was educated in the com-
mon schools of Candia. For several years
after completing his studies he was employed
at a shoe manufactory in Deerfield, N.H.
Some thirty years ago he bought his present
farm in Candia, to which he has added more
land, now owning one hundred and fifty acres,
divided into tillage, pasture and woodland.
He has made various improvements upon the
property, in the way of enlarging and re-
modelling the buildings and increasing the
fertility of the soil. He raises large and su-
perior crops, including thirty-five tons of hay
annually, which is double the amount formerly
produced, and makes a specialty of dealing in
milk, handling the product of fifteen cows. He
has utilized a constantly flowing spring, located
upon high ground about fifty rods from his
buildings, and by laying a line of pipe has a
never-failing supply of pyre water. As there
is a good pressure, he has connected a line of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

399

 

 

hose to be used in case of fire. In politics he
votes with the Republican party. He has
served three years as a member of the Board of
Selectmen, a part of which time he was Chair-
man of that body. He has also acted as
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

In 1857 Mr. Rowe wedded Sarah Smith, a
native of Deerfield. She died, leaving three
children, as follows: Ellen E., who resides in
Boston; Fred E., who resides in the State of
Washington, and is now serving as Deputy
Sheriff; and Edward L., a merchant in Candia
Village. The father entered a second mar-
riage in 1880, contracted with Victoria M.
Cooke, of Lynn, Mass., a daughter of the Rev.
B. Cooke, now deceased.

Mr. Rowe is connected with Rockingham
Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., of Candia;
the Order of the Eastern Star, Adah Chapter,
No. 9; and has been Steward of Candia
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He isa mem-
ber of the Congregational church, and Treas-
urer of the society.

Edward L., youngest son of Francis D.
Rowe, was born in Candia, July 21, 1867, and
acquired a good practical education in the
common schools. He was engaged in farming
with his father until 1895, when he formed a
copartnership with John H. Foster, and con-
tinued the general mercantile business for-
merly conducted by W. J. Dudley in Candia
Village. The firm of Foster & Rowe carry
a full line of groceries, grain, feed, dry-goods,
patent medicines, and the like, and has already
built up a large business. Edward L. is de-
veloping business ability of more than ordi-
nary degree. His well-known character as
a conscientious and upright citizen insures for
him the confidence of the general public. He
is a Republican in politics, and is a member
of the Congregational churcb.

 

OHN P. ATWOOD, a well-known and
widely respected citizen of North
Salem, was born in this town on April
6, 1857, the son of Jeremiah C. and

Mary (Adams) Atwood. His father was a na-
tive of the place, and his mother was born in
Derry, N.H. His grandfather, John Atwood,
was originally of Haverhill, Mass., but came

 

to Salem, where he practically established a
new branch of the family. Jeremiah C.
Atwood devoted his life to the pursuit of
agriculture. He was very popular, and had a >
large acquaintance. He died in November,
1894, leaving two children, a son and a daugh-
ter. His wife had preceded him to the world
beyond by many years, dying while her chil-
dren yet needed a mother’s care.

John P. Atwood was brought up and edu-
cated in Salem. After leaving school, he took
to farming, in which branch of industry he has
been quite successful

He married Miss Etta J. Coburn, a daugh-
ter of Albertus Coburn, a well-known and
wealthy resident of Salem; and he and his
wife are the parents of two sons — Irving S.
and Ernest P.

Mr. Atwood, like his father, is a Democrat
in political belief. He is a charter member
of the Salem Grange, and member of the
Junior Order of American Mechanics.

 

HARLES M. HOLMES, a lifelong
resident of Londonderry, his native
town, where he owns a handsome
property of one hundred and thirty
acres, was born April 10, 1820. He is.a son
of Robert and Elizabeth (Anderson) Holmes,
the former a native of Hillsborough, N.H.,
the latter of Londonderry. The Holmes fam-
ily is of Scotch origin. Robert Holmes was
reared to man’s estate on a farm in Frances-.
town, N.H., gathering strength from the
genial sunlight and pure air of the New Hamp-
shire hills. The years of his manhood were
devoted to agricultural labor, at first in his
native town, later in Londonderry, where he
settled in 1812, his home being the farm now
occupied by Charles M. His death occurred
in 1840. In politics he was a Democrat.
He was a well-known citizen in old London-
derry, and had many friends. Charles M.
Holmes is the only survivor of the family.
He had three brothers and one sister — Oliver
A., Christopher G., Nathaniel W., and
Mary J.
Charles M. Holmes was educated in a dis-
trict school in Londonderry, where his most
important acquirements were the means there
400

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

given him of acquiring knowledge. He has
worked hard to attain his present prosperity,
rising early and retiring late, performing con-
scientiously year after year the myriad duties
of farm life, and is able now to rest from his
labors, and enjoy their fruits in his old age.

On November 25, 1848, Mr. Holmes was
married to Mary A. Batchelder, a native of
Grafton County, born October 25, 1826. She
is a daughter of Jonathan and Sallie (Tucker)
Batchelder, both natives of the same place,
and a grand-daughter of Mark Batchelder,
who fought for American independence under
Washington. She has two brothers living —
Mark and Reuben Batchelder, both in Hudson,
N.H. By her Mr. Holmes became the father
of two children, now deceased; namely, Mary J.
and Christopher N. In politics he is a stanch
Republican. Now seventy-six years old, he
is as keenly alive to the interests of his native
town as ever, and is as ready to do what he
can for the general good. Having made life’s
journey hand in hand with his estimable wife
for nearly half a century, he attributes much
of his success to her wise counsel and ever-
ready help and sympathy.

HARLES KIMBALL, a_ prominent
e and worthy citizen of Salem, was born
in this town, April 18, 1822, a son

of Joseph and Rebecca (Haselton)
Kimball. Both his parents were natives of
Salem. The Kimballs were among the pio-
neers of the town, their first progenitor to set-
tle here taking up his abode in a log house.
Oliver Kimball, the grandfather of Charles,
fought for American independence in the Rev-
olutionary War. Joseph Kimball was a life-
long resident of Salem, and died here April
28, 1867. He was an honored citizen, and
served acceptably as Selectman.

Charles Kimball grew to manhood in this
town, receiving a district-school education
and assisting on his father’s farm. After he
started out in life for himself, he worked prin-
cipally at farming, gardening, and lumbering;
but for four years he was in the mercantile
business at Salem Depot. His undertakings
have brought good returns, and he is now pos-
sessed of a competence.

 

 

In politics Mr. Kimball is a Democrat, and
in town affairs has been a leader of his party
and the recipient of many official honors.
For three years he was a member of the Board
of Selectmen, and was its Chairman during his
term of office. He served two terms as Town
Treasurer, and represented Salem in the State
legislature for one term.

Mr. Kimball was married August 1, 1844,
to Miss Celenda J. Haselton, who was born in
Salem, July 31, 1825, daughter of Silas and
Lydia (Hall) Haselton. Her father is a na-
tive of Manchester, N.H., and her mother of
Salem. Mr. and Mrs. Kimball have three
children — Arolin F., wife of Walter G.
Woodbury, of this town; Charles F., also a
resident of Salem; and Nellie E. Both par-
ents were esteemed members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which the father offici-
ates as Steward and Trustee.

 

LDEN F. SANBORN, one of the en-

terprising men of push and brain that

are doing their full share toward

advancing the prosperity of Rocking-

ham County, was born August 20, 1855, in

Fremont township, on the farm where he now
resides.

This homestead has been in the possession
of the Sanborn family for five generations,
the original owner having been Mr. Sanborn’s
great-great-grandfather, Daniel Sanborn, who
came here from Kensington. Settling in the
wilderness, he reclaimed a farm, and here
reared his family, which included Sherburn
Sanborn, the great-grandfather of Alden F.
Sherburn Sanborn was born 6n the parental
homestead, January 10, 1756. He was a
soldier in the Revolutionary army, taking an
active part in the battle of Bunker Hill, June
17, 1775. His son, Moses H. Sanborn, was

| the next in the ‘line now being considered.

He spent his life in agricultural pursuits on
the Sanborn farm, which he partly cleared.
He married Susan Brown, also a native of
Fremont; and one of their sons was Alvah
Sanborn, the father of the gentleman whose
name appears at the head of this sketch.

Alvah Sanborn succeeded to the ownership

of the parental acres, and has always lived on
 

ALDEN F. SANBORN.
 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 403
the home farm, where his birth occurred De- | and one of the most zealous and influential
cember 21, 1823. He is now the owner of | members of the Republican party. He has

about six hundred acres of land, which he and
his son manage together. He has continu-
ously been engaged in the independent calling
to which he was reared, and from year to year
has made substantial progress in the improve-
ment of his property, which is among the
most desirable and valuable estates in this
vicinity. He has also given much attention to
the lumber business. On September 6, 1843,
he married Miss Nancy Page, a native of San-
down, N.H. Of this union four children were
born; namely, John P., Susan E., Alden
F., and Eugene D.

John P. Sanborn married Isabella M.
Higby, of New Hampton, N.H.; and they now
reside in Newport, R.I., where he is a well-
known and influential citizen, being the editor
and proprietor of the Newport J/ercury, one of
the leading papers of the city. He is an
active politician, strongly advocating the prin-
ciples of the Republican party, and was at one
time Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Susan E. Sanborn died at the early age of
thirteen years. Eugene D., of whom a sketch
appears elsewhere in this volume, married
Lucy May Currier, and lives near the old
homestead. The father is:a stanch Republi-
can in politics, and has filled various offices
of the town, which he represented in 1874 and
1875 in the State legislature. Now that the
frosts of seventy-two winters have whitened
his hair, he has partly given up the active
management of his farm to his son Alden; yet
he still takes as keen an interest in town, State,
and national affairs as in his younger days.

Alden F. Sanborn was educated in his
native town and at the New Hampton Literary
Institute, and from his youth up has been
interested in farming pursuits. Having con-
tinued his residence on the old homestead, he
is now carrying on business with his father,
the two being among the most extensive land-
owners of this locality. They raise large an-
nual crops of the agricultural productions com-
mon to the county, and keep a choice dairy,
from which they sell the milk, this being an
important branch of their industry. They
likewise deal extensively in lumber.

Mr. Sanborn is prominent in public life,

 

been an incumbent of nearly all the offices of
the town, being at the present time Chairman
of the Board of Selectmen and a Representative
to the State legislature, his term expiring in
January, 1897. Socially, he is an, active
member of the local grange, Patrons of Hus-
bandry. Religiously, he and the entire family
are members of the Free Baptist Church of
Fremont Village.

Mr. Sanborn was married January 26, 1881,
to Miss Luna A. Gove, who was born Decem-
ber 26, 1857, in Raymond township. Her
father, Samuel B. Gove, was for many years
engaged in teaching and farming in Raymond.
He there married Mary A. Tilton, who died
in 1860, having borne him four children,
namely: Edwin H., who died on March 16,
1890; Bert I.; Sarah J.; and Luna A., now
Mrs. Sanborn. Mr. Gove, after the death of
his first wife, married Miss Mary E. McClure.
Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn have two children:
Moses H., born September 17, 1883; and
Edson D., born December 22, 1886.

 

OLNEY H. MOODY, a _ well-known
dry-goods merchant of Derry Depot,
and the present Representative of his

district in the New Hampshire legislature,
was born, March 26, 1859, at Tunbridge, Vt.
His father, Florentine D. Moody, is the son
of a pioneer settler of Orange County, Vermont,
where he has been engaged in general farming
the larger part of his life. Both he and his
wife, whose maiden name was Mary H. Crom,
were born and reared in Vermont, and have
always made their home in the Green Moun-
tain State.

Volney H. Moody was educated in the com-
mon schools and high school of his native town
and at the Royalton High School, where he
completed his studies. On attaining his ma-
jority, he left the home farm, in order to find
some more congenial occupation than tilling
the soil. Coming to Derry Depot, he secured
a position in the shoe manufactory of Colburn,
Fuller & Co., with whom he remained several
seasons. He then formed a copartnership
with Mr. L. H. Pillsbury, and under the firm
404

name of L. H. Pillsbury & Co. carried on a
substantial trade in general merchandise until
1890, in which year he established his present
business. He carries a fine assortment of dry
and fancy goods, his stock being one of the
most complete in this section of the county.
He is a man of excellent business qualifica-
tions, fair and square in his dealings, and
genial and pleasant in his manners, striving
to please each of his numerous patrons. He
is a public-spirited citizen, true to the inter-
ests of his adopted town and county, and isa
stanch member of the Republican party. For
three years he served as Selectman of the town
of Derry, being Chairman of the board two
years; and since the fall of 1894 he has capa-
bly represented the town of Derry in the State
legislature. Fraternally, he is a member of
St. Mark’s Lodge, No. 44, A. F. & A. M.,
of Derry Village, and of Echo Lodge, No. 61,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Derry
Depot, having been through all the chairs of
the latter order.

On September 3, 1885, Mr. Moody married
Nancy J., daughter of John A. and the late
Martha (Tenney) Gage, of Derry. The union
of Mr. and Mrs. Moody has been blessed by
the birth of one child, a boy, named Howard
G. Moody.

 

AIGHTON BROTHERS, Isles of
Shoals.— This firm consists of Oscar

and Cedric Laighton, who are well

and favorably known to the summer

guests at the Isles of Shoals as proprietors of
two of the finest and most popular hotels on
this coast, and as the brothers of Celia Thax-
ter, of beloved memory, poet and artist of the
Shoals, for whose sake alone the islands would
be held dear to the reading public. Their lives
are of interest to many who may never have
an opportunity to meet them. Oscar and Ce-
dric Laighton were born in Portsmouth, N.H.,
the former June 30, 1839, the latter September
4, 1840. They are the sons of Thomas B. and
Eliza (Rymes) Laighton. Thomas B. Laigh-
ton was also a native of Portsmouth, son of
Mark Laighton. He was aman of some cult-
ure, and was for a while editor of the Ports-
mouth Gazette. In 1845 he removed to the

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Isles of Shoals, and took charge of the light-

house, of which he was keeper some five
years. In the mean time he purchased Apple-
dore, and erected a hotel, which became

famous as a summer resort. Opened to the
public in 1848, it was successfully managed
by the original proprietor until 1864. He
died in 1866, in his sixty-seventh year. Mr.
Thomas B. Laighton was a man of good execu-
tive ability and pleasing personality. While
living in Portsmouth, he held many public
offices of trust, including that of Postmaster.
His wife, who was a native of Newington,
N.H., died in 1877, at the age of seventy-
three. She had but three children, namely:
Celia, Mrs. Thaxter, obiit December 26,
1894; Oscar; and Cedric. Mrs. Thaxter, who
was born in Portsmouth, June 29, 1836, was
a child of nine years when her parents removed
to the islands. One of her poems, ‘‘Watch-
ing,’’ will not be out of place here, as it pict-
ures the light-house-keeper returning from
Portsmouth :—

In childhood’s season fair,

On many a balmy, moonless summer night,

While wheeled the light-house arms of dark and bright
Far through the humid air,

How patient have I been,
Sitting alone, a happy little maid,
Watching to see, careless and unafraid,
My father’s boat come in!

Close to the water’s edge
Holding a tiny spark, that he might steer
(So dangerous the landing, far and near)
Safe past the ragged ledge.

I had no fears,— not one;
The wild, wide waste of water leagues around
Washed ceaselessly ; there was no human sound,
And | was all alone... .

Yet it was joy to hear
From out the darkness sounds grow clear at last,
Of rattling rowlock and of creaking mast,

And voices drawing near.

“Ts’t thou, dear father? Say!”
What well-known shout resounded in reply,
As loomed the tall sail, smitten suddenly
With the great light-house ray.

I will be patient now,
Dear heavenly Father, waiting here for thee:
I know the darkness holds thee. Shall I be
Afraid when it is thou?...
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

405

 

 

The Laighton children were educated under
private tutelage at the Shoals. Oscar and
Cedric, as soon as old enough, began to assist
their father in his business, and after his death
were fully competent to carry it on. Succeed-
ing. to the ownership of Appledore Island, they
enlarged the hotel, which now has a capacity
of five hundred guests, and purchased the
Oceanic on Star Island, which has accommo-
dations for three hundred and fifty persons.
To the popularity and good management of
the Laighton Brothers, no less than to the
unique surroundings and the charm of propin-
quity to a light-house, the success of these two
large establishments is due.

Cedric Laighton was married in 1881 to
Miss Julia Stowell, of New York City, and
has three children — Ruth, Margaret, and Bar-
bara. Oscar Laighton is unmarried. The
brothers are Unitarians in religious belief.
Cedric has a residence in Portsmouth, and
Oscar lives on Appledore, even during the
severity of the winter season, when, as his
sister, Mrs. Thaxter, wrote, —

Through the wide sky (God’s) north wind’s thunder roars
Resistless, till no cloud is left to flee,

And down the clear, cold heaven unhindered pours
(His) awful moonlight on the winter sea.

 

YPON. LEONARD ALLISON MOR-
RISON, a direct descendant of one

of the original families of London-
es derry, N.H., was born in Windham,
February 21, 1843. The line of descent is:
(1) John Morison, who with his family en-
dured the hardships and perils of the famous
siege of Londonderry, Ireland, in 1688-89.
He came to Nutfield, N.H., about 1720, with
early settlers, owned the farm in Derry Dock
now owned by Charles Day, and died there in
1736, at the reputed age of one hundred and
eight years. His son was Charter James Mori-
son (2), who preceded him to Londonderry,
coming in 1719, and who owned the farm now
owned by William O. Noyes in East Derry,
and died there.

The son of James Morison (2) and the
founder of the Windham family was Lieu-
tenant Samuel Morison (3), who lived where
his great-grandson, Albert A. Morrison (6),

 

 

now resides in Windham range. Deacon
Samuel Morison (4) was the son of the Lieut-
enant, and lived on the bordering farm. He
was the father of Jeremiah Morrison (5), who
married Eleanor Reed Kimball, of Bradford,
Mass.; and they were the parents of Leonard
Allison Morrison (6), who lives upon the
homestead. He was educated at the academy
at Gowanda, Cattaraugus County, N.Y., and
in the seminary now at Tilton, N.H. Always
a great lover of books, history became his
favorite study.

Mr. Morrison takes a strong interest in the
public affairs of his town. He served as Se-
lectman in 1871-72, and in those years be-
came a Trustee, and aided in the establish-
ment of the Nesmith Free Public Library,
which contains over three thousand volumes.
He presided as Moderator at the annual town
meetings for fifteen years, has been a Justice
of the Peace since 1869, was an enumerator of
the Tenth United States Census in 1880, and
was one of the County Auditors in 1885-87.
He was a member of the Republican State
Committee in 1880-82; of the House of Rep-
resentatives in 1885-87, being Chairman of
the Committee on Education, and successfully
piloting through the house the bill establish-
ing the town system of schools. In 1887-89
he served the Londonderry district in the State
Senate, where he was Chairman of the Com-
mittee on Education, and was also a member
of the Committee on Engrossed Bills, Agri-
culture, State Prison, and Industrial School.

Since 1861 Mr. Morrison has been a con-
tributor to the newspapers and magazines.
His time since and including 1878 has been
largely devoted to literary work. He is the
author of the “ History of the Morison or Mor-
rison Family,” an octavo volume of four hun-
dred and seventy pages, published in 1880,
which was favorably received by the members
of the family and the historical community ;
and the large edition was soon exhausted. In
1880 he commenced the preparation of the

“History of Windham in New Hampshire,”

upon which he spent three years of unceasing
labor. The work was published in 1883, and
takes a high rank among town histories. He
also wrote a condensed history of Windham
for the “History of Rockingham and Strafford
406

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Counties.” In 1884 he spent several months
in Europe in historical research and travel,
visiting the Scotch settlements in Ireland,
consulting many ancient records and libraries,
and making the acquaintance of many dis-
tinguished persons in different parts of Great
Britain.

Asa result of these travels and researches
his “Rambler in Europe: in Treland, Scot-
land, England, Belgium, Germany, Switzer-
land, and France; with Historic Facts relating
to Scotch-American Families gathered in Scot-
land and the North of Ireland,” was published
in 1887. He again visited Europe for his-
torical purposes in 1889, travelling extensively
in Wales, England, Ireland, and Scotland, in
Normandy, France, Switzerland, and _ Italy,
and in 1891 was published his “Among the
Scotch-Irish; and through Seven Countries.”
He wrote a “Supplement to the History of
Windham in New Hampshire” (1892); pre-
pared “The History and Proceedings of the
One Hundred and F’iftieth Anniversary of the
Incorporation of Windham in New Hamp-
shire, held June 9, 1892.” He is the author
of “Lineage and Biographies of the Norris
Family” (1892), “History of the Alison or
Allison Family in Europe and America”
(1893), “Descendants of Daniel Morrison, of
Newbury, Mass., who appeared in Haverhill,
Mass., Stratham, Epping, Candia, and San-
bornton, N.H.; published in the New Eng-
land Historical and Genealogical Register ”
(October, 1894). His “History of the Sin-
clair Family in Iurope and America,” five
hundred and eighteen pages, with engravings,
was published in 1896. He is joint author
with Professor S. P. Sharples, of Cambridge,
Mass., of the “ History of the Kimball Family
in England and America,” published in 1896.

Mr. Morrison’s literary and historical work
has completely absorbed his mind, and he has
engaged in it with great enthusiasm and de-
light. In recognition of his valuable services
to education, history, and genealogy, Dart-
mouth College conferred upon him in 1884 the
degree of M.A. He was made a life member
of the New Hampshire Historical Society in
1893, and is Vice-President for New Hamp-
shire of the Scotch-Irish Society of America,
having been elected in 1894 in place of the

 

Hon. James W. Patterson, deceased, and re-
elected in 1895. Mr. Morrison is unmarried.
His home is in Windham (post-office, Canobie
Lake), N.H. (The above is taken substan-
tially from the “ Book of Nutfield,” by George
F. Willey. )

 

AMUEL GILCREAST, Postmaster
of North Londonderry, was born
here, November 7, 1822, son of
David and Sallie (Davis) Gilcreast.

His father was a native of Dracut, Mass., and
his mother of Londonderry, Vt. David Gil-
creast, who was a blacksmith by trade, settled
in what is now the town of Derry, N.H., when
about twenty-three years of age. He worked
at his trade for a while there, and then re-
moved to Londonderry, establishing his home
near the old Presbyterian church. Here fora
number of years he was prosperously engaged
in general farming. At one time he owned
a large amount of land, and was then regarded
as one of the wealthiest men in Londonderry.
With but a strong constitution and a resolute
will for his capital on beginning life, he was
undoubtedly a self-made man. A stanch
Jeffersonian Democrat, he was a leader in
local politics, and served as Selectman of the
town. In religious belief he was a Presby-
terian.

Samuel Gilcreast was reared to man’s estate
on his father’s farm in Londonderry, receiving
his rudimentary education in the public
schools, finishing it at Pinkerton and Pem-
broke academies. For twenty-five years he
worked at farming in the summer season,
teaching school in the winter. Excepting one
term, he followed the latter as well as the for-
mer occupation in his native town, where he
established a reputation that gave him rank
among the best teachers of the district. He
was also successful at farming. Mr. Gilcreast
has for many years been prominently identified
with the interests of the Democratic party,
who have nominated him for every office within
the town’s gift; but, owing to adverse ma-
jorities, he has not been often elected. Under
the old statute he was superintendent of schools
in Londonderry, and under the present law he
has been a member of the School Board. Ile
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

407

 

 

is a warm friend of popular education, of whose
faults and merits his experience as a teacher
has given him a clear understanding. He is
also Postmaster of North Londonderry, having
received the appointment in April of 1894.
Mr. Gilcreast, who has a fondness for the art,
has given much time to the cultivation of vocal
and instrumental music. He played in the
orchestra of a chorus choir, maintained by a
Presbyterian society, when he was but fifteen
years old. He subsequently played or sung
there for forty years, serving as chorister dur-
ing the last fifteen or twenty years. For the
last eighteen years he has labored in a Union
Society at North Londonderry.

Mr. Gilcreast was married November 27,
1845, to Nancy, daughter of Captain Benjamin
_ Proctor, of Derry, N.H. Four children have
since been born to them. These were: Mina
A., deceased; Ella A., the wife of Charles O.
Huse, of Derry Depot; Flora E., the wife of
Eugene O. Greeley, of Lynn, Mass. ; and E1-
win A., also deceased. The parents happily
celebrated their golden wedding November 27,
1895. They are now enjoying the rewards of
a life spent in usefulness and well-doing, hav-
ing the warm regard of a large circle of friends.

 

ALLACE W. COLE, one of the
town fathers of Salem, who is in
business as a retail meat merchant,

was born in Boxford, Mass., November 19,
1855. Heisasonof Ephraim F. and Sarah
(Spofford) Cole, the former a native of Box-
ford, Mass., and the latter of Chester, N.H.
The Coles are one of the old families of Box-
ford. Ephraim F. Cole dwelt during his life-
time in the house where he was born, chiefly
occupied in agricultural labor. Of his chil-
dren, six are living, namely: George S., resid-
ing in Andover, Mass.; Jennie, the wife of
M. T. Wadlin, of North Andover; Arthur E.,
living in Orono, Me.; Joseph F., also resid-
ing in Andover; Wallace W., the subject of
this sketch; and Roscoe K., residing in An-
dover. The others, William, John F., and
Charles W., are deceased. John F. and Charles
W., who were members of the Thirty-fifth
Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer In-
fantry, lost their lives in the Civil War.

 

 

Wallace W. Cole received his early educa-
tion in the schools of his native town, remain-
ing on the home farm until eighteen years of
age. He then obtained employment in a car-
riage manufactory in Amesbury, Mass., where
be remained a short time. Subsequently he
was engaged for five years in carpenter work
in Andover. In 1876 he came to Salem, and
worked as a journeyman carpenter for a year,
after which he located permanently at his
present home. In 1879 he engaged in the
retail meat business, at first with Charles A.
Dow as partner, under the firm name of Cole
& Dow. Some time after Mr..Dow retired
from the business, and Mr. Cole has been the
sole proprietor since. He has a fine farm and
a commodious and substantial residence, the
whole making one of the pleasantest homes in
the town. Mr. Cole is a member of Salem
Grange.

He was married December 24, 1878, to Ida
D. Colby, a native of Salem, and a daughter
of William G. Colby, formerly of this town.
She has six children-—— Mabel, Minnie F.,
Gertrude C., Clarence W., Edith L., and Eva
M. Mr. Cole is one of the strong Republi-
cans of the town, who rely on his sagacity to
meet every emergency. He is now serving
his fourth year as Selectman of Salem, having
presided as Chairman of the board one year.
He has also represented the town in the State
legislature. Starting without capital, his only
resources being a trade and a faculty for at-
taining his object, he has raised himself to
the plane in which he now lives. Although
handicapped at the outset by the lack of a
more liberal education, his natural abilities
make him the peer and often the superior of
men who have had the best of mental training.

 

DWARD E. KENT, a prosperous gen-
eral merchant and the present Post-
master of Londonderry, has been a

resident of this town since 1887, coming here
from Lawrence, Mass., where he was born in |
September, 1863, a son of Elbridge L. and
Diantha Kent. His mother died in 1879.
His father is still living, being now engaged
in mercantile pursuits in Lawrence, though
formerly a baker. Edward E. Kent carries a
408

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

line of groceries, grain, flour, and other gen-
eral supplies, in which he has a good trade.
On June 8, 1893, he received his appointment
as Postmaster, and in this position is proving
himself a most capable and obliging official.
He is a member of the Londonderry Grange.

Mr: Kent married Miss Angie B. Head,
who is a daughter of Charles Head, of North
Salem, N.H.

 

LBERT E. SIMPSON, a well-known
farmer of Windham, and the popular
proprietor of Sycamore Grove on

the shores of Corbett’s Pond, was

born here on Christmas Day, 1835, son of
Samuel and Nancy M. (Hall) Simpson. The
Simpson family were among the earliest set-
tlers of the southern part of Windham. Rob-
ert Simpson, the grandfather of Albert E.,
followed farming in the town throughout his
adult life. He and his wife, Mary, became
the parents of quite a family of children.
Their son, Samuel, worked as a mason in: his
early years in Methuen, Mass., where he re-
sided for a long time. He then removed to
Hudson, Hillsborough County, N.H., and
there spent the remainder of his days, engaged
in husbandry. He united in marriage with
Miss Nancy M. Hall, a daughter of John
Hall, who was a lifelong resident of Wind-
ham, and became the father of a son, Albert
E. In national politics Mr. Simpson was
identified with the Republican party. - He
passed away in 1888. His wife is still living.
Albert E. Simpson passed his youth at the
home of his maternal grandfather, John Hall,
receiving his education in the district schools.
At the age of fifteen years he began to work
for his living as a farm laborer in the vicinity,
for which he was paid nine dollars a month
with his board. He subsequently acquired a
knowledge of ship-building, and worked at it
intermittently in East Boston, Philadelphia,
and Franklin, Me., for about ten years. He
was next employed for a number of years by
Messrs. S. Dockham & Co., a prominent
building and contracting firm at Lawrence,

Mass., in the capacity of superintendent of:

a department. During that period he super-
vised the construction of numerous important

 

and extensive public and private works, in-
cluding the Distributing Reservoir at Lowell,
Mass. In 1875 Mr. Simpson returned to his
native town and purchased the estate on
which he has resided since. The property
contains one hundred and twenty acres of land,
a considerable portion of which is embraced
in what is widely known as Sycamore Grove,
a very pleasant and popular summer resort.
It is thoroughly equipped for picnic parties,
and is chiefly devoted to their use. Bordering
upon a beautiful lake called Corbett’s Pond,
boats are constantly kept for rent. Its many
natural and artificial advantages make it a very
attractive spot.

On November 29, 1866, Mr. Simpson was
joined in wedlock with Miss Margaret Bor-
dine, a native of New Brunswick, N.J. They
have become the parents of six children, all
but one of whom are still living; namely,
Allettia V., Agnes T., Georgie P., Norman
B., and Beulah B. Agnes T. is now the wife

of P. J. Call, a resident of Windham. In

politics Mr. Simpson is a Republican. He
has for eight years served as Selectman of
Windham, for one term of two years as Super-
visor of the same town, and for five years as
the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, he
being a member of the first board that has
served in Windham under the present law.
Mr. Simpson has also been a Justice of the
Peace for some time. Few of Windham’s
public men have so wide a circle of acquaint-
ances.

 

EORGE F. PRIEST, a well-known
coal dealer at Derry Depot, N.H.,
Rockingham County, and one of the
most active and influential business men of
this thriving village, was born at Weare,
Hillsborough County, N.H., November 28,
1848, son of the Hon. James and Irena (Lock)
Priest.
James Priest was born and reared in Massa-
chusetts, but subsequently removed to New
Hampshire, where he married Miss Lock.
He lived for a time in the town of Weare,
coming thence to Rockingham County early
in the fifties. He soon became identified with
the best interests of the county, and one year
 

 

PRIEST.

GEORGE F.,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

411

 

 

represented the Londonderry district in the
State legislature. Through his influence the
post-offices at Wilson’s Crossing, Windham,
and at Derry Depot, were established, he
being the first Postmaster in the latter place.
For many years he was station agent on the
Manchester & Lawrence Railway at Derry
Depot, continuing his residence here until his
demise in 1892. In politics he was a stead-
fast Democrat, and a most useful member of
his party. Besides his son, George F., four
daughters survive him, the following being
their record: Lura is the wife of J. K. Wil-
son, of Manchester, N.H.; Lydia A. resides
at Derry Depot; Ada P. married M. J. Young,
of Haverhill, Mass.; and Lucy J. is the wife
of N. B. Couch, of Chester, this State.

George F. Priest was but a boy when his
parents removed to Derry Depot, where he
was reared and educated. As soon as old
enough he began learning the duties of a
station agent, and on his father’s resignation
of that office he was appointed to succeed
him. This railway, which is now a portion
of the Boston & Maine system, was then
known as the Manchester & Lawrence, as
above mentioned. In 1888 Mr. Priest gave
up his position in the employ of the railway
company, and started the coal business, to
which he has given careful and diligent atten-
tion, winning the confidence of the public,
and has met with eminent success, having
built up an extensive and profitable trade.

Mr. Priest was married October, 1874, to
Mary E. Wyllie, a native of Ware, Mass.
Two sons have been born to them; namely, J.
Harry and George W. Mr. Priest is a stanch
Democrat in politics, and for two years served
faithfully as Selectman of the town of Derry,
and for an equal length of time represented
his district in the State legislature. He is
active and prominent in social circles, belong-
ing to the Masonic and Odd Fellows Orders of
Derry Depot and to the Eastern Star Lodge.

 

ANIEL W. DALTON, a well-known
and successful liveryman of Rye,
2 was born here, May 21, 1849, son of

~ Daniel and Martha (Brown) Dalton.
The family is one of the oldest in the county,

 

 

 

 

 

as its ancestral history covers more than two
and a quarter centuries. The first Daltons in
Eastern New England were two brothers,
one being a clergyman, who came from Eng-
land, and made a settlement at Hampton,
N.H., about the year 1660. From that time
to the present representatives of the family
have resided in that part of the county. Mr.
Dalton’s great-grandftather, whose name was
also Daniel, served the Colonial cause in the
War of Independence. Daniel’s son Michael
was a fisherman; while he also owned and
conducted a farm in the vicinity of Rye Beach.
The dwelling which he occupied is. still
standing, and is known as the Dalton house.
He and his wife became the parents of five
children; namely, Michael, Louisa, Elvira,
Joseph, and Daniel. All the sons have passed
away. Louisa married a Mr. Leviett; and one
of her children is now the wife of the Hon.
Frank Jones, of Portsmouth, N.H.

Daniel Dalton was born in Rye, and edu-
cated in the public schools of that town. In
the earlier part of his life he was engaged in
general agriculture and fishing. Latterly he
has conducted a boarding-house on Rye .Beach
for summer guests. He was united in mar-
riage with Miss Martha Brown, by whom he
became the father of two children — Daniel
W. and Eliza A. The latter died at the age
of twenty-one years and eight months. The
father served the community as Selectman for
a number of years. He was a member of the
Christian Baptist church of the town. He de-
parted this life at the age of seventy-three
years, and his wife in her forty-seventh year.

Daniel W. Dalton was educated in the com-
mon schools and at the New Hampton Acad-
emy. Schooling ended, he established him-
self in the livery business at Rye, and has car-
ried it on successfully since. For thirteen
successive years he has also conveyed the mail
from Rye Beach to North Hampton Depot.
At the former place he keeps a boarding-house
for seaside visitors. Mr. Dalton is likewise en-
gaged quite extensively in the purchase and sale
of horses. He is identified with the Mutual
Relief Association of North Hampton. In na-
tional politics he is numbered among the ranks
of the Independents. He deposited his first
Presidential vote in 1872 for Horace Greeley.
412

TIS B. FRENCH, who has success-
(2) fully carried on general farming in
Stratham since his carly manhood,
was born upon his present farm Sep-
tember 16, 1834, a son of David and Susan
(Burley) French. Mr. French’s father was
born in Stratham in 1780. When a young
man, he settled upon the farm where his son
now resides, first buying thirty-three acres,
and later increasing his property to seventy-
three acres. He was a hard-working man,
who never let slip a legitimate opportunity to
improve his condition. His industrious life
terminated in 1862, at the age of eighty-two
years. He supported the Whig party in poli-
tics, and attended the Baptist church. For
his first wife he married Clara Wiggin; and of
several children born of this union four grew
to maturity, and two are now living, namely:
Martha J., now Mrs. Jonathan Locke, who is
a resident of Rye; and Clara P. The others
were: Stephen Frank, who died at the age of
twenty; and David J., who died in 1887, aged
sixty-seven years. David French wedded for
his second wife Susan Burley, who was born
in New Market; and she became the mother of
two children, namely: Daniel, who was born
in 1831, and died in 1860; and Otis B., the
subject of this sketch. Mr. French’s mother
died in 1870, aged seventy-six years.

Otis B. French passed his boyhood and
youth in attending school, and assisting his
parents on the farm. He finally succeeded to
the ownership of the property, and has since
acquired more land, now owning about one
hundred acres. He conducts general farming
with good results, raising excellent crops of
bay and grain, and has a well-equipped dairy.
He manages his farm with care and good judg-
ment, and by persevering activity and wise
frugality has reached a position of easy inde-
pendence.

On January 1, 1879, Mr. French was united
in marriage to Mary E. Marston, who was
born in Portsmouth, N.H., January 1, 1848.
She is a daughter of James and Lucy (Dennett)
Marston, both of whom were natives of Ports-
mouth, but moved to North Hampton in
1855, and there spent their remaining years,
the father dying in 1891, at the age of
seventy-two, and the mother in 1893, when

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

eighty-two years old. They were the parents
of five other children, all of whom are diving,
namely: Emily A., wife of S. A. Dow, of
North Hampton; Harriet F., wife of J. Allan
Fenwick, a merchant of Boston; George A. ;
Lucy E., wife of John N. Sanborn, of Hamp-
ton Falls; and Ella J. George A. and Ella
J. reside on the old homestead. Mr. and Mrs.
French have three children: Susie O., who
was born October 30, 1882; Bessie M., born
August 27, 1884; and Josephine M., born
April 19, 1886. Two children (boys) died in
infancy.

Mr. French is regarded by his fellow-towns-
men as a worthy and reliable citizen. He has
always taken an active interest in the progress
of the town and the general welfare of the
community. In politics he votes with the
Republican party, and is liberal in his relig-
ious belief. Mrs. French is a member of the
Congregational church, of which Mr. French
is a regular attendant.

 

ACOB ALPHEUS NESMITH, one of

the best-known residents of Windham,

N.H., and a representative of a highly

reputable family in this locality, was

born in Windham, July 31, 1820, son of

Colonel Jacob M. and Margaret (Dinsmoor)
Nesmith,

The original ancestor of the family in
America, of whom Mr. Nesmith is a descend-
ant in the fifth. generation, was Deacon James
Nesmith, a native of the north of Ireland, of
Scotch ancestry, who came to this country a
few years after his marriage, and in April,
1719, was one of the sixteen original settlers
of Londonderry, N.H., then known as Nut-
field, and including the present towns of Lon-
donderry, Derry, and Windham. Deacon
Nesmith’s son Thomas married Annis Wilson,
settled in Windham, and was the founder of
this branch of the family. The old Nesmith
farm in Windham is now occupied by Horace
Berry.

John Nesmith, son of Thomas, and grand-
father of Jacob Alpheus of this sketch, was
for many years a Justice of the Peace in Wind-
ham. He kept a country store, did a good
business, and was closely identified during his
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

413

 

 

active career with the growth and development
of the town. John Nesmith died in the prime of
manhood, at forty-four years of age. All of his
children filled useful positions in life. Among
his sons were: Colonel Thomas Nesmith, who
did duty at Portsmouth during the War of 1812;
and John Nesmith, who was elected Lieutenant
Governor of Massachusetts on the ticket with
the Hon. John A. Andrew, the noted War
Governor of that Commonwealth. Colonel
Jacob M. Nesmith, son of John, the first of
the name, was born in Windham in 1786, and
became one of the prosperous residents of the
town. Although an exceedingly able man, he
invariably declined to accept offices of public
trust which were tendered to him by his fel-
low-townsmen, preferring to devote what lei-
sure time he could to his home and family.
In politics he was originally a Whig, but
joined the Republican party at its formation.
He served for several years as Colonel of the
Eighth Regiment, Third Brigade, New Hamp-
shire Volunteer Militia, of which he was one
of the most valuable and ‘conspicuous officers ;
and he was mainly instrumental in bringing
the service up to the high standard of efficiency
and perfection for which it was noted during
his time. He was a great lover and an excel-
lent judge of horses, a practical and progres-
sive agriculturist, and, above all, a high-
minded, conscientious, and patriotic citizen,
who enjoyed the respect and esteem of a large
number of friends and acquaintances through:
out the county and State. His death, which
took place in 1863, was the cause of general
regret; and his memory is still cherished by
the older residents of this town, who knew and
appreciated his ability and true worth.
Colonel Jacob M. Nesmith married Margaret
Dinsmoor, daughter of Robert Dinsmoor, who
was known in his day as the ‘‘Rustic Bard.”’
Of the children born of this union, three are
living, namely: Jacob A., the subject of this
sketch; William E.; and Samuel M.

Jacob Alpheus Nesmith in his early years
attended the district schools of his native town,
and completed his studies with a short course
at the Hancock Academy. He afterward spent
some time in Lowell, Mass., and later for a
number of years was successfully engaged in
mercantile business in Chelmsford, Mass. He

 

eventually returned to Windham, to take
charge of the homestead farm, where he has
passed the greater part of his life; and he has
tilled the soil with industry and prosperity up
to the present day.

Mr. Nesmith has been twice married. By
his union with his first wife, whose maiden
name was Mary A. Hughes, there were two
children — Charles C. and Mary A., who are
no longer living. His second wife was before
marriage Elizabeth Ellen Smith, of Medford,
Mass. She is the mother of one son, Jacob
Arthur, who resides at home with his parents.

Jacob Arthur Nesmith is a young man wel]
and favorably known in this locality. He is
connected with the Masonic Order, the Odd
Fellows, the Windham Grange, Patrons of
Husbandry, and other societies, among the
members of which he is very popular.

In 1891 Mr. Nesmith attended the fiftieth
anniversary of the organization of an indepen-
dent military company called the National
Highlanders, to which he belonged while re-
siding in Lowell, Mass., in 1841. Of the
company which originally contained ninety
members, there are but twenty-two survivors,
who are now living in different parts of the
United States; and of these but ten were able
to be present at the reunion. Mr. Nesmith is
a Republican in politics, and both he and his
wife occupy a position of social prominence.

 

 

 

OHN SCAMMON, son of James and
Lydia V. Scammon, was born at
Stratham, August 22, 1797, and was
educated in the common schools of his

native town and at Hampton Academy. After

leaving school, he engaged in teaching, and was
very successful in this calling. His command-
ing appearance and unusual physical strength
made him much sought to take charge of
schools that were considered difficult to man-
age. For the most of his life farming was
nominally his occupation, though his attention
was called to many other duties. He was an
accomplished surveyor, and did more or less
work at that business. Served as Ensign in
the War of 1812, after the war was promoted
to the rank of Captain in the militia, and was
a popular and efficient officer.
414

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

In town affairs he bore a lifelong and prom-
inent part and with distinguished success,
bringing to this work a most thorough know]-
edge of town business in all its branches. He
served as Moderator in 1834-38, 1840-49,
1851, 1852, and 1857; as School Committee
in 1844, 1847, and 1849; was on the State
ticket for Road Commissioner in 1847, 1848,
and 1850; was Selectman in 1824, 1825, and
1826, and Chairman of the Board in 1834-38,
1841-47, 1849, and 1850; served as Repre-
sentative in 1835, 1836, and 1837. Through-
out his life he was an unswerving Democrat.
His quick perception, intelligent judgment,
and knowledge of political affairs made him a
natural leader and counsellor in the com-
munity. Few men outside the profession had
a more accurate and extensive knowledge of
law than he. So well known and recognized
were these qualifications that in 1853 he was
promoted to the bench as Justice of the Court
of Common Pleas.

Judge Scammon discharged his duties on
the bench with credit to himself and to the
satisfaction of the public, and served until the
constitution of the courts was changed. From
every point of view his career was that of a
well-balanced and successful man. He was
successful as a teacher, successful as a farmer,
successful on the bench and in all his various
official positions, and successful as a man of
character and influence inthe community. He
died while apparently in the full strength of
manhood, March 19, 1863. His grave is in
the Congregational churchyard. An extended
account of the ancestors of the Scammon fam-
ily, who were early settlers in Stratham, may
be found in a sketch relative to the career of
Colonel Richard M. Scammon, which appears
in this work.

John J. Scammon, the only son of Judge
Scammon, was born November 22, 1828, upon
the homestead now occupied by him in
Stratham. He began his education in the
schools of his native town, and supplemented
his elementary studies with a course at the
Exeter and Hampton Academies. After teach-
ing school for a time, he engaged in the meat
and provision business, being located at one
time in Exeter as a member of the firm of
Mace & Scammon; but he finally gave his

 

entire attention to farming. He owns one =
hundred and seventy-five acres of excellent
tillage land, situated about two miles from
Exeter, and has been a successful farmer, as
the neat, commodious buildings and well-filled
barns will attest.

Mr. Scammon married February 9, 1860,
Rachel S. Jewell, who was born in Exeter,
January 11, 1836, the daughter of David and
Rachel (Leavitt) Jewell, members of the old
and highly respected Jewell family. To Mr.
and Mrs. Scammon have been born: two chil-
dren: Frank H., a provision dealer of this
town; and John, now in the employ of the
Boston & Maine Railroad. - Frank H. Scam-
mon was born June 15, 1861, married Jose-
phine Pickering, of Greenland, and has three
children — Helen R., Alice J., and Edwin H.
The younger son, John Scammon, a resident of
Newfields, was born September 30, 1865. He
married Mamie Dixey, of Lynn, Mass., and
has three children— Oscar J., John J., and
Marianna.

In politics Mr. Scammon is a Democrat of
the old school, and has served his townsmen
faithfully in many trusted positions, having
been very closely connected with the school
department in various capacities for the past
fifteen years; was also Deputy Sheriff eight
years, and has served as Selectman. His
career has been one of industry and toil. He
has gained success by judiciously applying the
resources at his command, and is still actively
engaged in the duties of life.

 

 

i

SAAC BLODGETT, for many years an
esteemed and loyal citizen of the town
of Londonderry, was a native of Litch-
field, N.H., born May 26, 1807, son of

Joshua and Sarah (Vickery) Blodgett, his
father being a native of Litchfield, and his
mother of Merrimac, N.H.

When three years old, Isaac Blodgett re-
moved with his parents to Manchester, N.H.,
where his boyhood and early manhood were
spent. He received a common-school educa-
tion, and early became familiar with the rou-
tine duties of farm life. When a young man,
he was employed for some time in a grist-mill;
but during the greater part of his life he was
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

415

 

 

engaged in farming. The valuable estate on
which he spent the closing years of his life,
with its fine residence erected in 1893, is one
of the most pleasant rural homes in London-
derry. By Mr. Blodgett’s death, which oc-
curred January 11, 1858, the town lost one of
her most valued citizens, the community an
honest, upright, Christian man and obliging
neighbor, and his family a kind and loving
husband and father. For a number of years
previous to his death he had been in poor
health. He was a member of the Presby-
terian church, and in political affiliation he
was a Republican.

On May 4, 1843, Mr. Blodgett married Miss
Bethiah Read, who was born in Westfield,
Mass., December 20, 1818, a daughter of Joel
and Joanna (Chandler) Read, and a descendant
of one of the oldest families in that town.
At seven years of age she lost her mother by
death, and at eight went to live with the fam-
ily of Benjamin Blodgett in Londonderry,
N.H., where she grew to womanhood. Five
children blessed her union with Isaac Blodg-
ett: Ruth M. E.; Augusta W., the widow of
Oliver D. Evans, residing in Exeter, N.H.;
Celestia, deceased; Isaac J., deceased; and
B. Izie. Mrs. Blodgett resides on the home-
stead, and is enjoying the fruits of a life spent
in usefulness and well-doing.

 

ATHAN HOYT, of Danville, who is
spending the closing years of his long
and useful life in retirement on
his farm, was born November 27,
1819, in Sandown, this county, son of
William Howard and Betsey (French) Hoyt.
His paternal grandfather, Ebenezer Hoyt,
born June 15, 1754, at West Amesbury,
Mass., was one of the heroes of Bunker Hill.
Ebenezer married Sarah Nichols, of Ames-
bury, who lived to the remarkable age of one
hundred years. She bore him seven children;
namely, Mehitabel, William Howard, Ebe-
nezer, Daniel, Eliphalet, Joseph, and Moses.
William Howard Hoyt was born in Dan-
ville, whither his parents removed from their
Massachusetts home in July, 1780. He mar-
ried Betsey French, who was born in South
Hampton, Rockingham County, November

 

5, 1783, a daughter of Ebenezer and Mrs.
(Barvhard) French. After their marriage the
parents located in Sandown, where the father
owned a fine farm, which he skilfully man-
aged, at the same time working at the mason’s
trade. A’ superior workman, he was often
employed in neighboring towns, including
Newburyport, Mass., where he built several
blocks that are yet standing. He died in the
prime of manhood, June 11, 1822, aged thirty-
nine years, ten months, and twenty-seven days.
His wife bore him six children, as follows:
Sarah N., who married George Helson, both
now deceased; William, also deceased, who
married the late Harriet Hook; Mehitabel,
the widow of the late John Wason, now living
with her daughter in Derry, N.H.; Ebenezer,
who successively married Mary Clark and
Susan Hoyt, the latter now living in San-
down township, and died in 1895; Rhoda,
who married Robert Sanborn, both now de-
ceased; and Nathan, the subject of this sketch.
The mother died January 20, 1871, aged
eighty-six years.

Nathan Hoyt was but two years of age when
his father died, leaving his mother with six
small children. When eight years of age, he
began earning his own living by working for
farmers in Chester and Danville. However,
he attended the district schools for about two
months each winter. At the age of fourteen
years he went to live with his brother in Dan-
ville, with whom he learned the cooper’s trade,
and remained four years. He worked at his
trade during the succeeding twenty-five years,
becoming a skilled workman, and making on
an average, by hand and without help, five
hundred fish barrels a year. He was also
engaged in farming to some extent, having
settled after his first marriage on his present
farm, which was formerly owned by his father-
in-law, Moody M. Hook. The estate contains
one hundred acres of land, which he has
brought into a high state of cultivation. The
farm was one of the first settled in this local-
ity; and on the spot now occupied by the
present comfortable residence there formerly
stood an old-time tavern, which was for a long
time one of the landmarks of the county. In
addition to farming Mr. Hoyt was for several
years extensively engaged in lumbering, and
416

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

did a great deal of trading in cattle. He has
always been identified with the Democratic
party, being a prominent and influential mem-
ber, and in his younger years served in various
town offices, including that of Selectman. He
is a typical representative of the self-made
men of New England. Coming here when but
a lad, with all of his worldly possession in his
handkerchief, he has steadily climbed the
ladder of prosperity.

On February 27, 1840, Mr. Hoyt married
Sarah N. Hook, who was born on the home-
stead now occupied by Mr. Hoyt, December
24, 1819, a daughter of Moody and Sarah
(Sawyer) Hook. She died July 25, 18709,
leaving four children, as follows: Francis
Moody, born March 29, 1842, who was mar-
ried in November, 1866, to Eliza Meserve,
and is now manufacturing shoes in Manches-
ter, N.H.; Laura Ann, born
1847, who was married July 5, 1870, to Per-
ley R. Currier, of Fremont; Lottie Elizabeth,
born August 14, 1849, who was married July
19, 1874, to Samuel B. Gibson, of Fremont,
where her death occurred January 1, 1842; and
Annie Belle, born August 14, 1859, who was
married May 22, 1880, to Alden M. Johnson,
a shoemaker in South Danville. In 1893,
November 30, Mr. Hoyt entered a second
marriage, contracted with Mrs. Mary A. (Os-
good) Morrill, who was born March 24, 1844,
in Danville, a daughter of Jonathan and Han-
nah (Page) Osgood. Mr. Osgood, who was a
native of Amesbury, came to Danville when a
boy, and has since been engaged in farming
in this town. He and his wife, who was born
and reared here, are among the oldest residents
of the town. Mrs. Hoyt is a member of the
Free Baptist church.

EORGE WEEKS, son of Deacon John

and Mary (Coffin) Weeks, was a life-

long resident of Greenland, N.H.,

where he was born in 1810, and died in 1869.
A worthy member of an old, influential, and
much respected family of Rockingham County,
he was a good citizen, holding various offices
in the town, at the time of the Rebellion rep-
resenting it in the legislature, where by vote
and influence he did all in his power to up-

 

October 14, |

Greenland.

 

hold the government. © Few men have sus-
tained a higher character for usefulness, in-
tegrity, and fidelity in all the relations of
public and private life. He married Decem-
ber 24, 1856, Caroline, daughter of Major
John and Martha (Hoit) Avery. Her father
settled in Greenland, N.H., in 1808, and for
many years was here engaged in business as a
general merchant and a farmer. He served
efficiently in various civil offices of public
trust, and was a Major in the First Regiment
of the State militia, having received his com-
mission from Governor Langdon. The Weeks
homestead is now occupied by Mrs. Caroline
A. Weeks, this estimable woman being the sole
survivor of the once numerous household circle.

The family records have furnished the data
for the following historical sketch: Tradition
says that Leonard Weeks came from Wells,
Somerset County, England. We know noth-
ing of the father of Leonard nor of the time
when Leonard landed in America. His name
appears first as witness to a bond in York
County, Maine, December 6, 1655, and next
in Portsmouth records, June 29, 1656, when
he received a grant of land in Portsmouth and
He received July 5, 1660, other
grants of land; and in February, 1660-61, he
had settled at Greenland, where he spent the
remainder of his life, dying in 1707. Some
of these grants have never been deeded, re-
maining always in the family. Leonard
Weeks married Mary, daughter of Deacon
Samuel Haines, of Portsmouth, in 1667.
They had six children.

Captain Joshua Weeks, the founder of this
branch of the family, was the first of the name
to make his residence at that part of the town.
called the Bayside. In 1690 or a little later
he married Comfort, daughter of Richard and
Mary Hubbard, of Boston, who lived where
the store of C. F. Hovey is now located.
Her nephew, Thomas Hubbard, was Treasurer
of Harvard College for twenty-one years,
holding the office at the time of his death.
He was succeeded by John Hancock. His
portrait by Copley hangs on the walls there
with the portraits of other benefactors of the
college. When Comfort Hubbard came to the
Bayside the bride of Captain Joshua Weeks,
it was a wilderness, and she but sixteen years
 
 

 

  

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

417

 

 

of age. She was the mother of a large family
of children. A silver tankard and silver cup,
one of five originally used for handing round
spiced wines at funerals, bearing the names of
Richard and Mary Hubbard, grandparents of
the Treasurer, Thomas Hubbard, are still at
the homestead of the late George and Clement
Weeks, in the possession of Mrs. George
Weeks.

Major William Weeks, son of Joshua and
Comfort (Hubbard) Weeks, married Eleanor
March, daughter of Dr. Clement March, Sr.,
of Greenland, March 10, 1748. Mr. Weeks
was one of the leading men in town, a large
landholder at the Bayside, and did much to
advance the best interests of the town. Dr.
Belknap, the historian, resided in his family
for a time as private instructor to his chil-
dren. His two sons, William and Clement,
graduated from Harvard; and one of his sons
was in the army of the Revolution, holding the
rank of Major. The daughters were sent to
school in Boston. His wife, Eleanor March
Weeks, possessed many excellent traits of
character, which shone with distinguishing
lustre in every relation of her life.

John, son of Major William and Eleanor
(March) Weeks, was born April 1, 1757, and
died April 11,-1821. For many years he was
Deacon of the Congregational church and a
Trustee of Hampton Academy. Benevolence,
soundness of judgment and intellect, a strong
interest in the cause of education and what-
ever would promote the best interests of the
town, were among his many good traits. He
married Mary Coffin, a descendant of the emi-
grant, Tristram Coffin, and also of the Hon.
Nathaniel Weare, father of Meshec Weare,
who, with the title of President, was the first
Governor of the State, holding various impor-
tant offices in the public service during a
period of forty-five years. Mrs. Mary Coffin
Weeks was born in 1775, and died in 1848.
She was distinguished for many excellences
of character, for intelligence, quickness of
intellect combined with a gentle, refined dig-
nity of manner that made her a charming
friend and hostess, her abundant hospitality
drawing to her home a large circle of admiring
friends. She was the mother of seven chil-
dren, three of whom died in infancy. The

 

others were: George (named above), Ellen,
Mary T., and J. Clement. Ellen Weeks was
born in 1807, and died in 1825. She showed
much ability and perseverance in her studies
at the academy at Portsmouth.

Mary Thompson Weeks was born in 1813,
and died February 16, 1883. She was a
member of the Congregational Society, always
taking an active interest in its welfare. Her
to-days were spent in planning the good she
would do on the morrow in alleviation of the
needs and sufferings of humanity. Her beau-
tiful countenance was ever lighted with hope
and trust, expressive of the pure thoughts
within. She was a devoted sister, kind neigh-
bor, faithful friend; and it can truly be said
of this lovely woman, “ None knew her but to
love her, none named her but to praise.”
Her good works, her numberless deeds of
kindness, are left as models for those who will
follow in her footsteps.

Joshua Clement Weeks was born in 1817,
and died April 15, 1895. Belonging to a
long line of noble ancestry, Mr. Weeks in-
herited many of the sterling qualities of mind
and heart which were their distinguishing
characteristics. Living until his decease in
the house where he was born, cultivating the
broad, expansive acres surrounding it, in the
true enjoyment of the quiet home life of the
intelligent New England farmer Wispensing
always a generous and graceful hospitality,
his home became the cherished resort of a
wide circle of devoted friends. Closely iden-
tified with the interests of his native town,
holding at different periods some of its more
important offices of trust, he was its true and
faithful servant. He was also one of the most
interested and liberal supporters of the Con-
gregational church, where he was a constant
attendant. On the farm which had been kept
in the family name for five generations with-
out deeding, in the homestead burial-place,
the hallowed spot that for successive genera-
tions has received the mortal remains of the
departed ancestors, amid the still seclusion of
rural scenes under the brightness of a perfect
April sky, “he was gathered to his fathers,”
the last of his family.

“ Thus, falling one by one,
Has the loved kindred, all, their journey done.”
418

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

. ILLIAM H. C. FOLLANSBY,
one of the leading dry-goods mer-
chants of Exeter, was born in Til-

ton, N.H., May 1, 1845, son of William and
Mary (Sweat-Ladd) Follansby. The first rep-
resentatives of the family in this country were
William and Thomas Follansby, who came
from Derbyshire, England, in 1677, and set-
tled in Newburyport, Mass. Peter Follansby,
grandfather of William H. C., was a native
of Hill, Merrimack County. William Fol-
lansby, born in Bristol, N.H., in 1800, was
for many years in business in Tilton as a man-
ufacturer and merchant. It was said of him
that he erected more houses in Tilton than any
man of his time. He died in Belmont, N.H.,
in 1849. His second wife was a daughter of
Stephen and Mary (Clark) Sweat, of Belmont,
and at the time of her marriage to Mr. Fol-
lansby was a childless widow, having lost two
children born to her first husband, Henry
Ladd. Mr. Follansby was at that time a
widower with five children. They were mar-
ried in 1840; and the husband died nine years
later, leaving but small means for his widow
and family. However, Mrs. Follansby, who
was a resolute woman, managed to keep the
wolf from the door. She died at Laconia,
N.H., in 1866, and is buried in Tilton.
William H. C. Follansby was the only
child of his father’s second marriage. He
received a good education, attending the com-
mon schools of Belmont and the academy at
Laconia. When eighteen years of age, he
entered on his business career, taking the
position of clerk in the general store of
Follansby & Hodgdon at Ashland, Grafton
County. The senior member of this firm,
Cutting Follansby, was his half-brother.
Having remained in this store about six years,
he in 1870 formed a partnership with Mark
W. Dearborn, and started a store in Barre,
Mass., where, under the style of Follansby &
Dearborn, they conducted a flourishing trade
for five years, at the same time running a
branch store at Barre Plains. In 1875 they
sold their stock in trade, and purchased the
business of Larkin & Little. A year later
Mr. Dearborn returned to Barre, and Mr. Fol-
lansby has since been without an associate in
business. He has an attractive store, with a

 

large assortment of dry goods of good quality.
Two years ago he opened another establish-
ment in Exeter, called “The Fair,” which is
more of a variety store, and has five and ten
cent counters. Also, for the past five years
he has been associated with Colonel W. N.
Dow in real estate transactions, through which
they have disposed of a large amount of unim-
proved property, and erected several houses.
Mr. Follansby is President of the Union Five
Cent Savings Bank and a Director in the
Exeter Banking Company. He is also a
Trustee of the Gilman Park, in association
with the Rev. George E. Street, Judge Shute,
Judge Leavitt, and William P. Chadwick.

A Republican in his political relations, Mr.
Follansby has borne his share of the public
duties of town, county, and State. Among
the more important offices which he has held
may be mentioned that of legislative Repre-
sentative, which he held from 1893 to 1895,
and that of member of the committee ap-
pointed to macadamize the streets of Exeter,
associated with General Eastman and Colonel
Dow. Mr. Follansby is a Knight Templar
Mason, and is at present Treasurer of the Star
in the East Lodge and of Olivet Council.

Mr. Follansby was married December 31,
1866, to Ella L., only daughter of Darius and
Hannah (Haines) Winslow, all of Northfield,
N.H. Mrs. Follansby’s father died in 1846,
at the age of twenty-seven, leaving his widow
with this child, then a babe of three months.
Her mother was married three years Jater to
John S. Dearborn, and is now living with her
husband at Dover, N.H., both being compara-
tively active, though stricken in years. Two
children were born of their union — Mark W.
Dearborn, Mr. Follansby’s former business
associate, who is now in trade in Lawrence,
Mass. ; and Thomas H., a dry-goods merchant
of Dover, N.H.

Mrs. Follansby was educated at Tilton,
N.H., and at Ipswich, Mass., and began to
teach when sixteen years of age. Her career
as a teacher, however, only covered two terms; _
for in her twenty-first year she was married,
and since that time she has presided over Mr.
Follansby’s home. She has a talent for art,
and her fine taste is displayed to advantage in
the interior decorations of their handsome
 

JOHN D. ORDWAY.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

421

 

 

residence. This house was purchased by Mr.
Follansby in 1878, and has since been re-
modelled. The mark of culture and refine-
ment is on all the furnishings, and the beau-
tiful china decorations and the delicate
pastels done by Mrs. Follansby’s own hand
are gems of art. Though they have no chil-
dren of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Follansby
have materially aided several young men in
Mr. Follansby’s employ, and their hearts are
always in sympathy with the boys and girls.

 

YF ON. JOHN DANA ORDWAY, who
for many years prior to his death
was prominent as a merchant of
~~ Hampstead, N.H., was born in this
town, March 3, 1828. He wasa son of John
and Eliza S. (Chase) Ordway, and was one of
the third generation of his family resident in
Hampstead, his grandfather, John Ordway,
who came from West Newbury, Mass., settling
here about 1794.

His father, John Ordway, the second of
the name, was born on Governor’s Island,
Hampstead, July 14, 1792. A wheelwright
by trade, he was for many years engaged in
making wagons, and was later in business as a
manufacturer of chip and palm leaf hats. In
1829 he established a general store in the
town under his own name; and in 1846, ad-
mitting his son Nelson into partnership, he
changed the name to John Ordway & Son.
Some time later his son, John Dana, became
one of the company; and the name was changed
to John Ordway & Co. The founder of the
firm eventually retired, leaving the large busi-
ness in charge of his sons, and spent the rest
of his life in leisure on the home farm. He
was a prominent business man of the day,
President of the Derry National Bank for a
number of years, and one of the Trustees
named in the will of Benjamin D. Emerson to
attend to the expenditure of the fund for the
erection of the Hampstead High School. Ac-
tive as a Whig and a Republican, John Ord-
way served as Selectman of Hampstead for a
number of years, was Representative in the
State legislature in 1846 and 1854, and State
Senator in 1857 and 1858. He died Novem-
ber 8, 1881. His wife, to whom he was

 

 

united January 19, 1819, was a daughter of
Joseph and Emma (Chase) Chase, of West
Newbury, Mass. She died January 21, 1873.
She was the mother of six children, only one
of whom is living, Nelson Ordway, one of the
leading citizens of Hampstead.

John Dana Ordway acquired the greater part
of his education in Pembroke. After leaving
school, he entered his father’s store, and soon
became familiar with the details of business,
and decided on a mercantile career. For a
while after his father retired he, with his
brother Nelson, conducted the business; but
in 1860 John Dana purchased his brother’s in-
terest, and he was sole proprietor of the enter-
prise up to the time of his death. As a mer-
chant, he was very successful, not only through
his business ability, but also because of the
high regard in which he was held by his
townsmen. Fair and upright in his dealings,
he sought no greater profit than was honorable;
and the wealth which he accumulated was
fairly won. A public-spirited and energetic
man, Mr. Ordway was a leader among the Re-
publicans of his district, who elected him to
many offices of trust. He efficiently served
as Town Treasurer for a number of terms, was
Selectman for several years, and filled the
chair of Moderator at the town meetings’ so
often that it almost seemed to belong to
him; and he represented the district in the
legislature twice. He was a Master Mason
for a number of years, belonging to St. Mark’s
Lodge, No. 44, of Derry, N.H. Mr. Ordway
died June 11, 1888.

Mr. Ordway was married, November 28,
1850, to Louisa M. Kent, who died March 3,

1877. She was the mother of five children,
one of whom, John k., is living. John k.
Ordway was born April 26, 1852. He mar-

ried Miss Carrie Cox, of Baltimore, Md.
Another son, Daniel F. Ordway, who was
born in Hampstead, January 9, 1855, was his
father’s right-hand man in the store, and was
a prominent and active citizen, representing
the town in the legislature one term. He
died April 28, 1885. Daniel F. Ordway was
twice married, first on January 17, 1878, to
Eugenia A. Safford, of Methuen, Mass., who
died December 30, 1878, leaving one son,
Clarence E. This son, who was born Novem-
422

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

ber 12, 1878, is now preparing for Yale Col-
lege. Daniel F. Ordway’s second marriage
took place February 2, 1881, his bride being
Nellie T. Randall, of Hampstead. There
were no children by this union. Mr. John
. Dana Ordway is survived by his second wife,
formerly Martha H. Sanborn, with whom he
was united November 13, 1879. Her parents
were Robert and Rhoda (Hoyt) Sanborn, of
Sandown, N.H.

 

 

OLONEL WILLIAM S. PILLS-—
BURY, the successful business man,
the approved citizen, and the man
whose unusual capacity for affairs
and in office has shown him to be the posses-
sor of the highest and best traits of the
“leader,” although well known in New Hamp-
shire and New England, deserves a permanent
recognition in the pages of this work. Such
men as he hold the reins of national destiny.
They are the men of practical affairs. They
build or enlarge manufacturing establishments,
construct railways, develop the agricultural
and mining resources of our States, increase
the facilities for education, and promote not
only the literary and artistic culture, but the
numberless graces of a progressive civiliza-
tion. Especially to be commended among the
natives of the Granite State are those men
who prove themselves able to coin success
and honor in what are popularly considered the
overcrowded fields of enterprise in New Eng-
land. The public is not slow to recognize the
value of worthy example in industry, intelli-
gent enterprise, efficient executive and busi-
ness ability, combined with high general in-
telligence. Practical talent or common sense
duly applied deserves approval, and is sure to
win recognition.

Colonel Pillsbury is the son of the Rev.
Stephen Pillsbury, a Baptist clergyman, who
died at Londonderry, N.H., after a life de-
voted to faithful Christian work. He is de-
scended from William Pillsbury, who came
from Essex or Staffordshire, England, to
Dorchester, Mass., in 1641, and a little later
settled in the locality of the present city of
Newburyport. The English Pillsburys, to
whom those of America are related, have a

 

coat of arms described in heraldic terms as
follows: “Per fesse sable and azure,” on an
eagle displayed argent; three griffins’ heads,
erased of the second. Crest, an esquire’s
helmet. Motto, “Labor omnia vincit.”

The Rev. Stephen Pillsbury was the son of
Micajah Pillsbury, and was born at Amesbury,
Mass., October 30, 1781. He was ordained
to the ministry June, 1810. Subsequently
he preached in Hebron, Sutton,” Dunbarton,
and Londonderry. He died January 22,
1851. He was not only a sound preacher,
but an advocate of temperance, and one of the
original members of the Free Soil party. in
New Hampshire. His wife, Mrs. Lavinia
Hobart Pillsbury, who was the possessor of.
fine talents as a writer, was born at Hebron,
N.H., October 31, 1795. Her father, Deacon
Josiah Hobart, was the first male child of
English descent born in Plymouth, N.H.
The earliest Hobart ancestor in this country
was Edmund Hobart, who arrived at Charles-
town, Mass., in 1633, and in September, 1635,
with four sons, including the Rev. Peter Ho-
bart, who had come over in June of that year,
settled in Hingham, Mass. The Rev. Peter
Hobart was the minister of the church at
Hingham nearly forty-four years. :

The children of the Rev. and Mrs. Stephen
Pillsbury were: Mary Bartlett (now Mrs. Mary
B. Weson), an artist of note, living at Law-
rence, Kan.; Lavinia Hobart, who married
Samuel Andrews, of Sutton, N.H.; the Hon.
Josiah Hobart, who married Elnora Perver.
He was editor and publisher of the New York
Eagle, afterward editor and publisher of the
Manhattan (Kan.) /ndependent, and held many
official positions of trust and honor. Stephen,
Jr., who married Sarah A. Bailey, is a mer-
chant at Manhattan, Kan. Edwin, who mar-
tied Mary Ann Reid, is a farmer and contrac-
tor at Leavenworth, Kan. Ann _ Judson
married William B. Marshall, of Weare, N.H.
Adoniram Judson died unmarried.

William Staughton Pillsbury, to whom this
sketch chiefly relates, was born at Sutton,
N.H., March 16, 1833, married Sarah A.
Crowell, of Londonderry, May 8, 1854. She
died June 22, 1854. He married, second,
Martha Silver Crowell. The children of °
Colonel William S. and Martha S. Pillsbury
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

423

 

 

now living are: Rosecrans William, a well-
known attorney, born September 18, 1863;
Charles Hobart, born March 16, 1866; Hattie
Lavinia, born October 27, 1870; Ulysses
Grant, born November 24, 1876.

The ancient motto of the Pillsbury family,
“Labor omnia vincit” (“labor conquers all
things”), is practically illustrated by many
bearing the name in modern times as well as
of old. Colonel Pillsbury evidently has reason
to conclude that it is a good motto to live by
and cling to; and his near relatives, the Hon.
George A. Pillsbury, late the popular mayor
of Concord, N.H., and now a prominent capi-
talist of Minnesota, as well as ex-Governor
John S. Pillsbury, the millionaire flour manu-
facturer of Minneapolis, seem to be men after
his own heart and fashion, active, honorable,
generous, and winners of the golden opinion of
the public as well as of this world’s bounties.

Colonel Pillsbury’s education has been
gained chiefly in the school of practical life.
A keen student of the world’s affairs and men,
his judgment has become accurate, his tact
remarkable, his knowledge useful in all direc-
tions. He learned the shoemaker’s trade at
the age of fourteen years, and subsequently
became a skilful cutter of stock. At twenty
he started a shoe factory at Cilleysville, An-
dover, N.H., for his brother Stephen, and was
superintendent of the extensive establishment
for a year or more. He was afterward em-
ployed at Marlboro, Mass. Up to the age of
legal manhood William S. Pillsbury gave all
of his earnings over a plain living for himself
for the support of his widowed mother and to
aid others in need at the time. When twenty-
one years of age, he consequently did not pos-
sess a dollar in money. Soon, however, he
was engaged with a firm of shoe manufacturers
just starting business at Derry Depot. About
a year later he had entire charge of the busi-
ness as agent, and so continued during the
existence of the firm. When this firm went
out of business, he made a journey to Kansas,
- where he used what money he had saved up to
good advantage.

Returning East, and having married, as
already stated, Mr. Pillsbury remained occu-
pied in business affairs until the opening of
the war of the Rebellion. He enlisted in his

 

country’s service, and was commissioned First
Lieutenant, Company I, Fourth New Hamp-
shire Regiment, and left for the seat of war
September, 1861. Having reached Annapolis,
he met with such a serious accident that he
resigned and returned North. A few months
later, his health having improved, and the call
for three hundred thousand men being issued,
he was appointed recruiting officer for the
Ninth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers.
He was commissioned First Lieutenant of
Company A. His regiment proceeded to
Washington, and was in the battles of South
Mountain and Antietam. At the memorable
battle of South Mountain an incident occurred
which illustrates the alertness and power of
judgment of the young Lieutenant, who by
an adroit movement saved a portion of the
companies of the Ninth New Hampshire Reg-
iment from almost sure destruction. His com-
pany, A, was leading in a charge upon a large
number of rebels, who were driven through a
piece of woods, and disappeared while the
Union men moved into an open field adjoin-
ing. The enemy re-formed under the protec-
tion of a battery, and their movement was dis-
covered by Lieutenant Pillsbury, who halted
his men, and fell back sufficiently to hold
connection with support just at the moment
when Major-general Reno rode along the line
into the ambush, and, receiving the terrible
volley from rebels screened by the woods, was
instantly killed while on the very ground they
had left a few moments before. Major-gen-
eral Reno need not have lost his life, had he
heeded Lieutenant Pillsbury’s warning, as he
had informed the general that the rebels were
forming; but the advice was unheeded, with
disastrous results as above.

Disabled by a severe attack of pneumonia,
Lieutenant Pillsbury resigned his commission;
and, as soon as he was able to perform a little
service in business, he was engaged at Wheel-
ing, Va., superintending a party of experts in
training men there in the art of manufacturing
shoes by the most desirable New England
methods. As soon as his health seemed well
restored, he returned to Londonderry, raised
for the town its quota of thirty men under the
last call (1864), and was commissioned First
Lieutenant of Company D, unattached artil-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

lery, Captain George W. Colbath, of Dover
(a cousin to General Wilson), commanding.
The company served in several of the forts in
the first and second divisions of the defences
of the capital. He commanded for a time the
battery “Garryshay ” in De Russe’s division.
Later he was appointed ordnance officer of the
First Brigade, Harding’s division, and was
stationed at Fort Reno, Md., where he re-
mained until the close of the war. He was
mustered out at Concord, N.H., June 19,
1865. A month later he engaged in the man-
ufacturing of shoes at Londonderry, and suc-
cessfully prosecuted the business until the
need of larger buildings induced him to re-
move his machinery to Derry Depot. After
this removal he formed a business connection
with the Boston house of E. P. Philips & Co.,
which continued until the dissolution of the
firm. He shortly after became agent for the
noted firm of Clement, Colburn & Co. of Bos-
ton, now Colburn, Fuller & Co., shoe manu-
facturers at Derry Depot. During this agency
the business has increased, until, from an
annual trade of one hundred and seventy-five
thousand dollars, it has reached the sum of
over half a million dollars per annum. About
four hundred and fifty persons are now em-
ployed in the immense establishment of the
firm at Derry Depot. Additions to the fac-
tory buildings afford room for about one hun-
dred more hands, as the pressure of trade may
require. Nearly six hundred different styles
of boots and shoes are made in this great es-
tablishment, for American and foreign trade.
These goods seem to be, for real service, su-
perior to any known in the country. The
especial effort in production is to attain all
serviceable qualities and durability. These
goods consequently find a ready sale, not only
all over the United States, but the West
Indies, along the east and west coast of South
America, in Egypt and South Africa, New
Zealand and Australia, as well as in several
European ports. To the energy and enter-
prise, integrity and tact of Colonel Pillsbury,
New Hampshire people rightly credit the re-
markable growth of the village of Derry Depot
from an insignificant hamlet to one of the
most thriving and beautiful inland villages of
New England.

 

In 1868 he was elected Commissioner for
Rockingham County on the Republican
ticket, and again in 1870, 1871, and 1872,
being Chairman of the Board nearly two years,
and making the first general report of the busi-
ness affairs of the county to the people
thereof. In this position he performed ex-
tremely valuable service in oganizing the sys-
tem of conducting county affairs, embracing
the institution of a new method of caring for
the paupers at the county farm. His tact and
good judgment seem to be. equal to every
requirement that presents itself. Chiefly
through his influence and zealous effort came
the appropriation for the erection of the asylum
buildings for the accommodation of the insane
poor of the county. With results as good as
at the asylum at Concord, while saving largely
in expense, the enterprise has proved the
soundness and practicability of the plan. In
fact, while patients were as well treated as
previously at extravagant expenses, the cost of.
the asylum building, nearly three thousand
dollars, was saved the first year it was occu-
pied. In June, 1877, William S. Pillsbury
was appointed aide-de-camp, with rank of
Colonel, on the staff of Governor B. F. Pres-
cott, of New Hampshire; and he has since
borne this title.

Colonel Pillsbury was the original mover
in the effort to check the overwhelming extent
of the “tramp nuisance” in New Hampshire.
The action he inaugurated culminated in the
law for the suppression of trampage that has
accomplished such good in the Granite State,
and that has been so generally copied in other
States. Colonel Pillsbury is a Republican of
lifelong affiliation. In Londonderry he has
served as Moderator at town meetings about
twenty-one years. He has also represented
his town in the legislature, is a Justice of the
Peace, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of
the Leech Library at Londonderry, and a
thirty-second degree Mason. He is a member
of Aaron Hughes Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at
Nashua, N.H., of Aleppo Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
Oasis of Boston, Mass., and of the Order of
the Eastern Star, Ransford Chapter, No. 3, at
Derry Depot. Among the other fraternal
orders of which he is a member are the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

425

 

 

Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of
Red Men, and Wesley B. Knight Post, No.
41, Grand Army of the Republic, of London-
derry. Religiously, he is a consistent member
of the Presbyterian church, and for many
years a Trustee of the society of that denomi-
nation in Londonderry. He is not a secta-
rian. His spirit is liberal and broadly toler-
ant, as is all true Christianity. He once paid
the expense of frescoing and painting a Meth-
odist meeting-house, when the society little
expected such aid from a religious brother of
another denomination.

Colonel Pillsbury is a member of the well-
known New Hampshire Club, its membership
including many of the leading men of the
State. Whenever an opportunity offers, Colo-
nel Pillsbury expresses the liberality of his
heart in quiet, practical ways that are not all
known to the general community. A more
public-spirited man in general affairs is not
known by the citizens of Rockingham County,
or perhaps this State. His notable success is
due, among other reasons, to his industry, his
high sense of honor, his heartiness, and his
especially remarkable talent for systematizing,
and for the organization and ready execution
of plans. The almost invariably accurate
judgment of men that he manifests is the
secret of his power to fit the right man in the
right place, where positions of responsibility
and importance are concerned. Personally,
Colonel Pillsbury is exceedingly attractive and
cordial in manner. A true, gentle, manly
feeling characterizes his association with all
so fortunate as to meet him either in business
or society.

 

AMES WILLIAM SOWERSBY, a
well-known baker of Portsmouth, N.H.,
was born in this city on March 10,
1829. His parents were John and
Mary (Lewis) Sowersby.

The name has in many cases been errone-
ously printed as “Somerby.” The “ Went-
worth Genealogy,” vol i. page 384, is author-
ity for the following : —

Henry Somerby, of Little Bytham, Lin-
colnshire, England, died in 1609, leaving
two daughters and one son, Richard, who in-

 

herited his father’s estate. Richard Somerby
died in March, 1639, leaving two sons — An-
thony and Henry, second — who in that year,
1639, sailed from England in the ship * Jona-
than,’ landed in Boston, and thence went to
Newbury, Mass., where they settled. Henry,
the emigrant, who was baptized on March 17,
1612, at Little Bytham, Eng., married, after
his arrival in this country, Judith, born 1628,
daughter of Captain Edmund and Sarah Green-
leaf, of Newbury. They had four children, a
brief récord of whom is as follows: Sarah,
born in 1645, married John Hale, of New-
bury; Elizabeth, born in 1646, married, in
1663, Nathaniel Clark, and, second, married
the Rev. John Hale, first minister of Beverly;
John, born in 1648, died in 1650; Daniel,
born in 1651, was mortally wounded by the
Indians at Mount Hope on December 19,
1675, reached home, and died, single. His
father’s descendants in the male line thus be-
came extinct. Henry Somerby, second, died
October 2, 1652. His widow married, March
2, 1653, Tristram Coffin, and the estate
passed into the Coffin family. Among her
descendants was Joshua Coffin, the historian of
Newbury. Anthony Somerby, brother of
Henry, was a graduate of Clare Hall, Cam-
bridge, England. He was the first school-
master in Newbury, Mass., and was Town
Clerk and Recorder. He had but one child,
Abiel Somerby, from whom all of the name of
Somerby in the United States have descended.
Mr. James W. Sowersby’s paternal grand-
father, John Sowersby, Sr., was a prominent
member of the Universalist church in Ports-
mouth, in which he officiated as Deacon for
several years. His son, John Sowersby, was
a native of this city, and always lived here.
He married Mary Lewis, of Kittery, Me.; and
they had five children, but two of whom are
now living —namely, James William and his
sister, Mrs. Carrie Allen, who resides in Bos-
ton. The father died here at the age of sixty-
eight years, having been a hard-working man,
faithful to the duties of every-day life. He
also was a believer in universal salvation.
James W. Sowersby, the eldest child of
his parents, was educated in the public schools
of this city; and at the close of his school
life he learned the baker’s trade in the old
426

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

and well-known establishment of Joseph Bond,
of Wilmington, Mass. After serving his ap-
prenticeship, he went to Hudson, N.Y., and
worked as a journeyman for Charles Paul for
four years. Mr. Sowersby then returned to
Portsmouth, and entered Joseph Parry’s bak-
ery, being with him for eight years, at the ex-
piration of which time he commenced business
for himself. In 1870 he bought his present
plant of Mr. John Nutter, which he has man-
aged for twenty-five years, with excellent finan-
cial results, having made additions thereto.

In politics Mr. Sowersby is independent,
having the moral courage to vote for the best
man under all circumstances. For two years
he has been Overseer of the Poor. He is a
member of St. Andrew’s Lodge, A. F. &
A. M., and is also a member of Mechanics’
Association of Portsmouth. Like his father
and grandfather before him, Mr. Sowersby
attends the Universalist church.

He was married in 1855 to Josephine
Gowing, daughter of Jonathan and Jane (Holt)
Gowing, of Wilmington, Mass. Mr. and Mrs.
Sowersby have one child, a daughter, Mrs.
Carrie W. Leach, who resides in this city.

 

LIAS FRINK, a lumberman and bridge
builder, was born February 8, 1813,

in Newington, son of Cyrus and

Abigail (Nutter) Frink. The father, a car-
penter and bridge builder, was a native of
Connecticut, born June 3, 1772. He came
from Connecticut in 1793, and helped to build
the Piscataqua Bridge in the capacity of
overseer. Five years later, in 1798, he pur-
chased a farm, and was married to Abigail
Nutter, a native of the town. The nine chil-
dren of this marriage were: Cyrus and Abigail
(twins), Simes, Isaac, John, Darius, Elias,
Margaret, and Hannah Frink. The father re-
sided on the old homestead. He became the
owner of several other farms by purchase.
His death occurred at Fox Point January 14,
1849, when he was seventy-six years old.
He was prominent as Colonel of the militia
during the War of 1812. He was a Repre-
sentative in the State legislature for two
terms, beginning about the year 1826. For
several terms he was Selectman of Newing-

 

ton. His wife died in 1850. They were
both buried in the Newington cemetery.

Elias Frink, a native of this town, educated
at Gilmanton Academy, has also been a life-
long resident. Beginning life for himself at
the age of twenty-two years, he took charge of
the bridge, which he and his brothers subse-
quently purchased, and they were its owners
when it was swept away in 1855. Mr. Frink
then became a stockholder in a mowing-ma-
chine company, for which he travelled a good
deal, retaining, however, his residence in
Newington. He was connected with this firm
for seven years. In 1864 he moved to the
farm he now occupies. He owns four other
farms in the town, covering in all two hun-
dred and eighty acres. Mr. Frink has also
been extensively interested in the lumber
business. His political outlook is from the
Republican point of view. In 1851 he served
the town as Selectman, and also served on
the school board. He has been a member of
the Masonic Order for sixty years.

Mr. Frink has been twice married. By
his first marriage, performed April 8, 1835,
he was united with Miss Elizabeth Pickering.
She was born on April 8, 1808, and died
September 30, 1848. On March 13, 1851, he
married Miss Mary E. Pickering, who was
born on January 5, 1835. They have had six
children, as follows: Jane E., born Septem-
ber 5, 1855; Adelle H., born February 21,
1859; Darius, born March 6, 1862, who has
been prominent in political affairs, and served
in several town offices; Abigail N., born
December 12, 1864; Elias, born March 21,
1867, who died August 25, 1875; and Mary,
born December 5, 1870. Mr. Elias Frink
has been a member of the Congregational So-
ciety for many years, and a liberal subscriber
for the maintenance of the gospel. He was
also one of ten persons who gave one hundred
dollars each for the construction of the Con-
gregational parsonage.

 

 

LBERT F. NASON, of Kingston,
prosperously engaged in farming,

lumbering, and charcoal-burning,
was born here, September 17, 1856,
son of Nathan Nason, Jr., and Sarah K. (Page)
 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 427
Nason, The father was born April 27, 1831, | bert F., the subject of this sketch. Freeman
in Bridgton, Me. His grandparents, Nathan | L. Nason married Miss Lila Hunt. In poli-

and Mary (Wentworth) Nason, both natives of
Limington, York County, Me., after their
marriage removed to Bridgton, Me., whence a

few years later they went to the town of Den-—

mark, in the same State. Here Grandfather
Nason carried on general farming until his
death, which occurred in the prime of man-
hood. He left his young widow with five
children, namely: Freeman, now deceased ;
Susanna, who died at the age of seven years;
Nathan, Jive; John S.; and Stephen. ‘The
last two are now living in Portland, Me.
Nathan Nason, Jr., who was a native of
Bridgton, received his education in the schools
of Harrison, Me., where he lived with his
mother until] after her second marriage.
This event occurred when he was about twelve
years old. He subsequently worked as a
farm laborer until the year previous to his
marriage, in which he followed the sea for
one season. On September 13, 1852, he mar-
ried Miss Sarah K. Page, who was born Jan-
uary 14, 1833, in Sandown township, this
county, a daughter of Moses Page. Mr.
Page, who was born in Kingston, not far
from the home of his son-in-law, lived for
a time in Sandown after his marriage, work-
ing at his trade of cooper, being likewise
engaged in farming. Returning then to the
place of his nativity, he settled on the farm
now occupied by Nathan Nason, Jr., and his
family, and resided there until his death, Feb-
ruary 2, 1885. On July 4, 1853, Nathan as-
sumed charge of his father-in-law’s farm, on
which he and his wife have since lived and
reared their family. Of their eight children,
one died in infancy. The others are: Albion
W., born June 20, 1854, a resident of West
Kingston, who married Miss Anna Page;
Albert F., the subject of this sketch; Ruth
F., born January 15, 1859, who is the wife of
Walter S. West, of West Kingston; Etta
Mary, born June 30, 1861, who lives in West
Kingston, and is the wife of George Martin;
Roxana S., born August 29, 1862, who mar-
ried L. W. Davis, of the same place; Seth F.
and Freeman L., born respectively June 11,
1867, and October 2, 1869, who live on the
homestead farm with their parents, as does Al-

 

tics the father is a Democrat, and has served
the town as Road Surveyor and policeman.
Both parents belong to the Baptist church.

Albert F. Nason has always made his home
on the old farm, assisting his father in its
management since he was a boy. He and his
father own three hundred acres of land in this
county. A part of it is under timber; and a
part devoted to raising hay, grain, and vege-
tables. Mr. Nason, his father, and brothers
make a specialty of raising. garden produce,
which his brother, Seth Nason, sells in
Haverhill, Mass., making weekly trips for the
purpose to that city. They make large quanti-
ties of charcoal every season, and sell it in all
the cities and important towns within a radius
of twenty miles, deriving therefrom a hand-
some profit. He also shares with his father
and brothers in a flourishing lumber business.

On October 1, 1876, Mr. Nason was united
in marriage with Miss Laura D. Fifield, who
was born October 23, 1856, at West Kingston,
daughter of the late Peter S. and Catherine
Fifield. Mrs. Fifield now lives on the old
Fifield homestead. Mrs. Nason has borne her
husband two children — Neva May and Eldora.
Eldora married Horace G. Winslow, and both
reside on the home farm. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Nason are members of the Methodist Epis-
copal church Mr. Nason is a zealous Pro-
hibitionist, and he served on the School
Board for three years. He belongs to Colum-
bia Lodge, No. 85, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, of Kingston, and to Harmony En-
campment at Amesbury, Mass.

 

-TORACE A. HILL, a leading citizen
of Derry, Rockingham County,
bogs where he was born November
14, 1839, has shown a laudable at-
tachment to the place of his nativity, in which
he has spent his life up to the present date.
His great-grandfather, Benjamin Hill, was
of English origin. He had the distinction,
it is said, to have been the first RKepresenta-
tive elected to the State legislature of New
Hampshire by the town of Chester. Ben-
jamin Hill left a son who bore his name; and

 
428

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW .

 

 

this second Benjamin also left a son, whom he
called Charles. Charles Hill was born in
Chester, and was there reared to maturity.
He then removed from that place to Haverhill,
Mass., where he lived for twelve years. He
married Hannah T. .Trickey, of Brookfield,
N.H.; and soon after his marriage, about
1835 or 1836, he returned to Rockingham
County, and settled upon a farm in Derry,
which is now owned by his son Horace. Here
he remained until his death, which occurred
August 3, 1877.

To Charles and Hannah (Trickey) Hill four
children were born: Charles H., who is living
in Springfield, Mass.; William A., a resident
of. Hugo, Col.; Horace A., of Derry; and
George A., who lives in West Springfield,
Mass. Mr. Charles Hill was practically a
self-made man, as he won his measure of
worldly success quite independently of outside
influence or aid. He was a Republican and
a man of firm religious faith, a member of the
First Church in East Derry. His widow sur-
vived him five years, dying in 1882.

Horace A. Hill, whose life story is herein
narrated briefly, grew to healthful and vigorous
manhood on the home farm. As a boy, he
went to the district schools; and at a later
period he was a student at Pinkerton Acad-
emy, which has so wide a reputation in the
Granite State for its curriculum and disci-
pline. For several years after leaving school
and entering upon the serious duties of life,
he was engaged in the lumbering business,
which he carried on in connection with farm-
ing. The latter occupation has, however,
chiefly engaged his time and energies; and
he has been largely interested in dairying.
His farm consists of sixty-six acres of im-
proved Jand, and is one of the most valuable in
the vicinity of Derry. Mr. Hill has been
engaged in the sale of farming machinery. —

On November 3, 1869, Horace A. Hill was
married to Miss Elizabeth H. Fitz, a daughter
of Luther Fitz, late of Chester, a prominent
lumber dealer of that section of Rockingham
County. This marriage was blessed by the
advent of three children: Emma J. and Ella
M., twins, the former a teacher in the district
schools, and the latter also a teacher employed
in the public schools of Derry and adjoining

 

towns; and Albert L., now a student at Pin-
kerton Academy.

Horace A. Hill has for more than a score of
years been prominently identified with various
organizations of the grangers in different lo-
calities, and is an authority among those of
the order. For twenty-two years he has be-
longed to the Nutfield Grange, of which he
was a charter member. For two years he was
Master of this grange, and he held the position
of Overseer of it for three years. He was also
Overseer of the Eastern New Hampshire
Pomona Grange for two years, and was its
Master for a similar period. The importance
of this position may be realized when it is re-
membered that this grange comprised all of
Rockingham and Strafford and a portion of
Hillsborough Counties, and that its jurisdic-
tion, moreover, included as many as forty
subordinate granges. He was also one of the
District Deputies of the grange, an office
which practically involves an inspection of all
subordinate lodges and the organization of
new ones. For four years he was Chief Mar-
shal of the State Grange Fair at Tilton,
N.H.; and he holds the same position this
year again. He had previously had a good
deal of experience in this line, as he had been
Mr. James Cogswell’s assistant for some time;
and, when that gentleman died, he succeeded
him in the office of Chief Marshal of the
State organization.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill are members of the First
Church at East Derry, and for several years
the former has been superintendent of the
Sabbath-school there. Mr. Hill is a Repub-
lican in his political faith, and uses his in-
fluence in supporting every movement toward
the highest development of those around him.
In social as well as business circles he is
liked and respected, and he and his intelligent
and cultured wife with their charming family
do much toward elevating and refining the
tone of society in Derry, where they are so
cordially esteemed.

 

‘
HOMAS DUSTON, whose portrait ac-

i companies this sketch, up to two years
ago was one of the most enterprising
manufacturers of Salem. His name is still

 
 

THOMAS DUSTON.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

431

 

 

known to the trade in connection with seam-
less Shaker socks, half-hose, gloves, mittens,
and skein yarn. He was born in this town,
August 1, 1841, son of Obadiah and Ann
(Whitaker) Duston. His grandfather, David
Duston, was fifth in descent from Mrs. Hannah
Dustin, of Haverhill, Mass., whose sufferings
at the hands of the Indians, and almost
superhuman endurance thereof, make one of
the striking pages of New England history.
David Dustin, who was a native and lifelong
resident of Salem, reared his children in the
house where he was born. His son, Obadiah,
also a native of Salem, was one of the promi-
nent business men of his day. For some time
he was President of the Five Cents Savings
Bank of Exeter, N.H. Hewas a Selectman
of Salem, where he was much respected. His
death occurred April 10, 1888. Of his chil-
dren, two are living — Mrs. Hannah Halliwell
and Mrs. Harriet D. Hunt.

Thomas Duston attended the public schools
of Salem, and graduated from Atkinson Acad-
emy. Having been fond of reading through-
out his lifetime, he was well informed on
all topics of current interest. He engaged in
the manufacture of yarn when quite young.
Later he undertook, in addition, that of
hosiery, gloves, and mittens. His factory
was at North Salem, and its products were
made known to the public by clever advertis-
ing. One of his devices for this purpose was
a unique business card, which bore on the re-
verse side a series of questions and answers
in catechism form, humorously, yet strikingly,
setting forth the merits of his goods. As a
manufacture, he was very successful. At one
time he had an extensive business as civil en-
gineer. Fora number of years he was also
engaged in farming, lumbering, and the
undertaking business; and he was President
of the Squamscot Savings Bank at Exeter.

Mr. Duston was married January 25, 1866,
to Augusta M. Griffin, daughter of William
and Miriam (Colby) Griffin. Mr. and Mrs.
Griffin were natives of New Hampshire, re-
spectively born in Sandown and Bow. Mr.
Duston was one of the prominent Democrats
of the section, and served as Tax Collector of
Salem and as Representative to the State
legislature. He was appointed Postmaster in

 

1893, and served in that capacity until his
death. His connection with fraternal organ-
izations included membership in the Masonic
Order and the Salem Grange. In the latter
he served as Treasurer and Chaplain at differ-
ent times. He died September 1, 1894, at
the age of fifty-three years. Mrs. Duston re-
sides on the farm, of which she has shown her-
self a capable manager. She is an estimable
lady, and one of the most valued members of
the grange.

RS. HANNAH HALLIWELL,
a respected resident of Salem,
Rockingham County, was born

in this town, May 27, 1833, a
daughter of Obadiah and Ann (Whitaker)
Duston. Her ancestral record may be found
in the sketch of her brother, the late Thomas
Duston, which appears on a neighboring page
of this volume.

Mrs. Halliwell was brought up in her
native town, and was educated at the public
schools and at the best select schools in the

town. After finishing her education, she for
some time followed the occupation of a
teacher.

She married John Halliwell, a native of
Yorkshire, England, but a naturalized Ameri-
can citizen. He was a manufacturer of yarns
for some time, and conducted a good business.
In political faith he was a Democrat. He was
also identified with the Masonic Order. He
died on July 5, 1890. Mrs. Halliwell is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church
of North Salem.. She has a large acquaint-
ance, and is esteemed and respected by all
who know her.

 

a AVID W. ELA is one of the most
extensive farmers and stock growers
2: in the town of Londonderry, N.H.,

making a specialty of raising Hol-
stein and Ayrshire cattle. He was born May
3, 1849, on the farm that he now occupies, son
of Edward P. and Isabella (Gregg) Ela. His
grandfather, Edward Ela, was one of the early
residents of Londonderry, a mill owner, who
manufactured cloth and woollen goods. Ed-
ward P. Ela, son of Edward, was born in Lon-

 

 

 

 
432

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

donderry, and here grew to manhood. Later
he was in the West about two years, and was
employed for some time in the construction of
a canal in Illinois; but the remainder of his
life was passed in his native town, where he
was engaged in farming and teaming. In
financial matters he was very successful, and
at his death he left a valuable property, which
he had accumulated by industry and thrift.
In politics he favored the Democratic side.
He died in 1876. His wife, a native of
Windham, this county, a daughter of Samuel
Gregg, is making her home with her younger
son, David W., he and one brother, who was
born in 1847, being the only survivors of their
four children.

David W. Ela attended the public school of
District No. 1, in Londonderry, and Pinkerton
Academy at Derry; and, while learning to
read, write, and cipher, he was becoming
familiar, under his father’s training, with the
duties of farm life. He has remained on the
homestead from his birth, and has been very
successful as a farmer, his estate of one hun-
dred and fifty acres yielding bountiful crops
and good pasturing. He has some: beautiful
Holstein and Ayrshire cattle, and ranks among
the prominent stock raisers of the county.
His fine farm and surroundings indicate dili-
gence, careful management, and good taste.

Mr. Ela was married in 1882 to Martha E.
Lovejoy, a native of Belgrade, Me., and by
this union has three children — Anna B.,
Edward C., and Dolly M. A Democrat in
politics, he is a public-spirited man, always
ready to aid any project for the betterment of
the town. He has been elected by his towns-
men twice to the Board of Selectmen, and was
Chairman of the board for one year. He has
for some time been identified with the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows as a member
of Echo Lodge, No. 61, of Derry Depot,
N.H. Mr. Ela is a well-informed man, by
reading and discussion keeping up with the
progress of the times.

 

EORGE W. BINGHAM, A.M., the
able and efficient principal of Pinker-

ton Academy in Derry, N.H., was
born in the town of Claremont, in this State,

 

October 23, 1838, his parents being Courtney
and Lovey A. (Lebourveau) Bingham, both
natives of New Hampshire. The Bingham
family is of English origin, the progenitors
of the American descendants of the name
having come from Yorkshire, England. On
the maternal side Mr. Bingham inherits a
Gallic strain through the Lebourveaus, his
mother’s ancestors, who came from France, and
settled in New Hampshire during the latter
half of the eighteenth century.

Courtney Bingham was born in Lempster,
N.H., in 1790, and lived in Sullivan County
all his life. We was a farmer, and was iden-
tified with the State militia of his district in
the early days of its organization.

George W. Bingham, of whom this bio-
graphical sketch is written, spent his youth
on his father’s farm in Claremont, and was
prepared for college at Kimball Union Acad-
emy, Meriden, N.H., from which institution
he graduated while it was under the manage-
ment of the celebrated educator, Dr. Cyrus
Richards, late of Washington, D.C. Entering
Dartmouth College in 1859, young Bingham
took a full literary course, receiving the degree
of A.B. in 1863. That year Dartmouth sent
forth from. its classic precincts several young
men who were destined to make honorable
places for themselves and increase the prestige
of the New Hampshire college that has served
the county so grandly in preparing men for
the higher planes of life-work. Among these
are the Hon. Charles A. Pillsbury, the re- |
nowned flour manufacturer of Minneapolis,
Minn., Judge Nathaniel H. Clement, of
Brooklyn, N.Y., the Hon. Frank Goulding, of
Worcester, Mass., and the Rev. Azel W.
Hazen, D.D., of Middletown, Conn.

To Mr. Bingham belongs the honor of
having procured by his own exertions the
means necessary to defray the expenses of his
education in both academy and college.
Something akin to admiration is always felt
in view of a career which has been bravely
accomplished against great odds. When one
thinks of the earnest young Claremont student
practising the strictest economy and teaching
school during his vacations in New Hampshire
and Massachusetts villages in order to earn
money enough to complete his education, a
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

433

 

 

sincere respect for this steadfastness of purpose
and ambitious longing is involuntarily ac-
corded him. Reward of merit is sometimes
bestowed outside of Sunday-school story books,
and in the present instance the dues of earnest
effort and lofty purpose fell to the lot of a
deserving recipient. Immediately after grad-
uating he was made Principal of Gilmanton
Academy in New Hampshire, and for two
years he devoted his energies to the advance-
ment of that institution.

At the expiration of this period he accepted
a call to Sewickley, Pa., and became superin-
tendent of the public schools of that town.
Energetic administration in this office won
prompt recognition; and Mr.
invited to the principalship of the seminary
for young ladies in Pittsburg, Pa. Here he
achieved marked success educationally and
financially, but was obliged to relinquish the
work at the end of five years on account of im-
paired health, resulting from overwork. Re-
moving to Burlington, Ta., he engaged in the
wholesale nursery business as a partner in the
firm of Nealley, Bock & Bingham. After five
years in this connection, which resulted in
a valuable business experience and complete
restoration to health, he accepted the princi-
palship of Denmark Academy, one of the
oldest and most influential schools of its class
in Iowa. His service in this capacity was one
of marked success; and its termination in 1884
was an occasion of deep regret to trustees,
patrons, and educational associates. In 1885
he returned to his native State to accept the
prominent educational position he now fills.

During the eleven years of his principalship
at Pinkerton Academy he has had the satisfac-
tion of seeing this institution take long strides
of progress. Its attendance has doubled, its
teaching force has been increased from three
to eight, it has new quarters of the most im-
proved architecture and appointments, and
enjoys an established reputation for thorough
work and advanced educational methods. _ Its
usefulness and popularity are in themselves
sufficient testimony to his well - directed
energies and pronounced talents; and, when
it is taken into consideration that this school
ranks among the best educational institutions
in the Granite State, too much credit to the

Bingham was

 

wise administration under which so much has
been effected can scarcely be given.

While a student in -Kimball Union Acad-
emy, Mr. Bingham was received, on profession
of faith, into the communion of the Congrega-
tional church in his native town; and he has
always been active in. Christian service.
Elected President of the New Hampshire
Sunday-school Association in 1888, he repre-
sented New Hampshire in the World's Con-
vention held in London, England, in July,
1889. In the International Sunday-school
Convention held in Boston in July, 1896, he
was elected to a second term of three years
as member for New Hampshire in the Inter-
national Executive Committee. A stanch
advocate of the temperance cause, his influ-
ence is widely felt in this direction. He is
President of the Law and Order League of
Derry, and an officer in the State organization.

In 1865 Mr. Bingham married Miss Mary
Upham Cogswell, eldest daughter of the Rev.
E. C. Cogswell, late of Northwood, N.H.
Mrs. Bingham is a lady of fine nature and
rare attainments. She joins with zest and
full sympathy in-all her husband’s intellectual
pursuits, and is, in the highest sense, a help-
meet for him. é

 

REEMAN W. TUCK, a well-to-do
farmer of Danville, was born January

27, 1836, in Fremont, N.H., a son of

Israel and Rachael (Tuck) Tuck, both natives
of Brentwood. Mr. Tuck’s parents after their
marriage left Brentwood, where they had pre-
viously resided, and settled in the town of
Fremont, purchasing a farm on which they
spent the rest of their lives, the father dying
September 25, 1872, and the mother June 20,

1878. The father combined the occupations
of a farmer and charcoal-burner, the last
named being his principal business. They had

a family of six children, as follows: John S.,
who lives in Georgetown, Mass., married
Sarah Gordon, of Brentwood; Nancy, who be-
came the wife of Deacon Bean, of Brentwood ;
Freeman W., the subject of this sketch; one,
the fourth-born, who lived but a short time;
George, now residing at Exeter, N.H., who
married Sophia Goodrich; and Elvira, who
434

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

died November 18, 1890. She married John
H. Carr, of Brentwood.

Freeman W. Tuck remained beneath the
paternal roof-tree until] attaining his majority,
attending the district schools in his earlier
years, and on the home farm becoming as
familiar with the various branches of agricult-
ure as he was with the contents of his school-
books. Going then to the village of Brent-
wood, he drove a team for a nurseryman for
nearly a year, and then came ‘to Danville,
locating on his present farm. This contains
sixty-five acres of land, which he devotes to
the raising of hay, corn, potatoes, and vege-
tables, carrying on general farming most suc-
cessfully. For several seasons he has thrown
open his pleasant and conveniently arranged
farm-house for the accommodation of city
people who wish for a summer home in the
country, where they can have plenty of fresh,
pure air, appetizing food, and enjoy an agree-
able vacation. In politics Mr. Tuck: has in-
variably supported the principles of the Repub-
lican party, but has never aspired to public
office.

On December 14, 1858, he married Miss
Saphina’ D. Towle, daughter of Nicholas and
Mary (Page) Towle, of Danville, of which
place her father was a lifelong resident. Mr.
Towle was a farmer and cooper by occupation.
He died February 23, 1868, and his wife in
February, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Tuck have
four children, namely: Lellan J., an attorney
by profession, is a resident of Pawtucket,
R.I.; Flora M., prominent in the social
circles of Danville, is engaged in teaching;
Arthur W., a carpenter by trade, lives at
home; and Willis C., a shoe-cutter, also
lives at home with his parents.

 

ORENZO D. DUNTLEY, the present
Postmaster of Greenland, was born at
Thornton, N.H., February 13,
1832, son of Hazen and Phebe
(Leighton) Duntley. His paternal grand-
father, Joseph, was long a resident of Sand-
wich, N.H., where he was engaged in black-
smithing. Joseph and his wife became the
parents of two sons and two daughters.
Hazen Duntley, who was a native of Sand-

 

wich, obtained his education in the district
schools of that place. He learned the black-
smith’s trade, and followed it throughout the
rest of his life. After working at it for sev-
eral years in his native town, he removed to
Milton, N.H., where his death occurred. He
fought in the late war for the maintenance of
the Union, having enlisted from New Hamp-
shire in the Rhode Island Cavalry. His wife,
Phoebe, a daughter of Jedidah Leighton, of
Farmington, N.H., bore him eleven children,
all of whom, except two, attained maturity.
These were: Emily, Lorenzo D., J. Leighton,
Mary J., Ira, Albathina and Lorania (twins),
Phoebe A., and Amos. Emily was given in
marriage to Joshua Downs; and they now re-
side at Milton, N.H. Leighton successively
married Nancy Hussey and Gusta Miles. The
latter now lives at Rochester, N.H. Mary J.
became the wife of a Mr. Reynolds, with whom
she now makes her home at Alton, N.H. Ira
married Sarah Hodgkins, and resides in Mil-
ton, N.H. Albathina was joined in matri-
mony with John Pinkham, and also resides at
Milton. Lorania was wedded to John Corson,
and lives at Farmington, N.H. Phoebe was
married to Albert Nutter; and they now reside
at Dover, N.H. Amos was first married to
Mary Sawyer, and now resides in Rochester,
N.H., with his second wife.

Lorenzo .D, Duntley attended the district
schools of Milton for the usual period. In
his earlier life he was occupied in making
custom shoes for shoe manufacturing firms at
Haverhill, Mass. In 1861 he came to Green-
land, where he plied his trade until 1880. In
that year he opened a general store in the
centre of the town, and has since conducted it
successfully. With this he also discharges the
duties of Postmaster of Greenland, to which
office he was appointed in October, 1894. In
1855 Mr. Duntley was united in wedlock with
Miss Susan E. Dearborn, a daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Samuel F. Dearborn, of Wakefield,
N.H. Born of the union were four children,
of whom George W., Curtis, and Florence are
living. George received in marriage the
hand of Miss Fanny Pearson, with whom he
resides at Greenland, the father of two chil-
dren — Ruth and Fred. Curtis wedded Miss
Nellie Stephens, of Stevens’ Point, Wis., who
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

435

 

 

has borne him a daughter, Florence, and re-
sides with his family in Boston. Florence,
the third child of Mr. Duntley, Sr., is a
teacher in the public schools of Portsmouth,
N.H. Frank H., the deceased son, met his
death on the railroad at East Wakefield, N.H.,
while at work on the road. The father is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church at
Greenland. In politics he is a Democrat, and
he cast his first Presidential vote in 1856 for
James Buchanan. He was Town Clerk for a
number of years, and was a member of the
Board of Selectmen for three years. He has
also served in the capacities of Assessor and
Auditor. Mr. Duntley is affiliated with
Wenicot Lodge, No. 92, of Greenland.

 

OBERT PATERSON, a= successful
gardener of Portsmouth, was born in
Kennetcook, Hants County, Nova
Scotia, on October 18, 1859.
parents were Andrew and Melinda (Rines)
Paterson.. The father, who was a native of
Scotland, born in 1805, came to Nova Scotia
when he was a young man, and managed a
large farm. His brother, Alexander, was an
extensive farmer, owning among other farms
one of a thousand acres, and another of six
hundred acres. Robert’s father was an influ-
ential member of the Presbyterian church,
which he served as Deacon for many years.
He married Melinda Rines, of the same town,
and they had seven children, six of whom are
now living; namely, Alexander, Robert,
Charles, Edward, Mary J., and Letitia. The
father is still living, being a well preserved
gentleman of ninety years.

Robert Paterson was educated in the public
schools of his native town, working between
sessions on his father’s farm until] he was six-
teen years of age. He went to Maitland,
Hants County, Nova Scotia, where he was
employed one year as gardener by William D.
Lawrence, who was largely engaged in ship-
building. He then returned home to renew
his studies, remaining another year. Subse-
quently he went back to the employment of
Mr. Lawrence, with whom he stayed until he
attained his majority. His next employer
was the Hon. Frank Jones, of Portsmouth,

His

 

for whom he is at present head gardener. He
went first to Mr. Jones’s place merely to visit
his half-brother, William G. Paterson, having
no intention of remaining. Yielding to Mr.
Jones’s invitation to work there, he served as
journeyman for five years, and was then pro-
moted to the post of assistant gardener. Four
years later his brother died, when, in 18go0,
Mr. Jones, without any solicitation on his
part, appointed him to succeed his brother,
which position he still holds. In politics he
affiliates with the Democratic party, but de-
clines office. Mr. Paterson loves nature, and
avails himself of all devices to aid and develop
its work. In this business he is an enthusiast.
He is a member of the Gardeners’ and
Florists’ Club of Boston, and also belongs to
the Society of American Florists. Besides
his regular occupations in Mr. Jones’s employ-
ment, Mr. Paterson also has charge of the
Wentworth Hotel gardens and conservatories,
having supervision of thirty-five men. He is
a member of Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of
Pythias; of Massasoit Tribe, No. 16, of Red
Men; and Uniformed Rank, Lucullus Divi-
sion, Knights of Pythias. He attends religious
worship at the Baptist church. On September
20, 1893, Mr. Paterson was united in marriage
to Mary Elizabeth, only daughter of Daniel
W. and Annie M. Elkins, of Hampton, N.H.
Her family were prosperous farming folk,
extensive property owners, and great workers
in the orthodox church. She is the last heir,
and owns a farm of one hundred acres. Mr.
Paterson has adopted his brother’s two orphan
children — Fred W. and Gertrude G. No one
who knows Mr. Paterson and his estimable
wife will doubt that the children will be ten-
derly cared for and receive every advantage
within their means.

 

OSES O. NICHOLS, a thriving

farmer of Epping, N.H., was born

in Kennebec County, Maine, in

1836. His parents were John

and Sarah (Osborne) Nichols. The father
was a native of Maine, and spent his life in
that State. He was a tanner by trade, but the
latter part of his life was spent in farming.
He died in 1841. His wife, who was a native
436

of New Hampshire, survived him thirty-seven
years, dying in 1878.

Moses O. Nichols’s opportunities for ob-
taining an education were limited; but he made
the best of them, and subsequently attended
a Friends’ School in Providence, R.I., for one
term. He then turned his attention to farm-
ing, and has since devoted himself chiefly to
that occupation. - His fruitful and well-culti-
vated farm of seventy-five acres is situated
four miles north-west of Epping. In politics
he affiliates with the Republican party. Al-
though not an office-seeker, he was at one time
a candidate for Selectman, and, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the town is strongly Demo-
cratic, came within one vote of election.

In 1866 Mr. Nichols was united in marriage
to Ann C. Post, a daughter of Peter Post, of
Picton, Province of Ontario. Four children
came to enlarge the family circle — Mary,
Ruth, Anna, and Roger. The mother was
taken away by the hand of death in 1885.
The parents were both highly respected mem-
bers of the Society of Friends. Mr. Nichols
is a man of strict integrity, whose influence
in the community has ever been for good.

 

HARLES MARSEILLES, formerly a
well-known editor and publisher, now

living in retirement at Exeter, was

born in Philadelphia, Pa., July 19,

1846, son of Peter and Eliza (Gilpin) Mar-
seilles. On the paternal side he is of French
Muguenot extraction. The first representa-
tives of the family to settle in North America
were Peter Marseilles and his family, who
came here over two hundred years ago from
Holland. They disembarked at New Amster-
dam, now New York City, where they fixed
their temporary home. Previous to their emi-
gration the Marseilles had lived for many
years in Holland. From New Amsterdam
they removed to a place near Greenbrook, now
in New Jersey, where they subsequently re-
sided for many generations. Peter Marseilles,
the father of Charles, was born November 23.
1793, in Somerset, N.J. He removed to
Philadelphia, Pa., where he became a member
of the firm of Marseilles & Martin, the leading
wholesale house in Philadelphia dealing in

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

hats, furs, etc., having an extensive trade in
the South and West. In 1836 he married
Miss Eliza Gilpin, a native of Philadelphia,
where the ceremony was performed. They
had seven children, of whom three sons and
three daughters attained to maturity. Charles,
Elizabeth, and Anna are the only survivors
now. Mr. Marseilles departed this life in
Philadelphia, April 21, 1878, at the advanced
age of eighty-five years; and his wife, who
was fifteen years younger than he, survived
him just fifteen years, passing away on Decem-
ber 26, 1893.

Charles Marseilles acquired a part of his
education at the Phillips Exeter Academy,
which is located at Exeter, N.H., entering
that institution at the age of sixteen with a
friend, D. P. Lippencott. He and Mr. Lip-
pencott were room-mates until the latter en-
listed for service in the Civil War. Mr. Mar-
seilles returned home in 1863, and prosecuted
his studies in the select schools of William
Fewsmith and Dr. Robert H. Labberton, and
under a private tutor, Reginald H. Chase. In
1864 he entered the Norwich University at
Norwich (now at Northfield), in order to ob-
tain a military training. In the spring of
1865, when the war was ended, he went to
Boston, Mass., and accepted a position in the
publishing house of Ticknor & Fields. After
remaining with them about twelve months,
being then but twenty years of age, he went to
Exeter, N.H., and purchased the Exeter Wews-
Letter. This paper was established in 1831 by
Captain Sleeper, who in 1833 founded the Bos-
ton Journal. Mr. Marseilles edited and man-
aged his paper with enterprise and success
until September, 1878, when he changed his
residence to Kingston, N.Y., and purchased
the Kingston Dazly Freeman and the Kingston
Fournal. He had been proprietor and editor
of these journals for four years when he retired
from the active duties and burdens of life.

On October 5, 1869, Mr. Marseilles wedded
Miss Annie Mary Moses Leavitt, daughter of
the late Samuel W. Leavitt, of Exeter, N.H.
Mr. Leavitt, who was a native of Exeter,
passed away January 10, 1896, at the venerable
age of eighty-nine years. The house in which
his decease occurred was over two hundred
years old, and had been his home for many
 

ANDREW J. PENHALLOW.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

439

 

 

years. Mr. and Mrs. Marseilles, who have
had no children, now reside in Exeter at their
pleasant home on Upper Front Street, where
the unmistakable indications of refinement
meet one at every turn. Their spacious rooms
are almost literally filled with beautiful and
exquisite paintings and bric-a-brac. The
house also contains one of the best private
libraries to be found in the State of New
Hampshire.

In national politics Mr. Marseilles supports
the Republican party. Though he has not
been an aspirant to official and social distinc-
tion, having repeatedly declined nominations
to offices, he has been a power in the realm
of politics, assisting very materially through
the columns of his journals in making or un-
making governors, senators, and other high
officials of State and nation. Few editors
wield a more potent pen than Mr. Marseilles.

 

NDREW J. PENHALLOW, of Ports-

mouth, confidential clerk of Charles
S. Mendum, was born in Ports-
mouth, March 1, 1815. The Pen-

hallows are an old and influential family here.
Penhallow Street was so named as a mark of
respect to them.
first family in town, taking such prominent
positions as seemed to belong to them by
reason of their personal worth. The father of
Andrew J. was the President of the New
Hampshire National Bank. .

Andrew J. Penhallow was educated in the
Portsmouth public schools, and became an
efficient accountant and a fine penman. His
commercial career began in the dry-goods store

of Stephen Simes, where he continued for two

or three years. This store now belongs to
John S. Rand. Mr. Penhallow subsequently
served as confidential clerk for Mr. Charles
S. Mendum, being eminently fitted therefor.
In politics he was a Republican, but he did not
seek political preferment. He never joined
any secular organizations, while he was a
member of the Unitarian church for many
years, having been admitted under the admin-
istration of that great and good man, Andrew
P. Peabody. He efficiently discharged the
duties of Parish Clerk for some time.

At that time they were the

 

Mr. Penhallow was three times married.
His last marriage was contracted August 3,
1883, with Ellen M. Foster, of Dover, N.H.
Her father, a native of Reading, Mass., who
kept a large and flourishing shoe store in
Dover for many years, died in 1853, at the age
of fifty-two. His wife, who was a daughter of
Ebenezer Munsey, of Barnstead, N.H., died in
1858, also aged fifty-two, having given birth
to nine children. Mrs. Penhallow was edu-
cated in Dover, and there spent her youth.
She has been a resident of Portsmouth for a
quarter of a century. Mr. Penhallow died
January 14, 1890, in the seventy-fifth year of
his age, regretted by all who knew him. A
portrait of him accompanies this sketch of
his life.

 

HARLES V. JENNESS, a prosperous
farmer of South New Market, was born
November 27, 1845, in Rochester,
Strafford County, son of Esrom and
Ann (Munsey) Jenness. His father, also a
native of Rochester, in the earlier part of his
life was there engaged in farming and carpen-
ter’s work. He subsequently removed to
Durham, Strafford County; and in 1860 he
came to South New Market, settling in the
north-western part of the town. Here for
several years he worked at his trade of carpen-
ter, besides conducting a farm, obtaining a
reputation for skill and industry. He was
united in marriage with Miss Ann Munsey, a
native of Barnstead, N.H. Of the union there
were born five children; namely, Charles V.,
Timothy M., Abby E., Emma F., and John
P. Charles V. is the only survivor now. In
national politics the father was identified with
the Republican party, while regarding relig-
ious questions both he and his wife held lib-
eral opinions. He passed his declining years
in retirement at Newfields, N.H., where he
finally departed this life, August 23, 1868,
aged fifty-one years, eight months, and thir-
teen days. His wife died January 21, 1886,
aged sixty-nine years, five months, and twenty-
eight days.
Charles V. Jenness attained manhood at his
father’s home in Newfields, acquiring his
education in the public schools. At the age
440

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

of eighteen he learned the trade of carpenter,
and subsequently followed it for three years.
He then applied himself to become a pattern-
maker. Succeeding in that, he worked at the
business until 1890, employed in the factory
of the Squamscot Machine Company at New-
fields, and in the capacity of foreman with the
Portsmouth Machine Company. In 1890 he
moved to his present estate, which comprises
about one hundred and forty acres. Here he
has since been engaged in general agriculture,
giving considerable attention to lumbering and
to the wood business. He also transacts real
estate business at Newfields village.

On July 14, 1867, Mr. Jenness was joined
in matrimony with Miss Frances E. Neal, a
daughter of Samuel and Relief Neal, and has
since become the father of one son, Eugene
E., born June 11, 1870. Eugene E. Jenness
resides at home, and co-operates with his
father in the work of the farm. On July 9,
1890, he wedded Miss Elmyra N. Randlett, of
Stratham, N.H., and has a daughter, Eva
Irene, born May 11, 1891. In politics he is
a Republican, while on religious questions he
is guided by liberal principles. Mr. Jenness,
Sr., who is well known and esteemed here, has
served the town on the Board of Selectmen.
His face is a familiar one in the general gath-
erings of the community, as he is identified
with several fraternities. He is a member of
Lodge No. 56, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, of Newfields, and the Rebecca Degree
of New Market; of Chapter No. 2, at Exeter,
Knights of Pythias. He likewise belongs to
Pocahontas Tribe of Red Men at Exeter, and
affiliates with the Patrons of Husbandry in
Encampment No. 179 at South New Market.
He also belongs to the Royal Arcanum at Exe-
ter. In politics he is a Republican. In re-
ligion he and his wife are liberal.

 

EWELL A. WATSON, a member
of the firm of Watson Brothers,
proprietors of a general store at
Nottingham, was born in that town,

April 14, 1847, son of Sewell and Lydia
(Daniels) Watson. The family is an old and
respected one. William Watson, grandfather
of Sewell A., born in Northwood, this county,

 

on Washington’s birthday, 1766, was a
hard-working and enterprising farmer. His
farm, containing about one hundred and _ fifty
acres, was situated in Northwood. He mar-
ried Miss Elsie Cilley, who was born Septem-
ber 27, 1768, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. (Cut-
ting) Cilley, of Nottingham, and became by
her the father of seven children, namely:
Elizabeth, born June 1, 1789; Sewell, born
July 19, 1791; Alice E., born May 15, 1793;
William, Jr., born December 1, 1796; Han-
nah, born January 30, 1800; Sarah, born
March 10, 1802, who passed away August 8,
1867; and Martha, born October 30, 1809,
who died July 29, 1876. Both parents lived
to an advanced age. They were members of
the Baptist church. In politics the father
supported the Whig party.

Sewell Watson enlisted at the age of
twenty-one as a drummer-boy for service in
the Second War with England. Having faith-
fully discharged his duties for about one year,
he returned to the State, and settled in New
Market. Here he assisted in erecting the fac-
tories of the New Market Manufacturing Com-
pany, where he was later engaged as a watch-
man for a period of sixteen years. In 1842
he came to Nottingham, purchased the farm of
about sixty acres on which his son, William
F., now makes his home, and there followed
general husbandry uninterruptedly to the day
of his decease. He was twice married, on
the first occasion to Miss Lydia Daniels, who
was born in 1812, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Henry Daniels, of Lee, N.H. Of this mar-
riage there came five children, three of whom
are still living. These are: William F., born
March 6, 1843; Izette, born June 6, 1845,
who died October 29, 1846; Sewell A., the
subject of this sketch; George E., born No-
vember 6, 1852, who died October 26, 1859;
and Lydia A., born June 6, 1849, who is the
widow of Sewell W. Dow, late of Northwood,
N.H., and now resides at Hampton, N.H.,
having had no children. The mother died; and
the father contracted his second marriage with
a lady who was a native of Madbury, N.H.,
born June 10, 1812. He passed away Febru-
i. 9, 1867; and she now lives with her chil-

ren.

Sewell A. Watson acquired his education
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

441

 

 

in the common schools of Nottingham. In
1878 he formed a partnership with his brother,
William F., under the firm name of Watson
Brothers; and in that relationship he has pros-
perously conducted to the present time a gen-
eral country store at Nottingham. On De.
cember 15, 1875, he was united in marriage
with Miss Mary E. Ramsbottam, daughter of
George Ramsbottam, of Nottingham, and has
now a son, William A., who was born August
5, 1889. In politics Mr. Watson is a Repub-
lican. He has participated very prominently
in the affairs of the town, where he is held in
general respect. He has been Town Clerk for
the past sixteen years. He is also a member
of the School Committee, and for a dozen years
he has acted as the Assistant Postmaster at
Nottingham. Mr. Watson is a member of
Sullivan Lodge, No. 19, A. F. & A. M., of
Epping, N.H., and of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows of Northwood.

 

APTAIN HENRY P. NEAL, of
Newfields, one of the few living
officers of the old State militia,
was born in New Market
Newfields), December 23, 1815, son of Asa
and Rebecca (Gale) Neal. The Neal family,
which is of English origin, was one of the
first to settle in Portsmouth, N.H., and has
been prominent for many years in the affairs
of the State of New Hampshire. Captain
Neal’s great-grandfather, Samuel Neal, was
one of the pioneers of New Market, where he
cleared a farm, on which he spent the latter
part of his life. Samuel Neal, Jr., the grand-
father, who was born in New Market in 1749,
spent his life there, industriously engaged in
farming. In politics he was a Democrat,
while on religious questions he held liberal
opinions. He died at the age of seventy-five.
His wife, whose maiden name was Abigail
Conner, was a native of Exeter, this county.
She died in 1827, aged about seventy-five
years.

Asa Neal was born in New Market in 1785.
One of a large family, he learned in childhood
the value of work and perseverance; and, when
the time came for him to provide for himself,
he shirked no task that came before him. He

(now-

 

succeeded his father as owner of the old Neal
homestead, atid subsequently was one of the
leading farmers of the community. He, too,
favored the Democratic party. He died at
the age of seventy-eight. His wife was a
native of Gilmanton, N.H., born in the same
year as her husband. She passed away at
the age of seventy-five. Both were members
of the Free Will Baptist church. They reared
five children — Samuel, Henry P., Valina G.,
Asa D., and Francis A. Another, Daniel Y..,
died in infancy. Henry P., the subject of
this sketch, is the only one living to-day.

Captain Henry P. Neal attended the schools
of his native town and New Market Academy.
He began to provide for himself when twenty
years of age, finding employment as a lum-
berman. Since then, up to 1895, when he
retired from business, he was actively engaged
in lumbering. He took possession of his
present home in 1841. This is a fine estate
of one hundred and fifty acres. He also owns
a good farm of one hundred and fifty acres in
Exeter, this county. Mr. Neal, having inher-
ited the family characteristic of persevering
industry, was never afraid of hard work. He
has attained affluence through his own efforts
alone, accomplishing much more than the or-
dinary man in the time given him.

May 31, 1841, Captain Neal was married to
Mary W. Jenness, a native of New Market,
born November 18, 1816. Mrs. Neal died
September 18, 1867. She was the mother of
four children Austin H., Mary R., Oscar
Henry, and Joseph Merrill. Austin H. lived
but five years. Mary R., who was born April
22, 1844, lives in East Kingston. She is
the widow of Arthur T. Robinson, and the
mother of one son, Marcellus True, who was
born August 22, 1871. Marcellus Robinson
married Helene Bell, of Kentland, Ind.,
March 11, 1895, and has a child, Madeline
Uretta, born January 10, 1896, so Captain
Neal is a great-grandfather. Oscar Henry
Neal, who was born June 1, 1848, is a farmer
of Newfields; and Joseph Merrill, who .was
born January 29, 1851, is a dentist of Somer-
ville, Mass., living in the neighboring town
of North Cambridge.

On June 1, 1869, Captain Neal was again
married, this time to Charlotte M. Perkins,
442

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

who was born in Nashua, N.H., June 6, 1840,
daughter of the Rev. Jared and Charlotte
(Hall) Perkins. The Rev. Jared Perkins, born
in Unity, N.H., April 21, 1793, was aclergy-
man of the Methodist Episcopal church, a
stanch Republican and Abolitionist, and one
of the leading men of New Hampshire. In
1851 and 1852 he represented the Winchester
Congressional District in the Thirty-second
Congress. Previous to that he occupied a seat
in the House of Representatives at Concord,
and was a member of the Governor’s Council.
He was nominated for Governor of New Hamp-
shire, but died before election, passing away
October 15, 1854. His wife, born in Me-
thuen, Mass., November 29, 1804, died in
South New Market, N.H.,December 3, 1875.
Of their thirteen children, two are living,
namely: Mrs. Clara E. Farwell, of Clare-
mont, this State; and Mrs. Martha A. Neal,
the wife of Dr. Joseph Merrill Neal, of Cam-
bridge, Mass. By his second union Captain
Neal has three children. These are: Clara
Lilian, born January 8, 1871; Mabelle Per-
kins, born April 25, 1875; and Jared Augus-
tus Perkins Neal, born November 30, 1877.
Captain Neal votes the Republican ticket.
He was Selectman for two years, besides fill-
ing other offices of trust in the town. In
the old State militia he held rank succes-
sively as Ensign, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and
Captain; and, as stated above, he is one of
the few officers of that body living to-day.
He is a Steward and a Trustee of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, of which he and his
wife have been members for several years.

 

AJOR DAVID URCH, Secretary

and Treasurer of the New Castle

Bridge Company of Portsmouth,

was born in Newport, Wales,

April 13, 1846. He isa son of Ephraim and
Maria (Sherman) Urch, respectively natives
of Glastonbury, England, and Portsmouth,
N.H. Six generations of the family on the
paternal side lived in Somersetshire, England.
Ephraim Urch was a willow worker, making
baskets and willow furniture. After his mar-
riage he removed to Newport, Wales, where
he lived till 1849. In the spring of that year

 

he sailed for America, taking passage on the
vessel that brought the iron for the Concord
Railroad. Locating in Portsmouth, he en-
gaged in the work of his trade. Also, fora
number of years he was toll collector for the
New Castle bridges. In 1863 he went to
Chicago, and, opening a store for the sale of
willow goods, resided during the rest of his
life in the vicinity of the windy city, gaining
a comfortable livelihood. His wife, who is
now living with her daughter, Mrs. Hammond
Spinney, in Eliot, Me., is a member of one of
the oldest families of Somersetshire, and is a
typical English lady. She reared ten chil-
dren — Mary Ann, Rosanna, Lizzie, Ephraim,
Ellen, David, Abram, Henry E., Jonn C., and
George W.

David Urch was about two and a half years
old when he came to this country, accompany-
ing his mother. The father had left Wales
the preceding spring to make a home for his
family in the new country. The child had a.
rough passage in the sailing vessel “ Abalina,”
and it was thirty days before the passengers
were safely landed in Boston. David was
reared and received his early education in
Portsmouth, and finished his course of study
at a college in Chicago. He became an
expert willow and rattan worker, and assisted
in the factory, and in his father’s store as
clerk. He had been anxious to go to the war
in 1861, in Captain Sides’s company, with the
Second New Hampshire Regiment; but his
father had prevented him. The family was
living in Effingham, Il., in 1864. One day
here, while returning home to dinner, Mr.
Urch fell a little behind when near a railroad
track that crossed the street, and a freight
train separated him from the rest of the party.
Jumping on one of the cars, he was taken to
Mattoon, II]., and enlisted in Company C,
One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Illinois Volun-
teer Infantry. This was in March, 1864; and
he was one of the hundred days’ men. The
regiment was sent directly to St. Louis,
thence to Jefferson City. Here it was as-
signed garrison duty for some time, and was
engaged in suppressing the bands of guerillas
that infested the country. Mr. Urch was hon-
orably discharged in November, 1864. Soon
after he returned to Portsmouth, where he was
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW .

443

 

 

employed for a few months on the government
works at Fort Constitution. He then went to
Manchester, N.H., and opened a store for the
sale of willow and rattan furniture, and con-
ducted it for five years. The two years fol-
lowing he was in the same business in New
Lenox, and then for a short time he was a res-
ident of Portland, Me. His next venture was
the opening of a similar store in Portsmouth,
which he managed until 1876. In that year
he became connected with the New Castle
Bridge Company, and has since collected the
tolls for them.

Mr. Urch was married to Miss Ida A.
Rogers, of Eliot, Me., daughter of Charles
W.and Mary A. Rogers. He cast his first
Presidential vote for General U. S. Grant,
and afterward became affiliated with the Dem-
ocratic party. However, he has always kept
in mind the idea that the highest good of the
people should ever be the governing motive of
all suffrage. In Portsmouth he served as Al-
derman for three terms, was Chairman of the
City Democratic Committee ten years, and
Chairman of the Democratic Committee of the
ward in which he resides thirteen years. He
was elected Representative to the State legis-
lature in 1882, and during his term of service
was a member of the Committees on Fisheries
and Game and Secretary of the Committee on
Banking. In 1884 he was again sent to the
legislature, and once more served as Secretary
of the Committee on Banking. He took an
active part in the proceedings of the house,
and generally made his influence felt. He
takes a warm interest in educational matters,
and served on the Portsmouth Board of Educa-
tion eight years. He is a comrade of Storer
Post, No. 1, Grand Army of the Republic;
has passed all the chairs in New Hampshire
Lodge, No. 17, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows; and Strawberry Bank Encampment,
No. 5; is a°member of Canton Centre, No.
12; and he is a member and has served as
President of the New Hampshire Mechanics’
Association. In the Patriarchs Militant he
has served as Inspector-general, with the rank
of Major on the staff of General Farrington,
since the organization of the New Hampshire
branch of the order. For twelve years he has
been an officer in the New Hampshire Na-

 

tional Guard; and, as a member of the Head
Guards of Manchester, he was successively
Lieutenant and Captain of Company C. He
was afterward made Lieutenant of the Heavy
Artillery of Portsmouth, and served seven or
eight years on the staff of Brigadier-general
Clough.

 

ERRILL JOHNSON, an extensive
farmer of Candia, Rockingham
County, and a veteran of the
Civil War, was born in Alex-
andria, Grafton, N.H., August 17, 1827, son
of Moses and Hannah (Huntington) Johnson.
The branch of the family of which Mr. John-
son is a representative was founded in Amer-
ica by Moses Johnson, first, who emigrated
from England, and settled in Newbury, or
Newburyport, Mass., at an early date in Co-
lonial history. His son, Moses, second, Mr.
Merrill Johnson’s great-grandfather, was born
in Newburyport, and settled in Hudson,
N.H., now Tyngsboro, where he reared a
large family. He was prominent in public
affairs, serving for many years as a Selectman
and Town Clerk; and, although he twice en-
listed for service in the Continental army dur-
ing the Revolutionary War, his fellow-towns-
men refused to let him go, as he could not be
spared from his official duties.

Moses Johnson, third, Mr. Johnson’s grand-
father, was born in Hudson in 1769. He
acquired a good education, and was a noted
schoolmaster of his day; fitty years of his life
being spent as an educator; and he was
elected by the Whig party to various responsi-
ble positions in the town government. He
died in 1858, aged eighty-nine years. He
married Polly Elliott, of Dracut, Mass., and
they became the parents of fourteen children,
the only survivors of whom are: Eliza, widow
of Kimball Whitney, of Plymouth, N.H.,
who has reached the advanced age of ninety
years; and Elliott, a resident of Chelmsford,
Mass.

Moses Johnson, fourth, father of Merrill
Johnson, was born in Orange, N.H., in 1796.
He settled in Bristol, N.H., where he engaged
in tilling the soil, which he followed with
unusual energy during his active period. He
444

died in 1881, aged eighty-five years. In his
earlier years he supported the Whig party,
but never aspired to prominence in public
affairs, preferring to devote his exclusive at-
tention to his farm and family. He attended
the Free Baptist church. He married Hannah
Huntington, a native of Bristol, N.H., who
was of English descent, being a grand-daugh-
ter of John Huntington, who emigrated to
America, and settled in what is now Danville,
N.H. She became the mother of eight chil-
dren, but two of whom are living, namely:
George H., a resident of Deerfield; and Mer-
rill, the subject of this sketch. The others
were: Jonathan H., Daniel M., Hannah H.,
Moses, Mary J., and Julia Ann.

Merrill Johnson acquired his education in
the common schools of Manchester and at the
Hebron Academy. For some time after leav-
ing school he was engaged in agricultural pur-
suits, later becoming connected with a news-
paper, for-which he labored two years; and in
1849 he settled in Deerfield, N.H., where he
was employed at a shoe factory. On August
28, 1862, he enlisted as a private for three
years in Company B, Eleventh Regiment,
New Hampshire Volunteers, under Captain
Sewall D. Tilton and Colonel Walter Harri-
man, and probably saw as much active service
as was experienced by any living veteran of
the Civil War, participating in the battles of
White Sulphur Springs, Fredericksburg, Jack-
son, the siege of Vicksburg, the fierce struggle
of the Wilderness, the battles of Spottsylva-
nia Court-house, Weldon Railroad, Hatcher’s
Run, Pegram Farm, and the assault and capt-
ure of Petersburg. In the engagement at
Spottsylvania Court-house he received a seri-
ous wound in the thigh, which confined him
to the hospital at St. Mary’s Heights and the
Lincoln Hospital in Washington, from which
he was removed to Brattleboro, Vt. Rejoin-
ing his regiment September 9, 1864, he served
until the close of the war. He was succes-
sively promoted to the rank of Sergeant, First
Lieutenant, and Brevet Captain, and was mus-
tered out as such June 4, 1865. Returning
to Deerfield, he continued to reside there until
1880, when he moved to Candia, and engaged
in general farming. His property, which is
known as the old Richardson place, consists of

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

two hundred and fifty acres, forty acres of
which are under cultivation, and the balance
is divided in woodland and pasture. He cuts
about forty tons of hay annually, besides rais-
ing other products of a fine quality, and keeps
eleven cows.

On April 2, 1855, Mr. Johnson was united
in marriage with Sarah E. Clark, daughter of
Captain Gilman Clark, of Candia. Mrs.
Johnson died December 29, 1891, leaving
three children, namely: Alice J., who is the
wife of Benjamin E. Sanborn, of Deerfield,
and has one son, Benjamin E., Jr.; Moses G.,
who married Carrie E. Marden, of Allens-
town, and has one son, Merrill W.; and
Hattie I., wife of H. A. Hubbard, of this
town. On August 14, 1895, Mr. John mar-
ried Mrs. Lydia J. Hunt, widow of the late
Lewis G. Hunt, of Lynn, Mass., and daughter
of John and Elizabeth J. (Swain) French, of
Candia.

In politics Mr. Johnson acts with the Repub-
lican party, and his public services have been
of a nature to receive the hearty appreciation
of the citizens of Deerfield and Candia. He
served as a member of the Board of Selectmen
in the last-named town for one term, was
twice elected to the same office in this town,
and has served upon the School Board. Fra-
ternally, Mr. Johnson is connected with Rock-
ingham Lodge, A. F. & A. M.; Eastern Star
Lodge, Adah Chapter, No. 9, of Candia; and
the Patrons of Husbandry. He is highly re-
spected by his fellow-townsmen as an able and
progressive farmer, and an eminently worthy
citizen, who is always ready with his aid and
influence in securing and perfecting all public
improvements; and he is regarded as one of
the substantial men of the town. He is a
member of the Congregational church.

 

EV. JACOB CHAPMAN, an old and
honored resident of Exeter, was born

in Tamworth, then in Strafford, now

in Carroll County, N.H., March Il,

1810, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Folsom)
Chapman. He is of the seventh generation of
the family, and traces his descent to Edward
Chapman, a farmer and shoemaker, who came
from Yorkshire, England, and settled in Mas-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

445

 

 

sachusetts about the year 1639. Edward’s
grandson, Samuel Chapman, was born in Ips-
wich, Mass., in 1655; and Samuel’s son, Sam-
uel, was born in Hampton, this county, in
1679. Paul Chapman, son of the latter Sam-
uel, born in 1704, was the great-grandfather
of the Rev. Mr. Chapman. Paul’s birthplace
was a farm, situated about a half-mile south
of the Greenland (N.H.) parade ground. A
cooper by trade, he was also a capable farmer.
He purchased the homestead farm, and there
were born all his children. The grandfather,
Job Chapman, was born on the Greenland
farm in 1747. He passed the greater part of
his long life, which embraced ninety years,
engaged in agriculture, and died in 1837. He
was married in 1771 to Penelope Philbrook,
of Greenland, who was born in Hampton in
1751, and died in Greenland in 1838. Both
are buried in the churchyard at Tamworth.
They reared six sons and one daughter, all of
whom attained maturity, and, except one, mar-
ried and established comfortable farm homes.
One son, who was an innkeeper, held a public
office in the town.

Samuel Chapman was born in Greenland,

May 11, 1781, his® life, which was mainly
spent in agricultural pursuits, terminating
October 30, 1857. His wife, Elizabeth,

whom he married July 10, 1808, a daughter of
Levi and Joanna (Weeks) Folsom, was also of
English extraction. Her immigrant ancestor
was John Folsom, whose son John had a son
Jeremiah, who was the great-grandfather of
Mrs. Chapman. Jeremiah resided in New
Market, this county, accumulated considerable
wealth in business, and was a prominent man
in the community. He was a follower of
Whitefield. His son, Colonel Jeremiah Fol-
som, Mrs. Chapman’s grandfather, was a
wealthy ship-builder and merchant of New
Market. Mrs. Samuel Chapman died in
August, 1821. Her children were five in
number, three sons and two daughters. Of
these the Rev. Mr. Chapman and his sister
Elizabeth, who is the wife of James J. Ches-
ley, of Tamworth, are the only survivors.
The other sons — John, a lawyer, and Samuel,
a doctor — went to Missouri between 1840 and
1845. Samuel was murdered there. The
Rev. Mr. Chapman’s father married for his

 

second wife Mary Hoit, who bore him one
daughter, Joanna W., now deceased, who was
the wife of Jeremiah Chadwick. Surviving
this wife also, Samuel married Mrs. Betsey
Gilman.

The Rev. Jacob Chapman spent his early
years on the home farin. In 1827 he entered
Phillips Exeter Academy, where he prepared
for college. He was able to defray his ex-
penses by teaching in his leisure hours, and
assisted by a grant of seventy dollars from the
academy endowment fund, at that time much
smaller than it is at present. He entered
Dartmouth at the age of twenty-one, and grad-
uated with honors in 1835. His father, who
had loaned him money to help him through
college, taking his notes for the amount and
interest, afterward cancelled the bills. After
graduating from Dartmouth, he taught one
year in Lyndon, Vt., after which he qualified
in theology at Andover, becoming thoroughly
grounded in the doctrines of the Congrega-
tional faith. His first pastoral charge was at
Pelham, N.H., where on account of ill-health
he remained but a short time. He _ subse-
quently taught for a while in Pennsylvania,
and was for some time professor in Franklin
College of that State, teaching in all some
fifteen years. During that time he also
preached frequently. Several years of his life
have been devoted to literary work, chiefly
genealogical and biographical, necessitating
much labor and research. His works include:
a “History of the Folsom Family,” three
hundred octavo pages (1882); the “ Philbrick
Genealogy,” over two hundred pages; the
“History of the Weeks Family,” two hun-
dred pages; the “Lane Genealogy,” first vol-
ume, three hundred pages; and the “Chapman
Genealogy,” one hundred and forty pages.
Mr. Chapman is in independent circumstances.
Now resting from years of arduous toil, his
chief recreation’ consists in doing good.
Though slight and frail in constitution, and
his memory of recent events is becoming
treacherous, he is gifted with tenacious vital-
ity, and is still active.

He was married in Bridgton, Me., in 1840,
to Mary C. Howe, who was an invalid during
the greater part of her married life of thirty
years. In 1871 he was again married in Strat-
446

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

ham, N.H., to Mary E. Lane, of South New
Market. His home at 7 Main Street, where
he has lived for seventeen years, is one of the
historic houses of the city, being over one
hundred years old.

 

RANK D. WILSON, a prominent and
popular citizen of Salem, Rockingham
County, was born in this town, Febru-

ary 15, 1858, son of Aaron G. and Abbie
(Bailey) Wilson. His father was a native of
Pelham, N.H., and his mother of Haverhill,
Mass. Aaron G. Wilson came to Salem when
over thirty years of age, accompanied by his
mother. He married and settled on the farm
now occupied by his son, Frank D., and _ re-
mained here until his death in 1889. Of his
children, two sons and a daughter survive:
Abbie J., the wife of Edmund Vittum, of
Sandwich, N.H.; Alonzo G.; and Frank D.
The mother, now past seventy years of age, is
living with her younger son.

Frank D. Wilson remained on the home
farm until twenty-one years old, making the
best of his limited opportunities for obtaining
an education. On leaving home, he secured
a position as clerk in a store, and was thus
employed for a number of years, four of which
were spent in Salem. He subsequently went
into business for himself in this town, in part-
nership. with Fred C. Buxton, under the firm
name of Buxton & Wilson, which connection
continued for three years. He then went to
Haverhill, Mass., and engaged as a clerk for
F. C. Wilson & Co., grocery dealers, for
whom he worked about five years, returning to
the old homestead in the spring of 1890. At
present he is profitably engaged with his
brother, A. G. Wilson, in farming and the
milk business.

He married Miss Etta L. Foster, of Salem,
daughter of John P. Foster.

Mr. Wilson is serving his fourth term as
Selectman, being also Chairman of that board.
An active politician, he was elected on the

Republican ticket as a Representative to the

Lower House of the State legislature in 1894,
and served with credit to himself and profit to
his constituents. He is a member of the
Masonic Order, also of Salem Grange. —

 

ELSON ORDWAY, of Hampstead, a
retired merchant who has done much
to further the progress of the town,
was born in Hampstead, July 31,
1821, son of John and Eliza S. (Chase) Ord-
way. His grandfather, John Ordway, who was
a native of West Newbury, Mass., was the
first of the family to settle permanently in
Hampstead. Some time previous to 1792
John took charge of the farm on Governor’s
Island for a gentleman in Newbury or New-
buryport, who owned the island and used it for
a summer residence. About the year 1794 he
settled on a farm of his own in Hampstead,
which contained about seventy acres, much of
it wild land; and the rest of his life was de-
voted to clearing it and rendering the soil
arable. A part of this land is now owned by
his grandson. He took a prominent place
among the town fathers, voting with the
Whigs, and was Tax Collector for a number of
years. In 1776, though but fifteen years old
then, he joined the Revolutionary army; and
his widow's name is on the pension list. He
died in 1832. He married Sarah Rogers, of
West Newbury, Mass., who lived to be over
fourscore years of age. She was a member of
the Congregational church in Hampstead,
which her husband attended. Six of their
children attained maturity.

John Ordway, the second of his parents’
children, was born on Governor’s Island,
Hampstead, July 14, 1792. He worked on
his father’s farm until he attained his major-
ity, and then learned the wheelwright’s trade
in Hampstead. For many years he was en-
gaged in the manufacture of wagons, taking
his goods back into the country to sell. Sub-
sequently he was in business as a manufacturer
of chip hats in Hampstead, and was one of the
first to engage in the industry of making palm-
leaf hats. In 1829 he established a general
store in the town under his own name. His
trade yearly increased; and in 1846 he took
his son Nelson into partnership, changing the
firm name to John Ordway & Son. Another
change was made some time later, when another
son, John D., was taken into the firm, which
then became John Ordway & Co. After this
a flourishing business was conducted for a
number of years, and then Mr. Ordway retired,
 

 

 

 

 

 

WILSON.

FRANK D.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

449

 

 

spending the rest of his life in leisure on the
home farm. He was President of the Derry
Bank at Derry, N.H., and was in office at the
time it became the Derry National Bank; and
he served for a number of years on the Board
of Trustees of the Hampstead High School.
He was designated trustee in the will of Ben-
jamin D. Emerson, approved in 1872, which
bequeathed to the town the fund for the erec-
tion of the High School. Mr. Ordway was
active in politics as a Whig and a Republican.
He served as Selectman of Hampstead for a
number of years, and filling other town
offices; and he was State Representative in
1846 and 1854, and State Senator in 1857 and
1858. Tle died November 8, 1881. On Jan-
uary 19, 1819, he married Eliza S. Chase,
daughter of Joseph and Emma (Chase) Chase,
of West Newbury, Mass. She died January
21, 1873, her wedded life covering almost
exactly fifty-four years. She was a member of
the Congregational church. She had six chil-
dren, of whom Nelson is the only one now

living.
Nelson Ordway acquired his education in
the schools of his native town, and at

Plymouth Academy and Pinkerton Academy
of Derry. After leaving school, he worked as
clerk for his father for a short time, and then,
after a season of rest necessitated by ill-health,
took an active part in the business as partner.
Thereafter he was one of the prime movers of
the enterprise until 1860, when he sold his
interest to his brother, and engaged in lumber-
ing for a few years. The care of his father’s
property devolving upon him, he was gradually
drawn into the business of settling estates for
others; and in the course of time, being a Jus-
tice of the Peace, he had considerable work of
that kind to do. Mr. Ordway has large landed
interests in Hampstead and other places. He
has the confidence and respect of his towns-
men, and has been for many years a member of
the Board of Trustees of the Hampstead High
~ School.

On August 21, 1851, Mr. Ordway was mar-
ried to Elizabeth P., daughter of Humphrey
and Betsey (Low) Choate, of Derry. She was
one of six children, of whom the only other
survivor is her sister, Abby M., who resides in
Derry. Mrs. Ordway has had two children, of

 

whom Henry C., born August 8, 1856, is liv-
ing. He is engaged in the heavy hardware
business in Boston, as a member of the firm of
Butts & Ordway, and resides in Winchester,
Mass. He married Fanny, daughter of the late
Rev. Henry M. Scudder, of Winchester, and
has four children, namely: Philip S., born
March 14, 1887; Elizabeth I., born December
30, 1888; Catherine L., born July 26, 1890;
and Helen F., born October 2, 1893. Mr.
Nelson Ordway is a Republican. He has
served as Selectman for a number of terms,
and has efficiently filled the office of Chairman
of the board; and he represented the district
in the legislature of 1862 and 1863. A pub-
lic-spirited man, he is always ready to aid any
enterprise likely to benefit the town, and he
has contributed generously toward the erection
of the new public library building.

EORGE WOODBURY, a prominent
resident of Salem Depot, was born

in Salem, this county, February 1,

181g, son of Asa and Sarah (Thom) Wood-
bury, both of whom were natives of Salem.
Captain Israel Woodbury, grandfather of
George, served in the War of Independence
under Washington. The family were among
the first settlers of this town. Asa Woodbury
was a mason by trade, and also engaged in
farming to some extent. He was highly re-
spected in the town, and served acceptably as
Selectman. His death occurred May 17,
1847. Two of his four children, George and
Isaac, survive him. He was a member of
the Masonic fraternity, and a communicant of
the Methodist Episcopal church.
George Woodbury attended the common
schools of Salem, and later a seminary at
New Market, N.H. He then settled down to
the duties of life, choosing for his occupations
hotel-keeping and farming. On October 7,
1841, Mr. Woodbury was united in marriage
with Miss Mary K. Emerson, who was born in
Salem, February 29, 1820, daughter of Leon-
ard and Mehitable (Merrill) Emerson. Mr.
Emerson was a native of Haverhill, Mass.,
and his wife, of Salem, N.H. Mrs. Emerson’s
father, Joshua Merrill, was one of the pio-
neers of this town. Mr. and Mrs. Woodbury

 
450

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW Q

 

have lost their only child, Charles S. Wood-
bury. They celebrated their golden wedding
in 1891; but the years have borne lightly upon
them, and they still enjoy a good degree of
health. Mr. Woodbury is a prominent mem-
ber and active worker in the Methodist Epis-
copal church at Salem Depot, which he also
serves in the capacities of Steward and Trus-
tee. His membership dates back over half a
century, he being one of the founders of the
church. Mrs. Woodbury was also one of its
first members. She is likewise a zealous
worker in the Women’s Christian Temperance
Union at Salem Depot. This aged couple
are popular in Salem society, and have
numerous friends and acquaintances. In pol-
itics Mr. Woodbury has supported the Repub-
lican party since its formation.

 

eel
q HOMAS STEVENS, one of Notting-

 

ham’s best known residents, and an ex-
~ member of the New Hampshire legis-
lature, was born in this town, February 16,
1830, son of Daniel B. and Betsey M. (Butler)
Stevens. Mr. ‘Stevens’s great-grandfather,
Joshua Stevens, who was born in Stratham,
N.H., in 1737, became a resident of Notting-
ham when he was ten years old, the town being
then in its infancy. He married Annie Har-
vey, daughter of Robert Harvey, of Notting-
ham, who emigrated to this country in 1726,
and reared a family of five children. Joshua’s
eldest son, Thomas Stevens, was born in Not-
tingham, February 2, 1764. He assisted his
father in carrying on the farm, clearing a large
portion of the six hundred acres which he
eventually inherited. The remainder of his
active period was spent in managing the prop-
erty. In politics he was a Whig, and he fig-
ured prominently in public affairs as Select-
man and Town Treasurer. He died at the age
of eighty-three years, leaving a good estate.
In his religious belief he was a Universalist.
He married Betsey Barber, a native of Epping,
this county, and was the father of two chil-
dren, of whom but Daniel B. reached maturity.
The mother died May 26, 1826.

Daniel B. Stevens was born in Nottingham,
March 14, 1803. At an early age he began to
work upon the farm with his father, residing

 

 

there until his marriage, which took place
March 2, 1827. He then bought a farm of
one hundred and fifty acres, where he resided
for seventeen years. The rest of his life was
spent on the ancestral home. He was a
capable and successful agriculturist. Origi-
nally a Whig in politics, he affiliated with the
Republicans after the formation of that party.
He served as a Selectman for several years,
and represented his district in the State legis-
lature for two terms. He was also prominent
in society,, was a member of the Baptist
church, and he lived to the age of eighty years.
He married Betsey M. Butler, of Nottingham,
daughter of John and Sally (Batchelder)
Butler, and a half-sister of the late General
Benjamin F. Butler. She is also a grand-
daughter of Zephaniah Butler, one of the first
settlers of Nottingham. She bore her hus-
band seven children, six of whom are living,
namely: Elizabeth Barber, now the widow of
the late Colonel John B. Batchelder, of Gil-
manton, N.H., and residing in Hyde Park,
Mass. ; Thomas, the subject of this sketch;
Amanda, who is now residing at the home-
stead; John Butler, who married Jane Lucy,
and resides in San José, Cal. ; Charlotte But-
ler, who resides in Washington, D.C.; and
Walter Daniel, residing in Derry, N.H., who
married Martha Shute of that town, and has
three children — Elizabeth Butler, Harold
Edward, and Mildred. The mother, now
eighty-eight years old, is living at the home-
stead.

Thomas Stevens began his education in the
district schools of his native town. After
completing his studies at the Pembroke Acad-
emy, he returned to his father’s farm, where
he has since resided. He now owns several
hundred acres of land, a large portion of which
he has successfully devoted to general farming.
He has been twice married. On June 19,
1850, he wedded Sarah J. Sanborn, daughter
of Benjamin Sanborn, of Deerfield, N.H., and
became the father of four children. These
are: Blanche, born January 11, 1851; Edward
Sanborn, born December 16, 1855, who mar-
tied Caroline Pike, daughter of Warren Pike,
of Sanbornton, and has one daughter, Char-
lotte B.; Alice Butler, who is the wife of
Charles Greenleaf Carlton, M.D., of Law-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

451

 

 

rence, Mass., and has one son, Francis Cogs-
well; and Andrew Butler, born January 109,
1867, who married Grace Pike, a sister of
Edward’s wife. The mother died April 26,
1878. On December 13, 1892, Mr. Stevens
contracted his second marriage with Mrs.
Sarah J. Nealley, who was born December 4,
oe daughter of Peter Rowell, of Hookset,

In politics Mr. Stevens: is an active and
influential supporter of the Democratic party.
He has rendered good service to the town as
a member of the Board of Selectmen, besides
holding other important local offices; and he
served with ability for two years as a member
of the New Hampshire House of Representa-
tives from this district. He has labored dili-
gently for the best interests of the community,
and is highly respected for his public services.
Both he and Mrs. Stevens attend the Univer-
salist church.

 

 

a

EV. WILLIAM A. PATTEN, a well-

known Congregational clergyman,
is resting from his evangelical
labors in Kingston, Rockingham

County, N.H. He was born June 28, 1815,
and is now over fourscore years old. He is
a son of Aaron and Sarah (Chase) Patten, both
natives and lifelong residents of Kingston,
and on his father’s side is descended from
Samuel Colcord, one of the original grantees
of the town of Kingston. Samuel Colcord,
second, born in 1710, married in 1732 Mehit-
able Ladd, who was born in 1713. Their
daughter, Mehitable Colcord, born in 1751,
was married in 1774 to William Patten, grand-
father of the Rev. William A. Patten.
Grandfather Patten was a wheelwright, and
worked at his trade in Kingston during his
active life. He and his wife died, and were
buried in Kingston.

Aaron Patten, son of William Patten, died
in Kingston in 1823. His wife, Mrs. Sarah
Chase Patten, died June 4, 1845. They were
the parents of eight children, namely: Louisa
(deceased), wife of the Rev. William P. Gale,
who also is dead; Mary, who died June 22,
1892; Susan E., who died January 10, 1894;
Sarah A., who died April 27, 1893, wife of

 

the Rev. Abel Wood, of Westminster, Mass. ;
William A., the subject of this sketch,
Charles, who died in childhood; Rachel P.,
living in Cedar Rapids, Ja. ; and Martha, wife
of the Rev. Ezra Newton, of St. Paul, Minn.

William A. Patten paid his way through
the academy, college, and theological semi-
nary. He graduated from Dartmouth College,
Hanover, N.H., in 1843; from the Theologi-
cal Seminary, Andover, Mass., in 1846; and
he was ordained over the Congregational
church in Deerfield, N.H., in June, 1850.
Subsequently he went to California, preach-
ing six months in the First Congregational
Church of San Francisco and two years at
Grass Valley. He was then obliged to rest
from pulpit duty for a while on account of his
voice failing, and returned East. He was ap-
pointed and served as Chaplain in the regiment
of Thirty-second Maine Volunteers. On re-
ceiving his discharge from military service, he
became pastor of the church at Williamsburg,
Ta. After this he was recalled to the church
in Deerfield, N.H. His next charge was at
Raymond, N.H.; and after three years of
earnest work there he was obliged to retire, the
old trouble, voice failure, making rest neces-
sary. Mr. Patten’s early life was one of un-
ceasing toil; and, while struggling to meet his
own expenses, he aided his mother and sisters.
By economy and good judgment in business
matters he has managed to accumulate a com-
petency; and in 1880 he built his present resi-
dence, which is one of the handsomest in
Kingston. He has gathered some valuable
specimens of natural history, including many
animals and birds, which are tastefully
mounted, and may be seen at his home; and
the large and rare collection which he has
presented to Sanborn Seminary in Kingston
will make his name one long to be remem-
bered with gratitude. In politics Mr. Patten
is a Republican. He takes an_ especially
active part in educational affairs.

 

 

ENJAMIN W. DOW, an industrious
and successful agriculturist of Exeter,
was born here, October 24, 1826, son
of Richard and Jemima (Worthen)

Dow. Mr. Dow, on both the paternal and
452

maternal sides, is a representative of old Eng-
lish-American families of New England and
of this vicinity. He traces back his family
history to the early Colonial period. The
first settlement of the Dow family in America
was made on territory now included in Salis-
bury, Mass. A lineal descendant of the Salis-
bury man was Benjamin Dow, the paternal
grandfather of Benjamin W. — Grandfather
Dow was a resident of Kensington, Rocking-
ham County.

Richard Dow, who was a native of Kensing-
ton, removed thence in 1816 to Exeter, where
during his subsequent life he was industri-
ously engaged in general agriculture and lum-
bering. He married Miss Jemima Worthen,
daughter of Enoch Worthen, of Kensington,
who was born in 1750. Enoch, who served in
the Revolutionary army, was a son of Ezekiel
Worthen, a commissioned officer in the same
army. The history of the Worthen family in
this country goes back to the early settlements,
and shows the members of the successive gen-
erations, without exception, to have been
lovers of the land and home. Richard Dow
and his wife passed practically all their lives
in this county. He was, however, an officer
in the militia, and served in the War of 1812,
being stationed at Portsmouth, N.H. He died
in 1861, and his wife in 1867.

Benjamin W. Dow attained to manhood on
the paternal farm. He enjoyed very limited
educational advantages, being obliged very
early in life to apply himself to mercantile
pursuits. Brought up amid agricultural scenes
and occupations, he naturally chose the calling
of farmer; and he has been very actively en-
gaged in that pursuit throughout his life.
His farm of forty acres shows everywhere indi-
cations of the success with which he has man-
aged it.

In 1857 Mr. Dow was united in marriage
with Miss Sarah A. Locke, daughter of Sam-
uel Locke, who was a native of Hampton, this

county. Two of their children are living —
Josephine Plummer and Charles Howard.
Josephine is a well-known and efficient
teacher in the Exeter schools. Charles

Howard, who is a graduate of Harvard Col-
lege and has travelled very extensively in
foreign countries, is at present pursuing a

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

course in law at Harvard. The father has
never aspired to social or political distinction.
In national politics he is affiliated with the
Democratic party. _ He is unqualifiedly op-
posed to monopolies of whatever sort, and isa
loyal adherent of Mr. Cleveland and his ad-
ministration. In religious belief he is a Con-
gregationalist, and both he and his wife are
associated with the North Hampton Congrega-
tional church. Mr. Dow, now in his seven-
tieth year, is physically the equal of many
men at fifty. He never purchased a drop of
liquor at a bar, and for fifty years has not
tasted either tea or coffee. He attributes his
unusual strength and healthfulness to his
very abstemious habits. He is highly re-
spected in the town. Among many other in-
teresting souvenirs of the past, he and his wife
treasure a copy of the Boston Gazette pub-
lished on Monday, April 30, 1770, and a copy
of the Essex Journal and New Hampshire
Packet, published July 5, 1776, the day after
the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

 

 

AMES H. KELSEY, a _ well-known
agriculturist of Nottingham, is a native
of the town, born June 17, 1855, son
of John and Elizabeth (Gile) Kelsey.

On the paternal side he is of Scotch extrac-
tion. His great-great-grandfather, William
Kelsey, who was of Scotch parentage, emi-
grated from Ireland to America in 1726, and
settled in Nottingham with the original pio-
neers. He purchased a large tract of land,
a portion of which he cleared, and thereon
erected a dwelling that may still be seen.
His son, James, who was born on the paternal
farm, there spent his entire lifetime, princi-
pally occupied in general husbandry. He and
his wife, Elizabeth (Harvey) Kelsey, also a
native of Nottingham, became the parents of
six children, of whom John Kelsey, Sr., the
grandfather of James H., was the third by
birth. Jobn Kelsey, who was born in Not-
tingham, October 5, 1771, after the acquiring
of his education engaged in school-teaching
for several years. He subsequently estab-
lished himself in business in a general country
store at Waterboro, York County, Me., but
later returned to his native town, and was
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

453

 

 

there occupied in farming to the close of his
life. On January 31, 1802, he married Mary
Roberts, a native of Waterboro, who was born
December 12, 1780, and became the father of
seven children. Of these the sole survivor is
Mrs. Mary Dow, who was born November 109,
1814, and who now resides at Providence,
R.I., being the widow of the late Stephen
Dow, of that city. Mrs. Dow’s children are:
Kelsey, Louise, Delia, and Mary. Louise is
now Mrs. Turtelott, of Providence; and Mary
is Mrs. Wilson, and also resides in Providence.
Both parents were members of the Baptist
church of Nottingham. The father passed
away in December, 1819; and his wife, after
surviving him many years, died in March,
1865.

John Kelsey was born at the old homestead,
July 24, 1810, and was engaged there all his
life in general agriculture. He was very in-
dustrious and progressive, and at his decease
left a large amount of property. In March,
1836, he united in marriage with Miss Eliza-
beth Gile, born at Nottingham, June 14, 1813,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Gile. Of
this marriage there came six children, all of
whom still survive. They are: Laura A.,
born February 14, 1839; John W., born Sep-
tember 4, 1841; Eliza, born December 6,
1844, who is now the wife of E. B. Gould, of
Nashua, N.H.; Hiram, born September 16,
1847; Ichabod R., born April 20, 1851; and
James H., the subject of this sketch. Hiram
joined in wedlock with Miss Evelyn Leavitt,
a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan H. Leav-
itt, of New Market, N.H.; and they have two
children — Edith and Harry. Ichabod wedded
Miss Martha A. Bartlett, a daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Alfred Bartlett, of Lee, N.H., and
has three sons— Arthur, Frank, and John.
In politics John Kelsey affiliated with the
Republican party. His religious faith took
him into association with the Universalists of
Nottingham, while his wife was in communion
with the Baptist church of the same town. He
departed this life October 3, 1884; and his
wife, October 11, 1883.

James H. Kelsey obtained his education in
the public schools of his native town. At the
termination of his schooling he learned in
Lebanon, N.H., the tailor’s trade, which he

 

followed for three years. Returning then to
the old homestead at Nottingham, he has been
since engaged in general farming. The estate
contains one hundred and twenty-five acres,
eighty of which he keeps under state of culti-
vation. He also has a fine apple orchard of
about an acre and a half, which yields an abun-
dant crop of Baldwins. He is associated with
the Patrons of Husbandry in the Nottingham
Grange. His opinions concerning the general
national affairs bring him into relationship
with the Republican party. In religious faith
he is a Universalist, and is a member of the
Nottingham society of that denomination.

 

ILLARD E. PAUL, who is engaged
in the sale of kitchen furnishings
and heating apparatus in Ports-

mouth, although one of the youngest, is one of
the most successful business men of this city.
He was born in Kittery, York County, Me., in
the month of April, 1863, and is a son of
Warrenton and Sarah A. E. (Fernald) Paul.

His grandfather, Ira Paul, who was a native
of Eliot, York County, Me., spent many years
of his life in Portsmouth, where he tollowed
the trade of a ship carpenter. He lived to be
about eighty years old. He was the father of
seven children, six sons and a daughter, of
whom Warrenton was the eldest. Warrenton
Paul was born in Eliot, Me. He received a
common-school education, and learned the
trade of a ship carpenter, being employed at
the navy yard in this city for a number of
years. He died here at the age of seventy-
four. His wife, Sarah, was a daughter of
Samuel Fernald, of Kittery. Twelve children,
six sons and six daughters, were born to them,
of whom Willard E. was the eighth in the
order of birth.

Willard E. Paul acquired his education in
the common schools of Portsmouth, the Kit-
tery High School, Smith Academy of Ports-
mouth, and at the Commercial College in this
city. He then secured a position as clerk with
the Barstow Stove Company of Boston, Mass.,
with whom he remained between nine and ten
years. When he had been with them six
months, he was made assistant book-keeper,
and at the end of a year became travelling
454

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

salesman, and spent eight years on the road.
On December 3, 1890, he resigned his posi-
tion, and, coming to Portsmouth, bought out
the Taylor Kitchen Furniture Company. A
. year later he added steam-heating, and the
business is now about three times its magni-
tude at the time of his purchase. He occu-
pies the five floors of his building, carries a
large line of kitchen furniture and heating
apparatus, and employs on an average forty-
eight men. On June 20, 1887, Mr. Paul
was united in marriage with Miss Anna L.
Holmes, a daughter of Joseph R. Holmes, of
Portsmouth. They have one child.

Mr. Paul isa member of St. John’s Lodge,
No. 1, A. F. & A. M.; also of Osgood Lodge,
No. 48, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

 

LIPHALET COBURN, a_ well-to-do
farmer and dealer in real estate at
North Salem, was born at Milford,

N.H., November 20, 1818, son of Job and
Abiah (Corliss) Coburn. His father was a
native of Dracut, Mass., and his mother of
Salem, N.H. Job Coburn came~to Salem

with his family in 1823. For a few years he
resided in the southern part of the town, but

came eventually to North Salem, where he -

died. His wife bore him three sons, named
respectively Albertus, Rawson, and Eliphalet,
all of whom grew up to be honored and re-
spected citizens, Eliphalet being now the only
survivor. Rawson was at one time Postmaster
of Salem, and both he and Albertus served on
the Board of Selectmen.

Eliphalet Coburn’s opportunities for ob-
taining an education were very limited; but,
being of an ambitious nature, he made the best
of them, and contrived to pick up some crumbs
of knowledge. He remained on the farm with
his parents until his twentieth year, and then
learned shoemaking, at which trade he was
employed for the next ten years. For a few
years also he worked by the month as farm
hand. He subsequently rented a farm, and
still later purchased a place of his own, which
he carried on very successfully until he retired
from active labor a few years ago, having by
persevering industry and economy acquired an
ample competence.

 

Mr. Coburn has twice married. His first
wife was by maiden name Miss Abiah Bailey.
After her death he married Mrs. Augusta A.
Edwards, widow of the late Benjamin W. Ed-
wards. By her first marriage Mrs. Coburn has
one daughter, Harriet C. In politics Mr.
Coburn is a stanch Democrat. He isa useful
and much esteemed citizen; and his portrait,
which is here presented, will interest many -
readers of this volume.

AMUEL STEVENS DUDLEY
was born July 5, 1853, in the town

 

of Brentwood, on the homestead
where he still lives, a son of An-
drew Gilman Dudley. This town was also
the place of nativity of his great-grandfather,
John Dudley, and of his grandfather, Samuel
Dudley, he being a representative of the
seventh generation of the family to reside on
this homestead. Samuel Dudley died July 3,
1833. His wife, whose maiden name was
Dorothy Morrell, died in 1832, leaving two
children: Andrew Gilman, born May 7, 1821;
and William, born January 11, 1828. The
latter died when but twenty-six years of age.
On December 20, 1847, Andrew Gilman
Dudley married Catherine Sleeper Stevens,
born February 25, 1821, a daughter of Fifield
and Nancy (Brown) Stevens. Her father was
a native of Brentwood, and her mother of
Kingston, N.H. They had three children:
Ariana Sleeper, born July 10, 1850, now living
in Concord, N.H.; Samuel Stevens, born July
5, 1853; and Nancy Fifield, born April .28,
1856, died December 11, 1893, leaving a hus-
band, Abbott Laurence Carlisle, and five chil-
dren, namely: Clinton Dudley, born January
17, 1878; Laurence Andrew, born September
2, 1884; Katherine Stevens, born January 21,
1889; Dorothy Morrell, born December 16,
1890; and Sumner, born June 14, 1892.
Samuel Stevens Dudley was married Octo-
ber 4, 1887, to Clara Ella Whidden, who was
born in Stratham, N.H., June 1, 1860. Her
parents were John Frederick and Mary Eleanor
Whidden, the former born in Portsmouth,
N.H., and the latter in Somersworth, N.H.
Mr. and Mrs. Dudley have one child—
Frances Whidden, born August 12, 1891.
 

ELIPHALET COBURN.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

457

 

 

AMES EWINS, tthe efficient Town
Treasurer of Salem and a prosperous
general merchant of this place, was
born here, November 25, 1860, son of

James and Mary (Bean) Ewins. His father
was a native of Salem, and his mother of
Warner, N.H. John C. Ewins, his grand-
father, was a pioneer merchant of Salem, and
carried on a successful business here for up-
ward of half a century. He served as Select-
man for a number of years, and was one of the
leading citizens of the town. Born in the
opening year of this century, he lived to be
eighty-eight years old. John Ewins, the
great-grandfather, was one of the early settlers
of Londonderry, N.H., whence he came to
Salem in 1802, being the first of the family to
locate in this town. James Ewins, Sr., father
of the subject of this sketch, was a merchant
by occupation; but his business career was
short, as he lived to be but thirty years of age.

After acquiring a common-school] education,
which was supplemented by a course at a
Boston business college, James Ewins took up
the life of a merchant, and, with the exception
of about four years, has since been engaged
in this line of business. He carries a good
genera] stock, comprising everything usually
found in a first-class country store, and has a
thriving trade, conducting his business in a
manner calculated to increase his patronage.
For his first wife Mr. Ewins married Miss
Mary F. Bodwell, who bore him one daughter,
Dorothy. His present wife was before mar-
riage Miss Ida E. Willey, of Lawrence, Mass.
Mr. Ewins has served as Town Clerk, and is
now serving his third term as Treasurer. He
is a Mason, being connected with the lodge in
this place, and also belongs to Salem Grange.
In politics he is a Republican.

 

YEON. CHARLES P. BERRY, a prom-
inent citizen of Portsmouth, N.H.,
and well known in the- political,

business, and social circles, not
only of this city, but of the cities of Lynn
and Boston, was born October 16, 1840, in
Lynn.

His father, John W. Berry, was an esteemed
resident of Lynn. He was a man of deep re-

 

 

ligious convictions, exemplifying in his daily
life the teachings of the Congregational
church, of which he was Deacon for many
years. Deacon Berry died while yet in the
prime of manhood, in 1852, leaving his widow,
whose maiden name was Annie W. Gale, with
six children, among them being the present
John W. Berry, of Lynn, a graduate of Har-
vard College, now Judge of the Municipal
Court in his native city.

Charles P. Berry, the fourth child born to
his parents, was but ten years old when he had
the misfortune to be deprived of a father’s
care and guidance. As his older brother was
naturally weak and delicate in health, upon
him devolved the duty of helping his widowed
mother support her little family. On this
account he was obliged to leave the day
school, where he had already made good prog-
ress in his studies, and complete his educa-
tional course in the evening schools. Making
good use of his time in the latter, he acquired
a practical knowledge of the various branches
of learning there taught, and with his subse-
quent course of reading has become a well-
informed man, and well fitted for a business
career. When but eleven years old, this
manly boy entered the shoe shop of his uncle,
Charles P. Gale, and there obtained the rudi-
ments of his present extensive knowledge of
the shoe and leather business. Two years
later he began work for S. M. Bubier, who
owned one of the largest shoe factories in
Lynn; and while there Mr. Berry became
thoroughly conversant with the various
branches of shoe manufacturing. While yet
in his minority, he was offered the position of
foreman of the cutting-room in the large fac-
tory of Bancroft & Purinton, in the same city;
and this he filled acceptably until his promo-
tion to the office of superintendent of the fac-
tory.

In 1870 Mr. Berry resigned the place he
had so long occupied to become Vice-Presi-
dent and General Manager of the Davis Shoe
Company, which he managed successfully for
some fifteen years. In 1885 he became asso-
ciated in business with the Hon. Frank Jones,
Charles A. St. Clair, and Charles H. Men-
dum, and formed what is so extensively known
throughout the country as the Portsmouth
458

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Shoe Company, of which he is one of the prin-
cipal stockholders. Under his energetic and
sagacious management the affairs of this cor-
poration have prospered, until now it is one of
the leading industries of the city, turning out
more work in women’s, misses’, and children’s
footwear than any other factory in this coun-
try, and, it is thought, in the world. When
running at full capacity, the factory produces
ten thousand five hundred pairs of shoes per
diem; and at no time is the output less than
six thousand pairs. Employment is given to
twelve hundred hands, who are kept busy the
most of the year. Mr. Berry has the reputa-
tion among business men of being more thor-
oughly acquainted with the details of the dif-
ferent departments of his business than any
other shoe manufacturer in the country, and
his phenomenal success in this line is attrib-
uted solely to his natural capacity and his close
attention to business.

A man of Mr. Berry’s calibre, push, and
progressive spirit, necessarily occupies a place
of pre-eminence in any community. Being
often called upon to aid in the guidance of
civic affairs, he has held many offices of trust,
serving with distinction in each. As one of
the leading members of the Democratic party,
he has been no unimportant factor in forward-
ing its interests. While a resident of his na-
tive city, he served as Alderman two years; and
he has occupied the same position in the mu-
nicipal government of Portsmouth for two
years. For two years he was Mayor of this
city, and in 1890 he represented his district
in the State legislature, serving with credit to
himself and to the honor of his constituents
in each office. He is also well known and
influential in financial circles, being a Di-
rector of one of the leading banks of Ports-
mouth, of which the Hon. Frank Jones is
President. He is a prominent member of the
Masonic fraternity, belonging to the Golden
Fleece Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Lynn; to
Royal Arch Chapter, Royal Arch Masons,
of Lynn; and to DeMolay Commandery,
Knights Templars of Boston, Mass. He js
also a member of the Bay State Lodge, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, of Lynn,
in which he has held all of the chairs. He
likewise belongs to the Boston Board of

 

Trade. Religiously, he is identified by mem-
bership with the Congregational church at
Lynn.

Mr. Berry has been twice married. His
first wife was Sarah M. Bradley, of Lynn, now
deceased. Twelve years after her death he
married Miss Annie L. Church, daughter of
Daniel Church, of Portsmouth. Of this happy
union has been born one child, a son, Frank J.

 

 

AMES DOOLEY, an industrious farmer
and highly respected citizen of Lon-
donderry, who died at his home in this
town, July 13, 1895, was born in Ire-

land, October 11, 1831. When a boy, he
came with relatives to the United States.
After obtaining a common-schoel education,
he learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he
followed for several years. He came to Lon-
donderry in 1848, and some years later took to
farming, settling upon a farm of seventy-three
acres, where the rest of his life was passed.

| He possessed a natural capacity for labor, and

succeeded in establishing a comfortable home
for his family. He took a deep interest in
the welfare of the town, and lent his aid and
influence to promote all measures calculated
to develop its resources or otherwise benefit
the community. Politically, he was a Repub-
lican. Within the home circle he was a lov-
ing husband and wise father, of an unselfish
nature, and ready to make any personal sacri-
fice to insure the happiness of his loved ones.
His death leaves a vacancy which for those
who knew him can never be filled.

On July 10, 1855, Mr. Dooley married
Martha J. Goodwin, who was born in London-
derry, N.H., a daughter of Joshua and Mary
(Jones) Goodwin. Her father was a native of
this town, and her mother of Wilton, N.H.
The Goodwin family is among the best in this
locality. Mrs. Dooley’s grandfather, Joshua
Goodwin, first, was a lifelong resident of
Londonderry, and a prominent citizen, active
in promoting the public weal. The represen-
tatives of the family in the present generation
also are well and favorably known. Mrs.
Dooley has been the mother of seven children,
namely: Frank J., who is no longer living;
Clara A., wife of Gorham Storer; Ella J., now
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

459

 

 

Mrs. James Douglass; Ida A., wife of Charles
Peters; George N.; Martha L.; and Charles
J. She still. resides at the homesteae: which
is carried on by her sons, who are energetic
and progressive farmers, enjoying the esteem
and good will of their neighbors.

 

 

ILLIAM SLADEN, a store-keeper
of Portsmouth, was born in Stirling-
shire, Scotland, May 16, 1820. At

the age of twelve years he removed to York-
shire, England, and subsequently travelled all
through that country. He began his business
career at the age of fourteen, working as a
wool-sorter in Nettlebridge, England, for a
number of years. Later he followed the
same trade in Preston, Lancashire. Familiar
with politics from his youth up, he was an ad-
vanced liberal. In 1851 he enlisted in the
Seventeenth Regiment of foot soldiers, going
to the Crimea. At the battle of Inkerman
he was wounded, receiving an injury to his
arm. He was sent back to England, where
after his recovery he re-enlisted, and was as-
signed to garrison duty there. In 1858 he
came to America, settling in Troy, N.Y., and
working at his trade fora Mr. Henry Thornton.
Later he removed to Cohoes, in the same State,
and after a short stay there went ‘to Philadel-
phia. In 1859 he came to Portsmouth as an
employee in the Rockingham woollen-mills,
where he remained until the mills were de-
stroyed by fire some years afterward. Mr.
Sladen then started his present store at 8
Bartlett Street, where he deals in groceries,
keeping a good stock, and enjoying a thriving
trade. In politics he is a Republican, but has
never held office. About eight years ago he
was nominated for Representative, and came
within seventeen votes of election. In 1895
he ran for Alderman, but lost by seven votes,
his ward being Democratic. Mr. Sladen is an
enthusiastic member of the Portsmouth Cricket
Club, and still plays, at the age of seventy-six,
being probably the oldest cricketer in New
England. He is hale and hearty, and the equal
in physical energy of many a younger man.
He walks with a firm step, uses no glasses,
and has remarkably good hearing, his faculties
being apparently as good as ever.

 

LBRIDGE G. MARSTON, a_ farmer
and a respected resident of Nottingham,

was born here, April 27, 1836, son

of John H. and May (Thompson) Marston. His
grandfather, John Marston, a native of Hamp-

-ton, N.H., who was a carpenter, followed his

trade for many years at Portsmouth, N.H.
Grandfather Marston subsequently came to
Nottingham, where he purchased a farm now
occupied by Elbridge G., and thereon erected
a grist-mil] and saw-mill. An industrious and
thrifty man, he had accumulated a consider-
able property before his death. He married
Miss Nancy Hill, of Stratham, N.H. The
union was blessed in the birth of seven chil-
dren, all of whom attained maturity, played
their parts in life, and passed off the stage.
John Marston participated very actively in the
affairs of the town, and served his fellow-citi-
zens in many of the important public offices.
In national politics he followed the Whig
party. He took broad and liberal views of
religious questions. His death occurred in
his seventy-sixth year, and that of his wife
when she was fourscore.

John H. Marston, the eldest son and the
second child of his parents, was born Septem-
ber 3, 1801, in Nottingham, where he subse-
quently spent the most of his life. At first he
engaged in school-teaching, and followed this
calling in his native State for nineteen terms.
He then purchased a farm in Nottingham,
where he carried on general husbandry
throughout the remainder of his life. He also
worked intermittently in his father’s mills.
In due time his industry and economy placed
him in comfortable circumstances. He was
twice married. About the year 1832 he was
joined in matrimony with Miss May Thomp-
son, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Job Thompson,
of Lee, N.H., born in 1805. Of this union
came three children, two of whom are yet
living. These are: Daniel, born February
17, 1832; and Elbridge G., the subject of
this sketch. Daniel wedded Miss Lizzie
Blaisdell, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jere-
miah Blaisdell, of Deerfield, N.H., and be-
came the father of six children. Mrs. John
Marston having passed away June 8, 1846, her
surviving husband contracted his second mar-
riage with Miss Sarah Ann McDaniel, a
460

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW :

 

 

_ native of Barrington, N.H. None of the chil-
dren of this union are now alive. Mrs. Mar-
ston resides in Nottingham. In politics her
husband was a Republican. He was highly
respected, and served the community in the
capacities of Town Treasurer and Selectman.
His first wife was in fellowship with the
Christian Baptist church of Nottingham. He
died December 30, 1876, in his seventy-sixth
year.

Elbridge G. Marston received his education
in the common schools of Nottingham and
Deerfield. He was then employed in his
father’s mills for several years. Subse-
quently he removed to the paternal estate,
on which he now resides. On February 7,
1860, he married Miss Martha A. Noble,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Noble, of Ep-
ping, N.H. She was the fifth-born of her
parents’ six children, three of whom are now
living. Her mother’s maiden name was Eliza
Kelsey. Both her parents are deceased.
Mrs. Marston has had two children, namely:
Maud, born July 20, 1876, who died August
26, 1883; and Mabel, born December 24,
1862, and who is now the wife of Merrill S.
Vittum, of Haverhill, Mass., and has one child
— Joseph E., born June 30, 1880. Mr. Mar-
ston, who is counted among the leading men of
Nottingham, has the cordial esteem: of all who
know him. In national politics he follows
the Republican party. In religion he is a
Universalist, and his wife is in fellowship
with the Congregational church of Lee, N.H.

 

EV. ELIJAH H. PRESCOTT, pastor

of the Free Will Baptist church of

Candia Village, N.H., was born in

Montville, Waldo County, Me.,

February 14, 1831. He is the son of Oren

and Lucy (Bryant) Prescott, both natives of
the State of Maine.

His family has been identified with the his-
tory of New England since 1665, when his
ancestor, James Prescott, a native of Lincoln-
shire, England, came to America, settling in
Hampton, N.H. This gentleman was a
farmer. In 1725 he removed to Kingston,
where he received a land grant of two hundred
acres, the boundary line of his estate running

 

between Kingston and Hampton. At differ-
ent times he received other grants of land, and
at the time of his death he was one of the
largest property holders in that section. He
died November 25, 1728, at the age of eighty-
five. James Prescott married in 1668 Mary
Boulter, daughter of Nathaniel Boulter, of
Exeter, and was the father of nine children.

Jonathan Prescott, son of James, born Au-
gust 6, 1675, was a prominent citizen of
Hampton, N.H. WHis name is on record as
one of the petitioners for the town of Kensing-
ton; and he was admitted to the church there
March 5, 1749.
years of age, passing away January 6, 1755.
Jonathan Prescott and his wife Elizabeth
reared six children. Their son Jonathan, sec-
ond, the great-great-grandfather of the Rev.
Elijah H. Prescott, was born July 16, 1696.
He was Selectman of Hampton Falls a num-
ber of years, and in 1745 was Captain of
a company which participated in the memo-
rable expedition under Colonel William Pep-
perrell, afterward Sir William, against Louis-
burg, which resulted in the capture of the
seemingly impregnable fortress. Captain
Prescott died at Louisburg, January 19; 1746,,
aged about fifty years.

Micah Prescott, son of Captain Jonathan
and Judith (Gove) Prescott, was one of a fam-
ily of eleven children. He was born October
23, 1739. He was active in the French and
Indian War, being a soldier in a regiment of
seven hundred men in an expedition against
Crown Point; and after the massacre at Fort
William he served in a battalion which he
had aided in raising for the defence of Fort
Edward. After peace was declared, he worked
as a blacksmith at Epping, N.H., also manag-
ing a farm; and, when the Revolutionary
troubles were fermenting, he was active as a
patriot, signing the Association Test in 1776.
He died in February, 1828, aged eighty-eight
years, eight months. Micah Prescott was
married, December 28, 1759, to Abigail
Brown, and was the father of Stephen Pres-
cott, who was born in Epping, N.H., July 22,
1763. The life of Stephen Prescott was de-
voted to the pursuit of agriculture. Remov-
ing to Montville, Me., he redeemed a good
farm there. He was also “a mighty hunter,”

He lived to be fourscore~ -
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

461

 

 

famed for his skill with rod and gun. Though
only a boy at the time of the War for Inde-
pendence, he was anxious to join the patriotic
forces, but was not allowed to. After the
Republic was established, he was a loyal mem-
ber of the Democratic party. He attained
the great age of ninety-eight years, passing
away in 1862. November 3, 1784, he was
married to Mary Rundlett, of Epping, by
whom he had twelve children. These chil-
dren were all with him when he moved to
Montville, and his sons settled on farms near
his and in adjoining towns. Mr. and Mrs.
Prescott, while in New Hampshire, attended
the Congregational church, and after their re-
moval to Maine attended the Free Baptist
church of South Montville.

Oren Prescott, son of Stephen and father of
the subject of this sketch, was born in Bel-
mont (then Upper Gilmanton), N.H. He
was a carpenter and joiner, and worked at his
trade in Montville for a number of years.
The latter part of his life was spent at South
St. George, Me., where he was light-house
keeper for some time. TIis first appointment
to this position was received during President
Pierce’s administration, and his term of ser-
vice was four years. Under Buchanan he was
deposed from office; and under Lincoln he was
reinstated, serving eight years. In politics
he was a Democrat until 1854, after that a
Republican. Oren Prescott, too, was actively
interested in military matters, and held the
rank of Brigadier-general under the old militia
law. Ile died in June, 1868, aged sixty-
eight years. His widow, Mrs. Lucy B. Pres-
cott, who is now ninety-two years of age, is
living in Liberty, Me. She is the mother of
eight children, four of whom are living:
George W., in Liberty, Me.; the Rev. Elijah
H., in Candia; Kate J., wife of the Rev.
J. N. Rich, of Taunton, Mass.; and Sarah D.,
wife of a Mr. David, of Kansas City.

Elijah H. Prescott received the greater part
of his education in the New Hampton Literary
and Biblical Institution, there pursuing both
his preparatory studies and his theoldgical
course. His first pastorate was at Unity and
Dixmont, Me., where he remained four years.
Afterward he was at Northwood, N.H., four
years, at New Hampton nine years, at Frank-

 

lin Falls five years, at New Hampton again
six years; and then he was for two years a
member of the agency soliciting for the New
Hampton Institute. Four years ago he took
charge of the Free Will Baptist church at
Candia Village, and during his pastorate he
has worked zealously for the advancement of
the church. Mr. Prescott is a scholarly man,
and a competent and sagacious business man.
Since June, 1872, he has acted as Secretary
for the yearly meeting of the Free Will Bap-
tist churches of New Hampshire. He was
Supervisor of Schools two years in the town
of Unity, one year in Northwood, and_ six
years in New Hampton; and he has been
Trustee of the New Hampton Institute since
1868, President. of the Board of Trustees for
more than twenty years, a member of the Exec-
utive Committee since 1868, Treasurer of the
institute for the past twenty-eight years, hav-
ing charge of the financial affairs, including
collecting and paying out money and raising
money for the permanent fund and for current
expenses.

He was married, November 28, 1860, to
Amanda A. Meservey, of Appleton, Me., by
whom he has one daughter, Annabel K., born
January 9, 1862. She is the wife of Charles
R. Dame, of Concord, N.H., and has three
children — Charles P., George M., and Walter
B., aged respectively nine and seven years
and nine months. Mr. Prescott is an active
Republican, and represented the town of New
Hampton in the State legislature in 1881
and 1882.

 

 

EORGE HENRY TOWLE, M.D.,
the only physician in Deerfield, and
who has practised there for the past

twenty-seven years, was born in Barnstead,
N.H., April 14, 1839. Jonathan Towle,
great-grandfather of Dr. Towle, who sprang
from a family of Irish origin, followed the
occupation of farmer throughout his life. He
married a Miss Marston, and was the father of
a large family of children. Of these his son
James was the next lineal progenitor of Dr.
Towle. Like his father, he was a native of
Pittsfield, N.H., and a farmer; and he also
married a Miss Marston. His wife bore him
462

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

two children — Robie Marston and Samuel.
Samuel is now deceased. James Towle was a
Democrat; and, though he never held any pub-
lic office, he was interested in local issues.
He died in 1814, aged about thirty-five years.

Robie Marston Towle, Dr. Towle’s father,
was born in 1809 in Pittsfield. He likewise
followed the calling of farmer. In politics
he was a Democrat, while he had not “the
first atom of an aspiration” to public office.
His death occurred in 1885, in his seventy-
sixth year. He was married twice, on the
first occasion to Miss Abigail J. Nelson, of
Barnstead. By her he became the father of
eight children, as follows: Benjamin F., of
Northwood, N.H.; Hannah, the widow of J.
Yeaton, of Epsom, Merrimack County; Mary
A., the wife of the Rev. Mr. Smith, of North-
wood; James R., residing in the same town;
George Henry, a resident of Deerfield; Daniel
L., of Northwood; Samuel H., whose death,
at the age of fifty-twce, made the first break in
the family: and Rebecca A., who is the wife
of Orrin Palmer, of Northwood. His second
marriage was contracted with a Miss Marston,
which resulted in the birth of two children,
both now deceased.

George Henry Towle, M.D., had few of
the early advantages usually enjoyed by men
who have accomplished anything in profes-
sional life. At the age of twelve years he
was apprenticed to a shoemaker, under a con-
tract which secured to him three months’
schooling every year. The schooling so re-
ceived lasted but three years, and was subse-
quently paid for by the pupil from the pro-
ceeds of services rendered as a teacher during
the winter sessions. After spending six
years with his first employer, a determination
to become something better than he was took
possession of his mind. He now began to
apply himself to study with this end in view,
working between whiles at his trade, so as to
be able to defray his necessary expenses. He
became a student of the Pittsfield Academy.
Then he attended the Hanover, N.H., and
Harvard (Mass.) Medical Schools, and finally
entered Bowdoin Medical College. From the
latter he graduated in the class of 1865.
After taking his degree of M.D., he located in
Salisbury, N.H., where he remained for three

 

and a half years. He then came to Deerfield,
where he has lived ever since, building up
year by year his present high reputation as a
physician and surgeon. Dr. Towle has had
cases of violent accident, demanding quick
decision and skilful surgery on the spot, in
each of which he proved equal to the occasion.

In 1862 he was married to Miss Panthea
Priscilla Tucker, of Pittsfield. She has borne
him four children, namely: Edith L., the
wife of C. R. Brown, of Deerfield; James B.,
who is in the dry-goods business in Manches-
ter; George H., Jr., who is a student of Dart-
mouth College, class of 1897; and Etta F.,
born in October, 1867, who died in August,
1882. Dr. Towle served on the School Board
for fifteen years, and in 1881 and 1882 he rep-
resented the Eleventh Senatorial District in
the New Hampshire legislature. He is a
member of Munni Lodge, No. 32, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, of Deerfield, having
taken al] the degrees; and also belongs to the
Patrons of Husbandry, Deerfield Grange, No.
74, of which he has been Lecturer and Master
and is now Secretary. Dr. Towle is a Dem-
ocrat, and he takes an active interest in the
success of his party. His family attend the
services of the Congregational church. He
has fought and won the battle of existence
single-handed. His life is a lesson in courage
and perseverance to the rising generation.

 

OHN P. WILSON, one of the most
prosperous farmers in the county, and
of whom a portrait is herewith pre-
sented, has spent nearly fourscore years

in Londonderry. He is a native of the town,
born January 23, 1818. His parents, Thomas
and Rebecca (Pinkerton) Wilson, were also
born in this locality, his father in London-
derry, and his mother in Derry His great-
grandfather, James Wilson, was one of the
Scotch-Irish colonists who settled and named
Londonderry. James owned a large tract of
land around what is now called Wilson’s
Crossing, so named after the family. Robert
Wilson, John P. Wilson's grandfather, who
was born in Londonderry, was a leading man
in the locality, and a Colonel in the State
militia. Thomas Wilson, our subject’s
Sas

as

SS

 

Sis

JOHN P. AND ADALINE A. WILSON.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

465

 

 

father, was a lifelong resident of Londonderry,
a farmer by occupation, and in politics suc-
cessively a Whig and a Republican. He died
in 1862.

John P. Wilson obtained his education in
the district school. He grew up on the home
farm, imbibing health and vigor from the free
outdoor life, and laying the foundation of the
constitution that has enabled him to outlive
the Scriptural span of human existence. When
the time came for him to choose his life occu-
pation, he decided upon that followed by his
ancestors as good enough: for him; and he has
since given his best energies to agriculture.
As a farmer, he has been very successful; and
his farm, which covers about three hundred
acres, is one of the best in the locality. Mr.
Wilson spent eight years in Manchester, N.H. ;
but the rest of his life has been passed in Lon-
donderry.

He was married April 14, 1844, to Adaline
Annis, who was born in Londonderry, Febru-
ary 19, 1823, daughter of John and Delilah
(Coburn) Annis. The union has been blessed
by several children, four of whom are living,
namely: Abbie, the wife of Clarence N. Gar-
vin, of Londonderry; May, the wife of Frank
A. Benson, of Raymond, N.H.; and George
W. and David B., residents of Londonderry.
Those deceased were: Robert H., Rebecca
P., Lillie J., John, Thomas H., and John E.
Both parents are members of the Universalist
church. Mr. Wilson in politics supports the
Republican party. He takes an active interest
in the welfare of the community, and is always
ready to aid projects for the improvement of
the town. He and his wife celebrated their
golden wedding on April 18, 1894, when their
many friends made the occasion one of unusual
interest and good feeling by their warm con-
gratulations and other tokens of good will.

 

NDREW F. FOX, an enterprising and
successful agriculturist and a well-

known and prominent citizen of Au-

burn, Rockingham County, N.H.,

was born in Dracut, Middlesex County, Mass.,
February 19, 1825, son of Ezekiel and Sarah
(Estabrook) Fox. He is a representative of
one of the long-established families of New

 

England. The founder of this branch of the
Fox family in America was Thomas Fox, who
traversed the Atlantic and landed on these
shores in 1639. His son, Nathaniel Fox, the |
great-great-great-grandfather of Andrew F.,
became one of the pioneer settlers of the town
of Dracut, Mass. Nathaniel’s son, the next
in line, was Deacon Daniel Fox, who, marry-
ing Miss Polly Jones, became the father of
Joel Fox. His son, Joel, second, the grand-
father of Andrew F., was a farmer in Dracut.
He participated in the Colonial struggle for
independence throughout the eight years of
conflict. He married Miss Hannah Cheever ;
and they became the parents of a family of
seven children, all of whom have passed away.
In national politics he was affiliated with the
Democratic party. He departed this life in
December, 1861, at the goodly age of seventy-
seven years and four months, though surpassed
by his father, Joel, first, who attained the ven-
erable age of ninety-two years, passing away
on February 8, 1849. Ezekiel Fox, son of the
second Joel, was born in Dracut, where he
was diligently engaged in general husbandry
throughout his life. He also devoted consid-
erable attention to the Sale of pigeons. He
married Miss Sarah Estabrook, by whom he
had five children. The only one now surviv-
ing is Andrew F. Politically, Mr. Ezekiel
was identified with the Democratic party. He
was not an aspirant to social or official distinc-
tion. He died in 1849, at the age of sixty-
one years.

Andrew F. Fox, when a young man, removed
from Dracut to Auburn, then called Chester,
in the common schools of which town and in
Derry Academy he obtained his education.
Having finished his course of study, he re-
turned to the paternal estate in Auburn, and
has resided thereon uninterruptedly to the
present. The farm comprised five hundred and
fifty acres, on which he formerly followed gen-
eral husbandry in the summer season, and dur-
ing the winter months engaged in lumbering;
but in 1887 he sold one bundred and _ fifty
acres to the city of Manchester. In Novem-
ber, 1847, Mr. Fox was married to Miss Mar-
garet Ann Heath, a native of Auburn. Their
union has been blessed in the birth of five
children, all of whom are still spared to them,
466

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

namely: Sarah E., who is now the wife of
James Benson, a resident of Massabesic; Cora
A., who resides at Manchester as the wife of
Dr. Adams; Frank A., who now lives in
Massabesic, and who married Miss Inez Pol-
land, of Lempster, N.H., who has borne to
him four children— Cora, Ruby, Andrew,
and Roland; Mary G., now the wife of Samuel
Richardson, and residing with her father on
the old homestead; and Grettie A., who is
now Mrs. Hazen Sanborn, of Auburn.

Mr. Fox is one of the prominent and leading
men of Auburn, and he has served his fellow-
townsmen in several important and responsible
public positions. He has been a member of
the Board of Selectmen for more than twenty
years. He has officiated as Town Treasurer;
and for two or three terms he has constituted
one member of the School Board, serving one
of those terms under the new law. He has
also enjoyed the distinction of representing
his town and district in the legislative halls
of the New Hampshire State Capitol during
the sessions of 1852-53. For many years
Mr. Fox has performed a large amount of pro-
bate work, in the form of drawing up deeds
and wills, settling estates, and the like. He
has not identified himself with any social order
of the community, but he is well known and
universally esteemed throughout the vicinity.
In politics he advocates the principles of the
Democratic party. Religiously, he is a regu-
lar attendant of the Congregational church of
Auburn, to which he is a liberal contributor.

 

 

ILLIAM A. EMERSON, shoe man-
ufacturer of Hampstead, N.H., was
born in this town, September 7,
1842, son of Daniel and Ruth K. (Connor)
Emerson. The first of his family to settle in
the town of Hampstead was his great-grand-
father, Robert Emerson. He came from
Haverhill, Mass., to Hampstead at a time
when there were only two families here, his
household making the third. He died No-
vember 18, 1809.

Robert Emerson was married November 19,
1767, to Mary Webster, who died July 24,
1787. She was the mother of seven children,
Caleb, the grandfather of William A., being

 

the third in order of birth. He was born in
Hampstead, April 7, 1770, and was a lifelong
resident of the town, deriving a comfortable
living from the pursuit of agriculture. In
politics he was a Whig; on religious subjects,
liberal. He died October 24, 1845, aged
seventy-five years. Caleb Emerson was mar-
ried December 12, 1797, to Betsey Nichols,
a native of Hampstead, born November 26,
1775, who died June 23, 1840, in her sixty-
fifth year. Three children were born to this
couple, Daniel, the father of our subject,
being the second child and only son.

Daniel Emerson was born in Hampstead,
July 28, 1802. He learned the cooper’s
trade, and followed it in Hampstead for a
number of years, the latter part of the time
being in business for himself. He owned a
good farm of one hundred acres in the town,
to the cultivation of which he gave his atten-
tion exclusively in the last part of his life.
Politically, he favored the Republican party.
An active man physically, he took great
pleasure in military drill, and was Lieutenant
of a company in the old militia. He died
April 17, 1863, aged sixty-one years. His
wife, who was a daughter of James Connor,
of Fremont, N.H., died April 17, 1895, at the
advanced age of eighty-seven. She was a
member of the Congregational church in
Hampstead. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Emerson
were the parents of eight children, four of
whom are living, as follows: Daniel H., born
July 24, 1828, who married Sarah Richardson,
and has three children — Laura, Albert, and
Emma; James H., born September 5, 1830,
of whom a brief sketch will be found in this
work; Horatio B., born April 2, 1836, who
has been twice married, his first wife being
Lizzie Neal, his second Sarah Jeffries, and
who has three children by his first union —
David, Chauncy, and Lilla; and William A.,
the subject of this sketch.

William A. Emerson was educated in his
native town. After leaving school, he learned
the shoemaker’s trade, at which he worked for
some time, subsequently obtaining employ-
ment in a market in Haverhill, Mass. He
was manager of Emerson’s Express, running
between Haverhill and Hampstead for fifteen
years; and in 1886 he started in the manufact-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

467

 

 

ure of children’s and misses’ shoes, under the
firm name of William A. Emerson & Son,
his partner being his son Daniel. The firm
manufactures for jobbers entirely, and has
built up a good business, having a_ well-
equipped plant with all necessary facilities for
carrying on the manufacture of shoes, employ-
ing one hundred and thirty-five hands and
having a capacity of turning out two thousand
pairs of shoes a day. A self-made man who
has had little help in his upward career, Mr.
Emerson’s character is such as to win the re-
spect of his fellow-citizens; and in proportion
as he has prospered he is willing to help every
worthy enterprise in the town of Hampstead.

He was married November 6, 1862, to
Abbie H., daughter of Francis V. Dow, of
Hampstead. Mr. Dow was a Major in the
old military organization. Four children have
blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Emerson.
Daniel, the eldest, who was born December 2,
1863, is in business with his father. He was
married June 3, 1886, to Esther, daughter of
Edward Plunkett, of Dublin, Ireland, and has
one child — William A., who was born Sep-
tember 2, 1888. Frank W., who was born
January 18, 1866, was married September 12,
1886, to Minnie, daughter of Moses B.
Stevens, of Atkinson, N.H. He has no chil-
dren. Arthur M., who was born March 10,
1870, has been twice married. His first wife,
May Henward, of Eastport, Me., dying, left
twin girls — Ella M. and Alice M., born May
31, 1889; and his second wife, to whom he
was united November 9, 1890, Alice M. Ham-
lin, of Haverhill, Mass., has one son — Clif-
ford D., born August 27, 1892. Myron Ea
the fourth and youngest son, was born Decem-
ber 10, 1883.

Politically, Mr. Emerson is independent.
He has served as Tax Collector and Select-
man of the town, and is at present chief of
police. Prominent in social matters, he is a
member of St. Mark Lodge, No. 44, A. F. &
A. M., of Derry, of which he is Junior War-
den; a member of Bell Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons, of the same place; and a member of
De Witt Clinton Commandery, Knights Tem-
plars, of Portsmouth, N.H. He and his wife
are communicants of the Congregational
church in Hampstead.

 

HOMAS OSGOOD REYNOLDS, M.D.
Among the active and progressive phy-
sicians and surgeons of Rockingham

County none has worked harder to attain pro-
fessional excellence, and none is more worthy
of notice, than the gentleman named above.
The son of Thomas F. and Mary (Currier)
Reynolds, he was born in Chester, Rocking-
ham County, N.H., December 24, 1842.
He acquired his early education in the com-
mon schools of his native town and Chester
Academy.

The war broke out while he was yet in his
teens; and on August 26, 1862, before he was
twenty years of age, he enlisted as a private
in Company I, Eleventh Regiment, New
Hampshire Volunteers. This regiment was
sent immediately to the scene of action; and
for a year young Reynolds served in the ranks,
participating in some of the most momentous
engagements of the Civil War. During the
wholesale slaughter of Fredericksburg, De-
cember 13, 1862, he was injured seriously in
the left side by a piece of shell, and for years
suffered from the effects of the wound; and at
Jackson, Miss., in July, 1863, he was wounded
in the leg by a minie-ball. After the cam-
paign following the fail of Vicksburg, where
he was serving in the Department of the Gulf,
returning to Kentucky, he was assigned to the
general] hospital at Camp Nelson, October 24,
1863. Almost immediately thereafter he was
promoted to the position of chief clerk; and
he commenced the study of medicine under
A. C. Rankin, Assistant Surgeon, United
States army. He continued his academic
studies under private instruction, working
with an energy that insured success. His
rapidity of execution, his earnestness of pur-
pose, and his fidelity to every trust won him
many friends.

Thus the time passed until the close of the
war; and on May 24, 1865, the soldier-student
was mustered out of service at Lexington, Ky.
His connection with the army was not severed
immediately, however; for shortly after he was
examined by a Board of Army Surgeons, and
appointed Assistant Surgeon by contract by
the United States government, with the rank
and emoluments of First Lieutenant. He
was assigned to his old station, Camp Nelson,
468

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

which was the headquarters of the Freedman’s
Bureau for that department, and entered on his
duties at once, remaining until December,
1865, when the camp was disbanded. Return-
ing to New Hampshire, he spent a week at
home, and then entered Bellevue Medical Col-
lege in New York City, taking also the regular
spring course of study at Long Island College
Hospital, and receiving special instruction
from Professor Austin Flint. He completed
his studies at the Albany Medical College,
trom which he received his degree on Decem-
ber 24, 1866, his twenty-fourth birthday.

Dr. Reynolds then travelled for a year
through the Western States, and, when on his
way back to the East, he was induced to begin
practice at Port Huron, Mich.; but the mala-
rious climate drove him homeward, and after
a stay of three months he returned to New
Hampshire. June 8, 1869, found him again
in his native State; and in February, 1870,
he opened an office in Kingston, where he
soon had a large and remunerative practice.
Gifted with a resolute will and the Scotch
power of perseverance, he pursued his studies
under difficulties that would have discouraged
another; and his nature is such that he has
never ceased to be a student, nor will his in-
vestigations cease while his mind retains the
power of thought. He is pre-eminently quali-
fied by nature for the work he has chosen —
quick of perception, gifted with keen powers
of analysis and rapid reasoning faculties, and
is peculiarly successful in diagnosis. Dr.
Reynolds has been a member of the New
Hampshire Medical Society since 1872.

He was married, July 13, 1870, to M.
Fanny, daughter of William and Mary A.
(Holman) Smith, of Raymond, N.H. Her
family, which is of English origin, has been
native to New Hampshire for many genera-
tions. The Doctor and his wife have one
child, a daughter, Mabel.

In politics Dr. Reynolds is a Republican.
Broad and liberal in his views, and in har-
mony with the most progressive minds of the
age, he has been prominent in educational
matters, and was for five years a member of
the Board of Trustees of Kingston Academy,
and its President in 1880. He was made a
Mason in 1864, joining Ion Lodge, No. 301,

 

of Potts Mills, Ky.; was Senior Warden of
Gideon Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 84, of
Kingston, N.H., in 1876-77, Secretary, and
then Worshipful Master in 1879, 1880, and
1881, and representative to the Grand Lodge
in 1882. Dr. Reynolds is a brilliant con-
versationalist, gifted with a great command of
language, and a fund of original wit and
humor that makes his society ever pleasant.
He is of a positive nature, and throws his
whole soul into everything that he under-
takes. Dr. Reynolds has accumulated quite a
handsome competency, and his life henceforth
can be more nearly devoted to his pet hobbies
in science. He is a Grand Army man, and a
Past Commander of General Patten Post, of
Kingston. He is a good microscopist, and
his researches in cryptogamic botany and biol-
ogy during the past few years are worthy
of note. He is devoted to the natural sci-
ences, and is well up with the times in every-
thing published on these subjects. If his life
and health are spared, he will be heard from
more generally beyond his own State before
many years. He is more than an amateur as-
tronomer, and has many original astronomical
charts and devices of his own. He is a con-
tributor of some note to several scientific mag-
azines and other periodicals.

 

ILLIAM CLARK, of Londonderry,

N.H., a leading citizen of Rocking-

ham County, prominent in political

and agricultural affairs, was born in London-

derry, July 22, 1844. He is the son of Reed

P. and Elizabeth (Perkins) Clark, the former

a native of Hancock, Hillsborough County,
N.H., the latter of Essex, Mass.

Reed P. Clark, who was the son of Ninian
Clark, a native and lifelong resident of Hills-
borough County, spent the greater part of his
life in Londonderry. Though not highly edu-
cated, he had a fund of practical knowledge
and much force of character and natural abil-
ity. An expert penman, he taught writing-
schoo] when a young man; and, as an agricult-
urist, he won lasting fame, raising nursery
stock and experimenting on vegetables. He
was the originator of the celebrated Clark’s
No. 1 potato, which he produced on the farm

 
 

JOHN P. KIMBALL.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

47

 

 

now occupied by the subject of ‘this sketch,
and gave to the world as propagated by Reed
P. Clark & Sons. His talents were of the
most versatile order; for, in addition to his
achievements in the fields of penmanship and
agriculture, he won reputation as a_ horse
trainer and as a skilled worker of wood and
iron, and he found a field of useful activity in
the political world. A Whig when that party
was in existence, he later became a Republi-
can of the most pronounced type, and was
largely instrumental in changing Londonderry
from a Democratic toa Republican town. He
served as Selectman, as Representative to the
State legislature, and as a member of Gover-
nor Goodwin’s Council. He was also for a
number of years a Trustee of the New Hamp-
shire State Reform School at Manchester.
Reed P. Clark died April 8, 1882. Of his
children the following are living: Joseph R.,
a sketch of whom may be seen on another page;
Marianna P., wife of Professor W. H. Seaman,
of Washington, D.C.; and William, above
named.

William Clark attended the public schools
of his native town and Pinkerton Academy at
Derry, where he prepared for college. In-
stead of entering college, however, he enlisted
September 3, 1864, as a private in Company
D, First New Hampshire Heavy Artillery,
and on the organization of the company was
made a corporal. The regiment was assigned
to duty in the defences of Washington during
its period of service. After Mr. Clark’s dis-
charge from the army, June 15, 1865, with his
health completely shattered by illness, he
abandoned all idea of entering college, and
engaged in agricultural pursuits in the summer
time, teaching school in the winter for a num-
ber of years in New Hampshire and Michigan.
Mr. Clark was instrumental in organizing
Londonderry Grange, No. 44, Patrons of Hus-
bandry; and he assisted in managing the first
Grange Fair in this town. He has served as
Master, Secretary, and Treasurer of the
grange. ;

He was married August 23, 1876, to Alice
W. McIntire, a native of Reading, Mass.,
daughter of Amos and Mary (Gorman) McIn-
tire. Her father died some time since. Her
mother resides in Reading. Two children
° :

 

were born to Mr. and Mrs. Clark in the early
years of their married life, namely: Reed P.,
who is attending the Columbian University at
Washington, D.C.; and Ralph W., who died
July 22, 1887.

Mr. Clark was for two terms in the State
legislature, and for several years was a mem-

ber of the Republican State Committee.
Irom 1876 to 1886 he served as Deputy
Sheriff for Rockingham) and Hillsborough
Counties. He was for a number of years Su-

pervisor of check lists in Londonderry, and for
many years has filled the office of Justice of
the Peace. In 1880 he was Census Enumer-
ator, and he has served as School Committee.
He is well advanced in Masonry, and is Past
Master of St. Mark’s Lodge, No. 44, at Derry.
An active Grand Army man, he is a member
of Wesley B. Knight Post, No. 41, of which
he has been Commander. He organized the
Londonderry Soldiers’ Monument Association,
and worked zealously in the movement which
culminated in the erection of the beautiful
soldiers’ monument in the town. Mr. and
Mrs. Clark are popular members of London-
derry society. :

 

OHN P. KIMBALL, a well-known and
extensive farmer and lumberman of
Kingston, N.H., son of John Kimball,
is a native of Rockingham County,

having been born July 1, 1836, in the town-
ship of Raymond.

John Kimball was born in Topsham, Vt.,
where he lived until attaining his majority.
Coming then to Rockingham County, New
Hampshire, he bought a farm in Danville
township, where he lived four years. From
Danville he went to Raymond, and was en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits until 1848, when
he settled on a farm in Kingston, which he
occupied until the death of his wife in 1888.
From that time until his death in 1892 he
made his home with his children, spending
his last days with his son, John P. His wife,
formerly Miss Fanny Page, of Kingston,
bore him the following children: George W.,
who died February 27, 1877, survived by his
wife, Mrs. Mary Heath. Kimball, now living
at Danville, this county; John P., the lead-
472

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

ing subject of this biographical sketch; James
M., living in Danville township, who first
married Eliza C. Quimby, and after her death
married Miss Marinda Mace; Sarah K., who
became the wife of Martin Gile, of Ray-
mond, and died December 31, 1895; and
Marilla F., the wife of Gilman Gile, also of
Raymond. ’

John P. Kimball acquired his elementary

education in the public schools of his native |

county, afterward attending the Kingston
Academy three terms. He remained on the
parental homestead until thirty-one years of
age, becoming practically acquainted with all
branches of farming. He then purchased his
present property, consisting of two hundred
acres of land located in the village of West
Kingston, and formerly known as the old
Silloway farm. Since taking possession of
this farm, he has made excellent improve-
ments, now having one of the most attractive
and desirable estates in this part of the town.
Besides farming, Mr. Kimball has been largely
engaged in lumbering, buying heavily tim-
bered tracts, which he has cleared, manufact-
uring lumber for the local markets. He is
also a surveyor, in which capacity he has done
a good deal of work in this vicinity. Politi-
cally, Mr. Kimball is an earnest supporter of
the principles of the Republican party, and
has served his fellow-townsmen as Selectman
and in various minor offices. Religiously, he
and his family are members of the Baptist
church of Danville.

On December 2, 1866, Mr. Kimball mar-
ried Miss Julia Collins, who was born in the
town of Kingston, October 5, 1841, daughter
of Laban and Rachel (Hunt) Collins. Her
parents spent their entire lives in this town,
Mr. Collins having been actively engaged as
a cooper and farmer. The union of Mr. and
Mrs. Kimball has been blessed by the birth of
two children — Effie E. and Millie D., both
of whom reside with their parents. :

 

LFRED M. LANG, of Portsmouth, a
veteran of the late war, and for the

past thirty years messenger in the

navy yard at Kittery, just opposite
Portsmouth, was born, May 12, 1840, in the

 

town of Rye, this county. His great-grand- |

father settled in Rye in the early days; and
there his grandfather, Eben Wallace Lang,
was born, lived, and died, having spent his
adult life in farming. Eben reared five chil-
dren, of whom Ebenezer Wallace Lang, the
second in order of birth, was the father of
Alfred M. Ebenezer spent his life in Rye.

' After receiving his education in the common

schools, he learned the carpenter’s trade, at
which he worked, for many years. He was a
land-owner, and in the latter part of his life
devoted more attention to farming than to his
trade. He married Florenza Trefethen, a na-
tive of Rye, and became the father of four
sons and a daughter.

Alfred M. Lang spent his earlier years in
Rye, obtaining his education in the public
schools, and afterward learning the mason’s
trade. He followed his trade until 1862,
when he entered the United States navy, re-
maining there as an ordinary seaman until
February, 1864. In that year, in Company
A, Thirty-second Maine Regiment, Volunteer
Infantry, he enlisted in defence of his coun-
try, going out with the First Battalion, with

the Major in command. The Second Battalion’

arrived later at North Anna River, where the
regiment was then organized. This gallant
regiment was in action in the important en-
gagements in that vicinity, forming a portion
of the Ninth Army Corps. Among the more
prominent battles in which Mr.- Lang was a
participant were the two at Spottsylvania
Court-house, Cold Harbor, Chapin’s Farm,
and at Petersburg. In the latter he lost an
arm, necessitating his removal to the hospital.
At the expiration of his term of enlistment he
received his discharge, and was mustered out
of service December 1, 1864. The following
April he was appointed messenger at the navy
yard, where he has since served with fidelity.
In October, 1867, Mr. Lang married Miss
Marinda N., daughter of Charles Parker, of
Concord, Vt. They have a son and a daugh-
ter; namely, Arthur Wallace and Nellie May.
The son is attending the Portsmouth High
School. Mr. Lang is a stanch supporter of
the Republican party, and takes an active in-
terest in municipal matters. He has served
as Councilman, and for several years he has
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

473

 

 

been a member of the Ward Committee. He
is a member of Storer Post, No. 1, Grand
Army of the Republic, having served in all
the offices except that of Commander, which
he has persistently declined; of Osgood
Lodge, No. 48, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows; of Sagamore Lodge, No. 28,
Knights of Honor, in which he has held all
the chairs; and formerly of the Sons of Tem-
perance and the Independent Order of Good
Templars. In religion he is an active and
valued member of the Methodist church, of
which he has been Treasurer and Recording
Steward for a number of years.

 

ATHAN H. LEAVITT, a prominent
citizen of New Market, and formerly
a member of the New Hampshire
legislature, was born in Northwood,
N.H., in September, 1831, son of Nathan H..,
Sr., and Betsey B. (Batchelder) Leavitt.
Mr. Leavitt’s father, who was a native of
Northwood, was a merchant by occupation.
He settled in New Market, and, identifying
himself with public affairs, served as High
Sheriff of Rockingham County, and was Post-
master of this town for many years. He en-
joyed a wide and cordial acquaintance through-
out the county, and came into contact with the
leading and most influential citizens; and his
business ability and sterling character were
widely recognized. He died at his home in
this town in 1869. His wife, Betsey, passed
away six years later, dying in 1875.

Nathan H. Leavitt acquired his education
in the district schools, and at the age of fif-
teen accompanied his parents to New Market.
Since his early manhood he has been con-
nected with the business interests of this
town, formerly carrying on a thriving grocery
trade, but having for the past twenty-five
years devoted his energies to the carriage and
sleigh business.

Politically, he is a Democrat, and has occu-
pied a leading position in the local councils
of his party for many years. His public ser-
vices have shown him to be possessed of much
natural ability and good judgment, which
qualities have proved of value to the town.
He has been a member of the Board of Se-

 

lectmen, and was several times elected to the
House of Representatives from this district.
During his father’s term as Postmaster he was
for eight years his assistant; and, when offered
the appointment to the office in 1885, he felt
himself obliged to decline on account of fail-
ing health.

In 1852 Mr. Leavitt married Mary E.
Badger, of Deerfield; and they had one child, .
Lizzie C., who is now the widow of Thomas
Willey.

Mr. Leavitt belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and has occupied the
different chairs in the lodge of that society
here. He is also a member of the Knights of
Pythias, and is active in all important society
events. Mrs. Leavitt is a member of the
Congregational church.

 

OHN L. PRESSEY, a prosperous mer-
chant of Newton, late a member of the
New Hampshire legislature, was born
in Amesbury, Mass., March 21, 1856,
son of Jonathan and Sarah E. (Lord) Pressey,
Mr. Pressey’s father, who was a native of
Amesbury, graduated from Dummer Academy,
Rowley, Mass., and subsequently taught
schoo] for some twenty years. In 1864 he
moved from Amesbury to South Hampton,
N.H., later establishing himself in trade at
Newton, where he continued in business until
1882, when he sold out to his son, and re-
tired. He died at his residence in South
Hampton, April 26, 1886. In his religious
belief he was a Congregationalist; and, politi-
cally, he supported the Republican party. His
wife, Sarah, was a native of Ipswich, Mass.
She became the mother of seven children,
three of whom are living: Charles F., who re-
sides in Topeka, Kan.; Sarah E., wife of
George M. Buxton, of South Hampton; and
John L. The others were: John H.; Will-
iam C., who enlisted in the Fourth Massachu-
setts Heavy Artillery, and died during the
Civil War; Sumner C.; and Mary E., who
became Mrs. Morrill. Mr. Pressey’s mother
died in May, 1873.
John L. Pressey during his early years re-
sided in Amesbury and South Hampton, his
education being acquired in the common

 
474.

schools of the last-named town and at Barnard
Academy. Since he was fifteen years old he
has been engaged in mercantile pursuits, hav-
ing then entered his father’s store as clerk,
and later becoming sole proprietor of the busi-
ness. Mr. Pressey possesses the right quali-
fications for success, being far-sighted, enter-
prising, and industrious. His store, which
occupies a good location, is well stocked with
general merchandise; and, through the popu-
larity of its genial proprietor, it enjoys a lib-
eral patronage.

On October 19, 1880, Mr. Pressey wedded
Alice L. Davis, daughter of Alfred M. Davis,
of Newton. Mrs. Pressey is the mother of
one daughter, Sarah O., who was born Novem-
ber 26, 1882. :

In politics Mr. Pressey acts with the Re-
publican party, and he was Representative to
the legislature during the years 1891 and
1892. He is a charter member of Twilight
Lodge, No. 68, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, of Newton, and belongs to Harmony
Encampment of Amesbury. Both he and his
wife are members of the Christian church.

 

OHN J. BROWN, a prosperous farmer
of Hampton Falls, who for many years
in company with his brother James
managed an express business between

Hampton Falls and Lynn, Mass., was born
at Hampton Falls, April 24, 1833, son of Jo-
seph C. and Hannah D. (Berry) Brown. He
is a descendant of Jobn Brown, who, born in
England in 1588, came to this country in
1635. John Brown settled in Hampton on
a tract of land that is now the property of
Zaccheus Brown, another descendant. An-
other John Brown, also of the posterity of the
English John, married Sarah or Elizabeth
Brown, and established a home in the south-
eastern part of the territory, now the town of
Seabrook. His son, Benjamin, had a son
Jacob, who married Mary Green, and had a
son Nathan, who was the great-grandfather of
John J. Brown. Jacob Brown, the grand-
father, was one of the ablest farmers of his
day. When quite young, he rented a farm in
Hampton Falls, and by good management was
finally able to buy the place, paying seven

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

thousand seven hundred and_ seventy-seven
dollars for it. The first sum he had to spare
was one hundred dollars, which he made on
calves. This he kept at interest for forty
years, when it amounted to quitea sum. He
was ninety-two years of age when he died,
April 25, 1859. His farm is now occupied by
his grandson, the Hon. Warren Brown, cousin
of John J. Brown. Jacob Brown’s wife, in
maidenhood Abigail Berry, was the mother of
four boys — Thomas, Joseph C., Nathan W.,
and John B.

Joseph C. Brown, also a native of Hampton
Falls, acquired his education in the district
school, at the same time receiving a practical
training in farming. After leaving school, he
kept a store for a while in Newburyport,: Mass.
Returning to Hampton Falls, he lived for
some time on the Brown homestead, and then

| purchased the Lane farm, on which he subse-

quently erected a fine set of buildings. Mr.
Brown’s life was brought to a sudden close in
his forty-second year by a large rock falling

upon him. His wife, who was a daughter of
John C. Berry, of Chichester, Merrimack
County, subsequently married William F.

Towle, to whom she bore three children. By
her union with Mr. Brown her children were:
James D., who married Sarah F. Robinson, of
Exeter, N.H., and has three children — J.
Howard, Edith S., and Ada R.; John J., the
subject of this article; and Sarah A., the wife
of John E. Shaw, of Pittsfield, N. H., and the
mother of two children — Ella C. and Josie B.

John J. Brown obtained his education in a
district school at Hampton Falls and in the
academy at Pittsfield. He subsequently drove
an express between Lynn, Mass., and Hamp-
ton Falls for twenty years, and for thirty years
was engaged in traffic between the two places,
his brother James having an equal interest in
the business. After the railroad connection
was established, he and his brother superin-
tended the transportation of their freight on
the cars. They carried a countless number of
shoes back and forth between the establish-
ments of manufacturers in Lynn and the shoe-
makers in Hampton Falls. In those days
shoes were all made by hand, each shoemaker
having his shop or workroom adjoining or in
his house. They also annually transported
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

475

 

 

apples worth from ten thousand to fifteen
thousand dollars. When the father died, the
children inherited the farm. The brothers,
who bought the sister's share, have since re-
sided there, actively engaged in general farm-
ing.

In 1858 Mr. Brown was united in marriage
with Mary G. Robinson, the sister of his
brother’s wife, and has since become the father
of eight children; namely, Alice G., Annie
D., Winnifred M., J. Edward, Percy, Mabel,
Gracie D., and Maud. Alice married Henry
Elkins, of Hampton Falls, resides in Ames-
bury, Mass., and has four children — Marion
G., Gertrude, and Dorothy and Daisy (twins) ;
Mabel is the wife of William Hunter, of
Amesbury; Winnifred is engaged in teaching
school; and Percy is in business in Amesbury.
The rest are still with their parents. Mr.
Brown, who has supported the Democratic
ticket for forty years, cast his first Presidential
vote for James Buchanan in 1856. He has
taken an active part in local affairs, and has
filled various official positions, including that
of Town Clerk, Selectman, a member of the
Prudential Committee and of the School Board.
The family are esteemed members of Christ
Church in Hampton Falls.

OHN SULLIVAN RAND, a well-
known citizen of Portsmouth, N.H.,
who has served the city as Tax As-
sessor, and was for five years a police

officer, was born at the family residence on
Washington Street, February 11, 1827. His
parents were Reuben and Mary (Smith) Rand.
Ephraim Rand, the grandfather of Reuben
Rand, was a private soldier in the Revolution-
ary War. He died of small-pox in New York
during the struggle with Great Britain. His
sons, David S. Rand and Simeon Rand,
natives of Rye, both served as soldiers of the
United States army in the War of 1812.
Reuben Rand, son of David S. and father
of J. Sullivan Rand, was born in Rye, N.H.,
in 1798. He and his wife Mary became the
parents of the following children: Cornelia,
who is now deceased; Reuben, a resident of
Portsmouth; David S., deceased; John Sulli-
van; Edwin L., deceased; Mary J., wife of

 

 

Richard Taylor; L. F. Rand, who resides in
Boston; Warren L., a resident of Lawrence;
Irving W., who was killed at the battle of
Petersburg in the late war, being a Sergeant
of the Sixth New Hampshire Regiment;
Sarah A., widow of Henry Slack; and Edwin,
second, deceased. The father died in 1866,
at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife sur-
vived him nearly twenty years, dying in 1885.
The farm upon which J. Sullivan now resides:
was purchased by his father in 1828.

J. Sullivan Rand obtained his education in
the high schoo] and at Harris Academy of
Portsmouth. He remained at home till he
was twenty-four years of age, when he started,
via the Isthmus of Panama, for California,
arriving in San Francisco in October, 1851.
From that time until 1854 he was engaged in
prospecting and mining, meeting with a fair
measure of success. He then returned to the
old homestead, which covers in all about
ninety acres, where he now carries on genera]
farming. In politics Mr. Rand affiliates with
the Republican party. He is prominent in
town affairs, having served as Assessor of
Taxes. He has also taken an active part in
educational matters, having taught school for
about twenty terms.

In 1859 Mr. Rand was united in marriage
with Miss Elvira W. Odiorne, of Portsmouth.
They have six children, namely: Jasper C.,
who is a real estate dealer in Little Rock,
Ark.; John Langdon Rand, who is a promi-
nent lawyer in the State of Oregon; Luella
E., now residing at home, who has spent some
time as a teacher; Irving Wallace, who is a
surgeon in the United States army, now sta-
tioned in Arizona; Charles Benjamin, who is
a druggist in Massachusetts; and Henry A.,
who lives with his parents in Portsmouth.

 

TORACE W. LANGLEY, a prosper-
ous business man of Epping, who was
is for some years engaged in the hotel
business in this town, at New Mar-
ket, and in other localities, was born in Not-
tingham, N.H., June 1, 1844, a son of Joseph
and Statira (Green) Langley.
Joseph Langley was a native of New Market,
and passed his boyhood and youth in that

 
476

place. When a young man, he worked for
some time in the mills, but subsequently en-
gaged in farming, which he continued to fol-
low for several years, or until his death, which
took place May 23, 1855. He was a man who
gave his chief attention to his private busi-
ness, showing no inclination to seek political
honors; and he was known and respected as an
upright, conscientious man and reliable citi-
zen. He married Statira Green, whose par-
ents, natives of Connecticut, came to Mere-
dith, where she was born. She became the
mother of six children, three of whom are
living, namely: Mary L., wife of Thomas
Witham; Horace W., the subject of this
sketch; and Sarah E., wife of Thomas Pres-
cott. The others were: Joseph A., who
served as a soldier in the Civil War, endur-
ing much hardship upon the field and in
Andersonville Prison, and died February 27,
1896 (see the sketch of his life which follows
this); Abbie J., who married Horace St.
Clair Stephens, and died in November, 1881:
she was an active member of the Baptist
church at Exeter; John J., a mechanic,
whose last years were passed as an employee at
the Blood Locomotive Works in Manchester,
where he died in 1874. Mr. Langley’s mother
died July 21, 188s.

Horace W. Langley acquired his education
in the schools of Epping; and at the age of
twenty he began work in the shoe factory
here, where he was employed for eleven
years. For nine years he was connected with
the Pawtuckaway House in this town, after-
ward going to the Railroad House in New
Market, where he remained for two years.
From there he went to Fair Haven, Conn.,
where he leased King’s Hotel, and conducted
it for a year and a half. He was then pro-
prietor of the Granite House in Exeter,
N.H., until 1893, since which time he has
resided in Epping, and carried on a billiard
hall here. In politics he has always acted
with the Democratic party, but has never
taken an active part in politics beyond cast-
ing his vote. =

In 1863 Mr. Langley wedded Mary Law-
rence Hodgdon, of Epping, who died in 1870.
In 1873 he married for his second wife Annie
E. Noyes, of Deerfield, N.H. Mr. Langley

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

has reached an advanced degree in Masonry,
being a member of the Blue Lodge Chapter,
Council, Commandery, Consistory, and Mystic
Shrine. He is also connected with the Inde-

pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been

Grand Chancellor of the Grand Lodge of
Knights of Pythias of New Hampshire. Asa
progressive and enterprising business man, he
is well and favorably known through this sec-
tion of the State; and he possesses a numerous
acquaintance both at home and among the
travelling public.

OSEPH A. LANGLEY, a Union vet-
eran, who died at his home in Manches-
ter, N.H., February 27, 1896, was a
son of Joseph and Statira (Green)
Langley, for many years residents of Rocking-
ham County. Some account of his parents
may be found in the sketch of Horace W.
Langley, his brother. He was born in Not-
tingham in 1833, and obtained his education
in the schools of that town. When a young
man, he went to New Market and entered the
employ of one of the large mills of that place.
By faithful service and hard work he made a
good impression on his employers, and was
soon made second hand. He had held this
position but a short time when Fort Sumter
was fired upon. This stirred the patriotic
blood of Mr. Langley; and when, a few days
later, President Lincoln issued a call for volun-
teers to defend the Union, he quickly resigned
his position in the mill, and hastened to join
the Unionarmy. Leaving Nottingham, he went
to Dover, and was duly mustered into service
as a private in a company of the Seventeenth
Regiment, United States Infantry, which was
then attached to the Second Battalion.

Mr. Langley followed the vicissitudes of the
regiment in the various campaigns of the army
of the Potomac, and took active part in all its
engagements for about two and one-half years.
At the battle of Shady Grove he was captured,
and sent to Libby Prison at Richmond. Here
he was confined four days, and was then trans-
ferred with a train load of half-starved Union
prisoners like himself to the dreaded prison
pen of Andersonville. Here he bore a full
share of the terrible privations and sufferings
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

477

 

 

inflicted upon the unfortunate prisoners by the
rebel commander, Captain Wirtz. At one
. time he was forced to be a witness to the exe-
cution of four Union soldiers. After a long
stay at .Andersonville Mr. Langley was re-
moved to-Milam Prison, situated a few miles
from Savannah. The long term of confine-
ment, exposure, and privation, had told upon
his health; and he was taken ill, and put on
the sick list. Then the order came from the
rebel headquarters to transfer a portion of the
prisoners at Milam to Savannah; and Mr.
Langley, more dead than alive, and so weak
that he could scarcely move, was driven to the
city on the coast, and put in an old army
prison. But his term as a prisoner of war
had nearly expired.
he was of little use to the cause of the Union,
he was given a parole, and sent North. He
joined his regiment at Annapolis, Md., a
mere skeleton, and was immediately given a
three months’ furlough, during which time he
was honorably discharged by reason of disabili-
ties received in service.

Mr. Langley then removed to Manchester,
N.H., and for six years was employed under
Overseer Farrington on the Amoskeag corpora-
tion. He then removed to Deerfield, but
sixteen years ago returned to Manchester,
where he resided until his death. He never
fully recovered from the effects of his army
service, and was able to do but little work.
He possessed a wide circle of friends who
mourn his loss. His life was an object lesson
in patriotism, and his memory will not soon be
forgotten by his many acquaintances. He left
a widow and one daughter, Mrs. C. H. George,
of Manchester. Mr. Langley was a member
of Louis Bell Post, Grand Army of the Repub-
lic, of Manchester, N.H.

 

ATHANIEL A. WALCOTT, who oc-
cupies a prominent position among

the rising young business men of
Portsmouth, N.H., was born De-

cember 14, 1868, in the city of Boston, son of
Aaron F. and Harriet (Adams) Walcott.
Among his emigrant ancestors were the
‘Mayflower ’’ Pilgrim, Henry Sampson, who
settled in Duxbury, Mass., and Francis

So worn by disease that.

 

Adams, a native of Chester, England, who
settled in Plymouth, Mass., about 1700, and
in 1727 removed to Kingston, Mass., where
he was a prominent citizen. Mr. Walcott is
a member of the Sons of the American Revo-
lution by virtue of his descent from John and
Ebenezer Adams, of this stock, who served in
the War for Independence.

Aaron F. Walcott was for several years
engaged in the wholesale grocery business in
Boston, having a successful mercantile career.
At the outbreak of the late Civil War he en-
listed as a private in the First Massachusetts
Light Artillery, but was transferred the same
year to the Third Light Battery, of which he
was appointed Second Junior Lieutenant, and
a few months later was promoted to the rank
of Senior First Lieutenant of the battery.
He served gallantly until the close of the war,
when he was brevetted Captain. Captain
Walcott was an active participant in twenty-
six engagements of the Rebellion, among them
being the three days’ battle at Gettysburg.
He had the love and respect of the brave men
under his charge, who, when the battery was
mustered out of service, presented him with
an elegant gold badge, on which were en-
graved the names of the various battles in
which they had fought. In politics he is a
Republican; and for the past eight years he
has been Deputy Sheriff of Cook County,
Illinois. He is a member in high standing of
the U. S. Grant Post, No. 28, Grand Army of
the Republic, of which he was Commander two
years, in this capacity having charge of the
Chicago delegation of men that assisted in
transferring the body of General John A.
Logan from Washington to Chicago. He
married Harriet Adams, daughter of Nathaniel
Adams, of Boston; and they became the par-
ents of three children, namely: a daughter,
Mrs. J. Otis Colby, living in Melrose, Mass. ;
Nathaniel A.; and Charles Francis Adams
Walcott, who is engaged in the furniture busi-
ness at Newburyport, Mass.

Nathaniel Adams, Mr. Walcott’s maternal
grandfather, was born in Kingston in 1812.
He was a son of Charles and Mary C. (Samp-
son) Adams, and was of the fifth generation in
lineal descent from Francis Adams. Many
of his kinsmen were seafaring people; and one
478

of them, Captain William Adams, left two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Bos-
ton Marine Relief Association. Nathaniel
Adams was for many years engaged in business
in Boston as a contractor and builder. Among
the prominent public buildings that he erected
are the old Tremont and Parker Houses and
the old Boston & Lowell Depot; and in com-
pany with his brother he built the Boston City
Hall, the long block on State Street, and
Tufts College. Of the latter institution he
was a liberal benefactor.
Miles Standish monument at Duxbury, toward
the erection of which he contributed thousands
of dollars. He was prominently identified
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
in which he held the office of Noble Grand of
the State; and one of the Jodges was named
for him. He was likewise a Free Mason, be-
longing to the Joseph Warren Lodge at the
Highlands. He was a member of the Shaw-
mut Avenue Universalist Church, which he
attended regularly. He was associated with
many of the leading enterprises of his day, and
was president of the company formed for the
laying of the Atlantic cable, and personally
received the congratulatory message sent by
Queen Victoria, the first sent over the wires,
and which is now in the possession of a
brother of Mr. Walcott, the special subject of
this sketch. The coat of arms of the Adams
family is still preserved.

Nathaniel A. Walcott attended. the English
High School of Boston, afterward going to
Chicago, where he was employed by J. B.
Farwell & Co., one of the largest dry-goods
houses in the country, for four years as sales-
man. Coming then to Portsmouth, Mr. Wal-
cott formed a partnership with R. S. Marge-
son in June, 1890, and under the style of the
Portsmouth Furniture Company carried on a
substantial business until March, 1895. Mr.
Walcott then purchased his partner’s interest
in the furniture business, which he has since
conducted alone, meeting with excellent suc-
cess. While in company with Mr. Margeson
they were also engaged in the undertaking
business, under the firm name of Margeson &
Walcott; and, when the latter purchased his
present business, he disposed of the undertak-
ing branch.

He also built the.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Walcott was married in 1891 to A.
Maude, daughter of R. S. Margeson, of Rox-
bury, Mass.; and they have two bright and
interesting children. In politics Mr. Walcott
is a straight Republican, but takes no active
part in public affairs. Socially, he is a
Mason, being a member of St. John’s Lodge,
No. 1, A. F. & A. M., and of Washington
Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons, and De
Witt Clinton Commandery, Knights Templars.

 

farmer of Greenland, Rockingham

County, N.H., was born here on Janu-

ary 24, 1844. His parents were
Deacon William and Louisa (Porter) Weeks.

Leonard Weeks, the earliest-known ances-
tor, came to New Hampshire from England,
and settled about 1660 in what is now Green-
land, Rockingham County. His son Joshua
was the great-great-grandfather of John Porter
Weeks, the subject of this sketch. Joshua
Weeks’s son William was the father of Major
William Weeks, who served in the Continental
army during the Revolution. He is said to
have been one of Washington’s staff officers.
He was Paymaster in 1776 and later. (See
New Hampshire State Papers, Revolutionary
Rolls.)

Deacon William, son of Major William
Weeks, and the father of John Porter, was a
native of Hupkinton, N.H. On May 26,
1835, he married Louisa, daughter of the Rev.
Huntington Porter, of Rye. They had five
children; namely, Ann L., Ellen M., Sarah
P., George W., and John Porter. Ann L.
died on July 8, 1889. Ellen M. lives at the
old homestead. Sarah P. died on February
10, 1895. George W. met with a tragic
death, being killed at the-Bay Side Railroad
Crossing on January 7, 1893. He left a
widow, Mrs. Sarah L. Robinson Weeks, and
one son, William.

John Porter Weeks was the youngest of the
family. He was born on the old homestead,
and lived with his parents until September
16, 1861, when he enlisted in Company K,
Fifth New Hampshire Volunteers. He was
mustered into service at Concord, N.H., on
October 12, 1861, going thence to Virginia,

ales PORTER WEEKS, an extensive
 

JOHN P. WEEKS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

481

 

 

where he remained in camp at Alexandria
during the winter of 1861-62. He was the
youngest man of the company, but he was pro-
moted to Corporal the same year. While in
the army, he was taken sick, first with the
measles, and then with lung fever, which
obliged him to go to the camp hospital and
Fortress Monroe, where he later rejoined his
regiment. Mr. Weeks was then taken ill with
typhoid fever, which confined him for three
weeks in the hospital at David's Island, N.Y.
After a furlough he was discharged on account
of disability. He served as Corporal, but
was discharged as Sergeant. He and his
brother, George W., then took charge of the
home farm, and in 1878 erected a fine house
and barn, all new buildings on the west side
of the road. Mr. Weeks owns three hundred
acres of land, carrying on genera] farming and
dairy business. In politics he affiliates with
the Republican party, having been Chairman
of the Republican Club for twenty-five years.
He is also a member of the Grand Army of
the Republic.

Mr. Weeks has been twice married. His
first wife, to whom he was married on April
26, 1870, was Miss Ellen, daughter of the
Hon. Charles Hatch. She died on June 16,
1874. On September 14, 1876, he married
Laura A., daughter of Nathan R. Foss. Mr.
and Mrs. Weeks have three children — Mabel
-P., born on July 11, 1878; Carrie F., who
was born on March 26, 1881; and Alice H.,
born on November 12, 1882. Mr. and Mrs.
Weeks are members of the Congregationalist
church, where he has served as Deacon since
the death of his father. Their children are
the seventh in descent from Leonard, the early
ancestor: and they are now living on a part of
the land owned by him more than three cen-
turies ago.

 

EORGE BROWN WEBSTER, who
is numbered among the oldest citi-
zens of Rockingham County, his

birth having occurred May 31, 1813, is one of
the most thrifty and prosperous farmers of
East Kingston, his native place, and one of
its most honored and respected citizens.

His father, John Webster, was born in this

 

town, March 27, 1772, and.died here October 5,
1848, his entire life after marriage having been
spent on the farm now owned and occupied by
his son, George B. Webster. John Webster,
a tanner as well as farmer, was an honest, in-
dustrious man, and labored hard to rear and
educate his children. He married Judith
Brown, who was born in South Hampton,
N.H., August 27, 1775, and died March 7,
1876, at the remarkable age of one hundred
years and seven months. They had a family
of five children, all sons, George Brown, the
subject of this sketch, being the only survivor.
Of the other four the following is a brief rec-
ord: Jeremy, born October 21, 1803, died
October 8, 1834; John Currier, born Septem-
ber 8, 1805, died March 10, 1857; George,
born in April, 1810, died May 15 of the same
year; and Calvin, born May 24, 1811, died
August 19, 1847.

Mr. Webster is the representative of one of
the old New Hampshire families, and can
trace his ancestry in a direct line back to one
Thomas Webster, a life resident of Ormsby,
Norfolk County, England, whose son Thomas
came to America. Thomas Webster, second,
married in 1656 Sarah Brewer, and died at
Hampton, N.H., in 1718. They had, besides
several daughters, five sons, as follows:
Thomas, third, born in 1665; Ebenezer, born
in 1667; Isaac, born in 1670; John, born in
1673; and Joshua, born in 1676. The two
older sons were granted land in Kingston,
N.H., this county, in 1694, and settled here
in 1700; and the next two in order of birth,
Isaac and John, were made freeholders, and
assigned lots of land in 1705, and at various
times afterward. Daniel Webster, the dis-
tinguished statesman and orator, was a great-
grandson of Ebenezer, of this third generation
of Websters, who was one of the earliest set-
tlers of East Kingston. Colonel Ebenezer,
of the fifth generation, and his father, Eben-
ezer, of the fourth, were both born in East
Kingston. Thomas, third, the eldest son of
Thomas, second, married; and his son Ben-
jamin, born August 24, 1701, was the first
child born in Kingston.

Captain John Webster, the fourth son of
Thomas and Sarah (Brewer) Webster, was a
mariner, and lived in various towns in Massa-
482

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

chusetts, but finally settled in Rye, N.H.,
then within the limits of Hampton, dying
there between 1725 and 1735. He was a very
prominent man, and active in town affairs.
He married Abiah Shaw, who bore him eight
children, namely: Jeremiah, born December
21, 1703, settled in East Kingston, and there
spent his life, being very active and intuential
in town and church matters; Joshua and
Charity, twins, born in 1706; John, born
in 1712; Thomas, born July 1, 1715; Caleb,
born in March, 1719; and Abiah and Eliza-
beth. Thomas and John left their native town,
and lived in neighboring towns of this State.

Jeremiah, son of Captain John and Abiah
(Shaw) Webster, and the next in line of de-
scent now being considered, was married,
June 19, 1724, to Elizabeth Ladd, and hada
family of twelve children, several of whom died
young, three passing away in one month, May
26, 27, and 28, of the year 1735. The surviv-
ing children were: Jeremiah, born in 1743;
Jonathan. Ladd, born August 16, 1745;
Nathaniel, born November 11, 1748; Dolly,
born in May, 1754; and Eliphalet, born
February 24, 1752.

The line was continued through Jonathan
Ladd Webster, the eldest of the sons
above named. He married Judith Currier, and
the record of their children is as follows:
Dolly, born November 7, 1769; John, born
March 27, 1772; Jeremy, born September 10,
1774; Anna, born in 1777; Molly, born in
1779; Ruth, born in 1780; Jonathan, born
November 6, 17823. Judith, born in 1785;
and Elizabeth, born in 1791. The eldest son,
John, the father of George Brown Webster,
married Judith Brown, as above mentioned,
and had a family of five children. John Cur-
ricr, the second son born to the parents, mar-
ried Mary Guilford, and settled in Lynn,
Mass., where he reared his family, which in-
cluded two sons, Jeremy and Samuel, and four
daughters. Jeremy, who is of the eighth
generation from Thomas Webster, of Ormsby,
England, married Jane Kelley, who has borne
him five children, these being of the ninth
generation.

George Brown Webster received good edu-
cational advantages, and was graduated from
the English department of Phillips-Exeter

 

Academy in 1832. Going to Hackettstown,

N.J., in 1833, he there engaged in teaching
for nearly two years. Then on account of a
death in the family he was called home; and
for the succeeding ten years he carried on gen-
eral farming and tanning in the summer
season, and taught in the district schools of
this vicinity winters. In 1844 and 1845 Mr.

Webster had charge of a school in that part of
Lynn, Mass., that is now called Swampscott.

He afterward engaged in a retail grocery busi-
ness in Manchester, N.H., for two years; and

then, on the death of his brother Calvin, he

returned to East Kingston to assume charge of

the ancestral homestead, and care for his par-

ents. Here he has since lived. He owns one

hundred and fifty acres of valuable land,

which, under his intelligent and systematic

management, has been highly cultivated and

improved. Besides raising the usual crops of

this locality, he carries on a large dairy busi-

ness, and raises some stock. Mr. Webster

has ever taken a deep interest in political

matters, and is now an adherent of the Repub-

lican party, which he joined on its formation.

He uniformly does his duty at the polls, hav-

ing missed but few elections since casting his

first Presidential vote in 1836 for the Whig

candidate. For many years he has served as

a member of the School Committee, was Se-

lectman four years, and has filled the office of

Justice of the Peace for forty years. He was.
one of the Directors of the Farmers’ Mutual

Fire Insurance Company for twoscore years,

and for a long time was President of the
Squamscot Savings Bank of Exeter, of which

he is now one of the Trustees.

Mr. Webster was married, July 6, 1846, to
Martha Tilton Rowe, who was born February
4, 1819, in East Kingston, a daughter of Jo-
seph F. and Mary (Thayer) Rowe, both na-
tives of this county, the father having been
born in Kensington, and the mother in Kings-
ton. After their marriage the parents settled
in East Kingston, where they continued their
residence through life. Mrs. Webster comes
of pioneer stock on both sides of the house,
her paternal grandfather having been Dr. Ben-
jamin Rowe, a. prominent physician of
Kensington; and his father, also Dr. Ben-
jamin Rowe, Sr., was likewise a well-known
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

483

 

 

medical man of this county, in which he was
engaged in the practice of his profession for
many years. On her mother’s side Mrs.
Webster is the grand-daughter of Elihu
Thayer, D.D., one of the early pastors of the
Congregational church in Kingston.

Mr. and Mrs. Webster have four children;
namely, Emma, John, Joseph, and Eliza Jane.
Emma, born June 21, 1847, resides in Brent-
wood, being the wife of Francis H. Gowen.
John, born November 19, 1849, and now en-
gaged in mining in New Mexico, married Miss
Annie Armstrong. Eliza Jane, born Decem-
ber 9, 1854, is the wife of Charles G. Gooch,
of Exeter. Joseph R., born February 16,
1852, lives with his parents, and assists in
carrying on the farm. He married Mrs.
Cora M. Carter, who was born in Boston,
Mass., February 12, 1849, but lived in the
town of Newton, this State. This son, who
has always remained on the paternal home-
stead, is a man of prominence in the town, and
has served in various public offices, having
been Town Clerk and Selectman, and is now
a member of the Board of Education. He is
an Odd Fellow, belonging to the Exeter
Lodge, and is also a member of the grange,
Patrons of Husbandry, at Kensington.

 

AVID H. ELKINS, late a success-
ful contractor and builder of Mil-
\©) ton, Mass., whose widow, Mrs.
Mary E. Elkins, now resides with
one of her sons at Hampton Falls, was born in
Hampton, N.H., June 5, 1831, his parents
being David B. and Mary (Batchelder) Elkins.
He was a representative of one of the longest
established families of English extraction in
New Hampshire.

The founder of this branch of the Elkins
family in the New World was Henry Elkins,
who came early to Boston, where he engaged in
business as a tailor, and in 1635 was admitted
as afreeman. Removing to Exeter, N.H., he
was one of the signers of the Combination in
1639. In 1650 he removed to Hampton.
His wife, Mary, died in March, 1659; and
he survived her about nine years, dying No-
vember 19, 1668. His will, now in the pos-
session of the family, was made in 1667. By

 

 

 

 

 

it he divided his property between his two
sons, Gershom and Eleazer, giving the larger
portion to Gershom. The last clause of the
will reads, “I do appoint my son, Gershom
Elkins, to be my lawful executor to this my
last will and testament, who is to take care for
my comfortable subsistence while I live, and
for my decent burial at my death, in a Chris-
tian manner and custom; and for ye confirma-
tion of this my last will and testament I have
hereunto set my hand and seal ye 27 day of
April, 1667. Sealed, signed, and confirmed
in ye presence of Henry Dalton and Mehitable
Dalton.”

Gershom Elkins was born about 1641. He
married Mary Sleeper, daughter of Thomas
Sleeper, and by this union had five children.
Gershom Elkins was chosen Deacon of the
Hampton church on November 26, 1706. He
was Representative from the town of Hampton
in 1708. His will was dated June 9, 1714,
and proved March 5, 1718. Thomas, son of
Deacon Gershom Elkins, was born in 1682.
He married February 8, 1711, Hannah,
daughter of Seth Fogg; and they had six chil-
dren. Henry, son of Thomas Elkins, was
born March 9, 1728. He and his wife, Mary
Moore, of Loudon, whom he married probably
in 1757, had ten children. He was appointed
Captain of the First Company in the Third
Regiment of Foot of Rockingham, March 26,
1771. Jeremiah, son of Captain Henry
Elkins, was born February 14, 1770. He
married Mary, daughter of Deacon David
Batchelder, of Hampton Falls, and settled at
Bride Hill, where he engaged in general farm-
ing until his death at the age of forty-one,
March 10, 1811. He had five children,
namely: Betsy, born in 1794, who married
Thomas Roby, of North Hampton; Mary,
born in 1796, who married first Jonathan
Locke, second Ira Page; David Batchelder,
born in 1798; Lydia, born in July, 1802, who
married Simon Roby; and Henry, born in
1800.

David B. Elkins was educated in the dis-
trict schools of his native town of Hampton;
and he remained on the paternal estate all
his days, successfully engaged in agriculture.
With him lived also his brothers and sisters,
fellow-inheritors of the estate, whom he in-
484

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

vited to make their home on the old place
after he assumed the management of it. He
was a man of sterling character, ever willing
to help his fellow-men. In religious belief
and sentiment he was a Congregationalist, and
was a member of the church of that persuasion
at Hampton, in which he officiated for a num-
ber of years as Deacon. He met his death by
falling from a beam in the barn, November
25, 1854, at the age of fifty-six. His de-
parture was a great loss to the Congregational
church. He was deeply mourned by his wife
and children and the community at large.
His wife, Mary, daughter of John Batchelder,
of North Hampton, died in August, 1870.
Their children were: Mary Batchelder, who
married Albert S. Wilson, of Kittery; David
Henry, born June 5, 1831; Daniel Webster,
born March 18, 1833, who married Annie M.,
daughter of David Walker; John, born April
26, 1840, who died young; and Sarah Eliza-
beth, born April 28, 1843, who married first
Fabyan P. Drake, of Hampton, second Will-
iam Fernald, of Kittery. Mary Elizabeth,
daughter of Daniel W. and Annie M. Elkins,
and the wife of Robert Paterson, of Ports-
mouth, now owns the old homestead.

_ David H. Elkins acquired his intellectual
equipment for the cares and burdens of life at
the district schools of Hampton and at Hamp-
ton Academy. At the age of twenty-one he
left home, going first to Woburn, Mass., where
he worked two years at the carpenter’s trade,
and then to Milton, Mass., working with John
H. Burt, of that place, until the death of his
father called him home. The three succeed-
ing years he spent in Hampton, where he and
his brother carried on the farm. In Septem-
ber, 1859, his brother took the farm; and he
removed with his family to Milton, Mass.,
where he was successfully engaged as a builder
and contractor until his death.

He was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary
Evelyn White, a daughter of Benjamin and
Mary (Green) White, formerly residents of
Phillipston, Mass. Her father moved to Mil-
ton in 1842, and died there March 26, 1870.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Elkins was
blessed in the birth of eight children, as fol-
lows: Addie M., who was born at Hampton,
August 29, 1857, and who lived to be but six

 

years of age; Benjamin W., born November
20, 1859; David H., born February 18, 1861;
Lizzie E., born April 25, 1864; Albert W.,
born July 8, 1866; Mattie L., who died an in-
fant of two months; John W.; and Herbert
G.—all of whom, with the exception of the
first mentioned, were born at Milton, Mass.

Benjamin W. Elkins married, November 19,
1892, Miss Isabel Brown, daughter of George
C. and Laura Brown, of Hampton Falls.
They live on the farm to which the family re-
moved December 11, 1880. David was united
in marriage, October 25, 1883, with Miss
Alice Brown, of the same town, daughter of
John J. and Mary R. Brown; and they now
reside at Amesbury, Mass., where he is em-
ployed by the firm of Charles Wing & Co.
They have four children, namely: Marion G.,
born January 28, 1886; Gertrude Alice, born
August 18, 1888; Marguerite W., who is a
twin sister of Dorothea R., born in February,
1891. Lizzie Elkins was married to Everett
A. Weare, son of G. Austin and Mary L.
Weare, and is at present a farmer of Seabrook,
N.H. They have one child, a daughter, M.
Evelyn Lorena, born December 6, 1886. Al-
bert W. Elkins, who is a carpenter by trade,
received in marriage, October 9, 1889, the
hand of Miss Alice M. Chace, a native of Sea-
brook, and daughter of John N. and Mary
Abbie Chace. They have two children —
David Harold, born April 25, 1893; and Ray
Chace, born February 25, 1895. John W.
Elkins and his brother, Herbert G., have
never married. The former went to South
Norridgewock in December, 1894, and is there
engaged in farming. The latter served an ap-
prenticeship as joiner at the Kittery navy
yard, where he is at present employed. In
December, 1880, they came to Hampton
Falls, and purchased the George H. Dodge
place in the village, which their brother Ben-
jamin now operates.

In political belief and action Mr. David H.
Elkins was identified with the Republican
party, of whose principles he was a stanch
supporter and vigorous advocate. His death
occurred December 16,, i874, at Milton,
Mass.; and his mortal remains were there in-
terred. This record of Rockingham County
worthies justly incorporates a sketch of the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

485

 

 

life of Mr. Elkins, who through enterprise
and industry achieved success in business,
and by his admirable qualities won the re-
spect and confidence of all those who came
within the circle of his acquaintance. Mrs.
Elkins, having reared her children to tread the
paths of virtue, to fill places of usefulness and
honor, still lives to enjoy the fruit of her so-
licitous toil, to be. the object of their fond
and grateful care, and of the cordial esteem
and good will of the community in which she
dwells.

 

.

 

AMES NOWELL, a retired farmer and

a venerable and esteemed citizen of

East Derry, Rockingham County,

N.H., was born in the town of Derry,

May 8, 1822, being a son of Nathaniel and

Mary (Kenniston) Nowell. He is a repre-

sentative of a much respected family in this
part of New England.

His great-grandfather Nowell was a French-
man, and was distantly related to General La-
fayette, of honored Revolutionary fame. He
was the father of Nathaniel Nowell, a sea cap-
tain, who emigrated from his native land, and,
traversing the Atlantic, settled in York
County, Maine. In that locality, where they
resided for a period of years, the history of the
family in this country was initiated. They
subsequently removed to Newburyport, Mass.,
whence they later changed their residence to
Derry, N.H. This last removal was made in
1791, when Philip Nowell, a brother of the
father of the subject of this sketch, was about
four years of age.

Philip Nowell here attained to man’s estate,
and was engaged in general agricultural pur-
suits until he became fifty years old, when he
returned to Newburyport. After remaining
in that city only a few years he came back to
East Derry, where his decease occurred in
1872, at the venerable age of eighty-six years.
He was an adherent of the Republican party
in politics. In Mr. Philip Nowell’s death
the town of Derry lost one of its most worthy
citizens, and a notice of his life is therefore
justly and gratefully inserted in this sketch.

Nathaniel Nowell, second of the name, son
of Nathaniel, first, and father of James Now-

 

ell, was born in Newburyport, and for many
years in the earlier portion of his life followed
the sea, being a captain of a vessel. Discon-
tinuing that career, he retired to a farm in
Derry, on which he passed the declining days
of his life. He wedded Miss Mary Kennis-
ton, a native of Stratham, N.H. Of their
children only two, James and Samuel, now
survive. In politics Mr. James Nowell’s
father was a member of the Whig party. He
died April 15, 1843, and his wife in 1856.
James Kenniston, Mrs. Mary K. Nowell’s
father, was a soldier in the Revolution for
seven years.

James Nowell in his youth had the advan-
tage only of the educational privileges fur-
nished by the district schools of his native
town. Though limited, these privileges were
utilized, and, coupled with the instruction
acquired through his practical experience,
one of the most efficient of pedagogues, and
united with the spirit of enterprise and pro-
gressiveness, render him well informed and
disciplined. He grew to manhood on the pa-
ternal estate, and became thoroughly ac-
quainted with the various lines of agricultural
pursuits. He resided on his estate, success-
fully engaged in its management until 1872,
when he removed to East Derry, where he has
since lived in retirement from the active duties
and responsibilities of life and in the enjoy-
ment of the fruit of his industry and thrift.
In politics he is identified with the Republi-
can party. Almost the entire length of Mr.
Nowell’s long life of over seventy-four years
has been passed in the vicinity of the town-
ship of Derry, and he has thus formed a very
broad circle of intimate acquaintances. The
manifold expressions of his character in word
and deed have won for him the most cordial
confidence and the warmest esteem of all his
fellows, and it is earnestly hoped that many
years more of life are yet in store for him.

 

AMES D. P. WINGATE, editor and
proprietor of the Exeter Gaze/t:, was
born in Exeter, April 2, 1855, son of
Samuel Dana and Oriana (Mitchell)

Wingate. The “History of the Wingate
Family,” edited by C. E. L. Wingate, man-
486

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

aging editor of the Boston /owrna/, and pub-
lished by his brother, James D. P., traces the
family back to 1154, when Lord Hemyng de
Wingate, one of the nobles of King Henry
II., and who lived until 1189, was its repre-
sentative. One of Lord Wingate’s descend-
ants, John Wingate, who was born in England
about 1636, was a planter at Hilton’s Point,
now Dover, N.H., in 1658. The old home-
stead on Dover Neck, still in the possession
of the family, is occupied at present by Joseph
William Wingate, of the sixth generation,
who was born.in 1827. James D. P. is the
eighth in line from the English John Win-
gate, being a descendant of the sixth son,
Joshua. His great-grandfather, Paine Win-
gate, of Stratham, N.H., was a clergyman
of the Congregational church, a member of
the New Hampshire legislature that met in
the old house now known as the Perry house,
United States Senator, and Judge of the Su-
perior Court. The grandfather, John Win-
gate, known as Deacon John Wingate, was a
well-to-do farmer, and died in 1831, in his
fifty-first year. He was married in 1808 to
Sally Piper, of Stratham, who, having lived
eighty-four years, died in 1872. They had
five daughters and five sons, of whom the fol-
lowing are living: Sarah, now eighty-six
- years old, but still active and in possession of
her faculties, the widow of Asa Pratt Park-
man, of Palmyra, Me.; Anna H., seventy-
nine years of age, the wife of John H. Gil-
bert, of Ipswich, Mass.; George, seventy-five
years of age, a resident of Stratham; Joseph
C. A., sixty-five years of age, who was United
States Consul at Swatow and _ Foo-Chow,
China, for over a quarter of a century, now
residing on the Wingate homestead at Strat-
ham; and Henry P., seventy-three years of
age, a farmer of Stratham.

Samuel Dana Winvate, who was born in
Stratham, December 23, 1826, spent the
greater part of his life in Exeter, where he
conducted a carriage manufactory. He was
Registrar of Probate for a number of years;
and was Pension Agent after the war. His
death occurred in 1867, when he was forty-one
years of age. On February 8, 1854, he was
married to Oriana, daughter of Lewis and
Fanny (Dearborn) Mitchell, of Exeter. They

 

reared five daughters and two sons. Both sons
and three of the daughters are living in Exe-
ter and Haverhill, Mass. On October 21,
1873, she was again married to James Monroe
Lovering, a prominent politician, who was
Collector of Internal Revenue for a while,
and at the time of his death, in 1885, Ap-
praiser in the United States custom-house at
Boston. She lived to be sixty-one, passing
away October I, 1895.

James D. P. Wingate received his education
in the Exeter public schools, graduating with
honors at the age of eighteen. He was but
seventeen years of age when he published his -
first newspaper, the New Market Advertiser.
This journal, a respectable weekly, is still
published at New Market. In 1876 Mr. Win-
gate established the Exeter Gazette, and for
three years he managed both that and the 4d-
vertiscr. He then disposed of the latter
paper, and has since confined his attention to
the Gazette. This journal, which started as a
four-page sheet, has now eight pages and a
circulation of three thousand copies, the ma-
jority of the subscribers being residents of
Rockingham County. Mr. Wingate is an
able journalist, and keeps in step with the
progress of the times. Besides conducting
his own paper he is local reporter for the As-
sociated Press and the Boston Journal. For
some time he has been manager of the. Exeter
Opera House. In politics Mr. Wingate is
a Republican. He has been a Justice of the
Peace since he attained his majority.

On June 7, 1883, he was married to Helen
Woodbury Locke, daughter of Woodbury and
Jane (Smith) Locke, of Portsmouth. Mrs.
Wingate, who is a very bright business
woman, is also gifted with literary talent.
She is the local correspondent for the Boston
Daily Globe. The couple have two children
— Helen, who was born May 25, 1885; and
Dorothy, born April 12, 1896. They have a
handsome residence on Maple Street, erected
at the time of their marriage.

 

 

REDERICK J. SHEPARD, one of the
leading financiers of Derry, N.H., the
present cashier of the Derry National

Bank, was born in Framingham, Mass., Au--
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

487

 

 

gust 16, 1851, son of William H. and Rosina
J. (Johnson) Shepard. The Shepard family is
of Scotch-Irish origin. William H. Shepard,
who was a New Hampshire man by birth, was
engaged in the manufacture of woollens for a
number of years. About 1857 he moved to a
farm in East Derry, and there spent the rest
of his life. He was an ambitious and ener-
getic man, endowed with much nervous force,
and sure to distinguish himself wherever he
went. A member of the Republican party,
he served as Selectman of Derry, represented
the town in the State legislature, and was
State Senator from the Londonderry district.
He died in 1893. His wife, who was a native
of New Hampshire, died in Derry in 1887.

Frederick J. Shepard, the only surviving
child of his parents, was about six years of
age when they removed to Derry. He re-
ceived his education in the public schools of
that town and at Pinkerton Academy. Reared
on a farm, he devoted the greater part of his
time to agricultural pursuits until 1882, when
he was appointed Cashier of the Derry Na-
tional Bank. In this position his natural
aptitude for finance quickly developed, and in
time he became connected with the most im-
portant business enterprises of the town. He
is now Treasurer of Pinkerton Academy, of
the Derry Water-works Company, of the Derry
Electric Light Company, of the Chester &
Derry Railroad, running between Chester and
Derry, of the Lafayette Mineral Spring Com-
pany at Derry Depot, and of the Citizens’
Building Association. While attending to all
these offices, he has efficiently performed his
duties at the National Bank for fourteen years.
This institution, which is liberally patronized
by the business public of Derry and the sur-
rounding towns, has recently moved into a
new building at Derry Depot, which is ad-
mirably located, and fitted with all conven-
iences for business.

Mr. Shepard was married in 1887 to Miss
Annie E. Bartlett, a grand-daughter of Gen-
eral Joseph Cilley, of Nottingham, N.H.
He now has four sons — Frederick J., Allen
B., Henry, and one not yet named. ; He is
prominently interested in local politics, has
_ been Secretary and President of the Republi-
can Club of Derry, and he served for many

 

years as Town Treasurer. He is a thirty-
second degree Mason, and belongs to the
branch of the order at Nashua, N.H., and to
Trinity Commandery of Knights Templars at
Manchester, N.H. He is also a member of
Echo Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, at Derry Depot, and of the Knights of
Pythias at the same place. His remarkable
skill in financial affairs has made him a most
important factor in the business life of the
town.

 

 

OSEPH CILLEY BURLEY,
ping, Rockingham County, who is
prominently identified with all the
leading enterprises and industries of

this section of New Hampshire, was born in
Epping on January 13, 1830. His parents
were Captain Benjamin and Elizabeth Ann
(Cilley) Burley. Giles Burley, the first
American ancestor of this family, was hving
in Ipswich, Mass., as early as 1648. He be-
longed to an English family of Saxon descent,
which held high rank in the mother country
for many generations. He was a commoner in
1664, and died before 1669.

James Burley, son of Giles and Elizabeth
Burley, was born on February 10, 1659. His
first wife, whom he married on May 25, 1685,
was Rebecca, daughter of Thomas and Susan-
nah (Worcester) Stacy, and grand-daughter
of the Rev. Witham Worcester, of Salisbury.
She died on October 21, 1686. Within seven
years thereafter he married his second wife,
Elizabeth; and he shortly removed to Exeter,
where he died about 1721. His son Thomas,
born on April 5, 1697, was the father of
Thomas, second, who was born on July 2,
1723, and married Sarah, daughter of Thomas
and Sarah (Gordon) Haley. She was a grand-
daughter of Sergeant Haley, who was killed
by the Indians near Fort Saco in 1695.
Thomas Burley, second, died in Epping on
June 1, 1805. His wife was born on August
10, 1725, and died December 2, 1809. Their
son, Thomas Burley, third, was born on Au-
gust 14, 1766, was a wealthy and influential
farmer of Epping. He married first on July
21, 1798, Nancy, daughter of Captain Ben-
jamin Hoit. She died in November, 1814;

of Ep-
488

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

and he married on May 18, 1818, Mary, daugh-
ter of Gordon and Mary (Prescott) Lawrence,
and widow of Ezekiel Brown. Thomas
Burley, third, died on May 15, 1847.

Captain Benjamin Burley, son of Thomas
and Nancy (Hoit) Burley, and the father of
the subject of this biographical sketch, was
born on April ro, 1803. The Captain was a
farmer, and also served efficiently in town and
State offices. He was a noble-hearted, philan-
thropic gentleman of the old school, who
dealt kindly with the erring, and sought to
ameliorate the condition of such as were unfort-
unate from any cause. Being a great worker,
with a high moral standard, he left an impress
for good on the community. On November 7,
1826, he was united in marriage to Elizabeth
Ann, daughter of Greenleaf and Jane (Neally)
Cilley, of Nottingham, N.H. She was born
on July 11, 1804. The Hon. Joseph Cilley,
United States Senator from New Hampshire,
and the Hon. Jonathan Cilley, member of
Congress from Maine, were her brothers.
Mrs. Burley died on October 3, 1876, outliv-
ing her husband fifteen years.

Joseph C. Burley, the only son of his par-
ents, received the best education afforded by
the schools of his native town, and gained in
early life the discipline which comes from
hard labor. . He began his business career in
1854 as station agent of the Boston & Maine
Railroad at New Market; but, owing to the
death of his father, he subsequently returned
home to look after the farm, and cheer his
mother’s declining years. When he was but
twenty-one, he officiated as Superintending
School Committee, having thus early mani-
fested the character and abilities which won
the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citi-
zens. Mr. Burley was an ardent advocate and
promoter of the Nashua & Rochester Railroad,
being one of its organizers, and serving as a
Director. He became interested in the New
Market Bank in 1855, and in 1857 was chosen
a Director. In 1865 the bank was organized
as a national bank, Mr. Burley still serving
as Director till 1878, when he was elected
President, continuing in office till 1893,
when he retired. He has also been President
of the Epping Savings Bank since its organi-
zation. In 1871 Mr. Burley entered into

 

partnership with the Hon. Samuel Plummer
Dow, and carried on extensive lumber deal-
ings. Samuel P. Dow died in 1874, the pres-
ent associate being Colonel] Winthrop N.
Dow, of Exeter. During a single winter the
firm operated five steam mills, contracting to
deliver five million feet of lumber within the
year. Mr. Burley is a man of much business
sagacity and insight, and of inflexible honor.
His advice is much sought after to settle the
thousand and one questions which arise in the
perplexities of every-day life. He is a safe
counsellor because he never acts without ma-
ture deliberation. In all the various depart-
ments of his extensive business he has shown
that he is a man of rare executive genius.
Prior to 1856 Mr. Burley was a Democrat; but
since that time he has acted with the Repub-
licans, and has had great local influence
within the ranks, having frequently been
standard bearer in the town elections. He
has served as County Commissioner, being
Chairman of the board three terms, also as
Selectman, and as Representative to the legis-
lature.

He was married on December 17, 1855, to
Sarah Elizabeth Haley, daughter of Samuel
Haley, of Epping. Five children are the
fruit of this union: Nannie, Harry Benjamin,
Alice, Jennie, and Benjamin Thomas. Nan-
nie, born October 5, 1857, -married Harry
Walter, son of Wallace and Kate B. (George)
Burleigh, of Franklin, and resides with her
husband near the Webster farm in that town.
Harry Benjamin, born May 26, 1867, was ad-
mitted in 1882 to the Chandler Scientific
School of Dartmouth College, and after one
year entered the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in Boston, graduating in the class
of 1889. The three daughters — Nannie;
Alice, who was born September 23, 1870;
and Jennie, born September 10, 1872 —are
graduates of Dean Academy, Franklin, Mass.
Alice is also a graduate of the Emerson
School of Oratory, Boston. Benjamin Thomas
Burley, who was born November. 26, 1874, is
now a Senior at Harvard, class of 1897.

Mr. Burley owns the fine farm of two hun-
dred and sixty-five acres in Epping formerly
occupied by his great-grandfather. Thomas
Burley. The old dwelling-house still stands
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

489

 

 

a few rods north of the present residence,
which is an attractive building of modern
architecture and appointments. Mr. Burley
has a keen sense of humor, is good-natured and
magnetic, and has won many friends, who de-
light in his companionship. He is a member
of the Nottingham Universalist church, and

consistently shows his faith by his works.’

He has a congenial helpmate in his good wife,
who isa woman of ready sympathy and wise
counsel.

 

RANK LEWIS EKEVES, of Ports:
mouth, N.H., a hero of the late war,
whose bravery in action cost him the

use of his limbs, and whose endurance through
long years of suffering is almost without par-
allel, was born in Lee, Mass., August 31,
1832. His parents were Veranus and Mary
Grant (Lewis) Keyes. His great-grandfather,
Abner Keyes, first, was the youngest son of
Ezekiel Keyes, of Chelmsford, Mass., and a
great-grandson of Solomon Keyes, an early
settler of Newbury, Mass.

Abner Keyes, first, was in Captain
Fletcher’s company in an expedition to Can-
ada in 1758 during the French and Indian
War; and he also fought in the Revolutionary
War. He and his wife, whose maiden name
was Mary Shedd, reared nine daughters and
two sons. He died at the home of his son
Abner in 1819. The second Abner was born
in Hollis, N.H., in 1781. The greater part
of his active life was devoted to the pursuit of
agriculture in Hancock, N.H., where he died
February 12, 1837. He married Susanna
Barton, who bore him twelve children. His
only daughter, Ruth, married State Senator
Hiram Monroe, of Hillsborough County,
New Hampshire. Corydon D., the seventh
son, studied and practised medicine. He
served as a soldier in the Civil War, in
the Sixteenth New Hampshire Regiment, and
died at Baton Rouge, La., in June, 1863.

Veranus Keyes, another son of Abner, sec-
ond, was born in Hancock, N.H., September
22, 1813, and in his boyhood attended the
common schools and the high school of his
native town. He early learned the paper-
maker’s trade, which at that time required

 

more art and skill in the individual workmen
than now, the paper being made one sheet at
a time; and, when improved machinery was
introduced, he was one of the first men sent
out to set up the new machines in different
factories. He worked for many years in the
Newton (Mass.) paper-mills, which were
owned by the late ex-Governor Rice, of Mas-
sachusetts. Mr. Veranus Keyes died April 1,
1896. He found more than a livelihood in
the paper-mills; for the sweet face of Mary
Lewis won his heart, and he took her from the
noisy factory to preside over his quiet home.
She was a daughter of Ephraim Lewis, of
Pittsfield, Mass., and was of English descent,
her great-grandfather Lewis being a British
officer, whose ship was sunk in Boston Harbor
at the time of the Revolutionary troubles.
Mr. and Mrs. Veranus Keyes reared three
children — Frank Lewis, the subject of this
sketch; Susan Ellen; and Mary Flora O.
Susan E. Keyes married Andrew J. Varnum,
of Antrim, N.H., by whom she had three chil-

dren. Of these one, John L., is living. The
two eldest, Charles and Mary F., were
drowned. Mrs. Varnum also lost her first

husband; and she is now the wife of G. W.
Wesson, of Ashland, N.H., by whom she has
one daughter, Flora M. Mary F. O. Keyes,
who was born September 21, 1846, died in
February, 1893. She was the wife of Arthur
Porter, of North Adams, Mass., and the
mother of three children, two of whom, Willie
and Frank, are living.

Frank Lewis Keyes received his early edu-
cation in the schools of Nashua, N.H., and
attended evening school for some time after
going to work. He learned the carriage
maker’s trade, at which he was working when
the panic of 1857 caused a depression in the
business; and he then entered the employ of
Prescott Brothers, piano manufacturers, of
Concord, N.H., He remained with this firm
until the breaking out of the war, when he
enlisted, responding to President Lincoln’s
first call for troops, and being one of the men
mustered in during the first week. He was
enrolled as a private in the First New Hamp-
shire Regiment for three months; and, when
the first call for three years’ men was made,
he re-enlisted as a member of Company B,
490

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Sharp’s Rifle Corps, Second New Hampshire
Volunteers, being one of the first men to re-
enlist on the first evening after the call. The
Second New Hampshire was one of the first
three-year regiments. Mr. Keyes enlisted
the first week of June, and was commissioned
by the governor to take out the men of the
First Regiment who were on furlough and
sick leave, being commissioned First Lieu-
tenant and ranking as Captain. He was in
the first battle of Bull Run, and was afterward
on special duty for some time, being finally
assigned to the secret service and signal corps
under Major Myer. He was one of the three
messengers specially chosen by General Mc-
Clellan to convey important despatches to
Washington during the Peninsular Campaign;
and at three different times he ran the gaunt-
let of the enemy’s fire, carrying despatches to
the gunboats inthe James River. During the
terrific slaughter of Malvern Hill, July 1,
1862, a bursting shell struck his horse. The
animal in his death agony reared and fell over
on his rider, crushing him to the ground,
where he was pinned for five hours, from four
until nine p.m., the battle in the mean time
raging about him. The firing ceased some
time after dark; but Mr. Keyes was left for
two days in the wheat-field where he fell, with
a steady rain beating upon him. The shock
of his fall deprived him of consciousness,
delirium followed, and he has no recollection
of ensuing events until he found himself in a
hospital in Philadelphia. He was taken from
the field of Malvern Hill to Harrison’s Land-
ing in a hospital ship, and thence to the Quaker
City. After being received at the hospital,
his muscles contracted until his knees were
drawn up to within a foot of his chin, and his
feet and hands were drawn out of shape. He
was in the hospital over four months; and,
though. he received the best of care and medi-
cal treatment, General McClellan himself vis-
iting him, and seeing that all that was possible
should be done, and Dr. Hammond, the head
surgeon, paying him a personal visit, he im-
proved but little. As a last resort, he was
taken to the Hon. Henry C. Carey's private
residence, where physicians not connected
with the hospital were called to see him; but
the unanimous verdict was that he was past

 

help, and had better be taken home. Accord-
ingly, he was conveyed by steamship to Bos-
ton, from there by easy stages to his father’s
home in Antrim, N.H., and thence to Con-
cord Mr. Keyes was in bed in a sitting posi-
tion for ten years, and now moves about in a
wheel-chair. He is confined to the house in
winter, but in summer enjoys a ride, having
made a carriage for himself.

He was married, November 1, 1854, to
Miss Eliza Hay, who died April 9, 1860.
She was the mother of two children: Willie
P.; and Harry, who died in carly childhood.
Mr. Keyes was again married August 1, 1866,
Miss Almena P. Quimby becoming his wife.
She is the daughter of Nicholas Quimby, of
Danville, N.H., and the sister of Professor
E. T. Quimby, of Dartmouth College.

Mr. Keyes voted in 1860 for President Lin-
coln, his last vote; for he has not visited the
polls since. As a Mason, he is an honorary
member of Blazing Star Lodge, No. 11, of
Concord, the only honorary member of that
order; and he and his wife belong to Eastern
Star Chapter, No. 5. He was made a member
of E. E. Sturdevant Post, Union Veterans’
Union, Grand Army of the Republic, of Con-
cord, N.H., while bedridden, the comrades
gathering at his home for the mustering in
ceremonies, and was commissioned aide-de-
camp to Jobn H. Roberts, with the rank of
Colonel.

 

OHN DURELL MEADER, a respected
resident of New Market, was born in
Durham, N.H., July 16, 1824. He is
a lineal descendant of John Meader,

born in 1630 in Yorkshire, England, who
emigrated to this country in 1650. He hada
grant of land in 1656, lived at Oyster River,
was taxed 1661-67. The garrison at that -
place was destroyed in 1694. He was alive
about 1711-12. He married Abigail Follet,
and their children were: first, an infant, name
unknown; Elizabeth, born March 26, 1665;
John, Jr., born 1667; Sarah, born January 11,
1669; Nathaniel, born January 14, 1671;
Nicholas, the date of whose birth is unknown;
and Joseph. (This last on the authority of
tradition. )
 

CLARENCE M. COLLINS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 493

 

 

Nicholas Meader, above named, settled in
Dover; and he and his wife Lydia had five or
more children, namely: Kesiah, born June 23,
1709; Samuel, born January 15, 1711; Nich-
olas, born October 9, 1712; John, born Octo-
ber 8, 1715; Daniel, born November 6, 1718.

John Meader, the son of Nicholas, undoubt-
edly was the father of Stephen Meader, who
married Rose Quimby, of Newington, N.H.,
March 27, 1778. Their children, in order of
birth, were as follows: James; Aaron, who
died in 1842; John, born in New Durham,
died in 1834; William; Jonathan; Rebecca;
Mary L.; Betsey; and Deborah. Stephen
Meader was a_ Revolutionary soldier, and
fought for American independence under Gen-
eral Stark at Bunker Hill. He Jater joined
Washington’s command at Cambridge, and
served until the close of the war.

John Meader, the son of Stephen and Rose
(Quimby) Meader, married Betsey Edgerly, of
Durham (she born 1790, died 1854), to which
place he removed when quite a young man.
Their children were: James, born 1813, died
1868; William, born 1815, died 1882;
Stephen, born January 1, 1819, died 1890;
John D., born July 16, 1824; Dudley Pres-
cott, born June 5, 1827. ‘

On the maternal side the subject of this
sketch is descended from Thomas Edgerly,
who built the Edgerly Garrison in Durham,
N.H. He was taxed at Oyster River in 1665,
and admitted freeman in 1672. He was a
Justice of the Peace in 1674. In 1715 he was
still living. He had at least three children,
sons — Zachariah, Thomas, and Samuel, the
last being the one from whom Betsey Edgerly
and her son, John Durell Meader, are de-
scended.

John Durell Meader was educated in the
common schools. He resided in his native
town of Durham during his minority until at
an early age he began to learn the machinist’s
trade in Manchester, N.H. He subsequently
followed his trade in Boston, Mass., to which
city he went after his marriage in 1846. He
remained in Boston until 1866, when he re-
moved to New Market, N.H., which he has
since made his home. As a mechanic, he
helped to made the first Grover and Baker
sewing-machines that were put upon the mar-

 

ket. He made for the Alger Iron Works,
South Boston, Mass., the two smooth-bore,
eleven-inch Columbiads for the good old
‘“ Kearsarge’’ that sunk the rebel cruiser,
“‘Alabama’’; and, although he took no active
military part himself, he feels that he did
good and effective service for his country.
On coming to New Market, he joined the
Methodist church, the services of which he
attended regularly for many years, and with
which his connection remains unsevered, al-
though in later years he has been a member of
the Free Baptist society. He joined Squam-
scot Lodge, No. 8, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, of this place, December 14, 1868,
and has since retained his membership there-
with. He is one of the charter members of
Lamprey River Grange, No. 240, Patrons of
Husbandry, of this town, organized February
26, 1896, and which has now a membership of
nearly seventy. In March, 1895, he was
elected one of the Selectmen, and was _ re-
elected in March, 1896.

On November 15, 1846, he married Miss
Comfort A. Hill, daughter of Benjamin and
Betsey (Spokefield) Hill, of Campton, N.H.
He has one son, John Russell Meader, who is
pow the settled pastor of the Congregational
church at Dalton, N.H. The Rev. John
Russell Meader married first Cynthia Dudley,
who died; and of this marriage there are three
children living — Abigail C., Amy, and John
Ernest. For his second wife he married
Mabel Crouch, and by her has twin children
— Marion and Mabel.

 

eo

LARENCE M. COLLINS, of the

firm of Witherell & Collins, manufact-

urers of misses’ and children’s

slippers in South Danville, is a na-

tive of this town, born August 12, 1858. His
paternal grandfather, Jonathan Collins, came to
Danville from Hampstead, this county, in the
early part of the present century. Jonathan
worked at the cooper’s trade, and carried on gen-
eral farming during the remainder of his life.
Leonard W. Collins, the father of Clarence
M., was born in Hampstead, and came with
his parents to this township. He learned
shoemaking and coopering, and worked at
494

the latter trade in his early life. He is
now a man of influence in this community,
is actively interested in the welfare of the
town where so much of his life has been
spent, and at present represents Danville in
the New Hampshire legislature. He married
Miss Althea Collins, of Danville, and became
the father of three children, as follows: Clar-
ence M., Mahlon S., and Agnes H. Mahlon
S. died at the age of eighteen years, while at-
tending New Hampton Institution.

Clarence M.. Collins was graduated from
the Hampton Institution in the class of 1880,
where he received a practical education. On
leaving school, he started out for himself,
becoming junior member of the firm of H. S.
& C. M. Collins, who manufactured ladies’
uppers and shoes. Disposing of his interest
in that firm at the end of a year, Mr. Collins
next became a partner of Edward Witherell,
of South Danville, forming the firm of
Witherell & Collins, who have been prosper-
ously engaged in business since. Their con-
nections extend over a large portion of the
United States. The factory, which was estab-
lished in 1888, is located in South Danville,
and gives employment to large numbers of men.
All kinds of slippers and shoes are manufact-
ured there, mostly for the wholesale trade.
Mr. Collins takes an active interest in poli-
tics, supporting the Republican party; and he
has served in various minor official capacities,
including that of Town Clerk. At present he
is the Postmaster of Kingston. He is a mem-
ber of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M.,
of Kingston, St. Alban’s Chapter of Exeter,
and the Haverhill Commandery.

On December 27, 1883, Mr. Collins mar-
ried a cousin, Miss Ada F. Collins, who was
born in Danville township, May 29, 1859.
She is a daughter of Alva B. and Mary A.
(Allen) Collins, her father being well known
in this locality as a prosperous farmer and
lumberman. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have had
three children, namely: Irving M., born No-
vember 30, 1884; Louise, born June 26, 1892,
who died in infancy; and Mildred G., born
March 16, 1895. Both parents are members
of the Free Baptist church.

With this sketch of his career is presented
a speaking portrait of Mr. Collins.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

AMES M. PHILBRICK, a farmer and
dairyman of Kingston, N.H., is a de-
scendant of Thomas Philbrick!, who
came from England in 1630. James?

son of Thomas}, settled in Hampton, was one
of the number who ran the Exeter line in
1670. He was drowned in Hampton River,
November 16, 1674. Thomas3, son of James?,
born March 14, 1659, married Mehitable
Ayres, settled in Hampton in 1694, and had
ten children. He was a grantee of Kingston,
where he died, January I, 1712.

Jedediah’, son of the second Thomas, mar-
ried Mary Taylor, of Kingston, and was the
father of ten children. He was a prominent
man, was surveyor of land, aided in running
the lines of new townships, was Justice of the
Peace, Captain of the town, Representative to
legislature, Town Clerk, and Deacon of the
church, and also a very worthy leader of so-
ciety. He was born August 9, 1700, and died
March 20, 1754. Samuel?, son of Jedediah,
was born February 11, 1739, married February
9, 1767, Sarah Sanborn, of Kingston, and
died April 4, 1779, a pious and useful man
in society. He had six children. In 1781
his wife and children moved to Springfield,
exchanging their farm in Kingston for Esquire
Abram Sanborn’s. This was an even exchange
between brother and sister. Abram®, son of
Samuel, married Hitty, daughter of Eben
Loverin, of Exeter. They had nine children.
He was born May 16, 1771, married in 1797,
died in Springfield, Apri] 23, 1852.

Jeremiah’, son of Abram, born January 7,
1807, married first Lydia J. Sanborn, who
died November 22, 1862, at the age of forty-
two years. They had four children: James
M., born December 30, 1841; Martha ].,
born April 10, 1842, married Charles V. Pills-
bury, a farmer in Milford; Ellen A., born
March 27, 1846, married Laroy Williams;
Orra M., born July 30, 1850, married Anna
Walker, of Lawrence, Mass. Jeremiah Phil-
brick represented his town in the State legis-
lature in 1864, and in the contest of that ses-
sion over the proposition to make Manchester
the State capital he took an active part
against it. In 1866, April 4, he married, sec-
ond, Mrs. Angie Williams, of Grafton. They
had one daughter, Leona G., born August 23,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

495

 

 

1871, who married Frank Colby, of ‘Spring-
field, where she now lives on the Philbrick
place, taking care of her mother. Jeremiah
Philbrick died in 1887, aged eighty.

James M.®, son of Jeremiah, and the subject
of this sketch, married at Exeter, September
23, 1867, Mary Susan, daughter of Amos and
Hannah P. Chase, of Kingston. Their eldest
child, Ella J., born in Springfield, married
May 23, 1887, George L. Swain, of Brent-
wood, resided in Exeter, and died March 18,
1888, leaving an infant daughter, Stella, who
lived with its grandparents in Kingston, and
died March 30, 1895, of scarlet fever, aged
seven years; their second child, Stella C.,
born March 19, 1872, died August 26, 1876,
of diphtheria; the third was Hattie E., born
April 27, 1874; fourth, Willie J., born Janu-
ary 30, 1880; fifth, John Calef, born June 13,
1882. James M. Philbrick moved to King-
ston in April, 1875, and bought -the town
farm, where he now lives. In 1890 he built a
good substantial farm-house, and in 1893 he
built a nice barn. He has about one hundred
acres of Jand, which he is steadily improving.
He keeps on an average ten cows, and raises
yearly four hundred and fifty bushels of corn,
besides a good crop of hay and potatoes.

 

 

HARLES H. RAITT, a manufacturer

and bottler of small beers in Ports-

mouth, was born in this city, Oc-

tober 29, 1857, son of Daniel G.

and Mary E. (Pettigrew) Raitt. His great-
great-grandfather, Alexander Raitt, a native of
Scotland, came to America in 1727, landing
at New Castle, N.H., and settling at Kittery
Point, Me. Alexander was a sea captain, and
at one time commanded a privateer. He mar-
ried a lady who was a sister of Sir William
Pepperell, and the widow of Elliott Frost.
-Of this union was born John Raitt, the great-
grandfather of Charles H. John, who was a
native of Kittery Point, settled in Eliot, Me.,
and devoted his life to the pursuit of agricult-
ure. He took part in the Revolutionary War
on the side of the colonists, and was one of
the glorious defenders of Bunker Hill. A
large family of children grew up about him.
James Raitt, the grandfather of Charles H.,

 

was born in Eliot, and grew to maturity there.
He learned the blacksmith’s trade, and, mov-
ing to Portsmouth in 1834, conducted a smithy
there on Market Street for a number of
years. He lost a leg through an accident, and
was obliged to retire from active work in the
latter part of his life. His death occurred in
1869, when he was seventy-one years of age.
James Raitt married Betsey Tobey, a native
of Wells, Me., and a member of one of the old
families of that locality. She bore him six
boys and three girls. Five of her sons are
living.

Daniel G. Raitt, who was the eldest child
of his parents, was born in Eliot, July 8,
1822. He learned the blacksmith trade with
his father, and worked for him for a number
of years. Subsequently he entered the em-
ploy of the Boston & Maine and the Fitchburg
Railroads, in whose shops he made a reputa-
tion for punctuality and good work. He was
quartermaster of the docks and shops of the
navy yard at Kittery some six years, and was
superintendent for a while. After laboring for
fifty years in the vicinity of his native place,
he went to work in the shops of the Boston &
Maine Railroad at Salem, where he is now
employed. Though seventy-four years of age,
he is still an active and skilful workman. He
was originally a member of the Whig party,
and is now a Republican. In the legislature
of 1865-66 he represented the district with
distinction, aiding in passing the Senatorial
bill, and serving on the Committee on Asy-
lums. He isa member of Piscataqua Lodge,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; of St.
Andrew’s Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M.;
of Washington Chapter, No. 5, Royal Arch
Masons; of De Witt Clinton Commandery ; and
Davenport Council, Royal and Select Masters.
He was a member of St. John Lodge of
Masons, No. 1, and has been a Knight Tem-
plar twenty-five years. His first wife, Mary
E., daughter of William Pettigrew, of Ports-
mouth, died in 1867. She was the mother of
six children — Charles, William, Jeremiah,
Nellie, Mary Elizabeth, and Charles H.

Charles H. Raitt, the only surviving child
of his father’s first marriage, was educated in
the city of Portsmouth. He worked in a
blacksmith shop for three years, but was not
496 .

content to spend his life at that work. He
next drove a hack for three years, after which
he was employed by C. E. Boynton, with
whom he remained eight years. In 1888 he
started in the business of bottling beer. This
turned out a profitable venture, and he has
continued in it since. His trade has in-
creased to such an extent that he now employs
twice as many men as he did at the start, and
in summer he has two teams on the road.
In 1878 Mr. Raitt married a daughter of J. M.

Davis, of Portsmouth, and has now one daugh- -

ter, who is attending the Portsmouth High
School. Like his father, he is a Republican
in politics) He is a member of Damon
Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Portsmouth.

 

eel
HOMAS R. WILSON, who is now
living in Portsmouth retired from
ya

 

active pursuits, has spent a large por-
tion of his life in the United States naval ser-
vice. Mr. Wilson was born in Malone,
Franklin County, N.Y., December 25, 1834,
and when a small lad was left fatherless.

At the age of twelve years he ran away from
home, and, entering the merchant service,
endeavored to make his way to the scene of the
Mexican War, but was returned to his home
before he had gone far. In 1847 he began his
apprenticeship in the navy, being put on the
brig ‘‘Porpoise,’’ and sent to the west coast of
Africa, where he remained three years. He
was then transferred to ‘the ‘‘Yorktown,’’
which was lost at sea; and he returned home
on the sloop-of-war ‘‘John Adams.’’ He sub-
sequently volunteered to go on the United
States steamer ‘‘Water Witch,’’ which was
disabled, the crew being placed on the
“*Vixen,’’ and sent to Cuba to check the in-
vasion under General Lopez in 1851. Mr.
Wilson was next transferred to the ‘‘Deca-
tur,’’ on which he sailed until October, 1852,
when he returned home, and, being sick with
Chagres fever, was granted a leave of absence.
The following December his term of appren-
ticeship expired. He passed a successful ex-
amination, receiving a warrant as gunner at the
age of nineteen.

In his official capacity Mr. Wilson was or-
dered to the sloop-of-war ‘‘Vandalia,’’ which

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

took part in the Japan expedition under Com-
modore Perry. He remained abroad three
years, returning home in October, 1856, when
he was ordered to the receiving-ship ‘* North
Carolina,’’ in New York Harbor; and he was
afterward stationed at the Brooklyn navy yard
nine months. Being then appointed to the
‘*Saranac,’’ he was sent to the Pacific Station,
where he was taken sick, and received an in-
valid’s leave of absence. After three months
for recuperation, he was ordered to Ellis
Island, to take charge of the United States
magazine, remaining there until 1860. Mr.
Wilson was subsequently ordered to the ship
‘‘Brooklyn,’’ on which he sailed to South |
America, taking an exploring expedition, re-
turning North on the outbréak of the Jate Civil
War. He was first ordered to the relief of
Fort Sumter, afterward returning to Norfolk,
Va., where he took in two companies, and
sailed to re-enforce Fort Pickens. He after-
ward served on the blockade at New Orleans,
being sent in pursuit of the ‘‘ Sumter.’’ Re-
turning to the North, he received orders to go
on board the ‘‘State of Georgia’’ with the
north-west blockading squadron, and was with
General Burnside at the bombardment of Fort
Meakin. He was subsequently transferred to
the ‘‘Vanderbilt,’’ which pursued the ‘‘Ala-
bama,’’ and seized the cargo of the prize of the
‘‘Alabama.’’ He was then ordered to the
United States ship ‘‘Niagara,’’ which followed
the “‘Alabama’’ and other of the enemy’s
vessels until the close of the war.

In November, 1865, Mr. ‘Wilson was de-
tached from the ship, and ordered to the Ports-
mouth navy yard, where ‘he served three years.
Returning to sea service, he was on board the
‘“‘Franklin’’ three years, being afterward in
the navy yard two years. He then went, in
1874, on the ‘‘Franklin’’ to Cuba, where
trouble was anticipated, and was on coast duty
there a few months, being thence transferred
to the ‘‘Colorado,’’ and on his return once
more stationed at the navy yard in Portsmouth.
He stayed here the succeeding three years,
with the exception of a three months’ furlough.
In November, 1877, on the sloop-of-war
“Hartford’’ he sailed to Brazil; and two
years later he returned to the Boston navy
yard, whence he was ordered to report at Ports-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

497

 

 

mouth navy yard, where he remained seven
years. In February, 1886, Mr. Wilson was
sent to the Newport torpedo station, where
he remained six months. In June, 1886, he
was placed on the sick list, but reported for
duty the first of October, and was sent to the
receiving-ship ‘‘Wabash,’’ and a year later
returned to the Portsmouth navy yard. Here
he served until July, 1889, when, in placing
the battery on board a ship, he was so injured
as to unfit him for further duty. He was de-
tached from the ‘‘Portsmouth,’’ and placed on
the retired list July 13, 1889, since which
time he has resided in this city.

In politics Mr. Wilson has always been a
stanch Republican. He cast his first Presi-
dential vote for John C. Fremont in 1856.
He has served as Alderman in the city council,
but has declined further office. He belongs
to Riverside Lodge, No. 72, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, being a charter mem-
ber, and has held all the chairs; is a member
of Dirigo Encampment, in which he has held
the important offices; also of St. John’s Lodge,
No. 1, A. F. & A. M.; of the Royal Arcanum,
Alpha Council, of which he has been Regent ;
of the Knights of Honor, an organization in
which he has held various offices, and is now,
as he has been for the past three terms, Dic-
tator. He is likewise a member of the
United Order of the Golden Cross; of the
Grand Army of the Republic, Storer Post, No.
1, of which he has been Commander and Quar-
termaster; of the Kearsarge Naval Veterans,
of which.he was at one time Commander; and
of the Provident Relief Association. Relig-
iously, he is an active member of the Metho-
dist church, in which he has been Class Leader
and Trustee, and is now a Steward and super-
intendent of the Sunday-school.

Mr. Wilson was married February 12, 1857,
to Henrietta M., daughter of Captain John
West, of New York. Captain West was en-
gaged in the Cuban trade for many years; and
during the war he was in the blockade service,
being commander of the barque “‘J. L.
Davis’’ for a while, but was afterward on the
‘*Princeton’’ at Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs.
Wilson have four children, two sons and two
daughters. Thomas R., Jr., the eldest son, is
First Lieutenant of a militia company. The

 

other son, Brandt W., isat school. The daugh-
ters are: Charlotte, the wife of Elroy F. Cottle,
living in Kittery, Me. ; and Thresa R., wife of
S. W. Hollis, a resident of Medfield, Mass.

 

LBERT LITTLE, one of Atkinson’s
well-to-do residents, and an ex-mem-
ber of the New Hampshire legisla-
ture, was born upon the farm he
now owns and cultivates, February 13, 1835,
son of Jesse and Lovisa (Read) Little. Mr.
Little’s great-grandfather, Thomas Little,
first, was one of the early settlers of Atkin-
son, and the original owner of the family
homestead here. Thomas, second, Mr.
Little’s grandfather, was born at the home-
stead; and, succeeding to its possession, he
cultivated it during the active period of his
life. He married Abigail Kent, a native of
Newbury, Mass., and had a family of thirteen
children, all of whom have passed away.

Jesse Little, the youngest of his parents’
children, was born at the homestead in 1791.
He was a capable and very energetic farmer,
and a lifelong resident of this town. His
natural ability brought him into prominence
in public affairs, and he served as a Select-
man for eight or ten years. In politics he
was a Republican. In his religious belief he
was a Congregationalist, having been a mem-
ber of that church for about forty years; and
he was one of the most highly esteemed citi-
zens of his day. He died in1871. His wife,
who was before marriage Lovisa Read, daugh-
ter of William Read, of Litchfield, N.H., be-
came the mother of three children — Lydia,
William R., and Albert. Lydia is the widow
of Thomas L. Page, and has two children:
William W., who is now residing at the old
homestead; and George A., who married
Nellie J. Morse, of Derry, N.H., and has one
daughter, Mary Alice. William R., now de-
ceased, married for his first wife Albina
Little, of Hampstead. He was a very promi-
nent man in this town, and for two years ably
represented his district in the legislature.
His only daughter, Albina, who became the
wife of John H. Smith, of Haverhill, Mass.,
died, leaving one child, Verta A. Mrs. Jesse
Little died in 1871.

 
498

Albert Little passed his boyhood in attend-
ing the district school. His  school-days
ended, employment was found for him upon
the home farm, which has always been his
home, and which he eventually inherited.
The estate is one of the best pieces of prop-
erty in Atkinson. On it Mr. Little makes
general farming a pronounced success. In
politics he isa Republican. He has been ac-
tive in public affairs, and represented his dis-
trict in the legislature of 1875-76, where his
ability was displayed to good advantage and
for the best interests of the community.

 

ON. CHARLES H. SHERMAN,

Jr., a prosperous merchant of North-

wood Narrows, N.H., was born in

Bath, Me,, August 16, 1849, son of

Charles H. and Abbie (Reynolds) Sherman.

Charles H. Sherman worked as a clerk in a

paint and oil store up to the time of his death,

which occurred when he was forty years of

age. His wife, who is a daughter of Daniel

Reynolds, of Bath, subsequently married James

C. Watson, of Northwood, and is now living

in this town with her husband. She js the

mother of three children —one, Charles H.

Sherman, Jr., by her first husband, and two,

Grace M. and Herbert G. Watson, by her sec-

ond. Grace M. is the wife of Horace K.
Emery.

Charles H. Sherman received his education
in the Northwood public schools. He learned
the shoemaker’s trade, at which he worked as

a journeyman until 1870, when he turned his
attention to mercantile business at the Nar-
rows, and has since been thus occupied. As
a merchant, he has been very successful, and
his well-stocked store is largely patronized.
He also attends to the distribution of the
mail, the post-office having been established
in his store thirty-five years ago.

Mr. Sherman was married in 1872 to Alice
G., daughter of Josiah P. Lancaster, of North-
wood; and one child has blessed their union,
Allison L. A loyal Republican, Mr. Sher-
man has held the various town offices; and he
had a seat in the State legislature in 1894 and
1895. He is Noble Grand of Olive Branch
Lodge, No. 83, Independent Order of Odd

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Fellows, and is a member of Northwood
Grange, No. 209. Though not an office-
seeker, he efficiently performs public duties
when called upon; and his conduct in all the
relations of life has been such as to win the
esteem of those who know him.

RANK B. PERKINS, M.D., a success-

ful physician of Derry Depot, was born

in Grafton, this State, April 25, 1856.

He isa son of Orrin and Hannah J. (Currier)
Perkins, both natives of Merrimack County.
Orrin Perkins, who is a farmer, is now living
in Derry. His wife died some time since.
Frank B. Perkins, M.D., was reared on a farm,
receiving his early education in the schools of
his native county. Resolving to enter the
medical profession, though short of the requi-
site funds, he obtained the deficiency by
teaching school at intervals. After attending
for a while Colby Academy, New London,
N.H., he began the study of medicine in 1874
with Dr. J. P. Elkins, of Wilmot, N.H. In
1875 he attended a course of lectures at Dart-
mouth Medical College, and a second course at
the same institution in 1876, being graduated
at the June examination in 1877. In the fol-
lowing year he began to practise at Grantham,
Sullivan County. At the end of the four
years he passed in Grantham he took advan-
tage of an opening in Londonderry, and moved
to that town. In 1894 he came to Derry
Depot, where he has remained since. He
has a large and lucrative practice, the reward
of his acknowledged skill and conscientious
treatment. Dr. Perkins is a member of the
New Hampshire State Medical Society, and
has served as a member of the council of that
body. His marriage with Emma J. Flanders,
of Danbury, N.H., has been blessed by one
child, a promising boy named Harry M. Dr.
Perkins is a member of King Solomon’s
Lodge, No. 14, A. F. & A. M., of New Lon-
don; of Rockingham Lodge, No. 27, Knights
of Pythias, of Derry Depot; of Passaconaway
Tribe, No. 5, of the Improved Order of Red
Men, of Manchester, N.H. He is assistant
surgeon in the Uniform Rank, First Regi-
ment, New Hampshire Knights of Pythias;
medical examiner of Derryfield Lodge, No.

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

499

 

 

13, Ancient Order of United Workmen, of
Derry Depot; and assistant surgeon of the
First Regiment, N. H. N. G., with the tank
of Captain in that body. He is one of the
best-known men in the county.

 

ARCUS MORTON COLLIS, of

Portsmouth, Deputy Sheriff of
Rockingham County, was born
in’ Ware, Hampshire County,

Mass., October 19, 1843, son of Luther and
Delina (Converse) Collis. Three brothers,
Scotchmen, bearing the surname, are said to
have come to America in Colonial times.
Jonathan Collis, great-grandfather of Mr.
Collis of Portsmouth, was a soldier in the
Revolutionary army. He married a Miss
Fuller, and settled in the town of Western,
now Warren, Mass., in the early days, when
farming was the universal industry. He met
his death while working in the woods, a fall-
ing limb fatally injuring him. His son,
Jonathan Collis, Jr., was born and reared in
Warren. When a young man, he went to
New York State, and, selecting a site,
made a clearing for a homestead in Herki-
mer. Returning to his native town, he mar-
ried, and then took his bride and household
goods by team all the way from Warren to
Herkimer. They lived but a few years in
New York State, eventually returning to Mas-
sachusetts, and settling in Brimfield, where
Mr. Collis bought a farm, and spent the rest
of his life. His wife, a native of Brimfield,
Mass., was a Miss Phoebe Parker, daughter
of Reuben Parker, who was also-a Revolu-
tionary soldier.

Luther Collis, the father of Marcus M., was
born in Herkimer, N.Y., in 1811. He re-
ceived a yood education, and when a young
man was engaged in teaching school. He was
for some time a resident of Ware, Mass.; but
the latter part of his life was spent on a
farm which he owned in Palmer, Hampden
County, where he died in March, 1896, being
eighty-five years of age. In politics he was a
supporter of Republican principles from the
time of his majority, casting his first vote in
the ranks of the old Whig party, and with the
Republican party from its first organization.

 

He married a daughter of Stephen Converse,
a prominent citizen of Tolland, Conn.; and
they reared eight children — Luther Whipple,
James, Henry, Marcus Morton, the subject of
this sketch, Mary, Sarah, Charles, and Martha.

Marcus Morton Collis was born in Ware,
Mass., October 19, 1843. He received his
early education in the public schools of
Palmer. His school-days were interrupted by
the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion;
for he left his books to shoulder musket and
knapsack, enlisting in July, 1861, in Com-
pany H, Twenty-first Regiment of Massachu-
setts Volunteer Infantry. The Twenty-first
was one of the fighting regiments of the war,
participating in many of the severest engage-
ments, its first being Roanoke Island, N.C.,
February 8, 1862, where, by capturing a rebel
battery by storm, it established a reputation
for gallantry which was maintained to the
end of that long conflict. At Newbern, N.C.,
March 14, 1862, it was the first body of Union
troops to pierce the rebel line. It fought at
Camden, N.C., April 19, 1862; Bull Run,
second, Va., August 29 and 30, 1862, being
in Reno’s division of the Ninth Corps, the
last troops to leave that ill-fated field; Chan-
tilly, Va., September 1, 1862, when its loss
amounted to thirty-five per cent. of the num-
ber engaged; South Mountain, Md., Septem-
ber 14, 1862; at Antietam, Md., September
17, 1862, where the brigade of which it was a
part charged and carried the stone bridge on
Union left, which was one of the keys of the
rebel position; Fredericksburg, Va., Decem-
ber 13, 1862, after which it went West,
where in 1863, after fighting guerillas in
Kentucky, it took an active part in Burnside’s
severe campaign in [East Tennessee, being
engaged at Blue Springs, Loudon Bridge,
Campbell’s Station, siege of Knoxville, and
Bull’s Gap.

December 25, 1863, at the close of the cam-
paign, while in bivouac at Blaine’s Cross
Roads, barefoot, ragged, and receiving for
daily rations one ear of corn per man, it re-
enlisted almost to a man for three years more
or during the war, returning to the Eastern
army in the spring of 1864, and participating
in all the movements and severe fighting of
Grant’s victorious campaign from the wilder-
500

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

ness to Appomattox, a remnant of sixty-two
men being present at Lee’s surrender in
1865. :

Mr. Collis was a part of all this, being with
his command continuously until the opening
of Grant’s 1864 campaign, when he started
on a more direct line toward the heart of the
Confederacy, as a prisoner of war, being taken
by the rebels while reconnoitring their posi-
tion at the Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864.
Was confined at Danville, Va., for a few days,
then at Andersonville, Ga., till late in the
fall of 1864, then transferred to Florence,
S.C. There were twelve of his regiment at
one time in the latter place, and their indig-
nation was aroused and their patriotism re-
belled at the acts of the prison officials in
bribing Union soldiers to take the oath of
allegiance to the Confederate government.
The twelve counselled together, and agreed
that, if either one of them should take the oath,
the others should kill him before he left the
stockade. Mr. Collis was later transferred to
Wilmington, N.C., next to Goldsboro, and
back again to Wilmington, where he was
paroled on February 26, 1865, later ex-
changed, and rejoined his command on May 4
following at Alexandria, Va. His regiment
had been so decimated that there was then
but a small remnant. This was consolidated
into a battalion of three companies, and at-
tached to the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Regi-
ment.
ferred to Company F, Fifty-sixth Massachu-
setts Volunteer Infantry.

Receiving his final discharge in July, 1865,
he returned to Palmer, and learned the trade
of a carpenter and millwright. In 1869 he
went to Boston, where he remained until
1873. In February of that year he engaged
in the fancy-goods business in Marblehead,
Mass.; and a year later he established a busi-
ness of the same kind in Portsmouth, N.H.
This venture proved successful, and he was
engaged in trade until 1895. In April of
that year he was appointed Deputy Sheriff,
and has since given his attention to the duties
of his office, selling out his business October
I, 1895.

He was married in 1870 to Josephine B.
Griswold, a native of Granby, Conn., daugh-

Mr. Collis was subsequently trans-.

 

ter of George Griswold, and a lineal descend-
ant, through his son George, of the Colonial
Governor Griswold, of Connecticut. Mrs.
Collis died in 1884, leaving two children —
Grace and George L. Grace is the wife of
Clifton S. Humphreys, of Madison, Me.

A stanch Republican in politics, Mr. Collis
cast his first vote for Lincoln in 1864, under
peculiar circumstances. He was at that time
in a rebel prison; and an officer of the guard, .
informing the prisoners that it was election
day in the North, and that there were two
candidates and two propositions, McClellan
and peace or Lincoln and war, gave them an
opportunity to vote. In the afternoon two
sacks of beans and a box were brought in; and
it was explained that the ballot for McClellan
was a white bean, while the Lincoln vote was
black. Mr. Collis cast a black bean; and,
when the vote was counted, it was found to be
overwhelmingly for Lincoln. A member of
Storer Post, No. 1, Department of New
Hampshire, Grand Army of the Republic,
Mr. Collis has filled various offices. He was
commander of the Post three years, and was
Commander of the department of New Hamp-
shire in 1885. He is a member of Thomas
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Palmer, Mass.;
Washington Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch
Masons; De Witt Clinton Commandery,
Knights Templars; Davenport Council, No.
53; and Piscataqua Lodge, No. 5, Independent
Order. of Odd Fellows, all of Portsmouth.
Prominent as a Grand Army man, a business
man, and a public official, he is widely known
and highly esteemed, both in Massachusetts
and New Hampshire.

 

 

ILMAN CORNING, of whom a por-
trait is herewith presented, is a re-
tired shoe manufacturer residing at

Salem Depot. He was born in Londonderry,
this county, November 2, 1815, son of John
and Lydia (Richardson) Corning, respectively
natives of Londonderry and Methuen, Mass.
His parents spent their last years in Salem.
Of their children two sons and a daughter
are living; namely, Gilman, Mary E., and
Thomas J. Mary E. is the widow of the late
Orlando H. Woodbury, of Salem, N.H. John
 

GILMAN CORNING.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

593

 

 

Corning, paternal grandfather of Gilman, was
a pioneer settler of Londonderry; and his ma-
ternal grandfather, William Richardson, of
Methuen, Mass., was a minute man in the
Revolution, and participated in the battle of
Bunker Hill.

When about thirteen years old, Gilman
Corning came with his parents from London-
derry to Salem. In the district schools of
Londonderry and Salem he acquired the funda-
ments of an education. In 1836, having at-
tained his majority, he went to Haverhill,
Mass., where he secured a position in a shoe
shop. Returning to Salem the following
year, he remained until 1842, when he again
went to Haverhill, and worked at the shoe
business until 1844. At this time he began
the manufacture of shoes on his own account,
and successfully followed it thereafter in
Haverhill and vicinity for the ensuing forty
years. On retiring from active business, he
took up his residence in Salem Depot, where
his sister, Mrs. Woodbury, now resides with
him. Since then he has exerted a strong in-
fluence for good in this community. It was
largely through his endeavors that Pine Grove
Cemetery has been beautified, and is kept in
its present fine condition, so that it is now
one of the prettiest burial-places in the
county. The free public library also finds in
him one of its most liberal supporters.

Mr. Corning was married, December 28,
1838, to Miss Lucinda D. Dow, of Windham,
N.H., daughter of Abel and Betsy Dow.
His only child, a son, Albion J., now resides
in Baltimore, Md. Mrs. Corning died in
1883, deeply mourned by husband and _ son,
and cherished in the memory of her many
friends and acquaintances, all of whom had
felt the sweet influence of her love and kind-
liness. She was a member of the Baptist
church of Haverhill. Mr. Corning repre-
sented Haverhill in the Massachusetts legis-
lature for two terms, and represented Salem
in the New Hampshire legislature for one
term. He has also been a member of the
Salem School Board. In political affiliation
he is a Republican. Although not a church
communicant, he is a regular attendant of the
Salem Depot Baptist church, and one of its
most liberal supporters.

 

OHN W. GARLAND, one of Hamp-
stead’s prominent residents, and for-
merly a member of the Board of Se-
lectmen, was born in this town,

February 15, 1828, son of Benjamin B. and
Mary (Calef) Garland.

Mr. Garland’s grandfather, Benjamin Gar-
land, was born in Barrington, N.H., January
11, 1767. His early years were spent upon
a farm in his native town. Later he moved
to Hampstead, where he bought fifty acres of
land. This farm he cultivated with energy
and success until his death, which took place
November 18, 1835, when he was sixty-eight
years old. For many years he was a Justice
of the Peace. He was one of the active and
progressive men of his day, bearing a high
reputation for honesty and fair dealings; and
he was respected and esteemed by all who
knew him. In politics he was a Whig. He
married Mary Balch, who was born June It,
1770. They hada large family of children,
six of whom lived to reach maturity; and of
these, Benjamin B., Mr. Garland’s father,
was one. Mr. Garland’s grandmother, Mrs.
Mary B. Garland, lived to be eighty-five years
old, and died August 1, 1855. His grand-
parents were members of the Congregational
church.

Benjamin B. Garland was born in Barring-
ton, N.H., February 7, 1793. When a young
man, he learned the cooper’s trade, which he
followed in Hampstead for several years; and
he later engaged in the manufacturing of shoe
boxes, an industry that proved quite profit-
able. He labored energetically until the ap-
proach of old age compelled him to retire, and
he spent the rest of his days upon his farm.
He died August 8, 1872, aged seventy-nine
years. In politics he was originally a Whig,
but joined the Republican party at its forma-
tion; and, although not an aspirant for public
office, he exercised much influence in town
affairs. His wife, Mary Calef, whom he mar-
ried March 18, 1819, was a daughter of Will-
iam Calef, of Hampstead. She became the
mother of two children, as follows: Mary
A., who was born August 28, 1820, and is
now the widow of Frederick A. Pike, late of
this town; and John W., the subject of this
sketch. Mr. Garland’s mother died March
504

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

22, 1879, aged eighty-two years. His par-
ents were members of the Congregational
church.

John W. Garland attended the district
school of his neighborhood, and when a young
man he learned the shoemaker’s trade, which
- has been his occupation up to the present day.
He owns a good farm, consisting of forty
acres, which he carries on with prosperous re-
sults; and he is one of the most able and
practical general farmers in this locality. As
an active supporter of the Republican party,
he has long been prominent in public affairs,
having served as Town Treasurer, and during
his several years’ service as a member of the
Board of Selectmen he was Chairman of that
body for a greater part of the time. He has
also attended to the duties of a Justice of the
Peace for many years.

On December 25, 1855, Mr. Garland was
married to Emily A. Ring, daughter of Amos
and Lydia C. (Jones) Ring, of Hampstead.
Of the two children born of this union the
only survivor is Charles W., the date of whose
birth was July 13, 1859. Mr. and Mrs. Gar-
land are members of the Congregational
church, of which Mr. Garland is one of the
most active and liberal supporters; and he
has been a Deacon for the past four years.
Mr. Garland is also one of the Trustees of the
Emerson High School.

Charles W. Garland began his education in
the common schools; and, after completing his
course of study at the Emerson High School
and Eastman Business College, Poughkeepsie,
N.Y., he went to Haverhill, Mass., where
he was for some time employed as_ book-
keeper. Failing health at length caused him
to seek outdoor occupation, and he has since
been engaged in general farming in Hamp-
stead. He makes a specialty of raising
Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte, and other fancy
breeds of fowl, having a well-equipped hen-
nery; and he ships large numbers to different
parts of the United States and England.

Politically, he is a Republican, and has
served as a Selectman for five years, having
been a member of the board for four years in
succession; and he was its Chairman for three
years. He is a business man of recognized
ability, and has served as a Justice of the

 

Peace and a Notary Public for the past twelve
years.

Mr. Garland enjoys cordial social and fra-
ternal relations, being connected with the
Junior Order of United American Mechanics
and the Patrons of Husbandry; and both he
and his wife are members of the Congrega-
tional church.

Charles W. Garland and Ada Emerson,
daughter of Alfred P. Emerson, of Hampstead,
were united in marriage on April 21, 1885,
and are the parents of three children, namely:
Leona C., who was born April 22,° 1886;
Mildred R., who was born August 5, 1887;
and John A., who was born August 6, 1889.

 

AN T. SANBORN, an enterprising
carpenter and builder of Danville,
8) was born in Chester, this county,
January 12, 1850, son of Simeon M.
and Belinda (West) Sanborn. Daniel San-
born, great-grandfather of Dan T. Sanborn,
came from Kensington, this county, to Dan-
ville, when the place was a part of the wilder-
ness. Here he cleared a farm, and reared his
family. His son, Sherburn, the grandfather,
was born on the parental homestead, January
10, 1756. Sherburn was a soldier in the Rev-
olutionary army, and fought in the battle of
Bunker Hill. He married Mary Hoyt, a
native of Chester, who became the mother of
five children.

Simeon M. Sanborn, the third of his par-
ents’ children, was born in Bristol, N.H.,
December 15, 1796. He was a child when
his parents moved to Poplin, N.H., now Fre-
mont. After remaining with them until he
reached his majority, he went to Chester, there
purchased a farm, and was thereafter occupied
in its cultivation until his demise, February
10, 1873. He was thrice married, on the first
occasion to Roxina Mills, who bore him eleven
children. Of these but two are living — John
C. and Sylvester. About 1838 he took for his
second wife Belinda West, daughter of Edward
and Hannah West, natives of New Hampshire.
By this union there were nine children, of
whom five are now living. These are: Har-
riet S., who married John S. Kelley, of San-
down, this: county; Mark, who married a Miss

 

 

 

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

595

 

 

Marden, of Chester; Laura J., who married
John C. Haynes, of Sandown; Maria E., who
married Samuel S. West, of Raymond, N.H. ;
and Dan T., the subject of this sketch.

Dan T. Sanborn received his education in
the public schools of Chester. He remained
on the home farm, assisting his father on the
farm until he was twenty-three years of age.
Then, going to Fremont, he there learned
the trade of carpenter and builder. He subse-
quently came to Danville, where he has since
done a thriving business in that line, and is
earning the reputation of a first-class mechanic.

On January 1, 1876, he married Abbie C.
Elkins, daughter of Abel and Clarissa R.
Elkins, of Danville. He has had four chil-
dren — Eva C., Herman E., Lillian Louise,
and Clifton. The two last named are de-
ceased. Eva C. Sanborn graduated from San-
born Seminary, of Kingston, N.H., June 18,
in the class of 1896. Mr. Sanborn is a stanch
Republican, and served the town as Selectman
in 1894 and 1895. _ His religious belief is that
of the Universalist church. The family at-
tend the Free Will Baptist church of North
Danville. ~

‘

 

 

ANIEL P. PENDEXTER, a car-
penter and builder of Portsmouth,
o was born November 26, 1836, in
the town of Cornish, Me., which

was also the birthplace of his father and grand-
father. His paternal grandfather, Henry
Pendexter, spent his entire life in Cornish,
where he was numbered among the successful
farmers. He and his wife, Polly, were well
known as worthy people and good neighbors.
Their son, Henry, father of Daniel P., mar-
ried Clarissa Hammonds, a daughter of Cap-
tain Edmund Hammonds, who commanded a
company in the Revolutionary War. Captain
Hammonds was engaged in agricultural pur-
suits in Cornish during his active period, and
was Town Clerk and Town Treasurer for sev-
eral terms. He removed to Glenburn, Me., in
1848, and there resided until his death at a
ripe old age. To him and his wife, whose
maiden name was Betsey Hill, nine children
were born, of whom Mrs. Henry Pendexter,
Jr., was the fifth. Mrs. Betsey (Hill) Ham-

 

 

 

 

 

monds lived to be ninety-six years old. Her
daughter, Clarissa (Mrs. Henry Pendexter,
Jr.), died June 15, 1896, at the age of eighty-
nine years, eleven months.

Daniel P. Pendexter was but two years old
when his parents removed from Cornish to
Glenburn, where he was bred and educated.
He was engaged in lumbering from the age
of sixteen to twenty-four. In 1863 he came
to Portsmouth, and was employed driving a
team for Frank Jones for five years. He took
up the trades of carpenter and joiner in 1868,
at first for Mr. Jones and later for Moses
Yeaton. In 1884 he formed a_ partnership
with Solomon Littlefield, with whom for a
time he carried on business under the firm
name of Pendexter & Littlefield. After the
withdrawal of Mr. Littlefield Mr. Pendexter
continued in business alone for four years.
Then, receiving Herbert Marden into partner-
ship, Pendexter & Marden carried it on for
the next three years. At the end of that
period Mr. Pendexter became sole proprietor,
and has since conducted the business without
assistance. Under his supervision many hand-
some residences in this city and in neighboring
towns have been built. Notable among them
are the houses of both members of the firm,
Maddock & Moore; the summer residence, at
Kittery, of O. B. Libbey, of New York; the
dwelling of Thomas Emery at York, Me.; a
house belonging to Herbert Marden and a fine
residence on West Street, this city.

In politics Mr. Pendexter was formerly a
Democrat, but now he votes independently of
either party. He served as a member of the
Common Council two years, and as one of the
Ward Committee representing Ward 2 for two
years. His connection with fraternal organ-
izations includes membership in Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, New Hampshire
Lodge, No. 17, of which he is now Permanent
Secretary; in Rebecca Lodge, being Chairman
of the Trustees; in Canton Senter, No. 123; in
Strawberry Bank Encampment, all the chairs
of which he has filled; and in Kenduskeag
Lodge, No, 137, A. F. & A. M., of Kendus-
keag, Me. He has been a delegate to the
Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows several times.
He attends religious worship in St. John’s
Episcopal Church, of which his wife is a mem-
506 |

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

ber. In 1871, February 22, Mr. Pendexter
was united in matrimony with Emma, daugh-
ter of Thomas and Mary Cottle, of Eliot, Me.
They have a son and a daughter. The son,
Charley, is learning the carpenter’s trade
under his father’s instruction; and the daugh-
ter, Dora, is the wife of John Sugden, of this
city.

 

LIVER A. FLEMING, for the past
twelve years successfully engaged in
the furniture and undertaking business
in Exeter, is a native of Hampton

Falls, this State, born in 1843, son of David
and Eunice (Williams) Fleming. David
Fleming, who was born in Scotland, at the
age of twelve years came to America with his
elder brothers. They scattered and made
homes for themselves in different parts of the
United States. He came to Hampton Falls,
where the greater part of his life was spent.
For many years he had charge of the stables
there, also of the stage route from that place.
After that he worked for Judge Wingate, of
Stratham, Lewis County, twelve years. His
last place of employment was the grist-mill at
Exeter. Here, one day in 1845, while oiling
the machinery, he was drawn into the wheels
by his clothing, and so seriously injured that
he died. He was a member of the Congrega-
tional church. His wife, Eunice, who was
born in Hampton Falls, lived until 1882.

Oliver A. Fleming received a fair common-
school education. As by his father’s death
the family were left in only moderate circum-
stances, he began to maintain himself at an
early age. He learned harness-making, which
he profitably carried on afterward in Exeter for
many years. In 1884 he purchased the furni-
ture and undertaking business, which he has
since conducted with much success. In 1866
Mr. Fleming was joined in marriage with
Miss Annie W. Robinson, a native of Exeter,
and a daughter of Charles Robinson.

Mr. Fleming's standing in the business and
social circles of Exeter is unquestioned. His
public spirit is well known, and he is held in
high esteem by his many friends and acquaint-
ances. In political contests he supports the
Republican candidates, but is not an active

| an early settler.

 

politician, preferring to devote his time to his
business. He is a Mason of high rank, being
a member of Star in the East Lodge, No. 59,
A. F. & A. M.; St. Alban Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons; Olivet Council and De Witt
Clinton Commandery, Knights Templars, of
Portsmouth. He has also membership in Sag-
amore Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, in the Royal Arcanum, and in the Im-
proved Order of Red Men. Mr. and Mrs.
Fleming are members of the Unitarian church.

 

 

o

EORGE H. CLARK, a rising young
merchant of West Windham and a
member of the Board of Selectmen,

was born in Windham, September 2, 1860,
son of Henry and Eva L. (Simpson) Clark.
Nathaniel Clark, Mr. Clark’s grandfather, was
He was a prosperous farmer,
and figured conspicuously in public affairs as
a Selectman. Henry Clark is a native of this
town, where he is still successfully engaged in
farming. He is regarded as one of the most
prosperous agriculturists here. Tlis wife, a
native of West Rumney, N.H., whose maiden
hame was Eva L. Simpson, is the mother of
four children — George H., Josie B., Rose J.;
and Angie E.

George H. Clark acquired the elementary
branches of his education in the public schools
of this town, and finished his studies with a
two years’ course at Pinkerton Academy in
Derry, N.H. He was for some time engaged
in assisting his father upon the farm; but,
having a natural inclination for mercantile pur-
suits, he in 1895 established himself in busi-
ness at West Windham. His store is stocked
with a full line of groceries, hardware, boots
and shoes, dry goods, seeds of all kinds, and
other agricultural supplies. He also deals in
pumps and other water-supplying devices, be-
ing agent for the Gem Windmill. Winning
confidence by his upright methods of doing
business, he has already built up a large and
growing trade.

In politics he is an active supporter of the
Republican party. Recognizing his ability
and popularity, the party elected him to the
Board of Selectmen in 1895-96. He is a
general society favorite here, being a prime
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

5°7

 

 

mover in all important social events. All
measures designed for thé general improvement
of the town or the development of its re-
sources receive his substantial aid. He is
connected with Echo Lodge, No. 61, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, of Derry, N.H.,
and is active in the Patrons of Husbandry,
having served as Steward of Windham Grange,
No. 182, since it was organized in 1892.

 

OHN LEDDY, a prominent merchant of
Epping, was born in Oldcastle, Fre-
land, in 1840. His parents, Thomas
and Ann (Smith) Leddy, who were

also natives of Ireland, emigrated to America
in 1848. After staying fifteen months in
Boston, they came to Epping, where Mr.
Leddy bought land, and subsequently became
prominent among the farmers of the district.
They had five children; namely, John, Ann,
Charles, Thomas, and James. Like John,
Ann and Charles were born in Ireland. Ann
married Charles E. Rogers, who died for the
Union in the Civil War. Thomas, born in
this country in 1849, is a merchant of New-
fields, N.H., where he is also a Selectman and
the Postmaster. James, who was born here in
1852, died in 1868. The father died in
1887, having survived his wife three years.

John Leddy had very few educational advan-
tages, most of his instruction being received at
home. At the age of twelve years he learned
the shoemaking trade, and followed it until
1864, when he entered Mr. Pike’s store in this
village as clerk. Eight years afterward, hav.
ing acquired a good knowledge of business, he
established a genera] merchandise store, which
he has prosperously conducted since. He is
now one of the most prominent business men
of the county. Associated with him in busi-

ness is his brother Charles. His brother
Thomas was formerly a partner.
In 1885 Mr. Leddy erected the Leddy

Block, the finest business structure in Epping.
It was designed by Frederick C. Lyford, of
Suncook, Merrimack County, and is built of
brick and iron with granite trimmings, being
thirty-six by seventy-two feet. In the first
story the frontage is of brick and iron, having
three large show windows of heavy plate glass.

 

Built into the structure of the second floor,
on a large tablet of copper faced with gold-
leaf, is the sign ‘*John Leddy & Co.’’ The
four windows of the second story are arranged
in pairs, with massive granite sills and arched
tops. Between the windows isa granite tablet

bearing the significant letters “I. O. O. F.”’

and the symbolic links of Odd Fellowship in
copper faced with gold-leaf. The roof parapet,
has a railing of ornamental iron-work, and
directly below the inscription ‘‘1840. Leddy.
1895,'’ commemorating both the date of Mr.
Leddy’s birth and of erection of the building
that had previously occupied the site, as well as
the erection of the present structure. A central
partition extending for nearly the full depth
of the building, unbroken save by one archway,
divides the first story into two compartments.
The shoe department is on the right, and that
of the groceries, flour, and grain is on the left,
the archway affording ready communication
between them. They are united at the rear.
The floors are of hard pine, walls and ceilings
are sheathed in North Carolina pine, and the
counters and shelvings are of whitewood. The
fixtures are up to date, the interior as well as
the exterior being very pleasing to the eye.
Another admirable feature is the system of
lighting. There are nine two-light nickel
chandeliers, whose lamps are automatically
supplied with kerosene from one distributing
tank. The illuminant is kept at the original
level throughout the system as long as the
lamps are in use, hand-filling being unneces-
sary; while the chandeliers, poised by weights,
can with ease be pulled down for lighting.
The building is heated by steam, and is virt-
ually fireproof. A stairway and freight ele-
vdtor communicate with the basement. The
lower story and basement are occupied by the
proprietors, and the entire second story by
Geneva Lodge, No. 80, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. The firm has an enviable repu-
tation and a very extensive trade. The
brothers also manufacture and sell one anda
half million bricks a year, and are engaged to
quite an extent in the real estate business.

Mr. Leddy has been twice married. The
first occasion was in 1877, when he was united
with Nora C. Leonard, of this town, who died
in 1880. His second marriage was contracted

ce
508

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

with Annie (Hanley) Norton, who had five
children by a former marriage, namely: Lulu
Norton, the wife of Dr. Adolph Franz, of
South Hadley Falls, Mass.; James D.; Mary
Gertrude; Grace E.; and Agnes Maria. In
politics Mr. Leddy is a Democrat. He has
served as Town Clerk, Supervisor, and Select-
man, and has twice represented the district in
the State legislature. He was Selectman for
four years. He and Mrs. Leddy are devout
members of the Catholic church. Mr. Leddy
is a public-spirited man, has the esteem of the
community, and stands well in the town both
socially and financially.

 

 

tive farmer of Windham, and a descend-

ant of one of the first settlers of the

place, was born upon the farm he now
owns and occupies, September 26, 1819, son
of Captain Phineas and Clarissa (Wilson)
Haseltine. The family is of English ancestry.
Mr. Haseltine’s grandparents, Philip and Pa-
tience Haseltine, were both natives of Massa-
chusetts. Philip Haseltine was an early set-
tler in Windham. He cleared and improved
the farm which is now the property of his
grandson, and he served as an officer in the
War of 1812. Captain Phineas Haseltine,
Mr. Haseltine’s father, was born in Windham.
Succeeding to the homestead, he was there-
after occupied in its management until his
death, which occurred in 1823. He held the
commission of Captain in the State militia,
and was one of the stirring and industrious
men of his day. He married Clarissa Wilson,
who was a native of Hudson, N.H.; and the
only surviving child of this union is Isaiah
W., the subject of this sketch.

Isaiah W. Haseltine passed his youth in
assisting upon the homestead farm and in at-
tending the district school. Being but four
years old at the time of his father’s death, he
was necessarily forced to begin the labors of
life at an early age. On reaching his majority
and succeeding to the ownership of the prop-
erty, he was well prepared to carry on gen-
eral farming. The old Haseltine homestead,
where he has always resided, consists of
seventy-five acres of excellent tillage land,

Poss W. HASELTINE, a representa-

 

capable of producing abundant crops of a su-
perior quality. By making the most of the
opportunities afforded him in his farming, he
obtains good financial returns. The homestead
has been in the possession of the family for
one hundred and twenty years.

On June 12, 1845, Mr. Haseltine wedded
Jane S. Hall. She was born in Windham,
May 2, 1821, daughter of John and Lilly
(Morrow) Hall. Both her parents were natives
of this town, as was her grandfather, Ebenezer
Hall. Her great-grandfather was the first of
the Hall family to settle here. Mrs. Hasel-
tine’s maternal grandfather, Alexander Mor-
row, served as a soldier in the Continental
army during the Revolutionary War. John
and Lilly (Morrow) Hall, industrious farming
people, were highly respected in Windham.
Of their children three others are living;
namely, Mrs. Nancy Twiss, Mrs. Eliza S.
Worledge, and John M. Hall. Mr. and Mrs.
Haseltine have five children; namely, Phineas
W., George J., Clara J., Eliza M., and Lilly A.
Mr. Haseltine, who served his townsmen well
and faithfully for four years as a member of
the Board of Selectmen, has long enjoyed
the esteem and confidence of the general com-
munity. Both he and his wife are passing
their declining years quietly at the home-
stead. They celebrated their golden wed-
ding on June 12, 1895, when their numerous
friends and acquaintances extended their con-
gratulations, and joined heartily in wishing
them long-continued happiness.

PON. SHERMAN T. NEWTON, of

| Portsmouth, was born September 5,

-_ 1864, on the Isles of Shoals. At

the age of eight years he came with

his parents, Elvin and Mary Jane Newton, to
this city, and here completed his education in
the high school. When but sixteen years old,
he became a copartner with his father in the
wholesale fish business, which, under the firm

 

 

-hame of E. Newton & Co., they have since

carried on with signal success. In the first few
years after becoming established in business
the junior partner spent much of his time at
sea, making long fishing voyages. This part of
the work is now relegated to others, more im-
 

HENRY C. TUCK.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

511

 

 

portant matters on shore demanding his entire

time. The firm employ twenty-eight fishing
vessels, besides numerous dories and small
boats. Their annual catch includes fish of all

kinds, which they prepare for market.

Mr. Newton is a stanch and untiring advo-
cate of the principles of the Republican party,
of which he is an influential member. Al-
though residing in Ward 4, which usually
gives a Democratic majority of one hundred
and thirty votes, he was elected Representa-
tive to the State legislature for two consecu-
tive terms, being the first Republican so
honored by the ward in thirty years. He
was urgently requested to accept a nomination
for re-election in 1895, but declined. While
in the legislature, Mr. Newton served on the
Collection Committee. It was chiefly through
his persistent efforts there that the Police
Commission of Portsmouth was secured. He
also rendered valuable assistance in redistrict-
ing the city. He has been active in local
affairs, serving at various times on ward and
city: committees, his sound judgment and busi-
ness capacity making him an able adviser.

On May 3, 1890, Mr. Newton was united

in marriage with Hattie F. Preble, eldest
daughter of Charles Preble, of York, Me.,
and has a son and a daughter. Mr. Newton

is a popular member of several fraternal orders.
These include Portsmouth Lodge, No. 97,
B. & P. O. Elks; Damon Lodge, No. 9,
Knights of Pythias; St. John Lodge, No. 1,
of Masons; and Constitution Lodge of For-
esters. He is also a charter member of the
Portsmouth Athletic Club.

 

 

 

YP ENRY C. TUCK, an esteemed resi-
dent of Kensington, N.H., a lineal
Ls descendant of Robert Tuck, one of

the earliest settlers of Hampton,
Rockingham County, was born August 3,
1833, at the Tuck homestead, where he now
resides. His parents were Jonathan, Jr., and
Sarah (Philbrick) Tuck.

Jonathan Tuck, Sr., Mr. Tuck's grandfather,
was a native and lifelong resident of Kensing-
ton. For many years he was identified with
the farming interests of this town; and he also

 

 

active and successful men of his day. He
lived to be seventy-seven years old, and was a
prominent man in the community, possessing
the respect and confidence of his fellow-towns-
men. He acted with the Whig party in poli-
tics. He married Dorothy Webster, of Itast
Kingston, N.H.; and six children were born
of this union. The only survivor is Mary
Ann, who resides in Exeter. Her mother,
Mr. Tuck’s grandmother, died in 1847. She
was a member of the Congregational church.

Jonathan Tuck, Jr., son of Jonathan, Sr.,
and Dorothy W. Tuck, was born at the home-
stead in Kensington, August 13, 1799. He
became interested with his father in the tan-
nery at an early age, having begun his busi-
ness career immediately after finishing his
studies in the schools of this town; and,
taking entire charge of the enterprise after his
father’s death, he carried it on successfully for
thirty years. He then retired to the home
farm of one hundred and fifty acres, where he
devoted the rest of his life to tilling the ‘soil.
The present residence was erected by him with
brick made upon the farm. He died at the
age of seventy-seven years. An _ intelligent,
progressive, and exceedingly prosperous citi-
zen, he exercised much influence in all matters
relative to the welfare of the community. Po-
litically, he supported the Republican party in
his latter years. His wife, Sarah Philbrick,
whom he married March 17, 1829, was a
native of Tamworth, N.H., and a daughter of
Stephen G. Philbrick, of that town. She be-
came the mother of two children, namely:
Henry C., the subject of this sketch; and
Charles E., who was born June 15, 1835.

Charles E. Tuck married Sarah J. Eaton,
daughter of Moses Eaton, of South Hampton,
and has three children — Lizzie E., Frank L.,
and Annie. Frank L. Tuck married Gertrude
Wood, and has one son, Arthur. Annie Tuck
is the wife of Frank Tuttle, of Stratham. Mr.
Tuck’s mother, Mrs. Sarah P. Tuck, lived to
reach the advanced age of ninety-two years.
She was an earnest member of the Congrega-
tional church.

Henry C. Tuck has always resided at the
family homestead in Kensington. In his boy-
hood he acquired a good practical education.

operated a tannery, being one of the most | Tilling the soil has been his principal occupa-
512

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

tion since he began the work of life; and asa
general farmer he is industrious, progressive,
and successful.

On April ro, 1886, Mr. Tuck was -married |

to Mrs. Mary E. Philbrick, born Knox, daugh-
ter of Edward Knox, of Tamworth. She is
one of a family of fourteen children, of whom
four sons and two daughters survive. Her
father, who still resides at his home in Tam-
worth, is now seventy-six years old. By her
previous marriage with Samuel Philbrick Mrs.
Tuck has one son, named Frank. Frank Phil-
brick and Annie M. Brown, eldest daughter of
David Brown, of Kensington, were married on
November 19, 1892. They have two children;
namely, Harry T. and Horace B.

Mr. Tuck is a Republican in politics. He
has served as Town Clerk of Kensington for
two terms, and he represented the town in the
legislature during the years 1867 and 1870.
He is a member of Hoosac Division, Sons of
Temperance, of Kensington, of which he has
been Secretary for ten years, besides holding
other offices in the society; and he is likewise
connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. In
every way a worthy and useful citizen, he is
regarded by his fellow-townsmen as a man of
perfect integrity. Mrs. Tuck is a member of
the Congregational church.

YP ON. DARIUS FRINK was born in
-Newington, N.H., June 3, 1810, on
>t the old homestead by the Bay,
" whereon his mother also was born.
His father, Cyrus Frink, came from Stoning-
ton, Conn., when a young man, to assist in
building the Piscataqua Bridge. He married
Abigail Nutter, daughter of Deacon John and
Anna (Symes) Nutter, her father being a native
of Newington, and her mother of Portsmouth.
There were nine children born to them, six
sons and three daughters; namely, Cyrus, Ab-
igail, Simes, Isaac, Margarett Ann, John N.,
Darius, Elias, and Hannah.

Darius was the fifth son, and was educated
at the town school and at the Greenland,
Hampton, and Pittsfield Academies, where he
prepared himself for the profession of teaching.
He was very successful as a teacher, and taught
many schools. For many years he was

 

 

 

appointed to serve upon the Board of Educa-
tion. He entered the militia, and with his
three brothers became of prominent rank in the
division here located. Isaac was Colonel;
Simes, Captain; Darius, Major; and Elias,
Adjutant. He was commissioned Justice of
the Peace and Quorum, and Justice through-
out the State, for more than fifty years settling
estates and transacting important judicial bust-
ness. In 1859 he was appointed County Com-
missioner for the term of three years, serving
with zeal for the best interests for the. people.
In 1865 and 1866 he occupied a seat in the
State Senate from District No. 1, satisfying
his constituents with his fidelity and ability.
He was one of a number of citizens who
formed themselves into a society for the main-
tenance of the gospel in Newington, and also
one of ten persons who added one hundred dol-
lars each to a legacy of Miss Lydia Rollins to
construct a parsonage.

He married Mary E. Coleman, daughter of
Captain James Coleman, of Newington, who
was son of Phinebas and great-grandson of
Eleazer Coleman. His health failed a year
before his death, which occurred January 4,
1893. He was buried from his late residence,
the Rev. Messrs. Dr. Robie, of Greenland, and
Henry P. Page, of Newington, officiating.
Being a Royal Arch Mason of St. John’s
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., his obsequies were
conducted with Masonic rites.

 

 

DWIN O. DINSMORE, a descendant
in the sixth generation of the original
owner of the farm he now occupies,
and an ex-member of the New Hampshire
legislature, was born at the Dinsmore home-
stead in Windham, son of Theodore and Eliza
(Morrison) Dinsmore. James Dinsmore, Mr.
Dinsmore’s grandfather, was the fourth repre-
sentative of the family to occupy the home-
stead. He was one of the enterprising agricult-
urists of his time.

Theodore Dinsmore, who was born about the
close of the last century, having inherited the
home farm in his turn, cultivated it with
energy during his active period. He was
closely identified with local public affairs for
many years, serving as a Selectman and legis-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

513

 

 

lative Representative. His death, which oc-
curred in August, 1870, was deeply regretted
by his numerous friends and acquaintances, and
the public generally. In his religious belief
he was a Presbyterian, having been one of the
elders of that church in Windham Centre; and
in politics he was successively a Whig and a
Republican. His wife, a native of Windham,
who was before marriage Eliza Morrison, be-
came the mother of four children, namely:
Samuel M., of Yonkers, N.Y.; Edwin O.,
the subject of this sketch; Martha, now de-
ceased; and Aurelia. The mother, who lived
to be over eighty years old, died in 1887.

Edwin O. Dinsmore obtained his education
in the common schools and at the academies of
Atkinson and East Andover, N.H. He grew
to manhood on the homestead, where he has
always resided. Having succeeded to the an-
cestral estate, he has since managed the prop-
erty with good financial results. For several
winters past he has conducted lumbering
operations; but, although his efforts in that
- direction were generally successful, he finds
farming to be the more profitable and agree-
able occupation.

Politically, Mr. Dinsmore is a Republican.
A leading spirit in political affairs, he exer-
cises a considerable influence in the party or-
ganization here. He served with marked abil-
ity as a member of the New Hampshire House
of Representatives for one term. He is highly
respected both in business and social circles,
and is an active member of the Patrons of
Husbandry.

 

 

ARREN PARSONS,, M.D., a na-
tive-born practitioner in the town
of Rye, and the only one here for

about fifty years, is living in the house where
he was born on May 28, 1818. He may truly
be said to be a physician by birth, breeding,
and practice, both his father, John Wilkes
Parsons, and his grandfather, Joseph Parsons,
having belonged to the medical profession.

Dr. Parsons is of English ancestry, the
lineal descendant of Cornet Joseph Parsons,
who emigrated from England to America with
his father in 1635, and located first at Spring-
field, Mass., and on July 15, 1636, was a wit-

 

ness to the deed by which the thirteen Ind-
ians conveyed the land to the newly settled
colony. Cornet Parsons in 1655 moved
further north, and became one of the pioneer
settlers, and a principal founder of the town
of North Hampton, Mass. After living there
nearly twenty-five years, in 1679 he returned
to Springfield, where he died in 1683. Jo-
seph Parsons, son of Cornet Joseph and Mary
(Bliss) Parsons, married Elizabeth Strong,
daughter of Elder John Strong, of North
Hampton. Their eldest son, the Rev. Joseph
Parsons, a graduate of Harvard College in
1697, married Elizabeth Thompson, and set-
tled first at Lebanon, Conn., and later at
Salisbury, Mass.

The Rev. Samuel Parsons, son of the Rev.
Joseph Parsons, was born in 1707, and was
graduated at Harvard College in 1730. He
was ordained and settled as pastor of the church
at Rye in 1736, being the first of the family
to locate in this vicinity; and he was also the
first settled minister in the town. He was
very successful in his labors, holding his pas-
torate here for more than fifty years. The
Rev. Samuel Parsons married Mary Jones,
daughter of Samuel and Mary (Adams) Jones,
of Boston. Mrs. Jones, the mother of Mrs.
Parsons, was a daughter of Captain John
Adams, who was a brother of Joseph Adams,
the grandfather of President John Adams.
Captain Adams, it is thus seen, was a great-
uncle of the elder President Adams. He
was also the grandfather of the no less dis-
tinguished patriot, Samuel Adams.

Dr. Joseph Parsons, a native of Rye, and a
son of the Rev. Samuel and Mary (Jones)
Parsons, was a Captain in the Revolutionary
army, under General Washington. He prac-
tised medicine in his native town for many
years, and died on the homestead now owned
by his grandson, Dr. Warren Parsons.

Dr. John Wilkes Parsons was born, lived,
and died on the old homestead in Rye. He
was known far and wide as a skilful physician.
His wife, Abigail Garland, was the daughter
of John Garland, of Rye. She was the
mother of nine children, among whom were:
Dr. Warren Parsons; Charles G. Parsons, .
M.D., a practising physician of Mississippi;
T. J. Parsons, of Rye, who was known
514

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

throughout the country as Squire Parsons;
Emily, who married Joseph Brown, of Rye;
William H., who married Anna Decatur, a
niece of Commodore Decatur, was a sea cap-
tain, and died in Germany; John, another son,
who married Susan Decatur, was an officer in
the Seminole War, serving as Major of a com-
pany; and Miss Abby S. Parsons, who is liv-
ing with her brother Warren on the old home-
stead. The house which they occupy was
built by the Rev. Samuel Parsons, and is still
in excellent repair, its substantial and well-
seasoned timbers having withstood the winds
and weather for more than one hundred and
thirty years. Six generations of the Parsons
family have made their home within its walls,
which are dear to the heart of each living
member.

Dr. Warren Parsons was liberally educated
in his youth, attending successively the dis-
trict schools of his native town, the Hampton
Academy, the Latin and English School at
Andover, Mass. In 1840 he received an ap-
pointment as Disbursing Clerk in the Treasury
Department at Washington, having been rec-
ommended to the position by the Hon. Daniel
Webster. He was graduated from the Colum-
bian Medical College at Washington, D.C.,
in 1842. On his return to his native State
Dr. Parsons began the practice of his profes-
sion in Rye, Portsmouth, and the Isles of
Shoals, and for years had a very large patron-
age.

In politics Dr. Parsons has always been
identified with the Republican party. He
cast his first Presidential vote in 1840 for
William H. Harrison. For some years he
was Surgeon of the First Regiment of New
Hampshire, and he has also served as Notary
Public. He has a retentive memory, and his
mind is stored with rich and pleasing remin-
iscences of the olden times.

Dr. Warren Parsons has been twice mar-
ried. His first wife was Miss Sarah A. Dow,
of Rye. She died in 1850, leaving one son,
Warren J., who died in Florida in 1895. By
his second wife, formerly Miss Julia A. Gove,
of Raymond, N.H., he has reared three chil-
dren — Frederick D., Ella Maria, and Anna
Decatur. Frederick D. married Abby P.
Brown, of this town. Ella M. is the wife of

 

John Fraser, a native of Scotland, and a mem-
ber of the Direct United States Cable Staff of
Rye; and they have two children — Julius W.
and Frederick J.  Religiously, the Doctor
has been an active member of the Congrega-
tional church for more than a half-century.

 

ONATHAN W. ROBINSON, a pros-
perous and progressive farmer, living
in Brentwood township, was born De-
cember 26, 1834, in Exeter township,

a son of Jonathan and Sarah (Dearborn)
Robinson. He is of pioneer ancestry, his
great-grandfather Jonathan having been one of
the original settlers of the town of Exeter.
Jonathan Robinson spent his life in Exeter,
where he was numbered among the well-to-do
farmers. He married Sarah Dearborn, a na-
tive of North Hampton, this county; and they
reared five children, as follows: Jonathan W.,
the subject of this sketch; Sarah, the wife of
J. D. Brown, of Hampton Falls, this county;
William, a resident of West Lynn, Mass. ;
Mary, the wife of John J. Brown, of Hamp-
ton Falls; and Daniel W., who lives in Exe-
ter. The father died in 1851; and the mother,
now a venerable woman of eighty-two years,
lives with her daughter at Hampton Falls.

Jonathan W. Robinson was educated in the
common schools of his native town, and on
the paternal homestead acquired a thorough
knowledge of agriculture. On the death of
his father he purchased the interest of the re-
maining heirs to the old Exeter homestead,
and was there engaged in farming until 1872.
At that time Mr. Robinson bought the farm
on which he now lives, in the town of Brent-
wood, and which was then known as the old
Dudley homestead. It has one hundred and
sixty acres of land. By means of extensive
improvements he has rendered it one of the
most desirable estates in this vicinity. In
addition to general farming ‘he is profitably
engaged in dairying, supplying milk by wagon
to a number of patrons. An ardent advocate
of the principles of the Republican party, he
takes an active interest in politics, and has
held several town offices, including that of
Selectman. He is a member of the Royal
Arcanum Lodge of Exeter.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

515

 

 

Mr. Robinson has been twice married. In
March, 1860, he wedded Mary A. Rollins, of
Stratham, N.H. She died in 1870, leaving
two children -— Lucy A. and George A. The
daughter is now the wife of Arthur B. Adams,
who makes his home with Mr. Robinson, and
is engaged in the lumber business in the
West. TFlis second marriage took place in
1873, when he was united to Jane E. Dudley.
She was born in Brentwood July 7, 1847, a
daughter of John Gilman and Jane (Stevens)
Dudley, both lifelong residents of this town.
Of this union no children have been born.
Mrs. Robinson, who is the lineal descendant
of an old and prominent family, preserves
among many relics of value deeds and records
dated two hundred and five years ago.

ERLEY B. BATCHELDER, one of
the busy farmers of Nottingham, was

born here, January 21, 1871, son of

 

Charles H. and Harriet (Davis)
Batchelder. He is a grandson of Gilman
Batchelder and Jacob Davis. His paternal
grandfather, who was also born here, spent
the active years of his life in farming and
trading. Ambitious and industrious, and
being a man of practical judgment, Grand-
father Batchelder attained a fair degree of suc-

cess. He lived to be seventy-five years of
age. His wife, Clara B. Batchelder, died
when about fifty-two years old. She was a

daughter of Jacob Batchelder, and a cousin of
her husband. Of their twelve children
Charles H. was the eldest. Four are still liv-
ing. George G. married Amanda J. Davis, a
daughter of Moses Davis, of Nottingham, and
has four children — Alpha G., Jay R., Willis
G., and Fanny C. The latter is the widow of
Charles Harvey, and has one child, Lillia.
Charles H. Batchelder, born in Nottingham,
May 3, 1829, was engaged in agricultural
pursuits throughout his life. In 1853 he
married Miss Harriet Davis, and they became
the parents of nine children, four of whom are
living. These are: Hattie J., born Septem-
ber 27, 1860, who is the wife of Leroy Wood-
man, of Northwood, N.H., and has one daugh-
ter, Lennor; Cyrus P., born May 3, 1862,
the thirty-third anniversary of his father’s

 

birth, who married Miss Lois A. Rand, of
New Castle, N.H.; Clara A., born March 10,
1864; and Perley B. The father died June
22, 1895, at the age of sixty-six. He and his
wife, who is now living on the old homestead,
were regular attendants of the Baptist church.
A Democrat in politics, he was prominent in
town affairs, and served on the Board of Se-
lectmen for several years and in the State
legislature for two years.

Perley B. Batchelder spent his early years
in acquiring an education. On leaving school,
he went to work on his father’s farm, and has
since been occupied in agriculture. At the
present time he owns a good farm of one hun-
dred acres. Aside from the pecuniary advan-
tages derived from his occupation, and despite
the hard work inseparable from it, it is mani-
fest that it affords an ample field for the exer-
cise of intelligence, and therefore may be a
source of much enjoyment to a man of Mr.
Batchelder’s disposition. He is a member of
Equity Lodge, No. 33, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Northwood.

 

LVAH H. PLACE, a prominent drug-

gist of New Market, N.H., was born

in Strafford, this State, in 1861.

His parents were Jonathan and

Sarah (Waterhouse). Tuttle, natives of the

same county, where they spent their lives.

The father belonged to one of the oldest fam-

ilies in the State, who were early settlers at

Dover Point. Learning the carpenter’s trade

early in life, Mr. Jonathan Tuttle followed

this vocation for many years, having the re-

spect of all when he closed his earthly career.

The good wife and mother passed away in
1865.

Alvah H. Tuttle was the youngest in a fam-
ily of seven children. Being left motherless
at the early age of four years, he went to Mil-
ton, N.H., to be cared-for by his aunt, Mrs.
Hannah Place, with whom he remained sev-
eral years. Place being the name by which he
was everywhere known, when he was twenty-
one he had his name legally changed. While
yet a lad of twelve years, he returned to Straf-
ford to work on the farm, with the under-
standing that he should avail himself of school
516

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

privileges at the district school. Two years
later, not being satisfied with his opportunity
of getting an education, he went to Dover,
N.H., entering the employ of the Rev. George
B. Spaulding, remaining three years. Dur-
ing a part of that time he was a pupil in
the Dover schools. For a year thereafter he
worked in the Cocheco Print Works, then
going into Lothrop & Pinkh’s drug store to
learn the business. In 1882 Mr. Place came
to New Market, and, after serving three
years in Dr. J. H. Twombly’s drug store, he
bought the business, forming a copartnership
with Charles E. Carter, of Lowell, Mass.
The firm is now (1896) known under the
name of Place & Green. They carry a
choice line of goods, and through the manage-
ment and efforts of Mr. Place the business has
greatly increased.

In politics Mr. Place is a Republican, who
is anxious and active in regard to party inter-
ests, though he does not care for office. He
is a man who is always ready to do what he
can to help his friends. Socially, he is a
member of the A. F. & A. M. and Knights
of Pythias. The maiden name of his wife, to
whom he was married in 1884, was S. Lizzie
Palmer. Her father, John Palmer, was for
many years a citizen of New Market. Mr.
and Mrs. Place have one daughter, Mar-
guerite.

 

AMES A. WATERHOUSE, a retired
mechanic of Portsmouth, was born in
Portland, Me., February 15, 1835, son
of William and Clarinda (Todd)

Waterhouse. The family has been American
for several generations. Jacob Waterhouse,
the grandfather of James A., was a native of
Portland. He fought for American indepen-
dence in the Revolutionary War. His princi-
pal occupation was boat-building, at which he
worked in Portland for the greater part of his
life; and he lived to a good old age. He
married a daughter of a Mr. Dyer, of Cape
Elizabeth, and became the father of eight girls
and three boys.

William Waterhouse, who was a native of
Portland, was the youngest son of Jacob
Waterhouse. Having been educated in the

 

public schools, he learned the trade of boat-
builder from his father, and thereafter fol-
lowed it for a livelihood. He was united in
matrimony with Clarinda Todd, daughter of
Samuel Todd, of York, Me. Of the children
born of the marriage but one, James A., the
subject of this sketch, lived to maturity.
The father, who was a most industrious man,
a good husband and father, died at the com-
paratively early age of thirty-three years.
The mother’s death occurred August 30, 1866,
when she was sixty years old.

James A. Waterhouse has been a resident
of Portsmouth since he was three years old.
In due time he was sent to school, which he

/ continued to attend until he reached the age

of eleven. He then began to earn his living
in the Kearsarge cotton-mills of Portsmouth,
where he worked until he was sixteen. After
that he was employed as a brakeman on the
Chicago & Pacific Railroad, and later as bag-
gage master for the Racine & Mississippi
Railroad. On returning from the West, he
obtained a position in the ship-yard at Ports-
mouth. This he held until 1862, when he en-
listed for the Civil War in Company K of the
Sixteenth New Hampshire Volunteers, re-
ceiving the rank of Corporal. The regiment
was assigned to the First Brigade, Third
Division, Nineteenth Corps, and shared in the
siege and capture of Port Hudson on the
Mississippi River. His term of service hav-
ing expired, he was discharged in 1863.
Next year he enlisted in the First New
Hampshire Heavy Artillery, and thereafter
served until the close of the war. Having
received his second discharge in 186s, he
returned home, and secured work in the ship-
building department of the navy yard. Here
he was employed for twenty years, three of
which were spent in the capacity of ship-
keeper. Since leaving the yard in 1885 he
has engaged in no active business.

In 1857 he was united in matrimonial bonds
with Deborah Davidson. She is a native of
Annan, Scotland, and was one of a large fam-
ily. Her father, Thomas Davidson, also a
native of Scotland, was a stone mason, and
worked at that trade as journeyman for many
years in Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Water-
house have had seven children, two of whom
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

5t7

 

 

are now living and married. In politics Mr.
Waterhouse has always been a Republican.
He has served the town as Councilman for two
years, representing Wards 1 and 2, as assist-
ant engineer of the fire department for four or
five years, and as chief engineer of the same
for two years. His connection with fraternal
organizations comprise membership in St.
John’s Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M., New
Hampshire Lodge, No. 17, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and Storer Post, Grand Army
of the Republic.

 

 

SAAC DOW, formerly Selectman and
Representative of his native town, New-
ington, Rockingham County, N.H., was
born on April 29, 1826. His parents

were Isaac and Lydia (Pickering) Dow.
Isaac Dow, Sr., was a native of the town of
Rye, being a carpenter by trade. He and his
wife had seven children — Lydia, Valentine,
Lizzie G., Francis, McClarin, Isaac, and
Martha, of whom Isaac is the only one now
living. The father moved to the farm, now
occupied by the subject of this sketch, in
1820, where, nearly fifty years later, in the
winter of 1869, he was killed by the falling of
a shed. His remains are interred in the New-
ington cemetery. His wife survived her hus-
band seventeen years, dying in 1886.

Isaac Dow remained on the farm until he
was nineteen years of age, receiving a com-
mon-school education. He then went to
Portsmouth, where he worked at the cabinet-
making trade one year, going thereafter to
Boston, where he remained twelve years, dur-
ing which time he worked as a carpenter. He
subsequently followed the same industry in
Portsmouth for a period of twenty-five years.
In 1883 he moved back to the old farm, though
for a short time afterward he worked at his
trade in Portsmouth. He now conducts his
farm of seventy acres, which he finds a pleas-
ant and profitable occupation. In politics he
isa Republican. He served as Selectman for
three years, and was Representative to the
State legislature in 1872. The maiden name
of his wife, to whom he was united in mar-
riage on June 12, 1862, was Abby W. Bean,
she being a daughter of Ruel and Sarah

 

(Whidden) Bean. Mrs. Dow was born in
Milton, Mass. She has had two children —
Herbert B., who resides in Portsmouth, being
connected with the firm of Hoyt & Dow, sta-
tioners; and Greenleaf C., who died at the
early age of four years.

 

 

LAGG F. GRANT is one of the best-
known men in Portsmouth, where he
has courteously and efficiently dis-

charged the duties of station agent for the
Boston & Maine Railroad during several years.
He was born March 22, 1858, at Somersworth,
N.H., son of Stephen and Mary A. (Jellison)
Grant. He is descended from sturdy Scotch
ancestors, who settled in that part of Massa-
chusetts now known as Acton, Me., prior to
the Revolution, in which his great-grandfather
bravely fought. Stephen Grant was engaged |
in the real estate and hotel business for the —
larger portion of his life. He spent many
years conducting a hotel in Berwick, Me.
While an uncompromising Democrat in poli-
tics, he refused all political honors. He mar-
ried Miss Mary A. Jellison, of Waterboro,
who bore him seven children. Of these, five
are living.

Flagg F. Grant, the second-born of his par-
ents’ children, attended the schools of Som-
ersworth for some time. Afterward he pur-
sued a more advanced course of studies at the
Berwick Academy, and later, in 1876, gradu-
ated from Bryant & Stratton’s Commercial
College in Boston, Mass. Remaining in
Boston after the last event, he was employed
for some time as ticket agent for the Boston
& Maine Railroad Company. Going then to
Cochituate, Mass., he was with the Varker
Express Company as messenger and_ book-
keeper for a while. Returning to Berwick,
he spent the next year as clerk in Grant’s
Hotel. Then he came to Portsmouth, and
accepted a position with Frank Jones as clerk
and steward of the Rockingham and Went-
worth Hotels. After serving in this capacity
for nine years, he again went to Boston, whcre
for a year he occupied a similar position in
the well-known Quincy House on Brattle
Street. On leaving the Quincy, he resumed
connection with the railroad company, accept-
518

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

ing a position as General Agent at Amesbury,
Mass. Here he remained until 1890, when
he became General Agent at Portsmouth, an
office which he has since filled to the satisfac-
tion alike of his employers and the public.

Mr. Grant was united in marriage, March
22, 1887, with Miss Carrie E., daughter of
Anthony May, of West Milan, Coos County.
Their wedded life has been brightened by the
birth of two children — Editha M. and Mar-
jory B. In politics Mr. Grant is a stanch
Democrat, and is active and influential in his
party. He served the city acceptably as a
member of the Common Council in 1892 and
1893, and as Alderman in 1894. He is a
Mason, belonging to St. Andrew’s Lodge, No.
56, A. F. & A. M.; to Washington Chapter,
No. 5, Royal Arch Masons; and to De Witt
Clinton Commandery, all of Portsmouth. He
is likewise an Odd Fellow, being a member of
Echo Lodge, No. 52, of Berwick, Me.

EORGE F. BEEDE, of Fremont, one
of the most enterprising and thriving
farmers of Rockingham County, was

born, January 5, 1838, on his present home-
stead, son of Daniel and Ann Elizabeth (Fol-
som) Beede. The Beede family have been
prominent in the annals of Fremont for several
generations. Eli Beede, first a native of the
Isle of Jersey, came to this country about the
year 1760, and settled in the territory now in-
cluded in East Kingston, then a part of Exe-
ter, this county. He purchased a farm in
Fremont for each of his sons — Hezekiah,
Daniel, Thomas, and Jonathan.
the name to settle here was Jonathan Beede,
the great-grandfather of George F. He set-
tled on this farm, which has since been occu-
pied by his descendants, and where his death
occurred in 1825. The maiden name of his
wife was Annie Sleeper. Eli Beede, son of
Jonathan, and a native of Fremont, was born
September 9, 1777, and died March 5, 1822.
He succeeded to the ownership of the farm,
on which he made many improvements, in-
cluding the replacing of the old log cabin,
which his parents built, by a_ substantial
frame house, the present dwelling of his
grandson. He married Miss Ruth Peaslee,

 

The first of.

who was born in Newton, N.H., November
1778, and died on the old home farm
November 13, 1842. The ceremony was per-
formed October 22, 1800, and they had four
children — Jonathan, Daniel, Eli, and Mary.
Fli is still living, a resident of Amesbury,
Mass.

Daniel Beede was also born on the home-
stead March 28, 1804. He was reared a
farmer, and continued in that occupation,
while he also executed a good deal of carpen-
ter’s and blacksmith’s work, at both of which
he was expert. His entire life was spent on
the homestead where he was born. He was a
man of prominence in the town, served in the
various public offices with ability, and, like
his grandfather, was many years a minister in
the Society of Friends. Having rounded out
a full period of years, he passed away April
16, 1883. His wife, whose maiden name was
Ann Elizabeth Folsom, was born and bred in
Epping, this county, a daughter of John Fol-
som. Mr. Folsom was descended from one of
the pioneer settlers of Epping. He was born
there, October 3, 1783, and died January 26,
1846. His wife, in maidenhood Mehitabel
Morrill, was a native of North Berwick, Me.,
born in 1790. She preceded her husband to
the grave, dying September 30, 1846, leaving
two children — Susan and George F. Susan,
born June 12, 1836, resides in Danville, this
county, is the wife of Andrew J. Philbrick, a
farmer and a merchant, and has two children
— George A. and Arthur L. Philbrick.

George F. Beede, at the age of nineteen,
took charge of the homestead farm which his
father had given him. He had previously
completed his education at the Friends’
School in Providence, R.I., which he attended
through the winter terms for three years. He
has made farming his chief occupation, and is
considered an authority on all subjects relat-
ing to agriculture. His farm comprises two
hundred and thirty-four acres of fertile land.
In addition to carrying on general farming he
makes a specialty of raising small fruits, more
especially strawberries, in the culture of
which he has met with rare success. His col-
lection of plants is one of the largest and most
choice to be found in New England. In his
| catalogue for 1896 are named many varieties

Oe

aay

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

519

 

 

of this fruit. Orders for them come to him
from all over the country. Mr. Beede, who
is a great reader, is the possessor of one of
the best farmer’s libraries to be found in the
State. In politics he is a stanch Republican.
He served the town as Selectman for nine
years, Superintendent of Schools for ten years,
and was its Representative in the State legis-
lature in 1872 and 1873.

On May 20, 1863, Mr. Beede married Miss
Ruth P. Nichols, who was born, April 3,
1839, in Winslow, Me.. Her father, the late
John Nichols, married Sarah Osborn, who bore
him four other children, who are also living;
namely, Dorcas, Samuel, Moses, and Sarah
Alice. Mr. Nichols died when his daughter
Ruth was but two years of age. Mr. and Mrs.
Beede are the parents of nine children, as fol-
lows: William B., born August 3, 1864, who
was married, August 7, 1895, to Lucy A.
Hills, and now resides in Exeter; Annie E.,
borr July 16, 1866; Louis A., born May 20,
1868; George E., born June 24, 1870, who
is a shoe-cutter in Haverhill, Mass.; Mary
Alice, born October 14, 1874, who is a
teacher in the public schools of Fremont;
Augustine, born March 27, 1876, who is a
farmer in Fremont; Charles C., born June 9,
1877, who is a clerk in his uncle’s store in
Danville; Abbie S., born January 15, 1880,
who is attending school in Maine; and John
D., born January 6, 1883. Both parents are
esteemed members of the Friends’ Society of
West Epping.

 

ILLIAM F. WATSON, a member

of the well-known firm Watson

Brothers, proprietors of a general

store at Nottingham, was born March 6, 1843,
his parents being Sewell and Lydia (Daniels)
Watson. He is a representative of an old
and respected family of Rockingham County.
His grandfather, William Watson, a native of
Northwood, born February 22, 1766, was an
industrious and enterprising farmer, in which
calling he spent practically his entire life on
his farm of about one hundred and fifty acres.
He married Miss Elsie Cilley, who was born
September 27, 1768, daughter ef Mr. and Mrs.
Cutting Cilley, of Nottingham, and became

 

the father of seven children, as follows: Eliz-
abeth, born June 1, 1789; Sewell, born July
19, 1791; Alice E., born May 15, 1793;
William, Jr., born December 1, 1796; Han-
nah, born January 30, 1800; Sarah, born
March 10, 1802, who passed away August 8,
1867; and Martha, born October 30, 1809,
who died July 29, 1876. Both parents at-
tained a good old age. In religious belief
they were Baptists, and were members of the
church of that persuasion at Nottingham. At
first a Whig in politics, he afterward became
a Jackson Democrat.

Sewell Watson, the father of the subject of
the sketch, at the age of twenty-one enlisted
as a drummer-boy in the United States army
for the War of 1812, in which he served about
one year. On his return to civil life he set-
tled in New Market, where, after helping in
building the factories, he was engaged as a
watchman for sixteen years in the mills of the
New Market Manufacturing Company. In 1842
he removed to Nottingham, and purchased the
farm of about sixty acres on which his son,
William F., now resides. Here he was suc-
cessfully occupied in general farming until
near the close of his life, which occurred on
February 9, 1867. He was twice married.
On February 10, 1822, he was joined in matri-
mony with Miss Nancy Bazen, of Portsmouth,
N.H. Born of the union was one son, who
died in infancy. The mother died in 1824.
In 1841 the father married again, taking for
his second wife Miss Lydia Daniels, a
daughter of Henry Daniels, of Lee, N.H.
Five children were born of this marriage,
namely: William F., March 6, 1843; Izette,
June 6, 1845, who died October 29, 1846;
Sewell A., April 14, 1847; George E., No-
vember 6, 1852, who died October 26, 1859;
and Lydia A., June 6, 1849, who is now the
widow of Sewell W. Dow, late of Northwood,
has had no children, and is living at Hamp-
ton, N.H. The mother, who was born in
Madbury, N.H., June 10, 1812, still survives
by many years the father, making her home
with her children. =

William F. Watson received his education
in the public schools of his native town. At.
the conclusion of his schooling he learned the
shoemaker’s trade, which he afterward fol-
520

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

lowed for ten years. He was then engaged in
the lumbering business for about eight years.
In 1875, with David T. Cilley, under the firm
name of Cilley & Watson, he started a general
country store. After two years he sold his
interest to his partner; but nine months later,
in 1878, he and his brother, Sewell A., pur-
chased the entire business, and they have since
conducted it successfully, under the style of
Watson Brothers.

On December 25, 1867, Mr. Watson was
joined in matrimony with Miss Jane R. Har-
vey, a daughter of Francis and Sally S.
(Blaisdell) Harvey, of Nottingham. They
have since become the parents ‘of four chil-
dren, of whom all but one are still living.
They were: Annie C., born January 17, 1869;
Lydia J., born January 18, 1871; Mary A.,
born June 19, 1872; and Sally S., who died
when only three months old.

Mr. Watson has been very prominent in
local affairs. In 1877 he held the office of
Town Clerk. For six years he was Deputy
Sheriff under J. Horace Kent, and in 1895-96
he served the town as Selectman. During
President Harrison’s administration he was
the Postmaster of Nottingham, having pre-
viously been Assistant Postmaster for twelve
years. He is affiliated with the fraternity of
Masons, being a member of Sullivan Lodge,
No. 19, of Epping, N.H. He also fraternizes
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
in Equity Lodge, No. 33, of Northwood, and
the North River Encampment at East North-
wood. In politics he supports the Republican
party, while his religious belief is the Univer-
salist creed; and he is a member of the church
of that denomination in Nottingham.

E RANK H. DURGIN, a prominent citi-
zen of New Market, N.H., and Repre-
sentative in the State legislature for

that town, was born in Lee in 1863. His par-

ents are Greenleaf and Mary A. (Jenkins)

Durgin, of whom the father has filled several

local offices, serving as Selectman and Col-

lector. He and his estimable wife are still]
living on the home farm.

Frank H. Durgin received a public-school
education, and at the age of eighteen left the

 

 

parental roof in Lee, coming to New Market,
where he formed a copartnership with his
brother, John W., in the grocery business.
This lasted until 1888, when Frank H.
bought his brother’s interest. He has contin-
ued the enterprise since, the building which
he owns being one of the finest in town. He
carries the largest stock of fancy groceries in
New Market, and he is said to have four times
as much trade as any other dealer. The
brother with whom he was associated in busi-
ness is no longer living. Mr. Durgin has
always cast his vote for the Republican party.
He has served the town three years as Treas-
urer, and is now a member of the State legis-
lature. He is identified with various Masonic
and kindred societies, being a member of
Pioneer Lodge, No. 1, Knights of Pythias, in
which he has filled all the chairs, besides serv-
ing as District Deputy of the Grand Division
for three years; charter member of William A.
Frye Lodge, No. 5, Uniform Rank of Knights
of Pythias, officiating at present as Captain of
the company; member of Rising Star Lodge,
A. F. & A. M.; charter member of Lamprey
River Grange, No. 240; and associate member
of George A. Gay Post, No. 18, Grand Army
of the Republic.

His wife, to whom he was married in 1888,
was by maiden name Martha Slater, a native
of Attleboro, Mass. She has two sons —
Robert G. and J. Frank. Mrs. Durgin is a
Methodist in religion.

DWARD M. BERRY, of Greenland,
though not a New Hampshire man, is
the husband of an estimable lady,

who comes of one of the old families of New
Hampshire bearing the same name, which,
transplanted in Colonial times from the Old
World, has taken deep root in the Granite
State, producing generations of hardy and
intelligent men and women. Its first repre-
sentative in Greenland of whom there js au-
thentic record was Thomas Berry, who was
born in February, 1731. His wife, Abigail,
was born in 1834. Isaiah Berry, their fourth
son, and the great-grandfather of Mrs. Edward
M. Berry, was born in Greenland in 1761.
He followed the occupation of farmer, was a

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

63i

 

 

leading man in his native town, and served in
the New Hampshire legislature. He married
Bathsheba Shaw, who was born November 11,
1760. Their son, Levi Berry, who was Mrs.
Berry's grandfather, was born in Greenland,
March 26, 1792. Levi, a farmer like his
ancestors, was thrifty and enterprising, and
owned a largé estate, and was a soldier in the
War of 1812. He married Patience Marden,
who was born February 29, 1796, and reared
him four children. These were: Abigail,
afterward Mrs. Rand, born September 26,
1815; Nathan, born October 23, 1818; Oliver,
born April 28, 1821; and Francis A., the
father of Mrs. Berry, born April 23, 1824.
Francis A. Berry was educated in the district
school of his native town. He was engaged in
general farming from his youth, was one of
Greenland’s most prosperous citizens, owning
a large amount’ of property, was an officer in
the State militia, and died in 1861. He was
married February 1, 1854, to Martha Brown,
daughter of Simon and Polly (Seavey) Brown,
of Rye, this county. Of their four children
two died in infancy. The others are Mary
L. and Abbie A. The latter is the wife of
Walter Littlefield, has two sons, Frank D.
and Walter B., and resides in Boston, Mass.

Mary L. Berry, the wife of Edward M.
Berry, whose name appears at the head of this
article, is the mother of seven children —
Annie .L., Frank A., Bertha H., Abbie L.,
Elmer A., Russell P., and John B. She is
an amiable, intellectual woman, belongs to
Greenland Grange, and is prominent in Green-
land society. Mr. Berry is a member of the
American Legion of Honor and the Mutual
Relief of North Hampton. Their residence in
Greenland leaves nothing to be desired as a
home.

 

 

HARLES C. BARTON, of North
Hampton, N.H., a self-made man,
who, beginning as a _ “barefoot

boy,’’ has worked his way to the
position of the largest Jand-owner in the town,
was born in Stratham, this county, January
g, 1821. His parents were William and Mary
A. C. (Frost) Barton, the former a native of
Epsom, N.H., the latter of Portsmouth.

 

William Barton did not live to be an old man.
He spent most of his active life in the town of
Stratham, on the farm originally owned by a
well-known physician, for whom he named this
son. His wife was quite young when she was
called from the scenes of earth; and the three
children, Mary A. C., Charles C., and Will-
iam, who mourned her loss were hardly old
enough to care for themselves. Mary A. C.
was twice married, a Mr. Clifford being her
first husband; Daniel Eastman, of Norwich,
Vt., her second; and she had two children,
Daniel and Betsey A. Charles C., the subject
of this sketch, is the only one of the three now
living. William Barton was married, and
lived for a number of years in Exeter, N.H.

Charles C. Barton was early bound out asa
farmer’s boy to Mr. Jacob Brown, of North
Hampton, and received but a limited district
school education. He had neither shoes nor
hat when he came to this town, and the sight
of other boys who had homes and decent
clothing made his childish heart ache. With-
out a mother’s sustaining love, he had one
comfort that never deserted him, the thought
conveyed in the passage of Scripture, ‘‘Seek
first the kingdom of heaven, and all these
things shal] be added unto you’’; and, follow-
ing the admonition in the first part as closely
as possible throughout his life, the prophecy
in the second part has been fulfilled. He was
with Mr. Brown two years, then for a year
and a half with the widow of Oliver Dearborn, -
who died at the end of that time. When he
was nine years old, he went to work for Joseph
S. Marston, with whom he remained as a
bound boy until of age. Mr. Marston then
agreed to pay him five dollars per month; and
he continued to work for him for two years,
saving considerable money. His wages were
then raised ‘to seven dollars a month, which
seemed a large sum in comparison to what he
had been getting. At this rate he worked for
Mr. Marston and Mr. John Taylor, three days
in each place, and- was joyfully anticipating
the time when he could buy a farm of his own;
but, wearied with the exertions of the day
before, he overslept one morning, and was dis-
charged.

Somewhat discouraged, he sought another
position, and found one that paid better,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Nathaniel Batchelder, Esq., hiring him for
nine dollars and fifty cents a month. Mr.
Batchelder, who kept a store, had one other
hired man, Peter Moore; but a great part of
the farm work fell to young Barton, and he got
in fifty tons of hay that year. He remained
with Mr. Batchelder eighteen months, and then
went to Lowell, Mass., where he worked some
nine years, his wages averaging ninety-six cents
a day. He was subsequently employed as
watchman at one dollar and six cents per day,
and afterward as teamster at one dollar and
thirteen cents per diem. During all this time
Mr. Barton was carefully husbanding his earn-
ings; and he first bought a farm of twenty-five
acres in North Hampton, which had belonged
to Mr. Eben Wentworth. About 1850 he pur-
chased his present homestead, which was then
known as the John Taylor place, and has grad-
ually added to his real estate, until now he
is the proud possessor of five hundred acres —
pasture, tillage, and valuable timber land.

Mr. Barton’s persevering industry is exem-
plified by what he has accomplished. His
courage and endurance are illustrated by the
following: He has suffered a number of acci-
dents, among which may be mentioned the
falling of a large bundle of hay on his head
and his being run over by-a heavy team, and in
some one of these catastrophes he received an
internal hurt, to which he paid no attention.
A few years ago he was taken with sharp
pains in his back, and the physician summoned
gave some commonplace reason. Mr.. Barton
bravely returned to his work, and persevered
until he had to be carried home by his son.
He was unable to sit down, and remained
standing, clinging to the bedpost until the
physician arrived. The doctor ordered him to
bend over a chair, and after a brief but excess-
ively painful examination extracted a bone an
inch and a half long in the shape of a cres-
cent, with extremely sharp points. This, he
said, had probably been working through his
body for forty years.

Mr. Barton was married June 9, 1850, to
Dorcas, daughter of James and Abigail (Good-
win) Libby, of Ossipee, N.H., and by this
union has three sons — Charles L., James W.,
and George E. Charles L. Barton married
Bessie Sayball, of Canada, and has the follow-

 

ing children: Dorcas, Goldie Eliza, Maude,
and Charles William. James W. Barton mar-
ried Eliza Jenness, of Rye, a widow with one
child, Frank Philbrick, and has two children
—James C. and Ethel J. George E. Barton
married Gertrude Sayball, his brother’s wife’s
sister, and has one child, Charles C. James
W. Barton, who is on the farm with his father,
has served as Selectman of North Hampton for
two years, and has been elected Road Surveyor
anumber of times. The angel of death has
not entered Mr. Barton's home since it was
established.

Mr. Barton cast his first Presidential vote
for James K. Polk in 1844, and has been a
stanch Democrat ever since. He served as
Selectman three years, and was honored with
appointment as Road Surveyor and School
Committee. Mr. and Mrs. Barton are mem-
bers of the Congregational church in North
Hampton. While he was working for Mr.
Marston there was a great revival in the town,
and on the street where he was living every
one was converted but himself. Shortly after
he heard an eloquent sermon on the text,
‘One will be taken, and the other left,’’ which
made a deep impression on him, and caused
his conversion; and twenty years ago he joined
the North Hampton church.

 

RADFORD S. KINGMAN, a popu-

lar jeweller of New Market, was born

in Bridgewater, Mass., June 17,

1845, son of Philip D. and Betsy

B. (Washburn) Kingman, both natives of

Middleboro, Mass. The father learned the

trade of wheelwright; but, after working at it

for some time, he abandoned it for the insur-

ance business, which he followed for many

years. He was very prominent in that part of

Massachusetts, serving for thirty-seven years

as Sheriff of Plymouth County. His death

occurred on November 15, 1883, and that of
his wife on August 1, 1884.

Bradford S. Kingman received his education
in the common schools and at the Bridgewater
Academy. At the age of eighteen he began
to learn the jeweller’s trade. After serving
nearly four years to it, he went to North
Bridgewater, where he worked at it for about
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

a year. In October, 1869, he came to New
Market, bought out the business of a jeweller
here, and since conducted it himself. He now
owns one of the finest business blocks in town;
while his watches, clocks, jewelry, and optical
goods are second to none. In politics he is a
Republican, but he does not seek political pre-
ferment. He is a member of the Knights of
Pythias, having been through the chairs, and
is Past Chancellor and District Deputy Grand
Master. For fifteen years he was Secretary of
the local Masonic lodge, and is a member of
the Grand Lodge of the State, being Junior
Grand Warden, also officiating for two years
each as District Lecturer and Deputy Grand
Master. Mr. Kingman is likewise a Knight
Templar, and a member of the New Hamp-
shire Club.

In September, 1868, he was married to
Helen Mitchell, who was born in Bridgewater,
daughter of Edward and Margaret (Seaver)
Mitchell, both natives of Massachusetts. She
had one child, Bela Kingman, now in the
bicycle business in New Market, and also asso-
ciated with his father in the jewelry trade,
Mr. Kingman, Sr., who is a fine specimen of
a New Englander, and well entitled to the
social consideration he receives.

 

©

IMON G. PRESCOTT is a retired
business man and an extensive real
estate owner at Auburn, Rocking-
ham County, N.H., where he was

formerly the enterprising and successful pro-
prietor of a general country store. He was
born at Wilmot Flat, Merrimack County, No-
vember 22, 1830, his parents being Hazen and
Clara (Greeley) Prescott.

Hazen Prescott was a native of Guilford,
N.H., where he devoted a part of his mature
years to the honored vocation of general agri-
culture. He married Miss Clara Greeley, a
native of Wilmot Flat, N.H., and a daughter
of Deacon Insley and Dolly (Brown) Greeley.
She was one of a family of eight children,
three of whom yet survive, namely: Simon,
who still resides at Wilmot as a retired mer-
chant; Sarah, who also is an inhabitant of
Wilmot, and the wife of Elder Sargent; and
Betsy Cross, of Claremont, N.H. In 1845

 

 

Mr. Greeley departed this life at the age
of seventy-one years, and his wife at the age
of ninety-three. The union of Mr. and Mrs.
Hazen Prescott was blessed in the birth of four
children, namely: Mary A., who passed away
November 18, 1873, at the age of forty-six
years; Eliza, who married John E. White, of
Auburn, and became the mother of one son,
Edwin H. White; Rhoda M., now Mrs. Levi
Preston, also of Auburn, and mother of one
son, Edgar S. Preston; and Simon G. Mr.
Hazen Prescott did not participate very ac-
tively in local or national politics, preferring
to devote his attention to his own mercantile
pursuits and to enjoy the quiet of his family
circle rather than to enter into the publicity
of a political career. He, however, was a sup-
porter of the Republican party. In religious
faith and fellowship he was a Free Will Bap-
tist. He died November 26, 1850, at the age
of forty-six years and six months. His es-
timable wife outlived him several years, she
passing away January 18, 1864, at the age of
sixty-two years.

Simon G. Prescott grew to manhood on the
paternal estate, obtaining his intellectual prep-
aration for the duties and responsibilities of
life in the common schools of his native place,
Wilmot Flat. At the expiration of his period
of schooling he for a number of years engaged
in the shoemaker’s trade, both making and
selling the product. After the Civil War had
been more than half waged, he, in September,
1864, gave himself to his country’s service,
enlisting in Company K of the First New
Hampshire Regiment of Heavy Artillery.
His enrolment was for one year, and he was
connected with the army of the Potomac in
the defences of Washington. Being mustered
out of service at Concord, N.H., June 15,
1865, he on the same day found himself at
home. He shortly obtained employment in a
country store at Wilmot Flat, where he re-
mained five years. Removing then to Auburn
village, he bought the business in general
merchandise of Captain Pennock. He carried
on a very extensive and prosperous trade in
groceries, grain, hay, coal, dry goods, hard-
ware, and the like until April, 1894, when,
deciding to retire from the cares of an active
mercantile life, he transferred the business to
524

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

his son, Frank H., who is still managing it
under very auspicious circumstances. Mr.
Prescott owns several tracts of Jand in Auburn,
and he also has one hundred acres at Manches-
ter and Hookset. In Auburn he is likewise
the proprietor of three dwelling-houses, and
he and his family themselves occupy what is
commonly reputed the finest residence in the
town.

On April 26, 1855, Mr. Prescott was joined
in matrimony with Miss Abbie F. Brown, a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Brown, to
whom she was born at Auburn, February 8,
1836. Her mother’s maiden name was Sarah
Graham. Mr. and Mrs. Prescott have had
two children, namely: Willie H., who was
born on August 26, 1861, and who passed away
January 30, 1863, at the age of one year and
six months; and Frank H. The latter, who
was born June 4, 1864, received his education
at the public schools of Manchester and Pen-
nacook and in Bryant and Stratton’s Business
College in Manchester, N.H.; and he is now
the proprietor and manager of the general
country store at Auburn. On December 24,
1885, he wedded Miss Isabelle Seaton Wood,
who was born on October 16, 1864, daughter
of Alfred T. and Caroline P. Wood, residents
of Auburn, and is the mother of one child,
a daughter, Blanche Howard by name, who was
born April 7, 1887.

Mr. Prescott has served his fellow-towns-
men in several prominent and_ responsible
public capacities. For one year he officiated
as Town Treasurer, and for thirteen years as
Town Clerk. For five years he also acted as
Assistant Postmaster at Wilmot Flat, during a
part of which time he was in partnership with
J. Howard Greeley, under the firm style of
J. H. Greeley & Co.; and he was Postmaster
at Auburn five years, four years under Harri-
son and one year under Cleveland. He like-
wise served as a Representative in the State
legislature during the terms of 1885-86 and
1886-87. He is identified with the Republi-
can party, and has been chosen delegate to the
Republican State Convention. In the social
life of the community Mr. Prescott freely par-
ticipates, as well as in the mercantile and civic
affairs. He is affiliated with the Patrons of
Husbandry, being a member of Massabesic

Among

 

Grange, No. 127, of Auburn. He isa regular
attendent of the Methodist Episcopal church of
Auburn, and liberal in its support. Mr. Pres-
cott, by dint of his enterprise, industry, and
progressiveness, has achieved a very large suc-
cess In his mercantile career; and he worthily
bears the name of being one of the wealthiest
citizens of the community.

 

ALTER BOYCE, who carries on
general farming at the Watts home-
stead farm in Londonderry, was

born in Londonderry, August 20, 1831, son of
Robert and Persis (Garvin) Boyce. Ancestors
of the family were early settlers of this
county; and Mr. Boyce’s grandfather, Will-
iam Boyce, was a native anda lifelong resident
of Londonderry.

Robert Boyce, Mr. Boyce’s father, was born
at the Boyce homestead in Londonderry.
When a young man, he learned the carpenter’s
trade, which with farming he followed during
the active period of his life. He was an in-
dustrious man. He supported the Whig party
in politics, and in his religious belief was a
Baptist. He married Persis Garvin, a native
of Manchester. Of her children the following
survive: Nelson, a resident of Nashua; Eliza-
beth J., wife of Nathan Adams, of Bedford,
N.H.; Walter, the subject of this sketch;
Adeline A., the wife of Jonathan Y. Nesmith,
of Londonderry; and Esther W., the wife of
Alonzo F. Clark, of East Tilton, N.H.

Walter Boyce attended district school No.
8 in Londonderry, where he completed his
studies at the age of eighteen. He then
learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he fol-
lowed for some years. Coming into possession
of the Watts farm, consisting of ninety-five
acres of well-improved land, he relinquished
the pursuit of his trade, and has since devoted
his energies to farming.

Mr. Boyce wedded Esther J. Watts, daugh-
ter of Joshua C. Watts, late of this town. Mr.
and Mrs. Boyce have long enjoyed the sincere
esteem and good-will of their neighbors.
the prosperous farming people of
Londonderry, no one is better or more favor-
ably known than Mr. Boyce. In politics he
isa Republican. He takes a deep interest in
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

525

 

 

all matters relative to the general welfare of
the community. During his long and useful
life he has witnessed many notable changes,
greatly benefiting the town and increasing its
attractiveness.

 

HOMAS W. RAND, one of the fore-
most business men of the town of Rye,
is a practical farmer and a prosperous

merchant. He was born January 7, 1833, at
Rye, which is the birthplace of his father,
Jedediah, and, presumably, of his grandfather,
Thomas Rand. Thomas Rand was one of a
large family of children. Four of his brothers
were engaged in the hotel business in this
locality. Their sons are now similarly en-
gaged, some being proprietors of hotels in
Massachusetts, and some in the State of New
York. He was himself a farmer; and in his
younger years, like his neighbors, was lucra-
tively occupied in fishing. He married Mary
Tuck, who bore him, among other children,
Jedediah.

Jedediah Rand acquired his education in the
common schools of Rye. He learned the
trades of tanner and shoemaker, which, to-
gether with farming, became his chief occupa-
tions fora time. In the latter he was espe-
cially successful, earning a reputation as the
most skilful farmer of the community. After-
ward, taking a store owned by a brother, and
which has been over eighty years in the pos-
session of the Rands, he engaged in the sale
of general merchandise. This venture proving
successful, he continued in it for forty years,
showing himself to be a very capable business
man. The Rands have for many years been
identified with the highest interests of Rye,
and are among its most loyal and_public-
spirited residents. The eldest of Jedediah’s
brothers served in the War of 1812. Jedediah
died in 1892, at the advanced age of eighty-
four years. He married Miss Eliza J. Yeaton,
of Epsom, Merrimack County, who bore him
four children; namely, Lory O., Elizabeth J.,
Thomas W., and Augustus Y. Lory O. mar-
ried Miss Emma Shaw, of Brockton, Mass. ;
and they have one child, Lizzie. Augustus,
who lives in Rye, married Miss Amanda

Downs.

 

Thomas W. Rand received a common-school
education. When a young man, he learned the
carpenter’s trade, and subsequently worked at
it for twelve consecutive years, He then re-
turned home, and assisted his father both on
the farm and in the store. Now the owner of
store and farm, he carries on general agricult-
ure after the most approved methods, and has
an extensive trade in general merchandise.
He also deals largely in hay and cattle. Hav-
ing cast his first Presidential vote for John C.
Fremont in 1856, Mr. Rand has been a loyal
member of the Republican party since. He
is deeply interested in educational matters,
and at different times was Secretary, Trustee,
and member of the Schoo] Committee. In the
latter capacity he served for terms aggregating
ten years. He is a member of the grange, or-
ganized in Rye in 1895.

In 1858 he was united in matrimony with
Louisa A., daughter of Alexander Hodgdon,
of Greenland, N.H., by whom he has become
the father of two sons— Blake H. and Jede-
diah. Blake H., who is in business with his
father, married Leonia, daughter of Joseph J.
and Clarissa Knowles Drake, of this town.
Jedediah, a mason by trade, is employed in
different places, his business keeping him
away from home much of the time. He mar-
ried Miss Edith Foss, daughter of John O.
and Amanda (Marden) Foss, of Rye.

 

EPPERELL FROST, one of the old
and respected residents of North
Hampton, was bern December 8,
1815, in Parsonsfield, York County,

Me., son of William and Lydia (Johnson)
Frost. The Frosts are an old Maine family.
Our subject’s grandfather, Simon Frost, was
-a farmer who spent his days in the vicinity of
Kittery, Me.; and his wife, Eunice Frost,
was a native of that part of the State. They
had but one child, William, who was born in
Kittery, Me., and there obtained his education.
William followed agriculture during his active
life, and died at the advanced age of eighty-
five on the homestead, which he had inherited
from his father. His first wife, who was a
daughter of David Johnson, of Parsonsfield,
died at the age of thirty, leaving eight chil-

 
526

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

dren; namely, David, Mary A., Lydia, Sarah,
Pepperell, Anna, Jonathan, and Simon.
David resides in Newburyport, Mass. ; Mary
A., in Lynn, Mass.; Jonathan in Medford,
Mass. ; and Simon in Parsonsfield, Me. Mr.
Frost subsequently married Maria Towns, by
whom he became the father of three children
— Olive, Ann, and Betsey.

Pepperell Frost obtained his education in
the district schools in  Parsonsfield. After
leaving school, he worked on the farm a year.
About 1835 he went to a lumber camp, a hun-
dred miles above Bangor, where he remained
two seasons, felling trees in the winter and
working in a saw-mill in the summer. In
1837 he returned to his home; and in 1838 he
went to Waltham, Mass., where he was on a
farm some five years. In 1843 he purchased
his present homestead in North Hampton, a
good property of sixty acres, plentifully enough
supplied with growing timber.

Mr. Frost was married July 4, 1843, to
Lydia, daughter of I.evi and Lydia (Lovering)
Brown, of North Hampton. She died, leaving
four children — Thomas, George, Lydia, and
Levi. Lydia Frost married William J. Breed,
of Lynn, and has one child, Lydia; and
George married Maria Hall, and has two chil-
dren — George and Olim. Mr. Frost’s second
wife, whose maiden name was Hannah White,
has no children. Beginning by casting his
first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren in
1836, Mr. Frost has voted with the Demo-
crats throughout the sixty years that have
since elapsed. He is an industrious and law-
abiding citizen, and has the respect of his
townsmen.

 

OHN P. HARDY, a representative cit-

izen of Derry Depot, and at present a
member of the Board of Selectmen,

was born in Londonderry, Rockingham
County, N.H., September 13, 1855. He is
a son of Aaron P. and Delia (Brickett) Hardy,
both parents being natives of New Hampshire.
Aaron P. Hardy was a man of much practical
knowledge, though he had received but a com-
mon-school education. He resided for a num-
ber of years in Londonderry, and was exten-
sively engaged in farming and lumber deal-

 

ing, also retailing general merchandise. In
politics he was first a Whig, and subsequently
a Republican, and as a public-spirited man he
was always ready to aid in projects for town
improvement Believing thoroughly in the
elevating power of religion, the power that
conserves the best interests of society, he
showed its influence in his daily life, and was
a prominent member of the Presbyterian
church. He died in July, 1887, leaving four
children — George H., a resident of London-
derry; Hattie E.; John P.; and Frank A.

John P. Hardy was reared on a farm in Lon-
donderry, and acquired his education in the
district schools of that town. He was asso-
ciated in mercantile business for several years
with his father, under the firm name of A. P.
Hardy & Son, and was subsequently in the
milk business in Londonderry. In 1882 he
came to Derry Depot, and for a number of
years was in the employ of Coiburn, Fuller
& Co., shoe manufacturers. In 1895 he again
engaged in the milk business, which at pres-
ent occupies his attention. Mr. Hardy hasa
wide circle of acquaintances, both in Iondon-
derry, the home of his youth, and in Derry
Depot, his home for fourteen years past.
He has made many friends in business and
social relations, and has already established
an excellent trade as a milk dealer.

He was married June 12, 1878, to Mattie
E. Wiley, of Londonderry, a* daughter of
Ephraim A. and Nancy (Blood) Wiley, and
has one daughter, Inez E. Mr. Hardy, like
his father, is a Republican. He was elected
to the Board of Selectmen in March, 1896,
and in his performance of the duties of the
office is giving general satisfaction to his fel-
low-townsmen.

 

0-0-2

pe
HOMAS ENTWISTLE, City Marshal
J of Portsmouth, is a native of England,
born in Hyde, Cheshire, January 12,
1840. He came to Portsmouth in his boy-
hood, and obtained employment in the Kear-
sarge Mills. Here he worked until the Civil
War broke out, when he was among the first
who offered their services in defence of the

Union.

Mr. Entwistle enlisted June 21, 1861, in

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

527

 

 

Company D, Third Regiment, New Hamp-
shire Volunteers. At first the regiment was
assigned to the Tenth Corps, commanded by
General Gilmore; but, when General Grant
received the chief command, it was under the
orders of General Butler. Mr. Entwistle
served from the beginning to the end of the
war in the southern campaigns, sharing in the
following actions: Port Royal Harbor, No-
vember 7, 1861; Elba Island, March 7, 1862;
Bluffton, March 16, 1862; Jehossee, April 10,
14, and 17, 1862; James Island, June 8, 1862;
Secessionville, June 16, 1862; Pinckney
Island, August 21, 1862; Pocotaligo, October
22, 1862; May River, January 7, 1863;
Stone Inlet, April 7, 1863; Morris Island,
July 10, 1863; Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863;
siege of Wagner, July 18 to September 7,
1863; siege of Sumter, September 7 to March
1, 1864; Palatka, April 13, 1864; and
Drewry’s Bluff, May 13 to May 16, 1864. He
estimates that for one year of the time he was
constantly under fire. On July 10, 1862, he
was wounded by a minie-ball in the ribs. He
was wounded again at Drewry’s Bluff, receiv-
ing the injury this time in the right leg,
and resulting in his capture by the enemy.
On this occasion he was first taken to Libby
Prison, and then, after the lapse of two
weeks, to Andersonville, where he was held
nine months. In the beginning of Feb-
ruary, 1865, as he and other prisoners were
being transferred to another place, fifty of
the number, including Mr. Entwistle, jumped
from the train, and escaped. After a peril-
ous journey lasting twenty-one days, during
which they suffered many hardships, he
and two companions reached the Union
lines on February 22. He received a fur-
lough of thirty days after the assault on
Fort Wagner, in recognition of meritorious
conduct on the field. Also in the course of
the service he was advanced to the rank of
Sergeant. At one time he was recommended
for a Lieutenancy, and would have received it
but for a thoughtless speech of his uttered im-
pulsively. He was honorably discharged at
Concord, N.H., August 2, 1865.

After receiving his discharge, Mr. Entwistle
returned to Portsmouth, obtained employment
in the blacksmith’s shop of the navy yard,

 

and worked there for about eighteen months.
He was then appointed night patrol of Ports-
mouth. The duties of this position had been
efficiently discharged by him for two years,
when he was elected Assistant Marshal. He
held that office for nine years, and was then
elected City Marshal, in which capacity he
served eight years, making a continuous period
of nineteen years spent in the public service.
Subsequently he was Captain of Watch in the
navy yard. From this position he was re-
moved under the Democratic administration,
and for five months of 1885 he worked in the
blacksmith shop of the Boston & Maine Rail-
road for the following three years. He was
then reinstated Captain of Watch in the navy
yard after the election of Benjamin Harrison
to the Presidency, and remained this time
seven years. His connection with the navy
yard was ended by his resignation to accept
the office of City Marshal once more, which
he still occupies.

On October 13, 1859, Mr. Entwistle was
united in matrimony with Elvira S. Dyer,
daughter of Eliza Dyer, of Portsmouth, and
subsequently became the father of three girls
and two boys. Two of the girls and one son
are now married. His son William has been
a candy manufacturer in Portsmouth for a
number of years. The other son is a machin-
ist in the navy yard. Both parents are mem-
bers of the Episcopal Church of St. John. In
politics Mr. Entwistle has been a zealous Re-
publican, doing good service on the commit-
tee of Ward 1 for thirty years. He has served
the community in the representative capacities
of Selectman, Councilman, and Alderman,
and in the office of Deputy United States
Marshal. He is a member of St. John’s
Lodge of Masons, No. 1; a charter member of
Osgood Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 48; and
a comrade ef Storer Post, No. 1, Grand Army
of the Republic.

 

 

OHN S. GOSS, a veteran agriculturist
of Rockingham County, New Hamp-
shire, was born October 26, 1817, in
the town of Rye, in the house in

which he now lives. He comes of patriotic
stock, and is a descendant of one of the
528

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

early settlers of this town. Nathan Goss,
the grandfather of John S., spent his entire
life in Rye, where he was engaged in farm-
ing. He was a Revolutionary soldier, par-
ticipating in the battle. of Ticonderoga.
Several of his brothers were Revolutionary
heroes, Thomas having served under Captain
Paul Jones. Richard was killed during the
war; and James was stationed at Fort William
and Mary, now Fort Constitution.

Thomas Goss, the father of John S., was
born in Rye, which was his home through
life. He was a farmer and miller, carrying
on both occupations with an industrious zeal
that brought him success. He saw active ser-
vice during the War of 1812, commanding the
minute-men from Rye. In the State militia
he was successively Colonel, Lieutenant, and
General. He was a brave and determined
man, and at one time prevented the crew of a
British frigate from landing at Rye, they hav-
ing attempted to come ashore near the house
now occupied by his son, John S., which was
then his home. The General lived to the ad-
vanced age of eighty-nine years, passing
quietly away in 1857. His first wife, Sarah
Marden, of Rye, bore him three children:
William; Sheridan, who died young; and
Sarah A. His second wife, Abigail Locke,
was the mother of one son, John S., who is
the only child now living. William died in
December, 1891. His wife was Betsey Berry,
by whom he had six children — Otis, Amanda
M., Mary C., Arthur L., Sarah A., and Na-
than R. Otis, the eldest of William’s sons,
is married, and has three children — Elzada,
Isabel, and Olive A. Sarah A. (daughter of
General Thomas Goss) married Ira Rand,
and at her death left two children — Gilman
and Albert.

John S. Goss was reared and educated in
his native town, and after the death of his par-
ents succeeded jointly with his brother Will-
iam to the ownership of the parental estate.
He has a well-improved farm, much of the
land being in a good state of cultivation, and
comparing favorably with the best farms of this
locality in its equipments. Mr. Goss has al-
ways been a stanch adherent of the Democratic
party, and cast his first Presidential vote in
1840 for Martin Van Buren. He was married

 

in 1855 to Sula A., daughter of Richard R.
and Sarah A. (Leavitt) Locke, of this town.
Mrs. Goss passed to the life immortal July 7,
1894, having been a true helpmate to her hus-
band for nearly twoscore years. She was the
mother of one child, Wallace S., who married
Miss Sarah E. Caswell, of Rye. Mr. and
Mrs. Wallace S. Goss became the parents of
four children—- John S.; Melville J.; Leon
W.; Philip N., who died September 13,
1894, aged seven months; and Lizzie Amy.

 

Mrs. Wallace S. Goss died February 26,
1896.

HAUNCEY B. HOYT, of Portsmouth,

N.H., the gifted manager of Hoyt’s

Gi Orchestra, was born in Newington,

Rockingham County, N.H., on

March 1, 1865. He is the only son of Gil-

bert Pickering and Elizabeth J. (LeGrow)

Hoyt. William Hoyt, his great-grandfather,
had nine children — Phebe, Winthrop P.,
Hanson, Charlotte, William, Hannah, David,
Thomas, and James. Hanson, the son, was
a native and lifelong resident of Newington,
being an important man in his day and gener-
ation. He married Olive F. Coleman, of the
same town; and they had nine children, five of
whom are now living: Gilbert P., Ann S., Jo-
seph S., Thomas B., and James W. John,
Charlotte F., Marcus M., and Olive J. are
deceased.

Gilbert Pickering Hoyt, son of Hanson,
and father of the subject of this biography,
was also a native of Newington. He was so
fortunate as to have a farm given him for his
name, He married in 1858 Elizabeth J. Le-
Grow, of Somersworth, then called Great
Falls, N.H.; and they had two children :
Addie J., who married Charles H. Mitchell,
a locksmith and dealer in ammunition in
Dover, N.H.; and Chauncey B. Four years
after the birth of his son Mr. Hoyt (Gilbert
P.) removed to Greenland, N.H., where he
took charge of the town farm for four years;
and he subsequently officiated as superintend-
ent of St. Paul’s School Farm in’ Concord,
N.H., remaining there five years. He then
bought the Pickering farm, adjoining the
one which had been presented him; and he -
 

RICHARD R. MORRIS.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

53!

 

 

still lives in Newington, carrying on a farm
of seventy-two acres. In spite of his three-
score years and ten he is nimbly active.

‘Chauncey B. Hoyt, after attending school
in Concord, entered Brackett Academy in
Greenland, where he was graduated in 1882;
and he began the work of life by serving for
two years thereafter as assistant book-keeper
in R. H. White’s retail dry-goods store in
Boston. On account of failing health he then
returned to Newington, and in the summer of
1885 he officiated as clerk in the Bartlett
Hotel at York Beach, Me. For the ensuing
year he was engaged as book-keeper for A. P.
Wendell & Co. of Portsmouth, and after that
he acted as travelling agent for F. W. Moses
for two years. In 1888 Mr. Hoyt bought out
Mr. Moses’s interests in the music store, form-
ing a copartnership with Herbert B. Dow,
under the style of Hoyt & Dow, the firm con-
tinuing at the same place, 17 Congress Street,
ever since. By reason of his musical taste
and training Mr. Hoyt is eminently fitted for
the position he fills. He studied with George
Loesch, of Boston, and for some time played
second violin in the Amateur Symphony Or-
chestra in that city. For a while he was also
connected with Wright’s Orchestra in Boston.
Mr. Hoyt is quite versatile, being able to play
with equal facility on several different instru-
ments. In Hoyt’s Orchestra, of this city,
he plays bass, prompts, and is also business
manager of the ten pieces and players.

In politics Mr. Hoyt is a Democrat, and
prominent in official positions. He has
served in the Common Council from Ward 2,
is now filling his second year of a three years’
term in the Board of Instruction, is Select-
man, and has also recently been appointed
Auditor of Rockingham County, which speaks
well for his popularity. Mr. Hoyt attends
the Universalist church. He is connected by
membership with several social organizations:
St. John’s Lodge, No. 1, A. F. & A. M.;
Osgood Lodge, No. 48, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows; Damon Lodge, No. 9,
Knights of Pythias, of which he is District
Deputy, having held all the chairs in the
lodge; Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, of
which he is Grand Master at Arms; Lucullus
Division, No. 8, Uniform Rank, Knights of

 

Pythias; and he is also Trustee of Massasoit
Tribe, Independent Order of Red Men, No.
16; and is now Major of the Second Battalion,
First Regiment of New Hampshire. Mr.
Hoyt is a worthy representative of a highly
reputable Colonial family, “the early genera-
tions of which” in this country, it is said,
were of “strict Puritan faith.”

 

ICHARD R. MORRIS, the efficient
manager of the Star Brickyard in Ep-

ping, N.H., was born in North

Wales in 1846. His parents were

Owen and Elizabeth (Rogers) Morris, both
of whom were natives of Wales, and there
spent their lives. The father was part owner
of the slate quarry at Carnarvonshire, North
Wales, and officiated as superintendent thereof
during most of his life. Capable and effi-

cient, he had the respect and confidence of his

fellow-townsmen. He died in 1893, at the
age of eighty-two years, his wife’s death pre-
ceding his own some years. |

Richard R. Morris's opportunities for ob-
taining an education were limited to the night
schools of his native country, he being obliged
to work in the quarry from the time he was
old enough to make himself useful until he
was fourteen years of age. He then appren-
ticed himself to a builder, with whom he
agreed to serve seven years. At the end of
five years, however, he was released from the
apprenticeship, being appointed superintend-~
ent of the company. Two years later he
withdrew, and established a business of his
own, which he successfully managed until
1882. The next year Mr. Morris came to
America, locating in Boston, where he was
engaged in building with the firm of Norcross
Brothers for nine years. In 1892 he came to
Epping, in the employ of the same firm, con-
tinuing in their service two years longer, then
taking charge of the Star Brickyard, owned
by Mead & Mason. During the present year
(1896) they contemplate burning ten million
bricks, which they sell in Boston, Lowell,
and various places in New England. This in-
dustry is among the leading ones of Rocking-
ham County, giving employment to one hun-
dred and twenty-five men. In politics Mr.
532

Morris is a Republican, but he has no official
aspirations. He is a prominent member of
the Masonic Order, having taken the thirty-
second degree. He is Past Commander of the
Eminent Commandery, a member of the Con-
sistory, and is also identified in the Knights
of Pythias and the Uniform Rank degree.

The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was united in marriage in 1875, was Sarah

Elizabeth Ada Lowcook, born at Great
Crosby, Lancashire, England. Her father
died when she was a child, and she was
brought up by her grandfather, Mr. John
Roughley, Postmaster of that place, with
whom .she lived until her marriage. Four
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.

Morris, namely: Richard R., the eldest, who
died August 19, 1877, at their home, Pen-
rhyn Villa, Cavendish Road, Blundellsands,
Eng.; Gertrude E.; William R.; and Flor-
ence Ada Morris. The family are highly re-
spected members of the Methodist Episcopal
church; and, like his worthy father, Mr.
Morris stands well in word and work.

OHN ORIN DRAKE, a prosperous and
progressive farmer of Rye, and a native

of the town, was born November 14,

1851, son of Joseph J. and Clarissa D.
(Knowles) Drake. The Drake family comes
of ancient and honored ancestry. The first
bearer of the name in this country, according
to the records, was Robert Drake, who, born
in the County Devon, England, in 1580, re-
mained in his native country until sixty-three
years of age. In 1643 he came to New Eng-
land, and settled in Exeter, this county. He
afterward removed to the town of Hampton,
this county, the house in which he lived hav-
ing stood upon the spot now occupied by the
Baptist church of that town. He remained a
resident of Hampton, where he resided during
the remainder of his life, and died January 14,
1668, at the age of eighty-eight years. He
was an influential man in the town, and in
1654 served as Selectman. A copy of his will
may be found in the “Genealogy of the Drake
Family,” published by Samuel G. Drake in
1845. Robert’s son, Abraham Drake, was, by
his wife, Sarah, father of Abraham (2). The

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

line was continued by Abraham (3) to Abra-
ham (4), who married Theodate Robey, and
to Abraham (5), who married Abigail Weare.
The last Abraham had a son, Jonathan, who
was the great-grandfather of John Orin Drake.
Jonathan’s wife, whose maiden name was
Sarah Ward, was a native of Hampton. Both
she and her husband were lifelong residents of
that place.

Colonel Abraham Drake, the grandfather of
John Orin Drake, was reared in Hampton.
In 1810 he moved to the town of Rye, and
here purchased a farm on the Lafayette road,
and until his death, in June, 1825, was chiefly
engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the
War of 1812 he was Colonel of the Thirty-
fifth New Hampshire Regiment. Colonel
Drake married Mary Jenness, who bore him
six children, of whom Joseph J., Orin, and
Sarah reached maturity. Sarah became the
wife of David A. Jenness, and with her reared
three children— Emery, Harriet O., and
Annie D. After the death of Colonel Drake
his widow, who survived until 1885, married
David W. Jenness, by whom she had two sons
— Abraham and David.

Joseph J. Drake lived for a short time in
Massachusetts during his early life, being em-
ployed as a gate-tender at a railroad crossing
in the town of Medford. In 1836 he returned
to the place of his nativity, where he has since
carried on general farming with signal suc-
cess. He has been a Democrat since he cast
his first Presidential vote in 1840 for Martin
Van Buren, and has never missed a State
election or town meeting. He was Selectman
of Rye for six years, which included the period
of the late war; and in 1883 and 1884 he rep-
resented his native town in the State legisla-
ture. He married Clarissa D., daughter of
Nathan and Sarah H. (Brown) Knowles, of
Rye. Ten children were born of the union;
namely, Nathan D., Annie D., Mary J.,
Abram J., John H., Adams E., John Orin,
Clara J., James B., and Leonia S. Nathan
D. and John H. died in infancy; Mary J.,
who was the wife of Alfred V. Seavey, died
at the age of thirty-five years; and James B.
died at the age of eighteen years. Annie D.
married Joseph W. Garland, of Rye, and has
two children—J. Oriss and Weston J.
 

JOHN FOLSOM.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

535

 

 

Abram J. married Emma Philbrick, who has
borne him one child, Abbott B. Adams E.
married L. Emma Marden, and has five chil-
dren — Chester D., Grace E., Marcia L.,
Annie L., and Merton A. Leonia S. married
Blake H. Rand. All the survivors are set-
tled not far from the parental homestead in
Rye.

John Orin Drake completed “his education
at the Hampton Academy in Rockingham
County, and was afterward employed as a clerk
in the store of J. J. Leavitt in Hampton. In
1874 he returned to the home farm, where he
has since resided, assisting in its management.
During the winters of 1875 and 1876 and 1881
Mr. Drake taught school in the West district.
In 1876 he was appointed by the Selectmen
superintendent of the schools of Rye. In this
capacity he gave satisfaction and was elected
to the office by the people in 1877. He was
Town Clerk from 1884 until 1887, inclusive;
Selectman in the years 1888, 1889, and 1890;
a member of the School Board from 18g1 to
1893, inclusive; elected to the office of Town
Treasurer in March, 1895, and in March, 1896;
appointed Justice of the Peace in 1890, and
Notary Public in 1895; and he has been School
Clerk for the past three years. Since 1873
he has been a member of Star of the East
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Exeter; and he
is Master of the local grange. On August
4, 1876, Mr. Drake was united in wedlock
with Miss Clara M., daughter of Joseph A.
and Evelyn Leavitt Dearborn. Mr. and Mrs.
Drake have three children — Mary L., Jennie
C., and Evelyn K.

 

OHN FOLSOM, a prominent citizen of

Derry, N.H., and an ex-member of the

State legislature, was born in Auburn,

Rockingham County, February 22,

1826, son of John, Sr., and Dorothy (Under-
hill) Folsom.

Mr. Folsom’s father was a native of Penn-
sylvania. He came to this county in the
early part of this century, accompanied by his
mother, and settled in that part of Chester
which is now the town of Auburn, where he
was employed in the construction of the Lon-
donderry turnpike road. Being possessed of

 

considerable mechanical genius, he invented
a machine for producing nails from old scrap
iron, which was the first device of its kind in
this section; and he manufactured the nails
here used in erecting many of the older build-
ings. He carried on farming, also keeping a
hotel in Auburn for several years, becoming
widely known beyond the limits of Rocking-
ham County as a genial landlord and as an
able politician.

He supported the Whig party. His public -
services as a member of the Board of Select-
men of Chester and as a Representative to the
legislature extended over a period of many
years. While serving in the House of Repre-
sentatives, he displayed sound judgment in the
transaction of public business, being espe-
cially strong in debate, his forcible arguments
generally carrying conviction to a majority of
that body. For a number of years he acted as
judge of the county, and no public official of
his day was better known or more highly re-
spected than was the late Judge Folsom.
Some years previous to his death he moved to
a farm in Derry, where the rest of his life was
passed; and he died here in his seventy-fifth
year. He was in many ways one of the most
unique and forcible characters of his day,
honorably filling a useful position in life; and
his death, August 9, 1850, was the cause of
general regret throughout the county. In his
religious views he was a Congregationalist.
Judge Folsom’s wife, Dorothy Underhill, was
a native of Auburn. Of her children, there
are five survivors, namely: John, of Derry,
further mentioned below; Charles, who re-
sides in New York City; Arthur, a resident
of Pennsylvania; Richard, of Cincinnati,
Ohio; and David, who also lives in New
York.

John Folsom, the special subject of this
sketch, attended the common schools of Au-
burn, and completed his studies at the Chester
Academy. At the age of twenty-one he ac-
companied his parents to Derry, where he en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits with his father;
and he has since resided upon the homestead
farm here, which occupies an excellent loca-
tion. The soil is extremely fertile, being ca-
pable of producing abundant crops, and is kept
up to a high state of cultivation. He deals
536

extensively in live stock, and buys a great deal
of country beef, which he ships to market;
and in both agriculture and the cattle business
he has been successful.

Mr. Folsom has been twice married. His
first wife, who was before marriage Nancy
Gault, became the mother of four children,
namely: Lizzie, who is the wife of C. S.
Pettee, of Derry; Kate B., wife of Fred S.
Corwin, residing in Richmond, Va.; George
H.; and Dorothy J. The two last named are
no longer living. By his present wife, whose
maiden name was Adelaide D. Gott, he had
‘one son, John Edward, now deceased.

Politically, Mr. Folsom acts with the Re-
publican party, in which he occupies a promi-
nent and influential position. For four years
he labored both ably and diligently for the
best interests of the town as a member of the
Board of Selectmen; and he was twice elected
Representative to the legislature from this
district. He is a Deacon of the First Congre-
gational Church, and is deeply interested, not
only in religious matters, but in the general
welfare of the community.

DWIN BATCHELDER, owner and pro-
ptietor of the Tasker Hotel at North-
wood, N.H., was born in Epsom,

this State, May 25, 1860, son of Samuel and
Cazia (White) Batchelder. His family has
long been known in the town of Epsom. His
grandfather, Dearborn Batchelder, who was a
farmer, after a long residence in the town,
died there at the age of seventy. Dearborn
Batchelder’s children were: Charles, George,
Adaline, and Samuel. Samuel Batchelder,
who was born in Meredith, N.H., spent the
greater part of his life in-Epsom. Much of
his time was devoted to general farming,
though his specialty was breeding fine horses
for the market. A lover of horse flesh him-
self, he was an expert rider; and, when he ap-
peared in the drill parade of the militia com-
pany to which he belonged, he bestrode the
finest horse in the company. He died at the
age of sixty-six. His wife, who is a daughter
of Reuben White, of Epsom, is now fifty-four
years old. Her children are: Clarence;
Edwin, the subject of this sketch; Samuel

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

R.; Ida Orrin; and
Annie.

Edwin Batchelder began life’s battle for
himself at the age of fourteen, obtaining work
in a hotel and the livery stable connected
therewith. After being thus engaged for four
years, he learned the shoe-cutter’s trade,
which he followed for seven years. In 1888
he opened a livery stable in Northwood, and,
while building up a business, continued to
work at shoe-cutting. In 1892 he purchased
the farm and buildings he now occupies, and
opened the Tasker House; and he has since
done so well that he has given up his trade.
He now manages the farm, which brings him
a comfortable income; and the hotel, which,
though open the year round, is specially pat-
ronized by summer people, and is very popular
on account of its good management and plenti-
ful table; and at the same time he has a large
livery business. A self-made man, whose
prosperity has been self-achieved, Mr. Batch-
elder is widely known and respected, and is
one of the most influential citizens of North-
wood.

In 1883 he was united in marriage with
Anna M., daughter of Charles A. Hill, of
Northwood; and two children have blessed
their union — Harold E. and Ardys M. Mr.
Batchelder is a stanch Democrat; and, al-
though Northwood is a Republican town, he
was elected Road Agent for 1896 by a major-
ity of forty votes.

(Mrs. Spaulding) ;

 

brook, Rockingham County, N.H.,
ng was born in this town, May 5, 1814,
son of Joseph H. and _ Betsy
(Mitchell) Weare. He is a lineal descendant
of Nathaniel Weare, who came to this county
when a child with his father, Nathaniel Weare,
first, who was an early proprietor of Newbury,
Mass.

This Nathaniel Weare, second, born in Eng-
land in 1632, married, December 3, 1656,
Elizabeth Swayne, of Hampton. He went
twice to England as agent of Hampton, and
all those in the province who were Opposed to
Cranfield and Mason, and acted as their agent
to prosecute the appeals against Mason before

A” JOHN M. WEARE, of Sea-

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

537

 

 

the king in council. Besides minor offices
that he held, he was a Councillor of the gov-
ernment of New Hampshire from 1692 to
1698, again from 1699 to 1715, when he
resigned in consideration of his age. He was
Justice of the Superior Court in 1694-95.
He was Justice of the Peace actively till 1699,
and after that Justice of Quorum till his retire-
ment. His wife, Elizabeth, died February 10,
1712. He died May 13, 1718.

Nathaniel, third, the next in line, born in
1669, son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth, was
also a Judge of the Superior Court. He
settled in Seabrook, near Fogg’s Corner, and
ended his days in this town. The house built
by him is stil] standing; and the mill which
he erected some time prior to 1720 is an old
landmark of the region, and one of the inter-
esting features of the Weare farm to-day.
This Nathaniel was the father of Meshech
Weare, born in 1713, said to have been ‘‘one
of the most serviceable men the State has ever
produced.’’ A man of sterling integrity and
purest patriotism, he held many public trusts.
He was chosen first “‘President’’ of the State
in 1784; and ‘“‘he sat thirty-five years upon
the bench of the Superior Court, where his
father and his grandfather had sat before
him.’’ Meshech Weare was a brother of John
Weare, the great-great-grandfather of John M.
Weare; and John Weare’s son Jonathan was
the father of John Weare, second, both being
natives of Seabrook. John Weare, second,
managed the mill on the premises during his
active life. He married in 1780 Miss Thank-
ful Hubbard, of Salisbury, Mass., daughter of
Joseph Hubbard.

Their eldest son, Joseph H. Weare, although
his educational advantages were only those
offered by the district school, was a well-
informed man, able and enterprising, a suc-
cessful farmer and miller. He was Lieutenant
of the military training company in the town
and Selectman. He died at the age of forty
years. His wife was the daughter of Captain
Bela Mitchell, and the grand-daughter of
William Swett, of Salisbury Poimt, Mass.
Her father, who was a mariner, died while on
a voyage to the West Indies. Mrs. Weare,
too, was in her prime, her forty-eighth year,
when summoned by the angel of death, May

 

13, 1831. To this couple six children were
born; namely, Joseph H., Mary A., Elizabeth
B., Sarah L., John M., and Benjamin S.

John M. Weare is now the only surviving
member of the family. He received in his
boyhood only a limited district school educa-
tion; but, being naturally intelligent, he has
amply made up for the lack in his early train-
ing. He was thrown on his own resources
when only eight years of age, and at the age
of sixteen he began to work as a blacksmith
and carriage-smith. He was at one time over-
seer of the shop connected with the State
prison at Concord. Returning thence to Sea-
brook, he managed the mill and farm, as part
owner, for several years, making a specialty of
raising cattle; and his stock took many pre-
miums at the cattle fairs. For some time
now he has been retired from active work of
all kinds, enjoying the prosperity which -he
has acquired by tireless effort, prompted by
his natural sagacity and ability; for Mr.
Weare is one of New Hampshire’s self-made
men.

November 26, 1836, he was married to Mary
M. Gove, daughter of David and Susan (Gove)
Gove, of Seabrook. Mrs. Mary M. Weare
died February 1, 1894. As Mr. and Mrs.
Weare reared no children of their own, and an
adopted scn, John M., died at the age of
twenty-one, Mr. Weare is now alone.

In politics he has taken an active interest
for sixty-one years, never missing an election,
and casting his ballot in fifteen Presidential
contests, always on the Democratic side. THis
first Presidential vote was given to Martin Van
Buren in 1836. He has been elected to many
offices of trust. In 1853 and 1854 he was
State Senator; and, elected a member of the
county convention, he was appointed to serve
on the committee for investigating the pauper
system. He undertook the duties of this
charge all alone, visiting the different alms-
houses, and on his report at the next session of
the House the farm system was adopted. Mr.
Weare was one of the State Committee at the
Hillsborough Convention in the Pierce cam-
paign.

He was Representative for the town in
1875 and 1876. Among his local offices was
that of County Road Commissioner, which he
538

held in 1851. In his younger manhood he
took an active interest in military affairs,
and was promoted from the rank of Sergeant to
that of Colonel in the training militia; and
during the War of the Rebellion he was agent
for filling the quota of men for the town.
Mr. Weare was the first extensive breeder of
blood cattle in this secticn, and was a promi-
nent member of the Board of Agriculture,
his age, experience, and success making his
opinions of much value. He was President
and Director of the Rockingham County Agri-
cultural Society for several years; was ap-
pointed by Secretary Guthrie superintendent
of the erection of the Portsmouth (N.H.) cus-
tom-house, and held the office until the fail-
ure of the contractors; was appointed by
United States Marshal Stephen W. Dearborn
deputy to take census for Seabrook, Kensing-
ton, South Hampton, and Newton in 1860;
has been Justice of the Peace for fifty years,
and Notary Public for several years, at one
time did large probate business, and was
guardian for many children. William Swett,
Mr. Weare’s ‘great-grandfather, enlisted, ac-
cording to his diary, May 2, 1758, in Captain
William Osgood’s Company, Colonel Preble’s
Regiment, to go to Canada. He kept a diary
all the time he was gone, noting down some-
thing every day. The diary is now in Mr.
Weare’s possession. Mr. Swett afterward
enlisted as Second Lieutenant in Captain
Joseph Page’s Company and Colonel Titcomb’s
Regiment, in the War of the Revolution. -

About the time this goes to press will
doubtless be held at Dearborn Hall, Seabrook,
“‘the third annual meeting of the descendants
of Nathaniel Weare, who went twice to Eng-
land as agent of the people of the province of
New Hampshire,’ the call for the reunion
having been issued by ‘‘J. M. Weare,
President.’

 

ALBERT CLARKE, of Exeter, N.H.,
was born in this town, May 23, 1843.
He is a son of William Henry and
Sarah (Hilton) Clarke, and is of the
eighth generation of his family in this
country. His immigrant ancestor, Nathaniel
Clarke, who was a native of Wiltshire, Eng-

 

‘

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

land, was one of the wealthy and influential
men of old Newbury, Mass., holding the office
of Justice of the Peace, and exercising author-
ity in town affairs and in matters connected
with the Church of England. He died in
Newbury in 1690, aged forty-eight; and he
bequeathed to his posterity, among other
things, a brigantine.

His son Nathaniel, second, was born in
Newbury, March 13, 1666; and a third Na-
thaniel, son of Nathaniel, second, was born in
the same place, July 29, 1689. Nathaniel,
third, was mortally wounded in the French
and Indian War. His son Samuel, the next
in line, was born in Newbury, April 23, 1710;
and Samuel’s son Moses was born in Salis-
bury, Mass., October 24, 1737. Moses
Clarke, or Deacon Clarke, as he was com-
monly called, was a strong Baptist in religion.
He refused to sign the Association Test. He
lived to be fourscore, spending the latter part
of his life in Stratham, N.H. His wife,
whose maiden name was Mehitable French, was
the mother of nine children. Deacon Clarke
had a son whose name also was Moses Clarke.
He was born, December 23, 1773, in Stratham,
Rockingham County, N.H., and settled about
1790 in Exeter, where he died in 1803. He
was a merchant or trader. Huis wife was Jane
Robinson, a native of Greenland, this county.
Five children were born to this couple,
namely: John, who died at the age of twenty;
Charles, who served in the War of 1812, and
died at the age of sixty-seven in Exeter;
Robert, who died in Boston, at the age of
forty-one; William Henry; and a daughter,
who died in childhood.

William Henry Clarke was born in Exeter,
December 4, 1800. He was but three years of
age when his father died; and he was reared
by his grandfather, Deacon Moses Clarke.
For many years he was engaged in trade,
in which he was successful; and he owned
much valuable real estate. He died in 1863.
Mr. William H. Clarke was married in Exe-
ter, February 16, 1825, to Sarah, daughter of
Colonel Richard and Martha (Leavitt) Hilton.
She was descended from two of the Colonial
governors of Massachusetts, John Winthrop
and Thomas Dudley. Her first ancestor in
this country was Edward Hilton, who came
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

539

 

 

from London in 1623. His son, Colonel Ed-
ward Hilton, married Ann Dudley, daughter
of the Rev. Samuel and Mary (Winthrop)
Dudley, and = grand-daughter of Governor
Winthrop and Governor Dudley. Colonel
Edward and Ann (Dudley) Hilton were the
great-great-grandparents of Colonel Richard
Hilton, the father of Mrs. Clarke. Colonel
Hilton was a native of New Market, Rocking-
ham County, N.H. His wife was born in
Exeter. Mrs. Clarke was an exemplary Chris-
tian woman, always ready to help the poor, to
visit the sick, and to act as a peacemaker.
She was a member of the Congregational
church. Her life embraced eighty-two years,
and she retained her faculties and activity to
the last.

Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. William
H. Clarke the following is a brief record:
Charles, a journalist by profession, was En-
sign on the monitor “ Nahant,” at Charleston,
S.C., at the time of the Civil War. He died
in Worcester, Mass., at the age of sixty-three,
leaving four children. William A., who was
born in 1827, was a shoemaker by trade, and
was a Corporal in the army at the time of the
Civil War. He died in North Weymouth,
Mass., January 20, 1889. John, who was born
in 1830, resides in Exeter. George Washing-
ton, who was born in 1832, opened the first
store in Charleston, S.C., after the war, and
managed a large and successful business. In
1867-68 he was Mayor of Charleston, where
he built the famous shell road; and he was
Collector of the port under General Grant.
In 1878 he returned to Exeter, and engaged in
the coal business, shipping large cargoes up
the river. His wife was Sarah Maria Stod-
dard, of Upton, Mass. Her father was a large
shoe dealer in Charleston, S.C. George W.
Clarke reared four sons and two daughters:
Edward H. is a hotel-keeper at Raymond,
N.H.; Martha is the widow of Charles P.
Wright, of Greenfield, Mass., and has two
sons and a daughter; Sarah is the wife of
Richard N. Oakman, of Greenfield, Mass.,
and has one daughter.

J Albert Clarke, the youngest child of Will-
iam Henry, adopted book-keeping as a voca-
tion, and commenced his business career at
the age of eighteen, as clerk in the United

 

States interna) revenue department. From
1863 to 1867 he was employed as a book-
keeper in Boston, and he then returned to Exe-
ter with the Choate Manufacturing Company.
This company closing up its business here in
1868, Mr. Clarke, in company with Mr. Will-
iam Burlingame, organized the Exeter Ma-
chine Works, now one of the best-known con-
cerns of the kind in New England, leasing
the property of the Choate Manufacturing
Company. In 1870 the plant was destroyed
by fire, thus terminating the lease. The same
company, which had changed its name to the
Exeter Foundry and Machine Company, built
a new brick plant, and gave a new lease to the
partners. This lease ran till 1876, when the
partnership was merged in the corporation,
the partners becoming shareholders, and the
name Exeter Machine Works included the
whole. They produce stationary engines, sec-
tional boilers, radiators, house-heating , appa-
ratus by steam or hot water, and between 1871
and 1889 divided total dividends of ninety-
seven per cent. Mr. Clarke is one of the
principal stockholders and one of the Board
of Directors. As a society man, Mr. Clarke
has been active and popular; and he has some
rich society badges voluntarily bestowed upon
him by benefit organizations in recognition
of his services and loyalty.

 

 

 

AMUEL NOWELL, an old resident
of Derry, N.H., and the owner of
two good farms, was born in this
town, August 5, 1825, a son of

Captain Nathaniel and Mary Nowell. His
father was a native of Newburyport, Mass.,
and his mother of Derry. His grandfather,
Captain Nathaniel Nowell, Sr., who followed
the sea in his younger days, was the first of
the family to settle in this town.

Captain Nathaniel Nowell, Jr., father of
Samuel, was an intelligent and well-educated
man. He went to sea when quite young, and
was Captain of a vessel at the age of twenty.
Following a sailor’s life until he was sixty
years old, he saw much of the world, but had
a remarkably fortunate career, meeting with
no serious mishap during all those years.
The last part of his life was spent on a farm
540

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

near the centre of the town of Derry, where
he died in 1843. Five children were born to
him and his wife, namely: James, a resident
of East Derry, and Samuel, the subject of
this sketch, the only ones living to-day; and
Alfred, Frederick, and Betsey, who have
passed away.

Samuel Nowell received most of his rudi-
mentary education in District School No. 4
of Derry, but much of his present knowledge
has been since acquired by reading and obser-
vation. He has been engaged in farm work
since early boyhood, and has acquired his
property by assiduous labor and judicious
economy.

Mr. Nowell was married September 13,
1861, to Gustie M. Rowlins, who was born in
Epping, N.H., a daughter of William and
Purney (Dane) Rowlins, both her parents
being natives of Haverhill, Mass. Mr.
Rowlins, who was a tailor by trade, also man-
aged a farm in Epping; and both he and his
wife died in that town. Mrs. Nowell has one
surviving brother, William, an attorney in
San Francisco, Cal. She is a woman of much
executive ability and pleasing social qualities,
and is identified with the United Order of
the Golden Cross, the Pilgrim Fathers, the
Patrons of Husbandry, and the Woman’s Re-
lief Corps. Mr. Nowell votes the Republican
ticket. Though not an_ office-seeker, he
served efficiently at one time on the School
Committee. He is well known throughout
the town, and has the regard and esteem of all
its citizens.

 

OSEPH WEARE BROWN, a highly
respected resident of Kensington, and

a descendant of one of the first settlers

of this town, was born upon the farm

where he now resides, September 5, 1826, son
of Joseph and Mary Ann (Weare) Brown.
Five generations of the family have tilled the
soil successfully upon the Brown homestead
in Kensington; and. they descended from the
original settler in America, John Brown,
who emigrated from England, and settled at
Hampton in 1638. His son Jacob, who mar-
ried Sarah Brookin, was the father of Jona-
than Brown, the original owner of the Brown

 

property. He was a pioneer settler of Ken-
sington, and succeeded in establishing a com-
fortable home for himself and his family in
the face of many difficulties. Jonathan Brown
married Joanna Abba, and his children were:
Jonathan, Abba, Joseph, Moses, Joanna, and
Abigail. Joseph Brown, Mr. Brown’s great-
grandfather, was born in Kensington, May 3,
1741, and resided here until his death, June
19, 1817. He continued upon the farm the
improvements inaugurated by his father, and
further became prominent in public affairs,
serving as Representative to the General
Court and as a Selectman of the town. He
was also a Captain in the Colonial militia. .
He and his wife, Anna, were the parents of
thirteen children; namely, Moses, Jonathan,
Joseph, Sewell, Nehemiah, Nathan, Stephen,
William, John, Mary, Joanna, Rachel, and
Anna.

Stephen Brown, the next in line, was born
December 16, 1778. He succeeded to the
possession of the homestead, on which he con-
tinued to reside until his death, which took
place January 15, 1855. He was an active
and industrious farmer. He supported the
Whig party in politics, and was a Selectman
of the town.’ He served with the rank of Cap-
tain in the War of 1812. In his religious
views he was a Unitarian. He married Susan
Bagley, of Salisbury, Mass.; and she became
the mother of the following children: Joseph,
born March 9, 1802; Amos, born March 11,
1803;~Polly, February 18, 1806; Nancy, born
in 1807; John, born December 25, I8I1;
Stephen, born February 4, 1817; Moses and
Jonathan, twins, born July 13, 1818; and
Susan R., born December 27, 1825. But
two of these survive: Moses, who resides in
Vineyard Haven, Mass. ; and Stephen, who is
a resident of Kensington. The mother died
January 22, 1856.

Joseph Brown, father of Joseph Weare
Brown, was born at the homestead in Kensing-
ton, March 9, 1802. Succeeding by inheri-
tance to a portion of the ancestral estate, he
carried on general farming during the active’
period of his life, and also figured prominently
in public affairs. He served as a Selectman
for four years, represented his town in the
legislature for one term, and was a Captain in
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

54

 

 

the State militia. In politics he acted origi-
nally with the Whig party, but later became a
Democrat. He died April 18, 1888. His
wife, Mary Ann Weare Brown, who was born
in Seabrook, August 10, 1807, became the
mother of two children: Joseph W., the sub-
ject of this sketch; and Stephen A. The
last-named, who was born April 12, 1829,
married Harriett M. Day, who is no longer

living. He died in 1856. Mr. Brown’s
mother died August 6, 1890. His parents
were Congregationalists in their religious

affiliations.

The following isa partial record of Mr.
Brown’s maternal ancestors: Nathaniel Weare,
of Newbury, Mass., born in England in
1631, married December 3, 1656, Elizabeth
Swayne. They removed to Hampton in 1662.
He was Councillor more than twenty years.
In 1694-95 he was Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court, and he was Justice of the Peace
and Quorum throughout his business life.
He died May 13, 1718. His son Nathaniel,
born August 29, 1669, married Huldah Hus-
sey, November 17, 1692. He was a Deacon,
Justice of the Peace eight years, Justice of the
Superior Court four years, and Representative
two years. Nathaniel’s son, John Weare,
born November 12, 1696, married Deborah
Taylor, December 6, 1720. His son, Deacon
Jonathan, born June 28, 1724, married Janu-
ary 1, 1747, Sarah Lane, daughter of Deacon
Joshua Lane. Deacon Jonathan died Novem-
ber 6, 1790, and Sarah, his wife, June 8,
1784. John Weare, son of Deacon Jonathan,
born 1757, married Thankful Hubbard, De-
cember 14, 1780, and died in 1800. Thank-
ful Hubbard was the daughter of Joseph Hub-
bard, of Salisbury, Mass., one of the Com-
moners. Joseph Hubbard Weare, son of
John, born December 6, 1781, married Octo-
ber 21, 1804, Betsey Mitchell, daughter of
Belah Mitchell, of South Hampton. She was
born March 22, 1784, and died May 13, 1831.
He died in 1822. Mary Ann, the daughter
of Joseph H. and Betsy (Mitchell) Weare,
born August 2, 1807, married Joseph Brown,
November 25, 1825.

Joseph Weare Brown has resided at the an-
cestral homestead all his life, with the excep-
tion of three years. His education was ac-

 

quired in the schools of Kensington and at the
academy in Gorham, Me. He taught school
for four terms during his early manhood.
Aside from that he has given his attention
principally to agriculture, though he has prac-
tised surveying to some extent, and has settled
several estates. He is at the present time
one of the largest farmers of this town. He
still keeps the oJd estate in a high state of
cultivation, and at one time he owned two
hundred and forty acres of valuable land.

On April 21, 1851, Mr. Brown was united
in marriage to Sarah Blake Hilliard, who was
born in Kensington, March 11, 1828, a daugh-
ter of Joseph Chase Hilliard.

Of his wife’s ancestry the following is
recorded: Emanuel and Elizabeth Hilliard
were in Hampton October 10, 1657. Their
son Timothy, born 1646, married Apphia
Philbrick, December 3, 1674, and died August
17, 1723. Benjamin Hilliard, son of Timo-
thy, born July 19, 1681, married April 3,
1706, Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Chase.
He died November 18, 1723. His son, Jo-
seph Chase Hilliard, was born August 13,
1720. His son, Theophilus Hillard, married
a Blake. Their son was Joseph Chase Hill-
iard, who married Sarah Hodgdon; and their
daughter was Sarah Blake Brown. Sarah
Hodgdon was the daughter of Hanson Hodg-
don, a pensioner of the Revolutionary War,
in which he saw much service.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Brown have had
three children, as follows: Susan L., born ~
January’ 14, 1852, is the wife of David Web-
ster, of Haverhill, Mass.; Sarah Anna, born
May 6, 1855, died May 27, 1859; and Mary
Lizzie, born April 25, 1858, married Charles
Edward Fish. Mrs. Fish and her husband
reside with her father on the homestead.
They have two children: Ralph Brown Fish,
born December 3, 1884; and Josephine W.
Fish, born March 3, 1888. Mrs. Brown died
July 31, 1895. She was a member of the
Congregational church.

Elisha Fish, the ancestor of Charles Edward
Fish, came to Danby, Vt., in 1778, from Rhode

Island. He was one of the earliest settlers in
his part of the town. He married Elizabeth
Wilbur. Their son, John Fish, married Abi-

gail Moulton, and succeeded to the homestead
542

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

of his father. James, the son of John and
Abigail Fish, married Eunice V. Read. He
was a Mason, Postmaster, and also represented
the town in the legislature in 1868. Charles
Edward Fish, son of James and Eunice V.,
was born in Lockport, Ill., April 15, 1856.
Timothy Read, father of Eunice V., came to
Danby, Vt., in 1826, married Eunice Kelley,
and died February 19, 1849. He was Select-
man five years, Lister two years, Representative
two years, and Justice of the Peace two years.

In politics Mr. Brown is a Democrat, and
has served capably as a Selectman for four
years, besides filling other town offices. He
has also acted as a Justice of the Peace for
thirty-six years. He is highly respected and
esteemed, both for his personal qualities and
as a destendant of one of the first settlers of
Kensington; and he occupies an honorable
position among the prominent and well-to-do
residents of the town.

 

EORGE E. SEAVEY, an enterpris-
ing lumber manufacturer and dealer
of Windham, and formerly a member

of the New Hampshire legislature, was born
in Pelham, Hillsborough County, N.H., June
20, 1839, son of Benjamin and Sarah C. (Co-
burn) Seavey. Mr. Seavey’s great-grandfather
is supposed to have been a resident of Hudson,
N.H., as his remains were interred in the
cemetery at that place. Joseph Seavey, Mr.
Seavey’s grandfathey, was a prominent citizen
of Pelham, where he resided until his death.
Benjamin Seavey, father of George E., was
born in Pelham. When a young man, he
learned the wheelwright’s trade, which he fol-
lowed for some years. He subsequently en-
gaged in the manufacture of lumber, removing
from Pelham to Windham, where he con-
tinued to carry on a flourishing trade until his
death, which took place in 1886. He was an
able business man and a worthy, upright citi-
zen, who won the confidence of all with whom
he had dealings. In politics he acted with the
Republican party. His wife, Sarah C. Coburn
Seavey, was a native of Tyngsboro, Mass.
George E. Seavey accompanied his parents
to Windham when he was twelve years old,
and he completed his school education in this

“ents.

 

town. At an early age he began to assist his
father in the umber business; and, upon reach-
ing his majority, he engaged in the same busi-
ness upon his own account in the eastern part
of the town. He later established himself at
Windham Depot, where he has been located
since. Commencing upon a limited scale, he
advanced steadily, enlarging his facilities as
his trade increased. He has been identified
with the lumber interests of this section for
the past thirty years. His ability in business
matters has been of service to his fellow-towns-
men and to the Republican party, which he
actively supports; and he has discharged the
duties of the various offices of public trust
which he has been called upon to fill with
credit to himself and benefit to his constitu-
For three years he was a member of the
Board of Selectmen, and he represented the
district for one term in the legislature during
the session of 1883-84. He is now serving
his eighth year as Supervisor.

Mr. Seavey wedded Mary B. Ballou, a
native of Derry, N.H. He is connected with
St. Mark’s Lodge, A. F. & A..M., of Derry.
A favorite in social circles, he has an exten-
sive acquaintance beyond the limits of his own
town and county.

 

ONATHAN P. SANBORN, a _ well-
known carpenter and farmer of Epping,
Rockingham County, N.H., was born
in this town, January 6, 1817. His

parents were Moses D. and Abigail (Prescott)
Sanborn. The father was a native of Dorches-
ter, N.H., but came to Nottingham in early
youth to learn blacksmithing with his uncle.
He subsequently came to Epping,- where he
took unto himself a wife, and, returning to
Dorchester, purchased there a farm. Not
long afterward, however, he came back to Ep-
ping, and here spent the rest of his days, being
prominently identified with farming interests
for many years. Mr. Sanborn was a man of
quiet tastes, devoted to his home and family.
He died on October 11, 1860, at the age of
seventy-one years. His wife, who was a
native of this town, laid down the burden of
life August 2, 1862, being then in her eighti-
eth year.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

543

 

 

Jonathan P. Sanborn obtained such educa-
tion as the district schools of his boyhood days
afforded. His parents being in straitened
circumstances, he was obliged to care for him-
self at an early age. When sixteen years old,
he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he
subsequently worked for forty years, besides
spending several years on a farm. He has
now retired from active business. In politics
he cast his first vote with the Liberty party,
which he continued to support until slavery
was abolished. In later years he has been
affiliated with the Prohibitionists, though he
is somewhat independent, and votes for whom
he regards as the best candidate.

In 1841 Mr. Sanborn was united in mar-
riage to Mary F. Rundlett, daughter of True
W. Rundlett, of this town. Their union has
been blessed by two sons: Charles W., a resi-
dent of this village; and Cyrus R., who is a
business man’ in Cancord, N.H. The mother
died in 1895. Mr. Sanborn is in his eighti-
eth year; but he is enjoying good health, and
it may be hoped that his days of usefulness and
honor will be lengthened.

 

 

TON. CAPTAIN JOHN SHELDON
TREAT, a highly respected citizen

— ant of Jobn Treat, who came from
England to this country in 1639, and settled
in Wethersfield, Conn., being one of the
founders of that town. His ancestors in Con-
necticut during the Colonial and Revolution-
ary period were al] very prominent. Robert
Treat, a representative of the second genera-
tion in this country, was for more than forty
years Governor and Deputy Governor of Con-
necticut, holding the first-named office in
1687, at the time the charter of the colony
was demanded by Sir Edmund Andros, in the
name of King James IJ., and saved. by being
secreted in a hollow oak-tree, after a long
discussion in the Assembly, in which he took
a leading part. He was the Commander-in-
chief of the forces of Connecticut in King
Philip’s War in 1675, and commanded at the
Great Swamp fight in the following year,
which brought the war to a termination by the
death of Philip. John Treat, Captain Treat’s

 

of Portsmouth, N.H., is a descend-

 

great-grandfather, fought for the cause of
American freedom all through the Revolution-
ary War, as did also two of his brothers.
Samuel Treat, the grandfather, was born in
Middletown, Conn., November 29, 1788. He
learned the stone-cutter’s trade in that town,
and in 1807 located in Portsmouth, soon after-
ward purchasing the stone business of Noah
Smith, who was ‘the successor of Daniel
Marble, the founder of the enterprise. He
conducted the business successfully until
1837, when he was succeeded by his son Allen.
He died in Portsmouth, February 3, 1862.
Allen Treat was born in Portsmouth, Febru-
ary 16, 1812. In 1837 he succeeded his father
as manager of the business, which he success-
fully carried on till 1866, when he was suc-

ceeded by his son, John Sheldon Treat. He
died in Portsmouth, December 31, 1875. He
married Ann Elizabeth Ham, a native of

Portsmouth, born in November, 1817, a daugh-
ter of William and Nancy (Green) Ham.
Her father was a citizen of good repute, a
carpenter by trade; and both he and his wife
were lifelong residents of this city. Mrs.
Allen Treat, who is still living, a resident of
Portsmouth, and now in her seventy-ninth
year, reared eight children —John Sheldon,
Almenia B., Frederick W., Allen, Ann Eliza-
beth, Lydia E., James D., and Samuel E1-
dridge.

John Sheldon Treat, who is a representative
of the eighth generation of the family in this
country, was born in Portsmouth, N.H., Au-
gust 14, 1837. He received a good education
in the public schools of this city and at Phil-
lips Exeter Academy. On leaving school, he
learned the marble and stone cutter’s trade at
his father’s establishment, and in 1855 went
to Richmond, Va., where for some time he
worked as a journeyman. He _ was_ subse-
quently engaged at his trade in other cities
of the South; and in 1858 he located in Mo-
bile, Ala., forming a partnership with R.
Bruce and William R. Crow, under the firm
name of Crow & Treat, and establishing mar-
ble yards both there and at Marion and Liv-
ingston, carrying on a good business until the
breaking out of the war. During Mr. Treat’s
residence in the South he made many strong
friendships, and with the enthusiasm of a
544

young man his sympathies were enlisted on
the side of the Confederacy. In 1861 he en-
listed in Company B, Second Battalion Ala-
bama Light Artillery, and was with his bat-
tery in active service throughout the war, sur-
rendering at the close at Demopolis, Ala. In
the broken and devastated condition of the
South, ruined by the scourge of war, there
was little chance for present success in his
business; and after a brief stay in New Or-
leans Mr. Treat returned to Portsmouth. In
1866 he purchased his father’s interest, and
has since been proprietor of the Portsmouth
Marble and Granite Works. This establish-
ment is one of the oldest of the kind in New
England, having existed since 1768, and been
controlled by one family for nearly ninety
years. A capable and enterprising business
man, Captain Treat occupies a prominent posi-
tion among the marble and granite dealers of
the East. On January 22, 1896, he was
elected Vice-President of the Marble and
Granite Dealers’ Association of New England
and the Provinces.

Captain Treat was married September 23,
1871, to Sarah Willard Odiorne, a daughter
of Charles B. and Mary (Sheafe) Odiorne, of
Rye, N.H. In politics Captain Treat is a
Democrat, and has taken a prominent part in
the councils of his party in New Hampshire.
He was elected Senator for the sessions of
1881 and 1882. In 1882 he was elected
Mayor of Portsmouth, and re-elected to that
office in 1883. While Mayor, he received the
Greely expedition on their return from the
frozen North, besides taking a leading part
in other public functions, including the last
return of the Sons of Portsmouth and a grand
Fireman’s Muster. A strong advocate of tem-
perance, Captain Treat was the first President
of the Portsmouth Temperance Reform Club,
which office he held one year, during which
time two thousand six hundred signed the
pledge, a great many of them hard drinkers.
By virtue of his ancestral lineage Captain
Treat has become a member of the Massachu-
setts Society of Sons of the American Revolu-
tion, the Society of Colonial Wars in New
Hampshire, and the Society of Descendants of
Colonial Governors. He is besides a member
of St. John’s Lodge, A. F. & A. M.; Wash-

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

ington Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons;
Davenport Council, No. 3, R. & S. M., of
New Hampshire; and De Witt Clinton Com-
mandery.

 

DWIN N. STICKNEY, a prosperous
‘general merchant at Windham Junction,

and for the past twenty-five years
Postmaster of the Windham Depot office, was
born in Derry, N.H., March 31, 1839, son of
Jonathan and Dorcas S. (Gage) Stickney. His
grandfather, also named Jonathan, was an early
settler of Atkinson, N.H., and was an ener-

_getic farmer and worthy citizen of that town.

Jonathan Stickney, father of Edwin N., was
a native of Atkinson, and was reared to farm
life. In 1854 he moved to Windham, where
he settled upon a good farm, and continued to
till the soil during the rest of his active
period. He was a Democrat in politics, no
office-seeker, but a faithful supporter of his
party. His death took place in 1888. He
married Dorcas S. Gage, a native of Pelham,
N.H.; and of the children born to this union
three are now living, namely: Mary T., who
is residing in Windham; Emily J., wife of
O. A. Simpson, of Lowell, Mass.; and
Edwin N.

Edwin N. Stickney was educated in the
common schools. He accompanied his parents
to Windham when he was about sixteen years
old. He remained with his father upon the
farm until reaching the age of nineteen, when
he entered mercantile business as a clerk in
the general store of John Woodbury in Pelham,
where he continued unti] 1861. He then re-
turned to Windham, and opened a store at
Windham Junction. Commencing in a small
way, he has steadily advanced in prosperity,
developing his business to its present propor-
tions by careful management and a close at-
tention to every detail. He carries a large
and varied stock of general merchandise, in
cluding boots and shoes, and is besides an ex-
tensive dealer in grain and fertilizers.

In politics Mr. Stickney acts with the Dem-
ocratic party. He has held the position of
Postmaster for twenty-five years continuously,
giving general satisfaction. He is highly
esteemed socially for his pleasing manners
 

 

 

 

 

BROWN.

AARON W.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

547

 

 

and genial disposition, and he is regarded as
one of the most public-spirited men of the
town. He is a Master Mason, and is con-
nected with Rising Sun Lodge, A. F. &
A. M., of Nashua, N.H.

 

ARON W. BROWN, one of the promi-
nent business men of Raymond, and a
member of the Board of Selectmen,
was born in this town, November 4,
1829, son of Jedediah and Martha (Robinson)
Brown. The family of which Mr. Brown isa
representative came originally from England,
settling in Hampton, N.H. Mr. Brown's
great-grandfather, Jedediah Brown, first, was
a native of Hampton. In young manhood he
acquired a tract of wild land in the town of
Chester, near Raymond; and he there cleared
and improved quite a large farm, upon which
he passed the rest of his life, reaching an ad-
_ vanced age.

Levi Brown, Mr. Brown’s grandfather, son
of Jedediah, first, resided in Raymond upon
the farm which is now owned by P. B. Cotson;
and he was one of the prosperous agriculturists
of his day. He died in 1848, at the age of
nearly ninety years. He married Elizabeth
Swain, of this town, whose brother served in
the Revolutionary struggle. They reared six
children, namely: Jedediah; Jonathan S. ;
Mary; Levi and Libby, twins; and John — all
of whom have passed away.

Jedediah Brown, second, named for his
grandfather, was born in Raymond. He
learned the wheelwright’s trade, and followed
that calling during the active period of his
life, occupying the same shop in which his
son, Aaron W., is now carrying on business.
He was the builder of the first four-wheeled
wagon ever constructed in this town. He
lived to reach the age of eighty-two years, and
died in November, 1868. He was a sturdy,
energetic man, and a useful citizen, who never
aspired to prominence. In politics he sup-
ported the Democratic party. His wife,
Martha Robinson, who was a native of Brent-
wood, N.H., became the mother of four chil-
dren, of whom the survivors are: John R., a
resident of Brockport, N.Y.; and Aaron W.,
the subject of this sketch.

 

Aaron W. Brown in his boyhood and youth
attended the common schools of Raymond and
Kingston Academy. When his studies were
completed, he began work as an apprentice in
his father’s shop, learning the wheelwright’s
trade, including carriage painting. This busi-
ness he has followed successfully to the present
time, and is widely and favorably known
throughout this section as a reliable carriage-
builder and an able business man. He occu-
pies the old homestead farm of fifty acres,
which he cultivates with profitable results;
and he is classed as one of the most progres-
sive and industrious residents of this town.

In September, 1851, Mr. Brown married
Mary L. Fogg, a native of Readfield, Me. Of
the three children born of this union two are
living, namely: Abbie, widow of Rufus H.
Poor, late of Fremont, N.H.; and John B.,
a school-teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Brown attend
the Congregational church.

Politically, he is a Democrat, being one of
the leading supporters of that party in this
town, and has filled with ability various re-
sponsible offices of public trust. During the
years 1868-71 he was Chairman of the Board
of Selectmen, and is now a member of that
body. He was upon one occasion appointed to
fill out the unexpired term of a chairman who
died while in office, and he served as Super-
visor of the check list for two years.

Fraternally, Mr. Brown is connected with
Rockingham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M.,
of Candia, and is a charter member of Junietta
Lodge, No. 47, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, of Raymond, in which he has occu-
pied all of the important chairs.

 

OBERT ROGERS, of East Derry, a
farmer and a dealer in live stock, was

born in Bristol, N.H., November

II, 1828, son of Robert and Sarah

(Lane) Rogers. He is a descendant of one
of the early settlers and pioneers of that sec-
tion of the State. His great-grandfather,
Major Robert Rogers, a native of Nutfield,
this county, who was a Captain of a company
of rangers on the American side in the French
and Indian War, in which he served seven
years, afterward died in England. The
548

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Major’s son, Arthur, became a_ well-known
attorney-at-law of Concord, N.H.

Robert Rogers, Sr., a son of Arthur, re-
sided for a considerable number of years in the
State of Massachusetts, but made his home
during the greater portion of his life in this
State. He was for several years engaged in
the stone-cutting business in the locality now
called Rockport, Mass. He was twice mar-
ried. His first wife was Abbie (Call) Rogers,
a native of this State. She died; and about
the year 1826 he contracted his second mar-
riage with Miss Sarah Lane, of Cape Ann,
Mass. Of his children by both marriages the
survivors are: Lucy, Robert, Abigail, James,
Ezra, and Eliza J. Lucy resides in Baltimore,
Md., and is the wife of Nathan Hipsley; Abi-
gail C. is now the widow of the Jate George
Moore, of Derry, N.H.; and Eliza J. is the
wife of Octavius DeVries, of Maryland. Mr.

Rogers was in a large sense a self-made man,-

what he became in personal character and what
he acquired of fortune being principally due to
the exercise of his own native powers. At
first a Whig in politics, he subsequently be-
came a Republican. He was in fellowship
with the First Church of Derry, being fully in
accord with the faith of that denomination.
His death occurred in 1880 at Derry, where
he had resided very many years, respected by
his neighbors.

Robert Rogers was only a small lad when
he removed with his parents from Gloucester,
Mass., to Derry. He received his education
in the district schools of that locality. Since
then he has kept abreast with the times by ex-
tensive reading and keen observation, so ren-
dering himself ‘‘well educated’’ ina large and
practical sense. In his earlier manhood Mr.
Rogers was employed for a number of years as
aclerk in C. C. Parker’s store at East Derry;
but by far the greater part of his life has been
spent in general agriculture and live-stock
dealing.

On November 26, 1863, Mr. Rogers was
joined in matrimony with Miss Rosetta Wason,
a native of Chester, N.H., and a daughter of
John and Mehitable D. (Hoyt) Wason. Mr.
Wason, also a native of Chester, and a son of
James Wason, up to the day of his decease
possessed and occupied the estate owned by

 

the family for five generations, descended from
its Scotch-Irish founders. Captain Worthen,
who was the father of Mrs. Royers’s paternal
grandmother, served his country in the War
of Independence; and on the side of Mrs.
Rogers’s mother several of the Hoyts were
officers in the same struggle. John Wason,
the father of Mrs. Rogers, in addition to gen-
eral farming also carried on an extensive busi-
ness in the manufacture and sale of lumber.
Of his children two survive, namely: Rosetta,
now Mrs. Robert Rogers; and Angelia, who is
the wife of E. Freeman Gerrish, a resident
of Deerfield, N.H. In politics Mr. Wason
was successively a Whig and a Republican.
He was essentially a self-made man, enterpris-
ing and successful in his mercantile career,
and public-spirited and progressive as a citizen.
He passed away at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. Rogers, September 28, 1881, in his
seventy-second year. Mrs. Wason died there
May 9, 1896, at the venerable age of eighty-
seven. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have two chil-
dren, namely: Fannie I., who resides at the
paternal home; and Henrietta W., who is
principal assistant in the public schools of
Winthrop, Mass. Mr. Rogers’s political prin-
ciples take him into association with the Re-
publican party. He attends and contributes
liberally to the support of the First Church
at East Derry, of which Mrs. Rogers is a
member. The family take an active interest
and participate freely in the social events of
East Derry, and their home has been the scene
of many pleasant and attractive gatherings.

 

 

ed
g HOMAS B. ROBINSON, of New Mar-

ket, whose beautiful farm on the
Exeter River will well repay a visit,
was born here, December 25, 1843, son of
John J. and Mary J. (Brackett) Robinson.
He is of the ninth generation of the Robinsons
in New England. The first was represented
by John Robinson, who settled in Haverhill,
Mass., in 1640, and was killed by the Indians
in this county between Exeter and Hampton
in 1675. His wife, Elizabeth, bore him a son
named Jonathan, who was the direct ancestor
of Thomas B. Robinson. Jonathan, born in
Haverhill about 1640, was a farmer, resided

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

549

 

 

in Exeter for a number of years, and died there
after 1716. His wife, Sarah, was the mother
of eight children. Of these James Robinson,
who was a farmer of Stratham, N.H., married
and reared nine chiJdren. His son, Jonathan
Robinson, born in Stratham, February 13,
1721, was of the fourth generation. The fifth
was represented by another Jonathan, born
in the same place, October 22, 1741. He
served as a Colonel at Bunker Hill, and subse-
quently acted a patriot’s part in the ensuing
war. His death occurred about the year 1800.
His wife, Abigail (Folsom) Robinson, was
the mother of twelve children. Of these
Shadrach Robinson, born in Stratham in Feb-
ruary, 1763, was a farmer of Greenland, this
county, where he died November 14, 1839.
He married Mrs. Martha Brackett, a widow,
who died December 5, 1841. This couple
were the parents of seven children, among
whom was George Robinson, the grandfather
of Thomas B.

George Robinson was born in Greenland,
August 24, 1790. He was a farmer, and was
the first of the family to settle in New Market,
where in 1820 he located on the farm now
occupied by his grandson. Prospering in his
calling, he was in good circumstances. A
Democrat in politics, he took an active inter-
est in local affairs, and served as Selectman
and in other official capacities. Though ‘not
a church member, he contributed liberally
toward the support of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He died in August, 1870, eighty
years old. On March 24, 1818, he was married
to Deborah Jewett, of Stratham, who died in

1821. Her children were: John J., who was
born November 1, 1818; and Martha, now
deceased, who was born March 19, 1820.

George Robinson entered a second marriage,
contracted with Betsey Watson, who was born
April 24, 1787, and died April 7, 1862.
children were: George D. W., born April 15,
1827, who is now living in South New Market ;
and Elizabeth A., born in December, 1829,
who died February 10, 1831.

John J. Robinson, a native of Hampton,
grew to manhood on the home farm in New
Market, where he is still living. He was for
many years actively engaged in general farm-
ing, in which he was very successful, and was

Her |

 

tender of the drawbridge on the Exeter River.
He is a stanch Democrat, and has served as
Selectman of the town and as Representative
to the State legislature. Jn religious matters
he is liberal. On May 26, 1842, he was mar-
ried to Mary J. Brackett, a native of New
Market, who died August 15, 1872, aged about
fifty-seven years. She made him the father of
six children, namely: Adoniram J., born in
1845, who died that year; Charles M., born in
April, 1852, who died November 3, 1861;
Thomas B., the subject of this sketch; John
A., born July 3, 1846, who is unmarried,
and lives with his brother,’ Thomas B.
being associated with him as general farmer,
florist, etc.; George E., born May 30, 1848,
a produce dealer in Faneuil Hall Market,
Boston, who married Miss Mary Wilcox in
June, 1872, and has three children — Maud,
G. Edwin, and Orton B.; and Kate E.,
born June 28, 1850, who was married to
John H. Knight, of New Market, in 1883, and
has one son, Fred W., born June 17, 1885.

Thomas B. Robinson acquired his education
in the schools near his home. As a general
farmer, he has achieved remarkable success.
Nothing is allowed to go to waste on his farm.
He has extensive piggeries. He is engaged
in fish culture; and, as a florist and nursery-
man, he has a large business. He has suc-
ceeded his father as tender of the drawbridge.
To his house, which was built in 1792, addi-
tions have been made from time to time, in-
cluding the latest modern improvements. The
other buildings are substantial, and well fitted -
with all necessary equipments. He has water
power on the estate and pipe water in the
house and barns. In winter the residence is
heated by steam.

On January 6, 1874, Mr. Robinson was mar-
ried to Miss Ella C. Roach, who was born in
Holderness, N.H., July 20, 1852. He has
now one son, Charles Edwin, who was born in
New Market village, October 3, 1876. This
son is a close student. He has given much
attention to genealogy, and is at present study-
ing electricity. Mr. Robinson is a Democrat,
is prominent in local affairs, and has served
the town as Selectman. He belongs to the
order of the Knights of Honor, and is very
popular in society.
5a?

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

EORGE W. PINGREE, a successful
farmer of Auburn, was born June 11,
1850, son of Jacob and Emeline W.
(Weeks) Pingree. The founder of the branch
of the Pingree family from which George W.
Pingree is descended came to this country
from England, and settled in Rowley, Mass.
Stephen Pingree, a native of Fitchburg, Mass.,
and the great-grandfather of George W.,
moved from Fitchburg to Grafton County of
this State, residing successively in Littleton,
Groton, and Franconia. He first married a
Miss Sanderson, who by him became the
mother of seven children, al] now deceased.
He entered a second marriage, contracted
with a Mrs. Burke, the sister of his first
wife. No children were born of this union.
The family attended the Unitarian church.
Stephen Pingree (second), the grandfather of
George W., lived for some time in Littleton,
Mass., and from there moved to Auburn,
where he resided for ten or more years. He
finally went to Loudon, N.H., where he re-
mained until his death. He was united in
marriage to Miss Betsy Kelly, and twelve
children were born to them. Six of the num-
ber are now living, namely: Jacob, the father
of George W.; Nathan, who lives in Roches-
ter, N.H.; William E., residing in Law-
rence, Mass.; Hepsibeth D., the wife of
S. M. McDuffee; Daniel W., also of Law-
rence; Harriet N., the wife of Sidney Brown,
of Hartland, Vt. Those who died were: Will-
iam, Mary A., Susan E., Hannah B., Susan
W., and Hannah E. The father, who was an
active Christian and a prominent man in the
Methodist church, died April 3, 1866, aged
seventy-nine years and seven months.
Jacob Pingree, the second of his many
' brothers and sisters, was a native of Littleton,
Mass., born July 8, 1814. He came to Au-
burn in the year 1826, and has resided in’ the
same house in this place ever since. In his
early life he was a shoemaker by trade, but
afterward became a lumber dealer, pursuing
the latter business in connection with farming.
He was joined in wedlock to Miss Emeline
W. Weeks, a native of Chester, N.H. Of
their five children three are still living,
namely: Mary F., who married Charles New-
ton, of Rochester, Vt. ; Lucy M., the wife of

 

Moses Duston, of Manchester, N.H.; and
George W., the subject of this sketch. Ellen
M. passed from life in May of 1885; and
Charles W. gave his life for his country in
the Civil War, July 30, 1864. Mr. Jacob
Pingree has Jed a quiet life, caring little for
the notoriety of public offices. He is a mem-
ber of the Congregational church, and_ has
always been a Democrat in his political faith.
He has attained the advanced age of eighty-
two years.

George W. Pingree was educated in the
common schools of Auburn and at Pinkerton
Academy in Derry. After leaving school, he
followed the trade of carpenter in various
places, acquiring a reputation for conscientious
and skilful work. The school buildings in
District No. 4 of Auburn, and the residence
of his son-in-law, Mr. Davis, are excellent
specimens of his skill as a builder. He has
been a very busy man ever since he entered
the arena of active employment, plying his
trade during the summer seasons and working
on bis farm throughout the winter months.
He lives at the old homestead where he was
born. On August 27, 1872, he was joined in
wedlock with Miss Julia A. Heath, of Auburn.
Both of the children born of this union are
still living to gladden the lives of their par-
ents. They are: Etta A., who has not left
the home nest; and Ella M., the wife of
George G. Davis, of Auburn. Mr. and Mrs.
Davis have one child, Gertrude Elsie, a baby
of four weeks, who is the autocrat of the fam-
ily. George W. Pingree does not belong to
any secret society or order. He has held the
office of Supervisor of the check list for four
years, and has also been Moderator for two
years. He has joined the Democratic party,
and is a member of the Congregational church.

 

ZRA FE. ROGERS, an enterprising and
prosperous agriculturist, and a_repre-
sentative citizen of Derry, was born

in Derry, September 15, 1837, son of Robert
and Sarah (Lane) Rogers. Of Scotch-Irish
extraction, he is a descendant of one of the
early settlers of New Hampshire. His great-
grandfather was Robert Rogers, who served in
the English army during the French and Ind-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

55!

 

 

ian War. One of Robert’s sons was Arthur
Rogers, who was a well-known attorney-at-law
of Concord, N.H.

Robert Rogers, son of Arthur, and the
father of Ezra E., was born in Rockingham,
N.H., and grew to manhood in Concord, N.H.
For a number of years in the earlier part of
his life he engaged in stone-cutting at Rock-
port, Mass. ; but in about 1835 he made a per-
manent settlement in Derry, purchasing and
fixing his residence on the farm which his son,
the subject of this sketch, now occupies. He
was one of the first persons to reclaim and to
cultivate the land of that locality. He sérved
in the War of 1812, being stationed at the
important post of Portsmouth, N.H. Robert
Rogers was twice married, on the first occa-
sion to Abigail Call, of Bristol, N.H. Their
union was blessed in the birth of two children
— Lucy and Robert. Robert is now deceased.
The mother died; and the father made his sec
ond marriage with Miss Sarah Lane, a native
of Cape Ann, Mass. They had seven children ;
namely, Robert, Abigail, Sarah (now de-
ceased), James,. George (also deceased), Ezra
E., and Eliza J. The father was in a true
sense a self-educated and a self-made man.
He was public-spirited, and was an earnest
advocate and a vigorous promoter of the pub-
lic-school system. In politics he was succes-
sively a Whig and a Republican. He was in
fellowship with the First Church of Derry,
to the support of which he was a liberal con-
tributor. He was widely and favorably known ;
and his decease in October, 1878, was felt as
a loss by the community.

Ezra E. Rogers grew to maturity on the pa-
ternal estate, obtaining his education in the
district schools of Derry and in Chester Acad-
emy. Besides the homestead, which contains
one hundred and fifty acres of excellent Jand,
he also owns a farm of eighty-six acres, like-
wise situated in the town of Derry. On both
be has carried on general farming with much
success; while he has resided all his lifetime
on the home farm, which is situated in the
north-eastern section of the town.

On April 21, 1880, he was joined in mar-
riage with Miss Julia A. Sanborn, a native of
Chester, this county, and a daughter of the
late Ebenezer Sanborn, a former resident of

 

that town. He has since become the father of
one child, Mabel D. Mr. Rogers has partici-
pated freely in the civic and social affairs of
the community, and during the period of his
citizenship he has witnessed many changes and
advancements in the social fabric. He is an
earnest promoter of any judicious plan that
looks to the development of the material and
civil interests of the town, and he is an es-
pecially vigorous advocate of the common
schools. In national politics he affiliates with
the Republican party. He attends and liber-
ally supports the First Church of East Derry.

oo

TON. AMOS C. CHASE, who is
spending the closing years of his
be af busy life in retirement at his beau-
tiful home in Kingston, N.H., has
been for many years a potent factor of the
manufacturing and political interests of Rock-
ingham County. He has been a lifelong resi-
dent of this village, the date of his birth being
March 10, 1833. He comes of substantial
English stock, represented in this country at
an early period of its history by three emi-
grants, namely: William, who settled at Yar-
mouth; and Thomas and Aquila, brothers,
who settled at Hampton, N.H., in 1639.
Aquila Chase a few years later removed to
Newbury, Mass.

Charles Chase, the paternal grandfather of
Amos C. Chase, was born and reared in the
town of Seabrook, Rockingham County, N.H.,
with his brothers and sisters. As the years
passed, the children of the household became
scattered, Charles removing to the town of
Kingston, where he worked at the hatter’s
trade.

His son Amos, father of Amos C. Chase,
was born in the village of Kingston, where
he spent his life, dying December 29, 1873.
He early learned the trade of a carriage maker,
in which he was successfully engaged much of
his time, his manufactures finding a ready
sale. He became owner of a farm, which he
managed in addition to his carriage business.
His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah
P. Hook, survived him several years, dying
May 23, 1888. They reared a family of six
children, all of whom are living to-day,

 

 
552

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

namely: William H., a prominent farmer and
stock-raiser of Lawrence County, South Da-
kota, who married Miss Sarah Simpson; Jo-
siah H., who married Miss Helen Rankin,
and is engaged in the clothing business at
Minneapolis, Minn.; the Hon. Amos C.;
Sarah E., the wife of Stephen F. Nichols, a
wealthy citizen, living in Kingston village;
Isaac H., a wealthy and influential citizen of
Rapid City, So. Dak., who married Miss
Newry Gilman, and who is the proprietor of
six dry-goods stores within a radius of fifty
miles; and Mary S., the wife of James M.
Philbrick, a well-known farmer of Kingston.

Amos C. Chase received his education in
the Kingston schools, finishing at the old
academy, of which he is now Trustee, having
filled that office for twenty-three consecutive
years. At an early age he began learning the
carriage-maker’s trade; and, having become
proficient in every branch thereof, he started
in business for himself. He opened a factory
near his present home, where he was born and
bred; and from that time until 1888, when he
retired from active pursuits, he manufactured
carriages for the wholesale trade, building up
a large and lucrative business. He has the
reputation of being upright in his business
dealings; and, though he has met with re-
verses, his prosperous ventures have far out-
numbered his failures. A part of his real
estate includes several houses in the town of
Kingston.

Mr. Chase is a strong member of the Re-
publican party, having joined its ranks at its
formation, and has ever. taken an important
part in town, county, and State affairs. In
1877 he served as a Representative in the
New Hampshire legislature; and in 1881 he
was elected State Senator for two years, re-
ceiving a handsome majority of the votes cast.
In 1883 and 1884 he was a member of Gover-
nor Hale’s Council. Mr. Chase has been
among the foremost in promoting the educa-
tional interests of the town, and is at the pres-
ent time Treasurer and one of the Board of
Trustees of Sanborn Seminary of Kingston,
an institution of which the citizens of Rock-
ingham County are justly proud.

This school was established in 1883, re-
ceiving its name from its benefactor, Major

-ment possible.

 

Edward S. Sanborn, whose liberal generosity
made its superior equipment in each depart-
Its aim is to prepare young
people of both sexes for colleges and scientific
schools, and to furnish a literary and _ busi-
ness training for young men and women who
are here to complete their studies. Besides
the preparatory course of one year, to the ad-
mission of which no examination is required,
Sanborn Seminary offers a thorough English
course, or a classical course, of four years, the
former fitting its students for the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology and other
scientific schools, and the latter preparing
them for the best colleges of our land, to many
of which they are admitted without further ex-
amination. In the departments of physics,
chemistry, and biology the laboratories are
finely equipped, the necessary apparatus in
each being complete, experiments and analysis
supplementing the text-book work and demon-
strations. Too much cannot be said in praise
of this institution, and of the indefatigable
work of the Trustees and instructors of San-
born Seminary in their efforts to place it
among the leading educational institutions of
New England.

Mr. Chase has been twice married. His
first wife, to whom he was married September
29, 1858, was Miss Hattie E. Draper, who
was born in Oberlin, Ohio, a daughter of the
Rev. Lorenzo Draper. Mr. Draper was a
preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church,
and was located for two years in Kingston.
Mrs. Hattie E. Draper Chase died December
2, 1862, leaving two children — Alma F. and
Clara N. Alma F. is the wife of Charles M.
Currier, a commercial salesman, travelling
for a Boston shoe firm. Clara N., who now
lives with her father, is the widow of the late
John Monroe Sanborn, a graduate of the Bos-
ton Dental College, and a very popular and
highly respected young man, a native of East
Kingston. His death occurred in Kingston,
1887. Mr. Chase was again married May 3,
1866, to Miss Emily A. Belden, a native of
East Haven, Vt. Her father, the late Haines
C. Belden, was formerly a well-known attorney
of Caledonia County, Vermont. Mr. Chase’s
second wife died July 4, 1890, leaving four
children, all of whom live at home, namely:
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

553

 

 

Charles A., a book-keeper in Haverhill,
Mass.; Hattie E., a teacher; Harry B.; and
Howard. Socially, Mr. Chase is a member
of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M., of
Kingston.

 

 

[ON. MARCELLUS BUFFORD, for
many years one of Portsmouth’s best
i en and most highly esteemed
citizens, quietly passed to the life
beyond April 19, 1894, at his residence on
Richards Avenue, his death being a loss not
only to his immediate family and friends, but
to the entire city. To him are the words of
the poet Bryant truly applicable:

 

“ His youth was innocent; his riper age
Marked with some acts of goodness every day;
And, watched by eyes that loved him, calm and sage,
Faded his late declining years away.
Cheerful he gave his being up, and went
To share the holy rest that waits a life well spent.”

Mr. Bufford was born November 4, 1817,
in the town of Portsmouth on Summer Street,
in the house which his father, Henry Bufford,
had erected in 1806. He completed his edu-
cation in the Portsmouth High School, from
which he was graduated when fifteen years old.
He then entered the printing-office of Henry
B. Brewster, with whom he remained two years,
or until the failure of his employer. Going
then to Boston, he was first employed in the
printing establishment of Tuttle, Weeks &
Dennett, three men from his native city; and
he afterward worked for Dutton & Wentworth
on Exchange Street and for Crocker & Brew-
ster on Cornhill. From the ‘‘Hub’’ he went
to Worcester, where he spent three months on
the catalogue of the Antiquarian Society.
Returning to Portsmouth when he was about
twenty-one years of age, Mr. Bufford began
work with his father, who was engaged in the
business of sign and carriage painting, his
shop being located on Chestnut Street. This
business was not congenial; but, as his health
imperatively demanded some labor that should
keep him in the free outdoor air, he followed
it industriously and faithfully for some years.

Mr. Bufford, who was a zealous Whig in
his earlier years, and later an earnest Republi-
can, early became closely identified with the

 

highest and best interests of his native town.
His superior business qualifications, his integ-
rity, and his fidelity were recognized by his
fellow-citizens, who placed him in various
offices of trust and responsibility. In 1849 he
represented his district in the State legis-
lature. In 1856 he was elected Senator from
the First District, and in 1860 he served the
cityasan Alderman. In 1863 Governor Good-
win appointed him Associate Justice of the
Portsmouth Municipal Court, a position which
he filled to the utmost satisfaction of all con-
cerned, and with high credit to himself until
the closing months of 1893, when on account
of failing health he tendered his resignation.
He was connected with the fire department for
some time, and in 1854 he held the office of
Chief Engineer. From 1862 until 1874 he
was City Clerk, and during this long incum-
bency of the office acquired such a comprehen-
sive knowledge of municipal affairs as to
render his aid of inestimable value to the civic
officials, who often sought of him information
and counsel.

Judge Bufford was a member of the New
Hampshire Lodge of Odd Fellows, being for
some years active in its councils; and he was
one of the Trustees of the Mechanics’ Asso-
ciation and of the Portsmouth Savings Bank.
He was a man of eminent piety, a faithful
member of the First Parish Church of Ports-
mouth ; and his daily life was the outward man-
ifestation of the principles which he cherished.

Judge Bufford was twice married. His first
wife, Sarah E. Neal, whom he wedded on
October 24, 1844, bore him four children, one
son and three daughters. One daughter died
in infancy, and the son when but seven years
old. Virginia and Ellen Walker, the remain-
ing children, reside in San Francisco, the elder
daughter being the wife of Samuel F. Bufford,
and the mother of three children. On June
29, 1873, some time after the death of his first
wife, Judge Bufford was united in marriage
with Mrs. Persis L. Shackley, widow of the
late Augustus Shackley. Her first husband
died in this city in 1866, leaving her with one
son, Frank I. Shackley, who is now in the re-
tail shoe business at Foxboro, Mass.

Mrs. Bufford was born in Newburyport,
Mass., being a daughter of Samuel Loud.
554

She was educated in the private school of
Miss Bagley, a noted teacher. Her father was
twice married, both wives being daughters of
Lemuel Coffin, of Newburyport. His first
wife, Rachel C., died without issue. His
second wife, Sarah, bore him eight children,
five of whom grew to maturity; namely, Sarah,
Rachel Coffin, Persis (Mrs. Bufford), Abel
Coffin, and Lemuel Coffin.

The Coffin family, from whom through her
mother Mrs. Bufford is descended, is an old
and prominent one in the annals of New Eng-
land. Among its representatives in former
years were two brothers, Samuel and Lemuel
Coffin, of Newbury, Mass. The former was a
seafaring man, and accumulated considerable
wealth, becoming the owner of a wharf, ware-
- houses, and distilleries. He died in 1815, at
an advanced age. Lemuel was a shoemaker,
and served four years in the Revolutionary
War, being one of Washington’s body guard.
He resumed his trade after returning from the
war, continuing actively engaged for twenty-
one years. He had two sons, Joseph and Abel,
both of whom became sea captains. Abel won
fame by bringing the Siamese twins to this
country, and having control of them until they
became of age. He died more than a half
century ago at St. Helena, while on the return
trip from his twenty-fourth voyage to the East
Indies. Lemuel Coffin, Mrs. Bufford’s grand-
father, was born in 1756, and married in 1780
Catherine Crebbell, who was born in 1760.
They had ten children, Sarah, who married
Samuel Loud, and became the mother of Mrs.
Bufford, being the youngest child. She was
born November 16, 1802, and died April 22,
1878.

 

 

OSES F. EMERSON, a prominent

resident of Candia, N.H., Chair-

man of the Board of Selectmen of

the town, was born upon the farm

where he now resides, November 15, 1832,

son of the Hon. Abraham and Abigail (Dol-
ber) Emerson.

The founder of this branch of the family in
America was Michael Emerson, who settled
in Haverhill, Mass., in 1656, and in 1661 re-
ceived a grant of land in that town. He

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

seems to have been a man of considerable
prominence in business affairs, and it is re-
corded that in 1665 he was chosen to view and
seal all leather manufactured in the town.
On April 1, 1657, he married Hannah Web-
ster, who bore him fifteen children. Hannah,
their first-born, who married Thomas Dustin,
December 3, 1677, was the heroine of an ex-
ploit which occupies a prominent place in
local history. She, in company with Mary
Neff and a young man named Lennardson,
were made captives by the Indians, and car-
ried to the confluence of the Merrimack and
Contoocook Rivers, where the prisoners suc-
ceeded in killing their captors, and, taking
the canoe, returned to Haverhill in safety.
This incident is commemorated by a monu-
ment which marks the spot where the fight for
freedom is supposed to have occurred.
Jonathan Emerson, son of Michael, was one
of the original grantees of the town of Ches-
ter, N.H. When the principal boundary line
was established in 1741, his land was in-
cluded within the limits of Haverhill, Mass.
He commanded the garrison there, which was
attacked unsuccessfully by the savages in
1701; and in 1705 he, with others, was given
the privilege of establishing a grist-mill.
His son Samuel, the next in line, was born
in 1707. He became a resident of Chester,
N.H., where he was a citizen of prominence,
holding the office of Town Clerk from 1731 to
1787, being the first Justice of the Peace and
one of the Selectmen, a man of sterling integ-
rity and sound judgment. His first wife was
Sarah Ayer, and his second Dorothy San-
born. ,
Moses Emerson, son of Samuel and Dorothy
Emerson, was born in 1755, and early in life
settled in Candia, N.H. He left his farm to
serve in the Continental army during the Rev-
olutionary War, participating in the battle of
Bennington; and after his discharge from the
service he returned to Candia, where he con-
tinued to reside until his death, which took
place at the age of eighty-five years. Colonel
Nathaniel Emerson, his elder half-brother,
was prominent in both civil and military
affairs. At the commencement of the Revo-
lutionary War he conducted a company of vol-
unteers from Chester and Candia through the

eo
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

555

 

 

wilderness to Bennington, Vt., to re-enforce
the American troops; and he figured officially
in the memorable engagement there. He
served in the Continental army as Lieutenant
Colonel,.and was Representative from his dis-
trict for the years 1790, 1792, 1794, and
1796. He died April 30, 1825. Grandfather
Moses Emerson was twice married, his first
wife being Lydia Sargent. His second wife,
formerly Lydia Fitts, of Candia, bore him
nine children: Moses, Jonathan, John, Abra-
ham, Thomas, Lydia, Sarah, Dorothy, and
Susanna.

Abraham Emerson, son of Moses, was born
September 14, 1800, in Candia. Acquiring a
good education, he taught school for some
time during young manhood. He succeeded
eventually to the ownership of the homestead
farm, which he carried on with energy and
success throughout the active period of his
life. He died October 7, 1891, aged about
ninety-one years. In public affairs of both
town and State he secured a high reputation
as an honorable and exceedingly able official,
having served as Town Clerk for five years, as
a Justice of the Peace for many years, and in
1846 as a member of the State Senate, where
he took an active part in the struggle which
led to the election of John P. Hale to the
United States Senate. He was originally a
Democrat in politics; but during the early
agitation of the slave question he joined the
Free Soil party, being chosen a delegate to
the National Convention held in Buffalo in
1848, and he later supported the Republican
party. In educational matters he displayed a
lively interest, rendering much valuable aid
in improving the school system of the State;
and he was prominent in the State militia as
Lieutenant Colonel of the Seventh Regiment.
When a young man, he united with the Con-
gregational church, remaining one of its most
earnest supporters for the rest of his life.
The Hon. Abraham Emerson married Abigail
Dolber, a native of Candia, where the name
was formerly spelled Dolby. They became
the parents of nine children, six of whom are
living, namely: the Rev. John D., of Bidde-
ford, Me.; Daniel F., of Manchester, N.H. ;
Moses F., the subject of this sketch; Luther
W., a resident of New York City; Sarah W.,

 

wife of Deacon Edmund Hill, of Candia; and
Lydia, wife of Jesse W. Sargent, of this town. °

Moses F. Emerson attended the common
schools of Candia in his early years, and later
supplemented his early studies with a course
at the Pembroke Academy. For ten years he
was engaged as a teacher in Massachusetts
and New Hampshire, a portion of the time
presiding over schools in Gloucester, Mass.,
and his native town, his summers being spent
in farming at the homestead. He finally re-
linquished educational pursuits for agricult-
ure, which he has since continued to follow.
His landed estate consists of two hundred and
eighty acres, one hundred acres of which are
woodland, one hundred and twenty being de-
voted to pasturing, and the rest used for till-
age. He cuts about forty tons of hay annu-
ally, winters an average of twenty head of
cattle, and as an intelligent, progressive, and
well-to-do farmer he takes a foremost rank
among the citizens of this town.

In politics he supports the Republican
party, and his fellow-townsmen have long
availed themselves of his valuable services in
local public affairs. During the Civil War
he was first elected a member of the Board of
Selectmen, becoming Chairman thereof in the
days when that official was also Town Treas-
urer, and handling the financial affairs of the
town with ability and faithfulness. He has
also served upon the School Board, was for '
some years Collector of Taxes, is the oldest
Justice of the Peace in town, having acted
in that capacity for over thirty-eight years,
his commission being dated June 25, 1858;
and his present connection with the Board of
Selectmen has extended over a period of six
years, five years of which he has presided as
Chairman. He has attended to a great deal
of probate business, having settled the estate
left by the late Cyrus Prescott, who willed
one thousand dollars to the town; and he also
administered the estate of the late Benjamin
P. Colby, the residue of which, amounting to
more than one thousand dollars, was paid over
to the New Hampshire Conference, according
to the direction of the testator.

On December 16, 1857, Mr. Emerson was
united in marriage with Abbie Patten, daugh-
ter of Deacon Francis Patten, of Candia. Of
556

the seven children born to them six are living,
namely: Francis P., a well-known physician
of Roxbury, now a part of Boston, Mass. ;
Abraham F., a prominent resident of Man-
chester, N.H., and a Trustee of the Water
Board of that city; Nellie M., who lives in
Concord, N.H.; Annie S., who resides in
Haverhill, Mass.; William R. P., who is pur-
suing the study of medicine at Harvard Uni-
versity; and Nat W., now a student of Dart-
mouth College. :

Mr. Emerson is connected with Rocking-
ham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., in which
he has occupied the principal chairs, and the
Order of the Eastern Star. In his religious
views he is a Congregationalist, and has for
many years been connected with that church.

EORGE WASHINGTON DEAR-
BORN is one of the oldest citizens
‘of Exeter, N.H. He lives in the
oldest house standing in that historic city, a
house which bears the distinction of having
received as a guest on November 4, 1789,
President Washington, who took a late break-
fast there after riding up from Portsmouth.
Mr. Dearborn was born on October 22, 1815.
His parents were Freese and Mary (Drake)
Dearborn, both natives of New Hampshire.
The founder of the family in America was
Godfrey Dearborn, who came from Exeter,
England, about 1632, and, sailing up the river
in a small boat, made a clearing in the wilder-
ness, which then covered the site of the pres-
ent city of Exeter. Here he lived six or
seven years, and then moved to Hampton,
Rockingham County, where many of his pos-
terity were born. One of his descendants was
General Henry Dearborn, of Nottingham,
N.H., who was Captain, in command of a com-
pany on the right at the battle of Bunker
Hill, under General (then Colonel) John
Stark, went with Arnold to Quebec in 1775,
served in the campaign which ended in the
capture of Burgoyne, and was appointed Com-
mander-in-chief of the American army at the
beginning of the War of 1812.
Josiah Dearborn, the grandfather of the sub-
ject of this sketch, was born in Hampton in
1738. A farmer of limited means, he spent

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

his life im his native town, dying there Sep-
tember 15, 1814. His wife, who was born in
1737, lived to be ninety years of age. They
were the parents of ten children, three of
whom, a son and two daughters, died in child-
hood. Those who attained maturity were:
John, born in 1758, who died at the age of
twenty-one; Joseph, born in 1761, who died
in 1832; Josiah, Jr., who was born in 1764,
and died in 1832; Sarah, who was born in
1767, and died at the age of twenty-four;
Samuel, second, who died in 1797, at the age
of twenty-four; Freese, already mentioned,
who was the ninth child and youngest son 5,
and Anna, who was born in 1780, and died in
1855.

Freese Dearborn was born in Hampton,
N.H., March 25, 1778. He was a man of in-
telligence and much force of character, and
was a public servant for thirty years, holding
office as Deputy Sheriff and as jailer. He
died April 5, 1862.. In 1800 he was married
to Mary Drake, of Northampton, N.H.,
daughter of Abraham and Mary Drake. Her
family also was of English origin, and her an-
cestors settled in New Hampshire in Colonial
times. She had three brothers — Samuel,
Abraham and Francis — and four sisters. Her
own children were eight in number, namely:
Sally, who lived to be ninety-one years of age,
dying in Northampton in 1891; Abraham, a
physician, who died in Malden, Mass., in
1871, at the age of sixty-nine; Josiah, who
died in 1852, at the age of forty-six; Free-
man, who died in childhood; Samuel Francis,
who died in 1888, in his seventy-ninth year;
George Washington, the subject of this
sketch; and his twin brother, John Adams,
who died in Colorado in 1890, at the age of
seventy-five; and Mary, who died in 1862, at
the age of forty-two.

George Washington Dearborn was a student
at Phillips Exeter Academy when it was under
the kindly rule of Dr. Abbot. After leaving
school, he engaged in trade, and as a merchant
was fairly successful. He has always been
something of an antiquary, and, as his life has
been almost as long as that of the century, a
visit to his house is a source of much interest;
for, besides having in his possession numerous
relics of other times, Mr. Dearborn’s memory
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

557

 

 

is stored with facts which came under his
personal observation that have now become
matters of history. A portion of his present
residence was built in 1783.

Mr. Dearborn was married in 1841 to Nancy
Vesey, of Stratham, Rockingham County,
N.H., who was born in 1814, and died in
1881. One child born to them died in in-
fancy. Though so advanced in years, Mr.
Dearborn is comparatively active, physically as
well as mentally. In politics he is a Demo-
crat, in religious belief a Spiritualist,

“Sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust.”

 

HARLES R. BROWN, of Deerfield,
N.H., who is extensively engaged in
general farming, was born on the
family homestead in Deerfield,
which forms part of his property, October 21,
1860. The son of Benjamin Stuart and Ann
E. (Evans) Brown, he is connected with some
of the oldest families in the State of New
Hampshire. His first ancestor here was John
Brown, who came from Norfolk, England, and
settled in Hampton in 1638. From him the
line is traced through Thomas, Thomas (sec-
ond), Benjamin, Enoch, and Enoch, Jr., to
Benjamin, the father of Benjamin Stuart
Brown.
Benjamin Brown was born in 1784 on the

farm acquired by his father, Enoch, Jr., in,

Deerfield. He died in July, 1866. He mar-
ried Mrs. Nancy (Evans) Brown, and they
reared two children: George F., of Madison,
Wis.; and Benjamin Stuart, who was the
father of Charles K. Brown.

Benjamin Stuart Brown was born in 1828 on
the homestead in Deerfield, and spent his life
there, succeeding his father as owner. He
was a man of character, standing high in the
esteem of his fellow-citizens. A prominent
Republican, he represented the town during
two sessions of the legislature, and was Se-
lectman for a number of years. Mr. Brown
attended the Congregational church. He died
in August, 1887. In 1854 he was united in
marriage with Ann E., daughter of Robert
and Sarah (Goss) Evans, of Allentown, N.H.

 

Mrs. Brown is yet living, as are her three
children — Grace (Mrs. Edgar B. Evans), of
Boston; Benjamin Stuart, Jr., who married
Susie P. French, daughter of John C. French,
of Manchester, N.H., and now resides in
Omaha, Neb.; and Charles R., the subject
of this sketch.

Charles R. Brown received a good educa-
tion, attending the public schools of Deer-
field, and taking an advanced course of study
at Pembroke and Tilton Academies. He was
in trade for five years, and with that excep-
tion has devoted his time and attention to gen-
eral farming, in which he has been very suc-
cessful. Owning six hundred and forty acres
of land, he conducts his agricultural opera-
tions on a large scale, being one of the lead-
ing farmers of the county.

Mr. Brown was married in 1883 to Edith,
daughter of Dr. George H. Towle, of Deer-
field. Two children have been born to them:
Charles R., who lived but five years; and
Grace E., who still brightens his home.

Mr. Brown is a strong Republican in poli-
tics. He has served as Town Treasurer and
Town Clerk, and was a member of the State
legislature in 1894. A member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, he belongs to Rockingham
Lodge, No. 76, of Candia; and as an Odd
Fellow he isa member of Union Lodge, No.
32. Mr. and Mrs. Brown attend the Congre-
gational church.

 

 

LBERT M. PRIEST, one of the stir-

ring business men of New Market,

and an ex-member of the New

Hampshire legislature, was born in

this town, February 6, 1857, a son of Levi J.
and Effie L. (Spofford) Priest.

His father, who was born in Nottingham,
N.H., left his native town at an early age,
settling first in Newington, and subsequently
taking up his residence in New Market, where
he has resided for the past fifty years. For
more than thirty years he was engaged in
trade here, carrying on a thriving business;
and he is now living in retirement at the
home of his son, Albert M. His wife, Effie
L. Spofford Priest, who was a native of Bux-
ton, Me., died in 1891.
558

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Albert M. Priest acquired a practical educa-
tion in the schools of New Market and Tilton,
N.H.; and at the age of nineteen he estab-
lished himself in business here, and is now
conducting a general department store. He
carries a large and varied stock, consisting of
so many different articles that it would be im-
possible to designate them with any degree of
accuracy; and his place of business is a most
lively and convenient mart for the people of
this and the adjacent towns. On July 4,
1875, Mr. Priest was united in marriage to
Sarah A. Ritchie, daughter of William K.
and Adelaide Ritchie, both now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Priest have seven children —
Albert F., William L., Frank J., Addie F.,
Thurman, Irene, and Marion A., all of whom
are residing at home, and form a most pleas-
ing family group. Mrs. Priest is a member of
the Congregational church. In politics Mr.
Priest is a Democrat, and, though not an
office-seeker, has been elected to some impor-
tant positions of public trust. For ten years
he was a member of the Board of Engineers;
and he has served as Town Clerk and Au-
ditor, and has represented his district in
the legislature. He is one of the most en-
terprising and progressive business men in
this part of the county, and his present high

standing in mercantile circles is the result

of natural ability and a close attention to
every detail in the running of his extensive
establishment.

 

AMES W. WINGATE, who passed to

the larger activities of the spiritual life

in 1894, was born, November 12, 1838,

in Portsmouth, N.H., son of George
Wingate. The Wingates are of ancient and
honored lineage, deriving their name, it is
said, from the heroic feat of a remote ancestor;
a valiant soldier, who, during the storming of
a castle in one of the early English wars, tore
a gate from its hinges and bore it away, the
appellation of ‘‘Wingate,’’ and the family
crest, a gate with five bars, being conferred
upon him by the crown to perpetuate the
memory of the exploit. Each succeeding gen-
eration has contained men of prominence,
among them being Roger Wingate, who had a

 

life appointment as King’s Treasurer within
the Lordship of Virginia, Edmund Wingate,
the famous mathematician of the sixteenth
century, and several who have since been con-
spicuous in the annals of our country.

John Wingate, the first to settle in America,
was a planter at Hilton’s Point, N.H., now
Dover, in 1658. Sufficient is known of him to
indicate that he was in good standing in the
community where he lived. He became a man
of considerable property, and was an active
participant in King Philip’s War. He was a
juryman, and later Selectman of the town,
serving in 1674, 1686, and 1687, the latter
year being Chairman of the board. His son
Joshua, the next in line of descent, represented
the town of Hampton in the legislature in
1722, and again in 1726, and was chosen,
with Captain John Smith, to remonstrate
against the petition of the Falls Parish to be
incorporated as a town. In 1744 he was ap-
pointed Colonel of the Hampton regiment of
militia; and the following year he took a prom-
inent part in the famous siege and conquest of
Louisburg.

Francis Wingate, grandfather of James W.
Wingate, was born August 13, 1784, and died
in Portsmouth, January 19, 1843. He spent
part of his life in Portsmouth and part in West-
brook, Me., being an active and valued citizen
of each place. He was twice married, and
had a family of eleven children, eight of them
being of his first marriage.

George Wingate, son of Francis, was born
December 8, 1805, and died in Portsmouth,
March 29, 1885. He married Sarah Wise, a
native of this city, and to them were born two
children — George Edwin and James W.

George E. Wingate, now Commander in
the United States navy, born in Portsmouth,
married Eva, daughter of the late John R.
Holbrook, now a resident of Malden, Mass.
Two sons, Edward and Frederick, were born
unto them.

James W. Wingate completed his education
in the Portsmouth High School, where he
stood well among his classmates. He subse-
quently learned the art of sail-making from
John R. Holbrook, with whom he worked
several years, after which he pursued his trade
in Salem and Boston, Mass. In 1875 Mr.
e

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

559

 

 

Wingate entered the service of the govern-
ment, becoming a warrant officer in the navy,
in which he was employed for nearly twenty
years. During this time he visited various
parts of the globe, including China and Japan,
and in his official capacity served on the ‘‘ Pow-
hatan,’’ ‘‘Monongahela,’’ and the ‘‘Juniata.’’
Prior to making any sea voyage Mr. Wingate
was stationed on a training ship at Baltimore.
His death was caused by a tumor resulting
from a fall received in the navy yard.

Mr. Wingate was prominent in many social
organizations, being a Knight Templar and a
member of St. John’s Lodge, No. 16, A. F. &
A. M., in which he held various chairs; an
office-holder in Strawberry Bank Encamp-
ment; anda member of the United Order of
Pilgrim Fathers. His wife was for some years
a member of Rebekah Lodge. Mr. Wingate
was strictly temperate in his’ habits, and
greatly opposed to the use of spirituous liquor
in any form. Early in life he experienced
religion, and from that time until his death
lived the life of a true and faithful Christian.

Mr. Wingate was married November 12,
1863, to Miss Carrie E. Senter, daughter of
William and Olive (Colbeth) Senter, former
residents of Portsmouth. Mr. Senter died
September 26, 1855, at the age of fifty-two
years. His wife, a woman of rare graces and
virtues, after years of keen suffering, which
she bore with Christian fortitude, was also
called on December 5, 1876, to enter into that
rest which remaineth for the children of God.
John Senter, brother of William, is now the
only surviving member of the family. He has
reached the ripe age of ninety-one years, and
is still active and well preserved. Mrs. Win-
gate was the only child born to her parents.
She was educated in Portsmouth, completing
her course of study at the high school. For
many years she held a responsible position
in the dry-goods store of Isaac Hahn. On
December 26, 1867, was born to Mr. and Mrs.
Wingate a daughter, Annie, who on June 6,
1894, was married to Baldwin A. Reich, of
Baltimore, Md., now proprietor of the fancy
cake bakery and ice-cream establishment, 14
Congress Street, Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs.
Reich have one child, a daughter, Evelyn
Wilhelmina, born August 15, 1895.

 

RED M. CROSBY, the enterprising
proprietor of a new hotel in Hampton,
N.H., was born in Enfield, Mass.,
August 28, 1874, son of John M. and Della
H. (Gross) Crosby, both of that town. The
Crosby family is one of the oldest and most
prominent families in Enfield. John M.
Crosby,: Sr., grandfather of Mr. Crosby of
Hampton, was a merchant tailor, with place of
business in Enfield, his native place. He
served as a Representative in the lower house
of the State legislature, and also in the Sen-
ate, and was for many years a Jeader in local
affairs. He died in Enfield, at the age of
sixty-eight, leaving two sons: John M., Jr. ;
and Frank S., the latter of whom is now re-
siding on the family homestead.

John M. Crosby, Jr., obtained his education
in the district school of Enfield and the acad-
emy at Monson, Mass. He was for a number
of years in the grocery trade in his native -
town, and built up a large business, though
comparatively young, being twenty-nine years
of age at the time of his death, which occurred
in 1878. His wife, who is a daughter of
Micah H. Gross, of Enfield, is now living
with her son in Hampton. Fred M. Crosby
is the only child of his parents.

After becoming familiar with the lower
English branches in the district school near
his home in Enfield, Fred M. Crosby pur-
sued his studies at the high school in Melrose,
Mass., under Principal A. G. Whitman, and
then took up the study of naval engineering at
the Institute of Technology in Boston, Mass.,
to qualify himself for that profession. Deeply
interested in athletic games and in musical
and social matters, he became very popular at
the ‘‘Tech.,’’ where his abilities were called
into play as manager of the foot-ball and_base-
ball teams and of the glee and banjo clubs;
and, when through ill-health he was obliged
to give up his studies, his departure was a
source of general regret. He took a trip to
California with an uncle, and subsequently
sojourned for a time at Dr. Cilley’s ranch in
Colorado. Then, his health being much im-
proved, he returned East, and in 1895 pur-
chased a large estate in Hampton, where he
has established a hotel that bids fair to be
very popular. In politics Mr. Crosby is a
560

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Democrat. He is a member of one society,
Theta Xi, of the Institute of Technology.

OLONEL ALFRED A. COLLINS,
Ce South Danville, N.H., was born in

 

Danville, October 15, 1848. He is

a son of John H. and Amy (Col-
lins) Collins. John H. Collins, who was
born in Hampstead, removed to Danville at
the age of fifteen, where he has since resided.
He represented the town in the legislature of
1891-92. He is still living in Danville, at
the age of seventy-two years. His father,
Jonathan Collins, who was a cooper by trade,
when forty-eight years old-‘moved to Danville,
where he spent the remainder of his life, dying
at the advanced age of ninety-two. Amy Col-
lins, mother of Alfred A., was a daughter of
John Collins, a farmer and a lifelong resident
of Danville. He.was the first Republican
Representative from the town, serving in the
legislature of 1856. He lived to be ninety-
two. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
John H. Collins, namely: Alfred A.; Emma
S., who became the wife of John F. Heath,
but is now no longer living; Herbert S.; and
Cora M., wife of Edward A. Witherell, all of
South Danville.

Colonel Alfred A. Collins was educated in
the common schools of Danville and at King-
ston Academy and the Ney Hampton Institute.
After spending a few months in Boston at a
commercial college, he began the manufacture
of shoes in his native town in 1868, and has
been connected with that business ever since
with the firms of McLane & Collins, H. S.
and C. M. Collins, that have conducted the
manufacture of ladies’, misses’, and children’s
low cut shoes for the jobbing trade all over
the country, Colonel Collins being for the past
fifteen years travelling salesman. The busi-
ness now gives employment to one hundred
and fifty to two hundred hands, and is the lead-
ing industry of the town.

Colonel Collins in 1894 patented the Col-
lins Spring Heel Process that gave to the
shoe trade the first perfect flat tread spring
heel ever made, and which was favorably re-
ceived by the leading shoe manufacturers of
the country. The machines and process are

 

now under the contro] of the Flagg Manufact-
uring Company, 110 Lincoln Street, Boston,
Mass.

December 1, 1870, Colonel Collins was
married to Miss Elvira R. Lincoln, of Norton,
Mass. Her health failing a year later, Mr.
Collins sought for her a change in climate,
living for a year in Huntington, Pa. She
never fully recovered, however, and_ passed
away May 14, 1881. By this union one child
was born, Alice L., who is at present taking
a course at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden,
N.H. Colonel Collins was again married
November 1, 1885, to Miss Kate C. Lowell,
of Danville, daughter of the Rev. J. A.
Lowell, now of Wells, Me. By this union he
has one daughter, Marion

Colonel Collins is active in politics as a
Republican. He represented the town in the
legislature of 1876, being the first young man
sent from the town, and being one of three in
the legislature of that year. He has held
nearly all the local offices, and for years was
Moderator at most of the town meetings. He
was appointed June 17, 1885, on the staff of
Governor Moody Currier, on which he served
two years. He is well advanced in Masonry,
being a member of Gideon Lodge, No. 84, of
Kingston, St. Albans’ Chapter of Exeter;
and De Witt Clinton Commandery of Ports-
mouth. In business, politics, and social cir-
cles Colonel Collins is widely known both in
his own State and others.

”

 

——to-0- >

OHN H. DINSMORE, the owner of
one of the best farms in Windham, and
formerly a member of the New Hamp-
shire legislature, was born in this town,

June 3, 1840, son of Robert P. and Sally
(Gregg) Dinsmoore. His great-grandfather,
William Dinsmore, who was of Scotch de-
scent, was the founder of the family in this
locality. Robert Dinsmore, Mr. Dinsmore’s
grandfather, who was known as the ‘‘Rustic
Bard,’’ was a prominent resident of Windham
in his day. He served in the Continental
army during the Revolutionary War.

His son, Robert P. Dinsmoore, was a native
and lifelong resident of Windham, and was
one of the many in this section who served in

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

561

 

 

the War of 1812. He was an active and
useful citizen, who had the general good of
the community at heart. An old-time Whig
in politics, he joined the Republican party on
its formation. He died at his home in this
town, August 28, 1861. His wife, whose
maiden name was Sally Gregg, was a native of
Windham. Of the children born to them the
following survive: Jacob N., a resident of
New York City; Samuel, who resides in
Yonkers, N.Y.; Maria, wife of Henry Damon,
of Reading, Mass.; Robert, a resident of the
State. of California; John H., the subject of
this sketch; and Luther, who, like his
brother Robert, resides in California.

John H. Dinsmore was given a common-
school education. From his early manhood he
has been engaged in tilling the soil. He
owns a valuable and productive farm, situated
at the head of Corbett’s Pond; and its fine
location and carefully cultivated acres attract

the attention of the passing traveller. Mr.
Dinsmore married Adrianna Black, whose
father was a native of Corinna, Me. © Mrs.

Dinsmore has had three children: Arthur H.,
who is no longer living; George G.; and
Bertha L.

In politics Mr. Dinsmore is an active sup-
porter of the Republican party, and he has
done good service to the community in the ad-
ministration of public affairs. He was Town
Auditor for a number of years, was a member
of the Board of Selectmen for three years, and
represented his district in the legislature in
1892-93. He also served on the Board of
Supervisors. The ability and judgment he
displayed in the transaction of public business
is appreciated by his fellow-townsmen, who
regard him as a leader in local politics. He
is now President of the Republican Club.

 

EORGE R. STEVENS, a retired
farmer of Epping, Rockingham

County, N.H., was born in Pem-

broke, N.H., on April 12, 1831. His par-
ents were Theophilus and Mary (Robinson)
Stevens. Theophilus Stevens, his great-
grandfather, purchased a farm in Epping,
under grant of King George III. His son,
Samuel Stevens, inherited this place, to which

 

his son Theophilus succeeded, leaving it in
turn to George R. The father, a native of
Epping, spent his life here in agricultural
pursuits. He was a quiet, unobtrusive man,
who devoted his chief attention to his private
affairs. He died on June 6, 1881, having the
respect of all who were acquainted with his
worth. His wife, who was born in Meredith,
N.H., passed away on April 25, 1862. They
were the parents of four children — Samuel
G., Alpheus S., Jonathan E., and George R.,
who is the only one now living.

George R. Stevens received a rudimentary
education in the common schools, subsequently
taking a two years’ course of study at the
academy in Pembroke. He afterward engaged
in farming, to which occupation he has since
devoted his time. In 1889 Mr. Stevens re-
tired from active work, though he still super-
vises the farm. He now has a comfortable
home in the village. In politics he affiliates
with the Republican party; and, although he
has never sought public office, he served the
town with credit as Selectman.

Mr. Stevens has been twice married. His
first wife, Dorothy A., was a daughter of Jo-
seph Fogg, of Raymond. She died in Janu-
ary, 1862, leaving one son, who attained a
promising manhood, but died in Boston in
January, 1896, aged thirty-cight years and six
months. Mr. Stevens’s second wife was Celia
E. Johnson, daughter of Darius D. Johnson,
of Epping. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have one
son living — George E. Stevens, a well-known
business man of Epping. The mother is
identified in the membership of the Congrega-
tional church. Mr. Stevens is a man of high
moral and social standing, who is in active
sympathy with all movements for the good of
his town and the progress of humanity in gen-
eral.

 

 

ILLIAM P. WALKER, merchant
tailor, one of the prominent busi-
ness men of Portsmouth, who has

occupied his present quarters at 8 Market
Square since March 13, 1849, was born in
Chesterfield, Cheshire County, February 4,
1825. Heisason of Arza and Lydia (Baker)
Walker, and comes of early English stock.
562

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

His paternal grandfather, who was a farmer,
and, as far as known, a lifelong resident of
Cheshire County, married a Miss Elizabeth
Hartman, with whom he reared four children
— Jimmy, Joza, Arza, and Phila. The father
was upward of eighty years old when he died.

Arza Walker, the father of William P., was
born in Chesterfield, and reared on a farm.
He devoted his life to the pursuit of agricult-
ure in his native town, and died there in 1829
in middle age. His wife, also a native and
lifelong resident of Cheshire County, was but
thirty-nine years of age at her death in 1828.
Six of their children attained maturity;
namely, Sabrina, Horton D., Lawson, Parker
D., Caroline B., and William P. Sabrina,
now deceased, became the wife of the Hon.
William Hale, Governor of New Hampshire;
and Caroline B. married John B. Merrill,
and now resides in Beloit, Wis.

William P. Walker, left fatherless and
motherless when but four years old, was taken
charge of by his uncle, Martin Cole, a farmer,
of Mount Holly, Vt. Living on Mr. Cole’s
farm, he began to assist in the chores as soon
as he was capable, while for a part of every
year he attended the district school, which
was three and a half miles distant. When he
was twelve years of age, he went to Salem,
Mass., to live with his elder brother, Horton
D. Here he attended school for about a year,
and then became a pupil of Dummer Academy
at Newbury, Mass. A course of study lasting
eighteen months at this institution finished
his schooling; and he then joined his brother
Horton, who had removed to Portsmouth.
At the age of seventeen he began to learn the
tailor’s trade, to which he served an appren-
ticeship of three years, the first with the
Portsmouth firm of Brown & Clarke, and the
second and third in Massachusetts, respec-
tively at Lynn and Salem. In 1848 he com-
menced his business career in Portsmouth, and
in 1849, as already mentioned, established
himself in his present quarters. There for
nearly half a century he has weathered the
vicissitudes of trade, establishing a wide-
sprea reputation for reliability.

Mr. Walker was married to Miss Anna C.
Peele, a native of Salem, Mass., and has one
daughter, Nellie P. Mr. Walker is a mem-

 

ber of St. Andrew’s Lodge, No. 56, A. F. &
A. M.; Washington Chapter, No. 3, Royal
Arch Masons; De Witt Clinton Commandery,
Knights Templars; and of Piscataquis Lodge,
No. 6, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mrs. Walker and her daughter are members of
St. John’s Episcopal Church.

 

OHN H. BRACKETT, a native-born
resident of Greenland, Rockingham
County, formerly Selectman and Repre-
sentative of the town, was born here,

November 26, 1838, a son of Thomas and
Sarah W. (Veasey) Brackett. His earliest
known ancestor, Anthony Brackett, was a na-
tive of England, who came to this county in
1632, locating in Portsmouth. He _ subse-
quently removed to the town of Greenland,
where he died. The farm upon which he frst
located is now owned and occupied by Mr. -
Dudley Littlefield. From him the line de-
scends through seven generations to the sub-
ject of this sketch, as follows: Thomas,
Thomas (second), Joshua, James, Joshua,
Thomas, John H., the last-named being of the
eighth generation in this country.

Thomas Brackett, the first, was killed by
Indians in Portland, Me., in 1676, and his
wife and three children taken prisoners.

Joshua Brackett, the grandfather of John H.,
was a native of this town. His son, Thomas
Brackett, spent his entire life in Greenland,
and was an influential citizen, prominent in
town affairs. Tle served as Selectman and
Representative for two terms. He was a
member and active worker in the Congrega-
tional church. In politics he affiliated with
the Democratic party. He died in 1868, at
the age of seventy-seven years.

His wife, Sarah, had twelve children: John
H., who died in infancy; Sarah G., Mary F.,
Sarah A., and Alice, who are also deceased ;
John H., named for his deceased brother ;
Thomas, Martha, James, and Frederick, who
have all passed away; Grace, wife of John
Scott; and Alice, second, wife of George I,
Walker, of New Market. The mother died in
1885, at the age of seventy-four years.

John H. Brackett was born and reared on
his present farm, then the property of his par-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

563

 

 

ents, and on which he has always resided. It
consists of ninety acres of good land, and he
carries on general farming successfully. He
is highly respected in this locality. A Demo-
crat in politics, he has served twelve different
terms as Selectman, and was Representative
to the State legislature in 1883 and 1885.
He is also a member of the Masonic Order.

In 1889 Mr. Brackett was married to Mary
E. A. Lewis, of Sandwich, N.H.; and they
have one son, Thomas J. Brackett. Mrs.
Brackett died February 1, 1892.

 

OSEPH D. THOMAS, a worthy citi-
zen of Londonderry, was born in Lin-
coln County, Maine, November 2,
1825. He is a son of Samuel and
Susan (Mills) Thomas, his father being a
native of Biddeford, Me., and his mother of
Nobleboro, in the same State. The family is
said to be of Welsh extraction. Joseph
Thomas, the grandfather, was a native of Bid-
deford, where he spent his life successfully
engaged in agriculture. His son Samuel
learned the trade of a carpenter, for which
he possessed special ability; and throughout
the years of his activity he was profitably en-
gaged in mechanical pursuits. He was twice
married, his first wife being Susan Mills, and
his second Sophia Chellis. Of his children
three are living: Joseph D.; Sallie L, wife
of Joshua Linscott, of Nobleboro, Me.; and
Sophia, now Mrs. Harvey, of Rochester,
N.H.

Joseph D. Thomas’s opportunities for ob-
taining an education were limited to two
months’ attendance in the common. schools
each year until reaching the age of fourteen.
When but eight years old, he was practically
thrown on his own resources; and during the
years immediately succeeding he had no set-
tled home, living but a few months in any one
place. At sixteen he began to learn the trade
of a blacksmith at Biddeford, Me., where he
served a three years’ apprenticeship on ma-
chine work for the cotton-mills. His natural
adaptability to mechanical work enabled him
to quickly master the difficulties of his trade.
Subsequently, leaving Biddeford, he worked
successively in Boston, Cambridge, Charles-

 

town, Nashua, Manchester, and again in Bos-
ton. In 1873 he came to Londonderry, and
has since made his home in this town. He
owns about thirty-six acres of land, and in
connection with farming he carries on black-
smithing In politics he is a Republican;
and, fraternally, he is identified with the
Masonic Order. Personally popular, he has
the respect and esteem of the community.

On March 14, 1848, Mr. Thomas was mar-
ried to Miss Judith Emmons, a native of
Kennebunkport, Me., and a daughter of Cap-
tain Thomas and Olive (Perkins) Emmons.
Both her parents were natives of Maine; and
her father was a sea captain, engaged in the
foreign merchant trade. Captain Emmons
and his wife had four children, namely:
Judith; Hiram Emmons, of Kennebunkport;
Mrs. Harriet Davis, a widow, residing in
Kennebunkport; and Thomas A. Emmons, of
Lawrence, Mass.

 

 

RANK PEARCE FORSAITH, who
stands high among the able and _ pro-
gressive agriculturists of South Hamp-

ton, was born where he now resides, January
15, 1855, son of John C. and Mary W.
(Healey) Forsaith. His grandfather was Dr.
Robert Forsaith, an early settler and a lead-
ing physician of his day in New Market, who
in 1817, while still a comparatively young
man, was found frozen to death in his sleigh.
His wife was Sally Chase, of Hampton Falls,
N.H.

John C. Forsaith, father of Frank P., was
born in New Market, November 25, 1810.
Previous to his settlement in South Hampton
in 1840, he was in mercantile business in
Salem and Chelsea, Mass., and also in New
York and Boston. After carrying on trade
here for about eight years, he settled upon
the farm where his sons, Frank P. and John
W., now reside, becoming an able and _ suc-
cessful farmer. He was widely known and
highly esteemed; and, besides being ap-
pointed a Trustee of Barnard Academy, he
was twice elected to the legislature as a Jack-
son Democrat. He died February 6, 1876.
His wife, Mary W. Healey, who was born in
Kensington, September 19, 1820, became the

\
564

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

mother of six children, as follows: Elizabeth
E., George N., Mary O., John W., Ella A.,
and Frank P. . She died in 1884.

Frank P. Forsaith was educated in the com-
mon schools and at Barnard Academy. In
young manhood he gave his attention to tilling
the soil, inheriting a half-interest in the
homestead farm, which he carries on with his
brother, John W. Forsaith. He is an ener-
getic, practical, and progressive general
farmer and dairyman. His farm, which occu-
pies a most convenient and pleasant location,
is noted for its extensive and productive or-
chards, some fifteen acres being devoted to
fruit-growing alone; and, beside the large
number of bearing trees, many young trees
have been recently set out.

On May 21, 1890, Mr. Forsaith was united
‘in marriage to Mary Etta Evans, who was

born in Derry, N.H., April .13, 1866, a
daughter of Charles M. and Phcebe Ann
(Merrill) Evans, of that town. Mr. and Mrs.

Forsaith have one daughter, Mabel Ella, aged
about five years. In politics Mr. Forsaith is
a Democrat. He is very popular socially, his
genial disposition and pleasing manners mak-
ing him a welcome guest at all important so-
ciety gatherings; and it may be truthfully
said that his friends and acquaintances in-
clude the entire community in which he lives.

 

OODBRIDGE W. DURELL, Town
Treasurer of New Market, and a
veteran of the Civil War, was born

here in September, 1839, son of Newman and
-Sarah B. (Orsborne) Durell. Mr. Durell’s
father, a native and lifelong resident of New
Market, was for many years prominently
identified with the agricultural interests of the
town. He served as a member of the Board
of Selectmen and as Highway Surveyor, and
took an active interest in the general welfare
of the community until his death, which oc-
curred in 1856. His wife, Sarah, who was a
daughter of the Rev. Jonathan Orsborne, of
Lee, N.H., died in 1884.

Woodbridge W. Durell, after attending the
district school for a short time, at the age of
fifteen began to work for his living as a bobbin
boy in the mills. A few months later he

 

secured a position as a clerk in a general store
here, in which capacity he continued for four
years. At the end of that time, after spend-
ing one season upon the farm, he in the fall
of 1861 enlisted as a private ina New Hamp-
shire Regiment of Cavalry for service in the
Civil War. During the succeeding three
years and five months he saw a great deal of
active service, taking part in the eventful
campaigns. At the battle of Sulphur Springs
he was made prisoner of war, and held for
fourteen months. After his exchange he re-
joined his regiment, with which he remained
until the close of the war. Discharged in the
spring of 1865, he returned to New Market,
and engaged in the dry-goods and grocery busi-
ness in company with B. F. Haley. This part-
nership, having endured for more than fifteen
years, was terminated by Mr. Durell, who
bought the interest of his associate in the
stock of dry goods, and established himself
in that business exclusively here. Since then
he has steadily prospered, gaining a wide and
enviable reputation for honesty and fair deal-
ing. At the present time he carries the
largest and most select stock of dry goods,
millinery, furniture, and carpets, besides other
goods, in this part of the county. Politically,
he is a Republican, and by his influence he
has contributed much toward the party’s suc-
cess in this locality. He has well served the
town as a Selectman, and is now its Treasurer.

In 1869 Mr. Durell was united in marriage
to Sarah E. Smith, who was born in New
Market, daughter of Samuel Smith, of Wake-
field, N.H. He is a member of the Masonic
Order, having been Master of the Blue Lodge
here for three years. He is also connected
with the Knights of Honor and Post George
A. Gray, Grand Army of the Republic. Asa
business man, he is highly esteemed in the
town. :

 

APTAIN JOSEPH W. KUSE, a re-
tired carpenter of South New Market,

was born in Exeter, this county,

April 19, 1815, son of, Joseph and

Sally (Neal) Kuse. On the father’s side he
is of Scotch origin, anda representative of an
old county family. His paternal grandfather
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

565

 

 

was one of the pioneers of North Hampton,
where he resided during a portion of his life.
Grandfather Kuse was well educated for his
day, and engaged in school-teaching in differ-
ent parts of the country. He died in the
State of Ohio.

Joseph Kuse was a native of North Hamp-
ton, where he passed a few years of ‘his early
manhood in the occupations of a carpenter and
farmer. He subsequently moved to Exeter,
and a little later to Newfields, settling on the
farm now occupied by his son, the subject of
this sketch. He began to make improvements
on the estate soon after his arrival in 1815,
and gave considerable time to carpenter’s
work, making a specialty of hewing, at which
he was considered very skilful. He married
Miss Sally Neal, a native of Newfields, by
whom he became the father of two children —
Mary Ann and Joseph W. Mary Ann, who
became Mrs. Tuckerman, passed away in her
eighty-fifth year. Both parents were asso-
ciated with the Methodist Episcopal church
of Newfields. In political matters the father
followed the Republican party. He passed
away at the advanced age of seventy-seven
years, and his wife in her eighty-third year.

Captain Joseph W. Kuse grew to manhood
on the homestead, receiving his education at
the common schools of Newfields. At the age
of eighteen he began to learn the carpenter’s
trade, which he followed thereafter pretty con-
stantly until a short time ago. In 1840 he
engaged with the Squamscot Machine Com-
pany, with which he remained about twenty
years, travelling for them, and performing
work in various places. He has always re-
sided on the old homestead, which comprises
about forty acres of excellent land, and has
led a very industrious life.

On September -3, 1838, Mr. Kuse was
- joined in wedlock with Miss Ruth Eaton, who
was born December 29, 1815, in Bowdoin,
Me., daughter of Nathan Eaton, a seafaring
man. Of the marriage there have been born
four children, namely: Joseph W. and Nathan
E., both deceased; Elizabeth, who is now the
wife of S. P. Chase, a resident of Exeter; and
Perry T., who is a painter by trade, and who,
with his wife, Mrs. Carrie (Tomilson) Kuse,
resides at his father’s home. Mr. Kuse has

 

been honored by his fellow-citizens with sev-
eral public trusts,.in which he has served
them efficiently. He held the commission of
Captain in the old military company at New-
fields. In national politics he acts with the
Republican party. He and his wife are in fel-
lowship with the Methodist Episcopal church
of Newfields, in which he has officiated in sev-
eral capacities. Captain Kuse has the dis-
tinction of being the oldest citizen of his
town.

 

°

 

EORGE W. SCOTT, a well-known
maltster in the Frank Jones Brewery,
Portsmouth, was born in this city,

October 8, 1860. His parents were of Irish
birth and ancestry. The father, who for
twenty-four years followed farming in this
town, died in 1874, at the age of forty-six
years. The mother, who is still living
(1896), has had seven children, three boys
and four girls.

George W. Scott, the second child of his
parents, received his rudimentary education
in the district school, and subsequently at-
tended Smith’s Commercial] College of Ports-
mouth. When he was thirteen years old, he
began to drive a milk cart, which he continued
for six years. Then, buying cows and a milk
route for himself, he carried on this enter-
prise until attaining his majority. He then
entered Frank Jones’s Brewery as a laborer,
learning the trade of maltster under the super-
vision of James J. Hogan. At the end of ten
months he proved so efficient that he was ap-
pointed assistant maltster, and filled that posi-
tion from 1882 to 1888. When Mr. Hogan
died, Mr. Scott took his place as maltster,
which he is at the present time, having
thirty-two men under his charge. In politics
he is a Democrat, and has held public office
for twelve years, serving two years in the
Common Council from Ward 3, two years as
Overseer of the Poor, four years as Alderman,
and four years on the Board of Registration.
It is a significant fact, emphasizing Mr.
Scott’s popularity, that no other man in the
ward has served for twelve consecutive years
in official positions in the city government.
Mr. Scott is a member of Foresters and of
566

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

B. & P. O. Elks, No. 97. He attends the
Catholic church.

The maiden name of his wife, to whom he
was married in 1890, was Maggie Fitzpatrick,
she being a native of Ireland. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Scott took an extended
and-thoroughly enjoyable tour through Ireland
and England. Mr. Scott's success is the re-
sult of personal effort. Being still a young
man and very popular, he may yet attain
greater rewards of his diligence in business
and zeal in the public service.

 

AMES M. NESMITH, a prominent
resident of Atkinson, and an ex-mem-
ber of the New Hampshire legislature,
was born in Londonderry, N.H., June

18, 1832, son of James and Mary (Corning)
Nesmith. Ancestors of the Nesmith family
were early settlers of Londonderry; and Mr.
Nesmith’s grandfather, Robert Nesmith, was
a native and lifelong resident of that town.
The active period of Robert’s life was passed
in successfully tilling the soil, and he died at
the age of seventy-five years. He was one of
the stirring and useful men of his day, who
won the respect and good will of all by his
unselfish zeal for the general good. In politics
he acted with the Whig party. He married
Jane Anderson, a native of New Hampshire,
and reared a family of five children, all now
deceased. Both parents were members of the
Presbyterian church. The mother lived to be
seventy-five years old.

James Nesmith, the youngest of his parents’
children, was born at the homestead in Lon-
donderry in 1794. He was one of the most
capable and successful farmers of his day.
Taking legitimate advantage of every oppor-
tunity to improve his property and advance his
interests, he fully earned the fair measure of
prosperity that resulted. In politics he was a
Whig. At the time of his death, which oc-
curred when he was fifty-seven years old, he
was actively engaged upon his farm. He left
to his posterity the reputation of an honorable,
upright, and conscientious man. His wife,
before marriage Mary Corning, daughter of
Samuel Corning, of Litchfield, N.H., became
the mother of nine children, two of whom are

 

living, namely: James M., the subject of this
sketch; and Martha A., who was born in
1837, and is now residing at the old home-
stead in Londonderry. The mother lived to
the age of sixty-eight years.

James M. Nesmith was educated in the com-
mon schools of Londonderry. In young man-
hood he was engaged as a section foreman on
the Concord Railway, a position which he
filled for eight years. He then learned the
carpenter’s trade, and subsequently followed it
for some twenty-five years. In 1861 he bought
the farm in Atkinson where he now resides.
Besides conducting this, he continued working
at his trade until some time ago, when he re-
linguished it. He owns one hundred and
eighteen acres of excellent tillage land,
which is well improved and desirably located ;
and as a general farmer he ranks with the
leading agriculturists of this town.

Mr. Nesmith has been twice married. The
first occasion was in 1867, when he was united
to Susan H. Wheeler, who died in 1871. His
second marriage took place in 1873, when he
wedded Lucy E. Poor, a native of Atkinson.
Regarding religious questions he holds liberal
opinions, while he attends the Orthodox
church. In political affairs Mr. Nesmith is a
prominent figure, being one of the most active
of the Republican party in this section.
He was for three years a member of the Board
of Selectmen, was elected a Representative to
the State legislature of 1894-95, and at the
present time is serving as Road Agent. He is
connected with the Patrons of Husbandry, in
which he is a member of the Executive Com-
mittee. Both Mr. Nesmith and his wife attend
the Congregational church.

 

ATHANIEL E. BARTLETT, a Se-
lectman of Hampstead, was born in

this town, June 27, 1856, son of

Ezekiel and Prusia H. (Daly)

Bartlett. Mr. Bartlett’s grandparents, John
and Mary (Morrill) Bartlett, were natives of
Amesbury, Mass. John Bartlett, who was a
tanner, followed that occupation together with
farming for several years in his native town.
He finally came to Hampstead, where he
bought a farm of one hundred acres, and there
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

567

 

 

resided until his death, which occurred at the
age of eighty years. He was the father of
eleven children, of whom the only survivor is
Mathias, who is a resident of New York
State. Grandmother Bartlett lived to be over
eighty years old.

Ezekiel, Bartlett, who was born in Newbury,
Mass., November 27, 1813, passed his youth
in Massachusetts. When a young man, he
learned carriage-making in Hampstead, and
subsequently, for a number of years, was
engaged in business upon his own account.
He was enterprising and fairly successful. In
politics he was a Democrat, and he filled the
office of Postmaster at Hampstead Centre for
several years. He died August 4, 1889. On
January 20, 1850, he married Mrs. Prusia H.
(Town) Daly, who was born in Norwood,
Conn., February 17, 1822. She became the
mother of five children, three of whom are
living. They are: Carrie T., born February
25, 1853, who is now the wife of George W.
Baker, of Hampstead, having four children —
George H., Alice E., Lauretta May, and
Ernest; Nathaniel E., the subject of this
sketch; and Myra, born March 31, 1863, who
is the wife of Robert Hart, of this town, hav-
ing one child, Earl B. The mother, who still
survives, has reached the age of seventy-five,
and has been united with the Methodist Epis-
copal church for many years.

Nathaniel E. Bartlett was educated in the
schools of Hampstead. He learned the car-
riage-maker’s trade with his father, and fol-
lowed it thereafter until he was twenty-eight
years old. In 1885 he engaged in mercantile
business in the general store of Arthur J.
Spollett, at the old stand of John D. Ordway
& Co., where he has since remained. On
June 27, 1883, Mr. Bartlett wedded Lizzie M.
Hart, who was born August 13, 1864, daughter
of William J. and Jane (Banks) Hart, of Nova
Scotia. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett have three
children, namely: Elsie G., who was born
July 1, 1884; Leroy N., who was born Jan-
uary 16, 1890; and Harold B., who was born
July 21, 1893.

Mr. Bartlett is recognized as a leading
spirit in local affairs, and one of the most
active members of the Democratic party
in this town. He was first elected a member

 

of the Board of Selectmen in 1889, was re-
elected the following year, and in 1896 was
again chosen a member of that. body. In
business circles he occupies a prominent posi-
tion here, and both he and his wife are so-
cially popular.

 

 

EORGE A. WHEELER, a lumber-
man and farmer of Nottingham, was
born at Bow, Merrimack County, Sep-

tember 20, 1835, son of George and Asenath
(Colby) Wheeler. His father, who also was
a native of Bow, followed the carpenter’s
trade. He was likewise considerably engaged
in agricultural pursuits, being the possessor of
afarm of about two hundred and fifty acres.
A very industrious and enterprising man, he
was deservedly successful. He married Miss
Asenath Colby, and became by her the father
of twelve children, eleven of whom are still

living. These are: Daniel, George A., Jesse
C., Cyrus C., Eli, Susan, Rufus, Oliver,

Wesley, Asenath, and Narsisa. Both parents
were members of the Methodist society at
Bow. The father evinced his earnest relig-
ious spirit by erecting the present church
building. In national civic affairs his prin-
ciples brought him into affiliation with the
Republican party. He passed his declining
years in his native town. His wife, now
eighty years old, still survives him, residing
on the old homestead.

George A. Wheeler acquired his education
in the common schools of his native town.
After finishing with school, he helped in the
work of the farm, giving special attention,
however, to lumbering. In 1876 he and his
brother Jesse purchased the present farm, on
which they are extensively engaged in lum-
bering. They owna mill run by steam power,
and fully equipped for the best work.

In September, 1889, Mr. Wheeler was
united in marriage with Miss Villa Bachel-
der, daughter of Pike Bachelder, a resident of
Manchester, N.H. Their only child, Ruth,
was born February 4, 1892. Jesse Wheeler,
Mr. Wheeler’s brother and associate in busi-
ness, married Miss Sarah Ball, of Auburn,
Me., and has a son named Leslie. Mr.
Wheeler supports the Republican party, and
568

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

he is a member of the Methodist church. He
has served for one term each in the capacities
of Selectman and legislative Representative
at Concord.

 

ANIEL P. HARVEY, a well-known
agriculturist of Nottingham, and a
©) native of this town, was born Oc-
tober 17, 1848, son of Pike H. and
Mary A. (Chapman) Harvey. The Harvey
family is one of the old and respected ones of
Nottingham. Daniel Harvey, grandfather of
Daniel P., was born here in 1789; and his
descendants have resided in the town ever
since. Daniel was’ successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits throughout life. He and
his wife, Hannah (Hill) Harvey, a native of
Lee, N.H., had a family of five children, of
whom Abigail and Daniel A. survive. Abi-
gail is now the wife of Joshua Wiggin, of Ep-
ping, N.H., to whom she has borne two chil-
dren — Joshua and Daniel. Daniel A. wedded
Miss Elizabeth Smith, of Skowhegan, Me. ;
and they have become the parents of nine chil-
dren — namely, Kate E., Clara A., Hannah M.,
John S., Frank, Annie B., Benjamin, William
K., and Mary K. Daniel Harvey died at the
age of fifty-nine years, and his wife passed
away in her forty-second year.

Pike H. Harvey, son of Daniel, was born
October 24, 1813, in Nottingham on the
paternal estate, a farm of about one hundred
and seventy-five acres, where he subsequently
spent his adult years in agricultural pursuits.
He was joined in matrimony with Mary A.
Chapman, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Levi
Chapman, of Nottingham; and to them were
born four children, all of whom still survive.
These are: Hannah E., Rebecca S., Daniel
P., and Idala. Hannah was given in marriage
to Benjamin F. Lang, of Lee; and their union
was blessed in the birth of eight children, as
follows: Laura, who is now the wife of Frank
Morrison, of Durham, N.H., and has one son,
Charles; Susie, who married George Strout,
of New York, and has also one son, Allen;
Avnie; George; Edna; Bertha; Bernaise;
and Benjamin. Rebecca was united in mar-
riage with John C. Hill, of Charlestown,
Mass. ; and they have become the parents of

 

 

 

 

 

two children — Jda and True S._ Idala, who is
now Mrs. Daniel Martin, of South Boston,

Mass., has had two children— Harry and
Sarah. Pike H. Harvey and his wife were
Universalists. He was respected and promi-

nent in Nottingham, participating very freely
in local politics. He was Town Collector,
and was also a member of the Board of Select-
men. For two terms he had the honor of rep-
resenting his town in the legislature at Con-
cord. In politics he was a stanch supporter of
the principles of the Democratic party. He
lived seventy-three years. Mrs. Harvey still
survives him, residing with her son, the sub-
ject of this sketch, on the old homestead.

Daniel P. Harvey acquired his education in
the common schools of his native town:
After leaving school, he was engaged with his
father in the work of the farm for some time.
In 1882 he removed to Waltham, Vt., where
he was occupied in lumbering and farming for
three years. Returning then to the paternal
estate, its management has been his chief
occupation since. On June 17, 1872, he was
united in wedlock with Miss Aurilla M.
Hill, a daughter of William Hill, of Starks-
boro, Vt. He has now four children, namely :
Mabel, born August 8, 1873, who is the wife
of J. Lewis Caverno, of Lee; Pike H., born
January 21, 1878; Blanche, born October IT,
1885; and Grace E., born September 3, 1888.

Mr. Harvey, for the last three years, has
been Postmaster at Nottingham Centre; and
he held for six years the office of Deputy
Sheriff of Rockingham County. He is affili-
ated with the fraternity of Masons by his
membership in Sullivan Lodge, No. 19, of
Epping, N.H., covering a’ score of years.
He is also identified with the Patrons of Hus-
bandry in the grange of Nottingham. In
politics he is found among the ranks of the
Democratic party. His religious belief and
sentiments are liberal.

 

UFUS E. TUTTLE, one of the busy

men of Nottingham, is a farmer as

well as a carpenter and builder. A

native of this town, he was born

October 12, 1847, son of Eben S. and Sally
(Clarke) Tuttle. He comes of an old and re-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

569

 

 

spected family. His great-grandfather, Stolen
Tuttle, was a pioneer settler of the district,
where he devoted the remainder of his life to
reclaiming and cultivating a farm. Nicholas,
a son of Stolen and a native of Nottingham,
where he spent his entire life, was an industri-
ous and successful farmer, who made the best
use of the opportunities offered by the time
and place. He was united in marriage with
Miss Rachel Lucy, a daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Lucy, of Nottingham. The union was
blessed in the birth of eight children, all of
whom have now passed away. The mother
was a member of the Free Will Baptist church
of Nottingham. In politics her husband _ be-
longed to the Democratic party. He died at
the age of fifty-seven years. His wife, who
survived him, lived to be ninety-three.

Eben S. Tuttle, who was also a native of
Nottingham, born August 3, 1803, passed the
earlier portion of his life as a farmer on the
old homestead. While a young man, he
learned the mason’s trade, which he followed
throughout the rest of his life, at the same
time successfully carrying on his farm of
sixty acres. In 1829 he was joined in matri-
mony with Miss Sally Clarke, a native of
Canada, who bore him seven children, all of
whom are yet living. They are: Izette, Levi
C., Martha, Nancy D., John M., Fanny L.,
and Rufus E.  Izette, who is now Mrs. George
W. Trefren, of Somerville, Mass., has had five
children — George, Aura, Edward, William,
and Fred. Levi wedded Lenora Furber, the
widow of the late James Horn, of Somers-
worth, N.H., and became the father of two
children — Leon and Lorie. Martha became
the wife of Charles Head, of Nottingham.
Nancy was married to Joseph C. DeMerritt,
of Nottingham, recently deceased, to whom
she bore four children — Eliza A., Sallie A.,
John L., and Effie L. John was joined in
wedlock with Miss Clara Young, a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Young, of Scarboro, Me., and
has two children —H. Weston and Russell
M. Fanny was given in marriage to A. F.
Tuttle, of Nottingham, and has one child,
Iber L. Eben S. Tuttle won the respect and
confidence of all his neighbors, and for several
years he served them in the capacity of Se-
lectman. In politics he gave his allegiance

 

to the Democratic party. Both he and his
wife were members of the North Nottingham
Church. His decease occurred at the ad-
vanced age of fourscore years.

Rufus E. Tuttle, after attending the public
schools of his native town for the customary
period, learned the trade of a carpenter in
Somerville, Mass., and thereafter followed it
for eight years. In 1876 he returned to Not-
tingham, where he has resided ever since, giv-
ing his attention to the care of a farm of
eighty-five acres, and doing considerable busi-
ness as a carpenter and builder. On May 6,
1876, he was joined in matrimony with Miss
Eliza M. Evans, a daughter of Samuel D.
Evans, of Milwaukee, Wis.; and they have
had no children. Both he and Mrs. Tuttle
are members of the Baptist church at North
Nottingham. In politics he is a Republican.
Mr. Tuttle has taken a very active part in the
civic and social affairs of his native town.
Responding to the solicitation of his neigh-
bors, he served on the School Committee for
three years, has been Town Auditor, and since
1895 has served on the Board of Selectmen, of
which he is the present Chairman. For the
last sixteen years he has been Justice of the
Peace, and at the present time he is a Con-
stable of Nottingham. Mr. Tuttle also serves _
in the responsible position of Chairman of the
Board of Trustees of the Public Library of
Nottingham. He is affiliated with the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows as a member
of Equity Lodge, in which he has filled many
of the chairs, and of which he was the first
Noble Grand.

 

 

ANIEL SMITH, who is an enterpris-
ing and prosperous agriculturist,
&) and an estimable citizen of Exeter,
was born on the farm that is now

his residence in 1815, son of John and Abigail
(Hayes) Smith. He represents an old and
respected family of the county, whose founders
reclaimed from its State of wilderness the
home farm that has descended from them

 

 

 

 

through several successive generations to its

present proprietor. Daniel Smith’s grand-
father, also named Daniel, who resided on the
property occupied for years in agricultural
57°

pursuits, passed away in 1817, at the vener-
able age of eighty-six years. Grandmother
Abigail Smith died February 17, 1824, in her
seventy-eighth year.

John Smith, the father of the subject of this
sketch, also born on this farm, followed the
occupation of farmer. A modest, unassuming
man, he yet fully discharged his obligations
as acitizen. His demise occurred on January
11, 1858, in his seventy-ninth year. His
wife, a native of this county, born in Notting-
ham, died November 18, 1844, in her fifty-
sixth year. She was generally regarded as a
most estimable woman.

Daniel Smith attained maturity on the home
farm, receiving his education in the district
schools of Exeter. He has spent his long life
in farming. The property contains three hun-
dred acres, and the buildings are neat and
substantial.

In 1837 Mr. Smith was united in marriage
with Miss Elizabeth Ann Burley, who was a
native of New Market, this county. The
union was blessed by nine children, of whom
eight survive. They were: John R., born
February 15, 1842; Ellen E., born December
17, 1843, who is now the wife of Charles
Locke; Martha J. B., born May 12, 1845, who
is now Mrs. H. J. Paul; Charles H., born
September 14, 1846; Daniel B., born Decem-
ber 3, 1849; Emeline, born in October, 1850,
now deceased; Frank A., born April Io,
1853; James P., born August 12, 1856; and
Rufus L., born October 16, 1860. The
mother died in July, 1895. In politics Mr.
Smith has always supported the Republican
party, and has served in several local offices.
He has served the community as Overseer of
the Poor and in other capacities. Now in
his eighty-first year, he looks to be a much
younger man.

G. BRACKETT, a farmer and mason
. of Brentwood, was a soldier in the late
war. He was born March 14, 1836,

in Deerfield township, this county, son of
George and Sarah (Davis) Brackett. George
Brackett, who was born and bred in Cam-
bridge, Mass., lived there until he was fifteen
years of age. Hethen came to this county,

 

-unteer Infantry, under

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

locating in Deerfield, where he worked as a
farm laborer until 1845. By prudent manage-
ment he accumulated some money, with which
he purchased the farm now owned and occu-
pied by his son, the subject of this article.
Here he was prosperously engaged in tilling
the soil until his demise in 1881. While liv-
ing in Deerfield, he married Miss Sarah Davis,
of that town, who survived him about a year.
They .were the parents of three children;
namely, E. G. Brackett, Martha, and George
W. Martha, who is now dead, was the wife
of the late Benjamin Drew. George W., now
living in West Hampton, N.H., has been
twice married. His first wife was Addie
(Clay) Brackett, after whose death he married
Miss Nellie Dickson.

E. G. Brackett received a common-school
education, and at the early age of eleven years
began the battle of life on his.own account.
Obtaining work on a farm, he continued en-
gaged in the pursuit of agriculture for some
seven years, when he learned the mason’s trade.
He has since worked at his trade in this State
and in several Western towns and cities. On
August 12, 1862, Mr. Brackett enlisted in
Company A, Eleventh New Hampshire Vol-
Captain Horace C.
Bacon and Colonel Walter Hiram. With his
regiment he was sent at once to the field of
action, and took part in many of the impor-
tant battles of the Rebellion, among the more
noted being those of Fredericksburg, Vicks-
burg, Jackson, Knoxville, the Wilderness,
Cold Harbor, Spottsylvania, and Petersburg.
He was present when the mine exploded at the
latter place. He was also in the engagement
at Pegram farm, and in other small skirmishes.
He was twice wounded, the first time being at
the battle of Fredericksburg, when he was
injured in the right arm, and the second at
the battle of Petersburg, when he received a
wound in the left hand. He did his duty
bravely, and for his services now receives a
pension. He was honorably discharged June
10, 1865, at Concord, N.H. Mr. Brackett’s
wife had three brothers in the war. After his
return he worked at his trade for several
years, and then in 1877 bought the old home-
stead farm, where he has since resided. He
has twenty acres of well-tilled land, which he
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

57!

 

 

handles to advantage, at the same time that he
makes mason-work his chief occupation. He
is highly esteemed as a citizen and neighbor,
and has served in many of the minor offices of
the township.

Mr. Brackett was married June 10, 1867,
to Miss Sarah A. Purington, who was born
April 21, 1851, in West Hampton, where her
parents, the late Joshua and Sarah (Dow) Pur-
ington, were numbered among the successful
farmers of the community. Mr. and Mrs.
Brackett have had four children, as follows:
Cora, who is the wife of Daniel W. Garland,
of Kingston, this county; Mattie M., who
married George C. Goodrich, of Brentwood;
Alice G., who lives at home; and Wesley E.,
who died at the age of seven years. Mrs.
Brackett is a conscientious and active member
of the Congregational church.

 

2.

ILLIAM SMITH, an enterprising
and industrious citizen of Ports-
mouth, was born on Prince Edward’s

Island, March 30, 1840, of English parentage.
His father, Henry Smith, a native of England,
was born, bred, and married at Aix, Suffolk
County. He was a farmer by occupation, and
followed it in England until twenty-six years
old. Then, accompanied by his wife, he
shipped for Prince Edward's Island, where he
resided for the rest of his life. His wife, also
a native of England, whose maiden name was
Mary Rice, bore him thirteen children.
William Smith, the third-born of his parents’
children, learned the trade of a ship carpenter
when young. After working at it for five
years in Prince Edward’s Island, he removed
to St. John, N.B. There he lived sixteen
years, working in the mean time for the Hick-
man Company, Stackhouse, McLaughlin, and
others. In 1891, wishing to try his fortune
in the States, Mr. Smith came to New Hamp-
shire, locating in this city, where he has since
been employed by Mr. Keene, contractor and
builder of bridges. Mr. Smith is a thorough
and skilful workman, fully acquainted with his
trade in all of its details, his reputation in
his line of business being such that he is kept
in constant employment.

Mr. Smith married Miss Hannah McDonald,

 

 

of Prince Edward’s Island. Their union has
been blessed by the birth of five children —
James H., Jacob H., May, Maud, and Will-
iam. James H. is a machinist, and lives in
Dover, N.H.; Jacob H. is a brass finisher in
a brass shop of this city; and William is a
laster in the Portsmouth shoe shop. The
other two children are at home.

 

EWELL S. TILTON, an enterprising

and successful agriculturist of Exeter,

was born July 26, 1851, on the

same farm where he now resides,

son of Joseph and Martha J. (Smith) Tilton.

He traces back his family history to a time

anterior to the Revolutionary period. His

great-grandfather, Ebenezer Tilton, was a na-

tive of Deerfield, N.H. Joseph Tilton, Eben-

ezer’s son, who on December 13, 1781, was

also born there, was a soldier in the War of

1812. Joseph married Miss Betsy Pike, of

Hampton Falls, N.H., and by her became the

father of a son, also named Joseph, who was

the father of Newell S. Joseph Tilton, Sr.,

lived to attain the grand old age of ninety
years and three months.

Joseph Tilton, Jr., a native of Stratham,
N.H., was a carpenter, and in the earlier part
of his life followed that trade in Boston,
Mass., for eight years. Returning at the con-
clusion of that period to his native county, he
subsequently engaged in general agricultural
pursuits, which he followed very successfully
to the day of his death. He was a stanch Re-
publican since the organization of that party.
He was united in marriage with Miss Martha
J. Smith, a native of Stratham, and a daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Smith, both of
whom are now deceased. Mrs. Smith, whose
maiden name was Martha Fifield, was born in
1792, and lived into the middle of this cen-
tury, passing away in 1854. Mr. Smith,
whose birth occurred in 1790, was a militia
man, and was called into service in the War
of 1812. Having survived his. wife over
twenty years, he passed away April 27, 1875.
Joseph Tilton and his wife became the parents
of two children, namely: Newell S., the sub-
ject of this sketch; and Nora M., who is now
the widow of Samuel P. James, a veteran of
57?

the Civil War, and resides with her mother.
The father’s life, most of which had been in
his native county, closed January 8, 1895.
The mother, now seventy-six years old, enjoys
fair health.

Newell S. Tilton attended the district
school until he was ten years old, after which
ill-health compelled him to remain at home
for several years. At the age of twenty he
applied himself to the carpenter’s trade. This
he did in two years, and thereafter worked at
it for about half a dozen years. Returning
then to the farm on account of his father’s
failing health, he was for a considerable time
‘engaged in lumbering. During the past few
years the paternal estate has been the chief
object of his attention. The farm is an ex-
cellent one. It contains about one hundred
acres, and the buildings are modern and sub-
stantial. In 1892 Mr. Tilton erected a barn
that is one of the best structures of its kind in
the county.

In April, 1893, Mr. Tilton was united in
marriage with Miss Nellie A. Favor, of
Nashua, N.H. He is widely and favorably
known, and his is a familiar personality in
the social gatherings of the town and vicinity.

His connection with fraternal organizations‘

includes membership in the local lodge of
Odd Fellows, of which he is a Past Grand, in
the Encampment, and in the Rebekahs for a
score of years. In politics he has been a
loyal Republican, being a sincere believer in
the principles of that party. In religious be-
lief he and his family are Congregationalists,
and are associated with the Second Congrega-
tional Church of Exeter.

 

business man and an esteemed resident

lo of Exeter, was born in Brookline,
N.H., in 1866, son of Rufus G. and

Mary A. (French) Russell. His father,. also a
native of this State, in his younger days carried
on quite an extensive lumber business. The
last years of his life were spent in farming.
He was a man who took great interest in
public matters, and was prominent in local
affairs. His death in 1889 was a loss to the
community in which he lived, as well as to

OF nie. C. RUSSELL, a thorough

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

his friends and relations. His estimable wife,
who was a native of Massachusetts, survived
until December, 1895.

Charles C. Russel] was educated in the dis-
trict school. His early life was spent on his
father’s farm, where he remained untii he at-
tained his majority. He then entered a grocery
store as clerk, and continued to work in that
capacity until May, 1890, at which time he
purchased a grocery business here in Exeter,
which he has successfully conducted since.
He has now a thriving and lucrative trade.
In his store may be found one of the most
complete stocks of groceries in this city. In
September, 1895, Mr. Russell was united in
marriage with Miss Carrie McMartin, who was
born in Southkill, Me. A

In politics Mr. Russell is a Republican, but
does not personally care for political honors,
preferring to devote his time and attention to
the interests of his business. He is a member
of the Masonic fraternity. While not church
communicants, Mr. and Mrs. Russell attend
and support the Baptist church.

 

—+o ee+__

LFRED D. EMERY, Judge of the
police court and general business
agent of Auburn, was born in North
Malden, near Melrose, Mass.,
March 2, 1845, son of Stephen and Mary A.
(Holt) Emery. His paternal grandfather,
Richard Emery, was a native of Auburn, then
Chester, where he earned his living by farm-
ing and the trade of wheelwright. Richard
Emery was the father of seven children, of
whom there are living William and Amherst,
both residents of Auburn. He was a man of
quiet tastes, and never cared to come before
the public eye in an official capacity. He
died May 28, 1837, aged fifty years and six
months.

Stephen Emery, son of Richard, born in
Chester, now Auburn, March 5, 1818, moved
to Malden in 1839. He was a carpenter, and
many of the houses in Melrose are samples of
his handicraft. He married Miss Mary A.
Holt, who was a native of that town, born
November 5, 1820, daughter of Enoch Holt,
of Andover, Merrimack County. Mr. Holt,
who was a shoe merchant, is a Trustee of the
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

573

 

 

Griffen Library and Museum of Auburn, and
was a member of the Constitutional Conven-
tion of 1889. The only child of Stephen
Emery’s marriage was Alfred D. Stephen
' was a Selectman of Auburn, and took an ac-
tive part in furnishing Auburn’s quota of vol-
unteers in 1861. He was a Democrat, and
was interested in State and national politics.
After returning to Auburn in 1860, he spent
the rest of his life there, and died April 24,
1895, aged seventy-seven years, one month,
and nineteen days.

Alfred D. Emery was educated in a gram-
mar school, and in the high school of Melrose.
In 1864 he began to earn his living as a clerk
in one of the Boston markets. Six months
after he enlisted in Company K, Eighteenth
New Hampshire Volunteers, under Colonel
Livermore and Captain J. A. Brown. Having
served during the last year of the war, he
returned home in May, 1865, and took up his
residence on the old home farm ‘at Auburn,
where he has remained since. In 1864, April
17, he was united in marriage to Miss Caro-
line F. Wood, a native of Auburn. Their
children are: Sarah F., now the wife of Elmer
E. French, of Candia, this county; Mary C.,
who is a teacher, and lives at home; Thomas,
who is Postmaster at Auburn; Elvira R., also
at home; Dana, now at college; and Walter,
who is attending school.

Mr. Emery has served for ten successive
years as a Selectman, besides one other term.
He held the office of’ Moderator for a very
long period, and was a member of the School
Board for one term. He has been a Justice
of the Peace for twenty years and a Notary
Public for seven. In connection with the
last-named capacities he has been extensively
engaged in probate work for about fifteen
years. His appointment to the office of Police
Judge was made April 28, 1896; and on the
following day he qualified and was duly in-
stalled.

He is a member of Rockingham Lodge,
No. 76, A. F. & A. M., of Camden, and is
Past Commander of Bell Post, No. 74, of
Chester, Grand Army of the Republic. He
is also affiliated with Massabesic Grange, No.
127, of Auburn, of which he has been Secre-
tary for five years. Judge Emery was at one

 

time a Democrat, but became a Republican in
later years. His family attend the Methodist
church.

 

 

ASHINGTON COLBY, a represen-
tative citizen of Londonderry,
N.H., is a native of Brentwood,
this county, born May 22, 1832. His parents
were Ebenezer and Sarah (Philbrick) Colby,
respectively natives of Salisbury, Mass., and
Danville, N.H. The genealogy of the Colbys
has been traced back to Danish ancestors
flourishing in England in 1140 a.p. The
founder of the American family was Anthony
Colby, who came from England in 1620, and,
after residing for a while in Cambridge,
Mass., then settled permanently in Salisbury.
The house in which he lived is still standing,
somewhat changed by remodellings, and is oc-
cupied by one of his descendants, Moses L.
Colby. Several] of his descendants fought for
independence in the Revolutionary War.
John W. Colby, grandfather of Washington
Colby, spent his life in Massachusetts. His
son Ebenezer, who was a carpenter and a
farmer, in 1852 removed to Londonderry,
where he resided for the rest of his life, and
died in 1886. In politics he was a Republi-
can, in religious belief a Baptist and a mem-
ber of the local society. Of his children, Al-
bert P., Washington, and Moses F., all of
Londonderry, are the survivors.

Washington Colby spent part of his child-
hood in Massachusetts, his parents removing
to Salisbury when he was two years old. At
the age of ten he went with his parents to
Manchester, N.H. His education, begun in
the common schools of Massachusetts, was
completed in those of New Hampshire. When
about sixteen years of age, he obtained work
in a shoe shop in Manchester. Here he
Jearned shoemaking, and subsequently worked
at that trade in several places. He was super-
intendent of a shoe shop in Marlboro, Mass.,
for a number of years, and had charge at dif-
ferent times of other factories. At one time
he was superintendent of the shoe manufactur-
ing department of the Charlestown State
Prison in Massachusetts. In 1884 he retired
from the shoe business, and took up his resi-
574

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

dence on his farm in Londonderry, which is a
well-improved property of fifty acres.

Mr. Colby was married to Arvilla Nesmith,
a native of Rockingham County, daughter of
Cyrus Nesmith, now deceased. Mrs. Colby
died November 18, 1893, leaving one son,
Frank N. In politics Mr. Colby is a Repub-
lican. He cast his first vote in Londonderry
in 1852, and has not missed an election since,
retaining his residence in this town, though
employed elsewhere, and never losing interest
in its welfare. He represented this town for
two terms in the State legislature. In 1890

he was a candidate for County Commissioner

on the Republican ticket, when the entire
ticket was defeated in this county. He was
Selectman of the town for three years, and is
now one of the ballot inspectors. A Mason
in high standing, Mr. Colby has been con-
nected some forty-three years with Lafayette
Lodge, No. 41, of Manchester.

 

OSEPH B. COLLINS, noted through-
out Rockingham County as a collector
of rare and valuable relics, was born
August 7, 1833, in the village of Brent-

wood, son of Stephen E. and Nancy (Sanborn)
Collins. His paternal grandfather, David
Collins, was for many years engaged in a mer-
cantile business at Danville. In 1806 he came
to Brentwood, where he and his wife spent
their closing years. In his early life he
learned the cooper’s trade, at which he workéd
for a time. He was a man of considerable
learning, and was interested in advancing the
cause of education. In 1806 he was appointed
a member of the first Board of Trustees of the
Brentwood Library. To him and his wife,
whose maiden name was Ruthy Bean, fourteen
children were born, and all grew to adult life.

Stephen E. Collins remained beneath the
parental roof-tree until twenty-two years of
age, when he married Miss Nancy Sanborn,
a daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Clifford)
Sanborn. Both of her parents were natives of
Fremont, N.H., where they resided until their
removal to Brentwood. At that time they
settled on the homestead now owned by their
grandson, the subject of this sketch. They
had ten children, of whom Nancy was the

 

youngest. The father was accidentally killed
by being thrown from a wagon, November 24,
1834. He left but one child, Joseph B. His
widow, who was an invalid for many years,
passed away in 1869.

Joseph B. Collins lived with his mother
until nineteen years old. He then went to
New York State, and was there employed for
a year in the Victory Collins Mills. After
that he was employed by the Merrimac Manu-
facturing Company of Lowell, Mass., until
1859. He worked for the following year in
Lewiston, Me., and then for some time at
Lawrence, Mass., in the employment of the
Everett Manufacturing Company. In 1861 he
returned to Brentwood, where he remained
until 1866. Then, in Lowell, Mass., he en-
gaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes.
He conducted this enterprise successfully
until 1870, when he finally returned to his
present home, where he has since resided.

Mr. Collins was married June 21, 1856, to
Miss Emily H. Thomas, who was born No-
vember 24, 1831, in Belmont, Me. She was
the oldest of a family of thirteen children born
to Hosea B. and Caroline (Allston) Thomas.
In politics Mr. Collins isa Democrat. Both
he and his estimable wife have been members
of the Baptist church of Brentwood Corner for
a score of years. He is a man of superior in-
telligence, well informed on current topics,
and a most entertaining and instructive con-
versationalist. His collection of curios, begun
in 1843, is the work of more than a_half-
century. It includes many varieties of alma-
nacs, one of the finest displays of coins in the
country, and six thousand stamps, of which no
two are alike.

EORGE F. HAYNES, the genial
landlord of the Squamscot House in

Exeter, was born in New Hampton,
N.H., in 1856, son of George M. and Nancy
(Woodman) Haynes. Jeremiah Haynes, the
grandfather of George F., born December 28,
1778, in Wayland, Mass., spent his life in
that State, and died there at Framingham
in January, 1848. He married Miss Olive
Morse, and by her became the father of three
sons and two daughters. Of the number,

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

575

 

 

George M. and Nathan, who resides in Fram-
ingham, Mass., survive. Emery, the eldest,
born in 1800, died in Framingham in 1894,
having attained the very advanced age of
ninety-four years. Eliza lived to be nearly
eighty-eight years of age. Irene, who married
Edwin Bursell, died at seventy-nine years of
age, leaving a son and three daughters. The
mother, who died April 20, 1874, nearly
reached ninety-six years of age.

George M. Haynes was born in East Sud-
bury, now Wayland, Mass., August 17, 1812.
Although on starting out in life for himself he
was without cash capital, he was not lacking
in energy and enterprise. Upto 1861 he was
engaged in teaming from Brighton to Boston,
doing a large amount of government work in
connection with the Arsenal, and employing
between twenty and thirty horses. He then
sold his business at a good profit, and worked
for a time in the employ of his successors.
For the past thirty-six years he has been
engaged in conducting his farm of fifty acres,
which he purchased at New Hampton, Bel-
knap County, soon after selling his teaming
business. His wife, Nancy, a native of New
Hampton, whom he married in 1850, was
born in 1815, daughter of Thomas and Polly
(Pease) Woodman. She died on January 8,
1861, leaving two children: Nathaniel P.
Haynes, of New Hampton; and George F.
Two other children had died in infancy.
Although now eighty-one years old, the father
still retains his mental and physical vigor to
a remarkable degree. ;

George F. Haynes spent his boyhood on his
father’s farm, acquiring a practical common-
school education. When twenty-one years of
age, he came to Exeter, and for three and a
half years was a student in Phillips Academy.
Soon after completing his academical course,
he became the manager of Gorham Hall,
which he conducted for the academy for
about six years. In 1889 he purchased the
property, and has since conducted it as a hotel
under its original name of the Squamscot.
It was so called in honor of the Indian chief
who, with two other chiefs, drew the deed of
the land on which the town is situated, adorn-
ing the document with his portrait as well as
signature. Mr. Haynes takes great pleasure

 

.

in hunting, and is considered one of the best
wing shots in this section.
On July 8, 1878, Mr. Haynes was united in
marriage with Miss Nellie Trefethen, of Rye,
N.H., a daughter of Charles and Dorothy
(Marden) Trefethen. Her great-grandfather,
and the Philbrick, Jenness, Rand, and Marden
families were the original settlers of that
town; and their little settlement was notable
for the harmony maintained in it. The
houses built by these pioneers have been
handed down from one generation to another.
Charles Trefethen became a house carpenter,
and during all his active life bore the reputa-
tion of being a first-class workman and an
honest builder. He is now living in retirement
on the farm where he was born. | On January
7, 1896, he and his good wife, a venerable
couple, aged respectively seventy-eight and
seventy-nine years, celebrated their sixtieth
wedding anniversary. Two sons and eight
daughters have been born to them, of whom
eight are living and have families of their own.
They have twenty-three living grandchildren
and two great-grandchildren. They rejoice in
the very unusual record that for over a half-
century death has not entered their house-
hold. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes have three chil-
dren, as follows: Daisy C., a young lady of
sixteen years, attending school and ‘pursuing
the study of music; Bessie O., who is in the
class with her sister at the seminary, and has
already manifested some artistic talent; and
Paul, a promising lad of seven years. Mr.
Haynes, following the lead of his ancestors,
is a stanch Democrat, his father having voted
for ‘‘Old Hickory.’’ He has served very ac-
ceptably as Deputy Sheriff.

OHN D. DANIELS, for several years
past the Postmaster at North Notting-
ham, was born in Nottingham, June
17, 1839, son of Henry P. and Me-

hetabel F. (Demerritt) Daniels. His grand-
father, Andrew A. Daniels, was a native of
Barnstead, N.H., born January 31, 1780. An-
drew learned the trade of a wheelwright, and
worked at that and farming throughout the
active years of his life. During the War of
1812 he was on duty at Fort Constitution,

 

 
576

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Portsmouth. He was over eighty years of age
when he died. His wife, Susan (Priest)
Daniels, who was born in Nottingham, May 3,
1787, had four children that attained maturity.
Three are now living; namely, Henry P., Ira
T., and Mary Susan. Ira T., who was born
in Barnstead, March 18, 1820, resides in Bar-
rington, N.H. Mary Susan, born on October
8, 1830, is the widow of John S. Buzzell, of
Barrington, N.H., and has a son and two
daughters — Orin O., Lizzie, and Nellie.
Henry P. Daniels was born in Barnstead,
February 23, 1809. In his boyhood he gained
a practical knowledge of the common branches
of study in the schools of his native town.
He then engaged in farming in Durhan,
Strafford County; and in 1831 he came to
Nottingham. Two years later he purchased
one hundred and twenty-five acres of land,
which he farmed until advancing age obliged
him to retire from active labor. He is now
living with his daughter, Mrs. Holmes. In
politics he is a Democrat. He served as
Selectman for several years, as Deputy Sheriff
for four years, and has been Justice of the
Peace for the past twenty-five years. His
wife, Mehetabel, born on March 18, 1810, to
whom he was married on May 27, 1832, died
on December 1, 1892, eighty-two years of age.
He is now eighty-eight years of age. In
religious belief she was a Free Will Baptist.
But two of their five children are living,
namely: John D., the subject of this sketch;
and Maria S., born June 2, 1842, who was
married September 16, 1865, to William F.
Holmes, of this town, and has two children —
Frank J. and Lewis W., respectively born
May 11, 1866, and January 10, 1874. Frank
J. Holmes married Miss Lilla M. Lucy,
daughter of Robert Lucy, of Nottingham, and
has one son—Ray Earl Holmes, born No-
vember 28, 1889. Lewis W. Holmes married
Miss Ada May Tuttle, daughter of Granville
Tuttle, of Nottingham, and has one son —
Elmer H. Holmes, born September 10, 1895.
John D. Daniels began his education in Not-
tingham. When he was seven years old, he
removed with his parents to Great Falls,
Strafford County, where his schooling was
completed. In October, 1862, he enlisted, for
the Civil War in Company F of the Thirteenth

 

New Hampshire Regiment, with which he
served for more than three years. On his re-
turn from the war he settled in Nottingham, .
and for twelve years worked at the shoemaker’s
trade. In 1877 he established his present
business, a general country store, at North
Nottingham. Jn President Cleveland’s first
administration he was appointed Postmaster of
this place, and has continued to hold the posi-
tion since that time. Mr. Daniels was united
in marriage with Miss Esther Y. Tuttle in
September, 1863. She was bern in Notting-
ham on October 18, 1837, daughter of Oliver

Tuttle. Two of their four children are living,
namely: Scott L., born October 16, 1866;
and Emma F., born August 8, 1868. The

deceased were: Fred H., born August 20,
1870, who died October 22, 1875; and Perley
H., born October 2, 1877, who died February
8, 1879. Mr. Daniels, like his father, is a
Democrat, and has held the office of Deputy
Sheriff for six years. He is a member of the
Morrison Masonic Lodge, No. 90, of North-
wood, and a comrade of C. H. Hoyt Post, No.
69, Grand Army of the Republic.

@ HARLES HENRY CLOUGH, City
Treasurer of Portsmouth, was born in
Exeter, N.H., December 8, 1840,
son of John and Lydia Olive (San-
born) Clough. - John Clough was born in the
vicinity of Exeter. In early boyhood he
began to learn the printer’s trade at Exeter,
and before he attained his majority worked
as a type-setter in the office of the Christian
Herald. He was employed as a compositor in
Exeter for a few years after his marriage,
when he went to Boston, and there worked for
a number of years in the printing-office of
J. G. Torrey. The latter part of his life was
spent at the home of his son, the subject of
this sketch, in Portsmouth, where he died in
his seventieth year. His wife, a native of
Rockingham, N.H., whose maiden name was
Lydia Olive Sanborn, died in Boston some
time previous to her husband’s demise. Of
their eleven children eight attained maturity,
and two are living.
Charles Henry Clough received his educa-
tion in the Boston public schools. As the

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

577

 

 

second-born of a large family, many responsi-
bilities devolved upon him. When very
young, he began to assist his mother in her
household duties, and at the age of eleven
faced the world in order to add his mite to the
home treasury. He went to work at first in a
printing-office as roller boy at two dollars and
a half per week. Two years later he obtained
employment ina millinery store. While here,
he also earned his meals at a restaurant by
waiting on table at noon-time. When only
seventeen years of age, he became manager of
a restaurant; but, his health becoming seriously
impaired, he decided to engage in trade. Fol-
lowing this plan, he took charge of a store in
South Acton, Mass., in which he kept almost
everything in general use in a family. He
remained about four years in South Acton,
and then engaged in the millinery business at
Hudson, Mass., with his aunt, his early expe-
rience in Boston standing him in good stead.
He soon added dry goods to the stock in
trade, and conducted a fairly successful busi-
ness for about three years. He then opened a
store of the same kind in South Boston, which
he managed for about a year and a half, after
which he came to Portsmouth, and engaged in
the millinery business. This last venture
proving a marked success, he has continued in
“it since, and at the present time owns one
of the largest and most stylish millinery es-
tablishments in the vicinity. Mr. Clough has
been City Treasurer for some time. As will
be gathered from the foregoing, he is a man
of unusual ability, practically self-made. |
In 1869 Mr. Clough was married to Lucy
Munroe Rockwood, of South Boston, Mass.,
who died in 1873. In 1874 he entered a sec-
ond marriage, contracted with Miss Annie L.
Shaw, a native of Newfield, Me. She is a
daughter of Elijah W. and Nancy (Nealey)
Shaw, and a grand-daughter of Elder Elijah
Shaw, a well-known Baptist divine, and one
of the early publishers of the Christian Herald.
Mrs. Clough is a lady of ability and good
taste, and much of her husband’s success since
locating in Portsmouth is due to her assist-
ance and good counsel. She has given birth
to one son, Charles M., who married Miss
Eleanor Starbird. Mr. Clough is an Odd
Fellow, having membership in Osgood Lodge,

*

 

No. 48, all the chairs of which he has passed ;
in Strawberry Bank Encampment; in Canton
Senter, No. 12, of which he is Past Grand
Patriarch and Past Commander. He is also a
member of Zayden Colony, United Order of
Pilgrim Fathers. A Baptist in religious be-
lief, he is Deacon of the Middle Street Church,
Secretary of the society, and superintendent
of the Sunday-school.

 

AMES H. DOW, a popular salesman
in the dry-goods store of G. B. French, *
of Portsmouth, is a native of this town,
born February 7, 1840. Henry Dow,
his grandfather, with two or three brothers,
all natives of Scotland, settled in Seabrook,
this county, probably among the pioneers.
The older members of the family were remark-
able instances of longevity. They were hard-
working people, and they managed to acquire
a goodly share’ of property. Henry Dow,
who, like his ancestors, had a genius for hard
work, was a prominent contractor and builder.
His son, Isaac Dow, a tinsmith by trade, was
reputed: to be one of the best mechanics in
his line in this part of the country. Isaac
was a member of St. John’s Masonic Lodge,
of which he was Secretary for thirty-five
years; and of Piscataqua Lodge, No. 6, Inde- |
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, being one of
the oldest in the lodge, and having served as
its Secretary for a long term of years. He
was also a member and the Treasurer for some
time of both the Mechanics’ Fire Society and
the Mechanics’ Association. As a member of
the Christian church, he was a most exem-
plary man, not being absent from divine ser-
vice once in ten years; and he was just as re-
liable in all other relations of life. His wife
bore him three children, two daughters and a
son, James H.

James H. Dow, the second child of his par-
ents, is descended from a long-lived race. In
1856 he was graduated from the Portsmouth
High School, and took a position in the dry-
goods store of Joseph A. Grace. Here he
served ten years, being head clerk a part of
the time. In 1866 he bought the fancy goods
store of Isaac Hahn, and conducted it with
the assiduity and enterprise characteristic of
578

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

the Scotch grit of the Dows until 1874, when
he sold out to good advantage. Since that
time he has confined himself to the dry-goods
business exclusively; and, with the exception
of six years, three spent in Concord, N.H.,
and three in Lowell, Mass., he has been lo-
cated in Portsmouth. For two years he was
with F. F. Stackpole; but since 1889 he has
been in the store of G. B. French as general
salesman, in which capacity he has made a
very high record.

In 1891 Mr. Dow was united in matrimony
with Zettie M. Bond, of Kittery Point, Me.
He is a member of Piscataqua Lodge, No. 6,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which he
joined in 1866, though he is not specially in-
terested; and he was a charter member of
Damon Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias,
from which he has since retired. Since 1858
he has been a member of the Christian church.
Personally, he is a man of wonderful constitu-
tion, never having had occasion for the ser-
vices of a doctor. He is very fond of outdoor
life, and a lover of nature in all her moods.
For seventeen years he has brought the first
Mayflowers of the season to the newspaper
offices. Mr. Dow keeps a boat, and takes
great pleasure in boating, swimming, and kin-
dred sports. His fine physique is paralleled
by his mental development, which makes it
easy for him to keep even with the best clerks
in the world of commerce.

 

————————

LVIN WIGGIN, an enterprising agri-
culturist of Exeter, was born in the

house that is now his residence in

1836, son of Joshua and Dorothy T.

(Furneld) Wiggin. Joshua Wiggin, who was
born near Exeter, and passed his entire life
in the county, was engaged in agricultural
pursuits throughout his adult years. He was
a quiet, retiring citizen, of an unassuming
disposition. He performed faithfully the
duties and bore willingly the responsibilities
devolving upon him, while he did not aspire
to political or social distinction. He pre-
ferred rather to apply himself assiduously to
his personal affairs, chief among which he
placed the peace and comfort of his family.
He passed away in 1880, mourned by all who

 

knew him. His estimable wife, who was a
native of the same county, survived him until
1887.

Meh Wiggin grew to manhood on the home
farm. He received his education in the com-
mon schools of his native town. He had the
choice of pursuing a higher course, but he re-
linquished it in favor of his only brother, Jo-
seph F., now a resident of Malden, Mass.,
who has been Judge of Probate and Mayor of
Malden. Brought up to an agricultural life,
he found it easy and natural to adopt farming
as his chief occupation. “He possesses one
hundred acres of excellent land; and the farm-
ing buildings which are located thereon are
substantial, and are kept in a good state of re-
pair, thereby giving to the property a general
appearance of prosperity.

In 1867 Mr. Wiggin was united in marriage
with Miss Mary A. French, of North Kings-
ton, this county. The union was blessed by
four children— Joshua, Robert N., Anna
Mary, and Laura Pearl. Death bereft Mr.
Wiggin of the partner of his joys and sorrows
in 1879. The family stands very high in the
community. In fact, no family in Exeter is
more esteemed. In political contests he is
found in the ranks of the Democratic party.

 

 

HARLES A. KNIGHT, a ieading
resident of Atkinson, was born in

this town, March 28, 1847, son of

Alonzo and Eunice C. (Arrison)

Knight. The family for some generations
have followed agricultural pursuits in Atkin-
son. Mr. Knight’s grandfather, Samuel
Knight, born here December 23, 1786, was a
mason, and worked at that trade while en-
gaged in farming on a valuable piece of agri-
cultural property, where he resided until his
death. He was an industrious man and a use-
ful citizen, supporting the Republican party
in politics during his latter years, and serving
for a time as a member of the Board of Select.
men. He died at the advanced age of ninety-
two. He married Elizabeth Smith, a native
of Byfield, Mass., and reared a family of three
children, of whom Alonzo, Mr. Knight’s
father, was the eldest son. The only one now
living is J. H. Knight, who married Caroline
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

579

 

 

Johnson, of Atkinson. The mother lived to
the age of eighty-one years.

Alonzo Knight was born in Atkinson, June
29, 1811. For some years he worked at the
mason’s trade in this town, but finally relin-
quished it for farming. He conducted the
homestead farm with energy and success until
his death, which occurred April 27, 1896.
In politics he was a Republican, and he ren-
dered valuable service to the town as a Se-
lectman. He was highly respected. His
wife, Eunice, was a daughter of Benjamin
Arrison, of Lynn, Mass. The only child of
this union is Charles A., the subject of this
sketch. The mother, who is still living, re-
sides with Mr. Knight. She is a Universal-
ist in religious belief, and her late husband
attended that church.

Charles A. Knight acquired his education
in the schools of his native town. At the age
of eighteen he began serving an apprentice-
ship to the carpenter’s trade in Haverhill,
Mass. He afterward foliowed that occupation
as a journeyman until 1890, when he settled
at the old homestead, and has since devoted
his attention to general farming. He has a
well-improved farm, which under his manage-
ment is yielding large crops of a superior
quality. He is a Republican in politics, hav-
ing supported that party since reaching his
majority. Some years since he was appointed
Game Warden, a position which he, still
holds. :

On November 26, 1868, Mr. Knight wedded
Hannah J. Low, daughter of John Low, of
Derry, N.H. Mrs. Knight is now the
mother of two sons, namely: Frank, born Au-
gust 25, 1870; and Fred M., born May 26,
1877. Mr. Knight is connected with the
Junior Order of United American Mechanics
of Atkinson, in which he has held all of the
important offices. Both he and his wife have
many friends. They attend the Universalist
church.

 

BRAHAM P. WENDELL, of the firm

of A. P. Wendell & Co., Portsmouth,

dealers in painters’ supplies, cut-

lery, and sporting goods, is one of

the representative citizens of this city. He

 

was born in Portsmouth, February 16, 1844,
son of Abraham Q. and Olivia (Simes) Wen-
dell. The history of the family, compiled
by one of its members, is the authority given
below.

Evert Jansen Wendell, who was born in
Embden, Holland, in 1615, came to America
in 1640, and settled in the Dutch colony
which had located on the site of New York
City. He was aman of character, and filled
various offices of trust, serving as magistrate
in 1660-61. His son, Johannes Wendell, a
large property owner and an influential citi-
zen, was Captain in the militia in 1685,
Alderman of Albany, and Magistrate for
some time in that city. Abraham, the son of
Johannes, was in business as a merchant in
Boston for a number of years; and John, the
son of Abraham, was a merchant and importer
in that city. John was also active in public
affairs, was a member of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery Company in 1733, and
Captain of the company in 1740. His son
John was the founder of the Portsmouth
branch of the family. He entered Harvard
at the age of fifteen, graduated in 1750, and
received the degree of A.M. from Yale and
Dartmouth Colleges respectively in 1768 and
1773. A lawyer of note, he practised in
Portsmouth for a number of years, was a large
land-owner, and, like his father, was one of
the Commanders of the Ancient and Honor-
able Artillery of Boston. His death occurred
in Portsmouth, April 29, 1808, in his seventy-
seventh year. He first married Sarah, eldest
daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth F. Went-
worth, of Portsmouth, and sister of Eben
Wentworth. Eleven children were born of
this union. By his second wife, a lady of
Portsmouth, whose maiden name was Sarah
Sherbourne, eight children were added to the
number.of his offspring. Jacob, the sixth of
these, was the great-grandfather of Abraham
P. He was born in Portsmouth, December
10, 1788. A merchant and importer for many
years in the Russian and West Indian trade,
he acquired a handsome fortune. In 1815,
with his brother Isaac, he established some of
the earliest cotton-mills in New Hampshire,
purchasing several water privileges through
Daniel, and erecting the pioneer factory of
580

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

the Great Falls corporation. Their large
business ventures were made at a critical time
in the financial life of the nation, and they
failed in the panic of 1827. Jacob Wendell
was aman of broad culture. He took much
interest in antiquarian researches, and was a
corresponding member of the New England
Historical and Genealogical Society, which
he joined in 1847. Jacob’ Wendell was a
member of the South Parish Church of Ports-
mouth. He died August 27, 1865. His
wife, who was Mehitable Rindge, of Ports-
mouth, bore him six children.

Abraham Wendell, the grandfather of our
subject, was a ship chandler, and kept a gen-
eral store at the corner of State and Water
Streets, Portsmouth. For some years he was
in company with his brother Jacob, under the
firm name of A. & J. Wendell. After the
partnership was dissolved, he removed to Bow
Street, where he had a hardware store, and
was engaged in ship chandlery up to within a
few months of his death. His busy life ended
at the age of eighty years. The children
reared by him and his wife were: Daniel D.,
Jacob L., Abraham Q., Harvey F., John S.,
Gardner, Susan, and Valiria. Susan is now
residing on the old homestead. Valiria is the
widow of Edwin A. Peterson, who was a mem-
ber of the firm of E. A. Peterson & Co.,
carpet dealers, the other member being his
brother Archibald, a prominent merchant of
New York. Edwin A. Peterson was Presi-
-dent of the New Hampshire National Bank
for eight years. The youngest daughter,
Ann, who was a talented musician, died in
young womanhood.

Abraham Q. Wendell, the father of Abra-
ham P., was educated in the private school of
William C. Harris, whose monument, erected
to his memory by his pupils, is standing to-day
in Portsmouth. His early business training
was acquired while working as clerk for five
years in the store conducted by Goddard &
Pickering, and their successors, Richard Jen-
ness, President of the Merchants’ and Traders’
Bank of Portsmouth. Aided by Mr. Jenness,
he opened a hardware store of his own March
1, 1834, having bought his stock in Boston,
to which he travelled by stage. He conducted
a successful business till 1874, when at the

 

earnest solicitation of his sons he retired, leav-
ing them in charge. Always strong in mind
and body, he rarely took a vacation. He was
a Jacksonian Democrat, Andrew Jackson being
his first Presidential choice. He was elected
to the State legislature four times in succes-
sion, served on the School Committee inter-
mittently for twenty years, and on the High
School Committee for four years. As a mem-
ber of the Portsmouth High School Building
Committee, associated with Isaiah Wilson, he
selected the plan of the building. He was a
charter member of Piscataqua Lodge, No. 6,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, founded
in 1844, passed through all the chairs, was a
Trustee for a number of years, and was a dele-
gate to the Grand Lodge. A member of the
Universalist church, he was Warden for sev-
eral years, and served on various committees.
He died at the age of seventy, May 23, 1882.
His wife, a daughter of George Simes, of
Portsmouth, was an expert musician, and
could play difficult pieces from memory when
eighty years old. She was the mother of six
children, namely: Annie M., wife of Harvey
C. Rich, a wholesale fish dealer in Boston;
Olivia, who died in childhood; Abraham P.,
whose name appears at the head of this article;
Olivia, second, who lived but a short time;
Abram Q., a commission merchant of Boston,
who resides in Winthrop, Mass.; and Henry,
the junior member of the firm of A. P. Wen-
dell & Co.

Abraham P. Wendell was born in Ports-
mouth, February 16, 1844, and graduated from
the Portsmouth High School in 1858. While
attending school, he worked in his father’s
store afternoons, grinding paint and mixing
putty. After his graduation he was employed
there as clerk, in which capacity he worked
until 1862, when he obtained a position as
salesman and book-keeper in the hardware
store of Brooks & Darling, of Dock Square,
Boston. The senior member of this firm was
the father of the late Phillips Brooks. He was
subsequently in the employ of Joseph West &
Co. Yielding to the wishes of his father, he
returned home in the summer of 1863, and
thereafter served as clerk in the Portsmouth
store until March, 1866, when he was admitted
to partnership, the firm name becoming A. Q.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

581

 

 

Wendell & Son. When his father retired in
1874, Mr. Wendell took his brother Henry
into partnership, changing the business name
to A. P. Wendell & Co., the present form.
The brothers have commanded an extensive
trade from the beginning. Their establish-
ment occupies four floors and a basement, and
they have a large and well-selected stock.

Mr. Wendell was married November 26,
1867, to Ruth A., daughter of Stephen Os-
good, of Salisbury Point, now a part of the
town of Amesbury, Mass. Stephen Osgood,
who was a calker by trade, worked in the navy
yard on many of the old war-ships. Mr. and
Mrs. Wendell have three children: Grace
C., wife of Herbert P. Pattison, a commission
grocery merchant of Boston; Fannie P., a
graduate of the Portsmouth High School; and
Ruth A., now studying there, both residing
with their parents. The father votes the
Democratic ticket. As a member of the City
Council, he was instrumental in passing the
sewer bill. In 1893 and 1894 he was Alder-
man from Ward 2, and he was a member of the
Board .of Instruction for eight years. He be-
longs to Piscataqua Lodge, No. 6, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has
passed all the chairs; to Damon Lodge, No.
g. Knights of Pythias, in which he has been
Chief Master and Past Commander; to Massa-
soit Tribe, No. 16, Improved Order of Red
Men; to Alpha Council, No. 83, Royal Ar-
canum, of which he is P. R.; and to the An-
cient Order of United Workmen, of which he
is Receiver. He is a prominent member of
the Universalist church, and’ has been Warden
for some time.

 

OSEPH STOPFORD, a. well-known
farmer of Newington, was born April

II, 1841, in Lincolnshire, England.

His. parents, Samuel J. and Harriet
(Ogden) Stopford, had eight children, six sons
“and two daughters. He remained with his
parents until 1863. Then he came to this
country, locating in Salem, Mass., where he
worked in the cotton-mills.
1864 he went to Illinois. While here, he en-
listed as a private in Company C of the
Sixth Illinois Cavalry. After serving his

| the Saco Academy in Maine.

In the fall of:

 

adopted country in Tennessee, Mississippi,
Alabama, and Kentucky, he received his dis-
charge on June 26, 1865. For a short time
thereafter he was in Newtonville, Mass.,
going thence to Biddeford, Me., where he was
employed in a cotton-mill. Five years later
he made another visit to Illinois, returning
again to Biddeford. In 1880 he moved to a
fine farm of one hundred and five acres in the
town of Newington, where he continues to
carry on general farming. In politics Mr.
Stopford affiliates with the Democratic party.
He has officiated on the School Board for two
years, and he is a member of a Masonic Order.

On July 15, 1864, he was united in mar-
riage to Miss Elizabeth Jones, a native of
England. They have three children — Byron
M., Joseph M., and Angeline C. Stopford, all
of whom are living with their parents, leading
a pleasant country life upon the farm.

 

OSIAH CALEF EASTMAN, M.D.,

of Hampstead, born in Loudon, N.H.,

April 22, 1811, isa son of Dr. Joseph

and Miriam (Calef) Eastman, grandson

of Timothy and Abigail (Gale) Eastman, anda,

great-grandson of Colonel Gale of East Kings-

ton, and of the Hon. Josiah Bartlett, a signer

of the Declaration of Independence, and gov-

ernor of New Hampshire, 1790-94. Joseph

Eastman, who was graduated from Dartmouth

Medical College in 1806, died at Meredith,
N.H., at the age of thirty-three years.

Josiah Calef Eastman, M.D., obtained his
preliminary schooling at the Kingston and
the Atkinson Academies in this State and
After teaching
in the district schools for some time, he com-
menced the study of medicine with Dr. L. S.
Bartlett and Dr. T. Bassett, both of Kingston,
N.H. He afterward attended three courses of
lectures at Dartmouth Medical College, and
was graduated M.D. therefrom in 1837. Dr.
Eastman practised medicine for a time at New
Market, N.H. About 1839 he located at
Hampstead, where he has since pursued his
profession when not in the military service.
In August, 1861, he was appointed by Gov-
ernor Berry Surgeon of the Iourth Regiment,
New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, with the
582

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

rank of Major. He was in service with the
regiment at Washington, Annapolis, Port
Royal, Hilton Head, St. Augustine, and Jack-
sonville. In 1863 he resigned his commission
on account of illness in his family, and re-
turned to Hampstead. Soon after this he de-
clined the offer of the Colonelcy of a regiment.
This was the second opportunity he had of
entering upon a military career. When a
youth, he was chosen by the Hon. Levi Wood-
bury for a cadetship at West Point Military
Academy, when the opposition of his widowed
mother prevented its acceptance.

Dr. Eastman is one of the oldest members of
the New Hampshire Medical Society, and was
its President in 1860. He is also a member
of the Rockingham Medical Society and
American Medical Association, having held the
Presidency of the former organization for some
time; and he was one of the three representa-
tives of New Hampshire at the International
Medical Congress held at Philadelphia in 1876.
Dr. Eastman has been twice nominated for
Councillor for his district, and he was a dele-
gate to the national conventions which nom-
inated General McClellan and the Hon.
Horatio Seymour for the Presidency. In 1845
he was County Treasurer of Rockingham
County, declining renomination in 1847. He
represented Hampstead in the legislature in
1847-50, and was Democratic State Senator
in 1853-54. In 1849, while a member of the
legislature, Dr. Eastman introduced a bill en-
‘titled “An act providing for the establish-
ment of public libraries,’’ which became a law
under the signature of Governor Dinsmore;
and New Hampshire was the first State in the
Union to empower towns and cities to maintain
free public libraries by taxation, asa result of
the passage of that bill. He was largely in-
strumental in the building of the Nashua &
Rochester Railroad, and has served as a Direc-
tor since its completion.

On May 3, 1841, Dr. Eastman was first
married to Miss Ann A., daughter of Captain
Leonard and Elizabeth Gregg (Warner) Wil-
son. Captain Wilson was a veteran of the
War of 1812. Dr. Eastman’s children are:
Mary Bartlett, the wife of Lavosier Hill, of
New York City; and Miss Ella Eastman.
His second marriage was contracted February

 

5, 1860, with Miss Mary Helen, daughter of
Dr. Jerome and Mary (Tewksbury) Harris, of
Amesbury, Mass. Their children are: Josiah
Bartlett and Susie A. Eastman.

 

 

e

ENJAMIN F. CRAWFORD, one
of the oldest farmers of Nottingham,
was born here October 27, 1815, son
of John and Mary (Furber) Crawford.

John Crawford, born January 23, 1785, in
Auburn, then Chester, N.H., learned the
trade of a hatter in Chester, and subsequently
followed it there and in Nottingham, whither
he came when sixteen years of age. In 1829
he purchased the farm now occupied by his son.
It then contained about seventy acres of land;
and, under his careful management, it yielded
a comfortable living for himself and family.
In the War of 1812 he served as a private.
Having lived to be over eighty years of age,
he died in Nottingham in 1865. In politics
he was a Democrat, was very active in local
affairs, and represented his town in the State
legislature in 1840-41. He was twice mar-
ried, first on November 2, 1806, to Miss
Drusilla Davis, by whom he had one child,
Lydia. His second marriage, contracted with

Miss Mary Furber, a daughter of Joshua Fur-

ber, of Northwood, N.H., took place April 7,
1811. Five children blessed the union, but
the only survivor is Benjamin F. The mother
died in 1857. Both parents were liberal in
their ideas of religion.

Benjamin F. Crawford received his schooling
here in Nottingham. Upon leaving school, he
went to Manchester, N.H., where he was em-
ployed for twelve years. Then he returned to
Nottingham, and took charge of the farm of
which he later became the owner, and has
since carried on with profit. On October 27,
1842, he was married to Miss Tamson Evans,
a daughter of Levi Evans, of Barrington, N.H.
Two of their five children are living, namely:
Olive, born February 18, 1846, who is now
the wife of William L. Caswell, of Northwood,
and has two children —- Arthur and Percy; and
Arabel H., born October 6, 1858, who is the
wife of Horace E. Thompson, of Nottingham,
and also has two children—Frank M. and
Laurace A. Mrs. Crawford died February 22,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

583

 

 

1880, sixty-three years of age. She was a
member of the Free Will Baptist church, of
which Mr. Crawford is a Deacon, and one of
its most active supporters. In __ political
affiliation Mr. Crawford isa Republican. He
served on the Board of Selectmen in 1889 and
1890, being Chairman in the latter year. He
is a member of Lafayette Lodge, No. 4o, A. F.
& A. M., of Manchester, N.H.

 

OHN A. HOLT, the owner of a large
shoe factory in East Candia, is justly
regarded as a public benefactor. Not
only does he furnish employment to a

number of the residents, but it was chiefly
through his influence that the post-office and
railway station were established here. At a
considerable outlay he has also greatly im-
proved the water supply of the village. This
‘he accomplished by erecting a large tank hav-
ing a capacity of seven thousand gallons, and
by piping the streets in a way to supply a
large portion of the village with water.

The founder of the Holt family in this
country came from England, and settled in
Andover, Mass. The grandfather of John A.
located in Bethel, Me., where he followed the
occupation of a farmer. He married, and be-
came the father of thirteen children, al] now
deceased. Uriah Holt, father of the subject
‘of this sketch, was born in Waterford, Me.,
and spent his life there, profitably engaged in
tilling the soi]. Although he took much in-
terest in public affairs, he mever accepted
office. In politics he was a Republican; in
religion, a communicant of the Baptist church.
His death occurred in May, 1872, when sixty-
eight years old. He married Miss Mary Bell,
of Albany, Me. ; and of the ten children born
of the union seven are living, namely: George
H., of Crookston, Minn. ; Sarah G., the wife
of John L. Fitts, of Hammond, Wis.; John
A., the subject of this sketch; Maria A., the
wife of Adelma Brown, of Peabody, Mass. ;
Elvira I., the wife of George A. Gammon, of
Lynn, Mass.; Lizzie M., residing with her
mother in Lynn; and Helen C., the wife of
Edward P. Wagner, also of Lynn.

John A. Holt, born in Albany, Me., No-
vember 20, 1846, spent his early years as a

 

student of the common and high schools of
Waterford. He then went to Wisconsin, and
for two years was there employed as a clerk in
a dry-goods store. Returning to the East, he
located in Raymond, N.H., and engaged in the
millinery and dry-goods business with A. B.
Smith, under the style of Smith & Holt.
Three years later Mr. Holt sold out, and took
up the shoe business on contract. This he
closed out after two years, and went to work in
the shoe shop of F. M. Hoyt, with whom he
remained two years. In 1884 he came to East
Candia, and established his present business,
in which he has been remarkably successful.
At the start the business was carried on ina
small building twenty feet square, and but a
dozen hands were employed. With the lapse
of time and the increased demand for his goods,
larger quarters and more hands became neces-
sary; and three additions have since been
made to the original premises, making them
now forty by sixty feet in ground area and
two stories in height, while forty-five persons
are employed. The business is conducted on
a contract basis. After the first two years Mr.
Holt received J. F. Holt into partnership,
making the firm name J. A. & J. F. Holt.

J. F. Holt sold his interest to his partner at
the end of four years, since which time John
A. has carried on the business alone. He
manufactures ladies’ slippers exclusively, and
sells for the trade in Haverhill, Mass. Al-
though, as stated above, this is a contract
shop, the proprietor makes yearly between
two and three hundred cases of his own.

In August, 1871, Mr. Holt was united in
marriage with Miss Myra F. Proctor, of
Waterford, Me. Their only child, Helen P.
Holt, is attending school in Candia. In
politics Mr. Holt is a Democrat. While a
resident of Raymond, he was a member of the
Board of Selectmen for two terms, serving one
term as Chairman; and he was the Postmaster
of East Candia two years. His connection
with fraternal organizations comprises member-
ship in Rockingham Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A.
M., of Candia; Trinity Commandery, Knights
Templars; Junietta Lodge, No. 47, Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows; and Granite En-
campment, No. 14, of Raymond. He is an
attendant of the Methodist Episcopal church,
584

LIJAH SANBORN, of Raymond, who
has been engaged in agricultural pur-
suits throughout +he larger part of
his long and honorable life, was born April
27, 1819, in the town of Fremont, this
county, a son of Ebenezer and Lydia (Bean)
Sanborn, both natives of Danville, N.H.
Ebenezer Sanborn was a shoemaker and a
tanner by trade, and worked at both callings
in his native town for many years. He re-
moved to the town of Fremont ‘in the early
part of the present century, and there bought
the homestead now owned and occupied by
his son David.

In September, 1862, Mr. Sanborn enlisted
as a musician in Company K, Fifteenth New
Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, commanded by
Captain Hall under Colonel Kingman. Going
to the South with his regiment, he remained
until the expiration of his term of service,
when in 1863 he was discharged at Concord,
N.H. After his return he spent some time in
travelling through different parts of the
country, making a stay in the West for quite
a while. He then purchased his present
farm in Raymond township, where he has since
been engaged in its cultivation and improve-
ment, his ‘success fully equalling his expecta-
tions in this line. He carries on general
farming, and is likewise largely interested in
fruit-growing, a branch of the business in
which he has always been especially interested,
finding it both pleasant and profitable. He is
a steadfast Republican in politics, and he is
a valued member of Chester Post, No. 74,
Grand Army of the Republic.

Mr. Sanborn has been four times married.
His first wife, in maidenhood Alvira Sanborn,
of Chester, this State, died three years after
marriage, having had two children, who both
died in infancy. His second marriage was
contracted with Clara M. Sanborn, a sister of
his first wife. She died in 1858, having
given birth to a son, Horace, who died in
childhood. On the third occasion Mr. San-
born married Mrs. Mary F. Bickford Beck, a
native of Northwood, who died in 1877,
leaving no issue. By his fourth marriage he
was united with Miss Lydia Wallace, a native
. of Raymond township, whose companionship
now cheers his declining years. They live in

 

| place there.

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

comfortable ease on their pleasant homestead,
esteemed by all who have the honor of their
acquaintance.

EORGE A. BOYNTON, of North
Hampton, N.H., at whose pleasant
home near Little Boar’s Head the

summer vacationist may find ‘rest and quiet
recreation, was born in Thornton, Grafton
County, N.H., February 16, 1845. His par-
ents were John and Elmira (Smith ) Boynton.

The founders of the Boynton family in
America settled in Essex County, Massachu-
setts, upward of two hundred and fifty years
ago. An association of their posterity has
been formed, which holds periodical reunions;
and it is expected that a Boynton genealogy,
which has been in course of preparation for a
number of years, will shortly be published.
Thomas Boynton, grandfather -of Mr. George
A. Boynton, was a native of Weare, N.H.
From the history of that town we learn that
Moses Boynton removed to Weare from An-
dover, Mass., in 1782, he having previously
served in the Revolution, and that he and his
wife Mary had nine children. Their fifth
child, Thomas Boynton, was born in 1785.
He settled in Thornton, where he had a large
farm on which he spent many years of labor,
the land being new when he took possession of
it. He was a carpenter by trade, and built a
commodicus and substantial house on his land,
with the long sloping roof peculiar to the
architecture of that day: He lived to an ad-
vanced age. Grandfather Boynton married a
Miss Davis, and reared ten children — Moses,
David, John, Chandler, Royal, Sally, Polly,
Hannah, Harriet, and Lydia.

John Boynton in his youth made the most
of the educational opportunities offered by
the district school, and he afterward had some
experience in teaching in his native town.
Though he never learned a trade, he was a
good carpenter; and he was employed in that
capacity in Lowell, Mass., for a number of
years. Returning at length to Thornton, he

 

“purchased a farm of one hundred acres, which

he subsequently sold, removing in 1856 to
Hill, Merrimack County, N.H., and buying a
He remained in Hill until 1881,
 

GEORGE W. BROWN,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

587

 

 

when he went to live with his son, at whose
home he died at the age of seventy-four. Mr.
John Boynton was a member of the Baptist
church, with which his family was prominently
identified, one of his brothers being a clergy-
man of that denomination, and one of his sis-
ters the wife of a clergyman. Mrs. John
Boynton was the daughter of Josiah Smith, of
Sandwich, N.H. She and her husband reared
three children: Solon M., now a resident of
Portsmouth, N.H., who married Emma Mor-
timer, and has two children — Carrie and Bar-
bara; Clara (deceased), who was the wife of
James F. Nelson; and George A., the direct
subject of this sketch. Mrs. Nelson left no
children.

George A. Boynton in his early years at-
tended the district schoo] in his native town,
the academy at Hill, and the Georgetown
High School. After leaving school, he was for
a while in the employ of an optician; and he
then served an apprenticeship of two years in
the carriage works at Manchester belonging to
B. J. Currier. The following year he was in
the same work at’ Merrimack, Mass.; and in
1871 he settled in North Hampton, and opened
a house for summer boarders, which has proved
popular and successful. °

In 1871 Mr. Boynton was united in marriage

with Abbie L., daughter of Michael and
Elizabeth S. (Scammon) Dalton, of North
Hampton. They have four children—May E.,

Beatrice A., Blanche, and Dalton.

In politics Mr. Boynton is a Republican.
He cast his first Presidential vote for General
Grant in 1868. He is actively interested in
educational matters, and has served on the
School Board of North Hampton for five
years.

 

TON. GEORGE WOODBURY
BROWN, a prosperous merchant

 

of Deerfield Parade, N.H., was
— porn in Deerfield, N.H., August

11, 1870, a son of Joseph T. and Mary E.-

(Batchelder) Brown. His great-grandfather,
Moses, who was a son of Joseph Brown, was a
native of Kensington, N.H.

Stephen Brown, son of Moses, and grand-
father of George W., was born in Andover,

 

N.H., April 12, 1803. He studied medicine
with his brother Thomas, and was graduated
from Dartmouth College in 1828. After ob-
taining his diploma, he began practice in Not-
tingham. He subsequently removed to Ray-
mond, and still later to Deerfield, where he
spent the greater part of his life. One of the
most popular physicians of his locality, he had
a large practice, and was well known through-
out Rockingham County. Besides attending to
his professional work, he successfully managed
a tavern in Deerfield for thirty years. He re-
tired from practice at the age of seventy-three,
and died April 11, 1877, at the age of seventy-
four, lacking but one day. He was married
in 1830 to Mary Reynolds, of Lee, who died in
1842, at the age of thirty-nine, leaving the
following children: Moses, who married
Susan R. James, and has two children — Mary
L. and Charles S.: his wife dying, he mar-
ried in 1893 Esther Wheeler, of Epping;
Joseph T., father of the subject of this
sketch; Mary A.; and Martha A. In 1843
the Doctor was united in matrimony to
Miriam F., a daughter of Colonel Samuel
Collins. The second Mrs. Brown died in
1878. She had one daughter— Sarah C.,
who died at the age of twenty-six. Though
Dr. Brown accumulated wealth, his heart was
large; and he showed his love for the Con-
gregational church, of which he and Mrs.
Brown were members, by his constant support,
and lastly by his gift of a valuable, rich-toned
bell to the meeting-house, and by bequeathing
one thousand dollars to the Congregational
society for the support of the gospel. Mrs.
Brown also gave the church an organ.

Joseph T. Brown, father of the gentleman
whose name begins this article, was born in
Deerfield, June 28, 1833. He attended school
at Pembroke Academy, and afterward taught
hard country schools successfully. He also
worked in Boston, Mass. A farmer by choice,
he spent most of his life in Deerfield, finding
in the cultivation of his fields and the care of
his herds occupation for mind and body. In
1862 he was married to Mary E., daughter of
Deacon Thomas J. Batchelder, of Deerfield.
She died January 15, 1887, at the age of forty-
nine, leaving the following children: Cora M.,
who was born September 3, 1866; George W.,-
588

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

the subject of this sketch; and Thomas Sy
born May 30, 1878. The father died March
28, 1895. He and his wife were among the
most useful members of the Congregational
church until the Master called them home.
In politics he was a strong Republican.

Their son, George Woodbury Brown, was
educated in the Deerfield public schools and at
Coe’s Northwood Academy at Northwood, be-
ing graduated from the last-named institution
in 1891. After his graduation he taught in
private and public schools with success; but,
desiring to try mercantile life, he accepted a
position as clerk in the store of Morse &
Stanley at Centre Harbor, N.H. In 1894 the
failing health of his father caused him to give
up his position at Centre Harbor; and in 1895,
in company with John M. Kelsey, he opened
a store at Deerfield Parade, under the firm
name of Brown & Kelsey. With a_ well-
selected stock of general merchandise, the
firm commands a flourishing trade; and Mr.
Brown, though one of the youngest, is one of
the most successful merchants in this part of
the county. He is a member of the Con-
gregational church. In politics he is a strong
Republican; and in November, 1894, he was
elected Representative to the General Court
from his native town. Although the New
Hampshire house was mostly made up _ of
young men, Mr. Brown was one of the young-
est, being only twenty-four years old. His
portrait, which appears on a neighboring page,
will interest many readers of this volume.

 

BNER MERRILL was for many years
prominent in the business affairs of

Exeter, N.H., and for a considerable

portion of this century his name was

well known in trade circles. He was born in
Newbury, Essex County, Mass., April, 1791,
a son of Enoch and Temperance Merrill. His
father was among the prosperous and thrifty
farmers of the town. The early family history
of the Merrills in this country dates back to
1636, when two brothers emigrated from Eng-
land, and located in Newbury the first year after
the incorporation of the town; and it is be-
lieved that all the old settled branches of the
family in this country at the present day are

 

descended from the above-named source. At
any rate, the descent of the subject of this
sketch can readily be traced from one of those
two brothers. .

Abner Merrill passed his early boyhood
upon his father’s farm, and at the age of four-
teen years he apprenticed to the hatter’s trade
in Newbury. Soon after reaching his majority,
be came to Exeter, N.H., where he estab-
lished himself in the hat manufacturing
business in the year 1813. This he followed
successfully for a period of more than sixty
years. In the early part of his business life
he began to deal in wool, in which he devel-
oped a large trade, finally making the manu-
facture of hats a secondary part of his business.
His career, which was marked throughout by
ability, industry, and honesty, was a long one;
for he looked after his affairs to the very last,
though he was eighty-six years old when called
by death to rest from his labors. In the direc-
tion of financial matters he evinced such keen-
ness of perception and such conservative judg-
ment that he had the confidence of all who
knew him, and was for many years a Director
and President of the Granite State Bank of
Exeter. In politics he was originally a Whig;
and, when the Republican party was formed, he
naturally entered its ranks. In religious be-
lief he was a Congregationalist.

Mr. Merril] married Miss Sally W. Leavitt,
a daughter of Major Jeremiah Leavitt, of
Exeter, aman somewhat prominent in public
matters, and who held in his lifetime many
offices of trust in the town. Mrs. Abner
Merrill died in 1871, in her eighty-second
year. She was the mother of a large family,
one daughter and seven sons, all of whom
lived to the age of threescore years and up-
ward, no death, it is stated, occurring in the
immediate family household to sever family
ties for more than fifty years. When Mr.
Merrill turned his attention to the wool trade,
he soon found in his own family capable
agents to intrust with his enlarged business;
and three of his sons became associated with
him under the firm name of Abner Merrill &
Sons. The business continued under the
name of Abner Merrill & Sons until 1883,
when it was terminated by the death of Ben-
jamin L. Merrill, the last surviving member
BIOGRAPHICAL, REVIEW

589

 

 

of the firm. Abner Merrill’s children were
respectively named as_ follows: Mary E.,
Jeremiah L., Joseph W., Charles A., Ben-
jamin L., Abner L., Henry R., and David
W. Merrill.

Mary E. Merrill married Alfred Conner, of
Exeter, and died November 6, 1894, aged
seventy-seven years, leaving no children.
Jeremiah L. Merrill, who was a lifelong resi-
dent of Exeter, was associated with his father
in business, and died March 8, 1879, aged
sixty years. He married Mary E. Moses, a
daughter of Theodore Moses, of Exeter, and
reared one son, Joseph W. Merrill, Jr., who
has his home at Exeter, and married Louise
Clement Lane, a daughter of Joshua J. Lane,
of Stratham, N.H. Joseph W. Merrill, the
second son of Abner Merrill, was also asso-
ciated with his father in business. He married
Emeline A. Shute, a daughter of Robert
Shute, of Exeter, and died in January, 18709,
aged fifty-nine years, leaving one son,
Charles H. Merrill, now a resident of Exeter.
Charles A. Merrill, the third son of Abner
Merrill, born February, 1822, was engaged in
the apothecary business in his native town.
He never married. His death occurred in
1886, aged sixty-four years. Benjamin L.
Merrill, the fourth son of Abner Merrill, was
a member of the firm of Abner Merrill &
Sons, anda lifelong resident of Exeter. He
was born February 12, 1824. He died in
February, 1883, and with his death ended the
long existing business of Abner Merrill &
Sons. He married Achsah M. Blood, a
daughter of James Blood, of Newburyport,
Mass., and reared two children: Ella M., wife
of George L. Isley, of Exeter; and Frank
Abner Merrill. The latter married Carrie
Scott, of Wyoming, I]]., and now resides in
Boston.

Abner -L. Merrill, the fifth son of Abner
Merrill, was born January, 1826. He _ pre-
pared for college at Phillips Exeter Academy,
and was graduated from the classical depart-
ment of Harvard College in the class of 1846.
He at first thought to adopt a_ profession,
studied medicine in the office of Dr. William
Perry at Exeter, and graduated from the Med-
ical Department of Harvard College in 1849;
but, after practising as-a physician in New-

 

buryport for a short time, he relinquished pro-
fessional life, and engaged in mercantile
business in Newburyport, which he there
followed for a period of six years. In 1857 he
removed to Boston, and became associated with
his brother, Henry R. Merrill, as wholesale
dealers in drugs, paints, and oils, which busi-
ness was carried on for many years under the
firm name of Merrill Brothers. In 1885 he
retired from this business, and since then he
has given his attention to private affairs.
He married Harriett M. Robinson, a daughter
of Jeremiah L. Robinson, of Exeter, and has
no children.

Henry R. Merrill, the sixth son of Abner
Merrill, was born in October, 1828. He pre-
pared for college at Phillips Exeter Academy;
but having the hereditary bent for mercantile
life, instead of adopting a profession, he en-
gaged in trade. He was in business at Exeter
until 1852, and later in the wholesale drug,
paint, and oil business in Boston, retiring
from active mercantile pursuits in 18go.
His present residence is Boston. He married
Martha J. Elliot, a daughter of Edmund Elliot,
of Exeter, and has one child — Sarah Helen,
who is the wife of Frank W. Hunt, of Boston.
Abner Merrill’s seventh and youngest son,
David W. Merrill, was born in 1830, and has
passed his life in Exeter, his native town.
He married Mary, daughter of Emery Coffin,
of Newburyport, and has three children —
Florence, Sarah E., and Harry Merrill.

The family of Merrills in Exeter, brought
up and educated under the common sense and
practical influences of the earlier days, have
been sturdy, active, and influential men in al]
of the walks of life, and evidence the great
benefit of early careful and methodical training
as the sure winners of success and prosperity.

ORNELL S. FRANKLIN, a retired
naval officer of customs, residing in
i
9

 

Portsmouth, was born December 6,

1812, in New York City, where he
was also bred and educated. His parents were
John and Charity (Cornell) Franklin, who had
six sons and six daughters. He believes, as he
laughingly asserts, that he has more nephews
and nieces than any man in America. His
592

genealogy is traced back to Benjamin Frank-
lin’s brother, who commanded a regiment of
cavalry before the Revolution. His grand-
mother was twice married, and both her hus-
bands were officers in the American army.

At the age of fourteen he entered upon a
seafaring life, in which he continued eight
years. During the following two years he was
associated in a commercial enterprise with
one of his brothers-in-law in Florida. On
his return to his native city Mr. Franklin en-
tered the United States naval service, with
which he was connected for nearly forty years,
having for three years of that time the rank
of an officer. No man in the service was
considered more conversant with its details
and duties than he, and no official was more
esteemed and respected.

Upon the solicitation of his uncle, Robert
C. Cornell, he was appointed in 1840 as entry
clerk by Thomas Lord, and subsequently re-
tained in the same office by Cornelius Bogards,
Jeremiah Towle, and by Governor Michael
Hoffman. Politicians could not agree upon a
successor to Mr. Hoffman (who died in office) ;
and at the request of prominent merchants
the President appointed Mr. Franklin Naval
Officer ad /uterim, and sent him a commis-
sion. He gave bonds of ten thousand dollars,
and served nearly three months in that capac-
ity, when Philip Honé was appointed, who
made Mr. Franklin his Special Deputy. Mr.
Hone, dying in office, was succeeded by Aus-
burn Birdsall, of Northampton, N.Y., who
renewed Mr. Franklin’s appointment of Spe-
cial Deputy. David A. Bokee, of New York,
was next appointed; and Mr. Franklin was
continued by him inthe same capacity. Moses
F. Odell, of Brooklyn (ex-Congressman), suc-
ceeded Mr. Bokee; and he retained Mr. Frank-
lin as Special Deputy. Mr. Odell dying soon
after his appointment, the merchants of New
York in a “Monster Petition” applied for Mr.
Franklin’s appointment to the vacant post,
and President Johnson sent his name to the
Senate. His confirmation was opposed by
Senator Roscoe Conkling on the ground that
the President had “promised” to appoint his
friend, Mr. Usher. Mr. Franklin went to
Washington, and had an interview with Mr.
Conkling. The Senator would not yield, but

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

assured him that he should not be superseded.
He kept the promise, and Mr. Franklin re-
tained his position many months, serving
under General E. A. Merritt, who was next
appointed, and Heman I. Redfield. He also
served as Special Deputy under John Romeyn
Brodhead, the historian. In 1880 Mr. Frank-
lin resigned, receiving the cordial thanks of
General Merritt for “the great aid you ren-
dered me in assuming the duties. of my office.”
Coming to Portsmouth, he took up his resi-
dence here, and is now passing his days in
quiet contentment. Although not physically
strong, his mental faculties are keen and vig-
orous, and his memory remains unimpaired.

~ In March, 1837, Mr. Franklin was united in
marriage with Miss Caroline Louisa, daugh-
ter of Captain Lewis Barnes, of Portsmouth,
by the Rev. Dr. Burroughs, at St. John’s
Episcopal Church, of which he is one of the
oldest and most valued members. The only
child born of the union was a daughter, who
was baptized by Dr. Burroughs, and who sub-
sequently died at sea. Mr. and Mrs. Frank-
lin had a happy wedded life of fifty-seven
years, celebrating in March, 1887, their
golden wedding, at which Mr. Hovey was
the officiating minister, their pleasant resi-
dence on Middle Street being the scene of the
festivities. Mrs. Franklin died December 10,
1894. Mr. Franklin’s dwelling is a fine old
mansion, which he preserves as far as possible
in its Colonial style, it being one of the land-
marks of the city. The interior is full of in-
terest to the lovers of art and curios. Among
its noteworthy attractions is the front hall,
which was hung eighty years ago with paper
illustrating different scenes in Scott’s “ Lady
of the Lake,” the whole being in a fine state
of preservation.

 

ENJAMIN CHASE, a well-known

manufacturer of Derry, Rockingham

County, N.H., was born in 1832,

in that part of Chester, in the same

county, which has since been incorporated as

Auburn, his parents being Benjamin and Han-
nah (Hall) Chase.

He is of English extraction, the names of

four generations of the family being recorded
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

591

 

 

in the parish of Chesham, Bucks County,
England. Two of the last there registered,
Thomas and Aguila Chase, brothers, emi-
grated to America, and were among the origi-
nal settlers of Hampton, N.H., in 1639. In
1646 Aquila removed to Newbury, Mass.; and
from there his descendants in the early gener-
ations migrated to the newer parts of New
England. Probably a majority of the Chases
of the Northern States, who are now very nu-
merous, and many of whom have become men
of note, are lineal descendants of Aquila
Chase, of Newbury. Wells Chase, of the fifth
generation in this country, removed to Ches-
ter, N.H., in 1771. His son, Benjamin Pike
Chase, a native of West Newbury, Mass., was
then nine years of age. He grew to manhood
in Chester, and there participated prominently
in town affairs. Religiously, he was affili-
ated with the Presbyterian church, which he
served in the honorable and responsible ca-
pacity of Deacon.

Benjamin Chase, son of Benjamin P. Chase,
was born in 1799. Though his schooling was
very limited, by perseverance he acquired a
fair education. He became an energetic and
successful millwright, and made many im-
provements over the saw-mills and grist-mills
preceding his time. He was also much em-
ployed in surveying land in Chester and the
vicinity, and in addition to these lines of ac-
tivity he engaged in agricultural pursuits. In
1826 he wedded Miss Hannah Hall, a daughter
of Moses K. Hall, of Chester. Her original
English ancestor in this country, Deacon
Richard Hall, settled in Bradford, Mass., as
early as 1673. The union of Benjamin and
Hannah Chase was blessed in the birth of
three children, two daughters and one son, the
direct subject of the present sketch.

In early manhood Benjamin Chase, Sr., em-
braced the principle of total abstinence from
the use of all alcoholic spirits as a beverage,
also becoming an earnest advocate of peace
sentiments as opposed to war; and, when
William Lloyd Garrison initiated his great
campaign against negro slavery in the South,
he likewise became a thorough-going Aboli-
tionist, and participated very actively in the
movement. In 1869 he published his “ His-
tory of Chester, N.H., from 1719 to Date,”

 

which is generally conceded to be one of the
most valuable of the records concerning the
sturdy pioneers who populated this part of
New Hampshire. In religious belief and
sympathy he was identified with the Presby-
terian church of Chester, in which he offici-
ated as Deacon, as had his father before him.
Deacon Benjamin Chase was an enterprising
and industrious citizen. He followed as his
motto the Scriptural injunction, ‘“* Whatsoever
thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
He was universally recognized in his broad
circle of acquaintance as a man of sterling
character. He was a lifelong resident of
that part of Chester which is now known as
Auburn, where he passed away in 1889 in his
ninetieth year, his wife also attaining the
same age.

The longevity of the family of Chase is
quite remarkable. For six successive genera-
tions the heads of families in the direct line
of this branch have lived beyond the “three-
score and ten years”; and in the family circle
of Mr. Chase’s grandfather the average age
of seven members was above eighty-four years,
with one member now living on the old
homestead in his ninety-third year.

Benjamin Chase, son of Deacon Benjamin,
and the only surviving member of his father’s
family, grew to manhood on the paternal es-
tate in Auburn, enjoying in his boyhood and
youth the usual intellectual advantages offered
by the district schools. He subsequently at-
tended for several winter terms a select school
at Lee, N.H., where he profited by the in-
struction of that magnetic and progressive
educator, the late Moses A. Cartland. With
only brief interruptions, he co-operated with
his father in the work on the farm and in the
millwright business until his twenty-first
year. His distaste for agricultural pursuits
being early recognized, he was not only
allowed, but encouraged by his father, in a
very free use of mechanical tools in the work-
shop. He accordingly developed considerable
skill in that line; and at the age of fifteen, in
order to replenish the family exchequer, he
began to ply mechanical pursuits by the day.
At the termination of his period of schooling
he gratified the craving felt by many a lad to
go to sea, taking a voyage before the mast
592

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

to Mobile, and thence to Liverpool, England.
This experience he now considers was a very
practical and beneficial graduation into life’s
higher school. On his return he performed
further mechanical service in conjunction with
his father until 1855, after which he was em-
ployed as a millwright in various textile man-
ufactories in New Hampshire and Massachu-
setts till 1867, when he commenced business
in Derry, in a line of work connected with
the manufacture of cotton and woollen goods.
He has since at various times added other de-
partments of wood-work to his industry, de-
vising his own special machinery for accom-
plishing his purposes.

In 1875 Mr. Chase was united in marriage
with Miss Harriett D. Fuller, a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Jared Fuller, of Dunbarton,
N.H. Her English progenitor in this coun-
try, Robert Fuller, was a citizen of Dorches-
ter, Mass., as early as 16046. Mr. and Mrs.
Chase have one child, a daughter, Harriett
Louise by name, who is now a student at
Pinkerton Academy in Derry. Mr. Chase is
essentially a self-made man, and his enter-
prise and progressiveness have been crowned
with a gratifying degree of success.

 

RTHUR JOHN PITMAN, M.D., of

Candia, born in Alexandria, N.H.,

on July 4, 1868, son of George T.

and Aurilla M. (Brock) Pitman.

The Pitman family in New Hampshire is of

Inglish lineage, having originated with three

English emigrants, who crossed the Atlantic

more than one hundred and fifty years ago,

two settling in Lee, N.H., and the third in
North Conway, N.H.

John Pitman, born in Lee, N.H., in 1732,
removed with his brother Samuel to Barnstead
in 1789. He died on February 28, 1834, at
the venerable age of one hundred and one
years and nine months. His son, John Pit-
man, second, was born in Barnstead, as also
was John Pitman, third, Dr. Pitman’s grand-
father, who removed in early manhood to
Alexandria, Grafton County, being one of the
first to settle in that town, where he spent his
life in farming. He married Fanny Miles;
and eight children were the fruit of their

 

union, three of whom are living, namely:
Warren, in Alexandria; Ira, in Boston, Mass. ;
and Susan, widow of David Gilson, of Nashua,
N.H.

George T. Pitman, son of John, third, and
Fanny M. Pitman, and father of Arthur J.,
was born in Alexandria, and there grew to
manhood. His later years were spent in
Barnstead, N.H., where he was principally
engaged in farming, in connection with which
he did a moderate business in lumbering and
speculating. Aurilla M. Pitman, his wife,
bore him three children, all now living,
namely: Albert G., in Barnstead; Eva M.,
in Manchester, N.H.; and Arthur J. In po-
litical views their father was a Democrat.
He died on February 26, 1895, aged sixty
years and six months.

Arthur J. Pitman obtained his preliminary
education under Kit Foster, of Pittsfield,
N.H., in the high school of that town, and at
Austin Academy in Strafford. He began the
study of medicine with Dr. John Wheeler, of
Pittsfield, as preceptor, then entered the Dart-
mouth Medical School, and still later took a
post-graduate course in the Harvard Medical
School. During the eighteen months that fol-
lowed he was on duty at the Massachusetts
State and City Hospitals (under George M.
Garland). Dr. Pitman set up in practice for
himself in Auburn in 1892, whence a year
and a half later he came to Candia Village.
His professional] calls come not only from
people here, but also from the surrounding
towns of Deerfield, Auburn, Chester, and
Raymond, showing the confidence placed in
his skill and judgment. He is a surgeon as
well as physician. In Auburn he performed
a successful amputation, and in Candia has had
six cases of broken hip joint, all of which
have come through successfully.

Dr. Pitman was married in the spring of
1892 to Miss Ida M. Bunker, daughter of
Milo W. Bunker, of Barnstead, N.H. They
have had one child, who died in infancy. Dr.
Pitman is a member of the State Medical
Society, also of Rockingham Lodge, No. 76,
A. F. & A. M., of Candia. He and his wife
are attendants of the Congregational church.
At the present time he is erecting a residence
near the depot in Candia.
 

ARTHUR J. PITMAN.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

595

 

 

OHN ANDERSON MOORE, an in-
fluential and highly esteemed citizen of
Windham, N.H., and an Elder of the
Presbyterian church of Londonderry,

was born March 1, 1831, son of James and
Jane (Anderson) Moore. The Moore farm, his
birthplace, which he still occupies, was the
homestead of his great-grandfather, William
‘Moore, who fought at Bunker Hill. His emi-
grant ancestors, both paternal and maternal,
were of Scottish origin, and came to this
country from the north of Ireland in the early
part of the eighteenth century. Seven emi-
grants bearing the name of Moore or Moor, it
is said by a gentleman who has given much
study to this question, and to whom we are
indebted for the information, were early set-
tlers of Londonderry. The first comers, who
were among the original sixteen colonists in
April, 1719, are designated as Charter Samuel,
Charter John, and Charter James; and soon
after these appeared John, of the English
Range; James, who married Elizabeth Gregg ;
a Hugh and a William.

The subject of this sketch is a lineal de-
scendant in the fifth generation of James and
Elizabeth (Gregg) Moore, the latter having
been a daughter of Captain James Gregg, a
native of Ayrshire; Scotland, who was one of
the sixteen original settlers of Londonderry,
N.H. William Moore, born in Londonderry,
N.H., in 1733, son of James and Elizabeth,
married Martha Mack, daughter of John and
Isabella (Brown) Mack, who came to London-
derry in 1732. Lieutenant William, son of
William, born August 16, 1761, married Sarah,
daughter of Thomas McClary, and was the
father of James, second of the name, born De-
cember 24, 1792. This James Moore, of the
fourth generation, married April 1, 1823, Jane,

daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Nesmith)
Anderson. Mrs. James Moore’s father was a
grandson of James Anderson, one of the

sixteen original settlers; and her mother was a
grand-daughter of Elder James Nesmith, an-
other of the first sixteen. James Moore, Mr.
Moore’s father, was a native and lifelong resi-
dent of Windham, carrying on the homestead
farm with activity, and residing here until his
death; and he served as a soldier in the 1812
War, having been enrolled in the forces which

_ day.

 

garrisoned Portsmouth. Of his children there
are two survivors, namely: Cynthia, wife of
W. L. Hay, of Iowa Falls, Ia.; and John
Anderson, the subject of this sketch. Mr.
Moore’s mother, Mrs. Jane A. Moore, died
December 3, 1854. She was a member of the
Presbyterian church in Londonderry.

John A. Moore was but nine months old
when his father died. He has always resided
at the Moore homestead in Windham, and
from his early boyhood to the present day he
has been actively engaged in tilling the soil.
It was necessary for him to begin the labors
of life as soon as able to be of any assistance
to his mother, who continued to conduct the
farm; and at the age of fifteen he practically
took charge of the property. His education
was limited to a few brief winter terms of the
district school and a short course at Pinkerton
Academy in Derry; but, being naturally self-
reliant, he succeeded in securing by his own
efforts a practical English education.” Be-
coming the owner of the ancestral homestead
after the death of his mother, he has since
continued to cultivate the farm of one hundred
and seventy-five acres with prosperity, raising
large crops of an extra fine quality; and his
success as a general farmer is the result of a
wise and diligent application. He has always
taken a deep interest in local public affairs,
having served as a member of the Board of
Selectmen for a number of years, and as such
rendered valuable service to the town.

On November 23, 1854, Mr. Moore was
married to Miss Nancy Elizabeth Armstrong.
She was born in Derry, daughter of James and
Alice (Kidder) Armstrong, the former of whom
was a native of Windham, and the latter of
Groton, N.H. The Armstrong family is one
of the oldest in this town, Mrs. Moore being
a descendant, in the sixth generation, of the
original ancestors here. Her grandfather, John
Armstrong, was a prominent citizen of his
James Armstrong, Mrs. Moore’s father,
in early life lived for a short time in Derry,
N.H., and subsequently in other places. The
greater part of his life, however, was spent in
Windham, where he was for many years a
leading spirit in public affairs, serving as Col-
lector, Treasurer, and a member of the Board
of Selectmen. He finally gave up his farm to
596

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

his eldest son, and passed his few remaining
years in Hudson, N.H. He was a useful
citizen, who merited the general good will
accorded him by all. Of his family there are
three survivors, namely: Nancy Elizabeth, who
is now Mrs. Moore; James E.; and Oscar O.

Mr. and Mrs. Moore have three children as
follows: Alice J., born April 24,
Nellie Orietta, born May 18, 1861, married
R. M. Hills; and Cinderella J., born Novem-
ber 16, 1866. The family occupy an important
position in society here. Mr. and Mrs. Moore
and their daughters are members of the Lon-
donderry Presbyterian church, of which, as
above mentioned, Mr. Moore is an _ Elder.
He is well known as a public-spirited, high-
minded citizen, who takes a hearty interest in
the general welfare. Socially, he is connected
with the Pilgrim Fathers.

 

ENJAMIN F. ROWE, a prominent
citizen of Kingston, now retired from
active business, was born in East
Kingston, November 23, 1821. He

is the son of Joseph F. and Mary (Thayer)
Rowe, the former a native of Kensington, this
county, the latter of Kingston. His great-
grandfather, Benjamin Rowe, was a physician
of Kensington; and his grandfather, Dr. Ben-
jamin Rowe, also a well-known and highly
esteemed physician, practised in Kensington
and East Kingston. He also resided in East
Kingston in the latter part of his life, and
died there, November 7, 1818. His wife,
whose maiden name was Joanna Tilton, passed
away on March 20, 1843, having attained the
advanced age of ninety-two years. They had
eight children; namely, Mollie, Joseph F.,.
Sarah, Timothy, William, Lucy, Betsey, and
Benjamin. Al] are now deceased.

Joseph F. Rowe studied medicine, but he
subsequently made choice of a farmer's life.
He settled on a farm in the northern part of
East Kingston, and was engaged in agricult-
ure until he died, July 13, 1829. His wife
passed away April 14, 1859. She was a
daughter of the Rev. Elihu Thayer, D.D.,
a native of. Braintree, Mass., born March 28,
1747. Dr. Thayer was ordained December 18,
1776, as minister of Kingston, retaining that

1858;-

 

charge up to his death, which occurred April
3, 1812. He was married December 28,
1780, to Miss Hannah Calef, of Kingston,
who died March 10, 1841, aged eighty-two
years. They were the parents of eleven chil-
dren. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Rowe had
nine children, namely: Betsey, who died in
childhood; Mary Ann, who died June 24,
1889; Adeline, who died December 13, 1849;
Luther, who died October 27, 1883; Elihu,

who died March 21, 1867; Sarah E., who
died July 18, 1849; Martha T., wife of
George B. Webster; Benjamin F., whose

name appears at the head of this article; and
Hannah T., the widow of M. H. Holmes, of
Londonderry, now living:in Kingston village.

Benjamin F. Rowe obtained an education in
the common schools and the academy of his
native town. He started in life for himself in
1842 on the homestead farm in East Kingston,
and was keeping a store in that place for some
time. Subsequently he worked at the car-
penter’s trade for six years in Boston, Cam-
bridge, Mass., and East Kingston. About
1867 he sold his farm, went West, and settled
in Manhattan, Kan., where he remained some
five years, working at carpentry and other’
branches of industry. He had removed to
Kansas on account of ill-health, hoping to be
benefited by a change of climate; and at .the
end of five years he returned to Kingston,
settling where he now lives. For some years
he was engaged in general farming, and also
worked at his trade. He is now practically
retired from all active occupation. Mr. Rowe
worked very industriously during his active
period, and is now enjoying the fruits of his
toil.

Mr. Rowe was married June 1, 1853, to
Martha E. Sargent, of Pittsfield, N.H., who
died May 15, 1861, aged thirty-eight. She
was the mother of one child, who died in in-
fancy. On August 15, 1867, he entered a
second marriage, contracted with Miss Laura
Bartlett, of Kingston Village. This lady,
who was born March 30, 1824, is the daughter
of David and Dorothy (Young) Bartlett, re-
spectively natives of Danville and of Kings-
ton. Mr. Bartlett was a farmer of Kingston,
and he and his wife died in that town. Mr.
Rowe has no children by his second marriage.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

597

 

 

A stanch Republican, he has never failed to
cast his ballot on election day, and was at one
time quite active in politics, serving as Se-
lectman and in other official capacities. He
is well known in this section of the county,
and has many friends.

 

EORGE P. HARVEY, one of the
most prosperous farmers of Deerfield,

was born in Nottingham, N.H., July:

19, 1851, son of Jacob and Sabrina H.
(Chase) Harvey. Mr. Harvey’s great-grand-
father, who was of English ancestry, resided
in Nottingham. Eben Harvey, the grand-
father, an early resident of Nottingham, was a
prosperous farmer. Eben was twice married.
His first wife, whose maiden name was Emer-
son, had by him five children, among whom
was Jacob, the father of George P. By his
union with Sally Thurston, his second bride,
there were no children. He died at an ad-
vanced age.

Jacob Harvey, a native and a lifelong resi-
dent of Nottingham, having been reared a
farmer, followed that calling throughout his
active period. He was known as an industri-
ous man and a worthy citizen. After living
to the advanced age of eighty-one years, he
died June 10, 1888. In politics he was a
Democrat, while he never cared to accept
public office. He married for his first wife
Lydia Knowlton, of Northwood, by whom
he had ten children. Of these, eight are liv-
ing, namely: Ruth, who is now Mrs. Abbott,
of Manchester, N.H.; Eliza, the widow of the
late P. Sturtevant; Betsey, the wife of Sam-
uel Thomas, of New York; Lydia, the wife of
E. S. Griffin, of Malden, Mass.; Samuel P.,
a resident of Stratham, N.H.; Charles G.,
residing in Nottingham; Susan, the wife of
J. H. Winslow, also of Nottingham; and
Sarah E., the wife of M. C. Tuttle, of Not-
tingham. Jacob Harvey married for his sec-
ond wife Sabrina H. Chase, who became the
mother of four children, among whom is
George P., the subject of this sketch. Both
parents attended the Free Will Baptist church.

George P. Harvey was educated in the com-

mon schools and at the Northwood Seminary. -

He started life for himself as a teamster, and

 

was employed in that capacity in Suncook, of
Merrimack County, and Manchester, for sev-
eral years. In 1880 he returned to Notting-
ham, and engaged in farming for his uncle,
the late Mr. Chase. Succeeding to the farm
after his uncle’s death, he later sold the prop-
erty, and leased the John D. Philbrick place in
Deerfield. He eventually bought the old Phil-
brick property, where he now resides. The
farm contains one hundred and sixty acres,
most of which is under cultivation. The
residence is a substantial, suitable building,
though erected over one hundred years ago.
Mr. Harvey has made various improvements
in the property. He carries on general farm-
ing, raises some stock, and cultivates a maple
grove of eight hundred trees, from which he
has obtained one hundred gallons of syrup in
two days and one night. In politics he was
formerly a Democrat. He is now one of the
active supporters of the Republican party in
this town. He has rendered efficient public
service as Collector and Truant Officer and
Deputy Sheriff. He held the last-named office
for two years.

On June 10, 1882, Mr. Harvey wedded
Lizzie F. Sanborn, a native of South Berwick,
Me. Having no children of their own, Mr.
and Mrs. Harvey have taken several inmates
from the Marcella Street Home in Boston,
whom they kindly care for until able to sup-
port themselves. Mr. Harvey is connected
with Union Lodge, No. 32, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, of Deerfield, in which he has
filled the important chairs. Both he and his
wife are members of the Congregational
church.

 

 

AZEN SANBORN, a well-known
teamster and agriculturist of Au-

burn, was born in Thornton, N.H.,

July 31, 1857, son of Hazen and

Ann (March) Sanborn. His grandfather,
Shubael Sanborn, a native of Canterbury,
N.H., born January 21, 1790, there followed
the occupation of farmer. Grandfather San-
born and his wife had twelve children, all of
whom, with their parents, are now deceased.
The mother’s death occurred January 24,
1852. Hazen Sanborn, Sr., was a gardener as
tae
wo
to

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

well as a general farmer. In the earlier por-
tion of his life he resided for a number of
years at Newton, Mass. Subsequently he
came to Auburn, where he passed the re-
mainder of his life. He received in marriage
the hand of Miss Ann March, of Sanbornton,
Belknap County, and afterward became the
father of six children, three of whom are liv-
ing. In politics he was not ambitious of dis-
tinction, while he supported the Republican
party. . He departed this life in 1889, at the
age of seventy-six years. His wife died Jan-
uary 24, 1888.

Hazen Sanborn received his education at the
New Hampton Seminary. He then engaged
in teaming and general agriculture. He now
possesses a farm of sixty acres, on which he
makes a specialty of raising garden truck for
the market.

On December 23, 1886, Mr. Sanborn was
united in marriage with Mrs. Grettie A. Fox
Chase, a native of Auburn, and a daughter of
Andrew F. Fox. They have now one child,
Margaret Ann, who is in her ninth year. Mr.
Sanborn does not seek social or political office
or pre-eminence, nor is he connected with any
of the fraternal orders of the locality.
is a stanch supporter of the principles and
policy of the Republican party.

 

ATHANIEL P. ORDWAY, a well-
known blacksmith of Greenland, was

born in Milan, Coos County, May

20, 1842, son of Hezekiah and Mary

(Porter) Ordway. His father. Hezekiah, who
was engaged in general agricultural pursuits
throughout his adult life,:spent his earlier
years at Shelburne, N.H., which was his
birthplace. He subsequently lived in Milan
and Gilead, Me.: but his last years were
passed in Greenland. He united in wedlock
with Miss Mary Porter, a daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Nathaniel Porter, of Shelburne. They
became the parents of nine children —- Diantha
H., Alanson, Lysander, Malissa, Samuel T.,
Alma, Alvin B., Eveline G., and Nathaniel
P. Diantha was given in marriage to John
B. Peasley, a resident of Merrimack, Mass., to
whom she has borne two children — Alfred
and Ada. Alanson wedded Miss Elvira Rich-

lle.

| — Frank H., Celia, and Fred.

 

ards, a native of Medford, Mass., and has two
sons —Walter H. and Heward. He served in
the Civil War as an “artificer™ with the New
Hampshire Heavy Artillery. Lysander joined
in matrimony with Miss Elizabeth Blake, of
Kitterv, Me., who died, leaving three children
) He afterward,
contracted a second marriage with Mrs Mary
Holt. Malissa was wedded to John H.
Worthen, of Newburyport. Mass.. to) whem
she bore four children, of whom three died in
infaney, and Charles H. survives. Samuel
married Miss Mary Millett, a native of Green-
wood, Me., and has four children. Alvin
joined in wedlock with Miss Margaret Totter,
and has two sons and two daughters — Alice,
Annie, William, and Herbert. Eveline be-
came the wite of John D. Hunt, of Newbury-
port, Mass., and has two children — Grace
and Osman. The father departed this life in
IS7q, at the age of seventy-nine vears, and
his wife in 1872.

Nathaniel P. Ordway attended the district
school of Gilead during three months in the
winter season for four or five years. At the
age of seventeen years he began to learn the
trade of a blacksmith with his brother, Alan-
son. He subsequently completed the period
prescribed for that purpose at Haverhill,
Mass., in the employment of Samuel Kim-
ball. In all he was with Mr. Kimball for
about two anda half years, when he returned
to Gilead. After a short time he went to
Portsmouth, N.H., worked for one summer:
and he returned to Maine. At this time he
enlisted in Company B of the Twenty-third
Maine Regiment, for service in’ the Civil
War. His) military) experience this time
covered ten months, for the greater part of
which he was stationed at a point on the Bal-
timore and Ohio Canal near Harper's Ferry.
On receiving his discharge, he returned home,
and conducted a blacksmith’s shop at Milan
for three months. He then enlisted again,
this time joining Company E of the Ninth
New Hampshire Regiment, which was. en-
gaged in guard duty on the Kentucky Central
Railroad when he reached it. At Peters-
burg, while the regiment was guarding exea-
vation work, he sustained «a gunshot wound.
We was performing hospital duty when he was
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

finally mustered out of the service in Decem-
ber, 1865, at New York. Returning then to
New Ingland, he took up his residence at
West Bethel, Me., and there worked at his
trade for the ensuing seven years. After
this he spent about twelve months travelling
through the country, visiting Colorado and
other Western States. © On returning East
again, he settled in Greenland, where he has
since resided, prosperously occupied in his
calling.

In 1874 Mr. Ordway was united in marriage
with Miss Mary I. Carleton, a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Carleton, of Newbury-
port, Mass. They have had one child, a son,
who diced in infancy. They have now an
adopted daughter. Mr. Ordway, who joined
the Masonic [raternity in Maine, is a member
of the lodge of Masons at Greenland. He is
also a member of the American Legion of
Ilonor Benefit Association at Greenland, and
a comrade of Storer Post, Grand Army of the
Republic, of Portsmouth. In politics he has
been an earnest Republican since he cast his
first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in
1864; while his religious belief is that of the
Mcthodist Episcopalians, with whose socicty
in Greenland he is in communion.

 

or

OUN J. CILLEY, a retired business
man and well-known farmer of Deer-
field, N.H., who is the representative
of an old and honored name in New

England, was bor August 31, 1843.

Mr. Cilley is a direct descendant of Joseph
Cilley, a farmer of Nottingham, who was one
of the first to take up arms in defence of
American liberties, being engaged in the at-
tack upon Fort William and Mary in the
province of New Hampshire, in) December,
1774. A few months later he was the gallant
leader of the brave soldicrs from Deerfield,
Nottingham, and Epsom, who marched to
Lexington on that memorable day when,

« By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their Hag to April’s breeze unfurled,
— the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.”

Not long afterward Joseph Cilley was ap-

 

599

pointed Major of Colonel Poor's Second Regi-
ment, and in 1776 was made Lieutenant Colo-
nel. On April 3, 1777, he was appointed Colo-
nel of the Virst New Hampshire Regiment in
the place of Colonel Stark; and on January 2,
1786, he was made Major-general of the First
Division of the New Hampshire Militia.

General Cilley was married November 4,
1756, to Miss Sarah Longfellow, and had a
large family of children. He died August
25, 1799, aged sixty-five, leaving to his de-
scendants a name which holds a high place on
the list of distinguished Americans. After
his return from the army he received from the
citizens of his section repeated evidences of
their appreciation of him, being elected to
many public offices. He served as Represen-
tative, Senator, and Councillor; and it was a
most fitting thing that he should have been
elected Treasurer, Vice-President, and Presi-
dent of the New Hampshire branch of the
order of Cincinnati.

His son, Horatio Gates Cilley, was born in
Nottingham, N.IJ. He married Sally Jen-
ness, November 17, 1802. Of-the nine chil-
dren born to them, Mary, the wife of Ephraim
Itaton, is the only one now living. Her
brother, Horatio Gates Cilley, the second of
the name, was born in Deerfield, N.H. He
graduated from Dartmouth College in 1827,
and then read Jaw under J. Sullivan, I¢xeter.
He practised in the courts of New Ilampshire
and Maine, he having removed to Jewiston in
1853. ‘The two children born of his marriage
with Miss Deborah Jcenness, of Deerfield, are
both now living: Horatio Gates, a graduate of
Dartmouth in 1863; and John J. Cilley. Their
father was a member of the Board of Select-
men, a Representative in the State Icgisla-
ture, and a man of influence. He died in
1874, aged sixty-nine years. Mrs. Deborah
J. Cilley died in 1849.

John J. Cilley was educated in the schools
of Deerfield and Lewiston, Me., and Hanover,
N.H., and was engaged in business in Boston
from 1865 to 1883. Inthe latter year he re-
turned to Deerfield, and he has since resided
at the old Jenness homestead. October 20,
1880, was the date of his marriage to Miss
Lizzie Lord, of Boston. He represented the
town in the State legislature in 1889 and 1890.
600

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

On the maternal side Mr. Cilley is also of
old and honorable ancestry. Francis Jenness,
the founder of the Jenness family in America,
came from England in 1665, settling in New
Castle, known then as Great Island, New Hamp-
shire. In 1671 he married Hannah Cox, of
Hampton, from which union six children were
born. Mrs. Jenness died; and Mr. Jenness
formed a second marriage with Salome, the
widow of John White. Mr. Jenness died in
EPI. ;

To Francis Jenness was born in 1686 a son
whom he called Richard, and who was later
known as Captain Richard Jenness. He took
up two grants of land, which are now within
the limits of Deerfield, while a third was pur-
chased by him for the sum of fifty pounds in
1743. Captain Jenness was a man of promi-
nence in the town, serving as Representative
in the Provincial Assembly nearly forty years.

He married in 1710 Mary Dow, and died
in 1769, leaving ten children. Richard, his
fifth child, to whom he left lands in Notting-
ham and other places, was born in 1717. He
became an attorney and counsellor-at-law,
and was twice married. By his first wife this
second Richard Jenness had six children; and
by his second, Abigail Sleeper, a widow, he
had two sons— Jonathan and Benjamin.
Richard Jenness, Esq., succeeded his father,
Captain Jenness, as a member of the House of
Representatives from Rye, serving till the
Revolution. He was also a Justice of the
Peace. Two of his sons, Richard, third, and
Thomas, settled on the South Road. Rich-
ard, third, born in 1747, married in 1770
Miss Betsy Berry; and he and his brother
Thomas both built handsome houses for
themselves in 1785. Richard, third, who be-
came Judge Jenness, held many positions of
importance. He was a delegate to several
conventions during the time of the Revolu-
tion, and was a member of the House of Rep-
resentatives, and was for four years a Senator.
He died on July 4, 1819, leaving a son,
Thomas, who was born in 1772, and who in
1794 married Deborah Sanborn, of Deerfield.
He died in 1836, leaving eleven children, one
being his daughter, Deborah, wife of Horatio
Gates Ciliey, and mother of John J. Cilley.

The memory of such a lineage as Mr.

 

Cilley’s is worthy to be preserved as a stimu-
lus for equal effort and achievement for future
generations. Although long since he left
Boston, Mr. Cilley still retains his member-
ship in Mount Tabor: Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
East Boston, and also belongs to St. Paul’s
Chapter, Boston Council and Commandery.

 

ANIEL M. FOSS, a retired farmer
living on his homestead in Rye,
\©) N.H., was born in this town, March
10, 1834. He is of English stock,
and a direct descendant of one John Foss,
who deserted from an English vessel of war, -
and settled on the Atlantic coast in New
Hampshire. From John Foss have sprung
the branch of the Foss family to which
Daniel M. Foss belongs.

Robinson Foss, the son of John Foss, a
fisherman of Rye, was born on August 30,
1787. He lived on the homestead farm dur-
ing his life, and was favorably known through-
out this section of the county as a skilful
agriculturist and a most capable business
man. In November, 1818, he married Widow
Martha Foss Mason, who died April 1, 1827,
leaving two children — Mehitabel J. and
Hardison. Mehitabel J., born February 5,
1819, was married January 14, 1841, to
Joshua M. Foss, and removed to Haverhill,
Mass.

Hardison Foss, born January 23, 1821, was
a thorough and successful farmer, a man of in-
telligence and influence, and was much inter-
ested in public affairs. He was born and died
on his farm in Rye, which was the original
Foss homestead, and which is now owned by
his two sons, Sylvanus W. and Alba R. H.
Foss. On July 16, 1843, Hardison Foss mar-
ried Elvira Holmes, who bore him the follow-
ing childrén: Charlotte M.: Sylvanus W.;
Ezra D., who died February 28, 1848, aged
one year; Anna J.; Ezra H., who died Janu-
ary 28, 1868, aged seventeen years; Alice E.;
Alba R. H.; and Susan M. Charlotte M.,
the first-born, married June 13, 1861, the
late James E. Seavey, and at her death,
March 11, 1878, left one child, Ella M., born
May 6, 1870. Sylvanus W. married April 3,
1879, Ella F. Philbrick, and their only child,

 

 

 

 

©
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

601

 

 

Bertha Alice, was born February 28, 1880.
Anna J. was married May 13, 1878, to Lewis
E. Walker, and they have one child, Ezra H.
Alice E. married Cotton W. D. Jenness, Feb-
ruary 10, 1881. Alba R. H. Foss was mar-
ried December 2, 1883, to Minnie Brown, who
died July .22, 1887, leaving one child, Lena
F., born July 4, 1887; and on November 4,
1891, Mr. Alba R. H. Foss was married to
Miss Emma H. B. Hoyt, of Newington.

Robinson Foss married for his second wife
on January 18, 1830, Mrs. Charlotte Holmes,
of Rochester, N.H. Of this union five chil-
dren were born: John H.; Henry D.; Daniel
M., the special subject of this sketch; Char-
lotte D.; and Robinson, Jr. The two
younger are not living, Charlotte D. having
died November 15, 1837, aged two years; and
Robinson, Jr., January 1, 1878, aged twenty-
eight years. Mrs. Charlotte Holmes Foss
died February 29, 1868; and Mr. Robinson
Foss, who attained the venerable age of
ninety-one years, passed away January I,
1878.

John H. Foss, the eldest son of Robinson
and Charlotte H. Foss, is a resident of Ports-
mouth, N.H. He was first married to Lizzie
Felker, who died a few years later, leaving
bim two. children—George and_ Lizzie.
George, now a resident of Springfield, Mass.,

married Margaret E. Carter, of Connecticut.

Lizzie is the wife of Hanson Seavey, of Ports-
mouth, N.H. After the death of his first
wife John H. Foss married her sister, Miss
Augusta Felker. Henry D. Foss, the second
~ son, who has always lived in Rye, his farm
being near that of his brother, Daniel M., was
married October 5, 1858, to Clara E. Mathes,
a daughter of Abram and Betsey (Berry)
Mathes. They became the parents of two
children — Lizzie B. and Robert O. . Lizzie
B. Foss, a talented and accomplished young
lady, giving great promise as an artist, died
at the age of twenty-eight years.

Daniel M. Foss was reared and educated in
Rye, and here began his active career by
going into partnership with his brother,
Henry D., and opening the Prospect House,
then the largest hotel on the shore. In 1862
the hotel was burned. Shortly afterward
Daniel M. enlisted without bounty in the

 

United States navy, and was sent upon the
gunboat “Mahaska” as carpenter’s mate.
This boat was stationed on the James River,
being under the command of Commodore.
Goldsborough. Nine months after his enlist-
ment Mr. Foss was seriously wounded by an
axe while repairing the pumps, it being feared
fora time that amputation of the foot would
be necessary. After the close of the war he
worked at his trade in the Portsmouth navy
yard for a time, and then returned to his farm
in Rye, where he has since lived.

Daniel M. Foss was married November 28,
1858, to Miss Chalcedonia Foss, a daughter
of Deacon Richard and Eliza (Shapley) Foss,
of this town. Two children were born of
their union— Christie C. and Arthur M.
Christie C. is the wife of George Walker, of
Rye Centre. After a little more than ten
years of wedlock Mr. Foss suffered a severe
loss in the death of his beloved wife, Mrs.
Chalcedonia Foss, who passed to the life
beyond May 30, 1869. Socially, Mr. Foss
is a member of the Union Veterans’ Union
of Portsmouth; of Storer Post, No. 6, Grand
Army of the Republic, of the same city; of
Osgood Lodge, No. 48, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows; and of the Kearsarge Naval
Association, all of Portsmouth. Politically,
both he and his brother, Henry D., with
whom he has always been closely associated,
are stanch Democrats, and both cast their first
Presidential votes for James Buchanan in
1856.

Hera B. TOWLE, an old and influ-
ential resident of Hampton Falls, was
born in this place, June 8, 1835,

son of Caleb and Sarah (Swain) Towle. His
grandfather, Caleb Towle, Sr., settled in
Hampton Falls when a young man, and there
spent the rest of his life in the pursuit of agri-
culture. Caleb Towle, Jr., a native of Hamp-
ton Falls, born in 1790, was reared and edu-
cated here. Having learned shoemaking, he
worked at it for a number of years, attending
at the same time to other business. He was
toll gatherer on the old toll road for seven-
teen years. When the town purchased the
road, he bought the farm on which his son is

 
602

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

now living, and was there engaged in farming
and shoemaking during the rest of his life.
The Democratic party received his political
support. He died February 6, 1873, at the
age of eighty-three. His wife passed away
October 23, 1872. They reared the following
children: Oliver L., born February 3, 1814;
Mary Ann, February 17, 1816; Sarah J.,
July 31, 1818; William F., March 5, 1821;
Elbridge A., January 29, 1823; Elizabeth H.,
January 20, 1828; Elmira S., November 12,
1830; and Emmons B., the subject of this
sketch. The eldest son, Oliver, was well
known to the travelling public; and frequent
visitors to this portion of New England looked
forward with pleasant anticipations to meet-
ing the genial man. He received his educa-
tion in Hampton. At an early age he became
the driver of the stage-coach running to New-
buryport and Salem, Mass., and Portsmouth,
N.H. When the coach was superseded by
the steam-cars, he went to work for the Ports-
mouth, Saco & Portland Railroad, with which
he was connected over forty years, for the
greater part in the capacity of conductor.
While in the employ of the railroad, he re-
sided in Portland, Me. After the death of his
wife he paid a visit to his daughter in Cali-
fornia, at whose home he died.

Elbridge Towle was an employee of the
Eastern Railroad, beginning as a brakeman,
and working his way up to the position of con-
ductor, which he held for over forty years.
He was in the service of the company for
nearly half a century. On the day of his
death, January 31, 1896, he made his usual
trip. After returning home in the evening,
he died at eight o’clock, while sitting in his
chair, the cause being heart failure. He left
five children — Walter A., Woodbury L.,
Annie P., Ella J., and Mira F.

Emmons B. Towle obtained his early edu-
cation in a district school and at Rockingham
Academy. In his youth he learned his
father’s trade, that of shoemaking, and worked
at it for some time. On the death of his
father he succeeded to the farm, where for
several years past he has given his attention to
market gardening. He raises large quantities
of vegetables, for which he finds market in
Exeter, N.H., and in Newburyport and Ames-

 

bury, Mass. He has added to the estate,
which in his father’s day comprised thirty-two
acres, until now it covers over half a hundred
acres. He is one of the leading farmers of
the locality, and a prominent member of
Grange No. 171 of Hampton Falls.

He was married in 1861 to Miss Lydia B.
Green, of Seabrook, N.H. He cast his first
Presidential vote for James Buchanan, the
Democratic candidate, in 1856; but he has
long since then been identified with the Re-
publican party. He was delegate to the
County Convention in 1888, served on the
Board of Selectmen two years, was Superin-
tendent of Schools two years, and was chosen
Trustee of the library when it was founded,
and has been Librarian since its opening.
He is a member of Rockingham Lodge, No.
22, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of
Hampton. Both he and Mrs. Towle are
members of the Baptist church. ;

ILLIAM HENRY ROLLINS, Sec-
retary and Treasurer of the Ports-
mouth Athzneum, was born in

Portsmouth, September 7, 1822, son of Icha-
bod and Mary Ann (Hooker) Rollins. His
first ancestor in this country was James Rol-
lins, an Englishman, who came to America
in 1632. He spent a short time in Ipswich,
Mass., was in Newbury of the same State in
1634, and in 1644 settled in that part of
Dover, N.H., now included in Newington.
One of the first settlers in that part of the
country, he secured a grant of one hundred
acres of land, and established a homestead,
where he spent the rest of his life. This land
is now held by his descendants. (Fuller in-
formation is given in a complete history of
the Rollins family, compiled by John R. Rol-
lins, of Lawrence, Mass., and published in
1874.) Jeremiah Rollins, the son of James,
and great-great-grandfather of William Henry,
was a native of Newington. His son Ichabod,
the great-grandfather, was born in that part of
Somersworth, N.H., now known as Rollins-
ford, July 18, 1722. Ichabod’s son Daniel,
the grandfather, was born in the same place
in 1759. Daniel Rollins devoted his atten-
tion chiefly to agriculture, but was also, to-

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

603

 

 

some extent, engaged in seafaring. He died
at the early age of thirty years. His wife,
whose maiden name was Martha Weeks, bore
him three children. She subsequently became
the wife of Samuel Hale.

Ichabod Rollins was born in Rollinsford,
January 12, 1790. In early manhood he en-
gaged as clerk in a general store in Ports-
mouth. While here, he was also obliged to
look out for the interests of his employer in
a ship-yard, where the latter carried on ship-
building. About the time of the War of 1812
he was sent to Stockholm, Sweden, as super-
cargo on a merchant vessel, and so took no
part in the hostilities between this country
and England. After his return home he was
engaged in the grocery business for a few
years, and subsequently, in partnership with
Samuel Hale, was an extensive ship-owner.
He was one of the Directors of the Piscataqua
Bank; and it is curious to note that at one
time, while he was a member of the board, the
names of the nine Directors included but
three Christian names. They were: Ichabod
Rollins, Ichabod Bartlett, and Ichabod Good-
win; William M.  Shackford, William
Stavers, and William H. F. Hacket; Sam-
uel Hale, Samuel Lord, and Samuel E.
Coues.

Ichabod Rollins died in 1873. His wife,

who was a daughter of Michael and Mary
(Brown) Hooker, was born on the homestead
now occupied by their son, and was, with the
exception of a few years, a lifelong resident
there. Her father, who was born in England,
came to America with his mother, and resided
many years in Portsmouth. He was a well-to-
do shipmaster, and it was he who built the
house in which our subject now resides. He
lived to be threescore and ten, and his remains
were the first interred in the proprietors’ cem-
etery. His wife died in 1868. She was a
_native of Portsmouth, and the only child of
John Brown, a Portsmouth man, who was of
Scotch origin. She had five children, two
daughters who died in childhood and three
sons who attained maturity.

William Henry Rollins prepared for college
under the tuition of William C. Harris. In
1837 he entered Harvard University; and,
‘graduating in 1841, he entered the Harvard

 

Law School. He afterward finished his prep-
aration for the legal profession in the office
of Ichabod Bartlett. Admitted to the bar
in 1844, he commenced practice in Ports-
mouth, where he has been engaged in profes-
sional work up to the present time. He was
for a number of years President of the Ports-
mouth Savings Bank, has been a Director of
the Mechanics’ and Traders’ Bank, and for
nineteen years has been Secretary and Treas-
urer and President of the Atheneum. Mr.
Rollins was married in 1879 to Miss Mary
Elizabeth Ball, of Portsmouth. In_ politics
be has been a Republican since the formation
of the party. He isa man of culture, and is
highly respected in Portsmouth.

 

EONARD F. DEARBORN, of East
Candia,. a typical New Englander in
the energy and thrift that has char-
acterized his whole life, much of
which has, however, been spent outside New
England borders, was born here, October-27,
1837, son of Leonard and Jane (Dearborn)
Dearborn. He is the eldest of a family of
seven children, the mother of whom is still.
living, and possessed of clear faculties at the
age of eighty-four years. But three of the
sons survive, namely: Henry H., George F.,
both residents of Seattle, Wash.; and Leon-
ard F., of this sketch.

The genealogy of the Dearborn family is
long and wide; but it is here purposed only to
note briefly a few of the leading events in the
life of Leonard F. Dearborn, who affirms that,
in accordance with the established rule that
the first-born inherits the qualities and capa-
bilities of father and mother, whatever of
success he may have attained or force of char-
acter he may have developed in the affairs of
life, were inherited from his parents, who pos-
sessed in full measure the good old New Eng-
land traits. Educated in the common school
and engaged in farming up to 1861, Leonard
F. Dearborn then enlisted, and entered service
as a private in Company I, commanded by
Captain William R. Patten, Eleventh New

‘Hampshire Volunteers, under Colonel Walter

Harriman. He was in the campaign of
Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, and the siege of
604

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Knoxville, and during a part of the time had
charge of the Commissary Department. He
was honorably discharged in 1863. During
the years immediately following his return
from the war he was engaged in farming. In
1875 he purchased a place in Manchester,
N.H., whither he removed, and was there en-
gaged in the wood and vinegar business up to
1880. ,

He then migrated to the Pacific Coast,
travelling from San Francisco by stage route
through Northern California and Oregon to
Portland, and thence by the Columbia River
to Walla Walla, Wash. There he met Major-
general O. O. Howard and General Tannett,
and was invited to dine with them as a
New England man, a New England man
being a special object of interest in the New
North-west in those days. General How-
ard was at that time in command of the
United States troops in Washington and Ore-
gon; and his topographical knowledge of that
section, its natural resources and prospective
future, which he freely imparted, proved of
great value to his guest in after years. Mr.
Dearborn’s first investment there was the pur-
chase of three lots on Maine Street, Walla
Walla. In June of that year he assisted in
unloading from the boat the first railroad en-
gine to arrive on the Pacific Coast division of
the Northern Pacific Transcontinental Rail-
road, at the junction of the Columbia and
Snake Rivers. It is interesting to note in
this connection that he rode on the first trans-
continental train that ever entered Seattle.
August 13 of the same year he purchased
property with a frontage of six hundred feet
on Seattle Bay. He drove the first piles
driven on tide lands to deep water in Seattle,
claiming the riparian rights, which were
affirmed by the United States Supreme Court
‘at Washington, D.C., in April, 1894. In the
fall of 1880 he put on file a plat of what has
since been known as Dearborn’s First Addition
to the city of Seattle, upon which stands the
Seattle electric plant.

Returning to New Hampshire in the spring
of 1881, he remained until May, 1883, when
he again went to Seattle, built on the prin-
cipal streets, and embarked in the real estate
business, meanwhile building and making

 

other improvements on Dearborn’s Addition.
From 1884 to 1886 the women of Washington
were granted the elective franchise at all elec-
tions; and it was Mr. Dearborn’s fortune to
serve with a committee of women on con-
duct of election, an experience that proved
a revelation, in that intelligence, good sense,
and the utmost harmony and good order
obtained from first to last, so much so as

to remind him of a New England Sabbath —

an object lesson, as he declares, which dem-
onstrates beyond a shadow of doubt the benign
influence of women in politics On the Terri-
tory becoming a State, suffrage was denied
them; and, in West Point parlance, they re-
main to-day “as they were.” The year 1886
was an eventful one, the Chinese riots and their
exodus marking an era long to be remembered
on the Pacific Coast. A citizen was killed
and several wounded just in front of Mr.
Dearborn’s office. Martial law was _ pro-
claimed, and citizens assembled at the court-
house, where arrangements were made for cer-
tain of them to serve on guard duty day and
night for nearly a week, the leading citizens
finally raising funds by subscription, and send-
ing nearly eight hundred of the Chinese to
San Francisco.

During 1886 Mr. Dearborn projected the
township of Somerville, a suburb of Seattle,
a tract of land comprising several hundred
acres, which he divided into five-acre lots.
The owner, a resident of Somerville, Mass.,
caused the streets to be named after those of
that city, with the exception of the main
avenue, which appears on the map of Seattle
and its suburbs as Dearborn Avenue. That
same year, in company with Mr. Charles
Waters, of Somerville, Mass., Mr. Dearborn
prospected, opened, developed, and purchased
coal mines on Green River, Washington, pay-
ing the United States government the price of
one hundred and sixty acres of land, being for
mineral land twenty dollars per acre; and in
the North-west, a magazine published at St.
Paul, Minn., in an article descriptive of
these mines, with a map of King County an-
nexed, they are called the Dearborn Gas Coal
Mines. They are now owned and eperated by
a New York company. In the summer of
1887 Mr. Dearborn returned to East Candia,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

605

 

 

N.H., where he now resides, his present am-
bition being akin to that of General Grant
after the war; namely, to see East Candia a
thriving and populous community, himself an
Alderman, with an influence potent enough to
secure a paved sidewalk twelve rods from his
home to the post-office.

Mr. Dearborn was married in 1860 to Mary
C., the only child of Josiah M. and Mary
Fitts. They have four children living,
namely: Wilbur Freeman, Henry Irving, and
Ralph Waldo, all of whom reside in Seattle,
Wash.; and Arthur Leonard, the youngest
living child, who has remained on the home
. place in Candia. Thomas C., the youngest
child, died when but a few weeks old.

Mr. Dearborn was an early recipient of
special honors from his townsmen. In 1860,
at a meeting held at Candia village to raise
funds for the Kansas sufferers, he was elected
Chairman of the Committee; and at the Fourth
of July celebration, 1861, he was the toast-
master. He isa member of the Knights and
Ladies of Honor; also of the D. B. Dudley
Post, No. 79, Grand Army of the Republic,
and in 1894 was on the staff of the Depart-
ment Commander. He served on the Build-
ing Committee in the erection of the Soldiers’
Home, and at the dedication of the Soldiers’
Monument was Chairman of the Committee of
Five which made the arrangements, the entire
charge of the details, making report, etc., de-
volving upon Mr. Dearborn. The estimated
attendance was about thirty-five hundred. The
dedicatory service, to which about three hun-
dred invitations were sent to former residents
of Candia, was under the special charge of
the Department Commander and staff; and all
who took part in the exercises from speaker
to committees were natives of Candia, the
presentation of the monument to the town of
Candia being by Governor Frederick Smith, of
New Hampshire, and the speech of aceeptance
being from Mr. Dearborn. A full report ap-
peared in a descriptive pamphlet published at
the governor’s expense, five hundred copies
being gratuitously distributed by him.

On October 2, 1894, Company I, Eleventh
New Hampshire Volunteers,
D. B. Dudley Post, Grand Army of the Re-
public, and many townspeople, by invitation

members of .

 

of Mr. Dearborn, assembled at his residence
in East Candia in reunion, when out of forty-
seven living comrades of Company I thirty-
four were present, eighteen of whom were ac-
companied by their wives. During the day
two collations were served; and the festivities
concluded in the evening with a literary pro-
gram in the new Methodist church, which
was used for the first time on that occasion,
varied by martial music from the East Candia
Band, and a camp fire enlivened by stories and
reminiscences of army life. The unique and
beautiful programs were furnished gratis by
Comrade Henry W. Rowe, a Boston printer,
member of Company I, and a native of Candia.

 

o

ONATHAN THOMPSON, an enter-
prising and successful farmer and an
esteemed citizen of Nottingham, Rock-
ingham County, N.H., was born in

Durham, Strafford County, N.H., March 16,
1821, his parents being Levi and Cumford
(Ellison) Thompson. His grandfather, also
named Jonathan, was a native and a lifelong
resident of Durham, where he was engaged in
general agricultural pursuits. He was the
father of five children, all of whom have now
passed away. He lived to be but fifty years
old, and his wife attained the age of three-
score years and ten.

Levi was their eldest son. He was born at
the old homestead in Durham, and in early
life learned the trade of a ship carpenter,
which he followed as an occupation for many
years. In 1827, however, he removed to Not-
tingham, where he purchased a farm of about
one hundred acres, on which he remained a
number of years, his last days being passed at
the home of his son, the subject of this sketch.
He was united in marriage with Miss Cumford
Ellison, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Abraham
Ellison, of Barrington, N.H.; and to them
were born a family of thirteen children, six
of whom are still living; namely, Robert,
Jonathan, Charles E., Mary J., Keziah H.,
and Elizabeth. Robert married as his first
wife Miss Sarah Rundlett, of Epping; and
into their home one child came, Alvin by
name.

Charles E. joined in wedlock with Miss

 
606

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Clara Reynolds, of Maine; and they became
the parents of two children — Clara and Her-
bert. Mary J. gave her hand in marriage to
John Seward, late of Barrington, to whom
she bore seven children — John F., Walter,
Laura, Emma, Anderson, Charles, and Chester
Mertie. Keziah H. is now the widow of
Benjamin P. Harvey, a late resident of Not-
tingham, and is the mother of the following
six children: John W., Frank, Laura, George,
Lewis, and Flora. Elizabeth is now the wife
of Robert Lucy, of Nottingham, to whom she
has borne four children; namely, Fanny, Dora,
Lizzie, and Lillia. Levi Thompson lived to
the venerable age of eighty-nine years, and his
wife attained to the only little less advanced
age of eighty-four years. She was a member
of the Free Will Baptist church of Notting-
ham; and, politically, he was a Jacksonian
Democrat.

Jonathan Thompson, the second son of Levi,
at the age of six years removed with his par-
ents to Nottingham, in the public schools of
which town he acquired his education. At
the age of eighteen he learned the blacksmith’s
trade, in which he engaged for eight years.
In 1840, when he was about nineteen years old,
he purchased a farm of twelve acres in Not-
tingham, to which he has since added at
various times, until at present he possesses a
landed property of one hundred and sixty acres.
He is extensively occupied thereon in general
husbandry, keeping regularly almost the whole
extent under cultivation.

On May 26, 1844, he was joined in matri-
mony with Miss Mary A. Doe, a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Doe, of Lee, N.H.
Seven children have been born to them, six
of whom yet survive; namely, Joseph H.,
Susan J., Rose F., Charles H., Everett E.,
and Anson F. Joseph H. married Miss
Sophia Jones, a daughter of Joseph Jones, of
Nottingham, and they have been blessed in
the birth of six children; namely, Nettie,
Annie, Henry, Ella, Mamie, and Hattie.
Susan, who was born July 28, 1846, was
united in marriage with John A. Seward, of
Strafford, Me., to whom she has borne two
children — Nelson B. and Ella. Rose, who
was born April 11, 1848, is now the wife of
O. L. Osgood, and the mother of three chil-

 

dren; namely, Bertha, George, and Annie.
Charles, born February 20, 1850, wedded
Miss Malissa Shute, daughter of Jerry Shute.
They have one son living, named Willis.
Everett, born April 29, 1855, was joined in
wedlock with Miss Nellie Smith, a daughter
of Stephen Smith; and their union has been
fruitful in the birth of three children — Fred
J., Jessie, and Mary. Anson, who was born
April 28, 1857, married Miss Lillian Smith,
and is the father of three children — Harry,
Mattie, and Maud.

Mr. Thompson is widely known, and he
enjoys the esteem and confidence of his fellow-
citizens. He has served his town in the
capacity of Selectman for the period of two
years. In national politics he is affiliated
with the Republican party. Religiously, both
he and his wife are members of the Free Will
Baptist church of Nottingham, of which he is
justly reputed to be one of the pillars.

 

AMES E. GERRISH, a general farmer,
resident of Northwood, N.H., was
born in the adjoining town of Notting-
ham, N.H., June 2, 1846. His father,

Samuel Gerrish, was born in the town of
Deerfield, which, as well as Northwood, was
formerly a part of Nottingham. He was the
son of Samuel, Sr., and Sally (Knowlton)
Gerrish. His grandfather and his father were
both farmers and lifelong residents of Rock-
ingham County. Samuel Gerrish, the second
of the name, and his wife, whose maiden
name was Martha Allard, reared three chil-
dren — Elizabeth, Charles B., and James E.
The subject of this sketch commenced work
in a shoe factory in young manhood, and fol-
lowed the trade in addition to farming a num-
ber of years. In 1886 he located in Beverly,
Mass., where he purchased land and built a
residence, which he stil] owns, and which he
occupied till 1890, when he returned to North-
wood, and located on his present homestead.
His wife was before marriage Miss Fannie
Campbell, of North Reading, Mass. She is
a daughter of Warren A. and Charlotte S.
(Dickey) Campbell. On both paternal and
maternal sides she is a descendant of Scotch-
Irish settlers of Londonderry, and her mother
 

FRENCH.

COFFIN M.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

609

 

 

is a grand-daughter of General John Stark of
Revolutionary fame. Mr. and Mrs. Gerrish
have two children — Samuel W. and Lottie F.
Samuel W. married Miss Annie M. Hoyt, of
Northwood.

 

 

“AMES W. WATSON, a prominent
farmer and an estimable citizen of
Exeter, was born in Exeter, February
23, 1827, his parents being John and

Betsy (Gilman) Watson. John Watson also
was a native of Rockingham County, who in
early life followed the occupation of chair-
making. He subsequently purchased a farm in
Exeter, and there resided for the remainder of
his life, engaged in general farming and a
profitable wood business. He and his wife,
Betsy, who was a daughter of Deacon Chase
Gilman, of Epping, this county, were blessed
in the birth of fifteen children. Of these,
twelve grew to maturity, and ten are still
living; namely, Elizabeth, James W., Charles,
Sarah, Joel, Daniel, Dudley, Mary, Almira,
and George. Sarah is now the wife of John J.
Gasper, of California, at one time acting
governor of Arizona. Daniel and Dudley
were twins. Mary, Almira, and George are
married and well-to-do. The father’s life
was industrious down to his decease, which
occurred in 1882. The mother, who was
highly esteemed, preceded him to the grave
by several years.

James W. Watson spent the years of his

boyhood and youth on the paternal farm. The

educational advantages available to him in the
district where he lived having been rather
limited, he subsequently studied at Hampton
Falls Academy, and later at a private school
in Exeter. He then applied himself to the
acquirement of the mason’s trade, and after-
ward followed it as an occupation for fifty
years. Twenty years of that time were spent
in Boston, after which, in 1886, he returned
to his native home.

Here, purchasing the farm adjoining that
on which he was born, he engaged in agri-
culture, at the same time working at his trade
as the opportunity offered. The estate, forty
acres in extent, has neat and substantial farm
buildings, indicative of enterprise and prosper-

 

ity. Many of the improvements were made
by Mr. Watson. In 1860 Mr. Watson was
united in marriage with Miss Jane O. Leach,
a native of the State of Vermont. They have
had one daughter, who died in infancy. Mr.
Watson does not seek social or political emi-
pence. He is, however, identified with the
general interests of Exeter, and is a familiar
personality in its gatherings. He is affiliated
with the brotherhood of Masons. In national
politics he is found in the ranks of the Re-
publican party. Mr. Watson is not a member
of any religious organization, while his wife
is in fellowship with the Methodist Episcopal
church of Exeter.

 

OHN PILLSBURY FRENCH, one of
the leading farmers of Candia, was
born in this town, September 14, 1826,
son of Coffin M. and Dolly (Pillsbury) |
French. The first ancestor of his family in
America was Edward French, who was in Ips-
wich, Mass., in 1636, settled in Salisbury in
1640, and died there in 1674. Joseph
French, a tailor of Salisbury, son of Edward,
was the next in this line. His son, Joseph,
second, born in 1654, married in 1678
Sarah Eastman, and died in 1683. Their
son, Joseph, third, born in 1679, married De-
cember 20, 1699, Abigail Brown. Joseph,
fourth, son of Joseph, third, born February
27, 1702, married July 22, 1731, Ruth
Knowles.

Simon French, son of the fourth Joseph,
and a representative of the sixth generation
from the emigrant Edward, was born in Salis-
bury, October 27, 1740, and settled in Candia,
N.H., in 1764. He died August 3, 1823.
His first wife was a daughter of John Shack-
ford, Sr., of Chester, and his second wife,
Comfort Weeks, the widow of Dr. Moore.
His children, all by his first marriage, were:
Ruth, who married Samuel Colby; Dolly, who
married Andrew Rankin; and John, the grand-
father of the special subject of this biographi-
cal sketch.

John French, who was born in Candia,
March 25, 1770, conducted a farm located
near the property of his grandson during the
greater part of his active life. He was an
610

energetic and prosperous farmer and a useful
citizen, who always enjoyed the esteem and
good will of his neighbors. He and his fam-
ily attended the Congregational church. He
died December 24, 1845, aged seventy-five
years. John French married Comfort Moore,
daughter of Dr. Moore, a native of Stratham,
N.H., and reared a family of five children,
briefly mentioned as follows: Martha, born
in 1794, died in 1811; Simon, born February
2, 1796, married Ann Evans, and lived on the
homestead, died May 25, 1871, leaving one
child, Mary A.; Coffin Moore, born April 6,
1799, lived near the homestead; Lucinda,
born in 1803, married Frederick Fitts; Eve-
lina, born in 1805, married Samuel Murry.
Immediately after his marriage Coffin M.
French settled upon the farm which his son,
John P., now owns and occupies; and his long
and useful life was passed in tilling the soil
and serving his fellow-townsmen. He was a
member of the Board of Selectmen for several
years, some of the time acting as Chairman.
He died in 1881, aged eighty-two years.
In politics he was in his latter years a Repub-
lican, and in his religious views he was a
Congregationalist, being a Deacon of that
church for many years. His wife, who was
before marriage Dolly Pillsbury, was a native
of Hanover, N.H. She became the mother
of four children, all of whom are living;
namely, John Pillsbury, Mary Celina, Sam-
uel Franklin, and George Henry. Mary
Celina, born May 6, 1832, married the Rey.
James H. Fitts. Samuel Franklin, born De-
cember 22, 1835, married Martha J. Upton,
of Andover, Mass., December 22, 1864. He
is a graduate of Dartmouth College and An-
dover Theological Seminary. George Henry,
born July 27, 1838, was graduated at Dart-
mouth College and Andover Theological Semi-
nary, married Fannie E. Kilburn, of Holden,
Mass., September 28, 1871. Their children
are: Warren Kilburn, born September Ty
1873, who graduated at Dartmouth College
in 1895; Irving Joseph, born March 5, 1875;
and George Franklin, born April 27, 1870,
representing the tenth generation of this
branch of the French family in America.
John P. French was educated in the com-
mon schools of Candia and Pembroke Acad-

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

emy, which he attended for three terms.
After leaving school, he assisted in carrying
on the home farm; and, succeeding to the
ownership of the property after his father’s
death, he has since conducted it with unusual
thrift and energy, advancing steadily in pros-
perity until the present day. He owns one
hundred and fifty acres of desirable land, one
hundred and twenty-five acres of which is di-
vided into pasture and woodland; and he cuts
about forty tons of hay yearly, besides raising
other farm products. He keeps an average
of ten head of young stock, six cows, three
horses, and cultivates his farm according to
the most approved methods. The present
residence, which was erected by his father,
together with the other buildings, are kept in
the best of repair, giving his premises a neat
and thrifty appearance; and his comfortable
circumstances are the result of careful man-
agement and a judicious application of every
resource at his command.

Mr. French's first wife, Edee Knight, of
Atkinson, N.H., whom he married in 1861,
died two years later. His present wife was
before marriage Mary E. Craig, of Auburn, -
Mass. Mrs. French’s mother is still -living;
and, although she has reached the age of
eighty-three years, she sews without the aid
of glasses, threading her own needle. She is
at present working upon what will prove to be
a very handsome silk quilt. Mrs. Craig pos-
sesses all her mental faculties, but has sus-
tained some bodily injuries from the effects of
a fall, and is now unable to walk.

Aspiration to political prominence is not a
part of Mr. French’s nature; and, aside from
casting his vote in support of the Republican
party, he takes no part in politics. What
leisure time he has at his disposal he prefers
to devote to church work, having faithfully
served as a Deacon of the Congregational
church for twenty years; and he is also the
superintendent of the Sunday-school.

 

ILLIAM D. COCHRANE, of Wind-
ham, one of the Commissioners of
Rockingham County, and an ex-

member of the New Hampshire legislature,
was born in Windham, September 28, 18209,
- BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

son of Captain Isaac and Annis (Dinsmore)
Cochrane. The family, which is of Scotch-
Irish origin, was founded by John Cochrane,
an early settler of Windham. His son, James
Cochrane, grandfather of William D., was
born in this town, and here spent his life,
chiefly occupied in farming.

Captain Isaac Cochrane, Mr. Cochrane’s
father, also a native and lifelong resident of
Windham, successfully carried on the farm
now owned and occupied by his son. He took
an active part in public affairs, first as a
Whig, and later as a Republican. He was a
Selectman during the years 1823, 1824, and
1825, served as Town Treasurer for five years,
and held a captain’s commission in the State
militia. He was a man of unusual energy and
perseverance, who took advantage of every op-
portunity for advancement. He continued in
the active management of his property up to
the time of his death, which occurred in 1862.
His wife, in maidenhood Annis Dinsmore,
was a native of this town. Of her children
by him there are living: James, Charles,
Isaac, Mary, Ellen, and William D. She died
in 1874.

 

OHN S. STEVENS, a veteran agricult-
urist, was born June 1, 1819, in the
town of Brentwood, where he has since
resided. His father, Fifield Stevens,

was descended from one of the pioneer settlers
of the place. He was a cooper by trade, and
in addition to this occupation was engaged
successfully in farming, having purchased the
homestead now occupied by his son, John S.,
in 1821. He married Nancy Brown, who was
born in Kingston, this county. Their daugh-
ter Jane, one of their four children, is no
longer living; Catherine, the surviving daugh-
ter, is the wife of Andrew G. Dudley, of
Brentwood; and Samuel F., the only brother
of John S. Stevens, is a resident of Boston.
The mother passed from earth in 1852, and
the father in 1862.

According to tradition the first ancestor of
the Stevens family in America was a native of
the West Highlands of Scotland, and a de
scendant of the early Britons. Nearly two
hundred years ago Samuel Stevens, the great-

 

great-grandfather of John S., moved from New
Market to that part of Exeter now included in
Brentwood. History records the names of
several of the white inhabitants of New Hamp-
shire who in the early part of the eighteenth
century were captured by the Indians, and
carried away to Canada, among them Edward
Hall in 1706, and William Moody, Samuel
Stevens, and two sons of Jeremiah Gilman in
1709. Moody, it is said, was burned at the
stake — roasted and devoured, the gruesome
story has it. Others escaped or were released,
one of them happily winning the favor of the
French and Indians by building a saw-mill.
After regaining his freedom, Samuel Stevens
returned to Exeter, where his name is on the
list of tax-payers for 1718. He settled on
land which he and his brother had purchased,
spending there the rest of his days. He mar-
ried a Miss Gordon, and they reared a large
family.

Their son, Edward Stevens, inherited a por-
tion of the homestead, and spent his life there.
He was a Captain in the Colonial militia and
active in town affairs, serving on the first
Board of Selectmen-of Brentwood. He mar-
ried a Miss Burleigh, of New Market, by
whom he had eleven children. Ensign Sam-
uel Stevens, the grandfather of John S., in-
herited a part of the homestead, to which he
added by the purchase of adjoining land, resid-
ing there throughout his life. Besides.engag-
ing in general farming, he learned the trade
of a cooper, and conducted that business also.
He lived to be séventy-seven years old.
Nancy Brown, his wife, was a daughter of
Benjamin and Jane (Meserve) Brown. Her
father was a farmer, and so far as known a
lifelong resident of Kingston. Her mother
was a daughter of Colonel] Nathaniel Meserve,
of Portsmouth, who “rendered highly merito-
rious services” at the first and second sieges
of Louisburg as well as at Crown Point and
Fort Edward, and he died at Louisburg in
1758.

John S. Stevens was but two years of age
when bis parents removed to this farm, where

-he was reared, and which has since been his

home. He obtained his education in the dis-
trict schools of this town, and under his
father’s direction early became practically ac-
612

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

quainted with the various branches of farm-
ing, which has been his life occupation. As
long as his father lived, he assisted him in the
care of the farm; and he finally succeeded to
its ownership.
fertile land, much of it being under cultiva-
tion; and he raises good crops of hay, corn,
and potatoes as his principal products. In
politics Mr. Stevens is-a stanch Republican.
He was formerly active, and is still influen-
tial in local affairs. He has held various
offices within the gift of his fellow-townsmen,
having been Selectman several terms, besides
which in 1870 and 1874 he represented his
district in the State legislature.

On October 8, 1851, Mr. Stevens married
M. Anne Kimball, a daughter of the late
John Kimball, who was a prominent resident
of Exeter, for many years a Justice of the
Peace, and at one time a Representative in
the State legislature. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens
have seven children, namely: William F.,
now residing in Lowell, Mass., who married
Emma Harris, of Exeter; Mary N., who lives
in Exeter; Sarah K., residing in Boston;
James L., who lives on the parental home-
stead, of which he has now the charge, and
who married Amy Whitmore, of New Haven;
Emma, residing at home; and Elizabeth and
Anne, both residents of Boston.

 

 

and most highly esteemed farmers of
Kingston, was born in this town, Janu-

ary 16, 1817, son of Henry and Lydia
(Brown) Judkins. Several generations of the
family have resided in Kingston. As early
as 1725 Benjamin and Samuel Judkins,
brothers, were residents of the town. Sam-
uel, who died February 23, 1741, had two
sons, namely: Joel, born September 25, 1712;
and John, born February 18, 1719. The sec-
ond son, John, was married in November,
1750, to Esther Sweat, who bore him the fol-
lowing children: John, in 1753; Stephen, in
1756; Elisha, in 1758; and Samuel, in 1760.
Joel Judkins, the elder son of the first Sam-
uel, was the next progenitor of Joseph Jud-
kins. He was married on January 1, 1735, to
Mehitabel Calkins, whose children by him

om: JUDKINS, one of the oldest

He has one hundred acres of

 

were: Samuel, born June 8, 1736; Moses,
born February 3, 1738; Aner, born Septem-
ber 11, 1739; Leonard, born in September,
1741; Joseph, born August 23, 1743; Abi,
born August 9, 1745; Mehitabel, born May
23, 1747, who died in 1749; Benjamin, born
April 18, 1749; Henry, born December 5,
1750; and Caleb, born April 16, 1753.
Henry Judkins, who was the grandfather of
the subject of this sketch, died October 20,
1825. He married Mary Barnard, and with
her reared seven children — Hannah, Mary,
Abigail, Esther, Henry, Joel, and Mehitabel.
Henry, the eldest son, who was the father of
Joseph Judkins, died June 20, 1839. He
was married November 28, 1811, to Lydia
Brown, who died January 13, 1819. Their
children were: Simeon B., born July 23,
1812, married Catherine Hoyt, and died July
8, 1877; Louisa S., born October 10, 1814,
who died October 25, 1825; and Joseph, the
subject of this sketch.

Joseph Judkins was educated in the district
schools near his home and at Kingston Acad-
emy. He was learning: the carpenter’s trade
at Kingston Village, when he was called
home on account of the sickness of his father.
His father’s death subsequently threw the
care of the homestead upon him, and he there-
fore abandoned his plan of becoming a carpen-
ter. Since that time, up to within a few
years, he has been actively engaged in general
farming and in operating a grist-mill. Mr.
Judkins is a worthy representative of the fam-
ily from which he comes. He has been Direc-
tor of the Rockingham Farmers’ Mutual Fire
Insurance Company of Exeter, N.H., for thirty
years, and the company’s agent for Kingston
for forty-one years.

Mr. Judkins has been twice married. The
first occasion was in September, 1846, when
he was united to Hannah E. Blake, daughter
of Enoch Blake, of Pittsfield, N.H. She
died June 10, 1863. By his second marriage
he was wedded to Abbie S. Thyng, a native
of Brentwood, N.H., born August 5, 1820, a
daughter of James and Mehitable (Judkins)
Thyng. Mr. Thyng, carpenter and farmer,
was a native of Brentwood. His wife was
born in Kingston. Mr. Judkins, by his first
wife, became the father of three children,
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

613

 

 

namely: Henry E., born July 23, 1847, who
died December 1, 1865; Enoch B., born
March 6, 1850, a book-keeper in Haverhill,
N.H., who married Miss Nellie A. True, and
has one child, Etta M.; and Arthur R., born
March 30, 1859. Arthur R. Judkins now has
charge of the farm and mill, his father having
retired from active work on account of ill
health. He married Delia A., who was born
August 13, 1865, daughter of Joseph and Mary
E. (Fifield) Page, of Brentwood. He has now
two children — Henry F., born February 13,
1890; and Elsie E., born August 4, 1893.

Mr. Judkins, Sr., is prominent among the
Republicans of the district, and has served
as Town Treasurer, and in the capacity of
Selectman for several terms. He isa member
of the Congregational society, and liberally
supports religious work and other good causes.
A well-informed man, be has gained some of
his information by reading, and much by
travel and personal observation. He was one
of the first to attend the Centennial Exposi-
tion at Philadelphia in 1876. On that occa-
sion he extended his journey through the
South, visiting many places of historical in-
terest. In the vicinity of his home he is
well known, and holds the regard of all his
acquaintances,

 

ANIEL C. HOOKE, a prominent
and prosperous farmer of the town
2) of Fremont, Rockingham County,
was born November 24, 1831, being
the worthy representative of one of the earli-
est settlers of the place. The old Hooke
homestead, which he now owns and occupies,
has been in the possession of the family for
several generations, the house having been
erected about two hundred years ago.

Mr. Hooke’s_ great-grandfather, Elisha
Hooke, was born in Danville, but came here
at a very early age, settling on the present
home farm while it was yet in its primeval
wildness. Having cleared a portion of the
land, he engaged in farming, living here until
his death. Moses Hooke, Sr., son of Elisha,
inherited the homestead property, on which
he spent his entire life, being employed in
tilling the soil and in adding to the improve-

 

 

 

 

| has always supported.

 

ments already inaugurated. His son, Moses,
Jr., was the father of Daniel C. Hooke.

Moses Hooke, Jr., was a lifelong resident
of Fremont, where he led an active and useful
life until his death in 1871. He was engaged
in agricultural pursuits, and, in addition to
this employment, carried on an extensive busi-
ness in butchering. He was twice married.
His first wife, Mary Brown, was a native of
Fremont, where she died a few years after
her marriage, leaving two children: Mary
Ann, now the wife of John C. Sanborn, of
Fremont; and Daniel C., the special subject
of this sketch.

Daniel C. Hooke was but an infant when
his mother died, and he was reared to man’s
estate by his paternal grandparents. He was
the recipient of excellent educational advan-
tages, attending the Kingston and Atkinson
Academies. On attaining his majority, Mr.
Hooke purchased the old homestead property,
on which he ‘has always lived, and has since
carried on farming and lumbering on an ex-
tensive scale. He has six hundred acres of
land; and, in addition to his large crops of
corn, hay, and potatoes, he has a fine orchard,
which produces many varieties of apples.

In politics Mr. Hooke adheres closely to the
principles of the Republican party, which he
He has served with
faithfulness in the various offices of the town,
and during the years of 1863 and 1864 he
represented his district in the State Assembly.
For fifteen years he was Selectman, being
Chairman of the board the most of the time.
He was also Chairman of the School Board five
years, and at present he is creditably filling the
office of Justice of the Peace. He is an influ-
ential member of the local grange of Patrons
of Husbandry. In religion he is a Universal-
ist. From his father, who was a somewhat
noted music-teacher, Mr. Hooke inherited a
talent for music, which he has cultivated to
some extent, and is a fine vocalist. He at
one time belonged to a quartette of which
he was the leader; and it is perfectly safe to
say he has sung at more funeral services than
any other person in this vicinity, his rich and
sympathetic voice being especially impressive
on such occasions.

Mr. Hooke was married December 15, 1857,
614

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

to Mary Ann French, who was born Septem-
ber 20, 1834, in Danville, daughter of Jona-
than and Abigail French, lifelong residents
of that place. She died July 18, 1871, leav-
ing three children— Arthur P., Lincoln F.,
and Mary Abbie. Arthur P., born February
14, 1859, died September 23, 1883. Lincoln
F., who resides on -the old homestead, which
he assists in managing, was born January 12,
1861. He married September 3, 1888, Miss
Nellie H. Simpson, who died February 15,
1892, leaving one child, Lyman Simpson
Hooke, who was born November 26, 1890.
Mary Abbie, born December 8, 1864, was
engaged in teaching school for a few terms
prior to her death, which occurred December
24, 1886. On September 3, 1873, Mr Hooke
was married to Mrs. Ellen Emery Simp-
son, a native of Bangor, Me. She was born
June 3, 1835, being a daughter of Oliver H.
and Hannah O. (Porter) Emery, who spent
their last years at College Hill, Mass., the
mother living to the venerable age of ninety-
five years. Mrs. Hooke was first married Oc-
tober 8, 1855, to James Simpson, of South
Berwick, Me. He died in 1868, leaving her
with two children, namely: a daughter, Nellie
Harris Simpson, who married Lincoln F.
Hooke, son of Daniel C., and died in 1892,
as above mentioned; and a son, James T.
Simpson, now lives in the West.

 

EWIS H. DEARBORN, a successful
business man and one of the leading
residents of East Candia, was born
in this town, February 8, 1846,
son of Asa F. and Melinda (Bartlett) Dear-
born. Mr. Dearborn’s grandfather, John
Dearborn, a native of Danville, N.H., was
for several years engaged in the butchering
business. At a later date John Dearborn
worked at the shoemaker’s trade, also culti-
vating a farm in Granville, N.H. After a
very busy life, he died in 1866, aged eighty
years. He attended the Methodist Episcopal
church, while in politics he supported the
Whig party. Of his children by his first mar-
riage he reared John C., Samuel, Asa F.
Nabby, and Marian. There were no children
born of his second marriage.

 

Asa F. Dearborn, who was born in Gran-
ville, came in young manhood to Candia. He
was an energetic and successful’ farmer and
stock dealer. In religious belief he was a
Methodist, in ‘politics a Democrat; and he
was much respected in the community. He
died May 30, 1873, at the age of forty-nine
years. His wife, Melinda, became the mother
of nine children, seven of whom are living,
namely: George J., who resides in Candia;
Lewis H., twin brother of George J., and the
subject of this sketch; Charles A., who oc-
cupies the old homestead; Melinda F., the
wife of Daniel N.° Ellsworth, of Haverhill,
Mass. ; Julia A., the wife of Norris J. Tilton,
of Raymond, N.H.; Abbie, who married
George A. Robinson, of Manchester, N.H. ;
and Lucy B., the wife of Melville Nason, of
the same city. ,

Lewis H. Dearborn acquired his education
in the schools of Candia. After ending his
studies he assisted in carrying on the home
farm until he was twenty-four years old.
For the next three years he was engaged as a
butcher; and at the expiration of that time he
formed a copartnership with F. P. Brown,
under the firm name of L. H. Dearborn &
Co., and established a grocery store at East
Candia. One year later he sold his interest to
his associate, and engaged in lumbering, which
he continued for four seasons with good re-
sults. He then took up the building busi-
ness, which he has since followed. The res-
idences of J. A. Holt, Jere Brown, and three
houses and a store for Frank Brown are
samples of his work. He was one of the
building committee appointed ‘to oversee the
construction of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and he has been connected with most
of the important building enterprises of the
town for several years past. He owns and
occupies a good farm, which he also carries on
successfully. In politics he acts with the
Democratic party. He has been Selectman
for two terms, and was for several years con-
stable and policeman. He has declined re-
election to the Board of Selectmen and the
nomination for Representative to the State
legislature.

On April 17, 1869, Mr. Dearborn wedded
Elbra M. Woodman. She was born in Ray-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

615

 

 

mond, N.H., daughter of Jonathan and Me-
linda A. (Stickney) Woodman, of that town.
The Woodman family is an old and highly
reputable one in this county. Her grand-
father, Jonathan .Woodman, of Deerfield,
N.H., an industrious farmer and shoemaker,
was a well-known citizen of his day and a
member of the Baptist church. His wife,
Sally, bore him seven children, of whom the
sole survivor is Luella, the widow of David
Woodman, late of South Hampton, N.H.
Jonathan Woodman, Mrs. Dearborn’s father,
was a prosperous farmer anda leading man of
Raymond. He was highly respected -by his
~ fellow-townsmen, to whom he rendered val-
uable service for several years as a member of
the Board of Selectmen. In politics he acted
with the Republican party, and he was a
prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. His last days were spent upon his
farm in Raymond, where he resided’ during
the greater part of his active period, and he
died in February, 1894, aged seventy-four
years. With his wife, Melinda, he reared two
children, namely: Zelinda A., the wife of
Lawrence E. Perkins; and Elbra, now Mrs.
Dearborn. Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn have one
son, Earl H., who is now residing in Haver-
hill, Mass. Mr. Dearborn’s religious creed is
that of the Methodist denomination. Heisa
Mason of Junietta Lodge, No. 47, of Raymond.

 

 

OBERT SMITH FRENCH, an en.
terprising agriculturist of Danville

and a native of this place, was born

October 27, 1831, son of Jonathan

French, Jr., and Abigail (Folsom) French.
His grandfather, Jonathan French, Sr., was a
lifelong resident of Danville township. Jon-
athan French, Jr., was engaged in farming
throughout his active period, his home being
in the eastern part of the town. He was well
known in this vicinity as a man of ability and
integrity; and, besides being Selectman of the
town for several years, he represented it for
three years in the State legislature. His wife
bore him five children, of whom Robert Smith
is the only one now living. The others were:
Jonathan, who was engaged in teaching;
Daniel, who married Miss Fannie Littlefield,

 

who is now living in Haverhill, Mass. ;
Arthur, of whom no special record seems to
have been preserved; and Mary Ann, who
married Daniel C. Hooke. The mother, who
was born and reared in Newport, Me., is also
deceased.

Robert Smith French had but few educa-
tional advantages compared with the youth of
the present generation. Beginning almost in
childhood, his- services were needed on the
home farm when he should have been at
school. After reaching the age of twenty-five-
he worked in the neighborhood for two years as
a farm laborer. At the time of his marriage
he settled on the farm, where he is still en-
gaged in general farming and charcoal burn-
ing. This estate formerly belonged to his
father-in-law, and is known as the old Peaslee
farm. It contains one hundred and forty acres
of land, a large portion of which is in a good
state of cultivation, and yields good harvests
each year. Mr. French has added material im-
provements to the property since he became
the occupant. He takes an active interest in
local affairs, and has served his fellow-citizens
in various offices, besides which he represented
the town of Danville in the State legislature in
1882. In politics he is a stanch Republican,
never swerving from party allegiance.

Mr. French was married to Mary C. Peaslee,
a native of Danville, born December 23, 1840.
Her father, the late Caleb Peaslee, was born
and reared in this township, where he was
successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits
until his death. His widow, formerly Hannah
Green, now an aged woman of ninety years,
lives with her daughter, Mrs. French. Mr.
and Mrs. French have one child, Arthur P.,;
born November 12, 1864, who is a_ well-
educated young man, popular with his com-
panions, and one of the leading members of
the social circles of Danville. Mrs. French is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

 

ERBERT A. MARDEN, a well-
known carpenter and builder of Ports-

mouth, was born here, February 4,

1849, son of George E. and Mary

Ek. (Thomas) Marden. Captain Israel Mar-
den, the grandfather of Herbert A., and a na-
616

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

tive of Portsmouth, was a stage-driver for a
number of years, and afterward became an inn-
keeper. In politics he wasa Democrat, and he
was a Captain in the town militia. He mar-
ried Miss Nudd, of Maine; and they had five
children, two of whom, Asa and Israel, are
now living at Greenland, this county. The
father lived to be seventy-four years of age.

George E. Marden was a carpenter by trade,
and served as foreman of the Eldridge Brewing
Company for seventeen years. Subsequently
he went into business for himself. Regarding
politics he followed in the wake of his father,
holding unswervingly to Democratic prin-
ciples. He was Selectman from Ward 2 of
Portsmouth for a time. His wife, Mary, who
was a daughter of James Thomas, of Rye, this
county, bore him seven children, six of whom
are still living; namely, George A., Eldridge
C., Herbert A., Clara J., Ida E., and Emma
L. Levi W. died in May, 1889. The
father’s death also occurred in 1889, when he
was seventy-three years old.

Herbert A. Marden attended the Portsmouth
public schools. After leaving the high school
he was employed in Laighton Brothers’ hotel
at the Isles of Shoals for three years. From
there he went to Dover, N.H., to learn the
blacksmith’s trade. Having finished his three
years’ apprenticeship in 1873, he began to learn
the carpenter’s trade. Three more years were
spent in doing this, since which time he has
followed the carpenter’s trade continuously.
He formed a copartnership with Daniel P.
Pendexter, under the name of Pendexter &
Marden, which lasted for some time; but since
1893 Mr. Marden has been in business alone.

In 1879 Mr. Marden married Carrie B.
Clark, daughter of Edmund and_ Dorothy
Clark, of Portsmouth, and has since become
the father of two children, both still at home.
He has always supported the Democratic party
in politics. Since 1873 he has been a member
of the fire department, of which he has been
Chief Engineer for about ten years. His first
period of service was from 1884 to 18go0.
Having been re-elected in 1891, he has now
held the office continuously for nearly five
years. His first engine was Dearborn
Steamer No. 1. Later he had charge of the
W. H. Goodrich Steamer, No. 4. Mr. Marden

 

is quite prominent in Masonic and kindred
organizations. He has passed all the chairs
in the New Hampshire Lodge, No. 17, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been
a delegate to the Grand Lodge. He isa mem-
ber of Massasoit Tribe of Red Men, No. 16,
and of Damon Lodge, Knights of Pythias.
He is also connected with the Firemen’s Re-
lief Association, which he served as President
for about three years.

 

 

 

 

 

Rk. ALBERT TEFFT SEVER-
ANCE, a _ prominent dentist of

©) Exeter and a war-scarred veteran,
was born in Brewer, Me., Septem-

ber 17, 1842, son of Thomas and Lydia
(Lovell) Severance. Thomas Severance, a

native and a lifelong resident of the State of
Maine, was a tanner and currier, and followed
his trade during the greater part of his life.
He was highly respected in the community in
which he lived, and was frequently honored
with public positions of trust and responsi-
bility. His father was a soldier in the War of
1812, and his grandfather served as an officer
under Ethan Allen at the capture of Ticon-
deroga. He died in 1857. His wife, who
was born in Hingham, Mass., died in Newark,
N.J., in 1878. She also came from pa-
triotic stock. Her grandfather was wounded
and made a prisoner at Bunker Hill, and sub-
sequently served under Washington in Vir-
ginia. A martial spirit and a love of native
land are therefore very natural characteristics
of Dr. Severance. Besides himself two other
children of his parents are living. These
are: Willis E. and Charlotte L., who reside in
Newark, N.J.

Dr. Albert Tefft Severance. received his
primary schooling in Dexter, Me. When the
tocsin of war sounded in 1861, he was the
first man from Dexter to don the blue. He
was enrolled in Company H, Sixth Maine Reg-
iment of Volunteer Infantry, and was in active
service for a period of three years. During
that time he received ten wounds, one by a
bayonet thrust inflicted at Fredericksburg.
His regiment formed a part of the Light
Brigade of the Army of the Potomac, and was
commanded by that brilliant fighter, General
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

617

 

 

W. S. Hancock. At Fredericksburg he was
promoted on the field of battle, a distinction
conferred on but one other member of his regi-
ment. [Ele was mustered out as a non-com-
missioned officer with the rank of Sergeant.
Returning to his native State, he took up his
studies where he had left them, and subse-
quently entered the dental profession. In
1885 he became a resident of Exeter, and dur-
ing the years that he has lived in this town he
has made many friends and gained a position
of prominence through his professional skill.

In 1876 Dr. Severance was united in mar-
riage with Miss Seddie E. Leavitt, of New
Market. He is a stalwart Republican, be-
lieving firmly in the principles of his party
and actively working for the interests of his
party. He is Secretary and Treasurer of the
Rockingham County Republican Club and
President of the Exeter Republican Club.
He has efficiently filled the position of super-
intendent of schools at New Market. His
connection with fraternal organizations is lim-
ited to membership in the Masonic Order.

 

 

DWARD BALLOU, who at one time
was a prominent resident of Derry, was

born in November, 1799, in the
town of Deerfield, this county. His parents
were Jonathan and Jeannette (McGregor)

Ballou, and he was a grandson of one of the
earlier settlers of Deerfield.

Edward Ballou was reared and educated in
the place of his nativity, and on his father’s
farm obtained a practical training in the vari-
ous branches of husbandry. In his earlier
years he conducted a general store in Deerfield.
Some time in 1821 he settled in Londonderry,
which continued to be his home for a few
years. In 1829 he came to Derry, and here
purchased the farm now occupied by his widow
and her family. He wasa skilful and success-
ful farmer, and was also largely engaged in
lumbering and coopering. As a cooper he
manufactured fish barrels, mostly for the mar-
ket of Newburyport, Mass. In delivering
them he made the journey to and fro with an
ox team, the condition of the country roads in
those days making any other mode of trans-
portation almost impossible. Mr. Ballou, who

 

was a man of much influence in the town,
served it as Selectman for several years, and
for two years was its Representative in the
State legislature. In politics he affiliated
with the Democratic party, and was a valued
member of the Presbyterian church of East
Derry.

Mr. Ballou was married to Isabella D.
McGregor, who was born in Londonderry in
1806, daughter of James McGregor. Her
paternal grandfather, James McGregor, Sr.,
was born and bred in Rhode Island, whence he
came to Derry, where he reared his family.
Mrs. Ballou’s father was a soldier in the War
of 1812, serving as Sergeant in a company
of New Hampshire men. He married Miss
Rosanna Aiken, a native of the town of Au-
burn, this county. Of the ten children born
to Mr. and Mrs. Ballou three are deceased —
Sarah W., Isabella D., and Nancy R. The
seven now living are: George W., Mary C.,
Nancy R., Louise, Jeanette M., Samuel A.,
and Edwin P. Mary C. is the wife of George
Seavey, of Windham, this county; Nancy R.
is the wife of Caleb Clark, also of Windham;
and Louise is the wife of Thomas Chapman, of
Windham. The father died on the homestead
in 1863. Mrs. Ballou, now ninety years old,
is a typical representative of the pioneer
women of Rockingham County. She has a
large circle of friends, who heartily wish that
her life, strength, and faculties may long be
spared to her. She is a practical Christian
and an esteemed member of the Presbyterian
church.

/tu1aM E. MARVIN, member of
~ the law firm of Frink & Marvin, of

Portsmouth, was born here, January
1, 1872, son of William Marvin. The: Mar-
vins have been residents of this country for
two hundred years. The first bearers of the
name were three brothers who came from
England. William E. Marvin is directly de-
scended from Edmund Marvin. William
Marvin, the grandfather of William E., was
a wholesale fish dealer. William Marvin, Jr.,
who was also engaged in the same business,
married, and was the father of four children,
of whom William E. was the third-born.

 

 
618

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

William E. Marvin graduated from the
Portsmouth High School in the class of 18go,
and then entered the Law School of Harvard
University, from which he received the degree
of IL.L.D. In March, 1893, he was admitted
to the bar; and, after practising law for two
or three months alone, he became a member of
the law firm of Frink & Batchelder in August,
1894. At Judge Batchelder’s death in Sep-
tember, 1894, the firm name was changed to
Frink & Marvin. Their practice continues
thriving and lucrative.

In politics Mr. Marvin is a Democrat. At
the present time he is President of the Board
of Selectmen at New Castle, N.H., on which
he has served two years. He is a member of
the Southern New Hampshire Bar Associa-
tion and a communicant of the St. John’s
Episcopal Church of this city.

 

SA W. BROWN, of Kensington, N.H.,
a member of the farming community

and an earnest student in the fields ©

of genealogy, archeology, and as-
trology, was born in Kensington, April 25,
1827, son of Emery and Hannah Locke (Gove)
Brown. He is of English descent. His first
ancestor in this country, John Brown, who
was born in the mother country about 1589,
sailed on the ship “Whale” in 1636, with a
Mr. Dummer, and on arriving in America lo-
cated in Hampton, N.H., being the first set-
tler there. In 1638 he and his brother James
were special envoys to England, sent for the
purpose of procuring colonists to people the
district. He died in Hampton, February
28, 1687. His wife, whose maiden name
was Sarah Dummer, died July 6, 1672, aged
about fifty-four years. The next in line of
descent was Benjamin Brown, who was born
in Hampton about 1650. He married Sarah
Brown, of Salisbury, Mass., who was born
April 12, 1658. Their son William, who
was born in Hampton, June 5, 1680, married
Ann Heath, a native of Haverhill, Mass.,
born June 30, 1684. Their son Benjamin
matried Elizabeth Batchelder. Both were na-
tives of Kensington, the former born Septem-
ber 10, 1713, the latter May 10, 1716. Their
son, Stephen Brown, who was born in Ken-

 

sington, June 5, 1750, married Elizabeth
Nudd, of the same place, born May 2, 1752.
Their son John, known in later life as Deacon
John Brown, was a native of Kensington, born
July 15, 1779. He married Lucy Rowe, who
was born in East Kingston, November 26,
1784.

Their son Emery, the father of Asa W.
Brown, was born in Kensington, July 209,
1804. He was reared on a farm, and, being
a man of progressive views and_ business
talent, seeing good opportunities in the prod-
uce trade, opened a stall in Quincy Market,
Boston, where for years he conducted a pros-
perous trade. He madea specialty of butter
and cheese, and was well known in business
circles in several of our large cities as “ Butter
Brown.” A’ very energetic man, he recog-
nized no limit to the scope of his operations;
and his transactions extended even to the Far
West. In 1845 he moved to Cincinnati,
where he now resides, the oldest Kensington
man living to-day. In early life Mr. Brown
was a Democrat; but later his opinions
changed, and he joined the Republican party.
He is liberal in religious belief, but favors
the Baptist church. He and his wife were
born on the same day, July 29, 1804.

Mrs. Emery Brown was the daughter of
Enoch and Hannah (Dearborn) Gove, and like
her husband belonged to an old New England
family of English origin. Her immigrant.
ancestor, John Gove, came from London, and

_ settled in Charlestown, Mass., in 1646, dying

there in November, 1647. His son, Edward
Gove, was born in England in 1639, and was
a resident of Salisbury, Mass., as early as
1657. He died in Hampton, N.H., July 20,
1691. Edward Gove was married in Salis-
bury to Hannah Partridge, of that town; and
their son John, who was born in Hampton,
September 19, 1661, is the next in line. John
Gove died in Hampton Falls (which place was
called Hampton in his father’s time), October
15, 1737. His wife’s name was Sarah. Jobn
Gove, the son of this couple, was the great-
grandfather of Mrs. Brown. He was born in
Hampton Falls (later known as Seabrook),
October 29, 1689, and died there March 23;
1759. His wife, whose maiden name was
Ruth Johnson, was born in Hampton, Febru-
 

EMERY BROWN, born July 29, 1804; ASA W. BROWN, born
April 25, 1827; ALBERT EMERY BROWN, born March 27,
1854: PEARLEY OLIVET BROWN, born October 1, 1881.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

621

 

 

ary 24, 1695, anc died in Seabrook, June 30,
1766. Mrs. Brown’s grandfather, Obadiah
Gove, was born in Seabrook, Septernber 2,
1723, and died in Kensington in December,
1780. His wife was Mary Dow, a native of
Salisbury, Mass., born November 24, 1728.
She died in Kensington, October 21, 1811.
Enoch Gove, Mrs. Brown’s father, was born
-in Kensington, August 10, 1764, and died
there December 3, 1828. His wife, Hannah
Dearborn Gove, was born in the same town,
July 23, 1768, and died there June 2, 1842.
Mrs. Emery Brown, mother of Asa W., died
in Cincinnati, September 28, 1892, aged
eighty-eight years. She was the mother of
four sons and one daughter — Asa W., Eliza
K. (deceased), Charles E., George O., and
Lewis G. Lewis G. Brown served throughout
the war of the Rebellion, toward the close
as Colonel of a colored regiment.

Asa W. Brown was educated in Reston,
Mass., Brooklyn, N.Y., and Cincinnati, Ohio.
He was a close student even in boyhood, and
was honored with the Franklin Medal at Bos-
ton in 1840. On leaving school he engaged
in the butter business with his father; but
he had no taste for commerce, his talent run-
ning in other lines. He was successfully en-
gaged as a music teacher in Cincinnati for
over thirty-five years, teaching both vocal and
instrumental music. While giving the hours
of the day to this work, he devoted the night
to archeological and astrological research, and
as the result of his studies he possesses the
key to the zodiac. He bas also been a close
student of the Bible, especially of the Old
Testament prophecies and chronology, and is
thoroughly at home ina class of ancient lore
of which few at the present day are masters.
He hopes soon to place some interesting
works before the public. Mr. Brown moved
to Kensington in April, 1895. He has a
farm of one hundred and eighteen acres, and
is improving the ground and remodelling the
residence.

He was married June 11, 1853, to Mrs.
Anna Wagar, of Cleveland, Ohio, by whom
he has one son, Albert Emery, born in Rock-
port, Ohio, March 27, 1854. Albert E.
Brown married Miss Sarah Stearns, and has
four children — Pearlie O., Eben, Louis, and

 

Rachel. He is living, with his wife and fam- .
ily, on the farm with his father. Mr. Brown
has been a member of the Republican party
since its’ formation. He and his wife are of
the Swedenborgian belief.

The accompanying portrait, representing .
four generations of the Brown family, will in-
terest many readers of this volume.

 

RTHUR B. WILLIAMS, Chairman
and Clerk of the Board of Selectmen
of Derry, was born in Nashua, this
State, August 15, 1871. He is the
son of Stephen and Mary S. (Case) Williams,
the former a native of Canaan, N.H., the
latter of Richmond, Vt. Stephen Williams
was a cousin of Longfellow, the poet, through
his mother, who belonged to the Longfellow
family. He was for many years engaged in
the manufacture of furniture in Nashua, and
in 1879 retired toa farm in Derry, where he
died June 18, 1895. In politics Mr. Will-
iams was a Republican. He was an active
church member, and served as Trustee and
Steward of the Methodist Episcopal Society
in Derry. His wife, who is now sixty-two
years of age, is still living in this town.
Arthur B. Williams, who was eight years
old when his parents came to Derry, received
much of his education in this town. He
studied the higher branches in Pinkerton
Academy, taking a two years’ course, and laid
the foundations of his commercial knowledge
at Bryant & Stratton’s Business College in
Manchester, N.H. In June, 1891, he became
a member of the firm of Smith & Williams at
Derry Depot. At that time he was on the
road as travelling salesman for Thomas Wood
& Co., wholesale tea and coffee jobbers of
Boston. The experience obtained through
these two connections has been of much ser-
vice to him since. In 1894 he settled per-
manently in Derry, where he has since been
engaged in mercantile business. Mr. Will-
iams is an energetic and intelligent young
man, who has already achieved success, and
ranks among the rising commercial men of the
county.
Mr. Williams was united in marriage with
Addie J. Durkee, a native of Vermont. In
622

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

is a Republican, and he has
evinced much sagacity and forethought in
matters of public moment. He was elected
to the Board of Selectmen in March, 1896.
His subsequent selection. for the offices of
Chairman and Clerk of the Board indicates
the high degree of respect his townsmen enter-
tain for his judgment and executive ability.

politics he

 

 

ARON JEWETT, late of Stratham, a
veteran of the War of 1812. and for-
merly a member of the New Hamp-
shire legislature, was born jin this
town, June 2, 1781, son of Jacob and Deborah
(Light) Jewett. The family is of English
origin, and the original ancestor in America
was Maximillian Jewett, a native of York-
shire, England, who emigrated with other
members of his family in 1638, and was one
of the first settlers of Rowley, Mass. The
first bearer of the name to settle in this county
was Joseph Jewett, Aaron Jewett’s grand-
father. Born in Rowley, December 31, 1700,
he came to Stratham about the year 1721, and
some years later settled upon the farm which
has since been the homestead of: his descend-
ants. He was known in his day as a “gentle-
man.” He was a man who possessed much
natural ability and a high order of intelli-
gence. He died at the homestead in 176s.
His wife, a native of Stratham, whose maiden
name was Anna Wiggin, survived him some
years. Jacob Jewett was born in Stratham in
1743. He inherited the homestead where he
resided until his death, which occurred when
he was forty-four years old. He was an in-
dustrious, energetic man and a worthy citi-
zen. His wife, Deborah, who was born in
Exeter, N.H., in 1749, became the mother of
six children, all of whom grew to maturity,
and have since passed away. She lived to the
age of eighty-four years.

Aaron Jewett attended the district schools
of Stratham in his boyhood. At the age of
fifteen he was bound out as an apprentice in
Pittsfield, N.H., where he learned the trades
of carpenter and cabinet-maker. He suc-
ceeded to the homestead, upon which he re-
sided for the greater part of his life. Many
residences of the town now standing were

 

erected by him. He cultivated his farm of
ninety acres with profit; and, as his business
operations were always successful financially,
he accumulated a comfortable fortune. He
served as a soldier in the War of 1812.
Later he rose to a position of prominence in
public affairs, serving as a Selectman for a
number of years and as Representative to the
State legislature of 1832-33. In the legis-
lature he displayed marked ability and rare
judgment in the transaction of public businéss.

On November 14, 1808, Aaron Jewett
wedded Nancy Smith, who was born in Strat-
ham, September 27, 1784, daughter of The-
ophilus and Anna (Wiggin) Smith. The late
Mr. Jewett, who was deeply attached to his
home and family, gave his children the advan-
tages of a liberal education. At his death,
which occurred August 23, 1852, he left them
all in easy circumstances. His wife died May
2, 1854. Both were members of the Congrega-
tional church. Their children were: Mary
Ann, Sophia Smith, Eliza Jane, Sarah Frances,
and Deborah Light. The only survivor is
Deborah Light Jewett, who still resides at the
ancestral homestead. She received her educa-
tion in South New Market, at Hampton Acad-
emy, at Tilton, N.H., and in Cambridge,
Mass. She taught school for a number of
terms, being very successful as an educator;
but the greater part of her life has been spent
at her home in Stratham. She is a member
of the Congregational church, and devotes
much of her time to church and Sunday-school
work. She is highly respected for her many
commendable qualities of heart and mind, and
she enjoys pleasant and cordial social relations
with a large number of friends and acquaint-
ances here.

 

EORGE WARD, an experienced loco-
motive engineer of Portsmouth, was
born in New Hampton, N.H., Au-

gust 2, 1841, son of Benjamin and Sally
(Pease) Ward. Tradition says that the great-
great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch
came to New Hampton in pioneer times, and
reclaimed a farm from the wilderness. Noah
Ward, the grandfather, who was also a farmer,
lived and died in that town. He married
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

623

 

 

Sally Sanborn, of Meredith, N.H.; and they
had six children, four boys and two girls, only
one of whom, a daughter, is now living. His
son Benjamin, the father of George, spent his
life in agricultural pursuits in New Hampton,
and died at the age of fifty-one years. His
wife, Sally, who was a daughter of Simeon
Pease, of Meredith, had five children by him,
four boys and one girl, three of whom are now
living. : :

George Ward, the youngest son of his par-
ents, was educated in the public schools of
his native town. At the age of twenty-two
years he obtained a position as fireman on the
Concord & Portsmouth Railroad, and there-
after worked in that capacity for two and a
half years. He was then made engineer of a
shifter, and continued to fill that position for
twenty-eight consecutive years. In October,
1895, Mr. Ward was given charge of a pas-
senger engine on the road between Ports-
mouth and Manchester, which is his present
employment. He attends religious service
at Christ Church of the Episcopalian de-
nomination. In politics he has always been a
Democrat. He isa member of St. Andrew’s
Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M.

He was united in marriage with Alice W.
Parker, a daughter of Charles Parker, of Ver-
mont. Mr. and Mrs. Ward have three chil-
dren, two girls and a boy. Ella, the eldest
daughter, married Arthur J. Freeman, of
Portsmouth. The son is attending a commer-
cial college, and the other daughter lives at
home with her parents. Mr. Ward’s long ser-
vice in the most responsible of positions is
in itself a high encomium on his character and
ability.

 

EORGE P. HARVELL, a represent-
ative agriculturist of Londonderry
and a native of the town, was born

January 4, 1859, son of Joseph and Sallie
(Menter) Harvell. His father, who was born
in Litchfield, N.H., grew to manhood in that
place, receiving his education in the common
schools. Over half a century ago he came to
Londonderry and settled on the farm now
owned and occupied by his son, the subject of
this sketch. For about thirty years he divided

 

his time between his farm and the work of
clock repairing in Londonderry and adjoining
towns. When away on the latter business,
the care of the farm was turned over to this

son. He resided on this place until his death,
May 9, 1889. In politics he was a Republi-
can. He was an esteemed member of the

Methodist Episcopal church, which he also
served acceptably as Steward and Trustee.
His wife, Sallie, born in Londonderry, was a
daughter of James Menter, and a descendant
of one of the oldest families of this town.

George P. Harvell, the only surviving child
of his parents, was but nine years old at the
time of bis mother’s death. He was edu-
cated in the common schools of Londonderry,
and grew to manhood on the farm which has
always been his home. This farm, containing
one hundred and fifty acres of excellent land, is
situated in the western part of the town. On
it he is successfully engaged in general farm-
ing. Like his father he is a Republican, but
with an inclination to broader views. The
Londonderry Grange counts him among its
most highly esteemed members, and he is a
Trustee as well as a communicant of the
Methodist Episcopal church.

 

ANGDON M. PERKINS, a contractor

and builder, carrying on his business

in Portsmouth, N.H., was born in

this city, April 25, 1834 His

father, Elias Perkins, was a native of Maine.
He was born March 16, 1797, and removed to
Portsmouth in the days of his early manhood,
continuing his residence in this place until
his demise, March 20, 1881. He served in
the War of 1812, although but a boy at the
time, being among the youngest volunteers in
the service. During his active period he was
principally engaged in agricultural pursuits,
but for some five years carried on the ice busi-
ness, being a pioneer in that line. In politics
he affiliated with the Democratic party, and
in religion he held the Christian Baptist
faith, he and his wife being esteemed members
of the church at Rye. He married Mary,
daughter of Mark Lang, of Portsmouth; and
of the ten children included in their family
circle Langdon M. is the only one now living.
624

Langdon M. Perkins spent his years of boy-
hood and youth on the parental homestead,
where he assisted in the labors of the field
when out of school, obtaining a practical
training in the various branches of farming.
While still a young man, desirous of learn-
ing the carpenter’s trade, toward which his
tastes and talents inclined, he went to Rye,
where he served a three years’ apprenticeship
with Lemuel Bunker. Going thence to
Somerville, Mass., Mr. Perkins worked one
*season with a Mr. Randall, a contractor; and
on December 1, 1853, he started for New Or-
leans, where he remained engaged in carpen-
tering until the following April. He then
went up the Mississippi to St. Louis, whence
via Buffalo and the lakes he returned to Ports-
mouth. Making his home with his parents,
Mr. Perkins then began working for Carr
Leavitt, who lived four miles away, walking
the intervening distance each night and morn-
ing. At length, forming a partnership with
Joseph Whidden, under the name of Whidden
& Perkins, he established himself in the ice
business, which he carried on successfully
three years. At the end of that period, sell-
ing his share of the business to his partner,
Mr. Perkins bought out the ice trade of John
Stokell, which he conducted for some years,
when, his health failing, he sold out to his
brother, and returned to the healthful occupa-
tion in which he was reared, buying a farm of
one hundred and sixty acres in Hartford, Vt.
About two years later he came back to Ports-
mouth, and resumed the ice business. Dur-
ing the following winter he went South, locat-
ing in Bessemer, Ala., where he remained
until warm weather, when he went to Vermont
to look after his agricultural interests. With
the exception of the next winter, which he
spent in Birmingham, Ala., he carried on gen-
eral agriculture for three years. Having at
this time regained his former vigor, he again
settled in Portsmouth, and, in company with
his brother George, buying out all the ice
business in the city, carried on under the firm
name of Perkins Brothers a flourishing busi-
ness for five years. ~ Once more disposing of
his interest in the ice industry, he purchased
the bakery of Joseph Parry, and removed the
business to the foot of Daniels Street, where

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

in the year that followed, he built up a pros-
perous trade. Becoming afflicted with rheu-
matism to such an extent that he was unable
to attend to business, he was obliged to close
out his shop, paying his indebtedness to the
last penny. After that he again entered into
the ice business, building a house large
enough to hold five hundred tons; but, this
being inadequate to meet the demands of his
trade, he erected a second house of the same
capacity, and the next season put up one
capable of holding eight hundred tons. He
conducted a flourishing business for seven
years, when he-sold out, and has since been
engaged as a contractor and builder. In 18g1
he formed a copartnership with Solomon
Littlefield, and under the name of Perkins &
Littlefield continued contracting until June,
1894, since which time he has been alone.

Mr. Perkins cast his first Presidential vote
for John C. Fremont in 1856, and has since
been identified with the Republican party.
In 1864 he served as Street Commissioner.
Socially, he is a member of St. John’s Lodge,
No. 1, A. F. & A. M., in which he has served
as Deacon, besides holding minor offices; of
Piscataqua Lodge, No. 6, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, in which he has been through
all the chairs; and of Strawberry Encamp-
ment, in which likewise he has held all the
offices. Religiously, he is a member of the
Court Street Christian Church. Mr. Perkins
is a strictly temperate man, never indulging
in strong drinks, and is a fine representative
of the self-made men of the times. That he
is a man of thrift will be seen from the record
of his early experience. On entering his ap-
prenticeship he received thirty-five dollars the
first year, sixty dollars the second, and one
hundred and twenty-five dollars the third.
He made such wise use of this that he was
never without money in his pocket, and at the
end of the third year had enough to buy a
horse.

On October 17, 1860, Mr. Perkins married
Lucy F. Parker, the fourth child of Silas
Parker, a blacksmith of Bradford, Vt. Mr.
Parker served in the Union army in the Civil
War, enlisting July 31, 1862, in Company A,
Fourth Vermont Regiment, and was dis-
charged one year later for disability. He was
. BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

625

 

 

a charter member of Ransom Post, Grand
Army of the Republic. Mrs. Perkins comes
of a distinguished family, a distant kinsman
of hers, Richard G. Parker, having been a
noted teacher in Boston and the author of sev-
eral books. Her grandfather, Silas Parker,
Sr., was a wealthy farmer in Bradford, where
he lived to a good old age. Many of her kins-
men are well known in literary and professional
circles, being teachers, lawyers, and doctors.
She herself was educated at the Thetford
Academy. She possesses considerable artistic
talent, which she has successfully cultivated.
Several of her paintings adorn the home.

 

R. UNDERHILL, a well-known

resident of Derry, who for many

years was engaged in the manufact-

ure of edge tools, is a native of
Auburn, this county, born March 27, 1821.
He is the son of Jesse J. and Elizabeth
(Graham) Underhill, both natives of Auburn.
His grandfather, Josiah Underhill, a black-
smith by trade, was an old resident of Au-
burn and a well-known character in the
locality. Jesse J. Underhill, practically a
lifelong resident of Auburn, was one of the
most enterprising and prominent men of the
town. His occupation for a long period of
his life was the manufacture of edge tools. In
this industry he employed an average of
twelve men, and his goods ranked among the
best in the market. A member of the Whig
party in his younger manhood, he was prom-
inent as a Republican after the dissolution of
the old party. He served the town as Select-
man and as a’ Representative in the State leg-
islature. In church work also he took an
active part, holding membership in the Pres-
byterian Church of Auburn for a number of
years, and serving it as a chorister.

H. R. Underhill obtained his early edu-
cation in a district school in Auburn. The
subsequent education, which made him the
cultivated man he is to-day, was mainly self-
acquired. He entered his father’s shop when
seventeen years of age, and Jearned the trade
of making edge tools, remaining in a subor-
dinate position until he was of age. His
father then retired, leaving him in charge of

 

the business, which he successfully managed
for some time. He was subsequently in busi-
ness for himself in Manchester, N.H.; but
the venture proved disastrous, as his plant was
destroyed by fire. For some years thereafter
he was associated with his brother, S. G.
Underhill, in the manufacture of edge tools in
Boston, Mass., under the firm name of Under-
hill Brothers. From this partnership he re-
tired in 1867, and opened a shop for the manu-
facture of edge tools in Derry, and conducted
it until seven years ago. At that time he
ceased to manufacture, and has since given his
attention to repairing for the local trade. In
the sixty years during which Mr. Underhill
has worked at his trade he has witnessed
many changes in the methods of tempering
and fashioning iron and steel]. It has always
been his idea to produce the best work only,
and as a business man he enjoys the confidence
of the entire community.

He was united in marriage with Miss Re-
becca P. Dickey, who bore him seven children,
four of whom are living, namely: Julia
Isabel, the wife of H. S. Robinson, of An-
dover, Mass.; Edward H., residing in Wy-
oming; Caroline M., the City Librarian at
Utica, N.Y. ; and George W., with his father.
Mr. Underhill is a highly esteemed member of
the First Congregational Church of Derry, and
has officiated as Deacon. He is always ready
to further the interests of the town, and is
much respected.

 

ENNIS SHEA, senior member of the
firm D. Shea & Son of Portsmouth,

 

 

 

 

©) is a typical representative of our
self-made men. Beginning life
poor in pocket, but lavishly endowed by

nature with energy, pluck, and brain, he has
succeeded in climbing far up the ladder of
prosperity.

Mr. Shea was born March 18, 1836, in
Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, where he
lived until he was nine years old. Coming to
America with his father at that time, he spent
the next six years in the city of Lowell, Mass.,
and then began the battle of life on his own
account. He worked two years on the farm of
Daniel Coburn in Tyngsboro, an adjoining
626

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

town, and then went to Nashua, N.H., where
he served a three years’ apprenticeship with a
Mr. McSterratt, a mason. Having mastered
his trade, Mr. Shea worked the following five
years in Jersey City in the employment of
Hocks, Willis & Baker. In 1858 he accepted
a position with Willis & Dayton, and came
with the senior partner of the firm to Spring-
field, Penobscot County, Me., where they
started on a very small scale the manufacture
of cement pipe, their factory being located in
a building sixteen feet by twenty. Their
business increasing and more room _ being
needed, Mr. Willis started work elsewhere,
leaving Mr. Shea in charge of the Springfield
branch for nine years. Then he was sent out
with the patentee, and established a few fac-
tories for the firm. Subsequently he had
charge of their large factory at Northampton,
Mass., for three years. In 1870, May 4,
having decided to go into business on his own
account, he began the manufacture of cement
pipe in Dover, this State, and was quite suc-
cessful in the undertaking. On November 8
of the same year he and Thomas Granfield
joined in partnership, forming the firm of
D. Shea & Co., and carried on a profitable
business for five years. Then Mr. Shea con-
ducted the business alone until 1886, when he
took in as an equal partner his son, Patrick D.
Shea, who has since been associated with him
in his prosperous and thriving business.

On July 7, 1866, Mr. Shea married Hannah
Callahan, a native of Ireland. Of their eight
children four are living. John is captain on
one of the People’s Line of steamers; Daniel
is electrician for the same company; and a
daughter is the wife of a Mr. Sullivan, of
Nashua, N.H. In politics Mr. Shea was
formerly a Democrat. He is now joined with
the Republican party. So far he has not
been induced to accept office by either organ-
ization.

 

YPENRY W. BAGLEY, an energetic

and successful farmer of Derry and
= a member of the Board of Select-
men, was born in Machias, Wash-

ington County, Me., June 24, 1857, son of
David and Mary (Ward) Bagley. Mr. Bag-

 

siderable attention

 

ley’s father was a native of Washington
County, Maine, where he resided for a greater
part of his life; and his principal occupation
was that of a saw-mill operative. He owned
a small farm, which he cultivated with profit.
His industrious and useful life was brought to
a close in 1892. His wife, Mary, was a native
of England. Of her children the survivors
are: Henry W., the subject of this sketch;
Nellie, who became Mrs. Albee, and is now a
widow residing in Machias; John E.; and
Melvin J., who are residents of Machias.

Henry W. Bagley was reared and educated
in Machias. When a young man he engaged
in lumbering and saw-mill work. He later
went to Bay City, Mich., where for three years
he followed the same occupation. Upon his
return East he located in Derry, where he has
since resided. In 1884 he settled upon his
present property, situated on the shore of
Beaver Pond, and known as Lakeside Farm.
Here he owns seventy-six acres of fertile
land, which he cultivates with success. He
carries on general farming, but devotes con-
to the wholesale milk
business, which he finds exceedingly profitable.

On December 12, 1883, Mr. Bagley married
Lucy A. Alexander, daughter of James and
Mary (Dickey) Alexander, both of this town.
In ‘politics he is a Democrat, and is now
serving his third term as Selectman. He is
connected with Echo Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and Mystic Shrine
Encampment of Derry Depot. He also be-
longs to the Patrons of Husbandry of this town.
Both he and his wife enjoy pleasant social
relations.

AMUEL S. ALEXANDER, one

of the oldest residents of Windham, ~

was born in this town, October 9,

1819, son of David and Abigail

(Smith) Alexander. Mr. Alexander’s father,
who was a native of Windham, resided for
several years in Derry, but finally returned to
his native town, where he died in 1847. His
wife, Abigail, who was a native of Littlefield,
N.H., became the mother of ten children, of -
whom the only survivors are: Samuel S., the
subject of this sketch; Hannah, the wife of

 
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

627

 

 

David P. Snelling, of Kinmundy, Ill.; and
John J., a resident of Windham. The father,
an industrious and worthy citizen, labored
diligently for the support of his large family,
and was a member of the Presbyterian church.

Samuel S. Alexander grew to manhood in
Windham, where he acquired such education
as the district schools of that day afforded.
Practically speaking, he began to support him-
self at the age of nine years. He worked for
different farmers in his neighborhood, receiv-
ing his board and clothing for his services;
and when of sufficient age he became a general
farm assistant. He was for three years em-
ployed in the woollen-mills here, and in 1847
he settled upon the farm of sixty acres
where he has since resided. During a number
of winter seasons he was profitably engaged in
lumbering. But his chief occupation has
been the cultivation of his farm, which he has
carried on successfully for nearly fifty years.

On February 3, 1847, Mr. Alexander wedded
Clarissa Holden, of Tyngsboro, Mass. She
became the mother of one daughter — Nellie
M., who is now the wife of Charles O. Parker,
of Windham. Mrs. Alexander died December
30, 1891. Mr. Alexander has witnessed
many changes in this locality during his long
and useful period of activity. He is now
looked upon as one of the old landmarks, as
well as a: useful, public-spirited citizen. He
is now enjoying a well-earned rest at his
pleasant home, which, with its many comforts,
represents his industry and perseverance as a
self-made man. Probably no other resident
has a more numerous and cordial acquaintance-
ship. In politics he has always acted with the
Democratic party.

 

ACOB CARLISLE, a retired business
man of Exeter, was born April 24,

1820, in Waterboro, York County,

Me., son of James and Sally (DeShon)
Carlisle. His father, also a native of Maine,
was one of the first settlers of York County,
that State. He first married Miss Patience
Austin, who lived until past middle life, and
bore ‘no children. When he was sixty-two
years of age he entered a second marriage,
contracted with Miss Sally DeShon, a lady of

 

French descent. Born of this union were:
Patience, James, Jacob, and Elizabeth, of
whom Jacob is the sole survivor. The father
died in 1831; the mother survived until 1860,
when she passed away at the age of eighty-
seven years. She was living with her son
Jacob at the time, and up to within a few days
of her dissolution she was a_ strong, active
woman.

Jacob Carlisle was but eleven years of age
at the time of his father’s death. As he,
like the other children, was left but thirty-

‘three dollars, he began to earn his own liveli-

hood at the age of twelve. He first obtained
employment on the farm of a Mr. Sweat, a
man in good circumstances. Two years
later Mr. Sweat died, and Jacob returned to
his mother. She was residing on a small
farm; and this he thereafter conducted until
he was nineteen years of age, paying during
that time the small indebtedness on the place,
building a barn and repairing the house, be-
sides laying by one hundred and fifty dollars
for his own account. When he came to Exeter
in 1841 he had added to that amount from the
profits of the farm and by boating on the Con-
cord River and Canal, so that he then had two
hundred and seventy-five dollars in cash.
With this amount as capital, he formed a part-
nership with a stone-mason, and engaged in
the work of building cellar walls and founda-
tions. His partner retired after a short time.
Under Mr. Carlisle’s management the business
steadily increased, so that in busy seasons he
employed about twenty men. Athough he
charged but seven cents per foot for cellar
walls, the business was profitable.

In June, 1843, Mr. Carlisle was united in
marriage with Miss Mary O. Colcord, of this
place. She was born in 1825, and is a
daughter of Eliphalet and Olive (Steele)
Colcord. Mr. and Mrs. Colcord had three
other children— William H., Charles E.,
and Elizabeth. Elizabeth became the wife of
John Coburn, and died in 1885, forty-six years
of age. The father lived to the age of sixty-
three years. The mother’s death occurred
in 1892, when she was almost ninety-four.
Her faculties continued remarkably clear up
to a short time before her end. Mrs. Carlisle
has an aunt, Mary (Kimball) Steele, the
628

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

widow of Benjamin Steele, who has reached the
age of ninety-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Car-
lisle have lost five children: a son and
daughter who died of scarlet fever; an infant
son; a daughter who lived to be two and a
half years old; and Emma L., who died at
sixteen. The living children are: James W.,
Josephine A., George A., Cora A., Walter
Sis Evelyn A., Etta, and Jacob A. Josephine
A. is the widow of Woodbury Berry, Cora A.
is the wife of R. D. Burpee, Evelyn A. is liv-
ing at home, and Etta married Charles G.
Smith. The parents have now three grandsons
and six grand-daughters. Mr. Carlisle is a
supporter of Republican principles, and has
served in a number of minor offices.

ILLIAM A. HODGDON, of Ports-
mouth, architect, contractor, and
builder, was born in this city, De-

cember 9, 1849, son of Alexander H. and Sarah
(Walker) Hodgdon. He. is of English ances-
try, and is a descendant of one of the early set-
tlers of Rockingham County. His grandfather,
Benjamin Hodgdon, who was a farmer and
resided many years in Newington, subsequently
came to Portsmouth, where Alexander H.
Hodgdon was born. Farming was also Al-
exander’s chief occupation. About a_ year
after the birth-of his son William A., in
Portsmouth, he removed to Greenfield, Hills-
borough County, where he purchased a farm
and spent the rest of his life. His wife, also
a native of Portsmouth, is now living with a
daughter in this city. She gave birth to thir-
teen children, twelve of whom grew to ma-
turity.

William A. Hodgdon was educated in the
district school and at Greenfield Academy.
At the age of seventeen he began to learn the
carpenter's trade under the instruction of
Moses Yeaton. Having served an apprentice-
ship of three years and a half, he obtained a
position as foreman in New York City.
While so employed he studied architecture.
Under the strain of work and study his health
gave way, whereupon he resigned his position
and returned to Portsmouth. A year later he
engaged in business as a contractor and builder,
also dealing in builders’ supplies, and has

 

‘Masons;

 

prosperously continued in it. He is now one
of the leading men in his line in the city.
He is.a member of the Mechanics’ and Manu-
facturer’s Association and of the Mechanics’
Fire Association, and he is a Trustee of the
Public Library.

Mr. Hodgdon was married in 1875 to Miss
Carrie Yeaton, of Portsmouth, daughter of
Moses Yeaton, his first employer. She died
in 1885, leaving a daughter named Ethel.
In 1894 he entered a second marriage, by
which he was united to Mrs. Clara (Williams)
Randall. Mr. Hodgdon is a member of St.
Andrew’s Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M.;
Washington Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch
De Witt Clinton Commandery,
Knights Templars; and of Piscataqua Lodge,
No. 6, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He is Warden of the Middle Street Baptist
Church, also a teacher in the Sunday-school,
and a member of the Young Men’s Christian
Association.

 

RANK P.. WOODBURY, | proprietor
of the F. P. Woodbury & Co. Shoe
Manufactory at Salem Depot, doing a

large and successful business in the manufact-
ure of medium and cheap grades of men’s,
women’s, misses’, and children’s shoes, was
born in Salem, October 24, 1850, son of
Orlando H. and Mary E. (Corning) Woodbury,
both natives of Salem. Orlando H. Wood-
bury was a son of Nathaniel Woodbury and a
grandson of Luke Woodbury. Luke Wood-
bury, an early settler of Salem and a man
noted for his physical strength and endurance,
took part in the War of Independence. Na-
thaniel Woodbury was a prominent man in
Salem, and served as Selectman and asa Rep-
resentative to the lower house of the State
legislature. Orlando H. Woodbury died
Some years ago, and is survived by his widow,
who lives at Salem Depot.

Frank P. Woodbury, the only child of his
parents, was educated in the public schools of
Salem, and grew to manhood in this town.
In his eighteenth year he embarked in the shoe
business, and shortly after undertook the
manufacture of shoes on contract. This he
followed for four years, and then in a small
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

629

 

 

way began the manufacture of shoes on his
own account at a place now known as Millville
in Salem. This shop has since become one of
the leading shoe manufactories of the State.
Being obliged to enlarge his facilities in 1877
or 1878, he removed to Salem Depot, where
he now has an establishment fitted up with
modern machinery and capable of employing
three hundred hands. He is doing a very
prosperous business.

Mr. Woodbury married Miss Lizzie E.
Rant, of Maine, and now has two sons —
Harry O. and Ernest R. In politics he isa
Democrat, and has served one term as State
Senator from this district. He enjoys the con-
fidence of the business community, and he and
his wife are held in high esteem in social
circles. Their fine residence will compare fa-
vorably with any in this section of the Granite
State.

 

 

ANIEL M. EVANS, a_ thriving
farmer of Kensington, was born in
6) Salisbury, Mass., September 20,
1860, son of Charles A. and Abbie
Ann (Merrill) Evans. His grandfather, Miles
Evans, who, it is supposed, was a native of
Barnstead, N.H., became an early settler and
an industrious farmer of Seabrook, this State.
He married Eliza Chase, of that town; and his
declining years were passed with his son in
Salisbury, Mass., where he died at the age of
eighty-two. In politics he was a Democrat
and in his religious views a Baptist.

Charles A. Evans, father of Daniel M., was
born in Seabrook, March 4, 1830, and since
~ early manhood has been engaged in farming.
He moved to Kensington, N.H., in 1866, and
has become one of the thriving and substan-
tial agriculturists of that town, conducting at
the present day one of its largest farms. Po-
litically, he supports the Republican party.
He was elected a member of the Board of Se-
lectmen, and has also served as Supervisor.
His first wife, Abbie Ann Merrill, was born
in Salisbury, Mass., August 14, 1836; and of
the ten children born of this union eight are
living, namely: Mary Frances; Eliza M.;
Charles M.; Daniel M., the subject of this
sketch and twin brother of Charles M.;

 

 

 

 

 

Amos M.; John A.; Moses W.; and Joseph
C. The two deceased were Sarah Abbie and
John. After the death of his first wife Charles
A. Evans married for his second Abbie C.
Lowe, of Maine; and she has had three chil-
dren — Arthur W., Grace M., and Marion, of
whom the last named is no longer living.

Daniel M. Evans has resided in Kensington
since he was five years old, and he acquired
his education in the schools of this town. On
leaving school he learned the blacksmith’s
trade, but soon relinquished that calling to
engage in lumbering and farming, for some
time carrying on lumbering operations in com-
pany with his brother, Charles M. In 1886
he settled upon his present farm, which he has
since conducted with success. His property,
which originally consisted of seventy-six
acres, he has increased by the addition of
more land -to one hundred and fifty-two; and
aside from general farming he has a well-
equipped dairy. On November 17, 1885, Mr.
Evans wedded Mary E. Woods, who was born
in Manchester, N.H., October 18, 1864, a
daughter of Laban L. and Julia A. Woods.
Her father was a mechanic and farmer, a
worthy citizen, and a Republican in politics.
He died June 21, 1888, his wife having pre-
ceded him to the world beyond the grave, Sep-
tember 13, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have
three children, as follows: Walter W., born
April 18, 1888; Ella J., who was born Janu-
ary 2, 1893; and George E., who was born
January 7, 1896.

Mr. Evans has served his fellow-townsmen |
well and faithfully as a member of the Board
of Selectmen for four years, during one of
which he presided as Chairman of that body.
He is connected with the Patrons of Hus-
bandry, and both he and his wife are popular
in the social circles of the town.

 

EV. EDWARD ROBIE, a prominent
preacher of Greenland, was born

April 5, 1821, in Gorham, Me.,

son of Thomas S. and Clarissa
(Adams) Robie. The father, a merchant by
occupation, was a native of Chester, this
county; and the mother was born in Massachu-
setts. They had nine children, only four of
630

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

whom are living: Edward, the subject of this
narrative; Lucinda, who resides with her
brother Edward; Thomas S., who is a Con-
gregational minister of Chicago; and Ben-
jamin A., who is also a minister, located in
Grafton, Mass.

Edward Robie, the eldest child, attended
Gorham Academy, and graduated therefrom in
1836. He then entered Bowdoin College,
from which institution he was graduated in
1840. From 1840 to 1843 he wasa student
in Andover Theological Seminary. In the
fall of the latter year he matriculated at the
celebrated University of Halle, near Leipsic,
Germany, where he remained three years. In
the winter of 1846, after visiting Berlin for
six months, Edward Robie returned to Amer-
ica, subsequently becoming teacher of lan-
guages in Gorham Academy. Two years
thereafter he became assistant teacher of
Hebrew in Andover Theological Seminary,
in which capacity he served for three years.
He then took charge of his first pastorate
in Greenland, being there ordained for the
ministry in 1851, though he did not move
here until the year following. With the ex-
ception of two trips to Europe for recreation,
Mr. Robie has been connected with this parish
continuously ever since, devoting his energies
untiringly to its various needs.

On December 28, 1852, Mr. Robie and
Miss Susan P. Jameson were joined in wedlock
at the altar. His wife, who was the daughter
of the Rev. Thomas Jameson, a native of
Effingham, N.H., died January 12, 1878.
Mr. Robie is loved by his congregation, and
held in high esteem by all who know of his
work in Greenland.

EVI S. BARTLETT, M.D., formerly
a well-known physician and prominent
and influential citizen of Kingston,

Rockingham County, is well re-
membered by the older residents of this town.
He was born here, December 3, 1811, son of
Judge Levi and Abigail (Stevens) Bartlett.
The family is an old one and much respected
throughout this county and State, some of its
representatives having been noted men in the
early history of the Commonwealth. The pa-

 

 

ternal grandfather of Dr. Bartlett was the
Hon. Josiah Bartlett, the sixth Governor of
the State of New Hampshire and one of the
most influential public men of his day.

Judge Levi Bartlett, Dr. Bartlett’s father,
was born in Kingston, and received a liberal
education. After graduating from college he
settled in his native town as a physician, hav-
ing an extensive practice in this locality.
He was also County Judge. His natural abil-
ity and superior intellectual attainments made
him a conspicuous figure in public life, and
during his long and useful career he rendered
valuable and distinguished services as a public

official. He died at the family residence in
Kingston in 1827. Judge Bartlett was twice
married. By his first wife, whose maiden

name was Sally Hook, he had one child, who
died in infancy. His second wife, Abigail |
Stevens Bartlett, who was a native of Salis-
bury, became the mother of three children, all
ot whom grew to maturity, and filled useful
positions in life, but are no longer living.
They were as follows: Luella, who became
the wife of the Rev. Eliphalet Case, of Low-
ell, Mass.; Junia L., who married F. O. J.
Smith, a prominent resident of Portland,
Me.; and Levi S., the subject of this sketch.
Judge Bartlett’s second wife died in 1840.
Levi S.: Bartlett passed his boyhood and
youth at the ancestral homestead in Kingston.
He spent a part of his time in farm work, and
improved to the utmost his opportunities for
obtaining an education. When twenty-one
years old he commenced the practice of med-
icine in Lowell, Mass., where he resided for
five years. At the expiration of that time he
returned to Kingston, and took up practice
here, becoming the leading physician of this
locality. He thus remained until his death,
which took place February 19, 1865. He was
a Democrat in politics; and, though not an
office-seeker, he was elected to various town
and county offices. He preferred, however,
to devote his time and energies to the care of
the homestead and to his profession, through
the practice of which he accumulated a good
property. On December 3, 1844, Dr. Bart-
lett was united in marriage to Aroline E. San-
born, who was born in Kingston, August 15,
1825, a daughter of Moses and Betsey
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

631

 

 

(Stevens) Sanborn. Both her parents were
representatives respectively of highly repu-
table families of this town. Her father, who
was a tanner by trade, died here August 3,
1857. Mrs. Dr. Bartlett, who is still living,
reared four children, as follows: Ella A., who
is residing at home; Junia L., who died at the
age of thirty-seven years; Leviatta, wife of
John S. Conner, an attorney of Cincinnati,
Ohio; and Levi S., who also resides at the
homestead in Kingston. Mrs. Bartlett’s de-
clining years are made happy by the filial love
and devotion of her children and the sincere
esteem of a large circle of friends.

Levi S. Bartlett, Jr., was born in Kings-
ton, March 28, 1857. He is now one of the
leading business men of this town, dividing
his time between general farming, stock rais-
ing, and lumbering. He married Miss R.
Grace Sanborn, who was born in Fremont,
Ohio, March 10, 1865, a daughter of John C.
and Mary A. (Hooke) Sanborn. Her parents
are still living, and are residents of Fremont.
Mr. and Mrs. Levi S. Bartlett have had four
children; namely, Levi (deceased), Gertrude
E., Junia L., and Lottie Mary. Mr. Bartlett
affiliates with the Republican party, and has
held various important offices in the town and
county. He is connected fraternally with
Columbia Lodge, No. 85, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows; Ruth Rebecca Lodge, No.
66; and with Grange No. 177 of Kingston.
He and his wife are popular in social circles.

 

AMUEL P. SARGENT, a _ well-
known farmer and lumberman of
Hampton, Rockingham County,

N.H., is a native of Salem, in the
same county, where he was born June 17,
1825, being a son of William A. and Wealthy
(Austin) Sargent.

His father was a native of Methuen, Mass.
For many years in the earlier portion of his
life he worked at his trade as a morocco-
dresser and a currier; and later he was en-
gaged in farming in the employ of his brother-
in-law at Manchester, N.H. He married
Miss Wealthy Austin, a native of Salem,
N.H., and they became the parents of quite a
family of children, three of whom attained to

 

maturity; namely, John A., Mary P., and
Samuel P. John A. Sargent wedded Miss
Mary Mehegan, who has borne him four chil-
dren, three sons and one daughter, and now
makes his home in Boston, Mass. Mary is
the wife of Moses Woodbury, of Salem, N.H.
They have two children— Albertina and
Frank G. Mr. William A. Sargent passed
his declining days in Salem, N.H., where he
deceased at a goodly age.

Samuel P. Sargent, when a young child,
went to live with his maternal uncle, Sutrick
Austin, with whom he made his home until
his eighteenth year. He obtained his educa-
tion in the district schools of New Salem,
and, while still a youth, was able to render a
man’s full service in performing the work of
his uncle’s farm. Energetic and venture-
some, at the age of only twelve years he went
seven miles with two yoke of oxen and a
horse to procure a stick of timber of such size
as to tax the strength of the five draught-ani-
mals in hauling. The achievement would
have done credit to a veteran lumberman.
When seventeen years old he was employed for
a short time in. Boston and Brighton, Mass.,
when he went to Exeter, N.H. After work-
ing for another brief period for Sheriff Stephen
Dearborn, who was the keeper of the county
jail at Exeter, he engaged in sundry pursuits
until he became twenty-one years of age. He
then took a South Sea voyage, soon after be-
coming a whaler, and sailing into the Arctic
Ocean five times. He has voyaged to almost
as northerly a latitude as Lieutenant Greely
penetrated. He always sailed from New Bed-
ford, Mass.; and, while he officiated as the
second mate of the ship “Ocean,” he at one
time landed in that port a cargo the worth of
which on the wharves was estimated at twenty-
one thousand dollars.

He had engaged in whaling seventeen years,
when in 1861 he enlisted in the Union army,
joining Company F of the Seventh Regiment
of New Hampshire Volunteers, of which H. S.
Putnam was Sergeant. He was at the front
three years and eight months, rendering val-
iant service to his country, and was mustered
out at Goldsboro, N.C., in August, 1865. He
participated in every contest in which the
regiment was engaged except one skirmish,
632

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

and took part in two charges at Fort Wagner,
in which the Colonel met his death. At the
close of the war Mr. Sargent came to Hamp-
ton, N.H., and found employment for five
years with Mr Coffin on a farm and in his
saw-mill. After subsequently conducting the
mill for a time by the thousand, he operated
it for Mr. Arthur Wilbur; and still later he
purchased the mill and also four acres of land,
on which he and his wife now make their
home.

. During the war, while on a furlough, Mr.
Sargent married Miss Elizabeth Cutts, of
Hampton. In politics Mr. Sanborn is affili-
ated with the Republican party, with which
he has been connected almost from the date of
its organization. He cast his first Presiden-
tial ballot in 1865 for our emancipating and
martyr President, Abraham Lincoln. He

keeps fresh his memories of the war, in which:

he served his country so loyally and so disas-
trously to himself —he being a pensioner on
account of the effects of the notorious army
chills and fevers—by his association with
Post No. 78, Grand Army of the Republic,
of Hampton.

 

known resident of Derry, and a rep-
\_ resentative of an old and highly

reputable family in this county, was
born here, January 2, 1816, son of David and
Hannah (Duncan) Karr. Both parents were
natives of Derry, while the father was a sturdy
and industrious farmer. _

Henry D. Karr was educated in the com-
mon schools of Derry and at Pinkerton Acad-
emy, and subsequently engaged in agricultural
pursuits upon the home farm. Succeeding to
the property after his father’s death, he con-
tinued to carry on general farming in a prac-
tical and progressive manner, laboring dili-
gently to increase the fertility of his land,
and otherwise improving his farm. As a re-
sult he attained to a prominent position among
the foremost agriculturists of this town. For
a number of years he was upon the School
Committee of his district, his deep interest in
educational matters having caused him to de-
vote much time and attention to advancing

A= D. KARR, formerly a_ well-

 

 

the public-school system and broadening’ its
field of usefulness. He was also a zealous
advocate of temperance in the use of liquors.
Though not a member of any church in partic-
ular, he contributed liberally toward the sup-
port of religious work, and in other ways man-
ifested a heartfelt desire for the advancement
of the moral and religious welfare of the com-
munity. Of a retiring disposition, he avoided
notoriety, leaving political affairs to those
who were attracted in that direction; but he
lived an eminently useful life, and was noted
for his unostentatious benevolence. As a
worthy and public-spirited citizen, he enjoyed
the respect and sincere good will of his fel-
low-townsmen. At his death, which occurred
July 10, 1880, the town mourned his loss as
that of a man endeared to all and whose place
in the community could not be readily filled.
On May 25, 1847, Mr. Karr was united in
marriage to Elizabeth H. Knowles, who sur-
vives him. She was born in East Derry, Sep-
tember 26, 1819, daughter of John C. and
Rachel (Caldwell) Knowles, the former of
whom was a native of Candia, Hillsborough
County. Mrs. Karr’s paternal grandfather,
Amos Knowles, served as a soldier in the War
of 1812, and was one of the early settlers of
Candia, where he was engaged in general
farming. John C. Knowles was a well-known
and prosperous farmer of Candia and East
Derry for many years. ‘ In 1825 or 1826 he
moved to Nashua, N.H., where the rest of his
life was passed, and where he died in 1833.
His wife, Rachel, who was a native of Hud-
son, N.H., anda daughter of Deacon Alexan-
der Caldwell, of Amherst, N.H., having sur-
vived her husband for ten years, died in 1843.
At the age of six years Elizabeth H.
Knowles accompanied her parents to Nashua,
where her education was begun. After finish-
ing a course at the high school in that town
she entered the Adams Female Academy in
Derry, where her studies were completed.
She married as abové stated, and since the
death of her husband has continued to occupy
the old Karr homestead, which has been in the
possession of the family since 1811. Mrs.
Karr possesses intellectual attainments of a
high order; and, having been a great reader
all her life, she has accumulated a large fund
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

633

 

 

“of general information, and is especially well

informed upon the topics of the day. She is
highly esteemed for her amiable and_ kind-
hearted disposition, and has. an extensive ac-
quaintanceship in this locality. Mrs. Karr
is a member of the First Congregational
Church, and is connected with the Ladies’
_ Sewing Circle.

 

BBOTT A. LOCKE, a prosperous and
highly esteemed merchant of Sea-
brook, N.H., was born in Boston,
Mass., August 2, 1838. He is a
son of Dudley S. and Caroline W. (Nudd)
Locke, the former a native of Seabrook, the
latter of Hampton in the same county. His
father, Dudley S. Locke, a son of John Locke,
who was also a native of Seabrook, was edu-
cated at a district school and Hampton Acad-
emy. An enterprising and ambitious man,
he was in the hotel business for a number of
years, during which he managed the Old
Colony House, Hingham, Mass., a hotel at
Hampton Beach, Me., and the old Exchange
Coffee House on Congress Street, Boston.
Starting in 1855, he was in the express busi-
ness in Seabrook for a while. He built a
brick residence in the town, cutting the lum-
ber and burning the brick for it himself. For
a number of years he was Selectman of Sea-
brook, and served also in the capacity of
Deputy Sheriff. He lived to be eighty-four
years of age, and died in the town where he
was born. His wife was a daughter of David
Nudd, of Hampton. She reared two children
— John D. and Abbott A. John D. Locke,
who is a resident of Seabrook, married Martha
M. Brown, and, having no children of his
own, adopted a daughter, who is now the
wife of Alvin Damon.

Abbott A. Locke received a good practical
education, attending the district school,
Hampton Falls Academy, and Comer’s Com-
mercial College, Boston. In 1858, while his
father was in the express business, he was ap-
pointed station agent of Seabrook, and co-
operated with his father for some time. He
was station agent for twenty years. In 1866
he erected his store buildings, put in a stock
of general merchandise, and attended to the

 

trade between train times. In 1877 he re-
signed his position of station agent, and has
since given his full attention to his mercantile
interests. Besides attending to his business as
station agent and merchant he was employed
as clerk for some time in Summit House on
Mount Washington. The shoe factory at the
depot, leased to Messrs. Poor and Dale for a
term of years, and now giving employment to
from sixty to seventy-five hands, was built
through Mr. Locke’s influence and enterprise.

In 1860 Mr. Locke was married to Susan
H., daughter of David and Sally (Jarvin)
Chase. One child, Gertrude, has blessed the
union. She is now the wife of Alfred M.
Beckman, a railroad man residing in Everett,
Mass., and has one child, Caroline L.

Mr. Locke has been identified with the Re-
publican party since he cast his first Presiden-
tial vote in 1860 for Abraham Lincoln. He
was in the State legislature in 1866, and was
Town Clerk of Seabrook during the late war.
He belongs to one prominent social organiza-
tion, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
being a member of Rockingham Lodge, No.
22, of Hampton, N.H. One of the old citi-
zens of Seabrook, he is widely known and es-
teemed by his townsmen.

 

in the town of Salem, Rockingham
County, was born here, March 3, 1817.
He is a son of Joel and Olive (Corliss)
Carey, his father having been a native of

J C. CAREY, the oldest merchant

Jaffrey, N.H., and his mother of Salem. The
family is said to be of Irish extraction.
George A. Carey, grandfather of Joel C.,

was a patriot soldier of the Revolutionary War.

When three years old Joe] C. Carey removed
with his parents to Methuen, Mass., and at
the age of seven from there to Windham,
N.H., where he remained until reaching his
eighteenth year. He then returned with his
parents to Methuen, which was his home for
two or three years. His education was ac-
quired in Windham, in a little brick school-
house near his home, which he attended prin-
cipally during the winter season. At the age
of twenty he began his business career, mak-
ing shoes in Melrose, Mass., for George
634

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

Emerson, by whom he was employed for
several years; and he subsequently clerked for
some years in Mr. Emerson’s store. He after-
ward became a foreman in Mr. Emerson’s shoe
shop, and still later held the position of head
clerk in his store, which he retained until
1849. In that. year -he came to Salem Depot
and started in mercantile business for himself,
and has since been thus engaged with the ex-
ception of three short intervals. He carries
an excellent line of general merchandise, and
has a good trade.

Mr. Carey has twice married, his first
wife being Miss Rachel A. Bradford, of
Salem, who bore him two daughters: Rachel
L. (deceased) ; and Hattie, the wife of J. J.
Hunt. His present wife was by maiden name
Hannah A. D. Richardson, of Dracut, Mass.
Alma L., a daughter by this marriage, became
the wife of Charles Cronin. Mr. Carey has
served as Selectman of Salem for seven terms,
and represented the town in the State legis-
lature three terms. For nine years he was
Postmaster at Salem Depot. Fraternally, he
is a charter member of Granite Lodge, No. 11,
United Order of Pilgrim Fathers.

 

OSEPH W. SANBORN, one of the
most prominent and successful farmers
and cattle breeders of Deerfield, was
born July 9, 1852. The Sanborn fam-

ily is of English origin; and Joseph W. San-
born is a lineal descendant in the eighth gen-
eration of John Sanborn, who settled in
Hampton, N.H., about 1643, having come to
this country with his widowed mother and his
brothers William and Stephen in 1632. The
last named returned to England with his
grandfather, the Rev. Stephen Bachilor.

The second generation was represented by
John, Jr.; the third, by Tristram, son of John,
Jr., and Judith (Coffin) Sanborn; the fourth,
by their son Peter, born in 1713, who was the
father of eleven children. Three of his sons
— Peter (second), Enos, and Benjamin — set-
tled in Deerfield in 1775 or near that date.
Peter Sanborn, the second of the name, born
in 1748, married Anna Scribner, by whom he
had four children — Peter (third), Deborah,
John, and Benning Wentworth. He died De-

 

cember 11, 1818. He was a member of the
Congregational church.

Benning Wentworth Sanborn settled on his
father’s farm in Deerfield. He married a
Miss Jenness, and had six children born to
him, of whom the only survivor is Mary J.,
the wife of Joseph Haynes, of Manchester.
His son, Richard Jenness Sanborn, pursued
the hereditary vocation on the old Sanborn
farm. He married Miss Abbie J. Stearns, of
Deerfield, and became the father of four chil-
dren, namely: Benning W., who died before
he had learned to utter his mother’s name;
Joseph W., the special subject of this sketch;
Mary J., who passed away in infancy; and
Mary Abbie, who was taken from the earthly
home at the early age of nineteen years.
Richard J. Sanborn held many important
offices in Deerfield during his life, and
wielded a strong influence in his locality.
He was sent as a Representative to the legis-
lature two or three times, was Deputy Sheriff
for twenty or thirty years, Town Moderator
for a number of terms, and was a Selectman
for several-terms. Mr. Richard J. Sanborn
was at one time a Democrat, but afterward
became a Republican. He was not affiliated
with any social orders or fraternal societies.
He was an attendant of the Congregational
church, and was endowed with a musical gift,
singing in the choir of the Deerfield church.
He died and was gathered to his fathers in
November of 1888, having lived seventy-two
years.

Joseph W. Sanborn, whose success as a
farmer may be partly attributed to a hereditary
taste in that direction, but more largely to
his good judgment and industry, was educated
in the common schools of Deerfield and at
Pembroke Academy. Immediately after leav-
ing school he engaged in the occupation he
has steadily followed, beginning to farm on
the ancestral estate which he now owns. On
the 27th of October, 1892, he was married to
Miss Jennie Odell Sanborn, a daughter of Dr.
Sanborn, of South Berwick, Me. Two chil-
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn.
Both, however, died in infancy.

Mr. Sanborn’s valuable estate consists of
six hundred and forty acres of pasture, tillage,
and wood land. Fifty acres are under cultiva-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

635

 

 

tion, while every square foot of the soil is
made to yield profit to its owner. From
seventy-five to eighty tons of hay are cut from
his fields on an average; and he makes a spe-
cialty of his dairy farm, furnishing rich, pure
milk to the Sanborn Creamery of Deerfield.
For this purpose nine of his fifteen or twenty
best cows are kept in prime condition. His
flock of fine sheep, eighteen in number, are
celebrated in this part of the county, and
his great, pure-blooded Southdown ram takes
precedence of the less aristocratic animals on
the farm. His stables are also well supplied,
nine horses being employed for pleasure and
utility.

Mr. Sanborn has built a handsome residence
of two and a half stories and an ell extension,
and has also built a barn which is unrivalled
in the neighborhood. This building measures
eighty-five by forty-two feet in dimensions, and
easily holds one hundred and fifty tons of hay,
twenty head of cattle, and eight horses. It is
built over a split stone cement cellar, and is
regarded as the finest barn in the county.
Both dwelling and out-buildings have been
constructed with the most modern improve-
ments. Mr. Sanborn has led a life too full of
stirring interests centred about his home to
care anything for the “brief authority” of
public office; and domestic pleasures have left
little desire for any connection with the social
orders that seem so much a part of many men’s
lives. He is a Republican, and he attends
the services of the Congregational church of
his town. Mr. Sanborn is considered the
model farmer of Deerfield; and, after visiting
his well-ordered and beautifully kept estate,
one feels that he has proved that even the
wind-swept and sterile soil of New England
may be made a land of fruitfulness and plente-
ous harvests under the management of a wise
head and strong hands.

 

 

ANIEL W. PHILBRICK, a well-
known farmer of Rye, was born here
Jo May 29, 1844, son of Daniel and
Sarah A. (Philbrick) Philbrick.

On the paternal side he comes of English an-
cestry, and represents an old and respected
family of Rye. His great-grandfather, Joseph

 

 

 

 

 

Philbrick, was a native of Rye. Joseph’s son
Jonathan was throughout life engaged in gen-
eral agriculture on the farm which has become
the ancestral estate. He served his native
town for eleven successive years on the Board
of Selectmen, was Justice of the Peace for
many years, and represented the community
for three terms in the New Hampshire State
legislature. He was joined in matrimony with
Miss Sarah Marden, and by her became the fa-
ther of eight children; namely, Jonathan, Sher-
idan, Ira, Joseph, Newell, Daniel, Betsy, and
Sally. Jonathan died in 1865; Sheridan was
killed by a stroke of lightning while at school;
and Newell passed away in California.

Daniel Philbrick was born on the old home-
stead, and received his education in the com-
mon schools of Rye. At the age of fourteen
years he found employment on the farm of
Colonel Drake, where he continued to be en-
gaged for about sixteen years. In his thirty-
first year he returned to his father’s farm,
which he conducted during the remainder of
his life. Mr. Philbrick wedded Miss Sarah
A. Philbrick,.a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Ephraim Philbrick, of Rye. Ephraim Phil-
brick was a son of Jonathan and Mollie
Philbrick, and his -wife before marriage was
Miss Sarah Webster. Her grandfather, Jo-
siah Webster, was an early resident of Rye.
Mrs. Daniel Philbrick bore her husband three
sons and two daughters; namely, Emily,
Harrison, Lamira, Daniel W., and Ira P.
Emily departed this life at the age of twenty
years. Harrison was twice married. His
first wife, Jane (Eastman) Philbrick, a native
of Meredith, N.H., died leaving five children
— Lillie H., Perley, Daniel E., George, and
Nellie P. He now lives with his second wife,
Emma (Lane) Philbrick, a native of Cleve-
land, Ohio, at Rich Hill, Bates County, Mo.
Lamira was married to Thomas Knowles, of
North Hampton, N.H., and has a son, David
W. Ira died in 1867 in his twenty-first year.
The father, who was a temperate and judicious
man, enjoyed the respect and confidence of all
those who had the pleasure of his acquaint-
ance. His life closed in March, 1882, at the
age of seventy-six years and nine months.
His wife, Mrs. Philbrick, makes her home
with her son, the subject of this sketch.
636

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

 

Daniel W. Philbrick received his education
in the district schools of his native town and
of old and New Hampton. At the completion
of his schooling he returned to the home farm,
where he has since been prosperously engaged
in farming. The dwelling-house, which was
erected by his father, is a good one; and the
farm contains about seventy-three acres of
land. On January 9, 1872, Mr. Philbrick
married Miss Cynthia A. Odione, daughter
of Eben L. Odione, a resident of Rye. They
have now four children— Emily M., Alfred
C., Ervine C., and Carrie W. In national
politics he associates with the Republican
party. Mr. Philbrick is in intimate fellow-
ship with the Christian Church of Rye.

 

.

OHN L. ALLEN, turnkey of the Ports-
mouth jail, was born November 4,
1839, at York, Me., which was like-
wise the place of nativity of his father,
the late James Allen. The Allen family are
of English extraction. A number of emi-
grants bearing this name came to America in
the early Colonial days. One of them settled
in Wells, York County, Me.; and from him
this branch of the Allen family sprung. Mr.
John L. Allen’s grandfather Allen served in
the Revolutionary War, enlisting from the
town of Wells, where he was for many years
engaged in farming. He spent a portion of
his life in York, where his seven children
were born, James being the youngest child.

James Allen grew to manhood in his native
town, and from his earliest life was engaged in
seafaring pursuits. He became captain of a
vessel, which he commanded several years,
being a successful trader. In 1849 Captain
Allen removed to Kittery, where he continued
his residence during the remainder of his
earthly days, dying at the advanced age of
eighty-six years. To him and his wife, whose
maiden name was Sarah Trafton, ten children
were born, the youngest member of the pa-
rental household being John L., the special
subject of this biographical notice.

John L. Allen received a common-school
education, and on the completion of his studies
went to New Castle, where he secured a posi-
tion as steward on board the good ship “ Helen

 

 

& Eliza,” which he held from 1856 until
1862. He then entered the United States
Navy, becoming captain’s steward on the
“Consolation,” which was sent on a three
years’ trip to the Mediterranean. On Febru-
ary II, 1865, shortly after returning home,
Mr. Allen was discharged from the navy, and
returned to the merchant service, where he
was subsequently engaged for four years. In
1869 he went into the Portsmouth navy yard
to take charge of a lodge, which he supervised
until 1876. He resigned then to accept his
present responsible position, which he has
since held, discharging his onerous duties
with distinguished ability and faithfulness,
the many prisoners that have been placed
under his care necessitating his constant at-
tendance and supervision. The new jail,
which is a model in its structure and equip-
ments, was first occupied May 31, 1892.

 

HARLES E. DAVIS, of Notting-
ham, one of the busy and successful
agriculturists of this town, was born
upon the farm where he now re-
sides, January 25, 1858, son of David and
Olive (Dearborn) Davis. Mr. Davis’s great-
grandfather, David Davis, in company with
his brother came from Lee, N.H., to Notting-
ham when the town was first springing into
existence. On the highway then’ known as
Gebig Road they took up a large tract of land,
which they cleared and improved. Levi
Davis, the grandfather, was a native of this
town, where he was engaged in farming during
the active period of his life. He matried, and
reared two children, of whom David Davis was
the younger.

David Davis was born in Nottingham in
the year 1800. He learned the shoemaker’s
trade, which with farming he followed for
a greater part of his life. He owned one
hundred acres of the original tract acquired by
his ancestors. His death occurred at the
homestead, July 25, 1865. In politics he was
a Democrat; and he was known asa worthy,
upright man and a useful citizen. His wife,
Olive, whom he married February 25, 1845,
was a daughter of Isaac Dearborn, of Jackson,
N.H., who owned a farm of three hundred

¢e
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

637

 

 

acres in that town. She became the mother
of two sons, namely: Isaac L. Davis, who was
born February 9, 1847; and Charles E., the
subject of this sketch. Isaac L. Davis is now
engaged in cultivating a part of the homestead
property, and occupies a residence situated
directly opposite that of his — brother,
Charles E.

Charles E. Davis acquired his education in
the schools of his native town. After com-
pleting his studies he learned shoemaking,
and followed it for some time. Since he
obtained possession of the share of the home
farm left him by his father, its management
bas been his principal occupation. The prop-
erty contains fifty acres, most of which is
under cultivation.
ceedingly productive, and by able handling it
brings Mr. Davis a handsome income.

On February 22, 1879, Mr. Davis was
united in marriage to Annie L. Smith. She
is a daughter of Stephen and Mary (Burley)
Smith, of Nottingham, whose other child,
Nellie, is now Mrs. Thompson, of Brentwood,
N.H., having three children — Fred, Jessie,
and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have one son
— Arthur S., who was born January 29, 1880.
In politics Mr. Davis supports the Republican
party, is well informed upon current issues
relative to both State and nation, and is es-
pecially interested in the moral and religious
welfare of the community. Both he and his
wife are members of the Free Baptist church.

 

 

AMES HOYT, who for many years

devoted himself to teaching, and later.

was engaged in farming in his native

town of Newington, was born on De-
cember 12, 1804. He was the son of Will-
iam Hoyt, of Newington, whose father was
Dennis Hoyt, of the same town.

James Hoyt at the tender age of eleven years
met with a severe accident causing a lifelong
injury. When he was about thirteen years
of age he went to Portsmouth and entered the
public schools, making good use of his time,
and at the age of nineteen he began teaching
school at York, Me., where he remained in this
occupation for some years. He then returned
‘to Rockingham County, New Hampshire, and

It is well located and ex-’

 

undertook his profession, being a teacher in
the public schools, finally becoming the prin-
cipal of the school at Portsmouth.

While in Maine he met and married Miss
Lydia Smith, of York County, a daughter of
Israel and Hannah (Ingalls) Smith. This
was in 1833, on the 21st of July. They had
a family of eight children, namely: Israel,
who was a farmer during his life, and died
February 24, 1895; Corinne, who is now the
wife of Valentine M. Coleman; James A.,
who remained on his father’s farm until he was
twenty-one years of age, and in 1867 went
to’ Boston and learned his trade of ‘carpenter-
ing, then went to California and spent a year
there, next going to Louisville, Ky., where he
remained for a period of two years, next to
Little Rock, Ark., where he stayed for some
time, and in 1890 returned to the old home-
stead; Joseph R., who died in 1869; Florence,
who always remained with her father at home,
and after his death was appointed adminis-
tratrix of his estate; Benjamin, who was first a
carpenter by trade, like his brother James, but
in 1870 moved on to a farm, where he has
been employed in farm work ever since; Mary
H., who died in infancy; and William A.,
who died in 1875. Mr. Hoyt came back to
Newington from Portsmouth in the year 1842,
and kept his residence here until his death;
but he often went out of town to teach at New
Castle, Meredith,. Greenland, and _ Eliot.
After 1865 or 1866 he gave up teaching for-
ever, and devoted all his attention to his farm
and other property. He possessed in different
parts of the place about one hundred and
twenty-eight acres of land.

After the close of the war of the Rebellion
he became a stout Republican in his political
creed. At different periods of his later life
in Newington he was a Selectman, was Town
Clerk, and was the incumbent of many minor
offices. . By dint of hard labor and assiduous
attention, it may be said, he made a success of
himself in every line of work that he ever at-
tempted. He retired on the night of the 1oth
of October, 1894, in seemingly perfect health,
and the next morning, October 11, was found
dead in his bed, evidently having passed away
in quiet sleep. His remains were interred in
the Newington cemetery, near those of his
638

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

 

wife, who died in 1876. He was highly es-
teemed as a kind-hearted, perfectly honorable
and truly useful man.

 

 

OHN E. CRAM, Deputy Sheriff of
Rockingham County, a_ well-known
resident of Raymond, and a veteran of
the Civil War, was born in this town,

April 11, 1842, son of Josiah B. and Mary A.
(Palmer) Cram. The family descends from
one of the earliest settlers of New Hampshire,
who came from England in 1639. According
to the records this Cram or Crame, as the
name was formerly spelled, moved from Exeter,
N.H., to. Hampton, N.H., in 1650, and died
there in 1681, having reared a family of five
children. His son, Benjamin (first), married
Argentine Cromwell, November 29, 1662, and
was the father of nine children, among whom
was Benjamin (second). Benjamin (second),
who was great-grandfather of John E. Cram,
married Mary Bean, and reared twelve chil-
dren. Jonathan Cram, the grandfather, a
native of Raymond, born in a house now oc-
cupied by one of his grandsons, owned and
cultivated a good farm during the period of his
activity, and reared a large family of children.
He died January 8, 1873, having spent all his
life in his native town. He was an industri-
ous farmer. In politics he voted with the
Democratic party, having no political aspira-
tions for himself. His reputation was that of
an industrious farmer and a loyal citizen.
Josiah B. Cram, born in this town, was
reared to farming upon the homestead. While
the greater portion of his adult life was spent
in farm work, many of his winters were em-
ployed in a saw-mill. His life, though a busy
one, was uneventful, his energies being devoted
exclusively to the care and support of his
family. However, he had an inclination to
military occupations, and held a Captain’s
commission in the State militia. His death
occurred November 20, 1884, aged sixty-seven
years. He was twice married, on the first
occasion to Mary A. Palmer, who bore him
four children. Of these John E., the subject
of this sketch, is the only survivor. Eliza-
beth B. Palmer became his second wife, and
of the four children by this union two are

 

living, namely: Dana B., who is residing at the
old homestead; and Ella P., the wife of Horace
Tuttle, of Raymond. Edith died at the age of
two years, and Emma at the age of four. The
family attended the Congregational church.

John E. Cram was educated in the schools
of Raymond and the neighboring town of
Epping. He resided at home, assisting his
father upon the farm until he was nineteen
years old. In 1862 he enlisted for three
years’ service in the Civil War, as a private
in Company B, Eleventh Regiment, New
Hampshire Volunteers, under Colonel Walter
Harriman. He was mustered in on August 11
of that year, and participated in the battle of
Fredericksburg and other memorable engage-
ments in Virginia; the campaign through
Kentucky, Mississippi, and East Tennessee,
which included the sieges of Jackson and
Vicksburg. He was promoted from the ranks
to First Sergeant and Second Lieutenant, re-
ceiving later the commission of First Lieu-
tenant of his company for gallant and meri-
torious conduct upon the field. In the
published history of the regiment it is stated
that at the battle of Spottsylvania Court-
house, where the Eleventh was for a time hard
pressed by the enemy, and the color bearer was
shot, Lieutenant Cram seized the flag as it was
falling and kept it waving in front, thereby
making himself a conspicuous mark for the
enemy’s fire. His example renewed the cour-
age of the men, who fought unflinchingly for
the rest of the day. Twenty minutes after
this gallant deed he received a severe wound,
which confined him at Lincoln Hospital for
some time. After having had a furlough he
was thereafter detailed to recruiting service
until his discharge, which took place in New
Haven, Conn., October 19, 1864. After this
he went to Exeter, this county, where he
worked as an iron moulder for about six
months. Subsequently he settled upon his
present farm in Raymond, where he has since
been prosperously engaged in agriculture,
having the sincere esteem and good will of his
neighbors and fellow-townsmen. In politics
he actively supports the Republican party.
The position of Deputy Sheriff, to which he
was appointed in 189s, came to him unsought,
as he has never been an office-seeker.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

639

 

 

On October 10, 1864, Mr. Cram wedded
Emma J. Fullonton, daughter of Jeremiah
Fullonton, of Raymond. Of the seven chil-
dren born to him, four are living, namely:
Ethel G., the wife of William H. Underhill,
of Epping; Belle Alberta, who resides at
home; Edward F., a resident of this town;
and John M., who is also living at home.
The others were: Henrianna F., who .died at
the age of two months; Loena F., who died
aged six years; and Harry F., who died when
two months old. Mr. Cram is connected with
Rockingham Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of
Candia, in which he has occupied some of the
chairs. He is also a member of the Order of
the Golden Cross of Raymond and a comrade
of Joseph Hooker Post, No. 51, Grand Army
of the Republic. In his religious belief he is
a Congregationalist, and his family attend that
church.

 

progressive farmers, was born in this

town, February 8, 1847, son of David

and Olive (Dearborn) Davis. The
family descends from David Davis, one of two
brothers who were early settlers of Notting-
ham, having come from Lee, N.H. He se-
cured a large tract of land upon the Gebig
Road, so called, where he cleared a good farm
and resided for the rest of his life. His son,
Levi, grandfather of Isaac L. Davis, was
born in Nottingham, and grew to manhood as
a farmer. Succeeding to the ownership of the
home farm, he continued to improve the
property and cultivate the land until his death.
An able and practical farmer, he contributed
much toward developing the agricultural re-
sources of this locality; and he was widely and
favorably known in the district. His wife,
Sarah, bore him two children, of whom the
youngest was David.

David Davis was born at the homestead in
this town in the year 1800. His boyhood was
passed in attending the district school and
assisting his father upon the farm. In young
manhood he learned the shoemaker’s trade.
Afterward he made a specialty of custom work,
dividing his time between his trade and the
care of the farm, which he inherited. Having

AD es L. DAVIS, one of Nottingham’s

 

spent his entire life on the homestead, he died
July 25, 1865. In politics he acted with the
Democratic party, but never aspired to public
office. He was a most industrious man, and
was highly esteemed by his neighbors. On
February 25, 1845, he wedded Olive Dear-
born, a native of Jackson, N.H. Her father,
Isaac Dearborn, was the first settler of Jackson,
where he owned three hundred acres of land,
and was a prosperous farmer. Mr. and Mrs.
David Davis reared two sons: Isaac L., the
subject of this sketch; and Charles E., nowa
prominent man of this town, engaged in cul-
tivating his part of the homestead property.
Mr. Davis’s mother, who was a member of the
Baptist church, died March 2, 1879.

Isaac L. Davis attended school in this town.
When a young man he learned shoemaking,
which he followed for many years. He resides
upon the old Davis property, comprising one
hundred acres, now divided equally between
him and Charles E., in accordance with their
father’s will. His farming operations are
conducted upon the most approved principles,
and his crops are generally abundant and of a
superior quality. As a consequence he is
classed among the foremost farmers of the
locality.

On January 10, 1869, Mr. Davis was united
in marriage to Fronia Durgin, daughter of
Joseph and Caroline (Marston) Durgin, of Not-
tingham. The Davis family has long been
prominent in this town, and its representatives
of to-day occupy a high social position. Mr.
Davis attends the Free Will Baptist church, of
which his wife is a member; and in politics
he supports the Republican party.

 

ILLIAM HENRY WHITE, Jr,
of Portsmouth, manager of the
Portsmouth Beef and _ Provision

Company, was born in this city in 1860. His
grandfather, William White, who was born
and reared in Portsmouth, followed a seafaring
life for many years. In the War of 1812
William was captured by a privateer, and con-
veyed to Dartmoor, England, where he was im-
prisoned for some time. He subsequently
spent his Jast days in his native place, dying
at the age of threescore years. William Henry
640

White, Sr., was born at Kittery Point, this
county. From his boyhood he was familiar
with the ocean. He was a sailor for twenty
years or more, and was subsequently em-
ployed as keeper of the light-house on the Isles
of Shoals. Still a hale and hearty man, he is
now a gardener for the Haven family, with
whom he has been for twenty years. He mar-
ried a daughter of Benjamin Watkins, of Ports-
mouth, and became the father of three children.

William Henry White, Jr., attended the
public schools of this city until fifteen years of
age, when he became a clerk in the: newspaper
and periodical store of the Moses Brothers, for
whom he worked five years. Going then to
Boston, he spent a year learning the trade of
blacksmithing, including that of horseshoeing,
with Dr. Verry on Pitts Street. Returning to
Portsmouth in 1883, Mr. White was a clerk
in the grocery store of J. R. Yeaton.& Co.
for six months, and then secured a situation

with Henry M. Clark, who owned a meat.

market on Congress Street, this city. Two
months later Mr. Clark opened a store on the
opposite side of the street from his market,
making Mr. White the manager. Four years
later, under the firm name of Henry M. Clark

. business.

Encampment,

 

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

& Co., he admitted Mr. White into an equal
partnership, which lasted until the death of
Mr. Clark, in November, 1894. Mr. G. H.
Hammond, of Chicago, subsequently bought
out the firm, and established the present mar-
ket, making Mr. White the manager of its
In this capacity Mr. White has
since conducted the place with much success.
The business is strictly wholesale, and is con. .
fined to meats and provisions, in which the
firm has an extensive trade, almost entirely
acquired by the enterprising manager.

Mr. White was married in 1883 to Miss
Ella L., daughter of George E. Barsantee, of
Portsmouth, and is the father of three chil-
dren. In politics he affiliates with the Re-
publican party. In religion he professes the .
Universalist creed, and attends the church of
that denomination. He is quite active and
prominent in military circles, and has been
Captain of Company A, Third New Hampshire
Volunteer Infantry, since’ its organization, in
which he largely aided. His connection with
fraternal organizations includes membership in
Osgood Lodge, No. 48, and Strawberry Bank
No. 5, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.
INDEX.

~

BIOGRAPHICAL.

 

 

A

Adams, Benjamin
Adams, Ira H., M.D.
Alexander, A. O..
Alexander, Samuel S.
Allen, John L. .

Allen, Walter A., M.D.

Amazeen, John
Anderson, David .
Angell, Edmund R. .
Annis, Daniel G. .
Atwood, John P. .
Avery, Jeremiah M. .

B

Bagley, Henry W.

- Bailey, Charles R.
Bailey, Stephen
Ballou, Edward
Barker, Augustus L.
Barker, Ezra
Bartlett, David F.
Bartlett, Francis C. .

Bartlett, Greenleaf K. .

Bartlett, Levi S.

Bartlett, Nathaniel E. .

Barton, Charles C.
Bassett, George W. .
Batchelder, Charles .
Batchelder, Edwin
Batchelder, Emery .

Batchelder, Hazen W. .

Batchelder, James H.
Batchelder, Perley B.
Bean, Addison A.
Bean, Charles E..
Bean, Daniel C.
Bean, Justus J.

PAGE

53
254
307
626
636
244
329
200
351
243

399
180

626
262
298
617
308

II
142
256
269
630
566
521

50
362
536
354

20
369
51S

77

82

54
121

 

Beede, George F.
Bell, John J.
Benfield, Jeremiah
Berry, Charles P.
Berry, Edward M.
Billings, Samuel .
Bingham, George W.
Blaisdell, Frank P. .
Blake, Ira N. .
Blake, John A.
Blodgett, Isaac
Boss, George

Boyce, Walter .
Boyd, Daniel M. .
Boynton, George A.
Brackett, E. G.
Brackett, John H.
Brewster, Lewis W. .
Brown, Aaron W.
Brown, Andrew
Brown, Asa W.
Brown, Augustus D.
Brown, Charles R.
Brown, Charles T.
Brown, David E. .
Brown, Eliphalet C. .
Brown, Frank P. .
Brown, George W.
Brown, John J.
Brown, Joseph B.
Brown, Joseph W.
Brown, Stephen
Bufford, Marcellus
Bunker, William R. .
Burley, Joseph C.
Burlingame, William

Buswell, Albert C., M.D. .

Butler, Frank H. .
Butterworth, William
Buxton, Fred C. .

PAGE
518
352

47
457
520
162
432
317
161
311
414
217
524
232
584
570
562
261
547

98
618
206
557
263

19
211

45
587
474
120
540
291
553

24
487
319

35

86
161

135

 

Cc

Campbell, Samuel
Canning, Rev. John .
Carey, Joel C. .
Carlisle, Jacob

Carr, John H. .
Caswell, Warren .
Chapman, Rev. Jacob
Chase, Amos C.
Chase, Arthur M.
Chase, Benjamin .
Chase, Samuel S.
Chesley, Simon L.
Cheswell, Plummer .
Cilley, John J. .
Cilley, Joseph N.
Clark, Amos S.

Clark, David S., M.D. .

Clark, George H.
Clark, Joseph R. .
Clark, William
Clarke, J Albert .
Clement, Walter S. .
Clough, Charles H. .
Coburn, Albertus
Coburn, Eliphalet
Cochran, James
Cochran, John E.

Cochrane, William LD. .

Coffin, David S. .
Colby, John S.
Colby, Lester A. .
Colby, Washington .
Colcord, Samuel J.
Cole, Wallace W.
Collins, Alfred A.
Collins, Clarence M.
Collins, Joseph B.
Collis, Marcus M.
Conlon, John

PAGE

349
235
633
627

70
176
444
551
337
590
201
206
Iol

599
392

230
506
339
468
538
237
576
280
454
175
303
610
167
122
173
573

66
407
560
493
574
499
320
642

INDEX

 

 

Conner, Alfred 5
Conner, Mrs. Elizabeth J.
Corning, Gilman .
Corning, James A.
Corning, John A..-.
Cram, Benjamin F. .
Cram, John E.

Cram, John S. .

Cram, Joseph B. .

Crane, William
Crawford, Benjamin F.
Crosby, Fred M. .

Cross, Levi E.

Crowell, Henry

Crowell, Joseph P.
Crowell, William G.
Crowell, William H.
Currier, Perley R.

D

Dalton, Daniel W.
Daniels, John D. .
Danielson, Frank W.
Davis, Charles E.
Davis, Isaac L.. . . -.
Davis, Stephen H.
Day, Charles H. .
Day, Joseph L.
Dearborn, George W. .
Dearborn, Jay .
Dearborn, Jenness lL.
Dearborn, Leonard F. .
Dearborn, Levi W. .
Dearborn, Lewis H. ;
Dearborn, Woodbury D. .

De Rochemont, Clarence M.

Dickens, Curtis H., Rev. .
Dickey, George W. .
Dickey, Isaac S. .
Dickey, Lyman A.
Dimond, Israel
Dinsmore, Edwin O.
Dinsmore, John H. .
Dolber, George W. .
Dolber, John F.
Dolliver, Thomas H.
Dolloff, Jesse L. .
Dooley, James

Dow, Benjamin W. .
Dow, Herbert B. .
Dow, Isaac .

Dow, James H.

TAGE
393
244
500

55
11S
145

638
274
274
157
582
559
267
134
190
363
238
103

4
A
268
636
639
103

46

49
556
257
252
603
182
614
251
242
276
323

89
148
370
512
560

69
154
286
354
458
451
231
517
577

 

Drake, John O.

Drake, Joshua P.
Dudley, Arthur W. .
Dudley, Samuel S.
Dudley, Walter J.
Duntley, Lorenzo D.
Durell, Woodbridge W.
Durgin, Frank H.
Duston, Thomas .
Dwight, William L. .

E

Eastman, Albert L. .
Eastman, Edwin G. .

Eastman, Josiah C., M.D.

Eaton, Emery N.
Eaton, Jacob

Eaton, Moses J.
Edgerly, John O..
Edwards, Albert F. B. .
Ela, David W.

Elkins, David H. ‘
Elkins, Joseph L., M.D.

Emerson, Arthur L., M.D.

Emerson, James H. .
Emerson, Moses F.
Emerson, William A.
Emery, Alfred D.
Emery, Horace Kk.
Emery, Samuel W. .
Entwistle, Thomas
Evans, Charles M.
Evans, Daniel M.

Evans, John C.

Ewins, James .

F

Fay, William H. .
Fellows, D. Frank
Fellows, John H.
Fellows, Russell H. .
Fellows, Samuel D. .
Field, Albert

Fifield, George E. i
Flanders, Ephraim G. .
Fleming, Oliver A. .
Fletcher, Samuel S. .
Floyd, George H.

Follansby, William I. C.

Folsom, Eben .
Folsom, John

PAGE
532
II
37
454
160
434
504
520
428
47

202
223
581
107
305
375

13
104
431
483
226

78

554
466
572

75
206
526
311
629
333
457

168

70
324
133
125
148
195
377
506
373

85
418
159
535

 

Forsaith, Frank P.
Forsaith, John W.
Foss, Daniel M. .
Foss, John O. .

Foster, Avery M., M.D.

Foster, John H.
Fowler, Green C.
Tox, Andrew F.
Franklin, Cornell S.
Fraser, William J.
Freeze, John M. .
French, Francis T. .
French, John P.
French, Moses P.
French, Otis B.
French, Robert S.
French, William .
Frink, Darius .
Frink, Elias

Frost, Pepperell .
Frost, William J. .

G

Gardner, John E.
Gardner, Rev. Rufus P.
Garland, John W.
Garrett, Freeman R.
Garvin, George S.
Gerrish, James E.
Gibson, Jesse .
Giddings, John C.
Gilcreast, Samuel
Gile, Martin V. B.
Giles, William .
Gilman, John G. .
Glidden, Nathaniel bh.
Glidden, William H.
Godfrey, Edwin J.
Gooch, Charles G.
Goodrich, George W.
Goodwin, George
Gordon, Jonathan K.
Gordon, Levi S.
Goss, John S. .
Goss, Richard P. .
Gove, Ebenezer
Gove, Lewis E.
Gove, Samuel S. .
Gowen, George E.
Grant, Charles C.
Grant, Flagg F.
Graves, Joseph B. T

PAGE
563
312
600
175
39
35
340
465
589
367
Io
377
609
48
412
615
185
512
426
525
LIQ

343
273
503
247
152
606
281
T14
406
57
275
208
4!
219
235)
193
T4l
57
333
385
527
66
128
139
236
62
17
517
45
INDEX

643

 

 

Gray, Walter S.

Greeley, Charles F. .
Greeley, Charles S. .
Greeley, John W.

Green, Alonzo W. K.
Greenleaf, Augustus F.
Griffin, John H. dave
Guptill, George H., M.D..

H

Haines, Alanson C. .
Hall, M. Otis .

Hall, Prescott C. .
Hall, Robert H. :
Halliwell, Mrs. Hannah
Ham, Oliver W.. . .
Hanson, Dr. Caleb W. .
Hardy, John P.

Harris, William C. .
Harvell, George P. -
Harvey, Daniel P.
Harvey, George P.
Harvey, Joseph P. .
Haseltine, Isaiah W.
Hawes, David C.
Hayford, Edward
Haynes, George F. .
Hazel, William S.
Healey, James M.
Healy, Dana C. ;
Hemphill, Nathaniel
Hill, Horace A.

Hill, Ivory B. . ..
Hilliard, John T. .

Hodgdon, Charles E. . *

Hodgdon, George O.
Hodgdon, William A.
Holmes, Charles M.
Holmes, William 1. .
Holt, John A. .
Hood, Harvey P.
Hook, Russell K.
Hooke, Daniel C.
Hovey, Rev. Henry E..
Howard, Alfred F.
Howard, Nathan G. .
Hoyt, A. Coburn .
Hoyt, Chauncey B. .
Hoyt, Gilbert P. .
Hoyt, Jackson M.
Hoyt, James

Hoyt, Nathan .

PAGE
109
374
345

84
174
83
314
235

IS

23
255
330
431
189

22
526
318
623
568
597
116
508
313

21
574

97

31

18
181
427

2

363

2:

181
628
399
313
583
86
71
613
223
170
97
153
525
224
27
637
415

 

Hoyt, Rev. Samuel .
Hunt, Franklin
Hurd, George .

J

Jenness, Charles V. .
Jewett, Aaron .
Johnson, Horace B. .
Johnson, Joshua B. .
Johnson, Merrill .
Judkins, Joseph
Junkins, Alexander .

Karr, Henry D.
Kelsey, James H.
Kent, Edward E. .
Kent, Hervey .
Keyes, Frank L. .
Kimball, Charles .
Kimball, Daniel H. .
Kimball, John P. .
Kimball, Moses E.

Kingman, Bradford S. .

Knight, Charles A. .
Knight, Charles E. .
Knight, James F.
Knowles, Charles H.
Knox, Granville W. .
Kuse, Joseph W. .

L

Ladd, Alexander H.
Ladd, John S. .
Laighton, Cedric .
Laighton, Oscar .
Lamprey, John P.
Lancaster, John H. .
Lane, Albert C.
Lane, Jonathan A.
Lane, Levi E. .
Lane, Seth D. .
Lang, Alfred M.-.
Langley, Horace W.
Langley, Joseph A. .
Laskey, John J.
Lawrence, Frank D.
Leavitt, John E. .
Leavitt, Nathan H. .

PAGE
65
297
199

439
622
390
135
443
612
386

632
452
407
"79
489
400
317
471
355
522

578

22

102

146
564

 

Leavitt, Orin B.
Leavitt, Toppan
Leddy, John

Little, Albert
Locke, Abbott A.
Locke, John E.
Locke, John W.
Long, John C. .
Lyford, Augustus D.

M

Macdonald, Daniel .
Mack, Wallace P.
Magraw, John F. .
Major, Thomas P.
Marden, Herbert A.
Marseilles, Charles .
Marshall, Herbert W. .
Marshall, Jesse P.
Marshall. John D. K.
Marston, Elbridge G.
Marvin, William E. .
McDuffee, George H. .
Meader, John D. .
Mellows, Aaron L.
Merrill, Abner

Miller, George H.
Miller, George W.
Mills, Elwin C.

Mitchell, Abram W., M.D.

Montgomery, Joseph
Moody, Volney H.
Moore, Albert B. .
Moore, John A.

-| Morris, Richard R. .

Morrison, Leonard A. .

Morse, Charles A., M.D. .°

Moulton, Benjamin G. .
Moulton, Edward J. .

“N
Nason, Albert F,
Nason, Charles A.
Neal, Henry P.
Neal, Joshua W. .
Nesmith, Jacob A.
Nesmith, James M. .
Nesmith, Jonathan Y. .
Nesmith, Lucian H. .
Nevins, William P. .
Newton, Sherman T.

PAGE
81
61

5097
497

633

394

355

362
38

225
229
345
293
615
436
188
225
247
459
617
166
49°
382
588
126
344
32
136
110.
403
29
595
531
405

64
186

426
292
441
393
412
566

58
397
298
508
644

INDEX

 

 

Nichols, Moses O.
Norris, John

Nowell, James

Nowell, Samuel
Noyes, John W. ;
Nute, William H., M. D.
Nutter, John

oO

Ordway, John D..
Ordway, Nathaniel P. .
Ordway, Nelson .
Ordway, Walter J.
Owen, James

P

Parker, Benjamin M.
Parker, John H. .
Parkin, John

Parsons, Rev. Ebenezer G.
Parsons, Warren, M.D.
Paterson, Robert .
Patten, Rev. William A.
Paul, Daniel P.

Paul, Willard E. .
Peabody, Jonathan W.
Peaslee, Edson E.
Pendexter, Daniel P.
Penhallow, Andrew J.

' Perkins, B. Judson .
Perkins, Frank B., M.D. .
Perkins, George A. .
Perkins, Langdon M.
Perkins, Moses A.
Philbrick, Daniel W.
Philbrick, James M.
Pickering, Frederick
Pickering, Gee :
Pickering, George W. .
Pickering, Joshua B.
Pike, Frederick A.
Pike, James
Pike, John Q. . . .
Pillsbury, Alden E. .
Pillsbury, William S.
Pingree, George W.
Pinkham, Joseph . i
Pitman, Arthur J., M.D.
Place, Alvah H.

Preble, Stephen A.

Prescott, Benjamin T., M. D.

Prescott, Rev. Elijah H.

PAGE
435
185
485
539
364
128
194

421
598
446

76
264

264
352
383
300
513
435
451
243
453
ad

95
505
439
199
498
213
623
395
635
494
256
218
120
ITS
200
109
107

422
550
131
592
515
368
195
460

 

Prescott, Sereno A. .
Prescott, Simon G .
Pressey, John L. .
Priest, Albert M.
Priest, George F.
Priest, True W.

R

Raitt, Charles H.
Rand, Edwin D. .
Rand, George D.
Rand, J. Jenness .
Rand, John S. .
Rand, Thomas W.
Remick, Albert L.
Remick, Charles M..
Reynolds, Hiram S. .

Reynolds, Thomas O., M D..

Rhodes, William I. .
Richardson, Myron .
Richardson, William, M.D.
Rider, John F. C.

Robie, Charles P.

Robie, Rev. Edward
Robinson, Jonathan P. .
Robinson, Jonathan W.
Robinson, Perley C.
Robinson, Thomas B. .

Rochemont, Clarence M. de .

Rogers, Ezra E. .
Rogers, Robert
Rollins, George S.
Rollins, William H. .
Rowe, Benjamin F. .
Rowe, Charles R.
Rowe, Francis D.
Rowe, George R.
Rowe, James H. .
Rowe, Joseph R.
Rowe, Robert .
Rowell, Hiram L.
Russell, Charles C. .

Ss

Sanborn, Alden F.
Sanborn, Benjamin J.
Sanborn, Benning
Sanborn, Charles W.
Sanborn, Dan T. .
Sanborn, David
Sanborn, Elijah
Sanborn, Eugene D.

PAGE
gl
523
473
557
408
230

495
212

13
275
475
525
269
174
254
467

54
241
169
389
113
629
299
514
270
548
242
550
547
14t
602
596

30
398

13

12

i2

12
280

572

400
321
147
376
504

30
584
327

 

Sanborn, Hazen
Sanborn, J. Fred
Sanborn, J. Warren .
Sanborn, Jonathan P.
Sanborn, Joseph W.
Sargent, Bailey
Sargent, James F.
Sargent, Samuel P. .
Scammon, John

Scammon, Richard M. .

Scott, George W.
Scribner, Benning S.
Scribner, John
Scribner, Mark
Seavey, Alvin J. .
Seavey, George E.
Seavey, John E.
Seavey, Woodbury. .
Severance, Albert T.
Shapley, Ruel G. .
Shea, Dennis .. .
Shepard, Frederick 1,
Shepard, George N.
Sherman, Charles H.
Shute, Henry A. .
Silver, Clinton L.
Simpson, Albert E. .
Simpson, Joseph P. .
Simpson, Nathaniel H.
Simpson, Thomas E.
Sladen, William
Sleeper, Otis H. .
Smart, Christopher .
Smith, Albert S. .
Smith, Charles H.

Smith, Deacon Daniel .

Smith, Daniel .

Smith, Rev. Edward G.
Smith, Henry C. .

Smith, John
Smith, Joseph S. .
Smith, Joseph T. .
Smith, Leonard B.
Smith, Lovell B. .
Smith, Lucian E.
Smith, William

Southwick, George W.

Sowersby, James W.
Stevens, George R. .
Stevens, John S. .
Stevens, Thomas .
Stickney, Edwin N. .
Stickney, Walter H.
Stokell, George L.

“368

PAGE
597
337
113
542
634

64
631
413
335
565
116

92

27

g2
542
193
218
616
285
625
486
282
498

28
146
408
213
189
258
459
324
391
120
127
205
569
204
399

75
162

49
169

21
125
571
196
425
561
61
450
544
140
187
 

 

 

 

INDEX 645
PAGE PAGE PAGE
Stone, James G. . 40 Vv Whidden, Joseph M. . 83
Pelaeae: i 581 | Vaughan, Michael 102 | White, William H., Jr. 639
asey, John R. . 158 Vessey, Joseph T. 306 Whitney, Edwin N.. 292
Whittier, William L. 360
T ai Wiggin, Alvin . 578
Tasker, Charles E. . 14 : Wilbur, Joseph B. 373
Taylor, John 378 Wade, Edric A., M.D. 212| Wiley, Ephraim A. . 232
Taylor, Levi W. . 288 Wadleigh, Daniel : 359| Williams, Arthur B. 621
Taylor, Matthew H. eon Walcott, Nathaniel A. . 477| Wilson, Charles A. . 90
Thomas, Joseph D. . 56s Walker, William P. . 561 | Wilson, Frank D. 446
Thompson, Everett E. . 279 Ward, George . 622 | Wilson, John P. 4062
Thompson, Jonathan fox Warner, Mary E. 126] Wilson, Thomas R.. . 496
Tilton, Newell S. rt Wason, John 262 | Wingate, James D.P. . 485
Towle, Hinwpne Bie Go | Waterhouse, James A. 516| Wingate, James W.. 558
‘Towle, Frawk 6% < . con Watson, James W. . 609 | Witherell, Edward A. . 279
Towle, George H., M.D. . 40s Watson, Sewell A. 440 | Wood, James S. ty 56
Treat, John & . a Watson, William F. 519] Woodbury, Charles S. . 386
Tas: Jol Le 241 Weare, John M. . 534 | Woodbury, Frank P. 628
Tuk, Freeman We. 433 Webster, Daniel H. . 136 | Woodbury, George . 449
Tuck, Henry C. ; er Webster, George B. 481 | Woodbury, Isaac 361
Turner, Charles f= 356 Webster, Jacob 248 | Woodbury, Milton G. . 393
Weeks, George 416] Woodward, Charles T. 187
Tuttle, Alonzo F. 253 | weeks Jolin F 478
Tuttle, Rufus E. . 568 Weeks. Rufus w 267
2 ee ee 540 sarenctell, Abiaiata 2. 579 ¥
Wendell, Charles P. 287 | York, John W. 329
U Wheeler, George A. 567 | Young, Charles E. 108
Underhill, H. R. . 625 | Wheeler, John W. 328 | Young, James F. . 104
Urch, David 442 | Whidden, Charles S. 351
PORTRAITS.

 

 

Adams, Benjamin
Bartlett, David F.
Billings, Samuel .
Brown, Aaron W.
Brown, Asa W.
Brown, George W.
Bunker, William R. .
Buswell, Albert C.
Campbell, Samuel
Cheswell, Plummer .
Coburn, Eliphalet
Colby, Alden E.
Colby, John S.
Collins, Clarence M.
Conner, Alfred
Corning, Gilman .
Crane, William
Crowell, Joseph P.

Dearborn, Woodbury D. .

Duston, Thomas .
Eastman, Albert L. .
Edwards, Albert F. B. .
Elkins, Joseph L.
Emerson, Arthur L. .
Evans, Charles M.
Fellows, John H..
Field, Albert

PAGE
143
163
540
619
586

34
348
100

455
172
123
492
302
501
156
191
250
429
203
105
227

79
310
325
149

 

Flanders, E. G.
Fletcher, Samuel S. .

Folsom, John .

Fowler, Green C.
French, Coffin M.
French, William .
Gilman, John G. .
Godfrey, Edwin J.
Gove, Ebenezer
Hall, Robert H.
Hill, Ivory B.. |:
Hodgdon, Charles E
daughters :
Hood, Harvey P..
Hunt, Franklin
Kent, Hervey . :
Kimball, Daniel H. .
Kimball, John P. .
Ladd, Alexander H.
Lane, Jonathan A.
Leavitt, Toppan .
Locke, John E.
Marshall, John D. K.
Mitchell, Abram W.
Montgomery, Joseph
Morris, Richard R. .
Noyes, John W. .

facing

., Wife, and

PAGE
377
372
534
34!
608
184
209
221
129
331
73

43
87
296
178
316
470

215

60
395
246
137
TIT
530
365

 

Ordway, John D..
Parker, Benjamin M.
Peaslee, Edson. E. ‘
Penhallow, Andrew J. .
Pitman, Arthur J.
Priest, George F.
Rider, John F.C.
Robinson, Perley C.
Sanborn, Alden F.
Scribner, Benning S.
Shepard, George N.
Simpson, Thomas E.
Southwick, George W..
Tasker, Charles E. .
Taylor, John

Taylor, Levi W. .
True, John L. .

Tuck, Henry C.
Wadleigh, Daniel
Weeks, George

Weeks, John P.

Wiley, Ephraim A. .
Wilson, Frank D.

facing

Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. John P. ,

Witherell, Edward A...

PAGE
420
265
94
438.
593
409
388
271
4ol
117
283
259
197
15
379
289
240
510
358
416
479
233
447
463
278
   

ea Se lara ea - Pie tented aes

 

AS

bet Rath Bo tal at
taser eT OY

 
  

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cares
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foetal Ab le ae by

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Pee 2 hae)
Peers see

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tue zi : ee ee reien

LEST RET EE Pee x : PE rhe

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Meee ey}

 

 

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