Date Due '-e(p a Cornell University J Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/cletails/cu31924028836001 LIFE AND TIMES ■ I25r- HOPKINTON, N. H IN THREE PARTS. PART II. — Descriptive and Historical. PART n. — Personai. and Biographical. PART in. — Statistical and Dpccmbntary. By C. C.LORD. Republican Press Association, 22 North Main Street. 1S90. ks'^L^Z'-^So <%% .V^ ' -^ ^o/CX i.^:' .U^Y-^ ir' g r> .? ^ M-»-cX ^^*->^^^*iS'<'.' 3o: ec^^ t . .1 ' / r 1 ;■? ~— — s N PREFACE, In the compilation of Llfe and Times in Hopkinton, N. H., the author has borne in mind the recent increase of historical and biographical labors in various localities in New Hampshire and other states. Hence, the contents of this volume are specially localized, having direct relation to affairs literally in Hopkinton. Events occurring else- where are mentioned mainly to show the connection be- tween matters at home and matters abroad, rather than to establish facts in the general history of the state and nation. The elaboration of Part I is intended to include narra- tions extending over the whole period of the existence of this township from 1736 to the close of 1889, inclusively, the principal events being considered in chronological order, the minor ones, so far as detailed, being in many cases reserved for more desultory mention. Part II is not, and is not intended to be, specially genealogical: the terms "personal" and '''biographical" imply the purpose and scope of this section of the work. The title of Part III is sufficiently explicit. This and other works of its kind comprise three varieties of statement. In the iirst place, there are facts established by public or private records, official or personal in nature ; in the second place, there are the partial or probable facts asserted upon the authority of direct or indirect witnesses ; in the third place, there are the assumed facts of local repute or tradition. The author of this volume is not so presump- tuous as to deny the possession of the common liability of human nature to commit errors in the compilation of such IV PEEFACE. a work. He expects the kind consideration of all those of his readers who have engaged in similar labors ; he cour- teously asks the same consideration of the rest. The author of Life and Times in Hopkinton, N. H., is indebted to friendly assistance from many present and former citizens of the town. His thanks are due to Hon. George W. Nesmith of Franklin, Dea. Daniel F. Secomb of Concord, Hon. Isaac W. Hammond of Concord, and others. The researches of Alonzo J. Fogg, Esq., once a brief resi- dent of the town, have been of important assistance. San- born's " History of New Hampshire," " New Hampshire as It Is," Fogg's "Gazeteer of New Hampshire," McClintock's " History of New Hampshire," and Harriman's " History of "Warner " are among the works consulted in preparing this • volume. The researches of the Rev. N. F. Carter have also been brought into requisition. The task of collecting material for this work was begun about eighteen years ago, and has been pursued in a some- what desultory way since. In 1889, a number of prominent gentlemen of Hopkinton kindly offered their influence in favor of an appropriation by the town in aid of its publica- tion. As a result of this influence, on March 11, it being the annual town-meeting day, the town generously voted 1600 in aid of the implied enterprise, and chose a committee to receive and expend the amount at their discretion. This committee consisted of Herman W. Greene, Rev. Francis H. Lyford, Walter S. Davis, Eli A. Boutwell, and Horace L. Choate. On the 18th of the next April, this committee, having examined the same, formally decided that the work called Life and Times in Hopkinton, N. H., was a suitable one for publication. The further acts represent- ing the town are embodied in the transactions of the com- mittee mentioned. CONTBI^TS, PABT I. Chapter I. Geographical ....... 3 Chapter II. Primitive Life ...... 7 Chapter III. Civilized Incentives 10 Chapter IV. Primitive Documents ..... 11 Chapter V. First Meeting of Grantees .... 14 Chapter VI. The Lots and the Township .... 17 Chapter VII. The Settlement 20 Chapter VIII. First Meeting in Number Five ... 23 Chapter IX. A Struggling Township 25 Chapter X. Early Perils of War 29 Chapter XI. The Mason Claim 35 Chapter XII. The Bow Controversy 39 Chapter XIII. The Incorporation of Hopkinton . . 42 Chapter XIV. First Annual Town-Meeting in Hopkinton . 45 Chapter XV. Sundry Events between 1765 and 1776 . 50 Chapter XVI. The Revolution 57 Chapter XVH. Sundry Events from 1776 to 1783 . . 66 Chapter XVIII. A Constitutional Town-Meeting . . 69 Chapter XIX. Controversy over the Meeting-House . . 73 Chapter XX. Trouble with the Minister .... 78 Chapter XXI. Sectarian Town-Meetings .... 83 Chapter XXII. The County Buildings .... 87 Chapter XXIII. Sundry Events from 1784 to 1799 . . 90 Chapter XXIV. The Beginning of a New Century . . 96 Chapter XXV. Sundry Events from 1800 to 1804 . . 99 Chapter XXVI. The Development of National Politics . 101 Chapter XXVII. Sundry Events from 1804 to 1811 . . 103 Chapter XXVIIL The Second War with England . . 107 Chapter XXIX. Sundry Events from 1813 to 1818 . . Ill Chapter XXX. Two Memorable Events .... 114 VI CONTENTS. Chapter XXXI. Sundry Events from 1819 to 1823 . . 116 Chapter XXXII. The Formation of a New County . . 118 Chapter XXXIII. Sundry Events from 1824 to 1830 . 120 Chapter XXXTV. The Jackson Presidential Campaign . 124 Chapter XXXV. The Census of 1830 . • . .126 Chapter XXXVI. Sundry Events from 1831 to 1836 . 127 Chapter XXXVII. A Legal Tragedy . • • -131 Chapter XXXVIII. Sundry Events from 1837 to 1844 . 134 Chapter XXXIX. The Great Eailroad Controversy . . 140 Chapter XL. Sundry Events from 1846 to 1850 . . 142 Chapter XLI. The Introduction of the Railroad . . 145 Chapter XLH. Sundry Events from 1851 to 1855 . . 148 Chapter XLIIL A Political Crisis 150 Chapter XLIV. Sundry Events from 1856 to 1861 . . 153 Chapter XLV. The Great Rehellion 155 Chapter XLVL Sundry Events from 1862 to 1872 . . 169 Chapter XLVn. A New Town-House . . . .172 Chapter XLVIII. Sundry Events from 1873 to 1880 . 175 Chapter XLIX. The Free High School . . • . .177 Chapter L. Memorial Services for President Garfield . 180 Chapter LI. Sundry Events from 1881 to 1889 . . .181 Chapter LII. Ecclesiastical History ..... 183 Chapter LIII. Ecclesiastical History (concluded) . . 189 Chapter LIV. Educational History ..... 197 Chapter LV. Hopkinton Academy ..... 200 Chapter LVI. Contoocook Academy ..... 204 Chapter LVII. Military Organizations .... 206 Chapter LVIIL Secret Societies 208 Chapter LIX. Special Intellectual Institutions and Enterprises 213 Chapter LX. Taverns and Hotels ..... 216 Chapter LXI. An Agricultural Sketch .... 222 Chapter LXII. A Sketch of Manufactures . . . 226 Chapter LXIII. A Short Sketch of Trade . . . .230 Chapter LXIV. Customs and Associated Events . . 232 Chapter LXV. Customs and Associated Events (continued) 237 Chapter LXVI. Customs and Associated Events (continued) 244 Chapter LXVII. Customs and Associated Events (continued) 249 Chapter LXVIII. Customs and Associated Events (conclud'd) 259 Chapter LXIX. Items and Incidents .... 266 CONTENTS. Vll Chapter LXX. Items and Incidents (continued) Chapter LXXI. Items and Incidents (continued) Chapter LXXII. Items and Incidents (concluded) 273 280 288 PABT II. Section I. Adams — Annis . Section II. Bacon — Balch . Section IH. Barnard — Brockway Section IV. Brown — Buswell Section V. Call — Chandler Section VI. Chase — Choate Section VII. Clark — Connor Section VIII. Copps — Cutler Section IX. Danforth — Dwinnells Section X. Eastman — Evans Section XI. FarrOl — Flanders . Section XII. Fletcher— Fuller . Section Xm. Gage— Guild Section XIV. Hale — Harrington Section XV. Harris — Huntoon . Section XVI. Johnson — Kimball Section XVII. Kimball — Knowlton Section XVIII. Lerned — Lyf ord Section XIX. Merrill — Morse . Section XX. Nichols — ^Patterson Section XXI. Perkins — Putney- Section XXn. Quimby — Runnels Section XXHI. Sanborn — Smith Section XXTV. Spencer — Symonds Section XXV. Taggart — Weeks Section XXVI. WeUs— Young . PABT in. 301 304 309 316 323 328 336 344 354 361 364 371 380 389 398 409 420 426 433 440 445 453 461 472 480 489 Leading State Officers resident in Hopkinton . . . 497 Representatives ......... 497 County Officers 499 Town Officers since the Incorporation ..... 500 Supervisors of the Check-list 514 VUl CONTENTS. Post-masters in Hopkinton 514 Militia Field and Staff Officers 5U Members of State Constitutional Conventions . . • 516 The Census of Hopkinton at Different Times . . . 516 Governor's Vote in Hopkinton ...... 616 The Orthodox Faith 519 Early Members of the Church ...... 520 Deacons ■ ' the Town Church ...... 523 A Smmna. (Inventory and Industrial Items) . . • 523 Copy of El iiezer Blasdel's Indenture ..... 523 The WiU of John Jones 524 Copy of Deed of Negro Slave ...... 528 The Petition of Abel RoweU 529 An Interesting Educational Document ..... 530 Subscriptions (for the purchase of a beU) .... 532 Lydia GUe 534 A Famous Prize ......... 535 Our Forests 537 Centennial Celebration of the Baptist Church in Hopkinton . 540 A Sacred Concert ........ 543 Reminiscences of Hopkinton ...... 545 Revolutionary Papers ........ 563 Euphonious Names ........ 557 Errata ■•........ 564 ILLUSTKATIONS. n io POETKAITS. 1- .» Boutwell, Eli A 315 Brown, Abram ......... 60 Brown, Alpheus R 247 Burnham, John ......... 96 Chadwick, Hiram 295 Chase, Horace ......... 124 Chase, Horace G 330 Choat, Horace L 336 Clough, Moses Tenney 338 Cozinor. James M 222 Currier, Stephen ........ 347 Davis, Walter S 226 Frye, Amos 378 George, Paul R 382 Greene, Herman W. ........ 232 Harvey, John M 401 Jones, John F 239 Kimball, Betsey T 150 Kimball, John S 418 Lerned, Ebenezer ........ 25 Long, Wniiam H. . • 197 Lyiord, Francis H 432 Perkins, George H. ....... . 155 Perkins, Hamilton E. . . . . . . . . 446 ,Ray, JohnC 275 Silver, Abiel 183 Stanley, Clinton W 473 Stanwood, Joseph ........ 230 ILLUSTRATIONS. Tyler, CyrU C 484 Webber, Seth 260 EDIFICES. Baptist Church . . 45 Congregational Church 14 Episcopal Church 69 Freewill Baptist Church 111 Methodist Church 140 Residence of Robert R. Kimball . 172 Residence of Walter S. Davis 355 Summer Cottage of Horace G. Chase 237 The Perkins Inn 216 William H. Long Memorial Building 213 ■ MAPS. Map illustrating the Bow Claim 39 Number Five .... 3 GEOUP PICTURE. Col. Putnam Post No. 5, G. A. R. 208 Part I. DESCRIFTIVB AND HISTORICAL. LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON, N. H. CHAPTER I. GEOGEAPHICAL. The town of Hopkinton, in New Hampshire, is situated in the central portion of the state. Embraced in Merri- mack county, Hopkinton lies on the southern boundary, occupying a middle position. Hopkinton is bounded on the north by Warner and Webster, on the east by Con- cord, on the south by Bow, Dunbarton, and Weare, and on the west by Henniker. Beginning at the north-west corner, Warner bounds this town on the north for 1,027 rods, in a slightly irregular line, to the boundary between Warner and Webster. Beginning at the eastern end of the boundary between Hopkinton and Warner, the bound- ary between Hopkinton and Webster takes a southerly course for a distance of 84 rods ; then turning eastward, the same boundary continues in a straight line for a dis- tance of 981 rods, to the north-east corner of Hopkinton. Concord bounds Hopkinton on the east, in a slightly irreg- ular line, for a distance of 2,304 rods. Beginning at the south-east corner of Hopkinton, Bow forms its southern boundary, in a straight line, for a distance of 416 rods ; Dunbarton, in a straight line, continues for a distance of 641 rods ; Weare, in a slightly irregular line, completes the southern boundary of Hopkinton at a distance of about 1,079 rods, the line between Hopkinton and Weare being uniform with the division between Merrimack and Hills- borough counties. Henniker, in a slightly irregular line, bounds Hopkinton on the west for a distance of 2,162^ rods. The area of this town is said to be 26,967 acres. The surface of the town of Hopkinton is, like the gen- eral surface of land in the vicinity, uneven, but less so than the surface of some others, and more rugged than that of some of the adjacent towns on the banks of the Merrimack river. The unevenness of the surface of this town is expressed in gentle undulations, allowing compar- atively easy approaches to all the eminences. There is a 4 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. more important ridge of land running northerly and soiatn- erly a little east of the territorial centre of the town, and "which from earlier times has been known as Putney's hill» extending for a distance of two or three miles. A slight depression about the middle of the summit of this ridge divides it into two brows, the northern of which being sometimes called Gould's hill. It is an interesting fact, that on Gould's hill, and in other places in the vicinity, the surface of the earth is grooved in a direction parallel to the maia ridge, the effect of agencies exerted in early geological time. Some of the grooves are quite deep. Another ridge, somewhat parallel to the first and a little further east, lies partly in this town and partly in Con- cord, the dividing line between the two towns running very near its summit, and is known as Beech hill. There are several other prominent elevations wholly or partly in the town, as Clement's hill, in the north-west corner ; Dimond's hill, in the south-east part ; Hoyt's hill, in the south of the town. The balance of the territory is mostly composed of valleys, plains, and other low lands. The gently undulating character of the surface, throwing the rougher outlines of surrounding country into the distance, affords extremely picturesque views of landscapes, when seen from the higher points of observation. The surpass- ing beauty of the prospect from Putney's hill has made the locality celebrated far and wide. Fogg's " Gazetteer of New Hampshire " says, — " The views obtained from Putney's hill are some of the finest and most extensive to be found in the state. At the north can be distinctly seen Mooshillock, in Benton, while a little further to the east are the White Face and Chocorua's peak, in Sandwich, Waterville, and Albany ; at the north- east, the Gilmanton mountains, in Gilford ; at the east, the Catamount, in Pittsfield, and Fort mountain, in Epsom ; fui-ther to the south are the high hills in Francestown and Deering ; at the south-west, the towering summit of the Monadnock, in Jaffrey, is in full view ; at the west, the Sunapee lifts its lofty crest ; at the north-west, right before you, stands the old Kearsarge or the central monarch of this vast chain of mountains, which make a circumference of nearly two hundred and fifty miles ; while at your feet can be seen the villages, the farm-houses, the meadows, and the broad intervales, through which meanders the Con- GEOGRAPHICAL. 5 toocook, whiose limpid waters sparkle in the summer sun- beams. On this hill mountains and hills in seven of the ten counties in the state can be seen." A noticeable feature of the geography of this town is implied in its mineral waters. There are numerous springs reputed to yield such waters, but there is one location of such springs that bears considerable celebrity. Scarcely any person has been in Hopkinton for a considerable time without at least hearing of the Hardy springs. These springs have been noted in local history since the earlier times, and considerable merit has been ascribed to their waters. The waters of these springs have been taken in- ternally and applied externally, and there are not a few people who have been gratified with their effects. Chemi- cal analysis has determined the ingredients of these waters, but we have never seen the formula, though the presence of iron, sulphur, magnesia, and perhaps other minerals is claimed for them. The Hardy springs are located in the north-west part of the town, in the neighborhood euphoniously known as the Hardy corner. There are more of these springs than have ever been utilized. About sixty years ago, the land upon which these springs are located was owned by Isaac Hardy. At that time Nehemiah, Tyler B., and George B. Hardy dug out four or five of these springs, encompassing one of them with a wall of stone. Since then wooden boxes have been put in one or more of the springs, but at present little care is taken of them, and there are, perhaps, not more than three springs open. We are not able to state what special therapeutic proper- ties, if any, are ascribable to the waters of the Hardy springs. They have been often sought in cases of humor and skin poisoning from contact with the poisonous ivy. Doubtless many people have experienced relief from the simple tonic or laxative effect of these waters. The territorial drainage of Hopkinton is effected mostly by the Contoocook river and its tributaries. The princi- pal stream enters the town from Henniker, at a point about half way between the extremes of the line joining the two towns, and, pursuing a very tortuous course, crosses the boundary between Hopkinton and Concord at a point very- near its northern extremity. On its northern banks, it receives the waters of Clough's or Clement's, Grassy, and 6 LIFE AND TIMES Of HOPKINTON. Rolfe's ponds, in the north-west part of HopMnton, as well as the Warner and Blackwater rivers, which become its tributaries nearer its eastern exit from this town. On its southern bank, the most important tributaries are the Paul brook, draining the Great Meadows and other adjacent ter- ritory in the more western part of the town ; and DoUoffs brook, draining much of the eastern and central part, receiving in its course the waters of Smith's pond, a nat- ural reservoir of water just west of Hopkinton village. Contoocook river receives a number of smaller streams in its progress through the town. In the south-eastern part of Hopkinton are Farrington's and Spofford's brooks, run- ning waters that find their way into Turkey pond, in Con- cord ; and on the various outskirts is minor drainage that makes its way into most or all the surrounding towns. The larger streams of this town afford many profitable sites for water-power, the most important of which is on the Contoocook river at the village of the same name. The soil of the town of Hopkinton is uniform with that which is included in much the larger portion of New Hampshire, being geologically known as granite or gneissie soil, formed by the disintegration and depuration of gran- ite and gneiss. In their proximate composition granite and gneiss are much the same, both being combinations of mica, feldspar, and quartz, though the arrangement of the particles of gneiss is such as to favor a flaggy cleavage. There is a marked trace of iron in the soil of this town, particularly on Hoyt's hill, where the rills often run red with oxide of iron. In many places ferruginous sand can easily be picked up with a magnet, selecting spots where the wash of rains has collected a fine, earthy detritus. The soil of the hills is often underlaid by a very compact, clay subsoil ; but the surface is easily friable, and, barring the frequent accumulations of rocks and stones, is easy of cultivation. The banks of the Contoocook river are allu- vial, and free from impediments to agriculture, though their lowness favors their frequent flooding in times of excess of water. In the north part of the town is some plain, sandy land, composing the principal exception to the generally fertile character of the soil of the township. The village of Hopkinton, beautiful in situation and sur- roundings, occupies the plain just east of the southerly brow of Putney's hill. It is seven miles from Concord, PBmiTIVB LIFE. and contains from fifty to one hundred buildings. Its streets are supplied with numerous shade-trees that aid to make it one of the most attractive villages in the state. Three miles to the north-west, and beyond Putney's hill, is, the village of Contoocook, larger than Hopkinton village,, and a railroad station at the junction of the 'Concord & Claremont and Concord & Peterborough lines of railroad. The location of Contoocook upon the river of the same name affords a water-power that has always been a prom- inent source of its prosperity. Contoocook is a beautiful village, which, seen from Gould's hill, spreads out in a charming manner on either side of the stream for which it is called. These are the only villages in Hopkinton. The town of Hopkinton has a history which has given it. both fame and pride. The more special particulars of its historical career are to be found in subsequent chapters of this volume. CHAPTER II. PRIMITIVE LIFE. Such facts as we are able to obtain indicate that, when the territory now included in the town of Hopkinton first became known to civilization, its surface was extensively covered with heavy growths of forest. Among forest growths, both trees of hard and soft wood were found. On higher elevations, the growth of forest was of a mixed character, or the hard woods predominated. In lower tracts, softer woods had the ascendency. Of the hard wood trees, oak, ash, birch, beech, maple, chestnut, etc., were abundant, while elm was quite plenty in the lower and lighter soil. Among softer woods, there was a large representation of the different kinds of indigenous pine, with an abundance of hemlock, and a lesser quantity of spruce and fir. Trees of lesser importance in the different constructive arts were found in the relative degree of dis- tribution noticed in the forests of the present day. It is hardly necessary to add, that, among all the trees of the primitive forests, there were many of stately height and of gigantic proportions. 8 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. It is said that there are in New Hampshire ninety spe- cies of native grasses, excluding ferns, sedges, clover, and the like, which, botanically speaking, are not grasses. Only nine or ten of the native grasses, however, are fit for culture. Many of our native grasses, too, are woodland varieties [See Report of the New Hampshire Board of Agriculture, Vol. VI, 1876, p. 47.] The woodland, and probably the field, varieties of indigenous grasses were rep- resented in this town. The extant historical data furnish little or no absolute knowledge of their exact quality or availability to civilization. Doubtless to some extent, especially in the instance of lowland varieties, the white settlers were able to utilize the native grasses of this town- ship, as their descendants now do. The primitive beasts of the earth were many in number and largely savage in character, though the tamer species were well represented. Bears, wolves, lynxes, wildcats, with the ferocious panther, were the most formidable ene- mies to human safety. Foxes and other comparatively or wholly harmless animals of the smaller quadrupedal species were swarming without number. Moose and deer were the only herbivorous quadrupeds that afforded any val- uable products of the chase. The birds of the air were both predaceous and innocent. Of predaceous varieties of the winged tribes, the eagle, hawk, and owl were the most important. The wild turkey, the pigeon, and the grouse were birds of useful, edible qualities. The crow was an ever-present airy inhabitant of this territory. The word Contoocook is said to mean crow-place. Of the musical feathered tribes, there were all the kinds that now exist. The streams and ponds of this town, with fuller banks than now, swarmed with fish. Pike, perch, trout, and less val- uable existing representatives of the finny tribes were pres- ent in great numbers, while salmon and shad were abun- dant in their spawning seasons. Among the reptiles, the rattlesnake was the only venomous instance. The wild red man was the only human inhabitant to enjoy all the bounteous gifts and sustain all the dangerous liabilities of local nature. The native Indian of this local- ity belonged to the tribe of Penacooks, who were subjects of the celebrated Passaconaway, the chief sagamore known to the civilized settlers. The Penacooks were a warlike tribe, whose principal settlement was in the vicinity of the PRIMITIVE LIFE. 9 present city of Concord. The word Penacooh is said to mean crooked-place, reference being made to the tortuous course of the Merrimack river in the vicinity of our cap- ital city. The Indians living in this vicinity had their favorite local haunts, one of these being on the banks of the Warner river, near its mouth. Many relies of this Indian race have been found on this spot. In the rooms of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society can be seen various Indian implements, plowed up at the point named. Many of these were contributed by Cyrus Dustin, upon whose land they were found. Indian relics have been occasionally found in different places in this town. On the western bank of the brook running from Chase's tan- nery, coursing through land of Horace Edmunds, was for- merly a large rock, cleft in such a manner as, by the assist- ance of a little mechanical contrivance, to be able to afford considerable space for shelter. This rock was said to have been a favorite winter resort of some of the Indians inhab- iting this vicinity. The eastern aspect of the spot, the sheltered valley, and the proximity of the running brook conspired to make the selection a desirable haunt in the extreme weather of winter. The Indians of this vicinity, like all others, existed mostly by huntiog and fishing with bow and spear ; yet there was some cultivation of corn, and possibly some of the succulent vegetables, conducted mostly or wholly by the women. Their habitations were wigwams, and their dress of prepared skins of beasts. They had amulets and ornaments of minerals or shells. Their ornamental devices were also sometimes quite ingenious. Feathers were also used in expressing the badge of chieftianship in their rulers, or, possibly, for more general purposes of adorn- ment. 10 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON.. CHAPTER III. CIVILIZED INCENTIVES. An association of pioneers, entering upon life In a coun- try new to civilization, is generally governed by some- predominant social ideal. A recent political writer says there are three motives, of which one or another sways th& mind of migratory human society. These three incentives are a warmer climate, political freedom, and religious lib- erty. Inceptive migratory- schemes, however, express mo- tives that are subject to modification as the new society- becomes more multiple, and its individual interests become more and more particularized. When, in 1620, the pilgrims from the Mayflower landed on Plymouth rock, the common breast of the small bani of colonizers was stirred with a dominant religious motive, which mounted to the degree of enthusiasm. The incep- tive social ideal, however, could not always maintain its original force. After a century of local experience and. multiplication, the greater social movements of civilization in New England exhibited phenomena in which religion, assumed more the attitude of an effect than of a cause. The first civilized settlers of the wild territory of the present town of Hopkinton were mostly or wholly English speaking people, social descendants of those who first sought the inhospitable wilderness of New England for th& privilege of liberty of conscience in the worship of God. In seeking a new home in the locality of this township, the- sons and daughters of the elder New England colonizers- could not entertain the colonizing motive of their social ancestors, since they enjoyed in their old homes as much religious liberty as they would have in their new ones. They brought their religion with them as a free, fatherly inheritance. For more than a century after Ferdinando Gorges ani John Mason obtained a patent of Laconia, in 1622, following which patent settlements began in the territory now known as New Hampshire, the location of our present political state occupied a position more or less upon the border- land of civilization. A few miles away from the older set- tlements were extensive tracts of new land awaiting the PRIMITIVE DOCUMENTS. 11 advance of the civilized pioneer. The young, strong, and enterprising of any age could not treat such a social oppor- tunity with indifference. The privileges implied in a virgin soil, iudependent homes, constructive social growth, and the accumulation of wealth, induced the earliest settlers of Hopkinton to leave the land of their fathers, and encounter the rougher features of the crude wilderness. The legal conditions under which the settlers of Hopkin- ton received their grant are expressed in the next chapter. CHAPTER IV. PRIMITIVE DOCUMENTS. The township of Hopkinton, at first called Number Five, was granted by the Province of Massachusetts Bay to citi- zens of Hopkinton, in that province, who entered and took possession, in circumstances that are subsequently de- scribed. The following is a copy of the record of the original grantees, showing the legal authority under which they held their grant. It will be observed that the date " 1735," preceding the report of Edmund Quincy, and again before the order of the House of Representatives, is in error, being an accidental substitution of the date 1736. The copy of the record is given verbatim et literatim : At a Gbeat and Genebai Cottet, or Assembly for His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, began and held at Boston, upon Wednesday, the Twenty-eighth day of May, 1735 ; and continued by Several Ad- journments, to Wednesday, the Nineteenth day of November ; and further Continued, by adjournments, to Wednesday, the Thirty-first Day of December following, and then met THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1735. Edmuitd QtriNCT, Esquire, from the Committee of both Houses, on the Petitions for Townships, &c., gave in the following Report, Viz. :— The Conmiittee Appointed the fourteenth Currant, to take into Consideration the Several Petitions for Townships, now before the 12 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Court, and Eeport what may be Proper for the Court to do there- on, Having met and mutually Considered the same. Are Humbly of Opinion That there be a Careful View and Survey of the Lands hetween Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers, from the North west Corner of Rumford on Merrimack to the great Falls on Coimecti- cut, of Twelve Miles at the least in Breadth on North and South, by a Committee of Eleven able and Suitable Persons, to be Ap- pointed by this Court : Who shall, after a due knowledge of the Nature and Circumstances thereof, lay the same into as many Townships of the Contents of Six Miles Square, as the Land in "Wedth as aforesaid will allow of, No Township to be more than Six Miles East and West ; and also Lay out the Land on the East side of Connecticut River from said Falls to the Township laid out to Josiah WUlard and others, into as many Townships of the Contents of Six Miles Square, as the same will allow of, and also the Land on the West Side of the River of Connecticut from said Falls, to the Equivalent Land, into One or Two Townships of the Contents of Six Miles Square, if the same will allow thereof : Five of which Committee to be a quorum for Surveying and Laying out the Town- ships on each, from Rumford to Connecticut River as aforesaid ; And Three of the Committee aforenamed shall be a Quorum for Surveying and Laying out the Townships on each side of Connecti- cut River as aforesaid : And that the said Committee make Report of their Doings to this Court at their Sessions in May next, or as soon as Conveniently they can, that so the Persons whose Names are Contained in the Several Petitions hereafter mentioned. Viz., In the Petition of Hopkinton, In the Petition of Salisbury & Almebury, In the Petition of Cambridge, In the Petition of Bradford & Wenham, In the Petition of Haverhill, In the Petition of Milton & Brookline, In the Petition of Samuel Cham- herlain & Jonathan Jewett, and in the Petition of Nathaniel Harris, &c.. In the Petition of Stephens and Goulden and others, In the Petition of Morgan Cobb, &c., Jonathan WeUes, &c., Lys- comb and Johnson, &c.. In the Petition of Isaac Little, &c.. In the Petition of Jonathan Powers, &c., John Whitman, Esq., &c., Sam- uel Haywood, &c., Josiah Fasset and others, John Flynt and others, Jonathan Howard and others, of Bridgewater, that have not heretofore been admitted Grantees or Settlers, within the Space of Seven Years Last Past, of or in any former or other Grant of a Township or Particular Grant, on condition of Setling; and that shall Appear and Give Security, to the Value of Forty Pounds, to Perform the Conditions that Shall be Enjoyned by this Court, may, hy the Major Part of the Committee, be Admitted Grantees into One of the said Townships ; The Committee to give Publick Notice of the Time and Place of their meeting to Admit the Grantees ; Which Committee Shall be Impowered to Employ Surveyors and Chainmen, to Assist them in Surveying and Laying out said Town- PRIMITIVE DOCUMENTS. 13 ships, The Province to bear the Charge & be Repaid by the Grant- ees who may be Admitted, the whole Charge they shall Advance ; which Committee we Apprehend ought to be Directed and Impow- ered to Admit Sixty Setlers in each Township and take their Bonds, Payable to the Committee and their Successors in the said Trust, to. the Use of the Province for the Performance of the Conditions of their Grant, Viz., That each Grantee Build a Dwelling House of Eighteen feet square, and Seven feet stud at the Least, on their respective Homelotts, and Fence in and break up for Plowing, or Clear and Stock with English Grass, Five Acres of Land within Three years next after their Admittance, and Cause their Respec- tive Lotts to be Inhabited ; and that the Grantees do, within the Space of Three years from the time of their being Admitted, build and Finish a Convenient Meeting House for the Publick Worship of God, & Settle a Learned, Orthodox Minister : And in Case any of the Grantees shall fail or Neglect to Perform what is Enjoined as above. The Committee Shall be Obliged to Put the Bonds in suit, and take Possession of the Lotts and Rights that Shall become forfeit and Proceed to Grant them to other Persons that will Appear to fulfill the Conditions within one year next after the said last mentioned Grant : And if a Sufficient Number of Petitioners that have no Grant, within Seven Years as aforesaid (Viz., Sixty to each Township), do not Appear, others may be Admitted, Provided they have fulfilled the Conditions of their former Grant ; the Committee to take care that there be Sixty-three House Lotts Laid out in as Regular, Compact and Defensible a manner as the Land will allow of. One of which Lotts Shall be for the first Settled Minister, One for the Second Settled Minister, And One for the School ; to each of which an equal Proportion of Lands Shall Accrue in all future Divisions. Fbtdat, ) January 16, 1735. j In the House of Repkesentatives : Ordered, That Joseph Gerrish, Benjamin Prescot. Josiah WiUard, Job Almy, Esquires, Mr. Moses Pierson, and Captain Joseph Gould, with such as the Honorable Board Shall join, be a committee to all Intents and Purposes, to Effect the Business Projected by the Report of the Committee of both Houses, to Consider the Petitions for Townships, which pass'd this Day, Viz., On the Proposed Line between Merrimack & Connecticut Rivers, and on both sides of Connecticut River ; And that there* be granted and allowed to be Paid out of the Publick Treasury, after the Rate of Fifteen Shil- lings Per Diem, for every Day he is in the Service in the Wood, & subsistence, & Ten Shillings Per Diem for every Day to each One of the said Committee while in the Service in Admitting Settlers, into the said Townships, and subsistence, to be paid as aforesaid. 14 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In Council, Ebad and Concttr'd : And "Wmiam Dudley, Samuel Welles, Thomas Berry, Joseph Wilder, and John Chandler, junr, Esquires, are Joined with the Committee of the House, for the Line between Merrimack and Con- necticut River, &c. At a Great and Gbnbeal Cotjkt, Held in Boston, the Twenty-fourth Day of November, One Thou- sand Seven Hundred and Thirty Six, the following Vote Passed the two Houses and was consented to by the Governor, Viz. : Voted, That John Jones, of Hopkinton, Esqr., be and hereby is fully authorized and Impowered to Assemble and Convene the Grantees, or Proprietors, of the Township Number Five, lying in the Line of Towns between the Rivers of Connecticut and Merri- mack, in such Place as they Shall be Notified and Warned to Con- vene, and Assemble at, in Order to Chuse a Moderator, and Clerk, and Committee to AUot and Divide their Land, and to Dispose of the same, and to Pass such Votes and Orders as by them may be thought Conducive for the Speedy fulfillment of the Conditions of the Grant, and also to Agree upon Methods for Calling of Meet- ings for the fut. use ; Provided none of their Votes Concerning the Dividing or Disposing of their Lands that shall be Passed while they are under the Direction of the Committee of this Court Shall be of force before they are Allowed of by said Committee. CHAPTER V. riEST MEETING OF GRANTEES. John Jones, of Hopkinton in Massachusetts, empowered to convene the grantees of Township Number Five in New Hampshire, did not delay. The call issued by him is given in full in this chapter, together with the minutes of the subsequent meeting. The record shows evidence of pre- vious organized action of the future actual proprietors, in pursuance of the conditions of the grant. The following is the call : ' Hopkinton, Janr. 22d, 1736-7. Pursuant to an Order of the great and general Court or assembly of his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New Eng- land : These are to Certify the Proprietors or Grantees of the new -township number five on the line of Towns lying between Rumford and Connecticut River that they assemble and meet on Monday the A.. :4r 'I fUjVKltiTOS. :--^ h'.-f)'. Joseph ■ioiisv.:', vAtii ■&»; ■- V 15.. . ' !■ !i»Ki hprebv s' ( IbneiJ! ' f 'il and gt'iu ' 'iJ.'Ksarhubi-, ojiC'Htors or o > a o FIEST MEETING OP GBANTEES. 15 fourteenth of February next att the house of Mr. James Morris Inn- holder in hopkinton att Ten of the Clock in the f ournoon then and there to transact on the following particulars : 1st. To Choose a Moderator & a Proprietor's Clerk & Committee for manageing the afEair of the new Town. 2dly. To receive the return of the Committee and Surveyor ap- pointed to lay out the home Lotts. 3dly. To grant money to defray the Charges of the said Survey & other necessary Charges already arisen and further prosecuting of the New Township. 4th. To draw their house lotts and agree upon proper methods for laying out and dividing and disposing of aU or Part of the land in said Township as the proprietors shall think proper. 5thly. To determine how Meetings shall be called for the future ■& finally to act transact all such other things as may then be thought proper for the Service and advantage of the Society. John Jones. Vera Copia. Chars. Morris, proprietors' Clerk. The above and foregoing call was duly regarded and obeyed by the proprietors of the new township, as the fol- lowing record attests : Att a Meeting in Hopkinton february ye fourteenth Seventeen hundred & thirty Sis & Seven legally called by Order of the great & general Court and Pursuant to the warrant the following articles "were voted and consented to : 1. That Capt. John Jones be the Moderator. 2. That Charles Morris be the proprietors' Clerk. 3. That Ebeneser Kimble be the Treasurer. 4. That the Plan of the Committee as laid out under the Several reservations be receiv_ed. 5. That each proprietor hold his lott according to the number drawn by him & manifested in the abovesaid Plan. 6. That each proprietor pay the Sum of Twenty Shillings to the Committee that laid out the lotts, and twelve pence more each for a Kittle & Chain & Twenty two Shillings more therwith for the Plan. 7. That no proprietor shall have liberty to sell his lott without leave obtained first from the Propriety. 8. Granted Twenty pounds to Clear the Boad from Rumford to the Centre of the Town, and as far on the Boads of the town North & South as the said money will pay — ^the whole to be left to the management of the Committee. 9. That a Committee be Chosen to finish the first Division, & to lay out Sixty acre lotts for a second division, & each man to draw his lott ; and if there is any then dissatisfied with their lotts, they 16 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. shall have liberty to apply to the Committee who are impowered to- view the said lotts, and if there is just reason for complaint, They are to equahze them by setting of a portion of land at the Charge of the Society, but if no just reason, then the persons so applying must bear the Charge of the Committee. 10th. That John Quarles be admitted as a proprietor in the Room^ of Joseph Houlton, John Benny in the Room of Samuel Watkins, Samuel Beaver in the room of Joseph Gold & Daniel Stone in the room of Joseph Caller . . . Claflen in . . . Room of Danl. Claflen, Junr. 11. That there be three men Chosen as a Committee to lay out the Second lotts and that Joseph Haven, Ebeneser Kimble & Henry Mellons be the Committee. 12. Granted Twenty five pounds to be paid to that person that undertakes to build a MiU in the propriety near the Place of the Reservations provided he will have the mill compleated on or before the first day of December next and that he will keep the Same in good Repair for five years next ensuing the money to be paid by the first of December next and in case he does not keep the Same in repair then shall the money be returned 'T is agreed that prefer- ence shaU be given to the Persons that owns the lotts where the reservations are made ; and that the whole be left to the manage- ment of the Committee chosen to lay out the second lotts. 13. That when tenn f amilys are settled the proprietors will main- tain preacliing there. 14. That Andrew Watkins, Abner Bixbe, Joseph Bixbe, Samuel Goodwill, Benjamin Carrell, Edward CarreU, Jonathan Houlton & Daniel Bailey shall have an equal lott in the new township they paying five pounds each of them and paying all Other Charges arising and giving sufficient Security to settle the Same according to the Court acts & further to Settle the same in Person or by their Children or they that refuse to comply herewith to have six pounds allowed & paid them. David Burnap & Daniel Stone appeared and entered their dissent against this last vote. 15. That Mr. Kimble be impowered to give notes of hand to the Persons that Chuse Six pounds and also to take bonds of the Per- sons that Chuse to settle and receive the five pounds of them. 16. That Thomas Pierce, Samuel Gold & Thomas Gold be ad- mitted according to Vote fourteenth. David Burnap entered his dissent against this vote. 17. That John Goady be repaid his Eleven Shillings & Six pence. 18. That Charles Morris, Thomas Walker & Jacob Gibbs be a committee to apply to to call meetings for the future. Attes: John Jones Moderator. A true Coppy — Chas. Morris Clerk. THE LOTS AND THE TOWNSHIP. 17 The clerk further records, — The above Votes were presented to the Court's Committee and on December 8th 1737 were accepted and allowed oft except the Seventh Vote the Tenth Vote & the Seventeenth Vote as also the Dissents against the fourteenth Vote & the dissents against the Six- teenth Vote as pr Coppy of Votes on file. Charles Morris, proprietors' Clerk. The foregoing proceedings afford sufficient evidence of the unfinished condition of the affairs of the proprietors in anticipation of the actual occupation of -Number Five. Although the causes of the dissent of the court's committee to certain acts of the grantees are not specified, and the record of their dissent is somewhat obscure, reasons may at least in part be readily cooceived. In regard to the seventh vote, it appears that each grantee, having become the legal possessor of a right in the new township, held it in fee simple, with power to dispose of the same ; in regard to the tenth, the General Court had already prescribed the legal method by which a grantee could be equitably substituted ; in regard to the seventeenth, there was probably a simple contravention of equity. The fact that there was no serious obstruction to the admission of new proprietors is evident from the names of such appearing frequently in the pro- gressive record of the transactions of the incipient township. CHAPTER VI. THE LOTS AND THE TOWNSHIP. Immediately after the close of the record of the first meeting of proprietors, subsequently to the grant, the fol- lowing inscription occurs upon the pages of the clerk's book. Here followeth a list of all the Original Proprietors, who had given bond to the Court's Committee, with the Number of each man's lott, in the same line with his name : — On the road leading to Rumford, on the South Side. 2 18 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. No. !.......•• John Jeffards 2 Henry Mellen 3 Eben'r Locke 4. ....... . Elias Haven 5 Jacob Gibbs On the road leading to Eumford, on the North Side. No. 1. ....... . James Lock 2. ....... . John Brewer 3. ....... . James Nutt 4. ....... . Josiah Watkins 5 Thomas Mellon 6. ....... . Thomas Bixbes On the North Range, beginning att the Meeting house on the East side. N. E. 20 degrees. No. 1. ....... . Richard Potter 2 Rev. Mr. Sam'l Barret 3. ....... . David Fauster 4 Nat'l Haven No. 1, a triangular lott ..... Thomas Walker N. W. 14 deg. 2 Henry Walker 3 Caleb Claflin 5. ..... . Charles Morris 6. ..... . Jason Walker 7. ..... . John Jones 8. ..... . John Bowker 9. . . . . . . ' Elisha Haden 10. ...... Ebenezer Coller 11. ...... Samuel Streater 12. ...... Joseph CoUer 13 Matthew Taft 14 John Walker On the North Range, beginning at the Meeting house on the west side. No. 1 The minister's 2. ....... . John Weston 3 Nath'l Smith 4. ....... . David Burnap 1 a triangular Lott .... Edmund Bowker 5 Ministerial Lott 6 School Lott 7. ....... . Eleazer GUe 8 Daniel MeUen 9 James Morris THE LOTS AND THE TOWNSHIP. 19 No. 10 Joseph Haven |-^ David Woodwell ^2 Matthew Lackey 13- Robert Claflin On the South Range, beginning at the meeting house on the west side. No. 1. , Joseph Gould ^- •••■■.. . James Wilson 3 Daniel Claflin 4 Mark Whitney 5 Joshua Claflin 6 John Quarles 7 Eben'r Claflin o. ...... . Jedediah Haven 9. ....... . Benj'a Carril On the South Range, beginning att the meeting house, on the East side. No. 1 Paul Langdon 2 George Carril 3 Samuel Watkins 4 Samuel Frail 5 Joseph Holton 6 Peter How 7. ....... . Simpson Jones 8. ....... . Jabez Potter 9. ...... . Daniel Claflin, jun. 10. ....... Cornelius Claflin These Lotts lying att the Taile of the Lotts, on the East Side of the north range. No. 1. ...... . Ebenezer Kimball 2. ....... . Isaac Whitney The above arrangement of lots shows the occupied parts of the township to be on the north, east, and south, while the west is still a wilderness. A primitive map of the town- ship, embodied in the proprietors' record, affirms its repre- sentation of " No. 5, granted to the inhabitants of Hopkin- ton, and contains the Quantity of six miles square, & is protracted by a scale of 200 perch to an inch." This map was constructed in 1736, the boundaries of Number Five at the time being defined as, on the north, " No. 1, granted to Salisbury & Almsbury men," and " Contoocook Township, granted to John Coffin, &c. ; " on the east, " Rumford ; " 20 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. on the west, " No. 6, granted to John Whitman, Esq., &c." Beginning at the north-western angle of the town, the fol- lowing distances are read: "North 84°, 30"' east, 390 perch ; " then follows a southerly jog of 140 perch ; then " north, 75 east, 1049 perch ; " again " north, 15 west, 2100 perch ; " further, " north 84° 30" east, 2038 perch ; " lastly, " north, 15° west, 2100 perch." The intelligent reader is doubtless aware that, reviewing the boundaries of this map, " Number 1, granted to Salis- bury & Almsbury men," is now the town of Warner; " Contoocook Township, granted to John Coffin, &c.," is the original town of Boscawen, now including Boscawen and Webster; "Rumford"is Concord, also called "Penna- cook " in the early Proprietors' Record of this town ; " No. 6, granted to John Whitman, Esq., &c.," is now Henniker. The distances recorded in this " protracted " evidence of a survey do not coincide with those given in the first chapter of this volume as mathematical boundaries of the town of Hopkinton. The discrepancy is doubtless the result of in- exactness in the first surveys of the territory of Number Five. The map under consideration gives no interior loca- tions beyond tracing the entrance and exit of Contoocook river and defining measurably two of its tributaries — appar- ently DoUoff's brook and Blackwater river, the latter fiow- ing into Number Five from Cofttoocook township. The course of the Contoocook river through this town is not traced. CHAPTER VII. THE SETTLEMENT. In many respects, the settlement of township Number Five is involved in historical obscurity. Certain particu- lars relating to the situation in this case are reserved for future narration. The inceptive movements of the grantees have been briefly described. The progressive work of ad- mitting grantees, confirming rights, and encouraging set- tlements continued for a considerable time. On the 29th of March, 1737, Andrew Watkins, Abner Bixby, Joseph Bixby, Samuel Woodwill, Edward Carrel, Jonathan Noulton, Thomas Pierce, Daniel Bailey, Samuel THE SETTLEMENT. 21 Gold, and Thomas Gold were admitted by vote, the terms to be equal with others. Eighteen hundred acres of land were also voted to John Brewer and Daniel Claflin, for the "benefit of the Society," to admit six persons to settle- ment. On the 31st of the following May, a gratuity of five pounds each was voted to Daniel Claflin, Sr., and Richard Potter, provided that they would settle-, with their families, in the new township before winter. On the 20th day of the next December, one hundred acres of land were granted to John Jones, Esq., for public services to the proprietorship. This act rescinded a vote upon the same proposition on the 29th of March, passed in the negative. On the 29th of March, 1738, at a meeting adjourned from the previous 15th instant, the proprietors passed the following vote : Agreeable to the Eleventh Article granted to Henry Mellon the the Sum of Twenty five pounds of money to be paid Some time in June next on Conditions that he builds a Saw mill and Setts it agoing by the last day of October next (on the Reservation) and keeps the said MUl in Repair for three years next ensuing and give each of the Proprietors an Equal right of Sawing their boards according to the Number of their rights and two Shillings & Six- pence p. hundred during the term of the said three years. The proprietors chose assessors, collectors, treasurers, and committees, and exhibited energy and enterprise in the pre- paratory work of settlement. Special diligence was shown in the direction of opening the road from Rumford to the centre of the new township, from which fact we conclude that Rumford was intended as a base of domestic supphes. It is not to be inferred, however, that the proprietors of Number Five- were so immaculate as to escape controversy. There are numerous evidences of a lack of perfect harmony in their proceedings. The records of names entered in protest against acts of the proprietors in assembly are by no means infrequent. On the 20th of December, 1737, Henry Mellen, for him- self, as well as proxy for seven others, and sixteen others in person, recorded their names in protest agaiust the act giv- ing John Jones 100 acres of land for his services in aid of securing the proprietorship of the new township. On the 29th of the next March, James Nutt and fifteen 22 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. others entered a lengthy protest specially against the act empowering John Brewer and Daniel Claflin to dispose of 1,800 acres of land. The protest asserted that the pro- priety pretended " to give away near one quarter of said Township for little or nothing, and the Major part may as well give away all the Remainder except what is already laid out." The sentiment embodied in this protest seems to have been effective, for, on the day it was entered, the position of Brewer and Claflin as a committee was qualified by an instruction. It appears there were six men, pros- pective settlers, viz., Henry Mellen, Joseph Haven, John Benny, James Nutt, Peter How, and Thomas Walker, who were ready to pay 180 pounds for the tract of 1,800 acres ; and the proprietors voted to instruct the committee to dispose of the same to any parties who would give the sum named or more, or, if they saw cause, they could relin- quish their rights as a committee. The protest of Nutt and others, as well as another of John Jones and thirteen others, of the same date as the first, indicated a contro- versy in regard to the eligibility of certain proprietors to vote at the regular meetings, the individuals appearing to have not fully complied at the time with all the conditions of the grant, and the indication being that they did not vote. Strange as it may seem, on the 2d of March, 1739, the proprietors chose Henry Mellen an agent to represent them in a suit already begun against them by John Jones. Between March and October, 1738, we have no record of any meeting of the proprietors. Doubtless the time was occupied measurably with the affairs of actual settlement. We have no positive knowledge in regard to the person who first began domestic operations in Number Five. Tra- dition ascribes that distinction to Richard Potter. With- out attempting to narrate an uncertainty, we pass to the general fact that there was a sufficient settlement in Octo- ber of the year 1738, to insure the privilege of a legal meeting, the first in the territory of the new township. A prefatory note to the record of the incorporating char- ter of the present town of Hopkinton says, — This Township was taken up to be settled, after it was granted & laid out by Order of the General Court of the Province of Massa- chusetts Bay, by the inhabitants of Hopkinton, in said Province, under the name of Number five of the Line of Towns, And was by them called New Hopkinton. PIBST MEETING IN NTTMBEE FIVE. 23 CHAPTER VIII. FIRST MEETING IN NUMBER FIVE. The following is the record of the call and minutes of the first meeting of the proprietors of Number Five in the new township : These are to notify all the Proprietors of the New Township Number five bordering on Rumford to meet at the house of Mr. Henry Mellen in the Said Township near the Meeting house Spot on Thirsday the nineteenth day of October next ensuing at nine of the Clock in the morning there to act on the following articles : 1st. That whereas there is Several Letts already layed out that are complained of as not convenient for Settlement whether the Propriety will choose a Committee to view the Said Lotts and if the Said Committee find the Lotts not convenient for Settlement that they be impowered to lay out new Lotts convenient for Settlement and Situation. 2ndly. Whether the Propriety will choose a Committee to lay out a road from the Camp meadow to the Meeting house and from thence to the River and to lay out what other roads the Propriety think proper. 3rdly. To See whether the Propriety will come into Some method to flow the meadows. 41y. To See what further Encouragement the Propriety will give towards building a Saw Mill. 51y. To choose a Proprietors Clerk and Committee man to call Meetings for the future in the room of Charles Morris and what allowance they will grant for his Service hitherto. 6hly. To choose a Committee to present the votes to the Courts Com-tee for approbation. 7hly. To See if the Proprietors will grant furthur Sums of money for the use of the Propriety. Sly. To See if the Propriety will adjourn this meeting to receive the report of the Committee that Exchanges the Lotts. Joseph Haven ^ Isaac Whitney >- Com-tee. Thomas Walker ) Hopklnton, Septr 30th, 1738. A true Coppy Examd By Henry Mellen, Clerk At a Meeting of the Proprietors of the New Township number five-bordering on Rumford at the house of Henry MeUen in Said Township on Thirsday the nineteenth day of October, 1738 : 1st. Joseph Haven was chosen Moderator of Said Meeting. 24 ' LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 2dly. Put to vote whether the Propriety would choose a Commit- tee to view Such house or home lotts in Said Township as are Com- plained of as not fit for Settlement & if Sd. Com-tee find Sd. lots not fit for Settlement to lay out new lotts in their room Passed in the affirmative. 3dly. Then voted that Henry MeUen, Timothy Knowlton, Eben- ezer Goddard, Samuel Brewer, and Timothy Clements be a Com-tee to view the lotts as above Said, and if need be to lay out new ones in their room. 41y. Voted that Henry MeUen Timothy Knowlton and Richard Potter be a Committee to lay out highways for the conveniency of the Proprietors of the Township No. 5. 5tly. Voted that there be a highway layd out from Rumford line to the meeting house Spot or place ; also from thence to Cuntoo- cook river on the west Side of the meeting house Hill So called where they shall think proper ; also to lay out a highway on the east Side of the HiU To accommodate the lotts on the east Side of the north range ; also to lay out a highway from the meeting house place to the great meadow So called & from the meeting house to the Township No. 6 : These all pased in the affirmative. 61y. Voted that the Common Meadows in No. 5 be flowed on the Proprietors Cost. 7hly. Voted that there be thirty pounds of money more given in addition To the Twenty five pounds formerly granted towards the incouragment of buUding a Saw Mill on the Reservation To any man that wiU build Said null by the 19th Day of October anno Domini 1739. Sly. Voted that Henry MeUen be Proprietors Clerk for the Township No. 5. 9hly. Voted that Ebenezer Goddard be a Com-tee man To call meetings in the room of Charles Morris. lOly. Voted that there be Thirty pounds in Bills of Public Credit raised and gathered on and of the Proprietors of No. 5 Towards the defraying of the Charges of flowing the Common meadows in the S. Township. Illy. Voted that Henry MeUen be the man to receive the Thirty pounds and lay out the Same for the use of the Propriety in flow- ing of the Common meadows in No. 5. 121y. Voted that there be one hundred pound Raised and geth- ered on and of the Proprietors of No. 6 for the clearing and mend- ing of the highways in Sd. Township. 131y. Voted that this meeting be adjourned untill monday ye 23d Day of October Currant, at Twelve of the Clock to the house of Henry MeUens in No. 5 Bordering on Rumford. Joseph Haven, Moderator. The record of the adjourned meeting is as follows : Dr. Ebenezer Lerned. Octolx-r s#»i, i738. it-,- ,et at firt)!fi atid place alw> > '■' Six Wte lliai ing teifl •"» ■■'. . ?k:ore t'l-Mi- !■ • 9iA. Si.\ jn^iii; ori. ii thai ;;'. fonnd not t' " :ji' cr hifrltwii't- ,! jourmueut: i--iiTs Mel- :•■•'.■ and Voi«.d T lllf k.il Xo. 1 !!.■ . ' t>* .A No 1 iu the Skew ;■■£• "•- « /.•-.,•■ -t > ■/■■ iyi Ko. 2 in iiea i>t -.u^ « ,"i 'tei- 1-,-i »«i«: of the north r.'>,u^c : S« i Skew ('(ts-- on the taKl Slat- of the nortll rfNo. '. lyitv - •*" '-■^'-■■' ''"' '"'*' r. . ' ^ #,"« • •> «r ASt *» < and >•- -•> Hir * f f rt !-■ .-■.iVf ;i ,*!.' ■• In the call for a meeting to be held on the 29th of May, 1740, the following article was inserted : To chuse one or more meet persons to prefer a Petition to the General Court on the Behalf of the Propriety praying that they may be allowed such time (Beyond the time Limited In their Grant) to fullfill their Duty of Setling as the Court Shall think fit In Re- spect of the danger of War. The following is the action upon the article : Put to vote whether they wUl Send a-man or men to present a. Petition to the General Court for a further time to Do their Duty in Settling their lots or rights In Sd. Township by reason of the War — ^past in the neg-e. The perils of war did more to disturb the continuous prosperity of the new township than all other causes com- bined. They were the potent cause of the repeated suspen- sion of the records, through the enforced absence of many residents. In the event of war, the French in Canada became the allies of the Indians, who repeatedly made a prey of the English frontier settlements. In view of these- hostile wild men, and the dangers from their attacks, three garrisons were early built in Number Five. They were Kimball's garrison, which stood near the spot now occupied, by James K. Story, on the road from Hopkinton village to Concord; Putney's garrison, where James Scales was or- 80 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. dained, and which stood near the spot now occupied by the ancient, empty house owned by the heirs of Moses Rowell, on Putney's hill ; Woodwell's garrison, which stood near the residence of Eben Morrill, a half mile east of Contoo- cook village. In spite of these constructive precautions, the inhabitants of Number Five were repeated sufferers by the incursions of Indians. On the early morning of April 22, 1746, eight persons were captured by Indians at Woodwell's garrison. They were David Woodwell, Mrs. Woodwell, their daughter Mary, their sons Benjamin and Thomas, Samuel Burbank, and his sons Caleb and Jonathan. The garrison stood on the east side of the road now leading to the Hopkinton village and Contoocook road from Mr. Morrill's house, and the stockade, where the cattle were kept, was on the oppo- site side of the path, in a field now owned by Henry H. Andrews. In the early morning mentioned, a man had gone from the garrison to the stockade, leaving the garri- son door open. By this door, the Indians, who had been lurking near, entered and surprised the occupants. A soldier escaped. Mrs. Burbank, wife of Samuel, sprang to the cellar, and concealed herself under a barrel which stood on its end. Mrs. Woodwell had a struggle with an Indian, from whom she wrested a long knife, which she cast into the well. Mary Woodwell, who was only sixteen years old, at first resisted captivity, and an Indian present- ed a musket to her breast, but another Indian, named Pen- no, who had received kindness from her father, interfered, saved her life, and took her for his own captive. The Indians making this capture were of the St. Francis tribe, with head-quarters near the Canada line, and they intended to hold their victims for ransoms, or to sell them to the French, who held them for the same objects. Conse- quently the eight persons, aroused from their early beds, were marched hurriedly towards Canada. Their line of progress was through the present town of Warner, along the valley of the Warner river a distance of five or six miles, thence through Sutton and New London as now located, passing the easterly shore of Little Sunapee lake in New London, and the westerly shore of Mascoma lake in Enfield, thence to the Connecticut river, thence to the St. Francis, at the outlet of which into the St. Lawrence river was an Indian hamlet, the destiny of the company. * EAKLY PERILS OP WAR. 31 The Indians and their captives were twelve days on their march through the then almost or quite unbroken wilder- ness. The Indians allowed but one meal a day, and that one at evening, when they would cook and eat. Their food was mostly meat, of which there appears to have been a scanty supply. At one encampment, being scantily sup- plied, they killed a dog, of which Mary Woodwell refused to eat. Seeing this, Penno shot a woodpecker for her supper. Arrived at the St. Francis hamlet, Mary was sold to an Indian squaw, and Jonathan Burbank was also left in an Indian family. The other six captives were taken to Quebec, where Samuel Burbank and Mrs. Woodwell died of yellow-fever while in prison. David Woodwell, his two sons, and Jonathan and Caleb Burbank eventually secured release, the latter by means of funds derived from Chelms- ford, Mass., where the following record is shown : For David Woodwell of New Hampshire and Jonathan Burbank of Penacook, to assist them to go to Canada to attempt the redemp- tion of the daughter of said Woodwell and the brother of said Bur- bank, Captivated at New Hopkinton by the Indians in April, 1746 : Feb. 5, 1749, was collected £13 8s. to be equally divided between them. This money secured Caleb Burbank's release, but it would not have redeemed Mary Woodwell but for strategy. The St. Francis squaw was extremely penurious, and refused to sell Mary for anything less than "her weight in silver." The aid of a French resident of Montreal was secured, and he at length induced a French ohysician of great repute among the Indians to connive 'for Mary's release. The doctor advised her to feign sickness, and his medicine helped on the deception. The squaw was then advised to sell the captive, represented as hopelessly ill, and, being alarmed, she took the advice. Mary's price, paid by the French agent, was 100 livres, the equivalent of 118.50. It is needless to add that Mary Woodwell rapidly recovered after this transaction. After three years of captivity among the Indians, during which time she planted and hoed corn, pounded samp, gathered wild fruits for the markets, and performed other hard tasks devolving upon a female cap- tive in her situation, Mary was taken to Montreal, where she remained six months. She was then taken to Albany by Dutchmen, who had been to Canada to redeem slaves 32 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. taken by the Indians; from Albany, she returned to Hop- kinton, Mass., the place of her birth. In recounting the foregoing narrative of the capture at Woodwell's garrison, we have been greatly assisted by an article on " Mary Woodwell," written by the late Walter Harriman, and published in Volume IV, No. 6, of the Crran- ite Monthly. A scout of twenty persons from Exeter came to Wood- well's garrison, by way of Boscawen and Warner, a few days after the capture, and found only a mare and two colts on the premises. On the tenth of November of the same year, a Mr. EstabrOoks was killed by the Indians, when returning from Rumford, where he had been for the medical services of Dr. Ezra Carter. Estabrooks was only three quarters of a mile from Rumford when killed. The names of parties remaining in Number Five during the wara are only partially known to us. A petition to Governor Benning Wentworth, desiring military assistance, and pre- sented July 13, 1747, contained the names of Samuel Put- ney, Abraham Colby, Matthew Stanley, John Putney, Daniel Chase, and Daniel Chase, Jr. Another petition of January 2, 1748, " by inhabitants of Rumford, Canterbury, and Contoocook," is said to have borne signatures of resi- dents of Number Five. Their names were Abraham Kim- ball, Joseph Putney, John Burbank, Caleb Burbank, Joseph. Eastman, Daniel Annis. The following section of the narrative of the events of the troublous times now under consideration is from the pen of Alonzo J. Fogg, whose description is so graphic and full that we introduce it : On the morning of April 13, 1753, as Abraham Kimball was driving his father's cow from Putney's fort to Kimball's fort, about two miles distant, he was waylaid by two Indians and taken pris- oner near the foot of Putney's hill, on the east side. He was taken back some distance up the hill into the woods by the roadside, where there were several other Indians concealed. While waiting, they espied young Samuel Putney busily engaged in burning a pile of brush, near the house now standing on the farm owned by the heirs of Ignatius W. Fellows, of Hopkinton village. Here young Kimball had the experience of seeing two Indians creep stealthily along, keeping behind trees, stumps, and stones tiU they were near enough to spring upon the innocent boy and make him a prisoner, to keep young Kimball company (as they thought) to Canada. These Indians aU lived in Canada, and were working in the inter- EAEIiY PERILS OB" WAE. 33 est of the French, who gave them so much money for every captive they could bring from the English settlements, and deliver to the authorities in Montreal or Quebec. Consequently, it was no object for them to kill their victims or burn their buildings, as it had been fifty years before, when they waged war to revenge the wrongs that they considered had been committed on them by the white settlers. In those days, age or sex was not spared by the tomahawk and scalping knife. After young Putney was secured, thf two captives were taken about one mile north-east of Putney's fort, to what was called for many years the " Indian camp." This camp was situated near a large stone about thirty rods north of the tannery of Mr. Horace J. Chase, in the suburb of Hopkinton village, and on the road leading to Contoocook. The Indians stayed here till they were joined by another party, who had gone down to Rumf ord (now Concord) to make a reconnoitre of that settlement and quietly secure a few prisoners without disturbing the inhabitants in the main settlement, who might give them a warm reception if they were discovered in that vicinity. This party returned that evening without securing any captives, and with but little booty. The next morning the whole party started on their jouriley to Canada. They crossed the Contoocook river at Tyler's bridge, near Boscawen (now Webster), where they killed some cattle and selected the best part of the meat to carry with them. There were living at that time, on a hiU west of Boscawen plains, two or three families by the name of Flanders. The men were noted through the whole county in those days as " Indian hunters," and were well known to the red-skins through that whole section to Canada, as they frequently accompanied the celebrated Rogers and his Rangers on their excursions through those wilds. The Indians had many times attempted to kill these men, but always found them on the alert and ready to receive them. This time, they thought they would again make the attempt to destroy their deadly foe. Through one of their scouts, they learned that the Flanders men had left their barricaded homes for the day. They thought this a fit opportunity to carry their plans into efEect. Accordingly, the whole party secreted themselves behind a log fence in the corner of a field, and close by the path where the white men would come on their return home. Here they patiently waited for the return of their intended victims. Near night-fall, as the Flanders men were ascending the lull, their large Indian dogs showed unmistakable signs, by low growls and raised hair on their backs, that Indians were in the vicinity, and in the range of their path which led to their homes. Not knowing the number of the foes they had to con- tend with, they determined to make a bold charge up the hiU, and dislodge their enemy, and reach their houses, where they were better provided for defence against attack. Accordingly, they 34 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ordered their dogs forward, and then gave a long, loud, unearthly yeU and rushed forward, firing their guns. The Indians, who intended to waylay their enemy, were surprised themselves, and imagined that they were discovered, and were attacked hy a large force from Rumford and Hopkinton, and fled from their hiding- place for life. At the first sound of approaching danger, the cap- tive boys were as much frightened as the Indians, and ran nearly as fast ; but they soon began to think they were running away from friends instead of enemies, and began to slacken their pace. The Indians were anxious to fetain their captives, and tried to assist them along, but soon saw the ruse, as they did not try to hurry, and found that they must lose their prisoners or be taken them- selves. One, a chief of the party, being irritated by the conduct of the boys, raised his hatchet and was in the act of burying it in the head of young Putney, when one of the dogs came up and seized the Indian by the neck, throwing him to the ground and lacerating his throat terribly. After the close of the French war, it was made known that this Indian died, from the effects of the wounds inflicted on him by the dog, before he reached Canada. This bold attack of the Flanders men liberated the two boys, and they returned home to their anxious parents the day after they were captured. Ezekiel Flanders, one of the party who assisted in liberating Kimball and Putney, was killed by the Indians in 1756, whUe on a hunting excursion to Newfound lake, near Bristol. The military records of colonial New Hampshire, during the period of the French wars, contain the following Hop- kinton names, though identification of the persons is not sure : Joseph Eastman (probably of Concord), Stephen Hoyt, Matthew Stanley, Ebenezer Eastman, Joseph Putney, John Annis, Enoch Eastman, John Burbank, William Peters, Nathaniel Smith, Sampson Colby, Isaac Chandler, Thomas Merrill, Samuel Barrett, James Lock, John Nutt, John Jones, Thomas Eastman. During the existence of war, many of the residents of Number Five being absent from the township, some re- turned to Massachusetts and others appear to have resorted to contiguous New Hampshire towns, but the facts recov- erable are few. THE MASON CLAIM. 35 CHAPTER XI. THE MASON CLAIM. ThQ original royal patent of Laconia, granted in 1622 to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason, embraced all the line of the Atlantic coast lying between the Merrimack and St. Lawrence rivers to the distance of many miles inland. Subsequently, Mason, who is conjectured to have severed business relations with Gorges, obtained a second patent of a considerable tract of territory lying between the Merri- mack and Piscataqua rivers, and which he called New Hampshire.. Disaster ultimately fell upon Mason, who an- ticipated, as did also Gorges, the realization of great returns from the supposed supply of precious metals in New Hamp- shire soil. The pecuniary outlay involved in the efforts at colonization was not followed by the expected returns. Mason's American interests became ruined, and he died without attaining the object of his ambition. Neglect and conflagration soon destroyed the remnant of enterprise in the Mason plantation at Portsmouth, and at last nothing remained to the heirs of John Mason but the naked soil. In the year 1691, the Mason estate passed by purchase into the hands of Samuel Allen. The Mason title having become involved in dispute, a legal fiction of the convey- ance to Allen assumed the lands to 'be in England, that they might be under the control of the king's court. Sub- sequently, through the connivance of the colonial authori- ties of Massachusetts, John Tufton Mason, lineal descend- ant of John Mason, laid claim to his ancestor's estate, involving the fiction of law in the conveyance to Allen. The claim was successful. John^ Tufton Mason offered to relinquish his title to the assembly of New Hampshire for the consideration of one thousand pounds in New England currency. The proposition was not immediately accepted, and, after iiotifying the assembly of his determination to sell, Mason, in 1746, conveyed his interest to twelve lead- ing men of Portsmouth for fifteen hundred pounds. The new proprietors were Theodore Atkinson, Mark Hunking Wentworth, Richard Wibird, John Wentworth, George Jaffrey, Samuel Moore, Nathaniel Meserve, Thomas Packer, Jotham Odiorne, Thomas WaUingford, Joshua Pierce, and John Moffat. These proprietors were liberal in disposition, 36 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. and proceeded to grant townships on condition of industrial and social improvements and advantages, reserving usually fifteen rights for themselves. The original proprietors of township Number Five took measures to secure a second grant of their territory. The reservation of " one ^fifth," recorded in the legal instrument, has since passed into local possession. The following copy of the conveyance is taken from the proprietors' record of this township : At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Land purchased of John Tuf- ton Mason, Esq., in the province of New Hampshire, held at Ports- mouth, on Fryday, the thirtieth day of Novemher, hy adjournment, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Fifty : — Voted that there be and hereby is granted in Equal Shares in fee simple unto Henry Mellen, Yeoman, Thomas Walker, Cooper, and Thomas MeUen, Cordwainer, all of Hopldnton, io the County of Middlesex, and the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and unto such others as they shall admit their associates, so as to make up the Number Seventy in the whole (Preference being first given and offer made unto the original Claimers, in Virtue of the Grant made by the Massachusetts Government, or such as hold under Such Claimers, to be admitted associates if they will) upon the Reserva- tions, Conditions, Limitations, and Provisoes, hereafter mentioned, all the Right, Title, Interest, Claim, Property, Challenge, or de- mands whatsoever of the said proprietors, the Grantors of and unto all that Tract of Land in New Hampshire, Situate on the west- wardly Side of Merrimack River, called and known by the name of Number Five, in the line of towns, so called, as well as by the name of New Hopkinton. According to the bounds thereof hereto- fore run and made in pursuance of the Said Government's Grant ; Reserving unto the Said Proprietors, the Grantors, the one-fifth part thereof, the Same to lie and be set ofB from the other four- fifths, on the westerly part of Said Tract of Land, and to Extend across the Same from the Northerly to the Southerly Boundary Line thereof, the Said Reserved one-fifth part to be Exempted and exonerated from all Taxes and Charges until the Same shall be im- proved by the s'd Grantors, or Such as shall hold the Same under them. That there be one whole Share reserved within the other four- fifths in some convenient place for the first Settled Minister there in fee simple. Provided he Shall continue Minister there during his life, or until regularly dismis'd. That there be one whole Share reserved within the Said four- fifths, for the use of the ministry there forever. That there be one whole Share reserved within the Said four- fifths, for the Use of a School there forever. That there be reserved at the place where the old Saw miU THE MASON CLAIM. 37 stood, within said Tract of land, Thirty acres of Land (with so ■much of the Stream there as necessary), for a Saw Mill Privilege, to be laid out as Commodious as may be ; and that the Grantees and their Associates build a Saw mill at said place, within two years from this time, at their own cost and Charge. That within three years there be thirty families there, each of them having a house there at least Sixteen foot Square, with a Seller under it, and five acres of Land Cleared and fitted for mow- ing or Tillage. That within seven years there be Sixty famUys there, each of -them having a house and Seller as afore mentioned, and five acres of Land Cleared and fitted as aforesaid. That within three years a meeting house be Built there, and Con- stant preaching therein at the Cost and Charge of the Grantees and their associates. That within seven years a minister be Settled there, at the Cost and Charge of llie Grantees and their Associates. That all white Pine Trees that are or shall be growing on Said Tract of Land fit for His Majesty's use Shall be and hereby are re- served and Granted to His Majesty, his Heirs and Successors. That a Plan of the Said Tract of Land, Having ye Reserved fifth part thereof aforesaid Delineated, described and marked out "thereon, be sent by the Grantees to the Grantors within the Space of Forty days from this Time, and also an Instrument in writing. Signed by the S'd Grantees, therein obliging themselves and their Associates to fulfill and Comply with the Conditions herein men- tioned, relating to the Settlement of the Said Tract of Land, Said Instrument to be prepared by the Grantors, and that this Grant shall be of no force or effect to the Grantees untiU Such Instrument ShaU be sent Sign'd as afBoresaid. That in 'Case any of the Grantees or their Associates, their Heirs or assigns respectively. Shall neglect to do and perform what is herein required by th'em to be done and performed, it shall and may be Lawful to and for the Grantors, their Heirs and Assigns, to enter into and upon Such Delinquent's Share or Right, and to Dis- pose of the same as they shall see meet and proper, as tho' this ^rant had not been made. That in case of an Indian war before the limitation of Time is expired for the dowing & performing the Respective matters and things herein -mentioned to be done •& performed, then the like num- Iser of years to be Allowed for the dowing and performing the rest after the end of Such Indian war ; And whereas the Said Proprie- tors have already released all their Right in the Township of Bow ((as thfey Claim under the said John Tufton Mason), unto the Pro- prietors of Bow, and it being Suggested that Bow may Take off .some part of the Tract of Land called Number Five, alias New flopkinton, as aforesaid, That the Said Grantors will make up to 38 LEFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the Said Grantees and Associates out of some other of the Grant- ors' ungranted lands and their Associates, oat of the Tract of land what shall be Taken by Bow from the Said Tract of Land Called Niimber five, alias New Hopkinston, upon a Just admeasurement, & returning the lines of the said Bow according to the Grant there- of. And in case any action or Suit Shall be brought against the Said Grantees, their Associates or their assigns or any that Shall or may hold under them or any of theirs, for s'd Tract of land, or part thereof. They shall be and hereby are obliged to vouch in the s'd Grantors, their Heirs or Assigns, to Defend the Same, and the s'd Grantors hereby promise and engage that they, their Heirs and As- signs, Shall & will at their own Cost and Charge defend one action or Suit upon one Title and pursue the same to final Judgment, Through the whole Corse of the Law (if there Shall be occasion), and in case the final Judgment in Such Trial ShaU be against the Said Grantors, the Grantees or owners ShaU recover nothing over Satisfaction of and from the Grantors, their Heirs, Executors, ad- ministrators or Assigns. A Copy of Record, attest, Heitry MEtLEN, Prop'rs Cler. The following is a copy of an instrument certifying the actual settlement and occupation of the township Number Five under the privileges of the Mason grant : To The Honorable Lord Proprietors of John Tufton Mason, Esqr., Grant, so called, in New Hampshire : We Henry MeUens, Thomas Walker, and Thomas MeUens, Agreeable to the Charter Given us of a Township in the line of Towns Number five, or New Hopkinton, so caUed, Situate on the westerly Side of Merrimack River, in the province afore Said, have Admitted the Persons here- after Named as our Associates and have given the Preference and offer to the original Claimers. Rights. Rights. John Jones, Esqr. 2 Jedidiah Haven 1 Joseph Haven, Esqr. Mark Whitney 1 Rev'r'd Samuel Haven Nathaniel Gibbs 1 John Haven Isaac Gibbs 1 Thomas Byxby John Jones, Juner 1 Peter How Benjamin Goddard 1 Joseph Haven Eleazer Howard 1 Timothy Townsend John and James Nutt 1 Elder Joseph Haven Daniel Mellen 1 Simpson Jones, Esqr. James Lock 1 Isaac Pratts David WoodweU 1 v<'- vt r*- '' i -4 i r THE BOW CONTROVERSY. 39 Nathaniel Chandler, Heirs 1 James Chadwick, Heirs 1 Samuel Osgood 1 Daniel and John Annis 2 Aaron Kimball 1 John Chad,wick 2 Thomas Eastman 1 Timothy Clement 1 John Rust, Heirs 1 William Peters 1 Ebenezer Eastman 1 Jacob Straw 1 Samuel Putney 1 Joseph Putney 1 Jonathan Straw 2 Thomas Merrill 1 Joseph Eastman 1 Jacob Potter 1 Nov'r, 1762. In testimony of what is written, we have hereunto subscribed our names. Hbkkt Mellen, Thomas Walker, Thomas Mellen. Coppy examined p. Geo. Jaj-fret, Prop'rs CI. Coppy examined p. Enoch Eastmant, Prop'rs Clerk. In the above list, the figure " 4," designating the rights of Thomas Mellen, is a doubtful one in the record. The next chapter explains the method by which a con- siderable portion of the reserved fifth part of the township, retained for the benefit of the Masonian proprietors, found a disposal. The whole of it ultimately came into the pos- session of actual occupants. Matthew Stanley Abraham Colby Sampson Colby Isaac Chandler, Juner 1 1 2 1 Abner Kimball, Heirs 1 John Burbank 1 Caleb Burbank 1 Samuel Eastman 1 Peter How, Juner Enoch Eastman 2 2 Stephen Hoyt Isaac Whitney Enoch and Ezra Hoyt 1 1 1 Deacon Henry Mellen Thomas Walker 3 1 Thomas Mellen 4 Isaac Chandler 1 Joseph Eastman, Juner 1 CHAPTER XII. THE BOW CONTROVERSY. As we have already shown, the proprietors of Number Five derived their title from the government of Massachu- setts. The claim of the authorities of Massachusetts to legal jurisdiction over the territory involved, arose, in part, from 40 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the character of the original charter of the Massachusetts colony, in part from the dependent attitude in which the people of New Hampshire were, in their colonial weakness, willing to put themselves, and, in part, from the apparent hopelessness of the New Hampshire claims to any territory under the charter of John Mason. The townshi.p of Bow was granted to Jonathan Wiggin and others in 1727, by the government of New Hampshire. The conflict of interests between the two colonial establishments engendered numer- ous controversial troubles tiU 1741, when the boundary between Massachusetts and New Hampshire became perma- nently established. Local disputes, however, continued to involve the quiet of the communities for years afterwards. The Bow controversy involved the disquiet of the people of four several towns, — Bow, Concord, Pembroke, Hopkin- ton, as at present designated, — in consequence of the pri- mary conflict of interests above described. Concord and Pembroke being relatively in the same legal position as Hopkinton. Bow succeeded in maintaining its original title, but was obliged to yield over two thirds of its territory to the other-named towns. The boundaries were settled at different times from 1759 to 1765. The territorial claim made by Bow upon Hopkinton included a few square miles of land, triangular in form, and extending into the south- east corner in the form of a wedge, the apex of which was nearly in Hopkinton village. Number Five was repre- sented by several parties in the described controversy. On the 16th of October, 1760, Henry Mellen was chosen an agent in the adjustment of the Bow claim, with the ex- pressed privilege of choosing any one to assist him he thought proper. On the 7th of May of the following year, Dea. Henry Mellen, Adj. Thomas Mellen, and Timothy Clement were chosen a " committee to go down to the lord proprietors and the proprietors of Bow to see if the matter can be agreed upon." On the determination of the contro- versy between Bow and Number Five, in New Hopkinton, in the first instance, the proprietors of Bow maintained their claim, and the loss was made good to Number Five by the Masonian proprietors of the "reservation" in the west part of the township, the evidence of the culmination of the transaction being recorded under the date of January 5, 1767, as follows : Voted that we have Excepted the Lands of the lord Proprietors THE BOW CONTEOVBESY. 41 which they voted to us acre for acre that was taken of by Bow being laid out on the Easterly Side of their fifth part of said Township. Thougli the township of Bow sustained its claim, the township of Number Five ceded no territory to Bow. The adjustment of the claim becoming a function of the General Court of New Hampshire, a committee of the court, acting in conjunction with a committee of Number Five, made an equalization out of the ungranted land of the Masonian pro- prietors. The following record of Number Five, for May 1, 1765, assists the understanding of the reader: Voted that matthew Stanley Isaac Chandler and Jacob Straw be a Committee to Reacon with the Committee that was appointed by the General Cort to Seel Common Land in Hopkinton. The meeting passing this act was adjourned to the 3d of May, when the following acts were passed : Voted to Confirm Timothy Clement Enoch Eastman and Jona- than Straw as a Proprietor's commitee to Seel a Part of the Pro- prietor's Common Lands in Hopkinton to Pay the Purches and Charges that we have been at with the Proprietors of Bow. Voted to Confairm and alow what said Commitee have Don or shaU Do in that Capacity. Voted to Confirm what timmothy Clement Enoch Eastman and Jonathan Straw as our Commitee have Don or Shall Do agreable to the Cort act. The conditions outlined as the above acts are observed to be in fulfilment of a stipulation of the Masonian grant. The following persons were residents and property hold- ers upon the Bow claim in 1763, when, on the 13th of De- cember, an act was passed by the legislature of New Hamp- shire, joining them and their estates to the "District of New Hopkinton :" Abel Kimball, Timothy Kimball, Timothy Clements, EUphalet Colby, Green French, John Chadwick, Abraham Kimball, Jeremiah Bimball, James Kimball, Moses Straw, Jonathan Straw, John East- man, William Peters, Hezekiah Foster, Jeremiah Kimball, Jr., Thomas Jewett, Reuben Kimball, Daniel Watson, Obadiah Perry, Joshua Bailey, John Kimball, John Jewett, Parker Flanders, Isaac Colby, Thomas Hoitt, Widow Susannah KimbaU. In 1772, in consequence of the incorporation of the county of Hillsborough, of which Hopkinton was a part till 1823, 42 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. it became necessary for the provincial authority of New Hampshire to enact that that part of Hopkinton formerly claimed hy Bow should be disannexed from Rockingham county, of which Bow was formerly a part, and annexed to the new county of Hillsborough, legalized in 1771. CHAPTER XIII. THE INCOBPOKATION OE HOPKINTON. The troublous times incident upon the conflict between the French and English, of which some details have been given, closed in consequence of the " Treaty of Paris," made in 1763. Domestic peace and safety having been assured to the New England colonies, the condition of frontier town- ships rapidly improved. Number Five, in New Hampshire, so long distressed by dangers and fears, was speedily re- stored to social tranquillity. A prominent result of the restoration of local security was the incorporation of the township. The ultimate accomplishment of this object was implied in the earlier design of the proprietors. As early as October 27, 1757, a petition, asking for an act of incor- poration for this town, was addressed " To His Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq., Captain General & Governor- in-Chief, in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hamp- shire, and to the Hon''^^ his Majesty's Council in the Prov- ince aforesaid." This petition was signed by the following persons : Samuel Pudney, Joseph Eastman, Aron Kimball, Joseph Pudney, Enoch Eastman, John Padney, Daniel Anis, Caleb Burbank, Peter How, Joseph Ordway, Matthew Stanley, Abraham Colbe, David Woodwell, Thomas Eastman, Joseph Eastman, Jr., John Chadwick, John Ordway, John Burbank, Jonathan How. The incorporation of Number Five was followed by most decided social benefits, securing more independent legal functions, and consequent greater public confidence. Sta- bility and constancy at once became more marked in public transactions. The township opened a new volume of rec- ords, of which there has been no interruption since. In subsequent chapters of this work will be found incidental THE INCOEPOEATION OF HOPKESTTON. 4S evidences of the advantages derived from the local incor- porating charter, a copy of which follows : THE INCOKPORATING CHAETEE. Anno Regni Regis Georgii Tertii, Magnce Britianicce Francice, et HibernicB, etc., Quinto. [L. S.] An Act to incorporate a Place called New Hopkinton, not within a Place heref ore incorporated, together with that Part of the Township of Bow which covers a Part of the said New Hopkin- ton, into a Town, invested with the Powers and Privileges of a Town. WHEREAS, The Inhabitants of New Hopkinton (so called), to- gether with the Inhabitants of that part of the Township of Bow which covers a part of said New Hopkinton, have petitioned the General Assembly, representing the difficulties which they are under for want of the Powers and Privileges of a Town, and therefore prayed that they might be joined, united and incorporated together into a Town, and be invested with the Powers and Privileges which other Towns in the Province enjoy, THBEErOEB Be it enacted by the Governour, Council and Assembly, That that part of the Township of Bow which covers a part of New Hop- kinton be, and hereby is, separated from the rest of the said Town- ship of Bow, and is joined to and united with the said New Hopkin- ton, to aU intents and purposes ; and that all the Land Contained within the Bounds and Limits hereafter mentioned, and all the Per- sons who do or shall inhabit the same, their Polls and Estates, be and hereby are, incorporated together into a Town, including all that part of the township of Bow which covers a part of New Hop- kinton, with the Polls and Estates, and are hereby invested and en- franchised with all the Powers and Privileges of any other Town in the Province, and shall be called Hopkinton. The Bounds and Limits, including what has been called New Hopkinton, and also that Part of the Township of Bow which covers a Part of said New Hopkinton, which now together is incorporated into a Town, as aforesaid, are as follows : Beginning at the south easterly Corner, at a Norway pine Tree, with Stones about it, spotted on four sides, and marked on the east- erly side with the Letter R, and on the westerly side with the Letter H. Then running west five Degrees South, Six Miles, to a Hem- lock tree with Stones about it, spotted on four sides, and marked on the easterly side with the Letter H, and with the Figure 5 ; and on the westerly side with the Figure 6. Then running north fourteen Degrees west, six miles, to a White Oak tree, with Stones about it, 44 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Spotted on four Sides, & marked with the Figure 6 on the westerly- Side, and with thei numeral Letter V on the easterly Side. Then running east five Degrees north, three Miles, to a Stake in a Boggy Medow, spotted on four Sides, and Stones about it. Then running north fourteen Degrees west, about 130 rods, to a River on which Almsbury Men formerly built a Saw MiU, to a heap of Stones in the middle of the said River, a little below the said Saw Mill, where it joins to the southwest Corner of Contoocook (now Boscawen). Then running east fourteen Degrees north, by a Part of said Con- toocook (or Boscawen), three miles, to a Stake & Stones, the Stake spotted on four Sides, where it also joins to the northwesterly Cor- ner of Rimiford (so called). Then running South fourteen Degrees €ast, by said Rumford, about six miles and three-quarters, to the first mentioned Bound. And for the more efEectual Management of the Affairs of the said Town of Hopkinton, the Inhabitants thereof who are duly qualified to vote in Town Meetings shall meet together annually on the first Monday in the month of March, and chuse such Officers as the Law requires to be chosen in Towns ; And the said Officers, when chosen legally, & sworn to the faithful Discharge of their respective Offices, as the Law directs, shall have the same Power to execute their respective Offices as such Officers have in other Towns in the Province, and shall be subject to the same Penalties, Pains & Forfeitures for refusing to serve when legally chosen, or Unfaith- fulness in the Execution of their respective Offices, as the Law enjoins and inflicts in such Cases. And whereas the Inhabitants of said Town are in Arrears of their Taxes, both to the Province and also towards the Support of the Gospel among them, which they have never yet had Power to assess and collect. Be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Offi- cers who shall be chosen in said Town, to assess & to coUect neces- sary Taxes there, shall be impowered to exert and execute their respective Offices about any Arrears of former Taxes, as well as about future Taxes, till such Ajrears shall be fully discharged. And whereas the Inhabitants of said Town of Hopkinton are in Arrears of the Province Tax for the Years 1762, 1763, & 1764, which they had not Power to assess & collect in the time when the same ought to have been done, and now it would be too heavy a Burden upon them, if required to be all paid in one Year, or in two years, beside the proper Tax for those years — Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid. That the Arrear Tax for the Province for the year 1762 shall be joined with the proper Tax for the year 1765 ; And that for the year 1763, with the proper Tax for the year 1766; And that for the year 1764, with the proper Tax for the year 1767 ; to be then paid respectively : And that the Province Treasurer shall issue his Warrants according. o C_) E- < PQ w fl) ■iM."N->tKE'i ' ■Viw! that fee Inl*?.!'.-;*. "Mile >''' ■•■.'"' Pn.vni. „ •. ■. .'ii.if J I pji !.-•!'':. iUr-f:«- Tim?'. H- hWKRBUU'-. . ^-:>'-«ki-;/ Province of ) In Cs'«»>«'y-. Ne«- T-fampshire. > Jirti'y li • 1765. Tt." '•^rjtWr, E--il rt>:id a !ft)v3 'Vime. ami pasBcd to be enacted. Vera Copui, Att'r. h\ the uext ehapt<-i . ne first geueral iui;;l,( ■ nder the pru %'«'('»:)•>• - riiJiTAr i<.: fCSXTO ,. ii.'i king m. Ho}> ■its of BI«»f>\intou, who are • list {.|»'T tohenible them- FIRST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING. 45 And that the Inhahitauts of the said Town of Hopkinton may be enabled to execute the Powers and to enjoy the Privileges, which by their Incorporation they are invested with, Capt. Matthew Stan- ley, Lieut. John Putney, and Ens. Jonathan Straw, or any two of them, are hereby authorized to call the first meeting of the Inhab- itants of the said town. Provided, Nevertheless, That those Persons who settled in said New Hopkinton in the year past, and those that shall hereafter settle there, upon Bow Claim, shall be exempted from paying any part of the past Arrears of the Province Tax. x> • p ) In the House of Provmce of ( tj . ^■ TVT IT I.- r Kepresentatives, New Hampshire. J j^^^^^ ^^^ ^^gg' This Bill having been read three Times, Voted, That it pass to be enacted. H. Sheebuen, Speaker. Province of ) In Council, Hampshire. ) Jan'y 11, New Hampshire. ) Jan'y 11, 1765. The within Bill read a third Time and passed to be enacted. T. Atkinson, Jun'r, Sec'ry. Consented to, B. Wbntwokth. Vera Copia, Att'r. T. Atkinson, Jun'r, Sec'ry. A true Copy. Exam'd p. Enoch Eastman, Town Clerk. In the next chapter, we embody the call and minutes of the first general municipal act of the town of Hopkinton under the provisions of the act of incorporation. CHAPTER XIV. FIEST ANNTTAL TOWN-MEETING IN HOPKINTON. [A copy of the record.] The Warrant, or Notification for the first Town Meeting in Hop- kinton (being an annual Meeting). Province of ) New Hampshire ) Notice is hereby given to the Inhabitants of Hopkinton, who are duly qualified to vote in Town Meetings, that they assemble them- 46 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. selves together, at the House of Lieut. John Putney in this Town, "on the first Monday of the Month of March next after the Date hereof, being the fourth Day of said Month, at ten of the Clock in the forenoon. Then & there to consider & vote upon the following Articles — viz. : 1. To chuse a moderator to regelate the Affairs of said Meeting. 2. To see whether they wiU accept of their Incorporation. 3. To chuse Town Officers such as the Law requires to be chosen in incorporated Towns in the Province : namely, a Clerk, Select Men, Assessors, Constable, or Constables, Tything Men, Surveyors of Highways, Fence viewers. Sealer of Weights and Measures, Ha wards, or Hog Constables, and a Committee to examine the Select Mens Accounts, Lot layers, and Overseers of Deer. 4. To pass a Vote to confirm the Revd. Mr. James Scales in the Gospel Ministry here, to be the Gospel Minister of this Town ; or else to pass a Vote to reject him from being the Gospel Minister of this Town. 5. If a Vote be passed to confirm said Minister to be the Minis- ter of this Town, Then to vote such yearly Salary as shall be thought necessary and proper for the Honour & Credit of the Peo- ple, and for his Support & Encouragement in the Gdspel Ministry ; and how & when it shall be paid. And to see whether he will accept it. 6. To see if they will pass a Vote to raise the Arrears of said Minister's Salary, for his past Service in the Ministry by a Tax upon the Inhabitants of the Town ; and how. And whether they wiU allow Interest for it since it was due, and till paid, as he has been obliged to pay for want of it. And whether they will allow two Years of said Salary to be made up at seven pounds per Dollar, as Dollars went then, and as he was obliged to give for Dollars then for want of said Salary. 7. To see if they will raise Money by a Tax upon the Inhabitants to Defray the Charge of procuring the Incorporation of this Town : And to pay the Interest of what Money has been hired for that Use, tiU it is paid. 8. To see whether they will allow the Revd. Mr. Scales anything for his Time & Trouble to procure the Incorporation of this Town. And if anything, then what, how : and when to be paid. 9. To see if they wiU raise the Arrears of the Province Tax upon the Inhabitants, according to the time they have lived in what is now Hopkinton, and what rateable Polls and Estates they have had during that Time. 10. To see if they can agree upon, and determine by Vote, a Place to set an House for the publick Worship of God in tlus Town. 11. To see if they will pass a Vote to buUd an House for the publick Worship of God in the Town ; Of what Dimensions ; and FIRST ANNUAX, TOWN-MEETING. 47 when. And to chuse a Committee for the same; and to raise Money to defray the Charges thereof. 12. To see if they -will pass a Vote to have a School kept for the Instruction of their Children ; any part of the ensuing Year ; And if any, what time of the Year — How long — And where — And to raise Money for it. 13. To see if they will chuse a Committee, or impower the Select Men to procure the Southerly side Line of this Town run, as it ought to be : To take Care of the several Bounds of the Town ; And to join with the Select Men, or Committee of Boscawen in peram- bulating the Line, and Settling the Bounds between Them & us. 14. To see if they ■will raise Money to procure a Book for Town Records, And another Book for the Records of Births, Burials, &c. 15. To see if they will build a Pound for unruly Creatures, the year ensuing ; To determine where it shall be set ; and to chuse a Pound keeper. . 16. To see if they will pass a Vote to do work upon the School Lot which was first laid out, to make it profitable for the Town towards maintaining a School ; How much work in the ensuing year; and when. ( Matthew Stanley By Order of •< John Putney ( Jonathan' Straw A Committee to call the first Meeting in Hopkinton. Dated at Hopkinton, in the Province aforesaid, February 15, 1765 A true Copy — Examd — ^p. Enoch Eastman, Town Clerk. At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Hopkinton in the Province of New Hampshire, legally called, & held at said Hopkinton, pursuant to the Act of Incorporation, on the first Monday of March, A. D., 1765, and pursuant to the foregoing Warrant, or Notification, at the House of Lieut. John Putney. 1. Voted, That Capt. Matthew Stanley be the Moderator, to reg- ulate the Affairs of this Meeting. 2. Voted, To accept of the Incorporation of the Town, lately pro- cured. 3. Voted, That Mr. Enoch Eastman be Town Clerk. 4. Voted, That Capt. Matthew Stanley be the first Select Man ; Ens. Jonathan Straw the second; Serg. Isaac Chandler the third Select Man. 5. Voted, That the Select Men be Assessors. 6. Voted, That there be but one Constable chosen in this Town for this Year ensuing. 48 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 7. Voted, That Mr. Peter How be Constable for this Town, for the Year ensuing. 8. Voted, That Mr. William Eastman be a Tything Man ; Mr. Joseph Putney another Tything Man for this Town, the year ensuing. 9. Voted, That Mr. Hezekiah Foster be one Surveyor of Higk Ways ; Mr. John.Jewett another; Mr. Jotham How another ; Mr> Mark Jewett another ; Mr. Joseph Eastman another ; Lieut. John Putney another ; Capt. Matthew Stanley the other. 10. Voted, That Mr. Nathaniel Clement, & Mr. Timothy Far- num be Fence viewers. 11. Voted, That Mr. John Blasdel be Sealer of Weights and Measures. 12. Voted, That Mr. Joshua Bailey, & Mr. Thomas Eastman be Hawards, or Hog Constables. 13. Voted, That Mr. Joshua Bailey, Mr. Jacob Straw, and Lieut. John Putney be a Committee to examine the Select Men's Accounts. 14. Voted, That Mr. Moses Hills, Mr. Peter How, and Mr. Enoch Eastman be Lot. Layers. 15. Voted, That Mr. Moses HiUs, & Mr. Joseph Putney be Over- seers of Deer. 16. Voted, That the Revd. Mr. James Scales be the Gospel Minis- ter of this Town. 17. V(rted, That the yearly Salary of the Revd. Mr. Scales for his Service in the Gospel Ministry be Thirteen Pounds & ten shil- lings sterling, in Money for the three years next coming ; and then Eighteen Pounds in like Money yearly, so long as he shall be able to carry on the Work of the Ministry. And also to be found for him, yearly, at his House, twenty five Cords of Wood. For the first year to be compleated by the first of next March ; in Consideration of his preaching Lectures, as he has in Time past, preparatory ta administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. I accept the above Votes which relate to me ; as witness my Hand — James Scaled. 18. Voted, Tlmt the Arrears of Mr. Scales Salary shall be raised by a tax upon the Inhabitants of what is now Hopkinton, their Polls & Estates, according to the Time that each has lived therein, and what ratable Polls & Estates they have had during that Time. 19. Voted, That two shillings & six pence p. Pound Literest be allowed for said Arrears. 20. Voted, That two years of the Revd. Mr. Scale's last Salary shall be made up at Seven Pounds p. Dollar. Then the Meeting adjourned till to morrow at Ten of the Clock in the forenoon ; to be held then at this House. FIRST ANNUAL TOWN-MEETING, 49 At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Hopkinton, held by Adjourn- ment, at the' House of Lieut. John Putney, in said Hopkinton, on the fifth. Day of March, 1765. 1. Voted, That Money to defray the Charges of procuring the Incorporation of this Town, and the Interest of what Money has been hired for that use, till paid, be raised by a Tax upon the Inhabitants of the Town, their Polls & Estates. 2. Voted, Not to aUow the Revd. Mr. Scales any Thing for his Time & Trouble in procuring the Incorporation of this Town. 3. Voted, That the Arrears of the Province Tax be raised upon the Inhabitants of what is now Hopkinton, their Polls & Estates, according to the Time they have lived in said Place, & what ratable PoUs & Estates they have had during that time. 4. Voted, That the Place for an House for the pubUck "Worship of God be the Top of the Hill, about six Bods northerly from the Burying Place. 5. Voted, to build an House for the publick Worship of God, in this Town. 6. Voted, That the said House be Fifty feet long ; Thirty eight broad ; & Twenty two feet Stud. 7. Voted, That the said House shall be framed, & raised, by the Beginning of September, A. D. 1766. §. Voted, That Capt. Matthew Stanley, Lieut. John Putney, and Ens. Jonathan Straw be a Committee to prosecute the Building of the said House. ■9. Voted, That two Thousand & five hundred Pounds, old tenor, be raised to defray the Charges of Building said House. 10. Voted, That there be a School kept some part of the ensuing Year, for the Instruction of Children & Youth. 11. Voted, That there be a School kept two Months in the Year ensuing. 12. Voted, That the said School be kept in the Months of Jan- uary and February next. 13. Voted, That it be left to the Discretion of the Select Men where said School shall be kept, during said two Months. 14. Voted, That ninety Pounds old tenor be raised to pay for keeping said School. 15. Voted, that the Lot Layers be a Committee to inspect the Bounds and Lines of this Town ; and to perambulate the Line, & settle the Bound between Boscawen & this Town. 16. Voted, That thirty pounds old tenor be raised to procure a Book for Town Records ; and a Book for the Record of Births, Deaths, &c. 17. Voted, That there be no Pound built in the Town this Year. 18. Voted, Not to do any Work on the School Lot this year. 19. Voted, To reconsider, &. annul the second Vote passed this Day ; which was, Not to allow the Revd. Mr. Scales any thing for 4 60 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKXNTON. his Time, & Trouble in procuring the Incorporation of this Town — And then 20. Voted, To allow Tiim twenty five Pounds, old tenor, therefor. A true Copy — ^Exmd — ^p — ^Enoch Eastman, Town Clerk. CHAPTER XV. SUKDEY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. In observing tlie progress of events in the new town- ship that was made Hopkinton in 1765, one cannot fail to notice the prominence given to matters relating to the church. The public interest in ecclesiastical affairs was subsequently continued. The meeting-house was erected. The site, however, was not on the hill. An unexpected concourse of events had turned the attention of people to the plain, where now is the village of Hopkinton. Here the meeting-house was built, near the site of the present Congregational church. At a town-meeting held at Lieutenant Putney's house, on the 3d of February, 1766, the vote of the previous annual meeting, relating to the location of the meeting-house, was rescinded, and the following act was passed : Voted that the place for Building A meeting House on is north- ardly of Ezra Hoyt's House on Said Hoyt's lands by the Road that go to the saw imll within Twenty Rods of the Road that that go to Concord. The above act was confirmed on the following 21st of March as follows : Voted to By half acre of Land of Mr. Ezra Hoyt for the Privi- lege of Seting meeting House. Voted to Build the meeting Hous on the Land of Mr. Ezra Hoyts where the Committee Plast it. At the same meeting and date it was Voted that the Hous where this Town has met for the Publick worship of God Be fixt to meet in till the Meeting Hous Be fixt and that the Committee that is to Buld the New Meeting Hous Be the Committee to fix Sad Hous N B Capt Matthew Standley Lieu John Putney Ens Jonathan Straw. SUNDRY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. 51 On the 16th of March, 1767, the following vote was passed, suggesting the progress that had prohably been made in constructing the new edifice : Voted that mr John Blasdell be the man to takeer of the Meet- ing Hous to Sweep it and take Kare of the Dors and Lock. The principal dimensions of the new meeting-house were determined at the first annual meeting of the town of Hop- kinton. The vote then passed expresses about all "we know of the exterior description of the edifice. An act passed on the 8th of July, 1767, was as follows : Voted that the upor wandows in the Meeting House be Six Deep and the Lower wons be Seven Deep Squares Deep. It appears that pews were sold from time to time, and the proceeds devoted to the completion of the edifice, which appears to have been of the same style as the representative New England meeting-house of its time. The supply of its furniture was a matter of much apparent discussion and hesitation. The town repeatedly refused to purchase a cushion, which may have been bought in 1768, and dis- claimed an intention to provide a " Crissening Bason." On the 23d of March, 1774, it was Voted to Build a Pulpit and finis the Galorye So far as to Law out what money the Pews will fetch. The following votes, passed on the 19th of September, 1774, are significant : a Vote to See it the Town would Reserve the ground meant for Singing Pews for the use of the Town and the Vote Past to Negi- tive. Voted to Sell the ground meant for Siuging Pews. T"he Rev. James Scales served the Hopkinton church as pastor till the 25th of June, 1770, when he was voted a dismissal. The town also voted to invite the churches of Concord, Pembroke, and Henniker to attend the dismissing council, for which the letters were to be sent, and at which a dinner should be provided at the public cost. The Rev. Mr. Scales accepted the terms of the dismissal as fol- lows: I the Subscriber concent to be Dismissed from my Pastoral Rela- tions to the Church & People of Hopkinton Province of new Hamp- 52 UPE ATsm TIMES IN HOPKINTON. shire upon the tanns above mentioned in the above Vots as witness my Hand this 25 Day of June 1770 James Scales. On the 25th of January, 1771, Joseph Woodman was called to the pastorate of Hopkinton, but it appears he declined the call. On the 22d of the next July, Jonathan Searls was called, but the result was the same as in the former instance. The same may be said of Eden Bur- roughs, who was called on the 9th of the following Decem- ber. The following action seems to have been successful : Voted to to give mr. Elijah Fletcher a Call to Settle in the gos- pell Ministra in this Town. Voted to give m fletcher Ninety Pounds LawfuU money Settle- ment. Voted to give mr. Fletcher the Privilege of the Pasnage as it now is During his ministra in this Town. Voted to give mr Fletcher fifty Pounds LawfnU money for his Salary the first year then Rising five Pounds a year till it comes to Seventy and thean to Stand for his yearly Salary. Voted to give mr Fletcher twenty five Cords of wood yearly. Voted that Lieut Straw mr Benjamin Jewett Capt Stanlay Lieut Chandler Bins Eastman and Capt Putney be a Conmiitt to treet with mr Fletcher to See if he will Except of the above Call. The subject of the popular education of children and youth was one of intelligent concern to the early residents of Hopkinton. During the period under consideration, considerable progress was made in the work of providing public schools, but the history of it is very obscure. The following action of the town throws important light upon the matter. March 3, 1766: Voted That nine pounds Lawful! money be Raised for a Town School the year ensuing. Voted That the School be kept in two parts of the Town. Voted that the Select men Shall Divide the School and money. March 7, 1768 : Voted that Shugar HiU people Shall have their part of the money that was Raised for the School this year. Voted that Beah HiU men Shall not have their part of the money that was Raised for a school. March 12, 1768 : Voted not to Build any School House. Voted to Reconsider the last Vote that was passed. SUNDKT EVENTS BETWEEN 176B AND 1776. 53 ^oted to Build two School housen. Voted to Build a School house near Esqr. Townsend's. Voted to Build a School house in the Senter betwext Mr. Jotham Hows and Mr Moses Goulds. Voted to Build the School housen Twenty two feet long and Eighteen wide and Seven feet and a half stud. Voted that the School Housen Shall be Built by the first Day of October next fit for to Keepin School in. Voted that Ensn Jonathan Straw be the man to See that the School house be Built by the time Voted at the lower End of the Town. Voted that Mr. Joseph Putney be the man to See that the School house be Bmlt by the time Voted at the upper End of the Town. Voted that the Select men Shall Expend some part of the money that was Raised at our last annual meeting for the School in the Simuner Season. Voted one half of Said Money Shall be Expended Ln the Summer Season. Voted that one half of Said money shall be laid out by Hireing a School mistres or mistress Voted Seventy Dollars for Building two School Housen in Said Town the Biger part of Said money to be paid in Labour. The amount of money raised at the annual meeting of 1768 was the same as that of 1766. The whole subject of school-houses is thrown into obscurity by a vote on the 26th of March, 1768, to reconsider that of the 12th, " to Build "two School Housens on the Towns Cost." Money con- tinued to be raised for schools, but it appears that no school- house was built before 1776. We have already observed the evidence of enterprise in the establishing of early highways, but it appears no mate- rial progress, if any, in constructing bridges was made during the present period. The following act of the 28th of May, 1766, is of interest : Voted to Bnld a Boat at Contwock river as Big as Deacon Mirils fary Boat is at Concord. Voted to buld the Boate By the first of July in Suing the Date. Voted that Sd Boate Shall be cept whare thay now pass over Con- twocook River from hopkinton to New armstry. Voted that mr Enoch Eastman Capt Matthew Standlay Be the Commity to buld the Boat and take kear of it till our next annual meting. This ferry-boat was apparently built, and Enoch East- man became ferryman. There is a tradition that the first 54 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ferry in Hopkinton was located below the present village of Contoocook, at the point where the road now leading from a point near the house of George W. Holmes, across the railroad and to the interval, once terminated at the river-bank. The house of Mr. Holmes is on the Tyler's bridge road, that runs somewhat parallel with the river on the south side, and is about a half mile from Contoocook. On the 29th of December, 1772, a vote was passed to build a ferry " over Contoocook river," and Captain Put^ ney, Lieutenant Chandler, and Lieutenant Straw were made a committee to effect the purpose. This seems to have been a second ferry, below Contoocook village, at a point near the spot where Tyler's bridge is now located. This ferry was, for a longer or shorter time, managed by Thomas Bickford. On March 1, 1773, the following acts in relation to this ferry were passed : Voted to give mr Thomas Bigford the ferra and the old Boat as it is now with his Coming under Bonds to free the Town from all Charges Relating the feary and his Building and Keeping a Boate Sufficiant to Drive in a Cart with one yoake of oxen and a Load for Six During his Life. Voted that the Select men Should Be a Commette to take Secur- ity of Thomas Bigford for the fara that he Cleare the Town. The location of the old Bickford ferry is now recogniz- able, the place being a few rods up the river from Tyler's bridge, where vestiges of the ancient appointments re- main. It appears that, during the present period, the town had various intentions in regard to a bridge over the Contoo- cook river. On March 2, 1772, Joseph Eastman was made a committee of the town to " look out a place " for a bridge, and entertain contributions, but, on March 6, 1775, it was voted "not to appoint any place " for one. Previously to the incorporation of the town, the people, apparently by general consent, had begun to bury their dead in two places, — one on Putney's hill and the other on the plain. John Putney, John Blaisdell, and Mark Jewett were interested in the ownership of these burial places. On the 21st of March, 1766, the town voted to buy the two lots, described as containing a half acre each. In conse- quence of this act, so far as the vote to buy the lot on the hill applied, the following gratuity was recorded: SUNDRY EVENTS BETWEEN 1765 AND 1776. 55 lihe half acre of Land which is Voted to Be procurd for a Bury- ing Plac on the top of the Hill I give and Be Stow on the Town John Putney. In consequence of the vote to buy the lot ou the plain, the following is recorded : A quarter of a nacor of Land for a Burying Plas which was Voted to Be Procurd on my Land I give and Be Stow on the Town John BlaisdeU. It appears that John BlaisdeU and Mark Jewett were equally interested in the burial lot of half an acre of land on the plain. It was anticipated, apparently, that Mr. Jewett would be as gratuitous as Mr. BlaisdeU. The town- clerk accordingly left a blank space in the records for inscribing the gratuity. The space is blank to this day. This fact were insignificant, had it not been that an appar- ent public feeling was aroused by it. On the 26th of March, 1T68, it was Voted Not to Buy a Quarter of an acre of Land of mr Mark Jewett for a Burying yard. There were other acts of the same date as follows : Voted to fence the Burying yards. Voted to fence the upper Burying yard with a Stone wall. Voted that mr John BlaisdieU be free from Buying or fencing any part of the Burying Yards and Said BlesdiU Shall have the Privilege of feeding the Lower Yard with Sheep or Calves. Voted to fence the Lower Burying yard with a good five Baill fence. In the year 1773, a matter arose that interested Hopkin- ton in connection with other towns in this part of the then province of New Hampshire. In considering the subject, it is necessary to remember that the county of Hillsborough was incorporated in 1771, Hopkinton being a town of the new jurisdiction. The action of Hopkinton is best ex- pressed in the unique terms of the clerk. In the call for a meeting, on the 7th day of August, 1773, the following article occurred: to See if the Town will Chuse a Committe to Send to Amherst to Jine other Committees in this County to with Stand the Vote Passed in the Sessions to Pay 83 Pounds for Capt Killeys Breaking out of the goal in this County and Likewise farther application is 56 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. made for other money to the Value of 400 Pounds Lawfull money in the whole. At the above meeting it was Voted that mr Stephen Harriman Dea Matthew Standlay and Mr Christopher Gould Be a Committe to go to Amhauste. On the 28th of the next October the following act was passed and recorded : Voted mr Stephen Harriman be and hereby is appointed agent for the Said Town of Hopkinton to draw up Signe & prepare a Petion to the general Court to obtain a Repeal or Suspension of the order and Determination of the Court of the general Sessions of the Peac held at Amherst within and for the County HUlsbo on the 8 of June 1773 by Adjournment from the first thursday next follow- ing the first Tusday in Aprl 1773 wheare By thay Vote the Sum of £78 — 3 — 2 to be assured & payd to John Holland for and on account of the Escape of Joseph KiUay and that the inhabitants may not be Compeld to assess & Pay the Said Sum untiU a Rehearing of the Action brought By Said Holland against Said Kellay may be obtained & he is heareby impowered to tak any other Step representing any greivances in behalf of the Town that he may think Proper either by him Self or Such other Persons as he may think fit to Substitute. The foregoing action relates to Joseph Kelly, of Notting- ham, who, in July, 1772, in behalf of John Holland com- plainant, was defaulted at court and committed to jail for bail. Kelly subsequently escaped, and Holland was granted £75 and cost by the sessions. A petition of towns to the general court of the province, for the revocation of the order, and alleging negligence on the part of the custodian of the jail, was dismissed in the house of representatives, January 21, 1774. On March 2, 1767, the town voted to build a pound, back of the meeting-house, and to buy a burying cloth ; on the 16th of the same month, to build the pound thirty feet square and eight feet high, and to procure a plan of the town, and that Ezra Hoyt be pound-keeper ; on March 7, 1768, that John Blaisdell be the clerk of the market ; on the 12th of the same month, not to accept of the pound ; on the 25th of October, when the provincial law required a grammar school, that if the town was complained of for not keeping one, it would pay the fine; on March 1, 1773, that hogs might run at large, " if yoaked and Ringed." THE REVOLUTION. 57 The period under consideration demands a notice of the oondition of public politics, especially in anticipation of the events of the Revolution. The public importance of Hop- tinton in 1773 demanded representation at the general court. On the 28th of October of that year, Capt. John Putney was chosen a committee to petition the governor for the right to send a representative. However, there was soon a representation of another kind. At a town-meeting, held on the I8th of July, 1774, Capt. Jonathan Straw was chosen delegate to the convention called at Exeter on the 21st of the same month, to succeed the assembly dispersed by Governor John Wentworth. This convention chose Nathaniel Folsom and John Sullivan delegates to the provincial congress at Philadelphia. On the 9th of January, 1775, Joshua Bayley was chosen dele- gate from Hopkinton to a second convention at Exeter, to appoint delegates to a second congress, to be held on the 10th of May. John Sullivan and John Langdon were chosen delegates to this congress. On the day that Joshua Bayley was chosen a delegate to the Exeter convention, the town of Hopkinton voted " to accept what the Grand Congress has resolved." On the 11th of December, 1775, Capt. Stephen Harriman was chosen a representative to Exeter for one year, the selection being in anticipation of the convocation, of the 21st of the same month, designed for the elaboration of a plan of local civil government. CHAPTER XVI. THE EBVOLUTION. The year 1776, being the date of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, is properly regarded as the inceptive year of the Revolution. However, the reader of general history knows that the civil and military events that ushered in the Revo- lution were anterior to 1776. The blood of the American colonies was both stirred and spilled before the year men- tioned. The momentous nature of events had previously demanded an inventory of the materials of war. In 1775, in compliance with the demands of the Colonial authority, an enumeration of people and qf war material 58 LIFE AJSTD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. was taken in this town. The following is the official return : Males under 16 years of Age, 332 Males from 16 years of Age to 50 not in the Army, 160 Males above 50 years of Age, 30 Persons gone in the army, 42 AU females, 519 Negroes and slaves for Life, 2 1086 Guns that are wanting are fifty-six. Powder six pounds in town. The above account taken by us the subscribers is true errors excepted. Jonathan Stkaw, ) Selectmen Isaac Chandler. ) for Hopkinton. On the 14th of March, 1776, the Colonial Congress passed a resolution recommending the disarmament of per- sons disaffected toward the American cause. The pur- pose of this act was regarded by the Committee of Safety of New Hampshire, so far at least as the following order implies : Colony of New Hampshire, In Committee of Safety, April 12th, 1776. In order to carry the underwritten Resolve of the Hon'ble Con- tinental Congress into Execution, you are requested to desire all Males above Twenty one years of age (Lunaticks, Idiots, & and Negroes excepted) to sign to the DECLARATION on this Paper : & when so done, to make Return thereof, together with the Name or Names of all who Shall refuse to sign the same, to the GEN- ERAL ASSEMBLY or Committee of Safety of this Colony. M. "W^are, Chairman. In Congress, March 14, 1776. Resolved, That it be recommended to the Several Assemblys, Conventions, & Councils, or Committees of Safety of the United Colonies immediately to cause all Persons to be disarmed, within their Respective Colonies, who are notorwusly disaffected to the cause of Amekica, or who have not associated, & refuse to associate, to defend by Arms, the United Colonies against the Hostile attempta pf the British Fleets & Armies. (Copy) Extract from the Miautes, Charles Thompson, Sec'y» THE BEVOLTITION. • 59 The selectmen of Hopkinton returned the following sig- natures to the declaration of fidelity to the American cause : Signers in Hopkinton. Richard Carr Rogers, Abner Gorden, Joseph Putney, Peter How, Joshua Bailey, Jotham How, Oliver Dow, Moses Kimball, Benj. B. Darling, Aaron Kimball, Elijah Fletcher, Stephen Harriman, Jon- athan Straw, James Scales, Anthony Colby, Sargent Currier, John (X) Chadwick, Enoch Eastman, Joseph Eastman, John Putney, William DarUng, Gideon Gould, Ebenezer Collins, James Smith, Jonathan Starit, Wm. Stanley, Abner Colby, Daniel Stickney, Sam- uel Kimball, Adonijah Tyler, Ezekiel Hadley, Abraham Rowell, John Clement, Daniel Murray, Joseph Stanley, John Blaisdell, Elijah Durgin, Benjamin Eastman, John Jewett, Eliphelet Colby, Daniel Watson, Francis Smith, Aaron Greeley, John Jewett, Green French, Moses Jewett, Jacob Sibley, Elneser Riden (?), Abraham Davis, Isaac Colbey, Jonathan Chase, Nehemiah Colby, Samuel Hoyt, Joseph Flint, Abel Kimball, Asa Heldreth, Samuel Farrington, Jonathan Gorden, David How, Nathaniel Clement, Joshua Morse, Phihp Greeley, Nathaniel Morgan, Jacob Hoyt, David Connor, Timothy DarUng, Nathan Sargent, Jacob Straw, Moses Emerson, Moses Bailey, Johnthing O'Connor, Ezra Hoyt, Nicholas Colby, Matthew Stanley, Stephen Hoyt, Stephen East- man, John Trussel, Joseph Story, Moses Gould, John Gage, Thomas Bickford, Moses Sanborn, David Young, John George, Joseph O'Connor, Joseph Davis, Thomas Webber, Moses Sawyer, Moses HlUs, Richard Straw, William Peters, Jonathan Quimby, John Darling, Josiah Smith, Benjamin Jewett, John Burbank, Caleb Smart, Isaac Chandler, Jeremiah Story, jr., Isaac Fallow, Abra- ham KimbaU, Joseph Chandler, John Gage, jr., Nathaniel Kim- ball, Samuel Jewett, Oliver Pierson, Ezekiel Straw, Daniel Cresey, David Fellows, Daniel Noyes, Joseph Clarke, Henry French, Zachariah Story, Nathan Story, David Clough, Jeremiah Story, Joseph Hovey, Samuel Stanley, Joseph Barnard, Ephraim Gay (?), Samuel Stocker, Samuel Harris, William Godfrey, Peter Sargent, John Webber, Moses Connor, Samuel Smith, Mark Jewett, Richard Merrill, Nathan Kimball, Moses Straw, Ralph Judkins, Richard Webber, William Colby, WilUam Davis, Caleb Burbank, Thomas Eastman, Ruben KimbaU, William Scales, Jonathan Quimby, Ben- jamin Quimby, Jacob Choat, Joseph Nichol, Samuel Brackenbury, James Kimball, Oliver Sawyer, Benjamin Sawyer, Johnson Guile, Frances Whittier, Isaac Davis, James Clough, Jonathan Himt, Sam- uel Silver, PhiUp Godfried, Esq., John Eatton, Joseph Hastings, Sam uel Hadley, Benj. Wiggin, Josiah Judkins, Daniel Flanders. — 161. ( James Smith ) } John Clement >- Selectmen. ( Benj. Wiggm ) 60 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. The names on this paper are those that Refused to sign to the Declaration Sent from the Committee of Safety to us the Sub- scribers. James Smith, ) Selectmen John Clement, >• for Benj. Wiggin, .) Hopkinton. Chase Wiggin, Nathaniel Barker, James Buswell, James Jewett, Christopher Gould, Benj. Brown, Abraham Brown, Nathan Gould, Moses Jones, John Jones, Eastman Hoit, John Currier, Richard Cressy, Benj. MerrUl. — 14. The considerate reader will bear in mind that the act of the fourteen men in refusing to sign the declaration does not of itself convict them of disloyalty of heart to the American cause. The steps of resistance to British author- ity taken by the American patriots no doubt seemed des- perate and hopeless to men of more conservative instincts, even though they inwardly admitted the justice of the cause they dared not espouse. When the people of Hopkinton became subject to the necessities of the Revolution, they were under a law requiring all persons between sixteen and sixty years of age to do military duty. Each town was also required to keep a regular supply of one barrel of gunpowder, two hundred pounds of lead, and three hundred flints. In Sep- . tember, 1776, the provincial authority passed an act form- ing two military bands known as the Training Band and the Alarm Band. The first band included all the able- bodied men from sixteen to sixty years of age, excepting certain pubhc officers and employees, negroes, mulattoes, and Indians ; the second, all persons from sixteen to sixty- five not included in the first. In Hopkinton, on the 4th of March, 1776, Major Chand- ler, Joshua Bay ley, and Moses Hill were made a local com- mittee of safety. However, the existence of war implies soldiers. They are either volunteers, conscripts, hirelings, or, in the peculiar language of the records of Hopkinton, persons " sent for." Soldiers are recompensed by govern- mental wages, by bounties, or by local allowances. In the progress of Revolutionary events in Hopkinton, there were repeated votes to carry on the war by " rates." The town voted money, corn, and beef for the support of the army. On the 14th of January, 1777, votes were passed to procure shovels, spades, one hundred pounds of Hon. Aeram Pb-.wn ^: liiiti, the act .'.! ■hilaration doe*. ' heart to ibe ■ -.sh author- :. fned des^- under a ':;•, * dnd sixty year ■■: 1 r< <> ■-:■. also reqlHi . ' tu i.rrel '--S gunpowder, two ,rt-- lraiTir.j<( fliiU' In Sep- tus liority pa;<;v.'ii .'.I act form- ,is the TrJili;:/;- Hand "ad .and includeu' all thi^ able- ' svxty year,- of age, excepting finployees, r.r-pt:,. ^. mulaltoes, I't-rsons Ituu x cd t" sixty- , of March. I . .il.UHV- -,,'8 Hill V.-- ■ .,j-i i:''n,Z ■ • he exi--;. ■ ■■;.■; impl.i& ni>ji«teeri-.. - ■ . ! is, hireling "t tlie i.- •:., :.f Hoj )kiut ri i; > :;j.. New Hampshire, f In Com'«' of Safety, July 5th, 1781. Sir: — You are hereby directed to proceed in searching for Isaac Walker and Wm. Putney of Hopkinton — Michael Ames and Israel Band of Warner, James Keiley of Stratham and James Randall of Chester or Nottingham, who have lately deserted from Capt. Eben' Bear- ing's Company stationed at Piscataqua Harbour — ^And if they can be found to secure them & return them to the said company. And all officers Civil & Military are here by required to give you their 5 66 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. aid & assistance in finding, securing and sending on to their com- pany the said Deserters. M. Weabe, Pres'. L'. Joseph Huntoon. On the IStli day of January, 1778, a town-meeting was held in part to See what the town would decide in reference to the "Articles of Confederation of the United States of America." The simple record of the town's decision is as follows : Voted to Reciv the articles of Confederation. CHAPTER XVII. SUNDEY EVENTS FROM 1776 TO 1783. In this chapter are included many incidents properly be- longing to a Revolutionary narrative, but which, for better classification and greater ease in compilation, are reserved for this division of our work. In the immediately preceding chapter, we made a reference to the depreciation of money. The reader of general his- tory understands this reference. Money is the sinew of war. The American colonies, in want of money, issued a continental currency, in bills of paper that rapidly lost value. The records of Hopkinton illustrate the decline of the currency. On March 1, 1779, the town raised £1000 for the expense of highways, the price of. a man's labor a day to be five dollars, and " the same for a yoke of oxen, cart, and plow." On April 4, 1780, the price of labor for a man was voted to be fifteen dollars a day, the same for a yoke of oxen, and one third of the same for a cart, and the same for a plow as for a cart. On March 5, 1781, with £4000 for highways, thirty dollars was decreed the price of a man's labor a day, the same of a yoke of oxen, with ten for each a cart and plow. On February 17, 1780, the dues of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher were voted to be four thousand dollars, to make up the equivalent of the depreciation of money on his salary the year past. During the Revolutionary period, public instruction of children and youth in school was almost or entirely sus- SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1776 TO 1783. 6T pended. The town also publicly signified its willingness to pay the cost, if complained of for not keeping a school. March 2, 1778, the town voted to sell the school right or school lot, and devote the interest of the proceeds for the support of yearly schools, but this act proved a futile one. There were a few ecclesiastical items transacted during the period under discussion. The subject of public church music was one of consideration at town-meeting. March 1, 1779, the town voted to allot twelve feet of gallery of the meeting-house in front for the use of singers, and that the singers' pew " should be put on the town's cost." On Sep^- tember 8, 1783, it was voted that Thomas Bailey, Daniel Tenny, Jacob Spofford, Jonathan Quimby, Jr., Nathaniel Clement, and Isaac Bailey, should sit in the singing pew, to lead in singing, and to take in such singers as they thought proper. There was notable progress made in the construction of bridges during this period. It seems that by July 1, 1779, there was a voluntary bridge of partial construction over the Contoocook river, near Lieut. Benjamin Thurber's house. Such evidence as we have obtained indicates that this bridge was at the place of the first ferry, below the village of Contoocook. On the date above mentioned, a vote to see if the town would assume the cost of this bridge, so far as constructed, passed in the negative, though the town voted to finish the structure. The action in favor of fin- ishing the bridge was reaffirmed on the 7th of the same month, when, also, the selectmen were authorized to prosecute *' the offenders in regard to the bridge being flung down." The last act suggests the speculation that parties who built bridges on their own cost assumed the right to " fling down" the same at their own pleasure. The town chose Capt. Stephen Harriman, Eins. Enoch Eastman, and Christopher Gould a committee to finish the bridge, which appears to have been the first one over the Contoocook that was aided by the public authority. About the same time, the town voted to build two bridges over Paul's brook, the first in 1778, succeeding a previous one, near Dea. Currier's house, which means near the present residence of John F. Currier ; and another over Ordway's brook, in 1781, near Abraham Kimball's mill, which is the same as the spot near or where the Buswell's Corner road now crosses DoUoff's brook, at the north-east quarter of the town. 68 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. There were numerous minor acts done during tlie time under consideration. On March 21, 1777, the town voted to build a "pair of stocks" near the meeting-house ; on the first Tuesday in September, 1779, to give up Thomas Bick- ford's bond to keep a ferry across the Contoocook river ; on March 4, 1782, to give a bounty of five silver doUars for the head of each wolf killed in town by a resident of the town ; and, on the same date, to "lose eighty old continental dollars which were counterfeit of Constable Story." The condition of events anticipative of a new form of civil government was active. The constitutional conven- tion of 1775 not effecting satisfactory results, there followed another of 1778, to which the town sent Captain Harriman. Then followed the revisional convention of 1781, to which Joshua Bailey was sent, and which had nine sessions, and lasted two years, its result eventually being accepted by the people of the state. Hopkinton twice rejected the work of the convention previously to the selection of a committee of examination on the 18th day of November, 1782. This corqmittee was composed of Captain Straw, Mr. Aaron Greeley, Nathan Sargent, Enoch Long, Major Chandler, Deacon Kimball, Lieutenant Chase, Joshua Bai- ley, and Lieutenant Morse. On the 23d of the next De- cember, the town accepted the plan of government with the amendments proposed, and on the 8th of September, 1783, it voted " to accept of the alteration made by the convention in the plan of government." During the transitional progress of civil events, Hop- kinton kept up its representation at the General Court. The following were its representatives: Capt. John Put- ney, in 1776 ; Capt. Stephen Harriman, in 1777 ; Joshua Bailey, in 1778; Dea. Abel Kimball, in 1779; Moses Hills, in 1780 ; Capt. Stephen Harriman, in 1781 ; Lieut. Jona- than Chase, in 1782 ; Aaron Greeley, in 1783, or till the first Wednesday of the next June, when the new govern- ment became effective. It is noticeable in this connection that when the town chose Capt. John Putney a representative in 1776, it also chose Major Chandler, Capt. Harriman, Lieutenant Dow, Joshua Bailey, Ensign Eastman, Captain Straw, Esquire (?) Clement, Aaron Greeley, and James Smith a committee to instruct him. On March 3, 1783, the town passed the following act : nc -< o w a < "\ ■•led tlw' '• « sivAl. TOWN •; rtis apon Be if >ie it ■> ^■v • o PS J A CONSTITUTIONAL TOWN-MEETING. 69 Voted that Laws now Practis upon Be in fore till June 1784 unless the Constitution takes Plac. On the same date the following was also passed : Voted to grant mr Blaisdell and his Son thear Bequest in Regard of Changing his name from obee to John and that the Town Clerk govern him Self accordingly. These two votes are not only of historic value, but they are interesting on account of their literary composition. Perhaps the curious reader can tell, by the rhetorical struct- ure of the second vote, what was done in respect toa name, and whose name it was. CHAPTER XVIII. A CONSTITUTIONAL TOWN-MEETING. Constitutional government may be said to have begun in New Hampshire in 1784. Previous attempts at state con- stitutional government had largely been either warlike expedients or peaceful experiments. In attempting to give a general reason for the partly ineffectual attempts at gov- erning the state by representation, we might mention the socially dynamic result of a violent revolt against the gov- ernment of Great Britain. Escaped the bondage of one power, the people hesitated before assuming the too great obligations of another. The freeholders of New Hampshire dreaded any semblance of the former royal powers and priv- ileges. They disliked the "image and superscription" of the British Csesar. Sanborn's History of New Hampshire says, — " The hatred of royalty was so intense that every trace of it was swept away. The sign-boards that bore the royal face were torn down ; pictures and coats of arms in private houses were removed or reversed; the names of streets that bore the word ' King,' or ' Queen,' were chang- ed, and even the half-pence that bore the image of George III were refused in payment of dues." Such a popular feel- ing engendered suspicion of the word " governor," and the term "president" was tolerated when the magistrate, so called, was made elective by popular vote. In such a condi- 70 LLFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. tion of social affairs, govermental measures could hardly fail of the severest scrutiny. However, the people of New Hampshire consented to accept the provisions of a constitu- tion, according to which the toAvn of Hopkinton called and held a public meeting, as attests the following record : State of New i The government and People : we notify and warn HampsMre > all the freeholders and other inhabitants paying a Hillsborough ss ; pole tax in Hopkinton to meet at the meeting hous on Monday the first Day of march Next at ten of the Clock in the forenoon to act on the following articles Vs : lly to Choos a moderator to Regulate Said meeting. 21y to Choose a Town Clerk. Sly to Choose Selectmen and Assessors. 41y to vote for a President and two Senators to Serve one year from the first Wednesday in June next agreable to the New Con- stitution. 51y to Choose one Person to Represent the Town one year from the first Wednesday of June Next in general Assembly to be holden at Concord agreable to the New Constitution. 61y To Choose a Constable or Constables and all other Town officers as the Law Directs. 71y To See what Sum or Sums of money the Town will Rais to Defray Town Charges and Repare the Highways. Sly To See what Sum of money the Town will Rais to Keep a Town School the year in Suing. 91y To See if the Town wUl abate mr WUliam Tylers Rats in Constable Hoyts Rate List and all futer taxes in this Town. 10 To See what Bounty the Town wiU Vote to give to any Per- son that Belongs to the Town for each WoKs thay Shall Eill the year ensuing. Illy to See what the Town wiU give Samuel Judkins for his Servis as a Soldier During the war. 121y to See if the Town will hear the Petition of mr Nathaniel Morgin and others in Regard of opening a Road. 131y to See if the Town wiU grant the f oUowing Petition from a number of the inhabitants .... to throw up the old Road or exchange it from the easterly Sid of mr Samuel Silvrs Land to mr James McHard Land and to Lay out a Road threugh Said Sil- vrs Land to near wheare mr Zacharlah Huneford Deceased Did Live and through Land belonging to the Heirs of mr John East- man Deceased to Said mcHards Land thene through Said mcHards Land till it Comes to the old Road wheare it Shall be most Con- venient an to See if the Town will Choos a Committee to Vew & Settle with the owners of Said Land or otherways as thay shall think best : also to See if the Town wiU Lay out a Road from near wheare Said Huneford Lived threugh Said Silvers Land to mr A CONSTITUTIONAL TOWN-MEETING. 71 Abraham Eowells Land and threugh Said Rowells Land to Said Rowells millB. 141y. To See if the Town will f enc the buring yard. Hopkinton February 14 : 1784. Isaac Chandler ) a i ,. Joshua Bailey >- Aaron Greeley ) at the Annual meeting held at the meeting hous on monday the first Day of march A d 1784 at 10 oclock in the fournoon. lly Voted majr Chandler moderator. 21y Voted Joshua Bailey Town Clerk. Sly Voted to adjourn this meting into mr Wiggins. 41y Voted Joshua Bailey mr Thomas Bailey and mr Benja B Darling Selectmen and Assessors. 51y Voted for Josiah Bartlet Esq President for this State 56 Vote TimtWalkr Esq 2. 61y Voted for Senaters Esqr Blood 28 Esq Page 1 georeg Jackman Esq 2 Joshua Bailey 31 71y Voted mr Aaron greeley Representative. 81y Voted to Chocs a Committee to instruct our Representative. 91y Voted Joshua BaUey major Chandler Eins greeley Dr Clem- ent Capt Hale Dea Kimball Lt Chase Capt Herriman Ens Eastman Capt Straw Capt Moor mr B Darling and mr D Munsey the Com- mitte to instruct our Representative. lOly Voted to Carry on the Rest of the meeting by hand of Vote. Illy Voted to have 4 Constables. 121y Voted mr John Trusel mr William d Colby mr Eastman Hoyt & mr Daniel Stickney Constables. 131y Voted majr Chandler mr Thomas Webber Lt Jonathan Chase Eins Greeley mr Nathan Sargent & mr moses Kimball tithen men. 141y Voted J Quimby Jr D How J Sibley J Plumer Capt Her- riman J Clarke mr moses Kimball Lt Dow John Homes Henry Blak James Putney Dr Currier Thomas Webber Lt Morse Joseph Colby Ju Dr Clement Moses HiUs Jr Joseph Clark Capt Hale moody Smith David Colby Joseph Story and mr Isaac Cheeney Sur- vayers of Highways. 151y Voted mr Benjamin B Darling & mr Thomas Bailey Sur- vayes of Lumber. 161y Voted mr John George Clerk of the market. 171y Voted Lt Chase Lt Morse and Capt Hale a Committee to examine the Select mens accompte. 181y Voted mr Isaac Bailey Seler of Lather. 191y Voted mr Joseph Sargent John T. Connor Joseph Chad- wick fenc Viwers. 201y Voted mr Aaron greeley majr Chandler and Eins Eastman Lot Layers. 72 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 211y Voted Mr David Conner Dear Reaf. 221y Voted majr Chandler Pound keeper. 231y Voted Eins Darling mr Benjamin Hoyt Mr David Fellows and nir Joseph Chadwick Hogg Reafs. 241y Voted that the Select men Should Rais as much money as thay think Propr for the henifit of the Town. 25 Voted to Rais three Shilings on the Pound to Repare the Highways to he Laid out at three Shilings Pr Day fox a man and the Same for a yeok of oxen. 261y Voted to Rais Sevnty five Pounds to Keep a Town Schoole. 27 Voted that this meeting be adjorned to meet thirsday at eleven oclock to meet at the meeting Hous. thirsday march 4 met according to adjournment. PersnaUy appeired Capt Straw enterd his Decent against the Vote of Raising 75 Pound for Schooling. lly Voted to Divid the Town into eight parts for Schooling and that each District Should Dray theare equal proportion of what money thay Pay which ShaU Be Laid out for Schooling. 21y Voted to abate mr William Tylers Rats to Constable Hoyt. Sly Voted to Pas over in Regard of Said Tyler futer Rats. 41y Voted to give any Person five Dollers that belongs to this Town for every wolf thay Shall kiQ the year insuing. 51y Voted to give David Kimball five doUerse for the Wolf he Killed. 61y Voted to give Samuel Judkins twenty doUers for his Sarvis as a Soldier. 71y Voted to open a Highway from Lt Jacob Straws to the Highway By Jonathan gardinge ( ?) on the east Sid of mr mcHards Land. Sly Voted to Chuse a Committe to Viu the Land menshoned in the warrant for a Road and that the Select men Be the Committe. 91y Voted to fenc the buring yards with StonwaU or Bord fenc. 10 Voted Capt Jonathan Straw to Receive him to Savas as Con- stable in the Roume of William D Colby. 11 Voted to abate John Nichols Rats to Constables f rench. 12 Voted to except of mr Samuel Hoyt as Constable in the Roum of Eastman Hoyt. Voted to adjorn to the first monday of AprU three oclock. There is no record to indicate that the adjourned meeting of the first Monday was ever held. The next recorded meeting of the town was on June 1. Since this chapter contemplates the town as for the first time under strict constitutional government, we copy the CONTROVERSY OVER THE MEETING-HOUSE. 73 following paragraph from Fogg's " Gazetteer of New Hampshire " : In May, 1775, the Royal Governor withdrew, and the province was governed by a convention, of which Matthew Thornton was President ; and. in January, 1776, a temporary Constitution was adopted under which Mesech Weare was unanimously elected President of the Council, and Chairman of Committee of Safety, tiU June, 1784. CHAPTER XIX. CONTROVERSY OVER THE MEETING-HOUSE. Succeeding 1784 and preceding 1800, there were several important events that demand separate chapters for their narration. The first of these events that we shall consider was the controversy over the meeting-house. During the progress of this work, we have seen the evi- dence of a public determination to locate the meeting-house on Putney's hill. Subsequently, we have seen the original determination changed, and the meeting-house located at the site of the present village of Hopkinton. Such a modifica- tion of a public purpose could hardly be effected without controversy, and a public controversy is always a hard thing to quell. The meeting-house once located upon the plain, there were not wanting those willing to allow their dissatis- faction to be known to their fellows. More than this, it appears there were eventually more than two places named, each an actual or possible site of a meeting-house. In such a condition of things, a controversy had abundant en- couragement to live. On the 4th day of June, 1787, the matter under consider- ation had obtained such a pitch as to result in a public act of the town as follows : Voted that the meeting Hous shaU Stand wheare it now Stands. However the subject was not allowed to rest here, as is indicated by the following act of December 15, 1788 : Voted to Chuse a Committee of twelve men. Voted Mr James Buswell Lt Jacob Straw Capt DarUng Capt Moor Capt Herriman 74 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Lt Morse Eins Eastman Deacon Sargent Lt Farrington Capt Bailey Majr Chandler and Lt Hoyt Be a committee to Consult to gather and agree on a Plac for the meeting Hous and report to the next Town meeting added Daniel Fowler and John Jewett to the Com- mittee. Thus there was selected a committee of fourteen men, presumably all of judgment and influence. On February 2, 1789, the town accepted a report, which was as follows: Hopkinton, December 22 : 1788 at a meeting of the Committee Choosen by the Town of Hopkinton to consult upon a place wheare the meetiag Hous ought to Stand Uy Voted Majr Chandler moder- ator 21y Voted Lt Hoyt Clerk Sly after we have Considered the matter Eespecting the meeting hous we have Examined the Rats and we find the east end of the Town Pays about Eight Pound in fifty in the minister tax more than the west end and is eight Pats in number more : also the travil is thirty Six miles farther to the Com- mon Lot On the Hill So cald then wheare it now Stands according to our Computation : as those two Places are the only ones that was Picked upon by the Committee thearefore we think the meeting Hous ought not to be moved. This report appears to have been signed by a majority of the committee as follows : Nathan Sargent, Samuel Farring- ton, John Jewett, John Moore, Isaac Chandler, James Bus- well, Benja. B. Darling, Enoch Eastman, Joshua Morse. Within three days after the acceptance of this report, the meeting-house was burned, and, February 5, a warrant was issued for a town meeting "at Mr. Isaac Babson's dwelling," a tavern occupying the site of the present Per- kins Inn, on the 12th of the same month. At this meeting, the following acts were passed : Voted that the Selectmen Should be a Conmiittee to appoint a Jus- tic out of the town to go to such Persons as thay think Proper and Propose Such Oaths as thay think Proper in order to find out who Sot the meeting hous on fixe. Voted that the Selectmen Should take Such Persons with them as thay think Proper for theare assistanc. Voted that the Selectmen should take Such Person or Persons as thay think Proper on Suspicion and Sumons Such evidances as thay think Proper to Prove the facts and Prosecut to final Judgement. The foregoing business having been transacted, the sub- ject of a new meeting-house was in the regular order of sequence, and it was discharged as follows : CONTKOVEESY OVEK THE MEETING-HOUSE. 75 Voted to build a meeting Hous. a Vote to See if thay would have it on the Common Lot Past to the Negitive 59 for 134 against. to have it Near Lt E Straws Past to the Negitive for it 62 against it 129. ^ Voted to have it wheare the meeting hous was Burnt or within a few Rods 129 for 62 against. However, the controversy -was so intense and the dissatis- faction of the minority so great, the foregoing action was not held to be conclusive. The aid of disinterested influ- ence was invoked. The following action of the same date reveals the method: Voted to have it Left to the first Selectmen in the three following Towns Namely Gilmantown Linesborough and Washington that the first Selectman that is now in office and that if the first man is absent or Cant Com to take the Second. Voted that mr Daniel Flanders and mr James Buswill be a Com- mittee to wait on Said Committee. The committee of selectmen of the three named towns accepted the call and discharged their duty with apparent faithfulness. On March 2, 1789, at a town-meeting called at the Babson tavern and adjourned to "Mr. Babson's barn- yard," the following report was publicly rendered : To the Town of Hopkinton Gentlemen : we, your Committee, appointed to fix upon a Suitble Plac in your Town for you to build a meeting hous upon do Report that we have taken a Vew of the Principle part of your Town and the Situation of Each Part of the Same and have found it to be attended with difficulty Rightly to Settle the matter in Such a way that Each Part of the Town Shotdd have theare Equality of Privileges : the Senter of a Town in a general way is to be attended to in these Cases but we are informed the Senter of the Land in your Town Cannot be Regarded for the above purpose thearefore we have taken a Vew of the other Spots of ground Nominated by the Several Parts of the Town (viz) the Connor near mr Burbank's the HiU the Spot by the School House and the old meeting House Spot and considered them thus : it appears to us that the Spot by mr Burbanks will accome- date the Southwest Part of the Town only: as to the HiU, it appears to us that it wiU accomodate the Northwesterly part of the Town only : as to the Plac by the School Hous the distance from ,the old Spot is So Small it is not worth attending to : Thearefore, we, the Subscribers, are unanimus of the bppinion that near the 172 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. above what the law required for the support of common schools. Subsequently to the transactions of the annual business of the town, the selectmen appointed Isaac Story, Joseph Barnard, and Ebenezer Flanders a committee to seU the town farm, out lands, and other property implied in the existence of the town pauper establishment. CHAPTER XLVII. A NEW TOWN-HOUSE. On the early morning of the 29th of March, 1873, a con- flagration destroyed the Hopkinton town-house, including the apartments of Hopkinton academy in the upper story. The flame was first discovered in the middle, rear portion of the second story, and there being no adequate provision for the extinguishing of such a fire, the building was con- sumed. The cause of the fire is to this day unknown. At the time of the destruction of the town-house, there were suspicions of incendiarism and ascriptions to accident, but nothing certain was ever established. The loss of the town- house, however, aroused an unfortunate controversy. The town having two villages, there was a disposition on the part of some of our citizens to contest the location of the new town-house. Consequently, there was considerable difficul- ty in securing an agreement to build the needed edifice. On the 22d of April, 1873, a town-meeting was held on the site of the burned town-house, to ascertain the mind of the legal voters in regard to the formulated proposition to re- build. Local excitement ran high, and there was much discussion of the question, a party favoring the commit- ment of the whole subject. A number of citizens, led by Col. E. C. Bailey, of Contoocook, desired to prevent the erection of a new house on the old spot, or to secure two town buildings, one in each section of the township. How- ever, when it was shown, by a copy of the legal instrument rendered by Benjamin Wiggin, that there was a reversion of the property used as a site of the court-house unless the same was perpetually devoted to public uses, the tide of * m^^^' '*?j vu *- ■ .■/•; -> J'- ****** ■■V tow: irlv ij A H -, ^ 1 i .lU u - there On .' 1,. lu feitc 1 u >. a new '- ■■ihngs, (list Boiuf ,„y -.)■ -truiu" .■version ,-"-vpf w CO 3 M o td o o w 1-3 I— I S > A NEW TOWN-HOUSE. 173 opinion was turned in favor of rebuilding on the old spot. The town voted to appropriate $3,000 for the erection of a new town-house, and the three selectmen — John F. Burn- ham, Horace F. Edmunds, and Thomas B. Richardson — and Isaac Story were made a building committee. The local controversy refused to be quelled so easily. A second town-meeting was called in Contoocook on the 13th of May. The most important business done at this meet- ing was to reduce the building fund of the town-house to 12,500 instead of |3,000, and to place James M. Connor upon the building committee. This action, however, had but little weight, since the right to hold a town-meeting at any other place than the site of the town-house was ques- tioned, and no means had been provided for raising the building fund. A difficulty also arose from the fact that the people of the southern section of the town desired to place a second story upon the new building, for the accom- modation of a hall for general public uses, and private sub- scriptions were pledged for the extra constructive expenses. Several legal points being involved, a third town-meeting was called on the old site of the town-house on the 21st of June. It was voted at this meeting to instruct the select- men to borrow f 2,500 to be used in the construction of a new town-house, and to pay the interest and one fifth of the principal annually till the whole debt was cancelled. The building committee was instructed to erect a house with two stories, with internal arrangements suitable for the general uses of the inhabitants of the town, and to en- ter upon the work immediately. On the 2d of July, Messrs. Burnham and Richardson re- signed their positions on the building committee, but the preliminary advance of the work was not hindered by their resignations. Soon, according to accepted proposals, the work of erection began. The foundation stones were bought in Henniker, and drawn by our own citizens. John W. Page had the lumber contract; Isaac K. Connor, of Warner, the carpenter work ; Henry Foster, of Weare, the mason work ; Melvin Colby, the painting. On the 11th of October, an attempt was made to secure an injunction of the proceedings. A petition signed by James Hoyt and four others set forth the opinion that the action of erection was illegal, on the ground that to satisfy all demands of the law the building committee should act A NEW TOWN-HOUSE. 173 opinion was turned in favor of rebuilding on the old spot. The town voted to appropriate |3,000 for the erection of a new town-house, and the three selectmen — John F. Burn- ham, Horace F. Edmunds, and Thomas B. Richardson — and Isaac Story were made a building committee. The local controversy refused to be quelled so easily. A second town-meeting was called in Contoocook on the 13th of May. The most important business done at this meet- ing was to reduce the building fund of the town-house to 12,500 instead of |3,000, and to place James M. Connor upon the building committee. This action, however, had but little weight, since the right to hold a town-meeting at any other place than the site of the town-house was ques- tioned, and no means had been provided for raising the building fund. A difficulty also arose from the fact that the people of the southern section of the town desired to place a second story upon the new building, for the accom- modation of a hall for general public uses, and private sub- scriptions were pledged for the extra constructive expenses. Several legal points being involved, a third town-meeting; was called on the old site of the town-house on the 21st of June. It was voted at this meeting to instruct the select- men to borrow |2,500 to be used in the construction of a new town-house, and to pay the interest and one fifth of the principal annually till the whole debt was cancelled. The building committee was instructed to erect a house with two stories, with internal arrangements suitable for the general uses of the inhabitants of the town, and to en- ter upon the work immediatel3^ On the 2d of July, Messrs. Burnham and Richardson re- signed their positions on the building committee, but the preliminary advance of the work was not hindered by their resignations. Soon, according to accepted proposals, the work of erection began. The foundation stones were bought in Henniker, and drawn by our own citizens. John W. Page had the lumber contract; Isaac K. Connor, of Warner, the carpenter work ; Henry Foster, of Weare, the mason work ; Melvin Colby, the painting. On the 11th of October, an attempt was made to secure an injunction of the proceedings. A petition signed by James Hoyt and four others set forth the opinion that the action of erection was illegal, on the ground that to satisfy all demands of the law the building committee should act 84 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKENTON. and became an American state, the obligation to support a minister in each town was continued. However, when a state constitution became effective, all denominations of Christians were accorded equal protection under the law. From a spirit of liberality, formulated in the constitution and enacted in popular law, legally organized societies of Christians, not of Calvinistic Congregational confession, were not only tolerated, but their regularly constituted members were exempt from contributing to the support of a minister other than the one of their individual choice. Persons not regularly identified with any other Christian society were considered as under legal obligation to sup- port the Congregational minister of the town and were taxed accordingly. The divided condition of religious matters in Hopkinton engendered so much controversial difficulty that a peculiar scheme arose among the adherents and supporters of the legal church. They, in part, appear to have adopted the conclusion that, if they could not tax the adherents of free religious societies, they could at least tax themselves. However, in attempting to ultimate their conclusion, they fell iato a legal delusion, of which they, as a whole, appear' to have become at length convinced. The mistake made was the result of thinking that a portion of a town, called together for the purpose, could legally effect, in the name of the town, a measure that was of partial operation. The experiment was twice tried. The following is a record of the first attempt : State of ) To Jonathan Judkins Constable in and New Hampshire V for Hopkinton in the Comity aforesaid : Hillsborough, ss : ) Greeting — ^ [Seal.] In the Name of the State of New Hampshire you are hereby Required to Notify and Warn all the Congregational Inhab- itants of Said Town that are Qualified by law to Vote in Town affairs to meet at the Easterly meeting house in Said Town on Mon- day the Twentieth Day of July Current at three O'Clock in the afternoon to act on the following articles (Viz) : first : To Choose a nloderator to Govern Said Meeting. 21y. To See What Sum of money they Will Vote to Baise by a Tax or Subscription on Said Inhabitants to hire a Congregational preacher or preachers of the Gospel the Current year. Sly. To Choose Assessors to assess ministerial Taxes. 41y. To Choose a Collector or Collectors to Collect Ministerial Taxes. SECTAKIAN TOWN-MEETINGS. 8,6 51y. To Choose a Committee to hire a Congregational preacher or preachers of the Gospel to Supply pulpit. Hereof fail Not, and Make Due Return of this "Warrant at the place and at the hour for holding Said meeting With your Doings therein to the ToTra Clerk or in his absence to any one of the Selectmen. — Given under our hands and Seal this fourth Day of July Anno Domini on Thousand Seven hundred and Ninety five. Aaron Greeley ) Selectmen Timothy Darling >- for Joshua Morse , ) Hopkinton. State of V Hopkinton July 20th 1795. New Hampshire V In obedience to the Within _ Hillsborough ss : ) Warrant I have Duly No- tified and Warned all the Congregational Inhabitants of Said Town Qualified by law to Vote in Town afEairs to meet at Time and place and foi the purposes Directed in Said Warrant by Posting up a True and an attested Copy of Said Warrant a.t the Easterly Meet-' ing house in Said Town fifteen Days before the Day of holding Said meeting. ( Constable Jonathan Judkins -i for .( Hopkinton. Eecd July 20th 1795 Recorded and Examined by Aaron Greeley Town Clerk. The I'roceedings of the Congregational Inhabitants of Hopkin- ton at their Meeting Called, and held at the Easterly Meeting house in Said' Town on Monday the twentieth Day July Anno Domini 1795 at three O'Clock in the afternoon. 1st. Voted Joshua Morse Esqr Moderator to Govern Said' meet- ing- 21y. Voted to Raise Sixty DoUars for the Support of the Congre- gational ministry Immediately appeared Col. Philip Greeley, John Gage, Col. Joshua Bailey, Jeremiah Story Jr, Nathan Story, Joseph Story Jr, Isaac Bailey, Jonathan Herrick, Enoch Long Jr, Moses Emerson, Anthony Colby, Nathaniel Clement, Lt. Jotham' How Gideon Gould, Lt. Samuel Farrington, Jotham How Jr, Daniel Allen, Benjamin Swain, John Hoyt Jr, Moses Hoyt, Enoch Long, , Enoch Hoyt, John Boyenton, Peter Darling, Nathaniel Colby, David Colby, Moses Smith, Levi Hildreth, and Entred their De- sent against Said meeting as an Illegall Meeting. Sly. Voted to Pass over the third and fourth articles in the War- rant. 41y. Voted Messieurs John Jewett, Joshua Morse and Thomas Bailey be a Conunittee to lay out Said Sixty Dollars in hiring a Congregational Preacher or Preachers of the Gospel. 86 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 51y. Voted that the "Westerly End of the Town Shall have as much Preaching at the Westerly, meeting house as What money they Pays Comes to. Then the moderator Desolved Said meeting. Attest. Aaron Greely Town Clerk. The reader will observe that the foregoing warrant called the meeting of the Congregational inhabitants at the " east- erly" meeting-house. The term "easterly," applied to the meeting-house, was not used in a call for a town-meeting before 1795. Hence it appears that a second or " westerly " meeting-house had at that time been recently erected. The westerly meeting-house stood at ^hat is now sometimes called Campbell's corner, at the junction of a number of roads on Emerson's hill, where now lives Henry E. Dow. Worship, according to the Congregational order, was con- ducted at the westerly meeting-house with more or less regularity for an indefinite number of years. ' There was an interval of over two years before a sec- ond sectarian town-meeting was held in Hopkinton. The following is thd record of the call and proceedings : i State of ) To Jonathan Judkins Con- New Hampshire >- stable in and fos Hopkinton Hillsborough ss : ) in the County aforesaid : [Seal] In the Name of the State of New Hampshire you are hereby Required to Notify and Warn all the Congregational Inhab- itants of Said Town that are Qualified by law to Vote in Town affairs to meet at the Easterly meeting house in Said Town on Mon- day the twenty first Day of August Current at three O'Clock in the afternoon to act on the following articles, Viz : 1st. To Choose a Moderator to Govern Said meeting. 21y. To See What Sums of money they WUl Raise to Support the Congregational ministry in Town the Remainder of the year. Sly. To See if they WiU Vote the ministerial Committee Shall Imploy the Revd Christopher Paige to Preach in Town in Case provision is made for that purpose. Hereof fail Not and make Due Return of this Warrant at the place and at the hour for hold- ;ing Said meeting With your Doings thereon to the Town Clerk or in his absence to any one qi the Selectmen, — Given under our hands and Seal at Hopkinton aforesaid this third Day of August Anno Domini one thousand Seven hundred and Ninety Seven. Aaron Greeley ) Henry Blake > Selectmen. David Fowler ) THE COUNTY BTTILDINGS. 87 State of ^ HopMnton, August 21th 1797. New Hampslure >-. HiDsborough ss : ji In Ol^edience to the With- in Warrant I have Duly Notified and Warned all the Congrega- tional Inhabitants of Said town to meet at time and place and for the purposes Directed in Said. Warrant by posting up a true and an attested Copy of Said Warrant at the Easterly meeting house in Said Town in the Most Noted place fifteen Days before the Day of ^holding Said Meeting. ( Constable Jonathan Judkins k for ( Hopkinton. Reed August 21st 1797 Recorded and Examd: by Aaron Greeley Town Clerk. The Proceedings of the Congregational Inhabitants of Hopkin- ton at theii; meeting held at the Easterly Meeting house in Said Town on Monday the twenty first Day of August Anno Domini 1797 at three O'Clock in the afternoon : ' 1st Chose Joshua Morse Esqr Moderator to Govern Said meet- ing. 21y. Voted Not to Proceed on the Warraut. ^ Then the Moderator adjourned Said Meeting Without Day. Attest Aaron Greeley Town Clerk. The prompt action of this meeting, in refusing to act under the .warrant indicates a'generall conviction of the illegal character of the assembly. The proposition to hold Congregational town-meetings was not unanimously Upheld by the Congregationalists. In the list of dissenters from the action in favor of raising money on the 20tll>of July, 1795, are strict orthodox names. CHAPTER XXII. THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. In a previous chapter we have mentioned the organizar tion of Hillsborough county, of which Hopkintoii became a part: In the progress of civilized settlements northwardly from* the southern portion of New Hampshire, the county of 'Hillsborough eventually contained the following towns, which were included in Merrimack county at its incorpora- > tion in 1823 : Andover, Bradford, Boscawen (including 88 LIPE Airo TIMES IN HOPKINTON. , - Webster), Dunbarton, Henniker, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Newbury, New London, Salisbury, Sutton, Warner, and Wilmot, Andover and Salisbury included portions 6f the present town of Franklin, The town of Amherst being at first the shire-town, its position in the southern part of Hillsborough county at length incurred great inconvenience to many people desiring to visit the town on county busi- ness. This was the condition of things on November 30, 1787, when the town of Hopkinton passed the following act: Voted that our Representative Should use his influanc in the Creneral Court that if theare is any thing Dun Relitive to the Court Hous being Removed from Amherst that it Should Stand as near the Senter of the County as is Convenant. The difficulties incident to the location of the county- seat eventually resulted in the selection of a new shire- town, which was to be one of two places for conducting the county business. An act of the New Hampshire legis- ■lature, approved December 25, 1792, provided that the May term of the Superior Court, and the September and Decem- ber terms of the Court of Common Pleas and General Court of Sessions, held annually at Amherst, should there- after be held at Hopkinton. .This provision stipulated that the place of holding the courts in Hopkinton should be in or as near the meeting-house as practicable, and the state act was to be null and void if within two years the town of Hopkinton did not provide a court-house without expense to the county. The conditions of the above act, so far as they related to the obligation of Hopkinton to build a court-house, appear to have. been fulfilled; but the construction of the edifice seems to have been at first the product of private enter- prise. The site was the same as that of the present town- house. The land was given for the purpose by Benjamin Wiggin. The circumstances of the erection of the county- house are inferred from the following acts of the town of Hopkinton, March 8, 1796 : Voted to Take the Court house that is in Town and finish it. — Provide the Present Proprietors of Said house Will Give their Right to the house up to the County and Town and the land it Stands on Immediately appeared Lt Joseph Hastings and Entred his Desent against the last Vote. THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. oi) Toted to Choose a Coimnittee of three to Settle With the Pro- prietors of Said Court house and take Security of them for the Same and for the land that Was approprated for it and finish Said Louse. 'Chose Messieus Jonathan Chase Philip Greeley and Stephen Her- ximan be Said Committee to take Security and finish Said Court liouse as aforesaid. An the 19th of the next April, the town voted |375 for the completion of the court-house. This edifice, as thi^B completed, had two stories, the lower having two" rooms and the upper only one. It was about two thirds as long as the pi'esent town-hquse, and of corresponding width. On the lower floor were two jury rooms. On the upper was the court-room, with judge's bench of semi-circular arrange- ment m the middle of the west end, flanked by a wall-seat on each side. On the opposite end, and also on the two sides, were three rows of seats. In -the centre was the bar — a semi-circular arrangement, with railing and two rows of seats. In opposite and prominent positions in the eastern part of the room were two .sheriff's or prisoner's boxes; there was also another, as well as a fireplace, on the north side. In anticipation of accommodating the New Hamp- shire legislature, which met here in 1798, and also in 1801, 1806, ai^d 1807, an addition was made to the court-house, extendiiig the structure in the easterly direction. By this arrangement, an entrance was allowed in fropt, opening into a hallway or waiting-room, occupying the whole space of the addition, furnished with a simple encompassing wall- seat. ' Passing north, one came to a broad flight of stairs, which turned to the left twice and terminated in a narrow hall on the second story. East of this hall was the senate chamber, containing the president's seat in the middle of the south side, and a plain wall-seat around the apartmeht. Town-meeting was first held in the new court- and town- house on March 4, 1799. A meeting called at the easterly meeting-house passed the following act, apparently just brfore noon : Voted to adjourn Said Meeting to the upper Part of the Town- house in Said Town to meet at that Place again in one hour. Meetings were subsequently called at the town-house, and on August 6, 1799, the following act was passed : 90 LIFE AND TIMBS IN HOPKINTON. \ , Voted that the Town meetings be Notified in future at the Town- house. Incidentally upon the erection of Hopkinton into a half shire-town of Hillsborough county, a local jail was con- structed. This penal institution was subsequently trans- ferred to Merrimack, on the formation of that county in 1823. The jail was identical with the present residence of Benjamin O. Kimball, situated a few rods out of the village .on the South road. The outward aspect of the building is to-day suJistiantiaUy unchanged. The apartments of the edifice devoted to the purposes of a county prison have been reconstructed. The proper prison was on the back part of the lower floor, and extended 'the whole length of the building, being divided mainly into two rough but strong apartments, which were reached by doors leading^ from a long, narrow hall. Near the partition was the small, square dungeon. Here, in one or all apartments, -prisoners were confined until thie year 1852, when the new countj jail was built in Concord. CHAPTER XXIII. SUNDRY EVENTS FEOM 1784 TO 1799. A matter of adjustment during the period from 1784 to 1799 resulted from the Revolutionary War. The war rates were a subject of record as late as 1788, when, gn the 14th of January, the town voted that every person who had hired soldiers during the war should make a return to the selectmen. It appears thkt, sometime after the Revor lution, there were soldiers holding the securities of the , town for the payment of their services. To some of these the town offered three quarters of the face of the securi- ties, but on the 1st day of June, 1784, John Scafes Farn- ham and John Eastman were publicly refused any more pay than what they had received. On the 27th of April, 1786, the town publicly refused to make additional pay- ment to Esquire Farnum and Benjamin Creassy. It ap- pears that Creassy afterwards began a suit against the town, and, on the 4th of June, 1787, Joshua Bailey was chosen an agent to contest it. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1784 TO 1799. 91 A -resulting incident of the Revolution occurred on the 13th of November, 1786, when the town voted to pay for the guns that were lost in the year 1775, or return others, equally good. After the Revolution, a militia system was maintained upon substantially the same basis as that described in sl previous chapter. On the 8th of December, 1794, the' town voted eight dollars a monl^h, in addition to the amount given by congress, to minute men, when called into actual service, and one dollar as a bounty to each one when enlisted. On the 8th of January, 1798, the town voted minute men twenty shillings a month, and two dol- lars as bounty, upon simllai; circunjstances as before, while militia captains were assured six gallons of rum to distrib- ute among minute men in demand by national authority. , During this period, in consequence of the war existing be- tween England and France, the peace of the. United States was threatened, but it was secured by the skill of our gov- ernment. , , , In promotion of the military interests of the town, , a , training field was laid out on Putney's hill in very early times. The training field was located opposite the lot in-' tended for a meeting-house, as located by the vote of the town in 1765, at the annual meeting, on the easterly side of the highway. We do not know positively how long the training field was in actual use, but, on the 7th of Novem- ber, 1796, the town voted to lease it for 999 years. Turning from military to civil affairs, we note the public action of the town in reference to the constitutional ^con- vention which evolved the amended state compact of 1792. On the 8th of August, 1791, Esquire Greeley was chosen a delegate to the convention ; but the amended constitution was rejected by the town on the 7th of August, 1792, there being twenty-two votes recorded against it ai^d none in its favor. It is noticeable that on the 7th of May, 1792, the town " took under consideration " the amended constitu- tion, and, on the 21st of the same month " resumed the consideration " of the same ; but the clerk's record is so incompletely expressed that one can derive no knowledge of the result. Subsequently to the dismissal of tiie Rev. Jacob Cram, there was no minister settled in town during, the period under consideration. The Rev. Christopher Paige received. '92 LtFB AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ■a call on the 9th of July, 1787, and was a ministerial sup- ply a large portion of the time. On March 8, 1796, the town chose Thomas Bailey, Joshua Morse, arid John Jewett a. committee to .employ a minister, and authorized them to ■employ the Rev. Mr. Paige three months. On the 8th of the next September, a Totie was passed raising |100 for the -support of preaching for the balance of the year, and the Rev. Mr. Paige was to be employed till the money was ■expended. On the 25th of March, 1799, the town voted to lay a ministerial tax on the Congregational inhabitants at the rate of twenty cents upon each poll, and upon all ratable estate in the same proportion, such inhabitants to be ascer- tained by their individual consent to the selectmen. In a previous chapter, we have described the obligation of the town at settlement to devote a tract of land to min- isterial uses. The parsonage lot was laid out hj due boun- daries, but never was of the public service at first antici- pated, though it was not wholly without profit. At length it became a kind of public incumbrauce, and its disposal was a matter of public consideration. On- the 8th of March, 1796, the town, not having legal power to sell it, voted to lease the parsonage land " as long as wood shall :grow and water run." This act seems not to have been effective, and apparently for the exact limitation of the time of the lease, a second vote, on the 13th of March, 1798, provided for a lease for the term of 999 years. The interest of the money accruing from the lease was for many years divided pro rata among the different religious socie- ties in town. Steady progress appears to have been made in the sup- port and development of public schools during this period. In the year 1789, the state legislature passed an act fixing the amount that towns should be legally required to raise for the support of popular education. The rate of appor- tionment was one pound for every four pounds of the pub- lic taxes assessed upon each town by the state. The rec- ords of Hopkinton do not indicate that the popular vote to raise money for 'schools was directly affected by this law. Sums varying from fifty pounds to $335 were raised ior schools during the time under discussion. The method of using the school-money is somewhat obscurely deter- mined. At the annual town-meeting in 1792, it was voted SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1784 TO 1799. \)6> that there should be no method of distributing the school- money other than that "usual in town for some years, last past." In 1794, the selectmen were authorized to distribute the money among the districts according to the scholars from three to twenty-one years of age in each. In 1795 it was voted that a committee from each district, should draw its money from the selectmen, each commit- tee to consist of three persons. In 1797, the town voted, to go back to the method employed prior to the year 1784, and distribute the school-money according to the rate of. taxation for schools. In 1798, the method was to be that, of 1796, which was the same as that of the previous yfear. In 1799, the division according to scholars from three to twenty-one years of age was readopted. There is little or no suggestion of the progress made in the erection of school-houses during this period, but the following act of August 26, 1799, is not without interest : Voted that the School be kept in the Townhouse Provided the Committee that imploys the School Master piakes the house Good if it is Damaged. , The school lot, or right, laid out according to the condi-, tion of the settlement of the town, shared the same fate as the parsonage land. Not subserving the use expected, or being of only partial profit, it was leased for the term of 999 years, agreeably to a vote of the town, passed March 20, 1786. The interest of the money accruing from the lease was for many years divided among the different schools of the town, as was the fund raised for the same purpose. Co];isiderable attention was paid to the construction of important .bridges during the time under consideration. On the 30th day of August, 1790, the town voted to repair the bridge near Esquire Poor's. Esquire Poor seems to have been Eliphalet Poor, who was instrumental in the construction of a bridge across the Contoooook river at a point just above the present dam at the village of Contoo- eook, the southerly extremity of the bridge being not far from the present residence of Jerqmiah S. Webber; Eliph- alet Poor appears to have been in town as early as 1787. On the 7th of May, 1792, the town voted to repair the "great" bridges over the Contoocook river near Esquire ; Gross's and Esquire Poor's. The bridge near Esquire 94 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Cross's was doubtless at the first ferry-site across the river, of which we have already described the location. On the 11th of December, 1794, the town voted to build a bridge iicross Contoocook river on the falls a little below Poor's "bridge, so called, Moses Hill, Abraham Kimball, Josieph Hastings, Jeremiah Emerson, and Jonathan Quimby being chosen a committee to effect the work, Moses Hill being the chairman. This bridge was doubtless on the site of , ■the present Contoocook highway bridge. On March 3, 1795, further action was taken in regard to the proposed new bridge, among the provisions being that each man that I worked on it should have one gill of rum a day. On the 1st day of the next September, the town voted to "set up the bridge at public vendue," in prospect of its erection, and on the 19th of April, 1796, to raise $367 to pay for it. It appears that there was a bridge over Contoocook river at West Hopkintoh as early as 1793, being located a little below Abraham Rowell's. On the 10th of April, 1797, the town voted fifty days' work to repair Tyler's bridge, so oalled, and the bridge over the Blackwater. Such evidence as we can obtain indicates thgit, at first, many bridges were built in town through the directing labor of the surveyors of highways. The selectmen some- times called the surveyors to their aid in the construction of* bridges, and the expense was often cancelled by the reg- ular highway tax. This is doubtless a reason why the early town records give such meagre accounts of the con- struction of the first bridges. There were other events of greater or less importance during this period, and we recount some of them in chrono- logical order. On the 14th of March, 1785, the town voted to exempt from paying poll tax all persons above 70 years of age. The Rev. Elijah Fletcher having been buried at the expefase of the town, the selectmen's bill of £1 „ 11 „ 7 „ 2 was accepted on the 27th of April, 1786. On the 21st of August following, a vote favoring a state bank was passed ; but a contrary vote, in view 6i the plan proposed by the court, was passed on the 13th of the next November. On the 4th of June, 1787, the town voted to dispose of all its paper money. On the 14th of January, 1788, Lieutenant Morse was chosen a delegate to the United States Constitutional Convention, with special in- struction, to reject the constitution ; but the town after- SUNDEY EVENTS FKOM 1784 TO 1799. 95 wapds conceded him liberty to act as he thought best. On the 9th of November, 1789, Colonel Bailey, Captain Chase, and Lieutenant Morse were selected to meet in convention at Concord, to consider the towns to be erected into a new county. On the 30th of May, 1791, the town voted to petition the General Court to legalize all the town-meet^ ' ings already called by the selectmen. On the 7th of May, 1792, the town voted to build a pound on Capt. Thomas Bailey's land, "nigh where his old house stood," said pound to be 30 feet square within, 8 f^et high, and built with round pine logs, the gate and its posts to be of white oak, the, hinges of iron, and provided with a good lock. A warrant for a town-meeting on the 7th of August, 1792, , was the first one recorded with the place of the seal indi- cated. The same year the small-pox prevailed in town; but, on the 20th of September, the town voted to reject the proposition to build a pest-house. In 1793, March 4, the town voted that swine might run at large without being yoked, if no damage was done. On March 8, 1796, the selectmen were , authorized to repair the qemetery fence near the court-house', and set the part next the highv^y as they thought best. On the 13th of March, 1798, the selectmen were authorized to provide scale beams, stetel- yards, weights and measures for the town, and of such material as they saw fit. The same day domestic animals "were prohibited from running at large within a half mile of the town-house, under penalty of one dollar for a swine, twenty-five cents for a sheep,' and fl.25 for a neat creature, , unless it should appear that the estray was by accident. The same day a bounty of six pence a head for crows was authorized. On the 27th day of August, 1798, the select- men were authorized to repair the cemetery fence on Put- ney's hill, and cut up the intruding bushes. On March' 20, 1799, William Tyler, a poor person, was set up in town- meeting and veudued to bidders for maintenance, Benja- min Titcomb taking him at five shillings a week. The same day the town voted to buy a pall or funeral cloth. On the 18th day of the next November, the selectmen were authorized to repair the guide-posts in town. 96 V LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER XXIV. THE BEGINNING OF A NEW CENTUEY. In previous chapters of this volume, we have given atten- tion to certain major and minor affairs in the town of Hop- kinton from the inception of the .township till 1799. We now enter upon a series of events dating from the first year of a new century. It is therefore proper to consider the general aspect of local affairs at the pivotal year of 1800. Since the original grant of the township, the population had greatly increased. Sixty proprietors of Numlaer Five- had given place to over 2,000 inhabitants of Hopkinton. To be more exact in statement, we present the following- results of different censuses already taken : 1767, 473 ; 1773, 943 ; 1775, 1,085 _; 1783, 1,488 ; 1786, 1,537 ; 1790,' 1,715 ; 1800, 2,015. This relatively steady increase in pop- ulation marked a period of growth in numbers that contin- ued till about 1830. We will attempt to describe in brief the causes of this prosperity. The reader recollects, that in a previous chapter we men- tioned the existence of a comparative wilderness north of the latitude of Hopkinton and south of the boundary of Canada. This vast extent of wild country was destined to become the abode of civilizatioh. As more northerly set- tlements began in New Hampshire, the southern frontier towns became the depot of all kinds of domestic supplies, their wholesale and retail trade receiving a prosperous im- petus. Thus Hopkinton became the centre of a traf&c that encouraged population and wealth. More than this, Hop- kinton was for many years a prominent station on a direct line of travel between Boston and Montreal. The elevation of Hopkinton to the position of a half-shire town of Hills- borough county gave a special impulse to prosperity, bring- ing hither courts, judges, lawyers, country officials of vari- ous grades, and all the assemblage of clients and attendants at the different sessions of county judicature. The General Court of New Hampshire, meeting at Hopkinton four times abput the time -under direct consideration, occasioned the temporary advent of state officials and other influential persons, and aided eminently the social distinction of the town. In 1800, the territory of Hopkinton was largely appropri- Hon. John r ,,( u- ■ liaptei^ of ti . ^r' ^ -> major as ' i- , , .,,utii! . It is t! ' < ! d.-,'ect ol 1. .alaffn,,- , »^ IT" 1.' Ill tiir t iocl of gro\\tli ui uinubfTs »!i i Wp x\ill attempt Im -'.-s - . :■ ( « "- f .1 comparative «!'lnre tke --out'iorn froiitifr ,,. ot all k. t ""' ^'■''' '^"!'pl5.' •tall trade ^ - •*''"'*- '''• V. XL' il"5 hiiitou bei-ami^ itniste' (w-l b. !".>••.- i' • ^ '^ '■^' ■'' Milton t.. the p«-'-^'- ii.iU-^h'i. :; .-ountygcwcaspi..^ ■ .Ise U^i pi - ■.. r r-om-tH, judges, i:r -onnty o«.> :!,-,andairihe asbeuj:' - Upnt- . • '^liferent sessions of f" ■- <*>• tt < • 1 >.-td of sttx5' ■' n- Hon. John Burnham. THE BEGINNtNG OF A NEW CENTUEY. 9T ated by thrifty farms. The hills and vales were scenes of prosperous rural industry, while flocks and herds of thou- sands of sheep and cattle roamed in fertile pastures, or were sheltered in the commodious barns of their owners. There were various mills and manufactories upon the important streams in the town, while shops of different sorts were located in the numerous districts in the township. The village of Hopkinton at this time was probably not far from its present extent, though the number of edifices was per- haps somewhat less. From the village square, roads led outward in all directions as now, excepting that the pres- ent direct highway to Contoocook had not been opened be- tween the village and Putney's* hill. The prohibition of estrays within a half-mile of the town-house, mentioned in the previous chapter, suggests the probable size of the vil- lage itself. There were three meeting-houses in Hopkinton in 1800. Besides the easterly and westerly Congregational meeting- houses, there was a Baptist meeting-house at the junction of several roads at a point about a mUe south-west of the village, on the corner northerly opposite the present resi- dence of George W. French. There appears to have been at first but one resident minister, the Rev. Christopher Paige. The number of legal professional residents in town ap- pears to have been two. They were Baruch Chase and John Harris, and they both lived in Hopkinton village. There appear to have been five physicians in town in 1800. They were John Clement, John Currier, Stephen Currier, Edmund Currier, and Ebenezer Lerned, all of whom probably lived at or near the village except Dr. Clement, who lived on Putney's hill, and Dr. Edmund Cur- rier, who lived in the west part of the town. There were at least two taverns in Hopkinton village in 1800. They were the Babson tavern and the Wiggin tav- ern, already mentioned in the progress of this work. The- ophilus Stanley kept a tavern in earlier times where now" live Mrs. Seth E. Brown and the Misses Frye, and he may have done so at the time under discussion. In 1800, the following persons were taxed for mills in Hopkinton : Deia. John Currier, Richard Carr Rogers, Jo- seph Towne, Mark Morrill, Simeon Dow, Jr., Jeremiah Emerson, Esq., Bodwell Emerson, Moses Hills, and Joseph 7 98 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Peters. Dea. John Currier's mill was on Paul brook, in the present Stumpfield district; Joseph Towne, Simeon Dow, Jr., and Moses Hills were located in business at Con- toocook, which was then little more than a location of a water-power. Jeremiah and Bodwell Emerson did busi- ness at West Hopkinton. Mark MorriU's mill was on Dol- loff's brook, about a mile below the village. The following parties were taxed for stock in trade in 1800 : Reuben French, Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, Lieut. The- ophilus Stanley, Towne and Ballard, Samuel G. Towne, Joshua Bailey, Esq., Samuel Darling, Jonathan Judkins, Isaac Long, Daniel Moore, Nathaniel Proctor, Silas Thayer, and David Young. These parties were not all merchants, but some were proprietors of shops of miscellaneous kinds. Theophilus Stanley conducted a tannery just east of the village, by the present MiUs' brook. Reuben French, Eb- enezer Lerned, Towne and Ballard, Samuel Gr. Towne, and others were village merchants. Isaac Long was a book- binder and bookseller. Towne and Ballard are also said to have had a store in Contoocook in earlier times. Silas Thayer appears to have been a Contoocook blacksmith. David Young was a cabinet-maker who lived in the pres- ent Gage district at the southern slope of Putney's hill. At the time of which we speak, Hopkinton was visited daily by stages coursing the great northern and southern line of travel which we have just mentioned. There were doubtless regular lines of public communication in other directions, for, as we have seen, the public importance of Hopkinton attracted the attention of people in all parts of the state. Thus a new century dawned in Hopkinton, a centre of political, social, and business enterprise. Other references to the prosperity of the town will occur in subsequent chapters. SUNDKT EVENTS FROM 1800 TO 1804. 99 CHAPTER XXV. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1800 TO 1804. In the previous chapter, we said that there appeared to be at first but one resident minister in town in 1800. Dur- ing the year, a minister was called and installed. On the 3d of February of that year, the town voted to call the Rev. Ethan Smith, who was to have a salary of f 400 a year so long as a majority of the Cojigregational inhabitants of the town should agree in respect to him, he being willing to continue the pastor, the perquisites of the ministry in- cluding the interest of the parsonage money. Jonathan Chase, Moody Smith, Benjamin Wiggin, Aaron Greeley, Joshua Morse, Philip Greeley, Jotham Howe, Jeremiah Emerson, John Silver, Isaac Chandler, and Ezekiel Knowl- ton were chosen a committee to wait upon the Rev. Mr. Smith and inform him of the action of the meeting. On the 24th of the same months the firsfaction was somewhat modified by reconsideration. The town voted to pay the Rev. Mr. Smith just |400 yearly. A new committee, con- sisting of Ezekiel Knowlton, Jonathan Chase, Thomas Bai- ley, Moses Long, Enoch Long, Nathan Sargent, Aaron Greeley, Philip Greeley, Joshua Bailey, Timothy Darling, Joshua Morse, Heiiry Blake, Benjamin Wiggin, Daniel Flanders, Jonathan Herrick, and John Currier, 3d, was selected to impart to the reverend gentleman the knowl- edge of this transaction. It appears that the Rev. Mr. Smith accepted the terms, for, after an adjournment of half an hour, the town proceeded to take measures antici- pative of an "instalment." Philip Greeley, Joshua Morse, Thomas Bailey, Timothy Darling, and Moody Smith were chosen a committee to perfect the arrangements. The time set for the installation of the Rev. Mr. Smith was Wednes- day, the 12th of the foUovring March, and the town was to pay the cost of the proceedings. On the 10th of March, 1800, the town voted to set up the collecting of the Congregational ministerial money to the lowest bidder, and Mark Jewett became the collector at a salary of 111.75.. On the 4th of March, 1801, the town voted to raise |460 for schools, and that each school-district should draw its 100 LIEB AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. money from the selectmen by a committee chosen in March and provided with a certificate of a district clerk contain- ing the evidence of the selection of said committee. This restriction of the power of a committee was in compliance with the law of the state. The condition of the town-house was also a subject of public consideration on the foregoing 4th of March. It appears that Philip Greeley, Timothy Darling, and Theoph- ilis Stanley had been selected privately and proposed as a committee to improve the town-house for the accommoda- tion of the General Court, and without expense to the town. The town voted them the proper authority, and chose Joshua Morse, Thomas Bailey, and Jonathan Chase a public committee to advise with them. The same day Benjamin Wiggin was chosen librarian of the books con- taining the laws of the United States, with authority to loan on Saturday afternoons one volume to each person who should apply for it, and gi'ant permission to retain it one week only, and demand twenty cents for each week's neglect to return it as required. These books, in charge of Baruch Chase, may have been the nucleus of the early public library mentioned in a subsequent chapter specially treating of libraries and kindred subjects. The bridges of the town demanded considerable atten- tion during the period under consideration. On the 4th of March, 1801, the selectmen were authorized to inspect Ty- ler's bridge, and make such repairs upon.it as they thought proper. The next April appears to have been quite an eventful one for bridges. There had been a freshet on the Contoocook river, or one was certainly anticipated. On the 13th day of the month, the town voted the selectmen authority to repair Rowell's bridge at West Hopkinton, and to secure Hill's bridge at Contoocook, and raise the money for the necessary repairs for all three of the bridges mentioned. On the 8th of January, 1802, the town voted to buUd a bridge " nigh Tyler's bridge," and granted the selectmen authority to fix the place, superintend the erec- tion, and construct the convenience as best they could. On the 9th day of the following March, the town gave the selectmen authority to raise the money for building the bridge. Among minor acts of this period was the foUovring, passed on the 10th of March, 1800: DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL POLITICS. 101 Voted the Crows heads that are killed in Town Shall be Carryed to Either of the Selectmen or Benja. Wiggin Esqr. and Either of them that the heads are Carryed to Shall Cut of the bill. On tlie 5tli of August, 1800, the town authorized the selectmen to repair the fence of the burying-yard "nigh Dea. John Currie's saw mill," thus indicating the present Stunipfield cemetery. In 1804, John Osgood Ballard became town-clerk. This fact is of special mention, because he was the- first clerk to keep the records in an exact and accomplished man- ner. Before 1804, all the clerks' records were of such execution as to make them more or less difficult of perusal and interpretation; but John Osgood Ballard's records were as clear as print. From this date, our minor annals become more chronological. In the next chapter we shall show how the year 1804 is involved in a specially important matter. CHAPTER XXVI. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL POLITICS. In a state of civil liberty, no public question arises with- out developing at least two phases of popular thought. We have already recounted some of the features of public thought in New Hampshire in consequence of the separa- tion of the province from the political control of the mother country. New Hampshire had an experience in this re- spect that was common to all the new states. Acting in unison, the public sentiment of the states illustrated on a larger scale the essential ideals of each. We need not inform the intelligent reader of the details at large of the general controversy arising in this country in consequence of the attempt to establish an efficient federal government. The Articles of Confederation, deemed too lax, were superseded by the Constitiition, a more secure compact. This done, the minds of men swayed between two opinions, relating respectively to the strict and loose constructions of the new national instrument. In the early days of the republic, the Republicans were 102 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTOK. the strict, or literal, and the Federals the loose, or liberal, interpreters of the Constitution. In the first instance, New Hampshire was preeminently a Federal state. However, the influential citizens seem at first to have largely monopolized national political thought. The masses, for a time, were not generally aroused to a lively interest in general, nation- al, political questions. This apparent fact explains the very limited interest sometimes taken in a presidential vote for some years after the government of the United States was firmly established. The following act of the town of Hop- kinton, on the 15th of December, 1788, illustrates our mean- ing : Voted for Electors for this State J Bailey E Smith R Wallis J Calf & E Tomson Esquires 49 each of them. On the 7th of August, 1792, the town voted for presi- dential electors. The law requiring six electors, the vote stood as follows : Timothy "Walker, 22 ; Ebenezer Webster, 16 ; John Bellows, 16 ; Timothy Farrah, 10 ; Joseph Bad- ger, 10 ; Christopher Tappen, 9 ; Jonathan Freeman, 7 ; Bezaleel Woodward, 6 ; Abiel Foster, 6 ; James Sheaf, 3 ; Robert Wallace, 1 ; General Peabody, 1 ; Judge Cogswell, 1 ; General Dow, 1 ; Judge Dana, 1 ; John T. Gilman, 1. There is plainly no evidence of a strict ballot for six electors in the foregoing vote of Hopkinton. On the 12th of the next November, in response to a notification to "vote legally " for six electors to fill any vacancy in the appoint- ment of such officers, the following ballot resulted : Josiah Bartlett, 12; John Pickering, 12; John T. Gilman, 12^ Benjamin Bellows, 12 ; Timothy Farrah, 12 ; Timothy Walker, 12. On the 7th of November, 1796, the town cast a unani- mous ballot of 37 votes for electors of President and Vice- President of the United States. In 1800, the electors were appointed by the state legislature. In 1804, there was for the first time a genuine contest at a presidential election in Hopkinton. The town-clerk recorded the ballot in the fol- lowing manner : John Goddard, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. Levi Bartlett, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. Jonathan Steel, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. Robert Alcock, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. Timothy Walker, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1804 TO 1811. 103 George Aldrich, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. "William Tarlton, Esq., One Hundred and forty three. Oliver Peabody, Esq., Seventy Eight. John Prentice, Esq., Seventy Eight. William Hale, Esq., Seventy Eight. Timothy Farrer, Esq., Seventy Eight. Robert Wallace, Esq., Seventy Eight. Benjamin West, Esq., Seventy Eight. Charles Johnson, Esq., Seventy Eight. The above vote represents a triumpli of the theory of a strict construction of the Constitution. The candidates re- ceiving the majority of the votes of Hopkinton were sup- porters of Thomas Jefferson, a strict constructionist, a Kepublican in distinction from a Federalist. Thus we find the town of Hopkinton politically set upon the contested highway of national party controversy. After 1804, there appears to have been no presidential election that witnessed a unanimous ballot in this town. CHAPTER XXVII. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1804 TO 1811. In 1804, in compliance with a new aspect of state law, the town of Hopkinton held its annual meeting on the sec- ond Tuesday of March. A previous legal condition re- quired this meeting to be held on the first Monday of the same month. On the second day of town-meeting this year, it being March 14, the town voted to divide the interest of the parsonage fund among the different religious societies according to the polls and estates, the division to be deter- mined by the elders or committees of the several societies. The town also voted to raise |400 for the support of a min- ister, one fourth of the sum to be expended for worship at the "upper meeting-house," presumably the westerly meet- ing-house. On the 7th of August, Aaron Greeley and Enoch Long were chosen a committee to survey and make a plan of the township. The selectmen were also authorized to procure weights, measures, scale beams, etc., for the use of the town, and, on the 6th of November,' the same officers were instructed to sell the town's powder to the best ad- 104 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. vantage. At the close of the regular record of the year, we find the following descriptive statement of the clerk: The town standard as follows, viz. : Iron Weights, viz. : One, Fifty six — One, Twenty eight ; One, Fourteen & One, Seven Pound. Brass Weights, viz. : One four pound, one two pound, one of one pound, one of half pound, one of a quarter of a pound, one of two ounces, one of one ounce, one of half an ounce, and one of a quarter of an ounce. Two small scale heams with brass dishes. One large scale beam with boards and strung with iron wires. Dry Measures of Wood, viz. : One half bushel, one peck, one half peck, one two quart, and one ctf one quart. Liquid Measures of Copper, viz. : One Gallon, one two quart, one quart, one pint, one half pint, and one gOl. The above standard delivered to Benjamin Wiggiu, Esq. Novem- ber 22d, 1804. Attest, John Osgood Ballard. Benjamin Wiggin, to whom the weights, measures, etc., were delivered, was the legal sealer of weights and measures for the year. On the 13th of March, 1805, the selectmen were author- ized to procure three stamps, to mark the letter H, of which one was to be for the use of the sealer of leather and the other two for the sealer of weights and measures. The same day the town voted $600 for schools. The selectmen were instructed to consider the petition of Jonathan Chase and others, and view the situation of Major Darling and Lieutenant Farrington in respect to schools, and also view Chandler's, Fowler's, Rowell's, and Tyler's districts, and report the changes they thought necessary and proper. The addition of a piece of land to the village burying-yard was voted, and the selectmen authorized to purchase it, adopting such measures for fencing the yard by the town as they thought best. The selectmen were further authorized to purchase a piece of land and build a pound within a reasonable distance from the centre of the town, at their discretion. This appears to have been the provision for the present pound in Hopkinton village, on the road leading directly to Putney's hill. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1804 TO 1811. 105 It seems tliat at this time there were many outstanding minister's taxes in town, and Joshua Morse, Joseph Towne, Philip Greeley, Aaron Greeley, Nathaniel Colby, Jeremiah Emerson, Ebenezer Lerned, Moody Smith, Thomas Bailey, Thomas Story, and Jonathan Chase were chosen a committee to consider and report them. They reported such taxes for 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1804, amounting to $141.07, of which sum they deemed $83.30 legal taxes that ought to be collected. This report was rendered at an adjourned meeting on the 21st of March, when it was voted that the minister's money should be raised by a tax of 30 cents on each of the polls of the Congregational inhabitants, and upon their estates in proportion, — such inhabitants to be determined by their personal acknowledgments to the select- men, the money accruing to be devoted to the support of the Congregational minister, and the preaching to be at the east and west meeting-houses " agreeably to the request of the persons taxed and according to the sums they paid." On the 29th of August, the selectmen were authorized to purchase five acres of land, adjoining the village burying- ground, of Major Timothy Darling, at the price of $300, and lay out so much of it for burying purposes as they thought fit. On the same day, the selectmen were authorized to make required alteration in the road from the easterly meet- ing-house to Hill's bridge. This act anticipated the present portion of highway between Hopkinton village and Contoo- cook, extending from the Congregational church to Charles Putman's. Before this road was opened, travel from Con- toocook to Hopkinton village was diverted from a point near Mr. Putman's up the hill to a point near Putney's hill cemetery, and thence easterly down a steep hillside, or else easterly from Mr. Putman's to a point near Stillman B. Gage's, and thence southerly by a now discontinued highway to Horace Edmund's. In 1806, March 12, the town voted to abate a list of min- ister's taxes amounting to $138.82. The minister's tax rate was advanced to forty cents on the poll and on other estate in the same proportion. On the 22d of May, the select- men reported a division of the town into thirteen school- districts. This division was somewhat remarkable, being made wholly by roads and not by territorial boundaries. On the following 27th of October, votes were passed deter- mining whose lands should in certain cases be disannexed 106 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. from one district and transferred to another, but without bounding the lands. In a similar way, non-residents' lands were divided among the majority of the different districts for the purpose of taxation. On the 11th of March, 1807, a vote was passed authoriz- ing " certain persons " to move the easterly meeting-house northerly a distance not exceeding twenty rods, paint it, put a belfrey upon it, and put a bell in the belfrey, procur- ing land conveniently, the whole apparently without ex- pense to the town or injury to public or private property. Those undertaking this enterprise were to give bonds in the sum of 15,000 to the selectmen ks an indemnity. This act appears to have located the meeting-house on the spot now occupied by the Congregational church. On the 25th of the following May, the selectmen were authorized to put a stone abutment at the north end of Hill's bridge, at Contoocook, and make such other repairs as they thought proper. They were also authorized to make such repairs upon the town-house as they thought expedient. March 8, 1808, the town voted to raise $908 for schools. The parsonage money accruing from, the interest of the in- vested fund was again divided according to the returns of the elders or committees of religious societies. In 1809, March 14, the selectmen were instructed for the time being to pay to a committee of militia officers the inter- est of the training-field money, awaiting the further action of the town. They were also authorized to sell the improved ground on the'lower floor of the easterly meeting-house for the purpose of erecting pews, and devote the proceeds to painting the house. On the 12th of June, " certain persons" were authorized to make a tower, or belfry, on the east meeting-house and hang a bell in it. The seats or ground ■ " north of the end alleys " were to be sold for the purpose of erecting pews. The money accruing, after cancelling the expense of painting and pews, was to he devoted to the cost of the tower. John Harris, Philip Greeley, and Thomas Bailey, were chosen a committee to act with " the committee of the persons " who were to undertake the erection of the tower. The selectmen were authorized to carry out the provisions in regard to the sale of ground for pews. On the 3d of July, the vote choosing the cooperating commit- tee was rescinded. In 1810, on the 13th of March, the selectmen were THE SECOND WAK WITH ENGLAND. 107 authorized, to " clear the common land adjoining the easterly meeting-house of all incumbrances with the exception of the materials necessary to erect a tower, or belfry, on said meeting-house." The work anticipated by the foregoing acts in relation to a tower, or belfry, was accomplished. A bell was hung in it. It is the present bell in the steeple of the Congregational church. This bell bears the following inscription : " Revere & Son, Boston, 1811." It came from Concord to this town by the way of Dimond's hill. At the house of Daniel Chase, where now lives Walter F. Hoyt, a pause was made, the bell hung between two elm trees, and peals rung for the first time in town. This action was a compliment to Mr. Chase, on account of his personal aid to the enterprise resulting in the bell's purchase. In 1811, March 12, the town voted to pass over the arti- cle relating to raising money for the Congregational minis- ter. In this act, we witness the evidence of a popular dis- position that ultimately separated the affairs of church and state in New Hampshire. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND. The conflict usually called the War of 1812 found, in its inception, the people of Hopkinton alert to all the interests involved in a national contest. On the 6th of July, 1812, the town voted to allow a compensation of seven dollars a month to all soldiers detached from their regiments as a re- lay corps by order of the government. Ten dollars of each man's wages was to be in advance, and two dollars upon " signing his name." On the 5th of October, 1814, twelve dollars a month was voted to all soldiers put under special governmental requisition, with two dollars upon entering actual service. The price of a month's wages "included the pay given by Government," and the act was to be in force only till the next March. The t\vo dollar clause of this vote, however, was afterwards rescinded. The act of July 6, 1812, was the inciter of an animated discussion. 108 LIFE AND TIMES EST HOPKINTON. "Three days after it was passed Joshua Morse addressed a long protest to Nathaniel Knowlton, selectman, against the payment of the bounty, holding that each captain should •draft his legal quota without pay. The action of the town, he thought, was unconstitutional and illegal. . During the progress of hostilities, two recruiting oflBcers, Gibson and Peck, were stationed for a time at Capt. Bims- ley Perkins's tavern whUe they enlisted men for the army. The first volunteers from this town were mostly included in the first regiment of New Hampshire troops, enlisted for one year, and rendezvousing at Concord. The field and staff of this regiment were as follows : Aquila Davis, col- onel ; John Carter, lieutenant colonel ; William Bradford , major ; James Minot, first lieutenant and adjutant ; Joseph Low, second lieutenant and quartermaster ; Henry Lyman, ■acting surgeon's mate ; John Trevitt, acting surgeon's mate ; Timothy D. Abbott, sergeant major ; Nicholas C. Beane, quartermaster sergeant ; Thomas Bailey, drum major ; Nehemiah Osgood, fife major. The following members of this regiment were from Hopkinton: Thomas Bailey, drum major ; und^ Capt. Joseph Smith, Jeremiah Silver, musi- cian, and Charles Colby, Zadoc Dow, Stephen G. Eaton, •David Hardy, James Hastings, Richard Hunt, Isaiah Hoyt, Moses C. Eaton, Ezra Jewell, John Morrill, Samuel G. Tit- comb, privates, all enlisting on the 1st of February, 1813. We are indebted to the late John M. Bailey for the fol- lowing names of soldiers from Hopkinton in this regiment : Moses (?) Eastman, Amri Foster, James Hastings, Samuel Straw. These were in Capt. Elisha Smith's company. East- man died in the service. This regiment went into camp on the 1st of February, 1813, and left for Burlington early in the spring. On the first day of its march, it passed through Hopkinton, halting at the lower village for rations. This halt gave many peo- ple an opportunity to reflect upon the trials of soldiers. Though the troops had marched only seven miles, some were already jagged and footsore. ■ The first regiment of New, Hampshire volunteers was soon disbanded. On the 29th of January, 1813, Congress repealed the "Volunteer Act," and the soldiers enlisting under it were reenlisted into the regular United States .army, or re-formed into new regiments, to serve till the time of their volunteer service expired, or for a longer time. THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND. 109* The soldiers of the first regiment of New Hampshire volun- teers who were not reenlisted were consolidated with Col- onel Mc Cobb's regiment from Maine, the new organization becoming known as the 45th regiment, with field and staff officers as follows : Denny McCobb, colonel ; Aquila Davis, lieutenant colonel ; H. B. Breevoort, first major ; Daniel Baker, second major; Joseph Low, paymaster; Daniel G. Kelley, sergeant major. The following Hopkinton men were- in this regiment : in Capt. Benjamin Bradford's company,, Isaiah Hoit and Stephen G. Eaton, corporals, enlisted De- cember 15, 1813, for one year ; Jonathan Burbank, April 15, 1814, for the war ; Henry T. Hildreth, January 24, 1814,, one year; James A. Hastings, December 15, 1813, one year; John Morrill, December 15, 1813, one year ; Benjamin Put- ney, February 28, 1814, for the war, and died in service ; Bus- well Silver, March 23, 1814, for the war ; Moses Tenney, January 24, 1814, one year. The recorded account of enlist- ments shows that soldiers of this regiment sometimes renewed, their membership before their previous obligations had ex- pired and for different periods of time, while in other in- stances new men were recruited into the ranks. The well remembered alarm at Portsmouth in 1814^ aroused afresh the military spirit of New Hampshire. Dur- ing the winter of 1813 and 1814, British vessels of war were cruising along the New England coast, while maintaining a rendezvous at the Bermuda islands, as well as one at Gardi- ner's bay, at the east end of Long Island, their naval depot .being at Halifax, in Nova Scotia. On the 8th of April, 1814, a British force ascended the Connecticut river and destroyed about twenty American vessels collected there for safety. On the 23d of the same month. Admiral Cock- burne, who maintained his head-quarters at the Bahamas, issued a proclamation declaring the whole Atlantic coast of the United States in a state of blockade. Soon after, about thirty or forty coasting vessels were destroyed in Massa- chusetts bay. These facts spread great alarm, not only throughout New England in general, but throughout New Hampshire particularly, on account of the insecurity of the harbor and the town of Portsmouth and the governmental naval station and fort in the vicinity. A detachment of eight companies of militia, under th6 command of Major Edward J. Long, was ordered to the defence of Portsmouth. Very soon an event occurred, arousing the ardor of the 110 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. people of New Hampshire to a high pitch. We copy an ac- count of the occurrence from the "Annals of Portsmouth," by Nathaniel Adams : "Tuesday, June 21st, between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock in the evening, the town was alarmed by a report that the British were landing at Rye beach. Alarm bells were rung and signal guns fired. All the military com- panies turned out and prepared for the attack. A martial spirit prevaded all ranks, and they glowed with ardor to be led to the place of danger. Expresses were dispatched to ascertain the situation of the enemy, and the report proved to be without foundation. It was occasioned by some boats of a suspicious character that were observed off Rye harbor by the guard stationed there. The inhabitants again retired to enjoy the sweets of repose." Although the above affair was only an alarm, there is no doubt the British contemplated an attack on the defences of Portsmouth, and the destruction of the adjacent navy yard at Kittery, Me. Tradition says, that after the close of the war a British officer confessed to an American col- onel that during the investment of the New England coast he ascended the Piscataqua in the disguise of a fisherman and inspected the defences of Portsmouth, on his return reporting to his commanding officer that the place was abundantly defended, and swarmed with soldiers. This information doubtless had its influence in diverting the British from the proposed attack. The popular excitement created by this alarm induced the governor of New Hampshire, on the 9th day of Sep- tember, to order out detachments from twenty-three regi- ments for the stronger defence of Portsmouth. Two days later, he issued general orders putting all the militia of the state in readiness to march at a moment's notice. The de- tachments from the twenty-three regiments were to march to Portsmouth immediately. Arrived at its place of desti- nation, the detached infantry was organized into a brigade of five regiments and one battalion, under the command of Brigadier-General John Montgomery, assisted by James I. Swan, brigade-major, and George H. Montgomery, aide-de- camp. The following Hopkinton soldiers of this detachment were in the first regiment, Lieut.. Col. Nat Fisk, in Capt. Jonathan Bean's company : Thomas Towne, first lieutenant, HTrNDRY ETKAI - acting quartPT«ia'«ter :;. •■ sergeant ; Kcho-t A. Br:% '»='-. Davi.f ij. Ourmr. •< ■, >■ "f Morrill, J'.-.f^ Straw, W!' •listed i.j- t, '•<• ill tfifc -. 1 • ' 1. .loijiiih.iii ■ . riiese iiis'n : ^,..-^'' ■ -nHoil of 1 aiiil ■ -tictnifii pi SUNDRY EVENTS FEOM 1813 TO 1818. Ill acting quartermaster from September 18 ; Moses Gould, sergeant ; Robert A. Bradley, Samuel Burbank, Barrach Cass, David C. Currier, Amos Eastman, Jobn J. Emer- son, Ebenezer Morrill, John Morey, Isaac Pearce, Hazen Putney, Jacob Straw, William Wheeler, privates. These men were all enlisted for a service of ninety days from September 11, 1814. The following were in the second regiment, Lieut. Col. John Steele, in Capt. Silas Call's company : Nathaniel Morgan, sergeant; Jacob Chase, Amos Frye, John John- son, John Hastings, Alvin Hastings, Francis Stanley (died in service), James Eastman, Amos Sawyer, Jonathan Gove, William M. Crillis, John Burnham, privates. These men were all enlisted on the 2d of October, 1814, to dates run- ning from November 8 to November 19. None of the men ordered to Portsmouth from this town were called into any active engagement with the enemy. We learn from private authority that Joseph Biekford, of Capt. John D. Harty's company, Lieut. Col. Isaac Wal- dron's fourth regiment at Portsmouth, was from Hopkin- ton. He enlisted September 10, 1814, for eighteen days, as a substitute for John Nute. CHAPTER XXIX. SUNDEY EVENTS FKOM 1813 TO 1818. In 1813, on the 9th of March, the selectmen were author- ized to make such disposition of the public poor as would best promote the interest of town . In 1816, March 14, the town voted that the claim of Thomas Towne, for money expended while on a march to Portsmouth with a detachment of militia, in September, 1814, be allowed and paid. The amount of the claim was $27.56. In view of the ninth section of an act of the Gen- eral Court to incorporate the proprietors of the London- derry Branch Turnpike, and agreeably to the petition of John Folsom and others, the town voted that the selectmen view the ground from Moses C. Bailey's south-easterly to Bow line, and ascertain what encouragement would be af- forded by the inhabitants in giving land for a highway on the proposed route, and report at the next town-meeting. 112 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKQITON. The 22d article of the warrant for this town-meeting- contained the following words : " To see if the town will vote that no unlawful traveling, unnecessary labor, or idle walking about be allowed of in this town on the Sabbath.'" The act of the town under this article was as follows : Voted to leave the further consideration of the 22nd article to- the Tythingmen. . These officers had general legal cognizance of public abuses of Sunday — a matter to which we shall refer in a subse- quent chapter. On the 14th of the next April, the town accepted the re- port of the selectmen upon the matter relating to the pro- posed new road to Bow line. The selectmen judged the road would be useful to the public, but its construction would be attended by considerable expense. Any other route than that of a straight line they thought impractica- ble. They had not been able to ascertain the amount of damage to individuals through whose land this road would pass, but they recommended that the road should not be made a free one, and that, if it did anything, the town should take some number of shares, become a part of the corporation, and share in the profit-s, if any accrued. Upon the acceptance of this report, the town voted to invest 81000 in the Londonderry Branch Turnpike, and that the select- men take shares in behalf of the town. The Londonderry Branch Turnpike was incorporated in 1812. The grantees were Richard H. Ayer, John O. Bal- lard, Nathaniel Cavis, Nathaniel Head, Joseph Jones, Sam- uel Farrington, Abraham Gates and their associates. The road was to run from Moses Bailey's in Hopkiiiton to Bo\r line, and through Bow to the " Isle of Hooksett falls" in Dunbarton. The road was to be opened in five years from the date of the incorporation, or the incorporating act was to be null and void. The turnpike was to be a toll road, according to specifications of the charter. The portion of the turnpike located in HopMnton is the road now extend- ing from Isaac Story's towards Hooksett to Bow line, by the way of Farrington's Comer. On the foregoing 14th of April, the town voted to build a bridge over the Blackwater river, near Maj. Moody Whiting's land, where the old bridge stood, and " that the selectmen ascertain if there be a road from Moses Carlton's SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1813 TO 1818. 113 to Blackwater riyer in the direction to Moody Whiting's! and cause the same to be opened." In 1816, March 12, the town voted that the selectmen make just and reasonable compensation to the Baptist Soci- ety for land used as a highway. In 1817, March 11, the town voted that the map of the state " be sett by the year" to the highest bidder, and that " whoever kept the same " should give access to it by the inhabitants of the town for free examiaation. This was probably a map of New Hampshire, published in 1816 by the authority of the state legislature, and under the supervision of Philip Carrigain, former secretary of state. The map was the result of combining the surveys of the different towns. A minute description of Carrigain 's map can be found in Volume I, pages 232-236, of Hitch- cock's Geology of New Hampshire. We do not know how long this map was " sett by the year" by the town of Hop- kin ton. On the 9th of December of the same year, Matthew Har- vey, for a committee, of which Thomas Bailey, Abram Brown, Ebenezer Dustin, Nathaniel Colby, Thomas Will- iams, Theophilis Stanley, Isaac Long, David Gile, Samuel Bickford, Philip Greeley, and Moses Chandler were mem- bers, reported that the committee had consulted with the Rev. Ethan Smith, Congregational minister of the town,, and that he was ready to cancel his contract with the town,, provided that all arrearages of his salary were paid, then amounting to about 1696, or, otherwise, he intimated his willingness to submit the whole matter to a council mutu- ally called to consider it. The town refused to accept this report, but discharged the committee, declining to consider the subject further. In 1818, March 10, the town authorized the selectmen to receive proposals on account of those persons having their whole maintenance from the town, and contract for their support accordingly. This action is somewhat noticeable in being different from the somewhat prevailing method of selling publicly to the lowest bidder the pauper support. During the period under consideration, the subject of a road from the Baptist meeting-house to Thomas Bailey's house was agitated. The court of common pleas had been petitioned, a committee had been appointed to report upon the subject, and the report had been accepted. On the 9th 114 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. of December, 1818, the town voted that David Greeley, Philip Brown, and Daniel Chase be a committee to petition the court to suspend the acceptance of the committee ap- pointed by that authority. On the same 9th of December, the same committee of the town was authorized to petition the same court for a road to Hopkinton court-house from Henniker North meet- ing-house. The two roads mentioned were eventually constructed. The road from the Baptist meeting-house to Thomas Bai- ley's is the present one from George W. French's to Henry E. Dow's. This road is presumed to include the former track across land belonging to the Baptist society. The Henniker North meeting-house, mentioned in this chapter, stood on the highway from Henniker village to West Henniker, on a site near the present residence of Hi- ram Rice. This meeting-house was afterwards burned. CHAPTER XXX. TWO MEMORABLE EVENTS. The year 1819 witnessed two memorable events, of in- terest to the whole state of New Hampshire. The effects of these events upon the town of Hopkinton were deriva- tive, yet they were so important that we cannot ignore them without incurring a culpable neglect. The first of these events to which we call the reader's attention was the passage of the religious Toleration Act by the General Court of the state. The second event was the permanent location of the state capital. In previous chapters, we have had occasion to note evidences of a kind of irrepressible religious conflict among the people of Hopkinton. We have cited the situation more especially in the account of the trouble with the Rev. Jacob Cram and in that of sectarian town-meetings. Without re- ferring to the cause, we have observed the controversial con- dition of things in the vote of March 12, 1811, refusing to consider the subject of raising money for the support of the Congregational minister, and in the vote of December 9, 1817, ignoring the proposition of the Rev. Ethan Smith. TWO MBMOKABLE EVENTS. 115 AVe have referred to the adoption by the state of a religious- ly liberal constitution, which political instrument we now desire to specially quote. Article 6 of the Bill of Rights of the constitution of New Hampshire asserts that " no person of any particular relig- ious sect or denomination shall ever be compelled to pay towards the support of the teacher or teachers of another persuasion, sect or denomination," and that "no subordi- nation of one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law." This article expresses a religious leaven that ultimately leavened the whole lump of the common- wealth in respect to its legal religious attitude. The change culminated- slowly. The settlers in New Hampshire who came from Massachusetts were obligated to a provision to support a minister of a certain ecclesiastical order. This they did for a while. One by one new religious orders sprang up in almost every town in the state, and one by one, under the state constitution, the general ecclesiastical organizations they represented were legalized by the state act. Thus the " standing order," or primitive church, lost a portion of its subsistence. In time, also, the people who attended no regular worship began to tire of being taxed for what they did not use. Gradually the whole mass of the people began to discountenance the idea of religious taxation. Hence, for instance, the town of Hopkinton re- fused to raise money for the support of the Rev. Mr. Smith. The matter grew, till, in 1819, the General Court of the state removed the last barrier to practical religious liberty. The Toleration Act separated church and state, and after its passage no man was civilly taxed to support any relig- ious society whatever. The only thing left for many of the towns to do was to dispose of the money accruing from the investments of funds from the leases of ecclesiastical lands. With respect to Hopkinton, we shall speak of the distribu- tion of the " parsonage money " hereafter ; but, after Decem- ber 9, 1817, we cannot historically speak of this town as in any practical sense a function interested in the minister of any particular church. After that date, the town passed no votes relating to the needs or wants of the " learned and ortho4ox minister." In 1814, the state of New Hampshire began seriously to consider the subject of a permanent seat of government. The General Court had no certain abiding place. In this 116 LIFE AKD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. respect, the condition of New Hampshire appears to have been different from every other state in the Union. On the 6th of June of that year, a legislative committee was select- ed to consider the subject of location and matters incident thereto. The committee consisted of John Harris of Hop- kinton, Benjamin Kimball, Jr., of Concord, and Andrew Bowers of Salisbury. Each member of the committee rep- resented a town that desired to become the state capital. The lot of being the chief town in the state fell to Concord, and in 1819 the state legislature occupied the new state- house for the first time. The passage of the Toleration Act affected Hopkiuton only religiously. The location of the state capital at Con- cord affected this town socially. The localizing of the Gen- eral Court at Concord was the first severe blow to Hopkin- ton's social prosperity. The attention of publicly influen- tial people began to be drawn away from this town. Four years later occurred another event that was disastrous to Hopkinton's social position among the towns in the vicinity. We are now in the inceptive narrative of a decline of pros- perity. Hopkinton continued to increase in population for a time, but the star of its social prominence was setting. We shall particularize more hereafter. CHAPTER XXXI. SUNDEY EVENTS PROM 1819 TO 1823. In 1819, March 9, the town voted to discontinue the road leading from James Hildreth's shop to John Gage's, and that the selectmen dispose of it to the best advantage. This action is noticeable, because the road described was once a part of one of the two highways leading to Contoocook from Hop- kinton village. We have already spoken of the discon- tinued road as once extending from the present Stillman B. Gage's to Horace Edmund's. In 1820, March 14, the town voted to assess $1,060.20, including the school interest-money, for educational pur- poses. The reader will observe that the amount is in excess of any previous one. This fact marks the increase of the town's prosperity, as the school-money assessed was determined by public valuation. SUNDKY EVENTS FEOM 1819 TO 1823. 117 On the same day, the town voted permission to Roger E. Perkins to build a tomb in the burying-ground near the town-house. The tomb of Mr. Perkins is now standing in the old village cemetery, being the only tomb in the south part of the town. The town also referred to the selectmen the petition of Phineas Crosby and John Gage, for a highway. This action resulted from the discontinuance of the road in 1819. The wish of the petitioners was not granted, and the road is closed to the public to this day. It is also noticeable that at this annual town-meeting the date of selling the support of the town's poor to the lowest bidder was fixed for the 22d day of March, the time not being usually named in public before this, if at all. The place of sale was to be at the court-house. In 1822, March 12, an expression of the voters was taken in town-meeting with regard to the expediency of erecting a new county. The vote was agreeable to a resolution of the state senate of the previous year. The yeas and nays were required, and the result was as follows : Yeas, 3 ; nays, 324. The town then voted to authorize and require the selectmen to petition the legislature at the next session for a division of the county of Hillsborough into two dis- tricts for the choice of a register of deeds, each district to choose one register. The selectmen reported the same day upon the petition of Samuel Folsom for a bridge across the Blackwater river, deeming the proposition inexpedient, as the expense ex- ceeded the need, and especially as the petitioner asked for a road from the bridge to the top of sand hill, north of Tyler's bridge, and which would cost more than the bridge. However, the selectmen, in view of Mr. Folsom's inconven- ience of highway, recommended that he be excused from paying a highway tax until the town ordered otherwise. The report was accepted. Samuel Folsom lived on the east side of Blackwater river, not far from the present residence of Harvey Chase. The substance of the report mentioned above seems to anticipate the road that now exists, running from the river called Blackwater to a point north of the present Tyler's bridge. The same day the selectmen were authorized to pay a discretionary sum, not exceeding $30, to any person or per- 118 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. sons who would give bonds to the town to maintain a. minor that was a pauper until he became of age ; to cause a fence to be built around the burying-ground near the town- house, and also appoint some person to keep the fence and ground from injury, and to prevent cattle and horses from feeding the lot. The same o£Scers were also authorized to purchase a pall or burying-cloth for the use of the town,, the pall to be kept in the westerly part of the township. In 1823, March 11, the town voted that the selectmen assess twenty-five cents on each of the ratable polls, and on other estates in proportion, the same to be applied as a winter highway tax, if the state of the roads required it ; or, if not, the tax was to be abated. Each highway surveyor was to give personal notice to the inhabitants of his dis- trict when labor was required, -and, in default of immediate attendance, he was to open the roads and collect his taxes, according to law. This action anticipated a permanent system of breaking roads in winter at the public expense. The same day, upon the subject of dividing the county of Hillsborough into two districts for registering deeds, there were 355 votes cast in favor of the measure and 11 against it. During the year 1823, an event of special importance to the town of Hopkinton occurred in the judicial delibera- tions of New Hampshire. We shall give an account of it in the next chapter. CHAPTER XXXII. THE POKMATION OE A NEW COUNTY. In a previous chapter, we spoke of the location of the state capital at Concord, saying it was an event injurious to the prosperity of Hopkinton. ■ We also mentioned a second blow to the public interests of this town. We are now to narrate the second locally prejudicial event, which was the incorporation of the county of Merrimack. The location of the state capital at Concord injured Hop- kinton in view of what the town hoped to become ; the incorporation of the county of Merrimack was disastrous to Hopkinton in view of what it was. Without the honor of THE FOKMATIOK OF A NEW COUNTY. 119 being the state capital, Hopkinton was a shire-town of Hills- borough county ; deprived of the distinction of being a half shire-town, the judicial importance of Hopkinton shrank to comparatively nothing. The courts departed to the new seat of county government — identical with the state cap- ital — and Concord at length took from Hopkinton nearly the last vestige of public judicial distinction. Only the jail lingered here for a considerable time after 1823, as we have seen in a previous chapter. In the chapter just before the present one, the allusions to the votes of Hopkinton upon county questions show not only how much this town had at stake, but how much it was willing to concede in the hope of saving a little. We have already told how the extension of northerly set- tlements in New Hampshire had involved in difficulty the public business of the county of Hillsborough. The de- scribed condition of things at length resulted in the new county of Merrimack. Merrimack county, as originally organized, had fewer towns than now. We give the list of towns as they were at first, they being taken from the counties of Rockingham and Hillsborough. From Rock- ingham county there were taken AUenstown, Bow, Canter- bury, Chichester, Concord, Epsom, Loudon, Northiield, Pembroke, and Pittsfield; from Hillsborough county, An- dover, Bradford, Boscawen (including Webster), Dunbax- ton, Henniker, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Newbury, New Lon- don, Salisbury, Sutton, Warner, and Wilmot. Let us observe what Hopkinton lost by the change. By the census of 1820, Hopkinton had a population of 2,437 inhabitants — a gain of 221 in ten years. In the next ten years the gain in population was only 37 — a disadvan- tageous difference of 184, which may largely be set down as loss resulting from the change of county relations. The former dependence of Hopkinton upon public patronage is shown to this day by the estates in the village. Large houses and small inclosures indicate a dependence other than upon the fertility of the soil. Many old estates in Hopkinton village were once the residences of professional men, merchants, and business men of the various kinds that collected in a prosperous New England village in the early part of the present century. In 1823, the following persons were assessed for stock in trade : Isaac Bailey, 3d, Abram Brown, Gould Brown, Calvin Campbell, Thomas W. Colby, 120 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Edmund Currier, Nathaniel Curtis, Timothy Darling, Haw- thorne & Jackman, Isaac E. Herrick, Thomas Kast, Simon Knowles, Isaac Long, Jr., William Little, Samuel "Winches- ter. These persons represented a wide range of business, but many of them were located at or near the village. Con- toocook was then but a water-power, with but a few houses in the vicinity. Judging from the representations of some of the older inhabitants of the town, Contoocook, at the time under consideration, hardly held more than a half dozen houses. In a subsequent chapter, we shall speak of a third cause of the decline of social and poprdar prosperity in Hopkinton.- CHAPTER XXXIII. SUNDEY EVENTS FKOM 1824 TO 1830. In 1824, March 9, the town voted that the selectmen receive proposals and contract for the support of the town's poor, or such portion of them as they thought expedient, and that the transaction be effected at the town-house on the 22d instant, at 1 o'clock p. m. The representatives of the town were authorized and instructed to petition the legislature of the state at the next June session for the establishment of Hopkinton as a half shire-town of Merri- mack county. The selectmen were authorized to employ some person " to ring the bell on all occasions " the ensuing year. The bell meant was that of the Congregational church, in which the town still claimed an interest. On November 1, of the same year, the selectmen were authorized to take a title of a piece of ground on Clement's hill for a burying-ground, and fence the same, provided some person would give the land. In 1825, March 8, Abram Brown, Nathaniel Knowlton, and Ebenezer Dustin were chosen a committee to confer with Stephen Blan chard, Jr., with reference to purchasing of him an addition to the burying-ground, near the East meeting-house, and report at the next annual meeting. In 1826, March 14, the foregoing committee, chosen to confer with Mr. Blanchard, reported unfavorably on the project. They objected to the remoteness of the land from SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1824 TO 1830. 121 the highway and its unfitness on account of rocks. They stated that they had examined other plots of ground, and were of the opinion that when the pubhc convenience required it, a lot more suitable than that adjacent to the then present burying-ground could be obtained. The same day the committee chosen to settle with the selectmen and treasurer were reminded that it was a part of their duty to examine the accounts of the several select- men, and, for the better information of the town, to report such facts as they thought proper. Philip Brown was chosen an agent to represent the town in the matter of a road laid out by the committee of the court from Tyler's bridge to Dunbarton line. It was also voted that the " singing society" have liberty to extend their seats in the meeting-house, at their own expense, to a line parallel to the side galleries, embracing the whole front gallery, excepting so as to obstruct pew- holders. On November 25 of the same year, the town voted that so much of the town-house as might be needed for the use of a grammar school could be appropriated for that pur- pose, reserving to the town at all times the right of the house for its public business. No alteration in the house was to be made to the inconvenience of the town, and the selectmen were to confer with a committee of petitioners in reference to proposed modifications of the edifice. The selectmen were also empowered to alter or make any road from the village to Dunbarton line in accordance with their conceptions of the public good. This act apparently had reference to the present so called " new " road to Dunbarton. In 1827, March 13, the town passed a remarkable act. Previously, for years, there had been an irregular attention paid to the supervision of the public schools. This time the matter was put upon a creditable and apparently effi- cient basis. The act of the town was quite elaborate. It provided for a committee of three persons, whose duty it should be to visit the schools at least twice during each term, to make a thorough examination of their government, instruction, and progress, report their transactions at the next annual meeting, give such opinions as they thought fit upon the expediency of the present plan, implying visits to and examinations of schools, and also to investigate the qualifications of school-masters applying for situations and 122 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. certify the qualifications of competent ones, while the selectmen were to withhold the school-money from any dis- trict that should employ a master unempowered by the cer- tificate of the visiting committee. Under this act, the town chose Rev. Roger C. Hatch, Rev. Moses B. Chase, and Rev. Michael Carlton a " visiting school committee." The action of the town in providing for this committee anticipated the main features of the great law of 1827, setting our state school system upon a firmer basis than it had ever before known, so far as the law related to the duties of a superin- tending school-committee. The predominant features of the law of 1827 are operative, in a slightly modified form, in our present state school system. The same day, the selectmen and committee of subscrib- ers to the fund for a local academy were authorized to determine what part of the town-house should be appropri- ated for the academy, all the necessary alterations to be made at the expense of the subscribers. The selectmen were also authorized to expend such an amount as was necessary for underpinning the town-house and repairing the outside, as the interest of the town seemed to require. The same officers were authorized to attend court and oppose the petition of Richard Bartlett and others for a road from Hills' Bridge, now Contoocook, to the Mast road in Goffstown. This act apparently antici- pated the construction of the present so called Basset Mill road. In 1828, March 11, the town voted to leave the matter of choosing prudential school-committees to the several dis- tricts. This act was in recognition of the state law of 1827, to which we have already referred, and which, in the first instance, provided that prudential committees should be chosen at the annual town-meeting, but later by the dis- tricts themselves. Horace Chase, Bodwell Emerson, and Matthew Harvey were chosen a committee to examine the laws of the town of Portsmouth, providing for the extin- guishing of fires, and report such as they thought applicable to this town. The corporation of Hopkinton Academy was permitted to fit up the court-room in the town-house for the use of its school, provided that the same corporation would fit up the lower part of the town-house for the accommoda- tion of the town, according to the direction of the select- men, giving the cour1>-room for the use of the town on pub- SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1824 TO 1830. 123 lie occasions, and allowing the Episcopal society the use of the same for public worship. We shall speak more particu- larly of Hopkinton academy and the Episcopal church hereafter. In 1829, March 11, the town voted to assess one dollar on each ratable poll, and on other ratable estate in propor- tion, for the purpose of breaking roads in winter. The tax was to be laid out at the rate of ten cents an hour for a man or yoke of oxen. If any person refused to work, the select- men were to collect his tax in money in proportion to the amount of work done by others. If any portion of the tax was not needed, it was to be remitted. The town voted to oppose the laying of a new road from Hill's Bridge to Basset Mill, so called, and that the select- men should appoint an agent for effecting the purpose. In 1830, March 9, the town voted that its portion of the state literary fund be invested by the treasurer, and that the selectmen apply the interest for the support of schools in the same way that the regular school tax was applied. The literary fund, by the law of 1821, accrued to the state, by a tax of one half of one per cent, upon the capital stock of all banking corporations. This fund in 1828 was dis- tributed to the towns according to their apportionments of public taxes. The town negatived a proposition to defray one half of the expense incurred by the agents of Hopkinton and Weare in opposing the construction of the Basset Mill road. The period under consideration in this chapter involved two events of unusual importance that affected or illus- trate the life of this town. One was the Jackson presiden- tial campaign ; the other, the census of 1830. Each of these two events will be treated in a separate chapter. 124 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE JACKSON PBESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. By the context of the previous chapter, the reader will understand that, by the Jackson presidential campaign, we mean the first instance of General Jackson's candidacy for the office of chief magistrate of the nation. We are there- fore contemplating the presidential campaign of 1828, es- pecially with reference to the popular enthusiasm of the support of Gen. Andrew Jackson in this town. Incidentally, there were perhaps several reasons for the unusual ardor of the people of Hopkinton during the presi- dential campaign of 1828. The town was predominantly Hepublican, or Democratic, as both terms were used in the earlier part of the present century to denominate the party opposed to the Federal, or Whig, political organization. As we have already seen, Hopkinton became positively anti- Federal in the presidential election of 1804, giving the major- ity of its votes to Jeffersonian electors. In doing this, Hop- kinton defined a political position that was maintained in national affairs for more than a half century. Yet, previous- ly to 1828, there had been a lull in national political contro- versy, and it is often said that a calm antedates a storm. After the war of 1812, with its controversies and excite- ments, had passed, there seems to have followed an inter- vening season of rest, before the energies of political enthu- siasm broke forth again in the first campaign of General Jackson against John Quincy Adams. How great the lull was of which we speak may be inferred from the records of the town-clerk. In 1816, there was in Hopkinton a differ- ence of opinion upon the presidential question represented by the numbers 211 and 95, not to mention a scattering vote or two. However, in 1820, with scarcely any opposi- tion or scattering votes, there were cast 104 votes for presi- dential electors. More than this : in 1824, with a somewhat irregular cast, but with scarcely a sign of opposition or dis- sent, the highest candidate for presidential elector received only 66 ballots. Such indeed was the quietus that antici- pated the activity of 1828, illustrating an inevitable law of social and political dynamics. Yet we must not overlook another feature of the situation. Andrew Jackson was a < III iOll 1 riiy ul r uftl. ^2 ^t c^ <^/^^iZ>^^^^ ?) "IHDiDiie'.3.H.-.B(,,: THE JACKSON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. 125 man of great personal reputation and influence. At the present day, we would call him personally magnetic. Be- sides this, he was General Jackson, the hero of New Or- leans, whose name and fame were celebrated to the utmost bounds of our national domain. The presidential campaign of 1828, so far as Hopkinton was concerned, was probably conducted vnth the demon- strations incidental to the customs and facilities of the times. The details recoverable are meagre. However, there need be no hesitation in saying such general enthusi- asm was probably never witnessed on a similar occasion in this town. Indeed, it would seem that the first question asked concerning a stranger was, " Is he a Jackson man ? " The zeal of childhood and youth emulated that of man- hood. " Are you a Jackson boy ? " was the question asked of one urchin by another. The ardor of the time culmi- nated in the following vote for electors of president and vice- president on the 3d of November, as attests the record of the town-clerk : For John Harvey, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " Benning M. Bean, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " William Pickering, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " Jesse Bowers, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " Aaron Watson, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " Jonathan Nye, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " Stephen P. Webster, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " Moses White, two hundred and seventy-two votes ; " George Sullivan, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; " Samuel Quarles, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; " Samuel Sparhawk, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; " WiUiam Bixby, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; " Nahum Parker, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; " Thomas Woolson, one hundred and sixty-seven votes ; " Ezra Bartlett, one himdred and sixty-seven votes ; and " WUliam Lovejoy, one hundred and sixty-seven votes : Which votes were declared in open town-meeting. On inauguration day the next March, there was a grand celebration on the top of Putney's hill. A deep, light snow had just fallen, but that was no hindrance to the ultimate object. A cannon was dragged through the snow frQm the village, by the Contoocook road, to the summit of the hill near the old cemetery, and the repeated discharges of the piece made the atmosphere ring. There was standing near 126 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. by the empty former residence of Nathaniel' Ro well. His- tory says a temporary bar was established iu the otherwise unoccupied farm-house. Au eye witness, a Jackson man, represents the occasion as one of the " drunkenest times he ever saw. " We draw the mantle of charity, remembering this celebration was in a former and different time. In 1832, though there was less excitement during the campaign, the town of Hopkinton cast 310 votes for Jack- sonian electors against 141 for the opposition. CHAPTER XXXV. THE CENSUS OF 1830. By the census of 1830, the population of Hopkinton was found to be 2474. In the first instance, this enumeration is remarkable for two reasons. Ever since the first census, in 1767, there had been a steady increase of population ; €ver since that of 1830, there has been a general decrease of the same. By the census of 1860, there was an increase of nine persons over the number of those found by the pre- vious census. In one other instance — the census of 1880 — the decline in population was indicated in arrest, 22 more persons being found than in 1870. The causes of the steady increase of population till 1830, and the general decrease since, are complex. For an under- standing of them, we must look into the composite life of society itself. We have already remarked the circum- stances which once existed to attract people to Hopkinton for homes or on business. A new town in a commercial and legal centraUty must thrive in population. We have pointed out the circumstances that took away Hopkinton's prestige as a half shire-town and incidental capital of the state. We have shown that this loss tended to a reduction of the number of inhabitants. Yet after the events of 1819 and 1823, the population increased slightly till 1830. We must seek a reason for this phenomenon. The effect of the permanent location of the state capital and the coimty-seat of Merrimack at Concord upon the population was gradual. Much of the attendance upon state and county events in Hopkinton was transient. Then SUNDEY EVENTS FROM 1831 TO 1836. 12T the commercial importance of the town partly depended upon relations of longer continuance. Years passed hefore Concord became such a centre of trade as virtually to de- stroy the commercial prosperity of Hopkinton. The farms, too, were stationary, and supported their usual number of operators and occupants. There was also exhibited the natural tendency to the numerical increase of domestic establishments, so common in the earlier life of New Eng- land. More than this, the grand march of popular domes- tic migration had not been fully inaugurated. Soon after 1830, the tide of local emigration had begun effectively to surge. Large commercial and manufacturing centres began to attract the young of both sexes. The store, the shop, the mill, — each got its share of recruits from the town of Hopkinton. Then the newer states of the west began to draw away their quotas of adventurers. The varying dispositions of the young in respect to a choice of a calling helped on the tendency to depopulation, because Hopkinton, declining in commercial importance, no longer offered the multiple industrial resources it once had. Add to all the facts we have described the later stimulus to popular mentality through improved educational facilities and the attendant and consequent partial suppression of the propagative instinct, and we have compassed the pre- dominant causes of the comparative depopulation of which we are talking. The census of 1830 represents a pivotal stage in the history of Hopkinton. The present time affords no special indication of a reactive tendency in population. CHAPTER XXXVI. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1831 TO 1836. In 1831, March 8, the town voted to discontinue the road laid out by the selectmen the previous year from the north- easterly end of Blackwater bridge easterly, through lands of Samuel Folsom, Josiah Rogers, and Stephen Sibley, to Con- cord line. In 1832, March 13, Stephen Sibley, Ebenezer Dustin, and John Whipple were chosen a committee to examine the 128 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. pauper accounts of the town for the previous ten years, collect information in regard to the expense of towns that had purchased farms, and established poor-houses for the support of their paupers, and report the facts at the next annual town-meeting. The town voted to purchase a large and a small burying- cloth, to be kept at Sumner Fowler's house, near the Union Baptist meeting-house. The Union Baptist meeting-house was the same as the Freewill Baptist church, of which we shall speak particularly in another chapter. The selectmen were authorized to begin a suit against Jesse B. Hardy, to recover pay for 1792 feet of three inch pine plank, which he agreed to furnish for the purposes of a^ bridge near Silas Hardy's. The selectmen were also authorized to pay the town of Weare the sum of $25.15, it being the difference between one third and one half of the expense of surveying a road between Sutton South meeting-house and Nashua village. The petition of William A. Kent and others,, for a road from Warner, through a part of Hopkinton, to Concord, and also that of Daniel Farmer and others, for a road through a part of Hopkinton to Amoskeag, formed the sub- ject of an article of the warrant for this town-meeting. The matters involved were referred to the discretion of the selectmen. On the 16th of March, the selectmen were authorized to repair Hill's bridge, at Contoocook, by building a new and substantial wooden pier, supply the bridge with new plank and railings, and make such other improvements as they thought necessary. The selectmen were also instructed to oppose the appoint- ment of a committee on the petition of Charles F. Gove and others for a road from Hill's bridge to Bassett's mill in Weare. In 1833, March 12, the committee chosen to report upon the expense of paupers and the subject of a tovra farm and poor-house reported. Their report was accepted but not put upon the record of the town. However, the next day, at the adjourned town-meeting, the town voted to purchase a farm, stock, furniture, and other materials necessary for the establishment of a poor-house, and that the town's paupers be removed to the poor-house as soon as it should be ready to receive them, and that the selectmen be author- SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1831 TO 1836. 1201 ized to appoint an overseer of the farm and the paupers- Stephen Sibley, John Silver, and Daniel Chase were chosen a committee to carry the main purpose into effect. On the same day, the town voted to accept the legacies bequeathed it by Dr. Ebenezer Lamed, deceased, and that the town treasurer receive the same, and, upon the payment of them, give the executor a good and sufficient discharge. On the 15th of the following June, at a special meeting, the committee, chosen in March to purchase a farm for the establishment of a poor-house, reported verbally that they had purchased the farm of Daniel Chase, had taken a deed of the same, and given their note to Mr. Chase for the sum of $3,000, with interest after the first day of March, 1834. Singular as it may seem, there was an article in the warrant for this special meeting to see if the town would sell the farm again, but the article was passed over and the meeting dissolved. In 1834, March 12, the foregoing committee to purchase a town farm reported formally. In addition to facts already given, they affirmed that the estate contained about 169 acres, and that the cost of stocking and furnishing was $442, the farm being then ready for occupation. The same day the town voted to make the poor-house a house of correction. The poor-farm, as it was called, was located on Dimond's hill, being an estate of which the present house and land of Walter F. Hoyt were formerly a part. On the foregoing 12th of March, the town passed an act authorizing the town treasurer to give a discharge to the executor of the will of the late Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, on account of the bequest of a female charity fund, according to the provisions and specifications of the will. The dis- charge was to be procured by the payment of the fund to the treasurer on or before the first day of the next April, with interest for the previous year. The fund amounted to 1500. It exists as a public provision to this day. The Basset Mill road came up again for consideration on the 5th of July, when the town voted to postpone the build- ing of that part of it located in Hopkinton. On the 26th of the same month, the town refused to reconsider the vote of the 6th, and also refused to instruct the selectmen to contract for its construction, acting under two separate articles in the warrant. 130 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In 1835, March 11, the selectmen of the previous year made a verbal report of their investigation in relation to the support of paupers, and their report was accepted, but there was no record made of its substance. Nathaniel Curtis was made an agent to collect of Hugh McAllister, executor of the will of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, two legacies of $500 each, bequeathed to the town of Hop- kinton. On the 31st of August, the Basset Mill road came upon the public conscience again. The road had been laid out by the court's committee, and this time the town voted that the selectmen should appoint an agent to make an application to the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, in the fol- lowing September, for leave to discontinue the portion of the road lying in Hopkinton, according to an act of discon- tinuance already passed by the town. In 1836, March 9, the selectmen made a report upon the conduct of the poor-farm, and their report was accepted. The legacies of the late Dr. Ebenezer Lerned were consigned by vote to the Franklin Bank in Hopkinton as a loan. The selectmen were instructed to make the Basset Mill road that season. Th.e same day the selectmen were authorized to hire a sum not exceeding 11,000, it being such a portion of $2,000 raised by vote of the town for defraying town charges. On the 7th of the next November, the sense of the town upon the expediency of the establishment of an insane asylum by the state was taken. The vote stood 7.5 in the affirmative and 70 in the negative. The subject of rebuild- ing Tyler's bridge was referred to the selectmen, the vote prescribing the foUowiDg lucid expression of the method : " in such a mariner as they shall think proper between this time and the fifteenth day of December next, and that it be completed in the course of the next summer." The selectmen were also authorized to hire a sum not exceeding 11,000, upon the credit of the town, for defraying town expenses. The Lerned legacies, the Franklin Bank and the Basset Mill road will be subjects of further remark in future pages of this work. A LEGAL TKAGEDY. 131 CHAPTER XXXVII. A LEGAL TRAGEDY. The year 1836 witnessed a scene in Hopkinton that was the only one of its kind ever occurring in the town. On the 6th of January, Abraham Prescott, of Pembroke, was hung for the murder of Mrs. Sally Cochran of that town. It will be remembered by the reader, that although the courts of Merrimack county had been located at Concord, the jail, originally the property of Hillsborough county, re- mained in Hopkinton till 1852. Consequently the execu- tion of Prescott, in 1836, occurred at Hopkinton. Abraham Prescott is represented as a feeble-minded youth, who was a kind of protSgS of the Cochran family, of whom Chauncey Cochran, husband of the murdered woman, was the responsible head. In his simple mind, Prescott, as the story goes, conceived that, making way with Mr. and Mrs. Cochran, he would certainly inherit their property. By a stupid project, he decoyed Mrs. Cochran into seclusion, and then dealt her a fatal blow. This was on the 23d of June, 1833. Prescott afterwards confessed the deed, and was tried for, and convicted of, mur- der at the September term of the Supreme Court in the year 1834, his sentence to be hung on the 23d of December, 1835, being pronounced. Very strenuous efforts were made for a commutation of the sentence, the miserable youth's mental condition being urged as a motive for legal consideration. A reprieve to the 6th of January was obtained, but no appeals affecting the executive attitiide of the governor and council, the doomed culprit went to his fate on the expiration of the reprieve. Prescott was a long time confined in the jail at Hopkin- ton. Andrew Leach was the jailer. In the jailer's family at the time of the reprieve was Mrs. Clarissa G., daughter of Mr. Leach, and wife of Capt. Robert Chase, of Newbury- port, Mass. She was only 22 years old, having with her a daughter, Mary Ann L., of the age of 22 months. In re- lating the circumstances attending the execution of Pres- cott, we draw from the description of Alonzo J. Fogg, who has already written a graphic account of the affair. Mr. Fogg says : 132 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. The reprieve of Prescott was not generally known, or at least not credited, and on the first day appointed for his execution many peo- ple from Pembroke and the adjoining towns congregated atHopkin- ton village to witness the public execution. When the news was broken to the large assemblage, by the proper authorities, that the governor had reprieved Prescott for fourteen days, it created great indignation with a large majority. They honestly felt that the hand of justice had been held too long, and made up their minds that the gallows should not be robbed of its deserving victim by any execu- tive interference. After dark, the more determined portion of the indignant people, who comprised some of the most respectable residents of Pembroke, collected in the vicinity of the jail and demanded of Mr. Leach the keys of the cell of the condemned man, but he wisely refused to comply with their request. At this time, Mrs. Clarissa Chase was confined in bed with an infant son two days old. But in this condi- tion her courage and respect for the legal rights of the prisoner did not forsake her. She said, — *' Father, never give up Prescott to that cruel mob till we are all dead. " The violent demonstrations of the people without, however, had a powerful effect on her weak and nervous system, and a few minutes after she spoke to her father she went into convulsions. At this crisis, a mother's appeal came to the rescue. Mrs. Leach unbarred the outside door, opened it, and there she stood, a frail and helpless woman, before an infuriated mass of men crazed for blood and revenge. At her appearance -with only a lighted candle in her hand, the crowd were hushed to silence in a moment. She told them of the situation of her daughter within, and appealed to their sympathy, and asked them to desist in their unlawful effort to secure the prisoner within the cell unless they desired to sacrifice her only child to gratify their base design. Mrs. Leach's supplication had its desired effect, and the mob quietly left the jail and repaired to the Perkins hotel, where they hung Prescott in effigy on the limb of the large elm in front of the house, which plainly foretold what might be expected the 6th of January, if justice was further de- layed. The execution of Prescott, occurred at the north of the vil- lage of Hopkinton, in the pasture now owned by Horace G. Chase, having been recently purchased by him of George W. Currier. The conformation of the land on three sides of the portion of the lot lying nearest the highway makes a kind of natural amphitheatre. Near the centre of the amphitheatre are two boulders of granite of considerable size. These stones mark the location of Prescott's scaffold, to which he was escorted from the jail by the music of drum A LEGAL TRAGEDY. 133 and fife, his conveyance being preceded by a wagon con- taining his coffin. At the scene of the execution an im- mense crowd was gathered. The doomed man was swung off into eternity without a struggle. Indeed, he seemed hardly alive when he reached the scaffold. Imbecility, fear, remorse, one or all, had engendered a horrid passivity that was apparently unable to resist the last stroke inflicted by this world. We further quote from Mr. Fogg, as follows : Mrs. Chase never recovered from the fright and excitement at- tending the delay of Prescott's execution, and December 26, three days after, her spirit took its flight through that dark vista to an , unknown God. Her little daughter, Mary Ann L., through neglect and excitement, was soon taken sick, and followed her mother Jan- uary 21. In the Hopkinton village cemetery, near the centre of the groimds, a small marble hfeadstone marks the spot where Clar- issa G. Chase, and her daughter, Mary Ann L. Chase, are taking their last rest in the same grave. When these tragic events were taking place in the village of Hop- kinton, Capt. Chase was at sea, and on his return, and learning the sad fate of his wife and child, his feeUngs can better be imagined than described. For several years he remained single, but at length married. He took his wife with him on a long voyage : his ship came in collision with another vessel and sank to the bottom of the ocean, carrying him and his wife with him to make their long and last sleep in a watery grave. This last act in the tragedy finished the earthly career of all of Capt. Chase's family save one. The infant son was only five days old when its mother died, and was named Robert Green Chase. He was educated for the Epis- copal church, and settled in the ministry at Philadelphia, where he became a popular divine. He married, and the fruit of his union was a daughter. In 1866, Mr. Chase spent his summer vacation on the coast of Maine. By accident, Mr. Chase and wife were drowned, leaving his daughter an orphan, who now resides in Phil- adelphia. 134 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKENTON. CHAPTER XXXVIII. SUNDKY EVENTS FEOM 1837 TO 1844. In 1837, January 28, the town of Hopkinton voted to receive of tlie state the respective portion of the deposits of the public money consigned to the town of Hopkinton by virtue of an act of the legislature, passed January 13, 1837, and pledged the faith of the town for the safe keeping and repayment thereof, and appointed Stephen Sibley an agent to receive and execute certificates of deposit therefor. Mr. Sibley, as agent of the town, was to pay over to the town treasurer his deposits for the time being, and the treasurer was to give a special bond to the town for the faithful dis- charge of his trust, and loan the deposits, with the direc- tion, consent, and approbation of the selectmen, for the time being. This action related to the reception and dis- position of the " surplus money," from the United States treasury, there being, by an act of congress of 1836, $41,- 000,000 distributed among the several states of the Union. In law, the sum distributed was a " deposit," but, in fact, it was a gift that was never refunded. On the same day, the selectmen were authorized to rebuild Tyler's bridge as they thought proper. In 1838, March 13, the committee of the town, chosen to audit and settle the accounts of the town treasurer, found Mm charged with cash received of Stephen Sibley, agent of the town, to the amount of $6,102.06, upon which deposit interest had been collected to the amount of $37.46, mak- ing in all $6,139.52, which was accounted for by adequate securities. The next day, the sense of the voters was taken upon the expediency of the state legislature passing a law author- izing town-clerks to record deeds. There were 110 votes in favor of the proposition, and 241 against it. It was voted that the interest on the public deposits be appropriated to defraying town charges the year ensuing ; that the selectmen effect an insurance upon the pauper farm ; to accept the report of Stephen Sibley, agent for the receipt of the public deposit, and discharge him from his agency. On the 20th of the next August, the town voted to pass over an article relating to building a stone bridge over the Contoocook river, near Moses Tyler's, and also to pass over SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1837 TO 1841. 135 one relating to one or two stone abutments at Tyler's bridge. In 1839, on the 16th of February, the following act was passed by the town : Voted that the town relinquish to the First Congregational Society in the town of Hopkinton all right and title that they have or may have or may claim to have in the meeting house occupied by said society. There were 82 yeas and 58 nays to the proposition, which apparently anticipated a purpose to repair the meeting- house by the society. The remodelling of the meeting-house will be a future subject of this work. On the 9th of the following March, the selectmen were authorized to collect, or cause to be collected, by the 15th of the next September, 75 per cent, of all the securities on account of the surplus revenue belonging to the town, and apply the same to the outstanding debts of the town and the incidental expenses for the ensuing year. The town also voted to appropriate $3,000 towards the establishment of an insane asylum in the state, provided that the institution were located within the limits of Hop- kinton. Horace Chase, Hamilton E. Perkins, and Stephen Sibley were made a committee to consider the laws relating to the extinguishing of fires, and report at the next annual town- meeting. The selectmen reported the location and boundaries of the several school-districts in town. Their report was accepted, and the boundaries became a matter of record. This action was authorized the year previous. The districts located were nineteen in number, and were described by metes and bounds territorially. In 1840, March 11, the subject of repairs upon Hill's bridge at Contoocook was referred to the selectmen, who were to examine it at once, ascertain where repairs were needed, and make comparative estimates between the expense of a stone bridge, and that of a wooden one, and that of a wooden one with stone abutments without a pier, reporting at the town-meeting in November. The same officers were also authorized to enclose the village burying- ground with a good, substantial board fence, with good split stone posts, not less than six feet in length, the fence to be 136 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. not less than four feet high, and of a style discretionary with the officers, the structure to have regard to decency and durability. The selectmen were also authorized to fence the burying-ground on Clement's hill according to their proper discretion. The residue of the surplus revenue belonging to the town was by vote applied to the defraying of town expenses the ensuing year, while the equivalent of the interest was to be deducted proportionately from each poll tax. The town voted to fit up the town-house for the accom- modation of the court, in case the town was made a half shire-town of Merrimack county; also, to defend a suit brought by the town of Henniker, for the support of Anna Dodge, wife of Asa Dodge. On the 2d of the next November, the selectmen reported with reference to their inspection of Hill's bridge. The town then voted " that the selectmen cause HiU's bridge to be rebuilt next season according to the present plan of said bridge, and that they repair or rebuild the abutments with stone, as in their discretion will be for the best interest of the town, and that they make such preparation this season for rebuilding the same as they may think necessary." In 1841, March 10, the selectmen were authorized to divide one year's interest, at 6 per cent., of the surplus rev- enue among all the persons who were taxed in town the ensuing year, the distribution to be equal. It was voted that one fourth of the school money be equally divided among the districts, and the residue equally according to the scholars, as formerly. One dollar was voted to each soldier of the third com- pany of infantry that did military duty in 1840. In 1842, March 10, the selectmen were instructed to pur- chase a bier for each of the graveyards in town ; to divide the school-district in Contoocook by the river ; to print the report of town expenditures in pamphlet form, the number of copies to be sufficient to supply one to each legal voter ; to divide one year's interest of the surplus revenue among the several tax-payers ; to authorize the selectmen to hire as much money as they deemed expedient to defray town charges, the sum raised being |1,700. The selectmen were also directed to administer the fol- lowing oath to each person before taking an inventory of his property : 6DNDET EVENTS FROM 1887 TO 1844. 137 You solemnly swear, or affirm (as the case may be), that you will make true answers to such questions as shall be asked you in refer- ence to your property and estate, liable by law to taxation ; So help you God. After taking the inventory, the selectmen were to pro- pound the following : Upon the oath you have taken, have you now given a true account of all your property and estate, liable by law to taxation on the first day of April instant, according to your best knowledge and belief ? Have you neither transferred, concealed, kept back, nor in any way disposed of any of your money, or securities, or other property of any description, with a design to avoid or diminish your taxes ? On the 5th of the following December, Moses Colby was chosen an agent of the town to oppose a road laid out by the road commissioners from Bell's tavern in Henniker to Stanwood's tavern in Hopkinton. Bell's tavern was on the site of the present Henniker hotel, and Stanwood's tavern on that of the present Perkins Inn. On the 5th of June, 1842, James Straw signed an indent- ure allowing the selectmen of the town to drain Wolf meadow, the consideration being $2. Wolf meadow is now flowed by Whittier's pond, at the westerly junction of the old and new roads running between Hopkinton and Con- cord. In 1843, there was a hard struggle over the subject of the 4th article m the warrant for the annual town-meeting on the 14th of March. The article related to the choice of two representatives to the General Court. The clerk's record gives no details of the ballots, but mentions the conclusive fact that the article was indefinitely postponed on the sec- ond day of the meeting, apparently in the afternoon. On the third day of town-meeting, the matter of purchas- ing a piece of land for a burying-yard near the lower vil- lage was referred to the selectmen. A year's interest of the surplus revenue was by vote divided as formerly, and an- nually so until further ordered by the town. The select- men were instructed to cause one third of the school-money to be collected by the first day of the next September. The town voted to raise $2,000 for current expenses, authoriz- ing the selectmen to hire such a sum as they deemed neces- sary, not exceeding $1,000, the rate of interest to be 6 per. cent. 138 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. The same day, the following act was passed : Voted the town give to Widow Catheriae S. Lerned all the school book fund that can be realized from the Franklin Savings Bank, being the same school book fund bequeathed the town by Doct. Ebenezer Lerned, deceased, provided the heirs at law to the said Lerned shall signify their assent in writing to such appropriation and waive all advantage by reason of such disposition of said fund. On the 10th of the following August, the selectmen were instructed to divide the town into school-districts to the number of 20, according to law. On the 7th of October, the same officers were authorized to purchase a piece of land near the east village for a burying-ground. On the 14th of October, the record was made of the action of the selectmen ia dividing the town into twenty school-districts, the action being in response to a petition, of the 9th of the same month, signed by Chase Fowler, Hazen Kimball, Sumner Carlton, Moses Stanley, Timothy Tilton, John Tilton, George S. Daniels, M. W. Merrill, John F. Sargent, Joel Chandler, and Oilman Fifield. In 1844, March 13, a record is made of an alphabetical list having been lodged with the town-clerk, and posted in the store of Stephen B. Sargent, fifteen days prior to the 12th of March, and of each voter being checked on the list in the vote for representatives to the General Court. Pre- viously to this time, the detailed ballots for representatives had been sometimes recorded, but not always — in fact, never till a late period. The school-money raised, exclusive of the interest on the school-fund, was only $860, whereas for some time previous it had been $1,060.20. It was voted to postpone the reading of the report of the superintending school-committee, and authorize the select- men to procure 600 printed copies of the same for distribu- tion among the legal voters of the town. The selectmen were authorized to compromise with the petitioners for a new road from Henniker to Hopkinton, that the road might leave the route laid out by the commis- sioners near the Henniker line ; thence keeping on the west side of the Contoocook river to a point near Smiley's mills, at West Hopkinton ; thence to the house of Deacon White ; thence to the burying-ground by the bridge over Paul brook ; thence to the Basset Mill road near the blacksmith- SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1887 TO 1844. 13& shop of George Choat, — ^instead of building said road on the .route established by the commissioners. Thomas Bailey, Abram Brown, and Nathaniel Kimball were chosen a committee to confer with the selectmen in reference tq the purchase of a piece of land for a.burying- ground near the East village. • On the 3d day of August, Thomas Bailey and Cyrus Bar- ton were chosen agents to effect a possible compromise in the matter of a road from Henniker to Hopkinton. The poor-house in town Was voted a house of correction. The overseer was to be the keeper. The following by-laws for the government of the house of correction were adopted : First. Every inmate of the house of correction, when able to labor, shall be kept diligently employed under the direction of the keeper. Second. If any inmate shall refuse to obey the orders of the over- seer of the house of correction, such overseer may punish such in- mate by confining him in solitary imprisonment not exceeding 48 hours at any one time. On the 17th of the same month, the agents appointed by the town reported that they had not been able to effect any compromise with reference to the Henniker and Hopkin- ton road. The selectmen were then instructed to build the road laid out upon the petition of L. Smith and others, the building of it to be sold at the lowest price by auction ; that a covered bridge be built across the river, with a span not exceeding 150 feet, with stone abutments ; the work of constructing both the road and the bridge was to begin im- mediately. It is noticeable in this connection that the bridge was to be "built on the Ex plan," referring, doubtless, to the diagonal arrangement of its timbers. The selectmen were authorized to hire any sum of money not exceeding $5,000, to defray the expenses of the town that year. On the 15th of the next October, the town reconsidered so much of the foregoing action as related to the bridge over the Contoocook river on the new Henniker and Hop- kinton road, and voted that the structure should be an arched one of stone. At the presidential town-meeting in November, the sub- ject of the expediency of abolishing capital punishment was considered. There were 70 votes in favor of the abolition of such punishment, and 172 in the negative. 140 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. It was voted tliat copies of the report of expenditures of the selectmen the ensuing year be printed in sufficient num- bers to supply all the legal voters with one each, to be de- livered at the next annual town-meeting. CHAPTER XXXIX. THE GEEAT EAILBOAD CONTEOVEESY. In the year 1844, the town of Hopkinton sustained the result of one of the greatest social agitations that ever oc- curred within its limits. For the time then being, every other political subject appears virtually to have succumbed to it. At the annual town-meeting in March, it was the predominant theme. Two representatives were chosen to the General Court with special reference to it. They were • Samuel Colby and Moses Colby. Samuel Colby was a Dem- ocrat, but he was not chosen on that account ; Moses Colby was a Whig, but that fact did not determine his election. Both of these gentlemen were chosen because of their oppo- sition to a certain project represented by the railroads. In fact, the great railroad controversy in Hopkinton was at its height, and, so far as Hopkinton's choice of represent- atives to the General Court went, the railroads were de- feated. It is an item of interest in this connection that there was no railroad in Hopkinton at the time, nor does it appear that there was any immediate prospect of one being in town. However, there were railroads in other parts of New Hampshire, and projects for the extension of their ramifi- cations, and the great Bailroad controversy was by no means local with any town in the state. This controversy arose out of the question of what is sometimes called eminent do- main. Eminent domain means the right of government to take private property, or allow it to be taken, for public uses. The 5th amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that such property shall not be taken " without just compensation." The principle involved in this amendment is equally recognized in civil law. How- ever, this idea was not simply embraced in the matter of .. M AFTER ■. :- -,^KAT ItAri.EOAl* CUN' • r^V Jr, liio civ. ;-'44. the town of Hjpku,: -n sustained thr n^uii ..f '^ lii i'i iiii- <4r.'Att;flt prii'ial agitatmns that ever O'- curred within its limh.-. For tlb- time tlien beiup;. c-v. ■ other political subject :vi..|.(-n-.s vi,.;,. ."- *,. have sue. to is- \t tli'- aiuaias i .■vu-uk-'.j.,; iu March.!' JS;, f - ■;:%,■, ■•■.-iill !■• rerCMue tn '1 ■■.,..,. .^ ' ^ -'i'\ . Hamuel <-■■^■- .. liiiit aeco-' ■'';« ■ ■■ ': not detei'ii! i-: - k.''tiu\? ■ -I'Sen. l>ei au. pp": -, -iiiid ^'^ • ;■ .i^wtiids. I ' -x i > 'il j'kiatoii WI3'.. N :.', ;>>k-e of rr''- i-vih-oadiJ -• iindthe great Baiiroiul ■■ ;h any town in the swi, ■^'-^ question of what is .h'.i • ^ ■•! "luHiau'i iii'-atis the rigia iroperty, or aii-nv it to be ■rrneudmeDr if. the Coi:- ,.ide? that >■ > h prop.-- >lved i >nEiply eM;' •■ • w , >-3 W : o ) 00 ) "^ ! <^ ! c ' o •H^- THE GKEAT RAILROAD CONTROVERSY. 141 controversy under discussion, but the subject of the public or private nature of a railroad corporation was emphatically broached. ' The way of presenting the subject is easily illus- trated. A common highway is a public benefit, and, once decreed necessary, its right to pass, by the concession of the owners of private property, from its inceptive point to its termination, is unquestioned. However, such a high- way is free in its provisions ; but a railroad is restrictive in its benefits. No one is charged for using a common high- way, but a pecuniary fare is collectible by a railroad. Out of this distinction arose a great contest in New Hampshire. Apparently many people neglected to reflect that a manu- factory, located on a stream of water, has the right under the law to the eminent domain, so far as the necessary flowage of private lands is concerned, though it charges a price for the services it renders its patrons. But men do not always mind such considerations when in the heat of a great con- troversy. In the end, however, the legal expedients were equal to the exigencies in the railroad case. The railroad was the inevitable certainty. The age demanded it and the spirit of the age endorsed it. It remained only for the state either to claim the eminent domain for the use of the rail- road, or to confirm the railroad as a public institution. In the progressive legal history of the state, as we are told by presumed authority, both things have been done. The majority against railroads once prevailed in Hopkin- ton ; but in the end the involved ascendant idea was de- feated. To-day railroads are extended through private property, even though they are not free ia their provisional accommodations. In closing this chapter, we present the clerk's record of the ballots by which Hopkinton's represen- tatives to the General Court in 1844 were elected. The following is the first ballot : Samuel Colby had 132 votes. John Burnham " 78 Moses Colby " 31 John Paige " 14 Jonathan Jones " 3 Old Dan Tucker " 1 P. Clough " 1 Joseph Dow " 1 The following is the second ballot : 142 LIFE AND TEMBS IN HOPKXNTON. Moses Colby had John Burnham David N. Patterson Joseph Dow John Paige Moses Copps Temperance, Horace C. Stanley John R6peal Levi Straw, Jr., In this chapter, we have briefly shown how intense a pub- lic controversy may be ; in a subsequent chapter, the reader will observe how readily the mind of a community can be reversed to favor that which it once opposed. 127 votes 103 7 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 CHAPTER XL. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1845 TO 1850. In 1845, March 12, the selectmen of Hopkinton were instructed to adjust the account of the town against the town of Weare, for the support of Gilman Lull, as in their judgment would be for the best interest of the town. It was voted to dispense with the services of the superintendr ing school-committee, so far as the examination and in- spection of schools were concerned. On the 26th of the following August, the town voted to rebuild Rowell's bridge, at West Hopkinton, with such variation as to place as the judgment of the selectmen might indicate, said bridge to be built of stone, provided the cost should not be over $2,500, and the builder would warrant the bridge to stand from three to five years after completion, the construction to be sold by auction to the lowest bidder. On the 23d of the next September, the selectmen were instructed to purchase a burial-cloth for the use of the grave- yard near the town-house. It was also voted to sell land for private burial-lots in the same graveyard. The select- men were instructed to purchase land for enlarging the yard. On the 29th of the following November, the town voted SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1845 TO 1850. 143 to reconsider, from and after the first day of the next April, a vote passed at the annual town-meeting in 1843, to divide one year's interest of the surplus revenue at 6 per cent, among the resident tax-payers equally. In 1846, March 11, the collecting of town taxes was struck off in open town-meeting to the lowest bidder, and John Foss became collector at a salary of $24. The sum of $3,000 was raised for town expenses. Horace Chase, Nicholas Quimby, and Phineas Clough were chosen a com- mittee to consider and report at the next annual town- meeting what part of chapter 111 of the Revised Statutes, relating to the extinguishing of fires, it was expedient to adopt, and also to consider and report a code of rules and by-laws, such as should be thought expedient and proper, according to chapter 31 of the Revised Statutes, and an act entitled " An Act in addition to chapter 31 of the Revised Statutes," passed June, 1845. It was voted that the selectmen purchase a grave cloth for the graveyard on Clement's hill. A provision was made for printing the selectmen's report. In 1847, March 10, the town voted against the proposi- tion to establish a county poor-farm. The committee of March 11, 1846, to consider and report in reference to the extinguishing of fires presented a by-law in 23 sections ; another of four sections, relating to horses, neat cattle, etc., running at large, and respecting the kindling, guarding, and safe-keeping of fires, etc., was reported. The Hon. Matthew Harvey introduced a measure for the consideration of the town, which adopted it. The act pro- vided for the annual distribution of the equivalent of the interest of funds realized from the lease of the parsonage, school, and militia lots in town. The sum of $88 was to be divided among the different religious societies in proportion to the taxes paid publicly by each ; the sum of $34.93, among the several school-districts, as the town might direct; the sum of $4.24, among the several militia companies equally. The aggregate, of $127.17 was to be an annual appropriation. The town treasurer was empowered to collect one half of the securities of the town, excepting the literary fund and the legacies, and appropriate the same as the law required, and that the remainder be collected the next year. In 1848, March 15, the town voted to appropriate $23.28 144 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. of the literary fund for the support of a teacher's institute in Merrimack county. » A vote being taken on the expediency of the General Court passing a law prohibiting the sale of wines and spirit- uous liquors, except for chemical, medicinal, and mechan- ical purposes, the result was 103 in the affirmative and 57 in the negative. Nicholas Quimby was chosen an agent of the town, to convey by deed, and by the direction of the selectmen, any real estate that might come into the absolute possession of the town during the ensuing year. The services of a superintending school-committee, so far as relating to the visiting of schools, were dispensed with by vote. On the 7th of the next November, the town voted to paint the town-house. The same day the selectmen were instructed to suspend the collection of the securities of the town and retain in the treasury uncollected securities sufficient to account for the parsonage, school, and training-field funds, until the question then pending in the Supreme Court in relation to the town of Henniker was decided, and which involved the subject of the right of towns to appropriate the principal of the described funds, and assess a tax to pay the interest. The court decided that such a tax could not legally be In 1849, March 13, the town voted to raise 3 per cent, of the school-money for the support of a teacher's institute in Merrimack county, also to adopt the provisions of chapter 727 of the Pamphlet Laws of the state, passed at the Novem- ber session of the legislature of 1840, and relating to engine- men. In 1850, March 13, the selectmen were directed to in- struct the collector of taxes to abate 8 per cent, of all taxes paid on or before the first day of September, 2 per cent, of all paid on or before the first of November, and 1 per cent, on all paid on or before the first of January ; the selectmen were to allow the same rates of premium to the collector for all taxes paid into the town treasury on or before the 5th day of each respective month mentioned ; and this arrangement was to be in force till otherwise ordered by the town. It was voted that any person paying 75 per cent, of his THE INTRODUCTION OP THE KAILEOAD. 145 highway taxes into the town treasury on or before the first day of September should be entitled to a receipt in full for such taxes. The selectmen were instructed to purchase a piece of ground for the burying-yard in the northerly part of the town, the present cemetery at Blackwater being pre- sumably indicated. The town voted to purchase two hearses, one to be kept in Hopkinton village and one in Contoocook. On the 15th of April, the foregoing vote in relation to the payment of highway taxes into the town treasury was reconsidered, and another vote, to a similar effect, with the time changed to on or before the first day of June, was passed. The selectmen Were instructed to purchase two new hearses with any unappropriated money in the town treasury. During the period embraced by this chapter, the Mexican war occurred. The war not being popular in New England, little personal interest was taken in it by New Hampshire people. Capt. Paul R. George, of Hopkinton, was quarter- master of Col. Caleb Cushing's Massachusetts regiment, taking along with him Elbridge Burbank and Daniel Caiton. All three returned. Philip Perry, of this town, was also a soldier of that war, according to private information. CHAPTER XLI. THE nSTTKODTTCTION OE THE EAILEOAD. In a previous chapter, speaking of the year 1844, we told of the ardent opposition of the town of Hopkinton to rail- roads. If one living at that time had been foretold that in less than five years a large party in this town would be equally as earnest in promoting the advancement of a scheme to construct a railroad within the limits of Hopkinton, he might have treated the statement with contempt as well as surprise. Yet, in the progress of events, the implied state of things came to pass. In a very few years after 1844, many people in Hopkin- ton became interested in a scheme which ultimately con- 10 146 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. structed a railroad from Concord to Bradford, with a branch line from Contoocook to Hillsborough Bridge, the com- pleted project affording no less than three stations in this town, namely, at Tyler's, Contoocook, and West Hopkin- ton. The evidence of a progressive railroad scheme, interest- ing to the town of Hopkinton, is found in two votes of the town, passed March 13, 1849, as follows : Voted that this suhject [of the 10th article in the warrant] be left with the selectmen, and that they be instructed to avail themselves of all the advantages the law gives them, with a view to have a bridge built across the public highway, near the dwelling house of Moses Tyler, for the use of the Concord and Claremont railroad company. Voted that the selectmen be instructed to request the corporations of the several railroads in Hopkinton to build and tend gates wher- ever the said railroads shall cross the public highway in said town. The following act of the town, passed March 13, 1850, is also of interest in this connection : Voted that notice be given to the Concord and Claremont and Contoocook Valley railroad corporations to build, maintain and tend gates at the several places where the said railroads cross the public highways in this town, in accordance with the requirements of chap- ter 142 of the Eevised Statutes. The foregoing votes, or acts, implying the cautionary prudence of the town of Hopkinton, were measurably fruitless so far as the exact text of their language was con- cerned. No bridges were built over the highway by rail- roads in this town, and scarcely any gates were constructed and tended at crossings. Such permanent precautions against danger at railroad crossings as the law effectively prescribed were and are of a different kind. However, we are to speak further, not of precautions and obstructions, but of enthusiasm and encouragement in view of the pro- posed railroad project we have described. The principal support of the railroad was the money subscribed for its stock. Not only was money rapidly forthcoming, but the wildest conceptions of the potency of the investment were everywhere afloat. Such was the readiness to exchange money for railroad stock that the ordinary, private bor- rower, with good and sufficient security, could hardly ob- tain a hearing. The popular enthusiasm culminated in 1850, in the early fall of the year, when trains began to run THE INTEODUCTION OF THE EAILEOAD. 147 regularly between Concord and Contoocook. A day of great festivity was held. The railroad officials extended the favor of a free ride to and from the city of Concord. The proffered courtesy was accepted by a large company, ■fiUuig a long train. The people of Contoocook had determined to be liberal in promoting the festivities. A subscription had been raised, a public dinner provided, music and artillery secured. About one thousand persons sat down to eat. The food was set upon a row of tables at the station, U shed having been erected for their accommodation. About fifteen mem- bers of the Warner artillery came with a gun and music to do the military honors. The gun was posted on the in- terval on the north side of the river, just below the rail- road bridge, towards which spot a signal was given to fire. Speeches were made, the band played, the cannon thundered. It was indeed a gala occasion. The pecuniary expense of the dinner eaten on this occasion amounted to $200. In the course of time, the emotions of people most inter- ested in the railroad project received a serious reverse. The assessments upon original stock, for the completion of the enterprise, created the wildest consternation. To be rid of their obligations, many people made heavy sacrifices. The aggregate loss to Hopkinton residents was very large. Many thousands of dollars were the cost of a blind zeal in the first instance. Such is life many times over. The facilities for railroad travel to Bradford and Hills- borough Bridge were eventually completed. The line from Contoocook to Hillsborough Bridge was built by Joseph Barnard, then of Contoocook, his work as construc- tor of the road-bed being done in 1849. Since the introduc- tion of the railroad into Contoocook, many changes and improvements have been made at the station. Railroad con- nection, in later years, has been extended to Claremont Junction on the one hand, and to Peterborough on the other, as continuations of the former lines to Bradford and Hills- borough Bridge respectively. 148 LIFE AJSHD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER XLII. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1851 TO 1855. In 1851, March 12, the town voted on the expediency of the state legislature's passing the homestead exemption act, securing each family the value of $500 free from attach- ment, levy, or execution, with 209 votes in favor of, and 128 against, the project. On March 13, the town voted to raise $1,200 for schools, and that the 24th dividend of the literary fund be added to the amount, and that one half of the whole be equally divided among the school-districts, and one half among the same according to the number of scholars in each. The selectmen were instructed to build a hearse-house at Contoocook the present year. In 1852, March 3, the town voted to repeal the 14th and 15th sections of the by-law of the town relating to the ex- tinguishing of fires, and passed March 9, 1847. The by- law referred to was reported on March 10, it being the sec- ond day of the annual town-meeting, but the clerk of that year, 1847, did not record its adoption. The 14th section provided that a majority of the fire-wards could destroy a building to stay the progress of a fire ; the 15th, that the selectmen could assess the damage upon the tax-payers, unless the fire started in such building, or the same would have burned in any case. On the 10th of May, the town voted to discontinue the road laid out by the road commissioners from the house of William Rogers to Henniker line, and the selectman were authorized to petition the court of common pleas for a dis- continuance. The town voted to rebuild Rowell's bridge, at West Hopkinton, of wood, with stone abutments, and the select- men were instructed to make it of such a model as they deemed for the interest of the town, and locate the same accordingly. The selectmen were also instructed to build a wooden suspension bridge over the river at Contoocook, the same to rest upon two stone abutments raised to a suf- ficient height to allow water to pass at ordinary freshets, the manner of covering the same to be left to the discretion of the selectmen. The matter of rebuilding Tyler's bridge was left to the discretion of the selectmen, who were authorized to employ suitable persons to convey foot-pas- SUNDRY EVENTS FEOM 1851 TO 1855. 149 sengers across the river at Tyler's and Smiley's, the latter being at West Hopkinton. The selectmen were authorized to hire a sum not exceeding |5,000, at 6 per cent., for the purpose of building and repairing bridges in town. A part of this action resulted from the great freshet of the spring of 1852, and which carried off Rowell's bridge and also the bridge on the Henniker new road, so called, of which we shall say more hereafter. On the 8th day of the next July, the selectmen were in- structed "to build a new wooden covered bridge at Con- toocookville without roof," whatever that may have meant, and sell the work to the lowest bidder. On the 2d day of November, after a comparatively quiet campaign, the people of the town voted at the presidential ■election. The Democratic electors received 279 votes, the Whig 102, the Freesoil 46. It is thus seen that the Dem- ocratic majority was 131. This large majority resulted from two causes. The Democratic candidate for President was Franklin Pierce, a popular man : again, he was a citizen of New Hampshire. The possibility of having a President of the United States from New Hampshire aroused state pride, and gave Franklin Pierce many a vote he would not other- wise have received. At the same election, the town voted on the expediency of the bill entitled "An act for the suppression of drinking houses and tippling shops " being enacted into a law. The vote stood 29 yeas and 187 nays. The selectmen were authorized to appoint an agent to sell or buy the interest of Amos Frye in the cider-mill on the pauper farm. In 1863, March 9, the town seemed to be a little hilari- ous, it being the second day of the annual meeting, or else there had been an unusual number of marriages during the previous fiscal year. The motion to choose ten hogreeves prevailed, and subsequently a vote to choose ten more was passed. The following twenty hogreeves were chosen : Moses T. Kimball, William R. Chase, Lucius H. Tyler, William Winchester, Melvin Colby, James H. Emerson, William H. Leslie, George W. Piper, Carlton Weeks, Al- fred N. Chandler, William H. Boutwell, Stephen B. Clarke, Jr., Horatio J. Chandler, Josiah D. CHley, James Kezar, Samuel A. Hardy, Georgfe L. Dow, David Everett, Lozaro Currier, Henry M. Fuller. 150 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. The town Yoted to raise $2,000 for current expenses, and the selectmen were authorized to borrow 14,000 upon the credit of the town. On the 21st of March, the selectmen were instructed to build a covered bridge across the river at Contoocook, like or similar to the one built at West Hopkinton the year previous, except that it was to be with or without an arch, according to the discretion of the selectmen, and the abut- ments were to be raised sufficiently to allow water to pass in the greatest freshets, and the structure was to be built that season. In 1854, March 14, there was a remarkable contest for representatives to the General Court. Isaac D. Merrill was chosen a representative upon the second ballot. The town then voted ten times for another representative, but with- out a choice, and the contest was abandoned. We shall refer to a cause of this contest in the next chapter. In 1855, March 14, the agent of the tow;n pauper farm was requested hereafter to make an annual detailed report of all produce raised, all articles bought and sold, and all receipts and expenditures connected with his agency, said report to be made to the selectmen and published in their annual report. The town auditors were by vote ordered to cause their report of the treasurer's account to be pub- lished with the selectmen's and superintending school-com- mittee's report, this arrangement to obtain until otherwise ordered by the town. The selectmen were authorized to purchase a good fire safe, for the better preservation of the records of the town. CHAPTER XLIII. A POLITICAL CKISIS. The year 1855 witnessed a peculiar crisis in political affairs in Hopkinton. For the first time in the history of the town, two representatives who were not Democrats were elected to the General Court. The town had before experienced ardent contests over the election of its repre- sentatives. It had sometimes failed of an election. Once 5 - lort ui tlitj greatest fre.il«4«, and the sc; that seaeon. - In 1H^4, ?!f'in-i! i i. ihe^'r was ;• reprejs.'iiiynvf?- •<• i«f ''►•■;.'''5' " '-- choaei! .>. representative ui«.if ■.■• then voted ten times for anuiiiv . out a ibuice, and the cojji?"ji 'u- refer t" .< t-aase ot ihis c<,iT!'->i i'> ^i.' In isV, Man-'b 1-1. t):. =.g-m >>1 v-iij; !i":HrHted hereaiH:- to make m .' ,/ '^;..;M.:fs rai:-f'L>i,' ■ ! 1855 witn*-.-,>.- .- , npkinton. ! if ;lit' '■ ; wo represt'Sj-uUves ■ • ?i> 'ist (n'!»' ral C<'U '-i!.>ut cont 4ti "-i't-^ '■■ ? *>«H-tnne- Llll. Mrs. Betsey T. Kimball. A POLITICAL CRISIS. 151 it sent a Whig to the General Court on a railroad issue. In 1855, from a purely political motive, the town of Hopkin- ton elected two representatiTes who in no sense owed any- thing to the Democratic party. This was the first severe blow that party ever received in this town! The cause of the defeat of the Democratic party in the contest for representatives to the state legislature was some- what remote. There had been murmurings of a storm in the national Democratic party for years. The fugitive slave law, the Mexican war, and the admission of Texas had all contributed more or less to disaffection in the northern states of the Union. Then the proposition to repeal the Missouri compromise capped the climax, and the crisis had begun. But this was not all of the matter involved in this chapter. The Whig party, too, was in a state that was more than disaffection. The structure of the Whig party began to topple in the days of the administration of John Tyler ; it trembled in 1850, when Daniel Webster made his famous speech that cost him much of his northern pop- ularity ; it tumbled to pieces after the election of Franklin Pierce in 1852. In consequence of the disaffection in the Democratic party and the disintegration of the Whig party, a large mass of voters found themselves politically home- less. Bees driven from their native hive will make an attempt to swarm elsewhere. In like manner, dissatisfied Democrats, stranded Whigs, impatient Freesoilers, impetu- ous temperance men, and nondescript voters rushed for the American party, otherwise the Know-Nothing party, which, while it more or less directly catered to the whims and opinions of the great mass of political wanderers, tried to rally its supporters to the standard bearing the legend, "Americans must rule America." Such was somewhat the condition of things in New Hampshire in 1854. That year, in Hopkinton, Isaac D. Merrill, an unswerving Democrat, was elected representa- tive, as we have before seen, only on the second baUot. In ten ballots more, no Democrat was found equal to the occasion of a majority, though several were tried. Possibly Jonathan Jones might have been elected, but he declined to continue the contest. In 1855, however, the Democratic party in Hopkinton was at sea on the subject of representa- tives. There was an important falling off of the governor's ticket. At the end of the first day of town-meeting, on the 162 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. second ballot, Timothy Colby, Jr., an American, was chosen representative. The town-clerk thus records the result : Isaac D. Merrill had two hundred and forty votes . . 240 Timothy Colby, Jr., had two hundred and ftfty-five votes 255 Joseph Stanwood had one vote 1 Ira A. Putney had one vote 1 Cyrus Dustin had one vote 1 The foregoing figurative statement was followed by the usual specification of the terms of the election, and the clerk then recorded the adjournment of the meeting till the next day. It appears that there was an earnest canvass of political forces between the evening of one day and the morning of the next. The Democrats rallied a second time around the standard of Isaac D. Merrill. It was in vain. P(iul R. George was the leader of the American forces, and his influence was unconquerable. The town-clerk thus records the ballot of the morning of Wednesday, the second day of town-meeting : Isaac D. Merrill had two hundred and one votes Paul R. George " two hundred and twenty five " Cyrus Dustin had eight " Philip Flanders had one vote Isaac D. Herreld had one " 201 225 8 1 1 The same year, the town chose three American selectmen and an American superintending school-committee. The next year, it swung back into the Democratic column. The position, however, was not secure. Out of the political chaos that agglomerated at first in the American party came the Republican party. The struggle continued with wavering results till the town cast a majority of its votes for a Republican candidate for every important office. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1856 TO 1861. 153 CHAPTER XLIV. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1856 TO 1861. In 1856, March. 12, the town voted to use the check-list in balloting for selectmen. The selectmen were authorized to lay out f 75 in clearing the town-farm meadow. The presidential campaign of 1856 was peculiarly active and enthusiastic. The Democratic party supported James Buchanan, a man of wide repute as a public official and statesman. The Republican party had come into existence as a national organization, and was both young and vigor- ous. John C. Fremont, its candidate, bore a reputation as an explorer and soldier that awakened great acclamations. The presidential ballot in Hopkinton, on November 4, gave 286 votes to Democratic electors, and 280 to Republican ones. In this ballot we see the evidence of the aggressive energy of the new party that was fast pushing the old one to the wall. In 1857, March 10, the town voted for only two candi- dates for governor of the state. Thus, in state affairs, had the prevailing contest narrowed down to an issue between Democracy and Republicanism. On the next day the town voted to dispense with the check-list in balloting for selectmen . The subject of rebuild- ing Tyler's bridge that season, or of preparing to rebuild it the next season, was referred to the discretion of the select- men, who were authorized to hire a sum of money not ex- ceeding $2,500 for the purpose. The sum of |200 of the principal of the literary fund was ordered to be appropriated for the benefit of district schools the current year. This was the beginning of a practice that in the end appropriated all of the accumulated literary fund. In 1858, March 10, the town voted that when the county of Merrimack began a suit against the town of Hopkinton, for the support of Benjamin Rowell, confined at the state insane asylum, the selectmen should defend the same. On the 23d of the next September, the selectmen were authorized to build a bridge across the Blackwater river, near the house of Enoch J. Chase, similar in plan and equal in material and workmanship to that over the river at Con- toocook, other minor particulars being described, and they 154 LIFE AST) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. were authorized to hire a sum not exceeding $400 for the purpose. In 1859, March 9, James Hoyt was chosen an agent of the town to defend the suit of the County of Merrimack against the town of Hopkinton for the support of Benjamin Rowell. In this suit the county was defeated. We shall mention Benjamin Rowell more at length hereafter. In 1860, there was a hard struggle for a representative to the General Court. James M. Burnham led the Demo- cratic forces till the second day of the town-meeting, or March 14. Four ballots were cast without a choice, and then the Democrats rallied to Ira A. Putney, who was chosen on the fifth ballot. The Republican candidate was Isaac H. Chandler. John M. Bailey was then chosen a second representative by the Democrats on the first bal- lot. Town-meeting having been adjourned from Wednesday, March 14, to Friday, March 16, it was further adjourned to Saturday, March 17, when, with other business, the town voted to widen on the west side, for the breadth of a rod, the highway from the foot of -the hill south of the house of John Foss to the house of Moses Hoyt, 2d. This act was in view of the frequent accumulations of snow in this sec- tion of road in winters. On the . 19th day of June, a town-meeting was held to consider what action ought to be taken in view of the pos- sible local prevalence of the cattle disease known as pleuro- pneumonia, which was prevailing in other parts of the state, particularly in Hillsborough. The selectmen were author- ized to enforce any law that the legislature passed in rela- tion to the disease, and, in view of the danger of cattle run- ning at large, the same officers were requested to put in force the by-laws of the town in relation to the subject of such cattle. The concern for pleuro-pneumonia proved to be only an alarm, for there was no case reported in the town, as we believe. The presidential election on the the 6th of November was somewhat notable in its result. The Republican ticket carried the day by one majority. The long Demo- cratic ascendancy in presidential matters was broken. Yet the Democratic party was divided into the Douglas and the Breckinridge factions. The vote stood thus : Lincoln elec- tors, 253 ; Douglas, 169 ; Breckinridge, 83. ^-^^^^.^^--^^L^ 'PSTE (i&V.A ■ LWFALION. Marc!' ■ • ,i.,d once for a tt«v • ' uay, four ball"' .! «-a^ aba«<* to ■■■ ■^sesiviently. ■: ril, 187 -i a t' .-..-^■i !,. the > tidt M CO in o m o o m ?« a > A NEW TOWN-HOUSE. 17S opinion was turned ia favor of rebuilding on the old spot. The town voted to appropriate |3,000 for the erection of a new town-house, and the three selectmen — John P. Burn- ham, Horace F. Edmunds, and Thomas B. Richardson — and Isaac Story were made a building committee. The local controversy refused to be quelled so easily. A second town-meeting was called in Contoocook on the 13th of May. The most important business done at this meet- ing was to reduce the building fund of the town-house to $2,500 instead of $3,000, and to place James M. Connor upon the building committee. This action, however, had but little weight, since the right to hold a town-meeting at any other place than the site of the town-house was ques- tioned, and no means had been provided for raising the building fund. A difficulty also arose from the fact that the people of the southern section of the town desired to place a second story upon the new buHding, for the accom- modation of a hall for general public uses, and private sub- scriptions were pledged for the extra constructive expenses. Several legal points being involved, a third town-meeting was called on the old site of the town-house on the 21st of June. It was voted at this meeting to instruct the select- men to borrow $2,500 to be used in the construction of a new town-house, and to pay the interest and one fifth of the principal annually till the whole debt was cancelled. The building committee was instructed to erect a house with two stories, with internal arrangements suitable for the general uses of the inhabitants of the town, and to en- ter upon the work immediately. On the 2d of July, Messrs. Burnham and Richardson re- signed their positions on the building committee, but the preliminary advance of the work was not hindered by their resignations. Soon, according to accepted proposals, the work of erection began. The foundation stones were bought in Henniker, and drawn by our own citizens. John W. Page had the lumber contract; Isaac K. Connor, of Warner, the carpenter work ; Henry Foster, of Weare, the mason work ; Melvin Colby, the painting. On the 11th of October, an attempt was made to secure an injunction of the proceedings. A petition signed by James Hoyt and four others set forth the opinion that the action of erection was illegal, on the ground that to satisfy all demands of the law the building committee should act 174 LIPE AND TIMES IN HOPKJNTON. in entirety. Messrs. Burnham and Richardson having re- signed, the implied necessity failed to exist. A bill of ■equity was framed, and application made to Chief-Justice Jonathan E. Sargent to grant a temporary injunction, con- straining the acting members of the building committee from proceeding with the work of erection. Upon the hear- ing, however, the chief-justice held that all the proceedings of the town in relation to the proposed erection of the town-house were legal, and that the majority of the com- mittee had full power to proceed to the work. The litiga- tion ended here. John Y. Mugridge, of Concord, and Clinton W. Stanley, of Manchester, were counsel for the petitioners, and Hawthorne & Greene, of Hopkinton, for the defendants. At this time the frame of the new house had progressed as far as the roof, and no suspension of work resulted on account of the litigation. The new town-house was finished in the early part of 1874, and dedicated on the evening of the 3d of the next March. A large audience was in attendance. The dedi- cation was under the conduct of the new building commit- tee, who selected the following officers of the evening : President, flon. Horace Chase ; vice-presidents, Samuel S. Page and George B. Hardy ; secretaries, John F. Jones and John F. Currier ; toast-roaster, Dea. John M. Harvey. Very excellent vocal and instrumental music was provided by our own local talent. Jonah Campbell's drum corps gave exhibition of the stirring music of '76. The pro- gramme of the exercises was as follows : Invocation — Rev. Abraham Snyder. Quartette singing — "When I can Read my Title Clear." Sentiment — " The New Town House." Response by Carlos G. Hawthorne, Esq. Sentiment — " Our Town's People." Response by Hon. Horace Chase. Music — Galop, by orchestra. Sentiment — " The Fertility of our SoU." Response by James M. Connor. Sentiment — "The Matrons of Hopkinton." Response by Rev. Mr. Snyder. Solo singing — " "Waiting," by Miss Ella F. Underbill. Sentiment— -" Our HiEs and Vales." Response by Charles C. Lord. Sentiment — " The Daughters of Hopkinton." Response by Her- man W. Greene. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1873 TO 1880. 175 Instrumental music-S-" Varsovienne," by orchestra. Sentiment — " Hopkinton's Sons Abroad." Response by letter from Col. David A. Warde, Concord. Singing glee — " "Woodland Echoes," by double quartette. Sentiment — "Old Hopkinton Academy." Response by letter from Rev. Silas Ketchum, Bristol; also by Dea. John M. Harvey. Sentiment — " Ye Ancient Martial Music." Response by the drum corps. At the conclusion of the programme the audience sang " America," and then diverted themselves with promenad- ing to the music of the drum corps, continuing this exer- cise till a late hour in the main upper room, which was duly christened " Lyceum Hall." CHAPTER XLVIII. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1873 TO 1880. In 1873, March 26, the town raised $4,000 for current charges and expenses. The sum of $500, in excess of what the law required, was raised for the support of common schools. The subject of the exemption of new manu- facturing establishments being considered, the town voted that a committee of two persons be chosen to act with the selectmen in receiving proposals from any company wishing to establish business in town. Ten or more legal voters were empowered to call a meeting in anticipation of exemp- tion. Edwin C. Bailey and Aaron Smith were selected for the committee. The subject of repairs upon the town- house was referred to the selectmen. On the 13th of May, the town voted to sell the hearse in Contoocook. In 1874, March 11, the town raised |3,000 for current charges and expenses. Upon the recommendation of the selectmen and committee upon the exemption of manu- factories from taxation, the town voted to exempt for the term of ten years any manuf^-ctory with a capital of $10,000 or more. The selectmen were authorized to purchase additional land for the Contoocook cemetery, and to build a hearse-house at the lower village. • In 1876, March 10, the town decided to next select the 176 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. superintending school-committee — one for three years, one for two years, one for one year — preserving the implied relation of a partial board of experience in office all the time. This by-law was never carried into effect. In 1876, March 15, the selectmen were authorized to purchase blinds for the town-house, and also to repair the fence of the Stumpfield cemetery. In 1877, March 14, the selectmen were authorized to repair the fence of the lower village cemetery. In 1878, March 12, the selectmen were authorized to purchase two hearses, one for each village, at an expense not to exceed $300 each ; these are the hearses now in use in the town. The same officers were authorized to build two tramp-houses, at an expense not exceeding $200 ; these tramp-houses are now standing in town, one being in each village. The town voted to dispense with the liquor agent. On the 9th of April, the county farm building having been burned, a town-meeting was held with special relation to pauper affairs. The town voted, 151 'to 9, in favor of supporting in town or city all paupers having a legal settle- ment. In regard to rebuilding the county-farm buildings, the vote stood 140 to 7 against the proposition. On the 5th of the following November, the town held its first biennial election under the state constitution as. revised by the convention of 1876. The reader will here- after bear in mind that all state and county officers and representatives to the General Court, chosen in November biennially, assume the actual duties of their office on the following June. In 1879, March 11, the town raised only f 2,000 for cur- rent expenses and charges. It was also voted to purchase a road machine at a cost of 1125, and to raise $500 for the expense of working it. In 1880, the town voted to dispense with a liquor agent, and to enforce Sections 15 and 16 of Chapter 109 of the General Laws of New Hampshire relating to the sale of cider, lager beer, and malt liquors. These two sections of optional statute law were afterwards made affirmative by the state. THE FREE HIGH SCHOOL. 17T CHAPTER XLIX. THE FEEE HIGH SCHOOL. In the year 1880, the permanent establishment of a free high school plan was broached in Hopkinton. The need of such a system was urged in behalf of the common schools, which were said to need the stimulus of a higher grade of free public instruction. The new plan was elaborated and proposed by Charles C. Lord, chairman of the superintend- ing school committee. Presenting it at the annual March meeting of the town, he was supported by a large number of citizens, and the measure was finally adopted almost without a dissenting voice. We give a brief description of the new free high school plan. For years it had been the custom of the town to raise $500 annually for common schools, the amount being in excess of the sum required to be raised by law, and to divide the whole school-fund among the respective districts — one half equally among the districts and one half equally among the scholars. By the new plan, it was proposed to distribute the legal school-money, or amount required to be raised by law, by a new division, giving two thirds to be equally distributed among the districts, and one third equally among the scholars. This was proposed with a view of favoring the less populous districts, which might be located farther from the villages, and, consequently, less accessible to the privileges of the proposed high school instruction. The usual sum of $500 was to be raised and divided equally between two free high school districts, to be located respectively in the northern and southern portions of the town, according to the provisions of chapter 90 of the General Laws of New Hampshire, and used for free high school purposes as far as the money would go. It was also estimated by the advocates of the new plan, that, with proper economy and the employment of a single teacher in each case, the amount appropriated would secure two respectable terms of high school in each district, which, it was assumed, would occur in the spring and fall of the year. It was also urged that the adoption of the free high school plan would result in bringing a larger number of the children of the town, and especially more of those of advanced years, under the influence and within the privi- 12 178 LIFE AKD TIMES EST HOPKINTON. leges of public instruction. The town was also urged to try the experiment one year. The plan having been adopted, the superintending school- committee and the selectmen of the town were made a committee to lay out the town into two high school dis- tricts, which work was accomplished on the 15th day of the following May. High school district school-meetings were subsequently held, officers chosen, and arrangements com- pleted for schools, which were opened the next autumn. In high school district No. 1, in the south part of the town, a fall and also a spring term were taught by Charles M. Sar- gent, of New London ; in high school district No. 2, in the north part of the town, a fall term was taught by Thomas B. Eichardson, of Contoocook, and Miss Lillian M. Whitney, of Newport, and a winter one by Miss Whitney alone. In the south district, school was kept in the village common school-house, and in the north district in Contoocook academy. During the progress of this school year, an active contro- versy was waged among the citizens of the town in respect to the merits of the high school plan. However, at the end of the year, the superintending school-committee reported , the following summary of the statistical result : 1879. 1880. Whole number of scholars in town . . . 396 405 Scholars at school during year .... 315 327 Scholars at school over 16 years of age . 23 49 The above statement of the town school officers formed the basis of a general deduction on the part of the advocates of the high school plan that their case was proved, the ex- periment having justified their claims, and therefore the town would be consistent in continuing the schools. How- ever, the opposition proved too strong, and the town refused to raise any money for the high school, on the occurrence of the next annual March meeting. On the 13th of April, 1881, in consequence of a petition of citizens, the selectmen of the town issued a warrant for a town-meeting on the 30th day of April, but with- out indicating any particular month of April, to see if the town would abolish the two high school districts formed the previous year. A town-meeting having been assembled on the 30th of April, 1881, Carlos G. Hawthorne recorded THE FREE HIGH SCHOOL. 179 a protest against the "pretended warrant," which was claimed to be incompetent " on account of insufficiency." During the progress of the meeting, Benjamin O. Kimball made a motion " that the town now proceed to vote on the article 2d," or the article to see if the town would abolish the high school districts. After some intermediate matters had been transacted, Mr. Kimball's motion was put and carried without opposition, and the meeting then adjourned without date. This action only inflamed public controversy. It was urged on the part of the advocates of the high school plan that a vote to proceed to act was not an action itself ; but the opposers of the high school as strenuously urged that the high school districts had been effectually abolished. The question reached a climax in the spring of 1882. A school-meeting held in high school district No. 1, and com- posed wholly of friends of the measure, voted to raise a certain sum of money for the support of a school the ensu- ing year. This action was substantially taken on the fol- lowing legal assumption : That the town had legally established two high school districts under the provisions of chapter 90 of the General Laws of the state of New Hampshire ; or, if there had been any legal remissness in the transaction, the two districts, being subject to the rules and regulations affecting common school districts, were confirmed in their establishment by the operation of law, they having acted as school-districts for one year ; and the two high school districts had never been legally abolished. A certificate of the vote of this so called high school district was presented to the selectmen, who took counsel of William L. Foster, of Concord, before attempting an assessment. Judge Foster's opinion, seconded by Josiah Minot, virtually affirmed the position taken by the oppo- nents of the high school plan, asserting practically the in- adequacy of the act establishing the high school districts, the validity of the warrant of the meeting of April 30, 1881, and the sufficient efficacy of the vote under Mr. Kimball's motion to abolish the districts. The high school contro- versy ended after this opinion was made public. 180 LIFE ANO TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER L. MEMOEIAL SEKVICES FOE PEESIDENT GAEFIELD. The year 1881 witnessed a profound and solemn grief that affected a whole nation. The town of Hopkinton was not indifferent to the sentiment of general mourning. We need not inform the intelligent reader that the public sense of calamity originated in the criminal wounding, painful illness, and sad death of James A. Garfield, presi- dent of the United States. President Garfield was shot on the 2d day of July. The news found the people of Hopkinton in a peculiar situa- tion. It had been determined to celebrate the Fourth of July at Hopkinton village. The celebration was to take the form of an old-fashioned training, under the command of Col. William Colby. When the day arrived, the sense of public calamity was so great that a celebration was not held, but a meeting at the town hall resulted in the selec- tion of a committee — Charles C. Lord, Herman W. Greene, and Colonel Colby— to consider a future public observance in accordance with the ultimate developments in President Garfield's case. The assembly then repaired to the Con- gregational church, where religious services were conducted by Rev. Adoniram J. Hopkins and Rev. Daniel Sawyer. Upon the eveat of President Garfield's death, through a preliminary gathering, arrangements were made for a pub- lic funeral service on the 26th of September, the day ap- pointed by President Arthur for public mourning through- out the nation. A gathering first occurred at the town- house, from which a march was taken westward as far as the house of Capt. William Palmer, and then eastward, in return, to the Baptist church. The procession was headed by the Hopkinton Cornet Band, which performed funeral music on the march. The officers of the march were James M. Connor, marshal; Charles C. Lord, drum-major; Her- man W. Greene, color-bearer. On the route of the proces- sion, nearly every house was decorated with mourning em- blems. During the march, the church bells were tolled — the Congregational by Albert Hardy, and the Baptist by George W. Mills. At the church the following order of exercises was observed : SUNDKI EViENTS FKOM 1861 TO 1889. 181 1. Introductory dirge, " We honor the brave," by the band. 2. Opening prayer by Eev. Adoniram J. Hopkins. 3. Hymn, " Ho ! Reapers of Life's Harvest," a favorite with the deceased president. 4. Scripture selections by the Rev. Mr. Hopkins. 5. Memorial prayer by Rev. Harlan P. Gage. 6. Hymn 944, " Asleep in Jesus," selected for the funeral at Cleveland, Ohio. 7. Addresses by Rev. Mr. Hopkins, and Rev. Mr. Gage. 8. Hymn 485, " Nearer, my God, to Thee," also President Gar- field's favorite. 9. Benediction by the Rev. Mr. Hopkins. During the singing, Frank L. Flanders presided at the organ. At the close of the services, the people remained till the band was stationed outside, and then departed while " The Better Land" was performed as a solemn dirge. The same day, funeral solemnities were observed in the Freewill Baptist church at Contoocook, Rev. Benjamin P. Parker and Rev. Charles H. Leet, officiating. The churches were solemnly decorated on the day of this memorial ser- vice. On the previous Sunday, proper observations upon the death of President Garfield were made in nearly or quite all the churches in town. Several if not all of the churches were also draped in mourning. CHAPTER LI. SUNDRY EVENTS FROM 1881 TO 18«». In 1881, March 8, a singular contest arose in town. For years it had been the custom to leave the appointment of the superintending school-committee to the selectmen. This year, owing to the effects of the high school contro- Yersy, there was much disaffection in general school affairs. The superintending school-committee of the previous year had been personally oj officially identified in support of the iree high school plan. The opponents of the high school predominated in 1881. Consequently, it was only natural that a change should be proposed in the method of select- 182 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ing a superintending school-committee. Though the high school proposition was not directly asserted in the contest, yet the general condition of -feeling tended to invite sharp controversy to every phase of public educational thought. A motion having been made and passed in town-meeting to choose a superintending school-committee by ballot, all people were not ready for the occasion. No general con- certed action having been taken, the ballot, implying the election of a board of three officers on o.ne. ticket, culminated in a most incongruous result. Only 122 ballots were cast, but the whole number of candidates, male and female, seri- ously and ludicrously presented, was 69, not one of them having a sufficient number for a choice. The meeting hav- ing been postponed till next day, a succession of ballots resulted in the choice of Benjamin P. Parker, Elbridge G. Kimball, and Hannah M. Edjnunds. The same day the town raised $300 for the use of the road machine, having refused to raise anything the previous year. In 1882, March 14, the town voted to raise |100 for the services of Memorial day, the amount to be expended under the direction of the Hopkinton Veterans' Association. In 1883, March 13, the town voted to raise |300, to be used in making up any deficiency less than f 100 to any school-district in town. The two union districts were excepted from this general provision, though Farrington's Corner was to receive |80 from the town. The sum of $200 was voted for repairs upon the town-house, the sum to be expended at the discretion of the selectmen. In 1884, March 11, the same general provision for school-districts was made as on the previous year, except that the deficiencies were made up from the literary fund and the dog-tax. It was voted to exempt the kit manufac- tory of Frank I. Morrill & Co., at Contoocook, from taxa- tion for the term of three years, the valuation not to exceed $3,000. The town adopted the amendment of chapter 55 of the General Laws, relating to the delivery of inventory blanks. By this act, the laws' of 1888, allowing selectmen or assessors to present inventory blanks to the property owner at the time they called to examine the estate, at the same time filling them, became of force. It was also voted that the next annual town report should contain the list of resident and non-resident tax-payers. On the 26th of July, a hearing was had before the selectmen upon a petition of citizcfiis • !■;"'*".; {Hii-nl in Hopkiuton villaR? aoc".>**' ;■', <.i' chapter 108 of the Laws *'* 188S ' •■'•'•'■ p«Htion was adopted, and tss'- jH.fi^; ,-..~,.n, f>n the 4tli of .Novenii!(■^ "; t JUS upon Tyler's biidgo, • sffd to prohibit trout-lisli- '!')!<( state law admitting 1 s^6. The selectmen • -, irj all the iichool- - 'iso, for the benefit ■ !t{j Bailey, w;w ■u; itB high- ;he town , ! , ,, ■'-ja«i Ifeweh hill Tyler's Cioiuen'v's hili - Stumplk'k? Pnt r-. \ hil! <■■...■, , itlMJ, >rner. id 24 V, 'he to\v» " super EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. 197 CHAPTER LIV. EDUCATIONAL HISTOKY. In the progress of this work, we have noted frequent acts of the town relating to schools of different grades. We now purpose to consider facts that have as yet been untouched, or only partially stated. The records are too meagre to afford adequate knowledge of the first schools and school- houses. Previously to 1805, the law providing for a town system of schools, the number of places of public instruc- tion increased, and when, in the year mentioned, a district system came into vogue, it found its own implied conditions practically in operation. Schools continued to increase in number under the district system till they reached twenty- one, though they were numbered inconsecutively from one to twenty-four. In 1877, the different school-districts in Hopkinton, as classified and numbered by custom and law, were as follows : District No. 1 Village. " 2 Emerson's hill. " 3 Hatfield. " 4 Sugar hiU. " 5 South road. " 6 Jewett road. " 7 Main road. " 8 Beech hiU. « 9 Tyler's. "10 Contoocook. "11 Clement's hill. "12 Stumpfield. "13 Putney's hill. "14 Gage's. "16 West Hopkinton. "17 Currier's. "18 BusweU's Corner. "19 Blackwater. "20 North Contoocook. "21 Davisville road. "24 Farrington's Corner. Of the foregoing districts. Numbers 18 and 24 were union districts, each representing portions of the town of Hopkinton and the city of Concord, but both were supervised 198 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. by the towii superintending school-committee of Hopkin- ton. Previously to 1886, when the state returned to a town system, under the law passed in 1885, school-districts 17 and 21 had been discontinued. Upon the issue of the change of system of 1886, the town of Hopkinton conveyed its interest in the Farrington's Corner school-house to the city of Concord, which in turn relinquished its interest in the Buswell's Corner school-house to the town of Hopkinton. Since 1886, the number of schools kept in Hopkinton has fluctuated between twelve and fifteen. In the early part of the present century, considerable attention was given to improved public instruction as im- plied in the existence of private or select schools, which gave special attention to branches of study of a higher grade. The court-house was a frequent accommodation for these schools. Among the teachers were Miss Catha- rine Perkins, sister of the late Roger E. Perkins, and the second wife of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned; Miss Harriet Per- kins, daughter of Roger E. Perkins ; Miss Mary Ann Stan- ley, daughter of Theophilus Stanley ; Miss Betsey Blan- chard ; Samuel Cortland ; John H. Stark ; Jonathan Farr, of Dedham, Mass. ; Horace Chase, afterwards Judge Chase ; and perhaps others. John Harris, Esq., at one time kept a reading-school in the main room of the court-house. Pupils were admitted by cards. The teacher took great pride in good reading, in which he was reputed to be an adept. During his school a prize was offered for the best rendering of the scripture passage, " What went ye out into the wil- derness to see," etc. At the time under consideration, there were, as in later times, special schools for instruction in penmanship, in which remarkable proficiency was sometimes attained. The most memorable school, not an incorporate institu- tion, was kept by Master Ballard. John Osgood Ballard was born in Warner in the year 1768. In quite early life, he came to Hopkinton and began a career by teaching school in different districts. Subsequently he entered into trade, being at one time a partner of the late Joseph Towne. Later, he opened a store in the east end, lower floor, of his dwelling-house, the same now owned by Dr. Henry M. Dearborn. He closed his mercantile course with a financial failure. The misfortune was the result of the decline of prices at the close of the war of 1812. In the EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. 199 attempt, in part, to reverse fortune, he opened a select school. This was about the year 1816. His school-room was his former store. The old shelves still remained. Around the larger part of the circuit of the room he built a sloping desk into the wall. In front of this was a plain board seat without a back. Pupils using this seat and em- ployed at the desk faced the walls. In reversing their posi- tion, they lifted their feet, swung them round, and were thus enabled to meet the gaze of their instructor, whose desk was on the west side of the room, near the fireplace. There were numerous seats, or chairs, in different parts of the room. The course of study pursued at Master Ballard's school was mostly confined to the English branches. Instruction was thorough. Proper attention was paid to reading and spelling, as well as to defining. The spelling-book and dic- tionary were studied by many or all of his pupils. Master Ballard was himself very accurate in the use and under- standing of English words. The discipline at Master Bal- lard's school was not altogether unlike the popular disci- pline of the times, yet it had an element of mildness fore- shadowing the better times that were coming. He kept and used a rawhide, though he sometimes raised it omi- nously in the face of a frightened pupil and remarked, — "You, BirP' allowing it afterwards to descend in mercy without a blow. To illustrate a phase of persuasive discipline on Master Ballard's part, we have his advice to a youthful pupil whom we wUl call Johnny, and who was somewhat identifiable by his habitually dirty hands. Accosting this pupil one day, Master Ballard inquired, — " Johnny, does your father keep hogs ?" " Yes, sir." " Does he sometimes boil potatoes for them ?" " Yes, sir." "Does he sometimes mash the potatoes with meal?" " Yes, sir." " Well, the next time he mashes the boiled potatoes with meal, won't you take some and " Here Master Ballard motioned with his own hands in imi- tation of scrubbing them with mashed potatoes and meal. Sad to relate, we have no account of the effect produced on Johnny's mind by this eloquent appeal. 200 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Master Ballard kept an tminterrupted school for about thirty years, but during his later work he received some assistance, particularly from his son, afterwards the Rev. Edward Ballard. On a plain slab in the old cemetery in Hopkinton village can be seen the following inscription : JOHN OSGOOD BALLARD, died April 27, 1854. M 86. The modesty of this inscription will not prevent the fondest recollections of Master Ballard, cherished in the hearts of his many grateful pupils. The educational history of Hopkinton involves the nar- ratives of two special institutions, which are considered in two separate succeeding chapters. CHAPTER LV. HOPKINTON ACADEMY. This institution, which attained a widely extended and honorable celebrity, was founded principally by Dr. Eben- ezer Lerned, through whose dominant exertions a prelimi- nary meeting was held on the 11th of September, 1826. James Stark was made moderator of the meeting, and Philip Brown, clerk. After deliberation. Rev. Roger C. Hatch, Rev. Michael Carlton, and Horace Chase were made a committee to solicit subscriptions. Abram Brown, Par- ker Pearson, and Philip Brown were afterwards added to this committee. A contribution of five dollars was to make one qualified to vote for officers. On the 24th of February, 1827, the movement had at- tained such proportions as to warrant the selection of a committee to report a plan of organization. Ebenezer Lerned, James Stark, Stephen Darling, Stephen Sibley, and Abram Brown were made this committee. They re- ported on the 3d of the following March. Their plan was accepted, and Ebenezer Lerned, Philip Brown, and Stephen HOPKINTON ACADEMY. 201 Sibley were selected to procure a preceptor. Two weeks later a permanent organization was effected, as follows : Trustees, Ebenezer Lerned, president, Abram Brown, Stephen Sibley, Matthew Harvey, Phineas Clough, Roger C. Hatch, Michael Carlton. Horace Chase was secretary, and Philip Brown, treasurer. Upon the establishment of Hopkinton academy, the court- house became a subject for structural changes. In due time, improvements were made in the upper story. The building had practically ceased to be the preperty of either Hillsborough or Merrimack counties, especially as the courts of the latter had been established in Concord from the incorporation of 1823. The court-room and senate chamber were remodelled. Entrance was effected at either end by a hall and stairway. In the former apartment, a platform and teacher's desk were located on the east ; in the latter, on the north ; opposite either were plain wooden seats and desks, arranged in rows in the usual manner. Between these two rooms were smaller apartments, devoted to recitations, drawing garments, and a laboratory. In 1827, a bell was presented to the institution by Isaac Chandler, of Boston, Mass., a former and a later citizen of Hopkinton, the gift being acknowledged by a vote of thanks on the 30th of April. School began in the spring of the same year, under an arrangement admitting of four terms of twelve weeks each a year. The first term began on the first Wednesday in May. The hours of study prescribed for the first term were from 8 A. M. till 12 m., and from 1 to 5 p. M. The study hours of the remaining terms were left to the discre- tion of the trustees. There were to be reviews once a week. An act for the incorporation of Hopkinton academy was approved on the 26th of June. The first preceptor of Hopkinton academy was George Peck, who remained but a short time. The catalogue of the fall term of 1827 gave the following board of instruc- tion : Jeremiah Russell, A. B., preceptor ; Mr. Jeremiah Gates, assistant preceptor ; Mr. Luther Cross, lecturer on chemistry. The following persons were trustees : Ebenezer Lerned, M. D., president; Abram Brown, Esq., Mr. Stephen Sibley, Phineas Clough, Esq., Rev. Roger C. Hatch, Rev. Michael Carlton, Rev. Nathaniel Williams, Concord ; Hon. Henry 202 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKESTTON. B. Chase, Warner; Artemus Rogers, Esq., Henniker; Philip Brown, Esq., treasurer; Horace Chase, Esq., sec- retary. The resident students in the gentleman's list were, — Philip Brown, Jr., Alpheus R. Brown, William S. Chandler, Isaac C. Chandler, Moses T. Clough, Hilliard L. Currier, Fred- eric R. Harvey, Thomas B. Jewell, John Kelley, John T. G. Leach, Edward A. H. Lerned, Benjamin F. Long, Isaac L. Long, Charles E. Long, David S. Page, Abram B. Sib- ley, Nathaniel'C. Smith, Edmund E. Smith, Solon Stark, and Isaac Story. In the ladies' list were, — Sophia W. Bailey, Catharine W. Bailey, Mary G. Bailey, Sarah L. Brown, Helen M. Chase, Paulina Clark, Hannah S. Currier, Ann L. Darling, Mary Darling, Margaret H. Hall, Margaret E. Harvey, Eliza O. Jewell, Clarissa G. Leach, Catharine C. Lerned, Judith Morse, Martha W Rogers, Nancy G. Sibley, Sarah Silver, Bridget Stark, Mary Stark, Martha H. Story, Mary J. B. Tyler, and Hannah Weeks. The whole number of gentlemen was 47 ; ladies, 26 ; — total, 73. This catalogue contained only the list of officers, instructors, and students, and the recapitulation of the lat- ter. It was printed on plain paper, with a coarse, brown cover. The next year the school was divided into special male and female departments. The catalogue for the fall term announced the following instructors : Rev. Jacob Nash, A.M., preceptor; Miss Judith D. Peabody, preceptress. The students were, — gentlemen, 45 ; ladies, 32 ; — total, 77. Hopkinton academy advanced rapidly in success and popularity. In 1880 there were 113 students; in 1831, 159; in 1835, 162. Among the earlier preceptors were Enoch Colby, Enoch L. Childs, and Moody Currier, with a large corps of assistants, in the male department. In the ladies' department were Miss Caroline Knight, Miss Mary L. Childs, Miss Lucy Adams, and Miss Mary Y. Bean, with various aids. Subsequent to this time many residents of this town remember many principals ; more recently, Pre- ceptors M. C. Stebbens, Dyer H. Sanborn, William K. Rowell, John T. Clark, Stephen W. Clark, and their assist- ants; also Miss J. E. Stebbens, Mrs. M. A. Rowell, Miss Clara Flint, and other teachers. About the year 1843, the academy experienced a heavy HOPKLNTON ACADEMY. 203 reverse, by which its available funds were reduced from 12,500 down to $500. The misfortune was induced by the business failure of Nathaniel Curtis, a merchant of Hopkin- ton village, in whose hands were considerable sums of the institution's means. An investigation showed an actual deficit of $1,765 18, arising from bad notes and expendi- tures above the income. The authorities of the academy failed to put in their claim in bankruptcy, and never re- covered their losses. For several years, the school fluctuated to a greater or less extent in consequence of this calamity. The institution received an important impulse in 1851, when a new charter was approved on the 4th of July. By the new arrangement, the sum of ten dollars contributed by an individual made him a trustee. The board of trustees was increased, improvements made, and prosperity fol- lowed. The time-honored institution declined again, how- ever, from the same causes that have ruined many enter- prises of its kind all over the country. Changes in popula- tion, and the increase of local high schools in larger places, have wrought results against which none but well founded or denominationally supported institutions can contend. Last of all, and sad to relate, Hopkinton academy, as a material structure, went up on the wings of flame on the morning of March 29, 1873. Many a precious memory was quickened, and many a deep regret experienced, when it perished. As an institution, Hopkinton academy nomi- nally exists, but its direct influence is nothing. In the days of its pristine and meridian usefulness, the instruction taught at Hopkinton academy was thorough and efficient, confirming the purposes of the institution, as defined in the catalogue of 1835 : " It is designed, in the course of studies pursued and in the instruction given, to develop and strengthen the faculties of the mind, as well as to store it with useful knowledge. Efforts are made to lead the mind to think and reason upon the subjects pre- sented." 204 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER LVI. CONTOOCOOK ACADEMY. Previously to the establishmeiit of Contoocook academy, frequent temporary high schools had been sustained in Con- toocook village. Among those teaching them were Rev. Robert Stinson, Walter Harrimam, Prof. Dyer H. Sanborn, Capt. Orville Smith. A decided effort for an academy v^as made in 1855. On the 15th of December of that year, a preliminary meeting vv^as held in what was then Merrill's hall. George L. Kimball was chairman, and Frank A. Kiraball, secretary. Messrs. John F. Burnham, and Frank A. Kimball exhibited a voluntary subscription list amount- ing to $1,450. After consideration, it was voted to aban- don this list, on the assurance of pecuniary aid encouraged by the Rev. Abie! Silver, in case the proposed institution' came under the control of the New, or Sweden borgian, church. The reverend gentleman pledged 1500 from a friend in such a case. The plan being received favorably, Abiel Silver, Asa Kimball, and Isaac l3. Merrill were chosen a committee to obtain subscriptions. Contributions came in rapidly, and soon amounted to $3,000 or more. Of this sum, John H. Williams, of Waltham, Mass., gave $1,000 ; Jacob Silver, of Michigan, $500 ; Abiel Silver, $200 ; John Burnham, $200 ; William Howe, $150 ; Asa Kimball, $140 ; Isaac D. Merrill, $100; Capt. Paul R. George, $100. Other persons gave smaller amounts. There are now fifty-seven shares in this institution, rated at $10 each. On the 18th of January, 1856, a building committee was appointed. It consisted of Abiel Silver, Asa Kimball, Jacob M. Morrill, and Isaac D. Merrill, and Mr. Merrill was also treasurer. On the 24th of the same month, Abiel Silver, Isaac D. Merrill, and George W. Morrill were chosen a committee to draft a constitution. On the 13th of March, it was voted to secure a charter, and Phineas Clough, 2d, was added to the committee on subscriptions. Building operations began the same spring. The charter was approved July 11. The securing of the act of incorporation was attended with some difficulty. The subject of a charter first came before the New Hampshire legislative committee on incorporations, which body, not CONTOOCOOK ACADEMY. 205 comprehending the significance of the name " New Church," were disposed to treat the matter with supreme indifference. Isaac D. Merrill, however, was a representative for this town, and a member of the committee on education. Through his influence and official position, the charter be- came a fact. Although the work of building was not com- pleted, yet, upon the act of legal incorporation, a meeting was held in " Academy Hall," among the lumber and shav- ings, and the organization effected as follows : Abiel Silver, president ; John Burnham, vice-president ; William Howe, N. A. Davis, Horace C. Stanley, Ebenezer Morrill, Paul R. George, Samuel L. F. Simpson, Hamilton E. Perkins, and Joseph Dow, directors ; Abiel Silver, John Burnham, Isaac D. Merrill, and Alonzo Currier, executive committee ; Abiel Silver, Rev. William B. Hayden, and Asa Kimball, property board of trustees. On the 24th of August, George L. Kimball, Isaac D. Merrill, and Samuel L. F. Simpson were chosen a committee to arrange for a term of school. The first term of Contoocook academy began in the autumn of the same year, with about eighty pupils. Am- brose Wayland Clark, of Dartmouth college, was principal. He remained but a short time, owing to a more advan- tageous opportunity for employment. In 1858, Rev. George H. Marston, of Limington, Me., came to Contoocook to be- come the successor of the Rev. Abiel Silver as minister of the New Church, and also to take charge of the academy. He was associated with Miss Amy Andrews, of Boston, Mass., who afterwards became his wife. He remained till some time in the year 1862. Since that time there hava been different teachers in charge of the institution. John C. Ager, Thomas B. Richardson, Sullivan C. Kimball, Rev. Charles Hardon, and others have taught for longer or shorter periods. Contoocook academy stands on the high land south-west of the village of Contoocook, on a site purchased by the corporation of William Howe, for the sum of |150. It is a neat building, two stories in height, containing Academy hall above, and drawing- and recitation-rooms below. In the tower is a bell. Walter S. Davis is president of the corporation. 206 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER LVII. MILITARY OEGANIZATIONS. Organization for military offence and defence is coexist- ent with the historj^ of society. The soldier has everywhere kept pace with the civilian. "When America was settled, armed men were among the colonizers. The early proprie- tors of Hopkinton brought with them their arms and mu- nitions of war. The soldier became a specially important social factor in the early history of this town. The naturally exposed con- dition of the frontier settlement, the early occurrence of the French and Indian wars, and the subsequent event of of the Revolution compelled a prolonged public resort to arms. This phase of local history has already been de- scribed in previous chapters of this work. Upon the establishment of a free government in New Hampshire, provision was made for adequate public protec- tion. Our state constitution says, — " A well regulated militia is the proper, natural, and sure defence of a state." Acting upon this sentiment, in the year 1786, the legisla- ture of New Hampshire passed a law instituting a Training Band of men from sixteen to forty years of age, and an Alarm List of men from forty to sixty. Each town of thirty- two privates and the requisite number of officers was enti- tled to form a company : a town of ninety-two could have two companies. In the progress of time, population increased, citizens liable to military duty were multiplied, and military organ- ization was extended. In the year 1792, a law was passed making companies in Boscawen, Salisbury, Andover, New London, and Kearsarge Gore constitute a first battalion, and the companies of Hopkinton, Warner, Sutton, Fishers- field (now Newbury), and Bradford, a second battalion, which should together constitute a 21st regiment. In 1819, the companies in Boscawen, Hopkinton, Salisbury, and Andover were made to constitute a 21st regiment. In 1842, the companies in Hopkinton, Henniker, and Warner were made to constitute a 40th regiment. In 1851, the New Hampshire militia, except what existed upon paper, was practically abolished. ..MILITAEY OKGANIZATIONS. 207 The militia law of 1792, with some modifications and amendments, was the essential law until the abolition of ancient military customs. Under this law, the private mili- tia of this town was called out for inspection and exercise in drill at least twice a year — in spring and in fall — dressed in their common garb of citizenship. The officers of militia were attired in a swallow-tailed coat, with bell buttons, and wore a bell-crowned cap and plume. Independent companies, however, were thoroughly uniformed. A body of cavalry, known as " The Troop," belonging to the old 21st regiment, and subsequently mustering with the new 40th regiment, contained members from Hopkinton, who were dressed in a red coat trimmed with yellow facings, white pants, a bell-crowned cap, and a white plume with a red tip. Connected with the old 21st regiment, and continuing till 1851, was a company of Hopkinton riflemen, who for many years wore a blue suit — spencer and pants — a Taell-crowned hat, and a black plume ; afterwards they adopted a gray suit, with a modern cap, surmounted by three black feathers. There was also a company of light infantry, dressed in a blue coat and white pants, the pants being ornamented on the lower leg with two rows of black buttons, and wearing a bell-crowned cap, with a white plume tipped with red. The light infantry was subse- quently superseded by "The Cold Water Phalanx," a com- pany of men dressed in a black velvet coat trimmed with red, and white pants bearing a red stripe, and also wearing a modern cap with three white feathers. Music is always regarded as an aid to the metrical exe- cution of military drill. For the support of martial music, the state provided each company with a fife, a snare drum, and a bass drum. The first bass drum used was propor- tionately longer in form than the present one, was slung horizontally from the neck, and played with two drum- sticks, one in each hand. If companies desired other instru- ments of music, they were allowed to provide, at their own expense, as many as they wished. The old military prac- tices developed a good use in stimulating the musical tal- ents of the young. Instrumental music was cultivated everywhere, and military bands frequently established. There was in Hopkinton, at the close of the old military system, a band of no mean ability, being composed of play- 208 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ers upon clarionets, bugles, trombones, and other instru- ments. Subsequently to 1851, the interest in martial music rapidly declined to complete extinction. It revived again, however, in 1859, when the Hopkinton Cornet Band was organized, under the leadership of Melvin Colby. This organization expired in 1873, but, in 1877, a new one was formed under the old name, and under the leadership of John F. Gage. The Contoocook Cornet Band was organ- ized in 1861, under the leadership of William H. Hardy ; re- organized in 1875, under the leadership of Cyril T. Webber. A noted martial musician of this town was Jonah Camp- bell, a famous drummer, who died on the 6th of May, 1880, at the advanced age of 84 years. George Choat, a cele- brated fifer, died on the 13th of September, 1888, at the age of 89 years. CHAPTER LVIII. SECRET SOCIETIES. The devotees of the Masonic order were quite early rec- ognized in Hopkinton. Doubtless a greater or lesser num- ber of the early emigrants were Masons. In 1803, there was a Palladian Society in Hopkinton. Its first meeting was held on the 10th of January of that year, at the house of John Harris. The original members of this organization, which existed for a longer or a shorter time, were John Harris, Aquilla Davis, Timothy Darling, Stephen Blan- chard, Stephen Bean, Samuel Darling, Benjamin Eaton, Joseph Estabrook, Joshua Darling, Mark Jewett, Henry B. Chase, Daniel Moore. In the year 1807, February 16, a society was formed to be known as Trinity Chapter. In the priority of chapters in the state, Trinity was the second one established, Han- over being the first. In 1819, there were six chapters in New Hampshire. The same year, on the 10th of January, the Grand Royal Arch Chapter was organized at Concord, John Harris, of Hopkinton, being chosen grand high priest. At a commu- nication of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter soon after, at Keene, we find three men present from Trinity — Stephen :'. :\'r> (11) j'l- - . ,(1 1873. im>, ii< ..,d nans", f.nd »si.. • ■■'is- (\)T!ti«.ruok Corn; : sSaiid Wh.i M.'i.-. dit leadership <-^ ^ '-'■ r' *' -''■ -;','*;U again. . • ,• This agt' of >'-' years. . ■ :[uitt' s-.arly rec- . .Ji-t 01' lessi'f nuiri- . A .'!5. In lHS!>i. ihei-t- ■ ■ ■■ Irs fir«l rv'tiw:.; ■ ■. ■ V- ^U. I'l O . ■■■- ^.m: ■..;',. .,rii. ■■ ■ ■!.!»■, wpj'f -ii'-ii; ;'"artTf,;:. Steuben Bhs. ^.uling. t^;::3H ;iin Kh- ^ , i ;', ihert! SBCEET SOCIETIES. 209 Sibley, proxy for M., E. H. Chase, priest; Enoch Darling, king ; and Imri Woods, scribe. At a meeting of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter at Con- cord in 1824, the returns from Trinity Chapter were as fol- lows : M. E. Harrison Gr. Harris, H. P. ; Stephen Blanchard, Jun., K. ; William Little, S. ; John Harris, treasurer; Rev. John Lawton, chaplain ; Artemas Rogers, marshal ; Enoch Darling, R. A. C. ; Imri Woods, C. H. ; Aquila "Davis, P. S. ; G. M. v., Jacob Silver, John Silver, Jr., Thomas Waterman ; stewards, Jacob Silver, Aaron W. Buswell ; tyler, Nicholas Tyler. Members — William Bartlett, Abram Brown, Stephen Blanchard, Isaac Bailey, Bela L. Butler, Albe Cady, Daniel B. Emerson, Austin Gage, Isaac Hill, Joseph Huse, Abel HutchiDs, Stephen Putney, Daniel Chase, Ebenezer Cressey, Joshua Darling, Stephen Davis, Stephen Sibley, Thomas Raymond. About this time, Masonic hall was erected in Hopkinton. It stood opposite the Congregational church at the corner of the main street and south road, on the spot now includ- ed in the yard of the old Gilman house, now owned by Mrs. G. G.. Bailey. It was one of the old, primitive. New England style of edifices, two-storied, square, uncouth, and with a profusion of windows. Dedication day came on the 18th of May, 1825, when, with the usual pomp and cere- mony, the premises were formally assumed by the chapter. The laying of the corner-stone was a part of this demon- stration. In it was deposited a copper box, containing a variety of documents. On the cover was the following in- scription : Masonic Hall, erected by Trinity Chapter, which was instituted 16th Feb'y., A. L., 5807. Incorporated 12th June, A. D., 1807. This corner-stone was laid in Masonic form by the High Priest of Trinity Chapter, assisted by the other officers and members in pres- ence of many brethren of the mystic art and a vast concourse of people, 18th May, A. D., 1825, A. L., 5825, and in the year of the discovery, 2356. Este Perpetua. M. E. Stephen Blanchard, Jr., high priest ; E. Jacob Silver, king ; E. Daniel Chase, scribe ; C. Stephen Sibley, treasurer ; Horace Chase, secretary. The box is now in the possession of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, and can be seen at its rooms at Con- loocook. The contained documents are in a state of partial 14 210 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. decomposition, as they were found when taken from their original position. Free Masonry did not find in Hopkinton a permanently organized existence. In the course of the experience of Trinity Chapter, certain divisions or difficulties arose which tended to disturb its abiding-place. The climax of matters is found in the report of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter at Concord, 1847-'48. There was presented a petition, the re- sult of a communication at Hopkinton, May 19, 1847, repre- senting " that a change of said Trinity Chapter would mate- rially advance the good of Masonry, and have a tendency to restore said Trinity Chapter to its former rank in the Ma- sonic order." The petitioners, therefore, prayed " the M. E. Grand Chapter, that Trinity Chapter, now located in Hopkinton, maj' be permitted to remove to Concord, agreeably to the vote of said Trinity Chapter." The petition was duly signed by Nicholas Fowler, Daniel Chase, and Hosea Fessenden, the act of petitioning taking place, as by date of instrument, on June 9, 1847. In compliance with its request. Trinity Chapter was removed to Concord. Organized Masonry ceased to exist in Hop- kinton, and a year or two afterwards the hall of Trinity Chapter was sold and removed to Penacook, where it has since been devoted either to business or to domestic uses. The Patrons of Husbandry became established here in 1875. Agreeably to a petition signed by James M. Con- nor, Joseph Barnard, John F. Currier, and about twenty others, men and women of this town. State Deputy C. C. Shaw, of Milford, organized Union Grange, No. 56, in Lyceum Hall, on the evening of the 12th of May. The following persons subscribed their names as charter mem- bers : James M. Connor, Judith Connor, Joseph Barnard, John F. Currier, Mrs. Ellen Currier, Charles Gould, Miss Clara I. Gould, Timothy Colby, Frank W. Paige, Moses E. Dodge, Mrs. Abbie C. Dodge, Henry H. Crowell, Alfred N. Chandler, Mrs. Helen M. Chandler, Isaac Story, Mrs. Lydia Story, George E. Merrill, Woodbury Hardy, Edward G. Runnels, John H. Dodge, Mrs. John H. Dodge, William S. Straw, Mrs. Mary A. Straw, William Sweatt, Benjamin Hoyt, Amos Frye, Jr., Horace F. Edmunds, Ellen G. Edmunds, John M. Foss. SBCKBT SOCIETIES. 211 The following list of officers was elected : Master, Isaac Story ; overseer, Joseph Barnard ; lecturer, Charles Gould ; steward, Moses E. Dodge ; assistant steward, John F. Cur- rier ; secretary, James M. Connor ; chaplain, Timothy Colby ; treasurer, Henry H. Crowell ; gate-keeper, Horace F. Edmunds ; Ceres, Mrs. Alfred N. Chandler ; Pomona, Mrs. William S. Straw ; Flora, Miss Ellen G. Edmunds ; chorister, Edward G. Runnels; business agent, Amos Frye, Jr. Union Grange is to-day in active existence as a success- ful organization. Of the organization of the Odd Fellows in this town, we have obtained but little information. Kearsarge Lodge, No. 23, was instituted in Contoocook on the 22d of Decem- ber, 1876, by Grand Master Alonzo F. Craig, and Grand Secretary Joel Taylor. The following is a list of the orig- inal charter members ; Edson Upton, John F. Jones, George C. Blaisdell, Edgar W. Stevens, Isaiah S. Livingston, Henry E. Wheeler, Henry D. Dustin, John C. Osgood, Grovenor A. Curtice, John G. Colby, Isaac K. Connor, Warren C. Johnson. Among the officers chosen for the first term were Edson Upton, N. G.; Isaac K. Connor, V. G. ; Grove- nor A. Curtice, secretary; John F. Jones, treasurer. Kearsarge Lodge is now in a flourishing condition. In 1889, Eagle Encampment was transferred from Henniker to Contoocook, thus enlarging the local interests and oppor- tunities of the order. In the year 1874, a lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars was organized in Contoocook, but it became defunct in a few years. In 1878, on the first day of June, Washington Lodge, No. 46, was organized at Hopkinton village. The following were original members: Rev. C. A. Stone, D. L. Gage, Elijah Spencer, Mrs. S. E. Spencer, William Winslow, Mrs. Winslow, Mrs. Sarah Nichols, Sumner E. Spencer, George N. Kimball, Willie Winslow, Mrs. Sarah Gale, Georgia A. Rogers, Carrie Winslow, Sarah Winslow, Etta Brockway, Fred J. Brockway, Susie F. L. Bailey, Moses W. Burbank, John H. Sargent, Joseph L. Hagar, Rev. William S. Tucker, Carrie B. Dunbar, Charles H. Stone, Harvey L. Boutwell, Henry B. A. Boutwell, Frank Burbank, Emma Sanborn, Helen Colby, Maggie French, Mrs. A. G. Straw. 212 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. The following were the original officers: W. C. T., Joseph L. Hagar; W. V. T., Mrs. Spencer; W. S., Sumner E. Spencer; F. S., Sarah Winslow; T., Rev. Mr. Stone; M., John H. Sargent; C, Rev. Mr. Tucker; I. G., Maggie French; O. G., Charles H. Stone; A. S., Georgia A. Rogers ; D. M., Harvev L. Boutwell ; R. S., Emma San- born ; L. S., Carrie B. Dunbar; P. W. C. T., Elijah Spen- cer. There was no permanent organization of the Grand Army of the Republic in this town till 1882. Previously to that year, a movement in the direction of a permanent organiza- tion was made in Contoocook, but the plan was not fully ultimated. On the 7th of July, 1882, a permanent organi- zation was effected at the lower village. A meeting hav- ing been called. Department Commander Haynes detailed comrades for temporary officers as follows : Com., M. A. Haynes ; S. V. C, 1. W. Hammond ; J. V. C, D. B. New- hall ; A., Natt Shackford; Q. M., F. D. B ach elder ; S., J. N. Patterson ; C, A. B. Thompson ; O. D., J. E. Randlett; S. M., J. S. Hubbard; Q. M. S., C. H. Ordway. The roll- call showed fifteen members present. Commander Haynes administered the obligation, and ordered an election of officers, which resulted thus: Com., William Montgomery; S. V. C, Frank W Morgan; J. V. C, Joseph P. Morrill j Q. M., Eli A. Boutwell; O. D., Edward G. Runnels; C, Woodbury Hardy; S., Samuel E. Crowell ; S. M., George A. Libby ; Q. M. S., George W. Nichols. Henry H. Crow- ell was appointed adjutant, and Comrade W. E. Stevens administered the obligation. Col. Putnam Post, No. 5, at present contains a numerous membership and is in a pros- perous condition. Col. Putnam Woman's Relief Corps, No. 25, was organ- ized February 25, 1885. The following were the original officers : President, Mrs. Linda M. Morgan ; S. V. Presi- dent, Mrs. Abbie A. Brown ; J. V. President, Mrs. Hattie N. Chase ; secretary, Mrs. Roxanna W. Kelley ; treasurer, Mrs. Mary J. Tasker; chaplain, Mrs. Harriet W. Boutwell ; conductor, Mrs. Jennie Runnels ; guard, Mrs. Mary J. Chase. This organization is active and prosperous. ••■irruTiojJw, ETC. 213 ■R LIX. ■rONS AJKD ENTERPUiSRS. his town ii! tlie early ■-.! (.'onsitlerabk time ^ 't. » hi. sn'4:ii}»it'kiii!o!i a< ,i--l--'T!iy, ■ - {tent feature of its iiuiirect jinvi- iui organization of present uu-l pyst of a varieiy 'if i-'iet(irical aini littr- iniiient feature '•( the lyt'enia was the I tij (l!'\ e^i>p ';•.■ jiutilic c-oiiti-i.n'ersial ■Hants. Wln.'Si I'roi. fiyur 11. >atihori) ■A of HopkiHton acader;!}. ;; ivf^um - 'Vii Adelplii"' came into existence. lu •.|ni!e respectable proportions b*;earoe ,:!'izatinu. Th«- hdo'.-s wcfi' <5(,J!- l.: tii >. '\'f i':-)^? -•.' til Itf fliP t.'t si'.iiool af ' ^iUTI\!^eT of ,<»'t .i-.-<-i, and , ■-' 'l^fia."!l as - , '-<}. hun to ),he rtaii';- ■• stv. the INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS, ETC. 213 CHAPTER LIX. SPECIAL INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS AND ENTEEPEISES. There was a circulating library in this town in the early part of the present century. It was for a considerable time kept in the office of Baruch Chase, a lawyer, who occupied as a place of business the building now used as the village post-office. After the death of Mr. Chase, the books found their way into the house of his widow. They lay stored many years, and, it is said, in the end were sold for old paper. They were disposed of during the late war, when old paper was very high. We have never been able to ascertain the date of the establishment of this library, the number of its volumes, or the conditions of its use. During the practical usefulness of Hopkinton academy, the " lyceum" was a prominent feature of its indirect privi- leges. The lyceum was an organization of present and past students, and admitted of a variety of rhetorical and liter- ary exercises. A prominent feature of the lyceum was the debate which tended to develop the public controversial abilities of the disputants. When Prof. Dyer H. Sanborn became the principal of Hopkinton academy, a lyceum known as the " Sanborn Adelphi" came into existence. In due time, a library of quite respectable proportions became the property of the organization. The books were con- tained in a case which was kept in the east room of the academy. Professor Sanborn taught a year or two, and then opened a select school at Contoocook, where he collected quite a large number of scholars, some of whom were members of the Sanborn Adelphi, organized at the lower village. In the process of events there arose a dispute about the possession of the Sanborn Adelphi library. Certain stu- dents came down from Contoocook to the lower village, where the subject in controversy was ardently discussed on either hand. At length disputation resulted in an active contest. An attempt being made to convey a portion of th6 books to Contoocook, a general scramble ensued, and every member present seized and personally appropriated as many volumes as his individual proM^ess enabled him to control. Thus ended the Sanborn Adelphi library, the time being not far from 1855. 214 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKJNTOX. The Contoocook library was founded in 1871. The enterprise was the result of a preliminary effort of the young people of the place, who gave a number of public en- tertainments, the funds accruing from which laid the basis of the ultimate scheme. The enterprise having made some progress, a meeting for organization was held on the 4th day of January, the result being as follows : President, George W. Morrill ; vice-presidents, Joseph Barnard, Anson White ; secretary, Harvey Campbell ; treasurer, Isaac D. Merrill ; trustees, Thomas P. Richardson, Rufus P. Copps, Walter S. Davis, Charles Gould, John F. Jones. The provisions of the constitution require a membership fee of §2, and a subsequent annual tax of $1 as a reading right. The association has about 100 members. The num- ber of volumes in the library is over 1,500. In many instances books have been temporarily loaned to the insti- tution. There are about fifteen honorary members, some of whom have made donations to the library. Mrs. C. L. George at one time presented the association with §50. The library is located in Curtice's block. Mrs. Charles Harden is the librarian. The Hopkinton village library was founded in 1871, and in a manner very like that obtaining at Contoocook. Con- siderable means was at first obtained by a series of enter- tainments given by the people of this vicinity. At length a stock company was formed, a subscription of 810, paid in five annual instalments of §2 each, making one a perma- nent member of the organization. On the 17th of March, a meeting of stockholders was called, and temporary organi- zation effected as follows : President, Carlos G. Hawthorne ; secretary, Herman W. Greene ; treasurer, Isaac Story. The following were appoiuted directors with power to choose executive officers : H. W. Greene, Isaac Story, S. Smith Page. James M. Connor, Charles C. Burnham, John F. Currier, True J. Putney, Carlos G. Hawthorae. Christie W. Burnham, Melvin C'olby. Permanent officers were chosen as follows : President, Herman W. Greene ; vice- president, Charles C. Burnham ; secretary, Lewis D. Evans ; treasurer, Isaac Story ; librarian. Miss Anstice I. Clarke ; executive committee, Carlos G. Hawthorne, James M. Con- nor, John F. Currier. This association has a very long list of honorary mem- INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS, ETC. 215 bers. Important donations have been received from Messrs. G. Theodore Roberts of Philadelphia, and Robert H. Tewksbury and J. C. Dow of Lawrence, Mass. The num- ber of volumes is over 1,000, besides numerous magazines and pamphlets. The library was first opened in a room over the present store of Charles French, from which it was taken to the post-office building, which it now occu- pies. For a year or two this library was idle, owing to a lack of funds and the occupancy of the post-office building by the Hopkinton Times. The library is now in active use, being in. charge of Lewis D. Evans, the village post- master. The New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, which has its head-quarters at Contoocook, was incorporated on the 2d of July, 1876. This organization was the result of an associa- tion called the Philomathic Club, which was formed at Hopkinton, November 19, 1850. The original members of this club were only three in number — Silas Ketchum, George H. Crowell, and Darwin C. Blanchard — all of them young men, who sought only mutual improvement by asso- ciating together. The meetings of the club were held in private houses, and at length the number of members was increased to seven. The following statement is from the pen of Mr. Ketchum : " In the lapse of years, these members became dispersed into five different states. Once at least each year a meeting was held, at which so many as could be were present. Nearly all were men of liberal education and literary pur- suits. Common proclivities of mind and taste induced them to collect whatever fell in their way that was unusual and curious. Without any design, but by common consent, these articles were brought to the meetings and deposited in the club-room at Hopkinton. This process went on for fourteen years. In 1872, the head-quarters of the club were established at.Contoocook." On the 19th of November, 1873, the Philomathic Club was dissolved, and the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society was organized in its stead. Rev. Silas Ketchum was made president, and continued a member till his death in 1880. The society's collection of books, specimens, etc., amounts to many thousands of articles, which occupj^ a number of rooms in Jones's building, close by the bridge across the Con- 216 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. toocook river. This collection is the frequent resort of vis- itors, and it receives frequent additions. The society holds meetings quarterly, the third Tuesday in July being the time of the transaction of its annual business. A building for the reception and preservation of the library and museum of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society was projected in Hopkinton village in 1889. The unfinished edifice is the gift of Mrs. William H. Long, of Boston, Mass., and will cost the munificent sum of $10,000. The structure of brick and stone, elegant and ornamental, occupies the site of the residence of the late Timothy Chandler. The edifice will bear the inscription, "The William H. Long Memorial Building." In this chapter, we have already mentioned the Hopkin- ton Times. This paper, published weekly by H. Sumner Chase, was first issued in June, 1880. Its first location was in the old post-office building. In the fall of 1880, it was removed to Contoocook and issued in a room over Wads- worth's machine shop, in Bailey's mill. In the year 1882, it was removed to Bailey's block, where it continued to be issued till 1883, when it was located in the present Highland hall. In January, 1885, the paper was consolidated with the Kearsarge Independent, of Warner, and the combined sheet became the Independent and Times. CHAPTER LX. TAVERNS AND HOTELS. The first house of public hospitality in Hopkinton was a tavern. Now we have hotels. Names, like other things, therefore change. Among the first taverners.in Hopkinton were Benjamin Wiggin and Theophilis Stanley. Several persons quite early were engaged in hotel keeping on the site of the old Perkins House. The most notable of these earliest landlords was Mr. Wiggin, who was justice, post- master, and trader also. He came to this town from Strat- ham, N. H., Aid became established as a landlord as early as 1786, which date was inscribed upon his old-fashioned ,■',■'. i TIM:-;.'-' re H'>'^'- I will cost ?l!t .rit-k and ;■» ■J. when ii sv^ - j-- --. - ■'my, 188,3, tilt* j>..;ji-.. ■ L'h'pf.ndenU '''f Wi;.--:.- ■ ... l,^8:i, ,-1 pur-Sa and t »<. IL. ?>• t jltU' n 1 , > ' t w its THE PERKINS INN. TAVERNS AND HOTELS. 217 swinging sign-board, one half in each upper corner. On the bottom of this sign-board was the significant announcement, "Entertainment by B. W." This sign-board also bore a painted representation of a man on horseback, followed by- two dogs. Never were worse proportions delineated. The man's waist was shrunk up to comparative nothingness, while his lower extremities enlarged into feet of enormous proportions. Benjamin Wiggin's hotel is still standing, be- ing the house already located in an earlier chapter of this work. The house of Theophilis Stanley is still standing, and has also been located. In early times, Maj. Isaac Babson kept a tavern on the site of the present Perkins Inn. We do not know when this tavern was opened to the public. The date " 1786" was once discovered on the lathing of one of the rooms. Sub- sequently to 1800, it was purchased by Roger E. Perkins. Later, the house was kept by Bimsley Perkins, but with a respite from 1816 to 1818, and it became his by purchase in 1826. Under the care of Bimsley Perkins, this tavern be- came the most noted public house between Boston and Montreal. The house was square, two-storied, and had a gable roof. Under Bimsley Perkins's management, the elite were served at this tavern in the days of Hopkin ton's high- est prosperity. There were important out-buildings erected during this time. In consequence of social changes which "we have already mainly related, Perkins's tavern was closed to the public about the year 1847. On the 1st of December, 1864, the edifice was reopened as a public house by David B. Story, and became a modern village hotel, accommodat- ing numerous summer boarders yearly. In 1870, a Man- sard roof was put upon it, and other improvements were made. On the night of the 5th of October, 1872, the Perkins House went up on the wings of flame. The fire was accidental. Elder Joseph Putney's tavern stood on the highest point of road between the two villages in town, on the site now occupied by the house of Charles Putnam. It was part of a large -farming establishment, and was patronized by the more lowly among travellers. To obtain a clearer idea of life in a public accommodation like Joseph Putney's, we must understand a feature of ancient travel which was more or less exhibited in or around all country inns. In 218 T.TFF, AOT) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the olden time, all freight was of course carried through the country on wheels and runners, and, in many instances, by the owners themselves. Teamsters were often inclined to indulge only the most economical fare. When teams, large and small, put up for the night, the drivers often brought their own provisions, thereby saving all expendi- tures except for lodgings, grog, and hay. It was a pict- uresque sight when a large company of travellers gathered around the open fire, and refreshed themselves, each from his own box of edibles. -Elder Putney was particularly hospitable to his guests, always furnishing them with plenty of cider for nothing. His supply of winter apples was just as free. The average patronage of a house like Joseph Putney's would surprise the modern inquirer. The num- ber of horses and men requiring to transport freights was large, and the accumulation of small teams swelled the travel immensely. Elder Putney was a man of remarkable generosity and integrity. His temperament was strongly religious, impelling him to officiate publicly in the school- house close to his home. From this fact it is probable he received the title of " Elder." Upon the death of his wife he abandoned public hospitalities. He died Sept. 20, 1846, aged 93. He was a soldier of the Revolution. The first public house in Contoocook stood on the site of Curtice's block, which is in part the original structure, since remodelled. At first there was a plain, one-storied, ungainly building opened to the public by Daniel Page. When the later Central House was projected, the idea of the necessity of competition first entered into the mind of the proprietor of the old hotel, and an extra story was added. Not far from this time, Mr. Page sold out his stand to his sister Susan, afterwards the wife of Simeon Tyler, who lived in the district known as Tyler's bridge. Miss Page was sadly unfortunate in the ultimate of her proprietorship. She sold the house for railroad stock, and lost it all. The stand ceased to be open to the public about the year 1884. The second hotel built in Contoocook was erected in the autumn of the year 1831, by Messrs. Sleeper & Wheeler. Both landlords were young men. The enterprise did not flourish in their hands, and in about a year the property went into the hands of Herrick Putnam, who kept the doors open for about a dozen years. Mr. Putnam was followed TA VEENS AND HOTELS. 219 by Ruf US Fuller, of Bradford, wlio conducted the establish- ment till about twelve years later, when he died. For years the place was kept by Henry Fuller, son of Ruf us, and af- terwards by Walcot Blodget, son-in-law of the elder Mr. Fuller. It changed hands frequently till 1872, when it fell into the possession of Col. E. C. Bailey, who kept it open till 1878, when he tore it down and began the erection of a hotel on the site of the present new house of Walter S. Davis ; but the scheme was never ultimated. The old Cen- tral House stood on the western apex of Mr. Davis's pres- ent lot. The Putney House in Hopkinton village was built to supply the place of the Perkins House, burnt in 1872. In the summer of that year, George G. Bailey determined to make Hopkinton village a place of residence, bought the old Isaac Long place, and fitted it up for the convenience of his family during the hot months. A year or two after, he purchased the old Dr. Wells house, adjoining the Long place, moved it back, established connection between the two, and made the hotel a nice and convenient one, in a pleasant, shady spot. The structure included two stories with a Mansard roof. The complete establishment had a front extension of 125 feet and a rear one of 190. After the erection of this house, an elegant hall, a bowling-alley, and other additions were constructed. Mr. Bailey conducted thft Putney House a few years, and then closed it to the public. In the summer of 1886, it was reopened by Kimball & Green, Mr. Bailey having died, and it was called the Mt. Putney House. On the night of the 23d of the next December it was burned, and the vil- lage of Hopkinton was destitute of a public house. The Mt. Putuey House stood on the site of the present summer residence of Horace G. Chase. In 1886, July 1, the present Highland House was opened in Contoocook, by H. Sumner Chase, who also opened Highland hall, making an elegant and commodious public establishment. The present Perkins Inn in Hopkinton Adllage was for- mally opened to the public on the 4th of July, 1888. The want of a public house had been deeply felt. In the sum- mer of 1887, a project in anticipation of a new one was 220 LIFE A2SD TIMES IN HOPKINTOJf. originated by Miss Kate P. Kimball, who gave inspiration to the people, collected subscriptions for stock, and, in fact, became the virtual cause of the present inn, begun in the fall of 1887, when, in anticipation of its construction, Miss Kimball herself removed the first earth on the selected site. The new project advanced so rapidly after its inception, that, on the 25th of August, a voluntarj' corporation, with a capital of $10,000, was formed under the General Laws of the state, and the following ten directors were chosen: Robert R. KimbaU, Horace G. Chase, John F. Currier, Arthur W. Goodspeed, Robert B. Currier, Herman W. Greene, Le^vis D. Evans, John S. Kimball, Samuel S. Page, John G. Brockway. These directors again organized thus : President, Robert R. Kimball ; clerk, Lewis D. Evans ; treasurer, John S. Kimball ; executive committee, Herman W Greene, Horace G. Chase, John F. Currier. The enter- prise advanced so favorably that on the 6th day of April, 1888, the capital stock was increased to 812,000, its present limit. The new hot^l occupies a position on the corner of the village square and Main street, fronting the square to the east and the street to the south. The structure extends 80 feet each east and south, with a lateral breadth of 40 feet to each of the two wipgs that compose it. At the ex- tremity of the southern wing, at the west, there is an addi- tion of 36 by 34 feet. The maip edifice is three stories in height, includtag a Mansard story, and has a veranda 200 feet long and lOi feet wide. At the principal comer of the building is a tower and flag-staff of an elevation of 83 feet, in front of which the veranda is extended 4 feet in breadth, forming a beautiful and spacious porch. The new hotel contains no less than 52 rooms, arranged and constructed according to all the purposes of a house of its kind. The ofBce, entered from the east, is 22 by 40 feet in size ; the reading-room, 16 by 24i; two ante-rooms, each 12 by 16 ; the dining-room, 34 by 39 ; the parlor, occupying the most conspicuous corner on the first floor, 32 by 36. The guest chambers, on the second and third floor, vary in size, but prineipaUv range from 12 by 16 to 16 by 16. It is a nota- ble fact that there is not a room in this house that has not a window opening to a pleasant prospect, for the \'illage and surroundings are full of natural beauty. The addition to the south wing, partly devoted to culinary purposes, has TA VEENS ANB HOTELS. 221 four stories including the Mansard. The whole structure is painted in the following manner : The body is Tuscan yellow ; the Mansard, gasholder red ; the roof, slate ; the blinds, maroon; the Mansard is encircled by a stripe of slate with a band of fancy shingles in the middle. The plan of the hotel was furnished by Dow & Wheeler, Concord, and it was mainly constructed by our own local workmen. The lumber was largely furnished by Johnson & Richards, and came from the forest of Stillman B. Gage. The mas- ter carpenter was Elmer B. Dunbar. F. E. Williams, of Penacook, built the chimneys. George F. Tilton was su- perintendent of the painting. The lathing was done by Edgar Atwood, of Penacook, and the plastering by Mr. Williams. Since its erection, the Perkins Inn has been supplied with a steam-heating apparatus. The Perkins Inn is a name that commemorates Capt. Bimsley Perkins, the famous proprietor of Perkins's Tav- ern. It was one of three names proposed by Miss Kate P, Kimball, and it was the final selection of a committee of proprietors. Upon the opening of the new hotel, Frank A. Hale became the landlord. The old swing-sign of Benja- min Wiggin, retouched with paint, still invites the public, to hospitality at the Perkins Inn, being hung to an elm that stands near the chief corner of the edifice. It is a tradition that Lieutenant Cross, who lived near the first ferry across the Contoocook river, kept the first tavern in town. In the earlier times in Hopkinton, there were numerous houses that combined the features of a farming home and a country tavern. In later times, a num- ber of persons have kept public houses of greater or less importance in the villages. Among them may be men- tioned Daniel Flanders, at Hopkinton village, and Edward D. Burnham and Charles E. Taylor, at Contoocook. 222 LITE AND TIMES IK HOPKINTON. CHAPTER LXI. AN AGKICULTUEAL SKETCH. An early occupation of civilization is tilling the soil. In a new country, farming is often the main support of the population. The first settlers of Hopkinton were mostly farmers. The condition of agriculture was, of necessity, crude. Its profits were uncertain in a corresponding degree. Besides the natural uncertainty of the seasons, the lack of intercommunication between localities, and the at- tendant imperfect means of transportation, made the con- sequences of local failure more disastrous. The soil, how- ever, was new and fertile. When it brought forth, it did so abundantly. It was only when it failed through drought, flood, or cold that the population suffered — mostly through difficulty of communicating with distant and abundant supplies. As population and social facilities increased, the farms were not only self-supportive, but on fertile years corn and grain were stored in the granaries of the industrious. Con- sequently, in the earlier times, the farmers of Hopkinton sold corn and wheat, instead of buying them as they do now. In the case of infertile seasons, the stores of accumu- lated products became available in the suppres.sion of famine. In 1816, there occurred a prominent illustration in kind. The year was very unfruitful through an intensity of cold. On inauguration day, in June, there was snow to the depth of four inches on a level. An early frost in autumn killed all the corn. The farmers cut it up and stocked it, but, being in the milk, it heated and spoiled. As a consequence of the induced scarcity, corn sold in Hop- kinton as high as 13.50 a bushel. Corn and grain have been sold in this town and taken to Vermont for consumption. People then could not antici- pate the times that were coming. One of our former townsmen tells us that he well remembers the very first time his father bought a barrel of flour. »The price paid was only four dollars, but the act of purchase was deemed so extravagant as to be almost culpable. It could not then be popularly foreseen that the time was at hand when it would be almost as rare for a farmer in Hopkinton to raise his own flour as it was then rare for him to pur- chase it. .45 '#,; m < Si. >, -6^ ," 'C'* ^- . ^^%' JM. •5 ^.^ir M, CONMF ,• j- .r ag . urn , »*,., .,1 il'l' - ■' .... .. liiterciimmui!)' i -.1^1! )f ■ > . ■ abuiidaiitly It wa- nood. n cold " At. V r; mhex b .tMy four '■ ^: < be a'j ■ , t support li' t H'ton weie um r as, of necciw.f '> 1.*nt 5j», Cot, 'f-ipkintoii •* thev (^" An . . ' aiers C'U< • heated .n Uy, cons -< polled, i. Hop- his town 1' then f*"->' ' >! to -r i- M 1 tit pun i apable. ! iti H. ..,, i. „ !l* ' ' 1 ' .tl James M. Connor. AN AGRICULTURAL SKETCH. 223 In the earlier times, the production and maintenance of farm animals were also much larger. In districts where it is now comparatively rare to find a yoke of oxen, the supply of this kind of stock was multitudinous, the stock of different farmers being recorded by ear-marks on the book of the town-clerk, for perfect identification when astray or on common land. Nothing was more common than to own several yokes of large oxen, to say nothing of the usually attendant array of steers. Not more than sixty years ago, Reuben E. French, a former townsman, seeking cattle for the down-country markets, bought over seventy head in one day. They were all purchased in one district in this town, and the transaction required less time than half a day. At the present time it is nothing uncommon for a man to travel over parts of several towns to buy a single yoke of oxen. Besides the usual complement of horned stock and general farm animals, there was at one time quite a specialty in sheep. Stephen Sibley and Joseph Barnard were prom- inent growers of this kind of stock. Their flocks were counted by hundreds. Considerable effort was made to secure improved animals. Stock was imported from Ver- mont, New York, and perhaps other states, and the quality of the local flocks materially advanced. In 1838, at the American Institute fair in New York, a silver medal was awarded to " Barnard and Sibley," for the best exhibition of fleeces of American wool. In 1851, at the World's fair in London, a bronze medal was awarded to Joseph Barnard for an exhibition of wool by the lot. The prosperity of this branch of farming industry early met with an ignominious defeat. The revenue laws of 1832 and 1833, reducing the duties on imports and discouraging local manufacturers, so reduced the price of wool as to materially depress the interests of sheep-raising. The flocks declined. A little impulse was given to this branch of industry during the war of 1861, owing to the demands for wool created by the army, but it was only temporary. The soil of this town was adapted to growing all the staple crops of New England, but its subjection to the uses of the husbandman was a work of prodigious effort. The dense, heavy forests so extensively prevailing, were subdued by labor without direct profit. Wood and timber, so much in excess of the demand, were comparatively worthless. 224 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Even many years after the complete occupation of the townshi]), a large pine tree, several feet in diameter and full of clear stuff, was sold on the stump for the insignifi- cant sum of twenty-five cents. The freedom with which the best of timber was employed in the humblest uses of building attests the low marketable estimate placed upon it. Acres upon acres of primitive forests were cut down, the logs rolled in heaps, and the fallen dSbris — trunks, branches, and boughs — ^burned to ashes. Following this exceedingly laborious toil came not only the difficult task of plowing and planting, but the almost endless labor of removing the rocks and stones that thickly cumbered the surface of the ground. Stones were utilized in the division of lots by walls, which were often thick, or double. On an ancient location on Putney's hill can be seen stone walls that are six or eight feet in thickness. Heaps of stone thrown up in waste places are significant monuments of the severe toil through which the early inhabitants of this town reclaimed the wil- derness. With experience and increased social facilities came im- provements in the quality of the products of the soil. The introduction of improved varieties of fruit, largely through Abraham Brown, mentioned in Part II of this work, was a more notable event on account of the facilities for improve- ment afforded by the process of grafting. About seventy- five years ago, the Baldwin apple was introduced into this town by Stephen Gage. Since then it has become the standard winter apple in every household in the community. We may not speak of the many varieties of roots, seeds, and scions that have come and gone, or come and remained, since the earlier times. The history of our town, in this respect, is substantially uniform with that of manj"- others in its vicinity. Upon the ancient farm of Warren Huntoon, upon Putney's hill, lies an ancient broken grindstone, a symbolic relic of a past rude husbandry. It is of common granite rock, and for a long time was- the only grindstone in the immediate vicinity. People came long distances to grind their scythes upon it. Before its use, people of this town used to go to Concord to grind their scythes. A general scythe-grinding took place only occasionally. The scythes were kept sharp with whetstones as long as practicable, and then a person gathered up the dull scythes in the neigh- AS AGEICULTURAI; SKETCH. 225 borhood and took them away for grinding. Snaths at that time were made by hand. The axe-handles were straight. The plows were at first of wood, faced wi'th iron. Imple- ments of all kinds were rude and imperfect, besides being mostly the product of the skill of the local blacksmith and carpenter. The introduction of modern implements has been a gradual but comparatively thorough work. The ancient richness of the soil having been in a great measure exhausted, the introduction of fertilizers from out- side has become a permanent traffic. The utilization of the newer and richer fields of the West has brought to our doors an abundance of corn and grain, and the incidental forms of cereal products. In the incidental improvements of farming — draining, building, etc. — our town has made creditable progress. The proximity of Hopkinton to Con- cord and Penacook — populous places — ^has latterly given an impulse to the department of the dairy. Improved dairy stock has been introduced to a considerable extent, and the same may be said of other farm animals. In the early part of the present century, considerable active interest in improved agriculture was taken by sev- eral prominent citizens of this town. One or more cattle shows were held in the village, on the land of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, and were participated in by citizens of other towns and perhaps other states. In 1880, a branch of the Kear- sarge Farmers' club was organized in Hopkinton. The first officers were, — J. F. Currier, president; C. C. Lord, secre- tary ; and Joseph Barnard, director. Meetings were held in winter, alternating once a week between Hopkinton vil- lage and Contoocook, for about two years. During the second year, various experiments were tried and reported. There were exhibitions of poultry and produce at some of the meetings. Special attention has been paid to the breeding of Guern- sey stock, on the farm of Joseph Barnard, for forty years or more. C. and G. M. Putnam, of Putney's hill, have for years given much attention to full-blooded Devon stock. The late Daniel Dustin gave much attention to improved sheep. In later years much attention has been paid to improved poultry. Willard T. Greene, Edward G. Run- nells, WiUiam C. Russ, J. Arthur Jones, Sumner E. Spen- cer, and others have produced excellent birds of different varieties. 15 226 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Within a few years, the practice of selling milk at the railroad station has been cultivated by numerous farmers. The marketing of cream has of late years been an impor- tant agricultural factor. For a number of recent years, D. Carlton Tucker conducted a local creamery at West Hopkinton. CHAPTER LXII. A SKETCH OP MANUFA.CTTJKES. In earlier chapters of this work, we have recorded sun- dry acts of the new township in encouragement of local mills or manufactories. Under the aid thus given, such works as were implied increased to an observable extent. In 1791, when the town appears to have first recorded its inventory in a book, the following persons were taxed for mills: Nathaniel Clement, Moses Titcomb, Jeremiah Story, Amos Bailey, Levi Bailey, Joseph Barnard, John Currier, Eliphalet Poor, Abraham Rowell, and Simeon Dow, Jr. The principal business done at these mills was probably sawing lumber, grinding corn and grain, or fulling and dressing cloth. We have already seen how Nathaniel Clement was voted a gratuity by the town so long as he kept a corn-mill in repair. This was in the year 1765. In the progress of events, it appears that Nathaniel Clement and Jeremiah Story were at one time in partnership. The site of Clem- ent's mill, in 1765, was just east of Hopkinton village, at the outlet of Mill's meadow, near or where is now the pres- ent mill of John Rogers. Whether Story was a partner at this point is not clear. Later, the works were moved down-stream, to the present mill-site, at the end of the path that continues from the lane leading from the village main street, between the house of George W. Currier and the N. H. Antiquarian building, by the graveyard, to the Chase woods. Afterwards, a re-location was made near the head of the present Chase (formerly Colby's) pond. Still more recently, the site was taken where the old mill known as Kimball's stood, within the recollection of many persons now living, it being where DoUoff's brook crosses jjV' X" S ^/-■tZ€.6 " the iie>.'. ■ . ^ ..-aufaetoi! ,.,:; iT'.'l. when thv ' inventory in a b<"Hi. mills: Natbe-tiicl '/■ ■ Amos KaJlf-v, '< -.; 8tfn\ Act/ 'jS, ' ■ ], receui. •&A Kimhal- 4 L m?^"-^' ^np^'byAHsiltC' CL^o^-^O^ A SKETCH OP MA2>I1JPACTUBBS. 227 the highway, the stream moving eastward, about a mile from Hopkinton village on the Webster road. It appears that Clement and Story were in partnership some of the time before 1798, when both ceased to be taxed for property in mills. Moses Titcomb's mill is said to have been still farther down-stream, on DoUoff's brook, perhaps near its mouth. Joseph Barnard's mill is also said to have been on the unoccupied site, where Webber's mill recently stood, on the present farm of Dr. Charles P. G-age, of Con- cord. In a previous chapter, we located the mills of John Cur- rier, Eliphalet Poor, and Simeon Dow, Jr. Abraham Rowell's mill was at West Hopkinton. We cannot describe the location of the rest. In the earlier times, manufactures were very much scat- tered. In fact, every household was a manufacturing es- tablishment in a small way. Once small mills, and shops, manufactories of lumber, leather, and various domestic articles, in whole or in part, were scattered through the town, occupying nearly or quite every available water priv- ilege, while some, like tanneries, were often on highland locations. Since the earlier times, many men have been en- gaged in manufactures in this town. We can only men- tion some of the more important establishments and owners. The principal water-power being on the Contoocook river, at the village of the same name, which has grown up in a large measure in consequence of the local, natural privi- leges offered by the stream, there have been a number of the more important works in this town. Mills of greater or less importance were located early at this poiat, among the operators being Benjamin Hill, who was taxed for mill property in this town as early as 1795, and whose family name gave the euphonious title of " Hill's Bridge" to the present village of Contoocook. As the place increased in size and importance, more notable works were established. As soon as 1825, Abram Brown was a miU operator or owner. In company with John Burnham, he carried on a notable business in the lumber and grain line for about thirty years. The grist-mill operated by these two men was conducted by the sons of John Burnham till the fire of 1873, which consumed it. In 1826, or thereabouts, Joab Patterson established himself here ia the business of a 228 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTOX. clothier. Subsequently lie took into partnership his brother, David N., and till about 1860 the two carried on business, but subsequently to 1844 following the manufacture of woollen cloths, which they sold largely to people in the vicinity in exchange for wool or cash. For a short time, another brother was connected with them. On the north side of the river, a mill, on the site of the present saw-mill operated by Frank I. Morrill, was built by Hamilton E. Perkins in 1835. It was subsequently burned and re- built. The present grist-mill occupies a building erected for miscellaneous purposes by H. E. Perkins, a short time after his first. Messrs. Kempton & Allen began the manu- facture of mackerel kits about 1850, first in the present Morrill saw-mill; afterwards one or both occupied' the old Patterson factory, where business was kept up till the fire of 1873. For a few years subsequently to 1864, Jonathan M. and George W. Morrill carried on woollen manufactur- ing in the present grist-mill building, which was then the property of Capt. Paul R. George or hiis heirs. In 1874, the brothers Morrill & Kempton, kit manufacturers, erected a steam mill about a half mile north of the village, which was burned in 1883 and afterwards rebuilt. Grinding was also done at their mill during the first years of its existence. A year or two subsequently to the erection of this mill, Colonel E. C. Bailey put in the machinery of the present grist-mill, having become the sole owner of the Contoocook water-power in 1875. In 1883, the present mill-dam was reconstructed, and, in 1887, the whole power was purchased, by Walter S. Davis, who now owns all the works except the saw-mill of Frank I. Morrill. About 1815, Thomas Kast began the manufacture of leather on the spot now occupied by Horace J. Chase, em- ploying the present water-power. He kept up the business for about thirty years, and then sold out to Jonathan Osgood. In 1852, the works passed into the hands of Mr. Chase, who has made numerous important additions and im- provements to them. This establishment has been twice burned out — once during its occupancy by Mr. Kast and once since owned by Mr. Chase. About 1830, William Clough established a mill at what is now known as " Cloughville." Several sons of Mr. Clough have since been engaged in different kinds of wooden manufactures here, and several mills have at times been in operation. As A SKETCH or MANTTFACTUEES. 229 soon as 1835, John Smiley became engaged as a miller at West Hopkinton, on the site of the old Rowell mill. For about thirty years " Smiley's Mills" was a popular grinding station for the vicinity. Grinding is no longer done at this station. The traveller who now takes his way in the val- ley between Putney's and Beech hills, crossing the tortuous DoUoph's brook where it runs easterly across the road, at the site of what was formerly Richard Kimball's mill, will hardly conceive that here, where is now nothing but trees and bushes, was once a mill three stories in height, where, in addition to sawing lumber, the managers ground and bolted as good meal and flour as perhaps can be made at any place. Yet it was so. Several parties were at differ- ent times interested in this mill. Nathaniel Clement and Jeremiah Story once did business in partnership at this location. The Clement family was prominently connected with this mill in later times. The mill-site was in posses- sion of the Story family till 1877. About 1835, much enthusiasm was aroused over the manufacture of silk. Silk worms and mulberry trees were procured from older communities, and work begun in earnest. Silk thread and cloth were manufactured, but the enterprise died about as suddenly as it was born. The pro- ducts of this business cost more than the income. Our people could not successfully compete with the cheaper labor of Europe. In some instances, remnants of the old mulberry orchards can be seen to this day. There were two persons who became specially noted for their proficiency in silk manufactures. Mrs. Betsey T. Kim- ball, wife of Nathaniel, made silk cloth, and once was awarded f 8 for the best silk dress by the Merrimack Coun- ty Agricultural Association, better known as the "cattle show." Mrs. Kimball's home was on Beech -hill, where now lives her grandson, Gilman B. Kimball. Mrs. Abram Brown, of Putney's hill, was also a manufacturer of silk cloth used for dresses. We believe these were the only persons who made themselves garments of domestic silk. In 1889, the following persons were taxed for property in mills, machinery, etc. : Eli A. Boutwell, Frank H. Carr, Joseph S. Clough, Harvey Chase, Henry H. Crowell, Walter S. Davis, Eliza J. Gage, Frank 1. Morrill, John Rogers, Leon D. Whittier, Nahum M. Whittier. 230 LIFE AND TIMES Df HOPKINTON. CHAPTER LXIII. A SHORT SKETCH OE TKADB. Trade is essential to civilization. An incipient commu- nity has its quota of tradesmen. Soon after the first occu- pation of the township of Hopkinton, stores, or domestic trading posts, for the accommodation of the public, began to spring up. Reliable data of the earliest conditions of trade in this town are very meagre. In 1791, the follow- ing persons were taxed for stock in trade and money at in- terest : Capt. Joshua Bailey, Capt. Chase, Daniel Herrick, Samuel Harris, Capt. Stephen Harriman, Theophilis Stan- ley, and Benjamin Wiggin. It is reasonable to believe that only a part of these were engaged in actual traffic in merchandise. Some may have been small manufacturers. Theophilis Stanley and Benjamin Wiggin were taverners, though Wiggin also kept a store, while Stanley worked a tannery. Many of the conditions and changes that naturally affected trade in the early history of Hopkinton have been described at length in this work. We have specially men- tioned the number of persons taxed for stock in trade in 1800. We have shown the advance and decline of busi- ness prosperity in town in later years. For further specifica- tion, we will add that the persons taxed for stock in trade in 1810 were Abram Brown, Thomas W. Colby, Reuben French, Ebenezer Lerned, Isaac Proctor, Theophilis Stan- ley, Stephen Sibley, Joseph Towne, and Thomas Williams ; in 1820, Buswell & Way, Calvin Campbell, Thomas W. Colby, Timothy Darling, George Dean, Thomas Kast, Isaac Long, Jr., Ira Morrison, Stephen Sibley, Joseph B. Towne, and Thomas Williams. In the better days, there was a large wholesale and retail business done in Hopkinton village. At one time, Towne & Ballard occupied the edifice now used by Charles French. The whole lower floor of this building was in use by this firm, and numerous clerks found busy employment, while strong teams from the upper country resorted here for the products of trade and barter. During this period, the stores of Thomas W. Colby, Lerned & Sibley, and Thomas Williams were notable places of business. Colby's Joseph st . :, , : FR- T.\ill. ,„ :ks quou> : t-racV'S'iien. Soon nt'-> : uw nis'- "• .' ..f the town shij) of Ifopkiuton, stores, or doui» ^ ■uMg posts, forthe ,*i ummoc.jtion- '>! tlie |;'t]i'':;.^ bei;.^^ .., apring- up. Reliable -■ ■v'.^ Sow"- may havf been sraa'! -^liu.'/.-^-i •. -■ v-"=- 5r;;. . . •.' "V-ajan.ii! W"}§;ir;t; ^v;.- :^ . •■ t,,,,,i^ ,. ■.' ' - • ■ ■ stor>% v.i.ii^ *^' tannery. \!»nv .=f '^H .-.;.ii>a8 and t-itmiyy -■ • v - . ■'."■ . = = ;; ■ -^^'-"k. 'V \:'--^ ;.ra>5|)erity in town in uuer i,e'n>- ,,•'>!.:, •^■t- will add thattheper^ous liiX' '! iift-; ■ ... = ■ 1810 were Abram Brown, Thov:,.. W. Coll>\.^ \^■ French, Ebenezer Lerned, Isaii'- '' .'.. FheophiiK ;.■ lev. Stephen Sibley, Joseph 'IV - ' .,,.: ••.-.:■ n 1«'20, BuH->rl! t% Way. * '- ' ' ■ • ■ . i ^ s y . I imoiiiy Dari u . t£ . C'f- - • - l,(>ag, Jr., Ira Morrison, -^s. , and Thomt"' Williamh, In the belter days, thti'- ' .(>'.;,'■-, (lone in Hopkib: • '. :.; Jard occupied tfat' ■ ■ ■ ■ < -h. The whole lo? :- lirm, and umn-..-- - <''inc t<='f>'n»' '•', Joseph Stanwood. A SHOKT SKETCH OP TRADE. 231 store occupied the corner now used by Kimball & Co.; Lerned & Sibley, the buildiag lately occupied by Miss Lydia Story ; Thomas Williams, a building standing be- tween Mrs. John S. Kimball's and the Congregational meeting-house. At this time, besides other stores, were the usual attendant establishments representing the multiple business wants of a complex community. In the earlier times, trade was not so closely confined to the village as now. One of the outposts of business was on the Concord road, near the present residence of Joseph L. Hagar. Abel Kimball and Nathaniel Proctor were trad- ers at this point, as may have been others. Different par- ties have also traded in a store that stood near the present ' residence of Perley W. Beck, at the four corners at " Stump- field." Among those trading in Hopkinton village in later times, Joseph Stanwoodj Stephen B. Sargent, James Fel- lows, and Nathaniel Evans are prominent. Among the earlier traders in Contoocook was Solomon Phelps. Eben- ezer Wyman came to Contoocook about sixty years ago, and about forty years traded most of the time, doing a miscellaneous business. Herrick Putnam and Isaac D. Merrill were also well known merchants in this locality. The capital of the state being located at Concord, the proximity of Hopkinton to the seat of state government has been detrimental to local trade. People who go to Con- cord for any purposes implied in the existence of a large town will most certainly do more or less of their trading there. Concord having also become a market for all kinds of farming produce, it captures the purchases of general supplies by our local farmers to a large extent. In consid- ering Concord in this manner, we have to include the man- ufacturing village of Penacook as a part of the consideration. More than this, the city of Manchester is not so far away as to prevent it from affecting the conditions of buying and selling in Hopkinton. There are two stores at present in Hopkinton village. They are kept by Kimball & Co. and Charles French. Fred French & Co. conduct a meat market. In Contoo- cook, Curtice, Kand & Co. conduct a general store. Thomas B. Richardson keeps a miscellaneous store; George H. Ketchum, stoves, hardware, tin, etc. ; Miss Julia M. John- son, millinery and ladies' goods; Mrs. S. D. McLaughlin, millinery. 232 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER LXIV. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. The reminiscences of a New England town are incom- plete without allusions to governmental relations. Many governmental facts have been already related. We have seen that Hopkiuton, to all intents and purposes, did not exist as a town till 1765. Not being a township, its legal privileges were more limited. It was legally incapable of taking its own inventory. In 1761, the selectmen of Bos- cawen, then incorporated, were paid £5 for taking the in- ventory of New Hopkinton. Becoming a town, with full township privileges and powers, Hopkinton at first transacted business with the loose tendencies characteristic of the early times in New England. In later times, the constitutional or statute law determined many methods. For many years, town-meetings were held, men voted, and scarcely was a vote numerically recorded. Since the incorporation of the town, there has been a continuous record of the se- lection of moderators, clerks, and selectmen ; but there ap- pears to have been no collector chosen till 1793, the taxes previously being gathered by a constable. A superintend- ing school-committee was chosen in 1810, in open town- meeting, and a treasurer in 1821. There has been more or less irregularity in the choice of treasurers, collectors, and school officers, unless when the statute law has fixed the methods of selection, a school board having been elected under statute law since 1886, the town acting as a district. In earlier times, town-meetings were conducted without the preliminary adjunct of a caucus, which is a very recent local institution. The Revolutionary period developed certain interes'ing facts in the history of the method of wording the call, or warrant, for town-meetings. Having abjured the author- ity of Great Britain, the people were for a time subject to a somewhat precarious authority, as the following ob- servations indicate : A town-meeting for January 7, 1777, was called in the name of the " State of New Hampshire ; " one on the next 11th of April, "In the name and Government and People ;" one for the 10th of January, 1778, "By order of Court ; " one for the next May, " In pursuance of Order from the General Assembly." For many years, the warrant HERMAN W, 1 ' In >N " u'- I - t iidi ! I U !■ ..('( ,( .if V '< . uf -1... . ■■ EVEKT- r'T?,^ ;5r<; inc< ;) V ^^'«'_ 1). 4 At I- .r<{..< 1 the seitt , , old »'.-. for tai > 1j , 'i ■, ..• ,1 thk' - • . .', * 'V' (lol !(i ,1. ' 'i(^M- 18b'-. l!.' I ,u\\/l,-')./-'. • ,_i . -.ntu' I !•'. >4 ill tlie hitatiiix > ! !3nt, for ''i'.' I iiiti'i ■••^ Great Brifj-m, i . » f+ouiewhat prefdiVM,:- .:;.'',>! . ..i>'i«i!:>K indicate: .\ i<,v., ; ]'~~ ■ ^. >ii6*i in the nanu ■.■\ • ■,. ■ ,_[,,- . ■ . :'■'- HVXi lltliOj Apiii — . -l;;!f;.!,t ^" 7 oua: i-jy •?.,■ ,. • ; .VIsv ' ■■, otOnler ' ''•""■'^*' '*'■'■■ .■ ^■. ' Fi,i :;. - ■.. _;»,- warrant lec HERMAN W. GREENE. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 233 for town-meeting was posted by a constable, who attested accordingly, but later by the selectmen themselves. We notice a town-meeting called thus by the selectmen as early as 1775. In earlier times, certain town officers were chosen annu- ally who are not now chosen, or whose offices have fallen into desuetude. A field-driver had supervision of the con- dition of fences ; a deer-reeve, of the killing of deer ; a hog- reeve, of hogs running at large ; a pound-keeper, of cattle, sheep, etc., apprehended when at large or astray. An in- spector of by-laws had a duty evidently suggested in his official title. The duty of a clerk of the market seems to be somewhat obscure. The office was evidently transferred from the mother country, where the clerk of the market had considerable jurisdiction in the conduct of the market ; but there does not appear to have been a transfer of the English market system to this locality of New Hampshire, if indeed any such system ever existed in New England. At first, worship, both private and public, was conduct- ed in the primitive homes of the settlers of the township. On the erection of military posts, or forts, such edifices be- came natural, social centres, and worship was conducted in one or more of them. As we have seen, the Rev. James Scales, first minister of the town, was ordained in Putney's Fort, in 1757. During the ministry of Mr. Scales, public worship was sometimes conducted at the parsonage. The erection of a church determined a permanent place for pub- lic religious services. The first meeting-house in Hopkinton represented a much larger territorial expanse of population than any church now extant. Denominational controversies had not divided the ranks of the worshippers, nor had local patrons of the one church demanded special pri^dleges of their own. The distance to the church was long in many cases, and the conveyances often only the locomotory means of nature. In olden times in this vicinity, though people had the in- stinct of personal adornment the same as now, they often lacked the means of gratifying it. Extra articles of dress were so rare that people frequently walked to church in their daily accustomed garb, or trod the Sunday path with a most scrupulous care of their extra wardrode. Women sometimes carried the skirts of their Sunday dresses on 234 UTFE AUD TIMES LN HOPEXNTTON. their arms till they arrived near or at the church door, when they let them fall. The Sunday shoes were often carried in the hand till the journey to meeting was nearly ended» when they were put on for entrance to the sanctuary. Present readers can comprehend the necessity of such care, when they reflect that in the olden time the price of a week's work of a woman was only equivalent to a yard of cloth, or a pair of shoes. Church services in the former days were long, and sa- vored of dogmatic theology. The principal prayer was much longer than the present average sermon, and the discourse was proportionally extended. Such prolonged services were conducted in winter, at first without the favor of any artificial warmth. In contemplating the situation of the worshippers in those old wintry days, the bleakness of the characteristic meeting-house of the times is to be taken into account. In the old Baptist church was an aperture in an upper wall, where the crows have been known to perch while worship was in progress. The advent of foot- stoves gave much relief to the chilly congregations of ear- lier times, and the introduction of the general heater put an end to the extremer experiences of the wintry Sunday. The representative minister of the olden time was a per- son of eminent scholarly culture and gentlemanly bearing. A thorough scholar and rhetorician, his discourses were framed with strict regard to the logical sequences of his subject. The numerical divisions of his theme often car- ried him among units of the second order ; firstly, secondly, and thirdly were only preliminary to thirteenthly, four- teenthly, and fifteeuthly ; the grand category of predications was terminated by a " conclusion." In his loftier intellec- tual schemes, he sometimes elaborated whole volumes of disquisitional matter. Rev. Ethan Smith, fourth minister in town, was the author of several profound theological trea- tises. The following are titles of the Rev. Mr. Smith's works : A Dissertation on the Prophecies, relating to Anti- Christ and the Last Time, Exhibiting the Rise, Character and Overthrow of that Terrible Power, and a Treatise of the Seven Apocalyptic Vials, by Ethan Smith, A. M., Pastor of the church in Hopkinton, N. H. '■ In the last days perilous times shall come." Paul. "Ye have heard that Anti-Christ shall come." — John. "The Lion hath roared ; who shall not fear ? The Lord God hath spoken ; who can • CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 235 but prophesy ?" — Amos. " Blow ye the trumpet in Zion ,- sound an alarm in my holy mountains." — Joel. Printed, and sold by Samuel T. Armstrong, Massachusetts. 1811. A Key to the Figurative Language found in the Sacred Scriptures in the form of Questions and Answers, by Ethan Smith, A. M., Minister in Hopkinton, N. H., — Author of Dissertation on the Prophecies. "I have used similitudes." — Rosea. "I will open my mouth in parables ; I will utter dark sayings of old. — That they should make them known to their children." — The Psalmist, Exeter : printed by C. Norris & Co., and sold at their bookstore. Sold also by E. Little & Co., Newburyport. 1814. There was a dignity and austerity of manner pertaining to the characteristic primitive clergyman that, made him a pattern of personified seriousness. His grave demeanor on his parochial rounds, when he spoke directly upon the obli- gations of personal religion, made his presence in the house- hold a suggestion of profound respect and awe. He im- pressed his personality upon the receptive social element of his parish. The deacons became only minor pastors, and the whole congregation of believers expressed in subdued form the character of the shepherd of the flock. The austere influence of religion upon society in the olden time was attested by the legal strictures upon travel- ling, idling, etc., on Sunday, of which conduct the tything- men were to take cognizance. Tything-men were chosen in this town as late as 1843, when Charles Barton, Samuel Fra- zier, and Daniel Chase were selected. The law requiring such choice had even then become virtually a dead letter. The lease of the parsonage lands in 1798 incurred an an- nual revenue which was proportionately divided among the existing societies till the year 1853. In the year 1842, when the town for the first time published a printed report of its pecuniary transactions, the last division of parsonage money was declared to be as follows : 1st Congregational society, $27.88 2d " " 4.39 Calvinist Baptist " 13.88 Union " " 16.12 Episcopalian " 9.64 1st Universalist " 4.21 2d " " 10.31 Methodist " 1.43 The round sum was set down at S88. 236 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. The 2d Congregational society dropped out of the list in 1861. The last allowance to this society was fifty-six cents. The town report of the year 1853 contained the following and last list of apportionments of parsonage money : Congregational society, $30.09 Union Baptist Calvinist " Episcopalian 1st Universalist 2d Methodist, 19.04 15.72 4.40 7.57 7.10 4.18 The total of this list was also set down in round numbers at $88. The above figures are suggestive in presenting a view of the relative strength of the different societies at the specific times stated. It is interesting to note that certain of the societies soon lost all traces of even a nominal existence, after the suspension of the parsonage revenues. For some time, they had kept up a show of vitality by making their portion of the parsonage fund a nucleus of an outlay for a few days' preaching in the year. In the march of the years, the old peculiarities of local religious life have given place to new features and forms. It is needless to say that some of the old formalities died hard. Innovations were distrusted. The experience in view of proposed changes was substantially uniform in all the churches. Even the staid Episcopalians were ruffled by unaccustomed ceremonies. When, for the first time, the choir of the Episcopal church chanted the Gloria Patri, which before had been read only, an indignant lady abruptly shut her prayer-book in unfeigned disgust. The greater jealousy formerly existing between different denom- inations is well known. It is said this inharmonious feel- ing was once sought to serve an innovating use. A per- son prominent in musical circles sought to influence the leading minds of the Congregational church in favor of the purchase of a bass-viol. As an extreme argumentative resort, he suggested, " The poor, miserable Baptists have got one." Tradition, however, doesn't relate the effect of this suggestion. The first church music was Congregational. The hymns were often "deaconed" by some person whose superior musical abilities were popularly recognized. In time peo- Summer Cottage of Horace G. Chase, OS ccrs'i..- . , ,. 237 KVENTS. hool-houses m ■- - oahi «ii!i ' '-'ilfli-ngs, bin i ; :y-'.v »l,p]i*u. •.'■ '•iiiuidvi- M •■ ■. r^xt'Al • • of I.'- r.tr '5*-^ 4t, — . ii%ji^ ^ ^if-^;'*" /4. V',-*-, ■;?>^^r"' 1 ^ ■'1 CaSTOMS AND ASSOCLATED ETENTS. 23T pie began to desire something better. The influence of musical societies, organized in different parts of New Eng- land, was exercising an important influence upon the tastes of the people^ The old " Central" society, early or- ganized at Concord, contained members from Hopkinton. With a proper social stimulus, progress in music culmi- nated in a marked degree. The church choir sometimes in- cluded as many as fifty voices. Various instruments were used as accompaniments. In 1800, there were four bass- viols, to say nothing of violins, clarinets, or other instru- ments, in the Congregational choir. There were also local celebrities among the singers, players, and composers of music. Among them were Isaiah Webber, Jeremiah Story, and Isaac Long. Orchestral music continued to be em- ployed in the Congregational church till about 1850, when a seraphine was purchased and put in the gallery. In 1872, the seraphine was superseded by an elegant organ, at the cost of $1800. CHAPTER LXV. CtrSTOMS AXD ASSOCIATED EVENTS. [Continued.] The first school-houses in town, of uncertain date, were probably framed buildings, but of very humble appearances. They were frequently unpainted, and soon revealed the effects of the elements. Inside, their walls were closed with plain wainscoting, which rapidly grew dingy with time. The seats were arranged on an indined plane, while the procumbent portions were set with hinges, enabling them to be let up with a clatter and down again with a bang. The teacher's desk was frequently stationary, and sometimes a complete inclosure, in which the instructor could seclude himself, and be approached only in one direc- tion, as in an ancient church pulpit. The huge fireplace was an important particular in the outfit of an old-fashioned school-house, devouring large quantities of fuel in winter, as well as also sometimes favoring the roasting of a potato by some hungry scholar at noontime. In summer the other- ■238 LITE AKD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ■wise empty volume of the fireplace was frequently filled with green boughs, giving the internal uncouth structure £L more tasty appearance. In former times, as now, the school-teacher in a great measure represented the popular idea of social culture. Dignity and learning were considered inseparable personal qualities, and in the teacher they largely culminated in an excess of firmness and sternness. Too little consideration of the gentler elements and principles implied in childish disciplinary needs was entertained by the head of all knowl- edge in the country school-district. Instruction was mostly the ultimatum of reputed and even officious authority. The rod was by no means withheld in the enforcement of the dominant ideal. So boys and girls were taught to read, spell, write, cipher, and, perchance, gained a smattering of grammar and geography. Many school-books were used in both the common and high schools in the earlier history of the town. This re- mark specially illustrates the truth in relation to what might be called text-books in the common branches- Among reading-books in use were the American Precep- tor, the Columbian Orator, and Scott's Lessons. Webster's Speller was a leading reliance for many years. There were Perry's and Walker's dictionaries, Adams's and Pike's arithmetics, Murray's Grammar (Abridgment and Sequel), Young Ladies' Accidence (grammatical). Pope's Essay on Man (for analysis and parsing), Morse's and Worcester's geographies, etc., etc. In higher English there were Blake's Philosophy, Ferguson's Astronomy, Sumner's Bot- any, etc. In classics, Liber Primus (containing the first chapters of Genesis for translation into English), Selecta Frofanis, and others. There were globes and atlases for illustration in geography, but no other special articles of school apparatus, excepting slates, pencils, and rulers. The reading-books were classical and choice in their selections. Geography was sometimes taught in reading-lessons. Most of the English text-books were in some particulars inferior to modem ones of similar grade. Arithmetical problems were sometimes presented in unique forms, or were mere riddles. The country store of the earliest times was a more emphatic collection of multitudinous varieties of articles. 4-;- Si '■y. ,- iHN F. JONF'-- :ntu:s. '• was Irerpjeuti}' l- •■,••1 OJicoutli stru.'! I.I ii ■ ' ^ - ana < uinchs. « . i-. ntrdt^ ' . « t 'I tt-'i head ; (i, I I . roiiiits. --choo* f In mctioi* 't unmu . iti j( pnt''(l ,i' \ -» nllieioubJi^'' I .i ui^.iiis withlii id in i"he >'i(* (1 ,>ii, 1 ""M'^ s ail J ^ 1 1 ^ 1 •Mr i!)g „ Moi-5. ' ) i i'. • -^ jJTi'-. «■"• Astror.'M, ]i' J, '' >iii^ \ I •fits, t ' • ^ "^^a-? i\«A of nr^"'-''- John F. Jones. CUSTOMS XKD ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 239 if possible, than the later place of local public traffic. Then, as now, the local store was the principal resort of the great commonalty. Men of special vocations some- times took a stock of products to the lower country and bartered for goods to bring back and distribute among their neighbors, and the itinerant merchant, or peddler, reaped a much better harvest than now ; but the country store was a popular necessity, and well patronized. At first, there was less trading in domestic luxuries : the goods in store represented the common necessities. Since the popular idea of necessity does not fully exclude the illusory prin- ciple, we have to admit rum, gin, brandy, etc. into the former list of domestic staples. Cash and barter were ■entertained by every tradesman, to whom the populace largely looked for advantageous exchanges of substance. The progress of the settlement was attended by the exten- sion, and to some extent by the classification, of trade, till the time when Hopkinton assumed the commercial impor- tance described in previous chapters. The currency employed in the transaction of business was at first nominally English, though Spanish milled dol- lars were in circulation. One of the inconveniences of the ■early settlers was a scarcity of money. The different pro- vincial governments sought to relieve the public financial burdens by the issue of bills of credit, a currency men- tioned in the records of this town as "old tenor." The colonial customs developed the ascriptions "new tenor," " middle tenor," and " old tenor," according to the length ■of time bills of credit had been in circulation. Such*a circulating medium in such a time could only ■depreciate in value, but, following a custom obtaining in the old' country, the purchasing value of these bills could from time to time be fixed by the local legislatures. About the year 1750, it was established throughout the provinces that ^ei in the currency of the bills of credit in old tenor should be equivalent to two shillings and eight pence law- ful money, and that six shillings should be equal to one ■dollar. The preliminary events of the Eevolution involved the ^establishment of a system of continental currency. At the time of the first issue of a paper circulating medium, in 1775, the continental notes were nearly at par with gold, 240 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. but they soon fell to comparative nothingness in value. The effect of this collapse in monetary matters was amply illustrated in the public transactions of the town of Hop- kinton. When the salary of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher, sec- ond minister of the town, was voted to be $4,000 for the year, the reverend pastor preferred to accept $75 in gold equivalents, and declined the larger nominal sum. The success of the American cause, and the permanent estab- lishment of the public credit, gave a correspondingly im- proved aspect to local affairs, and in later times this town has experienced fluctuations in prices in common with the general country. During the period of Hopkinton's greater importance as a commercial station, a bank was maintained here for a few years. This institution was known as the Frankliu Bank, and was incorporated in 1833. The grantees were Horace Chase, Nathaniel Gilman, Isaac Long, Jr., William Little, Joseph Stanwood, Matthew Harvey, Andrew Leach, Moses Gould, Ebenezer Dustin, Timothy Chandler, Stephen Dar- ling, and James Huse. The operations of this bank seem to have been exceedingly bungling during the short term of its existence, and it finally settled with its creditors at ninety cents on a dollar. The Franklin Bank occupied the building now used by the Hopkinton post-office and public library. The standard of quantities to be recognized in commer- cial transactions has, from remote times, been a subject of legal regulation. The weights and measures first used in this town were the standards of older communities. In the year 1804, the town of Hopkinton recorded t#ie local adopted weights and measures, as we have seen. For many years a public hay-scales occupied a site in the rear of the Congregational meeting-house. It was simply an immense scale beam and platform, the whole apparatus being covered with a roof. It long ago passed away to give place to the modern hay-scales. We have already detailed many facts relating to the pro- gressive construction of highways in this town. We have also noted the important position the town once occupied on a great line of northern and southern travel. In the progress of time, certain roads became important in view of their aid in shortening long thoroughfares. The road CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 241 from Putney's hill to Hopkinton village, constructed in 1805, was only one link in a chain of causes implying a shorter distance between the southern centres of New England trade and the northern locations of New England or Canadian enterprise. The Londonderry Branch Turn- pike shortened the distance ; so did the new road to Dun- barton ; the same object was implied in the Basset Mill road. The long controversy over the Basset Mill road resulted from the foreseen tendency it would have to turn travel and traffic from Hopkinton village. The shorter road from Hopkinton to Henniker was for the promotion of a better thoroughfare between Concord and Keene. The struggle over this highway implied largely the dreaded expense of the implied bridge over the Contoocook river. The so called new road to Concord, avoiding the toilsome Dimond's hill, was constructed about 1841. The introduc- tion of the railroad changed many aspects of travel implied in existing highways. The old stage lines disappeared. However, the railroad company ran a stage between Con- toocook and Hopkinton village, by which the mails were brought to the latter place. After a number of years, cer- tain private parties put a stage on the line between Con- toocook and Concord, and it eventually carried the Hop- kinton mail, which arrived from Concord. Later, the stage line was limited between Hopkinton and Concord, as it now exists, David L. Gage being the present proprie- tor. We now touch briefly the subject of messages, the facili- ties for the conveyance of which having increased greatly since the earlier days of the town. At first, the ability to transmit messages depended upon the gratuitous accommo- dations of public travel. A person wishing to send a letter to a relative or friend forwarded it by any person who hap- pened to be journeying that way. By this popular method of transmitting messages, the taverns became general dis- tributing post-offices. Sometimes a strip of tape tacked above the fireplace of the public house became a support for letters. The transient traveller looked over the list, and, selecting any bound in the direction he was going, took them along. By this method, the time required for conveyance from one point to another was governed much by uncertainties. Months were sometimes required for 16 242 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. messages to reach their destination, at distances now ac- complished regularly in less time than a day. The intro- duction of a public mail service removed a great inconven- ience. The earlier mails were first carried through this region by horsemen, and afterwards by drivers of vehicles. Subsequently, the public stage became the means of con- veyance ; the railroad crowned the accommodations in this direction till the telegraph afforded the transportation of the most momentous matters. The first post-office in Hopkinton was established April 1, 1811. John Harris was the first post-master. The first post-office in Contoocook was established March 5, 1831. Thomas Burnham was the first post-master. The post-office at West Hopkinton was established May 29, 1857. Joseph P. Dow was post-master. A telegraphic office was opened in Contoocook in 1866. Levi W. Dimond was the first operator. In 1884, a tele- phone office was opened in the store of Kimball & Co., in Hopkinton village, the firm occupying the store now used by Charles French. The same year another was opened in the depot at Contoocook, Amos H. Currier, agent. In the earlier half of the present century, there were en- terprises instituted in Hopkinton that, though in part maintained till now, would have advanced to schemes of greater public importance if the public position once occu- pied by this town had never been changed. One of these enterprises was the Hopkinton Village Aqueduct associa- tion. Water is a domestic necessity, and wells for water are contemporaneous with history. The first wells in Hop- kinton village were in many instances impracticable, for two reasons. The earth in this vicinity is sandy and porous to a great depth', and drawing water long distances is not a desirable employment. An old well on the prem- ises of Horace Edmunds is reputed to be seventy feet in depth. Again, the quality of the soil is so slightly con- creted that wells are in constant danger of falling in. A number of wells have disappeared in consequence of the lightness of the soil in this village. People have been disturbed by a rumble and tremor of the earth, and have investigated the phenomenon to find that their well had disappeared. Once an attempt was made to purify the old CUSTOMS AKD ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 243 Wiggin well, better known as the " town well," since it oc- cnpied a position in the public street. Preparations were made for descent into it, and a man started down to begin the work of purification. He accomplished only a part of the descent, returning to state with. much concern that there was a large chasm in the side, caused by the caving of the earth. The project of improvement was abandoned. This well has been closed a number of years. A general need prompted the formation of the Aqueduct Association, which was incorporated in 1840. The grantees were Horace Chase, Nathaniel Curtis, Joseph Stanwood, Isaac Long, Moses Kimball, Ariel P. Knowlton, William Little, and Reuben E. French. Water was drawn at first by means of logs from springs on the eastern slope of Put- ney's hill, about half a mile from the centre of the village, "the site of the supply being on the land of Abraham Burn- ham. The water of these springs is very pure and sweet. An important protective enterprise was implied in the . formation of the Hopkinton Engine Company, which was incorporated in the year 1814. The grantees were Benja- min Wiggin, Joseph Towne, Thomas Williams, Ebenezer Lerned, John O. Ballard, Stephen Sibley, and their associ- ates. This company was in active existence till about 1852. During the warmer season of the year, it was its custom to meet monthly for a trial exercise. The com- pany was marshalled by the strokes of the meeting-house bell, the engine taken to some reservoir, the tank filled by buckets, and the propelling power of the machine tested. About the time of the last practical usefulness of the Hopkinton Engine Company, an attempt was made to ele- vate the village into a precinct. A legal controversy thwarted the plan, which has since been revived. For many years, two tanks with pumps, supplied from the aque- duct, were in existence in anticipation of dangers by fire. A chemical fire engine was purchased by subscription in 1872 for use in Hopkinton lower village. The Contoocook Village Engine Company was incorpora- ted in 1831. Isaac Bailey, 3d, John Whipple, RoUin White, Joseph B. Towne, and associates, were grantees. This organization is still in effective existence. Contoocook was elevated to a precinct in 1864. After the burning of the Mt. Putney House, in Decem- ber, 1886, the people of Hopkinton village revived the sub- 244 LIFE AND TIMES IS HOPKINTON. ject of a local fire precinct, which was formed the next March. Aaron Smith, Elmer B. Dunbar, and Charles French were the first fire wards. The Fire King Engine Company was also organized, with Abner J. Osborn, fore- man, George A. S. Kimball, 1st assistant, Horatio E. Clough, 2d assistant, and William C. Russ, clerk and treasurer. An engine, hose carriage, and appurtenances were ultimately purchased, an engine-house fitted up, several new reservoirs constructed, and the village put in a state of defence against possible fires. CHAPTER LXVI. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. [Continued.] It is now our purpose briefly to consider military cus- toms. We have historically witnessed the urgent need of military defence by the early settlers of Hopkinton. The attendance of the military at public gatherings was often required. Arms bristled in the air when, in 1757, the first ordination of a minister took place in Hopkinton. It is said that the present prevailing custom of seating the male members of religious congregations in the heads of pews arose from the primitive habit of locating the soldiery in a similar manner. It must be remembered, however, that in the earlier times in this vicinity every able-bodied man was considered in a general sense a person of military precau- tions, if not one of actual martial occupation. The existence of an organized soldiery implies the prac- tice of military evolution or drill. A " training-field," for the accommodation of military practice, was selected very early in this town. The determination of American Inde- . peudence incurred a reestablishment of a military system. Under the new political rSgime, the law of 1792, with some modifications, provided for all the accidental local military facts it is necessary in this connection to mention till the year 1861. This ancient law provided for practice at arms at least three times each year, by all persons liable to mili- CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 245 tary duties. In compliance with legal provisions, for many years tlie soldiery of Hopkinton were accustomed to prac- tise tactics once in May and once in September, the days selected being known respectively as spring and fall train- ing-days, upon which company drill alone was practised. A regimental muster occurred annually in the month of September, the date of the occasion being determined by official authority of the regiment ; the place of assembling was in some one of the towns represented in the command, the practice of alternating locations being in vogue. The plains land south of Contoocook village, the interval below Tyler's bridge, on the south side of the river, and the spot occupied by the new graveyard, east of the lower village, have been used as muster-fields in this town. A soldier of the regular infantry was required to appear at training or muster, armed with a gun and bayonet of his own purchase, as well as equipped with a knapsack, can- teen, cartridge-box and belt, priming-wire and brush, and two extra flints. In later years of the old military service, a member of an "independent" or uniformed company was furnished a gun by the state. Commissioned officers were required to procure their own arms. At company train- ings, the three commissioned officers — captain, lieutenant, and ensign, or second lieutenant — were charged with the duty of inspecting arms and equipments, imposing corre- sponding fines if any were found deficient in number or quality ; at muster, a similar duty devolved upon the regi- mental inspecting officer. The inspection finished, the company or regiment was duly exercised in military evolu- tions and the manual of arms. Public military parade was usually conducted with a decorum appropriate to the imperative character of sol- dierly discipline. In some instances, the excellence in tac- tics was eminently superior. The best skill depended upon the executive character of the commanders. The system of general military practice sometimes developed officers that could direct a company through a variety of evolutions without speaking a word, the motion of the sword desig- nating the order of movement. Col. William Colby, of this town, was one thus skilled. The use of gunpowder was not legally exacted upon the instance of parade, though powder was sometimes used by popular agreement or cus- tom. The sham-fight, a favorite exercise of muster-day, 246 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. was an occasion of much blank firing, when the whole reg- iment — cavalry, artillery, infantry, and riflemen — divided in the semblance of two hostile bands, struggled in a grand mSlSe for the honors of a quasi victory. The legitimate programme of a sham-fight implied the attempt of a con- tending force to surround and capture another, or to deploy its own ranks so skilfully as to prevent a surprisal, while all the time a great display of tumultuous gunnery was indulged. Such contests were always exciting, and liable at any time to end in a riotous demonstration of local pride and jealousy. Local feuds engendered in sham-fights were often perennial in duration, developing at times to such a fever of animosity that the officers of the regiment were impelled to make prudence the better part of valor and dis- pense with the fight altogether, lest it should become too dangerously real in character. The dangerous heat of military enthusiasm was once emphatically illustrated by the boys of this town. Two rival companies of amateur militia, respectively from the upper and lower villages, met on the highway, in what is now the Gage district, and contended so desperately that the populace became alarmed and caused the arrest of the com- bat. The commanders of these companies were Benjamin Jewell, of the upper, and Hamilton E. Perkins, of the lower village. There was also about this time a third company of boys, in Blackwater district ; it was commanded by Sam- uel B. Straw. The time appropriated to a company training was gen- erally half of a day. A general muster of the regiment occupied a whole day. No legal provision was made for the conveyance of soldiers to the place of rendezvous, and individuals often straggled along the way to the training- or muster-field, their gay uniforms making them the observed of all observers. Since the place of regimental muster alternated among the different towns represented in the command, the distance required to reach it often demanded a start of many hours in advance. The spot reached, both the tents of the regiment and private or public accommo- dations were often required to lodge the troops. Experi- ences akin to the actual life of war were often realized in this military housing. Muster service was at best a hard one, and many a youth who looked forward with fond an- ticipation to the time when he, too, should be a happy sol- ALPHEUS R. BROWN. m .'SBOOIATED Kvrsr-^ 247 if ^^ »j ■ '• must pa.-ts ;r^ ,«,'; - > '■■iuwiv dnt\ fJia! hsM^ "i («-i)n}e- 'l ^'tl,,? ^ fc ■ ,. (iuamsfm -nh-n^ "'iiary, ^ u to . ' ,f.t.-(l '< V ,.1<- ^\ after satisfa ■^. .■' ^iim paid was rp-> u jj» ^ u^ ALPHEUS R. Brown, CtrSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 247 dier, lived to count the years that must pass away so slowly before he should be exempt from a duty that had become as irksome as it had once seemed fascinating. The duties o± a common soldier of militia were at first performed with- out pay, though he received his dinner, or its equivalent, on muster-days. Commissioned officers of militia received no salary, but received such other compensation as was given to privates of the same command. They could be exempted from military duty, however, after an official ser- vice of a term of years. At first the town provided a din- ner of bread and beef for the regiment at muster ; later, an equivalent of thirty-one cents was allowed ; last, fifty cents was appropriated as a means of a soldier's refreshment. In later times, also, the members of uniformed companies received each a compensation of 11.50 a year, paid them, at muster and immediately after satisfactory inspection, by the selectmen. The sum paid was reckoned as the equiva- lent of fifty cents for each of two attendances at company training and one at muster. There were both lawyers and doctors in early times in Hopkinton, though at first the social outlines of the legal and medical profession were not very distinctly drawn. Illustrative of this fact, we have the historical evidence that, in the course of his life, the Rev. James Scales not only preached theology, but also practised law and medi- cine. In early days, much more reliance was placed upon the local justice of the peace, who was dignified with the title of " 'Squire." The local " Doctor " was not always a learned man, in the sense of having enjoyed great special training for his chosen life's work. The professional physi- cian of the earlier times was practically beholden, in a large degree, to his knowledge of the reputation of purely domestic remedies. The first physicians in this vicinity were often educated solely under the tutorship of reputable practitioners in their respective localities. Yet they were relatively skilful, as a body, in their day and generation, while some of them enjoyed extra repute. Laboring in an incipient community, much often depended on the personal self-possession of the primitive physician. When a person is often called upon to represent the only individual reli- ance of a dependent circle, he naturally becomes an object of a confidence that rises to the degree of superstition. A 248 LLFE AJSnO TIMES IN HOPKINTON. resolute and prudent physician, the object of such, intense regard, can use his position in promoting effects lying on the border land of mystery. The curative art was of necessity largely popular in its exercise in the earlier days. Men and women of more or less natural acumen and acquired judgment would supply facts and traditions of the medical value of sundry herbs, roots, barks, and other domestic resources in the instance of the various ills that afflict the human body. Confidence inspired from such source annually replenished the earlier homes of this vicinity with a profusion of herbal packages and bundles, provided against the dreaded prospective wants of the sickened individual or household. Rummag- ing through this domestic materia medica, one could find specific reliefs for fevers, chills, aches, eruptions, etc., the efficacy of which was as firmly reputed as any specific in the officinal list of the professional corps to-day. The cura- tive products of the concocting skill of some local or itin- erant domestip practitioner of extraordinary repute were often regarded as indispensable household equipments. Most likely some famous plaster or salve, or some re- nowned liniment, was included in the list of special reliances. Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, who became a resident of this town as early as 1793, was the first liberally educated phy- sician of the town. With him began a new order of pro- fessional things in the local medical world, the old, partially instructed practitioner disappearing, and the new medical graduate taking his place. It may be proper to remark that the earlier physicians, while claiming to be allopathic in theory, were largely eclectic in practice. An itinerant doctor of repute in this town was Dr. Sam- uel Flagg, who carried a stock of medicines and travelled on foot. He seemed to have been esteemed by many adults, but greatly feared by the children, who regarded him as a monster having mysterious and dreadful uses for children, especially if they had red hair. Dr. Flagg's practice ex- tended to many towns in this vicinity, but no one seems to have claimed him as a resident. Being intemperate, this locally noted practitioner is said to have died in a slough. About the year 1820, a violent epidemic, known as the " throat distemper," sadly afflicted the people of this town. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 249 Mostly, or wholly, it attacked the children and youth of the locality, seventy-two of whom are said to have died by its stroke. This distemper, contrary to a conception some- times indulged, was apparently pathologically distinct from diphtheria, though it may have been somewhat similar in its manifestations. The physician treating this malady with the best success was Dr. Michael Tubbs, of Deering, who had nineteen patients hi this town, and saved them all but one, whom he pronounced beyond help when called to the bedside. The principal remedy used by Dr. Tubbs was balsam of fir, employing at the same time a cervical bandage of black sheep's wool saturated with salt and vinegar. CHAPTER LXVII. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. [Continued.] In the early days of this township, the domestic customs were copied from the older districts of Massachusetts, and were largely in common with those of all rural New Eng- land, so far as the conditions of this primitive wilderness would allow. The dwellings were at first small and incom- modious, as well as built of logs. Such habitations were often, if not always, floorless, with seldom if ever more than one room, though they might have afforded a loft for the depositing of articles, or for sleeping purposes. An open fireplace and a chimney, and sometimes an oven, were necessary appendages of a local domestic establishment. Subsequently to the log hut followed the framed house. Framed houses were largely built upon a substantially uni- form plan. A huge chimney-stack, a brick oven, and fire- places proportioned in number to the represented compe- tency of the owner, occupied a central position in every dwelling. The back part -of the house was mostly taken up by the kitchen, which was often fianked on one side by three small apartments — a buttery, an entry, and a cellar-way. The last was generally surmounted by a stair- way leading to the chamber or attic, by a door opening 250 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. from the entry. A front room and an entry, the latter in front of the chimney-stack, and often large enough to con- tain a bed, completed the accommodations of the lower floor. The chamber was generally an open space covered by the naked roof. This description, however, applies to the house of the poorer resident. Sometimes an additional joint, affording two extra rooms, a front and a back, was built to the structure ; sometimes, also, the original plan allowed two square front rooms, a front entry, and a kitchen in the rear, flanked by such accommodations as the taste of the builder directed, but very often on one side by the buttery, entry, and stair-ways, and on the other by a bed-room. As the material prosperity of the early inhabitants in- creased, there was evinced a decided inclination to build houses with two stories. Many of the two-storied houses erected were essentially duplicates of the apartments of prevailing lower edifices. The matter of size was appar- ently entertained as an element of importance in the con- struction of two-storied houses. Pride may have borne its part in this matter, since some of these large buildings were never finished completely. On the other hand, the early attractions of the newer western country and of larger towns left many of the provided prospective domestic accommodations unneeded. The early framed houses in this vicinity were very strongly built. Near the top of Putney's hill stands the first parsonage in the town, said to be also the first two storied house, built for the Rev. James Scales, the first minister. The ancient edifice is 36 feet and 4 inches in length, and 28 feet and 4 inches in width. Its posts are 15 feet high, and the slope of the roof is 10 feet. The corner and side posts are of solid oak, 8 inches square, with expansions at the top for the accommodation of upper timbers. The plates, of clear, solid hard pine, are 104 by 7 inches ; the attic beams, of similar stuff, are 8 by 8 inches ; the rafters, of oak, are 6 by 5 inches, the end ones also being braced ; the oak ribs are 6 by 3 inches. The fact that |400 has been spent upon this house since its occupation by the Rev. James Scales (and it is even now unfinished) suggests some idea of the rudeness of the home of that pious gentle- man. This house, like many others of its time, was located with its front to the south, thus enabling it to serve as a CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 251 sun-dial. This custom of locating houses was often followed without regard to the position occupied with respect to the highway. The ancient kitchen fireplace was the largest of all, and yearly devoured immense quantities of fuel, selected and arranged as fore-stick, back-stick, and superimposed mate- rial. Resting on fire-dogs or andirons, the fuel burned, while pots and kettles, suspended on the crane by pot-hooks and trammels, contained the resolving culinary prepara- tions of divers kinds. Baking was done by the reflecting surfaces of the tin baker, or by the cruder method of bury- ing the material to be cooked in the ashes. The brick oven was also periodically brought into requisition in the prepa- ration of food. The introduction of stoves gradually brought about a revolution in domestic affairs. The work of change began about seventy or eighty years ago. The innovation was at first attended with scorn. Necessity, however, wrought its own modified results in spite of captious opposition. Dan- iel Chase is said to have been the owner of the first stove ever used in this town. It was of very thick iron castings, and much heavier than an average stove of a later day. Among the patterns of stoves first introduced were the James, the Morse, and the Moore. Neither of these would compare favorably with the later styles of kitchen stoves,, either in economy of fuel or in ease of culinary results. How- ever, the adoption of the first stoves was an important step in the path of domestic prudence. With a continued com- plement of ancient fireplaces in every dwelling-house, the native supply of fuel before this time would have been practically exhausted. In the earliest days of this settlement, the fire of the: domestic hearth was renewed by the use of flint, a steel, and a supply of tinder. The introduction of the lucifer match put an end to the less convenient practice of kind- ling. The introduction of the ancient clocks, with open works and visible pendent weights, relieved society of the necessity o:^ locating dwelling-houses directly with respect to the cardinal points of the compass. Many ancient clocks were made by Abel and Levi Hutchins, of Concord. Some- times the uncased works were purchased of the manufac- turers and afterwards enclosed. David Young is said to have been the maker of the first clock-case constructed 252 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. iere. In the rooms of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, at Contoocook, may be seen the first complete tall clock ever brought into this town. It was made in 1733 by lonathan Blasdel, and was brought to this town in 1776 by Benjamin B. Darling. The tall enclosed clock was in its turn superseded by timepieces of still more modern con- struction. The kitchen ware, sometimes of wood, or of porcelain, or of pewter, exhibited features of less distinctiye importance, though of different relative value when china was as rare as now is silver, and pewter as rare as china. The general furniture of a household, of which there are so many lingering representations, needs no special descrip- tion. Out of doors, improved utensils were adopted as time advanced. We have already given some account of these in our chapter on agriculture. Joshua Morse owned the first wheelbarrow used in town. The wheel was a simple, solid truck, wrought from a piece of plank. This imple- ment was in use many years ago. The first wagon had wooden axles, and the body had no braces or springs. The seat was suspended on a pair of wooden strips running longitudinally, and acting in some degree as springs. The first sleigh was double, being capable of containing at least six persons. The first single sleigh was owned by Jonathan Chase, father of Daniel. The first wagon seat, like the first sleigh seat, contained a cavity or " box " for the convenient transportation of different articles. We have already, in a previous chapter, spoken of each household of the olden tiine as a local manufactory. Men, women, and children wore largely only cloths of domestic manufacture. Wool was carded, spun, and woven by hand, fulled at the mill, and at home made into garments for both sexes. Flax was treated in a similar manner. The implements employed in the manipulation of wool and flax can now be found scattered here and there in different places. Cotton was frequently purchased in the form of yarn, and woven in textile combination with wool. The laborious and slow production of fabrics necessitated a stinted economy in dress. Women's gowns had fewer breadths, and both sexes had fewer changes of raiment. The provision of comfortable supplies of domestic conven- iences required diligent labor of the whole available house- hold throughout the year. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 253 In the olden time, as now, improvements were at first within the privileges of the wealthier class. Consequently they were more properly included in the department of domestic luxuries. As the local tendencies of population became more defined, the village became the natural centre of refined domestic attractions. Here luxuries early be- came more generally known than in the more rural dis- tricts, and their glare and fascination proportionally influ- enced the imagination of the less favorably endowed. To cite a case : John Harris, Esq., owned the first floor carpet ever seen in Hopkinton. The introduction of this luxury excited unmeasured popular comment. The privilege of socially commingling is always highly esteemed in every local community. Very soon after the settlement of this town, the universal taste for sociability began to exhibit itself. People met in lesser circles with their private friends, or joined the general company on occasions of greater social festivity. In every locality, more stated occasions of popular gatherings were selected or set apart. In the earlier days of this township, a " rais- ing " naturally became the incentive to a popular demon- stration of sociability. The erection of the frame of an important edifice brought out the majority of the entire settlement — men, women, and children. It was often fol- lowed by a grand demonstration of hilarity. When, at least one hundred years ago, Jeremiah Story raised the frame of his two-storied dwelling-house, the younger peo- ple of the neighborhood supplemented the event by a grand party in the temporary house of their host, where some of them "danced all night till broad day-light." The au- tumnal husking was another occasion of joviality. Both sexes collected at huskings, shucked the corn-ears, paid forfeits of red ones, consumed a hearty supper, of which baked beans, pumpkin pies, and attendant gratuities of the farmer's kitchen formed an important part, and frequently crowned the festivity with a social dance to the music of the violin. When instrumental music was wanting, danc- ing was kept up by the jingling melody of the best singers, in the company. Hopkinton being several times the seat of the state gov- ernment, and always close to the permanent capital, inau- guration day, or " 'lection," naturally afforded the people of '254 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. this town a regularly recurring opportunity to exercise their taste for social amusement. The fascination of offi- cial dignity, the display of militia, and the accidental array of attractive and diverting sights and sounds, all conspired to present an entertainment not likely to be overlooked by the masses of any society. Training- and muster-days also implied attractions appealing to the same social passion. The muster-day, particularly, was a time of greater local interest and excitement. The mimic war, attended by the thousand and one attractions that always cluster around an oui>door public exhibition, set the hearts of the whole community agog. Nor would our references be complete unless we mentioned further those opportunities of social festivity arising from the general inter-dependence of soci- ety in the prosecution of personal enterprises. The raising and husking are only preliminary in a list including the quilting, and the apple-paring, and similar events of a like social character. In the past history of this town was developed a social feature for which we cannot to-day show an adequate com- plement. When Hopkinton was a centre of commercial and political influence, there was a corresponding repre- sentation of those who tread only the higher paths of social popularity and privilege. There were gentlemen and ladies of the old school, who not only enjoyed the better surroundings afforded by their position and power, but also trained their households in a rigid etiquette that placed a social value on the words and acts of the individual unenter- tained in the ranks of the great commonalty. Inevitable later changes have left but comparatively little of that Mgher sociability once so prominent. In general, throughout the history of this town, its peo- ple have exemplified the traits of character proverbially ascribed to New England. Great crimes have been few, the population being mostly of that industrious class find- ing no place for overt acts against the laws of good society. However, a person familiar only with the present state of our social life can have but little conception of the peculiar features of human character always largely obtaining in a pioneer state of civilization. They are only individuals of resolute will and overwhelming personal force that can subdue a wild region, full of wild beasts and wild men. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 255 Such as subdue such a wilderness are both positive and stern, both in their morals and immorals. In an intense illustration of a vigorous ideal, the first settlers in a new ■country strike heavily right and left, dealing energetic and telling blows, whether battling for the right or the wrong. In time, the increase of social and refining facilities tends more to soften than to obliterate the essential outlines of char- acter pertaining to an incipient community, struggling for ■existence in a new country. Hence, in contemplating the mental character of a people like ours, assuming the essen- tials to have been the same since the beginning of local history, it becomes our imaginations to intensify their con- ■ceptions the further back they extend into the past. In perusing the earlier records of this township, one sees an illustration of this theory in the progressive conduct of local legislation frequently required to accomplish various ends. Acts were at first passed and rescinded in multi- tudinous instances. The incorporation of the township, in 17(55, appears in a large measure to have softened many asperities and essentially established the unity and pros- perity of the community. There was one feature of the earlier moral life of this town that requires a more special explanation. All frontier life is liable to be involved with the experiences of criminal adventures. When Hopkinton occupied a prominent posi- tion on the northern New Hampshire frontier, it became the facile resort for thieves, smugglers, counterfeiters and other ■outlaws, seeking the rewards of their nefarious trafiic. The obscure haunts of wood and dell afforded many an oppor- tunity of conducting outlawry, which has left too few relia- ble data to encourage an exact narration. Horse-thieving, smuggling and counterfeiting were conducted by gangs of accomplices that operated on a line extending from Canada to Massachusetts. Secret meetings were held in out-of-the- way places, like the dark glen on the Sibley brook, as it approached the meadow on Dolloph's brook, where, on a dark, rainy night, a party is said to have discovered a whole convention of men, supposed to be consulting for mutual criminal advantage. Smuggling was carried on in goods surreptitiously conveyed across the Canada border, and thence southwardly to places of profitable destination. Goods were conveyed in parcels, united in lots, and distrib- uted again in packages to suit the convenience of the 266 LIFE AiTO TIMES IN HOPKINTON. operators. The partially settled state of the country facili- tated these operations so far that, with all the wariness of public officials, very little progress was made in arresting the crime. The counterfeiters dealt both in spurious notes and coin : the former were largely purchased in Canada, and the latter to some extent, possibly, manufactured here. In the chimney of an old house on the Sibley farm, taken down in 1878 by Dr. C. P. Gage, of Concord, was a vault or cavity unlike anything customarily found in old chim- neys, and supposed to have been designed in furtherance of counterfeiting. The fact that a former proprietor was con- fined in the state prison in Charlestown, Mass., for dealing in spurious money, added force to the suspicion. Different places in this town have been pointed out as possible or probable scenes of former criminalities in the line described, and which now belong to a shadowy historic past. The present subject would be incomplete without a refer- ence to intoxicating liquors. At the time of the settlement of Hopkinton, the practice of alcoholic stimulation was essentially universal. Rum, or some other intoxicant, was considered an indispensable household article. Alcoholic liquors were used at home and abroad. All social courte- sies were confirmed in drinking. The neighbor who congrat- ulated on the event of birth, the friend at the fireside, the laboi-er in the field, the customer at the counter, the guest at the wedding, the clergyman on his parochial rounds, and the mourner at the funeral, were all treated to liquor. On gala days and occasions, fabulous quantities of intoxicants were consumed. When the first Baptist church in town was raised, the brethren provided a barrel of rum and a complementary supply of sugar for the refreshment of the company. In 1783, Rev. Elijah Fletcher settled a bill at the store of Abel Kimball. There were thirty-eight charges in the bill, and they were all for small quantities of liquor, ranging from a dram to a "point," including glasses and " mugs of flip." The evidence of mutual settlement at the bottom of the account is as follows : January 29, 1783. Reeoned and Settled all accounts from the beginning of the World to this Day, and nothing Due on either Side. Elijah Fletchek. Abel Kimball. During one town-meeting in the olden time, over sixty dollars' worth of liquor was sold in small quantities in one CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 257 store alone. During the continuance of the general traflBc in liquor, Ira A. Putney, a teamster, conveyed from the lower country into one store in this town, thirty-six hogs- heads of rum in six weeks. Possibly a considerable part of this quantity was consumed in other places, being distrib- uted to traders more distant from the southern centres of wholesale traffic. Previously to the great temperance reformation, which began in this town about sixty years ago, the popular traffic in and consumption of alcoholic liquors was carried on without special moral consideration, though to some extent under legal cognition. The eai-lier records of this town illustrate the frequency with which men obtained licenses as " taverners," possessed of the legal right to sell ardent spirits. The redemption of local society from this extended sway of alcohol was however mostly effected by moral suasion. Rev. Roger C. Hatch, of the Congregational church, Rev. Michael Carlton, of the Calvinist Baptist church. Rev. Arthur Caverno, of the Freewill Baptist church. Dr. James A. D. W. Gregg, and perhaps others, were prominent local apostles of temperance. Through the influence of men of high moral stamina, who presented economic, moral, and spiritual motives, a great work of popular reform was instituted. However, a strict regard for historic truth requires us to suggest that, in reviewing this great revolution, allowance must be made for the fact that among those abandoning the use of intoxicants at that time there were many who had adhered to the use of liquor, not from any passion for it, but simply in fulfilment of a popular custom. The knowledge of this fact incurs a charitable consideration for the moder- ate success of the modern temperance reformer, who has almost wholly to combat causes that lie in the deeper re- cesses of the human mental or moral constitution, since men who are accustomed to commit acts in the face of pop- ular sentiment are more difficult of effective moral approach through any avenue. It must not be conceived that the great temperance re- form of a former generation was effected without specially enthusiastic acts on the part of more impulsive individuals. In their zeal for a purer life, some persons smashed their bottles or decanters, and others went so far as to cut down 17 258 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. their apple orchards, lest their fruit should eventually con- tribute to the popular supply of cider. But essentially sim- ilar phenomena are witnessed to a greater or less extent in all more important social movements. Not far from 1840, a " Gun Cotton Society," with its head-quarters in Contoocook, was organized for the promo- tion of public temperance. Ebenezer Dustin was president, and Lorenzo Merrill, secretary. As a stock company, it is- sued shares at $1 each, and 5,000 shares were taken. The organization included members from Concord, Warner, and perhaps other towns. Nicholas Quimby, of Hopkinton, and Nathaniel Davis, of Warner, were authorized to prosecute violations of liquor laws. The society ceased to exist after the suppression of the local liquor trade. The following story, often told in Hopkinton, is thus written by Alonzo J. Fogg : After the meeting-house was rebuilt in 1789, and new pews placed in the body of the church, the people of the town met on one Saturday afternoon for the purpose of bidding off the pews. The pews were built square, like so many sheep-pens, with doors hung on hinges. After this, a cap-piece for a finish went round the top of the pew, including the door, and was solidly nailed on, thus com- pletely fastening up the pews. When a pew was sold, the carpenter would saw the cap-piece off at the joints of the door, which gave the owner the privilege to walk in and occupy. Some of the more thoughtful and dry ones of the meeting, such as Joshua Morse, Esq., and others, suggested that no person who bid off a pew should have his pew door sawed open untU he walked over to Major Isaac Bab- son's tavern and paid for the toddy for the company. Under this order, things went along " swimmingly" for quite a time, and the travelling was brisk between the meeting-house and Major Babson's bar. At length Aaron Kimball, the tallest man in town, bid off his pew. Nearly all the party spoke with one accord : " Now, Kimball, it 's your turn to treat." " No," says Mr. Kimball, " I shall pay for no toddy to-night, for you are all drunk now. My legs are long, and I can get over into my pew some way." Isaac Long, then a young man, assisted by a few others, construct- ed two sets of rud6 stairs — one set from the aisle to the top of the pew, and the other set down into the pew. When Mr. KimbaU ar- rived at the meeting-house the following Sabbath morning, the church service had begun, and nearly all the hearers were in their seats. Mr. Kimball had previously learned the improvements the boys had made on his pew, which was located in a conspicuous part of the house. Together with his family he walked up the aisle, up CUSTOMS AST) ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 259 the stairs, and down into his pew, to the no small amusement of the congregation and a smile from Parson Cram. Aaron Kimball was a son of Aaron Kimball, and a brother of Abraham Kimball who was captured by the Indians in 1753. Aaron Kimball, Jr., died in in 1837 at 90 years of age. CHAPTER LXVIII. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. [Concluded.] There is less that needs be said of matrimonial customs than of some others. There are some legal features of this part of the present subject that are worth noticing. The colonial statute of marriage required that an intention of matrimony should be attended by a certificate from the clerk of the town, or a license from the governor of the province, and be published on three several meeting days. Subsequently to Independence, in 1791, a law was enacted in New Hampshire making it compulsory upon parties de- siring to consummate marriage to have their "desire or intention published at three several public meeting days, or three Sabbath days," in town, or, if there was no clerk to publish it, in the next adjoining town. The first publica- tions of matrimonial intents were by open " crying " of the same by the town-clerk at some interval in the religious services of Sunday. Afterwards notice was given by post- ing the legal evidence of the intent of parties in the entry, or porch, of the meeting-house. The posting of marriages was kept up till a late period. In the rooms of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, at Contoocook, can be seen the last marriage notice posted in this town. It reads as follows : Mr. Erastus Danf orth, and Miss Mary S. Nichols, both of Hop- kinton, intend marriage. F. P. Kkowltost, Town Clerk. Were married Aug. 23, 1854. In later times, as is well known, the certificate of a town- clerk is a sufficient guaranty of the privilege of legal marriage. 260 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Few customs in this town have changed more then those relating to the disposal of the dead. In the earlier days of this township, if a person died, the body was enclosed in a winding-sheet, which enwrapped the form in such a man- ner as to favor the lapping of certain edges over the face of the deceased after the obsequies were performed and before the coffin was closed. The coffin was made by the local carpenter, who does not appear to have ever kept one on hand in case of an emergency, and was fitted with a pane of glass over the place allotted to the head of the corpse, through which glass the features were to be viewed by the mourners and friends. The funeral exercises being finished, the detached lid of the coffin was screwed over the pane, and the remains were ready for burial. The preparations for burial being finished, the coffin was placed upon a bier, or barrow, and covered with a pall. The pall was a large piece of black cloth about the size of a bed-sheet, and served as a symbol of general solemnity and mourning. The pall was the property of the town. A pall was possibly purchased in this town in 1768. The bier was at first borne on the shoulders of a number of men selected for the purpose ; in later times, it was carried by the hands, as it is now, sometimes, for short distances, on the way to the grave. The coffin was buried without any box, or other investing receptacle. At first, there were sometimes attempts at preserving the memories of the dead by rude headstones of unhewn rock, in which were cut the initials of the deceased. A number of these headstones can be seen in the old cemetery on Putney's hill. Only one of these bears a date. It is in memory of a child. The whole inscription is " 1758, J.C.," the initials being cut below the date. As soon' as the pros- perity of the local settlement would allow, wrought grave- stones began to be iised. These were at first " with shape- less sculpture decked," being exceedingly rude. In the old graveyard on Putney's hill are the two oldest artificial headstones in town. One is a memento of Lieut. Aaron Kimball, who died July 30, 1760, aged 50 ; the other, of Jeremiah Kimball, who died May 18, 1764, aged 56. These headstones are supplemented by corresponding footstones. The gravestones of the older time sometimes exhibited a prolixity of inscription that was quite noticeable. The most remarkable case in kind is seen in the lower village cemetery. :.;■■■• > , rmv.^ w i" V. ny ■ ■ jiriias were te-r The pioptirations for l.< = ii!«d upou a bier or >'- ;; pail was' a htr.i- '.■'■■■ > cie. ttK'S ufu'tap lie 5,f> > l^roD(•>■ . lis ui I ' lie' t seen n ... ihPbt A'hoie M •. . iv the I'l, > 1 tu, w a Ml It ^* \ 1' ' it'p i]' '■\C' JiU^M ■1 'ii' '>■ llic ' tu ill toiivn. < ' 4 liU-lil' 1. <- •liel Ii !VH(K ,, ,,..i .< .1-1, wL ^'K-1H, i7.'4 I'.ipl'* . «>rreHti> ! ume >.k ■ 'i 1 |K Seth Webber. CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 261 On a large slate headstone, finely sculptured on its face, is the following elaborate inscription : In testimony of sincere affection, This humble monument was erected by E. Dabling, to inform the passing stranger that beneath rests the head of his beloved Ei/IZA W. Parkek, youngest daughter of Lt. E. P., who died of consumption May 11, 1820, ♦ ^t. 18. Invidious Death ! How dost thou rend asunder The bonds of nature and the ties of love. In Coelo optamus convenire. We know that her Redeemer liveth. On the left of this inscription, according to the reader's observation, is the perpendicularly chiselled sentiment, Her Eulogy is written on the hearts of her friends ; on the right, another. Her friends were — ALL, who knew her. The first artificial headstones in the town were of slate- stone, rudely sculptured, with a death's head and wings. Afterwards came the improved slab of slate, on which the monument and weeping willow — one or both — were repre- sentative graven symbols of affliction. The marble slab followed, to be in its turn largely superseded by the more imposing stone or stately monument, the latter being usually of marble though sometimes of granite. The first tomb constructed in this town was built by Roger E. Perkins, and located in the lower village grave- yard. It received the bodies of numerous members and descendants of the Perkins family, but will receive no more. A few years ago it was closed and sealed for all time. In front of this tomb on a slab of soft stone, is this inscription : RoGBE E. Perkins' Tomb, Erected July 11, 1821. It is an interesting fact that this inscription was cut by 262 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKENTON. the late Rev. Edward Ballard, son of the late John Osgood Ballard, the renowned select school teacher, and that the sculptor used only his pocket knife in the operation. The mention' of the lower village cemetery suggests an interesting fact of local history. This yard, as originally laid out, extended convexly two or three rods into the pres- ent main street. When the growth of the village demanded an increased width of street at this point, the graveyard fence was set back the necessary distance, and many bodies were disinterred and reburied in other places ; but many others were left in their original positions, the mounds be- ing smoothed off, and the thoughtless travellers to-day tread above them while passing and repassing. In earlier chapters of this work, we have recorded acts of the town relating to the old village cemetery, illustrating its increase in territory from time to time. In later years, there is exhibited a tendency to grant be- quests for the preservation of the graves of relatives or friends. Hopkinton has two of these bequests, — one of the late Charles G. Greene, of Boston, Mass., for the grave of his mother, and one of the late Robert E. Pecker, of Concord, for the grave of John Estabrooks. In New England, in the days when Hopkinton was re- claimed from the wilderness, the popular definition of all that was socially occult and dangerous was embraced in the term witchcraft. Subject of Satan, indeed, the witch might be, but the accessory was more feared than the prin- cipal. Witchcraft was recognized in this vicinity in at least four forms. There were the occult influences exer- cised over the beasts of the field, the hidden danger that lurked about the path of the unwary traveller, the spectre that haunted the sleeper by night, and the ghost that hung around its favorite stamping-ground. Some details of the several forms and methods employed in these several de- partments of dreaded mystery will be interesting. The live stock of the husbandman was beset by witch- craft that either affected the disposition of the animal or the product of its economy. A beast would become ill- tempered or stubborn through the obsession of the witch. Cows, particularly, failed at times to yield their milk, or the lacteal product soured in an incredibly short space of time, or the cream in the churn refused, after prolonged CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 263 agitation, to come into butter. Instances of this class oc- curred quite frequently, and were of quite recent experi- ence. Only a few years ago, a respectable lady, now living, related to us a case under personal observation, in which the milk of a cow, fresh from the pasture, turned to bonny clabber before it could be conveyed from the animal to the pantrj''. The mysterious annoyance of the traveller by day was more likely to directly affect the beast than the driver. Persons in going abroad were sometimes troubled by a sud- den refusal of a beast to continue tranquilly on its accus- tomed way. Balking and witchcraft became to an extent closely related phenomena. A mysterious case in kind occurred within the memory of the present generation. A respectable lady, who died only a few years ago, related that, being on a solitary journey, she was accosted by an old woman, who begged for the favor of conveyance. For some reason satisfactory to herself, the person accosted de- clined to grant the favor, but only to receive the vitupera- tions of the strange wayfarer, who avowed the refusing person would one day suffer for her stolidness. After a while, the berated woman was journeying the same way again, when^ being near the spot where she encountered the offended stranger, her horse balked and could not be induced to proceed further, and her journey in that direc- tion was ended,. The suggestion of witchcraft naturally came in as an aid to the solution of the problem. The witchcraft of the midnight hour oppressed the inno- cent sleeper and made his couch a bed of horrors, wherein hags, spectres, and hob-gobliiis subjected him to a variety of tortures if by the exertion of mysterious powers they did not even for the time being transmute him into the form of some beast of burden, drive him abroad under the expanse of the heavens, and train him to severe discipline. Persons capable of this kind of obsession were to all appear- ances quite fond of turning the objects of their torture into horses, riding them abroad with presumable gusto. Witches of this class were supposed to have at ordinary times, in some special repository, a bridle reserved for such abom- inable excursions. This bridle was supposed to be of blue, green, or some other fantastic color. Not far from the residence of the writer there once lived a woman who was reputed to possess a bridle of this kind. 264 LIFE AISTD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Ghosts and witches are naturally contemporaneous, though, if anything, the former are more inclined to favor- ite places of resort, from which they seldom stray. Many towns in New England can show the once special haunts of ghostly inhabitants. Hopkinton has its former ghostly stalking-places. Upon the northern brow of Putney's hill, sometimes known as Gould's hill, is a patch of forest long recognized as the " Lookout," once the point from which observations for possible locations of Indians was taken, the smoke of fires revealing their haunts. Spectral appear- ances in different forms, manifested both by day and by night, were apprehended in this locality. The writer re- members a respectable man who believed to his dying day that he there saw an apparition in broad daylight There was living in this town recently an old and respectable gentleman who once averred that passing the Lookout in the evening, returning from his day's work, he saw several balls of spectral fire appear and stand before him, keep- ing in his advance as he maintained his distressful march home. There appeared to have been but two great witches in town. They were "Witch Burbank," whose home was in the vicinity of Contoocook village, and " Witch Webber," who lived on the southern part of Beech hill. Witch Web- ber seems to have been willing to be recognized as a person of occult gifts, and her exploits ^Iso appeared to have been more remarkable in reputed character. We judge so since Witch Webber is traditionally claimed to have acknowl- edged a journey to Lynn, Mass., where the famous Moll Pitcher resided, to attend a convention of weird sisters. Witch Webber's statement of a journey to Lynn was con- firmed, in the mind of one man at least, in a singular man- ner. In sailing through the air on the way to her destina- tion, the witch averred that, in passing a barn on Dimond's hill, she stubbed her toe on the roof and detached a few shingles by the suddenness of the contact. The owner of the premises, hearing the report of the exploit, mounted a ladder and examined the roof of his barn, finding, in the palpable evidence of a few lost shingles, a fact to himself satisfactory and indubitable that the witch's words were true. We have discovered but little evidence that incantations for the defeat of witchcraft or the destruction of witches CUSTOMS AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS. 265 were practised to any great extent in this town. We have heard a story of a man assaulting, axe in hand, an old woman whom he conceived might have obsessed his child, and threatening to destroy her if the annoyance did not cease. The child was relieved by the operation. There is also a story that incantation was once tried on a reputed witch, in consequence of an afflicted person, and the result affected the suspected witch with great and prolonged agony, if it did not destroy her. A successful trick was once played on Witch Burbank. Two young men, apprentices of David Young, cabinet- maker, joiner, etc., were disbelievers in witchcraft. Seeing Witch Burbank passing the shop one day, one of the young men, remembering that silence must be maintained during incantation, motioned his companion to hand him a brad- awl, which he took and stuck in the track of the witch. She had passed but a few rods and sat down when the awl was applied to the earth. Pretty soon Mrs. Young, a per- son well remembered for her eccentricities, entered the shop in great concern, asking the young men what they had done to Witch Burbank to make her stop ; for she feared the witch would obsess them all. The apprentices denied any action on their part, but, on Mrs. Young's re- turn to the house, the awl was withdrawn from the earth, and Witch Burbank continued on her way. We presume the mental attitude of the young men toward witchcraft was afterwards somewhat modified. We assert that superstition is the offspring of ignorance. We may add that the child is capable of great filial attach- ment. With the progress of popular intelligence many ioUies disappear. That there are occult phenomena con- stantly attendant upon human life cannot be denied. True knowledge, however, allows no absurd superstition, though it may entertain a rational mystery, which, though it tran- scends the intelligence, does not contradict it. Some of the afl&rmed facts of ancient marvel are too puerile for ex- planation. Others are subjects of frequent present eluci- dation by teachers of different branches of science. There are still others that imply problems not yet solved in any uniform conception of the public mind, and which are open to such investigation as inquiring minds are able to bring to bear upon them. It is well known to the scientific world that stagnant 266 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. water, when drunk by cows, will convey microscopic germs of infusorial life into the general circulation of the animal, and, in the milk, cause a viscous and frothy condition, of mysterious origin to the uninformed. It is another scien- tifically apparent fact that dyspepsia, or indigestion, will induce a great variety of spectral illusions in the minds of sleeping persons, especially if they happen to be of active cerebral and nervous temperaments. Alcoholic fermenta- tion in cream also thwarts the manufacture of butter. The Rev. Elijah Fletcher had trouble with his congrega- tion in consequence of apprehensions of witchcraft. Refer- ring the subject to the Rev. Timothy Walker, of Concord, the plague was removed. The Rev. Mr. Walker told the people that " the most they had to fear from witches was from talking about them ; that if they would cease talking about them, and let them alone, they would soon disap- pear." Perhaps no better advice could have served the purpose at the time. CHAPTER LXIX. ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. The intelligent reader is familiar with the general narra- tive of the heroism of Hannah Dustin, who escaped from Indian captivity in 1697, bearing her trophy of scalps in triumph back to Haverhill, Mass. The scalps were en- closed in a section of cloth which Mrs. Dustin's captors had torn from her own loom. People interested in the history of this town will be pleased to know that Mrs. Dustin's scalp- cloth was once owned here by her great-granddaughter, whose name appears to have been Elizabeth Eaton Fellows. Mrs. Fellows was the wife of David Fellows, once a respec- table resident of the Sugar Hill district in Hopkinton. How long this historic cloth remained in this town we are not able to say, but are assured of the main fact partly by Mrs. Elizabeth Kimball Varnum, of Malcomb, la., who is of the sixth generation of direct descent from Hannah Dustin. In perusing the reminiscences already recited to the pub- lic, the reader has noticed an occasional mention of Dolloff's brook. This rivulet courses its way from its source near ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 267 the centre of the town to a point near the north-eastern corner, where it empties into the Contoocook river. This tributary of the Contoocook receives its name from one Jo- seph DoUoff or Dolph — the people pronounce it both ways. Quite early in the history of Hopkinton, Abraham Kimball, first male child born in town, built a mill on DoUoff's brook, at a point of the present highway running eastward to Buswell's Corner, where remains of the ancient structure can be seen to this day. For the accommodation of the mill hands, a dug-out was constructed close by the mill's location. Being intended for a temporary convenience, the dug-out was not always occupied. One day there came into the neighborhood two strangers — a man and a woman — with a few personal effects, which they brought along on foot, while they drove before them a cow in which they seemed to maintain exclusive proprietorship. They came from — nobody knows where — and, in want of shelter, took, quarters in the aforesaid dug-out, otherwise unused at the time, and where the indulgence of the mill-owner allowed them to remain for a considerable period, subsequently to which a small framed house, standing to this day, sheltered them. Dolloff and his companion lived in Hopkinton the bal- ance of their lives, or at least till death severed their do- mestic bond. Dolloff was always poor, being more or less an object of charity, and when, at the age of at least 100 years, he left this world, he took the secret of his personal history with him, excepting to claim that he was a soldier under Wolfe, in 1759, and was the first mai> to mount the heights of the enemy at the battle of Quebec. Whether this claim was true or not, Dolloff was not a person of much individual energy or intelligence. It is an interesting fact in this connection that the name of Joseph Dolloff appears in the company of Capt. Nathan- iel Folsom, of Exeter, in the regiment of Col. Joseph Blan- chard, of Dunstable, in the expedition of Forts DuQuesne, Niagara, and Crown Point, in 1755. The same name also appears in Capt. John Whitcomb's company, in the regi- ment of Col. Nathaniel Meserve, of Portsmouth, in the ex- pedition against Crown Point in 1756. In a sparsely populated district, special gatherings are always of great general moment. In such a locality, all 268 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. legitimate causes of meeting enlist the popular attention. Be it politics, reform, or religion, the great commoaalty is prepared to attest its interest. This fact of widely distributed popular life is always in- tensified in pioneer locations. In such places, events which in other spots are only local become territorial. The social ball once set rolling, it perambulates the utmost confines of adjacent domestic society. On the 23d day of November, 1757, an ordination of a minister occurred in Hopkinton for the first time. In antic- ipation of the event, the hearts of the pioneer populace for many miles around were set agog. In expectation of a great gathering, the town made ample provisional arrange- ments. The sum of £450 was appropriated for the ex- penses of the grand occasion. This sum, payable in depre- ciated bills of credit, was probably equivalent to only $200. The day of the company came duly as appointed and expected. Clergy and people, a numerous band, assembled. The solemn rights of ecclesiastical ordination were per- formed at Putney's fort, near the top of Putney's hiU, and where also the military was gathered for greater security against possible Indian attacks. The ceremony was pro- longed till late in the day, and the rays of the setting sun shed a calm, subdued radiance over the closing scene. As the company began to disperse after the dismissal of ser- vice, a young Salisbury man, whose eyes had been amor- ously wandering during the day, boldly approached a stranger lass and said, — " Ah, miss, you are the one for me ! " The damsel replied, with a manifest dignity peculiar to woman, — " What do you mean, sir ?" "I mean," respectfully explained the rustic swain, "that I am a young man in need of a wife, and that you are the person I want." An introduction followed ; the lady was complacent ; marriage occurred that night ; and the next morning the bride began the journey to her home in Salisbury. In searching for knowledge of the past, unless assisted by honest and competent records, one encounters much that is visionary and uncertain. In intellectual as in physioal ob- servation, objects seen in the distance are tinged with illu- ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 269 sive halos, and the dimly outlined forms and facts assume fantastic qualities proportional to the imagination. For this reason, the recollection of the " oldest inhabitant " of a local district is exceedingly unreliable when positive data are the special objects of historical research. We premise thus in order that an approaching narrative may receive a qualified attention. Among the tales of local Indian perils and distresses, afflicting this township in its earliest days, is one told us years ago by an aged woman, whose story fell upon our ears with that pleasure always enjoyed by youth when lis- tening to exciting tales of bygone times. Once in the primitive days, she said, two stalwart young men of this town wandered, gun in hand, from the vicinity of Putney's fort westerly to the plains on the bank of the Contoocook river. While wandering there, they discovered that their footsteps were closely tracked by Indians, who, perhaps, were more intent on capture than on destruction. Not knowing the number of their pursuers, and necessarily bent on personal safety, the young men beat a hasty retreat in the direction of Putney's fort. They soon observed evi- dences of rapid pursuit. A number of Indians were scent- ing their track. Fortunately both of the young men were skilful in the use of the gun, though not uniformly so. One of them could load a gun while running; the other was equally skilful in whirling suddenly and firing, hitting close to the mark. By conjunction of separate personal skills, the two were enabled to keep up a successful running fight. They both escaped safely, but not till three Indians had been made, by their well directed fire, to bite the dust. Having secured companions, the escaped men returned and picked up the bodies of the slain, which were buried just westerly of the present Contoocook road, near or in a lot now sometimes known as the tan-house piece, owned by True J. Putney. Substantial record confirms a number of Indian encoun- ters in this vicinity, but our present narration is not one of them. We give the old lady's narrative — which may be true — ^for the biased contemplation of our readers. When, in 1750, the proprietors of this township renewed their grant, procuring a title from the Lord Proprietors of John Tufton Mason, they became bound to a stipulation. 270 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. that all suitable pine trees should be reserved for the use of his majesty's navy. The local supply of pine trees of primitive gigantic size furnished one representative that has inspired an interesting chapter in the historic roll of the town. The particulars of the story, with a few later data necessarily added, are included iu the following sketch, written by a former professional gentleman of Hopkinton, and originally published in the Worcester (Mass.) Palla- dium : Some time previous to the Revolution, a gentleman by the name of Chamberlain, purporting to be an agent for the king of Great Britain, came into this section of the country in pursuit of trees suitable for masts for the royal navy. He found one in the west- erly part of Concord, and another in Hopkinton, of enormous size. The one in Hopkinton was a white pine. It grew on the farm lately owned by Mr. Isaiah Webber, about one mile north of the East village. The king's agent employed Capt. Jonathan Chase, the grandfather of the late Bishop Chase, one of the first settlers in the place, with several other persons, to cut the tree and draw it to SeweU's falls, in the Merrimack river, a distance of eight or ten miles. When the tree was fallen, it was cut off one hundred and ten feet in length, and then measured three feet in diameter at the top. The exact dimensions of the stump I cannot ascertain, but it is certain that Dr. John Webber, father of Samuel Webber, the president of Harvard college, who lived near by, drove a yoke of large oxen upon the stump and turned them about upon it with ease. Fifty-five yoke of oxen were employed to draw the mast to the river, and a road was cut the whole distance through the forest. It is said often to have happened, while passing over the rough country, that several yoke of oxen were suspended by their necks from the ground by the force of the draught of those in front of them. In passing down a steep hiU in the west parish of Concord, the team was divided, and a portion of it put in the rear ; but the hold-back chains broke, and the immense burden slid forward with fearful velocity, crushing off the horns of the oxen upon the tongue, and stopping finally against the trunk of a large tree. The place to this day goes by the name of " taU-down hUl." The mast was floated down the Merrimack at high water ; but in passing over Amoskeag falls, about twenty miles below the place where it was put in the river, it broke in the middle. The butt end floated out of the current into a small cove in Andover, in Mas- .sachusetts, where it remained until it decayed. It was often re- sorted to as a curiosity, and, tradition says, it was so large that no man could be found who could leap upon it from the ground. When the mast broke, the king's agent. Chamberlain, was sitting ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 271 upon his horse on the bank of the river : he exclaimed, " I am ruined ! " and, putting spurs to his horse, he rode ofB, leaving his hills unpaid, and was never seen or heard of afterwards. Wild, predaceous animals constitute a prevailing annoy- ance of pioneer communities. In the earliest civilized times in this town, the aggression and dread of wild beasts caused a considerable part of the exciting experiences of those old days. Unfortunately for the later historian, most of the special "events arising from the earlier proximity of wild and savage animals are lost to both record and mem- ory. In the earliest times in Hopkinton, wolves were par- ticular pests, so much so that bounties were offered for them. About two miles from Hopkinton village, on the Concord road, is a spot now overflowed by Whittier mill-pond. This spot has been known as Wolf meadow from time immemorial, the name resulting from the frequency with which wolves were once observed in this vicinity. The story we are about to relate describes how a wolf was once captured in this town, if the tradition is correct. Domestic animals usually became prey to wolves, but in the related instance a wolf became the prey of an ox. In an ancient Hopkinton barn, a window was carelessly left open one night, during which a wolf entered by the open aperture. It seems that a stubborn ox occupied the enclos- ure communicating with the outer world by the window, and when his wolf ship attempted to depart by the way he came, his oxship stationed himself before the window and vigor- ously disputed the passage. The opposition of the ox was incorrigible. The wolf could not get out at the window. In the morning, he was found confronted by the ox, and was dispatched by the hand of an outraged husbandman. The reader will remember that in a previous chapter, containing the enumeration of the inhabitants of Hopkin- ton at the outbreak of the Revolution, the negroes and .slaves for life were numbered at two. There were never but two slaves in Hopkinton, we believe. Both of these were probably brought into this town by their owners, who emigrated to Hopkinton from other localities. Joseph Barnard, who was a native of Amesbury, Mass., and came to Hopkinton about the year 1766, was the owner of a slave, who answered to the name of Seeko, and who 272 LITB AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. was a man-servant. Seeko was a man of considerable car pability at all kinds of work required of the manual laborer of his day. Upon the assumption of freedom, on the event of the Revolution, Seeko returned to Massachusetts, where he obtained a wife and had a domestic settlement of some sort as his own. Some time subsequently to this change in Seeko's affairs, Mr. Barnard took a journey on horseback to the vicinity of his native town of Amesbury, Mass., where he was surprised by being approached and accosted by his old servant, Seeko. The master and slave renewed their expressions of cordial friendship, and made mutual inquiries of personal welfare. Seeko was ardently desirous of returning to. his old home with Mr. Barnard, and earnestly besought to be taken back to Hopkinton, but his appeal was resisted, Mr. Barnard not feeling at liberty to comply with Seeko's request. We never heard that Mr. Barnard and Seeko ever met again. The other of the two slaves in Hopkinton was a man- servant of the name of Caesar, who was owned by Thomas Webber. By popular consent, this slave assumed the cog- nomen of his master, and was known as Caesar Webber. Of this slave we have learned but little. He remained in Hopkinton till the end of his life, if we are rightly informed. Caesar Webber joined the Congregational church between the years of 1789 and 1791. There is a story that, after Caesar had become a convert to religion, his minister asked him how his renewed life appeared in comparison with his past career in sin. "Well," said Caesar, "I never was very bad, and I will leave it to Deacon Kimball to say if I was." A doubt has been expressed that Caesar Webber was actually a slave, having been possibly only a free attachS of the Webber family ; but as we have no conclusive evi- dence in the case, we allow the original assumption to re- main. ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 273 CHAPTER LXX. ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. [Continued.] William Peters is said to have been the first white man located in the neighborhood of Dimond's hUl. He at first lived in a lonely camp near the residence of GUman C. Morgan. He afterwards built a log house on the south side of the main road to Concord, nearly or quite opposite the present house of Walter F. Hoyt. At this place, Joshua Morse was Peters's nearest neighbor. When Peters built his log house, he left a projecting end of a bottom log that frequently offered an obstruction to movements about the place. Determining to remove the obstruction, he built a fire and burned it off. Joshua Morse saw the operation, and crossed over to remonstrate with neighbor Peters for such carelessness in exposing his whole house to the danger of fire. " You might have cut off the end of the log with an axe," he suggested. Peters re- sponded : " Oh ! there 's no danger ! I have kept watch of the fire ; besides, there 's an advantage of the burning. A little while ago the mosquitoes were very thick here. Now the air is free of them." This was killing two birds with one stone. William Peters was a true representative of the crude pioneer. He was rough, strong, and inured to extreme simplicity of life. He became the first deacon of the Con- gregational church in Hopkinton. Previoiisly to the Revolution, Abraham Brown, a Quaker, settled on Putney's hill, on the spot now occupied by Guy Montgomery. A Quaker is supposed to be religiously op- posed to war, and unwilling in any case to lend a hand in belligerent operations. Quaker Brown offered no apparent exception to the general supposition. On the outbreak of the conflict between the American colonies and Great Britain, public excitement was wrought up to a high pitch. It is always so when war breaks out, as is known to those who remember the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Soon after the battle of Bunker Hill, a courier rode upon horseback into Hopkinton village, hav- ing a message from the colonial authorities to arouse men 18 274 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. to arms, and to a march to Massachusetts, to drive the British out of Boston. Arrived here, the courier desired 'to forward a. messenger swiftly to Warner and Sutton, and asked for the smartest man and the fleetest horse in this town. He was told that a young man by the name of Matthew Stanley was the fittest person for such a service, •^nd that Qi^aker Brown had the fleetest mare. Stanley readily consented to undertake the errand, but was told that Quaker Brown would not allow his beast to be used for any such service. Stanley avowed that he would have the mare nevertheless. Approaching Quaker Brown, Stan- ley asked for the mare, but was told, — "Thou knowest, Friend Stanley, that I am a man of peace, and cannot allow my mare to be used for any such purpose as you propose." But Stanley said, — "By the powers, I will have her." Quaker Brown replied, — " Very well ; since thou wilt have her, she is in yonder pasture, and the saddle and bridle hang in the mill-house." Stanley took the mare and outfit, performed his errand, returned, replaced the mare, saddle, and bridle, and received no further remonstrance from the man of peace. The mention of the Revolution and the public enthusi- asm of the early coldnists calls up the incident of William Stocker. Stocker was a Hopkintpn man, who was deter- mined to enter the colonial army and resist the encroach- ments of the enemy. Seeking an opportunity to enlist, he was pronounced to be of too short a stature for military service. Resolute in his purpose, Stocker was determined not to be debarred from the ranks by his stature. Placed in a line of recruits for military inspection, he managed to stand upon a hillock of earth, in the hope of deceiving the inspecting official. The ruse did n't succeed in deceiving the official, but it secured Stocker his place in the ranks. The exhibition of so much patriotic zeal caused a " suspen- sion of the rules " in his behalf, and he went forth a fully empowered soldier of the American army. A spirit of rivalry is inherent in the human constitution. In every age, society has observed superior demonstrations of personal force or skill with both admiration and praise. Every community has its athletes who boast their mere physical prowess. The spirit of physical rivalry early man- Sup'T. John C. Ray. ItJEMS A 'SI' 1 ••'- Zi^- •ised !i-. ■,' It.,j.knH lllt'W. IN - i >)L& fo(,'t- »' hftv^ * . i :nii:i David '"' •lt>|*}iM' .• ■•'-' 11- ! ff.X'iW out u; ''.., of wlr-' ■vvas ft!> The preiii':-' - started. IJ<.. < test was agaJt.«' About tlw « : - "''ton, i-an » ■ , - - :;t r ,. a mik. ■'■; : L tii»j \ii- rt-v-.'-- 'r:, ■!«■', but was n by ujgtd in ; .; ■>l cfisguisrd 'V -r ITEMS AND INCIDBNTS. 275 ifested itself in Hopkinton. There is a story told of a foot- race bet-ween an Indian and David Story, a Hopkinton white man. The contest grew out of a dispute between a group of Indians and a circle of whites. Each party selected its best man. The race was duly contested, and Story proved himself the winner. This contest is said to have taken place in very early times in Hopkinton village. On the 4th of July, 1826, a memorable race was run by Hamlet Perkins, of Hopkinton, and Kilburn Hoyt, of Dun- barton. This contest was undertaken upon peculiar con- ditions. The distance was between Dr. Stark's and the hay-scales, the same being now between Charles J. Conner's and the guide-post. Hoyt, who was of gigantic strength as well as fieetness, was to carry Capt. Samuel Burbank, of Hopkinton, who weighed no less than 225 pounds, upon his shoulders,' and have a start of one half the distance. The preliminaries having been duly arranged, the parties started. Hoyt virtually won, as Perkins, seeing the con- test was against him, gave up the unfinished race. About the year 1826 or 1827, Boutwell Towne, of Hop- kinton, ran a race against a horse. The course was from a point a mile out on the South road to the centre of the vil- lage. Towne was given a start of half a mile, but was beaten. In the earlier days of New England, as is well known to many of our readers, petty crimes and misdemeanors were frequently punished by corporal inflictions. Punishment by the stocks or by whipping was so common as to demand the necessary means and appliances in every judicial cir- cuit. When Hopkinton became an acknowledged seat of justice, a stocks was set up. A whipping-post seems to have been a later local institution. The stocks confined the ankles of the culprit, but in using it the hands were confined by manacles, or hand-cuffs, the person sitting. The last case of corporal punishment inflicted judicially in this town occurred about the year 1818, when Capt. Ben- jamin Pierce, of Hillsborough, punished a culprit at the whipping-post. We do not care to enter into the particu- ulars of the exhibition of this relic of barbarism. About 1816 or 1817, a man who had abused his wife was publicly whipped by night ia the streets of Hopkinton vil- lage, by a band of disguised women. 276 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Our present story relates to a big rattlesnake that was killed in the Stumpfield district about the year 1811 or 1812. At that time, Timothy Flanders lived in a house that has since been demolished, and which stood in the field somewhat back from the house now occupied by John F. Currier. It was in the haying time, when the men were in the fields, that Mrs. Flanders noticed an outcry among the hens that were running at large about the door. She looked out for the cause of the disturbance, and observed a large rattlesnake near the house and apparently making his way for the front door. By a hasty movement, she seized a large iron bar and threw it on the snake, which was held fast by the weight of the iron, and expressed his resentment by rattling so loudly as to be heard twenty or thirty rods. Mrs. Flanders then called the men from the hay-field, and the snake was dispatched. The serpent was four feet or more in .length, about three inches in diameter, and had fourteen rattles. Rattlesnakes were occasionally seen in this town till quite later times. The subject of rattlesnakes reminds us of a curious case in the Stumpfield district. About seventy or eighty years ago, there was a country tavern kept in this district by Capt. Parker Pearson. For a longer or shorter time, Capt. Pearson had in his employ a young man by the name of Moody Swallow, and who came from the vicinity of Duns- table, Mass. During his stay in Stumpfield, Swallow an- nounced that, in passing a cluster of bushes by the road- side, he encountered a rattlesnake, which bit him upon the leg, and in proof of the injury showed a wound upon the limb. Sooner or later. Swallow exhibited at intervals the signs of a peculiar and mysterious malady. When the paroxysm occurred, people would say, — " Swallow is hav- ing one of his spells ; his snake is after him." Upon the occurrence of the fit. Swallow would lie down and crawl, while his forehead would corrugate and his eyes flash. In the Stumpfield district was an old style building, with a roof that had one slope that reached to the ground. Swal- low would sometimes wriggle up on one side of this roof and glide down the other, or traverse it in various direc- tions, as his apparent serpentine fancy might dictate. We do not know how long this apparent malady lasted. Swallow in the course of time left Hopkinton, and was ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 277 eventually traced to Canada, but, according to the latest information, was afterwards lost to his friends and family. The exploits of the old militia days were often attended by a measure of hilariousness. Sometimes the militia met to train voluntarily, and then doubtless enjoyed an unusual freedom in pleasantries. About the year 1820, the Hop- kinton Light Infantry, Capt. Moses Colby, and the Hopkiu- ton Rifles, Capt. Jeremiah Silver,* met to train on the Fourth of July. By a collusion not known to many, a number of men, younger and older, repaired to the woods north of the village, where the training was to be, and attired them- selves as Indians, painting their bodies with vermilion. Then they organized into two bands, the younger com- manded by Samuel R. Adams, and the older by Daniel Flanders. In the process of events, the militia marched to the outskirts of the village, discovered, attacked, and captured the aborigines, and marched them in captivity to the village main street, where a sham-fight between the militia and Indians occurred with such realistic effects that certain ladies in beholding it fainted. It was an occasion long to be remembered. However, some of the " Indians " paid for their sport. The vermilion poisoned their skins severely. We are reminded of an alleged event which took place Tery many years ago, and which gave aj)undant attes- tation of the courage of a woman. The time was spring. The day was Sunday. The woman was Mrs. John O. Emerson. Spring thaws often suddenly break up the ice in rivers, and send it in fragments on a hasty march southward. The day we have in mind was one of the warmer days of the early season. In the morning, a party of perhaps a dozen persons, Mrs. Emerson among the rest, crossed the frozen river from the north side, to attend meeting at the old West meeting-house. As the day marched on to its meridian, the warmth increased, the snows melted, the waters swelled, the ice broke, and the surface of the river became strewn with the floating dSbru of the natural bridge of the morn- ing. Returning from church, the aforesaid party approached the river to find a most forbidding barrier to their direct progress homeward. They halted for reflection. The near- 278 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. est bridge was three miles down the river. To reach home that way required at least six miles of travel. The party- was on foot, yet the dominant opinion — ^the natural one — admitted no alternative. Mrs. Emerson, however, de- murred in view of the popular decision. She could not think of wasting so much energy in a needless tramp. She would recross the river on the floating ice. Not to be de- terred from her resolution, she sprang upon an icy float. Alert, she bounded to a second. A third was gained by a dexterous leap. In this manner she gained the opposite shore. Her friends stood still and watched her progress. Seeing her safely over, they made a practical adoption of the sentiment that the farther way around is the nearer way home, and recrossed the stream by the bridge below. In the earlier days, the lower village Baptists used to immerse candidates in the waters of the brook that runs from Smith's pond northerly, through the village, on its way to become a tributary of Dolloff's brook. The spot selected for public baptisms was in a glen just north of the village, on land now owned by J. Edward Fellows. The location, at the time of which we speak, was very romantic and beautiful. The glen was shaded by grand old forest trees. The brook was reached only by a foot-path winding down a precipitous cliff. In the bosom of the brook was a pool prepared for baptismal purposes, its bottom being paved with white pebbles. On a baptismal occasion, the people of the congregations were accustomed to file down the zigzag path, singing appropriate hymns ; the bottom of the glen reached, the ceremony of baptism was performed with the usual solemnities. The place, the occasion, and the formalities conspired to impress the imagination in a forcible manner. On a certain occasion of baptism at this romantic spot, the rite was administered to a number of young ladies, who, for the occasion, were arrayed in robes of symbolic white. One of these persons was popularly recognized as the fairest of the fair, and her beauty was not diminished by her snowy dress and luxuriant, loose flowing hair. That day a young officer of the United States army arrived in town, and finding the tide of local population turned toward the scene of public baptism, wended his way thither, taking a position of observation on the summit of the cliff ITEMS ASD INCrDENTS. 279 overlooking the glen. Sitting there, he saw the lovely- maid, the fairest of the fair, plunged beneath the sparkling wave of the pellucid stream. The sight of so much beauty- quickened an emotion coetaneous with human nature, and made him feel a vacancy in his being that longed for oc- cupancy by the adorable being before him. Imperative circumstances, however, prevented the immediate consum- mation of desired plans, and, discharging his personal errand, the young son of Mars returned from whence he came. The fires of love, once kindled into vigorous flame, are not readily subdued. The young military officer, feeling the yearnings of his heart constant toward the new-found attraction, embraced the opportunity of visiting these local scenes again. Years, however, had passed away since his first visit, but the time of absence had not obliterated the traces of personal regard that were once wrought in his bosom. As he came and saw once, he determined to come and see again, possibly to conquer. He sought and found these streets again, and asked for the domicile of the fair one that had made his spirit glow with an intenser fire. He was pointed to a village house. He approached and knocked at the door. A plain, buxom woman responded. She was clad in a country housewife dress, and her sleeves were rolled upon her arms. A peculiar odor filled the hall, and if one had gone there he would have heard a peculiar siz- zling in the kitchen. The truth must be told. The fair maid of days agone stood before the martial visitor. She had become plain and stout ; she was the wife of the village butcher; her husband had just killed a number of hogs, and a grand trial of lard was in progress : the good wife was mistress of the operation. Sic transit gloria amoris ! 280 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. CHAPTER LXXI. ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. [Continued.] The record of great droughts in Hopkinton is very mea- gre. There have been at least three great droughts in this town. One was in very early times, the year 1775, when all the cattle of the township were collected upon the banks of the Contoocook river, where now is the large interval of Mrs. C. L. George, and kept till the dryness abated. Jo- seph Putney, Jr., once told us that he remembered a year so dry that there was not a green blade of grass from the northern to the southern extremity of the ridge of land now including Putney's and Gould's hills. That year — which was possibly 1840 — trees were lopped in the pastures to supply leaves for food for the stock. The year 1882 was very dry, but the reader needs no description of it. The year 1780 witnessed a peculiar and memorable scene on the 19th of May, on which the " dark day " occurred. The previous months of winter had been marked by pecu- liar climatic phenomena. The weather was very cold ; the snow covered the ground from the middle of November to the middle of April ; there were brilliant displaj'^s of the aurora borealis ; there were numerous large spots upon the sun. Previously to the 19th of May, a sulphurous odor is said to have been observed in the atmosphere. However, the main climatic facts mentioned probably applied to the whole northern territory of the United States. The follow- ing description of the dark day was given by the Massachu- setts Spy, a paper of the period involved : The morning of the day was overcast with clouds, and rainy ; before 9 o'clock the rain in a great measure ceased, the clouds ap- peared more agitated, and the air began to darken. For several hours in the middle of the day the obscurity was so great that those who had good eye-sight could scarcely see to read common print ; the birds and fowls in many places retired to their roosts as though it had been actually night, and people were obliged to light candles to dine by. It was the judgment of many that at 12 o'clock (the time of the greatest obscurity) the daylight was not greater, if so great, as that of bright moonlight, which by calculation has been found to be 90,000 less than that of a clear, sunshiny day ; during ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 281 the whole thne a sickly, melancholy gloom overcast the face of nat- ure. Nor was the darkness of night less uncommon and terrifying than that of the day; notwithstanding there was almost a full moon, no object was discernible, but by the help of some artificial light, which, when seen from the neighboring houses, and other places at a distance, appeared through a kind of Egyptian darkness which seemed almost impervious to the rays. There were no incidents of the dark day in Hopkinton that were specially noticeable, or we have never heard of them. Many recollections of that day were ever after pre- served by those living at the time. Without entering into a special comparison of the phenomena, we apprehend that the cause of the darkness of May 19, 1780, and that of Sep- tember 6, 1881, were substantially identical. The 19th of January, 1810, was made memorable in local history on account of the severity of the weather. " Cold Friday " incurred an indescribable amount of apprehension and suffering, not merely on account of the low tempera- ture of the air, but by reason of the high wind and the in- different means of self-protection then possessed. The cold- ness itself was not so intense as New Hampshire people are frequently called upon to endure. The mercury on " Cold Friday " did not probably reach more than twenty degrees below zero. The year 1826 was remarkable for being the great grass- hopper year. During its summer season, the grasshoppers swarmed in innumerable hosts, and were commensurably destructive. Almost all crops were partially or entirely ruined. In many cases, the succulent portions of vegetable productions were consumed, leaving only the woody por- tions. The abundance of grasshoppers made their forage scanty, and they preyed upon everything upon which they could make an impression. A wooden tool, or portion thereof, if left in the field, would be gnawed upon the sur- face till it became rough, as if it had been rasped. In the hay season of that year. Elder Joseph Putney lost a leath- ern pouch, in which he carried silver money, while at work in the field. The next autumn his son, Joseph, Jr., while in the same field, saw something glitter in the grass under a tree. Examination revealed the lost money pouch, which had been eaten full of holes by the grasshoppers, thus en- abling the silver coin to be seen through them. In such a season, people had no adequate remedy for the pest. Fields 282 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKTNTON. were sometimes measurably delivered of grasshoppers by- stretching a rope on the windward side of it, and then car- rying it across while it was allowed to flap up and down on the way. By this operation, the grasshoppers were stirred up and urged along with the wind. In a related instance, the grasshoppers of one field were thus swept off into the riyer, where they were largely and rapidly seized and de- voured by the fish. The surface of the water was much agitated by the active movements of these fish. In the fall of that year, multitudes of grasshoppers perished in the autumn storms. The year 1826 was eventful for being the year of the August freshet. The latter part of the summer of that year was unusually quiet, but the climax of wateriness was the result of a shower that occurred on the afternoon of August 28. That day, Joseph Putney, Jr., left Hopkinton for Sutton with an ox-team, intending to return the next day with a load. On his way to Sutton, he was overtaken by the shower. Seeking shelter under a roof, the water poured from the building to the earth in a perfect sheet, such as is seen when a dam overflows. The next morning, his return with the team was impossible. Roads were gul- lied ; bridges and causeys were gone. During the night of the 28th, the Contoocook river overflowed its banks, and all the low lands along its course were covered with water. Ungathered crops upon interval lands were either dam- aged or destroyed. Floating objects were carried down stream in large numbers. Prominent in the waste of water was a multitude of golden pumpkins. We have record of at least five highest freshets upon the Contoocook river. The first was in 1775 ; the second in August, 1826 ; the third in April, 1852 ; the fourth in April, 1862 ; the fifth in October, 1869. In the year 1824, General Lafayette, whose renowned services to the American cause in the days of the Revolu- tion made his name and fame specially dear to the people of this country, came to these shores on a visit to the scenes and people of his early contests and regards. Upon his landing at New York city, in August, he was received with a great ovation, and his progress through and about the country was marked by observances in his honor, till he ITEMS AND INCtDENTS. 283 left for Europe, in September, 1825. During his American travels, the general passed through Hopkinton, and held a public reception in the street, under or near the two largest elms, in front of the house now occupied by E. Eugene Dunbar and Mrs. Helen B. Goodspeed. Here he was met by a large assemblage of all classes of citizens. At that time, Miss Betsey P. Eaton, afterwards Mrs. Brockway, was teaching a school in the village. In a dictionary in use in her school she made the following memorandum : June 22, 1825. Keeping school in this village this summer, and Esquire Chase called at the door, saying Lafayette was here, and wished me to dismiss the school, that we might all have the pleas- ure of shaking hands with so distinguished a personage. His aids were Ignatius Sargent and Peter C. Brooks, citizens of Boston. Very few particulars of this reception have been pre- served. To advance at first into the domain of indisputable nar- rative, we mention an event that in its time moved the heart of local society to the profoundest depths. The nat- ural sentiment of mystery and awe that is associated with death and the grave is only intensified by acts of grave- yard desecration. This fact, if in any degree different, could only be more real in earlier times. The case under narration is, we believe, the only one of its kind ever hap- pening within the limits of this township. In the year 1831, Joseph Philbri&k died, and was .buried in the then new graveyard in the village of Contoocook. A few days after, his widow followed him in death, express- ing tenderness of conjugal affection in her last hours, and wishing that, in the grave, her coffin might be allowed to rest in actual contact, side by side, with that of her hus- band. In the proposed fulfilment of this dying wish, the new grave was dug unusually close to the one enclosing Mr. Philbrick's body so recently. Such close proximity revealed the unexpected fact that a quantity of rubbish was contained in Mr. Philbrick's grave, and which could not have been put there at the time of his burial. Suspicion was aroused, investigation instituted, and discovery made that the grave had been robbed. Mr. Philbrick's body was missing. Great excitement, profound suspicion, and diligent search 284 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. followed upon this shocking discovery. All this heated activity, however, failed of any practical result. The body was not found through any public detective skill. Some time after the event of the discovery of the empty coffin, the lost body was discovered in a swampy place in the southern part of the town, by a party engaged in building a fence, which fact only tends to support the proposition that the act of desecration was performed by persons living not far away. The body was reburied in its original spot. In the year 1832, Benjamin Rowell shot Calvin Holmes by a careless accident. Rowell was a lunatic, and was apprehended and confined in jail, but was never punished as a responsible culprit, although he was kept under legal confinement or surveillance till the erection of the 'New Hampshire state asylum for the insane, in 1843, when he became an inmate of that institution, remaining till his death, a number of years ago. While in jail in this town, being considered worthy of so much trust, Rowell was sometimes allowed the " freedom of the yard." There being no adequate inclosure about the premises of the county prison, such freedom as was sometimes allowed to trusted prisoners implied the privilege of strolling up and down a certain distance of highway. While enjoying the described privilege, Rowell, on one occasion, ventured to abuse the confidence imposed in him so far as to relieve the irksomeness of constraint by a little amusement at the expense of legal authority. Indulging an emphatic pretence of rnnning away, he suddenly disap- peared from sight, to be followed in rapid pursuit by the jailer and a posse of citizens, all eager to restore to con- finement the absconding culprit. As the whole company was tearing along the highway in the direction Rowell had apparently taken for flight, the pursuers were suddenly halted and vexed by the appearance of the prisoner far in the rear, shouting, " Here he is ! Why do n't you catch him ? " Turning upon his heel, Rowell ran in the reverse direction, and the excited posse rushed pell-mell after him, but only to be tricked the same as before. " Ben," said the jailer, " if you do n't stop, I '11 shoot you." " Guess you '11 have to go home first and get your gun," quietly replied Ben. ITEMS AND INCrDENTS. 285 A gun was brought, and Ben walked quietly back to his old head-quarters. Benjamin Rowell represented a family of unusually keen intelligence. In his earlier years, he served an apprentice- ship with a carpenter. Having completed his service, he was sent into the woods to select timber and construct a frame. Being ambitious, anxious, and nervous, the burden of his responsibility weighed upon him and broke his rea- son. In justice to the unfortunate man, it is gratifying to be able to say that the frame, in the construction of which he lost his reason, proved to be a perfect one. During Rowell's stay at the state asylum, as the story goes, he rescued from the asylum pond two boys that would otherwise have drowned. Taking them to the authorities- of the place, he said, " Now that I have killed only one, but saved two, you ought to let me go." The appeal was. in vain. In the year 1833, Roger E. Perkins finished the some- what massive wall that enclosed the front yard of his house,, which in later times was known as the Foss house, burned in 1882. Upon the completion of the structure a great military fSte was held. The day was in June. At the time of which we speak, Mr. Perkins had a son, Hamilton E., the late Judge Perkins, of Concord, in the' university at Norwich, Vt., where was also Samuel G., son of Baruch Chase, of this town. Through the influence of one or both of these young men, the Norwich Cadets, Capt. Partridge, were induced to come to Hopkinton and attend the dedication of the wall. Young Perkins and Chase were both cadets. When the cadets arrived at Hopkinton, they were received by the Hopkinton Rifles, Capt. Thomas Bai- ley, and escorted to Mr. Perkins's house on the South road, where a grand dinner was served upon the wall. The cadets were in good spirits upon this occasion, and some of them gave evidence of their good nature by tossing pennies among the crowd of small boys and observing the lads scamper and struggle for the prizes. During the stay of the cadets, they lodged in the town hall, where a grand ball was given in their honor, Mr. Perkins paying the expenses. The story is told that on the day of the dedication of the- wall, both the visiting and the resident companies per- 286 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. formed military drill in tlie village, and the evolutions and tactics of the Hopkinton Rifles were so superior to those of the other company that they gained the chief admiration of the observers, and, in consequence of this, certain leading citizens of Hopkinton approached Capt. Bailey and re- quested him to refrain from further military exercise for the sake of courtesy to the visiting company. In a previous chapter we have given some account of the local branch of the Grand Army of the Republic. It may be vreU to notice here a service that occurred in town be- fore the permanent organization of a Grand Army post. The year was 1880. Public measures in anticipation of memorial service were taken by the citizens in general, and the different •civil societies and organizations were induced to contribute their assistance. On Memorial Day, a gathering was held in the morning at the town-house. After an introductory service by Revs. A. J. Hopkins and C. A. Stone, a proces- sion was formed, and marched through the principal streets of the village under the marshalship of Capt. G. A. Curtice, of Contoocook, in the following order : First — Hopkinton Cornet Band, 24 men ; J. Fred Gage, leader ; Melvin Colby, director ; C. C. Lord, drum-major. Second — Contoocook Syphon Fire Company, No. 1, 35 men; E. E. Currier, captain ; James M. Putnam, foreman ; Elbridge G. Corliss, assistant foreman. Third — ^Veterans, 40 men ; G. A. Curtice, captain ; E. A. Bout- well and William Montgomery, lieutenants ; William Patterson, orderly sergeant ; A. J. Kelley, color sergeant. Fourth — County and town officers, citizens, and school children ; Parker M. Flanders, marshal. Fifth — Union Grange, 80 members ; Charles Gould, master ; E. B. Dunbar, marshal. Sixth — Odd Fellows, 53 men ; James M. Putnam, noble grand ; Stephen E. MorriU, vice grand; Henry Dustin, warden; Warren S. Rand, conductor; William H. Hardy, treasurer; Thomas B. Richardson, secretary; past grands, Dr. G. H. Blaisdell, C. A. Stevens ; chaplain, John F. Jones. Seventh — Good Templars, 75 members ; H. M. Kimball, mar- Bhal. The march having been concluded, the graves of the •soldiers of the war of 1861, as well as those of the wars of ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 287 1776 and 1812, were decorated, with appropriate ceremonies. This remark applies to the graves in the village cemetery. After a collation in the town-house, specially furnished for veterans, a second and afternoon gathering was held at Con- toocook at the house of Mrs. C. L. George,' where services were held in the front yard, Revs. Stone and Hopkins, and Revs. B. P. Parker and C. H. Leet, and Thomas B. Jones, par- ticipating. A march was taken through the principal streets to the village cemetery, in substantially the same order as in the morning, except that Geo. B. Hardy was marshal of the citizens' division. A drum corps was also added, and con- sisted of the following persons : Otis M. Brown, fife ; Henry E. Dow, snare drum ; Jeremiah S. Webber, bass drum. At the cemetery, the soldiers' graves were solemnly decorated, the same general recognition of military service being made as in the morning. Soldiers' graves in those cemeteries lying distant from the villages were decorated by special committees. The graves were all decorated with flags, while those in the village cemeteries were ornamented with flowers and wreaths furnished by the generosity and diligence of the ladies of the town. The second public observance of Memorial Day was in 1882 : it was conducted under the auspices of Col. Putnam Post. Many residents of Hopkinton have become accustomed to hear the present residence of George W. Mills called the "Fort." The " Fort " was once the property of our former townsman, Moses Cross. In the old militia days, we are told, one of the infantry companies made Moses Cross the custodian of its guns when not in service, a charge to which Moses was very faithful, keeping the arms dry, bright, and clean. There was also a cannon, a piece of general property, of which Moses also had the care, the piece being also located upon his premises on the ledge, where Moses used to fire it on public occasions like the Fourth of July. These circumstances, which existed for a term of years, occasioned the place to receive the name of the "Fort," whose owner also gratuitously obtained the title of " Major," which he retained till the day of his death, October 18, 1858. Moses was apparently quite pleased with the title of Major. Being a man of somewhat 288 LIFE AKD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ludicrous propensities, he engraved upon his dog's collar the following legend : " I am Major Moses Cross' dog ; whose dog are you ? " Major Cross used also to speak of himself as a triple identity, saying, " The Major, Moses, and I." Major Cross was best known as the sexton of the village ceme- tery, an office which he held many years, discharging it with a faithfulness that has never been surpassed by any successor. Hundreds of bodies were buried by his hand. His was the peculiar custom of taking a last look at the remains before the earth was deposited which concealed them from sight forever. One time the writer stood by a grave that Major Cross was about to fill. As the old sexton cast in the first earth, which fell upon the coffin-box with a hollow sound, Moses remarked, " That is the most solemn sound I ever hear." Moses Cross died a sudden and untime- ly death by the roadside, on the road leading directly from the village to Putney's hill, the spot where his body was found being now marked by a small upright stone pillar. The major's grave is marked by a plain slab in the old cemetery, where his remains now keep company with those of so many others of his neighbors and townspeople which his own hand buried. CHAPTER LXXII. ITEMS AKD INCIDENTS. [Concluded.] Matthew Harvey, state and national legislator, judge, and governor of New Hampshire in 1830, was many years a resident of Hopkiuton. His house was in the village, his late residence being now occupied by Mrs. John S. Kim- ball. Judge Harvey, as he was commonly called, was a half-brother to John M. Bailey, who lived on the present Jewett road, about two miles south of the village. The judge at one time owned a family dog, which habitually attended religious services with the family at the Episcopal church, and lay quietly in the pew till the congregation was dismissed. Once the judge and his family went visit- ing some distance away, and, not wishing to take the dog ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 289 along, they left him in the care of Mr. Bailey's family, on the Jewett road. The Bailey family were in the habit of attending church regularly, but worshipped at the Congre- gational house, to reach which they had to pass the Epis- copal church on their right as they went through the main street of the ■village. Judge Harvey's dog kept up his Sunday habits while sojourning for some weeks at Mr. Bailey's, but would not desert his old Episcopal service. So when Sunday came, he followed the Bailey family up to and into the village as far as the Episcopal church. Then he turned aside, entered the church, selected his master's pew, entered, and lay down quietly till service was over. Then he came out to meet and return with the Bai- ley family after the dismissal of the other congregation. Thus was exhibited a degree of canine single-mindedness truly admirable. Speaking of Judge Harvey, we are reminded of a little saying attributed to him. When the scramble for public office began to be more marked in town, the judge is re- ported to have said something like this : " There was a time when there were only a few men in town that felt them- selves competent to assume the duties of public office, but now there are so many desiring promotion it becomes a dif- ficult thing to recognize the claims of all of them." In the earlier times, men could not attain public recognition of their ambition for official honors as easily as they often now do. Then a candidate might be years in working up a sufficient constituency "to elect him. There is a story told of a citizen who succeeded, after years of trial, in obtaining a respectable support to a can- didacy for representative. On town-meeting day, he was once publicly recognized as a full-fledged candidate. Now, this citizen was a person of prudent mien and refined tastes, who disliked to see voters rushing and jostling at the polls or elsewhere. So, seeing a headstrong suffragist pushing and elbowing his way vigorously toward the moderator, he accosted him and asked, " What 's the matter ? Why are you in such haste ? " The accosted individual substantially .responded, "I have been waiting many years to get a chance to vote for you, and now I am afraid that, unless I cast my ballot as soon as possible, you will be too old to go to General Court." If this story is true, we presume this 18 290 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. voter was allowed to pass up and have his name called without further delay ; if it is not true, it is good enough to tell just the same. In a previous chapter, we have spoken somewhat at length of past moral customs, referring incidentally to drinking. We now adduce an anecdote that shows how great a change has been effected in public sentiment in regard to the management of common schools since the days when a teacher might take his bottle or his pipe to the school-house and create less public concern than would now result if a teacher were known to be very much ad- dieted to either of them at home. About sixty or seventy years ago, Samuel Wilson taught school in the Putney Hill district, having, perhaps, seventy- five scholars under his care. Wilson's home was on the road from the Gage district to West Hopkinton, the last occupant of the house being Newton McAlpine, who was burned out about eighteen years ago. Wilson, like most men of his time, indulged in ardent spirits, and it is more than hinted that he took his bottle to school, regaling him- self from the contents during brief sojourns to the entry. At the time of which we speak, Samuel Simpson occupied a large, square, two-storied house, now the remodelled resi- dence of Reuben E. Gerry. In the upper portion of Simp- son's house was an open apartment, sometimes used as a hall, and where many a dancing party was held by the young people of those days. During Master Wilson's career as a teacher on Putney's hill, he found himself once at least in a generous mood that doubtless long after left its impress upon the memories of his pupils. Choosing a few of the older scholars as confi- dants, he contrived a grand surprise for the balance of the school. When the necessary preparations had been secretly made, the school was marshalled at the school-house, his few chosen older pupils acting as aids, and a march taken up, two by two, for Mr. Simpson's residence. Arriving at the house, the school was marched up-stairs into the hall, where seats were suitably arranged and disposed in order for sedentary refreshments. The ordinary preliminaries having been arranged, the service of refreshments was ren- dered, the whole school, old and young, being treated to a ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 291 liberal supply of rum and sugar, the mixture being ad- justed to the taste in a highly gratifying manner. Both great and small enjoyed the occasion as well as school children of to-day appreciate a gratuitous invitation to partake of cake and lemonade, and the memory of it was as lasting. Four different times, Hopkinton was the seat of the legal government of New Hampshire. Since the permanent loca- tion of a capital, she has been close to the centre of func- tional state authority. In consequence of Hopkinton's peculiar privileges and situation, she was in former times a scene of frequent assemblies, with their attendant features of social activity and recreation. In those days, the pres- ent railway thoroughfares not being in existence, the tide of travel toward the capital from the western part of the state either stopped at, or passed through, Hopkinton. In later times, too, a governor-elect, if he happened to live in a westerly section, would likely enough be met at Hopkin- ton by a large delegation of officials and citizens, prepared to conduct or witness his escort to the state capital. On such occasions, Perkins's tavern was the principal resort of the Slite, as well as of as many others as could find room for accommodation at its hospitable board. We think it was on an historically later occasion of events anticipative of an inauguration of a supreme state official that, among all the assembled ones seeking hospitality at Capt. Perkins's, there was a country swain of self-possessed aspect and man- ner, having under escort his favorite rural lass. The pair having taken seats at a dinner table, surrounded by a large company of strangers of different social style and position, the confident swain was approached by a waiter, who asked what dish would suit his special palate. "The best you've got," promptly replied the rustic Lothario. The patient waiter mentioned a number of palatable prep- arations devised in anticipation of the occasion. Would he name his choice ? Nothing seemed to excite his particular appetite. He ruminated. At length he inquired, — " Have you any salt mackerel ? " The waiter informed him there were mackerel in the brine, but they must necessarily be freshened before cook- 292 LEPB AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ing, and the operation would unavoidably consume a con- siderable amount of time. "Never mind the freshening," he remarked. "Bring me some cooked right out of the brine." The dish was duly prepared and served according to di- rection. The suggestion of salt mackerel, cooked directly from the brine, being the best fare afforded at a first-class -tavern, created a ripple of mirth that ran all around the table. Keepers of public houses, like people of other vocations, are not without their peculiar liabilities to annoyances- incident upon their special calling. In the great incon- gruous mass of individuals steadily seeking the advantages- of a prominent public house are many whose freaks of fancy or deceit are a constant source of vexation to the landlord, though his customary aspect of outward complacency may seldom allow of an expression of the impatient fervor that- dwells within. The executive authority of Perkins's tav- ern was in no sense exempt from the common lot of all those offering their hospitalities to public patronage. Among the guests seeking hospitality at Perkins's tavern was the eccentric Mrs. Royal, well known for her assumed interest in the political conduct of our great and mighty nation. Mrs. Royal's sense of privilege implied the exer- cise of private judgment of the qualities of her acquain- tances, who were respectively recorded in either her " red book" or her "black book," as, in her estimation, they were either good or bad. Being at one time a visitor at Perkins's tavern, this model critic allowed her sense of privilege to extend to the voluntary appropriation of a por- tion of a fowl unremoved from the vessel for cooking, and which she abstracted with her naked fingers ; and when the landlady, who formerly figured more prominently than now in the domestic affairs of the public house, looked re- monstratingly at her, she only replied, " It 's Mrs. Royal to whom you have the pleasure of addressing yourself." However, the presumption of Mrs. Royal was outstripped in an eminent degree by a plain, unassuming wayfarer who called at Captain Perkins's on a wintry day, and, in a pathet- ically pleading voice, said, addressing the landlady, — "• Good lady, will you be kind enough to give me a few potatoes to eat with my cold meat?" ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 293 It was a frequent custom in those days for tra-vellers to carry a portion or all of their provision on their way, and this fact doubtless prevented any surprise at the implied dietetic situation of the suppliant visitor, who, in the appre- hension of the landlady, appeared only a person of partial charitable needs. With a heart full of sympathy for want, she supplied the applicant for charity with a stock of pota- toes sufficient for a generous meal. The needy individual received them, buried them in the hot ashes of the ancient fireplace, watched them during the progress of roasting, removed them when done, and finally brushed and blew off the clinging ashes nicely. Then he resumed his former suppliant attitude and said, — " Good lady, will you be so kind as to give me a little cold meat to eat with my roasted potatoes ? " Though a person of resolute mind, the landlady was more impressed by the ingenuity of the presumptuous guest than by his perpetrated imposition, and she allowed him to partake of a repast of cold meat and roasted potatoes at the expense of the house. Every community has its pass-words and local phrases. Every one of these probably has an origin in some incident that may be forgotten long before the word or phrase passes into disuse. The origin of such a word or phrase, when traced out, is often curious and interesting. There was in town a time when, especially in the neighborhood of Put- ney's hill, a person of simple mind might be designated as one who "didn't know the way to John Gage's." The origin of such a description was peculiar. In the olden time, when the town poor were annually farmed out to the lowest bidder, this town supported a feeble-minded woman by the name of Lois Eastman. Lois had a home many years on Putney's hill. Once, before the present direct road from the hill to the village was laid out, a stranger called at the house where Lois lived, was met by her at the door, and of her he asked the way to the village, which was by either of two indirect roads. Lois directed him in part by the east^ly way, saying, " Go right down by Joe Putney's turnip-yard, and by the sweet-apple tree, and so on to John Gage's." This language was, of course, unintelligible to an entire stranger in the vicinity, and so the caller replied, — "I don't know anything about Joe 294 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Putney's turnip-yard, the sweet-apple tree, or John Gage's, either." Lois lost her patience, in view of what was to her such intolerable ignorance. " Well," said she, " you air one pesky divilish fool, if you do n't know the way to John Gage's." Thus the idea of mental simplicity came to be formulated by the phrase expressing ignorance of the way to John Gage's. If truth is not mighty and will not prevail, the failure of an expected consummation will not be for a noticeable lack of a formal respect for truth by some men of peculiarly diplomatic genius. Some men are admirable for the pains they take to keep within the strict letter of their promises and refusals, even when reason would hardly seem to imply such an extraordinary effort, the matter in vogue being of no moral importance, — for all concede the right of a man to change his mind when no one is to be injured by the change. Not many years ago, there lived in this town an eccentric citizen whose peculiar sayings and ways have been the cause of many recollections. One of his habits implied a peculiar and almost severe literalness in his dealings with others. One day he met a fellow-townsman and inquired, — " How much will you take for that piece of land ?" The price was promptly named in reply. " I won't give it — I won't give it." Thus the subject was dropped. A short time afterwards, the inquirer of the price of the land called upon the owner of the piece at his home, and taking up an old thresher's flail, asked, — "What d6 you call this?" He was told the name of it. "A flail, — that 's what you call it ! What 's it worth? A mere pittance was mentioned. " I '11 tell you what I '11 do : I '11 give you the price you mentioned the other day for that land and this flail." He was told the proposition was agreeable. "Now you be sure and include this flail in the deed." He was assured it should be so, and in due time the proper legal instrument was duly elaborated, sealed, signed, and delivered, the stipulation of purchase specifying a cer- tain tract of land, situated thus and so, and bounded as follows, to wit, etc., and also a certain flail, etc., and the purchaser had not contradicted his word. MIRAM CHADWICK. . "rs of !(■'. isiiid una >l4<-- coiuite- intta m.if ■ '.V cap wMx^-iRtN-t.,,-,, ITEMS AND INCIDENTS. 295 Managers of hotels, stores, offices, etc., which are places of frequent general resort, have ample opportunities to observe the freedom with which some people will regard a door. This fact is more potent in winter, when these habti- ually lax individuals are so prone to leave a door ajar. In the olden time, before the advent of stoves, and when the large open fireplace, full of burning wood, created a draft that threatened to rush everything, as it were, up the chim- ney, the position of a door was often a matter of more em- phatic importance. In one of the Contoocook taverns of the olden time was a bar-room with the customary open fireplace. This room was the frequent resort of loafers, of whom, of course, there was the usual proportion of wags, who found a way to turn any common fact to ridicule. Of course, in winter, people who came in to sit and chat by the fire were not always careful to close the door after them, and the landlord's patience was somewhat taxed by their negligence. One cold day a well known wag came in, and, leaving the door ajar, he was promptly accosted by the landlord, who called out impatiently, — "Do you know what that door was made for?" Some men would have hastily closed the door upon such an indirect invitation, but the wag only turned round and viewed its mechanism with a most imperturbable counte- nance, and then said, "Seventy-five cents, or a dollar! " The aspect of literalness, afforded by the two foregoing anecdotes, suggests an original character that once lived in Hopkinton village. Any one who has known the village thoroughly during the past fifty years or more cannot plead ignorance of Hiram Chadwick. Hiram was indeed an original character, with many useful proclivities, but pos- sessed of certain human infirmities it is not necessary for us to relate. Whoever identifies him by his likeness in this work will recognize the inevitable slouchy cap and woollen frock, under and in which he used to " gorm round " so familiarly in past days. Hiram was the cause of many anecdotes, of which we have space for only one. Being the village butcher, when every domestic establishment repre- sented at least one hog to be slaughtered and dressed each year, Hiram performed his work at a price that was popu- larly esteemed reasonable. As he did various kinds of 296 LIFE AJ^T> TIMES IN HOPKINTON. slaughtering, Hiram was once asked to kill a calf for a neighbor who was somewhat notorious on account of his extreme penuriousness. Hiram's reasonable price for the service required was only thirty-seven cents, but the penu- rious neighbor begged him to be so considerate as to "kill " his calf for a quarter. Hiram, who was equal to the emer- gency, promised. When the time came, Hiram gave the fatal stroke, waited till the calf had ceased to breathe, and picked up the implements of his vocation and started for home. "Here! here !" called his employer, "are n't you going to dress this calf ? " "No," replied Hiram, "I did n't agree to dress him. I only promised to kill him. He 's dead, is n't he? " Appeals were in vain. A new contract had to be made. Hiram agreed to dress the calf for twenty-five cents, mak- ing fifty cents for the whole job, an advance of thirteen cents upon his original charge. Hiram Chadwick, who was of no mean natural abilities, was collector of taxes in 1828. He lived in the house now owned by William Son. He died December 24, 1859, freez- ing to death in the highway. He never married. His age was fifty-nine. Since we are in the story-telling mood, we may as well reproduce a regular yarn. There used to live in Hopkinton a citizen that could tell a yarn if occasion demanded, and this is more than every one can do and do it well. In a former chapter, we have spoken of the floods that sometimes occur on the Contoocook river. Sometimes farm-houses on the banks have been surrounded by water. Probably a group of old residents were telling over events connected with the overflows of the Contoocook, when our redoubtable yarn-teller perpetrated the relation we record : He said that once the river overflowed its banks and sur- rounded a house in the Tyler's Bridge neighborhood. In the house were a man and his wife, whom the neighbors kindly ventured to assist. A boat was procured, and a party of men rowed to the home of the distressed family, and, by the front door, into the room where the couple had resorted to a bed to elevate themselves above the water. The boat having reached the bedside, the unfortunate household were taken aboard, and preparations made to return to dry land. ITEMS AKD INCIDENTS. 297 However, just then one of the rescuing party suggested that a little cider would be an agreeable reward for the ser- vice rendered, and upon this suggestion the head of the family jumped out of the boat, procured and lighted a candle, went down cellar and drew a supply of cider, and returned and regaled the company. The craft then stood out for shore. Part 1 1. PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAIv. PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SECTION I, ADAMS — ^ANNIS. Samuel R. Adams, the son of David Adams, was born in Newton, Mass., July 24, 1814. His mother's maiden name was Walker. In the course of his life he has resided in Boston, Marblehead, and Danvers, all in Massachusetts. He has resided in Hopkinton about fifty-five years. He is a shoemaker. He has been an ofl&cer of the Episcopal church forty or more nearly or quite consecutive years. Mr. Adams's first wife was Margaret Story, daughter of Moses Story, of Hopkinton, who bore him one son, — Thomas S. Mrs. Adams died June 25, 1849, and Mr. Adams married Mary (Evans) Chase, of Hopkinton, who died in July, 1874. Joseph H. Adams, the son of Henry Adams and Betsey Maxon, was born in Sutton, July 11, 1836. In the course of his life, he has resided in New Orleans, La., Iowa, New- bury, Weare, Bradford, and Hopkinton. He spent a year on the Mississippi river. He served in Company D, 1st Regiment N. H. V., during the late war. In 1862, August 24, Joseph H. Adams married Judith (Sargent) Currier, daughter of John and Miriam Sargent, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — Lillian lona, Leola Hortense, Claud Delno, Lindsey Warren. Myeon Winslow Adams was born in Gilsum, Novem- ber 27, 1860, being a son of Rev. Ezra Adams and Alice M. Ware. The subject of this sketch was educated at Wil- berforce university, Ohio, Kimball Union Academy, Meri- den, and at Dartmouth college, graduating in the class of 1881, being valedictorian of the class. 302 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Resolving to devote his life to the ministry, Mr. Adams spent a year at Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary and two years at Hartford (Ct.) Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1884. The same year he became the minister of the Congregational church at Middle Haddam, Ct., where he remained two years, being ordained January 16, 1885. He was installed pastor of the church in Hopkinton, De- cember 2, 1886, and was dismissed August 30, 1888. He next spent a year in the post-graduate course in Andover Theological Seminary, and then accepted an appointment as teacher of Greek in the University of Atlanta, Ga., where he now resides. In 1884, May 29, Mr. Adams married Nellie B. Davis, of Denmark, Me. She was a daughter of William F. Davis and Parmela Travis. WiLLAED Allen, a native of Cornish, was born Septem- ber 3, 1811, being a son of John Allen and Hannah Gold- thwait. The subject of this sketch was at first a brick- maker, living in Chelsea, Mass., and Croydon before he came to Hopkinton. Not far from 1853, he came to Con- toocook, and, in company with Warren M. Kempton, estab- lished a manufactory of mackerel kits in the building now used as a saw-mill by Frank I. Morrill & Co. Busi- ness was also done at a later period in the building once used by the Patterson brothers as a woollen factory. One or more brothers Morrill were also interested in connection with Mr. Allen for a time. In all, Mr. Allen was engaged about twenty-five years in manufacturing in Contoocook. In 1838, November, Willard Allen married Elvira Stone, of Grantham, she being a daughter of Daniel Stone. Two children were the offspring of this marriage — Olive Amanda and Walton Perkins. Mr. Allen died June 21, 1882 ; Mrs. Allen, October 17, 1881. Maeshall Bullaed Angiee was born March 22, 1819, in Southboro', Mass., being a son of Calvin Angler and Mira Parker. He was educated at Leicester (Mass.) acad- emy, Yale college, Union Theological Seminary (N.Y.), and Princeton (N. J.) Theological Seminary. Devoting his life to the Congregational ministry, he spent six months as a licentiate at Princeton seminary, being afterwards three PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 303 years a home missionary in Massachusetts. In 1853, he was ordained pastor of the church in Hopkinton, remaining pas- tor till 1860. He has since been a minister in Dorchester, Sturbridge, and Plymouth, all in Massachusetts. During the war of 1861, he was connected with the Union army, being at the front when Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House. Being in Washington, D. C, he heard the last speech of President Lincoln from the executive man- sion on the Tuesday evening previous to his assassination. On the following Sunday evening, the subject of this sketbh was one of the speakers in Rev. Albert Barnes's church, in Philadelphia, Pa., the meeting being called to consider the nation's great bereavement. He regards this as one of the most signal events of his life. In 1881, he was a dele- gate from the Congregational Union of the United States to the Congregational Union of England and Wales, which celebrated its jubilee in Manchester, Lancashire. Dur- ing his stay abroad, Mr. Angier Visited the continent of Europe, and made quite an extended tour. His travels in the British isles were also extensive. While in England, he made the acquaintance of Master Bradley, of Trinity college, Oxford, who succeeded Dean Stanley at Westmin- ster Abbey, which acquaintance resulted in Mr. Angler's admission to an eligible seat in the abbey at Master Brad- ley's installation as Dean. Mr. Angier was also present at the service including Dean Bradley's inaugural sermon, occupying a seat between two canons of the established church. In 1864, September 29, the subject of this sketch was married to Emma Smith Brewster, daughter of William Henry Brewster and Mary Young Allen, at Newburyport, Mass., the bride's home. Mrs. Angier is the ninth genera- tion from Elder William and Mary Brewster, of the May- flower. One child has been born of this marriage, — Mary Brewster, June 23, 1868. The present address of the Rev. Mr. Angier is North Granville, Washington Co., N. Y. Daniel Annis, an early proprietor of the township of Hopkinton, appears to have come to New Hampshire from Massachusetts, and located at Concord, then in Hopkinton, and afterwards in Warner, where he and his son-in-law, Reuben Kimball, also from Hopkinton, appear to have been 304 LIFE AKD TIMES Iff HOPKINTON. the first settlers. Under the Mason grant of Hopkinton, Daniel and John Annis were allotted two rights. By the nature of the record, made in 1762, it would appear that they owned these rights in partnership. According to Harriman's " History of Warner," Daniel Annis and Reu- ben Kimball visited Warner in 1761, and the next year went there to stay. Annis settled near the residence of the late Paine Davis, in the Dimond Corner district, and Kimball eventually a third of a mile to the south-west, on what was afterwards a part of the "old Origen Dimond farm." Dan- iel Annis brought his daughter Haunah, wife of Reuben Kimball, with her husband, to his new home in Warner, and she is said to have been the, first white woman that ever lodged in that town. Daniel Annis had at least four sons, — Daniel, Thomas, Moses, Solomon — and three daugh- ters, — Hannah, Rachel, Ruth. Reuben Kimball was twenty- four years old at the time of his settlement in Warner, and his wife twenty-two. Daniel Annis lived twenty-eight years in Warner, and died in 1790. Daniel Kimball, the son of Reuben Kimball and Hannah Annis, born October, 1762, was the first white child born in Warner. Reuben Kimball died May 2, 1811, aged 73. He was a son of Jeremiah Kimball. SECTION II. BACON — BALCH. John Bacon, the son of John Bacon and Hannah Pierce, was born in Medford, Mass., March 28, 1799. From 1822 to 1825, he travelled in the West; subsequently he re- turned and learned the trade of a brick-mason. In the course of his life, he resided in Boscawen (now Webster) and in Contoocook. He was commissioned a lieutenant of rifles, and took great pride in the militia. In 1825, Febru- ary 10, he married Sylvia Patterson, daughter of Isaac Pat- terson and Marcey Nelson, of Henniker. Mrs. Patterson is said to have taught the first school in Henniker. Mr. Ba- con died October 5, 1871 ; his wife, September 28, 1864. They had children, — Laura Ann, Isaac Francis, Harriet Maria, John Henry, Edwin Alonzo. PBKSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 305 Joshua Bailey, one of the most influential citizens of HopkintoD in earlier times, was an Englishman, and came to this town from Massachusetts, living many years in the house where now resides Carlos G. Hawthorne. Mr. Bai- ley held many civil ofi&ces duriug his residence in Hopkin- ton. In 1775, he was a delegate to the convention at Exe- ter ; in 1778, he was a representative to the General Court ; in 1781, he was a member of the constitutional convention ; in 1787, he was state senator ; in 1787, also, he was a rep- resentative at the General Court, but, being chosen senator by the legislature, Aaron Greely was chosen a representa- tive in his stead ; from 1766 to 1791, he was town-clerk ; in 1768, in 1774, from 1781 to 1785, in 1787, and in 1790, he was a selectman. Joshua Bailey's military record was equally honorable with his civil one. As captain, he led a company of men in Col. Thomas Stickney's regiment, Gen. John Stark's brigade, at Bennington, in 1777; he also commanded a company in Colonel Kelley's regiment, General Whipple's brigade, in the expedition to Rhode Island in 1778. The following are children of Joshua Bailey, and Anna, his wife : John, born February 23, 1769 ; Joshua, born November 13, 1770 ; Elijah, born February 27, 1773 ; Bet- ty, born May 8, 1780; Rachel, born August 16, 1782; Esther, born March 18, 1785. Capt. Joshua Bailey died April 9, 1806, aged 68 years. He appears to have been twice married. His second wife died January 29, 1816, aged 64. She was Sarah Clement, of Haverhill, Mass., and was married November 6, 1788,by the Rev. " Joiles " Merrill, of Plaistow. Thomas Bailey, an early resident and distinguished citizen of Hopkinton, was born in Haverhill, Mass., August 1, 1752. It appears that his father's name was Thomas, and that his mother's surname was Rust or Russ. Thomas Bailey, the subject of this sketch, seems to have come to Hopkinton about the time of the Revolution, or soon after it, as we find that he married Eunice Emerson, of Haver- hill, in 1776. While in Hopkinton, Mr. BaUey was promi- nently identified in various public uses. He was a captain of cavalry in the state militia. He was a trial justice of the peace many years. In 1784, 1785, 1787, 1788, and 1805, he was a selectman of the town; in 1794, 1795, 19 306 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 1796, and 1802, he was a representative to the General Court. Thomas Bailey, by his wife Eunice, had seven children, — Eunice, born May 5, 1779 ; Nancy, born February 15, 1784; Phoebe, born March 14, 1786 ; Catharine, born November 25, 1788; Thomas, born November 7, 1790; Sally, born Janu- ary 3, 1793 ; Betsey, born January 18, 1798. For a second wife, Mr. Bailey married Mrs. Hannah Har- vey, widow of Matthew Harvey, of Sutton, and a daughter of Philip Sargent. She was also the mother of Gov. Mat- thew Harvey, by her first husband. Thomas Bailey and Hannah (Sargent) Harvey had one child, John Milton, born April 17, 1805. Thomas Bailey, the son of Thomas Bailey and Eunice Emerson, was born in Hopkinton, November 7, 1790, and always resided in this town. He was a farmer. He was a selectman from 1830 to 1834, and in 1889, 1845, and 1846. In 1837 and 1838, he was a representative to the General Court. He married Jemima Smith, daughter of Moody Smith. They had children, — Hannah Q., Thomas S., Will- iam W. Thomas Bailey died in 1855 ; his wife, in 1865. William Wallace Bailey, the son of Thomas Bailey and Jemima Smith, was born in Hopkinton. He graduated from Dartmouth college in the class of 1854. He is a law- yer, and has lived in Nashua since 1856. In 1858, William W. Bailey married Mary B. Greeley, daughter of Alfred Greeley and Mary Webster, of Nashua. They have had children, — Marion G., Caroline W., William Thomas, Helen M. Mr. Bailey has held numerous political offices, being offi- cially interested in several corporations, and trustee of the state agricultural college. He has also been Democratic candidate for the national house of representatives. John Milton Bailey, the son of Thomas Bailey and Hannah (Sargent) Harvey, was born in Hopkinton, April 17, 1805. Excepting the time from 1843 to 1848, he always resided in Hopkinton, following the vocation of a farmer. His home was many years in the Jewett Road district, on the farm where now lives Fred. H. Bailey, his son. The subject of this sketch was given considerable promi- PEBSONAIi AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 307 nence in local affairs. He was a commissioned officer of the Hopkinton Rifle company in old. militia days , was representative to the General Court in 1860 and 1864 ; was collector of taxes from 1862 to 1865. In 182T, April 9, Mr. Bailey married Lucy Proctor Knowlton, daughter of Daniel Knowlton and Mary Nazro Stocker, of Hopkinton. They had two children, — George H. and Fred. H. John Milton Bailey died January 18, 1886. Edwin C. Bailey, the son of Moses Bailey and Ruth Greene, is said to have been born in New York, June 10, 1816. In early life, he resided some time in Hopkinton, and eventually went to Boston, Mass., where he became a «lerk in the post-office, his uncle, Charles G. Greene, editor of the Boston Post, being post-master. After being ad- Tanced to chief clerk, Mr. Bailey was appointed post-master by President Pierce. After serving his term, he purchased the Boston Herald, which journal he managed till about 1870, when he sold the paper to R. M. Pulsifer & Co., and travelled in Europe for his health. Returning from Eu- rope, he located in Contoocook, where he repaired a house now remodelled into the Highland House. He purchased considerable real estate in Contoocook and vicinitj", includ- ing the water-power, of which he rebuilt the dam. He also erected the present Bailey's block. He represented Hop- kinton in the legislature in 1874. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention at St. Louis in 1876. He built Bailey's block in Concord, and also engaged in a hotel enterprise at Stowe, Vt. While living in Boston, he was once a candidate for congress and again for governor of the state. While in New Hampshire, he was for a time the proprietor of the New Hampshire Patriot, printed at Concord. He relinquished his interest in this paper in 1877, and in 1879 became editor of the Boston G-lobe. In 1884, he assumed the editorial management of the Boston Star, and in 1886 he became the manager of the New Eng- land Budget, a small weekly sheet, from which he soon retired. He was at one time the commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery, of Boston, and bears the title of colonel. For some time he has resided in Boston or vicin- ity. Colonel Bailey has a wife and two children, — WUliam P. Bailey and Mrs. L. D. Shepard. 308 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. George Gakdnee Bailey, the son of Moses Bailey and Ruth Greene, was born in New York city, October 7, 1820. Subsequently residing in Hopkinton, he was edu- cated at Hopkinton academy. Adopting the vocation of a printer, he became located in Boston, Mass., where he ad- vanced in position till he became a proprietor of the Boston Herald, being also the foreman of the printing-office. In 1872, he became a resident of Hopkinton again, and in a year or two after built the hotel known as the Putney House, and later as the Mt. Putney House, burned in 1886. About this time Mr. Bailey resided a short period in Con- cord. Returning .to Hopkinton, he. resided there till his death. Mr. Bailey was twice married. His first wife was Susan Cogshall, of Nantucket, Mass., daughter of Robert CogshaU. and Betsey Coffin, whom he married September 21, 1840. They had five children, — Sarah Frances, George Gardn e r Frederick Cogshall, who died in infancy and was succeeded by another son of the same name, and Anne Gardner. Mrs. Bailey having died January 2, 1861, Mr. Bailey miar- ried Henrietta Jones, of Chelsea, Mass., and daughter of Frederick D. S. Jones and Abbie Hathaway, January 15, 1862. Three children were the offspring of the second marriage ; their names are Etta Connor, Susie Forbes Ladd, and Grace Gardner. Mr Bailey died May 11, 1885. His brother, Edwin C, and himself were grandsons of Isaac Bailey, and great grandsons of Isaac Bailey, who, it is said, came to Hopkin- ton from Newbury, Mass., soon after the Revolution. There were at one time living in Hopkinton three persons of the name of Isaac Bailey, being father, son, and grand- son. All three were members of the Congregational church, the father and son being in the course of events both deacons. Theodore E. Balch, the son of Theodore Balch and Sally Lovejoy, was born in Lyme, January 13, 1832. He attended school at Lyme academy. Being devoted to active, executive pursuits, he has travelled much and lived in various places. Identified with the Baptist church, Mr. Balch has served in various capacities as an execuctive or financial officer. Mr. Balch resided in Hopkinton from 1856 to 1868 ; in PEKSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 309 Wakefield, Mass., from 1868 to 1882; in Pella, la., from 1882 to 1884 ; after a short respite, in Nashville, Tenn., from 1885 to 1887 ; in Wakefield, Mass., since 1887. While in Hopkinton, Mr. Balch was a member of the superintending school-committee from 1863 to 1865 ; in Wakefield, Mass., selectman one year, overseer of the poor one year, member of the board of health one year, member of the school-board six years, trustee of the public library eight or more years, besides being trustee of the Wakefield Savings Bank many years ; in Pella, la., chancellor of the Central University of Iowa ; in Nashville, Tenn., treasurer of Roger Williams University. He has also been twelve or more years in the service of the American Tract Society, financial agent of Golby academy, New London, and he is now general agent of The Watchman, assuming the position in 1887. In 1856, September 3, Mr. Balch married Ellen R. San- born, daughter of John Sanborn and Rebecca Coffin, of Boscawen. They have had children, — Ellen, Edwin R., Mary E., Annie G. SECTION III. BAKNABD — ^BKOCKWAY. Joseph Bahnaed, the son of Nathaniel Barnard and Ruth French, was born in Amesbury, Mass., January 12, 1737. He was a ship carpenter and farmer. In earlier life, he came to Hopkinton and located where his grandson, Joseph Barnard, now lives. He was an enterprising citi- zen, and opened the portion of highway between Hopkin- ton and Webster that runs through the Barnard farm. He also owned a saw-mill on DoUoff's brook. He was noted for being one of only two slave owners in Hopkinton, pur- chasing Seeko, in 1777, from Ruth Currier, of Kingston, and bringing him to this town, about one year after Mr. Barnard himself had located here. The subject of this sketch was twice married. His first wife was Rhoda Currier, of Amesbury, and his second, Olive (Blake) Hale, widow of Capt. John Hale, of Revolu- 310 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. tionary memory, whom he married April 7, 1794. Mrs. Hale was of Hopkinton. Mr. Barnard had three children, — Rhoda, born in Ames- bury; Joseph, born in Hopkinton, May 6, 1795; Sarah, born April 12, 1798. Joseph Barnard died November, 1815. Olive (Blake) Hale Barnard died January, 1820. Joseph Baknaed, the son of Joseph Barnard and Olive (Blake) Hale, was born in Hopkinton, May 6, 1795, and always resided in this town, following the vocation of a farmer. He became noted for his enterprise in the culti- vation of improved cattle and sheep, and was an extensive owner of real estate. He lived on the farm where his father settled. In local affairs he was officially prominent. He was an ensign of militia in his earlier manhood. In 1837 and 1838, he was a selectman of the town ; in 1839 and 1840, a representative to the General Court. In the chapter on agriculture in Part I of this work can be found the evi- dences of Mr. Barnard's success as a raiser of wool. In 1816, in June, Joseph Barnard married Miriam Jack- man Eastman, daughter of William Eastman and Phoebe Elliot, of Concord. They had fivj children, — Joseph, born November 11, 1817; Sallie Ann, born April 3, 1819; Mary Jane, born August 29, 1821 ; William Eastman, born May 27, 1825; Rhoda Currier, born February 19, 1827. Mr. Barnard died March 15, 1870 ; his wife, September 17, 1869. Joseph Barnard, the son of Joseph Barnard and Mir- iam Jackman Eastman, was born in Hopkinton, November 11, 1817. With the exception of one year, 1843, in Low- ell, Mass., he has always lived in Hopkinton, following the occupation of a lumberman and farmer. For many years he resided in Contoocook, where he was for a time associ- ated in business with Abram Brown and John Burnham. Since the death of his father, he has resided on the old Bar- nard homestead, which he has much improved. As a farmer, he has developed much enterprise. He now keeps a strain of Guernsey cattle that has been bred on the same spot more than forty years. While in Lowell, he learned the trade of a stone-cutter. In 1838, Mr. Barnard was quartermaster-sergeant of PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 311 the 40th Regiment N. H. M. ; from 1839 to 1841, he was quartermaster ; in 1840 and 1841, he was in a store in Con- toocook ; in 1843, in Lowell ; from 1843 to 1876, engaged in lumbering ; in 1849, building agent of the Contoocook Valley Railroad from Contoocook to Hillsborough ; during the war of 1861, enrolling officer of the 20th district of New Hampshire ; in 1870 and 1871, representative to the General Court ; in 1882, appointed commissioner of forestry of Merrimack county ; in 1889, member of the state consti- tutional convention. In 1849, October 26, Mr. Barnard married Maria Gerrish, daughter of Abiel Gerrish and Eliza Dodge, of Boscawen. Nine children have been the result of this marriage. Their names are, — Ellen M., Joseph H., Abiel G., Joseph, Mary E., Joseph H., George E., Rhoda F., Charles L. Five of these children are now living. Charles Barton, the son of Charles Barton and Mar- garet Marston, was born in Pittsfield, March 1, 1814. In the course of his life, he has resided in Jefferson, N. J., and Weare. He spent a year at sea. He is a farmer. In 1833, April 4, he married Phoebe Straw, daughter of Joseph Straw and Elizabeth Gardner, of Hopkinton. They have one son, Charles O. Charles Barton is conspicuous in being one of our older residents. George Clarke Blaisdell was born in Goffstown, November 23, 1846, being a son of Stephen Blaisdell and Amanda Marshall. After attending the high school in his native town, he fitted for college under the tuition of J. W. Ray, principal of the Manchester high school. Determined to follow the profession of medicine, he entered the office of Dr. A. F. Carr, of Goffstown, in 1860 ; later, the same year, he entered the office of Drs. Buck & Howe, Manchester. In the spring of 1865, young Blaisdell attended his first course of lectures at Bowdoin Medical College, Brunswick, Me. The next November, he entered the Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass., graduating in March, 1867. In May, 1867, Dr. Blaisdell came to Contoocook, where he has since resided. On the 14th of May, 1868, he married Lenora Arvilla Curtice, daughter of Samuel Curtice and Lenora Sweat, of Contoocook. 312 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Dr. Blaisdell has long been prominently connected with the Contoocook Library Association, the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is surgeon of the first regiment of Patriarchs Militant. In his chosen profession, he makes a specialty of surgery. In 1870 and 1871, he was a member of the super- intending school-committee of Hopkinton. The subject of this sketch is of Scotch descent, and traces his ancestral line back to Ralph Blaisdell, who, with hi son Henry, came to this country in 1690. Stephen Blanchaed, the son of Aaron Blanchard and Tabitha Floyd, was born in Medford, Mass., July 1, 1763. He was a hatter. He came to Hopkinton about 1790, and remained till his death. He was grand lecturer in Masonry of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire from 1809 to 1823. He married Elizabeth Estabrooks, daughter of Nehemiah Estabrooks and Elizabeth Windship. They had children, — Elizabeth, born January 26, 1789 ; Cair, born April 15, 1790 ; Stephen, born December 16, 1792 ; David, born Feb- ruary 14, 1795 ; Lucy, born December 2, 1797 ; Ellen, born April 14, 1800 ; Hiram, born November, 14, 1802. Mr. Blanchard died March 16, 1829 ; his wife, April 5, 1819. Hiram Blanchard, the son of Stephen Blanchard and Elizabeth Estabrooks, was born in Hopkinton, November 14, 1802. Like his father, he was a hatter, who made hats in Hopkinton village. He always resided in Hopkinton. In 1838, April 11, he married Mary Currier, daughter of Dr. John Currier and Lucy Story, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Darwin C, George F., Henry H., Mary Eliza- beth, Harriet E. Mr. Blanchard died July 14, 1871 ; his wife, March 30, 1861. Darwin Currier Blanchard, the son of Hiram Blanchard and Mary Currier, was born in Hopkinton, February 12, 1839. He was educated at Hopkinton acad- emy, and was for years a successful teacher of schools. He was at one time a clerk in a village store. He continued to reside in Hopkinton till 1865, when he went to New York city, where he became a collector of internal revenue for the 2d district of New York. His health failing in the PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 313 city, he spent some time in the West, and at lengtli located in Brattleborough, Vt., where he became associated in the management of The Household. Mr. Blanchard was one of the originators of the Philo- mathic Club, organized in Hopkinton in 1850, and has always been an active member of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. He is of the eighth descent from Thomas Blanchard, who came to this country from London in the ship Jonathan, in 1639, and who died in Charles- town (now Maiden), Mass., in 1654. In 1869, January 12, Mr. Blanchard married Laura Maria Dexter, daughter of Silas Dexter and Maria Taylor, of Troy, N. Y. George F. Blanchard, the son of Hiram Blanchard and Mary Currier, was born in Hopkinton, April 2, 1841. He was educated at Hopkinton and New London afc.de- mies. He served in the 14th Regiment N. H. Vols, dur- ing the late war, walking from New London to Concord to enlist. He was mustered in September 24, 1862, as a ser- geant of Company H. He was commissioned second lieu- tenant of Company C, September 22, 1863 ; promoted to first lieutenant, February 19, 1864 ; commissioned captain of Company A, November 22, 1864 ; mustered out July 8,, 1865. In the summer of 1864, he was acting adjutant of the regiment. From January, 1865, till discharged from the service, he was acting assistant adjutant-general of the 1st Brigade, 2d division, of the 19th Army Corps. He was detailed in charge of the guard of his regiment to have custody of 119 rebel officers captured at Gettysburg, and conducted to Johnson's Island. Since the war he has resided in Chicago, lU., seven months ; in Nebraska from 1866 to 1880 ; in Dakota frop 1880 to 1885 ; in Nebraska again from 1885 to the present time. He was commissipner of Dodge county. Neb., from 1869 to 1872 ; state senator and president of the senate, from 1877 to 1879. He was an Indian trader from 1878 to 1885. He was for a time clerk of the city council of Fremont, Neb., and warden of the St. James church. In 1868, January 23, Captain Blanchard married Maria L. Holbrook, daughter of Theodore Holbrook and Rachel Smith, of Chicago, 111. They have children, — Mary C, Julia E., Belle C, Maud E. and MoUie L. (twins), Charles P., Fay H. 314 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. At the present time, Captain Blanchard has a flattering prospect of becoming Register of the United States Land office at Sidney, Neb., the entire delegation of his state in congress supporting him for that position. He will doubt- less receiye the appointment at an early date. TiLTON C. H. BouTON, acting pastor of the Congrega- tional church, was born in Chicago, 111., November 2, 1856, being a son of Samuel Fletcher Bouton and Ann Louisa Hall. He graduated from Kimball Union Academy, Meri- den, in 1874 ; from Dartmouth college, in 1878 ; from An- dover (Mass.) Theological Seminary in 1881. In 1881, July 14, Mr. Bouton was ordained and installed pastor of the church in Dunbarton. In 1889, April 1, he became acting pastor of the church in Hopkinton. In 1881, June 30, Mr. Bouton married Annie S. White- house, daughter of Sidney F. Whitehouse and Elizabeth Dodge. Two children have been the result of this union, — Fletcher Park and Ruth Elizabeth. Caivin Botjtwbll, distinguished for being a nonagen- arian, was born in Amherst, August 10, 1797, being a son of Joseph Boutwell and Abigail Farmer. He is a black- smith by trade. He came to Hopkinton when 17 years old, and, excepting ten years, has lived in Contoocook ever since. He is a pensioner of the war of 1861, in conse- quence of the death of his youngest son, E. Weston Bout- well. Mr. Boutwell married Charlotte Fisk, daughter of Ephraim Fisk and Abigail Sawyer, of Concord, by whom he had the following children : John, Horace L., William, Charlotte, Mary, E. Weston. Mrs. Boutwell died in Decem- ber, 1866. In 1874, Mr. Boutwell married Mrs. Sarah (Butterfield) Davis, of Boston, Mass., who died several years ago. Horace L. Boutwell, the son of Calvin Boutwell and Charlotte Fisk, was born in Amherst, January 24, 1822. In the course of his life he has resided in Hopkinton, Low- ell, Mass., Hillsborough, Mont Vernon, and Stoneham,, Mass. He was one of the first locomotive engineers on the Contoocook Valley Railroad, built in 1849, and extending from Contoocook to Hillsborough Bridge. Mr. Boutwell Eli a. Boutwell. "KBSOJfAi -■;kavh! ^sidesi hit8l.K»i;uurfv , : ,n 1S3 11 w' •■ !■ m't '' ;-'tha A. T»:* a 15 Boutwell xi- -i--- i .' -. ■ iopkinton. five children havt re- ton. Their names are Rosella, if.rvcy ieecber Allen, Arthur Jefferson, El 3 a. iiKADBORY. the soil uf Winthrop Bradburj .(Toodv.in, was born in Hopkinton, Juiifilf, ■ iie course of his life be has resided 14 years in Tim rest of hiH life lias b<->en in Hripkiufe.n, - 'sjtj;> «,»r he r>t. . '..- ;-. ,-,f ruusterx-il U. S..'ptenil)er 24, I' ■. ■».- ■•■ - i: ' njarriwl ^iarii^H ■. : - ■• f WilUaiH M*l- .i^iiTf!, --Oara» "•. ■ •.'■■■ dud Mary ■'•He resided A BOUTWELL. PERSONAL ANB BIOGBAPBUCAL. 315 resided at Hillsborough from 1849 to 1856, being nearly or all of the time a railroad engineer. In 1848, June 6, he married Martha A. Trow, daughter of Jesse Trow and Nancy Cochran, of Mont Vernon. They have had chil- dren, — M. Ella, Frank T., George P., Fred, Harry. Mr. Boutwell now resides at Amherst. Eli Allen Botjtwell, the son of Samuel P. Boutwell and Lydia Allen, was born in Barre, Vt., February 25, 1833. He resided in Vermont till 1852, when he came to Hooksett. In 1853 he came to Hopkinton ; in 1856, went to Illinois ; in 1862, went into the Union army ; in 1865, returned to Hopkinton, where he has resided since, follow- ing the occupation of a farmer and lumberman. During the war of 1861, Mr. Boutwell served three years in the 106th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, entering the service as a private and leaving it as a sergeant. For a while during the war, he attended a military school at Phil- adelphia, Pa. He was collector of taxes in Hopkinton in 1874 and 1875, appraiser of real estate in 1875, selectman from 1876 to 1878, and representative in 1879. He was chosen a supervisor of the check-list in 1882, 1884, 1886, and 1888. In 1855, March 7, Mr. Boutwell married Harriet Walker Weeks, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Weeks and Hannah Cogswell Smith, of Hopkinton. Five children have re- sulted from this union. Their names are Rosella, Harvey Lincoln, Henry Beecher Allen, Arthur Jefferson, Ella. Samuel G. Bradbury, the son of Winthrop Bradbury and Hannah Goodwin, was born in Hopkinton, June 17, 1818. In the course of his life he has resided 14 years in Concord. The rest of his life has been in Hopkinton. During the late war he served in Company H, 14th Regi- ment N. H. Vols., being mustered in September 24, 1862, and discharged for disability at Portsmouth Grove, R. I., October 12, 1868. In 1845, April 1, Samiiel G. Bradbury married Martha Mallard, of Alton. She was the daughter of William Mal- lard and Miriam Briar. They have children, — Clara, Charles H., Abbie, Emma. John G. Brockway, son of John Brockway and Mary Eaton, was born in Wilmot, June 9, 1834. He resided 316 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. in Wilmot till 1836, when his family remoTed to Sutton, remaining till 1860, when they moved to Hopkinton, locat- ing on the spot now occupied by John G. in the Jewett Road district. Mr. Brockway is a farmer. In 1881 and 1882, he was a selectman ; in 1887, a representative to the General Court. In 1856, January 25, Mr. Brockway married Amanda M. Carroll, daughter of John P. CarroU and Rachel Powers, of Cornish. They have two children, — Fred J. and Etta B. Fbed J. Beockway, son of John G. Brockway and Amanda M. Carroll, was born in Sutton, February 24, 1860. When an infant he came with his father to Hopkin- ton, where he showed in early years a precocious tendency to scholarship. Giving special attention to study, he grad- uated at the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Til- ton, in 1877 ; at Yale college in 1882 ; taught two years at Stamford, Ct.; graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city in 1887 ; practised in the sur- gical department of Roosevelt hospital two years ; is now assistant surgeon at Johns Hopkins hospital, Baltimore, Md. During his preparatory professional career, he was under the private instruction of the late Dr. Sands, of New York city, for the period of four years. SECTION IV. BBOWN — ^BUSWELL. Abbaham Bbown, of Salisbury, Mass., came to Hopkin- ton before the Revolution, and cleared up a farm on the spot where now lives Guy Montgomery, on Putney's hiU. He was a successful farmer. Giving special attention to fruit, he sowed apple and pear seeds and became a nursery- man. It is said that most of the primitive orchards in the town were the products of his stock. A similar fact is stated of surrounding towns. He raised an entire acre of pear trees in one lot, and his varieties of this kind of fruit numbered fifteen, all grafted by himself. He had also four distinct apple orchards, gr&fted fruit of the best known varieties. In one year he made two hundred barrels of PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 317 cider, according to the record. He had under his cultiva- tion peaches, plums, cherries, grapes, currants, gooseberries, etc. He is entitled to eminent distinction for his work as, a fruit cultivator at so early a time. Abraham Brown was a Friend, or Quaker, in religion. He died April 23, 1812, aged 65 ; Sarah French, his wife, died March 25, 1819, aged 71. There were at least four children of Abraham Brown, — Abram, Philip, Sarah, Gould. Abram Brown, son of Abraham and Sarah (French) Brown, was born March 13, 1779. He succeeded to the farm of his father, and mainly resided on it till his death on the 16th of December, 1852. In early life, he was a school-teacher. He had charge of the Beech Hill school some time. He also taught about a year in Sholhom, N. Y. When about twenty-three, he came home to Putney's hill to stay. He conducted a tannery about twelve or fifteen years. Engaging in the lumber business in 1826, or about, that time, he went into partnership with John Burnham, at Contoocook. In 1835, they added a grist-mill. In 1844, Joseph Barnard became a member of the firm of Brown & Burnham, the business being continued by Messrs. Burn- ham & Barnard after the death of Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown was prominent in politics, being a Democrat. In 1817, 1818, 1822, 1823, 1826, 1834, and 1835, he was a member of the state house of representatives. In 1839 and 1840, he was a member of the state senate. He was alsa the incumbent of town offices.- In 1812, 1813, 1816, 1819, and 1827, he was a selectman. In 1814, January 6, Abram Brown married Eunice Kim- ball, of Plainfield, a daughter of Joseph Kimball. Five children surviving to maturity were the result of this union. Their names are Alpheus R., Ellen K., Malvina, George, Elizabeth K. Mrs. Brown died October 4, 1862, aged 79. Alpheus R. Brown, son of Abram Brown and Eunice Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, November 3, 1814. H& was educated at Hopkinton academy and at Dartmouth col- lege, and became an attorney-at-law. From 1837 to 1871, he resided at Lowell, Mass. ; after 1871, he resided at Som- erville, Mass., till his death, November 1, 1889. 318 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. During a portion of the year 1836, after graduating from college, he was the preceptor of Hopkinton academy. He was admitted to the bar in Lowell, in 1839. In 1852, he was a member of the Massachusetts legislature. He was a member of the constitutional convention of 1853. He was five years solicitor of the city of Lowell. He was eleven years an officer of the Lowell Phalanx. In 1864, he was a member of the Chicago National Democratic Convention. In later years, he was an associate justice of the police court of Somerville. As an attorney, Mr. Brown was engaged in many impor- tant trials, involving intricate questions of law. In 1862 and 1863, by assignment of the judges of the supreme court of Massachusetts, he defended Anna Dower, indicted for murder, and, after three protracted jury trials, she was dis- charged. Mr. Brown was three times a Democratic candidate for congress, but, being in the party of the minority, was un- successful. In 1844, August 8, Mr. Brown married Caroline B. Var- num, of Dracut, Mass. She was a daughter of Benjamin F. Varnum and Caroline Bradley. Two living children are the result of this union,— Grace C. and Alpheus R. Mrs. Brown died in Somerville, May 27, 1875. HoEACE F. Beown, the son of Langdon Brown and 'Catharine Pierce, was born in Hopkinton, August 20, 1850. He was ediicated at Hopkinton and Contoocook academies, at New London Literary and Scientific Institution, gradu- ating in 1872, at Brown University, graduating in 1876, and at Newton (Mass.) Theological Seminary, graduating in 1879. Mr. Brown's home was in Hopkinton till 1873 ; in War- ner, till 1879. Being a Baptist clergyman, he resided in Antrim from 1879 to 1884, being ordained there in 1879 ; in Rumney, from 1884 to 1887 ; in Athol, Mass., from 1887 to the present time. The Rev. Mr. Brown was superintending school-commit- tee of Antrim in 1883 and 1884 ; clerk of the Dublin Asso- ciation, from 1880 to 1885 ; same of Meredith Association, in 1885 and 1886 ; secretary of N. H. Baptist S. S. Conven- tion, from 1881 to 1887 ; president of N. H. Conference of JBaptist Ministers, in 1886 ; moderator of Miller's River PEESONAL AND BIOGBAPHICAL. 319 Association, Mass., in 1888 and 1889, and at the same time member of the board of the Massachusetts Baptist Conven- tion. In 1879, December 16, the subject of this sketch married Jessie L. P. "Wate, daughter of Jacob N. Wate and Eliza- beth W. Richardson, of New London. She died January 29, 1886, and. May 16, 1888, Mr. Brown married Annie S. Wate, of Athol, sister of his first wife. Two children were born of the first marriage. Their names are Reginald Xiangdon and Horace Theodore. Thomas Btjenham was a native of Ipswich, Mass., and "with Ruth Cavis, his wife, came to Hopkinton toward the ■close of the last century, and settled on the easterly slope of Putney's hill, by the road leading directly from the vil- lage to the hill. The house now stands on the estate of "the late Ignatius W. Fellows. When Mr. Burnham came to Hopkinton, his wife took along a lilac bush, which was planted by the roadside at her new home. The bush now ■extends several rods by the side of the road. It is said that this bush was the source of all the common lilacs in the town. There were at least four children of Thomas and Ruth Burnham. They were Thomas, born October 18, 1794; John, born October 30, 1796; Abraham, born September 27, 1800 ; Lucy, born AprU 22, 1804. Thomas Burnham was a privateer under Capt. Leach, of Salem, Mass., during the Revolution. Mr. Burnham died June 12, 1823, aged 68.; his wife died May 24, 1851, aged 86. Their graves are in the old ceme- tery on Putney's hill. Thomas Bxjknham, son of Thomas Burnham and Ruth Cavis, was born Octolser 18, 1794. He was for years a resident of Contoocook. From 1836 to 1840, he was clerk and treasurer of the town of Hopkinton. In 1831, when a post-office was first established in Con- toocook, Thomas Burnham became the post-master. Mr. Burnham died August 24, 1840, aged 46. Martha Tucker, his wife, died March 8, 1887, aged 90 years and 6 months. John Buenham, a citizen prominently identified with the history of Hopkinton, was a son of Thomas Burnham, 320 . LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. being born October 30, 1796. Previously to 1814, he spent his life as a farmer's boy, then entering the military service, under Capt. Silas Call, in Lieutenant-Colonel John Steel's regiment, stationed for the defence of Portsmouth. An older brother having been drafted for the service, John enlisted as a substitute. Borrowing a gun from a neighbor, he went to Portsmouth on foot. At Epping he stopped at a tavern for the night, but the next morning the landlord refused pay from a youth on his long way to serve his country. After leaving the military ranks, he determined to pursue the medical profession - preliminarily to regular study, he obtained employment in the Massachusetts Medical Hospi- tal, Boston. As often occurs in the experience of young men, a subsequent reflection changed his mind. He re- turned to Hopkinton and entered into farming occupations again. About this time he lived a year with Abram Brown. In 1823, he began the manufacture of lumber, sawing clapboards in what was then the old scythe factory in Con- toocook. In 1826, or thereabouts, he went into partner- ship in the lumber business with Abram Brown. They bought woodland, cut the timber, and turned it into lum- ber. They purchased an old saw-mill, and fitted it up for the manufacture of boards, ship-timber, and various kinds of stuff. In 1835, they added a grist-mill. In 1844, Joseph Barnard became a member of this firm, whose business was for years a leading feature in the manufacturing enterprise of the town. Mr. Brown died in 1852, and the business was conducted by the two remaining members of the firm, till the death of Mr. Burnham in 1867. Mr. Burnham was more or less of his life actively engaged in politics, being an ardent Democrat. In 1846 and 1847, he represented his town in the state legislature. He was also a member of the constitutional convention in 1850, and senator in 1860 and the year following. The death of the subject of this sketch occurred on the 12th of April, 1867. His funeral took place in the New Church or Swedenborgian house of worship, and was con- ducted with Masonic honors. His funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Abiel Silver, of Salem, Mass. A large attendance of the citizens of the town was present. Mr. Burnham was thrice married. In 1829, December 8, he married Miss Susan E. Wadleigh, of Sutton. She died October 2, 1836 ; his second wife was Miss Betsey Whittier, PEESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 321 of Boscawen, whom he married December 8, 1840. She died June 29, 1853. His third wife was Adeline S. Davis, of Warner, whom he married March 7, 1854. His first wife bore him three sons : James M., born January 4, 1831 ; John F., born February 10, 1833 ; Edward D., born August 8, 1835. James M. Burnham, the eldest son of John Burnham and Susan E. Wadleigh, was born in Hopkinton, January 4, 1831. He was educated at Hopkinton academy, and studied law in the office of Morrison & Stanley at Manches- ter. In 1859, he was a member of the New Hampshire house of representatives ; in 1863, a member of the superin- tending school-committee of Hopkinton ; in 1865, he was again in the house of representatives ; in 1871, he was door- keeper of the house of representatives. He is now in the treasury department of the U. S. government at Washing- ton, occupying a position in the second auditor's depart- ment. James M. Burnham married Emma F. Marston, of Deer- field, August 23, 1860. She is a daughter of Enoch R, Marston and Mary Ann Bartlett. They have two sons, — Walter M. and John C. John Febdinand Burnham, the second son of John Burnham and Susan E. Wadleigh, was born in Hopkinton, February 10, 1833. He was educated at Hopkinton acad- emy, and devoted a portion of his early life to teaching. He afterwards followed the occupation of a farmer and lumberman at Contoocook. In 1864 and 1865, and also in 1872 and 1873, he was a selectman. In 1882, he moved to West Randolph, Vt. . Mr. Burnham married Satira W. Peabody, of Antrim, May 12, 1858; she died November 22, 1869. They had four children, — Herbert Byron, Susie Wadleigh, Addie Leona, May Ella. His second wife was Frances E. Rich- mond, of West Randolph, Vt., whom he married September 15, 1872. They have one child, — Clara Blanche. Edward D. Burnham, third son of John Burnham and Susan E. Wadleigh, was born August 8, 1835. He was educated at Hopkinton academy, and was for years a miller, 20 322 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. lumberman, or farmer. In 1875, he was a member of the executive council of New Hampshire. He married Georgia D. Davis, of Contoocook, by whom he had four sons, — Nathan D., Fred T., Frank P., and Charles D. Mr. Burn- ham died March 30, 1887. Abeaham Bitenham, son of Abraham Burnham and Euth Cavis, was born in Hopkinton, September 27, 1800. He resided on the old homestead at the time of his death, February 28, 1853, he being 52 years old. He was a cap- tain of militia. In 1838, he was elected a member of the state house of representatives, but it is said his modesty prevented him from assuming the duties of the office. He married Elizabeth Cross, daughter of Moses Cross, of Hop- kinton, but had no children. Cheistie W. Buenham, the son of Samuel Burnham and Sally P. Sargent, was born in Bow, September 19, 1832. He resided in Bow till 1841; in Manchester, till 1860; in Hamilton, N. Y., till 1863 ; in Hopkinton, tiH 1871 ; in Valley Falls, R. I., till 1874; in Hinsdale, till 1876; in Stanton, Mich., till 1877 ; in Pontiac, Mich., till 1880 ; in Manistigue, Mich., till 1882; since then till the present time he has resided in Pawtuxet, R. I. He is a clergyman. He was educated at Madison University and Hamilton Theo- logical Seminary. He was ordained pastor of the Baptist church, Hopkinton, October 14, 1863, remaining till the last Sunday in August, 1871. In 1868, he was a member of the superintending school-committee of Hopkinton. He has also seryed in the same capacity in Hinsdale, Cumber- land, R. I., and Manistigue, Mich. He has held different clerical positions in associations of his church. Rev. Mr. Burnham married Frances A. Works, daughter of Almon Works and Sarah H. KUgore, of Manchester. They have children, — Samuel Bradford, Almon Christie. Benjamin A. Btjens, the son of James Burns and Dor- cas Annis, was born in Somerset, Me., and came to Hop- kinton about twenty-three years ago. During the late war, he served in Company B, 9th Regiment N. H. Vols. In 1849, he married Laura (Stone) Smith, the daughter of Elijah Stone and Dorcas Gibson, of Henniker. She died October 24, 1889. Mr. Burns is a farmer. PEBSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 323 Benjamin Buswell, from whom Buswell's Corner ap- pears to derive its name, was the son of Benjamin Buswell and Judith Moody, and was born in Amesbury, Mass., Au- gust 25, 1766. In 1789, he came to Concord, where he lived two years, and then moved to Hopkinton, where he resided till his death, June 14, 1851. In 1790, he occupied a new house he had built at Buswell's Corner. Benjamin Buswell, Jr., was a veterinary surgeon, or farrier, and prob- ably the first one ever in Hopkinton. In 1790, he married Joanna Carter, daughter of Lieut. Ezekiel and Eleanor Eastman (Johnson) Carter. She died August 15, 1862. They had children, — Andrew, born May 3, 1791; Eleanor Carter, born February 6, 1793; Ephraim Carter, born January 24, 1795; Elizabeth Kimball, born March 5, 1797 ; Moses, born May 1, 1799 ; John, born Sep- tember 15, 1802; Judith Moody, born October 22, 1804; Rhuey Herrick, born July 18, 1806 ; Joanna Carter, born August 23, 1808 ; Jane Woods, born January 11, 1811 ; Catharine Carter, born April 8, 1816 ; Samuel Smith, born October 13, 1818. SECTION V. CALL CHANDLER. Royal Call, a former physician of Hopkinton, is said to have been a native of Boscawen (now Webster). He came to this town about 1822, and remained till about 1834, when he went to Lowell, Mass. He married Mary Putney, daughter of Samuel Putney, of Hopkinton. They had one daughter. Dr. Call lost a leg in early life, but learned, with the aid of a crutch, to mount a horse in an instant, as it were. He resided on the road from Contoo- cook to West Hopkinton. Jonah Campbell, a noted martial musician, was born in Henniker, March 20, 1796, being a son of Phineas Camp- bell. His mother's maiden name was Bowman. The sub- ject of this sketch lived in Henniker till 1840, in New Lon- don till 1848, and ever afterwards in Hopkinton, at a place called Campbell's Corner, near West Hopkinton. Mr. 324 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON, Campbell was a farmer, but in the days of the old militia system, became a famous drummer. He was drum-major of his regiment. His pleasure and pride in his drum in- duced frequent practice till old age. In company with George Choat, a famous fifer, he performed at public festi- vals almost to the end of his life. He died May 6, 1880. Mr. Campbell was twice married. His first wife was Candace, daughter of Alexander Campbell, of Henniker. She died in August, 1828. His second was Elizabeth (Jones) Philbrick, daughter of Ezra Jones, of New Lon- don. By his first wife, Mr. Campbell had a son, Harvey, who lived to maturity ; by his second, another, Francis J. Haevey Campbell, the son of Jonah and Candace Campbell, was born in Henniker, January 24, 1826. He attended the Henniker high school, and became a woollen manufacturer. He lived in Henniker till 1840, in New London till 1844, in Hopkinton till 1874, living since in Concord, being now a resident of Penacook. From 1858 to 1873, he managed a woollen carding-mill in Contoocook, being burned out in the latter year. Mr. Campbell was the town-clerk of Hopkinton in 1865 and 1866, register of deeds of Merrimack county from 1871 to 1873, and deputy secretary of state in 1874. Mr. Campbell married Adeline Dow, adopted daughter of Ebenezer Wyman, of Hopkinton, and daughter of Moses Dow, on the 26th of May, 1851. They have had three children, — Edwin Harvey, Charles Channing, Alma Edla Candace. Michael Caklton, a former Baptist clergyman of Hop- kinton, was a native of Blue Hill, Me., and was educated at Waterville, Me. He was ordained pastor of the church in Hopkinton, June 27, 1822 ; resigned September 14, 1832. During his pastorate, the Calvinistic element of the church rallied around him, and a schism resulted in the organization of the Freewill Baptist church at Contoocook, the Calvinists locating at Hopkinton village, the original church having been at the foot of the southern slope of Putney's hill. Leaving Hopkinton, the Rev. Mr. Carlton settled in Salem, Mass., where he died in 1865, in advanced age. While in PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 325 Hopkinton he took a prominent interest in the temperance cause, and was active in promoting education. In 1827, he was one of the first trustees of Hopkinton academy. The same year he was a member of the town superintending school-committee. He also enjoyed military distinction, being chaplain of the 40th regiment, receiving his appoint- ment in 1825. While in Salem, Mass., he was a seaman's minister and a city missionary. Rev. Michael Carlton was twice married. His first wife was Deborah Hunt, of Salem, Mass., by whom he had three children, — Deborah, Charles, Mary. His second wife was Hannah Perkins, also of Salem, and by whom he had four children, — Francis, Priscilla, Lizzie, Francis. Frank H. Carr, the son of Thomas W. Carr and Caro- line C. Connor, was born in Hopkinton, February 8, 1841. From 1859 to 1871, he lived in Henniker ; the rest of his life he has resided in Hopkinton. He is a mechanic and the proprietor of the lumber mills at West Hopkinton. He served in the 2d Regiment of U. S. Sharpshooters during the late war. He was mustered in December 12, 1861 ; re- enlisted December 21, 1863 ; promoted to sergeant Novem- ber 1, 1864 ; transferred to 5th N. H. Vols., January 30, 1865 ; commissioned second lieutenant of Company A, May 1, 1865 ; mustered out, June 28, 1865. In 1868, October 31, Frank H. Carr married Mary A. Chandler, daughter of William Chandler and Anna H. Straw, of Henniker. They have children, — ^Anna C, William T., Lucy Clara, John Frank. Arthur Cavbrno, a once distinguished clergyman of Contoocook, was born in that part of Barrington now called Strafford, April 6, 1801, being a son of Jeremiah Cavern o and Margaret Brewster. Until 18 years of age, Arthur attended only the common school, and then he was sent six months to Gilmanton academy, under the tuition of Prof. A. Mack. Subsequently, he taught school a num- ber of years. In 1821, he studied practical surveying with David Clarke, of Northwood. In the summer of 1822, he attended school at South Newmarket, Prof. M. White being preceptor. In 1818, having made public profession of religion, the subject of this sketch was baptized by the Rev. Enoch Place, 326 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. of Rochester, on the 11th of November, his mother being bap- tized at the same time. He began preaching in 1820 ; was licensed by the New Durham Quarterly Meeting, convened at Deerfield, August 23, 1822 ; was ordained in an oak grove at his old homestead, June 17, 1823, the ordaining council being Revs. Samuel B. Dyer, Moses Bean, David Harriman, Enoch Place, and William Buzzell. In 1824, he organized a church in Epsom, where he remained three years. In 1828, he came to Contoocook as stated pastor of the Union or Freewill Baptist church, remaining till 1833, during which residence he not only identified himself suc- cessfully with the cause of religion, but also was specially active in the great temperance reform that occurred during this period. An address on the subject of temperance, which he delivered to the church, was published and had an extensive circulation. Leaving Contoocook, he settled in Great Falls, where he remained till 1836, preaching, lec- turing on temperance, and writing editorially for the Morning Star. During this period, he was chosen a mem- ber of the examining board of Parsonfield (Me.) Seminary, assisted in the organization of the Freewill Baptist Home and Foreign Mission societies, and published a sermon on capital punishment, taking positive grounds against it. His health failing, he resigned his ministerial charge and accepted an agency for the Strafford academy, in which he served two years, lecturing on education at the same time. Later, he filled pastorates in Providence, R. I., Charlestown, Mass., Bangor, Me., Candia, N. H., Dover, N. H., Gardiner, Me., and one or two other places. The last years of his life were spent in Dover, where he died July 15, 1876. In 1823, December 23, Rev. Arthur Caverno married Olive H. Foss, who died January 30, 1854. They had two children, — Elizabeth A., born November 29, 1824, and Marilla M., born January 12, 1832. In 1855, February 7, Rev. Mr. Caverno married Mrs. Isabel J. Soule, of Bath, Me. Isaac Chandler, one of the Masonian grantees of Hop- kinton, is said to have come to this town from Ipswich, Mass. In the record of rights held under the Masonian grant, Isaac Chandler and Isaac Chandler, Jr., held one right each. Isaac Chandler was one of the first selectmen chosen after the incorporation of the town in 1765. The PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 327 name of Isaac Chandler appears in the annual list of Hop- kinton's selectmen eight times from 1766 to 1783, not to mention Sergeant Chandler, Lieutenant Chandler, and Major Chandler, who all appear in the selectmen's list with- in the time mentioned, and may have all been the same in- dividual. The abundance of shady elms now adorning Hopkinton village, are said to be largely the result of the early forethought of Isaac Chandler and Isaac Chandler, Jr. The name of Isaac Chandler appears in the colonial records of New Hampshire during the French war. Isaac Chand- ler, Sr., is said to have died before the Revolution. Isaac Chandler, Jr., died December 8, 1809, aged 82; Meril, his wife, June 8, 1805. Isaac Chandler, Jr., is identified as a major by his gravestone in the old cemetery in Hopkinton village. William S. Chandlee, the son of Moses Chandler and Nellie Stinson, was born in Hopkinton, August 29, 1810. With the exception of one year in Boston, Mass., he resided in Hopkinton till 1838. While in Hopkinton, he was for a time in mercantile pursuits, and was for two years a first lieutenant in the light infantry. On leaving Hopkinton, he was about two years clerk for A. T. Stewart of New York city. Subsequently, he was nearly three years teller and assistant cashier of a bank in Montreal, Canada. Two years afterwards, he was in mercantile business at Lowell, Mass. In 1844, he went to New Orleans, La., where he _ began the study of dental surgery with Dr. F. H. Knapp. From 1845 to 1853, he was in Natchez and Port Gibson, Miss., and then he returned to New Orleans, where he re- sided till his death, July 18, 1884. In 1849, he graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. Dr. Chandler was one of the incorporators of the New Orleans Dental Association in 1865, and for eight years its president. He was one of the signers of the charter of the New Orleans Dental College in 1867, and was a professor and clinical instructor in the same institution for five years. He was then emeritus professor of operative dental surgery. He was one of the incorporators of the Louisiana State Den- tal Society in 1880 ; one of the signers of the constitiition of the New Orleans Odontological Society in 1881, and event- ually president of the same ; one of the incorporators of the Southern Art Union in 1881, and eventually one of its executive committee. 328 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In 1865, November 16, Dr. Chandler married Alice Amelia Ruloff, daughter of George Ruloff and Maria Tib- bets, of New Orleans. She died April 28, 1866. In 1870, April 2, Dr. Chandler married Julia Gertrude Knapp, daughter of Prof. Moses L. Knapp and Mary Jane Long, of New Orleans, by whom he had one son, Robert A. Isaac H. Chandlek, the son of Isaac Chandler and Lucy Withington, was born in Boston, Mass., October 13, 1820. He attended school in Boston and Andover, Mass. He resided in Boston till 1828, in Hopkinton till 1876, and in Concord since. Mr. Chandler was many years a passen- ger conductor on the Concord Railroad, and mail agent in 1861 and 1862. Mr. Chandler married Caroline E. Shaw, of Boston, Mass., and daughter of Earl Shaw and Mary Thomas. They have had six children, — Caroline Maria, Henry E., George Russel, who died in infancy and was succeeded by another son of the same name, Frank W., and Isaac S. SECTION VI. CHA.SE — CHOAT. Jonathan Chase was a native of Concord, who became a soldier in the French war. In 1755, he was in Col. Jo- seph Blanchard's regiment, in Capt. Joseph Eastman's com- pany, in the expedition against Crown Point. He came to Hopkinton before the Revolution, and in 1777 was in Col. Henry Gerrish's regiment, in Capt. John Hale's company, called out to reinforce General Gates. In 1776, Jonathan Chase was moderator of Hopkinton town-meeting," and, in 1777, a selectman. He appears to have held a military commission as captain. His Hopkinton home was on Dimond's hill. Captain Chase married Sarah Stickney, of Concord, who died March 10, 1812, aged 74. Captain Chase died Febru- ary 6, 1815, aged 83. Baeuch Chase, probably the first lawyer in Hopkinton, is said to have been a native of Cornish. As an attorney. PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 329 he is said to have stood at the head of the bar in Hillsbor- ough county. He was county solicitor from 1808 to 1817. While he was in Hopkinton, his office was in the building now used as the post-office. He built the house now occu- pied by Mrs. Louisa A. P. Stan wood. Baruch Chase married Ellen Wiggin, daughter of Ben- jamin Wiggin and Elizabeth Clement, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Samuel G. and Benjamin Wiggin. Baruch Chase died March 5, 1841, aged 77 ; his wife, March 17, 1868, aged 92. Benjamin Wiggin Chase, the son of Baruch Chase and Ellen Wiggin, was born in Hopkinton, in 1796. He was educated in Hartford, Ct., and became a merchant. He resided at Philadelphia, then in England, subsequently in Boston, Mass., afterwards in Taunton, Mass.j again in Boston, and lastly in Philadelphia, where he died on the 6th of January, 1878. In 1828, Mr. Chase married Ann Williams, daughter of William Williams and Mary Ripley, of Liverpool, Eng. They had six children, — ^three sons and three daughters. Mrs. .Chase died December 21, 1889. Horace Chase, a native of Unity, was born December 14, 1788. He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1814. The same year he came to Hopkinton and entered the law office of Matthew Harvey. Finishing his studies, he opened an office in Goshen in 1818. Returning to Hopkin- ton in 1821, he entered into a law partnership with Mat- thew Harvey. Horace Chase was frequently the incum- bent of minor and major civil offices. In 1837 and 1842, he was moderator of town-meeting; in 1824 and 1825, and again from 1829 to 1835, he was town-clerk ; from 1826 to 1835, he was town treasurer ; in 1829, a representative to the General Court ; from 1830 to 1832, he was assistant clerk of the house of representatives ; from 1829 to 1850, he was post-master ; from 1843 to 1855, he was judge of probate for Merrimack county, publishing in 1845 the Pro- hate Directory. Horace Chase held a prominent position in Masonry, be- ing made a Master Mason in 1815, a Royal Arch Mason in 1817, and a Knight Templar in 1826. He was Grand Re- corder of the Grand Commandery from 1860 to 1870. He 330 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. compiled and published the records of the Grand Lodge from 1789 to 1856. In 1818, December 24, Horace Chase married Betsey Blanchard, daughter of Stephen Blanchard and Betsey Estabrooks, of Hopkinton, by whom he had four children, — Mary Elizabeth, Samuel Blanchard, Horace Gair, and Charles Carroll. Mrs. Chase died June 28, 1843, and on June 5, 1844, Judge Chase married Lucy Blanchard, her sister, who died December 22, 1848. In 1849, November 15, Judge Chase married Ruhama Clarke, widow of Daniel W. Clarke, of Manchester, and a daughter of Joseph Coch- ran and Anna Wilson, of New Boston, who now resides in Hopkinton. Judge Chase died March 1, 1875, and, on the 6th his funeral occurred in St. Andrew's Episcopal church, the Rev. Henry A. Coit, D. D., and the Rev. Hall Harrison officiating. There was a large attendance of Knights Templar and Masons of different degrees, with numerous citizens. HoEACE Gaik Chase, the son of Horace Chase and Betsey Blanchard, was born in Hopkinton, July 9, 1827. He was educated at Hopkinton academy. At the age of 16 he went to Boston, Mass., where he remained two years, and then returned to Hopkinton, where he resided till 1852. Since 1852, he has resided in Chicago, 111., 23 years; in New London, Ct., 4 years ; in New Haven, Ct., 7 years ; and at present he is a resident of Chicago. Mr. Chase is a conveyancer and real estate broker. A gentleman of wealthy his social habits are liberal. In 1888 and 1889, he erected his present summer cottage in Hopkinton village. In 1860, June 14, Mr. Chase married Ellen Marian Sher- win, daughter of Myron Sherwin and Ellen Rickards, of Chicago. They have children, — Samuel Myron, Bessie Louise Blanchard, Lucy Blanchard, Horace Stanley. Moses B. Chase, the first rector of St. Andrew's Epis- copal church, Hopkinton, was born in Salisbury, Mass., January 12, 1793, being a son of Capt. Bailey Chase and Hannah FoUansbee. His father was of maritime pursuits, and moved his family to Newburyport when Moses B. was a child, and where the son remained till he entered Bow- doin college, Me., in 1811. A condition of ill-health pre- HORACE m i-^ "# ••}. Hor f" vU ^■^ ^ u. Sail" < h,,' ' f.iii. Mrs. > u-.] .; ■-h;ir(l. i)s r Mil lVoeJ»-:««» * ; i."*^! 1 ' Ndve;!''!" '. we ' !.-T.f tuhili t . ;> •* Xf nnd a da".; ' - ( - • New Boston, wh" . ' 1, 1. IH ■ 1 ;hf !'f> ' Hi, \lUflrV '■■in ' rliv f. , i>, I'- i \ . rison •t ll ' U i^hts H-* ' '. ..V .3E HJ oj Horace *' m. '■'■■'. \ >\« >H'ih i.. Ffijpkinton, July :». i ; .. .... !>'<' i!j. where he resided till l'*' •■"'•icago, 1)1., 23 yt-i-.f:!. ■■•■ ■ w Haveii, Ct.. '■' '. ■.: , .' ., .- a U.-Kl- ■' i;!f>,agO. Mr- * -.; iiitii' and it.u estate i'.'-! '■ A g'-tleii^j .kiiitori v . - »''', .'tin. ' ?. Ml < \<-,-' .■•iiu-riiui El!','!' I' ' M}t'oii Shtt'Ai> i;-d ?■"-! " • t . > have ch'ldri-i . "~i" . ■ '-ti uird. Lucy Ri;ui< MasJia B. I'm ".ke, the first n t'tpal church, H.ip'nnton, "<-'•'■ ''smiary 12, IT:'-'. -"'Uig a -i?, ■ ■ ' .'-•'! "••vhere Uit •- i :>..-, Hid ...nme ]m ;'-..,),,<'«, v( Mosft« B. Win V entered B«*j^<'- iSS.%1??, HORACE G. CHASE. PEESONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 331 vented a completion of the college course, and young Chase eventually went to Norfolk, Va., and entered the counting- room of a merchant, taking up, while thus situated, the study of theology, having becor^e a member of the Episco- pal church at Newburyport. While yet a student, he re- ceived an appointment as acting chaplain in the United States navy. A part of a naval chaplain's duty in those times being to teach, Mr. Chase became the tutor of acting midshipman, afterwards Admiral, Farragut, at the time only ten years of age. While acting chaplain, Mr. Chase made a cruise to South America, and, on his return, was ordained at Richmond, Va., by Bishop Moore, and settled in Accomac county, the time being not far from 1818. In 1826, in consequence of an enforced change of climate. Rev. Mr. Chase having returned to New England, settled in Hopkinton, N. H., over Christ's church, which worshipped in the county court- house. In 1827, in consequence of the Rev. Mr. Chase's energy, a new ecclesiastical organization was formed and incorporated as St. Andrew's church, a new church edifice being constructed the same year. The Rev. Mr. Chase continued to reside in Hopkinton tUl 1841. Receiving an appointment as chaplain, he reen- tered the service of the United States, and was ordered to sea in the sloop of war John Adams. Sailing from Boston, the John Adams went to South America, where certain in- terests of the United States government were guarded, and thence sailed to the eastern coast of Africa, to bring home the officers and crew of the wrecked sloop of war Concord. Returning home in 1847, the subject of this sketch resided at Cambridge, Mass., till his death, October 21, 1875. Rev. Moses B. Chase married Sarah Curtis Joynes, daughter of Col. Levin Joynes and Anne Smith, of Acco- mac, April 3, 1824. They had six children, — Juliana Lowe, Philander, James Morse, Reginald Heber, Virginia Moore, Sarah Joynes. Mrs. Chase died October 8, 1872. Jambs Moese Chase, the son of Moses B. Chase and Sarah Custis Joynes, was born in Hopkinton, December 7, 1829. He graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1850, received from his Alma Mater the degree of A. M. in 1853, became a student in the law office of Daniel Web- 332 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ster, and graduated at the Harvard Law Seliool in 1856. With Edward Banfield, he entered the practice of law in Boston under the firm name of Chase & Banfield. He was for a number of years a member of the city council of Cam- bridge and clerk of that body. Upon the event of the civil war, he was mustered into the United States service as captain of Company D, Seventh Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, and mustered out by reason of expiration of his term of service December 22, 1864, at Chapin's Farm, Vir- ginia. He was in the charge at Fort Wagner, South Caro- lina, July 11, 1863, when his colonel, the gallant Putnam, was killed. He was wounded in the engagement at Ches- ter Station, Va., June 6, 1864. After leaving the service, he settled in Philadelphia, where he was afterwards busily occupied as tutor and teacher. He was a member of the Harvard Alumni Association of Philadelphia and of the University Club. In 1861, October 30, James M. Chase married Sarah Hall Tyler, daughter of Dr. Cyril C. Tyler and Sarah Putnam, of Hopkinton, by whom he had five children, — Philip Put- nam, Harry Curtis, Reginald Banfield, Virginia Bailey, and Agnes FoUansbee. Captain Chase died in Germantown, Pa., March 14, 1889, and his remains were interred in Hopkinton in the old vil- lage cemetery. His funeral occurred in St. Andrew's Episcopal church, a delegation of Colonel Putnam Post, G. A. R., being in attendance. Reginald Hebbk Chase, the son of Rev. Moses Bailey Chase and Sarah Curtis Joynes, was born in Hopkinton, March 25, 1832. He was educated at Hopkinton academy, Cambridge (Mass.) high school, and Harvard University, where he graduated in 1852, being made Master of Arts in 1855. He resided in Cambridge from 1844 to 1859, and in Philadelphia, Pa., from 1859 to 1885. Mr. Chase devoted his life to teaching, and was many years principal of the Collegiate School, Philadelphia. In 1859, May 31, Mr. Chase married Susan Ladd Stan- wood, daughter of Joseph Stanwood and Louisa Ayer Per- kins, of Hopkinton. They had three children, — Joseph Stanwood, Levin Joynes, Philanda. Mr. Chase died January 11, 1885, in Philadelphia, and his remains were interred in Hopkinton. PEESONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 333 Carlton Chase, Protestant Episcopal bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire, was born in Hopkinton, Janu- ary 20, 1794. He was a son of Charles Chase and Sarah Currier. He finished preparation for college at Salisbury academy in 1813. In 1817, he graduated from Dartmouth college. While in college he became an Episcopalian. After leaving college, he studied theology with Bishop Griswold, of Rhode Island. In 1818, he was ordained a deacon at Bristol, and in 1820 a priest at Newport. He be- came the minister of Immanuel church, Bellows Falls, Vt., where he remained about a quarter of a century> In 1839, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the Uni- versity of Vermont. Subsequently, he was admitted ad eundem at Bishop's college, Lenoxville, Canada. In Octo- ber, 1843, he was chosen Bishop of New Hampshire, being consecrated in Philadelphia, Pa., in October, 1844. His Episcopal residence was at Claremont, where he became rector of Trinity church. Bishop Chase died January 18, 1870. In 1820, September 13, Carlton Chase married Harriet, daughter of Dr. Samuel Cutler, of Bellows Falls, Vt. They had eight children, as follows : Eleanor C, born September 9, 1821 ; Frederick Carlton, born May 28, 1823 ; Francis, born January 7, 1828 ; Alice, born July 25, 1829 ; Francis, born September 8, 1831 ; Sarah Jennett, born October 17, 1833 ; Arthur, born October 21, 1835 ; Harriet, born Sep- tember 3, 1842. Enoch Chase, the son of John Chase, was born in Port- land, Me., about the year 1775. He came to Hopkinton when about eight years old. In manhood, he became a farmer. He was collector of taxes in Hopkinton from 1818 to 1820, and again in 1824 ; he was a selectman from 1820 to 1823. Mr. Chase married Mary Morse, of Newbury, Mass. They had children, — Charlotte, born December 30, 1797 ; Enoch, Jr., born June 25, 1801; Daniel D., born June 6, 1803; Thomas, born May 12, 1805; Hannah, born August 15, 1806 ; Abner, born April 24, 1808 ; Ambrose, born Feb- ruary 26, 1810 ; Jacob, born October 6, 1811 ; Elbridge G., born July 16, 1813 ; Sally, born June 2, 1816. Enoch J. Chase, the son of Enoch Chase and Mary Morse, was born in Hopkinton, June 25, 1801. He was a 334 LITE AST) TIMES IN HOPKINTOST. farmer and lumberman, and lived many years in the Black- water district, where his son, Harvey Chase, now lives. He also lived a number, of years in Concord, and for a time in Wilmot. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1843, 1853, and 1854 ; representative, in 1862 and 1863. Enoch J. Chase was twite married. His first wife was Sarah H. Holmes, daughter of Dr. Joshua Holmes, of Tren- ton, N. Y. His second wife was Nancy Johnson, of Salis- bury. By his first wife, Mr. Chase had children, — Lucinda H., born May 27, 1824; Horace J., born October 11, 1825; Mary Jane, born June 17, 1827 ; Harvey, born April 3, 1829 ; by his second, — Nancy A., born September 18, 1836 ; George W., born August 18, 1837 ; Malinda B., born Oc- tober 22, 1840. Enoch J. Chase died October 17, 1879 ; his second wife, October 28, 1874. HoKACE J. Chase, the son of Enoch J. Chase and Sarah H. Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, October 11, 1825. He has always resided in Hopkinton ; he is a tanner and cur- rier, operating since 1852 at his present place of business. In 1886. Mr. Chase was a selectman of Hopkinton. In 1850, January 8, Mr. Chase married Mary Ann Dodge, •daughter of Stillman Dodge and Sarah Highland, of Hop- kinton. They have had children, — Frank S., Edward E., Horace S., Willard H., Arthur D. HoKACB SuMNEE Chase, the SOU of Horace J. Chase and Mary Ann Dodge, was born in Hopkinton, August 24, 1857. He was educated at New London academy and Acadia ■college, Nova Scotia. In 1880, he started the Hopkinton Times, which was consolidated with the ICearsarge Indepen- dent, of Warner, in 1885. In July, 1886, he opened the Highland House, Contoocook, which he now conducts. In 1880, December 23, Mr. Chase married Lillian Flor- ence Spaulding, daughter of Dustin A. Spaulding and Sa- mantha Putney, of Hopkinton. They have one daughter, — Florence N. Harvey Chase, the son of Enoch J. Chase and Sarah H. Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, April 8, 1829. With the exception of nine years in Concord and two in Chiches- PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 335 ter, he has always lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer and lumber dealer. In 1852 and 1853, he was a selectman of Concord, and in 1854, a councilman. In 1879, he was a representative of Hopkinton. In 1853, March 17, Mr. Chase married Martha R. Ben- nett, daughter of Charles Bennett and Olive B. Crockett, of Concord. They have had children, — Mary Jane, Georgia Percis, Fred Harvey, Mattie Olive. Thomas Chase, the son of Enoch Chase and Mary Morse, was born in Hopkinton, May 12, 1806. A farmer and hotel keeper by occupation, he lived in Warner twenty years ; in Penacook, three years ; Troy, N. Y., one year ; and has resided many years in Contoocook and vicinity, his present home being with his son-in-law, William E. Mud- gett. Mr. Chase kept the Central House in Contoocook for a time. He was collector of taxes in Hopkinton from 1869 to 1871. Thomas Chase married Mary L. Pierson, daughter of Samuel Pierson and Hannah Clough, of Hopkinton. The following are the names of their children : Laura P., Mary, Otis, Maria, Juliette, Salome. Oerin Chase, the son of Reuben K. Chase and Betsey B. Rion, was born in Hopkinton, March 22, 1843, and has always lived in this town, his home being in Contoocook. He is a laborer upon the railroad. During the late war, he served in Company D, 16th Regiment N. H. V., being mus- tered in October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 20, 1863. In 1870, September 3, Mr. Chase married Hattie M. Bad- ger, daughter of E. Sargent Badger and Emily Foster, of Warner. They have children, — Fred J., Harry A.j Lena M., Walter B. George Choat, the son of John T. Choat and Hannah Pearson, was born in Hopkinton, January 5, 1799. His father was born in Newburyport, Mass., July 11, 1768, and had fourteen children. His grandfather was Isaac Choat, born in England. The subject of this sketch was a mason, blacksmith, and farmer, who lived some time in Henniker, Hillsborough, and Andover, Mass., and many years in Hop- kinton. He was a militia major two years, but was best 336 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. known as a military musician, his skill upon the fife making him locally famous. In company with Jonah Campbell, a famous drummer, he performed at festivals long after the abolition of the old militia system. Mr. Choat married Betsey Davis, daughter of Abram Davis and Priscilla Currier, of Hopkinton. They had two children, — Horace L. and Lizzie A. Mr. Choat died September 13, 1888 ; his wife, February 8, 1880. HoKACE L. Choat, the son of George Choat and Betsey Davis, was born in Henniker, Api'il 20, 1833. He has lived in Henniker three years, in Concord about Jour and one half years, in Manchester one year, and the rest of his life in Hopkinton. By vocation he is a farmer, and he lives on the spot where his father lived many years, in Stumpfield. In 1886, he was a selectman. In 1863, December 10, Mr. Choat married Mary E. Meath, daughter of Christopher Meath and Sarah Carr, of Man- chester. She having died, November 1, 1882, Mr. Choat married Frances E. Ford, daughter of Cyrus Ford and Han- nah H. Rand, of Boston, Mass., December 10, 1883. SECTION VII. CLAEK — CONNOR. Jacob Knight Clark, the son of Jacob Clark and Bet- sey Huse, was born in Hopkinton, April 4, 1812. Except- ing six years in Weare, the subject of this sketch has always lived in Hopkinton. His home is in the Hatfield district, where his grandfather, Jacob Clark, from Newbury, Mass., settled. His father, Jacob Clark, Jr., died at 46, and weighed 400 pounds. Jacob K. Clark is a farmer, but has been officially prominent in various ways. In 1830, he was commissioned ensign of the Hopkinton Rifles ; in 1831, lieutenant; in 1834, captain. From 1848 to 1860, he was a selectman ; in 1854, an assessor or appraiser ; in 1851 and 1853, a representative to the General Court. In 1835, July 19, Captain Clark married Mary Straw, Horace L O^ nn;.K IS H01*Ki i). liN skill u]' ■. ,^;.. !>«;?► , , 1. ilaughtpr oi -\ ' .; i^la Currier, of Mopkinton. • .>.! two children, — Horaoe L. and lAzzif A. ' f,i Uui liveil " .'.y years, in Stamp;:- iiL ' was H -1' .> I tniiii'. '^1 '(','».!, ijnat niariif--.: '' -. K. Mnvii,, u,',.i ', ■ ■ ' .'ii an' Siu-'i ^ arr, of Man. eh",st> . ' I'niiXT 1, i^'^'J, Mr. Choat !■!„ i;i.i"r of Cyrus Ford and Hjst* .1- , December 10. 18«8. SECTION VII. C'.X&K — : ■ ' i H ■ •< MX 1% NTGH't t, !i,M. . il S : I ■, • -t • 1 !! 'Ii I i ), « lived in H'l ' •'! Hi \*.her<* hi^ •/ 'id ' • ■ ' -v .iiomu' ' ■■ ■ ■ '''^^^^^^^^^^HP-' ^^^^^a ^^H ^H IHI ^H ^m Wi ^1 '^^^^^^^^^^^B Y'^' I :;*^^ ^ ^" ^■JH ^g mk ^^^^^^^^^^^I^^^^^^H A^^^^^^^^^^^^B '^ !S 1 Horace L, Choat. PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 337 daughter of Samuel Straw and Betsey Burbank, of Weare. They had three children, — Helen M., Warren, Ellen T. Mrs. Clark died December 27, 1873. With Moses Hoyt, Captain Clark enjoys the distinction of being the first to employ a machine to thresh his grain. The machine was owned by James Colby. The popular prejudice against the innovation was arrested by Hoyt's and Clark's encouragement of its use. Experience showed that it did n't spoil the grain or set the barn on fire, and at length it became a main reliance of all the leading farmers. Wakren Clarke, the son of Jacob K. Clarke and Mary Straw, was born in Hopkinton, March 29, 1837. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and at Norwich (Vt.) University, where he graduated in 1857, being the same year lieutenant of the Norwich Cadets. During six months of 1858, he taught military science and mathematics at Mount Pleasant academy. Sing Sing, N. Y., and the same for the same length of time at Randall's School for Boys, Bloomfield, N. J., in 1859. Devoting his attention to the law, he studied with George & Foster, of Concord, and was admitted to the bar in 1862. Mr. Clarke's home was in Hopkinton till 1863 ; in Henni- ker, till 1870 ; since 1870, in Concord. In 1862 and 1863, he was moderator of Hopkinton town-meeting; from 1861 to 1862, superintending school-committee ; three or four years superintending school-committee of Henniker; from 1874 to 1876, judge of probate of Merrimack county; much or all of the time, since 1875, connected with the school- board of Concord; since 1888, post-master of Concord. Mr. Clarke married Fannie S. Otis, daughter of Alfred Otis and Sophia Worthington, of Colchester, Ct. John Clement, the first physician in Hopkinton, came to this town from the vicinity of Haverhill, Mass. The site of his first home is on Putney's hill, a few rods south of the old cemetery, on the opposite side of the road. It is indicated by a slight depression and a quantity of stones. In the course of time, Dr. Clement, in company with a son, built a large, two-storied farm-house on the road leading from Gage's hill to West Hopkinton, a little north-west of his first residence. This house was taken down years ago. Dr. Clement seems to have been a popular physician, as his 338 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. practice extended to as many as fourteen towns. He is said to have been socially genial and mirthful. His wife, Molly, was probably from Salisbury, Mass. They had sons, — John, Timothy, Phineas, Benjamin, James ; and daughters, — Ruth, Polly, Sally, Betsey. Dr. Clement died November 20, 1804, aged 61 ; his wife, February 12, 1817, aged 72. Their remains lie in the Put- ney's Hill cemetery. Phineas Clough, the son -of James and Ruth Clough, was born July 28, 1783, in Hopkinton, where he resided till his death. He lived many years where his grandson, M. Tenny Clough, now resides. In early life, he learned the trade of a carpenter, but spent most of his life on the farm. He was much occupied in public affairs, and was often called to settle estates or assume the guardianship of minor chil- dren. He was also a surveyor of land. In 1829 and 1830, Mr. Clough was a representative to the General Court ; from 1823 to 1825, and again in 1836 and 1836, he was a select- man ; in 1850, a member of the state constitutional conven- tion. In 1811, February 3, Phineas Clough married Judith Currier, daughter of Daniel and Abigail Currier, of Warner. They had children, — Willard, Moses T., Daniel C, Maria J., Stephen. Phineas Clough died July 12, 1866 ; his wife, September 3, 1868. MosBS Tenny Clough, the son of Phineas Clough and Judith Currier, was born in Hopkinton, November 22, 1814. In early life, he attended the school of Master John 0. Bal- lard, but on the opening of Hopkinton academy he im- proved the opportunities of that institution. In 1830, he entered Dartmouth college, graduating in 1834. Seeking a knowledge of law, he entered the office of Eliphalet Pear- son, at Ticonderoga, N. Y., and subsequently that of James J. Stevens, of Albany, N. Y. Being admitted to the bar in 1838, he located in Ticonderoga, where he resided till 1857, and then moved to Troy, N. Y., his present place of resi- dence. Mr. Clough has been supervisor of Ticonderoga one year, assessor one year, post-master from 1845 to 1849, supreme court commissioner four years, master in chancery five years, WMA TENNEY -',.* maiif as fourteen town&. - ■ - :-m s^enial .'tu;i niirthiul. \¥as prr.h;ii,!v hum 9:*}:-:-]nit- ■ Mass.. ^./rUvorl.-.. Liiui.--, i.v),;asi.n,, James;" •".-mber 20^ 1804, J^ed 61 ; lils wife, •' 7:i, Tlieir rftn>''.;iw lie in tlie I'"!- H ^ f J.itijfS and Rati' i ]<■ ,' a 'i y< 1h-x'» lii^" !! -!si I :At m. '.led !s vvife, Sf •1 J . -; of M'l 1 >• 'il 1;. . 'a frier ai* ■'A a Dif!-- finer a •• ;4'1'#- PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 347 aud to have married Sarah Clement on the 19th of March, 1781. He died in 1808, aged 52. In early life, he solicited a surgeon's position of the captain of a privateer designed to make reprisals upon the British during the Revolution. "What can you do?" asked the captain. "I can cut a man's head off and put on a wooden one that 's better than yours is," was the answer. " You are just the man I want," said the captain. Edmund Citeeiee, an early physician of Hopkinton, died m 1811, aged about 44. His ancestry belonged in Salem. He married Betsey (Stanley) Alcock, daughter of Samuel Stanley, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Amos, Edmund, David Carlton, Trueworthy Gilman, Ebenezer Bronson, Ariel Stillman. Edmund Currier, the son, was a clock-maker, and Ebenezer Bronson Currier was a piano- maker. David C. Cueeeee, the son of Dr. Edmund Currier and Betsey (Stanley) Alcock, was born in 1784. He lived many years or all of his life in Hopkinton. He was a har- ness-maker and farmer. In the War of 1812, he served in Capt. Jonathan Bean's company, in Lieut. Col. Nat. Fisk's regiment, at Portsmouth, enlisting for a service of ninety days from September 11, 1814. Mr. Currier married Dolly Campbell, daughter of Phineas Campbell, of Henniker. They had children, — Lozaro, Su- san v., Laura E., Susan V., Eliza. Mr. Currier died October 10, 1864; his wife, November 2, 1876. LozAEO CuEElBE, the son of David Carlton Currier and Dolly Campbell, was born in Hopkinton, January 10, 1820, and has always resided in Hopkinton. He is a farmer and shoemaker. In militia days, he was a martial musician. His wife was Anna Anderson, of Hopkinton. Their children are, — Ella Anna, Lizzie Deane, Willie Anderson, Mary Eliza. Stephen Cxteeier, one of the early physicians of Hop- kinton, was born in the vicinity of Salisbury, Mass., June 11, 1775, being a son of John Currier and Sarah Clarke. When the subject of this sketch was a mere child, his father moved to this town, actually cutting a road through the 348 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. wilderness in the western part of Hopkinton, to enable him to reach his destined location in the present Stumpfield dis- trict. Stephen Currier, seeking an education, became the pupil of John Osgood Ballard, of Warner, afterwards of Hopkinton. He taught school a number of terms in War- ner and Hopkinton. Seeking a knowledge of medicine, he studied with Dr. Eobert Fuller, of Milford. Locating in Hopkinton, he became a popular physician with a widely extended practice. He was obliged to keep four or five horses, and his patronage sometimes came from points as far away as Lowell, Mass. In his old age, he received patients at his house. His active practice extended over a period of more than forty years. Dr. Currier evinced con- siderable originalitj' in practice. He concocted a specific, the ingredients of which remained a secret with him till death. That it bore a reputation we may know from the fact that others tried to imitate it. It has been said the late Dr. Cyril C. Tyler discovered the nearest approach to the original remedy. In 1809, March 20, Dr. Currier mamed Lucy Story, daughter of Capt. Thomas Story and Lois Currier, of Hop- kinton. They had the following children : Mary, John Darwin, Hillard Loveren, George Washington, and Robert Barclay. The two younger children are living at present, the latter in New York city. Dr. Stephen Currier died March 23, 1862 ; his wife, Sep- tember 4, 1872. The house of Dr. Currier, in Hopkinton village, is now occupied by his youngest son, Robert Barclay, as a summer residence. The edifice has been much remodelled. John Daewin Ctjerier, the son of Dr. Stephen Cur- rier and Lucy Story, was born in Hopkinton about the year 1810. In early manhood, he devoted himself to mer- cantile pursuits, being a merchant's clerk, at first in Hop- kinton, afterwards in Salem, Mass. An ill condition of health induced him to go to sea, and he went as supercargo on several voyages to the west coast of Africa. His first voyage was in the brig Sciot. He took out a " protection," the record of which is as follows : No. 915. John Darwin Currier ; born in. Hopkinton, N. H. ; Age, 24 ; Height, 6 feet &J- inches ; Complexion, fair ; Hair, dark. PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 349 The Seiot sailed on the 8th of February, 1835, and on the coast of Africa Mr. Currier established a factory at Am- brig, in the place of one previously burned, and traded principally in ivory. In the course of time, he visited many localities on the African coast, bringing home mementos of his travels, native gold jewelry, and skins of animals being prominent curiosities. The main object of these travels seems to have been the establishment of factories or trading stations. On one of his return voyages, Mr. Currier, being on friendly terms with the African king of the Island of St. Thomas, took home the king's son, Jose de Castro by name, who, being well pleased with his newly found friends and privileges in Hopkinton, returned to St. Thomas and se- cured the permission of his father to reside, for the pur- pose of an education, in the United States. Dr. Stephen Currier assumed guardianship of the lad, and was notified of his ward's departure for his new American home. All knowledge of the boy ended here. The slave-trade was then very active upon the west coast of Africa, and it was assumed that the boy was betrayed and sold into slavery. John Darwin Currier suffered extremely in consequence of the African climate, which appears to have terminated his life. He died on the 14th of June, 1837, on board the bark Active, of Salem, while she was cruising near St. Thomas. George Washington Cueribe, the son of Dr. Stephen Currier and Lucy Story, was born in Hopkinton, February 28, 1816. In early life, he evinced an aptness for intellect- ual pursuits, and became a pupil of Master John O. Ballard, and improved the opportunities implied in the existence of Hopkinton academy. In eairly manhood, he taught a number of schools, one in Concord, and, being at length married, he concluded that his days of teaching were past. However, his services were still in demand, and with very slight exceptions, he continued a teacher some part of each year for a period of about thirty years, being one of the. most successful instructors in the town. He was also a member of the superintending school-committee from 1844 to 1849. He was also a selectman in 1856 and 1857. In 1842, December 14, Mr. Currier married Hannah Flanders, daughter of Philip Flanders and Sarah Smith, of Hopkinton. They had six children,— Mary Ann, Lucy 350 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Sarah, John Darwin, Robert Barclay, Katie Eloisa, and ■Hester Eliza. Upon marriage, Mr. Currier located on a farm now owned by Horace Gr. Chase, between Beech and Putney's hUls, about half a mile from Hopkinton village. A few years ago, he moved to his present residence in the village. Robert Barclay Currier, the son of Dr. Stephen Currier and Lucy Story, was born in Hopkinton in 1820. In 1839, he went to Methuen, Mass. ; in 1841, to New York city, where he now resides. He is a merchant. He has been many years a vestryman of the Anthon Memorial church in New York city. He has been inspector of the Indian department. In June, 1851, he married Eliza Mar- garet Winans, daughter of William Wanton Winans, and Eliza Rebecca Webb, of New York city. They have chil- dren, — Ella Louisa, Florence Josephine. In summer, Mr. Currier occupies the remodelled former residence of his father. Dr. Currier, in Hopkinton village. John Currier, the son of Amos Currier and Mary Sar- gent, was born in Hopkinton, August 12, 1802. He always lived in Hopkinton, following the occupation of a farmer, his home being in the Stumpfield district, where his son, John F. Currier, now lives. He was a selectman of Hop- kinton in 1844 and 1845. For many years previously to his death, he was a deacon of the First Baptist church. In 1823, Mr. Currier married Mary Morgan, of Hopkin- ton, and the daughter of Nathan Morgan and Mary Emer- son. They had children, — Celestia E., Rosetta C, Mary L., and John F. Dea. John Currier died July 6, 1886 ; his wife, June 18, 1884. John Francis Currier, the son of John Currier and Mary Morgan, was born in Hopkinton, November 16, 1839. He was educated at Hopkinton academy, and is a farmer by occupation, his home being where his father formerly resided. In 1874 and 1875, he was a representative to the General Court. In 1875, he was chosen an assessor or ap- praiser. In 1861, April 7, Mr. Currier married Ellen H. Putney, •of Hopkinton, and a daughter of Ira A. Putney and Han- PEESONAL AKD BIOGRAPHICAL. 351 nah Muzzey. They have children, — Mary M., Charles C, John, True P. Charles C. Ctjreiek, the son of Amos Currier and Mary Sargent, was born in Hopkinton, February 7, 1805. When ten years of age, he was bereaved of his father and went to live with his brother-in-law, Jonathan Jones, at Kast's hill, at West Hopkinton. In his youth, he enjoyed such advantages as then commonly fell to the lot of the farmer's boy, but, arrived at manhood, he went to Boston, Mass., and worked in a drug store for a Mr. Henshaw. This was in 1826. He soon left the drug business, and engaged work in a West India goods store, kept by Pierce & Goodnow. In the course of about two years, by the assist- ance of his employers, he formed a partnership with a cousin, Cyrus Chase, and opened a store in Salem, Mass. In 1830, he purchased an interest in the schooner Rebecca, and became a trader with the West Indies. His first ven- tures were successful, but later ones were unprofitable, and in May, 1834, he sailed as a supercargo for a voyage of seven months. The next year he sailed for Calcutta as the representative of David Pingree, to purchase hides, cloths, gums, etc., and ship them to this country. In 1836, he spent a part of the year in Madras. Returning to Calcutta, he travelled nearly a thousand miles on the river Ganges into the heart of the country. In 1839, he went to Singa- pore, stopping on his return at the island of Penang, where he entered into new business relations in the firm of Rev- erly & Co. In 1840, his partner, Mr. Reverly, was lost at sea under such conditions of bequest that the business and profits of the firm passed to Mr. Currier. The business increased until it employed from three to five vessels, and then Mr. Currier's old friend, David Pingree, began to send to Penang, and the enterprise was very inuch enlarged. When American interests became sufficiently identified at Penang, Mr. Currier was made the first consul. While at Penang, in consequence of a personal service to a Danish colony in the Nicobar Islands, he received the present of a gold snuff-box, bearing the royal emblem, from the king of Denmark. In 1859, suffering from asthma, Mr. Currier returned to the United States. In March, the next year, a sudden illness caused his death on the 13th. He died at the house of his brother, John Currier, in the Stumpfield 352 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. district, leaving a large fortune to be divided among his relatives. The foregoing is mainly condensed from a sketch pub- lished in the " History of Merrimack and Belknap Counties." Eeastus E. Cuebier, the son of Amos Currier and Fanny Patterson, was born in Hopkinton, August 11, 1816. Excepting about a year in Henniker, he has lived contin- uously in Hopkinton, his home being in Contoocook. He is a farmer and manufacturer of lumber. He was six years a captain of militia. Captain Currier married Lucy A. Morrill, daughter of Joseph Morrill and Parmela Martin, of Hopkinton. She died June 3, 1884. There were three children born of this marriage, — George Alonzo, George Alvaro, Amos H. Amos H. CtJEEiEE, the son of Erastus E. Currier and Lucy H. Morrill, was born in* Hopkinton, Oct. 8, 1848, his father residing in Contoocook. He attended Contoocook academy. With the exception of one year in Danbury and one in Littleton, he has always resided in Contoocook. Since 1872, he has been railroad station agent, expr^s agent, and telegraph operator. He has become post-master the present year. In 1879, November 27, Mr. Currier married Mary S. (Nichols) Danforth, the daughter of David S. Nichols and Mary S. Story, of Hopkinton. Alonzo Cueeiee, the son of Amos Currier and Fanny Patterson, was born in Hopkinton, June 6, 1821, and has always lived in this town. He is a farmer and mechanic. In militia days he was a lieutenant and a captain, six years in all. His wife was Emily Merrill, daughter of Isaac Merrill, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — Abby S., Nettie I. Samuel Cuetioe, the son of John Curtice and Mildred Gibson, was born in Windsor, April 3, 1813. In the course of his life he has resided in Dedham, Mass., and in Lemp- ster. He came to Contoocook in 1860. He is a farmer. He has been a steward of the M. E. church. In 1841, March 18, Mr. Curtice married Lenora Sweat, daughter of John Sweat and Mary Preston, of Windsor. They have children, — Grosvenor Austin, Lenora Arvilla, Mary Vilona. PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 353 Grovenor Austin Curtice, the son of Samuel Cur- tice and Leonora Sweat, was born in Lempster, March 31, 1842. He attended school at Henniker and Hopkinton academies. From 1845 to 1861, he resided in Windsor ; since 1861, in Contoocook, where he pursues the vocation of a merchant in the firm of Curtice, Rand & Co. In 1862, August 14, Mr. Curtice enlisted as a private of the 7th Regiment N. H. V., and was mustered into Com- pany D on the 21st of the same month. He participated in all the battles lq which his regiment was engaged, being wounded at Fort Wagner. He was promoted to sergeant, orderly, and finally to captain. At Fort Fisher he captured a rebel captain and several of his men. Captain Curtice has frequently held offices of public trust. In 1867 and 1868, he was town-clerk, the latter year being also one of the superintending school-committee ; from 1869 to 1871, town treasurer, being also post-master of Contoocook at the same time, and again treasurer from 1874 to 1878, being also representative in 1875 and 1877. In 1878, he was a supervisor of the check-list. In 1880, he was elected state senator for the term of two years, and in 1888 he was a member of the executive council. In 1866, Captain Curtice married Sara Augusta John- son, daughter of Joshua Johnson and Clara A. Patterson, of Hopkinton, on the 14tli of August. Mrs. Curtice died July 4, 1869, and April 18, 1876, Captain Curtice married Augusta Wilson, daughter of Robert Wilson and Lucinda Huse, of Hopkinton. HiKAM Cutler, the son of Nathan Cutler and Mary Moore, was born in Industry, Me., February 21, 1822. He resided in Industry, till 1845, and in Lowell, Mass., till 1848. Since 1848, he has resided in Hopkinton, though spending six months in California. During the late war, he served in Company B, 2d Regiment N. H. V., being mustered in on September 17, 1861, and discharged on account of wounds December 14, 1862. He afterwards served as a corporal in Company A, 18th Regiment N. H. V., being mustered in September 13, 1864, and mustered out June 10, 1865. In 1847, Mr. Cutler married Rhoda (Darl- ing) Taisey, of Lowell, Mass. Mr. Cutler is a farmer and carpenter. 22 354 LIFE A^D TIMES IN HOPKINTOK. SECTION IX. DANPOETH — ^DWINBLLS. Enoch Danfoeth, the son of Edmund Danforth and Rhoda Clough, was born in Boscawen, May 4, 1824. Mr. Danforth is a blacksmith by trade and a farmer by occu- pation. In 1862, he went to California, where he resided till 1872, since then residing in Hopkinton. Before going to California, he kept a hotel for a time in Contoocook. In 1879 and 1880, Mr. Danforth was a selectman of Hop- kinton. Enoch Danforth married Melissa Colby, at Fisheryille (now Penacook), for a first wife. They had children, — Anna N. and Edward E. For a second wife, Mr. Danforth married Lydia A. (Connor) Fisk, daughter of Isaac Connor and Lydia A. Kimball, who resided in Hopkinton. They have one child, — Edmund G. John S. Daniels, the son of George S. Daniels and Sarah J. Chase, was born in Hopkinton in 1841. In the course of his life, he has resided in Minnesota, Manchester, and Lowell, Mass., being at different times a farmer, a school-teacher, a restaurant-keeper, etc. In 1862, Au- gust 9, he was mustered into Company B, 2d Regiment N. H. v., continuing in the service till May 17, 1865. On the 3d of June, 1864, at Cold Harbor, Va., he was wounded twice, in the right shoulder and in the left lung. A bullet still remains embedded in the lung. After being wounded, private Daniels was for a time in a hospital at Washington, D. C, and afterwards in Rhode Island, and again in Man- chester. He was given a pension at the time of his dis- charge from the army. In August, 1867, Mr. Daniels married Mary A. Layman, daughter of Hiram Layman and Abigail Joice, of Minnesota. Mrs. Daniels died in July, 1870, and in May, 1875, Mr. Daniels married Mary A. Zabin, daughter of Thomas Zabin and Agnes Brown, of Manchester. Mr. Daniels has two children by his first wife. Their initials are G. S. and C. H. Abeam Davis, the son of Abraham and Abiah Davis, was born in Hopkinton, January 23, 1776. Excepting six years in Lempster, he always lived in Hopkinton. He was 855 't>*f . -, In IBfeT ''H'^. hft *•-;- : ;, r"j>' *awn- i ■•■■ -ai Stilt'. i,';ni fijch;,^. hi l»fi4. - ^l'-i^:'-X''r ol Joiu) ;.«■" fhihirwtj.. — , V.>f*».;V. ;■-., )i Mnii-h HiH»; .Lt,. V -^i^'trv. ^> 2% 181 -' , AiaiN ;= i», , ».>,;'h iu-if • ■;;. '-rm Jalr - ■.-! ; i,i.! wife, -ira i »&¥» ftji-tl Pri*- > )■} - .^iarc)> 2t», 1816. la ■'. ^'V'-.,.'- 'liiltt!;*.* i mav. From 18Ji6 to .- parsufii •*. ■icat-WM.-' ? peddler ; in 1844 and lie wag on a ^ ^ ible ' *r Boston, Mu.-iS. ; the Ssiejr of h'w life . ;i8 ^f Ff'pkintott, ],is home ■■i- ■ ■ '. ' . t.h«> ■'Wr. : .■,i.Id''* -if'-!, where his hoik sicka. '■ - t>"2 ai;-.' " ''tl' f>avi8 rt-.!^ ..-:< :>! tlopkintefe . n-n . 25, Mr. 1- ^ ;s marrit':'^ ■ ' -rr' - . -.i Lobert «->; -iijail (.yvs .'.'•!; MM,.— F '.-rt. Hv.v ;; in. ?'.(• ■ tfd. Ill ■ W. Dow, w »',fr -■.. 'w • . 1 - ,. . ' ember »"• • .. . ho iiii!> .-■'■ V ith liin i' •■ixiucteii « liublic hou-.- li. ... '1 i'tn>.<(.'; ■' H If'- -b-iii' '.' 'ill!. Hu movtjd to (Jt>i.i .; l-ls residence iu LincoSr^ i iVu-mer, guide !<• tin- »!■'■ ■tr fundfj raisMi ' vrr!,)-:. the son of bu !;.>;.!! ill Fi-;))n'onia, ..... V:Ut hi- lii'.i' i-esidf s:..: bi.ifi.n. His }■- : .:i'...-i and ww. :;.. • isr four }v- *l" was t^- ..- . -ay .J. B.:, Kastin..;: Dr. Cyril C. Tyler. PERSONAL AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 485 profession of medicine and entered the office of Dr. Muzzey. His first and only professional location was in Hopkinton, where he came about the year 1823, always residing in the village. In 1849, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth college. In 1831, May 29, Dr. Tyler married Sarah Putnam, daugh- ter of Dr. Aaron Putnam, of Boston, Mass. They had two daughters, — Isabel Putnam and Sarah Hall. Dr. Tyler died May 27, 1865 ; Mrs. Tyler, April 15, 1880. Lxjcnjs H; Tyler, the son of Simeon Tyler and Hannah Eowell, was born in Hopkinton, November 19, 1817, and has always lived in this town. He is a farmer. In 1852, May 10, he married Sarah (Hall) Amesden, of Hopkinton, by whom he had children, — Mary J., Clara A., Bertha S. In 1883, June 26, he married Frances Eaton, of Warner. Lucius H. Tyler is a grandson of Adonijah Tyler, the ancestor of numerous Tylers, of Hopkinton, and who came to this town from Henniker and settled in the present Tyler district about 1772. He had nine children, among whom were the names James, Jeremiah, Simeon, Moses, Phineas, Rachel, Miriam, Sarah. Augustus B. Wadswoeth, the son of Burton Wads- worth and Sophia Gove, was born in Hopkinton, July 22, 1834. In early life, he attended Henniker and Andover academies. In the course of his life, he resided in Henni- ker, Lowell, Mass., Toronto, Can., Concord, Pittsfield, and Warner, returning to Contoocook in 1876. He was a machinist by trade, and after his return to this town was in business in Contoocook, a part of the time in company with Isaiah S. Livingston. Mr. Wadsworth was representative of Hopkinton in 1883. In 1869, May 13, Mr. Wadsworth married Mary E. Davis, daughter of Nathaniel A. Davis, and Mary Clough, of Warner. They had one child, — Nathaniel B. Mr. Wadsworth died March 25, 1886. WiLLAKD E. Waterbury, the son of Isaac H. Water- bury and Elizabeth M. Miller, was born in Hastings, Oswego county, N. Y., March 7, 1858. He was educated at Syracuse, Elbridge, and Rochester, all in his native state. PEKSONAL AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 359 Jersey, and Missouri. He has also resided in Boston, Mass., Quincy, Mass., Lyme, Concord, Wears, and Hopkinton. He is a worker in stone. He was at one time employed on the Erie canal, N. Y., and afterwards on Moore's canal, while in New Jersey. He at one time ran on a steamboat between St. Louis, Mo., and New Orleans, La. He was on a steamboat running between Sackett's Harbor and Buffalo at the time of the great gale in 1841. During the late war, he enlisted in Company F, 5th Regiment N. H. V., and was discharged in front of Richmond in 1862. In 1863, he reenlisted, and was put in the 18th Veteran Reserve Corps. He was on guard at Washington, D. C, at the time of the execution of the conspirators against the government in 1865. Mr. Dufur married Caroline M. Dimick, daughter of Jacob W. Dimick and Eliza Roberts, of Concord. They have living children, — Franklin, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Eugene. Elmek B. Dunbae, the son of Azel Dunbar and Me- hitable Nichols, was born in Grantham, August 8, 1830. He was a farmer till 1854, and has since then been a car- penter. He lived for a time in Springfield, but since 1839 has lived mostly in Hopkinton. He has been village sexton since 1859. In 1852, October 18, Mr. Dunbar married Ann Thorn- dike Webber, daughter of Seth Webber, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — Mary E., Freddie H., Henry P., Carrie B., Elmer E., Edwin G., Ida E., Grace M. Ebenezer Dtjstin, many years a prominent citizen of Hopkinton, was born in Warner in 1781. His mother's name was Lois Hunt. In quite early life he came to Hop- kinton, living many years on the Dustin homestead, now to be seen at the foot of the westerly slope of Putney's hill. Mr. Dustin was prominent in many public councils. He settled many estates and was the guardian of numerous minor children. In 1811, and perhaps at other times, he was a member of the superintending school-committee of Hopkinton. In 1815, he was a selectman. He was a prom- inent temperance reformer of the earlier days. He was the president of the " Gun Cotton Society," organized in Contoocook about the year 1840, and which was aggressive in the work of suppressing the liquor traffic. 860 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Mr. Dustin married Sarah Pierce, of Warner, daughter of Daniel Pierce and Hannah (?) Marsh. They had chil- dren, — Cyrus, Daniel P., Eben H., Sarah, Charlotte, George, Betsey. Mr. Dustin died January 14, 1872, aged 91 ; Mrs. Dustin, December 6, 1859, aged 73. Cykus Dustin, the son of Ebenezer Dustin and Sarah Pierce, was born in Warner, December 13, 1807. In early life, he came to Hopkinton, where he attended the school of Master John 0. Ballard. Excepting one year in Salem, Mass., and three in Lowell, he has liyed most of his life in Hopkinton, following the vocation of a farmer. In 1847, 1861, and 1871, Mr. Dustin was a selectman of Hopkinton. Mr. Dustin married Eduah P. Fisk, of Concord. She was the daughter of Ebenezer Fisk and Hannah Proctor. They had children, — Gilbert F., Clara A., Hannah P., Eb- enezer F., and Herbert C. Mrs. Dustin died February 15, 1887. Heebbkt C. Dustin, the son of Cyrus Dustin and Edna P. Fisk, was born in Hopkinton, January 28, 1855. He attended Contoocook academy, and became a farmer. In 1883, 1884, and 1885, Mr. Dustin was a selectman of Hop- kinton ; in 1887, representative to the General Court. In 1880, January 15, Mr. Dustin married Sarah A. Rich- ardson, daughter of Daniel Richardson and Sarah Dodge, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Gilbert R. and Daniel. Daniel P. Dustin, the son of Ebenezer Dustin and Sarah Pierce, was born in Hopkinton, November 23, 1809. In early life, he attended Master John O. Ballard's school. He was a farmer, who became noted for his efforts for the cultivation of an improved breed of sheep. He lived where his son, Henry D. Dustin, now resides until late in life, when he moved to Contoocook, where he died April 30, 1880. Daniel P. Dustin married Sarah Ann Barnard, daughter of Joseph Barnard and Miriam Jackman Eastman, of Hop- kinton. They had children, — Joseph Barnard, born June 30, 1841; Sarah E., born July 29, 1843; Ada M., born July 22, 1846 ; Henry D., born February 25, 1849 ; Cyrus F., born January 25, 1858. ' PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 361 Henry Daniel Dtjstin, the son of Daniel Dustin and Sarah Ann Barnard, was born in Hopkinton, February 25, 1849. He attended school at Contoocook academy, and at nineteen years of age became a teacher. During his later life, he has almost or quite yearly been connected with schools, either as a teacher or school officer. From 1876 to 1878, Mr. Dustin was a member of the superintending school-committee ; from 1881 to 1885, a selectman ; in 1885, representative to the General Court; since 1886, a member of the school-board. In 1871, November 30, Mr. Dustin married Helen Maria Tucker, daughter of Dea. David Tucker and Mary E. Straw, of Hopkinton. James M. Dwinells, the son of James Dwinells and Lucy S. Greenleaf, was born in Hopkinton in 1832. Dur- ing his life, he has resided twelve years in Weare. During the late war, he served in Company G, 7th Regiment N. H. v., two years and four months. In 1862, July 5, Mr. Dwinells married Susan M. Heath, daughter of Alfred Heath and Mary Brown, of Concord. They have had children, — Mary F., Nellie, Henry. SECTION X. EASTMAN — ^EVANS. Ezra Eastman, the son of Ezra Eastman and Polly Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, April 11, 1798. He ob- tained an academical education, and became a school-teacher of successful experience. He was also a farmer. In 1832, he moved to Henniker, where he resided till his death, April 19, 1884. At the time of his death, he had been considered the oldest Freemason in the state. In 1828, September 30, Mr. Eastman married Cynthia W. Connor, daughter of John Connor and Mary Whitney, of Henniker. They had children, — Mary W., born July 19, 1829 ; George A., bom October 26, 1831 ; Adaline S., born September 27, 1833 ; Siisan C, born May 5, 1838 ; Helen J., born March 20, 1849. • 362 LLFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Jonathan G. Eastman, the son of Samuel Eastman and Sarah Harris, was born in Hopkinton, September 20, 1800, and always lived in this town. He was a farmer. He was once a lieutenant of militia. In 1831, he married Mary Sleeper, daughter of Moses Sleeper and Mehitable Peterson. His second wife was Charlotte (Kimball) Jack- man, daughter of John Kimball and Lydia Clough, of Hop- kinton, whom he married May 8, 1836, and by whom he had two children, — Walter S. and Almira. Mr. Eastman died July 28, 1874 ; his second wife, February 28, 1885. Samuel Eastman, father of Jonathan G. Eastman, was a Revolutionary soldier who was at Valley Forge. Timothy B. Eastman, the son of Timothy Eastman and Polly Sibley, was born in Warner, January 17, 1832, in the district of Roby's Corner. In the course of his life he has resided in Manchester, Hyde Park, Mass., and Hopkinton, living in Contoocook since 1882, where he has pursued the manufacture of hubs for wheels. He was a member of Company D, 11th Regiment N. H. V., during the late war. In 1860, March 1, Mr. Eastman married Christina S. MorrUl, daughter of Isaac S. Morrill and Achsah Bean, of Manchester. They have children, — Clarence M., Ethelyn A. Benjamin Eaton, the son of Samuel Eaton and Betsey Page, was born in Weare in 1778 and died in Hopkinton, October 13, 1807. He was a saddle- and harness-maker, employing about a half dozen apprentices and journeymen. He was a lieutenant of militia. He was noted for his skill in penmanship. He was a Mason, and his funeral was con- ducted with the imposing honor of his craft. His wife was Phoebe Chandler, daughter of Isaac Chandler and Maria Cotton, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Betsey Page, Charlotte Maria. Hakrison Eaton, the son of Moses Eaton and Judith Merrill, was born in Hopkinton, December 13, 1813. He attended medical lectures at Hanover in 1833 and 1834 ; he graduated at the Berkshire Medical Institute, at Pittsfield, Mass.', in 1836. He became a Fellow of the New Hamp- shire Medical Society in 1842. He practised two years in Weare, and then removed to Merrimack, where he died November 19, 1881. He represented Merrimack in the General Court. PERSONAL AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 363 In 1838, December 25, Dr. Eaton married Charlotte M. Eaton, of Hopkinton. She was a daughter of Benjamin and Phoebe Eaton. She died December 21, 1866. His second wife was Harriet N. Lane, of Candia, whom he married in November, 1868. Dr. Eaton had one son, — Henry H., born October 24, 1839. Horace Edmunds, the son of Ezra Edmunds and Han- nah Paige, was born in Weare, February 27, 1804. Until 1830, he resided in Weare ; since 1830, in Hopkinton, fol- lowing the vocation of a farmer and blacksmith. In 1848 and 1849, Mr. Edmunds was a selectman of Hopkinton. In 1857, when the law for the establishment of county com- missioners became of force, he was a member of the first board. In 1830, April 4, Horace Edmunds married Bridget W. Cilley, of Weare. She was a daughter of Philip Cilley and Susanna C. Whipple. They had children, — Hannah P., born February 14, 1831 ; Susan D., born March 16, 1833 ; Horace F., born February 27, 1835 ; infant son, born March 8, 1837; Ellen G., born July 4, 1838; Edward H., born February 5, 1842 ; Alice F., born October 31, 1848. Mrs. Edmunds died February 14, 1876. Horace F. Edmunds, the son of Horace Edmunds and Bridget W. Cilley, was born in Hopkinton, February 27, 1835, and has always lived in this town, pursuing the voca- tion of a farmer and blacksmith. In 1872 and 1873, Mr. Edmunds was a selectman. He has been a deputy sheriff of Merrimack county, being appointed in 1873 and continu- ing about five years. Nathaniel Evans, a native of Peterborough, was born December 20, 1797. He was educated at Andover academy. At sundry times, he resided in Peterborough, Sullivan, Con- cord, Keene, and Hopkinton, where he died May 23, 1877. He was a merchant. In 1812, the subject of this sketch furnished supplies for the army and held military attendant rank. He was a member of the Keene Light Infantry, commanded by the famous Capt. Jim Wilson. He was a deacon of the South Congregational church. Concord, and also acting deacon of the church in Hopkinton. He was 364 LIFE AUD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. leader of the choir and superintendent of the Sunday-school of Dr. Barstow's church in Keene. Nathaniel Evans was twice married. His first wife was Harriet Wiggin, of Concord, a daughter of Sherburne Wig- gin. His second wife was Mary Ann Stanley, daughter of Theophilus and Eebecca Stanley, of Hopkinton. His chil- dren were, — Charles Alanson, Nathaniel, Sarah Hutchins, Harriet Wiggin, Paulina Tucker, Lewis Downing, Grace Stevens. Lewis D. Evans, the son of Nathaniel Evans and Har- riet Wiggin, was bom in Sullivan, December 9, 1828. He was educated at Gilmanton academy. At sundry times, he has resided in Sullivan, Keene, Boston, Mass., and Hopkin- ton. He is a book-keeper by calling. In 1849 and 1850, he was in the boot and shoe trade at Concord. In 1876, he was a member of the superintending school-committee of Hopkinton ; in 1881, a town-clerk, to fill a vacancy ; since 1882, he has been post-master at Hopkinton village. In August, 1870, Mr. Evans married Isabel P. Tyler, daughter of Dr. Cyril C. Tyler and Sarah Putnam, of Hop- kinton. Mrs. Evans died February 4, 1886. SECTION XI. PAUEILL — ELANDEES. Edgar T. Farrill, a former pastor of the Hopkinton Congregational church, was born in Providence, R. L, Au- gust 21, 1854, being a son of Andrew Farrill and Susan W. Harrington. He was educated at the Mowry & GofE Military, English, and Classical high school. Providence, at Brown University, and at Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary. He resided in Providence till 1879, in Andover till 1882, in Hopkinton till 1885, having been ordained pas- tor of the Congregational church September 27, 1882, and dismissed November 20 of the last year of his residence here. Since 1885, the Rev. Mr. Farrill has resided in Leb- anon, being pastor of the church there. He has compiled a manual and history of the Lebanon church ; has for four years been president of the Grafton County Sunday-School PEKSONAL AKD BIOGKAPHICAL. 365 Union and of the West Grafton Bible Society ; has been for two years chairman of the Lebanon board of education, operating under a special act ; has been for three years a trustee of Kimball Union Academy, is on its committee to dispense scholarships and on that for securing teachers and determining the course of study; has served on the ex- amining board of Dartmouth college ; is on the executive committee of the State Temperance Union. He also organ- ized the Lebanon Village Improvement Association, for supplying water, laying concrete walks, etc. In 1883, July 8, the Rev. Mr. Farrill married Mary Alice Fanner, daughter of Sullivan Fenner and Mary C. King, of Providence. They have children, — Edgar Powers, Ethel Alene, Harold Fenner. Samuel FAEEiNaTON, who appears to have given its name to Farrington's Corner, was the son of Stephen* Far- rington, and appears to have been born in Concord, August 16, 1748. He married Marion Eastman, and moved to Hopkinton in 1770. The following were their children Apphia, born 1772; Benjamin E., born August 8, 1773 Patty, born 1775 ; Samuel, born 1776 ; Philip, born 1778 Stephen, born 1781 ; Lois, born December 25, 1793. Samuel P. Fabrington, the son of Benjamin E. Far- rington and Priscilla Allen, was born in Hopkinton, Jan- uary 29, 1819. He resided in Boston, Mass., from 1837 to 1850 ; in 1850, he went to Chicago, 111., where he resided at last information, being a merchant. He has been presi- dent of the Merchants' Exchange of Chicago, president of the Commercial Exchange of the same city, president of a missionary society, etc. He passed through the great Chicago fire, and saw $150,000 worth of goods consumed in fifteen minutes, though in twenty-eight days he was selling goods in a store 100 by 50 feet in size and built in three weeks, his stock of goods being full. In 1841, September 8, Mr. Farrington married a lady named Perkins, daughter of James Perkins, of Wakefield. They had children,— -Samuel Leroy, Fannie E., James B. Mrs. Farrington died January 22, 1848, and, July 7, 1853, Mr. Farrington married a lady narhed McKay, daughter of Benjamin McKay, of Chicago. They have had chUdren, — Florence L., Luther H. 366 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Ignatius Wbbbeb Fellows was born in Hopkinton, December 22, 1805, being a son of Benjamin Fellows and Betsey (Woodman) Ladd. He was a jeweller and farmer by occupation. From 1833 to 1837, he resided in Lowell, Mass., where he pursued the calling of a jeweller, as he did also in Hopkinton in his earlier manhood. Mr. Fellows was noted for his transactions in real estate and securities. After 1843, he was the treasurer of Hopkinton academy. He lived many years in the house now occupied by his widow in Hopkinton Tillage. In 1830, June 30, Mr. Fellows married Sarah Jane Copps, daughter of Moses Copps and Mary George, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Sarah E., Mary F., Charles F., Georgia B., Harriet E., James E., Clara M., Emma S. Mr. Fellows died February 21, 1887. James K. Fellows, the son of Benjamin Fellows and Betsey (Woodman) Ladd, was born in Hopkinton, August 6, 1809. Since 1831, he has lived in Lowell, Mass. He is a watch-maker and jeweller. He has been in the Massa^- chusetts legislature in 1837 and in 1838, and in 1851 and 1852. He was a member of the state constitutional conven- tion of 1852. He was a member of the Lowell city council in 1837 and 1857. He was in Europe in 1848 and 1851, being at the world's exhibition the latter year. In 1839, February 22, he .married Mary C. Ordway, daughter of Thomas Ordway and Jerusha Currier, of Low- ell. They had children, — J. Marcus, Mary E., Ellen S., Alice J. James Fellows, the son of Stevens Fellows and Miriam Tewksbury, was born in Salisbury, September 12, 1821. He was educated at Salisbury academy and Livonia Insti- tute, in New York. By calling, he is a merchant and farmer. Mr. Fellows has lived in Salisbury from 1821 to 1857 ; in Concord, from 1857 to 1859 ; in Hopkinton, from 1859 to 1866 ; in Henniker, from 1866 to 1872 ; in Andover, from 1872 to 1875; in Boston and Hubbardston, Mass., from 1875 to 1878 ; in Henniker, from 1878 to the present time. The subject of this sketch has held many public oflSces. He was captain of the Salisbury Grenadiers from 1845 to 1848 ; selectman of Salisbury from 1851 to 1855 ; register of deeds for Merrimack county from 1857 to 1859 ; PEESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 367 county commissioner from 1865 to 1868; state justice of the peace from 1853 to the present time ; moderator of town-meeting in Salisbury, Hubbardston, and Henniker, thirteen years in all; superintending school-oommittee in Salisbury and Henniker, three years each ; selectman of Henniker from 1880 to 1887. Mr. Fellows is a man of much nerve. While at work in a mill in Dorchester, a hand was caught in the machinery and drawn in nearly to the elbow. Knowing he would bleed to death unless immediately released, and the work- men being stupefied with alarm, he coolly took a knife from his pocket and separated the hand, leaving it in the machinery, and then drew a belt lacing from a pocket and put a ligature about the mangled arm. When the surgeon amputated and dressed the stump, Mr. Fellows held it out without the movement of a muscle, taking no anaesthetic for relief of pain. When Franklin Pierce was a candidate for the presi- dency, he made a visit to Concord, and an immense flag was suspended across the street in his honor. During the day, a violent squall arose, the flag was torn, and threat- ened with destruction. ' Some one was needed to ascend a flag-staff 160 feet high and cut a rope, loosening the flag, wMch presented a surface 120 by 85 feet to the wind. A sailor tried, but grew faint and descended. Mr. Fellows then took off his coat, ascended to the gilded ball, cut the rope, and descended. When the rope was cut, the staff rebounded from its flexure a distance of thirty feet. The cheers of the multitude rewarded Mr. Fellows for his feat. In 1843, June 15, Mr. Fellows married Jane Stevens, daughter of Daniel Stevens and Dolly Peaslee, of Salisbury. They had children, — Clara Adelia, Marion Arvilda, John Stevens, Wilfred Dunbar, James Fred, Nellie Stanwood, John Henry. Mrs. Fellows died July 8, 1885, and, in 1886, August 22, Mr. Fellows married Amelia Melissa Chandler, daughter of Jacob Chandler and Lovina Connor, of Hillsborough. Ephkaim Fisk, a nonagenarian of Hopkinton, was born in Concord, April 17, 1798, being a son of Ephraim Fisk and Abigail Sawyer. He is a clothier and wool-carder by trade. From 1823 to 1825, he lived in Chichester ; since 1835, his home has been in Contoocook. He is now with 368 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON, his son in Lowell, Mass. During his active life, he was station-agent in Contoocook eighteen years. Mr. Fisk married Margaret Dow, daughter of Moody Dow and Anna Hoyt, of Concord. They had children, — Cyrus Mentor, George Lewis, Mary Jane Tyler, Mary Jane. Mrs. Fisk died March, 1870. Fkanklin Woodbtjky Fisk, an eminent Congregational minister and theological professor, was born in Hopkin- ton, February 16, 1820, being a son of Ebenezer Fisk and Hannah Proctor. He remained in Hopkinton till he was thirteen years old, and then went to Lowell, Mass., re- maining a year and a half. From 1835 to 1841, he was at Philadelphia (Pa.) academy, varying his occupation by teaching at times ; from 1845 to 1849, at Yale college ; theological student at Yale Divinity School and tutor in college till 1852, being licensed to preach July 19th the same year ; was a student in Andover Theological Seminary from January to May, 1853. In 1853, he made a trip to Europe, travelling there from May till November. An in- firmity of the eyes compelled him to give up the ministry, and he accepted a professorship of rhetoric and English lit- erature in Beloit college, Wisconsin, being appointed while abroad. He continued at Beloit from April, 1854, till July, 1859, and then became Wisconsin professor of sacred rhet- oric in the Chicago Theological Seminary, Illinois, being appointed in January, 1857, inaugurated in April, 1859, and entering upon the duties of his position in October follow- ing. On the 28th of April, 1859, Professor Fisk was or- dained into the ministry. In June, 1865, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Olivet college, Michigan. In June, 1871, Professor Fisk revisited Europe and the East, remaining till August, 1872, three months of the time being occupied in attending lectures at Berlin. He was made president of Chicago Theological Seminary in 1887. In 1888, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Yale college, and the same year that of Doctor of Laws from Beloit college. In 1884, he published a Manual of Preaching, which has passed through two editions. In 1854, March 29, Professor Fisk married Mrs. Amelia Allen Austin, daughter of Ezra Bowen and Lydia Walcott, of Woodstock, Ct., who died May 10, 1881. They had three children, — Franklin Proctor, Amelia Maria, Henry Edward- PERSONAL AND BI06KAPHICAL. 369 In 1885, December 23, Professor Fisk married Selinda Jennette (Gardiner) Hitchcock, of Chicago, being a daugh- ter of Elijah R. Gardiner and Rebecca Powell. LuTHEE J. Fitch, the son of Paul Fitch and Mary Ja- quith, was born in Jaffrey, September 3, 1792. In the course of his life he resided in Rindge, Fitzwilliam, and Hopkinton. He was widely known as a school-teacher of the olden days, being occupied in teaching more or less of the time for thirty years and more. He at one time taught a high school in Dunbarton. While in Hopkinton, Mr. Fitch lived many years in the house now occupied by George H. Elliot, on the south road. In 1822, November 14, Mr. Fitch married Jane Hoyt, of Hopkinton. They had one daughter, — Sarah J. Mr. Fitch died February 5, 1872 ; his wife, April 1, 1867. Philip Flandeks, the son of Richard C. Flanders and Rachel Colby, was born in South Hampton, August 30, 1786. When seventeen years old, he came to Hopkinton, locating on the so called Jewett road, where he lived until his death, being by occupation a farmer. In 1834, he was a selectman of Hopkinton. In 1815, April 11, Mr. Flanders married Sarah Smith, daughter of Moody Smith and Hannah Quimby, of Hop- kinton. They had five children, — Parker M., born January 26, 1816 ; Hannah, born January 30, 1818 ; Sarah Ann, bom June 3, 1821; Jonathan, born October 16, 1823; Philip, born September 24, 1827. Mr. Flanders died November 13, 1872 ; his wife, March 19, 1883, aged 96. Parker M. Flanders, the son of Philip Flanders and Sarah Smith, was born in Hopkinton, January 26, 1816, and always resided in his native town, being a farmer. His home was where his son, Parker Flanders, now lives, on the Jewett road. Mr. Flanders was justice of the peace for fifteen years, lieutenant of the militia two years, clerk of the Congrega- tional society" twelve years, and clerk of his school-district over thirty years. In 1858 and 1859, he was a selectman. In 1851, February 19, Mr. Flanders married Hannah C. Connor, daughter of Abel Connor and Hannah Whitney, of 23 370 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Henniker. They had three children, — Mary L., Sarah A., Parker. Mr. Flanders died August 24, 1889. Nathaniel Flandees, noted for being the oldest man in town, was born in Hopkinton, January 20, 1794, being a son of Jeremiah Flanders and Miriam George. From 1819 to 1827, and from 1828 to 1841, he lived in Bradford. The rest of his life has been spent in Hopkinton. He is a shoe- maker by trade, but has spent much of his life on the farm. His home is with his son, Sullivan Flanders, in the Hatfield district. In 1820, November 9, Mr. Flanders married Betsey Wright, daughter of Joshua Wright and Mollie Chadwick, of Sutton. They had children, — Melissa, born August 12, 1821; Sullivan, born October 6, 1822; Lydia W., born April 20, 1824; Joshua W., born December 28, 1826; Na- thaniel, born December 27, 1828; George, born April 18, 1832. Mrs. Flanders died February 16, 1867. Daniel Flanders, the son of Timothy Flanders and Martha Hoyt, was born in Hopkinton, September 25, 1799. With the exception of four years in Manchester, his life was spent in Hopkinton. In militia days he was an orderly sergeant, an ensign, a lieutenant, and a captain of rifles. He at one time kept a store in the Stumpfield district. He kept a hotel a few years in Hopkinton village. He was a farmer and a carpenter. In 1825, July 7, Mr. Flanders married Mary Eliza Lerned, daughter of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned and Mary Hall, of Hop- kinton. They had children, — Margaret Lerned, Timothy Brooks, Mary Hall, Ebenezer Lerned, Martha Jane, Leigh Richmond, Daniel Richmond, Charles Henry, Louisa Mc- Questen, Ann Joynes, Horace Clinton, Charlotte Elizabeth, Matthew Harvey, AUce Catharine, Frank Lerned. Mr. Flanders died August 10, 1886. Rurxjs P. Flandees, the son of Israel Flanders and Olive Holmes, was born in Dorchester, and in the course of his life resided in Salisbury, Goffstown, Weare, Amesbury, "Mass., and Hopkinton, dying in Contoocook, February 22, 1880, aged 66. He was a manufacturer of tin-ware and a merchant. He was the first driver of the present Hopkin- ton and Concord stage line, which at first was continued through Hopkinton village to Contoocook. PEKSQNAL AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 37^ In 1834, he married Mary C. N. Gale, daughter of Israel Gale and Anna Nichols, of Hopkinton. They had chil- dren, — Mary Ann, Sarah B., Loren H., Israel N., Hattie B., Fred, Willis. Benjamin Flanders, the son of Israel Flanders and Olive Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, February 23, 1825. He has always lived in this town, being a farmer and lum- berman. Mr. Flanders is of intellectual tastes, being one of the best read citizens of the to\^n, particularly in histor- ical matters. In 1854, November 30, Mr. Flanders married Melissa J. Dow, daughter of Squire Dow and Cynthia Page, of Hen- niker. They have had children, — Frank H., Emma J., Walter H. SECTION XII. PLETCHEE — ^PULLEK. Elijah Fletchee, the second minister of the town of Hopkinton, was born in Westford, Mass., in 1748, being a son of Timothy Fletcher and Bridget Richardson. In 1769, being twenty-one years of age, the subject of this sketch graduated at Harvard college. In 1773, he became pastor of the Hopkinton church, continuing till his death, on the 8th of April, 1786. The Rev. Elijah Fletcher was a man of culture and influ- ence. Though so young, in 1775, May 11, he was chosen a deputy to represent the town for a period of six months. In previous chapters of this work, we have made repeated mention of the Rev. Mr. Fletcher and his relations to the town. While in this town his residence was about a mile east of Hopkinton village, the house now standing, being occupied by Mrs. Mary A. Abbott. This ancient edifice is frequently pointed out to the historically curious visitor. The structure has always been innocent of outside paint. Time has told so heavily upon it that the whole building leans to the west. Of odd proportions, the house has a front of 25 feet, and a rear extension of 36 feet ; the posts are 16 feet ; the roof is one third pitch ; bapk of the house is a small L. There is no front door; the main entrance is 872 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. in the middle of the east end. But little change has been made in its internal or external arrangements since its earliest occupation. At first there was a long back kitchen, with possibly a pantry at one end, or in the little corner L. In front was one square room, flanked on one side by a small bed-room. Up-stairs there is one corner room, sepa- rated by rude wainscoting, and containing a fireplace ; the balance of the chamber is simply an unfinished shell. Upon the whole, here was an ordinary, uncouth, half-finished country parsonage. There was at one time a front door. There appear to have been at least four children of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher. Their names and approximate dates of birth are as follows: Bridget, born 1774; Timothy, born 1775; Rebecca, born 1776; Gratia, born 1782. The reader will be interested in the following list of marriages, said to have been performed by the Rev. Elijah Fletcher during his residence .in Hopkinton: July 20, 1776, Richard Straw to Jane Danforth ; October 8, 1776, Nicho- las Colby to Louisa Martin; May 8, 1777, Joseph Colby to Widow Ruth Putney ; March 20, 1779, Joseph Putney to Mary Piper; December 9, 1779, Joseph Jones to Betty Stanley; December 18, 1780, Henry Currier to Abagail Burbank; March 19, 1781, Dr. John Currier to Sarah Clement ; April 26, 1781, Thomas Currier to Eduor Bailey ; July 3, 1783, Moses Hills to Molly Knowlton ; September 25, 1783, Jeremiah Story, Jr., to Hannah Abbott; January 22, 1784, Enoch Long, Jr., to Molly Kimball ; March 11, 1784, David Kimball to Priscilla French; August 10,1784, William Putney to Hannah Blaisdell; December 6, 1785, James Straw to Polly Buswell; January 12, 1786, Samuel Straw, Jr., to Molly Flanders. Geacb Fletcher, as she is commonly called, and who is celebrated as having been the first wife of Daniel Web- ster, was born in Hopkinton, January 16, 1782, being a daughter of the Rev. Elijah Fletcher. Gratia, as she ap- pears to have been named by her parents, was four years old on the death of her father, in 1786. Subsequently her mother married the Rev. Christopher W. Paige, who settled in Pittsfield in 1789. Mr. Paige remained in Pittsfield about four years, and then returned to Hopkinton, where it is supposed that Grace claimed a home till she finished her education at Atkinson academy. Her sister, Rebecca, hav- PEESONAIi AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 373 ing married Hon. Israel Kelly, once of Hopkinton, and after- wards of Salisbury, Grace resided with her more or less of the time till her marriage with Mr. Webster, May 29, 1808, at her sister's house in Salisbury. Grace is reputed to have been very handsome, and a certain Henniker young man is said to have become insane on account of her rejection of his addresses. In public life, she was distinguished for her ladylike accomplishments. While on her way to Washing- ton, in 1827, she was taken ill in New York and forced to return to her home in Marshfield, Mass., where she died on the the 21st of the next Janviary. Alonzo J. Fogg, the son of Jeremiah Fogg and Mercy James, was born in Enfield, August 29, 1823. In early life, he attended the Newport academy. In the course of his life he has resided at Newport, Exeter, Concord, Hopkin- ton, Troy, N. Y., and Northwood. He resided in Hopkin- ton from 1874 to 1877. He was a supervisor of Northwood in 1855 and 1856, register of deeds of Rockingham county from 1860 to 1863, clerk of the war department from 1868 to 1865, sergeant at arms of New Hampshire house of repre- sentatives in 1871, New Hampshire bank commissioner in 1872, 1875, and 1876. He is the author of the " Statistical Gazeteer of New Hampshire." He has been a statistical writer for papers and a lecturer before societies many years. He was for a time in the employ of the Troy & Boston Railroad, at' Troy, N. Y. While in Hopkinton he gave much attention to local history. In 1847, September 24, Mr. Fogg married Mary A. Lancaster, daughter of Jona- than Lancaster and Mary Fellows, of Northwood. They have had children, — Elgion, J. A., J. Austin, Bliss W., Lizzie B. Jonathan Fowler, the virtual founder of the Union (Freewill) Baptist church, of Contoocook, was born in Hopkinton, April 11, 1764, and always resided in his native town. He was a prominent member of the First Baptist church, Hopkinton, but when the schism arose between Calvinism and the doctrine of FreewiU, Deacon Fowler led off the party that organized the church in Con- toocook. See chapter on Ecclesiastical History in Part I of this work. Deacon Fowler was a man of public talents, and often 374 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. preached, attended funerals, and performed similar religious offices. His father was Jeremiah Fowler, and his mother was Mary Woodwell, of historic memory, on account of her capture by the Indians in 1746. See Chapter X of Part I of this work. Deacon Fowler lived many years on the road leading from Contoocook to Tyler's bridge, in the house where now lives George L. Ordway, the situation being about a mile from Contoocook. In 1784, Jonathan Fowler married Hannah Eastman, daughter of Thomas Eastman and Eunice Chase, of Hopkin- ton. They had eleven children, — Mary, born Feb. 15, 1785 ; Thomas, born Nov. 13, 1786 ; Nicholas, born Aug. 29, 1788 ; Timothy, born June 19, 1790 ; Ruth, born March 7, 1792 ; Joanna C, born Feb. 12, 1794 ; Jeremiah, born Feb. 23, 1796 ; Eunice, born Feb. 6, 1798 ; Betsey, born Feb. 10, 1801 ; Martha, born AprU 3, 1803 ; Chase, born Sept. 3, 1806. Dea. Jonathan Fowler died Sept. 7, 1840, aged 76. His wife died May 19, 1858, aged 91. Jeremiah Fowlee, the son of Dea. Jonathan Fowler and Hannah Eastman, was born in Hopkinton, February 23, 1796. In 1826, he moved to Concord, where he died a few years ago. He learned the trade of a mason. In mili- tia days, he was a captain of rifles, and, in civil life, a num- ber of years a selectman. In the spring of 1815 he went on foot from Hopkinton to Fort George, on the Niagara river, where he worked as a mason on the fort during the summer, returning on foot in the fall. The next year he made the same trip in the same manner. In 1821, February 11, Mr. Fowler married Dorothy J. Morrill, daughter of Benjamin Morrill and Mary Howe, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Martha Mc, born December 13, 1821 ; Mary Jackson, born December 3, 1828. Reuben French, an early merchant of Hopkinton, was born in this town in 1767, being a son of Henry and Lydia French. He lived in Warner a short time, but most of his life was spent in Hopkinton. He married Sarah Stevens, daughter of Cutting Stevens, of Salisbury. They had chil- dren, — Henry, Harrison, Reuben Edward. Mr. French died in 1817. His father appears to have come to this town from Kingston, being the progenitor of a PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 375 large family of descendants in Hopkinton. Henry French died December 13, 1809, aged 68. Reuben Edward French, many years a prominent business man, was born in Hopkinton, April 6, 1808, being a son of Reuben French and Sarah Stevens. When the subject of this sketch was born, his father was a merchant of Hopkinton village, doing business in a store that stood where the rear end of Kimball & Co.'s store now is. In 1816, Reuben French moved his family to a spot about a mile from the village, on the Henniker roaid, where Horatio J. Chandler now resides. Here Reuben E. French lived till 1834, when he married, and moved into the village, where he resided till his death. When about seventeen years of age, he began business for himself. Possessing a taste for trade, he began buy- ing cattle for the Brighton, Mass., market. The experi- ment proved remunerative, and he continued the business about twenty-five years. At the end of that time, he aban- doned the occupation of a drover, and began pork-packing at Nashua. However, he packed pork only in the winter, while the summer was spent at home or in the West. Fif- teen years were occupied in this way, the hogs at first being supplied by the farmers of New Hampshire and Vermont, but afterwards by the West. The pork was sold to differ- ent purchasers in New England. In 1860, Mr. French turned his attention to the flour trade, locating a store in Concord. Previously to this, he had sold thousands of barrels of flour on commission for Western merchants. He made a specialty of the flour trade for twelve years, having at first Albert Webster, of Con- cord, for a partner, and afterwards Joseph Cochran. During many years of his residence in Hopkinton village, Mr. French made a specialty of an annual sale of cattle by auction, the stock being supplied principally or wholly from Vermont. In this way, from 250 to 300 cattle were annually disposed of in the fall, and for a long time French's sale was one of the established features of the year. Incidentally, Mr. French dealt at times in sheep, which he drove to market or slaughtered at home. Mr. French never made a specialty of political ambition, but he was elected representative to the General Court in 1869 and 1870. For many years before his death, he resided 376 LIFE AST) TIMES IN HOPKINTOK. on the farm, at the west of the village, that was formerly the property of Judge John Harris. On Thanksgiving Day, 1834, Reuben E. French married Sarah Chase, daughter of Robert and Sarah Chase of Dun- barton. They had six children, — Edward Delvan, Robert Chase, Charles, Magarette Ann, Clara, and Maria Louisa. Reuben E. French died April 1, 1888. Mrs. French died May 1, 1868. Edward D. French, the son of Reuben E. French and Sarah Chase, was born in Hopkinton, August 31, 1836. His home has always been in Hopkinton. For many years he has operated as a meat merchant. In 1878 and 1880, he was a supervisor of the 'check-list. In 1857, December 2, Mr. French married Jennie Stevens, of Hopkinton, daughter of Dr. Eben Stevens and Lena Temple. They have had children, — Emma Gertrude, Chas. L., Willie T., Robert K., Clarence F., Edward C, Herbert J., Clara M. Been French, the son of Ebenezer French and Mollie Morrill, was born in South Hampton, January 8, 1793. When about thirty years old, he' came to Hopkinton, where he resided till his death about fifteen years ago. He is said to have been a quartermaster-sergeant in the War of 1812. His first wife was Nancy Merrill, of South Hampton. His second wife was Hannah B. Weeks, daughter of Will- iam and Sarah Cotta Cotton Weeks, of Hopkinton, whom he married February 28, 1844. By his first -wife, Mr. French had children, — Mary A., Eben, Emily, Hannah, Addie M., Edward M., Sarah J. ; by his second, John L. Thomas S. French, the son of Jonathan French and Sarah Stickney, was born in Hopkinton, December 17, 1793, and his home was here till his death, April 9, 1868. He was a farmer, who lived many years on the road leading from Amos Fry's to Farrington's Corner, where Forrest Colby now lives. He was a deacon of the Congregational church nearly thirty years. In 1825, he was a collector of town taxes. In 1822, Mr. French married Hannah Brown, of Andover, daughter of Jonathan and Huntoon. They had chil- dren, — Sullivan W. and Thomas Scott. Mrs. French died June 14, 1887, aged 90. PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL.. 377 Chetstophee C. Feenoh, the son of Levi French and Ruth Morse, was born in Loudon, April 10, 1839. In the course of his life, he has resided in Epsom, Lynn, Mass., Hopkinton, and Henniker. He resided in Hopkinton from 1865 to 1870. He is a farmer, and the proprietor of Vet- erans' Hall, a place of public resort. During the late war, Mr. French was a wagoner of the 3d Regiment N. H. V., and afterwards a member of the heavy artillery. He has been an assessor of Henniker, officer of G. A. R. Post, etc. Mr. French has made a specialty of collecting data of the French family. In December, 1865, Mr. French married Celia P. Way, daughter of William Way and Betsey Stockbridge, of Hop- kinton, by whom he had children, — Levi W., Arthur L. Mrs. French died January 28, 1872, and in 1873, June 8, Mr. French married Mary M. Patterson, daughter of Her- man Patterson and Mehitable Connor, of Henniker, by whom he has had children, — Nettie May, Walter L. David Sidney Feost, once a clergyman of Contoocook, was born in Glover, Vt., July 14, 1813, being a son of Capt. Daniel Frost and Fanny Dike. In early life, he attended school at Lyndon, Vt., Brownington, Vt., and Meriden, his home being in Glover till 1833.. Devoting his life to the ministry of the Freewill Baptist Chui-ch, he became the pastor of the charch in Contoocook in 1842, remaining till the early part of 1845. Leaving Contoocook, he resided in Newmarket till 1847, when he again moved, occupying residences in at least ten different places in New Hampshire and Vermont up to the year 1884, when he lived at St. Albans, Vt. Rev. Mr. Frost was prominent many years in educational work. He was agent of the Green Mountain Seminary about six years, principal of Holderness academy two years, and superintending school-committee in New Hamp- shire and Vermont nearly thirty years. In the educa- tional and mission work of the church, he was also a long time prominently identified. He has been secretary of the ■ Educational Society and of its executive board, as well as a member of the executive committee of the Foreign and Home Mission Boards, being also clerk of the Home Mis- sion Society and of its executive board. In civil life, Rev. Mr. Frost was many years officially 378 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. active. He was town-clerk four years, and justice of the peace an equal time. In military service, he was promoted, being a chaplain three years. In his active life, he was specially prominent in temperance and anti-slavery work. In 1843, he cast the only Free Soil, or anti-slavery, vote in town, and the act caused a great deal of inquiry in respect to the identity of the voter. In 1854, he was nominated for senator in district number six, by a coalition of Democrats, Free Sellers, and Whigs ; but two tickets were thrown into the field, one for David S. Frost and one for D. Sidney Frost, and in this way a popular choice was prevented. During the latter years of his life, the Rev. Mr. Frost has suffered the loss of his hearing, and in consequence has retired from the ministry, living with his son at Washing- ton, N. J. In 1842, May 12, Rev. Mr. Frost married Minerva Diana Watson, daughter of Rev. Elijah Watson and Rhoda Felch. They had two children, — Alphonzo Watson and Frank Burns. Amos Feye, the son of Amos Frye and Fanny Chandler, was born in Andover, Mass., April 4, 1797. When ten years of age, he came to Hopkinton, remained a short time, went to Concord,^ and returned to Hopkinton at fifteen. When seventeen years of age, he entered the army as a voluntary substitute for Charles Parker, and, it being 1814, he was stationed at Portsmouth, in Capt. Silas Call's com- pany, in Lieut. Col. Jonathan Steele's regiment. While at Portsmouth, young Frye suffered severely in consequence of hastening to the ranks without a sufficient supply of clothing, the expected outfit from the government not being at once forthcoming. After his short sojourn at Ports- mouth, Amos Frye returned to Hopkinton, went to work, and at twenty-one had accumulated $300 by his own indus- try and economy. He then moved to Concord, where he resided twenty-three years, and then returned to Hopkin- ton, where he resided till his death, his home being where his son, Amos Frye, now resides. When twenty-one years of age, the subject of this sketch married Laura Straw, daughter of James Straw, of Hopkin- ton. She died in 1843, and Mr. Frye married for a second wife Nancy Straw, sister of his first wife, who died in 1873. By his first wife, Amos Frye had ten children. Their names i *5).\ >.%f i% "s r#-. t ».: '' '^ ^/ ' ,1 4 « ""V Bi ' , >• J^ ^! , X . *-* ■ . vi-s^ ~4- , 1 ^^. ^ . S V 1. 1* • .Cti I *f ;^?k y.JJ1^ -r^ -■=11. -i . ■* J :«s 4^; "1-. ^^^.^'^ ^'^^A' AMOS FRYE. tv' .. ' •:, and ;H- 'h-e oi the ,:. ■■■ .wii ■ ■: .-.dive liii, ' ■:-«^ ■ ; ' •;;.•-; ■:!!. i . '.irsti-Siii ^» . ■ Wt.iik ':'.:•' • '■■;- I'Veo bfv' ;■ ';»- ^. vote ii: ' . ' a ^reat (I- :;: (• ■ ■ -.;, ■■• f^peet f' . .!er. In 18/ ' "• '.vi.->-. ,, 'i-ursr.-d for ,fr Ki\., by a •:-<;-- itiuri 'j! ■ 5. 'i-" rati:-. -' lie ,- , b.it tvYo !■!.- , t.-< were 'iu- i hito (leld, . living with his son '■- -t^hing- ^■■■:. >:,! . ; .; ' *"'- ■'■'-■-; ji, -rn : '-'.-. ^, Diana d Fv Biui ;- i-arH of agL% in-, i-j.ame ti> !i< / . . a -Juin tiiiie. "■- ii- i*i C( Moord,^ apri r'-^i/ .i-.. ^ r,t iif;(-r^ "■ ^'J-Tje: ■ ;■>■!! V' / ^ !'f :j,g; , . • . ■ ■■ ■■■'. -. - -.u.;i . '"^harl..- ■ . -'■:■"■ -K'^'i, ar ronal'iOUtli. '' !>-iit. Col. -Sonathan Hit' • ; <:!-!;, young Frye suffered .^ . ri w-'iidig- to file r'rkg witlior ■:/. 'lie expected oi'liit ffim ' : *"'r? tifomir J. 'vtto;- la- ■ ¥'r\v returned 1i. -■-:.') id aecunud^-' ■ ,.!riiy. He then •■, ■ : , - . ■ ' tv-three years, air ■ .:■ ■.■^■'";, "\vU'-T. :.;■ i-j:ided till bir hi . ■ . *«sge is the iunlior < ' > ll v \\-- I. f'« iihli:>''('il a ^ ■ry 111 ''- ■' UlB l,'(--Vi'' - llf i ..i.iure . iargeh ; Miventioiis. ■ 1:^59, SepteJiii- - " .•^u'ed P. Gsf-' ^ .aried Man • :ii.iuglitei ' .>«meb Pre^- :■ •-■ i Folly Ac^ ,:.!■. - - ■ i>eerfieiu 'i'l«ey ?iav>' ■ . .' ■■,lj-ei!,--K. n-jird i I \ ' :'y Rof-fiia, Frank Haii.si ... Whi"- * ;.:-,■■ , . ill] J'-'i)ii, (iriico, JftTlH!- ° : ,; . ■■ ., >.^ «*>i! ' -'.^.i^tii (iage and Eliza l i 'f^'ikiuiuu, February S, 18-13. . . . '. ucadcrn} . D.inuiouth eo1- - - r>evi''ii' " tu'. life to tea' " ]i . . \i ■ .- I'"' . liv I « fu' h ,;fi;M ,1' ■ lllL"" 11. i ■ _ ■ -1' ' , . ■- ' <■.. ■ .- .-IX \ as .1) It ii ^i. Ni! ' i .by, ot UupkLi)'; '« ., tijjiza Al., .Mugii, Guy t' . '•*!■«. (jage died December 1" .ii Frederick Gage, Da^ i " •! Harlan P. Gage are all u- >> . dt E f t ■-vl"y. Mass,, who was a t>okili' . -iug r ;• ;■ ^/, ■ H.;Ti'v-; .. tliree tiiues. H '^ ■: , .,1 i ' ' - .' ^ -,;.»- 1812, aged 58. '■->Ei:>i.i',iu the .«••;. ■ -im George ;s;!i^ ■ ,i- borw iii (.''uiJcoVtU ' : ■■ ' "2;'., IjjOT. !.' V^iS--^ ^^- PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 383 educated in the public schools of Concord, and at length became the landlord of the Columbian hotel, which public house he conducted a number of years, and then opened a large dry goods establishment in Lowell, Mass., in company with his cousin, Charles L. Emery. Quitting business on account of ill health, he sojourned for a time in the South, and subsequently was appointed tq a position in the Boston, Mass., custom-house, under the coUectorship of the Hon. David Henshaw, being subsequently naval store-keeper at Brooklyn, N. Y., under the administration of President Ty- ler. In the event of the Mexican war, he was made quar- ter-master of Colonel Cushing's Massachusetts regiment, and served during the war. The Mexican war ended. Captain George spent several years in business in New York city, and then purchased the farm in Contoocook whi6h his widow now owns, and on which he resided till his death, except when temporarily absent. In 1855, he represented Hopkinton in the state legislature, and subsequently trav- elled extensively in Europe. Upon the event of the Rebel- lion, he was active in the work of aiding in the preparation of the early New Hampshire regiments for service in the field. His great executive ability induced Gen. Benjamin F. Butler to select him as his division quarter-master, and as such he fitted out the expedition to New Orleans, though for political reasons he was not confirmed in his office. Returning to Contoocook, he died on the 29th of February, 1864. In 1855, March 20, Captain George married Caroline Livingston, daughter of William Livingston and Mary Ann Johnson, of Lowell, Mass. (The foregoing is mainly condensed from a sketch by the late Col. John H. George.) Tktjewobthy Gilman, a native of Gilmanton, was born in 1797. In the course of his life, he resided in Concord and Hopkinton. In Hopkiiiton, he was a merchant, whose store was in a building that is now the north end of that occupied by Kimball & Co. In 1847, Mr. Gilman was a Hopkinton selectman. He died March 31, 1853. Mr. Gilman married Mary Clarke, of Hopkinton, his first wife, who died in 1843. For a second wife, he married Margaret Hall, daughter of Richard Hall, of Hopkinton. She died at Anaheim, 384 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Cal., at the home of their only child, RicBard H. Gilman, in 1877. Geokge K. Goopeich, the son of Samuel Goodrich and Esther Kidder, was born in Springfield, Vt., December 28, 1808. In the course of his life, he has resided in Manchesi- ter, Boston, Mass., Troy, N. Y., Walpole, and Hopkinton, being a merchant or farmer. In 1850, he went to Cal- ifornia, where he remained three years, being a participant of the pioneer life then prevailing there. He has been a justice of the peace and quorum thirty years. In 1878, he was a supervisor of the Hopkinton check-list. Mr. Goodrich has been thrice married. In November, 1836, he married Elizabeth Scott, daughter of George Scott, of St. John's, Canada. She died in May. 1837. In 1838, May 24, he married Frances Adeline (Whitman) Willard, daughter of Thomas Whitman and Sophia Williams, of Boston, Mass. They had children, — Georgianna N., Sophia Williams, William H., Arthur Tebbets, Mary Greenleaf, Helen Howard, Lerman Rowe. His second wife died May 5, 1862, and Mr. Goodrich married Lydia Lord, daughter of Charles Lord and Sarah Hubbard, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Florence A., Charles Samuel, Henry Wil- son, John Prescott. Nathaniel Goold, one of the early settlers of Chicago, 111., died in that city in 1887. A Chicago newspaper thus spoke of him after his decease : " He was born in Hopkin- ton, N. H., March 22, 1814, and was married to Miss Bessie Blake, who survives him, December 31, 1835. He arrived in Chicago July 12, 1838, on the old steamboat Madison, although he did not locate here until July of the year fol- lowing. He was at the time of his death the only surviving charter member of Dearborn Lodge, F. and A. M. Besides his wife, he leaves three children, Mrs. E. F. Dyke and John E. Goold, of Chicago, and Mrs. Charles Reed, of Min- neapolis." Moses Gould, the son of Moses Gould and Joanna Davis, was born in Hopkinton, October 12, 1779, and re- sided here all his life. He was a prosperous and enterpris- ing farmer, and a captain of militia. His wife was Hannah Currier, daughter of Daniel Cur- PEBSONAIi AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 385 rier and Abigail Chase, of Warner. They had children, — Joanna (born March, 1809), Abigail, Hannah, Charles and Martha (twins), born March 8, 1823. Moses Gould died November 10, 1854; his wife, Novem- ber 29, 1861. Chables Goitld, the son of Moses Gould and Hannah Currier, was born in Hopkinton, March 8, 1828, and has always resided in this town, being a farmer, occupying the estate where he was born. In early life, he attended Hop- kinton academy, and subsequently gave much attention to local educational matters. For many years, he was fre- quently teacher of district schools. He was a member of the superintending school-committee in 1849, 1850, 1856, 1865, 1872, and 1873. Mr. Gould has also been prominent in other spheres of official life. He was once adjutant of the 40th Regiment of N. H. Militia, with the rank of captain. In 1859, he was a selectman of the town. He has also been prominent in the Patrons of Husbandry. In 1847, November 4, Mr. Gould married Ruth Hill, daughter of Thomas Hill and Ruth Flood, of Hopkinton. They have living children, — Moses C, Louis A., C. Henry, Clara I., Robert T., Helen A., Herbert J. Lotas A. Gould, the son of Charles Gould and Ruth Hill, was born in Hopkinton, April 26, 1852. He attended school at Contoocook academy. Choosing the medical pro- fession, he attended the Syracuse (N. Y.) University two years, and graduated at the Detroit (Mich.) Medical Col- lege in 1880, beginning practice at Ovid, I^. Y., the same year. In 1889, he bought the situation formerly owned by Dr. W. W. Wheeler, at Farmer Village, where he has since resided. Dr. Gould was president of the Seneca County Medical Society in 1887 and 1888; he has been nine years coroner of Seneca county. In 1882, May 27, Dr. Gould married Hannah B. Jones, daughter of Louis Jones and Jane Banker, of Romulus, N. Y. They have one child, — Louis Arthur. Aarok Gbeeley, the son of Jonathan Greeley and Martha French, was born in East Kingston, March 30, 1745. In 1765, he came to Hopkinton, where he resided till his death, September 14, 1813. His home in Hopkinton was 24 386 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. in the Sugar Hill district. He was a land surveyor, whose ser\rices were frequently in demand in the earlier history of the town. He was prominent in political circles. He was the first representative of the town under the state consti- tution in 1784. He was also representative in 1786. He was town-clerk from 1792 to 1803 ; selectman, in 1771, 1782, 1786, 1789, 1791, and continuously afterwards till 1806. He was a member of the state constitutional con- vention of 1791. He was publicly known as Captain Greeley. Captain Greeley was twice married. His first wife was PhcBbe Dow, whom he married November 30, 1769; his second, Susanna -, whom he married October 5, 1772. The following were children of Aaron Greeley: Aaron, born 1773; Eleazer, born 1775; Nathan, born 1777; Jona- than, born 1779: Susan and Phoebe (twins), born 1781; Martha, born 1784 ; Hannah, born 1787 ; David, born 1789. Edwaed H. Greeley, the son of Edward Greeley and Hannah Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, April 23, 1817. In early life, he attended Kimball Union Academy, Meriden. He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1845. He was next teacher of Atkinson academy about a year. He graduated at Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary in 1849. He was ordained pastor of the Congregational church in Haverhill, November 7, 1849. In 1858, he became pastor of the Pearl Street church, Nashua ; in 1861, of the church in Methuen, Mass., leaviug Methuen in 1866 ; financial agent of Kimball Union Academy in 1867 ; in 1868, a second time pastor of the church in Haverhill ; in 1874, secretary of the N. H. Home Missionary Society. In 1871, he was made a trustee of Kimball Union Academy. Since 1874, he has resided at Concord. In 1850, May 7, Rev. Mr. Greeley married Jane Jewett Richards, daughter of Moses Richards and Hannah Hale, of Rowley, Mass. In 1854, June 6, he married Louisa Maria Ware, daughter of Reuben Ware and Lydia Smith, of Ashburnham, Mass. Rev. Mr. Greeley has had chil- dren, — Edward Addison, Herbert Ware, William Bradford, Arthur Phillips, Jennie Lincoln. Samuel Greene, son of Nathaniel Greene, was born in Concord, March 7, 1770. He read law with his brother. PEESONAL AND BIOGBAPHICAL. 387 Peter Greene, and began practice in Concord in 1793. From 1819 to 1840, he was an associate justice of the N. H. supreme court of judicature. About 1833, he came to Hop- kin ton, where he resided about four years. Subsequently to 1840, he obtained a governmental clerkship in Washing- ton, D. C , where he died March 22, 1851, aged 81. Samuel Greene was thrice married. Ann N., wife of Judge Greene, who died February 10, 1834, lies buried by his side in the old village cemetery of Hopkinton. While living in Hopkinton, Judge Greene resided in the house now occupied by Herman Wells Greene, his grandson. Herman H. Gkbene, the son of Samuel Greene and Lucretia Flagg, was born in Concord, April 31, 1802. In early life, he went to Portsmouth and entered the counting- room of Alexander Ladd, a merchant. While at Ports- mouth, he was frequently sent on errands to the vessels lying at the wharves, and the associations thus contracted awakened a desire for maritime life. Determined to be a sailor, he began his career by going before the mast. Adaptation and faithfulness secured him promotion, and and he at length advanced to the position of captain of an East Indiaman. He followed the uninterrupted life of a sailor till about 1838, in the meanwhile, among other voy- ages, making several trips to Calcutta. Leaving the sea, he entered into business in the whole- sale grocery line in Bangor, Me., where he stayed two or three years, and then came to reside in Hopkinton. While living here, he became imbued with the " California fever," which broke out in 1849. In November, 1851, he took out a company by the way of Cape Horn, in the ship Leonora, which he commanded. Arrived in San Francisco, the ship was sold. An interesting fact in this connection is, that on this trip the Leonora took out to California the first steamboat used on that coast. The craft, however, proved too small for use in the waters between San Franciso and Sacramento, where it was intended to ply. While in Cali- fornia, Captain Greene mostly superintended certain hy- draulic mining works. During this absence from home, however, he made a trip to Australia, returning with a cargo of coal and grain. At the end of four or five years, he re- turned home to Hopkinton, to remain till his death, which took place very suddenly on the 8th of January, 1862. 388 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In 1834, June 12, Captain Greene married Ellen C. Lit- tle, daughter of Maj. William Little and Elizabeth Wiggin, of Hopkinton. They had four children, of whom two lived to maturity. They were Herman Wells and Sarah Cazenove. Hekman Wells Greene, a resident lawyer, was born in Hopkinton, April 11, 1836, being a son of Herman H. Greene and Ellen C. Little. He was educated at Hopkin- ton, Gilmanton, and Pembroke academies. Deciding to pursue the profession of the law, he studied for a time in the office of George & Foster, at Concord, but at the age of 19 he went to Boston, Mass., and completed his prepara- tory course in the office of Beard & Nickerson. On the day of his majority, he was admitted to the Suffolk county bar in Massachusetts, and began practice with Charles E. Pike. He afterwards practised with Ithamar W. Beard and James P. Sullivan. After about eight years in practice in Boston, Mr. Greene returned to Hopkinton, his health being impaired, and for a time suspended the activities of his profession, resuming practice again in 1869. In 1871, and for a number of years afterwards, he practised in company with Carlos G. Haw- thorne. Mr. Greene is an active politician, and has frequently been the incumbent of civil office. He has been moderator of town-meeting in 1864 and 1865, from 1874 to 1881, and from 1885 to 1889 ; superintending school-committee in 1872 and 1878, and in 1876 and in 1877 ; representative in 1881 and 1889. He was solicitor of Merrimack county from 1876 to 1881. In later years, he has frequently spoken during the season of political campaigns, to audi- ences in various parts of the state. In 1854, February 20, Mr. Greene married Frances Ade- line Willard, of Hopkinton. She was a daughter of Henry A. Willard and Frances Adeline Whitman, of Boston, Mass. They had one son, — Willard Tebbets. Mrs. Greene died March 2, 1873. In 1877, September 18, Mr. Greene married Anstice Irene Clarke, of Hopkinton. She is a daughter of Daniel W. Clarke and Ruhama Cochran. James A. D. W. Gregg, a former physician of Hopkin- ton, is said to have been a native of Unity. He came to PBESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. Hopkinton about 1833, remaining to about 1846, when he ■went to Manchester. He is said to have died in Newport. While in Hopkinton he was prominent in the early temper- ance reform. He was appointed surgeon's mate of the 40th regiment of N. H. Militia in 1842 and surgeon in 1843. Dr. Gregg had at least four children, — De Witt, Lon- Tancia, Unice, Sarah. Edmund R. Guild, the son of Israel Guild and Sarah Gould, was born in Hartford, Vt., January 1, 1836. In 1861, he was living in Manchester and enlisted in the 7th N. H. v., serving till December, 1865. He was a corporal. He was at Fort Wagner, Morris Island, Drury's Bluff, Petersburg, and Fort Olustee. Since the war he has lived in Hopkinton. He married Abby M. Story, daughter of Luther Story and Mary Crowell, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Fred S., Frank E., Grace E. SECTION XIV. HALE— HARRINGTON. John Hale, a Revolutionary soldier, was born in Hales- town, now Weare, and in early manhood was a resident of Hopkinton, his home being in the Sugar Hill district on the old, unoccupied homestead now owned by Benjamin O. Kimball. Upon the event of the Revolution, John Hale became the lieutenant of a company commanded by Captain Baldwin, of Hillsborough, at Bunker Hill. Early in the battle, Captain Baldwin was killed, and Lieutenant Hale assumed command of the company, beiijg ultimately pro- moted to captain by General Washington. Captain Hale was several years in the service, and in 1777, in September, marched a company from Hopkinton to join the Northern Continental Army at Saratoga. This company was in Lieut. Col. Henry Gerrish's regiment. In 1779, he appears to have been at home, having served as a selectman that year. Captain Hale married Olive Blake, daughter of Maj. Henry Blake, of Hopkinton, who lived where John W. 390 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Paige now resides. The following were their children: Daniel, born August 23, 1774 ; Mary, born Feburary 16, 1781; John, born April 25, 1783; Moses, born May 15, 1786 ; Olive, born July 14, 1790. They are also said to have had a son Jacob. The following is a record of the death of Captain Hale taken from the Hopkinton clerk's book : Capt. John Hale Died March 3th, 1792, being forty Nine Years and Six Months old, after a Number of years Sickness With an uncommon Diseas which the Phisitions Could Not account for. This " uncommon Diseas" was the occasion of much mysterious speculation. Absurd reports were circulated of a subtle poison applied by an enemy. The most sensible theory of this case advanced ascribed Captain Hale's sick- ness to camp dysentery, or chronic diarrhoea, though he might have had incidental symptoms of other diseases. The following paper is of interest in this connection : I do hereby certify that John Hale of Hopkinton was a captain in the Regiment Commanded by John Stark, Esqr. in the Hamp- shire Troops in the year 1776 ; That in the march from Ticonder- oga to Pensylvenia he was left Sick at Albany & continued some time. Afterwards, in attempting to Join his Regiment, he had a relapse of his fever and was left at Springfield in Pensylvenia, from which Sickness he was confined & unable to return untill the winter of 1777 ; & I have also been acquainted with him ever since & believe he has not had a well day from that day to this. Caleb Starke, Adjutant To the 2d. N. H. Regt., 1776. Concord, Sept. 13th, 1791. It appears that Captain Hale was at one time offered the commission of a major in the Continental service during the Revolution, but he declined the honor, as the following document attests : Hopkinton March y' 3* 1777— Hond Sir— I am informed by Cap' Livermore that you have wrote me two Letters neither of which has com to hand I acknowledg my- self much indebted to you for the Hon' you have done me in appointing me to the office of maj"' — ^when 1 consider the impor- tance of the post & how much I fall short in fiUing it my Except- ing would rather Injure then help that Service which I have much at heart. I am also settled in a New Country Distant from Neigh- PEESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 391 bors & must be under the Disagreeable necessity of breaking up house keeping which will almost put me in a ruinous Condition. .Humbly beg you* be pleased to appoint Some other person in my Boom & am Gentleman your most obedient & very Humble Serv' — John Hale — A powder-horn, carried by Captain Hale in the Revolu- tion, is now in the possession of Joseph Barnard, of Hop- kinton, whose father married Captain Hale's widow. King S. Hall, once pastor of the Baptist church in this town, was born in Grroton, October 22, 1819, being a son of Josiah Hall and Sarah (White) Ferren. In 1839, he entered the academical department of the New Hampton Institute, and was graduated from the Theological School of the same in 1845, having five years previously been licensed as a preacher of the Baptist denomination. On April 22, 1846, he was ordained pastor of the Hopkinton Baptist church, remaining here five years. From 1851 to 1859, he resided at Lake Village, being four years the Bel- knap county member of the State Board of Education, secre- tary of the same in 1855 and chairman in 1858. A year later he removed to Manchester, where he was settled over the Merrimack street church three years. Afterward he was five years at Methuen, Mass., then back at Lake Village ; at Rum- ney eleven years, and then at Lake Village, where he died. In his later life greatly impaired health permitted him to do only occasional pastoral work. For ten years he was secretary and treasurer of the New Hampshire Pastoral Association. He was seven years a trustee of the state normal school, and had also filled the same position in the New Hampshire Baptist convention, the New London acad- emy, and the New. Hampton Institute. Dartmouth college conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts, and the Central University of Iowa, that of Doctor of Divinity. While in Hopkinton, the subject of this sketch was a member of the superintending school-committee in 1846 and 1848. In 1847, July 30, Rev. Mr. Hall married Ann Elizabeth Bus well, daughter of Dr. Caleb Buswell and Eliza FoUans- bee, of Warner. The Rev. Mr. Hall died April 9, 1888. 392 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Charles Haedon, many years a well known minister of the New Jerusalem (or Swedenborgian) church, was born in Mansfield, Mass., January 2, 1834, being a son of Nathan Hardon and Sally Hodges. Until he was seventeen years of age, the subject of this sketch divided his efficient time between the farm and the school, and then entered Amherst college, in Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1855. Leaving college, he entered upon the work of a teacher, and spent a year in the Delaware Literary Institute, at Franklin. His health being now impaired, he returned to his home in Mansfield and worked two years upon the farm. In the year 1858, he resumed intellectual pursuits, and, deciding upon the vocation of the ministry, he entered Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary, where he stayed only about three months, and then went to Oberlin (Ohio) Theological School, where he remained about six months. He then returned home, worked on the farm, studied and preached until 1862, being at the time a member of the Christian church in Mansfield, where he preached about six months. During this period of his life, he supplied the pulpit of the Wesleyan Methodist church about nine months. In the year 1861, Mr. Hardon became a reader of the relig- ious and theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg, and he soon decided to devote himself to the ministry of the New Church, as it is popularly called. In July, 1862, he joined the church in North Bridgewater, now Brockton, Mass., and in August went to Urbana, O., and became a teacher in the New Church school there, at the same time conduct- ing the services of the Urbana church. In 1863, he was made a licentiate of the New Church, and, in December, 1865, he was ordained by the Rev. J. R. Hibbard, of Chi- cago, HI. He continued to preach in Urbana till the close of the year 1865, when he went to St. Louis, Mo., where he remained till July, 1867. Being then called home to the bedside of his sick father, who died soon after, he preached in the vicinity of Mansfield till some time the following year. In October, 1868, Mr. Hardon was employed as a mis- sionary of the Massachusetts New Church Union, continu- ing in that service till October, 1871, when he was settled over the New Church in Contoocook, where for a number of years he preached and assumed the duties of preceptor of Contoocook academy. In later years, he has followed PERSONAL ANP BIOGKAPHICAL. 393 miscellaneous pursuits, being a member of the Hopkinton superintending school-committee from 1872 to 1875, and again in 1883. During his ministerial career, the Rev. Mr. Hardon published a lengthy list of tracts upon the doctrines of the New Church. In 1863, August 12, Charles Hardon married Mary Cath- cart, of Urbana, O., the daughter of David Cathcart and Charlotte Sherwin. She having died, December 8, 1866, in 1868, July 12, Mr. Hardon married Clara A. McGlathry, of Southbridge, Mass., daughter of William Henry Mc- Glathry and Flavilla Dodge. She having deceased, March 13, 1870, in 1871, September 29, he married her sister, Annie Eaton McGlathry, of Searsport, Me. Mr. Hardon has had four children, — ^by his first wife, Charles Henry, Lottie Sherwin ; by his second, Rachel Elizabeth ; by his third, Annie May. Benjamin Haedy, the son of Benjamin Hardy and Re- becca Rolfe, was born in Bradford, Mass., March 8, 1753. He resided in Stoddard, Hudson, Peterborough, Warner, and Hopkinton, in this state. He came to Hopkinton in 1804, and resided till 1839. He was a farmer. He was a Revolutionary soldier, being at Bunker Hill, at Bennington, and at the burning of the British vessel Vulture, under General Putnam. He married Phcebe Hardy, daughter of Gideon Hardy, by whom he had children, — Benjamin, born November 4, 1780 ; Rebecca R., born April 5, 1788. Mrs. Hardy died June 19, 1823, and Mr. Hardy, during the next November, married Mary (Melvin) Gale, of Weare, who died January 14, 1852, aged 81 Mr. Hardy died January 8, 1839. Mr. Hardy's family seems to have given the name to Hardy's Corner, in the north-west part of Hopkinton. Benjamin Haedy, the son of Benjamin Hardy and Sa- rah Clark, was born in Hopkinton, May 12, 1803. He was a farmer, and always resided in this town. He was one year a captain of militia. In 1835, November 12, he mar- ried Lydia Putney, of Hopkinton, who bore him one son, — Carlos F. Mr. Hardy died July 2, 1886 ; his wife, October 14, 1881. 394 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Cablos F. Hakdy, the son of Benjamin Hardy and Lydia Putney, was born in Hopkinton, November 5, 1836. He has always lived in Hopkinton, and he is a farmer by vocation. In 1868, he was a selectman of the town. In 1863, December 9, Mr. Hardy married Olevia John- son, daughter of Nathan Johnson and Climena Clogston, of Manchester. They have children, — James F., Ella M. David Haedy, the son of Stephen Hardy and Mary Joseph, was born in Stoddard, where he resided from 1794 to 1805. He lived in Warner from 1805 to 1810, and the rest of his life in Hopkinton. As a laborer, he lived in over 125 different families in Warner and Hopkinton. In 1813, February 1, Mr. Hardy enlisted as a soldier, and was located in Capt. Joseph Smith's company. Col. Aquilla Davis's regiment, that marched from Concord to Burling- ton, Vt., in the spring of that year. In 1824, April 1, Mr. Hardy married Sarah Hardy Annis, daughter of Isaac Annis and Phoebe Hardy, of Warner, They had one child,— Lucitta M. Mr. Hardy died June 18, 1882 ; his wife, December 25, 1868. Isaac Hardy was born in Nottingham in 1794. He lived in Nottingham, Warner, and Hopkinton. He died August 8, 1851. He was a lieutenant of cavalry in militia days. He was a farmer. His wife was Hannah Bodwell, who died April 1, 1880, aged 93. His children were Tyler B., George B., Hannah R., Cynthia. Mr. Hardy's mother was Lydia Burbank, daughter of Samuel Burbank, captured by Indians at Woodwell's garrison in 1746. Tyler B. Hardy, the son of Isaac Hardy and Hannah Bodwell, was born in Warner, October 15, 1807. Since four years of age he has lived in Hopkinton, with the ex- ception of one year in Bow and two in Concord. In the course of his life, he has followed the vocation of farming, lumbering, and brick-making. In former militia days he .was the incumbent of various military offices. He served as sergeant, lieutenant, and captain of rifles, and as lieuten- ant-colonel of the 40th regiment. He was promoted to colonel, but declined the office. Mr. Hardy has lived many years in Contoocook. PERSONAL ANB BIOGRAPHICAL. 395 In 1837, September 16, Tyler B. Hardy married Almira C.'Carr, daughter of John Carr and Abigail Williams, of Hopkinton. She died August 8, 1889. George Bodwell Hardy, the son of Isaac Hardy and Hannah Bodwell, was born in Hopkinton. October 8, 1809. He followed the occupation of a farmer, living in Hopkin- ton till 1830, when he went to Davisville, Warner, where he lived eight years. He then returned to the village of Contoocook, where he continued to reside till his death, his home being where his widow now resides. Mr. Hardy was a citizen of integrity and repute, and was frequently the vehicle of public trust. He was collect- or of taxes in 1844, 1853, 1861, and 1866 ; selectman in 1846, 1847, 1855, 1869, and 1870. In 1859, he was made a deputy sheriff of Merrimack county, continuing in office the larger part of twenty years. Mr. Hardy was twice married. His first wife was Han- nah Currier Davis, of Warner, the daughter of Stephen and Deborah (Doe) Davis, whom he married September 14, 1837. She died October 9, 1869. They had one daughter, Susie June. Mr. Hardy married for a second wife, Mrs. Laura Bartlett Davis, on the 28th of June, 1876. She was the widow of Dudley B. Davis and the daughter of Richard Bartlett and Eleanor Currier, of Warner. Mr. Hardy died very suddenly on the 18th of June, 1888, and his funeral was attended by one of the largest concourses of citizens ever seen gathered in town on a sim- ilar occasion. William Harrison Hardy, the son of Joseph and Eliza (Chase) Hardy, was born in Warner, June 6, 1817. He attended school in Warner, Hopkinton, and Manches- ter, Vt. In the course of his life, he resided in many places and followed various pursuits. He was in the gro- cery business in Troy, N. Y., Niles, Mich., Manchester, Contoocook (twice), and in the cigar and tobacco busi- ness in Boston, Mass. He also followed other pursuits, such as shoe-making, brick-making, farming, etc. From 1 849 to 1851 he was in California. He also resided for a time in Henniker. He was employed seven years by the Concord and Claremont Railroad, 396 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPK-INTON. From 1839 to 1841, he was a school inspector at Harvard, Mich., and in 1841 and 1842 an assessor. He was a road commissioner of Cass county, Michigan, in 1844 and 1845. In 1876 he was a representative of Hopkinton. In 1838, April 2, Mr. Hardy married Priscilla M. Morgan, of Hopkinton. She was a daughter of Samuel and Priscilla (Manning) Morgan. They had children — Eliza Ann, Julia Emeline, and Mary Angeline and Julia Emeline (twins.) Mr. Hardy died October 6, 1882. Samuel A. Hakdy, the son of Ozias Hardy and Lavinia Barden, was born in Hopkinton, February 19, 1829. From 1833 to 1837, he resided in Warner. With the exception of about a year in Washington, he has spent the rest of his life in Hopkinton, being a farmer. Mr. Hardy lives at Har- dy's Corner, so named from the prominence of the Hardy family in that district for many years. In 1868, October 13, he married Abby A. Putney, daugh- ter of James Putney and Lucinda Barden, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Ida J., Isabell M., Arvilla A., Josie L., Stillman A., Louis B. Mrs. Hardy diejl April 17, 1886. WooDBUEY Hardy, the son of Ozias Hardy and Lavinia Barden, was born in Hopkinton, March 25, 1853. In the course of his life, he has resided in Boston and Peabody, Mass., and Marengo, 111. He is a farmer and gardener. During the late war, he served in Company E, of the 95th Regiment of Illinois Infantry. Mr. Hardy has resided con- tinuously in Hopkinton since 1866. In 1861, he married Ellen Matilda Price, daughter of William Price- and Eliza Felton. They have children, — Arthur Woodbury, Clara Matilda. Stephen Haeeiman, an early resident of Hopkinton, has a personal history that is somewhat involved in obscuri- ty. He was prominently identified in civil affairs, and was called captain. In 1774 and in 1779, he was a selectman of the town. In 1775, he was chosen a delegate to the Exeter convention, called in anticipation of the elaboration of a plan of colonial government. In 1777 and in 1781, he represented Hopkinton in the provincial General Court. During the controversy over the Rev. Jacob Cram, third PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 39T minister of Hopkinton, Capt. Stephen Harriman was a leader of the opposition, who resisted the payment of th«ir ministerial taxes, which were finally abated by the town. Captain Harriman died February 1, 1804, aged 76, and his. remains were interred in the Stumpfield cemetery, where they are covered by a horizontal granite slab. He seems to have been married three times. By his iirsfc wife, Lucy, he had at least three children, as follows : Lucy,, born January 9, 1780; Polly, born August 15, 1781; Ste- phen, born December 5, 1783. His second wife, Sarah, died December 17, 1800. In 1801, September 29, he mar- ried his third wife, the widow Judith Silver. " Stephen Harriman, Jr.," of somewhat difficult identity, was a soldier of the Revolution, being in Captain Joshua Bailey's company in 1777, being enlisted about the 20th of July, serving at Bennington, and being discharged about the 20th of September. Charles Edward Harrington, the son of Moses Bai- ley Harrington and Betsey Prescott Mooers, was born in Concord, October 5, 1846. In early life, he moved with his father to Hopkinton. He was educated at Hopkinton. academy, New London Literary and Scientific Institution, and at Bangor (Me.) Theological Seminary. Becoming a Congregational minister, he has resided at Lancaster from 1874 to 1878 ; in Concord (South church), from 1878 to 1882 ; in Dubuque, la., from 1882 to 1885 ; in Keene, from 1885 to the present time. During his preparatory course, he spent some time in teaching. He was for a time assis- tant teacher of Hopkinton academy, and once principal of the Farmington high school. He received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth college in 1878 ; that of Doctor of Divinity from Iowa college in 1889. From 1878 to 1882, he was a chaplain of the N. H. National Guard, and the same of the N. H. legislature in 1881. A veteran of the late war, Mr. Harrington was a corporal of Company A, of the 18th Regiment N. H. V., being mustered in Sep- tember 13, 1864. He was promoted to sergeant, and mus- tered out June 10, 1865. In 1869, June 30, Mr. Harrington married Sara Howard (Russell) Wilkins, daughter of Rev. Carey Russell and Roxanna Howard, of Littleton. They have children,— Hattie Russell, Charles Woodbury, William Barbour. 398 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. SECTION XV. HAKEIS — HXJNTOON. • John Haekis, an eminent jurist of Hopkinton, was bom in Harvard, Mass., October 13, 1769. He was the son of Richard Harris and Lydia Atherton. In 1791, the subject of this sketch graduated at Harvard college. He read law with Simeon Strong, of Amherst, Mass., and Timothy Bige- low, of Groton, Mass. In 1794, he came to Hopkinton, where he resided till his death. John Harris was frequently the incumbent of public office. Being a member of the Whig party in politics, the unpopular party in his town and state, his most important official trusts were those of ap- pointment. From 1806 to 1809, and again fi-om 1811 to 1814, he was moderator of Hopkinton town-meeting. In 1807, he was collector of taxes. In 1821, he was town treasurer, continuiug in office at least three years, appear- ing to have been the first treasury official chosen in the history of the town. In 1809 and 1823, and possibly at other times, he served upon the superintending school- committee. John Harris, however, must be mainly regarded in the higher ranks of official life. He was probate judge of Hills- borough county from 1812 to 1823 ; the same of Merrimack county, from 1823 to 1843 ; from 1817 to 1823, solicitor of Hillsborough county ; from 1823 to 1833, associate justice of the New Hampshire supreme court of judicature. In 1820, he was commissioned, with Charles H. Atherton, of Amherst, as register of probate, to revise the code of pro- bate laws of the state. In 1811, April 1, the first post-office was established in Hopkinton, and John Harris became post-master. In 1814, he was one of a commission that located the state capitol at Concord. In military life, John Harris had some distinction. In 1810, he was appointed a captain of the 4th Company of the 21st Regiment of the state militia. He took a peculiar interest in popular education. Previously to the establish- ment of Hopkinton academy, he taught one or more select schools, making a specialty of good reading. His pupils were admitted by cards, and one or more times a prize was offered for the best rendering of a scriptural selection or other standard composition. In 1816, he was made a trus- tee of Dartmouth college. PBBSONAI; AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 399 In Masonry, John Harris was prominent. In 1803, Jan- uary 10, a preliminary meeting of the Palladian Society was held at his home. A constitution had been framed and adopted, and he became the first treasurer. He was the founder of Trinity Chapter, the second in priority in the state, being founded in 1807. In 1824, he became its treas- urer. He was also founder of the Tyrian Council and of the Mt. Horeb Comraandery of Knights Templar. He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter at its formation in 1819, and first Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of New Hampshire, at its formation in 1826. In religion, John Harris was an Episcopalian. He sub- scribed to the ecclesiastical constitution of Christ's church in 1803 ; he was one of the first wardens of St. Andrew's church in 1827. For many years, Judge Harris lived in the house now occupied by John S. Kimball. A farm being a part of his domestic establishment, he became noted as a thorough and profitable cultivator. In September, 1799, John Harris married Mary Poor, of Hampstead, the daughter of Eliphalet Poor and Elizabeth Little. They had four children, — George, born February 6, 1801 ; Catharine, born January 23, 1804 ; Eliza Poor, born January 21, 1809 ; Ann, born February 19, 1812. Judge Harris died April 23, 1845 ; Mrs. Harris, March 6, 1843. Their bodies lie in the old village cemetery. There is no child of theirs living. John Harris was at one time subjected to considerable public obliquy in this town on account of his action as one of a legislative committee to locate the new state-house, first occupied in 1819. Because he gave his vote to Con- cord instead of Hopkinton, it was surmised that personal considerations influenced his course. This conception, however, has been historically exploded. The geographi- cal advantages of Concord, being located on the Merrimack river, then a great public highway for the transportation of all kinds of goods, with other incidental and minor facts, doubtless influenced the mind of John Harris in common with those of many others in New Hampshire. Matthew Haevey, in some respects the most eminent citizen Hopkinton has ever had, was born in Sutton, 400 LIFE AKD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. June 21, 1781. being a son of Matthew Harvey and Hannah Sargent. Predisposed to intellectual pursuits, the subject of this sketch prepared for college under the tuition of Rev. Samuel Wood, D. D., of Boscawen. Graduating from Dartmouth college in the class of 1806, he entered the law- office of John Harris, of Hopkinton, being admitted to the bar in 1809. He then opened an office in Hopkinton, where he resided the greater portion of his life. Matthew Harvey during his active life, was almost or quite constantly in civil office. He possessed a degree of natural affability that encouraged popularity, and he was a member of the Democratic party, which dominated many years in his town and state. From 1826 to 1828, in 1833 and 1834, in 1840 and 1841, and from 1845 to 1850, he was moderator of Hopkinton town-meetiug. In 1814, and for seven succes- sive years, he was a representative to the General Court,, being speaker of the House of Representives from 1818 to 1820. In 1821, he was sent to the national House of Representatives, where he served four years, and then returned to New Hampshire and served three years in the state senate, being its president the last two j'-ears. In 1828 and 1829, he was a member of the state Executive Council ; in 1830, governor of New Hampshire, and the same year he was appointed a district judge of the United States. Matthew Harvey took an active interest in all matters relating to public education. In 1810 and 1811, he was a member of the superintending school-committee of Hopkin ton. He was one of the earliest trustees of Hopkinton academy, founded in 1827. He was vice-president of the New Hampshire Historical Society from 1829 to 1831, and its president from 1832 to 1834. In affairs of the church, he was also prominent. He subscribed to the ecclesiastical constitution of Christ's church in 1803, and became one of the first vestrymen of St. Andrew's church in 1827. In 1850, Matthew Harvey moved to Concord, where he died on the 7th of April, 1866. While in Hopkinton he lived many years in the house now occupied by Mrs. John S. Kimball. While governor of the state, for the sake of retirement, he occupied the house now owned by Elijah Spencer, on the turnpike, about a mile and a half east of the village. Matthew Harvey's wife was Margaret Rowe, a native (?") Dea. John M. Harvey. -aiAl'MXCAL. W'4 ■'-eir son, died iii Loiu John M. Haevi Straw, was Ijorn m .\t- the subject of this !--i < ■;i« father moved tc- ■-*»f district, ois *! When aJ'^ .■ :>1 two children. I^iarga- ilied iu l8Hfi ; Frederick, a, m 1866. si'.li of JofiH i i .-'. . 1 •,, Mass., April -4, ■, lA ■tiMHlt thh .<:.'•• amA Mary i^il. Whftii ■!>i. diaek- .,^, ,=;.. Fu-- ■ ■■ - kr->; 111 ihc! t 'C! '- ■ > ;!■• ; ,. -i \ti-:tt iHUisi* ! ' " ■■':•_ .., .- ? ..■ 4 1 i;-tit^4:i:-1-.- ■ '■■ t*-i.«sa ■ir,l(«etl'UH, . t .- ■<• '•■ An-mf-fiAiig; i« i -'^.'ijji.iuni.ifuii couventki*' -■' of thfi i>mgregati.-'fj»,'- "! t<.>ber 7. Mr. Vr>' ■-■ •■-.».lem, Mh .;-;, ^'••■. c' KuHict? I'li- -' I. Elta, Auf,, '■ iliU-Tey li". '"' ■ -'W to 'I'm ili'" .■ :■' wido\i'. -, ■ --■ n A. Ha. • ira-din-' ■ ■»!( parif'i-.. ■ .' .5 with }i'._^ • . ■ -iigl«'r «.,■•■ • i 1877. ' read a y«s..i -= ■■.'psif^'. ,^. '! '. York < ■■■.: •*:' 3m«;w._ t-f^ff.' PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 401 of Newburyport, Mass. They had two children. Marga- ret Elizabeth, their daughter, died in 1836 ; Frederick, their son, died in Louisiana, in 1866. John M. Harvey, the son of John Harvey and Mary Straw, was born in Methuen, Mass., April 24, 1814. When the subject of this sketch was about the age of six years, his father moyed to Hopkinton, and settled in the Black- water district, on the farm now owned by Benjamin Flan- ders. When about eighteen years old, John M. Harvey went to Lowell, Mass., and worked in the cotton-mills. He remained in Lowell till 1844, and then came to Manchester, and went into business on the Amoskeag corporation. In the year 1862, he moved to his old home at Blackwater, though till 1866 he continued to do business in Manchester, being five years connected with the transactions of a loan fund association. While in Manchester, Mr. Harvey was two years a select- man, two years a common councilman, and two years an alderman, the last time being president of the board. In 1866 and 1867, he was a selectman of Hopkinton ; in 1872, moderator of town-meeting ; in 1876, a delegate to the state constitutional convention. In 1872, he was chosen deacon of the Congregational church. In 1839, October 7, Mr. Harvey married Emiline A. Gardiner, of Salem, Mass. She was a daughter of Joseph Gardiner and Eunice Tucker. They had four children, — John Henry, Etta Augusta, Clarence Augustine, and George Warren. Dea. John M. Harvey died July 12, 1880. For a number of years previous to his death, he resided in Hopkinton vil- lage where his widow, now Mrs. Sage, still lives. Clarence A. Harvey, the son of John M. Harvey and Emiline A. Gardiner, was born October 2, 1860, the resi- dence of his parents being in Manchester. Coming to Hopkinton with his father in 1862, he attended the com- mon and higher schools of the town. He was a member of the Hopkinton superintending school-committee in 1874, 1875, and 1877. Deciding to pursue the medical profes- sion, he read a year with his uncle. Dr. Albert Harvey, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; he finished his preparatory course at the New York College of Physicians and Siirgeons in 1881. 25 402 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. He entered upon practice in Poughkeepsie, where he died December 26, 1883. William F. Hakvey, the son of John Harvey and Mary Straw, was born in Hopkinton, July 21, 1827. The most of his early life was spent upon the farm, attending select schools incidentally at Contoocook and at Hopkinton academy one term. When 17 years old, he began to teach schools in winter, following the practice till 1862, when he went West and purchased a farm in Wright county, Iowa, and built a house upon it. Subsequently he taught schools, but becoming a religious convert, he studied for the Con- gregational ministry and was licensed to preach in August, 1864, and was ordained in Webster City in August, 1866. He remained in Webster City till 1870, and then went to Riceville, where he was pastor of Jamestown and Went- worth churches. About this time, he returned to his farm and made improvements, but continued to preach in vari- ous places for longer or shorter times. He died in Clarion, la., December 1, 1889. RoGEE C. Hatch, once pastor of the Congregational church in Hopkinton, was born in Middletowu, Ct., Octo- ber 20, 1784, being a son of Josiah Hatch, M. D., and Eliz- abeth Bronson. He was ordained pastor of the church in Hopkinton on the 21st of October, 1818, and dismissed June 26, 1832. He was subsequently a pastor, resident of Warwick, Mass., till September 19, 1868, when he died. The Rev. Mr. Hatch married Hannah Fay, daughter of Benjamin Fay and Beulah Stow, of Westboro, Mass., and who died in Peoria, 111., May 8, 1875, aged 79 years. The children of the Rev. Mr. Hatch were, — Junius Loren, born 1821 ; Elizabeth Bronson, born 1823 ; Junius Loren, born 1825; Henry Fay, born 1827; Sarah Hopkins, born 1829; Ellen Towne, born 1831 ; George Edwards, born 1837 ; Mary Louise, born 1839. While in Hopkinton the Rev. Mr. Hatch was promi- nently identified with educational work. His name is found upon the records of the town as a superintending school- committee in 1819,1820, and 1827. He probably served in the same capacity on other years. He was one of the active founders of Hopkinton academy in 1827, being one of the first board of trustees. He was also an early and vigorous advocate of temperance. PBESONAL AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 403 The following memorial of the subject of this sketch was written by the request of Mrs. Ellen T. Hatch Windom, wife of Secretary Windom, of the United States Treasury, and in anticipation of the publication of this work : IN MEMOBIAM. It gives me much pleasure to put upon paper a record of the vivid impression I stUl retain of the honored and beloved pastor of my boyhood, the Rev. Roger Conant Hatch. After having been graduated at Yale college in 1815, and having completed his theological studies, Mr. Hatch spent some months in missionary work in central New York, and then in his early man- hood came in 1818 to his first pastorate in Hopkiuton, the duties of which he continued to perform with diligence and success for fourteen years. During his ministry I was born, and under his preaching I sat till I left my native town when thirteen years of age. Although then so young, I have a very vivid recollection of Mr. Hatch, both as a man and as a minister. He was tall, stately in manner, and benevolent in countenance, with a certain grace and dignity of deportment that both befitted his caUing, and won the respect and esteem of aU who knew him. While somewhat reserved in manner, he manifested the kindliest interest in all his parishioners, and especially in the children, to whom he often spoke in a gracious way that charmed and took captive our young hearts. In church he had a most reverential air, and conducted all the services of the house of the Lord as if in His immediate presence. In thought his sermons were weighty, and in delivery, impressive. I well remember a sermon that he preached when I was twelve years of age, on " Keeping holy the Sabbath," for it came pretty close home to me. I have often thought of him as embodying, to my mind, more than perhaps any other clergyman I have fcaown, the delightful description given by Goldsmith of " The Village Preacher." " At church, with meek and unaffected grace, His looks adorned the venerable place ; The service past, around the pious man. With ready zeal, each honest rustic ran ; Even children followed with endearing wile. And plucked his gown, to share the good man's smile ; His ready smile a parent's warmth expressed, Their welfare pleased him, and their cares distressed ; To them his heart, his love, his griefs were given, Bat all his serious thoughts had rest in Heaven." In scholarly attainments Mr. Hatch was proficient. He had the 404 LIFE AJSD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. habits of a scholar, and his discourses always bore the marks of careful preparation. He was a peace-maker, and was beloved by his people. His home was a model one to the parish, for there presided in it a most gentle and refined lady, a worthy companion of her husband in all his pastoral duties. The doors of this hospitable home were ever open to all the people of the parish. Although more than half a century has passed away since this dear man of God closed his ministry in Hopkinton, yet the influence of his life and preaching still abides and is a power for good in the lives of not a few, and the blessed results of such a faithful ministry can be fully known only when all things shall be revealed at the last day. (Signed) Franklin W. Fisk. Chicago Theological Seminary, Nov. 18, 1889. Caelos G. Hawthorne, a resident lawyer, was bom in Hopkinton, September 19, 1827, being a son of Calvin Hawthorne and Rachel Jackman. Until 18 years of age, the subject of this sketch worked upon the farm continuously. Later, he was agriculturally employed only a portion of the summer. Disposed to intellectual pursuits, after sufficiently informing himself, he began to teach school. From 1847 to 1849, he was a teacher in Concord. Subquently he spent a year or more at Gilmantou academy. He afterwards taught a year in the academy at Granby, Mass. In 1852, he went to Chicago and was two years principal of the Foster School, as it was called, being the supervisor of several hundred children. With this experience his school-teaching ended. He had already begun the study of law, and, being now qualified, he went to Dubuque, la., and opened an office in the winter of 1854. He continued in business till 1866, his legal practice being conducted at first under the name of Crozier & Hawthorne, then of Hawthorne & McNall, and lastly of Poor & Hawthorne. While in the West, Carlos G. Hawthorne engaged in real estate transactions in the firm of Hawthorne, Childs & Co., which gave place to Hawthorne, Jackman & Co. Dur- ing the war of 1861, he was two years assistant provost- marshal, being also four years attorney for the Board of Enrollment, performing the duties of judge-advocate. While thus engaged, he was the means of securing many enlistments. In July, 1866, Esquire Hawthorne returned to Hopkin- ton where he has since resided. For a time he practised PEESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 405 law by correspondence, and, in 1871, he entered into a legal partnership with Herman W. Greene, the business relation continuing a number of years. In 1860, March, Carlos G. Hawthorne married Francis Prescott Gilman, of Gilmanton. She was the daughter of Nichols S. Gilman and Julia Prescott. They have one daughter, — Jessie A. Moses Hill, whose family name was many years per- petuated in the bridge and village of Contoocook, is said to have come to this town from Chester, very early in the his- tory of Hopkinton. He built both a residence and a mill at Contoocook, which is often called Hill's Bridge in the town records, and which was so called colloquially even within the memory of persons now in middle life. Moses Hill was a soldier of the Revolution, being in Capt. John Hale's company, in Col. Henry Gerrish's regiment, called out to reinforce General Gates in 1777. He enlisted in August and performed twenty-eight days' service. Moses Hill was also with Capt. Joshua Bailey, in Col. Moses Kelley's regi- ment, in the campaign in Rhode Island, serving twenty-five days in August and September 1778. Moses Hill had a wife, Hannah. The town record of births contains the following: "Beniaman Hills the Son of Mr Moses HUls and Hannah his Wife was Born in this Town March 6, 1769." The surname of the Hill family is almost always spelled in the plural in the town records. Moses Hill died July 26, 1799, aged 70 ; his wife, October 1, 1806, aged 70. Moses HUl was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1769 and 1770. William Holmes, the son of William and Sarah Ann Holmes, was born in Hopkinton, April 4, 1819. In the course of his life he has resided in Concord, Sutton, and Salisbury. In boyhood, being in poverty, he was sold to the lowest bidder for support to Josiah Jewett, of Hopkin- ton, in the year 1821. He was afterwards sold to John Currier and again to Jeremiah Crowell. At the age of 15, he had learned the alphabet ; at 19, he began the cooper's trade ; at 20, he began business for himself. In time he saved 1300, which he lost by a bad investment. Then he adopted the lumber business, and became the proprietor of a saw-miU and 1,000 acres of land in Salisburv. 406 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In 1841, March 12, he married Jane Johnson, daughter of Ebenezer Johnson and Dorothy Hildreth, of Salisbury. They have had children, — George, Dorothy Ann, Charles C, Curtice D., Emma J., Nellie A., Willie J., Leland E. James M. Hook, the son of Asa J. Hook and Harriet N. How, was born in Concord, March 2, 1838. In the course of his life, he has resided in Littleton and Lowell, Mass. He spent three years at sea. In the late war, he served in Company I, 6th Regiment N". H. Vols. Since the war, he has lived most or all of the time in Hopkinton. In 1859, Mr. Hook married Melissa Runnels, daughter of Burbank Runnels and Louisa Towns, of Concord. She died in 1862. In 1863, Mr. Hook married Mary M. Long, of Hopkinton, by whom he had children, -^Nathan J., Lizzie C, Sarah C, Belle C, Annie G. His second wife having died in 1874, Mr. Hook married Mary A. Doying, daughter of Wallace Doying and Ann Brown, by whom he has chil- dren, — Emma J., Eddie M., Gertie J., Charles F., Willie J., Alice M. Adonikam J. Hopkins, the son of Samuel C. Hopkins and Philena S. Ford, was born in South Jefferson, Me., May 24, 1847. He was educated in the English High School, Boston, Mass., at Harvard college, class of 1874, and at Newton (Mass.) Theological Seminary. A Baptist minister, he became pastor of the church in Dunbarton in 1876, continuing till 1879, when he came to Hopkinton, where he was pastor from November 29, 1879, to October 1, 1883. He subsequently was three years at Franklin Falls, after which he resided in Boston a year and a half, caring for his father, who was in his last illness. In 1887, Rev. Mr. Hopkins resumed pastoral work in Georgetown, Mass., where he now resides. The subject of this sketch has fre- quently been the incumbent of civil, ecclesiastical, or edu- cational office. From 1876 to 1879, he was a member of the town superintending school-committee ; in 1878 and 1879, moderator of town-meeting ; in 1888 and 1889, chair- man of the school-committee ; from 1876 to 1886, secretary of the N. H. Conference of Baptist ministers ; from 1880 to 1886, trustee of Colby academy, New London ; since 1888, trustee of Georgetown (Mass.) Peabody Library. He is noted as an elocutionist. In 1877, February 7, Rev. Mr. Hopkins married Mary C. PERSONAL AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 407 Martia, daughter of Horace M. Martin and Lorinda B. Woodard, of Perkinsville, Vt. They have children,— Earnest M., Louis B., Flora M. Lewis Howaed, the son of Abiel Howard and Kezia Bartlett, was born in Bridgewater, Mass., December 4, 1802. In early life he developed a studious habit, and at the age of twenty, began teaching school, continuing in winter till the age of thirty-six, when he entered the min- istry of the Methodist church. Becoming a member of the New Hampshire Conference, he was stationed as follows : 1839, Deering and Hillsborough ; 1841, Pembroke ; 1842, Chichester; 1843, Sandown ; 1845, Bristol; 1847, Haver- hill ; 1848, N. H. Conference Seminary ; 1849, East San- bornton; 1850, Claremont; 1852, Nashua; 1854, Dover; 1856, presiding elder Concord district ; 1860, Nashiia ; 1861, Salem ; 1862, Haverhill, Mass.; 1863, Suncook ; 1864, Lisbon; 1867, Plymouth; 1869, South Antrim; 1870, Contoocook ; 1874, Warren ; 1877, Contoocook. In 1879, he was superannuated. During the past ten years he has lived in Springfield, where he has supplied the Union church of that town, giving attention also to farming. The Rev. Mr. Howard has served as a selectman in the towns of Springfield and Grantham. In 1854, he repre- sented ward 6, of Nashua, in the'state legislature. He was assistant secretary of the N. H. Conference four years ; secretary of same, four years ; delegate to the General Conference at Buffalo, N. Y., in 1860. ^In the course of his life, he has taught vocal music and penmanship. At the N. H. Conference Seminary, he had charge of the board- ing department. In 1826, June 21, the subject of this sketch married Sally Stone, a native of Grantham, who died October 21, 1877. They had children, — Emma Oryntha, Alonzo Dear- born, Daniel Edson, Nancy Elvira, In 1879, March 25, the Rev. Mr. Howard married Ferona Clement, widow of Solomon H. Clement, and daughter of Abner Johnson, M. D., and Mary Quimby. RuFUS S. Howe, the son of Peter Howe and Polly Colby, was born in Hopkinton, March 17, 1832. In the course of his life he has resided in Henniker, Manchester, Windsor, and Concord. He is a farmer and a mechanic. 408 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. He served as a wagoner in the late war, enlisting in August, 1862, and being discharged in January, 1863, for injuries received at Arlington Heights, Va. In 1857, January 1, Mr. Howe married Sarah W. Noyes, daughter of Nathaniel Noyes and Rachel Uhaney, of Henni- ker. They had children, — Sarah Anna, Etta L., Ina B., Mary N. Mr. Howe traces his ancestry to Charles Howe, of Lancaster, Eng., who came to Sudbury, Mass., as early as 1639. Moses Feench Hoyt, the son of Moses and Betsey Hoyt, was born in Hopkinton, May 28, 1819, and resided in this town nearly all his life. He was a farmer, being agent of the Henniker town farm and also the same of the Hopkinton town farm, quite a number of years in all. He married Mahala Flanders, daughter of Israel and Olive Flanders, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Martha, Olive, "Walter F. Mr. Hoyt died in February, 1882. John Hubbakd, the son of Lazarus Hubbard, was born in Milford, in 1768. His mother's maiden name was Dins- more. In the course of his life he resided in Methuen, Mass., Deering, Hillsborough, Weare, and Hopkinton, where he died March 15, 1848. He was a shoemaker. In his early manhood he marched against the insurrection incited by Daniel Shays, of Massachusetts, in 1786. Mr. Hubbard was an old-time singing-master, who used to lead the singing at the old Baptist church at the foot of the southern slope of Putney's hill. John Hubbard was twice married. His first wife was Betsey Carlton, of Methuen, Mass., by whom he had a daughter and twin sons, John and Isaac, born June 24, 1796. His second wife was Ruth Chase, daughter of Dud- ley Chase and Alice Abbott, of Deering. They had chil- dren, — Rodney, born April 25, 1800 ; Lydia, born July 31, 1803 ; Nancy, born October 7, 1805 ; Sebastian Streeter, born October 3, 1808; Esther, born October 9, 1810; Sarah, born August 23, 1813 ; Dudley Chase, born, June 28, 1815. His second wife died September 11, 1856, aged 80. Charles Hunt, the son of Isaac Hunt and Catharine Auburn, was born in Warner, June 22, 1848. In the course of his life, he has resided in Salem and Lowell, PEBSONAi AND BIOGKAPHICAL. 409 Mass., and in Hopkinton. In Salem, he was a policeman about three years. During the late war, he served in Com- panies D and E, 5th Regiment N. H. Vols., being in the service nearly three years. He was six times in military prisons — in Libby prison, at Richmond, at Belle Island, at Lynchburg, at Danville, at Andersonville, and at Florence, S. C. In all he was in prison about a year. When he entered the service he weighed 161 pounds ; when finally released from prison, 68i pounds. In 1878, December 12. he married Ella Sprowle, daughter of Edward Sprowle and Nettie Wilson, of Peabody, Mass. They have children, — Willie 0., Edith N., Arthur W. Oea M. Htjntoon, the son of Harvey Huntoon and Maria P. Morse, was born in Unity, May 1, 1839. In early life, he attended school at New London. He lived in Unity till 1878, and after that in Contoocook till a few years ago, when he moved to Pittsfield. He has been a farmer, but of late years has engaged in mercantile pursuits. While here, he was for a time the chairman of the organization of the Democratic party. In Unity, he was a selectman from 1863 to 1870, and representative in 1868 and 1869. He was also a member of the Unity superintending school- committee at various times. He has also received the Dem- ocratic nomination for register of deeds for Merrimack county. In 1871, November 30, he married Mary Vilona Curtice, daughter of Samuel Curtice and Leonora Sweat, of Hopkin- ton. They have children, — Arthur C, Ada M. SECTION XVI. JOHNSON — KIMBALL. Samuel Johnson, the son of Benjamin Johnson and Sarah Abbott, was born in Hopkinton, Febuary 1, 1811. With the exception of one year in Concord, he always resided in Hopkinton. He was a farmer and farrier, whose services were widely demanded and appreciated. He was an ensign of militia two or three years, a quartermaster of 410 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the 40th Regiment five or six years, and an adjutant one year. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1871. His home was on the top of Beech hill, where his unoccupied residence now stands. In 1841, May 27, Samuel Johnson married Charlotte Goodwin Holmes, daughter of Eliphalet Holmes and Nancy Flanders. They had children, — Mary H., Addie N. Dr. Johnson died November 16, 1887. Jonathan Jones, the son of Jonathan and Judith Jones, was born in Warner, October 10, 1791. His early life was spent in Warner and Boscawen. In 1822, he came to Hopkinton, residing on the farm where his grandson, J. Arthur Jones, now lives, at West Hopkinton. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1829 and 1830. In 1820, November 14, Mr. Jones married Sarah Currier, daughter of Amos Currier and Mary Sargent, of Hopkin- ton. They had children, — Charles C, born May 17, 1822 ; Charles G., born July 17, 1827; Horace F., born June 18, 1833 ; John F., born March 31, 1835. Mr. Jones died February 20, 1877 ; his wife, February, 1885. John F. Jones, the son of Jonathan Jones and Sarah Currier, was born in Hopkinton, March 31, 1835. He attended school at Hopkinton academy. He resided in Hopkinton till 1885, since which time he has lived in Con- cord. In the course of his life, Mr. Jones has been a farmer upon the family homestead at West Hopkinton ; for a number of years a merchant at Contoocook ; in later years a banker. He was town-clerk of Hopkinton from 1861 to 1864, and in 1873 ; town treasurer, from 1861 to 1864 and 1872. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1876. From 1881 to 1883, he was treasurer of Merrimack county. Mr. Jones at present is director of the National State Capital bank, of Concord ; director of the First National Bank, of Hillsborough ; trustee and treasurer of the Loan and Trust Saving Bank, of Concord ; and treasurer of the Democratic Press Company, of Con- cord, of the Manufacturers' and Merchants' United Insur- ance Company, of the Woodsum Steamboat Company, and of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. In 1861, October 23, Mr. Jones married Maria H. Bar- PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAX. 411 nard, daughter of Thomas K. Barnard and Hannah Frost, of Haverhill, Mass. They have two children,— John Arthur and Charles Currier. Stephen Kelley, one of the oldest residents of this town, was born in West Newbury, Mass., May 6, 1803, being a son of Nathan Kelley and Elizabeth Brown. Since four years of age, he has continuously lived in Hopkinton, following the occupation of a farmer. In 1837, November 28, he married Harriet Trussel, daughter of John Trussel and Jemima Colby, of Hopkin- ton. They have had one child, John Trussel, who died in infancy. Feedeeick H. Kelley, the son of Amos Kelley and Sarah Evans, was born in Hopkinton, November 24, 1833. In early manhood, he was a wire-worker ; of late years, he has been a peddler. In 1856, November 5, he married Harriet N. Holland, daughter of Peter Holland and Susanna Hintie, of Concord. . They have children, — Edithene E., Leown H. WiLLAED H. Kbmpton, the son of Edward B. Kempton and Mary Harris, was born in Croydon, January 26, 1842. In 1859, he came to Contoocook ; in 1867, he went to West Concord ; in 1872, he retvirned to Contoocook ; in 1874, he went to Reed's Ferry. He is a mechanic. During the late war, he served in Company B, 2d Regiment N. H. Vols., being mustered in August 11, 1862; wounded June 3, 1864 ; promoted to corporal July 1, 1864 ; mustered out June 9, 1865. In 1862, August 9, he married Olive Jane Burbank, daughter bf Thomas J. Burbank and Susan Crowell, of Hopkinton. They had children, — ^Lizzie M., Nolan M. Mrs. Kempton died several years ago. Geoegb H. Ketchum, the son of Silas Ketchum and Cynthia Doty, was born in Barre, Vt., January 6, 1824. He was educated at the Barre high school. His trade is that of a carpenter and tin-worker. In the course of time, he has lived in Plainfield, Montpelier, Vt., Hopkinton, and Nelson. He came to Contoocook in 1866, where he has since resided as a dealer in tin, hardware, stoves, farming 412 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. implements, etc. Mr. Ketch um was four years curator of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. In 1848, February 29, Mr. Ketchum married Almira A. P. Newcomb, daughter of Bradford Newcomb and Hannah Clarke. Mrs. Ketchum is a direct descendant of Gov. William Bradford, of Massachusetts. Two children have succeeded this marriage, — Cynthia Hannah and Jessie Ann. Silas Ketchum, a clergyman of eminent versatility of talents, was born in Barre, Vt., December 4, 1835, being a son of Silas Ketchum and Cynthia Doty. The personal history of the subject of this sketch has been admirably written by the Rev. D. L. Milliken, from whose narrative we take the following: In 1851, his father having become an invalid, he removed to Hopkinton, where he learned and followed the trade of a shoemaker till his father's death in 1855. Being then released from the duty of supporting his parents, he entered Hopkinton academy, and after two terms of study taught his first school. He afterward taught in the same academy, and in Amherst and Nelson high schools. Mr. Ketchum was fitted to enter Dartmouth college in 1858, but being stricken with sickness, was constrained to forego that advantage and studied under private instructors, taking all the college studies except the higher mathematics. He also acquired suflicient knowledge to be able to read in French, Spanish, and Italian. In 1860, he entered Bangor Theological Seminary, pur- suing the full course, supporting himself and wife by working at his trade, and never missing but one lecture or recitation, graduating in 1863. In December of that year, he located with the church in Wardsborough, Vt., and during a ministry of twenty-one months the congregation was doubled twice. He then removed to Brattlebor- ough, and edited, in conjunction with D. L. Milliken, the Vertnont Weekly and Semi-Weekly Record and the Vermont SchoolJoumal, tiU called to the church in Bristol, N. H., in November, 1866. With this church he labored eight and a half years, being ordained there September 17, 1867. Under his superintendence, the schools of the town were graded, reduced to system, and a large number of young men and women stinmlated to enter the learned professions. He was an active member of the State Teachers' Association, and lectured extensively through the state. As a Freemason, he held many offices of influence and trust, and was chaplain of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire from 1871 to 1875. In 1875, worn with labor, he resigned his charge at Bristol, and accepted a small church in Maplewood, Mass., leaving it in October, 1876. His last pastor- PEKSONAL AJJD BIOGEAPHICAL. 413 ate was with the Second Congregational church in Windsor, Ct., from July 15, 1877, tiU within a few weeks of his death. During his whole career as a student and minister, he has been a diligent collector of rare and curious books, and an omniverous reader in science and history. From his own collection, he presented to the New Hampshire Historical Society 512 volumes, to the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society 1,200 volumes and 3,000 pamphlets, and to the American Congregational Association, Boston, 352. His own library now numbers 2,500 volumes. Mr. Ketchum was a member of all these and several other learned and benevolent soci- eties, and was active in securing the New Hampshire Orphans' Home — the old home of Daniel Webster — of which corporation he was a life member. When he removed from the state, he was elected — 1876 — a corresponding member of the New Hampshire Historical Society, and delivered the annual address in 1877. In 1878, he was elected member of the New England Historic Genea- logical Society, Boston, of the Prince Society, Boston, and corre- sponding member of the New York Historical Society, and of the Society of Antiquity, of Worcester. Of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, he was, in a con- spicuous sense, the founder, was corresponding secretary, 1773-75, and president in 1876-'77-'78. Mr. Ketchum was widely connected with the press as correspondent, essayist, and reviewer for many years. His published works are (1), A Farewell Discourse, 1865 ; (2) History of the Philomathic Club, 1875 ; (3) Eulogy on Henry Wilson, 1876 ; (4) Diary of the Invasion of Canada by the Ameri- can Army in 1775, 1876 ; (5) Special Geography of New Hamp- shire, 1877 ; (6) Paul on Mars Hill ; Ancient Windsor, 1879. He had also in preparation histories of the Ketchum and of the Doty families in America and an elaborate dictionary of New Hampshire Biography. The above selection was written as part of an obituary at the time of Mr. Ketchum's death. In 1860, April 6, Silas Ketchum married Georgia C. Hardy, a daughter of Elbridge Hardy and Sarah Stevens, of Amherst. They had two children, — George C, and Edmund D. The Rev. Mr. Ketchum died April 24, 1880, and his remains were interred in the cemetery at Contoocook^ where an elegant and lofty monument has been erected in his memory. Charles N. Kezae, the son of Moses Kezar and Zilpha Ordway, was born in Hopkinton, February 11, 1842, and has always lived in this town, his home being in Contoo- 414 LIFE AlO) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. cook. During the late war, he served in Company D, 16t Regiment, N. H. Vols., being mustered in October 2- 1862, and mustered out August 20, 1863. Reuben Kimball. See Daniel Anais. Abraham Kimball, the son of Aaron and SusanB Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, April 18, 1742, being th first male white child born in the township. On the 13t of April, 1753, he was captured by the Indians, the narr; tion of his capture being recited in Chapter X of Part I c this work. On the 17th of June, 1775, he was at the battl of Bunker Hill, in Capt. Gordon Hutchins's company in 1777, he was in Capt. Joshua Bailey's company, Co Thomas Stickney's regiment. Gen. John Stark's brigad« and marched from Hopkinton in July to join the norther continental army. He enlisted for the service on th 22d of July, and was discharged on the 17th of Septembei He was severel}' wounded at Bennington on the 16th o August. The following is his account for expenses inci dent to his injury : Bennington Augt 28 1777 Hired a horse to come to Hopkinton 130 Miles £9 . . i To Expenses on my way home 1 . 14 . i To a Horse two journeys from Hopkinton to Andover 5 . 10 . I To nursing while at Andover 1 . 16 . ( To Expenses going to and Coming from Andover 4 . 5 . ( pd Dr John Clement 12s 6 pd Dr Thos Kitteridge £4 . 16s 5 . 8 . ( PI £27 . 14 . ( loss of time About six months Occasioned by said wound A true Acct Errors Excepted Per Abraham Kimball Abraham Kimball married a Miss Runnels, of Concord and had seven sons and two daughters. He eventually moved to Peacham, Vt., to live with a son, dying there a nearly 90 years of age. His sons' names were John, Isaac Jacob, Benjamin, Job; his daughters, Abigail, Phoebe. Aaron Kimball, father of Abraham, is said to have com( to Hopkinton from Bradford, Mass., his name being promi nent in the early records of the town. He was callec Lieutenant. He is said to have built Kimball's garrison. V PERSONAL AJTD BIOGRAPHICAL. 415 Amasa Kimball, the son of Daniel Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, August 13, 1799. In 1825, he went to Low- ell, Mass., where he became engaged in the construction of the cotton-factories of the Merrimack corporation. Upon the completion of the factories, he was in charge of a branch of the business of the corporation till about 1835. He afterwards became a merchant of the firm of Kimball & Wheeler, continuing until his death, May 18, 1848. Mr. Kimball married Betsey Ann Hopkins, daughter of James Hopkins, of Antrim. They had children, — John Milton, born July 5, 1827, and Mary Lewis, born May 22, 1832. Mrs. Kimball died in Milwaukee, Wis., October 29, 1859. Mr. Kimball was a prominent Congregationalist, and at one time was chorister of Dr. Blanchard's church in Lowell. Benjamin Ober Kimball, a direct descendant of Aaron Kimball, who came to Hopkinton from Bradford, Mass., was born in Hopkinton, August 14, 1807, being the son of Jacob, son of Abraham, son of Aaron, Kimball and Anna Ober. He has always resided in Hopkinton, being a wheelwright, living many years in the Sugar Hill district, but latterly in the outskirts of the Tillage, on the South road, in the old county jail buUding. Two years he was a fife-major of militia. In October, 1828, Mr. Kimball married Cynthia Fellows, daughter of Obadiah Fellows and Sarah Emerson. They had children, — Eliza Ann, born September 80, 1829 ; Charles N., born October 11, 1830; Benjamin W., born February 24, 1832 ; Adoniram J., born January 11, 1837 ; Andrew J., born March 16, 1838 ; Charlotte A. D., born August 17, 1841. They all died comparatively young. Mrs. Kimball died March 26, 1883. Horatio Kimball, the son of Aaron Kimball and Eleanor Caldwell, was born in Hopkinton, September 19, 1821. His father was the third person of the same name in direct descent in this town. In early life, Horatio Kim- ball moved to Nashua, where he attended Lund's High School. Subsequently he resided at Nashville, Tenn., but in 1851, he returned to Keene, where he now resides. He is a printer and publisher. From 1838 to 1843, he was a printer in the office of the Grazette, Nashua ; from 1843 to 416 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 1850, he published The Oasis at Nashua; from 1852 to 1868, he was publisher and editor of the Cheshire Republi- can, at Keene. Mr. Kimball has frequently been promoted to civil office. In 1850, he was town-clerk of Nashville, Tenn.; in 1874 and 1879, he was an alderman of the city of Keene ; in 1879, 1882, and 1883, he was chosen mayor. He was appointed a trustee of the State Industrial School by Governor Cheney and held the office five or six years. In 1847, September 26, Mr. Kimball married Sarah Smith Holmes, daughter of Samuel Holmes and Mary Annan, of Peterborough. They have had children, — Sam- uel Holmes, Adelaid Pearson, Edward Perry. Aaron Newton Kimball, the son of Aaron Kimball and Eleanor Caldwell, was born in Hopkinton, March, 1824, and resided here most of the time till 1840, when he went to Nashua, and learned the trade of a printer, in the office of the Grazette. He subsequently went to Mississippi where he taught school for a time, and afterwards entered the office of the Free-Trader at Natchez. About 1850, he returned to Manchester and worked in different newspaper offices. The northern climate proving too severe, he returned to Mississippi, settled in Jackson, and became publisher of the Mississippian. During the war he was state printer. Subsequently he was a member of the Pilot publishing company and of the firm of Kimball, Raymond & Co., state printers for several years. Later he was a receiver of public moneys under President Garfield. He has since been alderman of Jackson and president of the board of supervisors of Hinds county. By apparent mili- tary distinction he is called Major Kimball. In 1862, he married Mary C. Redden, of Jackson, by whom he has five children. David Kimball, son of David and Priscilla (Herrick) Kimball, was born March 18, 1791. Preparatory studies at Phillips Andover Academy ; gradiiated at Yale college in 1818, and Andover Theological Seminary in 1821 ; ordained pastor of the Presbyterian church at Martinsburg, N. Y., June 27, 1822 ; soon after organized a church at Lowville, a neighboring village, and was pastor of both till dismissed in January, 1831. Installed over the Congrega- tional church, Plainfield, Mass., colleague with Father Hal- PEfiSOIfAL ASft) BlOGllAPKICAL. 4l7 lack, January, 1831; dismissed 1835. Editor of N. ff. Observer, afterwards changed to Oongfegational Journal, l836-'43, and publisher 1840-'43. Was acting pastor at Hanover Centre, 1845-48 ; Superintendent of the Dart- mouth Press, HanoTer Centre, 1845-48 ; at Hanover, 1848- '66. Stated supply at Weathersfield Centre, Vt., residing at Hanover, 1851-55. Without charge at Rockford, 111., 1867-75, and died there, February 8, 1875. Represented Hanover in the legislature, 1858-'69. He married Elizabeth Epes Carter, of Newburyport, Mass., August 6, 1822. Moses Kimball, once a pastor of the Congregational church in this town, was the son of David Kimball and Priscilla Herrick, and was botn in Hopkinton, July 24, 1799, where he passed his childhood, his father dying when he was only a few weeks old, leaving his widow with five children, three of whom became ministers of the gospel. His mother having married again, he removed with her faniily to Grantham, where he lived with his step-father, and worked several years on a farm. But wishing to enjoy better advantages for improvement, he gathered up all his worldly goods in a small bundle and walked to Concord, where he served an apprenticeship to the printing business in the ofiice of the late George Hough. While in this office he became interested in religion, and united with the Con- gregational church in Concord, under the pastoral care of Rev. Asa McFarland, D. D. He now resolved to prepare for the ministry, stnd laid aside some of his earnings for that purpose. He fitted for college at the academy in Bradford, Mass., graduated at Dartmouth college in 1826, and at the theological seminary in Andover in 1830, having spent about a year in teaching after leaving the college and before entering the seminary. His first settlement was at West Randolph, Vt., where he was ordained January 27, 1831, and dismissed Nov. 26, 1833. During his brief min- istry here he received nearly seventy persons into the church, the fruits of an interesting revival. His next set- tlement was in Hopkinton, his native town, where he was installed pastor of the Congregational church, May 7, 1834, and, after a ministry of about twelve years, was dismissed July 16, 1846. During this pastorate he received 116 to the church by profession, the fruit of four seasons of revi- 26 418 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. yal. Soon after his dismissioD, he received and declined a call from the Congregational church in Salisbury. Febru- ary 25, 1847, he was installed pastor of the Congregational church in Tewksbury, Mass., and dismissed May 15, 1849. He returned to Vermont in July, 1850, and became acting pastor of the Congregational church in Weathersfield Bow and Ascutneyville. At the end of fifteen years, he closed his labors at the Bow, and continued to supply, half the time, about two years longer, at Ascutneyville, when he removed to East Haverhill, Mass., and became the stated supply of the Congregational church in that place, where he died September 17, 1868. In 1832, September 20, Rev. Mr. Kimball married Abby Osgood, the daughter of Bailey Bartlett, of Haverhill, Mass. John S. Kimball, the son of David Kimball and Aba- gail Perkins, was born in Pembroke, April 28, 1812. The subject of this sketch, when about 25 years of age, went to Concord and took a situation in a bakery, but disliked the business, and entered the printing-office of Hill & Sherburn, learning book and job work. Afterwards he entered the office of Hill & Barton. While yet an apprentice, he became celebrated as a card-printer, introducing enamelled work. For a time he attended school at New Hampton, where Hon. John Wentworth was then a student, and be- came one of the founders of the Social Fraternity Library. He did not quite finish his apprenticeship as a printer, and was a while in the Franklin book-store at Concord. He spent a short time in New Haven, Ct., and afterwards took charge of his brother's store in Boston. In the course of events, he obtained a position in the post-office at Portland, Me., where he remained about three years, being a portion of the time on night duty. Being of studious habits, he gave his attention to law ; he studied with District Attor- ney Haynes, of Cumberland county, and became associated with Robert Rantoul, in Boston. Being always subject to ill-health, he was compelled to give up law and turned his at- tention to trade. He went to Burlington, la., where he was associated with Joseph L. Kimball ; soon after, he became eastern agent and purchaser for an enterprising and prosper- ous firm. In 1872, in consequence of the great fire in Bos- ton, Mr. Kimball suffered severely, being in company with his two eldest sons in a mercantile business. MFE A"- m nc' ^ ' icli in ■u,ix»r '20, ilfcv. Mr. Itiml- v'lrer of iJailey Bartletv. < l!-M,U tbe SOD -»f I ' ;-> - biisii. . Ictirnii' offiot ' lifcaoif 1 , ' , f '■ 4 1 1)0 J .in- ■, . <.f iLe 1. . ; 1 (lii- 1 nur i John S, Kimball, PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAIi. 419 Not far from the year 1854, Mr. Kimball purchased a summer residence in Hopkinton, and became the owner of considerable real estate in the village and vicinity. His late residence in Hopkinton is now occupied at stated sea- sons of the year by Mrs. Kimball. Between Boston, Mass., and Hopkinton, Mr. Kimball's residence alternated for many years. Maintaining his political residence in Hopkin- ton, Mr. Kimball was elected representative to the General Court in 1866 and 1867. He was a man of a generous nature and a public spirit. In 1843, October 15, John S. Kimball married Mary E. Stevens, daughter of Dr. John Stevens and Mary Jameson. They had five children, — John Stevens, Robert Rantoul, Mary Grace, Kate Pearl, and George Alexander Stevens. Mr. Kimball died April 19, 1888, in Boston. John Stevens Kimball, the son of John Shackford Kimball and Mary Eldridge Stevens, was born in Boston, Mass., July 31, 1845. He was educated at the Phillips Grammar School, of Boston, Hopkinton academy, and the Taghconic Institute, at Lanesborough, Mass. In the course of events, he has resided at Burlington, la., from 1861 to 1866 ; then a year in New York city ; in Boston again till 1874 ; since then in Hopkinton. From 1868 till the great fire of November, 1872, he was in the wholesale small-ware trade in Boston in company with his father and brother, their store being in Winthrop Square. For a time John Stevens Kimball was one of the firm of Kimball & Harvey, afterwards Kimball & Co., in Hopkinton. From 1879 to 1881, Mr. Kimball was register of deeds of Merrimack county ; in 1883, a representative of Hopkinton. He is a trial justice of the peace. In 1878, December 3, Mr. Kimball married Clara French, daughter of Reuben E. French and Sarah Chase, of Hopkin- ton. She died November 19, 1879, leaving one child, — John Prescott. In 1888, November 7, Mr. Kimball mar- ried Margaret A. French, of Hopkinton, sister of his first wife. Robert R. Kimball, the son of John Shackford Kimball and Mary Eldridge Stevens, was born in Boston, Mass., March 7, 1849. He attended school in his native city and at the Allen English and Classical School at West Newton, 420 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Mass. Being engaged in mercantile pursuits, he resides in winter in Boston and in summer in Hopkinton. At sixteen years of age, lie began working for Harding, Converse, Gray & Co., of Boston ; after two years, for Parker, Bacon, Kimball & Co ; about 1869, for Hardy, Brown, Goss & Co., and until going into business on his own account in the firm of Kimball & Co., which was burned out in the great Boston fire of 1872. Soon after the fire, he began with Champney Brothers & Co., and later with Champney, Page & Co., till they closed, about 1875, from which time till now he has been with Brown, Durell & Co. Mr. Kimball has been in the jobbing dry goods and small-ware business, and has also been connected with the firms of Kimball & Harvey and Kimball & Co., of Hopkinton. In 1872, October 30, Mr. Kimball married Ella Louise Currier, daughter of Robert B. Currier and Eliza M. Win- ans, of New York city. George A. S. Kimball, the son of John Shackford Kim- ball and Mary E. Stevens, was born in Boston, Mass., No- vember 26, 1853. He was educated at Allen's English and Classical School, West Newton, Mass. When twenty years of age, he went to Pittsfield, N. H., where he remained three years, residing since in Hopkinton. Previously to 1882, he was a book-keeper, but since then he has been a member of the firm of Kimball & Co., of this town. In 1882, March 3, Mr. Kimball married Mary Theresa Greene, daughter of Cotton M. Greene and Caroline Moore, of Pittsfield. They have one son, — Robert Warren. SECTION XVII. KIMBALL — ^KNOWLTON. Iddo K. Kimball, the son of Amos Kimball and Abby Hastings, was born in Bradford, Mass., June 4, 1813. In the course of his life, he has resided at Derry, Sutton, and Hopkinton, coming here in 1860. He is a shoemaker by trade, and is still in the service of the public at Contoocook, where he was four years a merchant. In militia days, he was an ensign, a lieutenant, and a captain. In 1837, December 12, Mr. Kimball married Anna Rich- PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 421 ardson, daughter of Zachariah Richardson and Sally Smith, of Litchfield. They have had children, — Warren E., The- resa F., Mary, Charles, George A., Carrie E. Wakeen C. Kimball, the son of Asa Kimball and Han- nah Little, was born in Hopkinton, July 19, 1829. In ma- ture life, he adopted the vocation of a contractor and builder, having learned the trade of a carpenter. He lived in the village of Contoocook till 1861 ; in San Francisco, Cal., tUl 1868 ; in Oakland, Cal., tUl 1870 ; since 1870, he has lived in National City, Cal. In 1857, Mr. Kimball married Flora M. Morrill, daughter of John Morrill and Hannah Hall, of Warner. Fkank a. Kimball, the son of Asa Kimball and Han- nah Little, was born in Hopkinton, January 26, 1832. In early life, he learned the trade of a carpenter. He resided in the village of Contoocook till 1852 ; in Brighton, Mass., till 1853; in Jamaica Plain, Mass., till 1854; in Contoo- cook, till 1861 ; in San Francisco, Cal., till 1863 ; in Oak- land, Cal., till 1868; since 1868, in National City, Cal. For a time in Contoocook he was engaged in trade. In 1868, Warren C. and Frank A. Kimball purchased the Ranch de la Nacion, containing 26,632 acres, or 42 square miles of land, in San Diego county, Cal. The ranch had a water frontage of more than six miles on the harbor of San Diego. In 1869, they laid out National City, and in 1871 built the largest and finest wharf in the state, for the ac- commodation of the Texas Pacific R. R. Company, and costing 140,000. The failure of the railroad company made the investment a total loss. In 1880, the brothers Kimball organized the California Southern R. R. Company, of Bos- ton capitalists, and gave the organization 10,000 acres of land to secure the capital to build the road from its grand terminus in National City to its connection with the Atlan- tic & Pacific Railway. Messrs. Kimball have also planted the most extensive olive orchard in the United States. In 1857, April 19, Frank A. Kimball married Sarah Cur- rier, daughter of Zebulon Currier and Melvina F. Collins, of Warner. Elbeidge Gerry Kimball, the son of Daniel Kimball and Asenath Herrick, was born in Hopkinton, July 6, 1831, 422 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. being a direct descendant of Aaron Kimball, one of the earlier settlers in Hopkinton. Mr. Kimball is a farmer and mill-owner, who lives upon the farm originally settled by his grandfather, Aaron Kimball, 2d, father of Daniel. From 1881 to 1885, Elbridge Gr. Kimball was a member of the superintending school-committee. In 1857, June 21, Mr. Kimball married Mary S. Butler, daughter of John Butler and Mary Andrews, of Boscawen. They have had children, — Emma B., Herbert H., Nelson D., Mary L. Hazen Kimball, the son of John Kimball and Lydia Clough, was born in Hopkinton in 1802, and always resided in this town. In early life, he attended the school of Mas- ter John O. Ballard. He was a farmer. In 1830, 1831, 1836, and 1840, he was collector of taxes. In 1842, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 40th Regiment of New Hampshire militia; in 1843, he was commissioned colonel. , In 1828, he married Mary Ann Baker, daughter of' Mar- shall Baker and Naomi Hoyt, of Concord. They had chil- dren, — John Marshall, born 1828 ; Charles Carroll, born April 7, 1831 ; Mary Ann, born 1834 ; Stephen Sibley, born 1836; Sullivan Cicero, born July 21, 1838; Susan Baker, born March 28, 1841 ; Clarion Hazen, born 1843 ; Robert Emmet, born 1850. Colonel Kimball died March 28, 1877 ; his wife, Novem- ber 3, 1877. Sullivan Ciceko Kimball, Freewill Baptist clergy- man, son of Col. Hazen and Mary A. Baker, was born July 21, 1838. Preparatory studies at Hopkinton academy ; graduated at Dartmouth college in 1860; teacher of a female seminary, Albany, N. Y., 1860, six months ; became commissioner of deeds in December, 1860 ; began studying for the ministry in the fall of 1863 at the Biblical Institute, in Concord, now Boston University, graduating in 1866. Licensed to preach by the Freewill Baptists at North Weare, January 27, 1864; began labor at North Weare, Jan. 17, 1864. He was principal of Contoocook academy, briefly from February, 1864. Ordained pastor, July 30, 1865, at North Weare ; dismissed July 30, 1867. Pastor at New- market, from August 1, 1867, to March 1, 1869 ; at Wells, PBKSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 423 Me., from March 1, 1869, to January 31, 1870 ; at Gilford Village, from February, 1871, to January 31, 1875 ; at Straf- ford Centre, from February 1, 1875, to January 31, 1880. Without regular charge, at Newmarket, since May, 1880. Read law in 1860-61, and edited The Republican Statesman, 1861-63, in Albany, N. Y., and was its reporter of state senate debates from October, 1861, to April, 1863. Prin- cipal of Contoocook academy, 1863-66 ; of Riverside acad- emy, of North Weare, 1865-67 ; of Austin academy. Centre Strafford, 1875-80. Secretary of New Hampshire Anti- Secret Christian Association, since 1875. He has edited and published The Christian Witness monthly, since 1879. He is a life member of several benevolent societies. He has written and lectured much against Freemasonry, and for this has been much persecuted and met the violence of four furious mobs. Received his A. M. from Dartmouth college in 1865. He married Julia A., daughter of Daniel Ayer, of Albany, N. Y., February 12, 1866. She died October 29, 1866, at North Weare ; (2) Ednah A., daughter of J. Weare Shaw, of Kensington, May 25, 1868. Publications : (1) Volume of Poems, 1858 ; (2) Facts for the People, an Anti-Masonic Tract ; (3) The Funeral Discourse of Mrs. Lillian (Tasker) Foss, Strafford, May 20, 1877. Clarion H. Kimball, the son of Col. Hayes Kimball and Mary Ann Baker, was born in Hopkinton, October 11, 1843. The son of a farmer, he in early life evinced a taste for intellectual pursuits. Upon the event of the Rebellion of 1861, he turned his attention to the army, and in 1862, August 27, he was mustered into Company E, 2d Regi- ment of United States Sharp-shooters. He was promoted to corporal, and, on the 16th of October, 1864, he was dis- charged to accept further promotion. He was commissioned •1st lieutenant of Company G, 18th Regiment of N. H. Vols., on the 24th of January, 1865, and promoted to cap- tain on the 29th of the following July, but was mustered out as 1st lieutenant the same day. During service. Cap- tain Kimball was in every battle of the Army of the Poto- mac after September, 1862, with one exception. Subse- quently to the war, Captain Kimball turned his attention to the profession of the ministry. Being educated at Bates college and the Chicago Baptist Theological Seminary, he 424 LITE AJSrp TIMPS IN HOPKINTOH'. successively resided or preached in Union, Wis., Chicago, 111., Dubuque, la., Philadelphia, Pa., Manchester, and Holyoke, Mass., where he ha^ resided since 1886. While in Philadelphia, he was instrumental in erecting one of the finest church edifices in the city, the auditorum being of a unique pattern designed by himself, and pronounced one of the most beautiful in the country. While in Manchester, he was pastor of the most influential Baptist church in the state, his pastorate running four years from 1882. While in Manchester, he was chairman of the executive committee of the Board of Managers of the N. H. Baptist State Con- vention. His last church, the Second Baptist, of Holyoke, is composed of 600 members, and is very influential. During his residence here, he induced the church to establish two important missions at an expense of about 110,000. He also added over 150 to the membership. Rev. Mr. Kimball is now giving special attention to the work of an evangelist, having resigned the pastorate of the Holyoke church the present year. In 1878, while residing in the West, Mr. Kimball was admitted to the bar, having pursued the requi- site study as an incident of his professional career. In 1866, October 9, Mr. Kimball married Lucy A. Chal- len, daughter of John Challen, M. D., and Mary Kavanaugh, of Springfield, 111. Mrs. Kimball is of the famous Kava- naugh family, of Kentucky, being a niece of the Rev. H. H. Kavanaugh, for years the presiding bishop of the M. E. church. Three living children are the result of this union. They are, — Alice Mary, Jennie Eva, Grace Lu Clarion. Nathaniel Knowlton, the son of Ezekiel Knowlton and Elizabeth Woodbury, was born about 1780, and died July 13, 1833, aged 63 years. His home was in the Jewett Road district, where Martin T. Crowell now lives. Nathan- iel Knowlton was called captain and esquire, and was many years one of Hopkinton's most prominent citizens. From, 1807 to 1810, in 1812 and 1813, from 1820 to 1825, in 1829 and 1830, and in 1833, he was a selectman of the town ; in 1815 and 1816, moderator of town-meeting ; in 1821, 1824, 1825, 1827, and 1828, representative to the General Court ; in 1881 and 1832, state senator. Nathaniel Knowlton was twice married. His first wife was Susan Greeley, of Hopkinton. His second wife was Mary Connor, of Henniker. There were children of PBESOlsrAIi AMD BIOGBAPHICAL. 425 Fathaniel Knowlton, — Nathaniel Woodbury, Susan Greeley, Mary Connor, Sarah Trussel. Ariel Parish Knowlton, the son of Daniel Knowl- ton and Mary Stocker, was bom in Hopkinton, February 27, 1795. He appears to have always resided in Hopkinton. He was a shoemaker by trade, and kept a boot and shoe store many years in the building where Miss Sabrina Davis now lives. He was a long time the sexton of the Congre- gational church. In 1820, December 19, Mr. Knowlton married Abigail Lee. They had children, — Edward Lee, George Cogswell, Mary Cogswell, Miranda Greeley, John Hartwell, the latter dying in infancy and being succeeded by another son of the same name. Mr. Knowlton died September 2, 1866 ; Mrs. Knowlton, December 12, 1874. Daniel Stocker Coffin Knowlton, the son of Daniel Knowlton and Mary Stocker, was born in Hopkinton, December 11, 1798. He was a printer, and was for a time the editor of a Lowell, Mass., paper, and subsequently of the Worcester, Mass., Palladium. In 1829, September 27, Mr. Knowlton married Anna Wheeler Hartwell, daughter of John and Anna Hartwell. They had children, — Frank, Helen Maria, Frances Ann, Lucy Emma, Elizabeth C, John Albert," Frederick, Edward Hartwell, Charles Theodore. Mr. Knowlton died June 11, 1871. Francis Proctor Knowlton, the son of Daniel Knowl- ton and Mary Stocker, was born in Hopkinton, December 1, 1811. He attended Master John O. Ballard's school and was a student of Hopkinton academy. He was a jeweller who once kept a shop on the site of the present Baptist parsonage. He resided in Hopkinton till 1834, in Clare- mont till 1837, in Hopkinton till 1865, and in Littleton, Mass., till his death. Mr. Knowlton was town-clerk of Hopkinton from 1847 to 1850, and again in 1854. He was representative to the General Court in 1850 and 1852. In 1838, October 25, Mr. Knowlton married Mary Dix Hartwell, daughter of John Hartwell and Anna Wheeler, of Littleton, Mass. They had children,— George Hartwell, Ellen Frances, Sarah Maria, Mary Dix. 426 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKENTON. Mr. Knowlton died March 16, 1887. He is said to have been the inventor of the wire-screen corn-popper, afterwards improved by Amos Kelley, of Hopkinton. George Haktwbll Knowlton, the son of Francis Proc- tor Knowlton and Mary Dix Hartwell, was born in Hop- kinton, November 6, 1839. He hved in Hopkinton till 1856 ; in Littleton, Mass., till 1869 ; in Methuen, Mass., till 1870 ; in Lowell, Mass., till 1883 ; since then in Los Angeles, Cal. He is an engineer by calling. He is the compiler of the genealogy of the Knowlton family. In 1868, January 1, Mr. Knowlton married Isabel I. John- son, daughter of Richard Johnson and Jane Kemp, of Low- ell, Mass. They have had children, — Clara Dix, Hattie Hartwell, Irene Isabel. • JosiAH Smith Knowlton, the son of Robert and Jemima Knowlton, was born March 12, 1796, in Hopkinton, and died December 4, 1874. He was a merchant and farmer, who lived many years in Hopkinton village. He was many years a deacon of the Baptist church. In 1841 and 1842, he was a representative to the General Court. Deacon Knowlton was twice married. His first wife was Susan Smith, whom he married February 18, 1823. She died September 11, 1836. His second wife- was Roxana "Wilcox, whom he married March 15, 1839. She died May 15, 1871. SECTION XVIII. LEENED — LYFOED. Ebbnezbe Lerned, the first liberally educated physi- cian in Hopkinton, was born in Medford, Mass., October 6, 1762, being a son of Thomas Lerned and Hannah Brooks. He graduated at Harvard college in 1787. Deciding to pursue the profession of medicine, he studied with Dr. E. A. Holyoke, of Salem, Mass., and attended medical lect- ures at Hanover, N. H. He began practice in Leominster, PBKSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 427 Mass., and also taught school there, but, not finding suffi- cient medical patronage, he came to Hopkinton about the beginning of the present century. Becoming successful in practice, he attained to professional prosperity, and became identified in various enterprises looking to the welfare of the town and state. He gave a great deal of attention to agriculture, and was a promotor of early attempts at im- proved culture. He encouraged agricultural exhibitions, one or more being held on his own premises. He was the first president of the Merrimack County Agricultural So- ciety, founded soon after the establishment of the county in 1823. Dr. Lerned was liberally disposed to the cause of educa- tion. He was the virtual founder of Hopkinton academy in 1827, giving the establishment a fund of $500. In many ways his life illustrated his public benevolence. He gave $300 to the city of Cambridge, Mass. In his last will and testament, he gave two bequests of $500 each to to the town of Hopkinton. One of them was to be the principal of a female charity fund, and the other that of a fund for the purchase of school-books. In his chosen profession, Ebenezer Lerned was distin- guished. He received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth college, and was the first delegate from the New Hampshire Medical Society to that institution. He was vice-president of the State Medical Society at the time of his death. For a time. Dr. Lerned was engaged in mercantile pur- suits in Hopkinton, being at one time a partner of Stephen Sibley. During his residence in this town. Dr. Lerned built the house now occupied by the Misses Lerned, his daughters, in the village. In 1802, Ebenezer Lerned married Mary Hall, of London- derry. They had four children, — Louisa, Mary Eliza, Marga- ret, Brooks Holyoke. Mrs. Lerned died November 22, 1813, and on the 28th of September, 1814, Dr. Lerned married Catherine Perkins, of Hopkinton, daughter of Timothy Perkins and Hannah Trowbridge. Five children were the result of this marriage. Their names are Catherine Crosby Perkins, Edward Augustus, Hannah Brooks, Lucy Ann, Elizabeth Trowbridge. Dr. Ebenezer Lerned died October 6, 1831. His second wife died September 30, 1869. 428 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKXNTON. William Little was born in Atkinson, Mass. In early life he was a clerk for Joseph Town e, a Hopkinton mer- chant; later, a hotel clerk in Norwich, Vt.; subsequently, in trade with Samuel Greenleaf, of Salisbury ; afterwards, a merchant in Hopkinton ; last, a Hopkinton farmer. He served in the war of 1812, and was called Major Little. Major Little married Elizabeth Wiggin, daughter of Ben- jamin Wiggin and Elizabeth Clement, of Hopkinton. They had children,— Timothy Wiggin, Mary Eliza, Ellen Chase. Maj. William Little died February 23,1864, aged 83; his wife, April 20, 1868, aged 85. Isaac Long, the son of Enoch and Abigail Long, was born in West Newbury, Mass., in 1765. Eventually com- ing to Hopkinton, he lived many years identified with many social enterprises and improvements. His home was where Joseph L. Hagar now lives. He was a teacher of vocal music. He was prominent in the Congregational church, being years a deacon. In 1793, December 17, Isaac Long married Susanna Kimball, daughter of Abel Kimball and Mary Chandler, of Hopkinton. They had children, — John C, born October 6, 1794; Nancy R., born March 17, 1796; Rufus W., born December 28, 1797; Nancy H., born October 17, 1799; David C.,born September 19, 1801; Laura S., born August 10, 1808; Sally K , born July 15, 1805; Edward J., born August 22, 1807; Isaac C, born September 19, 1809; Charles E., born July 6, 1811; William H., born Septem- ber 9, 1813 ; Enoch H., born December 18, 1815. Dea. Isaac Long died January 10, 1840 ; his wife, Octo- ber 29, 1855. Dea. Isaac Long, Enoch Long, and Moses Long were brothers. Enoch Long lived on the Jewett road, and Moses Long on Emerson's hill. Moses Long vpas the father of Col. Stephen H. Long, mentioned hereafter. William H. Long, the son of Isaac Long and Susanna Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, September 9, 1813, and was fitted for college at Hopkinton academy. He entered Yale, and was graduated in 1840, afterwards receiving his A. M. from the same institution. He had a high rank as a scholar. Mr. Long began a theological course, graduating PEKSONAIi AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 429 in 1844, but was obliged to give up preaching on account of his voice. He taught school at Utica, N. Y., and then went to Boston, Mass., where he was appointed sub-master of the old Washington school of Roxbury. When the Dearborn school was formed, Mr. Long became head-master there. He began his service September 4, 1847, and con- tinued at the Dearborn school until September 1, 1882, when his resignation was accepted by the school-committee with expressions of appreciation for his long and honorable service and of high esteem for him as a gentleman. Mr. Long died November 5, 1886. In 1846, December 25, William H. Long married Lucia A. D. Rollins, daughter of Dea. Benjamin Rollins and Martha W. Nevens, of Hopkinton. In memory of her hus- band, she is now erecting the William H. Long Memorial Building in Hopkinton village, for the occupation of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. Stephen H. Long, the son of Moses Long and Lucy Harriman, was born in Hopkinton, December 30, 1784. He graduated from Dartmouth college in 1809. He entered the service of the United States, and was made a second lieutenant of engineers on the 12th of December, 1814, and in 1815, received an appointment as professor of mathe- matics at the West Point Military Academy. In 1816, April 29, he was made a brevet major of topographical engineers; in 1838, July 7, a major ; in 1826, April 29, a brevet lieu- tenant-colonel of the army ; in 1861, September 9, a colonel. In 1863, March 4, he returned to the engineer corps, and, on the 1st of the next June, being in infirm health, he was retired. From 1818 to 1823, Colonel Long had charge of governmental explorations of the territory between the Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains, discovering the peak in Colorado which now bears his name. In 1823 and 1824, he explored the sources of the Mississippi ; from 1827 to 1830, he was engaged in surveying the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; from 1837 to 1840, he was engineer in chief of the Atlantic & Great Western Rail- road, having about the same time duties connected with the proposed national road from Portland, Me., to Canada; about 1860, he was assigned to duties relating to improv- ing navigation at the mouth of the Mississippi ; at the out- break of the Rebellion he was called to Washington, where 430 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. he was on duty at the war department till retired as related. From 1835 to 1838, Colonel Long resided in Hopkinton, living in the house now owned by Robert R. Kimball. During this time he was specially active in local public enterprises. He was the principal mover in the local attempt at successful silk manufacture. The draining of the village Frog-pond was also a special result of his energy and enterprise. He is said to have induced the construc- tion of improved local bridges. In 1819, March 3, Stephen M. Long married Martha Hodgkins, of Philadelphia, Pa. Her mother was Sarah Dewces, sister of William Dewces, M. D., an eminent physi- cian of Philadelphia. The children of Stephen H. Long were, — William Dewces, born October 11, 1820; Henry Clay, born February 18, 1822; Richard Harlan, born Octo- ber 3,1824; Edwin James, l3orn June 11, 1829; Lucy, born October 13, 1832. Colonel Long died September 4, 1764; Mrs. Long, September 11, 1873; both died at Alton, 111. Isaac Long, the son of Enoch Long and Mary Kim- ball, was born in Hopkinton. His father was a book-binder and farmer, and the son followed the same calling. For years Isaac Long's book-bindery and book-store stood next east of the present Congregational vestry, Mr. Long's resi- dence being in the same building. Isaac Long married Abigail Hilton, whose father was Aaron Hilton and whose mother's maiden name was Ober. They had children, — Harriet, born June 24, 1816 ; Horatio H., born March 25, 1819 ; Enoch, born December 10, 1823. Isaac Long died September 18, 1861. Enoch Long, the son of Isaac Long and Abigail Hilton, was born in Hopkinton, December 10, 1823. In early life he attended Hopkinton academy. He is a photographer. He lived in Hopkinton till 1842, then travelled four years, then lived in St. Louis, Mo., till 1866, then in Quincy, HI., till the present time. He has been many years a deacon of the Congregational church. In 1853, September 21, Mr. Long married Sarah C. Mil- ler, daughter of Joseph Miller and Sarah M. Burnham, of PEBSONAL AND BI06BAPHICAL. 431 Quincy. They have had children, — Arthur H., Harriet E., Ella M., George E. Chaeles Lord, the son of Humphrey Lord and Lydia Leavitt, was born in South Berwick, Me., December 27, 1812. In early nianhood he learned the trade of a machin- ist, and eventually became very proficient in his calling. He worked in all many years in South Berwick, Boston, Mass., Maryland, Newmarket, Lawrence, Mass., and Con- cord. At Newmarket he was very successful as a con- tractor to build and repair machinery for the late Samuel Brooks and the Newmarket Manufacturing Company. In consequence of constant ill-health he was compelled to seek the farm, and in 1846 he purchased a home in Hop- kinton, where he resided most of the time afterwards, being absent a part of the time for years while he partially devoted himself to his trade. His readiness in various kinds of work made him a frequent reliance of his neigh- bors and townsmen. In 1838, February 25, Charles Lord married Sarah Hubbard, daughter of John Hubbard and liuth Chase, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Lydia, Charles C, George E. In early life Mr. Lord was a musi- cian, performing publicly on different martial and orches- tral instruments. Philanda M. Lord, the son of Thomas Lord and Salinda Messer, was born in Dunbarton, August 6, 1850. From 1859 to 1875 he lived in Hopkinton, afterwards returning to Dunbarton, where he has repeatedly been selected for important official trusts, as selectman, member of school-board, etc. In 1870, December 22, Mr. Lord married Ellen L. Kimball, daughter of Moses T. Kimball and Harriet Emerson, of Hopkinton. They have one child, — Neva B. Arthur P. Lovejoy, the son of Gilman Lovejoy and Mary H. Drake, was born in Littleton, February 15, 1843. In the course of his life, he has resided in Brookfield, Royalton, and other places in Vermont, and in Clare- mont and Bradford. Since 1881, he has resided in Con- toocook in this town. During the late war he served in Company C, 1st Vermont Cavalry, being a soldier from 1862 to 1865. His present occupation is that of a railroad trackman. 432 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In 1867, December 27, Mr. Lovejoy married Mary E. Coburn, daughter of Ira Coburn and Nancy Bucklin, of Royalton, Vt. They have had children, — Charles N., Annie M. Benjamin LoVeren, the son of Ebenezer Loveren and Eunice Hadlook, was born in Deering, September 11, 1805. In 1826, he came to Hopkinton, where he resided till his death, May 14, 1885. His home was in the Tyler district, where his only son and only child, Ebenezer Loveren, now lives. Benjamin Loveren was one of the most pros- perous farmers of the town. In 1839, 1840, and 1842, he was a selectman ; in 1848 and 1849, a representative to the General Court. He was three years a captain of militia. In September, 1826, Benjamin Loveren married Esther Bartlett, daughter of Solomon and Anna Bartlett, of Deer- ing. She died October 29, 1881. Francis Hubbard Lyeord, the son of Dudley Lyford and Nancy Greene, was born in Pittsfield, September 19^ 1820. He was educated in Pittsfield, at Clinton Grove in Weare, and in Keytesville, Mo. He resided in Pittsfield till 1836; in Keytesville, Mo., till 1841; in Pittsfield till 1847; in Barnstead till 1849; in California till 1852; in Manchester till 1857; and subsequently in Holderness, Randolph and Thetford, Vt., Lebanon, Me., Hampton, Laconia, Haverhill, Mass., Meredith, Littleton, and Con- toocook, where he came in April, 1886. He was represent- ative to the General Court from Pittsfield in 1846 and 1847 ; city clerk of Manchester in 1855 and 1856 ; railroad commissioner from 1855 to 1857. In the palmy days of the old New Hampshire militia system, he was commander of the Jackson Guards, adjutant of the 18th Regiment, and a brigade and division inspector. In the literary field, he is the compiler of "Reminiscences of Pittsfield" and "Thirty Years' Experience in the Freewill Baptist Min- istry." He also served on the historical committee of Littleton. The Proceedings of Littleton's Centennial con- tain his address on Agriculture. In 1859, Mr. Lyford entered the work of the Freewill Baptist ministry, being licensed by the Sandwich Quarterly Meeting. In 1860, he was ordained at Randolph, Vt., by the Strafford Quarterly Meeting, and he has since preached in the places named in ^- »6 -'*' Z AHD TIMES r^ ■ ■ •.■■'^-'."lEy, the < ' 'TOIP "(I flojik'ntor, -f ' " Ihs hoiiH V • .(I .liui 'i < 1 ''.■;■! 1 ' V f ■ t; PI ',,tns ot i' iiid . 1 , , ,. !'■ m ' , III 1?- . ^ -,( ijiaii •icrieuil ^ !U ' He was ij t^iu i ' I'l Bejit- '■^•Jt), i. . > reii If, BaitJett, il.t T of "^ \i.?. . !' and ISai- t Mi**), !■ \l .•riii subseqxieul' . ■-•K'jHt, Vt., Lf'ban.'!: ■ ' ;«:-<»., MtIV' ! ■ describt;d ii ■ t- I.X, of I' - ■ ta. Perkins ■■ • traite • : .t-ess; lord. '- . 'J 1 "' .- •atan<: - ' ' , ■--.:■«• of Williaa: ■. , "> ■ ■ ,i* ir-t- 'iaughter of the celt'bi...-, ■ ikjt, Louisa Ayer, was the offspr.> Porkin.^. « ud wat. in emineuf a ia.ii Mai\U I'-', 1847. f.-.fai ' , , ler ti- ary 'Zt< lAr.f'.. A •::■ . - ' ? ■■■ .■;- .n ' . ■ ■; rojs"ELiu. : ;ss, the son of ' ' < . ilxther ■ , .lul, wa.s bi > ■!t.ri J. )'•■'•" lii -ariy life 1 ;..'t>';r. >(>>r%vi' li ■ '"* t-^ "■' 'itrii', .^ ]./aw "-I hool, ('rii> ' 'I-. •; f • 'ontoocot*!- , ■ 1 m! ( -iiu imte oi In 1» • '.-.il ill IIIUU- r-power there. • -4!> to 1 ".. f 1 • ■■ -f-orge. , !«t;idt01'. ,t'irkiiis n. ■ ■ Hon. Hamilton e. Perkins. PEESONAX, AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 447 Ms preparatory studies under a private tutor at Concord. At the beginning of the naval academic year, October, 1851, young Perkins was installed in his new position at Annapo- lis, where he soon became a favorite. During his academic course, young Perkins showed remarkable adaptation for the calling of a naval soldier, and soon after graduating, in 1856, he was ordered to join the sloop-of-war Cyane, Cap- tain Robb, to sail in November for Aspinwall, to protect American citizens, mails, and freights on their way to Cali- fornia by the Isthmus of Panama. Subsequently, the Cyane sailed to Central America, to bring back the deluded fol- lowers of the notorious fillibuster, General Walker, for passage to New York. In July, 1857, a trip was taken to Newfoundland, for the protection of the United States fishing interests, and, in the fall, one to the West Indies, calling at Cape Haytien, the old capital of Hayti, to inquire into the imprisonment of an American merchant-captain. In January, 1858, Midship- man Perkins was detached from the Cyane, and in a short time joined the store-ship Release, which, after a three months cruise in the Mediterranean, returned to New York to receive provisions for the Paraguay expedition, having for its object the chastisement of Dictator Lopez, for cer- tain dastardly acts against our flag on <;he river Parana. In August, 1868, Midshipman Perkins was transferred to the frigate Sabine, iox passage home to his examination for the grade of passed midshipman. His successful examina- tion having occurred, in a few months he was ordered to the steamer Sumter, as acting master, the destination of the vessel being the west coast of Africa, in the interest of the suppression of the slave-trade. While cruising along the coast. Master Perkins improved frequent opportunities to visit the land and indulge in various experiences in the native wilds. On one of these exploits, seeking to find the mouth of the Settee river, his boat was capsized in the surf, and he had a narrow escape from drowning. He also suffered severely from the African climate. In July, 1861, the Sum- ter received orders to return to New York, Master Perkins thus securing an opportunity to return home and recruit his health. He was soon ordered to the gunboat Cayuga, as executive officer, under Lieutenant Commanding N. B. Harrison. The vessel was ordered to join Farragut's fleet in the gulf, but did not leave New York till March, Officer 448 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Perkins having in the meantime been promoted to a lieu- tenancy. In the following April, the Cayuga, with the divisional flag of Captain Bailey on board, led the advance in the attack on New Orleans, and when Captain Bailey was ordered on shore to demand the unconditional surren- der of the city, he asked Lieutenant Perkins to accompany him upon the dangerous mission. After other fiery service on the Cayuga, Lieutenant Perkins was transferred to the Pensacola. This was in November, 1862, and in June, 1863, he was ordered, in command of the New London, to the aid of General Banks, the service being powder transportation, and convoy, occasioning the run of the batteries and sharp- shooters along the river below Port Hudson. Running this gauntlet the sixth time, the New London was disabled, but the fertile expedients of Lieutenant Perkins secured com- munication with Farragut's fleet, and his vessel was saved. Lieutenant Perkins was subsequently transferred to the command of the gunboat Sciota, assigned to the duty of blockading the coast of Texas. In May, 1864, he was re- lieved from command, with leave to go home, but, arriving at New Orleans, he found preparations for a contest at Mobile, and could not resist the temptation to engage in it, volunteering his services to Farragut and being assigned to the monitor Chickasaw, a command above his rank. The Chickasaw was not yet completed, but Lieutenant Perkins promptly fitted her, and on the 28th of July sailed to join the fleet off Mobile, where he arrived on the 1st of August. On the following 5th of the month, the Chickasaw earned the memorable fame of disabling the steering apparatus of the rebel ram Tennessee, inducing the Confederate Captain Johnson to say, — " She did us more damage than all the rest of the Federal fleet." The Chickasaw continued to operate with the fleet till the surrender of Mobile, on the 2-^d of August, and until the 12th of the next April, when the Union forces were in full possession of the city and sur- roimdings. In July, Lieutenant Perkins was relieved from command, and returned home. The following winter, he was stationed at New Orleans, in charge of iron-clads, and in May, 1866, was ordered, as executive officer of the Lackawanna, for a cruise of three years in the North Pacific. Returning from the Pacific in the spring of 1869, he was ordered to the Boston navy-yard, on ordnance duty, and in March, 1871, received his commission as commander. Two months PERSONAL AND BIOGBAPHICAL. 449 later, he was selected to command the store-ship Relief, to carry provisions to the suffering French of the Franco- Prussian War. On his return, he soon resumed his duties at the Boston yard until appointed light-house inspector of the Boston district, which position he held till January, 1876. From March, 1877, until May, 1889, he was in com- mand of the U. S. steamer Ashuelot, on the Asiatic station, having for a time the pleasure of General Grant's company on board. In March, 1882, Lieutenant Perkins was pro- moted to a post captaincy, as the grade of captain in the navy was styled in the olden time, which grade corresponds with that of colonel in the army. In 1870, September 12, the subject of this sketch married Anna Minot Weld, daughter of William F. Weld and Mary Bryant, of Boston, Mass. They have one daughter, — Isabel Weld. Captain Perkins resides in Boston, but conducts a farm in Webster, where he gives special attention to the cultiva- tion of an improved breed of horses. (The foregoing is mainly condensed from a sketch by Capt. George E. Belknap, U. S. N., published in the Grran- ite Monthly.') T. Augustus Perkins, the son of Roger E. Perkins and Esther Blanchard, was born in Hopkinton in 1809. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and Pittsfield (Mass.) Medical College, in the meantime reading medicine with Dr. Chadbourne, of Concord. He practised in Rich- mond, Province of Quebec, Tremont and Chicago, 111. During the late war, he was brigade-surgeon six months on Gen. J. L. Coxe's staff. He was six months post-surgeon at Cape Giradeau. In 1832, Dr. Perkins married Mary Lovejoy, daughter of Andrew Lovejoy and Mary Taylor. She was a native of Sanbornton. They had children, — M. Lottie, Myra, James T., Clara H. Dr. Perkins died September 27, 1881. WiLiiiAM Peters, the first deacon of the Congregational church in Hopkinton, is said to have been the first settler on that part of Dimond's hill which is in this town. William Peters's eventual log cabin was on the lot opposite the present residence of Walter F. Hoyt. The name of William 28 450 LIFE AST) TIMES IN HOPKTNTON. Peters appears in the colonial military records of New Hampshire during the French War. William Peters was one of the Masonian grantees of Hopkinton, and a resident upon disputed territory during the Bow controversy. He was made deacon of the Congregational church in Hopkin- ton in 1759. In personal bearing he is said to have been tall and brawny, a perfect type of the early New England pioneer. There were children of William and Hannah Peters as follows: Euth, born July 9, 1758; Sarah, born July 30, 1760 ; Abigail, born January 1, 1763 ; William, born August 27, 1765. Maktin Putnam, the son of Rufus Putnam and Polly Felton, was born in Hopkinton, December 5, 1801. He was a farmer and blacksmith, and always resided in Hop- kinton. He was a captain of militia, and, in 1840, a select- man. In 1831, November 24, Martin Putnam married Margaret Butler, daughter of Bela L. Butler and Sarah Colby, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Margaret E., born Jan- uary 23, 1834 ; James M., born February 9, 1836 ; Amos, born January 19, 1838 ; Charles, born March 8, 1840 ; Eliza J., born July 20, 1842. Captain Putnam died May 6, 1845 ; his wife, June, 1851. Rufus Putnam, father of Martin, came to this town from Danvers, Mass., and settled where his son, Rufus Putnam, now lives, on the road leading from Contoocook to Warner. Rufus Putnam, the elder, was the son of a cousin of Gen. Israel Putnam, of Revolutionary fame. Charles Putnam, the son of Martin Putnam and Mar- garet Butler, was born in Hopkinton, March 8, 1840. In early life, he attended Contoocook academy. He is a farmer and teacher, and has always lived in Hopkinton, excepting one year in Webster. With his son, he has done much in cultivating a strain of pure Devon cattle. In 1862, March 19, he married Almira Eastman, daughter of Jonathan G. Eastman and Charlotte (Kimball) Jackman, of Hopkinton. They have children, — George M., Grace E. Heeeick Putnam, the son of Rufus Putnam and Polly Felton, was born in Hopkinton, September 11, 1803. Ex- PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 451 cepting three years in Hillsborough, he always resided in Hopkinton, being a merchant and tavern-keeper in Contoo- cook many years. He was selectman of Hopkinton from 1850 to 1852. In 1827, September 27, Mr. Pntnam married Rachel Ke- zar, daughter of Jonathan Kezar and Mehitable Clough of Sutton. They had children, — George G., born October 20, 1828 ; Amanda M., born July 8, 1831 ; Augustus, born July 28, 1835. Mr. Putnam died July 14, 1861. Rupus Putnam, the son of Rufus Putnam and Polly Felton, was born in Hopkinton, September 27, 1813, and has always resided in this town, being a farmer. In 1835, November 17, he married Apphia Clarke, daugh- ter of Stephen B. Clarke and Susan Gould, of Warner, by whom he had one child, Proctor P., born October 16, 1836. Mrs. Putnam died January 12, 1837, and, in 1840, June 3, Mr. Putnam married Harriet Bailey, daughter of Webster Bailey and Hannah Ring, of Warner, by whom he had three children, — Helen M., born July 21, 1842; Joseph E., born October 2, 1843 ; William F., born May 11, 1845. His second wife dying October 11, 1848, Mr. Putnam married Lydia C. Goss, daughter of Luther Goss and Sally Colby, of Henniker, by whom he had one son, — Charles R. Joseph Putney, the son of Joseph Putney, the noted tavern-keeper, was born in Hopkinton, September 27, 1785. When thirteen years old, he went to Sutton, to learn the trade of a clothier with Jonathan Nelson. He subsequently worked as a dresser and fuller of cloth, with Dea. Eldad Tenney, of Hopkinton. In 1814, he entered the United States service as a substitute for a Sutton man, and was stationed at Portsmouth, in Capt. Silas Call's company, in Lieut. Col. Jonathan Steel's regiment. In after years, Mr. Putney said of the troops at Portsmouth, "We used to watch the British vessels from the highlands near the town, and their sails looked like clouds against the sky. They did n't come in to attack us, but we used to wish they would." In the year 1816, being in poor health, Mr. Put- ney took a contract to carry the IJnited States mail between Concord, N. H., and Windsor, Vt., also carrying passengers along the route. His experience as mail-carrier was a brief 452 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. one, and the same autumn he was at work at his trade in Shrewsbury, Vt. Most of Mr. Putney's life was spent in Hopkinton, his home for many years being on Putney's hUl, on the farm now owned by Reuben E. Gerry. His uniform genial good-nature made him " Uncle Joe" to all his neighbors. He was one of the earliest anti-slavery and temperance reformers in Hopkinton. Joseph Putney was twice married. His first wife was Eunice Chellis, of Sutton ; his second, Sarah D., daughter of Samuel Simpson, of Hopkinton. Mr. Putney died Octo- ber 11, 1880 ; his second wife, September 14, 1887. Joseph Putney was a descendant of Samuel Putney, who is said to have come to this country from England and who eventually became an early resident of Hopkinton, having previously resided in the vicinity of Amesbury, Mass. Putney's hill and Putney's garrison are in close historical relation to Samuel Putney and John Putney, the name of the latter being repeatedly mentioned in the early chapters of this work. John Putney appears to have been the father of Samuel, captured by the Indians in 1753. Ira Allen Putney, the son of Enoch Putney and Martha Rowell, was born August 11, 1804, in Hopkinton, where he always resided, being of the original Putney stock that gave the name to Putney's hill. Enoch Putney was a farmer. When the son, Ira Allen, began to do business for himself, he for six years followed the vocation of a teamster, conveying goods for merchants, between Hopkin- ton and the lower country, and between Vermont and Bos- ton. This occupation was laborious and exciting, since travel was incurred both by night and by day, and the inci- dents and accidents of the experience would make an inter- esting story. During the earlier years of his manhood, Ira A. Putney had more or less of the care of the farm where he was born. In 1834, he settled upon it permanently and became one of the best known and most prosperous farmers of the town. Mr. Putney's home was upon the farm now owned by his son. True J. Putney, on Putney's hill. In addition to his career as a farmer, Ira A. Putney was many years a popular auctioneer. Ira A. Putney was frequently in civil office. In 1841, he was a selectman of Hopkinton. From 1851 to 1856, and from 1857 to 1861, he was moder- ator of town-meeting. From 1850 to 1852, in 1854, and PEESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 463 from 1856 to 1860, he was a collector of taxes. In 1860 and 1864, he was a representative to the General Court. In 1834, April 17, Ira A. Putney married Hannah Muz- zey, daughter of Joseph Muzzey and Jane Bartlett, of Can- terbury. They had four children, — Martha Jane, Judith Morse, Ellen Hannah, True Josiah. Ira A. Putney died February 17, 1887; Mrs. Putney, September 20, 1882. They were buried in the old ceme- tery on Putney's hill. Mr. Putney appears to have been a descendant of Samuel Putney, previously mentioned as having come to Hopkiuton from the vicinity of Amesbury, SECTION XXII. QXJIMBX — BUNNELS. Nicholas Quimby, the son of Elisha Quimby and Han- nah Badger, was born in Hawke (now Danbury), May, 1796. He was a mechanic, farmer, and teacher. He re- sided in Hawke till 1837 ; in Hopkinton till 1851 ; in Man- chester till 1853; in Concord till 1872; in 1873, August 11, he died in Hyde Park, Mass. He was a school-teacher for twenty-one successive years. He was a captain of militia. In 1831 and 1833, he was a representative to the General Court. In 1841, 1843, and 1844, he was a select- man of Hopkinton. In 1817, Nicholas Quimby married Sarah Stevens, daugh- ter of Peter Stevens and Hannah Williams, of Hawke. They had children, — Joseph B., born 1817 ; George W., born 1818; Nelson F., born 1820; Almira P., born 1825; Elihu T., born 1826; Elvira S., born 1828; Almena P., born 1831 ; Serena C, born 1833. Mrs. Quimby died in Concord, August 6, 1872. Elihu T. Quimby, the son of Nicholas Quimby and Sarah Stevens, was born in Hawke (now Danbury), July 17, 1826. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and Dartmouth college. Coming to Hopkinton when ten years of age, he resided here till 1851 ; then in New Ipswich tiU 1864; then in Hanover till the present time. He was principal of New Ipswich academy from 1851 to 1864; 454 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. professor of mathematics and civil engineering from 1864 to 1876 at Dartmouth; since 1871, acting assistant of the United States Geodetic Survey. In 1886 and 1887, he made the survey of the boundary line between New Hamp- shire and Massachusetts, on the part of New Hampshire. He has published a collegiate algebra, and several small pamphlets and mathematical formiilas. He has been largely interested in educational work in New Hampshire, having been a frequent instructor since when sixteen years of age. The work of Professor Quimby will always be prominently identified in the history of the state. In 1861, August 16, Elihu T. Quimby married Nancy Aldana Cutler, daughter of Perley Cutler and Elizabeth Clarke, of Gaysville, Vt. They have children,: — Charles Elihu, William Perry. Daniel I. Quint, the son of Isaac Quint and Elizabeth Bickford, was born in Eaton, April 11, 1836. In early life, he attended school at New London, and eventually became a clergyman. He has filled various pulpits in New Hamp- shire. He was pastor of the Freewill Baptist church in Contoocook from April, 1883, to April, 1885. He has had two years' experience as a town selectman, and more years' experience as a town school ofiicer. In 1884, he was a member of the superintending school-committee of Hop- kinton. In 1863, August 11, he married Rosie E. Alford, daugh- ter of James Alford and Phoebe Colby, of Madison. They have had children, — Isaac, Lizzie P., Nixie L The Rev. Mr. Quint went from Contoocook to Loudon. Charles D. Rand, the son of Jonathan Rand and Elizabeth Davis, was born in Hopkinton, July 15, 1812, on his father's homestead, where he has always resided, being a farmer. In 1843, October 15, he married Harriet N. Davis, daughter of Paine Davis and Mary Dow, of Warner. They have children, — Emma W., Edson L., Warren S., Willis C. _ Warren S. Rand, the son of Charles D. Rand and Har- riet N. Davis, was born in Hopkinton, September 1, 1849. He has for years been engaged in mercantile pursuits in Contoocook. In 1873, December 16, he married Helen R. PBKSONAL AOT> BIOGEAPHIOAL. 455 Kempton, daughter of Edward B. Kempton and Mary- Harris, of Hopkinton. Mr. Rand is now of the firm of Curtice, Rand & Co. John C. Rat, the son of Aaron Ray and Nancy Chase, was born in Hopkinton, January 3, 1826. In early life, he attended the noted select-school of Master John 0. Bal- lard, and also received instruction in the schools of Dunbar- ton and Manchester. In 1834, his home was changed to Dunbarton ; but in 1855 he moved to Chicopee, Mass., where he remained three years, and then returned to Dun- barton. In 1874, he became a resident of Manchester, ■where he is the superintendent of the State Industrial School. From 1845 to 1847, he was a commissioned officer of militia. In 1850 and 1851, and again in 1872 and 1873, he was a selectman of Dunbarton. In 1852 and 1853, he represented . Dunbarton in the state legislature. In 1871 and 1872, he was a school-superintendent of Dunbarton, and in 1872 and 1873, a trustee of the State Normal School. In 1881, he represented Ward 2, of Manchester, in the state legislature. In 1857, in December, Mr. Ray married Sarah A. Humphreys, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Humphreys, of Chicopee. They have children, — Henry P., Mamie E. Mr. Ray is a large owner of real estate, being interested in such property in Manchester, Goffstown, Bow, Nashua, Hooksett, Dunbarton, Weare, Deering^ Hillsborough, etc. Fkancis Reed, the son of Samuel Reed and Anna Sayles, was born in Grafton, Ju];^ 21, 1820. He was edu- cated at Derwent and Whitestone seminaries and the theo- logical seminary of Bates college. He was the pastor of the Freewill Baptist church at Contoocook from May 20, 1851, till March, 1859. He is now residing and preaching at South StrafEord, Vt. He has filled many pulpits in New England and in the West, including those of more noted places, like Portsmouth, Bath, Me., Lawrence, Mass., and Mendota, 111. During the late war, he was nearly a year chaplain of the 12th Regiment N. H. Vols. He has been member of the Freewill Baptist Conference of the United States three years, trustee of New Hampton Institution four years, clerk of quarterly conference ten years, town commissioner of common schools many years, etc. While 456 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. in Contoocook, he was aggressively active in the anti-slavery and temperance causes. He is the grandson of Mr. Reed, of Woburn Mass., who is said to have secreted the Harvard College library when it was exposed to the ravages of war in Revolutionary times. In 1849, July 5, the Rev. Mr. Reed married Apphia Goodwin, daughter of James Goodwin and Apphia Segar, of Lowell, Mass., by whom he had children, — Ellen T., Bur- ton J. Mrs. Reed died June 22, 1886, and, in 1887, August 25, Mr. Reed married her sister, Arvilla C. Goodwin, of Lawrence, Mass. William Restieatjx, the son of Robert and Catherine Restieaux, was born in Boston, Mass., June 10, 1802. He became a merchant-tailor. He resided in Boston, Concord, Plymouth, and Hopkinton. His place of business at one time was in the building where Charles French now trades, and upon the second floor. Mr. Restieaux lived many years in the house now occupied by George W. Currier. In 1826, May 28, William Restieaux married Elizabeth Lincoln, daughter of Jedediah Lincoln, of Hingham, Mass. She died January 3, 1828. They had one child, — William H. His second wife was Betsey F. Chase, daughter of Daniel Chase and Sarah F. Ferren, of Hopkinton, whom he married September 14, 1830. They had children, — William H., Sarah E., Daniel, Robert, Ellen C. Mr. Restieaux died at West Concord, January 28, 1886; his second wife, at Columbus, O., September 15, 1879. James Richardson, the son of Joseph Richardson and Joanna Gage, was born ih Hopkinton, July 14, 1817. He resided in Hopkinton twenty-one years ; in Lowell, Mass., seven years ; in Pittsburgh, Pa., twelve years ; since leaving Pittsburgh, in St. Louis, Mo. He is a wholesale druggist, and founder of the firni of Richardson & Co., St. Louis, which does the largest business of any drug-house in the United States excepting New York. Mr. Richardson has been, or is, president of the St. Louis Board of Education, same of the Public School Library Association, director of the Valley and Commercial banks, senior elder of the Pres- byterian church, trustee of Drury and Lindenwood col- leges, etc. In 1843, in November, Mr. Richardson married Laura PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 457 Clifford, daughter of Gilman Clifford and Deborah Sanborn, of Pelham. They had children, — James H., Mary D., Joseph C, Fi'ank A., James, Laura. Mrs. Richardson died November 9, 1876, and, in 1879, Mr. Richardson married Mary C. Clifford, her sister. Alexander Rogers, many years a physician in Hop- kinton, was born in Exeter, April, 1815, being the son of Robert Rogers and Margery Sullivan. When the subjeqt of this sketch was about ten years of age, his father moved to Hopkinton, where Alexander obtained the fundamental principles of an education at Master John O. Ballard's school, and at Hopkinton academy. As he developed toward manhood, he determined to become a physician, and at length entered the office of Dr. James A. D. W. Gregg. He attended the required course of medical lectures at Wood- stock, Vt., and began practice without a diploma, neglect- ing for years any attempt to procure one, till at length he went to Hanover, was examined, and became a doctor of medicine in scholastic law as well as in fact. Dr. Rogers began practice in Manchester. His practice at first was to keep a memorandum of each case, but, like many others, he realized how hard it is to keep daily annotations of pro- fessional business, and gave up. After about two years at Manchester, he came to Hopkinton and assumed the prac- tice of his preceptor, Dr. Gregg, remaining in Hopkinton till his death, deriving a large degree of patronage from this and contiguous towns. In 1860, Alexander Rogers married Sophia T. Goodrich, daughter of George K. Goodrich, of Hopkinton. They had two children, — Margery S. and Georgia A. Dr. Rogers died October 4, 1886. Benjamin Rollins, the son of David Rollins and Judith Leach, was born in Salem, March 26, 1784. When about sixteen years of age, he went to Marblehead, Mass., to learn the trade of a carpenter. He afterwards worked in a cabi- net shop in his native town. In the course of his life, he resided at Tyngsborough, Mass., Antrim, Lowell, Mass., and Hopkinton. He was concerned in building five bridges across the Merrimack river, the first one at Haverhill, Mass., and the last between Lowell and Dracut, in the same state. At Antrim, he conducted a grist-miU and a lumber manu- 458 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. factory. In Lo-well, Mass., he was a merchant. He also engaged in farming in different places. He at one. time owned considerable farming land in Deering and Benning- ton. He was a deacon of the Presbyterian church, and prominently engaged in the construction of a house of worship at Antrim. Deacon Rollins died in Hopkinton, December 2, 1881, aged 97 years, 7 months, and 6 days, being at the time of his death the oldest man lq town. Benjamin Rollins married Martha Nevins, of Salem, a successful school-teacher of prolonged experience. She died in 1853. They had six children, — Martha M., born De- cember 3, 1811; Benjamia B., bom April 10, 1814; Lucia A. D., born April 20, 1816 ; Margaret B., born June 8, 1818 ; Alfred A., born April 18,1820; Nancy W., born May 6, 1822. Alpeed a. Rollins, the son of Benjamin Rollins and Martha Nevins, was bora in Antrim, April 18, 1820. In early life, he attended Pinker ton academy. He resided in Antrim till 1832 ; in Lowell, Mass., till 1835 ; in Boston, Mass., till 1837 ; in Hopkinton, till 1849 ; in Berlin, Vt., till 1854; he then returned to Hopkinton. He is a farmer. During the late war, he served in the First Regiment, U. S. Sharp-shooters, being mustered in August 30, 1862. In 1863, May 3, he was severely wounded at ChancellorsvUle. In 1864, October 17, he was transferred to the Veteran Re- serve Corps, and was mustered out June 29, 1865. In 1849, March 28, Mr. Rollins married Mary E. Colby, daughter of Moses Colby and Elsie Abbott, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — John, Nanna M., Benjamin, Charles A., William H., George T. Miss Nanna M. Rollins, now Mrs. Butterfield, was at one time the first soprano singer at the New England Conserva- tory of Music, and a successful teacher of vocal and instru- mental music. James C. Rowe, the son of Calvin Rowe and Lucinda Phelps, "was born in Boscawen, January 12, 1842. In the course of his life, he has resided in Andover, Salisbury, Danbury, Concord, and Hopkinton. During the late war, he served in the 16th Regiment N. H. Vols. He is a farmer. In 1869, January 1, Mr. Rowe married Lydia E. Davis, daughter of James Davis and Lydia Glines, of Andover. PEESONAX, AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 459 They had children, — Cora B., Charles L., Nellie L., Willie C, Frank E. In 1884, August 9, he married Mary R. (Rand) Weeks, daughter of John Rand and Mary Reed, of Hopkinton. His second wife died July 18, 1889. Moses Rowell, the son of Nathaniel Rowell and Judith Morse, was born in South Hampton, Mass., in January, 1767. He came to Hopkinton in' 1780, and eventually became the owner of the parsonage built for the Rev. James Scales, the first minister of the town, on Putney's hill. The parsonage and farm are how owned by the descendants of Moses Rowell, who was a farmer and carpenter, who died April 11, 1850. Moses Rowell married Mary Pettengill, daughter of Ben- jamin Pettengill, of Hopkinton. Her mother's maiden name was Brown. The children of Moses Rowell were Trueworthy, born April 8, 1802 ;■ John Pettengill, born 1804 ; Manley Amsden, born May 28, 1807 ; Benjamin Franklin, born August, 1808 ; Lydia Gould, born March 3, 1810 ; Joseph, born March, 1813 ; Enoch Putney, born 1816. The location of the Rowell family on the southern brow of Putney's hill has sometimes designated the place as RoweU's hUl. Isaac Rowell, the son of Moses Rowell and Tamison Eastman, was born in Hopkinton, April 19, 1813, being of the family of Abram Rowell, who gave the name of RoweU's Bridge to West Hopkinton, where Isaac Rowell resided, being a farmer and carpenter. Isaac Rowell was also post-master of West Hopkinton from 1867 to 1874. In 1840, February 20, Isaac Rowell married Harriet Adams, daughter of James Adams and Lydia Johnson, of Henniker. They had children, — James H., born October 28, 1842 ; Harriet Ella, born June 1, 1844 ; Harriet Ella, born December 16, 1846 ; Mary Etta, born March 21, 1850; Charles Sherman, born June 26, 1867. Isaac Rowell died April 15, 1887. Chables S. Rowell, the son of Isaac Rowell and Har- riet Adams, was born in Hopkinton, June 26, 1857. He has always resided at West Hopkinton, attending Contoo- 460 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. cook academy in youth, and being a farmer. Since 1879, lie has been the post-master of West Hopkinton. The farm he occupies has been in the Rowell name over 100 years. His great grandfather, Abram Rowell, came there from Weare in the winter of 1786, his son, Moses, ten years of age, walking on the snow with bare feet. The present house was partly finished at that time. The first Rowell is frequently called Abraham in the records of this town. In 1882, December 25, Mr. Rowell married Florence S. Goodwin, daughter of Benjamin Goodwin and Lucy A. Mixer, of Greenville. Faentjm Runnels, noted for being a nonagenarian resi- dent of Hopkinton, was born in Concord, January 25, 1795, being a son of Joseph Runnels and Joanna Farnum. In early manhood, he spent eight or ten years in rafting lumber from Franklin to Lowell and Boston. He lived thirty years in Boscawen, and then came to Hopkinton, where he has since resided. He has followed the vocation of a farmer the main portion of his life. Mr. Runnels is natu- rally tall, straight, and robust. Though now ninety-four years of age, he can do a very good day's work. He has always been a man of great integrity and respectability. In 1823, March 27, Mr. Runnels married Jerusha Web- ber, daughter of Jeremiah Webber and Lydia Flanders, of Boscawen. They had six chOdren, — Jeremiah Farnum, Mary Ann, Jerusha Augusta, Osborn Eaton, Helen Carroll, and Edward GUman. Mrs. Runnels died July 4, 1848, and on the 11th of June, 1850, Mr. Runnels married Gracia Trussel, of Hopkinton, a daughter of John Trussel and Jemima Colby. She died March 18, 1881. Mr. Runnels now resides with his son, Edward Gihnan, on his Hopkin- ton homestead, about a mile and a half from Hopkinton village on the road to Concord. On Monday, the 26th of January, 1885, Farnum Run- nels celebrated his ninetieth birthday with a large company of relatives, neighbors, and friends, receiving many testi- monials of affection and esteem. Edwarb G. Runnels, the son of Farnum Runnels and Jerusha Webber, was born in Boscawen, December 6, 1843, and has lived in Hopkinton since 1850. He is a farmer, who has made a specialty of improved poultry. He was PBESONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 461 chosen supervisor of Hopkinton in 1882, 1884, 1886, and 1888. During the late war he served in Company D, 16th Eegiment N. H. Vols., being mustered in October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 20, 1863. In 1868, December 31, Mr. Runnels married M. Jennie (Boynton) Mills, daughter of Lyman D. Boynton and Rox- anna Webster, and adopted daughter of Charles and Mary Mills, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Albert Far- num Runnels, and Fannie F. Russell (adopted). SECTION XXIII. SANBOKN — SMITH. Dyee Hook Sanboen, a teacher of forty or more years, was born in Gilmanton, July 29, 1799, being a son of Daniel E. Sanborn and Hannah Hook. He was educated at Guil- ford academy and Waterville (Me.) college, his studies at the latter institution being suspended on account of illness.. He resided in Gilmanton till 1828 ; in Lynn and Marble- head, Mass., till 1833 ; in Sanbornton till 1848 ; in Andover till 1849 ; in Washington till 1853 ; in Hopkinton till his death, January 14, 1871. Among the most important schools taught by Professor Sanborn were the Lodge school in Marblehead, Mass.; the Franklin Hall school, Salem,. Mass. ; New London academy ; Woodman Sanbornton academy, Sanbornton Square ; Andover, Washington (Tubbs Union), Hopkinton, and Pittsfield academies. H& was three years professor of mathematics, natural sciences, and English literature at the New Hampshire Conference Seminary. In 1834, he received the degree of Master of Arts from Waterville college, and the same from Dart- mouth college in 1841. In the course of his life, Professor Sanborn held various important offices of authority and trust. He was commissioned captain of the 7th company of the 10th Regiment of N. H. Militia in 1828. He was. nearly forty years a justice of the peace and quorum. He was commissioner of schools for Sullivan county from 1850 to 1861. He represented the town of Sanbornton in the New Hampshire legislature in 1845 and 1846, being chap- 462 LIFE AKD TIMES IN HOPKHJfTON. lain of the house the latter year. In 1850, he represented Washington, both in the legislature and in the constitu- tional convention of that year. While in Hopkinton, he superintended schools in 1854, 1858, and 1859, and from 1866 to 1870. He was at one time a clerk in the Depart- ment of the Interior at Washington, D. C, under the administration of President Pierce. He was post-master at Hopkinton yillage from 1858 till his death. During his educational career, Professor Sanborn published a number of works. In 1836, he published an Analytical Grammar, which passed through seven editions in ten years ; in 1846, a Normal School Grammar, that passed through eight edi- tions in five years. In 1856, he published a Geographical Manual ; in 1858, a pamphlet called "School Mottoes." Pro- fessor Sanborn was man^ years a local preacher of the M. E. church. He was a Royal Arch Mason, and chaplain of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire from 1849 to 1856. In 1826, May 31, Dyer H. Sanborn married Harriet W. Tucker, of Deerfield. In 1847, November 28, he married Abigail (Newman) Glidden, of Sanbornton Bridge, now Tilton. She was a daughter of Benjamin and Sally New- man. She died July 12, 1882. By his first wife, Professor Sanborn had one child, — Frank Dyer. Frederick Glidden Sanborn, the son of Eliphalet Glidden and Abigail Newman, was born at Sanbornton Bridge, now Tilton, January 22, 1836. He was educated at the Northfield Conference Seminary, at Tubbs Union Academy at Washington, and at Hopkinton academy. In 1853, he came to Hopkinton with bis step-father, Prof. Dyer H. Sanborn. He became a commercial clerk and agent. He was one year clerk in the store where Kimball & Co. now trade ; one year book-keeper and agent of a real estate office in Chicago, 111. ; nearly four years clerk in a store at Sherbrook, P. Q.; for a time agent for a commission house in Portland, Me. ; also the incumbent of other business situa- tions. Upon the outbreak of the Rebellion, the subject of this sketch entered the United States army. In April, 1861, he enlisted into the 5th Maine Volunteer Regiment and in course of the war was promoted through all the grades of non-commissioned and commissioned offices to captain. During the last year of the war, he was detailed and served as brigadier-inspector and adjutant-general of the 2d Brig- PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 463 ade, 1st Division of the 6th Corps. In the fall of 1864, Captain Sanborn had charge of eighty men in Tennessee, getting timber on the Cumberland river for Sherman's bridges. In the latter part of 1864 and early part of 1865, he was in the 1st Battalion of Massachusetts Frontier Cav- alry, and until transferred, by order of the secretary of war, to the U. S. Regular Army and detailed as clerk in the surgeon-general's office at Washington, D. C. Captain San- born was with the 5th Maine Regiment in all the principal battles of the Army of the Potomac, and was wounded at Gaines Hill and Cold Harbor. After the war, he lived many y«ars in Hopkinton till his death July 29, 1888. In 1880, November 21, Captain Sanborn married Sophia W. (Goodrich) Rogers, daughter of George K. Goodrich and Frances A. Whitman, of Hopkinton. Stephen BEADBtrRY Saegbnt, the son of Stephen Sar- gent and Sarah Allen, was born in Hopkinton in 1806. In early life, he attended Master John O. Ballard's school. In earlier manhood, he was a farmer ; in later, a merchant. He kept a store many years in the part of his residence where now lives E. Eugene Dunbar. A short time before his death he resided at Concord. Mr. Sargent ma,rried Betsey Page Eaton, daughter of Benjamin Eaton and Phoebe Chandler, of Hopkinton. Mr. Sargent died July 14, 1864 ; his wife, who married John Brockway, for a second husband, died September 27, 1883. Abnee C. Saegent, the son of Thomas Sargent and Betsey Ray, was born in Henniker, January 13, 1815. Since 1838, he has lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer and cooper. He was five years the agent of the Hopkinton pauper farm, and a short time the same of the Pembroke farm. In 1842, April 28, Mr. Sargent married Emeline A. Rog- ers, daughter of John Rogers and Hannah C. Farnum, of Salisbury. They have children, — Ellen A., John H. John H. Saegent, the son of Abner C. Sargent and Emeline A. Rogers, was born in Hopkinton, February 13, 1856, and has always lived in this town. In early life, he attended Hopkinton and Contoocook academies. His pres- 464 LEFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ent home is in Contoocook. He is a carpenter and miller. He has for a number of years conducted the grist-mill in Contoocook. He is a selectman of Hopkinton the present year of 1889. In 1881, December 20, he married Carrie J. Dow, daugh- ter of Daniel L. Dow and Betsey Blackstone, of Hopkin- ton. They have children, — Lena May, Daniel Dow. John B. Saegent, the son of John Sargent and Betsey Ring, was born in Loudon, February 4, 1827. In the course of his life, he has resided in Pittsfield and Concord. In 1865, he came to Hopkinton. He is a farmer and painter. He has been a deacon of the Congregational church and a superintendent of its Sunday-school. In 1858, Mr. Sargent married Harriet M. Nutter, daugh- ter of William Nutter and Eliza Dame. They had one child, — Cora Frances. ' Charles A. Savoey, a former physician of Contoo- cook, was born in Beverly, Mass., December 25, 1813, being a son of Charles Savory and Nancy Vickey. The subject of this sketch, when about a year old, was taken to Boston, Mass., where he resided till 1826, when he came to Hopkinton, residing till 1844, and then moving to Warner, where he resided four years, being since a resident of Lowell, Mass. Dr. Savory graduated from Dartmouth Medical College in 1835 ; became a member of the N. H. Medical Society in 1838; medical censor, to examine medical students at Dartmouth, in 1846 ; chosen delegate to the American Med- ical Association from the New Hampshire Society, in 1848; appointed professor of obstetrics in Philadelphia Medical College, in 1848 ; member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, in 1849 ; made Master of Arts by Dartmouth col- lege, in 1852 ; chosen president of Middlesex, Mass., North District Medical Society, in 1860; made delegate to Amer- ican Medical Society several times, and filled various offices in district and state societies. In 1838, May 9, Dr. Savory married Mary Stark, daugh- ter of Dr. James Stark and Susan Walker, of Hopkinton. Daniel Sawyer, the son of Edmund Sawyer and Mehitable Morrill, was born in Warner, March 16, 1797. PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 465 He attended a grammar school at Warner, and entered the Gilmanton Theological School, where he was prepared for the Congregational ministry. In the course of his life, he resided in Augusta and Portland, Me., Boston, Medford, and Quincy, Mass., Brookfield and Cornwall, N. J., Lemp- ster, Merrimack, and Hopkinton, and perhaps other places. His old age was spent in Hopkinton, where he died August 24, 1888. In his capable life. Rev. Mr. Sawyer was a successful teacher of vocal music. He was at one time an agent of the American Peace Society. In 1832, May 21, Daniel Sawyer married Nancy John- son, daughter of William Johnson and Rhoda Spaulding, of Warner. They had one child, — Cornelia Maria. James Scales, the first minister settled over the church in Hopkinton, was a native of Boxford, Mass. He grad- uated at Harvard college in the class of 1733. In 1737, by a recommendation of the church at Boxford, dated July 3, he was received into the church at Concord. On the 17th of the same month Mr. Scales received a permit from the town of Concord to build a pew in the meeting-house. His wife was also a member of Mr. Walker's church, of Concord. Some time after the above date, Mr. Scales became a resident of Canterbury, was town-clerk, and on the town records was known as "Esquire," and on the state records, about that date, he was called " Justice Scales." He was licensed to preach in 1743, and the records show that the town of Canterbury paid him £20 for preaching. February 21, 1744, Governor Wentworth sent a letter to the house assembly, from Mr. James Scales, with a peti- tion from the Indians relative to establishing a "truck- house " at Canterbury for trade with the Indians. October 1, 1745, the assembly voted to allow Mr. James Scales thirty shillings in full for medicine, application, and time. July 1, 1746, the house voted to allow "Doc. James Scales, Esqr." six shillings and three pence for physic administered to Samuel Ladd while in Canterbury. After the Indians captured the occupants of Woodwell's fort, Mr. Scales enlisted in a company under command of Capt. Jeremiah Clough, of Canterbury, to go in pursuit of . 29 466 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the savages. The date of his enlistment was May 14, 1746, and he was in service one month and twenty-three days, receiving two pounds and fifteen shillings for his time; but there is no record that he ever received any compensation for an Indian scalp or captive. It appears that Mr. Scales was still living in Canterbury as late as 1754, and signed a petition with others to Gov- ernor Wentworth for the purpose of having the province tax of Canterbury remitted for that year. It is presumed that he moved to Hopkinton some time prior to his being settled as pastor in 1757, for the records say " James Scales, of Hopkinton." Mr. Scales erected the first building in Henniker in 1760. After he was dismissed from the ministry in 1770, it seems he threw off his clerical robes and acted in the profession of barrister ; and doubtless he was the first prac- tical lawyer who ever lived in Hopkinton. Mr. Scales died July 31, 1776, and Mr. Fletcher, in recording his death, called him "James Scales, Esquire," and when his wife died, July 8, 1780, the death was recorded as "Susan, wife of the late James Scales, Esquire." In 1771, "Esqr. Scales" was also a selectman of Hop- kinton. In earlier chapters of this work, we have given an account of the ordination of the Rev. James Scales in 1757. We have also given a description of the house he occupied on Putney's hill. The following 'were children of James and Susanna Scales, — the dates of birth are Old Style: John, born in Rumford, October 4, 1737; died in Canterbury, October 13, 1762 ; Joseph, born in Rumford, April 15, 1740 ; died July 10, 1740; Stephen, born in Rumford, October 16, 1741; Susanna, born in Canterbury, October 26, 1744. In the above sketch we have drawn considerably upon the notes of Alonzo J. Fogg. Stephen Sibley was born in Hopkinton, December 29, 1780. The Sibley homestead was in Hatfield, where now lives Alexander Page. Stephen Sibley spent his early life on the farm. Later, he lived a short time in Maine. Returning to Hopkinton, he lived in the village a year, being occupied in the office of Dr. Ebenezer Lerned, pos- sibly as a student of medicine. Subsequently, he went in PERSONAIi AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 467 trade in partnership with Dr. Lerned. He was afterwards in trade with one or more individuals, and still later alone. Finally, he purchased the farm now owned by his son-in- law, Dr. C. P. Gage, of Concord, on Brier hill, remaining on it till advanced life, when he moved to Concord, where he died in 1867. As a citizen of Hopkinton, Mr. Sibley was prominent in many ways. He was a selectman from 1826 to 1828, and in 1835 and 1836. He was a represen- tative to the General Court in 1848 and 1849. As a farmer, he paid much attention to improved products and stock, and was at one time a large sheep-owner. Mr. Sibley married Sarah Brown, daughter of Abraham Brown and Sarah French, of Hopkinton. They had chil- dren, — Abram Brown, born February 22, 1811 ; Nancy George, born April 25, 1813; John, born July 10, 1816; Jacob, born January 13, 1819 ; Philip Brown, born March 31, 1822. Mrs. Sibley died in 1857. James Btjswbll Silver, the son of Samuel Silver and Abigail Buswell, was born in Bow, August 3, 1792. He came to Hopkinton when young. He died in Merrimack, Me., where he lived a short time. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, enlisting March 23, 1814, for the war. In the military records of New Hampshire, he is known simply as Buswell Silver. He died December 25, 1835. He married Elvira Wallingford Hildreth, daughter of Levi Hildreth and Sarah Darling, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Frederick Augustus, born February 24, 1824; Elizabeth Darling, born October 19, 1827 ; James Buswell, born August 2, 1830; Ellen Hildreth, born May 8, 1833; Henry Hildreth, born October 15, 1834. Abiel Silver, a clergyman of the New Jerusalem or Swedenborgian church, was born in Hopkinton, April 3, 1797, being a son of John and Mary Silver. In early life, he pursued the trade of a mason, but eventually losing his left arm, his calling became unprofitable. He was naturally a thoughtful and devout man. He joined the Protestant Episcopal church, and at length studied for its ministry. After two years, conceiving an attachment for the doc- trines of Emanuel Swedenborg, he turned his attention to the ministry of the church of the New Jerusalem. In 1849, June 16, he was ordained at Philadelphia, Pa., by the •±68 LIPB AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Rev. Thomas Worcester, presiding minister of the General Convention of the New Jerusalem Church. From 1849 to 1853, the Rev. Mr. Silver was a missionary in Michigan ; in 1853, he preached in Contoocook ; in 1858, in Wilming- ton, Del.; in 1860, in New York city; in 1866, in Salem, Mass. ; in 1868, in Roxbury, Mass., where he resided till his death. The Rev. Mr. Silver published a number of religious and theologicaLworks, prominent among them being the "Sym- bolic Character of the Sacred Scriptures," 1862; "The Holy Word in Its Own Defence," being a reply to Bishop Colenso, 1863; "Rationality of the Christian Religion," 1872. In 1825, May 16, Abiel Silver married Ednah Hastings, daughter of Moses Hastings, of Hopkinton. They had one daughter, — Ednah. The Rev. Mr. Silver died March 27, 1881, by drowning in the Charles river near Boston. Samuel Simpson, the son of Joseph and Mary Simp- son, was born in Pembroke, January 2, 1777. He came to Hopkinton about 1817. He was a school-teacher of the olden time, and also a farmer. His first wife was Rebecca Dickerman, daughter of Enoch Dickerman and Sarah Wales, of Canton, Mass.; his second, Mrs. Anna Jackman, of Boscawen. Samuel Simpson had children, — Moses Wales, born Mav 16, 1808 ; Sarah Dickerman, born May 3, 1810 ; Rebecca Bent, born May 10, 1813 ; Lydia Tucker, born April 24, 1816; Samuel Tolman, born July 22, 1818; Asa Hood, born August 17, 1820; John Harvey, born October 2, 1823. Samuel Simpson died May 10, 1857 ; Rebecca Dickerman, his wife, January 21, 1829. Joseph Simpson, father of Samuel, was a Revolutionary soldier, who retained his wounded horse and military equip- ments long after peace ensued. From this fact, we assume he may have been an oificer. Nehemiah D. Slebpee, the son of Thomas Sleeper, was born in Andover, July 3, 1793. Till about thirty years of age, he followed farming. In February, 1810, he became a religious convert, and, in 1815, began to exhort in public. Subsequently he was ordained as a minister of the Chris- tian denomination, and preached in Andover fifteen years. PERSONAL AlfTD BIOGEAPHICAL. 469 He next preached in Boseawen (now Webster) seven years. Leaving Boseawen in 1846, he lived in Concord a part of a year, and then came to Hopkinton, residing-in Contoocook nearly twenty-five years previously to his death, October 8, 1881. After leaving Boseawen, he had no regular settlement, but preached almost constantly, often in school-houses. In the earlier days of his ministry, ' he made many converts. He solemnized many marriages in Andover, as the town records attest. He was pop- ularly known as Elder Sleeper. In 1822, January 18, Elder Sleeper married Charlotte Taylor, of Sutton, who died December 1, 1839. She bore him a son and a daughter. In 1841, July 15, he married Maria D. (Hildreth) Jackman, who died November 3, 1878. Elder Sleeper's son, Joseph D., resides in Concord; his daughter, Mrs. Caroline Jackman, in Maine. Dtjeeill Smabt, the son of Benning Smart and Abigail Hutchins, was born in Hopkinton, September 15, 1807. When eight years of age, the subject of this sketch went to Concord with his father, and resided there about ten years. He subsequently lived less than a year in Clare- mont, then again about a year in Concord, the balance of his life being spent in Hopkinton. Durrill Smart is a farmer. In former militia days, he was four years a lieu- tenant of light infantry, and one year a captain. He was two years a Methodist exhorter, and about thirty-two years an active local preacher, receiving his appointment in 1843. At the early age of about eighteen, Mr. Smart married Ariann Stanford Brown, daughter of Lemuel Brown and Phcebe Sanborn, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Will- iam R., Edwin D., Anna N., Elizabeth E. (two), George N., Mary Ella., Sophronia P., Frank B. For a second wife, Mr. Smart married Lydia L. (Kimball) CroweU, widow of Albert Crowell, and daughter of Daniel Kimball, of Hopkinton. James Smith, whose name is perpetuated in Smith's pond, is supposed to have come from Newbury, Mass., to Hopkinton about the time this town was incorporated in 1765. He settled near the pond now called after him, and became a citizen prominent in the counsels of the town. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1776. On the 16th 470 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. day of April, 1788, he was found dead in his field, where he had been ploughing. It was surmised by some that he had been struck by lightning, as a slight shower had passed ; but the prevailing opinion seems to have been that he died from a sudden illness. On the day of Mr. Smith's funeral, Moses Chandler set out the elm that now stands in front of the empty house lately occupied by Miss Lydia Story. James Smith had a wife, Elizabeth, who died December 30, 1801. There were at least five children of James and Elizabeth Smith. They were, — Katie, born November 24, 1768 ; Richard, born June 29, 1760 ; Betty, born November 2, 1763 ; James, born August 17, 1767 ; Nanny, born January 21, 1769. The first three named are supposed to have been born in Newbury. Ethan Smith, an early minister of Hopkinton, was born in Belchertown, Mass., December 19, 1762. A soldier of the Revolution, he was at West Point when Arnold sold that fortress to the British. He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1790. The same year, he was settled as a Con- gregational minister in Haverhill, where he resided nine years. He was installed in Hopkinton, March 12, 1800, and dismissed December 16, 1817. He subsequently preached in Hebron, N. Y., about four years ; in Poultney, Vt., about five years ; in Hanover, Mass., a number of years. He published many major and minor works, prom- inent among them being "A Dissertation on the Proph- ecies," "A View of the Trinity," "A View of the Hebrews," "Lectures on the Subjects and Mode of Baptism," "A Key to the Figurative Language of the Bible." Several of his works passed through a number of editions each. While a resident of Hopkinton, the Rev. Mr. Smith was secretary of the New Hampshire Missionary Society. His home in Hopkinton was the place nearly opposite the house of Jo- seph L. Hagar on the Concord road. Rev. Ethan Smith was somewhat inclined to controversy. During his ministry in Hopkinton, the Episcopal church was established here. A sermon which he preached against Episcopalianism brought forth a lengthy reply from Nathan- iel Adams, of Portsmouth, in June, 1817. About 1791, Rev. Mr. Smith married Bathsheba San- ford, daughter of the Rev. David Sanford, of Medway, Mass. PEESONAl AI>fD BIOGKAPHICAL. 471 There were children of this marriage, — Myron, born Jan- uary 10, 1794; Stephen Sanford, bom April 14, 1797; Carlos, born July JL7, 1801 ; Gratia Fletcher, born Mav 23, 1803 ; Lyndon, born November 11, 1805. Carlos Smith is thus mentioned in the researches of theKev. N. F. Carter: Carlos Smith, D. D., Presbyterian, son of Rev. Ethan and Beth- sheba (Sanford) Smith, was born July 17, 1801. Graduated at Union college ia 1822. Teacher in Petersburg, Va., and Thetford, Vt., 1822-'26; at CatskiU, N. Y., 1826-'32. Ordained an evan- gelist by the Oneida Presbytery at Utica, N. Y., February 7, 1832. Actmg pastor at Manlius, N. Y., 1832-'36 ; at PainsviUe, O., 1836- '44; at MassiUon, O., 1844-'47; at Talhnadge, 0., from July, 1848, to January, 1862 ; at Akron, O., 1862-73. Without charge at Akron, 0., 1873 till his death there April 22, 1877. Received his D. D. from Buchtel coUege, Akron, O., in 1876. He married Sarah, daughter of Daniel and Sarah TWeston) Saxton, of Han- over, February 20, 1827. Pubhcations — (1) Progress and Patience, a missionary sermon, 1847 ; (2) God's Voice Misunderstood, a Thanksgiving sermon, 1847 ; (3) The Pulpit Theme, an ordination sermon, 1854 ; (4) Eyes and No Eyes, sermon on Isaiah 42 : 20, 1864; (5) Spiritualism, or the Bible a Sufficient Witness, 1854; (6) God's CaU to the Nation, 1861; (7) The Memory of our Noble Dead, 1864; (8) Christ in the Bible, a dissertation, 1870; (9) The SeUing of Intoxicating Drinks Immoral ; (10) Roman and Grecian Civilization, a lecture, 1872 ; (11) To Young Men, an Address on the Death of Horace Greeley, 1872; (12) Farewell Sermon, Akron, March 30, 1873 ; (13) A Funeral Address : The Value of a Good Man, 1873 ; (l4) Historical Discourse, Semi- centennial, TaUmadge, O., September 8, 1875 ; (15) An Adven- ture at Sea, an address at Canton, 0. Isaac Smith was born in Rowley, Mass., June 25, 1766. In the course of his life he resided in Ipswich, Mass., Can- terbury, Concord, Loudon, and Hopkinton. , He was a school-teacher about twenty years. He was post-master of Ipswich, a captain of militia, and a deacon of the Baptist church. In 1789, December 6, he married Abigail Cogswell, daugh- ter of Dr. Nathaniel Cogswell. They had thirteen children, as follows : Elizabeth, born September 2, 1790 ; Nabby, born May 24, 1792 ; Charles, born March 11, 1794 ; John, born March 19, 1795 ; Abigail C, born October 21, 1796 ; Sarah, born June 30, 1798 ; Isaac, born March 14, 1800 ; 472 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Hannah C, born September 10, 1801; D. Francis, bom March 15, 1803 ; Nathaniel C, born March 4, 1806 ; Louisa C, born August 4, 1808; Nathaniel C„ born March 26, 1809; E. Emery, born February 9, 1811. Deacon Smith's second wife was Sarah Sargent, widowed, of Hopkinton. Deacon Smith died December 23, 1857 ; Abigail C, his wife, January 7, 1838. Andkew S. Smith, the son of Aaron Smith and Eliza Ann Sherburne, was born in Hopkinton, March 17. 1825. Since 1851, he has lived in Concord. He is a farmer. He has been two years clerk of ward 7, Concord ; common councilman, two years ; member of the board of aldermen, two years ; assessor, six years ; member of the state legis- lature in 1877 and 1878 ; etc. In 1852, he married Mary F. Kelly, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Kelly and Mary Ann Sherburne, of Lawrence, Mass. They have children, — Ella M., Fred K. Aaron Smith, the son of Aaron Smith, and Eliza Ann Sherburne, was born in Hopkinton, August 17, 1827, and has always resided in this town. He is a carpenter and farmer. He was a lieutenant of militia in former days, and is a deacon of the Congregational church. In 1856, September, Aaron Smith married Philena P. Hawthorne, daughter of Calvin Hawthorne and Rachel Jackman, of Hopkinton. SECTION XXIV. SPENCER — SYMONDS. Elijah Spencer, the son of Abner and Lois Torrey Spencer, was born in Wilmington, Vt., March 29, 1814. He resided in Wilmington and Brattleborough, Vt., till 1872 ; since 1872, he has lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer. In 1857, October 4, he married Susan A. Fitch, daughter of Erastus Fitch and Arminda Johnson, of Wilmington, Vt. Their children are, — Manda F., Silas M., Elizabeth E., Mary L., Sumner E. K*< ."> .« -<,«* Hon. Clinton W. Stanley. • :'.A,.> Sw>5-F0KD \i/m,l>:>>-y. ill Hawke 'now Dan- - -i' IT'JS. [n the course of ^;is life, In; resided m •'5 • •■ ■ ''igtt',! i, '. .-'.ars. He. c'n-ne to Hojjkiaton in ■■■■■■■»■ 'ii*' '■- ■■■■>•■ ^'i. ,1 rind a capiam of militia. ^Ibout Vis'i-' i'.-' i;.!.i:n-.ctl Sailv lt.x)k. daughter of Sarouel 'i smd .inihth Williams, of <'W:*ter. They J^ad chil- -■.u-iiuel. bom 181h; Jn-.e?;. '..■.■ru 1S24 : Frederick, ' :■ ' i,f this sk*X".-«' if^'i .■sj-, .'i, .'il 22, Horace C;;,;ltsrt:-. ■ ■ --!-f-;r:l .itv^;^'-' i-f Jol in -Kl; ;'*•■'"' ■■•■;-i.illU>U. .-^Sh" 'Ut-! .\tig!lSt 2^1, 't;:- Staidey uuirrifd I'lnrnti F. S;v* , ■ ii-.rY and ^fan- Stra-w. of Watf.---! Kdlwani W . ?Mr. Stanley • "'« • ^; 1>», 1 -^:'^. Ih ..'i..iSXON W St.-?--. . - '.miy A. Kiiiibuli, "-wtt ■■■S;i(). He was educalcu ->. '•■;m til college.' He re...; • Cfintoocook. He iff fsiid .'istiv in Ma !'''"■)".■■-■' ''■'-f>i' assoeiak ''. :f\<'.'V-\ 'x--^ PBESONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 473 Sebastian Spoffoed was born in Hawke (now Dan- bury) about 1795. In the course of his life, he resided in Chester about eighteen years. He came to Hopkinton in 1833. He was a farmer and a captain of militia. About 1818, he married Sally Hook, daughter of Samuel Hook and Judith Williams, of Chester. They had chil- dren, — Samuel, born 1818 ; James, born 1824 ; Frederick, born 1825. Captain SpofEord died July 81, 1846, aged 49. Horace C. Stanley, the son of Jonathan Stanley and Rebecca Clough, was born in Hopkinton, June 14, 1806, and always resided in Hopkinton. For many years he lived where his son, Edward W. Stanley, now lives in Con- toocook. Horace C. Stanley was a carpenter and farmer, who was prominent in various local interests. He was a direct descendant of the 4th generation from Matthew Stanley, an early resident of Hopkinton. In 1850 and 1852, the subject of this sketch represented Hopkinton at the General Court. In 1827, April 22, Horace C. Stanley married Mary Ann Kimball, daughter of John Kimball and Lydia Clough, of Hopkinton. She died August 26, 1853. In 1859, April 26, Mr. Stanley married Pluma F. Savory, daughter of Daniel Savory and Mary Straw, of Warner. By his first wife, Mr. Stanley had children, — Clinton W., Helen I., Benton M., Edward W. Mr. Stanley died March 18, 1888. He was a descendant of the Matthew Stanley frequently mentioned in the earlier chapters of this work, and who is said to have come to Hop- kinton from Rumford (now Concord). Clinton W. Stanley, the son of Horace C. Stanley and Mary A. Kimball, was born in Hopkinton, December 5, 1830. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and at Dartmouth college. He read law with Hamilton E. Per- kins, at Contoocook. He resided in Contoocook till 1853, and subsequently in Manchester. Clinton W. Stanley was United States commissioner from 1858 to 1876 ; associate justice of the circuit court from 1874 to 1876 ; associate justice of the supreme court from 1876 to his death. He was thirteen years president of the Manchester City National Bank. He was also a trustee of Dartmouth college. 474 LIFE AJSTD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In 1857, December 24, Clinton W. Stanley married Lydia A. Woodbury, daughter of William Woodbury and Pbilinda H. Blanchard, of Weare. Judge Stanley died December 1, 1884. Joseph Stanwood, the son of William Stanwood and Susan Williams, was born in West Newbury, Mass., in 1806. He resided successively in West Newbury and Boston, Mass., and Hopkinton. He was many years a merchant in Hopkinton Tillage, being also for years the post-master. He was a selectman of Hopkinton from 1850 to 1852 ; town- clerk from 1867 to 1869 ; representative to the General Court, in 1868 and 1859. In 1829, November 11, Joseph Stanwood married Louisa A. Perkins, daughter of Bimsley Perkins and Susan Ladd, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Helen Hamilton, Henry Perkins, Frederick Williams, Susan Ladd, Louisa Perkins. Mr. Stanwood died October 11, 1859. Hbnky p. Stanwood, the son of Joseph Stanwood and Louisa A. Perkins, was born in Hopkinton, July 13, 1832. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy, and event- ually became an ofBce clerk, being three years in Augusta, Me. Turning his attention to railroad affairs, he became superintendent of the Madison Division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, holding this position in 1866 and 1867. The next two years he was assistant superintendent of the Iowa Division of the same railway system. Then, till 1873, he was general freight and passenger agent of the same railway system ; then till 1877, general western agent of the same at San Francisco, Cal. Subsequently he was general agent of the California Fast Freight line till 1883, when he left California to become general agent of the same line at New York, where he remained a year or two. After this he was out of business till about 1886, when he returned to San Francisco, to resume former business rela- tions, dying there July 11, 1888. In 1869, December 24, Mr. Stanwood married Caroline H. Wildes, daughter of Asa Wildes, of Newburyport, Mass. They had one child, — Carrie. Feedeeick W. Stanwood, the son of Joseph Stanwood and Louisa A. Perkins, was born in Hopkinton, December PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 475 13, 1836. He was educated at Hopkinton academy and Harvard college. He was town-clerk of Hopkinton in 1860 and for a number of years ticket-agent of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway at Chicago, 111. Being in ill health, he was obliged to return to Hopkinton, where he died January 24, 1877. James Stark, many years a physician of Hopkinton, was a native of Dunbarton. He lived in Hopkinton on the spot where now lives Charles J. Conner. He married Susan Walker, of Manchester. They had children, — Solon, Bridgett, Mary, Patrick H., Gilbert. Dr. Stark died December 20^ 1827, aged 47 ; his wife, September 25, 1869, aged 83. GiLMON A. Stevens, the son of John Stevens and Susan Tarbox, was born in Goffstown, July 11, 1826. He was educated at the Manchester high school. In early man- hood, he learned the trade of a belt-maker and manufacturer of roller covering. He resided in Goffstown and Bedford till 1843, in Manchester till 1859, and since then in Con- toocook. He was selectman of Hopkinton from 1877 to 1882, and in 1887 and 1888. In 1850, October 13, Mr. Stevens married Lovica Clark, daughter of John Clark and Lydia Putney, of Hopkinton. They had one child, — Edgar W. Mrs. Stevens died July 21, 1881. In 1882, December 21, Mr. Stevens married Mary Ann (Perkins) Cooper, of Concord. She is a daugh- ter of True Perkins and Mary Ann Chapman. Edgar W. Stevens, the son of Gilmon A. Stevens and Lovica Clark, was born in Manchester, November 12, 1851. He graduated from the New Hampton Institute in 1871. He became a merchant of Contoocook, in the firm of Curtice & Stevens. From 1877 to 1885, he was post- master of Contoocook. He is now a merchant of Haver- hill, Mass. In 1873, September 30, Mr. Stevens married Georgia G. Putnam, daughter of George Putnam and Betsey Black- stone, of Bradford, Mass. They have had one child, — Lena Viola. Clarendon A. Stone, the son of Alexander Stone and Selina S. Gould, was born in Brattleboro, Vt., January 476 LIFE AJiO) TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 21, 1837. He was educated at Knox college in Illinois, and became a lawyer. He subsequently pursued a course of study at Bangor (Me.) Theological Seminary, and became a clergyman. During the late war he was a lieutenant and captain, and at one time a military prisoner. He was pastor of the Congregational church in Hopkinton from Decem- ber 29, 1874, to September 1, 1881. He was a member of the superintending school-committee of Hopkinton from 1878 to 1880. The Rev. Mr. Stone filled various pulpits in the East and West, and died suddenly in California a few years ago. In 1861, August 28, he married Lizzie R. Gilbert, daugh- ter of Neziah Gilbert and- Mary Gifford, of Galesburg, HI. They had children, — Charles H., Jennie M., Lena A. Isaac Stokt, the son of Jeremiah Story and Judith Far- num, was born in Hopkinton, December 8, 1808. In early life, he improved the advantages for intellectual culture that the state of society afforded in Hopkinton, and at length became a teacher of district schools. For many years, he taught some portion of the winter in Hopkinton, besides at one time teaching for a longer or shorter period in Con- cord. He also paid special attention to music, and for many years was a teacher of singing-schools in this and other towns in the vicinity. He was also a martial musi- cian in old militia days, and later a clarinet player in the Hopkinton Cornet Band. He was one year adjutant of the 40th Regiment of New Hampshire Militia with the rank of captain. From 1834 to 1840, he resided in Concord, where he followed the business of a house-painter. The rest of his life he has been a resident in Hopkinton, where he has mainly devoted himself to farming. Captain Story's home is now about a mile east from Hopkinton village on the Concord road. In 1850, 1851, 1853, 1856, and 1857, Isaac Story was a member of the superintending school-commit- tee ; from 1860 to 1863, a selectman. In 1835, December 15, Isaac Story married Lydia Poor Kimball, of Hopkinton, a daughter of Moses Kimball and Jane Moore. Isaac Story is a descendant of Jeremiah Story, who came from Essex, Mass., to Hopkinton before the Revolution. He had sons, — Jeremiah, Zachariah, Nathan, Thomas, Joseph. Jeremiah Story settled on Story hill, to which the PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 477 SO called Tenny road leads from its junction with the South road at George E. Foss's. Jeremiah, his son, settled where now lives Edmund R. Guild ; Nathan, on the South road ; Thomas, on the Tenny road ; Joseph, at Sugar hill. Jeremiah S. Story, the son of Jeremiah Story and Judith Farnum, was born in Hopkinton, August 30, 1815. In early life, he attended Master John O. Ballard's school and Hopkinton academy. He was a farmer who lived on the Story homestead, where now lives Edmund R. Guild. Mr. Story was an ensign of the Hopkinton Cold Water Phalanx, a bugler of militia, and once paymaster of the 40th Regiment. He represented Hopkinton at the General Court in 1871. Mr. Story married Sophronia S. Smart, daughter of Caleb Smart and Harriet Chandler, of Hopkinton. They had children, — Helen Josephine, Clara J. Mr. Story died October 15, 1876. Jambs K. Story, the son of William K. Story and Lydia Knowlton, was born in Hopkinton, August 17, 1814. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. From 1835 to 1862, he was a wholesale travelling salesman ; since 1862, he has been a farmer. In 1856 and 1857, he represented Hopkinton at the General Court. In 1836, Mr. Story married Sarah Story, daughter of Moses Story and Sally Cha,ndler, of Hopkinton. They have had children, — David B., George M., Sarah Annette. David B. Story, the son of James K. and Sarah Story, was born in Hopkinton, January 19, 1886. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. From 1854 to 1864, he pursued the calling of a butcher, at one time keeping a meat-market in Concord. In 1864, he adopted the business of hotel-keeping, opening the Perkins House in Hopkinton village, this house being burned in 1872. Mr. Story then went to Lake Village and kept the Mt. Belknap House till 1876. He next kept the Laconia House at Laconia, till 1879, when he became proprietor of the Hotel Weirs, con- tinuing till 1889, when he assumed the conduct of Story's Hotel Weirs. In 1882, he kept the Elmwood House, Laconia. Mr. Story has been frequently the incumbent of civil office. He was deputy sheriff of Merrimack county in 478 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 1871 and 1873 ; the same of Belknap county, from 1874 to 1877 ; selectman of Laconia, in 1881 and 1882 ; sheriff of Belknap county, from 1883 to 1886. As sheriff of Belknap county, he executed Thomas Samon, the only man ever convicted and executed in the county. Mr. Story has held many minor offices in different towns. He is widely known as a martial and orchestral musician, being a performer on different instruments. In 1857, February 6, David B. Story married Sarah J. French, daughter of Benjamin and Eliza French, of Hop- kinton. They have had children, — James Henry, Ada Stevens, Fred Williams, Charles Franklin, Benjamin French. Samuel B. STEAvy is thus mentioned in the Newburgh (N. Y.) Journal of August 5, 1884: " Dr. Samuel B. Straw, the well known dentist of this city, died last evening, aged 83 years. He was born in Hopkinton, N. H., and came to Newburgh about seventeen or eighteen years ago, to join his son, Dr. L. S. Straw, who at that time had feeen a resident for about ten years. In his early years Dr. Straw, Sr., studied medicine, and practised the profession for twelve years before prac- tising dentistry. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he joined a Maine regiment in the capacity of surgeon, and served with it until it was discharged. He then ofBered his services to the governor of New York, and was appointed a surgeon at the hospital at Lansing- burgh, and afterward at Elmira. While a resident of Maine he was for a time the grand-master of the grand lodge of Odd Fellows. During his residence in this city he was engaged in the profession of dentistry with his son. Dr. Straw was twice married. His first wife was Miss Malinda Colby, of Hopkinton, N. H., by whom he had three children, only one of whom. Dr. L. S. Straw, is now liv- ing. His second wife was Miss Hawkins, of Lansingburgh, who survives him. The cause of death, aside from the infirmities of old age, was bronchial consumption. The funeral wiU take place on Thursday afternoon, from St. Paxil's church; interment in St. George's cemetery. William S. Straw, the son of William Straw and Han- nah Huse, was born in Hopkinton, June 1, 1817. With the exception of about two years in Methuen, Mass., he has always lived in Hopkinton. He is a farmer. In militia days, he was a lieutenant of rifles. In 1842, June, he married Mary Ann Flanders, the daugh- ter of James Flanders and Mary Peaslee, of Hopkinton. PEESONAL AND BIOGEAJPHICAL. 479 They have living children, — Hannah Marion, Luella Eda, Abbie Frances, James Otis, Charles Herbert. William S. Straw is the grandson of Jacob Straw, who came to Hopkinton in very early times. He was one of the Masonian grantees in 1750, owning one lot in the town- ship. He was a carpenter and joiner, who bought a lot and built a house where John Roach now lives. The lot included fifty acres of land, cost |25, and was paid for in five years by instalments, Mr. Straw making a journey to Newburyport each year for the purpose. He afterwards sold, and moved to Sugar hill, where he purchased 200 acres of that part of the hill where Seth Straw and Henry Eaton now live on the Weare side of the line between Hopkinton and Weare. Mr. Straw sold again, and pur- chased 300 acres in the territory of Hopkinton now occu- pied by Sullivan Flanders, Horace Straw, Frank P. Colby, Charles Chandler, and perhaps others. Jacob Straw had twelve children, — six sons and six daughters, — ^whose ages averaged over 77 years when they died. Edmund S. Stkaw, the son of William Straw and Char- lotte Abbott, was born in Hopkinton, December 6, 1819, and has always lived in this town, being a farmer. He was an ensign of militia one year and a captain two years. In 1878, he was representative to the General Court. In 1853, September 29, Mr. Straw married Emeline Kel- ley, daughter of Stephen Kelley and Hannah Bartlett. They have children, — 'Njra, Abbott, Maria Gertrude, Henry Herbert. John S. Steavp^, the son of Levi Straw and Harriet Carlton, was born in Hopkinton, June 19, 1838, and has always lived in this town. He is a farmer of prosperous habits. He has frequently served as auditor of the town's accounts, and has been a member of the town district school-, board since 1886. In 1860, September 6, Mr. Straw married Mary A. Holmes, daughter of Gardiner Holmes and Betsey Melvin, of Amherst. They have children, — L. Delia, Flora M., M. Edith. Wtt. t.tam M. SvyEAT, the son of Isaac T. Sweat and Mary Davis, was born in Boscawen (now Webster), Feb- 480 LITE AWD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. ruary 20, 1812. In 1865, he moved to Hopkinton, where he has since resided. He is a farmer and miller. He was two years a representative to the General Court from Web- ster. In 1835, January 27, he married Sarah Dervine, daugh- ter of Samuel Dervine and Sarah Moody, of Boscawen. They had children, — Rowenna, Herman (1), Herman (2), Ann E., Sarah M., William B. Mrs. Sweat died October 22, 1850, and in 1852, February 18, Mr. Sweat married Lydia M. Abbott, daughter of Halton Abbott and Polly Farrington, of Lowell, Mass. They had one daughter, Sarah D. Mrs. Sweat died October 11, 1884. TiLTON Symonds, the son of Eliphalet Symonds and Tamison Tilton, was born in Hillsborough in 1819. In 1857, he moved to Hopkinton, where he has since resided, being a farmer. He was a superintending school-committee of Hillsborough, and has been a deacon of the Congrega- tional church in Hopkinton. In 1836, Tilton Symonds married Catharine B. Button, daughter of Jeremiah Dutton and Betsey Baker, of Hills- borough. They had children, — Edward, Emily Hatch, Benjamin Dutton, Ephraim Baker, Samuel Tilton. Mrs. Symonds died May 20, 1885. SECTION XXV. TAGGAET — VS^EEKS. John L. Taggaet, the son of James Taggart and Han- nah Reed, was born in Dunbarton, November 29, 1810. In early life he attended Pembroke academy. He lived in Dunbarton (now Hooksett) till 1856 ; in Goffstown, till 1870 ; since 1870, in Contoocook. For a few years he was a manufacturer of mackerel kits in Contoocook, in the firm of Taggart & McClure. Mr. Taggart was collector of taxes in Hopkinton in 1881 and 1882. In 1834, April 20, Mr. Taggart married Betsey Upton, daughter of Elijah Upton and Betsey Bancroft, of Bow. She died June 20, 1865. They had children,— Elizabeth B. and James G. In 1870, April 20, Mr. Taggart married PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 481 Adeline W. (Loveren) Carroll, daughter of Timothy Loveren and Julia Wadleigh, of Sutton. John C. Tebbets, the son of Bradbury Tebbets and Polly Clough, was born in Northfield, January 19, 1805. He was educated in his native town and Sanbornton Bridge (now Tilton). In early manhood, he entered the law office of Lyman B. Walker, of Meredith Bridge (now Laconia), but was compelled by ill health to relinquish his studies, and eventually he became a merchant. In the course of his life, Mr. Tebbets resided in Boston, Mass., Hopkinton, and New York. While in Hopkinton, he lived in the house now occupied by Robert R. Kimball. While in this town, Mr. Tebbets gave considerable attention to the cultivation of an improved breed of horses. Under the administration of Governor Badger, he was appointed a deputy sheriff. In 1828, August 11, Mr. Tebbets married Sophia (Will- iams) Whitman, of Boston, Mass. She died November 18, 1862 ; Mr, Tebbets, August 25, 1881. Joseph Tewksbuky, the son of John Tewksbury and Sarah Kendall, was born in Hopkinton in 1797, and always resided in this town. He was a farmer. He was more than twenty years a deacon of the Baptist church. He was at one time the only " abolitionist" in the town. His was a remarkably large head, and his intelligence was pro- portional. His wife was Eliza Butler, of Essex, Mass. Deacon Tewksbury died November 12, 1866; his wife, June 12, 1874. They had children, — Henry, John, Mary, Albert, Robert H., Eliza A., Susan. Robert H. Tewksbury, the 'son of Joseph Tewksbury and Eliza Butler, was born in Hopkinton, April 11, 1833. In 1852, he went to Lawrence, Mass., where he has remained since, excepting about six months spent in Boston, Mass. In Lawrence, he has been assessor of taxes, city treasurer, mayor, member of the water-board, etc. He is a cashier. In 1859, November 24, he married AngeliaC. Hawthorne, daughter of Calvin Hawthorne and Rachel Jackman, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Willie H., Robert L. Herbert E. Thayer, present pastor of the Baptist church, was born in Farmingdale, Me., October 3, 1860, 30 482 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. being a son of George A. Thayer and Louisa Seavey. He graduated from Brown university in 1882, at which time his home was in Foxboro', Mass. He lived in Conway, Mass., till 1884, in Newton Centre, Mass., till 1887, when te graduated from the Newton Theological Seminary ; in 1887, he became pastor of the church in Hopkinton. Mr. Thayer was a census enumerator in 1880 ; principal of Conway (Mass.) high school from 1882 to 1884 ; secretary of the New Hampshire Conference of Baptist Ministers in 1888 ; secretary of the Kearsarge Bible Society in 1889, being the same year clerk of the Salisbury Baptist Asso- ciation. In 1888, August 2, Rev. Mr. Thayer married Mary Eliza Barney, daughter of Giles W. Barney and Frances Packard, of South Hadley Falls, Mass. Joseph S. Thompson, the son of William G. Thompson and Susan E. Stanwood, was born in Hopkinton, Decem- ber 20, 1842. He resided in Hopkinton till 1865 ; in Bur- lington, la., till 1868 : since 1868, in Weare and in GofEs- town, his present residence being in Goffstown. He is a mechanic. During the late war he served in Company F, 2d Regiment of U. S, sharp-shooters, being mustered in November 26, 1861 ; promoted to corporal ; reenlisted, December 21, 1863; wounded, June 6, 1864; transferred to Company K, 5th Regiment N. H. Vols., January 30, 1865; transferred to Company F; mustered out, July 8, 1865. In 1873, December 16, Joseph S. Thompson married Maria Farnham, daughter of Joseph Farnham, of Phillips- ville, Ontario, Ont., by whom he had one child, — Joseph F. Mrs. Thompson died October 14, 1874, and Mr. Thompson, October 1, 1877, married Sarah Young, daughter of Henry Young and Sarah Thompson, of Goffstown. They have children, — Suraa E., Josie A., Howard S., Maria E., Gor- don H. Joseph Towke, an early merchant of Hopkinton, appears to have come to this town before 1800. He had previously lived in New Boston, where three of his children were born. In Hopkinton, Mr. Towne became the most prominent merchant of the town. He is also said to have done the most business of any merchant of this section of PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 483 the state. He eventually built the store building now occupied by Charles French. He erected the house now owned by Robert R. Kimball. He appears also to have been interested in business in Contoocook, where he is said to have built the house now owned by Mrs. Caroline L. George. Mr. Towne was prominent in various public mat- ters of the town. He w&s the first president of the former Concord Bank. Though an enterprising merchant, he became insolvent and died penniless, his body being at- tached by his creditors after his decease. The following were children of Joseph and Sarah Towne : Polly, born November 25, 1785 ; Joseph Bout- well, born February 9, 1787 ; Thomas, born December 3, 1788 ; Sally, born July 22, 1792 ; Rebecca, born June 12, 1796 ; Rodney, born June 25, 1800; Charlotte, born August 4, 1802. David Tuckee, the son of Ezra Tucker and Hannah Hardy, was born in Henniker, August 2, 1814. He resided in Henniker till 1850 ; since 1850, his home has been in Hopkinton. He is a farmer. He was agent of the Hop- kinton town farm from 1850 to 1852, and from 1867 to 1869. He was chosen deacon of the Freewill Baptist church in Contoocook in 1855. In 1843, March 7, David Tucker married Mary Elizabeth Straw, daughter of Levi Straw and Harriet Carlton, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Harriet N., David C, Helen M. James Tuttle, the son of Jedediah Tuttle and Lucia Smith, was born in Winchendon, Mass. In comparatively early life he came to Hopkinton, and eventually located on the spot where now lives James S. Tuttle, his grandson. James Tuttle was a farmer and a manufacturer of boxes and measures. By dint of industry, he saved enough to purchase a farm of respectable proportions on Putney's hill. He used to convey his goods to the lower country and sell them, sometimes receiving barter in exchange, which he in turn sold to his neighbors, in all things being somewhat conspicuous for business activity. James Tuttle married Elizabeth Tuttle, daughter of Charles Tuttle, of Hamilton, Mass. Her mother's maiden name was Dodge. James and Elizabeth Tuttle had chil- 484 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. dren, — Seth, born December 17, 1803 ; Charles, bom March 14, 1805 ; Lucy, born April 14, 1807 ; James, born Octo- ber 7, 1809 ; Seth, born June 27, 1814 ; Louisa, born December 31, 1823. Mr. Tuttle died April 23, 1859, aged 78 ; his wife, April 15, 1872, aged 92. John W. E. Tuttle, the son of Simon Tuttle and Sally D. Sargent, was born in Franconia, December 28, 1816. When about four years of age, he moved with his father to Lincoln, where his father conducted a public house, which was afterwards kept by the soq and known as the " Farmer's House," or the "Tuttle Stand." Here John W. E. Tuttle lived till 1887, when he moved to Contoocook in Hopkin- ton. During his residence in Lincoln, the subject of this sketch was a farmer, guide to the mountains, agent for the outlay of state funds raised for highways, and town officer. He was never out of office after 22 years of age, holding nearly or quite every office in the gift of the town, and serving twice in the state house of representatives. He was also a lieutenant and captain of militia, and for a time justice of the peace. In 1839, Mr. Tuttle married Hannah Elkins, daughter of Jasper Elkins, of Thornton. Mrs. Tuttle had been a teacher of twenty terms' experience. Chaeles N. Tuttle, the son of Simon Tuttle and Sally D. Sargent, was born in Franconia, September 8, 1818. In the course of his life he has resided in Lincoln, Lisbon, Manchester, and Hopkinton. His present home is in Con- toocook. He is a farmer and wood-machinist. He was town-clerk of Lisbon three or four years, and assistant post- master two or three. He was two years an ensign of militia in Lincoln. In 1841, he married Mary J. Barnard, daughter of Joseph Barnard and Miriam J. Eastman, of Hopkinton. They have one son, — Jacob S. Cyril C. Tyler, many years a popular physician in Hopkinton, was born in Thetford, Vt., December 31, 1803, being a son of Jeremiah Tyler and Irene Heaton. Jere- miah Tyler was a farmer, and the subject of this sketch, having obtained a competent education, decided upon the #k^fe'; 3 f> m Dr. CYRiL C. Tyi 'iipii he Lin rewdeii ■->rrua, lleceJi-iS' .^4 ^ Im- luoved with ;'<'inlueted a public ' K; sou and kiiowj! ■. Siand." H«'v iiuved (n ' L». Nar^-'iu. wa« bom n- ■ In tbe cfiiu-se of 'a>s life he h Manchester, and liujikiittni!, toocook. He is a r. -it---. town-eierk of f/isliK"m t"H-= • ■ nvAMer cwfi or thn-. juiiicia in Li '■ . • ' llarHiit-.i ;i!i«l i \ 11- Dr. Cyril C. Tyler. PERSONAL ASD BIOGRAPHICAL. 485 professiou of medicine and entered the office of Dr. Muzzey. His first and only professional location was in Hopkinton, where he came about the year 1823, always residing in the village. In 1849, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth college. In 1831, May 29, Dr. Tyler married Sarah Putnam, daugh- ter of Dr. Aaron Putnam, of Boston, Mass. They had two daughters, — Isabel Putnam and Sarah Hall. Dr. Tyler died May 27, 1865 ; Mrs. Tyler, April 15, 1880. Lucius H; Tyler, the son of Simeon Tyler and Hannah Eowell, was born in Hopkinton, November 19, 1817, and has always lived in this town. He is a farmer. In 1852, May 10, he married Sarah (Hall) Amesden, of Hopkinton, by whom he had children, — Mary J., Clara A., Bertha S. In 1883, June 26, he married Frances Eaton, of Warner. Lucius H. Tyler is a grandson of Adonijah Tyler, the ancestor of numerous Tylers, of Hopkinton, and who came to this town from Henniker and settled in the present Tyler district about 1772. He had nine children, among whom were the names James, Jeremiah, Simeon, Moses, Phineas, Rachel, Miriam, Sarah. Augustus B. Wads worth, the son of Burton Wads- worth and Sophia Gove, was born in Hopkinton, July 22, 1834. In early life, he attended Henniker and Andover academies. In the course of his life, he resided in Henni- ker, Lowell, Mass., Toronto, Can., Concord, Pittsfield, and Warner, returning to Contoocook in 1876. He was a machinist by trade, and after his return to this town was in business in Contoocook, a part of the time in company with Isaiah S. Livingston. Mr. Wadsworth was representative of Hopkinton in 1883. In 1869, May 13, Mr. Wadsworth married Mary E. Davis, daughter of Nathaniel A. Davis, and Mary Clough, of Warner. They had one child, — Nathaniel B. Mr. Wadsworth died March 25, 1886. WiLLARD E. Waterbury, the son of Isaac H. Water- bury and Elizabeth M. Miller, was born in Hastings, Oswego county, N. Y., March 7, 1858. He was educated at Syracuse, Elbridge, and Rochester, all in his native state. 486 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. He resided in Hastings, N. Y., till 1882 ; in Concord, till 1884; in Hopkinton, till 1887; since 1887, he has resided in Springfield, Mass. He is a clergyman. He was ordained pastor of the Baptist church, Hopkinton, February 27, 1884, and dismissed May 1, 1887. During his Hopkinton pastorate, important improvements were made upon the church edifice. In 1881, November 23, Willard E. Waterbury married Nellie G. Sprague, daughter of George W. Sprague and Nellie Wilkinson, of Rochester, N. Y. They have chil- dren, — Glair Morrill, Etta Grace, Mabel. William Way, the son of Samuel H. Ordway and Mary Peters, was born in Hopkinton, March 25, 1794. In maturer life, he applied to the state legislature and secured the change of his surname from Ordway to Way. He was a farmer and lived nearly or all of his life at Contoocook. In 1860, he was a selectman. In 1820, July 12, he married Martha Piper, daughter of Nathan Piper and Hannah Stockbridge, of Hopkinton. They had children,— Timothy E., born May 16, 1821; Martha L., born February 22, 1825. Mr. Way married for a second wife Betsey Stockbridge, daughter of JTohn Stock- bridge and Sarah Lear, of Hopkinton, on December 19, 1825. They had chUdren,— Mary N., born May 18, 1827 ; Celia P., born April 27, 1836 ; Sarah E., born September 29, 1841. Mr. Way died October 18, 1865. Isaiah Webber, the son of Richard Webber, was born in Hopkinton, September 26, 1789, and always resided here. His home was where Albert Danforth now lives, in the valley between Beech bill and Putney's hill. Mr. Webber was a farmer and lumberman who showed a special aptitude for the cultivation of music. When about fourteen years old, he attended a singing-school. The teacher was Dea. Isaac Long. Subsequently, Isaiah attended a singing- school taught by his uncle, Jerry W. Webber, on Beech hill. Probably enjoying other musical instruction, Isaiah Webber began teaching vocal music. This was about 1820. His first school was on Sargent road, now known as South road. He subsequently taught in various districts and localities in Hopkinton, and once taught in West Con- PERSONAL XSD BIOGRAPHICAL. 487 cord. , He had various calls from other towns, but a farm and a saw-mill at home engrossed too much attention to allow responses. About 1824, Mr. Webber was chosen chorister of the Congregational church. The choir was large and talented, but the poverty of tunes suited to the varieties of hymns was a great obstruction to musical progress. Mr. Webber was sometimes obliged to rise in meeting and inform the minister that there was no tune suitable to the selected hymn. To overcome the difficulties of the situation, Mr. Webber began the practice of com- posing original tunes. His first tune was in short metre, for the hymn beginning, " O, when shall Zion rise ?" The tune was commended by good judges, and at length Mr. Webber's musical compositions found a place in the " New Hampshire Collections" of church music. Mr. Webber's taste was not wholly confined to church music. Venturing into the realm of martial music, he composed " Governor Harvey's March," in honor of the supreme executive of the state in 1830. This march was played to a consid- erable extent by military bands of this vicinity. Mr. Webber continued to compose church tunes and anthems, military marches, etc., nearly as long as he lived, his latest efforts being upon strips of wood, failing eyesight forbid- ding the common materials. He was a performer upon the violoncello, bassoon, flute, and clarinet in his meridian days. In 1814, Mr. Webber married Hannah Davis, a native of Newbury, Mass. She died in February, 1878. Mr. Web- ber died August 24, 1881. Isaiah J. Webber and Mrs. John Patch are children of Isaiah and Hannah Webber. Seth Webber, the son of Seth Webber and Mary Thorndike, was born in Beverly, Mass., January 22, 1810. He has lived in Hopkinton seventy-seven years, being a carpenter by trade since manhood and many years an under- taker. Mr. Webber has provided for the interment of thousands of persons in this town and vicinity. In 1834, September 12, Mr. Webber married Rebecca S. Webber, daughter of WUliam Webber and Rachel P. Bailey, of Hopkinton. They have one daughter, — Ann T. In early life, the subject of this sketch was a militia drummer, and also a performer upon orchestral instruments. He was at one time performer upon the base viol and vio- loncello at church. 488 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Jeremiah S. Webbee, the son of Jeremiah Webber and Lydia Flanders, was born in Boscawen, March 28' 1819. Since 1864, he has lived in Hopkinton. His present resi- dence is in Contoocook. He is a farmer. He was com- missioned ensign of Boscawen Light Infantry in 1842 ; he was afterwards two years a captain. In 1859, he was a selectman. Webster having been organized as a township, being originally a part of Boscawen, Mr. Webber was made a selectman of the new town in 1860 and 1861. In 1862 and 1863, he represented Webster at the General Court. In 1838, December 29, Mr. Webber married Roxana D. Towne, daughter of Rodney Towne and Hannah Ordway. Thej'' have one son, — Cyril T. Cyeil T. Webbee, the son of Jeremiah S. Webber and Roxana D. Towne, was born in Boscawen (now Webster), April 12, 1841. When about twenty-two years old, he came to Hopkinton, where he has resided since, with the exception of two years in Henniker. His present home is in Contoocook. Mr. Webber is a master of a railroad sec- tion, and prominent in local musical circles. He has been many years leader of the Contoocook Cornet Band. In 1863, April 14, Cyril T. Webber married Jennette N. Jeffers, daughter of Jacob K. Jeffers and Katharine Kemp- ton, of Hopkinton. They have children, — Lerman S., Gil- bert D., Florence. William Weeks, the son of William and Eleanor Weeks, was born in Greenland, April 23, 1755. He was educated at Harvard college, and resided at Greenland till about 1792, when he moved to Hopkinton, building while in Hop- kinton the house at Farrington's Corner now occupied by Mrs. Fitz. He was a soldier of the Revolution, who entered the service as a quartermaster, and left it a major. During a portion of his service he was an aid-de-camp to General Washington. In civil life, Major Weeks was a merchant and farmer. In 1780, October 5, William Weeks married Abigail Rogers. His second wife was Sarah Cotta Cotton, daugh- ter of Dr. Ichabod Weeks, of Greenland. There were thirteen children of Major William Weeks, — William, born August 21, 1781 ; George, born November 1, 1782; Charles, born, October 26, 1790; Abigail Rogers, PEESONAL AND BIOGBAPHICAL. born July 15, 1792 ; Mary, born November 1, 1794 ; Jacob, born November 9, 1796 ; "Washington, born February 14, 1799 ; Thomas Jefferson, born May 31, 1801 ; Sarah Ann, born July 14, 1803 ; Susan, born July 23, 1807 ; Hannah, born July 19, 1810 ; Emily, born September 2, 1815 ; John, born March 26, 1819. Major Weeks died January 14, 1843. His second wife died July 3, 1863, aged 91 years, 9 months, and 21 days. Thomas Jefferson Weeks, the son of William and Sarah Cotta Cotton Weeks, was born in Hopkinton, May 31, 1801, and has always resided in this town, being by occupation a farmer. He has been many years a deacon of the First Baptist church in Hopkinton. Thomas J. Weeks married Hannah Cogswell Smith, daughter of Isaac Smith and Abigail Cogswell. They had children, — Isaac Smith, Harriet Walker, Mary Ann, Louisa Cogswell, Lavina Patterson, Nathaniel Cogswell. Mrs. Weeks died March 2, 1882. N. Cogswell Weeks, the son of Thomas J. Weeks and Hannah C. Smith, was born in Hopkinton, July 26, 1838. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. He is a mechanic and farmer. During the late war, he served in the 16th Regiment N. H. Vols., in Company D, being mustered in October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 20, 1863. In 1864, May 17, Mr. Weeks married H. Jane Hubbard, daughter of Dudley C. Hubbard and Hannah T. Simpson, of Webster. They have children, — Lida M., Carrie E. SECTION XXVI. wells — TOITNG. Thomas Goodwin Wells, many years a well known physician of Hopkinton, was born in Lebanon, November 17, 1779, being a son of Thomas Goodwin Wells and Eliza- beth Goodwin. The elder Wells was a farmer and weaver, like a number of his neighbors who came from Connecti- cut. When a young man, the subject of this sketch quitted 490 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the farm and read medicine with Dr. Phineas Parkhurst, of Lebanon, and subsequently attended medical and surgical lectures at Hanover. His first practice was in Sutton. In 1807, he came to Hopkinton, locating on the place now occupied by Dea. David Tucker, in the west part of the town. Subsequently he moved to Boscawen, where he practised for a time, and then he returned and lived in various places in West Hopkinton, one of them being the Lazaro Currier spot, where he buUt the present house. Afterwards he spent a number of years in Contoocook, and finally moved to Hopkinton village, occupying the house that stood many years on the site of the present summer cottage of Horace G. Chase. Dr. Wells was considered a superior surgeon for his time. He sometimes received stu- dents of medicine into his office. One of his professional pupils was Dr. Moses Long, who practised in Concord, Goffstown, Enfield, Warner, and Rochester, N. Y. Another was Dr. Henry Lyman, who practised in Warner. While residing in Boscawen, Dr. Wells, being an intimate ac- quaintance of Daniel Webster, sometimes joined him in pleasure excursions. One day they went out hunting squir- rels with a man named Clark, who wore a gray suit of clothes. Clark climbed a tree, and Mr. Webster, mistak- ing a portion of his gray clothing for the squirrel, fired, wounding him. The accident caused Mr. Webster much distress. His generosity caused him to make Clark a num- ber of presents ; and although Dr. Wells probably charged nothing for attending professionally to the wound, the cause of it gave him a keg of oysters, a rare treat for those times. In 1802, Thomas G. Wells married Lucinda Lyman, of Lebanon, daughter of Elias Lyman and Ruth Griswold. They had eight children, — Thomas Goodwin, born 1804, in Sutton ; Lucinda Lyman, born 1806, in Sutton ; Phineas Parkhurst, 1808 ; Marcia Emeline, 1810 ; Edwin Ruthwin, 1814; Ruth Lyman, 1816; Elias Lyman, 1818; Rodwell Emerson, 1820, — all born in Hopkinton. Dr. Wells died May 2, 1849 ; Mrs. Wells, April 7, 1860. Edwin R. Wells, the son of Dr. Thomas G. Wells and Lucinda Lyman, was born in Hopkinton, October 27, 1814. In early life, he attended Hopkinton academy. He was many years a merchant, residing in Illinois from 1835 PEESONAl AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 491 to 1840 ; in Pittsburgh, Pa., from 1840 to 1850 ; in Cali- fornia, from 1850 to 1851 ; in Walpole, from 1851 to 1859 ; in Dalton, Ga., from 1864 to 1881. In 1881, he returned to Hopkinton and pursued farming, building the house now occupied by Charles J. Conner. Mr. Wells died March 20, 1882. Thomas White, the son of Henry White and Sarah Dewey, was born in Gilsum, April 19, 1785. He resided in Gilsum till 1787; in Tunbridge, Vt., till 1805 ; in Livona, N. Y., till 1807 ; in Hopkinton till his death, March 17, 1868. He was a cooper. He was one of the original mem- bers of the Freewill Baptist church, of Contoocook, being chosen deacon in 1826. He was the first church clerk. He was many years a teacher of vocal music, and obtained some local celebrity as a maker of musical instruments. In 1810, August 26, Mr. White married Sally Eaton, daughter of Maj. Nathaniel Eaton and Elizabeth Boen, of Hopkinton. She died in 1837, and, in 1838. Deacon White married Susan Cilley, of Andover, who died in 1865. There were four children of Thomas White, — Nathaniel, born January 9, 1813 ; Henry Dewey, born February 8, 1815; Thomas Eaton, born June 15, 1817 ; Anson, born April 28, 1828. Henry Dewey White, the son of Thomas White and Sally Eaton, was born in Hopkinton, February 8, 1815. In youth, he attended Hopkinton academy. Since 1846, he has resided in Concord. He is a dentist. In 1841, December 5, Dr. White married Elizabeth Copps, daughter of Moses Copps and Mary George, of Hopkin- ton. They have had children, — Sarah Elizabeth, Helen Mary, Aurelia Frances, Julia Louisa. Jacob Whittiee, the son of James Whittier and Hepsi- bah Hunt, was born in Hawke (now Danbury), August 30, 1819. After 1848, with the exception of one year in Con- cord, he lived in Hopkinton. He was a shoemaker and farmer. During the late war, he was a musician of Com- pany D, 16th Regiment N. H. Vols., being mustered in October 24, 1862, and mustered out August 18, 1863. He died August 18, 1863, in consequence of sickness incurred 492 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. in the army. In militia days he was a captain of infantry two years. Jacob Whittier married Harriet Sanborn, daughter of Peter Sanborn and Lucinda Collins, of Danville. They had children, — Nahum M., Aurebia A., Charles E., Emma A., Leon D. Benjamin Wiggin, the most noted of the early taverners in Hopkinton, was a native of Stratham, who came to this town as early as 1774. Becoming a landlord, his old-fash- ioned swing sign bore the date of 1786. Mr. Wiggin was landlord, justice, merchant, and general public servant. He was a selectman of Hopkinton in 1776 and 1790, and mod- erator of town-meeting in 1802. He was liberally disposed. He gave the site of the Hopkinton court-house, where the town-house now stands. In times of scarcity, being pos- sessed of corn, he sold cheaply to his poorer neighbors and townsmen. Benjamin Wiggin lived in the house now stand- ing between the Episcopal church and the post-office in Hopkinton village. In the event of the Revolution, Mr. Wiggin sustained some odium on account of his supposed disinclination to the American cause. The result of this condition of things affected him after the war was over. In 1786, November 2, a remonstrance against his appointment as justice of the peace was signed by Peter How and 27 others. In 1786, January 24, a petition for his appointment was signed by William Morrison and 47 others; a second, of the same date, was signed by John Tewksbury and 43 others ; a third, of the 14th of June, the same year, was signed by James Emerson and 32 others. These facts would seem to indi- cate that a majority of the people of Hopkinton believed in Mr. Wiggin's public loyalty and integrity. Benjamin Wiggin was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Clement. She died May 24, 1782, aged 31. She resided in Hopkinton at the time of her marriage. Mr. "Wiggin's second wife was Mrs. Sarah Holt, of Milford. She died October 31, 1824, aged 65. Benjamin Wiggin died October 31, 1822, aged 80. His children were, — Tim- othy, Benjamin, Mary, Ellen, Joseph, Elizabeth. The last two were twins, born in 1782. Jebemiah W. Wilson, many years a popular physician of Contoocook, was born in Salisbury, January 11, 1816, PERSONAL AND BIOGEAPHICAL. 493 being a son of Dr. Job Wilson and Nancy Farnum. The subject of this sketch spent his earlier years in farming, but eventually attended school at the academy in Franklin. When about twenty years of age, he began the study of medicine under the tuition of his father. He attended medical lectures at Hanover, and finally graduated at Castleton, Vt., where he received his degree. Previously to graduating, he practised to a considerable extent with his father and brother. Dr. Ephraim Wilson. In January, 1847, he came to Contoocook, where he has since resided, his practice extending to nearly every town in the immedi- ate vicinity. In 1845, Dr. Wilson was appointed surgeon of the 21st Regiment N. H. Militia. In 1847, March 31, Dr. Wilson married Elizabeth Gerrish, daughter of Dea. Thomas Gerrish and Betsey Gerrish. Three sons were the 'offspring of this marriage. Their names are, — Edwin C, Harlan P., and George H. Mrs. Wilson died November 8, 1882. Mary Woodwbll, whose capture by the Indians in this town is narrated in Chapter X, Part I, of this work, was born in Hopkinton, Mass., April 30, 1730. In 1755, February 6, she married Jesse Corbett, of Uxbridge, Mass., by whom she had two sons, Josiah and Jesse, who were both born in this town. Jesse Corbett, her husband, was drowned, while attempting to swim the mouth of the Warner river, in 1759. His body floated down the Contoocook and Mer- rimack rivers to Dunstable, Mass., before it was recovered. In 1761, Mary Woodwell Corbett married Jeremiah Fowler, by whom she had five children, and who died not far from the year 1802. Mary Woodwell Corbett was at one time a member of the Congregational church in Hopkinton, the date of her admission being November 4, 1759. In later years, her mind experienced a change of religious views, and, after the death of her second husband, she joined the Shaker Community at Canterbury, where she died October 3, 1829, in the one hundredth year of her age. Her son Josiah, with his family, joined the Shaker society at Enfield in 1792, and his son Thomas became a noted Shaker physician, the orig- inator of the famous Shaker Sarsaparilla, which bears his name. 494 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Ebenezbe Wyman, the son of Ebenezer Wyman, was bora ill Hillsborough, January 4, 1806. At the age of 9, he moved with his father to Deering. His early life was spent upon the farm, but he finally adopted trade, moving to Contoocook in 1831. doing business there about 40 years. Much of the time in Contoocook, he conducted one or more branches of business accessorily to trade, — coopering, lum- bering, shoemaking, mannfacturing kits, etc., being in his line of industry. For many years his store stood on the corner now occupied by Bailey's block. Mr. Wyman was in trade a short time in Boston, Mass. At the time of his death, he owned several farms. Mr. Wyman was thrice married. His first wife was Mary Sterns, of Amoskeag ; his second, Mrs. Hannah Courser, of Hopkinton ; his third, , of Hermiker. Mr. Wyman died in Henniker, August 1, 1889, and his remains were interred in Contoocook. John Kimball Young, A. M., D. D., Congregationalist, son of Nathaniel Young and Betsey Kimball, was born in Dover, March 22, 1802. Preparatory studies at the Dover high school; graduated at Dartmouth college in 1821; teacher in Dover academy and in Charleston, S. C, 1821- '27 ; graduated at Andover Theological Seminary in 1829 ; ordained an evangelist by the Londonderry Presbytery at Boston, Mass., September 24, 1829 ; agent of the American Education Society, 1829-31 ; installed over the Congrega- tional church at Laconia, November 29, 1831 ; dismissed February 12, 1867 ; acting pastor at Hopkinton, from June, 1867 to November, 1874. Died at Laconia, January 28, 1875. He was a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 1842-75; trustee of the New Hampshire Home Missionary Society, 1848-'57, and 1861-73 ; trustee of Gilmanton academy and Theolog- ical Seminary ; corresponding secretary of the New Jlamp- shire General Association, 1851-'56 ; moderator of the New Hampshire General Association, at Dover, 1866 ; member of New Hampshire Historical Society, 1849-75. Received his D. D. from Dartmouth college, 1859. He married Mary Willard, daughter of Ebenezer Smith, of Durham, March 19, 1833. Five children were born of this union, only one living to maturity. Mrs. Young died September 3, 1887. Part III. STA-TISTICAIv AND DOCUIVEENXARY. STATISTICAL AND DOCUMENTARY. LEADING STATE OFFICERS RESIDENT IN HOPKINTON. Governor. 1830 Matthew Harvey. 1875 Edward D. Burnham. 1787 Joshua Bailey. 1823 Thomas W. Colby. 1825 Matthew Harvey. 1826 1827 1828 Bodwell Emerson. 1829 « 1831 Nathaniel Knowlton. 1784 Aaron Greeley. 1785 Benjamin B. Darling. 1786 Aaron Greeley. 1787 Joshua Bailey. 1788 Benjamin B. Darling. 1789 James Buswell. 1790 No election. 1791 Benjamin B. Darling. 1792 " " 1793 " " 1794 Thomas Bailey. 1795 " " 1796 1797 Timothy Darling. 1798 Thomas Bailey. 1799 Timothy Darling. 1800 Philip Greeley. 1801 " " 1802 Thomas Bailey. 1803 Benjamin B. Darling. 1804 Philip Greeley. 31 Councillors. 1883 Grovenor A. Curtice. Senaiors. 1832 Nathaniel Knowlton. 1839 Abram Brown. 1840 " " 1843 Ebenezer Symmes. 1861 John Burnham. 1862 " " 1881 Grovenor A. Curtice. 1885 Walter S. Davis. 1805 Benjamin B. Darling. 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 Bodwell Emerson. 1813 " " 1814 " " Matthew Harvey. 1815 Bodwell Emerson. Matthew Harvey. 1816 " " Bodwell Emerson. 1817 Matthew Harvey. Abram Brown. 1818 Matthew Harvey. Abram Brown. 1819 Matthew Harvey. ' Thomas W. Colby. 498 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 1820 Matthew Harvey. Thomas W. Colby. 1821 Nathaniel Knowlton. 1822 Thomas W. Colby. Abram Brown 1823 Thomas W. Colby. Abram Brown. 1824 Charles Chase. - Nathaniel Knowlton. 1825 Charles Chase. Nathaniel Knowlton. 1826 Bodwell Emerson. Abram Brown. 1827 Stephen Darling. Nathaniel Knowlton. 1828 " " Stephen Darling. 1829 Horace Chase. Phineas Clough. 1830 Nathaniel Curtis. 1881 " " Samuel Straw. 1832 Nathaniel Curtis. Samuel Straw. 1838 James Huse. Stephen Darling. 1884 James Huse. Abram Brown. 1835 " " Daniel Chase. 1836 " " Nathaniel Curtis. 1887 Thomas Bailey. 1838 " " Abraham Burnham. 1839 Joseph Barnard. Joab Patterson. 1840 Joseph Barnard. Joab Patterson. 1841 Robert Wilson. Josiah S. Knowlton. 1842 Robert Wilson. Josiah S Knowlton. 1848 No election. 1844 Samuel Colby. Moses Colby. 1845 David N. Patterson. John Page. 1846 John Burnham. David N. Patterson. 1847 John Burnham. John Page. 1848 Benjamin Loveren. Stephen Sibley. 1849 Benjamin Loveren. Stephen Sibley. 1850 Horace C. Stanley. Francis P. Knowlton. 1851 Joseph Dow. Jacob K. Clarke. 1852 Horace C. Stanley. Francis P. Knowlton. 1853 Jacob K. Clarke. Joseph Dow. 1854 Isaac D. Merrill. 1855 Timothy Colby. Paul R. George. 1856 James K. Story. Isaac D. Merrill. 1857 James K. Story. Samuel L F. Simpson. 1858 " '■ " Joseph Stanwood. 1859 James M. Burnham. 1860 Ira A. Putney. John M. Bailey. 1861 No election. 1862 Rufus P. Copps. Enoch J. Chase. 1863 Rufus P. Copps. Enoch J. Ch%se. 1864 Ira A. Putney. John M. Bailey. 1865 Horace Chase. James M. Burnham. 1866 John S. Kimball. Joab N. Patterson. 1867 John S. Kimball. George Brown. 1868 " " Thomas B. Jones. 1869 " " Reuben E. French. 1870 " " Joseph Barnard. 1871 Jeremiah S. Story. 1872 Jonathan M. Morrill. Alfred N. Chandler. 1873 Jonathan M. Morrill. Alfred N. Chandler. 1874 Edwin C. Bailey. COUNTY OFFICBES. 499 1874 John F. Currier. 1879 Eli A. Boutwell. 1875 " " 1881 Herman W. Greene. Grovenor A. Curtice. WUliam Montgomery. 1876 William H. Hardy. 1883 Augustus B. Wadsworth. Henry H. Crowell. John Stevens Kimball. 1877 " " 1885 Frank W. Morgan. Grovernor A. Curtice. Henrv D. Dustin. 1878 Walter S. Davis. 1887 John"G. Brockway. Edmund S. Straw. Herbert C. Dustin. 1879 (Chosen in November pre- 1889 Herman W. Greene. viously) Harvey Chase. Charles A. Morrill. CoTJNTY Officers. Solicitors. 1808-1817 Baruch Chase. 1817-1823 John Harris. 1876-1881 Herman W. Greene. Commissioner. 1857 Horace Edmunds. Registers. 1871-1873 Harvey Campbell. 1879-1881 John Stevens Kimball. Treasurer. 1881-1883 John F. Jones. Judges of Probate. 1812-1843 John Harris. 1843-1855 Horace Chase. 1855-1871 (Moving to Concord in 1856) Hamilton E. Perkins. 500 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. O I— ( H O O u W W H O o "o o o O C3 cu I- l-ll— I i 35 'o/^^ g^opL, 3« S ^■5 II - i-, S 03 S o; ■Jl - O B !- - "^ O O ^ O 13 O nii Cj OJ <1> ^ m GO O gill 02 O <^ <1 3 O 1-3 1-! <» c ^ a S c8 CO M P^ O o H H (3 fq cS CG O 1-5 ce o ,j3 S C3 c« -d CO o 1-5 m C3 pq c8 3 J3 g § 3 ce 1:~ l>5 -S 3 P-( a o 3 PL( 3 -3 B 3 a .a a o 3 Ph TOWN OFFICERS. 501 c bo fe= k t t ^ t 1 s= &■ a i- ^ ^. n n ^ pq e3 •-5 1 1 c3 CO ►? ►? 1 1 1 p c3 cS g a « B a) •g ^ a 1 ■a ^ !?i 1 g o i J3 I T3 i ,a o o 1 1 ■a CO 1 1-5 1 I CO ^ CO I- t- rH 00 1-\ rH 502 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. !2; o M < o o o o o O W pa fi i ij:^ ^ f^ t^ >> fij >j ;-j JrH a :a ce § C3 s =8 m m pa pa pq pa pa pq cd cd tS cd ed c3 s ce pi pj pi ^ ^ n pi s ^ ,J3 ja J3 ^ ,0 ^ O O o O o o o 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 I O TJ '=! ^ S W o O o o .3 :3 te 1 1— 1 1 si .a o o c3 CO 00 TOWN OFI'ICEES. 503 so bo ho £P SP lio &b • •y« £ |P £ £Q E £^« g|n £|fi all s:! I £0 § £| g =^^ o^ . a n .'^ B il d i^ a § . d b-^ fi b-^ fl . 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CD SO R 5 o ee == ° ■* S^^S^cgS^S^^HS^SpqwS^WS^ Si- o 1 1 Sr T3 p a a i <1 ■on 03 SO i ^ S'n a .s pfl o Sr n o a a (3 OJ S s w O w pq ' H a o o C3 w n o I EH Tj -d 'd 13 TJ g? £= fe> ^ s^ is ^ ^ ■a S ca c3 cS li S PP pq pq pq PQ o o o . o o O O O o o o c rt a a < 1 1-5 1 1 1 ■3 h fe" S^ >^ O ^ .rt a 1 "9 pq ^ 1 i •1 pq 1 .3 1 S 1 1 S PI 1 o i-s o 00 o 00 00 o 00 TOWN OFFICEKS. 505 ■||fe|s|||'d| -I -III i i|g^ sl'd|^e« .nJ3 pjd fc » S ffiSjs a « C.JS ts^.rtSrSS rt csTl-S p-p^.S^P^.S ffl;2ipq;2iq5§mSpHl2if^= >^ (»5 >-. ^ ,Q ^ ,a ja ^ ID ^ O o O O ID -2 ^ fH 1 3 B g S a C5 C5 o •a CO 1 1 .2 T3 1 3 1 o a >1 >= ^ i^ >> ^ f^ l>» >> •w ,r: ^ ^ ,a Xi ,i5 -Q ,Q ^ o o "o o o o O .5 O O O U o o o o O C3 ^ ^ ^ p: ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ n ?S ^ i i s § g g S§ 1 s a s g s a a a a 5 o o o o o o o o ,4 ^ ji J3 jS J3 JH J^ ^ H H H H H H H H H TJ 1 S g o5 d .3 .a OS w ,j3 1 a 1 1 a T3 1 CO o ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ l2i l2i m o 05 o T— ( (M CO -* lO «o Ir- 00 T-( T— 1 00 00 •00 00 CO 00 00 00 506 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 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So s 1 ^1 OJ o ^fR ^ £ ID & can. i ^ III -i ill o ■i ►^OH i-s ;2;Ht^H 1-5 [^ 03 IQ C S M 2 Ph o CLi 02 aa u P-i "i ^-^ tE|o| ;-i CQ ^ g'S.S 0) O 1 53 .a O B 1 ^ ^ ca ^ ^ a 3 .5 1 1 £ s £ g p3 00 .S d -a ca -S s :3 S M fl ^ 0) a> fl3 05 O Oi o tH ,o 1=^ ^ 1 CO 1 ^ 3 > . i-i il 1^ >> . 1 S3 il... § CO o P e3 Ms OS p 55 a o H o d 3^ ^i3l63i-i 02 ^1 a fo d o o 02 f^ goo t; ^ fH m CO .Is d ■a '5° SI d 61 d o.S ea m K H bB f-H a ^ ^ - tH rt o eg C3C5« >. -d t4 s "? i "3 1 03 fS ^ '2 M o pq O (^ p^. £ 4) s 1 ja a3 -q w w rd '5 t3 1 O 0) ^ ^ o 03 jd Jd « QJ <3i ^ 1^ +3 4^ c€ fl§ DO ^ rf HJ ii m c3 o a o eg g C3 ^ -a o ■^ J3 1:~ 00 OS Q T-H CM w 3 ra S5 m CO ■^ -H ■* ■^ ^ 00 00 i-H CO 1—1 tH QO 00 rH 00 i-H TOWN OFPICEKS. 509 T3 . 1^ 03 03 "^ i 8i> s> o fe « ■* fe bo ll s 0'° a ^ C2 ^ (H f^ d 5.S CO ^ a t' •^ .S i ^ Bm d. M g d ge W. Be ge W. 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OCOCDCDCCCOt~-^*l^- oot»oocooooooooooo 512 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. o o o c ^^ O _ - O OJ _• ^ (U P (I> (D H sQ ■ . o .-!ri o JH JOS fet) 2i i^H CD WW p m CO S S P g 03 S> J3 ID £ ™ c a CO ^ ^ - s s (-. 2 OJ f^ ■'3 «=1 Ifi^ ^ § g a 8 a hj o c:5 H 1^ o pig g s a-oa c 2 - 00 W^O g io c! a3 w "-fc, « I -S a f^-g a 'S ca f- s & ti t^ IB 2 ,^ a S ii '-' S a" P is a d h a a ii r^ S) fl ca ca ta cT ^ CJ O O e> C5 O o fq i-g iJ h:i 1-1 iJ hJ i-i T3 t3 ■73 TS T3 'O T3 % fe > > ? c4 c8 ca ca ca ca 5 Q Q Q « P Q Q s 03 a s 03 a 03 a 03 a (D 03 03 03 03 03 a> 03 03 ;h 1 ^ o o C5 O o O cS pq &: ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ CO a a a a g d a S ca ca ca ca c8 S y a a a B ^ .a 53 03 t- ^ 00 00 CO T— 1 00 I— 1 00 CO 00 1-1 60 TOWN OFFICERS. 513 S^, > - -id -*^ -e *H a • ^ %i g"-*3 o .o M P ^ (U > OJ |§ o o WW , • TO fHP-l 2 a5 01 bo 02 ■§ << fH Ph ^o Eg >^oa bo bo d I C5 w 1 bo iJ h-; o w o 1 o 1-5 c3 P-l d o 1-5 -§ C5 d o o 02 fH E3" S % s S >i3 I cS A d o 1-5 a o ^ d A d o 1-5 Ph d 1-5 1 d o 1-5 CO 00 1 n CO ^ C5 O e; e3 00 00 to 00 00 o o CO ^ I ^ ^ ^ ^ s g g i a g g a h w W W w I Ph d A g S =3 ft [i| d I O d a w 32 514 LIFE AJSTD TIMES IN HOPBJNTON. Supervisors of the Check-list. [Law of 1878.] 1878 GrroTenor A. Curtice, George K. Goodrich, Edward D. French. 1880 Frank W. Morgan, William E. Mudgett, Edward D. French. 1882 Frank I. Morrill, Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Runnels. 1884 Frank I. Morrill, Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Runnels. 1886 Frank I. MorriU, Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Runnels. 1888 Eli A. Boutwell, Edward G. Runnels, Daniel F. Fisk. Post-Mastbks in Hopkinton. HopHnton Village. 1811-1825 John Harris. 1858-1871 Dyer H. Sanborn. 1825-1829 George Harris. 1871-1882 David L. Gage. 1829-1850 Horace Chase. 1882- Lewis D. Evans. 1850-1858 Joseph Stanwood. Contoocook. 1831-1840 Thomas Burnham. 1869-1871 Grovenor A. Curtice. 1840-1844 Charles A. Savory. 1871-1872 Stillman C. Davis. 1844-1849 Prank R. Fuller. 1872-1877 Joab Patterson. 1849-1853 Hamilton E. Perkins. 1877-1885 Edgar W. Stevens. 1853-1881 Isaac D. MerrUl. 1885-1889 John A. Fuller. 1861-1869 Ira Dimond. 1889- Amos H. Currier. West HopMnton. 1857-1859 Joseph P. Dow. 1874-1879 Henry E. Wheeler. 1859-1867 James P. Sargent. 1879- Charles S. RoweU. 1867-1874 Isaac RoweU. Militia Field and Staff Officers. [The following residents- of Hopkinton were field and staff officers of the Fortieth Regiment. The dates represent the time of their commis- sions.] Colonels. Amos J. Simpson, 1847. Rufus P. Copps, 1848. Charles C. Kimball, 1853. Asa Kimball, 1830. William Colby, 1834. David M. Eaton, 1842. Hazen Kimball, 1843. MILITIA OPPICBES. 615 Lieutenant-Colonels. Asa Kimball, Tyler B. Hardy, Hazen Kimball, Amos J. Simpson, 1828. 1837. 1872. 1846. Rufus P. Copps, Charles F. Clough, Charles C. Kimball, Rufus B. Straw, 1847. 1850. 1851. 1853. Maj ors. Asa Kimball, Moses T. KimbaU, 1825. 1841. Rufus P. Copps, Charles F. Clough, 1846. 1849, Adjutants. Isaac Story, William W. Estabrooks, Charles A. Farnixm, Samuel Johnson, Rufus P. Copps, 1831. 1832. 1836. 1837. 1845. George Brown, Charles Gould, John M. Kimball, Charles C. Kimball, Isaac D. Merrill, 1847, 1848, 1849. 1850, 1852 Quartermasters. Joseph Stanwood, Robert Molineaux, William W. Estabrooks, Charles A. Farnum, 1829. 1830. 1831. 1834. Joseph Barnard, Richard F. Morgan, Isaac D. MerriU, Samuel Johnson, 1839. 1842, 1844, 1846, Paymasters. Horace Stanley, Jeremiah S. Story, Phineas Clough, 2d„ 1830. 1843. 1844. Charles Gould, James Kezar, 1845 1850' James F. Sargent, Charles A. Savory, Cyril C. Tyler, James A. D. W. Gregg, Alexander Rogers, Surgeons. 1836. James A. D. W. Gregg, 1843 1838. Alexander Rogers, 1844' Surgeon's Mates. 1832. Cyrus W. Fisk, 1844. 1842. Samuel L. F. Simpson, 1850. 1843. Michael Carlton, Arthur Caverno, Chaplains. 1825. D. Sidney Frost, 1830. S. T. Catlin, 1842. 1849. 516 LXPB AND TEMES IN HOPKINTON. Members of State Constitutional Conventions. 1778 Stephen Harriman. 1876 John M. Harvey. 1781 Joshua Bailey. John F. Jones. 1791 Aaron Greeley. 1889 Joseph Barnard. 1850 Phineas Clough. Walter S. Davis. John Burnham. The Census of Hopkinton at Different Times. 1767 473 1820 2,437 1773 943 1830 " 2,474 1775 1,085 1840 2,455 1783 1,488 1850 2,169 1786 1,537 1860 2,178 1790 1,715 1870 1,814 1800 2,015 1880 1,836 1810 2,216 GOVERNOR'S VOTE IN HOPKINTON. (Under the constitution of 1784, the chief magistrate of New Hamp- shire was president ; under the constitution of 1792, he became gov- ernor.) 1784 Josiah Bartlett, 56 ; Timothy Walker, 2. 1785 John Langdon, 89 ; Timothy Walker, 1. 1786 John Langdon, 133. 1787 John Langdon, 160 ; John Sullivan, 1. 1788 John Langdon, 101. 1789 John Pickering, 65 ; Timothy Walker, 8. 1790 John Pickering, 63; Timothy Walker, 31. 1791 Josiah Bartlett, 128. 1792 Josiah Bartlett, 142. 1793 Josiah Bartlett, 127 ; John Langdon, 1. 1794 Timothy Walker, 150. 1795 John T. Gilman, 71. 1796 John T. Gilman, 3 ; Timothy Walker, 125. 1797 John T. Gibnan, 51 ; Oliver Peabody, 40. 1798 John T. Gilman, 6; Timothy Walker, 132; Timothy Farrah, 2 ; Oliver Peabody, 2 ; John Goddard, 3. 1799 John T. Gilman, 111 ; Timothy Walker, 14. 1800 John T. Gilman, 92 ; Timothy Walker, 115. 1801 John T. Gilman, 111 ; Timothy Walker, 86. 1802 John T. Gilman, 119 ; John Langdon, 103. 1803 John T. Gilman, 123 ; John Langdon, 188. 1804 John T. Gilman, 137 ; John Langdon, 156. 1805 John Langdon, 192 ; John T. Gilman, 115. 1806 John Langdon, 178 ; Oliver Peabody, 1 ; Timothy Farrah, 62 ; B. Chase, 1. 1807 John Langdon, 163 ; John T. Gilman, 1 ; Oliver Peabody, 1. 1808 John Langdon, 129; Oliver Peabody, 1 ; Baruoh Chase, 1. governor's vote. 517 1809 John LangdoB, 194 ; Jeremiah Smith, 136. 1810 Jeremiah Smith, 114 ; John Langdon, 197 ; Baruch Chase, 1. 1811 John Langdon, 213; Jeremiah Smith, 102; Joshua Darling, 2; Nathaniel Bodwell, Jr., 1. 1812 William Plumer, 192 ; John T. Gilman, 108. 1813 William Plumer, 220; John T. Gilman, 152. 1814 William Plumer, 288 ; John T. Gilman, 158. 1815 William Plnmer, 232; John T. Gilman, 152. 1816 William Plumer, 252 ; James Sheafe, 145. 1817 William Plumer, 238 ; James Sheafe, 115 ; Jeremiah Mason, 4. 1818 William Plumer, 231 ; William Hale, 83 ; Jeremiah Mason, 2. 1819 Samuel Bell, 73 ; William Hale, 78 ; Michael McClary, 81 ; David L. Morril, 6 ; Jonathan Harvey, 6 ; William Plumer, 3 ; Arthur Livermore, 2. 1820 Samuel Bell, 177 ; John Harris, 2 ; John Bell, 3 ; Aaron Bus- vsreU, 1 ; Jonathan Harvey, 3 ; Moses Bailey, 1 ; Jacob Rogers, 1 ; A. Silver, 1 ; David L. Morril, 1. 1821 Samuel Bell, 144 ; Jonathan Harvey, 8 ; Nathaniel Curtis, 1 ; Nathaniel Knowlton, 1 ; Josiah Jewett, 3 ; Thomas W. Colby, 1. 1822 Samuel Bell, 117 ; Jonathan Harvey, 14 ; David L. Morril, 10 ; John Harris, 1 : Jeremiah Mason, 1 ; James Sheafe, 1 ; Josiah Jewett, 1 ; Thomas T. Burnham, 1. 1823. Levi Woodbury, 244 ; Samuel Dinsmore, 115 ; Jeremiah Mason, 1 ; Timothy Darling, Jr., 1. 1824 Levi Woodbury, 21 ; David L. Morril, 148 ; Jeremiah Smith, 105 ; Jonathan Harvey, 12 ; Matthew Harvey, 3 ; John Bell, 1. 1825 David L. Morril, 227 ; John Greeley, 5 ; Thomas Williams, 4 ; Levi Woodbury, 2 ; Benjamin Pierce, 1 ; Stephen Sibley, 1. 1826 David L. Morril, 78 ; Benjamin Pierce, 208 ; William Little, 1 ; Chase Sleeper, 1. 1827 Benjamin Pierce, 206 ; Matthew Harvey, 58 ; David L. Morril, 2 ; Salma Hale, 1 ; Isaiah Webber, 1 ; Joseph Jewett, 1 ; Abraham Davis, 1. 1828 Benjamin Pierce, 275; John Bell, 168. 1829 Benjamin Pierce, 309; John Bell, 138 ; Moses Hoyt, 2; Matthew Harvey, 1. 1830 Matthew Harvey, 301 ; Timothy Upham, 115. 1831 Samuel Dinsmore, 255; Ichabod Bartlett, 133. 1832 Samuel Dinsmore, 270 ; Ichabod Bartlett, 101; Horace Chase, 1. 1833 Samuel Dinsmore, 285 ; Arthur Livermore, 49 ; William Web- ber, 1. 1834 William Badger, 277 ; Jonathan Harvey, 1 ; Asa Kimball, 3. 1835 William Badger, 254 ; Joseph Healey, 97 ; Arthur Livermore, 1 ; Samuel Folsom, 1; George W. Morse, 1; Reuben Austin, 1 ; Joshua T. Tufts, 1. 1836 Isaac Hiil, 243 : John Gage, 1 ; William Straw, Jr., 2 ; Joseph Healey, 1 ; Ralph C. Ordway. 1. 1837 Isaac Hill, 234 ; Joseph Healey, 7 ; William Perry, 1 ; James B. Kelley, 1 ; Samuel H. Train, 1 ; Daniel Flanders, 1 ; Ralph C. Ordway, 1 ; Seth Tuttle, 1. 1838 Isaac Hill, 296 ; James Wilson, Jr., 189 ; George Kent, 1 ; Elipha- let Holmes, 1. 1839 John Page, 312 ; James Wilson, 174. 518 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. 1840 John Page, 292 ; Enos Stevens, 124 ; George Kent, 2 ; Stephen Sibley, 1 ; Ezekiel Dow, 3. 1841 John Page, 284 ; Enos Stevens, 145 ; Daniel Hoyt, 4 ; Ezekiel Dow, 1. 1842 Henry Hubbard, 253 ; John H. White, 67 ; Enos Stevens, 94 Daniel Hoyt, 13 ; Mary Knowlton, 1. 1843 Henry Hubbard, 224 ; John H. White, 74 ; Anthony Colby, 94 John Hoyt, 1 ; FrankKn Pierce, 1 ; Daniel Hoyt, 1. 1844 John H. Steele, 239 ; John H. White, 41 ; Anthony Colby, 83 Daniel Hoit, 69 ; Franklin Pierce, 1. 1845 John H. Steele, 186 : Anthony Colby, 113 ; Daniel Hoyt, 67 ; John H. White, 15; John L. White, 1 ; Joshua Morse, 1. 1846 Jared W. Williams, 245 ; Anthony Colby, 78 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 134 ; James Hoyt, 1; John H. White, 1. 1847 Jared W. WiUiams, 275 ; Anthony Colby, 116 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 82. 1848 Jared W. WUliams, 284 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 156 ; Anthony Colby, 3 ; James Hoyt, 1. 1849 Samuel Dinsmore, 248 ; Levi Chamberlin, 76 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 66. 1850 Samuel Dinsmore, 253 ; Levi Chamberlin, 72 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 62 ; John Currier, 1. 1851 Samuel Dinsmore, 235; Thomas E. Sawyer, 95; John Atwood, 149. 1852 Noah Martin, 265; Thomas E. Sawyer, 105 ; John Atwood, 90. 1853 Noah Martin, 250 ; James BeU, 79 ; John H. White, 56 ; Joshua Morse, 4; Isaac Story, 1 ; Thomas Sawyer, 1 ; Oah Martin, 1. 1854 Nathaniel B. Baker, 262; James BeU, 83; Jared Perkins, 81. 1855 Nathaniel B. Baker, 248 ; James Bell, 29 ; Ralph MetcalE, 219 ; Asa Fowler, 7. 1856 John S. Wells, 258 ; Ralph Metcalf, 246 ; Ichabod Goodwin, 15. 1857 John S. Wells, 295; William HaUe, 267. 1858 Asa P. Cate, 287 ; WilUam Haile, 264. 1859 Asa P. Cate, 297 ; Ichabod Goodwin, 254. 1860 Asa P. Cate, 303 ; Ichabod Goodwin, 262. 1861 George Stark, 278 ; Nathaniel S. Berry, 241. 1862 George Stark, 274 ; Nathaniel S. Berrv, 218 ; Paul J. Wheeler, 19. 1863 Ira A. Eastman, 174 ; Joseph A. GUmore, 158 ; Walter Harri- man, 53. 1864 Edward W. Harrington, 264 ; Joseph A. Gilmore, 245 ; Walter Harriman, 2. 1865 Edward W. Harrington, 241 ; Frederick Smyth, 219. 1866 John G. Sinclair, 240 ; Frederick Smyth, 238. 1867 Walter Harriman, 240 ; John G. Sinclaii-, 230. 1868 Walter Harriman, 260 ; John G. Sinclair, 242. 1869 John Bedel, 229 ; Onslow Stearns, 256. 1870 Onslow Stearns, 269 ; John Bedel, 173 ; Samuel Fliat, 54. 1871 James Pike, 247; James A. Weston, 231 ; Lemuel M. Cooper, 3. 1872 Ezekiel A. Straw, 241; James A. Weston, 243; Lemuel P. Cooper, 2. 1873 Samuel K. Mason, 9 ; Ezekiel A. Straw, 202 ; James A. Weston, 239. THE OBTHODOX FAITH. 519 1874 Luther McCutchins, 230 ; James A. Weston, 237. 1875 Person C. Cheney, 255 ; Hiram R. Roberts, 241. 1876 Daniel Maroy, 256 ; Person C. Cheney, 252 ; Asa S. KendeU, 1 ; Asa Fowler, 1. 1877 Daniel Marcy, 213 ; Benjamin F. Prescott, 261. 1878 Frank A. McKean, 212; Benjamin F. Prescott, 250. 1879 Natt Head, 233 ; Frank A. McKean, 191 ; Warren G. Brown, 10 ; Charles H. Bell, 2. 1881 Charles H. Bell, 285; Frank Jones, 240. 1883 Samuel W. Hale, 245 ; Martin V. B. Edgerly, 213 ; Josiah M. Fletcher, 3. 1885 Moody Currier, 267 ; John M. Hill, 221 ; Larkin D. Mason, 12 ; George Carpenter, 2. 1887 Charles H. Sawyer, 250 ; Thomas Cogswell, 213 ; Joseph Went- worth, 7. 1889 David H. Goodell, 276 ; Charles H. Amsden, 219 ; Edgar L. Carr, 4. The Orthodox F^ith. (The following is the expression of the orthodox faith, as defined by the Congregational church, organized in 1757, and which the settlers of Hopkinton were legally bound to support.) I. We believe that there is but one God, the Creator, Preserver, and moral Governor of the universe ; a being of infinite power, knowledge, wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth, the self-existent, independent, and immutable fountain of good. II. We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testa- ment were given by inspiration of God ; that they are profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, and for instruction in righteous- ness ; arid that they are our only rule of doctrinal belief and relig- ious practice. III. We believe that the mode of divine existence is such as lays a foundation for a distinction into three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and that these three are one in essence, and equal in power and glory. IV. We believe that God has made all things for himself ; that knovm unto him are all his works from the beginning ; and that he governs all things according to the counsel of his own will. V. We believe that the divine law and the principles and admin- istration of the divine goverrmient are perfectly holy, just, and good ; and that all rational beings are bound to approve of them as such. VI. We believe that God at first created man in his own image, in a state of rectitude and holiness, and that he fell from the state by transgressing the divine command in the article of forbidden fruit. VTl. We believe that in consequence of the first apostasy, the heart of man in his natural state is destitute of aU holiness, and in a 520 LIFE A^D TIMES IN HOPKINTON. state of positive disaffection with the law, character, and govern- ment of God ; and that all men previous to regeneration are dead in trespasses and siis. VHI. We believe that Christ, the Son of God, has, by his obedi- ence, sufferings, and death, made atonement for sin ; that he is the only Redeemer of sinners ; and that all who are saved will be altogether indebted to the grace and mercy of God for their salva^ tion. IX. "We believe that although the invitation of the Grospel is such that whosoever wiU may come and take of the water of life freely, yet the depravity of the human heart is such that no man will come to Christ except the Father, by the special and efficacious in- fluences of his Spirit, draw him. X. We believe that those who embrace the Gospel were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before him in love ; and that they are saved, not by works of righteousness which they have done, but according to the distinguishing mercy of God through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. XI. We believe that those who cordially embrace Christ, although they may be left to fall into sin, will never be left finally to fall away and perish, but will be kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salvation. XII. We believe that there will be a general resurrection of the bodies both of the just and unjust. XTTI. We believe that all mankind must one day stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, to receive a just and final sentence of retribution according to the deeds done in the body ; and that, at the day of judgment, the state of all wiU be unalterably fixed ; and that the pvmishment of the wicked and the happiness of the righteous will be endless. XIV. We believe that Christ has a visible church in the world, into which none in the sight of God but real believers, and none in the sight of men but visible believers, have right of admission. XV. We believe that the sacraments of the New Testament are Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; that believers in regular church standing only can consistently partake of the Lord's Supper ; and that visible believers and their households only can consistently be admitted to the ordinance of Baptism. Early Membbks of the Church. (The Congregational church in Hopkinton was legally the town church till 1819.) Members from 1757 to 1773. James Scales, David WoodweU, Aaron Kimball, Jonathan Straw, William Peters, Joseph Eastman, jun., Peter How, Abraham Colebe, EAULY MEMBEES OP THE CHUECH. 521 Matthew Stanley, Enoch Eastman, Caleb Burbank, Susanna Scales, Mary Wood well, Mary Straw, Hannah l^eters, Mary Stanley, Elizabeth How, Stephen Hoyt, Lydia Ordway, Lydia Burbank, Abigail Eastman, Mehitable Ordway, Elizabeth Eastman, Abigail Hoyt, Betty Colebe, Rebecca Eastman, Susanna Kimball, Phebe Colebe, Ruth Burbank, Elizabeth Eastman, John Burbank, Rebecca Burbank, Stephen Scales, Hannah Annis, Jotham How, Mary How, John Ordway, Mary Car- bott, Jeremiah Kimball, Elizabeth Kimball, Abigail Kimball, Elizabeth Straw, Martha Straw, John Gage, Elizabeth Gage, Zebadiah Watson, Mary Watson, Eunice Watson, Thomas Wortley, Abel Kimball, Han- nah Colebe, Tabitha Gould, Pelatiah Watson, Sarah Watson, Jeremiah Fowler, Timothy Kimball, Mary Kimball, Moses Gould, Anna Gould, Peter Sargent, Ruth Sargent, Moses Straw, Richard Merrill, Joanna Merrill, Abraham Kimball, Phebe Kimball, Greene French, Elizabeth French, Judith Pressy, Nathan Gould, Ruth Stanley, Samuel Hoit, Joanna Hoit, Sargent Currier, Sarah Currier, Ezra Hoyt, Judith Hoyt, George Page, Nathan Sargent, Jemima Sargent, Josiah Ward, Martha Smith, Dorothy Smith, Deborah Duty, Moses Hills, Hannah Hills, James Smith, John Jewett, jun., Abner Gourdon, Elizabeth Gourdon, Eliphalet Colby, Mary Colby. Members from 1 773 to 1 789. Elijah Fletcher, Timothy Clement, Hannah Clement, Abigail Fel- lo-ws, Joseph Hovey, Abigail Hovey, Elizabeth Bachelder, Abigail Harris, Abigail Kimball, Elizabeth Sargent, Mary Colebe,^ Aaron Kim- ball, Susanna Conner, John Darling, Hannah Darling, Mary Tyler, Adonijah Tyler, Judith Silver, Benjamin Jewett, Mrs. Jewett, Rachel Webber, Jemima Smith, Benjamin Holmes, Mary Holmes, Lydia Holmes, Judith Eastman, Enoch Long, Abigail Long, Mary Bailey, Humphrey Bailey, Hannah Bailey, Jemima Currier, John Currier, Lydia Davis, Nabby Sargent, Mary Hammond, Rebecca Morse, John Morse, Rebecca Fletcher, Abigail Cross, Elizabeth Straw, Sarah Story, Abigail Straw, Jonathan Allen, Sarah Allen. Members from 1789 to 1791. Jacob Cram, Anna Nichols, John Boynton, Sarah Colby, Samuel Farrington, Marion Farrington, Enoch Long, jun., Mary Flanders, Jonathan Herrick, Rachel Herrick, Ruth Gage, Juda Kimball, Thomas Story, Ephraim Colby, Mary Colby, Caesar Webber, David Long, Mary Long, Hannah Long, Dille Clement, Abigail French, Hannah Hoit, Lois Howe, Tamison Eastman, Sarah Fisk, Ezekiel Dimond, Micah Flanders, Lucy Eastman, Jemima Jewett, Abigail Colby, Caty Jewett, Isaac Cheeney, Abiah Cheeney. Members from 1792 to 1799. Jeremiah Story, John Hoyt, jr., Betty Hoyt, Hannah Colby, Susanna Cheeney, Daniel Allen, Elisha AUen, Benjamin Sleeper, Hannah Sleeper, Hannah Sleeper, Reuben French, Enoch Hoyt, Stephen Sargent, James Clement, Daniel Hale, jr., Daniel Young, Moses Hoyt, Moses Sargent, Moses Tenney, Nathaniel Colby, Caleb Gordon, Isaac Bailey, jr., Ben- »At this point oocura a name whicli is irrecoverable. 522 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. iamin Swain, Sarah Swain, Isaac Bailey, Samuel Straw, 3d, Nathaniel Howe, Samuel Kimball, Stephen M. Bailey, James Davis, Joshua Cur- rier, Jotham Howe, jr., Alice Hoyt, Rachel Story, Joanna Tenney, Susanna Story, Betty Story, Hannah Stocker, Gertrude Gould, Anna Collins, Rhoda Howe, Lydia Burbank, Hannah Holmes, Lydia Holmes, Molly Bailey, Betty Straw, Abigail Bailey, Moses Smith, Sarah Smith, Francis Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell, John Dimond, Dorothy Runnels, Abagail Stickney, Abigail Dimond, Sarah Story. Members from 1800 to 1818. Bathsheba Smith, Sally French, DoUy Greeley, Polly Gage, Mrs. Flanders, Betty Tyler, Jonathan French, Sally French, Nathan Greeley, SaUy Greeley, Rachel Bailey, John Webber, John Bailey, Peggy Bailey, Moses Story, Lydia Kimball, Andrew Sherburne, Elizar beth Sherburne, Priscilla Kimball, Esther Bailey, Mrs. Gage, Jemima Trussel, Anthony Colby, Elizabeth Ober, Lydia Allen, Hannah Gage, Eleanor Allen, Priscilla Allen, Sally Towne, Mary Ladd, Patty Lee, Ephraim Fisk, Sarah Hall, Nathan Story, Mrs. Story, Nabby Colby, Joshua Bailey, David Merrill, Thomas Webber, Thirza Webber, Tim- othy Colby, Mary Colby, Sarah Sawyer, Richard Hall, jun., Nathan Kelley, Stephen Farrington, Polly Farrington, Benjamin Farrington, Mary Farrington, Olive Barnard, James B. Colby, John Gage, Mrs. Gage, Richard Kelley, Thomas Farwell, Eliza Eastman, Charlotte Straw, Betsey Proctor, Elizabeth Carr, Andrew W. Ober, Polly Ober, Asa Herrick, Anna Clement, Anna Proctor, Sally Herrick, Nancy Brown, Eleanor Howe, James Tuttle, Elizabeth Colby, Anstis Whit- ing, Rebecca Merrill, Elizabeth Hoyt, Hannah Colby, Betsey Herrick, Lucy Proctor, Jane Morse, Sally Ingalls, Sally Colby, Philip Greely, Dolly Greely, Moses Carr, Abigail Carr, Eliphalet Holmes, Nancy Holmes, Samuel Cilley, Molly Clement, Phebe Morse, Judith Story, Eunice Kelley, Martha Greeley, Hannah Story, Caleb Chase, Timothy Ladd, Martha Ladd, Samuel Bickford, Ruth Bickford, Ichabod Gould, Mehitable Gould, Grover Dodge, Lydia Hall, Phebe Eaton, Abiah Ten- ney, Sarah Burbank, Martha Greeley, Mary Crowell, Jemima Sargent, Tamar Woodward, Rhoda Tenney,Eleanor Story, Lydia Story, Jeremiah Webber, Richard Colby, John Allen, Sarah FarweU, Sarah Herrick, Betsey Patch, Sarah Eastman, Mary Herrick, Hannah Colby, Hannah Colby, Mary Carlton, Sarah Brown, Phebe Story, Susanna Merrill, Asen- ath Herrick, Joshua Clement. Enoch Howe, Lucy Long, Elizabeth Kel- ley, Hannah Chase, Mary Tenney, Lydia French, Enoch Long, 3d, Thomas Bailey, jun., Isaac Merrill, Lydia Webber, Catharine Bailey, Sarah Bailey, Isaiah Webber, Andrew Lydstone, Anna Hoyt, Anna Ten- ney, Philip Farrington, Mrs. Tuttle, Bethiah Jewett, Olive Lydstone, Sally Darling, Lydia Greeley, Joseph Towne, Margaret Towne, Hannah Chase, John Sleeper, Sarah Sleeper, Nancy Emerson, Anna Darling, Mai-y Webber, Daniel Allen, Nancy AUen, Isaac Long, Hannah Tyler, Sally Robinson, Dudley Trow, Maria Trow, Alvin Hastings, Daniel Morrill, Lydia Morrill, Martha Trow, Sarah G. Smith, Moses Sargent, jun., John S. Knowlton, Sally Williams, Abigail Bailey, Lettice Elliot, Hannah Smart, Betsey Smart, Anna Darling, Mary Knowlton, Sally S. Knowlton, Sally S. Trow, Luther J. Fitch, Thomas S. French, Sally Howe, Almira Silsby, Sally Danforth, Daniel J. Perley, Abigail Til- comb, Lucy Patch, Lydia Morse, Isaac Proctor, Harriet T. Towne, Abigail Long, Edward Russel, Hannah Sargent. EBENBZBR BLAISDELL S INDENTUBE. 523 Deacons of the Town Church. William Peters, 1759. Nathan Sargent, 1784. David Woodwell, 1760. Isaac Bailey, 1794. Matthew Stanley, 1773. Jotham Howe, 1794. Abel Kimball, 1773. Thomas Farwell, 1812. A Summary of the inventory of Hopkinton, and of industrial items, as compiled by the selectmen in 1889. Inventory. Polls, 429, $42,900 Land and buildings, 694,446 Horses, 399, 28,794 Oxen 187, 8,736 Cows, 1,083, 26,868 Neat stock, 509, 7,734 Sheep, 450, 1,124 Hogs, 34, 844 Carriages, 24, 2,104 Public funds, 14,880 Invested in state corporations, 13,300 Invested in other corporations, 2,200 Money at interest, 53,952 Stock in trade, 14,900 Mills, 12,540 Total, • $924,822 Industrial Items. Butter, 82,633 lbs. Cheese, 4,730 lbs. Milk,sold, 51,500 gals. Fertilizers, bought, 44 tons. Wool, 2,965 lbs. Ensilage, 355 tons. Summer boarders, received of, $9,800 Copt of Ebenezeb Blasdbl's Indentubb. This Indenture made the Sixteenth Day of March one thousand Seven hundred & Sixty Nine Between William Parker, Esq[ Joseph Eastman & David Tilton Yeomen Selectmen of the East parish in Kingston in the Province of New Hampshire of the one Part and Joseph Barnard of Amesbury in the County of Essex & Province of the Massachusetts Bay Yeoman, of the other Part Witnessed that the said Selectmen by & with the assent of two of his Majesty's justices of the Peace for the Province of New Hamp- shire aforesaid whose names are hereimto written Have put out & Bound Ebenezer BlaisdeU a poor chUd of the said East parish to 524 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. the said Joseph Barnard for & during the term of Thirteen Tears from the Date hereof fully to be Compleat & Ended during which time the said Apprentice his said master faithfully shall serve, his Secrets keep his lawful Commands everywhere gladly do & in all things behave himself as a faithful Servant ought to do, at Cards & dice & other unlawful games he shall not play Tav- erns he shall not haunt, Fornication he shall not Commit nor Matrimony contract not absent himself from the Service of his said Master without his said Master's leave — And the said Joseph Bar- nard doth hereby covenant & engage for himself his Executors and administrators to & with the said Selectmen & their Succes- sors that he wUl teach & instruct the said apprentice the art or Science of a husbandman which he now uses with all things belong- ing thereunto or cause him to be well & Sufficiently taught & instructed therein after the best way & manner he can — & will also learn him the said apprentice to read & write & cypher as far as is sufficient to keep such a tradesman's book of accounts and that he vpiU also find & allow unto the said apprentice meat drink washing lodging & apparel & all other necessaries in Sickness & health & convenient for such an apprentice during the term aforesaid — and at the expiration of said Term shall & will give the Said apprentice one entire new Suit of apparel from head to foot inclusively (over & above his then clothing) as is suitable for such an apprentice. In Witness whereof the Said Parties have hereunto set their hands & Seals interchangeably the Day & year above written — Signed Sealed & Delivered In presence of us Wm. Parker, Jr. (L. S.) WiUiam Parsons Joseph Eastman (L. S.) Nathl. BacheUor David TUton (L. S.) -a ■ f ) We the Subscribers two of his Majesty's Justices of „ ^ TT f the Peace for said Province hereby attest our as- P ) sent to the within. Jeremy Webster 1 j„,. pe^.^. Josiah Bartlett . ) The Will of John Joirais. (Copy contributed by A. H. Fitch, Esq., of Hopkinton, Mass.) In the name of God, Amen, this twenty ninth day of October, Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred seventy two, and in the thirteenth year of his Majesties Keign, &c. — I John Jones of Hopkinton, in the county of Middlesex & Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Esquire — being sound in my understanding and memory (praised be Grod THE WILL or JOHN JONES. 525 therefor) and calling to mind my fraUity and mortality, do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say first of all I recommend my soul into the hands of God who gave it, and my body I commit to the earth to be buried in decent manner at the discretion of my Executor hereinafter- named hoping thro the merits of Christ my dear saviour to obtain the pardon of all my sins & a glorious resurrection to eternal life. And touching such worldly Goods & Estate as it hath pleased God to bless me withal in this life, I give, demise, & dispose thereof in manner following — ^viz. Impr. I give & bequeath unto my well beloved wife Mary twenty six poimds, thirteen shillings & four pence, the one half part of said smn to be paid within six months & the other half part thereof to be paid within twelve months next after my decease, & also the sum six pounds thirteen shillings & four pence to be paid immediately after my decease and if not paid to be from that time on Interest. And also all the household goods she brought with her, agreeable to an Inventory with the settlement before marriage, and also a privilege in my dwelling house together with my Executor at the Cost of the Estate for Subsistence, and the use of my Horse and Chaise it she chooses to accept & improve it during her pleasure — Item I give & bequeath to my. loving son Simpson Jones over and above what I have settled on him by Deed, my Negro Man named James, also one third part of my Oxen, Horses, & Steers, and Utensils for Husbandry ; also the Book called the Morning Exercise, and Law Book. And in case my said son Simpson survives his present wife, the above articles are bequeathed to him, his heirs & assigns forever, but in case his present wife survives they are bequeathed duly to him during his natural life & after his decease to the heirs of his body and to their heirs & assigns forever. I have bequeathed to my said son Simpson no part in my Will because I have lately paid him the sum of forty pounds lawful money — Item. I give and bequeath to my loving son John Jones and to his heirs & assigns forever over and above what I have settled on tiim by Deed one half part of my Grist Mill, & Saw-Mill with one half of the Pond, Stream & Damm & Utensils for each MUl, and one half of about three quarters of an acre of land includ- ing the Gravel-Pit and one half the old end of the dwelling house. Also my Negro Man named Tom. Also one third part of my Horses, Oxen, and Steers & utensils for Husbandry, and the whole of my Cyder Mill and Press. Also my silver hUted sword, & cane and surveying instruments, my silver Tankard Bible with annotations and the Law Book which he now has, also all my books of Record containing the conveyances of Hopkinton and Upton Lease Lands, or Common Lands drawn in consequence of 526 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKETTON. them, also the Proprietors Book of Records, and all the plans relat- ing to said Lands. Item. I give and bequeath to my loving son Anthony Jones & his heirs & assigns forever (over and above what I have settled on him by Deed one haK part of my Grist-MiU & Saw-MUl, and one half part of the pond, stream, and damm & utensils for each mUl, and one half of about three quarters of an acre of land including the Gravel Pit and the old end of the dvrelling house, also one third part of my horses, oxen & steers & utensils for hus- bandry, also my Negro Boy Bacchus, also all my wearing apparel, my spout cup, looking glass, great chair and cane chairs in the West Room, also one great Bible & Mr. WiUards Body of Divin- ity. Item. I give & bequeath to my grandson, Nathaniel Alden Jones all my lands in a place called New Hopkinton in the Province of New Hampshire to him, his heirs and assigns forever. Item. I give & bequeath to Grandsons John Jones & Isaac Jones in equal shares two thirds parts of the seventy five acre Lot lying between njy own Land and the Lot that Hugh Black liv'd on, to them, their heirs & assigns forever. Also I give my Gun to my said Grandson John Jones — Item. I give & bequeath to my daughter, Anne Saltmarsh her heirs & assigns forever thirteen acres of land adjoining to the Land whereon she now lives to be valued as part of her portion at thirteen pounds, six shillings, and eight pence. — Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Hannah Homes her heirs & assigns forever fifty acres of land situate near the Land she with her husband now lives on, to be valued as part of her por- tion at thirty pounds. — Item I give & bequeath unto John, Isaac & Elizabeth Smith, the children of my daughter Abigal Cuzzens by her first hus- band Smith, & to their heirs and assigns thirty pounds to be equally divided among them, which thirty pounds thus given to said three children of my daughter Cuzzens is to be deemed and reckoned part of the portion and deducted therefrom. Item. I give & bequeath to my six daughters or their repre- sentatives, viz : to the heirs of Mary Robinson dec'd to the heirs of Elizabeth Learned dec'd & to Sarah Chapman, Anne Saltmarsh, Hannah Homes and Abigail Cuzzens, to each of them the sum of fifty pounds, to them, their heirs & assigns, to be paid by my Executor as soon as it can be raised out of the money due to me for the Lands which I have sold which were formerly Chapmans & Hawding's, which fifty pounds is to be over and above what I advanc'd to each of them — ^furniture &c — at marriage, but what they or their husbands otherwise owe me is to be esteem'd a part of said bequest & deducted therefrom. Item. It is my will & pleasure that all my Books, Plate, and THE WILL OF JOHN JONES. 527 Negroes also my Stock of Cattle, and household Furniture not other- wise disposed of in this my last wiU be equally divided among my six daughters or their legal representatives in equal shares viz — Sarah Chapman, Anne Saltmarsh, Hannah Homes, & Abigail Cuzzens and the heirs of Elizabeth Learned, dec'd & to Mary Robinson dec'd them their heirs & assigns. But so that the Lands which I have herein given to my daughters Anne Saltmarsh, Hannah Homes and the children of Abigail Cuzzen by her first hus- band be accounted as part of the equal portion of my said daughters Sarah, Anne, Hannah, and Abigail & simis herein set down & also provided heirs of my daughters Robinson and Learned wiU my estate of a Legacy given to my said daughters by their Grandfather Simp- son & which I have paid but have lost or mislaid the Receipts otherwise to be excluded . . . the benefit of this Bequest. Item. It is my will and pleasure that aU the remainder of my estate both real & personal, not disposed of in this . . . and testament, after paying my just debts & legal charges (and ex- cepting my rights in Cedar Swamp which are hereby given to my three sons in equal shares) be and hereby is given & bequeathed to my nine children or their legal representatives in nine equal shares or divisions viz : Simpson, John and Anthony, Mary and Elizabeth dec'd, Sarah, Anne, Hannah and Abigail, to them their heirs & assigns-^Provided nevertheless and it is my express wiU and pleasure that if any of my heirs Legatees herein named shall be disatisfied with my last WUl, and shall bring any action or actions to put my Executor to Trouble or Expense that then, and in such case He or She shall be excluded from any benefit of what may be herein bequeathed to him or her. Item. Whereas, I have disposed of my Negro Slaves to and among my Children & Legatees as is before express'd in this my last will, and testament, it is my express WiU & Pleasure that those to whom said Negroes are given shall maintain them in case of their being sick, unprofitable or burthensome otherwise my Executor hereafter named is directed and impowered to deduct so much out of the Legacies and Bequests herein given to such refus- ing and neglecting Legatees as shall be sufficient to secure to such infirm slaves a sufficient maintenance. Ult" I name, ordain, constitute & appoint my beloved & trusty son John Jones sole Executor of this my last WUl and Testa- ment hereby revoking and making null and void all former Wills and Testaments by me at any time heretofore made — In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day & date herein before written — Memorand" It is my WiU and Pleasure that whereas I have disposed of the greater part of my Lands to and amongst my three sons by Deeds of Gift by which they are to come into possession 528 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKJNTON. immediately after my decease, & whereas it may so happen that I may decease at a time when there is a crop on the Groimd I there- fore or if it should so happen that said crops in the Barn, shall go & belong to those who occupied said Lands the preceding season by give & bequeath to my son John Jones of an acre of land in said Hopkinton lying on . Brook between the land of s'd John Jones and the . Clark J^m^ as the same is now bounded and fenc'd. John Jones. Signed, seal'd, published and declared as his last will and Testa- ment in presence of us who have subscribed our names in the Tes- tators presence Jno Wilson. Jesse Rice. Ezra Gleason. A true copy of the Original Attest Wm. Kneeland, Reg'. Copy of Deed of Negbo Slave. Know aU men by These Presents that I Ruth Currier Relict of John Currier late of Kingston in the state of New Hamp in New England Deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Seven pounds L M To me in hand before ye Delivery hereof Well and truly paid by Joseph Barnard of Hopkinton in the State of New Hampshire aforesaid The receipt whereof I do acknowledge Have Given granted Bargained and Sold and by these Presents Do give grant Bargain Sell Convey and Confirm unto the Said Joseph Barnard his heirs and assigns forever a Certain Negro man Named Seco aged about thirty six years of age Said Negro was given to me in the last Will & Testament of my late husband John Currier Late of Kingston deceased. To Have and to Hold the Said Negro to biTin the said Joseph Barnard his heirs and assigns to his & their only proper use Bene- fit forever and I the Said Ruth Currier for myself my heirs Execu- tors & Administrators do hereby Covenant Grant and agree to and with the said Joseph Barnard his heirs & assigns that until the Delivery hereof I am the lawful owner of the said Negro and am lawfully Seized and possessed of him in my own Right in Fee Simple and have full power and Lawful Authority to Grant & Convey him in manner aforesaid and yt I and my heirs Executors & Administrators shall and will warrant to said Negro to the said Barnard his heirs & assigns agt the lawful Claims & demands of any Person or Persons Whomsoever I Witness whereof I have THE PETITION OP ABEL EOWELL. 529 hereunto set my hand & Seal this twenty ninth Day of March Annoque Domini 1777. her Signed Sealed ad Delivered Euth X Currier. mark in presence of us (L. S.) Elijah Clough Phebe Currier The Petition of Abel Rowell. (Confined in Amherst jail, 1792.) To the Inhabitants of the Town of Hopkinton : The petition of Abel Rowell, a prisoner in the great stone jail at Amherst : Gen- tlemen : Being confined in a gloomy prison, oppressed with pros- pects still more gloomy and dismal, and covered with shame and confusion for my crimes, the sole cause of my present sufBering, I should be driven to a state of desperation, had I not some ground of hope in your benevolence and generosity. My offense is known to all, but my miseries and sufferings are past description ; they can only be realized by the wretch like myself. In my last imprison- ment, cold, hunger, wants, sickness and remorse were added to the insupportable burden of my chains. I am now deprived of the light of the sun, except the scanty ray which passes the grates of my melancholy apartment. A stone is my pillow and straw both my bed and covering. Being naked and friendless, I must fall a sacrifice to the inclemency of the season ensuing, unless your humanity send me release ; — which if you should do, your wisdom will point out the most proper way ; and on my part nothing shall be omitted to testify to you my thanks for such an unmerited kindness. If any good could arise from my suffering to you or any of my f eUow creatures, it might be a comfort to me and plea for you. But since nothing but an increase of suffering can possibly be the result, I, in the most humble and sincere manner, beg and implore relief, which, if you refuse, this horrid mansion must be my home for life — a life of necessity shortened by the unhealthy dampness from those Walls with which I am surrounded. I wait for your answer with impatience and subscribe myself the sufferer, Abel Rowell. 33 530 LIPE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. An iNTEKEStmG Educational Document. (Contributed by Mrs. F. P. Knowlton.) To The Inhabitants of The, School District No. 1. Gentlemen : As the Town have thought proper to appoint us, a Committee, to visit and inspect their schools, it is our determination to execute the duties of that appointment with attention and fidelity, and in such manner as, in our apprehension, shall best promote the interest and weKare of the rising generation. The importance of education is too well understood to require arguments in its support. A general diffusion of knowledge and literature is recognized by our constitution as essential to the preser- vation of a free government. The encouragement of it is made the duty of our Legislators. In discharge of that duty, they have from time to time enacted laws for effecting that object. The late act of the General Court, for the regulation of schools, appears better cal- culated to answer the purpose than any system which has been heretofore adopted. It must, however, owe much of its success and advantage to the individual attention and exertions of the Inhabi- tants, and particularly to the care and vigilance of the Committees of the various School Districts. Every citizen in the Community has, in this respect, an interest to secure and a duty to perform. Impressed with these sentiments. Gentlemen, we have deemed it highly proper to address you upon the subject at this early period. We claim no authority or right of control. Nor do we expect or wish our opinion to have any influence upon your conduct farther than you find it to be correct. We take the liberty candidly to point out what we apprehend to be common errors, and to recom- mend the adoption of measures which, we believe, wUl prove essen- tially beneficial. Although our sentiments upon this subject may not perfectly coincide with yours, yet we flatter ourselves that the following hints will be received with the same candor with which they are written. 1. It is expedient that the District should choose their best men for a school committee, as that committee is usually intrusted to employ teachers. It requires skill and judgment to select suitable instructors. Ignorant pretenders are not so likely to attempt to impose themselves upon men of understanding as upon persons of a different character. 2. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of instructors. It too often happens that young men who are totally unqualified for the task, seek and find employment. It is seriously to be regretted that more regard is apt to be paid to the price than to the EDUCATIONAL DOCUMEKT. 631 qualifications of masters. Economy is highly commendable, but it is sometimes mistaken and its intended object defeated. 3. It wUl be found advisable to lay out the school money together as much as possible. It requires some time for children to accustom themselves to study and application. Several of the first weeks may be said to be merely preparatory to improvement. Pupils generally make greater proficiency and learn more in the third than in both the preceding months. Observation will convince any per- son of the truth of this position. It therefore appears to be a mis- application and loss of the money, when the sum is small, to divide it as is frequently done. 4. The Committee of the District ought to visit and inspect their school frequently, to give seasonable advice and instructions as to the studies, order and government of the school. This wUl tend to encourage and animate the master, and stimulate the scholars, and to prevent that neglect and those irregularities which too often dis- grace our common seminaries of learning and destroy their useful- ness. There is just reason to believe that, in many schools, the large scholars are suffered to pass their time in indolence and mis- chief without correction from the master. In this way, they not only lose their own time but disturb others and contaminate the smaller children by their pernicious example. 5. It is necessary that the scholars be furnished with proper books suited to their studies and standing. Those who attend to writing should be provided with copperplate copies, and those who are learning to cypher, with arithmetics. In this way much time of the master which is often lost in setting copies and sums may be saved and usefully improved. Besides, the scholars will make greater proficiency and become much more perfect in those branches of education. The expense to parents will be trifling compared with the advantages. 6. Every member of the school should be required to read and spell at least once in every day. For this purpose it is recom- mended that aU who can read tolerably well should be formed into a class and be taught to read some portion of the Holy Scriptures at the opening of the school every morning. The Psalms are peculiarly calculated for such an exercise. As they are a very devotional part of the Bible, the reading of them will naturally tend to solemnize the mind and prepare it for refiection. The antient custom of using the Bible as the only school book was carrying the principle to an extreme. Other books were necessary and might be more useful. The modern practice of excluding it altogether is, in the opinion of good judges, equally improper. 7. The strictest attention ought to be paid to the morals and manners of the scholar, that those literary institutions, which are designed to be seminaries of good breeding, virtue & piety may not be converted into nurseries of vice and corruption. 532 LIFE AJSTD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Gentlemen : We presume these hints will have such weight as they merit. It is our intention to visit your school twice during the year, that is, ahout the beginning and close of the school. You will have the good- ness to give us seasonable information of the time of its commence- ment. We confidently rely on youi concurrent aid and assistance in efEecting the important object of our appointment and hope to discharge our duty in a manner which shall be beneficial to the town and acceptable to you. We have the honor to be, with due consideration and respect, Yom- obedient servants, John Osgood BaUard. Ethan Smith. John Harris. Hopkinton, March, 1809. No. 1. Subscriptions. For the purchase of a Bell, to be erected on the Eastwardly Meeting house in Hopkinton. The Committee chosen April 24th, 1809, to complete the subscriptions, is composed of the following Gentlemen. Viz. : Mes'rs Jonathan Chase. Francis Proctor. Joseph Towne. Richard HaU. Parker Pearson. Mark Jewett. Timothy Darling. Thomas Story, Jr. Nathaniel Colby. John Kimball, Jr. Adjourned to thursday. May 4th, five o'clock, P. M. then to meet at the town house. Capt. Jonathan Chase. A correct copy of Subscriptions made prior to the meeting of April 24th, 1809. STIBSCEIPTIONS FOE PUBCHASE OP BELL. 533 Dol. Jonathan Chase, 40 Joseph Towne, 40 Ebenezer Lerned, 25 Joseph Chandler, Jr., 20 Theophiles Stanley, 17 Nathl Knowlton, 5 Joseph Estabrook, 10 Moody M. Currier, 50 Joseph B. Towne, 6 Isaac Bailey, B^, 3 Joshua Bailey, 3 Gardiner Greene, 2 Caleb Sawyer, 7 Daniel Marsh, 4 Moses Bailey, 1 John Bailey, 10 Th. W. Colby, Stephen Sargent, 5 Nathan Sargent, 5 Timothy Darling, 20 Tho. Williams, 10 Isaac Bailey, Jr., 5 James Currier, 3 Thomas Farwell, 2 Jacob Kimball, 4 John Chase, 5 John Chadwick, 1 Stephen Currier, 10 Samuel Clarke, 3 Moses Chandler, 15 Keuben French, 20 Sam'l Burbank, 1 Roger Elitt Perkins, 45 Samuel G. Titcomb, 5 Caleb Burnham, 5 Isaac Colby, 3 David Allen, 3 Mark Allen, 2.50 John Tewksbury, 2 Aaron Kimball, 2 Nath'l Greene, 1 We the Subscribers agree to pay the several sums affixed to our names for to purchase a Bell to be erected on the Eastwardly meeting house in Hopkinton ; said money to be Paid out by a Committee chosen by the Subscribers. Hopkinton, April 25th, 1809. Dol. Daniel Chase. 4. Note. — The above subscription list appears to be No. 1, in a number of copies distributed among a Committee to further solicit contribu- tions for the purpose discribed. Capt. Jonathan Chase, using list No. 1, succeeded in obtaining one additional subscription. Moses Hoyt, 2 Ezekiel Knowlton, Moody Smith, William Weeks, Isaac Long, Sam'l Farrington, Philip Farrington, Benning Smart, Ephriam Colby, Eph'm Colby, Junr., Francis Proctor Richard Colby, Dan'l Knowlton, Enoch Long, Junr., Samuel Long, Nath'l Proctor, Jonathan Proctor, Isaac Proctor, David S. Story, Cesar Webber, Timothy Colby, William D. Colby, Levi Hildrith, Andrew W^. Ober, Elizabeth Ober, Israel Ober, Elisha Parker, Ben] a. Johnson, Charles Chase, J. Stark, Thomas Foster, Samuel Stocker, Thomas Story, Junr.. Joshua Clement, William Coloney, Richard Webber, Joseph Barnard, Adonijah Tylor, John Stanley, John L. Palfrey, Simeon Tylor, .50 Eliphalet Homes, 2 5 Ezra Eastman, 3 5 Simeon Eastman, 1 20 Mark Jewett, 20 10 Enoch Gould, 2 8 Johnson Eastman, 1 1 Simeon Eastman, Jr., 1 8 Samuel Bickford, 2 4 Joseph Bickford, 2 4 Leonard Fales, 1 20 Samuel Herrick, 2 2 Phinehas Clough, 2 1 John Rowell, 1 2 Phinehas Clement, 2 2 John Kimball, Jr., 5 3 Parker Pearson, 8 2 Moses Gould, Jr., 4 3 3 1 6 5 1 1 3 1 5 4 4 2 2 2 , 2 2 1 . 2 30 10 3 1 1 534 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Lydia Gilb. by alonzo j. fogg. On the morning of Aug. 29, 1708, the French and Indians made a deadly attack on HaverhUl, Mass. One party made an attack on the house of Lieut. John Johnson, near the river. On that fatal morning his family consisted of himself, 76 years of age, his wife 70, Ruth Johnson, wife of Thomas Johnson, 2d, aged 20, and her babe, Lydia, one year and six days old. When the enemy made their appearance the whole family were standing in the doorway, Ruth with her babe in her arms. The Indians discharged their guns at once, and shot down old Mr. and Mrs. Johnson where they stood. Ruth with her babe fled through the house into the garden, where she was overtaken by one of the fiends, who deeply buried a tomahawk in her brains. When she fell by the murderous stroke she was careful to shield her child, and not injure it, and one would be led to think her last thoughts were centred on the safety of her babe. After the massacre was over and the savages had left, the babe Lydia was found alive and well, nestling at the breast of her dead mother. Lydia Johnson, who so miraculously escaped the fate which be- fell her mother, lived and grew to womanhood and married Eben- ezer GUe, of HaverhiU, Mass., Jan. 6, 1732. In time, GUe, with his wife Lydia, moved to Hampstead, and thence to Hopkinton, where he died prior to the Revolution. Johnson Gile, a son of Ebenezer and Lydia, was born, we think, in Hopkinton, in 1752, where he lived till 1779, when he removed, together with his young family and widowed mother, to Enfield. Lydia, the mother of Johnson GUe, died in Enfield in 1781, aged 74. Her son, Johnson Gile, died March 14, 1790, aged 38. Lydia GUe was a woman of much activity and inteUigence, comely features, a sweet temper, and, in her day, reflected credit on any society she moved in. Her descendants are of some of the best and most influential families in New Hampshire and the adjoin- ing states. This brief historic drama of human life shows on what a brittle thread or slight incident the existence or non-existence of a family race depends. Ruth Johnson, the young mother who was so inhumanly mur- dered in 1708, belonged to a fated famUy. She was the eldest chUd of Daniel Bradley, Jr., and his wife, Hannah Dow Bradley, who were married at HaverhiU, Mass., Jan. 5, 1677— '78. On the 5th of March, 1697, both of Ruth's parents, her sister Mary, born May 6, 1693, and her other sister, Hannah, born June 6, 1696, being only nine months old, were murdered by the cruel savages before her eyes, and she taken captive and carried away, but after a while was redeemed, when a few years later a worse fate awaited her. A FAMOUS PEIZE. 535 On the same morning of this massacre at HaverhiU, Mass., Mrs. Hannah Dustin was taken captive and hurried away up the Merri- mack river. Mrs. Dustin made her escape on the morning of the 31st of the same month by killing ten Indians with a tomahawk on an island at the mouth of the Contoocook river, in the adjoining town of Boscawen. A beautiful granite monument now points to the spot where Mrs. Dustin made her heroic strike for liberty, and which partly revenged the cruel murder of her infant child and the Bradley family. After the capture of the inmates of Woodwell's fort, April 22, 1746, the assembly was convened at Portsmouth the following May 6th, and it voted to raise fifty men for five months' service, and they be encouraged by giving a bounty for each Indian they shall kiU within said time of service that the war has been declared by the government. For Indians upwards of twelve years of age, killed and scalp produced, the sum of seventy pounds, and captives seven- ty-eight pounds and fifteen shillings. Females and other Indians under twelve years of age killed and scalp produced, thirty-seven pounds and ten shillings, and captives, thirty-nine pounds five shil- lings. A Famous Pbize. BY AIiONZO J. JOGG. About 1820, there were living in Hopkinton village two men, by the respective names of Phillips and Brown. One day Phillips purchased a ticket in a lottery scheme either to be drawn in Ha- vanna or New York, paying $8 for it. Before the day of drawing, Phillips began to grow sick-hearted of his investment, and offered to sell his ticket to Brown for $4. Brown accepted the offer, but soon began to lose faith as to ultimate success, and a few days be- fore the drawing offered the ticket to a farmer for a small load of meadow hay, which the farmer refused, although he would have been pleased to have sold the load for $2 in money. The drawing of the lottery prizes took place on the day appointed, and in a few weeks the news came by mail to Phillips that the number on the ticket credited to him had drawn a prize of $25,000, and by signing a paper enclosed and returning it by mail, together with original ticket, to show he was the actual possessor of the prize, the money would be remitted agreeably to his order. But while poor Phillips had the credit of the ticket, another possessed it in rightful ownership. For a little consideration Phillips was induced to make over the papers to Brown, and they were sent according to instructions. In due time, the money by draft was sent to the bank in Concord, which Brown received, less certain per cent., in United States bank notes. 636 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. In those days $25,000 was considered a large sum of money, especially if it belonged to a person residing in a small country town in New Hampshire, and it nearly upset the mental faculties of the possessor of this mushroom fortune. Mr. Brown brought the money home -and deposited it in his bureau drawer, but when dark- ness began to cast its gloomy shade across the earth he began to grow uneasy, and after retiring for the night he found he could not sleep, and imagined he could hear footsteps outside the house. In the dim visions of the night he could apparently see j&gures in human form approaching his door, but, while he looked, they ap- peared to remain stationary. He kept a constant watch throughout the night, and when morning came no sleep had closed his eyes. Mr. Brown had confidence in the honesty of Judge Harvey, but if he let him have the money he would be equally accessible to the assassin's knife or bludgeon. Accordingly the third night he silent- ly arose from the bed about midnight, and taking his prize with him, made a circuitous route to the woods, where, after considerable search in the dark, he placed his bank notes in the hoUow of a large tree, and filled the outside cavity with pieces of bark and dried leaves. The next day he thought he woiUd visit his new treasury department and see if everything was right and safe. But the woods in the dajrtime presented altogether a different appearance than what they did in the night, and, after a careful search tiQ sun- down, he was forced to return to his house without finding the tree where his funds had been deposited. The next morning Brown arose before the sun, and repaired to the forest on his secret expe- dition, and sunset found him in the same condition, viz., with his money so safely hid that he could not find it. Day followed day with no better success, and as a forlorn hope he arose in the night and followed the same route as nigh as he could on the night he hid the money, and in a short time the tree was found, with the money all safe. The foregoing is a legendary account of the $26,000 lottery prize, and in the full details may not be correct. Mr. Brown began to make investments in real estate, built farm buildings, and in time moved to Concord, where he died many years ago. Buildings are still standing in Hopkinton and Concord as the result of this $25,000 lottery prize. Mr. Brown has very respecta- ble descendants still living. His Christian name was Philip. OUR PORESTS. 537 OuE FOBESTS. BY JOSEPH BAENAKD. I think it may be of interest to some of your readers to give an outline sketch of oui forests, with their management and uses from one period to another, that they may understand what our forests were as compared with the present time. The forests of this state have been of great benefit, and a source of income, notwithstanding the amount of labor involved in clearing for tillage and pasturage. Before American Independence, the King of Great Britain sent Ms agents through this state, who marked a large number of trees of sufficient size to make masts for seventy-four gunships of war, with the broad arrow, thus ^, cut deep into the bark, about four feet in length. No one was allowed to meddle with the marked trees under a heavy penalty. There were two in the Mast swamp in Boscawen, and one on the farm of the late Isaiah Webber, in this town. One of the former and the latter were cut before the Revo- lutionary war. It was said by old people that a pair of six feet cattle could be turned on the stump, without stepping off, of the one cut in the Mast swamp. It took twenty-five yoke of oxen to draw the mast to the river. The other one had the top broken off by the wind, and was hollow. It was about sixty feet feet high, and a fine specimen of the old piae. A few years ago it was cut by some coon hunters. It was about five feet in diameter, twelve feet from the ground, and was always known as the " King" tree. During the early period of settlements, masts were taken from this section of the state to the seaport. Large numbers were taken from the Mast swamp above mentioned, and were drawn to the mast-yard on the bank of the Contoocook river, near the Mast Yard station on the Concord & Claremont Railroad : hence its name. A large number of men came up winters from the lower towns, and built log camps for themselves and ox teams. Within my remem- brance the spot was plainly marked where these camps had rotted down, and the old pine stump was stiU there in the centre of the men's camp, with the top scooped out for the barrel of rum to set in. Soon after this, saw-miUs were erected on the small streams, in different parts of the town, to saw lumber to build farm buildings, and sell to the village people to build up the villages. These mills had the up and down saw, which would cut about 2,000 feet a day. I find, by my grandfather's old miU account, dating a hundred years back, that boards were sawed at his mill, and drawn by ox teams from here to Garvin's Falls. One of the first settlers drove mill logs for several years, from two miles above Contoocook to New- buryport, and gained a good property by the operation. The early 538 LIFE AJJTD TIMES IN HOPKINTON. settlers employed more help than we do at the present time. After harvesting was over, the surplus help went to the woods and worked in the winter months, splitting and shaving short and long shingles and clapboards from pine trees ; also, white oak, ash, and chestnut into barrel staves and headings ; and red oak into shook staves. Others cut, split, and shaved hoop poles. Most of these men were experts in the business. Those who made shingles were called shin- gle weavers. They would frequently box into a tree and take out a large chip ; if it proved cross-grained or windy it was rejected. I have cut many of these rejected trees, in lumbering. I once saw one of these shingle weavers at work, splitting his shingle so near the pattern that they needed but very little shaving. The shingles were bound together by split pieces of wood, called bind- ers, nine hundred in a bunch. The clapboards were tied in bunches of twenty-five with withes. In this way they were trans- ported to market by ox teams, and exchanged for such goods as were wanted by the farmers, sometimes receiving part money for pay. The white oak, ash, and chestnut staves were mostly worked into barrels by coopers in different parts of the town. The shook staves were shaved into shape and set up with truss hoops in the shape of a hogshead, and heated untU they were bent into proper shape, then knocked down and each packed in a bundle, not unlike the clapboards. The barrels and shooks were carted by ox teams to the cities, the barrels to be filled with rum, beef, pork, etc., and the shooks were exported to the West Indies and other parts, set up, headed, and filled with molasses. Large quantities of hard pine were cut and burned into charcoal for blacksmiths' use, and other purposes. This brings us down to the second period of lumbering in this state. During these years was the flax-growing period among the farmers. At the commencement of the second period of lumbering, our hiUs and valleys were covered with a growth of soft and hard wood timber trees, of great size, from two hundred and twenty-five to two hundred and fifty years old. The best of pine could be bought for $2 or $3 per thousand on the stump. In the latter part of the first quarter of the present century, the city of Lowell was com- menced (about 1821), and a corporation established for the manu- facturing of cotton cloth. Kirk Boot, an English expert in the business, was at the head of the concern. This enterprise gave new life to lumbering operations. Not far from this time, Jonathan Eastman, of East Concord, invented the clapboard and shingle machines. The clapboard machine cut the clapboards from the round log by a circular saw, hammered from iron by the common blacksmith — a poor thing com- pared with our present steel saws. The first clapboard machine was bought by Dea. Philip Brown, of this town, and set up on the OUR FORESTS. 539 brook between George W. Currier's and the main road, in the old carding mill buUding, and I think was run by Stephen Sibley. It was afterward moved to Contoocookville and sold to his brother, the late Hon. Abram Brown, and was run by Moses Palmer, Capt. John Burnham, and others. Shingles were sawed from bolts of old growth pine. Of course there was the usual prejudice against the machines, as against all new inventions at that time ; but timber that would rift well had become scarce, and the increased demand com- pelled the shingle and clapboard splitters to quit the business. Saw- mills, clapboard, and shingle mills multiplied, and the number of lumbermen increased. In the winter season all of the spare help went to the forest. Timber was cut for all purposes, and drawn by jobbers and farmers to the different mills to be sawed and to the river bank to be run to the mills on the river. All of the mills were kept busy as long as the water held ovl^. Also masts and bow- sprits were cut, peeled, and drawn to the river, to be taken down by water in the spring to Charlestown and Newburyport, for vessels. Early in the spring, as soon as the river was clear of ice, rafting of boards, plank, and timber was begun in earnest. This work re- quired men of experience. The lumber was piled in cribs four feet wide, and high enough to make 1,000 feet, board measure, on two sticks of timber slanting towards the river. The cribs were bound together by two binders, made from small white oak trees, split in the middle, shaved round at each end, run under the crib, and turned up through a joist with a hole in each end, and the joist driven down as tight as possible and wedged. It was then shoved into the river. Eight cribs of 16 feet lumber made one shot the size that could be taken through the locks at one time. When a sufficient number of cribs were made for a raft, they were bound together in all directions as strongly as possible, and run down the river by experienced men, to market. The lumber was measured, or guessed at, at each set of locks. The lock-tenders would get the amount very near, every time. Samuel Kidder, at the guard locks in Manchester, is the only one left, to my knowledge, of all the lock- tenders. Pilots were employed to run the rafts from Amoskeag to Litchfield, that being the most difficult part of the river to run below Concord. The rafts were mostly top-loaded with clapboards, shingles, and laths, and sometimes with the best quality of other lumber. Factory beams were also hewed and run down in the same way. Oak plank for covering vessels, intermixed with pine to keep them from sinking, were run down the river, and through the Mid- dlesex canal to Charlestown miU-pond. When the rafts reached the market they were sold to the lumber merchant, and taken out of the water and surveyed. If the lumberman cleared $1 per thou- sand, above expense, he considered himself lucky. During these years other manufacturing places were building Tip — Nashua, Manchester, and others of less note. Immense quantities 540 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. of timber were wanted during the first and second periods. If the people of New Hampshire coidd have foreseen the value of their tim- ber earlier, millions might have been reserved to the present day of the old forests 1 have been describing. During the first two periods, as I have divided the time, but few kinds of trees were con- sidered of any value except for wood, compared vidth the great variety now used. BaUroad buUding now commenced, and dairy- ing and sheep-farming, in New Hampshire. Centbnniai Celbbeation of the Baptist Chxtkch in Hop- KiNTON, August 30, 1871. BY EEV. C. W. BUENHAM. (Printed immediately after the Centennial.) A goodly number of friends assembled from the churches of the Salisbury Association and from abroad, and completely filled the house, and listened vrith interest to the things new and old brought before them by the speakers. The morning was occupied with an historical discourse by the late pastor, Bev. C. W. Burnham, while the afternoon was spent in an interesting conference, participated in by Bevs. E. E. Cummings, D. D., Joshua Clement, B. H. Lane, H. G. SafEord, J. K. Young, D. D., and D. W. Faunce. Messages and letters were received from former pastors, the state of whose health prevented their presence. Pleasant and tender memories filled the day, and made it a season long to be remembered. The good people of Hopkinton met their numerous guests with that thoughtful and generous hospitality for which they are noted. Some of the facts brought out in the address are worthy of re- membrance. A branch church was gathered and attached to the Eirst Baptist church in Haverhill, Mass., in 1769, by Dr. Hezekiah Smith, and two years later, May 8, 1771, was recognized as an independent Baptist church. In two years more it had more than doubled its membership, had elected John Currier deacon, on pro- bation, and was in a promising state. But through some doctrinal difficulties and the disturbances occasioned by the Revolutionary war, the little flock was scattered and greatly weakened for a time. It arose again in 1789 and instituted regular meetings, and from thence has never ceased to witness for the Gospel. It shared in the great religious awakening of 1793, and welcomed many into the fold, both at home and abroad. It gathered a branch of forty-five members at Bow, which became independent two years after with a membership of fifty-four. This branch did good service for several years, but lost its visibility in 1819. A branch of about twenty CENTENNIAL CELEBKATION BAPTIST CHUECH. 541 members was gathered at GofEstown. There were some good mem- bers in it, but it never seemed to prosper either as a branch or as an independent church. It became extinct in 1819. A branch church was gathered at Londonderry in 1795, which was bidden God-speed as an independent sister church in 1799, and which still holds on in the good way. This branch was constituted of brethren resident at Londonderry and the several adjoining towns of Merri- mack, Bradford, Derryfield (now Manchester), and Nottingham West (now Hudson), in which places churches afterwards were formed, some of which still live and prosper. Another result of the revival in 1793 was the building of a meet- ing-house and the calling of a pastor. The place of worship was enclosed and occupied in 1796, though it was not finished for at least twenty years afterwards. The first pastor. Elder Elisha An- drews, commenced his pastorate in 1795 and closed it in 1798, giv- ing one half of his time to the church. With this exception, this church had no settled pastor during the first forty-four years of its history. It was, however, blessed with the occasional labors of such men as Elders John Peak, Job Seemans, Dr. Shepard, Thomas Paul, and Jasper Hazen, but for the most part dependent upon its own members. Its first deacon. John Currier, was, after twenty- three years probationary service, ordained to that office. He was a man of prudence, loving spirit, and ready tongue, and often " improved his gift " for the edification of the church. Dea. Benj. B. Darling was raised up in the revival of 1793, and nobly seconded his labors. Benj. Sargent, another member of the church, was " approbated," and preached both in Hopkinton and Bow. He went out with the Bow church, and was subsequently ordained as its pastor. He labored in the ministry some twenty-six years. Dea. Jonathan Fowler was baptized into the church in 1803, and acceptably alternated with his colleagues in preaching. He after- wards led a large party that seceded from the old church, and which formed a Freewill Baptist Church. One evil resulted from this method of sustaining the gospel. There was very little doctrinal preaching, and a part of the church failed to be well grounded in the faith ; and when, in 1815, a pastor was settled, the Articles of Faith were not made a test of fitness. A Christian Baptist, Elder Abner Jones, was called on the ground of his earnestness as a preacher and his practice of immersion. A revival resulted from his labors, and naturally a large number were biassed by his views of doctrine and church order. A serious difficulty arose. He re- signed, and the church found it impossible to agree upon a succes- sor. Finally that portion of the church holding to the original Articles of Faith ordained Rev. Michael Carlton, and took a new lease of life. That part which was dissatisfied with this was quite as numerous, but a board of referees decided that the privileges and property of the church were rightly claimed by those who main- 542 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. tained the original Articles of Faith. From that time they and their successors have been in undisturbed possession. For the last forty-nine years the church has not long been with- out a pastor. For several pastorates it vras blessed with revivals. During Rev. M. Carlton's pastorate, four seasons of religious awakening were enjoyed. He welcomed one hundred and seven into the membership of the church. Twenty-eight were added dur- ing the pastorate of Eev. A. T. Foss. After Mr. Foss's dismissal, the church called and ordained Dr. L. B. Cole. His pastorate was short, and ended in trial and difficxilty, but there were seventy-eight members added under his ministrations. The religious interest cul- minated during the labors of Rev. Samuel Cook. His pastorate conmienced when the attention of all men was turned to Bible doc- trines and the solemn things of an approaching judgment. His preaching was greatly blessed, divisions were healed, and one hun- dred and fifteen were added to the church as the fruit of his labor : very few adults attended church who did not profess conversion. But the time set for the end of the world passed by. Men who had sought religion from mere fear and selfishness lost their dread, and joined themselves to their idols. Rev. K. S. HaU, taking ordi- nation vows upon him, faithfully encountered this reaction and did efficient work for Christ. The meeting-house was refitted and other needed improvements accomplished under his lead. Rev. Samuel J. Carr, of endeared memory, sought to " strengthen the things that remain," but removals to larger places and to the West constantly decreased the membership. He was followed by Rev. Jonathan E. Brown, who did a valuable controversial work. His lectures on Swedenborgianism were regarded as a masterly and unanswerable exposition of that evil. He advocated the causes of temperance and of patriotism with equal ardor and power. Rev. C. W. Burnham was called and ordained in 1863. His pastorate has been marked by material improvements. Horse-sheds and parsonage buildings have been erected, and the church remodelled and repaired. Over four thousand dollars have been thus expended upon these improve- ments, more than five thousand dollars paid for current expenses, and two thousand five hundred dollars raised for benevolence, and all this without incurring debt. While no general revival has been enjoyed, some professed Christ each year, and forty joined the church during the eight years of his pastorate. The church has sent forth several laborers into the harvest dur- ing the latter half of its work. Their names are Timothy R. Cres- sey, Joshua Clement, Emery Smith, Harrison C. Page, and W. Harrison Eaton. It is no little credit to have been the spiritual mother of some of these. This sketch, already too long, gives only a few of the interesting facts which crowded the history. Of the Baptist churches now ex- isting in New Hampshire, only the Newton church was formed as A SACRED CONCBBT. 543 early as this. This church has gathered and fostered three branches, raised up nine preachers of the gospel, set apart eleven worthy dear cons, and gathered a total membership of about eight hundred in the home church, and nearly a hundred more in the branches. The present membership is one hundred. The appointments of the church are in good condition, and the members are praying for an under shepherd. May the Lord send them a man full of the Holy Spirit. A Saceed Concekt. » BY MKS. CABLOS 6. HAWTHOBNB. (Originally printed in The Hopkinton Times.) A sacred concert was given in the Congregational church, Hop- kinton, March 22 — ^forty-one years ago. One of the programmes' was found among the effects of the late Lydia Story, a copy of which may be of interest. Concert of Sacred Music given by the Singing-School under the instruc- tion of Isaac Story, at the Congregational Meeting-House in Hopkinton, Tuesday evening, March 22, 1842. ORDER OF EXERCISES. 1. Hymn. 2. Prayer. 3. Hymn, " Daughter of Zion." 4. Anthem, " One Thing have I desired of the Lord." 5. Sentence, " Let the words of my mouth." 6. Psalm, "Spirit of Peace." 7. Trio, " The Sabbath Bell." 8. Motet, " Blessed are those who keep God's Word." 9. Motet, " Holy is the Lord." 10. Anthem, " I was glad when They said unto Me." 11. Hymn, " The Lord our God is clothed." 12. Motet, " Great is the Lord." PART SECOND. 1. "As Israel's people in despair." 2. Sanctus. 3. Psalm, " High o'er the heavens." 4. Te Deuni, " We praise Thee, O God." 5. Motet, "What though I may ne'er discover." 6. Chant, " Benedic Anima Mea." 7. Anthem, " I will extol Thee, O my God." 8. " O, how lovely is Zion." ^ •, „ 9. Motet, " Worship and praise be unto our God. 10. Motet, " O, praise the Parent of all Good." 11. Hymn, " The Lord is risen indeed." 12. Anthem, " O Lord, our Governor." 544 LIFE ANB TIMES IN HOPKINTON. There were sixty or more singers who occupied the gallery. The music consisted mostly of selections from the " Modern Psalmist," a very popular work published by Lowell Mason. The house was filled, and one who was present says, " There was good singing," which we can well believe. Among the sopranos were Mrs. Isaac Story ; Miss Mary Colby, now Mrs. Alfred A. Rollins ; Margaret Rollins, afterwards Mrs. Timothy Colby ; Miss Sophronia Smarts now widow of J. Smith Story ; Miss Mary Jane Bailey, and many others. Miss Elizabeth Smith, afterwards Mrs. J. Fred Grage, Miss Lucy Lerned, Miss Nancy RoUins, and Miss Emma Chandler, wife of Judge Joseph M. Cavis, of San Francisco, are remembered among the altos. Jeremiah Runnels, Andrew S. Smith, Thomas Bailey, Moody B. Smith, and George Colby sang tenor. For bass there were Jonathan Allen, H. Dewey "White, Alfred A. RoUins, Parker M. Flanders, and C. G. Hawthorne. Last but not least, and perhaps the best singer of all, was Deacon Timothy Colby, who so lately has left the choir here to join the celestial choir above. There was no organ, but Capt. Isaac Story played the violin, Alfred A. Rollins the bass viol, and Jonathan Allen the double bass viol. How grand those old anthems must have sounded ! Rev. Moses Kimball was pastor of the church then, and gave the prayer and benediction. Connected with the singing-school mentioned in the programme is the story that one of the young ladies wore on each evening a different dress. It is not known how many evenings were thus represented, but it is safe to suppose that there were a good many. We are saddened by the reflection that there is no singing-school at the present time where the young people can exhibit their clothes and perhaps learn a little music. Besides this school, Mr. Story kept the day-school in the village, a singing-school in Concord, and led the choir three services on Sundays. As far as we have been able to ascertain, the following persons have acted as choristers in the Congregational choir : Deacon Isaac Long, Isaiah Webber, Dr. Luther J. Fitch, Luther J. Webber, Isaac Story, Lendon Smart, Jeremiah Runnells, Melvin Colby, J. F. Gage, Edward Runnels. In the " New Hampshire Collection of Church Music," published by Henry E. Moore, Concord, 1833, can be found four tunes composed by Isaiah Webber. They are Green- land and Woodstock, in long metre. Western, in common metre, and RushvUle, 8s and 7s. A careful search in many of the old tune- books failed to reveal any other of his compositions, although it is said he composed a great many. He was considered quite a musi- cal genius, and if he could have enjoyed the advantages of a musical education such as the present day affords, he would probably have- taken a front seat in the ranks of musical composers. REMINISCENCES. 545 E.BMIIfISCENCES OF HoPKINTON. BY THE LATE F. P. KNOWLTON. (Originally printed in the Hopkinton Times.) Lo-WBLL, March 20, 1883. Mb. Editor : Several numbers of the Hopkinton Times having fallen into my hands recently, in perusing which I have been much interested, and reminded of the newspaper, the people, and many incidents that occurred in the grand old town of Hopkinton sixty years ago or more. I well remember the man on horseback, " Post," as he was called, a taU, dignified, ministerial appearing man, with saddle-bags well filled with newspapers, who always dropped one at my father's house. It was on Saturday ; the paper was promptly delivered in the south part of the town about midday. It was called the Farmers' Cabinet, and printed at Amherst. Quite a sensation in the neighborhood on its arrival. About this time was the close of the war, 1815. There were but two subscribers, I think, in the district, and for some years later it was rare to see any other news- paper. Books were not plenty; even school-books were few, aldiough much was done by many of the people to foster the schools. It was wood-ashes hauled on sleds in winter to the vUlage store by the boys that paid for books and writing material. About this time, say 1820, the trade in the vUlage was quite extensive. There were five stores, — Thomas Williams, Curtis, Colby, Way, and BaUard. The latter afterwards opened a private boarding-school, for which he was well adapted. Scores through- out the country who were under his instruction have made them- selves conspicuous. We have often thought of a remark made by an iron-claid man, whUe at work with him in a field north-east of the village, when a youngster passed down the road, with books under his arm, on his way to Mr. Ballard's school. He said to me, calling me by name, — " There goes a lazy fellow who is trying to get a living without work." That young man was John A. Knowles, now eighty-three years old, partially blind, and a respected citizen of Lowell. He came here in 1828, opened a writing-school, studied law, and was in practice here for fifty years,«second to none in elevating and encouraging young men in education and improve- ment as well as work. Hopkinton in years past has furnished us with one able editor, J. S. C. Knowlton, who was editor and pub- lisher of the Chelmsford Fhenix, afterwards Lowell Journal, from 1825 to 1831, died at Worcester twelve years ago ; also his brother Daniel was here as printer and publisher for ten years, until he died in 1838 ; three lawyers and three doctors, two of the latter, Drs. Savory and Fisk, having a successful practice. Dr. Call, 34 546 LIFE AND TIMES m HOPKINTON. an early resident here, was not in practice, engaged in the lumber business, real estate, etc., was an energetic business man, died some years ago. Of the traders above mentioned, Messrs. Curtis and Way were residents, and did business here for some years. The latter died not many years ago. Strong drink was a great curse to the people of Hopkinton sixty years ago. All of the grocery stores sold Medf ord rum, and nearly all, young and old, drank it. The trader in all towns throughout New England could do no business if he did not sell rum ; not so now, I hope. Many a farm and house changed hands in conse- quence of the rum drinking. We remember of seeing a barrel of rum standing in the yard of a farmer on the South road, sur- rounded by a score of men and boys testing the quality. This had just arrived to do its work while the haying was being done. Also of being one of fifteen or twenty boys who had organized a military company, — ^wodden guns of course ; but we had mounted a piece of a gun barrel on wheels, and therefore were gunners. On a Saturday afternoon, the school being closed, the company was out on parade in flying colors. An old gentleman who was on his way home from the village, having been in the army of the Revolution, was much pleased with the boy company, and invited them to his house a mile away. After consulting awhile, it was decided to accept his invitation. On arriving at his house, or near it, we fired a salute from our mounted gun. Major Weeks — for he had that title by right — ^ushered us into the house, where was spread a table with a variety of inviting food, ornamented with tumblers and decanters filled with Medford rum. We were urged to par- take of what was set before us, and none probably refused, as it was thought unmanly to do so. Several on their way home were unable to act their part. A peculiar ringing in my head, whether caused by the strong drink or the concussion of the gun, I have never been able to determine. The major was of fine address, good looking, and it was said he graduated at Cambridge ; he was very generous and hospitable, as was also his estimable wife. She, I think, was not about the house ; if she had been, the boys would have had a pan of rich milk set before them instead of the strong drink. In 1825, Major Weeks was an invited guest at the reception of Lafayette at Concord. It was reported he said to some neigh- bors, who were at work on the road, on his return, that he had been down to the dinner, and had sat at the right hand of Lafayette ; that it was not only an honor to them, but an honor to the town to have such a man in it as he was. The writer saw the good display at Concord. The procession was headed by General Benjamin Pierce, with his cocked hat and Continental uniform. Benjamin Pierce, father of President Pierce, was born in 1757, in what is now Lowell, then Chelmsford. In 1775, he was plough- REMINISCENCES. 547 ing in a field near Powell street ; hearing guns, and learning from a messenger of the fight at Lexington, he chained his oxen to a tree, and, taking his uncle's gun, started for Concord, followed the British to Boston, where he enlisted ; was at the battle of Bunker Hill. Returned to the fann after nine years' service ; soon after settled in HUlsborough. He was elected governor of New Hamp- shire in 1827 and 1829. He visited Lowell while governor, and looked over the land where he left his team. In addition to the merchants of the village mentioned above, there were three lawyers and one judge. Baruch Chase, who had the finest residence in town, Judge Harris, Matthew Harvey, after- wards governor, all of high standing. Baruch Chase was a man of culture, past activity at this time, but fond of trout fishing. We remember of being at the brook north of the village, and the old gentleman, with pole in hand, had caught his hook under a log. Being barefooted, I jumped into the deep hole and freed his hook. He was much pleased, handed me some coppers, and asked my name. The doctors were Lerned, Jones, and Stark. Colby was the new doctor. Dr. Stark was oftener seen riding in his sulky than any other at that time. He was a matter-of-fact man, and did good ser- vice, as we had occasion to know. The minister was Priest Smith, and about this time Priest Hatch was settled in his place, in 1821, we think. Priest Harris, of Dun- barton, was often seen riding horseback up the Sotith road to exchange with these gentlemen. He had a faculty of discoursing in the pulpit that we have rarely seen since. The upper vUlage, Contoocook, was a very busy place, as now, I suppose, a sight-seeing place for the boy of curiosity. We were often there with a bag of corn to be ground or wool to be carded. The saw-mUl was first on the south side of the river, the grist-mill next, then the carding-mill, and in the next building was the first clapboard machine that was ever seen by the oldest inhabitants. It may have been the first in the state. It attracted many from a distance, and was thought to be a wonder, as indeed it was at that time. Philip Brown was the proprietor and a genius, although he was not the inventor. The carding-machine also was a curiosity. The rolls that were carded by it were spun and made into cloth at the home where the wool was grown. Our first and best suit was from this manufacture. There was much to interest in these works. Nothing has interested us more in the old country or in the states than was to be seen at Contoocook sixty years ago. The dam and the bridge that spanned the river were closely inspected. While on the bridge we dropped a Spanish quarter, and it went through an opening in the planking into the river. It was a great loss, being perhaps the first one we ever had, as it was on our first visit at those great and wondrous works. 548 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Among the most vivid memories of my childhood is that of the time when, on a bright, autumnal day, my father took down his hat from the peg where it was his custom to hang it, and said to me, — "Come, my son, would you like to take a walk?" In less than two minutes I had washed my face, and we were on our way toward school district No. 1 in HopMnton. About one mile from the vil- lage, on the Concord road, we came to a guide-board on which was neatly painted, " Turnpike — Boston, 65 miles ; Salem, 60 ; New- buryport, 51 ; Hooksett, 11." On the west side of the turnpike, and opposite the guide-board, stood the manse of Rev. Elijah Fletcher. He was the second minister of Hopkinton, and died in 1786. His daughter Grace was the wife of Daniel Webster, the great American statesman. After Philip Brown, who was a silversmith in this village, came into possession of twenty-five thousand dollars, which he drew in a lottery, he bought this place of Webster Kelly, who married another of Parson Fletcher's daughters. About 1816, Brown built the elegant mansion on the high ground next beyond the manse. He was an active business man, built mills, and dealt largely in real estate. He sold out here and went to Concord, where he died a number of years ago. This place is now owned by Mr. Spencer. After walking a short distance, we came to where the turnpike crossed the Jewett road. Here, turning to the right, we soon came to the house which my father said was built by Enoch Long, and in which he for many years carried on the book-binding business. His son Isaac Long had had a book-store and bindery in the village many years, and died about twenty years ago. This place is now owned by George Tilton. The next house, on the east side of the road, is an old-fashioned cottage house, with L adjoining, and a blacksmith's shop near it, which was buUt by Daniel Knowlton about 1792, who with his wife lived in it over fifty years. When he was eighteen years old, he rode from Manchester, Mass., on horseback, behind his grandfather, Jonathan Herrick. He learned his trade of his brother Robert Knowlton, who had a shop a few rods south of his house. Robert went to Concord and lived on the main road, at the foot of Dimond's hill. They were descendants of William Knowlton, who came from Chiswick, England, and who was in Ipswich, Mass., in 1641. Daniel Knowlton married Mary, daughter of Samuel Stocker of Hopkinton, who was a native of Newbury, Mass., where he enlisted into the service of his country at the commencement of the Revolu- tionary war. My father said he was a small man, and on inspec- tion was rejected on account of his size. He enlisted again, and when the men were drawn out for inspection, he scraped up a mound of dirt and stood upon it in order to bring himself up to the regula- tion height. The inspector, after looking at him a moment, said, " If you have patriotism enough to do that, you may go," and he served REMINISCENCES. 549 as drummer to the close of the war, and was honorably discharged. Daniel Kjaowlton died in 1842. He was a quiet man, whose out- ward life never wore the semblance of extreme sanctity, or whose voice was loud in songs of praise. But he was an honest man, and walked in his unobtrusive way as gently as the rivulet which flows through the quiet vale, and leaving in its course the marks of fer- tility and beauty. A few rods south stands a house originally owned by Gen. Jud- kins, and afterwards by Robert Knowlton, who had a blacksmith's shop on the opposite side of the road. I asked my father how so many blacksmiths could get a living in those days. He told me that much of the iron work which is now done by machinery was at that time worked out by hand. "When a person proposed putting up a building, he gave the blacksmith an order for all the naUs, door-hinges, handles and aU the iron work which would be needed. Most of the farming tools were made by hand, and the iron was not of the convenient size and shape of the present time. This house was afterwards occupied by Benjamin Fellows as a dwelling and wheelwright shop. About fifty years ago, the place came into the hands of its present proprietor, John M. Bailey, Esq. He was a son of Thomas Bailey, who came to Hop- kinton from Haverhill West Parish, Mass., and settled in the western part of the town. He married for his second wife the widow of Matthew Harvey, of Sutton. They had one child, John Milton Bailey, who, over fifty years ago, married Lucy P., daughter of Daniel Knowlton. Nehemiah Colby, one of the early settlers of the town, bought the place next south. At his decease it passed into the hands of his son, Richard Colby, who for many years was sexton of the village cemetery. He was a devout man, and always took an active part in the conference meetings which were held regularly in this or an ad- joining district. This place is now owned by George H. Bailey, son of John M. Bailey. As we walked up the hill, my father told me that Samuel Stanley once owned the next place, and that he had a tan-yard there. Stan- ley built the house and sold it to Samuel Jewett, of Rowley, Mass. Mr. Jewett, popularly known as Cousin Sam, died some sixty years ago. The family resided on the place many years after his death. A new house has been built, which is now occupied by Augustus Hadley. Joseph Jewett, son of Samuel, built the .spacious mansion on the east side of the road. As we were walking along, my father was telling me of the hard- ships and deprivations of the early settlers. I said to him that it looked strange to me how a person could accumulate property and build such large buildings when money was so scarce and hard to get. He told me that in those days people were industrious and economical, that they bought but little. AU the cloth worn by or 550 LITE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. used in the family, was manufactured in the house from wool and flax raised on the farm. A butcher's wagon was never seen among them. They killed their own meat, and in hot weather would lend to a neighbor a quarter of veal or lamb, to be repaid when the next man killed his creature. The hides were tanned, and the shoemaker came to the house and made shoes for the family. He told me an incident in the life of one of the most wealthy and substantial men of the town, Daniel Chase, Esq., who told my father that the year he was married he worked all one stormy winter day and made a bushel basket. He sold it for two shillings, and with the money he bought a pound of coffee, which lasted his family a year, and that he had never since seen the time that he could buy a year's stock of coffee for one day's work. In those days the whole family worked to obtain the necessaries of life. The children early learned habits of industry, and their deprivations taught them the value of time and money, which was the great secret of their suc- cess in after life. Mr. George Symonds is the present owner of this place. The next house stands on the west side of the road, and was built by Enoch Long, who came from West Newbury, Mass. He was a cooper, and there is now in the possession of Joshua Morse, Esq., a vessel which was made over one hundred years ago by Mr. Long, holding three or four quarts, and shaped somewhat like a tankard, with cover and wooden hinges. The handle, upon one side, was carved out of one of the staves, and two hoops put through it before they were locked and driven down. The propriety of presenting this article to the Antiquarian Society in Contoocook for preserva- tion was suggested to Mr. Morse. Enoch Long was father of Enoch Long, book-binder, of whom I have previously spoken. This place was owned many years by Dea. Isaac Long, and is now in the possession of Mr. Alfred Rol- lins. Among the early settlers of the town was Eliphalet Colby, who settled on the next farm. His three sons went to Henniker. This place has been owned by Philip Brown, Isaac Smith, Nicholas Quimby, and is now in the possession of Dea. John B. Sargent. We now come to the " school-house in the lane." This house for- merly stood at the northerly terminus of the Jewett road, near its junc- tion with the main road to Concord, and was moved to its present location in 1808. Many of the most pleasant memories of my early years cluster around this house, where we as artless children played. Those scenes of by-gone years often come back and yield to me joys both bright and fair. Up the lane a few rods is the farm which was early settled by Timothy Jewett. My father told me that whUe Jewett was at work in the field he killed a very large and fat cat. He dressed it nicely and sold it to a neighbor as a raccoon, saying his family were REMESriSCENCES. 661 not fond of wild meat. From that circumstance this lane has since been called Cat street. The next owner of this farm was Francis Proctor, and has since been owned by WaUy Smith, Richard Hackett, from Salisbury, Mass., Philip Brown, Dea. Isaac Smith, and George B. HUan, whose widow and son now reside upon it. Back again, down the lane and opposite the school-house stood an old, dilapidated building used as a cider-mill, which, with five or six others, were kept groaning through the autumn to supply the peo- ple of that neighborhood with what was then considered one of the necessaries of life. At that time it was not uncommon for a man to put into his cellar from ten to twenty barrels of cider for family use. A change has come over the spirit of people. Instead of us- ing cider as a common beverage, it is now evaporated by steam into transparent, bright, and wholesome jelly for culinary and table use. The past season one mill in Massachusetts made about 200 barrels per day into cider, which was evaporated into jelly and sent to the Boston market. This process vnll, in a short time, increase the value of cider apples, and put them to a good use. As we were descending the hill towards Dunbarton, my father told me that the place on the right was first occupied by Green French, who for some time carried his corn to be ground, on his back, through the woods four miles, to a miU near where the St. Paul's school-buildings now stand. He built the first framed house in the neighborhood, which was frequently visited by friendly Indians, who were sumpt- uously fed on bread and milk. His son Benjamin succeeded him, and he built the house which was for many years occupied by Luther J. Fitch, a popular school-teacher and singing-master. This place is now owned by Samuel SpofEord. A house and blacksmith's shop once stood on the east side of the road, opposite Mr. SpofEord's house, occupied by Robert Knowlton. After a long descent down the hill, we came to a farm which was first owned by Parker Flan- ders, of South Hampton. He built a dwelling-house in 1776, which is now standing as an out-building on the farm. He sold it to his brother, Merrill Flanders, about 1803. He lived there to the age of 96 years. It then passed into the hands of Philip, father of Parker M. Flanders, who now lives upon the farm. As we walked down the hiU, we next came to the farm which my father said was owned by Josiah Smith, of Newbury, Mass., who built the house now standing. It afterwards passed into the posses- sion of his son Moody, and from him to his son Josiah, then down to Gilman Smith, since owned by E. H. Edmunds, and lastly by Al- fred SpofEord. Near the brook was a house built by Richard Hoit, which has been moved away. William Page, one of the early set- tlers of Dunbarton, built a saw-mill near the lines of Bow and Dun- barton, which site has been occupied for a mUl to the present time. Mr. Page's, son owned mills and kept a tavern at Contoocook some 652 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. sixty years ago. We walked past the Dickennan house till we came to the old road leading back to Hopkinton, which was discon- tinued many years ago. On this old road was once a farm and buildings owned by Moses Trussell, some of whose descendants are now living in New London. Isaac Bailey, from Newbury, Mass., had a farm and buildings opposite Mr. TrusseU's. As we look upon the place where once stood the dwelling-houses of the early settlers of the town, and see that nothing now remains to mark the spot, except an old cellar hole, grown over with thorns and briers, a few scattered pieces of broken bricks, and the remains of apple-trees which have stood the blasts of a hundred winters, a feeling of sad- ness comes over us, as we think of the family which once lived here, of the sturdy manhood which cultivated the soil, and the graceful womanhood which presided over household matters. Here families were raised, children played their merry games, and the household experienced joys and sorrows as we now experience them. Natur- ally, sad feelings come over us as we look upon these desolate places and contemplate the many changes which time works upon all things. On this old road, at its junction with the highway leading from Jewett road to Farrington's Corner, stands a house originally owned by a Mr. Gould, and next by Andrew Sherburne, a worthy man. After his decease, it passed to his son-in-law, Aaron Smith, and is now owned by John Brockway. The next place towards the village was originally owned by Robert Rogers, afterwards by Major WiU- iam Weeks, of Revolutionary note. A number of years ago, the house was burned, and two new houses built there, one occupied by Mr. Boutwell, the other by Mr Goodwin. Major Weeks reared a large family of children ; one of whom, Dea. Thomas J. Weeks, buUt a house on the Turnpike in 1830 and still lives upon the place, a worthy man who honors the office of deacon of the Baptist church in the village. Another house was built on the turnpike about 1816, and was occupied many years by Moses Eaton. As we walked along towards the village from the Major Weeks place, my father pointed out to me the place where was once a farm and buildings owned by a Mr. Collins. The house has long since gone to decay and the land joined to other farms. John Jewett, an early settler of the town, owned the next farm north. He built a house which has stood upon the farm as an out-building till it was burned a few years ago, together with the dwelling-house. Ezekiel Knowlton, of Manchester, Mass., next owned the place. About 1809 his son, Hon. Nathaniel Knowlton, built a house, such as an Englishman said all Yankees built, a great house to look at and a little one out behind to live in. He was a man of influence in town and state, and had the confidence of all who knew him. His widow and her son Martin Crowell now live upon the place. If you look across the broad fields of this farm towards the west, you will see a little REVOLUTIONAEY PAPERS. 553 red cottage house which belongs to this district. It was hiult about 1819 by Dr. Steven Currier, an eminent physician of Hopkinton village. My tour through this district has now reached its conclu- sion. I have undoubtedly made mistakes, but I have endeavored to give a true record of men and things as they were told to me, without doing injustice to any one, and to relate such facts as, to my informer, appeared to be most prominent at that time. My object, is accomplished if I have succeeded in awakening an interest in the history of the town, and an attachment, which ought never to die out, for the memories of generations who have gone before us, — memories of the men who cultivated these farms as we now culti- vate them, and over whose ashes the green grass now springs, the summer flowers bloom, and the autumn leaves fall, — men who, struggling with adversity, reared churches and school-houses and gave money from their scanty means for their support ; — these men, with their families, went up to the sanctuary as we now go, and lis- tened to the earnest eloquence of Scales, Fletcher, and a long line of successive gospel ministers, and have followed them to that bright land beyond the river, where they are now progressing to a higher and a better life. Note.— Mr. Knowlton's story of Samuel Stocker's enlistment is also told of Micbael S looker. Revolutionary Papers. (The following Revolutionary papers are so identically distinct in character that we insert them in fuU in this part of our work. They are copied from Volume XII of New Hampshire Town Papers, compiled by Hon. Isaac W. Hammond.) Enlistment Papers, 1776. llopkinton Septem' 17, 1776. "We the Subscribers do volintarly inlis into the Continall army to sarve at new york till the first Day of December next insuing to Sarve as Solders under the Command of Such Captain and See Boltens as Shall Be appointed By the Field OfEcers of this Rige- ment as witness our Hands William Darling Ezekiel Straw Jacob Hoyt Timothy Darling Nathaniel Kimball Benj Bach"' Darling William Godfree Sargent Currier Elias gould Gideon Gould Depositions Relative to Service in the Army. Then Jacob Tucker of Warner Thomas Story WiUiam Clement Joseph Standley Thomas Bigsford Abner Colby Joseph Putney 554 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Ebenezer Eaton of Hopkinton all in the State of New Hampshire and County of Hillsborough yeomen Parsonally appeared and Being Duly Examined and Corshened maid Solem Oath that thay Sarved as Soldiers in Cap' William Stilsons Company and Colo Isaac Wjrmans Rigement at mount independence in the year 1776 and that thay Never Receivd any Saus money for the whole of the time that thay were in Said Wymans Rigement and that for the month of November thay Never Received any wages nor travil money Horn Direct nor inderect. Examined and Sworn before Joshua Bayley Jus' Peac Hopkinton Novemb. 7 : 1777. Certificate of Soldiers Mustered, 1781. This May Certify that Tim^ Farnham Abraham Currier John Eaton has this 5 Day of April pas'" Muster for the Town of Hop- kinton for three years & Benj" Cresey the 6 april pas'* Muster for three years for the town of Hopkinton & that Ephrim Hildreth, Sam' French, Michael Stocker, John Robinson has pas'* Muster for the Town of Hopkinton Dureing war with great brittain all Mus- tered at Amherst ye 5, &, 6, of April 1781. Moses Nichols M Master To whom it may concearn Enlistments, 1781. Hopkinton September 20 : 1781. S' agreeable to your orders I have inlisted Seven Men to Serve three months theare names as follows Moses Colby Stephen Putney Samuel Eastman Richard Smith Moody Clement Daniel Stickney Jur. of Hopkinton and David Stickney of Concord the men have marched this day Joshua Bayley To Col Thomas Stickney of Concord Petition of Joseph Marsh, Soldier, 1787. Your Petitioner Humbly Sheweth that he Inlisted into Cap' Daniel Runnels Company and Cor' Nathaniel Peabodys Rigement in the years Sarvice in the Expedition at Rhode Island in the year 1778 and when he received his wages it was of but Very little value to what the same was when he Inlisted .... Hopkinton June 13, 1787 Joseph Marsh BEVOLTJTIONAEY PAPERS. 555 Petition of Samuel French, Soldier : addressed to the Oeneral Court, 1787. Humbly shews Samuel French of Hopkinton in the County of Hillsborough and State aforesaid, that he your Petitioner in the year 1781 Inlisted into the Continental Service in Cap' Moses Dus- tins Company and proceeding on his march to White plains, from thence I was ordered to March to Mohawk River and was there taken by the Indians and carried beyond Canada and has remained , a prisoner ever since June 1782 until March last, when he returned Home — for all which he has received no compensation Wherefore your Petitioner Humbly prays that this HonV Court would take his case under their wise consideration and make him such compen- sation as they in their wisdom shall think fit Concord i^une U'" 1787. Samuel French. March y= 17 1783 I due here by certify at Samuel French Hath fuly payed for His Bedemsian from the Indians John Cambill Hopkinton June 20* 1787 This may Sartify that Samuel French of Hopkinton was taken by the Indians Sum Time in June in the year l782 at the Little falls in Moohook River according to the best Integence we had Being Soulders Stationed at Saratoge the same year Timothy Farnham John S. Farnham ' Meredith September the 1 1787 this is to Certify that Samuel french was taken By the indens at the Little falls of the mohock River he Belongin to Cap' Bells Company in the 2 N H Rigment with me Oliver Smith Pursuant to a vote of the General Court passed Feb^ 1" 1788, I have entered Samuel French in the Depreciation Books for four years wages, commencing June 1782, amounting to Ninety Six pounds. Interest to be paid aimuaUy. Attest J. Gilman Exeter FeV 15'" 1788— Petition of Elijah Smart, Soldier, 1791. State of New Hampshire To the Hon*"' General Court now setting at Concord The Petition of Elijah Smart Humbly sheweth, that in the year 1777 he enlisted for three years in Cap' Nat. Hutchen's Company 656 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. in Col° CiUeys Rig™' and in the year 1778 was taken sick in the Camp, of the Yellow fever and Carried to the Hospital at Valley forge and from thence was removed to the Hospital at the Yellow- Springs, where he had the mortification in one of his feet which Oocationed the loss of several of his toes .... Elijah Smart Hopkinton Jan. 19 : 1791 Hopkinton Men in the First New Hampshire Regiment. Daniel Cressy, entered AprU 10, 1777 ; discharged April 10, 1779. Moses Colby, entered April 4, 1777 ; discharged AprU 4, 1780. Ephraim Cross, entered April 16, 1777 ; discharged 1780. John Chadwick, entered April 6, 1777; discharged AprU 5, John T. Connor, entered AprU 8, 1777; discharged AprU 5, Ebenezer CoUins, entered AprU 6, 1777; discharged October, 1777. Benjamin Cressey, entered AprU 6, 1781 ; discharged March 17, 1782. Alva Currier, entered April 5, 1781; discharged December, 1781. Joseph Eastman, entered AprU 10, 1777 ; discharged October 30, 1777. John Eastman, entered AprU 10, 1777 ; discharged July 8, 1777. John Eastman, Jr., entered May 6, 1779 ; discharged John Eaton, entered April 5, 1781 ; discharged December, 1781. John S. Farnham, entered May 5, 1779 ; discharged December, 1781. Timothy Farnham, entered AprU 5, 1781 ; discharged Enoch Hoit, entered July 3, 1777 ; discharged July 2, 1780. Ephraim HUdreth, entered AprU 5, 1781 ; discharged December, 1781. Jona Judkins, entered AprU 10, 1777 ; discharged AprU 10, 1780. James Lamb, entered March 10, 1777 ; discharged March, 1780. Samuel Stocker, entered AprU 10, 1777 ; discharged March 7, 1780, David Smith, entered AprU 10, 1777; discharged August 4, Elijah Smart, entered AprU 7, 1777 ; discharged April 10, 1780. Caleb Smart, entered AprU 7, 1777 ; discharged AprU 10, 1780. Jona. Sawyer, entered AprU 4, 1777 ; discharged April 5, 1780. EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 65T (In his personal notes upon the foregoing papers, Mr. Hammond ohserves that Stephen Hoyt, of Hopkinton, made oath before Joshua Bayley that he served in Capt. William Stilson's company at "mount independent" in 1776. Reuben Trussel, who was wounded at Bennington, was allowed £23, 12, 4, for doctors' bills, etc., on the 31st of October, 1778, being also placed on half-pay from September 19, 1777. Some of the soldiers of the First Reg- iment were in it again in 1782 and 1783.) Euphonious Names. Amesbukt River, another name for Warner river, which enters Hopkinton to become a tributary of the Contoocook river, is so called because the early name of the town of Warner was New Amesbury, on account of the settlers in that town from Amesbury, Mass. , Back Roab, the ancient road running from the Putney HiQ school- house to Gould's hUl, so called possibly in contradistinction from the main road to Contoocook on the other side of the hUl. Basset Mill Road is the highway originally running from Con- toocook to Basset's miU in Weare, and thence to GofEstown. I Beech HiU in the east part of the town is supposed to be named for the beech tree. Blackwateb River enters Hopkinton from Webster to become a tributary of the Contoocook river. The name Blackwater is an old one of rivers. There is at least one Blackwater river in England and one in Ireland. Blackwater district in Hopkinton lies along the course of the Blackwater river. Bound Tree, a white oak marking the spot where the division of lines between Hopkinton and Henniker occurs on the southern boundary of Warner. This tree is specified in the incorporating charter of Hopkinton as a " white oak tree with stones about it, spotted on four sides, and marked with the figure 6 on the westerly side, and the numerical letter V on the easterly side." This tree was struck by lightning a few years ago and somewhat damaged. Bkiee HiU is a small eminence about a mile north of Hopkinton village on the Webster road. It is so called from the local abun- dance of brambles. 558 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Buswell's Corner is a district in the north-east part of the town, named from the Buswell family. BuswELiiTiLLB is another name for Buswell's Corner. Camp Meadow is mentioned ia the early records of Hopkinton, and is of uncertain location, but is presumed to have been an early camping-place of settlers. Chessemoee Bog is the old name of the morass near the village of Davisville on the road from Contoocook to that village. A Mr. Chessemore once lived near this spot. Clement's Brook is the outlet of Clement's pond into Contoocook river. Clement's Hill is a ridge of land in the north-west part of Hop- kinton, named for the Clement family. Clement's Pond, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, named for the Clement family, is the same as Clough's pond. Clotjgh's Pond, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, named for the Clough family, is the same as Clement's pond. Cloughville, a frequent place of resort in the north-west part of the town, is named for being the home of the Clough family. Cold Spring, a picnic-ground at West Hopkinton, is so called on account of the cold waters of a local spring. Common Meadows, a name mentioned in the early records of Hopkinton, is supposed to refer to the Great Meadows. Contoocook, the name of Hopkinton's river and of its north vil- lage, is an Indian name, said to mean crow-place. Cueeier's District lies between Putney's hiU and Beech hUl, and is so called from the former residence there of George W. Currier. It was once a school-district. Davisville Road was the former name of a school-district be- tween Contoocook and Davisville in Warner. Dimond's HiU is partly in Hopkinton and partly in Concord, and is named for the family of Dimond. EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 559 Dolloff's Brook is a large tributary of the Contoocook, and is named for Joseph DollofE, who once lived on its bank in the Bus- weU's Corner district. Dolly's Cove is an enclosure of water close to a bend in the Contoocook river, about a mile and a half above the village of Con- toocook. It would seem that the cove was once a sharp bend in the river, which has since cut a new and shorter channel. Dow's Brook is a small tributary of the Contoocook river, and is named for the family name of Dow. It skirts Contoocook vUlage on the east, and is latterly called Hardy's brook, from running near the house of the late George B. Hardy. DtrsTiN's Brook is a small tributary of the Contoocook river, and is named for the Dustin family. It is about a mUe and a half above Contoocook village, flowing into the river on the south side. Emerson's HUl is between Contoocook and West Hopkinton, and is named for the family of Emerson. Faeeington's Brook is in the south-east part of Hopkinton, and is named for the Farrington family. Fakbington's Corner is a district in the south-east part of Hop- kinton, and is named for the Farrington family. Flbtchek House is the ancient house about a mile east from Hopkinton viUage towards Concord, and once the home of Eev. Elijah Fletcher, second minister of Hopkinton. Fbog Pond is the name of a natural morass in Hopkinton village, once abounding with frogs, but now drained and cultivated. Gage's Hill, or district, is situated at the southern extremity of Putney's hUl, and is named for the Gage family. Grassy Pond, in the north-west part of Hopkinton, is so called because of the large quantity of aquatic grass once growing in it. Great Meadows is the name of the extensive range of low-lands in Sugar hiU and Stumpfield in the westerly part of Hopkinton. Gould's HUl is the northern brow of Putney's hill, and is named for the Gould family. Hardy's Corner is a district in the extreme north-west part of Hopkinton, and is named for the Hardy family. 560 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKINTON. Habdt's Springs is the name of a collection of mineral springs in the north-west part of Hopkinton, and once upon the land of Isaac Hardy. Hatfield is a district in the south-west part of Hopkinton, and is supposed to be named from Hatfield, Mass., from which some of the early residents of the district came. Hawthorne's Hill is a slight elevation just east of Hopkinton village, and is named for the Hawthorne family. Hennikbk New Bridge, the most westerly bridge over the Con- toocook river in Hopkinton, so called for being on the more recent and shorter highway between Hopkinton and Henniker. Hill's Bridge was the same in location as the present highway bridge across the Contoocook river at the village of Contoocook. It was named for Moses Hill, an early resident and mill-owner, whose name is often spelled Hills in the town records. Hill's Bridge was an early name of Contoocook village, and is derived from the bridge named for the family of Hill. Hott's Hill is about a mile from Hopkinton village on the South road, and is named for the family of Hoyt. Indian Camp was on the brook leading from the present Chase's tannery in Hopkinton village, and a few rods below the highway in the field now owned by Horace Edmunds. Till a few years ago, a large rock cleft in such a way as to aid in providing shelter marked the place of Indian Camp. Irish Hill is the elevation at the terminus of the Tenny road, and is so named for the difBerent Irish families that have lived on it. Jewett Road is a district in the south-east part of the town, and is named for the Jewett family. K AST's HiU is at West Hopkinton, and is named for the family of Kast : same as MacHard hill. Kimball's Cove is about a mile down the river from Contoocook village, and near the house of the late Hazen Eamball. MacHard Hill is the same as Kast's hill. It was named for James MacHard, an early resident of the locality, noted for his EUPHONIOUS NAMES. . 561 exceptional wealth in his day, which was an early one in the history of Hopkinton. Main Road is the main road from Hopkinton village to Concord. Mills' Pond once flowed the present Mills' meadow, and was named for the family of MiUs. The outlet of this pond fm-nished power for the first grist-mill of Hopldnton, it being just east of the village, owned by Nathaniel Clement. Later, Philip Brown in- creased the supply of water by an artificial conduit from Smith's pond. Mt. Lookout is a recent name for Gould's hiU, the place of the Lookout. Mud Pond is a muddy reservoir of water at Cloughville, and not far from Clough's or Clement's pond. New Road is the name of a highway between Hopkinton and Dunbarton, and the same of one between Hopkinton and Concord, on account of their comparatively recent construction. Old Mill is the name of the ancient miU-site at the end of the path that runs continuously from the village lane. It has been a frequent resort of pleasure-seekers. Old Mill Yaed is the space in front of the old works on the river at Contoocook on the south side of the stream. Old Parsonage is the name of the old unoccupied house on Putney's hill, built for the Rev. James Scales, the first minister of Hopkmton, and now owned by the descendants of Moses Rowell. Old Road, the track of a former highway from Stillman B. Gage's, on Putney's hill, to Horace Edmunds's, at Hopkinton village, once a leading thoroughfare. Paige's Corner is the name sometimes given to the junction of roads near John W. Paige's, on the new road to Concord. Paul's Brook is a large tributary of the Contoocook river in the westerly part of the town, and is probably named for a man or family. Poor's Bridge once crossed the Contoocook river near the present dam at Contoocook village. It was named for Eliphalet Poor, the first mill-owner at Contoocook. 35 562 LIFE AND TIMES IN HOPKXNTON. PtrTlTEY's Hill is a promirieiit one in the central part of Hopkinton, and is named for the Putney family. ROLi^'s Pond is in the north-west part of Hopkinton, and is prob- ably named for the Rolf e family. Rowell's Bridge is the river bridge at West Hopkinton, and is named for the Rowell family. RoweI/L's Bbidge is the old name of the district of West Hop- kinton ; it originated from the local residence of the RoweU family. Rowell 's HiU is sometimes the name of the southern brow of Putney's hill, because of the once local residence there of the Rowell family. Sibley's Brook runs along the eastern slope of Putney's bill and across land once owned by Stephen Sibley. Smilet's Mill and district were once the grist-mill and district of West Hopkinton, and were named for the family of John Smiley. Smith's Pond is located close to Hopkinton Tillage on the south- west, and is named for James Smith, who once lived near it. South Road is a road and district south of Hopkinton village and extending towards Weare. Spopfobd's Brook is in the south-easterly part of Hopkinton, and once furnished power for SpofEord's lumber mill. Stanley's Cove is in the Contoocook river, about a half mile above Contoocook village, and is named for the Stanley family. Story's HiQ is an old name of Irish Hill, once the residence of the Story f amUy. STCfMPFlBLD is the name of a district in the westerly part of Hopkinton, and is supposed to have been derived from the former prevalence of stumps. SuGAK Hill is not a hill properly speaking, but a district about two miles westerly from Hopkinton village. It was once noted for the fertility of its soU, which fact may have suggested its name, or it may have been named for the prevalence of the sugar maple. EUPHONIOUS NAMES. 563 TENinr Road runs from South road to Irish hill, and is named for the family of Tenny. The Fobt is the name of the present residence of George W. Mills, ui Hopkinton village, westerly. It was once the home of Moses Cross, who had charge of the guns of his military company when they were not in service. He also erected a cannon on the ledge where the house is located, and fired it on public occasions. For these reasons Moses Cross was popularly called Major. The Geove is a small piece of woodland, just north of Hopkin- ton village, on land now owned by Horace G. Chase. It has long been a favorite resort for pleasure parties. The Lookout is a wood on the northern brow of Putney's hill. Two origins of the name have been described. The most proba- ble one ascribes the name to the early habit of using the brow of the hill as a lookout for distant Indians, whose location could be detected 'by the smoke of their fires. The other ascribes it toe/4 ^.VpJ i^Vo' L.VoJ kVo ,JM %&d ^^^■w^; 'i'? I ' %. '^« \4i ( 'j i /