Cq5H ^ftO "~n: <^. /?^^ StitYard * Cos Ztth WoS'ttm.. lowN houst; ,WA SHU A. cv HISTORY OLD TOWNSHIP OF DUSSTABLE: NASHUA, NASHVILLE, HOLLIS, HUDSON, LITCHFIELD, AND MERRLWAC, N. U. ; DUNSTABLE AND TYNGSBOROUGH, .MASS. - BT CHARI-ES J. FOX. ~ NASHUA : CHARLES T. GILL, PUBLISHER. C 1846. 7 ^^7 Entered according to Act of Oongrcji, in the year EishteeoHundred and Forty-»ii, BY CHARLES J. FOX, In the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in and for Ihe District of New Hampshire. ^•'¦^3t Z. NASHUA: MuunAY & Kimball, PRINTERS. »= NOTICE. A FEW pages only of this volume were in type, when its author was called away by death, from the community who esteemed and the friends who loved him. As arrangements had been made for the publication of the work, a large subscription obtained, and the promise of its appearance given to tbe public, it was thought best &at no delay should take place. The his tory, as prepared by Mr. Fox, extended to the year 1840, during which the greater part of it was written. He had however, when undertak ing its publication, procured information from va rious sources, as to transactions since that peri od, especially with regard to the present state of business in the village of Nashua. To condense this information, and incorporate it with what had been previously written, — to collect such additional facts as seemed desirable to bejpre- served in a volume of this kind, and to superin tend the mechanical execution of the work, has been the task of the author's friends, — a task of some delicacy and dilfi. culty, but rendered inter esting not only by the nature of the work itself, =» IV. NOTICE. but by its connection with one, who left so many claims to tbe affectionate remembrance of those who knew him. If under such circumstances, mistakes should be found to have passed uncor rected, which the eye of the author would have discovered, — or if the information given should seem deficient on any point where the further re searches of tbe writer would have supplied it, the indulgence ofthe reader is requested. Of the Author himself, a brief notice in this place will doubtless be expected by those who are acquainted with the circumstances under which the work is published. It is hoped tbat before long, a more full account of his character, labors and influence will be presented to tbe world by one who knew him intimately, and who is in every respect eminently suited to the task. Charles James Fox was born at Antrim, N. H., in the month of October, 1811. He received his preparatory education at Dartmouth College, where he was graduated in 1831. He pursued the study of law, at first in the law school of Yale College, and afterwards with Daniel Abbot, Esq., of Nashua (now Nashville,) N. H. With this gentleman he subsequently entered into part nership. Having been chosen in 1837 a mem ber ofthe State Legislature, hewas appointed in connection with Judge Parker and Mr. BeU, to prepare for pubhcation the Revised Statutes of w- ¦ — - — -Jg NOTICE. V. New Hampshire. The great labor which he en countered in the fulfilment of this duty, added to that of an extensive legal practice, it is believed laid the foundation of that disease which at so early a period, deprived the community of his valuable life. In 1841, Mr. Fox, in connection with Rev. Samuel Osgood, then pastor of the Unitarian Church in Nashua, prepared and published the " New Hampshire Book," a collection of pieces in prose and verse, from the writings of natives and adopted citizens of this state. While a member of the Legislature, Mr. Fox took a deep interest in the establishment of the State Lunatic Asylum, of which he was ap pointed one of the Directore. On the third of June, 1840, Mr. Fox was united in marriage to Miss Catherine P. Abbot, the daughter of his partner. In the year 1843, Mr. Fox, in consequence of his declining health, took a voyage to the Medi terranean, visiting the interesting countries which surround that sea, and extending his travels as far as Egypt. This voyage not having accomplished the res toration of his health, in the following autumn he sailed for the West Indies, accompanied by Mrs. Fox. Notwithstanding his feeble state of body, he looked on the scenes around him with «= VI. NOTICE. an observant eye, and treasured up many inter esting and instructive reminiscences, which were in part given to the world after his return, in a series of letters, published in the Nashua Gazette. During this visit to the West Indies, the sub ject of slavery especially engaged his attention. He viewed it with the feelings of a philanthro pist, united with the calm judgment of a lawyer; and had his health permitted him to complete his first design in the letters above referred to, his testimony on this subject would have possessed a peculiar value. Enough however is contained in the letters which he was able to write and publish, to show his deep and enlightened inter est in whatever concerned the rights and the welfare of his fellow beings. From this journey he returned in a state of great feebleness, in June, 1845. During the suc ceeding fall and winter, he gradually sunk, though with intervals of apparent improvement, until his death, which took place February 17lb. 1846. Industrious to the last, the hours when such exertion was possible, were devoted to the revision of the History which is now presented to the pubUc, and to poetical compositions, chief ly on religious subjects. The character of Mr. Fox had always, it is believed, been marked by purity and upright ness. As early as 1838, he became a member of NOTICE. the Unitarian Church in Nashua ; he was an ef ficient teacher in the Sunday School, and a firm supporter of religious institutions and enterpri ses, until sickness compelled him to retire from public action. His views in the anticipation of death were calm ; be seemed to be without fear, and to rest on the assurances of his Heavenly Father's love. Only when he spoke of the great ness of the blessings which that love had provid ed, did his voice falter, and his dying words seem too weak to express bis overflowing gratitude. With such ties to life as few possess, beloved and honored by the community, dear to the Church of Christ, and cherished as a son, a husband and a father, he surrendered himself with calm faith to the will of his Creator. w CONTENTS. Notice, Page iii. Preface 3 Introduction, 5 CHAPTER L THE FIRST SETTLERS OF DUiV- STABLE. Early settlers of New England. Valleys of tbe Mer- riniac and Nashua. WJni)iuis,iogee. Chelmsford and Groton. Johnson and Willard's company. — Litchfield. Amherst. Milford. Grant to John Whiting at Salmon Brook. Grants to Billerica; — to Gov. Endicott; — Henry Kimball. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. Petition for incor poration. Conditions. Boundaries. Name of Dunstable. Original proprietors. Lieut. Wheeler. John Cromwell. Indian tribes. Passaconoway. — Wannalancet. Wickasuck Island. Character and customs of the Indians. "The Bashaba's Feast." First settlers of Dunstable. First house lots. Or chards. Old Fort. Articles of agreement. Desig nation of place for the meeting house ,7 CHAPTER II. THE INDIAN WAR OF 1675. King Philip. Perilous situation of Dunstable. In dians remove. Garrison increased. Measures of Governor and Council. Friendship of Wannalan cet. Mr. Tyng alone remains in Dunstable. His petition. Attack on Chelmsford. Fort at Paw tucket Falls. End of the War. Treatment of the friendly Indians. Mr. Tyng appointed their guar dian. Allowances to him and to Thomas Wheeler. ^ »= CONTENTS. IX. Sudden appearance of Mohawks. Second appear- ancp. Wannalancet retires to Canada. Treaty of Nimeguen 28 CHAPTER III, HISTORY FROM 1675 TO 1685. Town meetings. Selectmen. Efforts to settle a min ister ; ^ to build a meeting house. Freeman's oath. First meeting house. . First births in the town. — Saw Mill. Settlement of Mr. Weld. Character of the people. Extracts from the records of the Colony. Town meetings. Appearanceof a cornet. Death of Hon. Edward Tyng. Increase of the town. Regulations respecting taxes, — wood, — swine. Mine Islands. Hezekiah Usher. Supposed Mines. Guard continued. Prices of wood. High way from Groton. " Thirty acre rights." Settle ment of Mr. Tyng's claim. Proprietors' names. Salary of Mr. Weld. Proceedings relative to a meeting house. Specie and produce. Town offi cers. Taxes. New alarm from the Indians.-^ "The Pilgrim's Vision." 38 CHAPTER IV. HISTORY FROM 1685 TO THE DEATH OF REV. Mr. WELD IN 1702. Meeting house built. Ordination of Mr. Weld. First church members. Covenant of neighboring church es. Churches in New Hampshire at this date. — Cranfield's o|)pressive edict. Removal of the In dians. Bridge in Billerica. Singular office. Rev olution of 1688, French War of 1689. Indian attack on Dover. Garrisons. Letter of Major Henchman. I'ythingman. Indian ravages. — Truce. War renewed. Murder of Hassell and others, Qt)rriSiOoa in Dwnstablet Representatives chosen. Strict regulation to prevent setders remov ing. Grants for sppport of the ministry. Return of Wannalancet. Treaty Qf Ryswick. Joe Eng lish. His adventure?, Grant to him. Capture of iyirs. Dustoti at Haverhill. State of the town. Compensatiqn of Mr. Weld. Billerica bridge.^ Bridge over Salmon Bipok, Wood-rate. Puritan =®i .CONTENTS. simplicity. List of inhabitants. Vote to glaze the meeting house. Petition for aid to support the min istry. Death of Mr. Weld. His history. ... 55 CHAPTER V. INDIAN WARS FROM 1?03 TO 1713. Intercourse with the Indians. Measures for defence. The Old Fort. Queen Anne's War. Bounty for scalps. Capt. Tyng. Massacre of the Parris fami ly. Petition for assistance. Block house. Cus toms at funerals. Garrison withdrawn. Grant to S. Butterfield. Attack on the Weld garrison; — Blanchard's; — Galusha's. Grants by General Court. Petition of Jacob Gallusha. Ambuscade. Death of Joe English. Precautions against the In dians. Garrisons. Whiting. Hassell. Account of Indian wars from Bancroft, — from Mary Row landson 75 CHAPTER VL ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY FROM 1702 TO 1737. Imperfect accounts. Grant to the town. Rev. Sam uel Hunt. His petition. Rev. Mr. Parris. Meet ing house repaired. Assistance continued. In creased prosperity. Rev. Mr. Cheever. Salary. — Mr. Treat. Votes. Rev. Mr. Peirpoint. Rev. Mr. Coffin. Facetious remark of Col. Taylor. Rev. Mr. Prentice. His marriage and death. Salary. 94 CHAPTER VIL INDIAN ATTACK OF 1724. Peace of Utrecht. Prosperity. Indian disturbances renewed. Jesuits. Father Rasle. Attack at Merry Meeting Bay. Frontier towns. Dover. Garrison at Dunstable. Peeker's company, — Fairbanks'g. — Death of Hon. Jonathan Tyng. Scouts. Attack on Norridgewock, and death of Rasle. Incursion of Mohawks. Cross and Blanchard captured. The pursuers waylaid and cutoff! Monument. Second fight. Name of Indian Head. William Lund cap tured 102 m= CONTENTS. Xl. CHAPTER VUI. LOVEWELL'S WAR AND LOVE- WELL'S FIGHT. Petition of Lovewell and others. The Pequawketts. Lovewell's first expedition. Its success. Second excursion. Thirty men dismissed. Surprise ten Indians. Capt. Tyng's excursion. Lovewell's third expedition. Fort built and guard left there. Names of the party who proceeded. Arrive at a pond. Particular account of the Fight. Fate of the survivors. Liberality ofthe General Assembly. Expedition to bury the dead. Petition of Dunsta ble. Petition of John Lovewell, senior. Further military operations. Alarm of the Indians. Fur ther compensation to Lovewell's party. Ballad on Lovewell's fight. Death of Paugus. Second Bal lad. Restoration of peace. Anecdotes of Indian hostilities Ill CHAPTER IX. CIVIL HISTORY OF THE TOWN UNTIL ITS DIVISION BY THE NEW STATE LINE IN 1741. Increase of the town. Poverty. Bills of credit. — Loan to Mr. Prentice. Depreciation. Represetita- tives. Extracts from the records. The meeting house. Pews erected. First pauper. Grand jury men. Tythingman. Billerica bridge. Vote by ballot. Customs of tbe tirae. Ferry-boat. Earth quake. Inn-keepers. Bootn built. Legal pro ceedings. Taxes. Education. Laws relating to it. Difficulty of observing thera. Town indicted. Small amount raised. Neglect. Various disputes. Settlements extended. Nottingham, (Hudson.)— Merrimac. Litchfield. Vote to build a new meet ing house. Hollis. Townsend. Settlement of the State Line. Rev. Mr. Swan settled. " New Lights." New meeting house built 135 £rc dS Xll. CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. HISTORY OF DUNSTABLE, N. H., TO THE OLD FRENCH WAR. Incorporation by New Hampshire. Road to Tyngs- borough. Mr. Swan dismissed. Anecdote of him. Schools. Indian hostilities. Soldiers impressed. Farwell and Taylor captured. Rev. Mr, Bird set tled. Divisions in the church. Proceedings de clared illegal. Mr. Bird leaves Dunstable. Bitter ness of feeling. Petition ofthe inhabitants of Pine Hill. Schools. Bridges over the Nashua. Death and character of John Lovewell. Statistics. Rev. Mr. Adams preaches. New meeting house built. . 150 CHAPTER XI. HISTORY OF DUNSTABLE FROM THE FRENCH WAR TO THE REVOLUTION. Patriotic spirit of the people. Expedition to Crown Point. New Hampshire Regiment. Subsequent Armaments. Rogers's Rangers. Dunstable men in the service. Col. Goffe's regiment. Singular order. Church affairs. Rev. Mr. Smith. Protest. Notice of Col. Blanchard. Rev. Josiah Cotton. — Ecclesiastical Council. Compromise. Town meet ing on points of doctrine. Rev. Mr. Livermore. — ^ Rev. Mr. Fessenden. Rev. Mr. Kidder settled. No tice of him. Rev. Mr. Sperry. Slaves owned in town. Customs at funerals 159 CHAPTER XII. REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF DUNSTABLE. Revolutionary feelings. Favored by the organization in townships. Right of representation granted by the General Assembly. Conventions at Exeter. Con stitution for the State. Fight at Lexington. Walk er's company. Statistics. Character of the N. H. troops. Battle of Bunker Hill. Declaration of In dependence anticipated. Depreciation of paper money. Meeting in consequence. Three regi ments raised in the Stale. Company for Canada. Similar efforts the next year. Bounty offered. — -H CONTENTS. Xm. Surrender of Burgoyne. Committee of Safety. — Convention to regulate prices. Articles of Confed eration. State Constitution. Rejected. Volun teers. Representative. Patriotic exertions of the people 169 CHAPTER XIIL HISTORY TO THE ORIGIN OF NASHUA VILLAGE. Sacrifices made for independence. Convention for State Constitution. Representatives. Convention to adopt Constitution of TJ. S. Different opinions. — Vote of the town against it. Notice of Hon. Jona than Blanchard, — of Judge Jonathan Lovewell . . 186 CHAPTER XIV. HISTORY OF NASHUA VILLA GE. First Stage Coach. Boating on tbe Merrimac. Pop ulation in 1800. Canal Boat launched. Oration. Narae of N.nshua. Description of the Village. Post Office. Middlesex Canal. Gradual increase. Dun stable plains. Changes in Main street. New meet ing house built. Rev. Mr. Sperry ordained. Dams across Nashua River. Census. Manufactures con templated. First views. Nashua Manufacturing Company. Their works. Boating Canal. Indian Head Company. Meeting house on Olive street erected. History ofthe two Congregational Socie ties. New Bridge. Taylor's Falls Bridge. Unita rian Church. Present state of Nashua Manufactur ing Company. Jackson Company. Newspapers. First Baptist Church. Methodist Churches. — Growth of the Village. Railroads. Bank. Steam boat. Universalist Church. Population. Second Baptist Church. Name of the town changed. — Free-will Baptist Church. First Christian Society. Protestant Episcopal Church. Machine Shop. — Manufacturing and Mechanics Association. Iron Foundry. Factory at Salmon Brook. Vote to erect a Town House. Town of Nashville organized. — Contrast of the past and present 193 XIV. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XV. NOTICES OP TOWNS INCLUDED IN OLD DUNSTABLE. Historical Sketch of Hudson 216 Historical Sketch of Litchfield 320 Historical Sketch of Merrimac 222 Historical Sketch of Hollis 229 APPENDIX. L Genealogy of the Early Settlers of Dunstable . 237 IL List of Soldiers in the Army, from Dunstable . 254 IIL Town House and Cemetery ... j ... . 257 IV. Population of Nashua and" Nashville, .... 261 V. Lawyers and Physicians 263 VI. List of Representatives 265 VII. Proportion of Taxes at various periods S . . 268 VIIL Value of Silver at different periods . . . . 269 IX. Post Ofiice 270 X. Inventory and Expenses of Nashua .... 272 XI. District Schools ........... 275 »l= -15* ^^s HISTORY ®[L® TiMPfllMDIP ®IF iyiMiMiLL !!j=r ^zzz -^^:, :^," - -fe s- PREFACE, The following work was undertaken in consequence of a rote passed at the Annual Meeting of' the New Hampshire Historical Society, June, IS-JO, appointing the Author Cbairman of the Committee upon HMories of 7'oicns. It was remarked that great deficiencies existed, and that materials should be speedily collected while so many of the immediate descendants of the first settlers were yet living. Attention was thus turned to the subject: — an examination of ancient records made and a collection of materials commenced, anri the result is the compilation which is now submit ted to the public. It would be inconvenient and burdensome to cite the authority for every statement that is macie, but the reader may be assured that no fact is stated as such without what is deemed to ho good authority. The value of a work like this depends in a great mea sure upon the accuracy of its details, and to this the writer confi dently lays claim. A large portion is extracted from the Town and Proprietary Records of Dunstable, which are in a good state of pre servation, excepting a few years between 1694 and 1710. Much has been derived from the Town, Military, Ecclesiastical, Pecuni ary, and Legislative Records ofthe Commonwealth of Massachu setts, prior to 1741, in the office of the Secretary of State, at Bos ton. For many accommodations in examining and copying the Records I am indebted to Rev. Joseph B. Felt, who has been em ployed for many years by the State in arranging and binding them. The materials for minute and accurate history there collected and arranged by Mr. Felt, are very curious and valuable. A similar collection of papers, belonging to a period subsequent to 1741, aiM including the French and Revolutionary wars, is found in the criicc of the Secretary of this State, at Concord, to -which frc access has been granted. Frequent reference has also been had to the Arocrican, Massa chusetts, and New Hampshire Historical Societies; to Farmer's m--- ------ ---:-— ¦ -— : — ^--^^^^m 1 6 INTRODUCTION. I (Jf such descent we may well be proud. We ; wish to know who they were, and when, and I wliere, and how they lived. Their toils andpri- i vatious and sufferings, their opinions and pecu- i liarities to us should be important. From them j is derived all that is peculiar to the New Eng- I land character; its energy, its ingenuity, its per- i severance, and its hatred of tyranny in all its [ forms and manifestations. An insight into their ; every day life would be most valuable, but they I have passed awa5''j and the story of the first set- ; ile7-s of Dunstable^ with its startling romance and j stern realities, has nearly perished v/ith them. A few materials yet exist, scattered and imperfect, in cotemporary journals and musty records, in ancient burial grounds or in uncertain traditions, only to be gathered with great labor and anti quarian zeal and patience. These perishing me morials have been sought out and embodied with filial regard, by one who is proud of a descent from the first settlers, trusting that the simple story of Indian perils and Revolutionary patriot ism, of toil and perseverance, of enterprise and success will not prove entirely destitute of inter est or of instruction. =» CHAPTER I. THE FIRST SETTLERS OF DUNSTABLE. The landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in December, 1620, is an epoch in the world's his tory. "On this bleak New England shore," in the wilderness, with the snows of winter around them and a few wretched dwellings to protect them, and wild bea.sts and wilder men, they es tablished a Colony which is destined to solve a problem for the human race. Its motto and its basis was "freedom to worship God." Perse cuted in the old world alike by Catholic and Epis copalian for opinion's sake, driven from their homes, they came to this " wilderness world " with gladsome hearts, " singing the songs of Zi on," even in this " strange land," for that "here they could worship God according to the dictates of their consciences in peace." The Plymouth settlers were but pioneers, and soon crowds flocked hither, ready to dare all and to endure all for the priceless boon of a free con science and free speech. Boston, Salem, Ports mouth and Dover were settled, and every where, "with each little band of brethren, the "mart of God" went forth to cheer them in toil, in peril, and in death. As the farae of this new asylum for the oppressed began to spread abroad more widely, greater crowds of emigrants came, until the older settlements became too populous. Ad- HISTORY OF venturous spirits went forth into the wilderness upon every side to found new plantations, and at a ver)r earljr period, not long after the settlement of Bostoi), attention was turned towards the val leys of the Merrimac and the Nashua. In Au gust, 16.52, (1) the valley ofthe Merrimac as far northward as the outlet of Lake Winnipisiogee, was surveyed by Capt. Simon Willard and Capt. Edward Johnson, and its rich basins and valua ble fishing stations were laid open to to the eager gaze ofthe adventurers. The valleys of the Merrimac and Nashua are of alluvial formation. That they have uudergone great changes is very evident. Their general aji- pearance, the shape of their basins, their outlets, their different levels, and the stratified character of the soil, all show that at some remote period the greater portion of these valleys must have been covered with water in the form of Lakes or large Ponds. Geologists find the same character istics upon all our Rivers, and some even refer their origin to the Deluge. But whenever and however their origin may have been, it is evident that the valley of the Merrimac was once a suc cession of Lakes, one ending at Pawtucket Falls, and another at Amoskeag Falls, through "whose rocky basins the waters at length burst their way, and formed their present lower channel, leaving their former beds dry. (I) This survey was made by order of the General Assembly of Massachusetts to determine the Northerly bound ofthe Colnny, and an inscription was made upon a large stone in Winnipisiogee lliver, at a pomt " three miles North of the head of Merrimac JRiver," to riesisjiiate the spot. The Colony of Massachusetts then claimed all Ihe land lying " three miles " North and East of the Merrimac from its mouth to this point, and thence due West to New York. Thii. stone was discovered a few years since, and gave rise to many con jectures as to its origin. For an account of it, see 4 A'. //. Histori cal Collections, 194. H- U '-: - - - -- - - NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 9 The same is equaUy true of the valley of the Nashua, one outlet being at Mine Falls, and another at the high bluff near the Nashua Cor poration, through which the river has forced a passage, and left large basins exposed for cultivation. In corroboration of this theory we know that logs have often been found here, buried in the earth at a great depth. When the excava tion for the foundation of the Locks near the Mer rimac was being made in 1825, at a spot about one hundred feet from the River, and at a depth of many feet below the surface, the workmen found several logs, a quantity of charcoal, as if the remains of a fire, and a toad, which, on being exposed to the sun and air, revived and hopped away. Such discoveries are not of unfrequent occurrence, but as to the time and mode of their deposit we are left only to theory and conjecture. The valley of the Merrimac was not an object of desire to the English alone. From the earliest periods it seems to have been looked upon by the Indian as almost a Paradise. The Wimiiptsio- gee, or " the very pleasant place where there is but little land," was deeply beloved. (1.) The Merrimac with its numerous Naamkeeks, or fi'sh- ing stations, and its rich planting fields for maize, was still more dear. So far, indeed, had its fame extended, that in 1604, years before the Landing at Plymouth, a French Jesuit, writing frora Can ada to France, could say : " The Indians tell us of a beautiful River lying far to the South, luh'ich they call Merrimac." (2.) (I.) The Indians are also said to have called it, " The smile of the Great Spirit." The name is Winni-peesi-okhe, and should he pronounced Win-ni-pis-saw'-key, with the accent on the last syllable but one. (2.) Sieur De Monts. Relations of the Jesuits, 1604. Merrimac means Sturgeon. There is also a Merrimac which flows into the Missouri river. rgl m~ 10 HISTORY OF The Indians who inhabited the more souther ly portions of the valley were of a mild disposi tion, and invited intercfaurse with the whites. In 1655 the settlements had extended as far North as Chelmsford and Groton. From 1655 to 1665 was a period of unwonted activity and prosperi ty. There was peace with the Indians, and the tide of population rolled onwards rapidly. The Indians had planting fields all along the valleys of the Merrimac, the Souhegan, and the Nashua, and these were objects of eager desire tq the settler. About 1655, grants of land in this vicin ity were made to those who belonged to the ex ploring company of Johnson and Willard. In 1656 the lands upon both sides of the Merrimac, extending on the west side from Naticook brook (1) to a line about a mile south of Peni- chuck brook, and including the greater part of Litchfield, were granted to William Brenton, and called " Brenton's Farm." (2.) Nearly all the in terval lands about Naticook were granted not long after. In 1659 and 1660 large tracts of land -were granted upon the Souhegan river, (3.) at a place called by the Indians Q,uohqu'in7ia-pashessan- anagnog, being the meadows in Amherst which lie at the mouth of the small brook, which, aris ing in Mont Vernon, and flowing around the plain in Amherst, runs into the Souhegan in the South part of the town. Five hundred acres were grant ed to Capt. WiUiam Davis of Boston and Capt. (1.) A^aficoot is the little brooUjusl above Thornton's Ferry, in Merrimac. (2.) The Indian name of Litchfield and Merrimac was Naticook. Sometimes the land East of the river was called Nacook. — Belknap, 224. N. H. Gazetteer. Litchfield. (3.) This was anciently written Souhegenack, and means, it is said, crooked.— i N. H. Hist. Coll., 87. a= «= NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 11 Isaac Johnson of Roxbury; (1.) 500 acres to Mrs. Anna Lane ; and 300 acres to John Wilson of Boston. 1000 acres were also granted to the town of Charlestown for a " School Farm," lying upon the Souhegan, in Milford, about four or five miles westerly of the first grants, "at a great hill called Dramcap hill," and 500 acres to Mrs. Anna Cole " adjoining thereto." (2.) Abont the same time a grant of 400 acres, ly ing at ihe mouth of Salmon Brook, was made to John Whiting. It was bounded on the north "by the upland," and extended up the brook about a mile and a half, embracing the souther ly part of Nashua Village. Several hundred acres, also, were granted atPenichuck Pond, and so down Penichuck Brook, in Merrimac and Nashville. About 1662, 500 acres upon the easterly side ofthe Merrimac, in Litchfield, " at Nacook," were granted to the town of Billerica for a "School Farm," and 300 acres adjoining, to "Phinehas Pratt and others for straights and hardships en dured by them in planting at Plyraouth of which he was one." (3.) Four hundred acres were granted to Gov. En dicott, " lying in the westerly part of Pelhara," about six miles north of Pawtucket Falls, and one mile west of Beaver Brook, at a great hill called Masha-shatiuck, (4.) " lying between two other great hills, and adjoining southerly on a great Poud called P'lmmo-mitti-quonyiit." (1.) Capt. Johnson was killed at the great Narraganset Swamp Fight, Dec. M, 1675. (2.) These grants were all made by Massochusetls. For an ac count of them see Aisembly Recnrje, I65fl, 1660, in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, at Boston, pa^&s 327, 337, 358, 359,364,404. (3.) Drake's Book of the Indians, page 35. MaiS. Assembhj Records, IG62,16C5. (4.) Massa-attuck mcan.=^ Dcer-hlll. Pimmo-mitti-quonnit sig nifies a Lonff Pond. iS? ^a 12 HISTORY OF About this period, but at what date is uncer tain, a grant of a large tract in Hudson and Pel ham was made to Henry Kimball, and called " Henry Kimball's Farm." Samuel Scarlet had a farm also, on the north side of Merrimac Riv er, perhaps in Tyngsborough; Lieut. Joseph Wheeler, and his father Capt. Thomas Wheeler, had a farm upon the Merrimac, in Nashua, a lit tle south of Salmon Brook, and several others whose names are not preserved. In September, 1673, a grant of 1000 acres, ly ing hi Nashville, was made to the " Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company" of Boston. It was bounded East by the Merrimac, south by the Nashua, West by Spectacle Brook, (1.) and extended about one mile northerly of Nashua River. This embraced the whole of the village of Nashville, and was ctilled the "Artillery Farm." From this circumstance the little Pond in the north part of the village was called " Ar tillery Pond." At this period, 14,000 acres, lying along the Merrimac, upon both sides, between Souhegan River and Chelmsford, had been granted to various individuals, but as yet few settlements had been made. It became necessary, therefore, for their mutual benefit, to consolidate all the grants into one plantation, and to secure to the inhabitants all the privUeges and immunities of an incorporated Township. Accordingly, in Sep tember, 1573, the proprietors of the farms alrea dy laid out, and others who were disposed to set tle here, presented a Petition to the General As sembly, of which the following is a copy. (2.) (1.) The little brook about a mile Westerly of the village, which runs through l!ie farm now owned by Hiratii Woods. — Mass. As sembly Records, mrZ : page 729. (2.) P.Ia.'S. Assembly Records , 1673. The original Petition is on fiU'i and the ancient spelling has been preserved. Ml a 1? ® F - o; 1 © S y K § T M [B 0, E o "X — u^?==f-CJ^-5^ ) \ /rif^^\ ! • ¦'-•'¦' ' \\^'- \ ) r ^^ ¦^^'5 \ ' / -i''' '"- >j \^ '\=:J ^J y S,^/^;^,.? " ^ \ 1 j /,''• "^^— _^^ — -^ I ^^"' f / "t^ -f'',^^^-- ¦ .-.-^ \ 1 j ,;•' 1 ^ ^" '[i.- — 4 "=* r'J^A.-.--------''''^^^^ ^fl ^ LC iX "^ .», l==^*^-\^ \lt.' y V rr: Ki *-"¦¦ ¦/' 12* — ^"^^rj^"^"^ / ) '^<' f" /r\ !1 ~ % 1°- f^'i? Vv? f ,\l |\^ = i''''-'\^ 12 "i^ f \V = 1 ;iii p ^_\ -^a. V. II f '^^^^^^'^^'t^^- 1 ^%i \ /l^^^^^^^^^^^C^'*-^ ^' ^ ^fu^ Xl ^ V^^ i ^l'^' ^ # pA- J _,.---' = - "7^ >l , ~ .~~ ~ - - crrrrfeTir — y-f^^^ ^ b" ¦^ ^ Ml iK y~~|.^^ — -'*'| ~ al^L^ V„_,.p^_^_^ x--<° / I ^r 1 : Si R y / ^ \ ^ ".^ — ^ ^A»/* / \ y r~ fr;^^^/^^^ \ ^^^^ .=^?^ 1 iH?fr rr^ /\^ ^*«i» -4- \ -— -,^- ^¦- -^^ K =¦ -\ ^ S/ ^\^ \ &C'^^.ii!^ \^>^ I# { ^^ "v' /"^ / \ If ^ . ---;_ ^-— . ^ g) NASHUA. NASHVIT.I.E, tC. 13 "To the Honored Governor, Depiiiy Goverr.or, with (lie Magistrates and Deputies now r.ssTiiibled in the' Gener al Court at Boston, Sept. 19, 1G73. " The Petition ofthe Proprietors ofthe farms lliiit are laid out upon Merrim.-.c River, and places adjacent, with'oth- ers who desire to joyn with them in the settlement of a plantation there — " IIuMKLY Sheweth " That whereas there is n considerable tract of the Coun try's land that is invironed witli the proprieties of partic ular jiersons and towns, viz : by the lino of the town of Chelmsford, and by Groton line, and by Mr. Brenton's farm, by Souhegan farms, and beyond Mfirrimac River by the outermost line of Ilenry Kimball's farm, and so to Chelmsford liiie again — All which is in little capacity of doing the country any service except tlie farms border ing upon it be adjoined to said land, to make n plantation there ; and tliere being a considernhle nuinber of persons who are of a sober and orderly conversation, who do stand in great need of accommodations, who are willing and rea dy to make present improvement ofthe said vacant lands: And the Proprietors of the said farms are therefore wil ling to join with and give encouragement to those that shall improve the said lands: — the farms of those that are within the tract of land before described, being about 14,- 000 acres at the least : "Your Petitioners therefore Iiumbly request the favour ofthe Honorable Court that they will please to {riant the said tract of land to your Petitioners, and to such as will join with them in the settlement of the lands before men tioned, so that those who have imjiroved their farms there, and others who speedily intend to do the same, may be in a way for the support ofthe public ordinances of God, for without which the greatest part of the year they will be deprived of, the farms lying so Iar remote from any towns : and farther that the Honorable Court will please grant the like immunities to this plantation, as they in their favours have formerly granted to other new Plantations: — So .shall your Petitioners be ever engaged to pmy :— "1. Thomas Brattle. 8. Sanuiel Scarlet. 2. Jonathan Tyng. 9. William Lakin. 3. Joseph Wheeler. 10. Abraham Parker. 4. James Parkerson. 11. James Kiiapp. 5. Robert Gibbs. Ji. Robert Proctor. G. John Turner. JH. Simon Willard, Jr. 7. Sampson Slieafe. 14. Thomas Edwards. I>|!= 14 HISTORy OF 15. Thoinas Wheeler, Sen. 21. John Parker. 10. Peter Bulkely. 22. Josiah Parker. 17. Joseph Parker. 23. Nathaniel Blood. 18. John Morse, Sen. 24. Robert Parris. 19. Samnel Combs. 25. John Jollifie. 20. James Parker, Jr. 26. Znchariah Long." The Petition was granted upon conditions which were theu universally inserted in the Charters; that the Grantees should "settle" the Plantation, procure a minister within three years, and reserve a farm for the use of the Colony. By settling the Plantation was understood procuring a competent number oi actual settlers, (twenty or moie,) who should build houses capable of de fence, at least eighteen feet square, and who should live upon and improve their lands; and also, the erection of a Meeting House. The following is a copy of the original Charter, dated October 15, 1673, (corresponding with October 26th, New Style,) which includes all the above grants. (1.) "At a General Court held at Boston ye 15tli (26th) Octo ber, 1673. In answer to the Petition of Thomas Brattle, Jonathan Tyng, James Parker and William Lakin, in hnhalf of them selves and others joyning in their humble Petition to de sire the favor of this Court to grant them liherty to settle a plantation with their fFarmes, and a considerable tract of land belonging to ye country being invironed with the pro prieties of particular persons and towns; as by ye line of Chelmsford, and by Groton line, and by Mr. Brenton's ifarm, by Souhegan ifariiies, and lieyoud Merrimac River by ye utmost line of Henry Kimbol's farme, and so to Chelmsford line again, as also such other ininimiities to the jjlaiitation as this Court hath formerly granted to other new plantations : — The Court judgeth it meet to grant their request provided a farme of five hundred acres of upland and medo be laid (I.) Mass. Assembly Records, 1673, Page 730. Records of Towns, 1673. In order lo make the dates which are previous to A. p. 1751, coreipared with our present reckoning, e/ct-en rfays should in all cases be added. ^^ — — '- - -is NASHU.\, NASIlVILLL. .VC. 1.5 out of this tract lor the country's use, and that they shall in settling the plantation ende.ivor so as to finish it once (1.) within three years, and jirocure an able and othordox min ister amongst them. Tliat this is a true copy taken and compared with tho original record,'^. Attest Ed"ward Ra'svson, .Secretary." In May, 1674, the new Plantation was survey ed by Jonathan Danforth. and its boundaries are thus described : (2.) "It lieth upon both sides Merrimac River on the Nssha- way River. It is bounded on the South by Chelmsford, by Groton line, and jiartly by country land. The Westerly line runs due North until you come to Souhegan River to n hill called dram cup hill to a great pine near to ye said River at the N. VV. coiner of Charlestown School farm ; boimded by Souhcsan River on the North ; and on the Ei'.st side Merrimac it begins at a great stone which was supposed to be near the North East corner of Mr. Brenton's land : and from thence it runs Sou. south east six miles to a [line tree marked :F: standing within sight of Beaver Brook ; thence it runs two degrees West of South four miles and a quarter which reached tn the south side of Henry Kimble's farm al Jereuiie's Hill ; thence from ye South east angell of said farm it runs two degrees and a quaiter westward ofthe south near to the head of the Long Pond which lieth at ye head of Edward Colbiirn's farm. — And thus it is bounded by ye said Pood and the head of said Colburn's farm; taking in Captain Scarlett's farm so as to close again ; all vvhich is sufficiently bounded and described. Dunstable, 3d. mo. (May) 1(174." [?,.) (1.) The meaning of this is obscure : perliaps it is thalthe num ber of settlers necessary to make or " lini^li " a settlement shall be procured within three years. (2.) Town and Proprietary Records, Page I. (3.) Before A. D. 1751, the year began March 23th., and the months were often numbered thus: Marcii, or first month; April, second month ; May, third month, &c. In 17."; I tiiey began to reck on the year from the first day of January. At that linie, in conse quence of having reckoned only 365 days lo a year, eleven days had been gained, which were then struck out of the calendar. DiUcs prior \o 1751 are called Old Style ; subsequent, Kev; Style. jfel 16 HISTORY OF The Township of Dunstable embraced a very large tract, probably morethantwo hundred square miles, including the Towns of Nashua, Nashville, Hudson, Hollis, Dunstable and Tyngsborough, besides portions of the towns of Amherst, Mil ford, Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry, Pel ham, Brookline, Pepperell, and Townsend, and fornied a part of the County of Middlesex. At this late day it is extremely difficult to define its boundaries accurately, but by a perambulation of lines made in 1734, au approximation may be made. The north eastern corner was a very large and high rock now standing about three miles north easterly of the mouth of Souhegan River in Londonderry. The south east corner was '¦ at the corner of Methuen and Dracut," " in sight of Beaver Brook." The north west cor ner was at " dram cup hill " on the Souhegan, in the westerly part of Milford, and the westerly line which ran " due Soufh," passed "near the west end of Muscatanapus Pond," in Brook line. (1.) It extended ten or twelve miles west of Merrimac River, and frora three to five miles east of it, and its average length north and south was from twelve to fourteen miles. The present Township of Nashua and Nashville oc cupies very nearly the centre of the original Township. In 1674, because there was "very little medo left except what is already granted to theffarmes," the easterly line of the township was extended to Beaver Brook, by an additional grant from the General Court, and the Town was called Du^- STABLE. It received its name in compliment to Mrs. Mary Tyng, wife of Hon. Edward Tyng, (1.) This Pond is situated near the Meeting House, and is still called " Tanapus Pond." Musca-tanapus signifies Bear Pond. — Mass. Records. 7mcns. I73i. Page 63. »= NASHtJA, NASHVILLE, &C. one ot the Magistrates of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who came from Dunstable, Eng land. "" Among the original Proprietors we find the names of many of the leading men in the Colony, some of whom, with the children and friends of others, removed here and took up their -abode at an early period. Of this number we find Gov. Dudley, who married a daughter of Hon. Ed ward Tyng of this town, Rev. Thomas Weld, who was the first minister, and married another daughter, Thomas Brattle, Peter Bulkely, Heze kiah Usher, Elisha Hutchinson, Francis Cook, and others who were Assistants and Magistrates. jMany ofthe first settlers belonged to Boston and its vicinity, a circumstance which gave strength and influence to the infant plantation. At what time aud by whom Dunstable was first settled is uncertain, but it must have been considerably earlier than the date of the charter in 167.3. In the Charier farms are mentioned as then existing, and some of " the farmer.s " were among the Petitioners. Of this number were Scarlett, Wheeler, and others. In 167.5, orchards are mentioned as then in existence, which must have been the growth of years. In 1674, "ihe hou.se of Lit. Wheeler" is designated as a place of holding a meeting of the Proprietors, and we have some reason to suppose that he may have been the earliest settler. (1.) Wheeler and Bren ton were fur traders among the Indians. In 1657, the trade with the Indians was regulated by the General Court, and the exclusive right of this trade upon Merrimac river was sold to " Maj. (1.) Lt. Wheeler left town in Philip's V/ar, 1675, aud did not re turn. His father, Capt. Thomas Wlieeler, of Groton, the noted In dian fighter, for a tinse resided with him.— 2 A'. H. Hisl. Coll. 5. 18 HISTORY OF (Simon,) Willard, Mr. (William,) Brenton, En sign (Thoma.s,) Wheeler, and Thomas Hench man," for X25. The sale bears date July I, 1657. (1.) For the purpose of traflicking with the Indians more conveniently, it was customary to establish trading houses beyond the settlements, and at places to -which they could easily resort. It is not impossible that Wheeler may have resided here for such a purpose, at an early date after his grant, as Henchman resided a little farther south in Chelmsford. About 1665, John Cromwell, an Indian trader also, resided at Tyngsborough, but soon after removed to Merrimac, where he built a trading house, about two miles above the mouth of Penichuck brook, at the falls which now bear his name. (2.) According to the custom of the time, it is said that he used his foot as a pound weight in the purchase of furs, until the Indians, beginning to suspect him of cheating them, drove him away and burned his house, the cellar of which still is or was recently visible. It is stat ed by Farmer, (3.) whose authority is unques- i tioiiable, that '¦ the ancient settlement" was with in the limits of Nashua, and as grants 6f laud here were made in 1659, and farms existed here be fore 1673; and as Chelmsford was settled in 1655, we may reasonably conclude that some, who stood "in great need of accommodations," found their way to the ricli intervals upon our rivers, at a period not much later than the date of the grants. (i.) M.is^i. Ai.ainh', J Records, 1637, page 230. The trade of '¦ Nashuway river " was sold at the same tTme fur £3. (2.) The Indian name of Cromwell's Fails was Neseiikeag, and, as was generally the case, as at Nalicook, Amoskeag, &,c., tneland for some distance around received the same name. (3.) BeJknap, 117, note by Farmer, and his maiinscripf records. In his '¦ Calecliism ofthe History of New Hampshire," he says : — " This town had been settled several years belbre the date of the Charter. Page 'JO. -!iS '^=^~— ^ ¦ ¦ — NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 19 It has often been remarked that, in the set tlement of New England, we may discover the hand of an overruling Providence. The Plague, which swept off the Indian tribes in and around Plymouth and Piscataqua, in 1612 and 1613, prepared the way for the coming of the forefath ers, and similar providential events occurred as population moved westward. The valleys of the Merrimac and the Nashua were inhabited by numerous small tribes, or branches of tribes of Indians, who lived in villages containing onehun- dred or two hundred souls, and subsisted chiefly by fishing and hunting. The Nashaways had their head quarters at Lancaster ; the Nashobas at Littleton ; the Pav/tuckets at Pawtucket Falls; the Wamesits at Wamesit Falls, at the mouth of Concord river; the Naticooks in this vicinity; and the Penacooks around Penacook, now Con cord, N. H. They were all, however, subject to Passaconoway. The Mohawks, or Maquas, a fierce and savage tribe frora New York, were the hereditaiy enemies of them all. The Indian tribes which dwelt nearest to the English settle ments, and especially the Pawtuckets and Wam esits, from their weakness, and their fears both of the Mohawks and the English, craved the friendship and protection of the latter. They served as guides and sentinels for the exppsed frontiers, and were often of great service. The Penacooks, however, were a more bold, warlike, and dangerous race, who refused all attempts to christianize them, although their dread of the English was generally sufficient to keep them from open hostility. Jn the spring of 1669, a portion of the Pena cooks, fearing an attack from the Mohawks, mov ed down the Blerrimac to the Pawtucket, and built a fort there for their protection. Their rS 20 HISTORY OF neighborhood was a cause of alarm to the set tlers, sorae of whom shut themselves up in garri sons; but in the succeeding autumn they joined in an expedition against the Mohawks, by whom they were overpowered, and almost entirely de stroyed. (1.) The greater part of the Indians in this vicinity, especially the more turbulent and dangerous to the numberof six or seven hundred, united in this expedition, and nearly the whole of them perished, with more than fifty chiefs. The reranant, dispirited and powerless, united with the Waraesits, and became "praying In dians." At this time, Passaconaway (2.) was sachem ofthe Penacooks and held rule over all the Indi ans from the Piscataqua to the Connecticut, and all down the Merrimac. He resided at Penacook, and the Naticooks, Pawtuckets and Wamesits were subiect to his power. He had been a great warrior, and was the greatest and " most noted powow and sorcerer of all the country." (3.) He died before 1670, at the great age of one hundred and twenty. " In 1660, not long before his death, at a great feast and dance, he made his farewell speech to his people. In this he urged them, as a dying man, to take heed how they quarrelled with their English neighbors, for though they raight do them some harm, yet it would prove the means of their own destruction. He told them that he had been a bitter enemy to the English, and had tried all the arts of sorcery to prevent their settlement, but could by no means suc ceed." (4.) (1. Book of the Indians, is. Allen's History of Chelmsford, HO to 161. (2.) Gookin's History of the Christian Indians. 2 Ant. Antiq. Collections. (3.) Hubbard's Indian War^. (4.) Gookin. Hubbard, i A'. //. Hist. Coll. 23. %-. ^ — — = — =-- — =" igi NASHUA, NASHVILLE, .^C 21 This declaration made a great impression, for we find that Wannalancet, his second son and successor, after the eldest son with the more rest less part of the tribe had removed into Maine, was always after a friend to the wliites. He re sided generally at Wamesit falls, and was propri etor, Avith his tribe, of all the lands in this vicin ity. About 1663, the eldest son of Passacona way was thrown into jail for a debt of £45, due to John Tinker by one of his tribe, and which he had promised verbally should be paid. To re lieve him from his iraprisonraent, his brother Wannalancet and others who owned Wicasnck Island, (1.) sold it aud paid the debt. Soon after, the General Court granted hira one hundred acres of land " on a great hill about twelve miles west of Chelmsford," and probably in Pepperell, because he had "agreat many chil dren and no planting grounds." In 1665, he pe titioned the General Court that this island might be restored to him and his brethren, the original owners, and the original petition, signed by hira with the others, in a fair, bold hand, is now on file at the Secretary's office. His request was granted, and the Island purchased and restored by the colony. (2.) About 1675, during the war with King Philip, he left Wamesit, and resided in Canada and va rious other places, lest he should be drawn into the contest. During these wanderings he warn ed the whites of raany intended attacks and avert ed others. When Wannalancet returned to Paw tucket, after the death of Philip, he called upon Rev. Mr. Fiske, of Chelmsford, and inquired what disasters had befallen the town during the (1.) wicasnck is the small island in Merrimac river, near Wicas- see falls, in Tyngsborough. (2.) Assembly Records, Mass. ,1665, page 106. 22 HISTORY OF War. Mr. Fiske replied that they had been high ly favored, for which he desired " to thank God." " Me next," said the shrewd Sagamore, who claimed his share of the merit. Thus providen tially was all this region freed from hostile Indi ans, and the way opened for the coming of our fathers in comparative safety. The valleys of the Naticoolc, of Salmon brook and the Nashua, (or Watananock as it is called in the Court Records,) especially near their mouths, were favorite resorts and abodes of the Indians. There, memorials of their residence have often been discovered. Such spots, com bining a rich and easily wrought alluvial soil with productive fisheries, were always chosen ; and the choice was a wise ^nd beautiful one. The Indian was the child of Nature, end gazed upon her charms with filial admiration. With a true sense of the sublime, to him " the mountains were God's altars," and he looked up to their cloud-capped summits with deep awe, as the dwelling place of " the Great Spirit." With a sense of the beautiful equally true, their homes were grouped together in some shel tered valley, girt round wit'h hills, aud woods, and water falls; or by the border of some quiet lake, or upon the rich alluvium of the river; but whether for convenience or beauty, they were ev er by the water-side. And truly, when these spots were covered with the grand old woods. their primal vesture, when the white man's srcps had not yet profaned the solitude, few scenes could have been found more lovely than the val leys of the Merrimac, of Salmon brook, and the Nashua. The Chiefs who dwelt in those valleys did not generally live in a style of much greater magnifi- :IS9 NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 23 cence than their subjects, though they enjoyed greater abundance. Their confederacy was a great democracy, where danger, conflict and toil and privation were shared alike by all, the lead er being distinguished only by greater exertions and braver daring. But on great occasions they exhibited a rude splendor and profusion befitting the dignity of the tribe and its ruler.*, Sachems, and to which all contributed. Whittier, in his "Bridal of Penacook," has given us a graphic picture of a wedding and dance given by'Passa- conaway on the raarriage of his daughter, Weta- moo, to Winuepurkit, Sachem of Saugus, Maine. He has most beautifully and happily introduced the sv/eet and flowing Indian names, (how bar barous the taste which substituted most of our modern ones !) which abound along the Merrimac and its tributaries, and the whole scene is de lightful as a specimen of Indian doraestic life. For this reason, and as a portion of the luxuries were furnished by our own streams and hillsides, it is thought that its insertion here will not be inappropriate: — ¦ THE B.'\SUABA'S(1.) FEAST. " Witli pipes of jieace and bows unstrung, Glovvinj; with [laiiit, came old and youiifj;. In wainpuni, and Hirs and featliers arra\ed, To tlie ('ance and feast Bashalia made. Birtl of the air at>d beast of tlie field, AU which the woods and waters yield, Oa dishes of birch and hemlock piled, Garnished and graced that t^anqtiet wild. Steaks of tl>o br j > NASHUA, NASHVILLE, icC. 27 ly accepted, for May 11th, 1674, a meeting was holden at "the house of Lt. Joseph Wheeler," and a v/ritten agreement made between the pro prietors and settlers. In this agreement it is pro vided, that "the meeting house which is to be erected shall stand between Salmon brook and the house of Lt. Wheeler, as convenient as may be for the accommodation of both." As a meet ing house in those perilous times, when men toil ed and worshipped with their rifles by their side, would not be very likely to be erected beyond the settlement, we may reasonably suppose that the settlement at Salmon brook had already com menced, and that at that date there were a con siderable number of inhabitants. CHAPTER II. THE INDIAN WAR OF 1675. In the summer of 1675 the war with Philip, the powerful and wily Sachem of the Wampano ags, commenced, which involved nearly all the Indians in New England. It was not without a bitter struggle that (he red men left their pleas- ant~ valleys, where they had roamed in child hood, and where the bones of their fathers rested. Township after township had been occupied by the white men, and they had been crowded from their ancient hunting fields and fishing stations. At length they were surrounded by settlements, and mutual aggressions and heart-burnings en sued. The red man and the white man could not longer live together, and the annihilation of one party or the other teemed the only alterna tive. The Indians combined for a war of exter mination, and all throughout New England were burning and massacre and devastation. Lan caster, Groton and Chelmsford were destroyed, and hundreds killed or carried into captivity. At such a period, with a war of extermination raging all around them, the settlers of Dunstable were indeed in a perilous situation. Scarcely as yet were the forests cleared away, and their dwel lings erected. Even their meeting-house was not yet finished. To increase their alarm, Wanna lancet withdrew from Wamesit, and surprise mag- NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 29 nified it into a proof of hostility. When the news of the first bloodshed came to Dunstable, in 1675, " seven Indians, belonging to Narragansett, Long Island and Pequod, who had been at work for seven weeks with one Mr. Jonathan Tyng, of Dunstable, on Merrimac river, hearing of the war, they reckoned with their.master, and getting their wages, conveyed theraselves away without his privity, and being afraid, marched secretly through the woods, designing to go to their own country. (1.) At (iuaboag, (now Brookfield, Mass.,) however, they were discovered by sorae friendly Indians, arrested and sent to Boston, where they were confined for a considerable time, but nothing being proved against them, they were at length discharged." The settlers petitioned for relief from the Col ony, in their distresses, and Capt. Samuel Mose- ly, just on his^raarch to the fight at Bloody Brook, thus writes : " Nasawok, alias Lancaster, August 18, 1678. According to my orders from Maj. Gen. Denison, I sent to Dunstable eighteen men for to enlarge their garrison, and to Clielmsford twelve men, and to Groton twelve men." (2.) — This force was continued for their protection du ring the whole of the year, and an attack pre vented. Sept. 8, 1675, instructions were given by the Governor and Council (3.) to Capt. Thomas 13rat- tle and Lt. Thomas tienchman, to take various measures for the better security ofthe settlement. They were ordered, JPirst : To draft fifty men and forra garrisons at Dunstable, Groton, and Lancaster. (I.) Gookin's Praying Indians. 2 Am. Antiq. Coll. 443. (i2.) Original leltt r. Military Records, IMass. \67S. (3.) 3Iilitary Records, Mass. 1675, page 202. Gookin, 2 Am. Ant. Colt. 462. -& 30 HISTORY OP Stcond: To appoint a Guardian over the friendly Indians, at each of their towns, who should oversee them, and prevent all difliculties or dangers which might occur up on either side : Third: To " send a runner or two to Wannalancet, Sa chem of Naamkeak, (1.) who had withdrawn into the woods from fear,'' and to persuade hiin "to come in again " and live at Wamesit: Fourth: To inform the Indians at Penacook and Naticook that if they will live qnietly and peaceably, they shall not be harmed by the English. These instructions were immediately and strict ly obeyed. The garrison at Dunstable was strengthened. Lt. Henchman took charge of the Indians at Y/amesit. Runners were sent out to Wannalancet, but they did not prevail upon him to return until the close of the war the next sum mer. Capt. Mosely, with his choice company of one hundied men, making Dunstable his place of rendezvous, marched up to Naticook and Pena cook to disperse the hostile Indians who were said to be gathered there for the purpose of mis chief " When the English drew nigh, whereof they had intelligence by scouts, they left their fort, and withdrew into the woods and swamps, where they had advantage and opportunity enough in ambushment to have slain many of the English soldiers, without any great harm to themselves, and several of the young Indians in clined to it, but the Sachem, Wannalancet, by his authority and wisdom restrained his men, and suffered not an Indian to appear or shoot a gun. They were very near the English, and yet though they were provoked by the English, who (l.)Pawtucket falls and vicinity. Amoskeag,properlyiVa77!asieni, is the same word. It is said to mean"thegreatfshingplace," a.t)dvv enjoyed such an opportunity for revenge, "being restrained as is supposed by Wannalancet." (3.) From this long catalogue of perils, alarms, and disasters, we may now turn to the civil affairs of tlie town, and to a period when peace brought with it its attendant blessings — security and pros perity. The settler no longer feared an ambus cade in every thicket, nor listened in the night (1.) 3 N. H. Hist. Coll., 100. (2.) Mass. Military Records, 1677, page 519. (3.) Gookin. 2 Am. Ant. Coll. 520. NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 37 watches for the prowling footsteps of a foe. Eng land and France, Charles II. and Louis XIV., were at war no longer. The " Treaty of Nime- guen,"(l.) strange though it be, was the protec tion of Dunstable. The deserted cabin was again tenanted, the half cleared field was cleared and tilled, and new cabins sent up their smokes all along our rich intervals. (1.) .Tuly 31, lfi78- a= CHAPTER in. HISTORY FROM 1675 TO 1685. Town meetings were holden in Dunstable as early as 1675, and town ofiicers were then chos en, for in 1682 we find the town voting " yt Jo seph Parker have 20 shillings allowed him for his seven years services as Constable."(l.) No re cords, however, of any meeting are preserved of an earlier date than November 28, 1677. This was a meeting of the proprietors as well as of the settlers, and was holden at Woburn, at which place the meetings for the choice of own officers were held for many years, and occasionally as late as 1711. The record is as follows : (2.) " Nov. 28, 1677. At a Town meeting held at Woburn. "Capt. Thomas Brattle, Capt. (Elisha) Hutchinson, Capt. (James) Parker, Mr. Jonathan Tinge, and Abraham Parker were chosen Selectmen for the Town of Dunstable for the year ensuinge, and to stand as such till new be chos en. (3.) " It was also agreed upon and voted yt as soon as may be, a minister be settled in the town of Dunstable. The time and person to be left to the Selectmen; his pay to be in money, or if in other pay the rate being to be made as money to add a third part more. (1.) The constable was the collector of taxes also, and the com pensation for all his services was about fifty cents per year. (2.) For this and all other similar references, examine Dunstable Records ofthe date affixed. (3.) Brattle was of Boston, Hutchinson of Woburn, James Par ker of Groton, Tyng of Dunstable, and Abraham Parker of Chelms ford. The latter resided soon after in this town, and is the ancestor of Edmund Parker, Esq. NASHVILLE, ScC. 39 " Likewise yt all public charges relating to the minister and other occasions is always to be levied upon allottments, and every man engages his accommodations, {pledges his farm,] to answer and perform the same. "It was also voted that the minister the first year shall have fifty pounds, [equal to about $300.00 now,] and the overplus ofthe ftarmes, and never to be abated," Then follows a vote extending the time for building a meeting house and settling a minister, which was a condition of the grant in 1673, but which had not been complied with, for the space oUhree years longer, for the purpose of saving the forfeited rights of the settlers. They intended, ne\^ertheless, to build at once, for it was " left with Mr. Jonathan Tyng, Capt. Parker and Abra ham Parker to agree with John Lollendine, (who was the first house and mill wright in town,) to secure and finish said house," which had been commenced before the desertion of the settlement in 1675. Several persons were also " admitted as inhab itants," and it was voted "yt the selectmen have power to add other inhabitants, provided that with the present they exceed not the number of eighty families." Before the Revolution of 1689, no person could vote or be elected to any office until he had been admitted a Freeman ofthe Commonwealth. This might be done by the General Assembly or the County Court, but only upon evidence of his be ing a member in good standing of some Congre gational Church. Before voting every person was required to take "the Freeman's Oath." This meeting house was finished in 1678, and was probably built of logs. The precise spot where it stood is not known, but probably it was not far distant from the settlement at Salmon brook. As the settlement increased a new meet- =SI 40 HISTOKY OF ing house was erected near the old Burying Ground in the south part of Nashua. In the Journal of a scout in 1724, it is said to have stood about nine miles distant from Penichook pond. No other church, except those which suc ceeded this upon the same spot, was erected in the southern part of New Hampshire for more than forty years, and its minister, like another John the Baptist, was " the voice of one crying in the wilderness." April 22, 1679, William Tyng, son qf Jonathan Tyng, was born in this town. This is the first birth which is found upon the records of the town. April, 1680, Sarah, daughter of John Lollendine, was born. It is probable that other births occur red at a much earlier date, since it is known that there were many inhabitants for years previous, and in 1680 " 30 families were settled there and a learned orthodox minister ordained among them."(l.) Before 1679, a lot of land upon Salmon brook was granted by the town, and known as "the mill lot," and a saw mill erected. Where it stood is not known, but it is not improbable that it was on the spot where the "Webb Mill," near the house of J. Bowers, Esq., now stands, since it is known that a mill stood there at a very early pe riod, and it would probably be located as near the settlement as possible. There was originally a beaver dam at that place, and it required but little labor to prepare the site for the mill. Many years ago a mill crank was dug up near the spot, which must have come from its ruins. As early as May 1, 1679, and perhaps before that time. Rev. Thomas Weld was employed here (1.) Petition in 2 Province Papers — Towns — 253, in office of N. H. Secretary of State. r8 NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 41 as a minister. In the settlement of New Eng land, religion was at the very foundation. The means of religious instruction ever kept pace with the spread of population, and " he who counted Religion as twelve, and the world as thirteen, had not the spirit of a true New England man."(l.) In the very charter, therefore, it was provided by the General Court, that the grantees were to " procure and maintain an able and orthodox minister amongst them," and to build a meeting house " within three years." This condition could not be complied with ou account of Philip's War, which compelled them to desert the settle ment, yet, as we have seen, at the first town meeting which was holden after its resettlement, xiie. first vote was for the choice of Selectmen, and the next a provision for the ministry and a place for public worship, the Selectmen just chosen be ing appointed agents to carry the vote into effect. A " thii-ty acre right." as it was called, entitling the owner to about six hundred acres on the sub sequent divisions of the common lands, was grant ed for a " ministerial lot," as a farther encourage ment to the rainistry. Upon this Mr. Weld re sided, and it is probably a part of the Fletcher farm now owned by John Little. As an illustration of the character and man ners of the early inhabitants ofthe town, the laws of the Colony at this period, as an exponent of public opinion, form perhaps the best criterion. In 1651 , " dancing at wcdd'mgs " was forbidden, and in 1660, " William Walker was imprisoned a mojiihfor court'mg a inaid without the leave of her parents." In 1675, because ^' there is m,ani- f est pride appearing in our streets," the wearing of " lo7ig hair or pteriwigs," and also " supeisti- tious ribands," used to tie up and decorate the (1.) Higginson's Election Sermon, 1663. -a =« 42 HISTORY OF K- hair, were forbidden under severe penalties. — Men, too, were forbidden to "keep Christmas" because it was a Popish custom. In 1677 an act was passed to prevent "the profaneness" of ' ' turning the back upon the public woi'ship before it is finished, and the blessing pronounced." — Towns were directed to erect " a cage " near the meeting house, and in this all offenders against the sanctity of the Sabbath were confined. At the same time children were directed to be placed in a particular part of the meeting house, apart by themselves, and Tythingmen were or dered to be chosen, whose duty it should be to take care of them. So strict were they in their observance of the Sabbath, that "John Ather ton "(1.) a soldier of Col. Tyng's company, was fitied by him "foi^ty shilUngs" for "wetting a piece of an old hat to put into his shoes," which chafed his feet upon the march, and those who neglected to attend meeting for three months were publicly whipped. Even in Harvard College stu dents were ivhipped for grave offences in the chapel, in presence of students and Professors, and prayers were had before and after the inflic tion of the punishment. As the settlers of Dun stable are described in the Petition as "of sober and orderly conversation.'' we may suppose that these laws and customs were rigidly observed. We ought not to wonder at the seeming auster ity of the Puritans : still less should we blame or ridicule, for to them does New England owe her peculiar elevation and privUeges. Scouted at by the licentious courtiers, whether Episcopalian or Catholic, for their strictness and formality, nick named "Crop-5ars," ridiculed for their poverty and want of education, they naturally clung te naciously to those peculiarities for which they (t.) He was of Lancaster, Mass. NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 43 had suffered, and prized them most dearly. As naturally did they dislike all which savored of the offensive worship or customs of their persecu tors, and strive sedulously to differ from them. They would have no proud " Churches," for "the Church of Christ is a /iwm^ Temple," so in their plain, unsteepled, barn-hke "Meeting- Houses" they worshipped God with a prouder humility. The Establishment was the mystic "Babylon," and all its forms, rituals and tastes of course anti-Christian. No band or surplice added dignity to the m,inister, for he was but the equal, nay, the servant of ail. Long hair or a wig was an abomination, and a crime against all laws human and divine. No sound of bells sum moned them to worship, and no organ lifted their prayers and praises to Heaven upon the wings of music. They placed no shrub or flower over the graves of the dead, but instead the plain slab with quaint carving of death's head, or cross bones, or hourglass, and solemn inscription. All orna ment was a vain show, and beauty a Delilah. They believed their wilderness homes to be " the New Jerusalem," and, taking the Bible as their standard, labored in all things outwardly and inwardly to be " a peculiar people." And they were so. They did really believe in God aud religion, and they strove to practice what they believed at any sacrifice. The world has seen few such men, and it will be well for New England if she forget not ihe principle, the real, living Faith, which inspired and exalted the Pu ritans. No records exist of any meeting from Novem ber 1677, to April 1680, when Joseph Cummings, Jr., was chosen a Selectman in the place of Cap tain Hutchinson ; Joseph Parker, Jr., Constable; "Capt. Parker, Robert Paris, Joseph Parker and 44 HTSTOEY OF John Lollendine a committee to assign lotts." At a subsequent meeting they also " chose these men to run the line between Groton and us." In the Spring of this year lands were improved upon the north side of the Nashua. June 14, 1681, "Jona. Blansher [Blanchard] and Thomas Lun [Lund] were chose fence few- ers [viewers,] and an order was passed command ing all persons " to take care of «fc yook yr. hogs on penilty of paing double damiges." In November 1680, a great comet appeared, at which, says Holmes, " the people were greatly surprised and terrified."(l.) It continued to be visible until February, 1681, and was " the lar gest that had ever been seen." So great and gen eral was the alarm excited, that a " general fast" was appointed by theGovernor and Coun cil, and one reason assigned in the proclamation was, "that awful, portentous, blazing star, usu ally foreboding some calamity to ihe beholders thereof." This fast was observed with great strictness. We may smile at the ignorant and superstitious terror of even the dignitaries and wise men of the land in those days, but our smile must be checked a little when we remember the alarm excited in 1833, in our own community by a similar cause. Dec. 28, 1681, died Hon. Edward Tyng, aged 81. Where he settled is nnknown, but probably not far from the " Haunted House," so called, in Tyngsborough. He was born in Dunstable in England, in 1600, settled in Boston as a mer chant, 1639, was Representative 1661 and 1662, Assistant from 1668 to 1681, and Colonel of the Suffolk Regiment. It appears that he was elect ed major general after "Leverett, but it is not (1.) Holmes' Annals , i51 . »¦¦¦¦¦ .' ¦ ' ¦' " • NASHUA, NASHVILLE, &C. 45 known that he served in that office. He remov ed to Dunstable in 1679. He left six children : — Jonathan, who settled in this town ; (see notice,) Edward, who was one of Sir Edmund Andros's Council, 1687, and Gov ernor of Annapolis ; (see notice) ; Hannah, who married Habijah Savage, (son of the celebrated Major Thomas Savage, commander in chief in Philip's war,) who afterward married Rev. Tho mas Weld, and resided here ; Eunice, wife of Rev. Samuel Willard, pastor of the old South Church, Boston, and Vice President of Harvard college ; Rebecca, wife of Gov. Dudley ; and another daughter who married a Searle. He was buried in the family tomb in Tyngsborough, and amon- utaent with an inscription points out the spot.(l.) In 1682, the inhabitants seem to have increased considerably, and the settlement to have acquired a firm footing. The records assurae a new form, and become more nuraerous and town-like. — "Capt. Brattle, Capt. Parker, Mr. Tinge, Sar. geant John Cummings, and Robert Parris were chose Selectmen." Provision was made for the collection of taxes, by ordering that the allotments of such as neglect or refuse to pay their taxes, should " be sould at an outcry on the next public meeting day after such neglect or refus." Even at this early day there were some, to whom " re ligion was as twelve and the world as thirteen," or even more. Trespasses were committed upon the common lands, and the town found it necessa ry to order that "every man that felleth any wood or tre in the comon shall pay fiv shillings for such offence." The cattle, also, seem to have become equally unruly, for it was found necessa ry to heighten their fences to a " safiisient five raile or equivalent." (1.) Farmer's Genealogical Register, to which I am largely in debted in this way. *= 46 HISTORY OF May 8, 1682, "ata selectmen's meeting, it was ordered that the hogs of Dunstable of three months ould and upward, be soficiently yoked and rung at or before the twentieth of the present month, and John Ackers be appointed and Imployed to pound, youJfe and Ringe such hogs; and for so do^ ing it is ordered that theownerof every such hog shal pay to the said Swinyard twelv penc, and John Acres is appointed hoge constable to se this order exsicuted." So early was the necessity for this ancient and respectable office recognized by our wise forefathers, and the trust committed to one who was qualified to "exsicute" it. August 28, 1682, " Mine Islands " were laid ont to Hezekiah Usher. (1.) The islands at the foot of "Mine Falls" had acquired this name already, on account of mines which were sup posed to exist -there. The rumor was that they had been long worked by the Indians, who ob tained from them their supply of lead. The banks of the Nashua, Souhegan and the Merrimac had been carefully explored, and " Mr. Baden, an in genious miner and assayer, was sent over to New England for this purpose. Lead ore was found, but not plenty, and so intermixed with rock and spar as to be not worth working." (2.) Usher was an original proprietor, a man of wealth and enterprize, and uncle of John Usher, Lieutenant Governor of New Hampshire in 1692* He seems to have been a speculator, and to have imbibed the extravagant ideas then prevalent (1.) Usher was somewhat of a wit. The converted Indians were commonly called "praynig Indians," but Usher, having heard of some outrage said to have been committed by them, called them " preying Indians." In 1685, he was hunting for mines, in Deerfield.— J/