VERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 06447 0538

:i>iif^ijiAi;ffi^:'000i

I" ¦ * US'.. 'J. V

r/ . Li

fje^-ff^'^sg. -^^R -f^?^

Ls S'2> 6^

/^^;^v^

^<y?2y^^^^y-n

'P^'

OE.O-Y-IDOiT, nST. H., 18SS.
PROCEEDINGS
AT THE
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION,
ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1866.
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LEADING MEN
OI^ THE E^mST CEIIS'T'TJIIY,
Wiih Portraits.
TOGETHEB WITH

OF THE TOWN.

BY EDMUND WHEELER.

©laremont, W. ?e.:
.PBIKTED BY IHE CLAEEMOHI MAHUFACTUBINQ COMPANT.
1867.

1= 12. E IF -A. O E.

It has been th^ purpose of the editor to gather up in this volume, the
proceedings at the Croydon Centennial Celebration and embody them in a
permanent form, for the benefit of all those interested in the town — but
more especially the very many who were unable to be present — and for
after generations.
So far as was within his reach he has endeavored in the Sketches here
presented to give a brief account of all the leading men of the town
during the first century. He has aimed to do equal justice to all, and if
in any instance he has done less it was because the requisite information
could not be obtained. And for the same reason, doubtless, many others
equally worthy of honorable mention have been entirely omitted. He can
only say he has done the best he could.
For many of the facts contained in the Historical portion of the volume,
especially the earlier ones, he is under obligations, to John Cooper, Esq.,
who has very kindly granted him a free use of his " Historical Sketch."
In relation to the Illustrations, he has endeavored to induce one at least
of the descendants of each of the old, prominent families to represent his
race personally to the next centennial through the medium of a lithograph.
And his invitation to the one judged to be the representative man of the
family to make the contribution has in most instances been very promptly
and generously responded to. He would have liked more of the early
fathers, but unable to procure them he has given the sons. It is believed
that the very considerable • expense attending them will be more than
repaid by the additional interest they will impart to the work.
The editor would here express his obligations to the natives and residents
of Croydon, for the general sympathy and lively interest manifested in the
undertaking during its progress. May the result of his labors be the
means of awakening a thousand pleasant memories.

C!E.0"Y-ID03Sr
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION,

June 13, 1866.

The one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of
Croydon was celebrated on Wednesday, June 13, 1866. It
was a jubilee long to be remembered in the annals of
the town. Invitations had been extended "to all the
natives and former residents of the town to be present and
mingle in the festivities of the day." At sunrise the boom
ing of the cannon, planted on the very spot where stood the
first dwelling, echoing and re-echoing among the hills, and
the merry pealing of the bells announced that the day had
dawned, summoned all to be in readiness, and awakened
anew in a thousand hearts a long train of sweet, sad mem
ories — joyous when they thought of home, the unbroken
circle, the innocent sports of childhood, and a mother's love ;
but sad when they remembered how the destroyer had been
there and the hearts that once made them so welcome are
liow still in, death, and the loved forms are sleeping in the
valley. Long before the hour when the exercises were announced
to commence, an immense throng, numbering fully three
thousand persons, had assembled. At 10 o'clock the proces
sion was formed under the direction of Capt. Nathan Hall,
Chief Marshal of the day, and escorted by the Croydon
Band, led by Baldwin Humphrey, marched to the stand.

Col. Otis Cooper, Chairman of the Committee of
Arrangements, on calling the assembly to order greeted them
with the following welcome speech.
Mr. Cooper said :
Ladies and Gentlemen : In behalf of the citizens of
Croydon I have the pleasure of bidding you all a most hearty
welcome to your dear old native town. I most cordially
welcome you all to these green fields, these beautiful valleys,
these charming hills, and these grand old mountains. I
welcome you to the churches where you once worshiped, the
school-houses where you were taught, and those sacred
inclosures where sleep the dear, honored dead. I welcome
you to your dear old homes, and especially do I welcome
you to this old family table, which has been so liberally
provided for by the ladies.
What though the skies above us are overcast with clouds,
all around us is sunshine, and warmth, and joy. Let us
then enjoy the greeting, the hand-clasp, and the interchange
of smiles. Again I welcome you all individually and col
lectively to all the innocent pleasures which this day is
capable of alBfording.
Ladies and Gentlemen : I now have the pleasure of
introducing to you the President of the day, the Hon.
William P. Wheeler of Keene.
The President on taking the stand made the following
remarks :

i' *

"^ ^"^2^^.^.

HON. WILLIAM P. WHEELER OF KEENE.

Ladies and Gentlemen :
It was a happy thought on the part of that portion of
the household abiding here at home, to take note of the
close of the first hundred years in our family history ; and
to mark the transit from the old to the new century by a
holiday at the old homestead. And it was especially kind
and thoughtful of them to recall, on the occasion, those
members ofthe Croydon family who from necessity or choice
have been drawn to other fields of labor. That they have
come ¦ with alacrity and in full force, is sufficiently evinced
by what we here see. Some have come with increased
households ; while others whom we would gjadly have wel
comed, have recently passed beyond the reach of an earth
ly summons. Yet while we grieve for those who for the
present seem to be lost to us, we may mingle our congratu
lations ; and unite in commemorating what the first centu
ry has wrought for us.
We are here to-day upon a stand-point where three gen
erations are to pass in review before us. Their work is
finished, but the lesson therein taught, remains to us and
to our children. And this day will not be lost if our minds
are refreshed, and stimulated to higher action in the future,
by what is most noble and heroic in the past. The dead
century is before us. Its history can not be changed. Let
us listen reverently to its teachings. The living century is

8
already beginning to unfold. Who will say that a recital
of what was suffered and achieved by the early fathers and
mothers, may not animate us with a spirit which shall leave
its impress on another generation ? Let us to-day rekindle
the fires of patriotism on the altar of our forefathers.
The wanderers have gathered at their native home to
day, because it was not in their hearts to resist the kindly
summons. They are here to renew ancient friendships,- to
listen again to voices once familiar to them, and to look
once more upon the face of nature as she greeted them in
childhood. Here truly are the streams and lakes, the hills
and valleys of our early days, unchanged by the lapse of
time. And the grand old mountain, with its dark forests,
still looks down upon us as of yore. Our country boasts of
mountain peaks which attract pilgrims from distant lands,
but I have seen none which can for a moment compare
with the familiar one under whose shadow we now stand.
There may be little to attract to it the eye of the stranger ;
but every true son of Croydon can testify that " the sacred
mountains " are those upon which the eye was accustomed
to rest in childhood.
The strong love which involuntarily attaches one to the
home of his youth may not be easy of analysis ; but it is a
fact everywhere existing and recognized. It is but slightly
dependent upon outward circumstances. The humble cot
tage in the forest, or upon the bleak mountain side, has
attractions not surpassed by the lordly mansions of wealth
and luxury. The place of one's birth is not less dear be
cause it is humble : and the memory of it is not eiTaced by
time or worldly cares. You may immerse one in business,
or pleasure until his time and all his waking thoughts are

wholly absorbed in the present. Nature is still true to her
self. There will be moments in that life, if at no other
time, in his slumbers, in the quiet hours of night, when
the visions of childhood and of the early home will return.
Again the brothers and sisters are with him. Again he
mingles with' his youthful playmates. He once more hears
the voice of his sainted mother ; and he is again the gentle
and confiding child, unspoiled by the follies and vices of
after-life. .l-.i:: :
The query has sometimes arisen, what is it that entitles
Croydon to the distinction which she has always claimed
among her neighbors ? What has given her the position
which is generally conceded to her ? Her territory is small,
and her soil in the main unproductive. Her inhabitants are
fpw in number ; and her mercantile and manufacturing
interests are of small account. Her religious privileges have
not been large, neither her schools numerous nor always of
the highest order. Yet wherever you meet^ Croydon boy,
young or old, you meet one who is proud of his native
town. I have met them in the cro'wded city, and far up
among the sources of the great rivers of this continent ;
yet in their new homes I found them the same indomitable,
hard-working and well-balanced men as those who now
cultivate these hills and valleys. What then is their true
claim to distinction ? It is not that they are men of great
genius or extraordinary acquirements. A few have over
come the difficulties in their way, and have obtained a
liberal education ; while others with less school culture,
have found positions of honor and usefulness abroad. But
it is not to these alone, or mainly, that the town owes her
position.

10
AU the sources of her strength may not readily be com
prehended or stated. But some of them are sufficiently
obvious. In the first place all accounts agree that the first
settlers here were men and women of great nerve and
endurance ; and many of them of unusual size and physical
strength. They found here a soil and climate which called
forth their best energies. They breathed a pure and invig
orating air. The breezes — not always warm or mild —
which swept the White or Green Mountains and came
pouring over the rugged sides of our great mountain barrier,
brought with them health and mental soundness.
Thus from a noble ancestry, early accustomed to struggle
with Nature in her sterner moods, and to take an active
part in public affairs in the stirring times in which they
lived, a race of men has been trained and developed who
still uphold the honor and dignity of their native town. As
we have seen them in the present generation, they have
appeared to be ^en, not perhaps in all cases over-devotional
or religious, but self-reliant and ready for work ; men of
integrity who could compete successfully with their neigh
bors or rivals in whatever business or profession they were
engaged. Many of them still retain the stalwart forms of
their ancestors. The original types of the Bartons, Coopers,
Halls, Humphreys, Powers, Putnams, Whipples, and their
compeers of a century ago, have not wholly disappeared.
And it is to be hoped that those who assemble here at the
close of another century may find among them the physical
and mental peculiarities of those who began their work here
in 1766.
As a township Croydon has, from the beginning, been out
stripped by her more prosperous neighbors. To say nothing

11
of other flourishing towns about us, Claremont and New
port, with their water-power and broad acres of interval,
have grown in wealth and population until they may look
upon this little community as a humble tributary to the
stream of their prosperity. But Croydon points to her
sons and daughters — not supposed to be numerous until
to-day — as the tower of her strength ; and claims equality
of rank.
We hope on this occasion to hear something of the history
of the founders of this town ; and of the later generations who
have borne an honorable part in all our great struggles. In
the war of the revolution Croydon sent her full share of men
of strong arms and resolute wills, to battle for independence.
The sacrifices which were made to achieve what we have
so recently been called upon to defend — our national unity
and independence — never seemed greater to me than when,
as a boy, I listened to the recitals of my venerable grand
father, Nathaniel Wheeler, senior, of the toils and privations
endui'ed by him and his companions in arms, and their
families, during the dark days of the revolution. Truly,
there was no lack of patriotism on the part of the man who
could, at the call of his country, march to the field of battle,
while he left behind him in the wilderness his wife and
infant children, dependent upon the good will of the neigh
bors to scare the wild beasts from the cabin door, and to
cultivate the patch of cleared ground which was to furnish
the scanty supply of bread for hungry mouths. Yet we have
the concurrent testimony of many, that such instances were
not rare in the early history of this town.
In the second war with Great Britain Croydon sustained
her part nobly ; and I count it a thing to be proud of, that

12
when a call was made upon the town for soldiers, the pro
ceedings commenced for a draft were at once set aside by
the voluntary enlistment of its citizens ; and that the first
man to offer himself as a private soldier for the service, was
Nathaniel Wheeler, jr., then holding a high commission in
the State militia. And in the terrible ordeal through which
our beloved country has just passed, and from which she is
rising, purified, we trust, as by fire, it was not inappropriate
that a later descendant of the same family should surrender
up his life, far from kindred and home, at the call of his
countiy. But the history of one family is the history of
many ; and I would not give an undue prominence to the
services of one, while so many family records have been
illuminated by the noble deeds of more than one generation.
Let us, at the risk of being egotistic, tell what we know of our
fathers that is worthy of record ; what we are doing or
striving for ourselves, and what we hope of our children.
Then will this be a day long to be remembered by the sons
and daughters of Croydon.
A very able and appropriate prayer was then offered by
Rev. Luther J. Fletcher of Maine.
The following Greeting Hymn, written for the occasion
by Lizzie P. Harding of Croydon, was sung by the Glee
Club, led by Capt. E. Darwin Comings :

13
GREETING HYMN.

We welcome thee ! we welcome thee
Who long from us have strayed;
With joy we grasp the hand where oft
In childhood thou hast played.
Our granite hills unchanged shall stand,
Though distant je may roam ;
Like them our hearts remain a? true.
And kindly greet thee home.
But there are voices, hushed in death.
Whose tones in other years
Eaug out with friendship's sweetest notes
Upon our ravished ears.
Behold them ! bending from the skies
To watch thy coming feet,
List'ning to catch our song of joy,
With memory's incense sweet.
Great God ! guide thou our wandering steps,
To reach that blissful shore.
Where loved ones wait, with star-gemmed crowns.
To greet us evermore.
Then welcome, welcome dearest friends.
Who from us long have strayed.
With joy we clasp thy hand where oft
In childhood thou hast played.

The President. — I am not unmindful of the one great
attraction which has brought you here to-day. You have
come to listen to one who is everywhere heard with pleasure
and nowhere with more pride' and satisfaction than here in
his native town ; whose presence always calls forth love and
admiration, and whose eloquent words and blameless life
have exerted an influence which has been felt in a circle
wider than has been reached by any other son of Croydon.
The Rev. Baron Stow, of Boston, who will now address
you, needs no introduction to this audience.

14
OIE?..A.TIOIlSr
BY BARON STOW, D. D., OF BOSTON.*

Hugh Miller of Scotland, says, " The mind of every man
has its picture-gallery — scenes of beauty, or magnificence,
or quiet comfort stamped upon his memory." And he
might have added, that often a very small thing, or a very
trivial incident, will serve as a key to open that gallery, and
let in the light of day upon long darkened reminiscences.
Seven years ago about this time, I was in the heart of
Europe, in Munich, the capital of the kingdom of Bavaria.
One bright, cloudless afternoon, wearied with sight-seeing,.
I walked into the country, partly for physical refreshment,.
and partly that I might turn away from the works of
human art, splendid and beautiful as they were, and con
template the richer beauties and glories of Nature. The
air was balmy and charged with perfume from fields and
gardens in full bloom. Wheli far enough away, I ascended
a knoll and turned to view the landscape. It was one of
the loveliest. Away at my right, on the slope of a ridge,
was the famous national monument, the colossal statue of
Bavaria, towering with its pedestal one hundred feet from
the ground. Towards my left was the city, the gem of
continental Europe. In front along the south loomed up
the serrated range of the Tyrolese Alps, snow-clad, and
glittering in the sunlight like burnished silver. The whole
scene was one of blended beauty and grandeur. There was
* Owing to the rain that greatly incommoded tlie larger part of the audience, considerable
portiona of the Addresi, as now published, were neceasarily omitted in tho delivery.

/ tAst-c- a-iA^^/ia-Ey-

15
much to remind me of God, and awaken feelings of adora
tion. But soon a very small object changed, suddenly and com
pletely, the current of thought, and set it running in a new
direction. Seated on the turf, I noticed at my feet a flower
which I had familiarly known, in my early childhood, as
" yellow weed" or "butter cup." I remembered when the
fields of my native town, in the month of June, were golden
with its bloom, and how the farmers classed it with the
" hard-hack" and the " Canada thistle," as a nuisance not
easily abated. I had learned to regard it as a pest, but
there, in the outskirts of Munich, I did not dislike it ; I
hailed it as an old acquaintance ; my heart sprang towards
it ; I read " Croydon" on its every petal ; it was suggestive
of a hundred fold more than I can now tell. In space, I
was instantly transported nearly five thousand miles west
ward to my New Hampshire home, five degrees more south
ward than Munich, yet colder in climate and more rugged
in scenery. In time, I was taken back nearly sixty years,
and looking at things as they were when Thomas Jefferson
was President of the United States, and our Government
was quarreling, diplomatically, with England about Orders
in Council, embargoes, and non-intercourse laws ; and when
Napoleon I. at the zenith of his power, had the sympathy
of all in our country who wished to see the British Lion
humbled ; and when party spirit in New Hampshire, Croy
don not excepted, was at fever heat. How vivid, how
minute, were my recollections all revived by the suggestive-
ness of that little, unpretentious fiower ! I stood, once
more a boy of seven years, in that semicircle of high hills,
sweeping round from north-east to south-west, with slopes

16
partly wooded and partly dotted with small rocky farms,
and within which lay, not indeed a prairie, but an undulat
ing plain, having in its center a dark forest, the haunt of
night-prowling animals, the terror of the cornfield, the hen
roost and the sheepfold. Around that forest were cultivated
farms, not very productive, but yielding to industry and
economy support for a hardy yeomanry, not then disturbed
by visions of better acres in the opening West. Had I
actually been at the old homestead of Peter Stow, near the
western border of that black forest, hardly could I have seen
more distinctly. the outline and the filling up of that semi
circle, with its encompassing hills, than I then beheld them
in the "picture-gallery" of the mind. What then to me
were the magnificent Alps with their lofty peaks and deep
gorges, and their thundering avalanches "? I had before me
" Croydon Mountain," identified in the memories of child
hood with my first ideas of elevation and greatness, and of
isolation from all that was beyond, a barrier separating
me, not from classic Italy, but from far off Cornish and
Grantham. It was midsummer in the memory, and the warm blue
sky was flecked with detached clouds that dappled with
shade the sunny laudscape. The shadows of those clouds,
moved by the lightest, softest winds, as they passed down
the mountain side and crossed the plain ; and the grass and
grain waving in gentle undulations ; and the smoke curling
aslant from the chimneys of farm-houses— all these had
given me, notwithstanding Dr. Darwin's theory, my original
impressions of natural beauty. Herds and flocks were graz
ing quietly in rocky pastures. The atmosphere was loaded
with fragrance from clover blossoms, white and red, sweeter

17
than any perfume from Araby the Blest. No sounds fell
upon the ear but the music of birds, or the hum of insects,
or, at the hour of twelve, the housewife's horn calling the
hungry " men folks" from the field of toil to her prepared
table ; or, at night-fall, the hoarse cry of the night hawk and
the inimitable hoot of the " boding owl," both relieved by
the plaintive notes of the hidden whip-poor-will. And that
house of my nativity, as innocent of paint as a Croydon
maiden's face, very small, quite rustic, with few con
veniences, yet the palace of an independent lord and his
wife and four children — how particular were my recollections
of its exact structure, gable-end to the street ; of its every
apartment, every article of furniture, every fireplace, door,
window, stairway ; of the floor and ceiling ; of the cupboard
and dresser ; of " The family Bible that lay on the stand ;"
yes, and especially of all the inmates, the permanent and
the occasional !
"Fond Memory, to her duty true,
Brings back their faded forms to Tiew;
How lifelike, through the mist of years, •
Each well-remembered face appears !"
There was on the one side the wood shed, in one part of
which was the platform for spinning, quilling, warping,
weaving, with all the implements of domestic manufactur
ing. On the other, through " the stoop," was the well,
with " crotch," and " sweep," and " pole," and "curb," and
"old oaken bucket," and crystal water of arctic coolness.
There was the garden, inclosed by a stone wall, with its
fringe of currant bushes, and a thrifty nursery, and patches
of vegetables, and in the center the large granite boulder
smothered with roses. In. the roadway was a still larger

18
boulder, the " pulpit rock" of the future preacher. A little
further down was a brook where cousins of two families met
and childishly sported. In front of the house was a row of
Lombardy poplars, tall and luxuriant, never cropped for fagots
as I have seen them on their native plains in Northern Italy.
In the rear was the apple orchard, laden with unripened,
and therefore, forbidden, fruit. At a suitable distance were
the barns for the storage of farm products, and for the
housing of " stock." At the foot of a small declivity near
by was a swamp in which frogs, at certain seasons, gave
free concerts — ^batrachian types of certain classes of my own
species whom I have everywhere met — peepers and croakers.
The dwellings to be seen from that memorable stand-point
were few, some of them hung on the sides of the ragged
hills, far apart, and, but for. domestic affections, isolated
and lonely. I remembered not only the homes, but the
faces and the employments and the habits and the tempera
ments and the reputed characters of all the neighbors
within the circle of a mile radius. I remembered the low,
flat-roofed school-house of the district, hidden in a small
forest nook, fringed with birches and briars ; and the names
and faces of my teachers — God bless their precious mem
ories — and the name and face of every fellow-pupil. I
remembered nearly all the roads and farms in the town, and
most of the residences of the nine hundred inhabitants, and
such family names as Metcalf, Wakefield, Stow, Ward,
Fletcher, Town, Smart, Carpenter, Rawson, Straight,
Powers, Goldthwait, Marsh, Frye, Darling, Thresher,
Walker, Ames, Winter, Barton, Carroll, Putnam, Stock-
well, Emery, Reed, Cutting, Loverin, Eggleston, Blan
chard, Jacobs, Hagar, Wheeler, Crosby, Eastman, Dwinnell,

19
Breck, Hall, Kempton, Whipple, Ferrin, Nelson, Partridge,
Cooper, Paul, Newell, Rider, Melendy, Haven, Durkee,
Humphrey, Clement, Sanger ; and of some of these names
several families. I remembered how common it was to
reduce discriminating names to convenient, familiar mono
syllables, as Sam, Ben, Jock, Tim, Joe, Bije, Ned, Jake,
Jim, Pete, Sol, Nat, Tom, Nate, Steve, Dave, Josh; Zeke,
Lem, Rias, Bill, Reub, Mose, Frank ; but I did not recall one
Sammie, or Bennie, or Eddie, or Willie, or Johnnie, or
Charlie, or Freddie, or Joey, or Jamie, or Frankie or
Georgie, or Hezzie. Among the girls, not then styled
young ladies, were Patty, Judy, Tempe, Speedy, Peggy,
Nabby, Lize, Sukey, Viney, Milly, Betsey, Fanny, Prudy,
Roxy, Sally, Polly, Cindy, Listy, Jinny ; but not, as I
recollect, one Hattie, or Susie, or Nannie, or Josie, or
Bessie, or Lillie, or Addie, or Tillie, or Celestie, or Lulu, or
Katie, or Minnie, or Rosie, or Libbie, or Maggie or Carrie.
Couples were married by priest Haven, not as gentlemen
and ladies, but as men and women. Father was not " pa"
or " papa," but quite generally " dad" or "daddy." Mother
was not "ma," but " mammy." Brother was not "bubby,"
or sister "sissy." The modern refinements in nomenclature
and terms of endearment had not then reached so far as
Croydon. Are they now here ? If they are, do you count
them improvements .'* Do they convey more heart than the
old styles of familiar address ?
I remembered the June training, and the one Croydon
company of militia ; and the muster days, and the thirty-
first regiment, and its field officers, and its " troopers," and
" Snringfield grenadiers," and its regimental flag, and its
sham fights, brave and bloodless. I remembered the town

20
meetings, and the spelling schools, and the squirrel hunts,
and the working on the highways, and the house-warmings,
and the huskings and the quiltings— not all yet as I am
told, quite obsolete institutions. And I remembered the
one house of Christian worship, and also the one tavern and
two stores, the one carding machine and here and there a
smithery, the one tannery and a few grist and saw-mills.
But I remembered no lawyer or sheriff — no law officers but .
two justices of the peace and the tything-men, the latter
the special terror of Sabbath-desecrating boys. Some of
you, like myself, may recollect those keen-eyed detectives,
Samuel Metcalf and Sherman Cooper.
I remembered the burial place, " God's Acre,"
¦'Where the rude forefathers of the hamlet sloop j"
imperfectly inclosed, showing little of the hand of care,
overgrown with mullens and briers, and far more repulsive
than attractive. There were grassy mounds and significant
hollows, and an occasional headstone of blue slate, but not
one of marble ; and fresh in my memory were names and
quaint inscriptions, closing with the monitory couplet,
" Death is a debt to Nature due.
Which 1 have paid, and so must you ;"
or with a fuller statement, " As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, you soon must be ;
Kemember, you are born to die;
Therefore, prepare to follow me."
Say not that all this was a waking dream or a reverie, for
it was neither ; it was a simple look into the " picture-
gallery" of the soul, and the key that unlocked the partic
ular apartment where the Croydon of my childhood was
permanently portrayed, was that little flower which had

21
done for me what no other of all the flora of Europe could
have done. The process was rapid. I sat not long on that
grassy hillock, for the sun was decliniflg, and a cold wind
was setting in from the frozen Alps, and, plucking that
suggestive flower, I hastened back to my lodgings. From
that hour I hoped that you would, in 1866, do what you
are so effectively doing to-day, and that I might be permit
ted to join you in commemorating the worth and the deeds
of our ancestors who here made the first settlement, and
commenced for the town the history you are passing in
review. Be assured, Mr. President and fellow-townsmen, I speak
with intense sincerity ; I count it a special privilege to be
here to-day. And why should I not ? Though long absent,
I return with memories fresh and vivid. I am living over
the first eight years of my varied, eventful life. I have seen
many parts of the world, the New and the Old ; but no
spot on either continent, in city or country, is so dear to me
as my native town. I stop not to analyze this feeling of
preference ; probably it defies all analysis and explanation ;
but I know it to be a fixed fact in my being, and only by
the annihilation of that being can it be dislodged. My spirit
is mellow and tender with reminiscences of the place and
the people as they were when this was my home. What I
have described as lying far back im my memory, is, I
presume, but a representative of what is depicted with equal
clearness in the memories of others. The Wheelers, the
Metcalfs, the Halls, the Powers, the Whipples, the Havens,
the Carrolls, the Putnams, and all the rest of you who have
lived fifty years and more, have your own picture-galleries.

22
open to-day and filled with images of the past. You are
thinking of old homesteads, and parents, and neighbors, and
the events of your" early days. Some of you, natives of
Croydon, are older than myself, and can remember farther
back ; but none of you who have been long away, I am sure,
have returned with a stronger love for our native hills, or a
heart warmer with gratitude that this was our birth-place,
or that here we were trained to commence life in earnest.
I join you fervently in these commemorative services,
and cordially lay on this altar of reunion my small contri
bution. Of those who, one hundred years ago, commenced here a
. settlement, all have long sjnce passed away. Since I left
the town, nearly two generations have come and gone. Were
the flrst two children who were born near this spot — Cath
arine Whipple and Joshua Chase — now living, they would
be ninety-nine years old. Very few bom in the last century
are present to-day. As I visit other places where I have
resided, and inquire for old acquaintances, I am directed to
the cemeteries. The same would be done, more or less in
Croydon ; and yet fewer in number, in proportion to the
population, have closed their mission here, for more than
two-thirds of those born here have emigrated, and their
graves are to be found in many States, all the way from
the Penobscot to the regions beyond the Father of Waters.
I remember a few of the pioneers— more especially Moses
Whipple, the veteran deacon, the man of large heart, and
upright character, the genial peace-maker, respected and
beloved by all ; and Ezekiel Powers, the man of large
bodily proportions, whose inventive faculties and achieve-

^3
ments of muscular strength and sterling common sense
made him the hero of many a tradition. The men of the
first half century were a hardy race, ' enterprising, adven
turous, made robust by toil and exposure, with great powers
of endurance, and renowned for uncommon triumphs over
rugged obstacles. Nowhere else have I seen men of such
physical frames and such executive energies as some whom
I remember. With what rapt interest and admiration I
listened, as a child, by the hour to stories of their hardships
and exploits in land-clearing, river-bridging, road-making,
house-building, sugar-manufacturing, bear-hunting, otter
and beaver-trapping, snow-shoe-traveling ! How unpro
ductive was often the soil they cultivated ; how unfriendly
were the late spring and early autumnal frosts ; how
obstructing were the terrific snow-storms ; how short and
capricious were their summers, and long and rigorous their
winters ; how difficult to protect their scanty crops and live
stock from the depredations of wild beasts ; how coarse and
often restricted were their means of sustenance ; how
stringent were their privations during the Revolutionary
War ; how great their sufferings from a depreciated cur
rency, from the lack of groceries, clothing, and medical
supplies ! What an unwritten history ! Traditioos, once
fresh and thrilling, how faded already, and soon to be
wholly forgotten ! Young as I was, I listened eagerly, and
my memory was charged to repletion with narratives,
original and second-hand, from my paternal grandmother,
from Samuel Powers, Sherman Cooper, Aaron Whipple,
and, may I not add, from that venerable spinster, " aunt
Lizzie Sanger." I was fond of the captivating detail, of
Jewish, Grecian, Roman and English history ; but nothing.

24
that I read struck roots so deeply in my inner being, and
fixed there so permanent a lodgment, as those oral narratives
heard by childhood's ear during the , long winter evenings
nearly sixty years ago. Often since have I coveted the
descriptive powers of those strong-minded stalwart veterans,
some of whom were actors in the rough scenes they graphi
cally portrayed. They had the elements of first-class
orators. And among those narrated marvels were not a few
of the heroic achievements of Croydon women, the great-
grandmothers of many now before me ; of what they effect
ively did and bravely suffered, when their husbands, fathers,
brothers, sons, were away contending for their country's
independence. I remember some of those women, of
uncommon brain and muscle, giantesses and the mothers of
giants : and few of the sex have I since seen who equaled
them in strength of intellect and executive accomplishment.
None of them are here ; but memory holds in the " picture-
gallery" their forms and features and intonations of
speech. Mr. President, by some unaccountable process, I have
had the misfortune to be announced for an " oration" on
this festive occasion. That is what your Committee never
asked of me, and what I never promised or contemplated.
I am here no more to pronounce an oration than I am to
preach a sermon. I consented, as one of the speakers, to
contribute something in the way of reminiscences. Twenty
years ago, I was more formal in a memorial service at
Newport, when there was a reunion, not of natives merely,
but of past and present residents. And, nineteen years
ago, at Sherburne, Mass., I addressed, in quite another style.

25
the descendants of Henry Leland, some of whose posterity,
at an early period, settled in Croydon. But this is neither
Newport nor Sherburne ; it is mt birthplace, the home of
my progenitors, full to overfiow of the tenderest associations,
and the affections here burn with an intensity that forbids
all intellectual elaboration.
To say much of persons might be deemed invidious ; but
of a very few I may speak particularly without incurring
the imputation of partiality.
Foremost among those remembered, I mention Jacob
Haven, uniformly called " Priest," as were all Congrega
tional ministers in this region, while Baptist and Freewill
Baptist ministers were as uniformly known by the title of
" Elder." For more than half a century he was prominently
identified with the history of the town. A native of Fram
ingham, Mass., he was here ordained in 1788, and here he
died iu 1845. He was called to the pastorate by the legal
voters of the town, who determined his salary ; and, being
the first minister settled, he was the recipient of the share
of land reserved for that purpose by the grantor, Governor
Wentworth. In 1805, he ceased to be the minister of the
town, and became the pastor of such as adhered to him by
similarity of religious views or affinity of personal feeling,
and were willing to support him.
You who are not past forty do not remember the old
meeting-house, a very plain stracture, never finished, and
too cold to be occupied in the winter. I recollect how the
plates, beams and king-posts were exposed on the inside.
The pews were square, with perpendicular partitions, and
with turn-up seats which, at the close of the " long prayer,"

26
were let down with a famous clatter, sometimes before the
"Amen." The seats were uncushioned, the aisles were
uncarpeted, and many panes in the numerous windows were
broken. The pulpit, behind which was the royal window,
was very elevated, and contained a square block for a rest
to the shorter limb of the Priest as he stood at his work.
Overhanging was a clumsy " canopy" or " sounding-board."
Half way up the pulpit, at the first landing, were the
" Deacon's seats," graced, as I well remember, by such
worthies as Moses Whipple, Stephen Powers, and Sherman
Cooper. In the front gallery was the choir of singers, un-
sustained by organ or seraphine or even a " big fiddle," but
conducted by Samuel Metcalf, who gave the key-note with
his pitch-pipe, and then, in unison with the rest, sounded
out the initial " fa-sol-la-mi-fa." In some ol" the old fugue
tunes, 0, how they raced in mazy confusion, all coming out
nearly together ! At one end of the house was a tower
surmounted by a belfry, from which never a bell sent its
peals among these hills. Around the house was a profusion
of mayweed, milkweed, and huge thistles with fragrant
blossoms and sha/p thorns. In my earlier years, no vehicle
with wheels ever visited that sanctuary. Some of the
people went on foot, others on horseback. Now and then
there was a side-saddle ; but the " pillion" was the more
common convenience for the women. It was nothinsr
unusual for the husband and wife to arrive on one horse, she
behind bearing an infant in her arms, and he an older child
upon a pillow on the pommel of the saddle. This various
burden was conveniently dismounted at the " horse-block."
In that house, with the exception of the winter months,
Priest Haven officiated from 1794 to 1826. He was a good

27
preacher, not brilliantly rhetorical, but serious in manner,
clear in statement, logical in reasoning, and forcible in
appeal". A few weeks since, a gentleman from this vicinity,
speaking of a lady of this town, said to me that she was
" the most intelligible lady in Croydon." It was not exactly
the compliment he intended ; but of Priest Haven it was
true that he was both intelligible and intelligent. He made
himself understood. That he was impressive, I have occasion
to know, for I remember well a sermon I heard him deliver
more than fifty years ago, on a communion day, from the
words, " / will wash mine hands in innocency ; so will I
compass thine altar, 0 Lord." He never had a liberal
salary. When settled, the town voted him forty pounds, to
be increased, in certain contingences, to sixty pounds ; " the
sum to be paid in neat stock, equal to good grass-fed beef,
at twenty shillings per hundred weight, or good rye at four
shillings per bushel." He manifested a deep interest in the
schools, and was an earnest promoter of all efforts to
improve the morals of the town. He solemnized, for a long
period, nearly all the marriages, and officiated at nearly aH
the funerals ; but he never grew rich by the compensation
for such services, any more than by his scanty salary. For
thirty-two years he was Town Clerk, and few municipal
records will more creditably bear inspection. He died
beloved and lamented.
I remember only one physician — Reuben Carroll — who
practiced here forty-seven years, and had largely the confi
dence of the people. His personal appearance, and his
figure on horseback, are distinct in my memory ; yes, and
those large black saddle-bags, redolent of odors not all from
Cashmere or Damascus. His physiognomy was peculiar.

28
intensely medical, and, in my simplicity, I inferred that the
configuration of his facial muscles was influenced by his
smelling his own drugs. He was physician, surgeon and
apothecary, with a varied but not very lucrative practice.
One cold winter day, as I returned from school, I was
informed that I had a little brother in the house. Though
less than five years old, I loved knowledge, and earnestly
inquired as to the origin of the important stranger. My
grandmother, who was sometimes a little waggish, for she
was a Powers, bantered me with evasive answers. Not to
be foiled,. I pressed my inquiry, and she then told me, " Dr.
Carroll brought him." Well, that was, for the time being,
satisfactory, for it was definitive, and I had at once a solution
of the mystery as to the required capacity of those odorifer
ous saddl.e-bags. How wise was I in my reasoning that Dr.
Carroll kept a supply of the little folks ready-made, and
dispensed them about town, wherever wanted.
Let me mention one other individual who has a large
place in my recollections — the negro, Scipio Page, always
on hand at town meetings and military trainings, grand
caterer for the appetites of all who would pay their coppers
for fruits, cakes and pastry. He was dismally black as if
rightfrom Congo, and his name was freely used in family
discipline. " Old Scip will catch you," was the climax of
threats to refractory children, and planted in many a mind
a prejudice against color that was all but ineradicable.
Really, " Old Scip" was one of the most harmless of men,
doing what many of his despisers did not— honestly earning
his own bread, and minding his own business.
I remember the schools as few, and not of a very high or
der. How well do I recollect one, with short terms, summer

29
and winter, and with Vashti Hagar and Ezra Gustin as
teachers — the former still living, in Illinois, and, at the age
of eighty-one, a correspondent whom I value for her deep
piety and vigorous good sense. The prejudice here against
education, more advanced than the product of common
schools, was almost universal, and a desire for more was set
down to the account of indolence or misdirected ambition.
The boy who ventured to look towards a College, declined at
once in position among his fellows.
The only public work of those days was the Croydon
Turnpike, and I remember how the share-holders, many of
whom worked out their subscriptions to the stock by build
ing each a section of the road, and who were promised large
dividends, received their income mostly in the shape of
assessments for repairs and the support of turnpike gates.
The politics of the town were then strongly Democratic,
of the Jeffersonian type, and party-spirit acrimoniously
divided the men, women and children. I had an aunt,
living with one of the meekest of husbands in yonder house,
who could talk on public affairs more intelligently and
smartly than some of the men whom we now send to
Washington. As we had no mails, newspapers were brought weekly by
post-riders from Concord and Walpole ; and, though few
were taken, they were read with avidity, and loaned from
hand to hand, and their contents were talked over at Edward
Hall's and James Breck's stores, and Benjamin Barton's
tavern, and sometimes at "intermissions" of Sabbath
services. The first settlers were chiefly from Worcester County,
Mass., and were decidedly, stringently puritanical. Tradi-

30
tion has brought down many a fact, showing how severely
conscientious they were in the observance of the Sabbath,
and all this, while they had no church, no minister, no gath
ering place for Christian worship. But most certainly the
next generation, as I knew it, was more lax in morals.
Religious dissensions and political bitterness had their influ
ence in the deteriorating process ; but the copious influx
and fearful consumption of New England rum did far more
in the work of degeneracy. Terrible was the havoc made
by that fiery agent among the bodies, minds, morals and
estates of the population. Some of you remember those
days of declining industry, mortgaged farms, absconding
debtors, and deplorable indifference to the Sabbath and
Christian proprieties. Many vices, such as horse-racing,
gambling, licentiousness, were among the natural concom
itants of the radical evil. But, in the third generation,
there was happily a change in the habits of the people ; the
temperance reform wrought beneficent transformations ; and
the favorable result was seen in their persons and their
manners, in their dwellings and their farms — in the general
aspect of the town both physical and moral. What may
now be the condition of things, I am incompetent to speak •
but I look to-day with delight upon your countenances, so
different from many that I remember, inflamed, bloated,
scarred with the furnace-fires of imbibed alcohol. God
bless you all my relatives and friends, and mercifully pre
serve you from another such volcanic devastation !
But I must not trespass upon time that belongs to others.
The representatives of many families are present, and their
reminiscences must be as full and as interesting as my own.
We are here after a long separation, that we may have one

31
earthly reunion, and bring together the treasures of quick
ened memories ; and especially that we may garland the
graves of the intrepid few who, on these hill-sides and along
these water-courses, laid good foundations for the thrift of
their successors. I have done what I could. You may do
immensely better.
What now of the future ? Three generations have
passed away. What shall be the character and achieve
ments of the next three ? Who will gather here, in 1966,
and rehearse the story of two centuries .'' Long ere that
second centennial, we shall all have joined the congregation
of the departed, and our dust will repose in stillness as now
reposes the dust of our revered ancestors. May we so live,
and so fulfill the trusts of life, as that we may have a joyous
reunion in the Better Land.

After the Address, and music by the Band, the procession
was again formed under the direction of the Chief Marshal
and escorted to the table, which had been bountifully spread
by the people of the town, and was free to all. The Divine
blessing was invoked by the Rev. C. M. Dinsmore, of New
port, and more than two thousand persons partook of the
repast. The table, some thousand feet in length, was
divided into seven sections. One section was entirely pro
vided for by the liberality of the Hon. Lemuel P. Cooper,
and was most tastefully arranged and decorated by the
ladies of his household. On its center was " a fatted calf,"
roasted whole. The town had been divided into six districts,
and as each district was to furnish one section of the table,
there arose, at once, a generous rivalry, as to which should
surpass the other in the amount and excellence of its sup
plies and the beauty of its ornaments, and the result was

32
most happy and alike honorfible to the liberality and taste
of the town. When all had been fed, many a basket was
taken away unopened.
After dinner the procession was re-formed and marched
back to the stand. The assembly was called to order and
listened to music by the band.
The President. — Although much has been done since
we left the stand, there are things yet to be said to which
you will be glad to listen. I see before me one belonging to,
what is supposed to be the talking fraternity, with whose
voice and manly proportions I have long been familiar in the
Court-Room, and who, I doubt, not, can say something out
of doors. We expect to hear from the Bartons and Pow
ers in combination and separately ; and first in combination,
I now call for a speech from Levi W. Barton, Esq., of
Newport. Mr. Barton said :
Mr. President : I could wish. Sir, that you had called
upon some other son of Croydon to speak, at this time, in
my stead. The entertainment from which we have just re
turned, which has so generously contributed to our physical
comfort, has but poorly fitted me to take a part, however
humble, in the exercises in which we are now to engage.
Besides, Sir, the scene before me, the remembrance of for
mer days, and the sacred memories of the past, have so
wrought upon my feelings, that my tongue falters, and my
eyes are in full sympathy with the weeping clouds over us.
Gladly would I sit in silence, and yield myself to the re
flections which the hour suggests. Though belonging to the
"speaking fraternity," as you have announced, I confess,

^^^fa^^yyy^-

33
Sir, that my best selected words are all too poor to express
the deep emotion of my heart. Before me are the sons and
daughters of my own native town, who scattered by the
events of life haye come back to visit the place of their birth
and the home of their childhood. Yes, like pilgrims we
have come back with our wives, children and friends, to en
joy mutual congratulations, and share with each other the
sacred associations of a place made dear to us by a thousand
tender recollections.
Many of us are standing upon the play-ground of our
childhood. Here was the arena of athletic sports — of ex
citing games and innocent amusements. How distinct the
remembrance^how fond the recollections. Around us, on
all sides, are the dear old hills and valleys — fond remembran
ces of by-gone pleasures, for here we cherished many a
pleasant dream of life, all unmindful of life's thorny road.
Before- us is the old, familiar river, along whose banks we
so often roamed and in whose waters we have so often sport
ed. Yonder is the spot where stood the old village school-
house, around which clusters the most interesting and abid
ing recollections. Beyond stands the same old wood, still
vocal with the sweet carol of the forest bird, which so de
lighted our ear in school-boy days. How sweet in the warm
summer days was the water which gushed, cool and spark
ling from yonder hill-side. How beautiful from the rocky
summit above was the view below of the meandering river,
the placid ponds where grew the pure, sweet-scented lily,
the rich green . meadows, and beyond all, my own sunny
home ; where with brothers and sisters I was watched over
and cared for by my then youthful but now aged mother.
You will pardon me, if I say that around all these haunts

34
of childhood there seemed to linger a brighter halo of light
than shines upon any other spot which my eye has ever
beheld. With the feeling which prompted the beautiful
sentiment of the poet, I would say :
'* How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood
When fond recollection presents them to view."
But not all to whom these scenes and haunts are familiar
are permitted to see this historic day. Many have fallen in
their various fields of labor, far away from their early home ;
others have here fainted by the way, and yonder church
yard holds their sacred dust.
But I am carried back to the storied past. Standing at a
century-point from the settlement of the town I seem to see
in panoramic view the scenes and events of those early days.
One hundred years have passed away since our ancestors
^those hardy pioneers of civilization — sought homes in the
unbroken wilderness where now we see smiling fields, and
cultivated farms. We seem to see them now, as they grap
pled manfully and resolutely withthe hardships of pioneer life.
No exposure, no danger or privation could detain them from
the accomplishment of their high purpose. Relying upon the
God of their fathers, they were hopeful amidst discourage
ments, and " patient in tribulation." They were of the Puri
tan stock and inherited their love of justice, their devotion
to principle and their contempt of toil and danger. Such men
were Whipple, Chase, Warren, Leland, Powers and others,
who one century ago laid the foundation of this town.
They yielded up the endearments of homes and the associa
tions of friends, to receive in exchange the hardships and
privations incident to a new settlement. No friendly voice
greeted their arrival, no kind hand was outstretched for
their relief The damp earth was their couch, the overhang-

35
ing branches of the trees their only roof. The woodman's
axe soon breaks the silence of the dense old forest. Soon
the curling smoke of the rude log cabin is seen to rise above
the tree-tops. Years of privation followed in which, though
deprived of most of the physical comforts of life, they were
not unmindful of the true element of a permanent prosper
ity. Here the church was erected, within the rude but con
secrated walls of which devout prayer and praise arose from
hearts 6f humble worshipers. Here, too, they erected the
school-house — the auxiliary of the Chtirch and the nursery
of a true republican state. Thus did our fathers plant a
wild, uncultivated wilderness with Christian homes. Chris
tian churches, and common schools.
But the early settlers of Croydon were not more devoted
to their religious and moral obligations than to their claims
of country and the civil rights of man. From the battle of
Lexington to the close of the war of independence, her
sons went promptly forth to battle for home and country.
Then, as in the war for the preservation of the Union, her
sons were found where duty called. She has never tolerated
tories and traitors upon her soil. How valuable the legacy
which has been bequeathed to us. How great our obliga
tion to transmit it to posterity. This day forms a connect
ing link between the past century, with all its sorrows and
joys, its sad recollections and sacred memories, and the com
ing century with all its hopes of good and bright anticipa- /
tions. By the veneration we entertain for our fathers — by
the love we have for posterity not less than a due regard for
our own welfare — we are admonished that we occupy positions
of grave responsibility. The influence of individual life
extends far beyond the limits of our earthly career. The

36
condition of generations which are to follow us depends in
no small degree upon the acts we do and the lives we live.
How fit the occasion for high and noble resolutions. Let us
see to it that posterity have no occasion to reproach us, and
that when they shall meet, as we do to-day, to mark anoth
er century in the history of our town, they may be able to
refer to our record, as we do to that of our fathers, with feel
ings of pride and veneration. May we then be counted
faithful guardians and worthy stewards of the trust commit
ted to us.
May this day form a golden link in friendship's chain,
binding us by the sweet influence of association to each
other and to our native town. But, Mr. President, I am
fearful I have spoken too long and trespassed on time which
properly belongs to others. My friends, in conclusion let
me say, that you have heard, though imperfectly I confess,
from the " Bartons and Powerses in combination." I trust
that you will not judge of the standing and strength of my
maternal or paternal ancestors, by this hasty and immature
effort of mine. They deserve to be judged by a higher
standard. Their history is interwoven most closely with
the history of the town, from its earliest days. I trust I
shall not be charged with invidious boasting if I claim for
them, as families, a somewhat leading position in the vari
ous walks of social and civil life. To say that they had
faults is but to proclaim their common humanity.
Let us, their descendants, avoid their errors and emulate
their virtues, for in no way can we honor them so much as
by excelling them in virtue.
In closing, allow me to present to the assembly the fol
lowing sentiment :

^^Qe<T^Jlpgff/lU

t^Jf^'

37
John Cooper, the Historian of Croydon : While endeav
oring to rescue the names and deeds of his ancestors from
oblivion, he has secured his own immortality.
The President. — The weather does not seem propitious
for the muses this afternoon; but Croydon Poets are irre
pressible. You will listen to a Centennial Poem prepared
for the occasion by Mrs. Augusta Cooper Bristol, of
Illinois. The foUowing Poem was then read and simg by the Glee
Club :

No power has made secure or fast,
The sepulchre with portal vast,
That opens on the buried Past.-
And Poesy puts forth her hand,
And group by group, and band by band,
Th« dead years rise at her command.
Not freezing specters, chill and numb,
Nor ghostly shadows, dim and dumb ; —
But crowned and glorified they come.
Their step a song, their march a rhyme.
Along the grand arcade of Time,
The century-children tower sublime.
Titans, majestically tall.
The ancient years rise first of all,
In answer to my poet call.
Giants of sternest hardihood,
They cleave a pathway rough and rude.
Defeating wrong, achieving good.
Where Nature all unconquered stands,
They lift their iron-sinewed hands.
And, train her meek to their commands.
Severely brave, because so pure.
They fail not. Victory is sure !
They grapple, conquer, and secure !
Their code confronts Oppression's rod ! —
" All men are kings upon the sod,
Heaven-vested ! Only God is God!"

38
They are unto themselves reward ;
They hold the beauty of accord.
And theirs the secret of the Lord.
They pass ; — and still a later throng
Of century-children sweep along,
Urged by the miracle of song.
These bring the balmy bud of Peace ;
Their calm eyes hold a blessed lease
Of homely comfort and increase.
Sweet counterparts, in Time's refrain,
They round the rich crescendo strain
Of Plenty, Industry, and Gain.
And Art ignores her doubtful pause,
And Science, trusty vassal, draws
The veil from Nature's cryptic laws.
For them Contentment wreaths her vine,
And floods them with auroral shine,
As slow they vanish, — line by line.
And following them, the immortal few, —
Last in the century review, —
Move down the spirit avenue.
The Christs among the ages ! Lo,
The carmine drips across the snow
Of their pure vesture .as they go !
And all the blood-drops, purple-ripe.
And every symbol stain and stripe,
Divinest meanings stereotype.
Their God-thought blossoms into deed ;
Freedom and brotherhood their creed.
To right all human wrong and need.
They thunder at the monarch's gate,
" One throne alone 's inviolate ! —
The White Throne where the angels wait."
Around Oppression's grave they chant
Their hallelujahs jubilant.
Till earth and heaven are reboant.
Their martyr-brows are aureate
With thought. Their lifted eyes dilate
With visions of man's ultimate.
Sublimest of the century name.
They pass enwrapt in spirit flame,
And fade all-glonous as they came.

39

Divinely wrought, and mission true.
Far in the silence and the blue.
Fades out the hundred-year review.
Oh raise for them a pean free, •
My friends to-day ! for unto thee
They leave a royal legacy.
A power to smite Injustice down ;,
To give to Freedom's brow the crown.
Though kings demur and tyrants frown.
A will all human woe to heed.
To seize ideal thought at need.
And crystalize it into deed.
A hope to fill the heart with song.
Though Right should seem eclipsed by Wrong,
And life eugloomed with shadows long.
A consciousness untrained and free,
That spheres what Reason cannot see ! —
Feels God through self-divinity.
And best of all the precious dower.
The cheerful spirit-will and power.
That waits on duty, hour by hour.
Oh, close to all the heart reveres.
Our royal legacy adheres —
Bequeathment of a hundred years !
May the Almighty's record-page.
Prove that the heirs of such an age
Were worthy of their heritage.
Then raise a pean full and free,
And in the sweets of jubilee
Embalm the dear old Century.

The President. — You will next listen to a voice which
comes back to us from the Empire State, — a man in whom,
if reports be true, are combined great professional skill
and princely munificence. When a son of Dea. Sherman
Cooper speaks, you, will all delight to listen. I call upon
Dr. William F. Cooper, of New York, for a speech.
Mr Cooper responded as follows :

40
Mr. President, Gentlemen and Ladies :
I did not know that I was expected to speak on this
occasion till since my arrival. I am not used to speaking
in public, the last forty years of my life having been spent
in the sick-room, where the hushed voice and muffled step
have ill prepared me to appear before this vast assembly.
But, after an absence of thirty-nine years, I am glad to re
visit the town of my birth and the place of my boyhood ;
and I am gratified that so many of my fellow-townsmen
and their descendants have given me and those that I have
brought with me so cordial a reception.
I went out from you in my strength; I have returned to
you in my weakness. I went to a section of country where
are no mountains; nor are there any rocks except of second
ary formation. Your mountains and your vast bowlders of
granite awaken in me feelings of sublimity and grandeur at
the power of the Creator. Though your mountains and
rocks remain much the same, 0 how altered are the inhab
itants since I left you, and what vacancies do I see in the
crowd around me ! I fail to see the manly form and counte
nance of Abijah Powers, and the firm, military step of
'Samuel Powers. I fail to see those Revolutionary patriots,
who composed the heads of so many families. They were
men that left their homes in the depth of winter, and
marched on snow-shoes, under Arnold, amid cold and starv
ation, into Canada. 1 fail to see the noble men who, when
one-half of the men in town, capable of bearing arms, were
called for to stop the progress of Gen. Burgoyne and his
well-drilled army in their march from Canada to Albany,
responded to the call, met and routed the enemy at Benning
ton, and afterwards at Saratoga, capturing the General and

¦ ¦ip^''

^o/y^..

(rr--

41
his whole army, and thereby forever rendering those battle
fields classic ground.
Remember, Mr. President, that only ten years had elapsed
after the first settler had found his way to Croydon, before
the storm of the Revolution swept over the scattered settle
ment. Where can another lot of such self-sacrificing men
be found ? Your rugged soil and mountain air were well
calculated to make patriots — to make men; and well did
they fulfill their mission. But those patriots are all gone.
Not one remains to tell us, as they often did on training and
" election" days, of the hardships and sufferings which they
went through, and of their love of General Washington.
Mr. President : I have visited the first cemetery of this
town; and I have visited the last one. There I saw the
resting place, and read the epitaphs of your ancestors and
mine. I went alone — the most fitting way of visiting the
"City of the Dead." There I saw the grave of the firSt
one born in town. There I saw the graves of my school
mates, the companions of my boyhood. There I saw the
resting place of my parents, whom I left in health, as I
went to seek my fortune amongst strangers. They lived to
a good old age, and their deaths were regretted by the com
munity in which they lived. In these grave-yards sleep
those who cleared up this rugged town, established these
schools and churches, and laid the foundation of all that is
calculated to make true men and women of all within the
hearing of my voice. There those sleepers must lie till the
morn of the resurrection. And, Mr. President, is it not a
thought calculated to make us better men and women, that
the next Centennial Anniversary will find this vast crowd of
living faces asleep with their fathers ?

42
Mr. President : I feel like indulging in some reminis
cences of my own early personal history. Here I was born;
here in your midst I went in and out; and here my character
was formed — for good or for bad. You are my witnesses
that after the strictest sect I was brought up a Pharisee.
I visited yesterday the place where I attended the district
school. The house was gone, but the foundation was there.
It carried me back to the years of my boyhood, when Carl
ton Barton kept the school winter after winter. The stove
pipe that ran up almost perpendicularly, was oval in shape
and as large as my body. The house being poorly lighted,
the area behind the stove was usually too dark to be used
for study or recitation. There I often went to warm myself
and contrive to make the other scholars laugh. The teacher
would call them up and punish them, while I always escaped
punishment— except in a single instance. A man by the
name of Wood once taught the school. He saw me making
faces at him, and pounced upon me so suddenly, that I was
much frightened. Although the school-house is gone, the
stream of water which ran beside it is there still; and the
furrows which the stream in past ages had worn in running
over the granite ledge, are also there. There we used to go
and drink the running Water in summer — and many a time
have I cut the silverweed stems that were hollow, and gave
them to the pretty girls, for them to put in their mouths
and draw up drink. I have no recollection of ever getting
any for the boys.
The white birch is also gone. It was a crotched tree,
the crotch having been used by me for a pulpit. There I used
to sit and act as minister to a little flock of girls and boys
that would gather around me during the noonings. They

43
would sing, and I would pray and preach. Those days, I
now know, were my happiest days. I was then looking
forward to better days, but I have never seen them.
Mr. President : As I stand on this platform, I see the
familiar river that meanders through the meadow a few rods
before me. It brings vividly to my recollection an incident
of my first love. 1 was then ten years old, being about the
same age of Patty Winter, my lady-love. We used to attend
the same school ; and we read, and spelled and played together.
She wore a red dress, and was thought by me to be a little
angel. Mr. Durkee, one of our neighbors, had hay dry enough
to be put in the barn — and there were signs of rain. The
neighbors were called upon for help; and I, a ten years old
boy, was required to rake after the cart. Being~a warm day,
James Powers sent to Captain Whipple's distillery and got
some potato whisky. They all drank, and gave to me.
Having never tasted anything of the kind before, I drank
because others drank. The consequence was that I soon
became drunk; and, as I was raking on the bank of the
river, I fell in, and was nearly drowned. I was rescued by
Obed Whipple; and after I got over strangling so that I
could speak, my first words were, " Don't tell Patty Winter."
So you see, gentlemen and ladies, that my love for the fair
sex, at that innocent age, was stronger than for either earth
or heaven. And there are some of my neighbors standing
here, that can tell you if in that respect any change has
taken place in me since.
Mr. President : I will draw my remarks to a close, as
others are to follow me. But, before retiring, I wish to
speak of the deep religious principles of some of the early
settlers of this town, and of their strict adherence both to

44
the letter and spirit of the Bible. Perhaps I cannot better
illustrate these than by citing the case of Ezekiel Powers, as
a representative man of the first settlers of Croydon. Some
years after the first settlement, a minister by the name of
Ballard came into town, gathered a church, and established
rules for the guidance of members and the government of
the church. One rule made it the duty of church-members
to keep the Sabbath day holy, and have their children do
the same. It was, in an especial manner, enjoined on par
ents to prohibit their sons from going a courting, and their
daughters from having sparks, as they were called, on Sun
day nights. Another ordinance passed by the church was,
that if a parent could not make his children obey him after
suitable admonition and correction, he was to report them to
the church, where by a vote they were to be " thrown over
to the buffetings of satan."
Ezekiel Powers, on his return from the meeting in which
these ordinances were passed, called his family around him,
and told them of the ordinances of the church. Being an
indulgent parent, he told them that they should be indulged
in anything not forbidden in the Bible; but his commands
and the rules and regulations of the church must be obeyed.
He closed the interview with prayer — praying that the Lord
would cause his children to obey. But his oldest son Ezekiel,
sixteen years of age, went that same night a courting, and
did not return home till the family were at breakfast. As
he entered the room on Monday morning, his father seized
him by the collar, cuffed and shook him, and whipped him
severely, telling him at the conclusion, that if he ever trans
gressed in the same way again, he would double the chas
tisement. But the son told his father that he should go as

45
often as he " had a mind to." The father then thought
that he had discharged his duty. Accordingly the next
Sabbath, after brother Ballard had closed his serrtion,
Ezekiel Powers arose — his manly form of six feet towering
above the congregation— and, with tears streaming down his
face, said to the brethren and sisters : " I arise to perform a
painful duty to my family, to the church, and to my God.
My beloved son Ezekiel proves incorrigible, and went a
courting Sunday night; and, however it distresses me to say
it, I consent by a vote to heave him over to the buffetings
of satan." Ezra Cooper, one of the brethren present, arose
about half way up, and, with his arms extended horizontally
before him said, " Heave my son Jonathan over with him,"
— he having a son of that name, who went a courting the
Sunday night before.
It only remains for me, gentlemen and ladies, to thank
you for the hospitality with which you have welcomed your
returned sons and daughters. I feel proud of Croydon, the
town of my birth. All that I am or ever expect to be,
rests on the foundation begun, laid and finished here. I
feel proud of the ladies that have furnished the tables with
such taste and elegance; and I feel proud that the ladies
have such good husbands, brothers and sons who have
provided so bountifully to fill the tables to overflowing.
Finally, I feel proud that I was born in this town. Mr.
President, I feel proud that the talented Leland, the manly
Powers, and the honest Cooper blood runs in my veins.
And, when I see this vast multitude, the product of this
small town, I feel proud of you all, that you have obeyed
the first and great command of the Bible, " Multiply and
replenish the earth."

46
The President.— I have the pleasure of introducing to
this audience a descendant of Moses Whipple, " the father
of the town,"-r-THOMAS Whipple, Esq., of Charlestown,
who can speak for himself
Mr. Whipple said :
Mr. President :
One hundred years ago, Seth Chase and his companion
stood gazing for the first time upon the same magnificent
scenery which surrounds us to-day. The grand outlines are
the same, but civilization has wrought changes in the details.
When they turned their eyes to the east there stood before
them Pine Hill, not as now rough and jagged, but covered
all. over with tall pines gracefully waving their beautiful
branches in the breeze ; at their feet lay two miniature lakes
reflecting the beams of the rising sun, while at the west
loomed up Croydon Mountain. Nature had spread out all
around them only beauty and grandeur, yet how sad and
lonely must have been their condition. They were alone.
No human voice to cheer, or heart to sympathize with them.
All around them was a dark, howling wilderness. Fifteen
days after, as we may well conceive, most gladly did they
welcome Moses Whipple and David Warren, who arrived
with their families.
It has been my good fortune from my earliest boyhood to
be much with the early settlers of this town, and listen to
their conversations, — and hence, had I time I could relate
many a thrilling or amusing incident connected with the
early history of the town. I could teU you something of
the grief that wrung our mothers' hearts when Capt. Moses
Whipple was called to lead away to the war so many of

47
their husbands and sons, and with what ecstasy their return
was hailed.
My time will permit me to relate only one or two inci
dents ; and first, I will tell you about a hoat-ride to which
an inhabitant of this town was once treated. Having refused
to pay his taxes, and secreted his property, the collector
went with his posse to arrest him. Armed with a loaded
gun he defiantly threatened with death any one who should
attempt the arrest. Dea. Whipple calmly remarking that
he was as well prepared to die as any one of the party,
sprang upon and disarmed him. He was placed upon horse
back, to be taken to prison, but he rolled himself off as fast
as he was put on the rude saddle. The patience of the par
ty becoming exhausted, they improvised a stout stone boat,
to which he was firmly bound. A spirited horse was attach
ed to the boat. The collector mounted another, and started
for Charlestown jail. Ordinary boat-rides often produce sea
sickness, and the track here led over rocks, stumps, and the
roots and trunks of fallen trees, which were not very care
fully avoided; but he braced himself against all sensations
of the kind. Voyagers across the Atlantic to the North
American coast are delighted, especially in winter, on
approaching the Gulf Stream. The warmness of the water,
and the balmy softness of the atmosphere are peculiarly
agreeable. But when our hero approached a gulf in the
south part of the town, through which ran an unbridged
stream, he shrank back, beat up a parley, paid the tax and
.costs, and returned a sadder and a wiser, if not a better man.
The effect was most salutary; and it was long before anoth
er, having the pecuniary ability, refused or neglected to pay
taxes with which he was legally assessed.

48
And now let me tell you another story of how a husband
was made well and a wife made sick. The main wheel to
the mill first erected in the town became deranged, and no
one could be found to put it in order except the person that
built it. Lame and almost helpless, he was carried to the
wheel-pit, where by accident he was precipitated into the
icy cold water. The suddenness of the immersion, and his
efforts to escape from the unwelcome bath, completely cured
him for the time. The necessary repairs were made, and he
walked homeward. His wife seeing him approach, and
imagining that he was killed and that she saw his appari
tion, was overcome by the emotion and confined to her bed,
while the husband resumed his former labors.
Your President has alluded to the fact that I am a
descendant of Moses Whipple. You will indulge me in a
few words in relation to. him. He was a proprietor and one
of the earliest settlers of the town. He descended in the
fifth generation from Matthew Whipple, who settled at
Ipswich hamlet, Mass., in 1635. He was born in 1733.
His early advantages for education were quite limited. He
was by occupation a mill-wright and surveyor of land. In
1762, he was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts
an officer in the militia " in the regiment whereof Artemus
Ward was Colonel." At the organization of the militia of
Croydon in 1774, he was chosen Captain and commissioned
by John Wentworth, the last colonial governor of the
Province. The next year he was appointed to the same
office by Matthew Thornton, President of the Congress of
New Hampshire. He was a representative to one of the
early Conventions held at Exeter, and for several years
elected to the State Legislature. When the soldiers of

-p-

..^..--f^^i-^U-/..-^^

-e^t^.

49
1777 marched to the war from this town, he commanded a
company composed mainly of men of gigantic stature, and
many of them of herculian strength. Without tents, and
destitute of baggage-wagons, they carried their arms, equip
ments and provisions across the Green Mountains on their
backs. When the militia was re-organized at the close of
the war, he was appointed Colonel of the 15th Regiment.
In 1786 he was appointed one of the " Conservators of the
Peace" to quell the insurrectionary spirit which had sur
rounded our Legislature with an armed mob, and threatened
the State with anarchy and ruin. In 1814, a year memora
ble for the success of the American arms in the second war
for independence, he was gathered to the tomb "like a
shock of corn fully ripe."
Catherine Forbush early became the wife of Moses Whip
ple, and shared with him all the toils and privations of the
early settlement. The next summer after their arrival, she
called all the children to her house and established a school,
which she continued for a long time without money and
without price, and laid the foundation on which the old
schoolmasters, Stephen Powers, Martin Griswold, and Elea
zer Jackson built; and on which others of a later- day have
reared a superstructure so eminent for usefulness. The
mother of fourteen children, she died in 1829..
The President. You wiU now listen to a farmer, and
a descendant of the honest Coopers — the Hon. Lemuel P.
Cooper, of Croydon, in whom it is to be presumed all the
virtues of his ancestors " stiH live."
Mr Cooper said :
Ladies and Gentlemen :
I am unexpectedly called upon to speak a word for the

50
"Cooper Family," and also a word for the farmers of
Croydon. As regards the race whose name I bear, a very
few words wiU suffice. Since their first landing in this
country to the present time, I think their record stands
second to none for honesty and integrity of purpose. Esteem
ing others more highly than themselves they have never been
aspiring. Being religiously inclined, they have ever labored
to sustain the institutions of the gospel, and to promote the
well-being of the community in which they have resided.
My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and perhaps
still furbher back, were deacons in the Congregational
Church, and so far as I have been able to learn, they have
all been men of good reputation and ornaments to their
professions. My father, grandfather and uncles were among
the early emigrants to this town, and shared largely in the
hardships and perils of the early settlement. They are all
gathered to their fathers. It is a pleasing reflection that
they were numbered with that noble band, who, periling
their lives, marched shoulder to shoulder against the common
enemy during the Revolutionary struggle. Few can review
their family records with less fear of shame or more just
pride and satisfaction than the Coopers. They have all
acted well their parts in life. Thus much for the Coopers.
You will now indulge me in a word in relation to the
farmers. I believe if there is any man since King David
after God's own heart, it is the honest, stea.dy, persevering
farmer. For fifty years in succession I have been laboring on
a farm, and gaining my bread by the sweat of my brow. I
know something of its Qperations, but nothing of its hard
ships when compared with the pioneers of the town. I am
filled with astonishment when I reflect upon the vast amount

51
of labor performed by our fathers during the first half cent
ury. Their farms were covered with a heavy growth of trees ;
the soil was hard and forbidding; their implements were few
and rudely made; and their resources small, save their own
strong and persevering wills and their resolute and contented
wives. During that time, houses were erected; the trees
disappear; the stones are rolled up into fences; roads are
made; bridges are thrown across the streams; school-houses
are built; churches "are erected; a minister is settled — and
what is more, is paid; and large families are raised and edu
cated. In short the "wilderness is made to bud and blossom
like the rose." And while the father and older sons were
doing this, the mother and daughters were in-doors manu
facturing with their own hands the fabrics wherewith to
clothe the household. There was then no Lowell or Man
chester with their mammoth factories throwing off their
thousands of yards a day. I remember the process — the
carding, the spinning, the twisting, the reeling, the sizing,
the bucking, the spooling, the sleiding, the drawing in, and
the quilling. Then the mother takes the loom-seat, and
throwing the shuttle alternately with one hand and catching
it with the other, swinging the lathe with the liberated hand,
and springing the treadles with her feet, and thus she rolled
up from five to twenty yards a day; and thus was wool and
flax and tow converted into cloth for our fathers. It was
a labor honorable to our sainted mothers. Poorly can the
young of our day appreciate their labors and sacrifices, and
how much our fathers and mothers have done to promote
their comfort and happiness.- Honorable mention might be
made of many prominent and enterprising farmers that
have passed away since my recollectioii. The Whipples,

52
the Wheelers, the Stows, the Jacobses, the Putnams, the
Ryders, the Powerses, the Bartons, the Humphreys, and
others equally worthy.
One or two instances will serve to give us an insight into
the actual life of the first settlers.
I see before me the descendants of a couple that early
commenced life here. They had but just purchased them a
farm and cleared up a small 'portion of land, when by acci
dent the husband was disabled. He lingered a helpless man
for three years, aiid then died. And now what shall the
wife with a sick husband, five small children, an unsubdued
farm, and no apparent means of subsistence do ? What
but call upon public charity or her friends for help ? She
did no such thing. While the larger children took care
of the smaller ones she plied herself to her loom with an
assiduity which enabled her not only to furnish medicine
and advice to her husband, but to feed, clothe and educate
her children. Those boys grew to manhood, and were among
our most worthy and skillful farmers. That farm remained
in their hands for more than sixty years. And the name of
the heroine, "grandmarm" Sanger, deserves to be cherished
among the dearest household words.
Mrs. Fisher, another of the early matrons of the town,
while her husband — who was necessarily much away labor
ing to procure the means of subsistence — was gone, would
tie one child in the chair, while with her infant on the one
arm, and her milk-pail on the other, she would wend her
way through the woods to her cow, — a mile off in the nearest
grass plot, — milk it, and recrossing Sugar River (then a bold
and rapid stream) on a log, hasten back to her child.
One more, Peter Powers, not yet twenty-one years of age,

P^^~€0 ^U*'7e^/^

^

53
purchased his time, and was married to Lois Cooper, a lady
still younger than himself An axe, a spinning-wheel and a
loom constituted their capital stock. At the end of twenty-
five years they had cleared up three hundred acres of land,
and covered it with luxuriant grass, waving grain, and bleat
ing herds. They had erected three houses, two mills, a
number of barns and other buildings, — and what is more,
had reared and most thoroughly educated a family of six
children. But I must not dwell longer upon these reminiscences of
the past. As I close, let us all remember how truly and
wisely it has been said, " He that maketh two blades of
grass to grow where but one grew before, is a benefactor of
his race."
The President. We have been listening to the sons of
Croydon. I propose that we now listen to one of the sons-
in-law. I perceive we have among us an honored guest who
was so unfortunate as not to be born in town, but who, nev
ertheless, has made the best amends he could by taking
a wife who was. You will listen to the Hon. Moses
HuMPHRET, Ex-Mayor of Concord.
Mr. Humphrey said :
Mr. President, and Citizens of Croydon :
It is with pleasure that I meet with you on this occasion.
This anniversary does not come often, and hence, when it
does occur, it is all the more pleasant for us to meet together
and recall past scenes and renew old acquaintances. In re
sponse to the sentiment with which your President saw fit
to introduce me, I would say, I am happy to acknowledge
myself largely indebted to the influence and advice of one

54
of your girls, who has shared with me the joys and trials of
life for thirty-four years. Let me say to you, sir, that my
success in life' is in a great measure due to the good practical
common sense and right influence which has come to me
through my wife, who is a native of this good old town of
Croydon. In 1843 I became a citizen of this place, and
remained with you nine years. Coming from the old Plym
outh Colony, down on the seaboard, I found your ways and
habits widely different from those to which I had been ac
customed. I found here a farming community. The one
which I left had but little of agriculture — there the people
were mainly engaged in commercial and mechanical pur
suits. I am greatly indebted to you for many valuable hints
which I received while here and which have been of great
advantage to me in the various positions of trust and honor
to which I have been called since I left you. Another thing
which perhaps served still more strongly to attach me to
this place, was the fact that then, as now and all along, our
political views have been in perfect harmony. In conclusion,
let me thank you for the opportunity of being with you on
this pleasant occasion. The remembrance of this day I
shall carry with me to my grave.
The President. — I think that we ought not to proceed
further this afternoon without the " benefit of clergy." I
now call upon one to whose voice we all listen with pleasure,
a native of this town, and whose presence we are glad to
welcome here — Rev. Luther J. Fletcher, of Maine.
Mr. Fletcher said :
Our brothers and sisters, who have remained upon the
soil where we all sported in childhood, but from which many

.-•^¦¦-

55
of us have been induced to wander, have invited us all home
again, that we may join them in congratulations to the dear
old Mother, who observes to-day her diamond wedding.
Their invitations we heard from afar ; and with long-cher
ished fondness for the place which gave us birth, with broth-
erly and sisterly affection for those who sent us such friendly
greetings, we gather here from the North and the South,
the East and the West, on the spot where the first settlers
wedded the bride of their choice, to deposit our gifts and
speak our rejoicings.
I am sorry that Croydon receives us to-day with tears in
her eyes ;* but aged mothers do this, sometimes, when as
their sons and daughters come home after a long absence,
their hearts overflow with gladness, and they weep for joy.
There is something of sadness in such a welcome, yet none
the less of love. Let us therefore accept these tears as the
best welcome which, under the circumstances, we could ex
pect, and only hope that when, a hundred years from this,
we come to her second Centennial, the good mother will give
us nothing but smiles.
I repeat that we have come to exchange the expressions
of an exalted friendship. That is most exalted which
is most pure, and the friendships formed in youth are
the purest and most lasting' of any we enjoy or exercise,
in this life. That they are lasting, we have, to-day,
many demonstrations. Such friendships have lived, while
we have been unconscious of their presence in the heart, and
though thrust aside for a time, into some obscure corner, and
almost forgotten, they have been awakened by the power of
association and made to act with such force as to sway all
*When the speech was made, the sky was OTercast, and it began to rain.

56
the purposes of the soul. We have met with those, this
morning, very dear to us in childhood or youth, but who, be
cause of long absence, had not been present to our thoughts
for many years ; yet our love for them had not expired, but
only waited to be called into action, when we found it as
fresh, warm and gushing as in auld Lang Syne.
This is a day of unusual re-awakenings, and as the past
gives back to us its treasures of long forgotten scenes, we
are rejuvenated and live once more in the long ago. 0, how
the sight of a familiar faije, — changed, indeed, by twenty or
thirty years, yet still familiar, — or the sound of a voice unlike
any other we have heard for a quarter of a century, has this
day taken us back to the scenes of our childhood, and flood
ed the souLwith sweet remembrances ! There is one who
was our schoolmate ! How. many times have we striven to
gether for the head of the class ! How many days, sitting
side by side in the old red school-house, have we conspired to
elude the vigilance of the teacher, and cheat him of a part
of the study he had required of us, little thinking that we
were only cheating ourselves ! How we coasted, skated,
fished and swam together, from year to year ! He is not the
boy he then was. A young man at his side calls him father.
Can it be possible ? And have we changed, in his sight, as
he in ours ?
Ah ! there is one, who was a young man when I was a
boy. Many a time I listened to his voice as he sang with
my father, — now a member of the choir above, — and though
he has exchanged the red roses of blooming cheeks for the
white lilies of age, his countenance bears its familiar ex
pression, and his smile is the same as it was full thirty years
ago ! How many scenes are revived by that smile ! How

57
many faces appear in the halls of memory, summoned from
the obscurity in which they have long been hanging, by the
presence of that well-remembered face ! Welcome, wel
come, old friends !
Shadowy as are many of your forms and faces, unsubstan
tial as is the vision ih which ye seem to rise before me, 1 bid
you all welcome to this grand festival — this renewal of old
friendships — this first Centennial of our native town !
And may we not believe that those whom memory does
not recall — those who lived here before the days of our earli
est years, the first settlers in this beautiful valley — are with
us here to-day, though we see them not, smiling upon the
achievements of a century, more fully apparent to them than
to us, and happy in the thought, that like Old Mortality,
we, their descendants, are relettering their tombstones, and
helping by these ceremonies to give their name and fame to
another hundred years ? If it be so, then happy are those
who, standing in the presence of assembled generations, can
feel that by noble efforts and virtuous lives, they command
the benedictions of their honored sires.
But Croydon is, to-day, impartial in her favors to those
who call her mother. Her invitation went forth to all her
children, and those who came home at her call are cordially .
welcome. She does not ask if all are equally worthy. She
does not admit us to seats of exaltation determined by the
measure of our intellect, or by our past good deeds. She does
not inquire if we be orthodox or heterodox, rich or poor,
democrats or republicans. It is enough, if at our birth we
were sealed as her children. Some may have been indolent,
some unfortunate, some prodigals ; but the dear old mother
welcomes all to-day as her sons and daughters, and the tears

58
she may have shed for our past misdeeds are all forgotten in
the joy that we have kept her in fond remembrance, and at
her call have all come home again.
Oh, happy, suggestive thought ! We have all been wan
derers from the home of youthful purity — from a higher and
diviner Parent than is the mother of whom I have been
speaking ; and when the cycle of His century shall be com
plete, and the jubilee of redemption shall come, will not his
impartial grace extend invitations to all his children, and as
the prodigals obey the summons and hasten home, will He
not bid them welcome, and in the joy of their return,
remember their misdeeds no more forever "f
For such a consummation let us both hope and pray ; and
in joyous anticipation of a universal re-union, cherish the
memory of all our loved ones in the earth, that the joy of
our meeting in the spirit-land shall be enhanced by our
enlarged and ever-growing affection for each other in the
present life.
As I have looked on the assemblage of the sons and
daughters of Croydon, and have felt the power of an unseen
influence attaching me to this place of my birth, as to no
other spot on earth, the question has more than once arisen
in my mind touching the cause of the sweet attraction, and
just now the satisfactory answer comes to me. It is not
that Croydon is a town remarkable for its beautiful scenery,
classic grounds or famous institutions, — not that her fields
are richer, or her children nobler than those of other towns
in the dear old Granite State, but chiefly, as it seems to me,
because this was our cradle — the place in which we first
knew the blessing of parental love — in which, beneath the
fond nursings and unremitted watchfulness of father and

59
mother, we made our first essays in observation, opened our
eyes to behold the light of surrounding objects, and com
menced the development of our infant powers — the place
where our feeble thoughts were first turned towards God,
and in which with little hands clasped and eyes uplifted, we
were taught to say our infant prayers.
There are no thoughts of a whole life so sacred as those
which go back to such beginnings, and they hallow every
thing associated with them. In our manhood and woman
hood we sometimes overhaul the rubbish of our father's
back-chamber or the attic, until we come upon the cradle in
which we were rocked. It may be old-fashioned and out of
repair ; it may be covered with dust and cobwebs ; the
smoke of the old kitchen may be seen upon its paint ; and
its rockers, by much use, be worn almost flat ; but the sight
of it awakens fond and sacred recollections, and as we bring
it out into the light and sit down to gaze upon it, sweet
words and loved faces are given us from the past, the song
of the mother's hushaby is in our ears again, and that old
cradle, not for what it is, but for what it has been to us, is
the dearest thing on earth. So, in a cei'tain sense, is this
old town to those who were bom here. It is not in any
sense a splendid place. It has not been extensively modr
ernized. The dust of old usages clings to it, and some who
are being cradled here may think that it rocks hard ; yet the
sight of it brings back the days of our earliest recollections,
and we love it because it is' our cradle.
Imagination may have an undue influence in the processes
of my mind at the present time, but it seems to me that all
around us, floating on the breath of this June morning, and
echoing on these hills, are the words of her, now singing

60
with the angels, — words which we have sung to our own
children, or taught them as their evening prayer —

or:

" Hash, my dear, lie still and slumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed,"

' Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.''

I believe there is a saving power in the associations which
flood the soul with such memories, — and let me say, in con
clusion, that those of us who carry the most of the spirit of
this hour into the days and years of our future lives in the
earth, will best do justice to the past, and honor our native
town in years to come.
God bless the dear old cradle of our infancy ! May holy
angels watch its future destiny from the summits ofthe sur
rounding mountain towers, that it may be beautiful, honor
able, prosperous, when, in spirit if not in flesh, we assemble
here again at the end of another hundred years !
The President. — We have present a guest from the
queen city of New England, and a son of Benjamin Barton,
junior, who I trust will give us some account of the Barton
family and their early adventures. You will hear Alexan
der Barton, Esq., of Boston.
Mr. Barton said ;
Mr. President, Gentlemen and Ladies :
Under other circumstances I should ask to be excused,
but as you ask me to respond in ' behalf of the descendants
of Benjamin Barton, I will do so as briefly as I may. My
grandfather Benjamin Barton, senior, lived at Sutton, Mass.,
entered the army of the Revolution, and died at Bunker
Hill.

'?^

if' I

' aA_-^.

.ff?

(J^Xj\ ir'\-

61
My father Benjamin Barton, Jr., was born at Sutton,Mas8.,
in 1755. He had few early advantages, no opportunity for
schooling ; learned to write and cipher on birch bark. At
the age of eighteen he entered the Revolutionary army and
was at Bunker Hill, Bennington, West Point and New
York city. In 1779 he returned to Royalston, Mass., and
married Mehitable Fry. The next year he went to New
bury, Vt., to look for a new home. After a vain search of
three weeks, traveling by the aid of marked trees, he return
ed as far as Croydon, and here purchased him a farm. In
1783, he spent six weeks clearing up the land and making
preparations for a settlement, with a hollow log only for
a shelter, and bears and wolves for his nearest and most
numerous, if not most intimate neighbors. In March, 1784,
they started for their wilderness-home. Behold the picture !
A young wife, who had been as tenderly reared as any of her
day, seated on an ox sled, her three children with her, — on
the one side, a daughter of four years, on the other, a lad of
two, and in her arms an infant son ; on that sled were all
their household effects, and behind was tied the cow. After
surmounting many difficulties they arrived at Unity. Here
the roads were so drifted that they were obliged to make a
change and harness their oxen tandem. They arrived at
Croydon on the ninth day, accomplishing a journey of sixty-
five miles.
They had occupied their log cabin but a short time, when
a rude storm scattered the bark, of which the roof was com
posed, to the four winds and obliged them, through snow
waist deep, with their children in their arms, to seek shelter
in a neighboring cabin three-fourths of a mile away.
My father commenced public life in 1786, two years after

62
his arrival. He was elected Representative a number of
years, was Selectman some twenty, Moderator and Town
Clerk a great number, and was Justice of the Peace from
1798 to the period of his death which occurred July 9, 1834.
Children of Benjimin B.iktos. — Phebe born Apr. 21, 1780. Benj. born Feb. 22, 1782.
John born Teb. 17, 1784. Peter born May 17, 1785. Ruth born Aug. 6, 1788. Fry born
Oct. 30, 1790. Susan born Sept. 16, 1792. Phila born Aug. 17, 1794. Cyrus born Dec. 26,
1795. David born March 23, 1800. Beuben born June 5, 1802. Alexander born June 14,
1804. »
The President. — The name of Rev. Jacob Haven will
be known and reverenced while these hills and valleys are
inhabited. For half a century he did not fail to speak the
words of truth and soberness to this people. His voice is
now silent, but you will be glad to listen to his son,
Capt. Moses Haven, of Plainfield.
Mr. Haven responded :
Mr. President :
No spot on earth is so dear to man as the place where he
was born and where were spent the hours of his infancy and
childhood. In common with you all, ladies and gentlemen,
I partake most fully of this sentiment to-day. Here were
spent the hours of my boyhood. These hills witnessed my
childish sports and pleasures. These fields and meadows
and ponds and mountains, seem almost my brothers.
It was here that, at the age of sixteen, I entered the
militia and was shortly after elected sergeant, and by regular
gradations rose to be Captain, and thought I had achieved
wonders. When I was chosen, chorister, a position which I
held for a long time, I felt greatly honored; and when by the
partiality of my fellow-townsmen I was elected one of the
selectmen of the town, I felt I had reached almost the last
round in the ladder of my ambition.

63
These achievements in the eyes of the world may not
seem much, but to my young fancy it was far otherwise.
Since then I have been out into the world doing battle with
the stern duties of maturer life, until the weight of years
now presses heavily upon me ; and yet, I must say, no after
achievements have afforded me a pleasure like these. I
have mingled in no other scenes so sweet, have found no
other spot so dear.
Around yonder hill, in the grave-yard, rests my reverend
and venerated father, that sainted mother who dandled me
in my infancy, two loved companions and many other cher
ished friends. It is a dear spot to me. And there, beside
them, I have directed shall be my last earthly resting place.
I now close by thanking God that I have been permitted
to live until this day, so that I may meet so many of my
old companions, and mingle in these joyous scenes.
Keene, Aug. 24th, 1866.
Dear Brother : — If, as you suggest, the Committee of
Arrangements, who carried through the Croydon Centennial
Celebration so successfully, desire to have the fragments of
our Feast gathered up for preservation, I can see no objec
tion to it. And I will furnish a sketch of what was said by
me in the opening. But the whole loaves should be saved,
as well as what remains of those distributed. And the
speeches prepared by Dr. Whipple and yourself, and per
haps others, — but not delivered on account of the inclemency
of the day,— should be included, as weU as the portions omit
ted by other speakers for the same reason. I shall set the
example by sending what was said and what was omitted, at
the outset. Very truly yours,
WM. P. WHEELER.

64
In accordance with the foregoing suggestion from the
President of the day, and at the request of the Committee of
Arrangements, I insert the following speeches:
Speech of John Cooper, Esq., of Croydon.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
Allusion in flattering terms has been made to my poor
efforts to rescue from oblivion the names, labors, and charac
ters of some of the first settlers of Croydon. What I have
done in that direction, has brought its Own reward with it ;
for it has afforded me much pleasure to collect the facts re
specting your ancestors and mine. I venerate the memories
of those men and women who were the pioneers of civiliza
tion in this town ; and the better I have become acquainted
with their history, the more I have admired their courage in
leaving the older settlements of Massachusetts and coming
to this place — then a howling wilderness — for the purpose of
providing for themselves " a local habitation and a name."
Their children and their children's children should, on this
commemorative occasion, rise up and bless their memories.
But I will leave it to others older than myself, to eulogize
the Whipples, Powerses, Lelands, Halls, Bartons, Wheelers,
Havens, and others who came to this town nearly one hun
dred years ago, while I confine myself to a few brief remarks
concerning my paternal grandfather, one of the early set
tlers of this town.
Deacon John Cooper was born in 1725 ; he married Mary
Sherman, of Grafton, Mass., in 1748, and the , same year
settled in Hardwick, Mass. While living there he divided
his time between the cultivation of a farm and teaching the
" town school." During the " French and Indian War,"

65
from 1754 to 1763, he was also engaged largely in supplying
the English and Provincial troops with beef In 1769 he
removed to Cornish, N. H., and the year following he came
to this place — four years only after the first settlement of
the tswn. His locating here added but little to the mate
rial wealth of the place (for he was a man of a broken for
tune), but he brought with him what was of more value than
money, namely, an intelligent and energetic wife and eight
healthy children. He settled on a spot within sight of this
stand, where Otis Cooper, Esq., one of his lineal descendants,
now resides. There he lived ; and there, in 1805, he closed
his earthly labors at the ripe age of eighty years. His
remains now rest in the " Old Burial Ground on the Hill."
Tradition does not represent the character of Dea. Cooper
as perfectly well-balanced. He did not possess that courage
— that backbone, necessary to face danger of every kind
without flinching. But he was distinguished for honesty,
sobriety, love of order, and for full an average share of
common sense. As far as energy and decision of character
were concerned, his wife was the better man of the two.
But still his abilities were considered above the general
level, as the early records will show ; for he was chosen
repeatedly Town Clerk, and was often elected one of the
selectmen, and several times chairman of the board.
He ruled his own house well, and was in other respects
peculiarly fitted for the office of deacon. He held that
office forty-seven years — twenty years in Hardwick, and
twenty-seven years in this town. It is the concurrent testi
mony of tradition that Dea. John Cooper was a faithful
and an efficient church officer.
In conclusion, I will add that, in consequence of his chil-

66
dren's intermarrying with the families around them, the
Cooper blood has become so intermingled ^ith that of
almost every other name, that standing here to-day and
looking at the vast concourse before me, I can claim you
aU as cousins. •
Speech of S. M. Whipple, M. D., of New London.
Mr. President :
It is with mingled feelings of diffidence and confidence,
that I present myself before you on this joyous occasion to
respond in behalf of the medical profession. It is with dif
fidence when I recollect that the practice of medicine does
not require the possession, or exercise, of those powers of
eloquence which can arrest the attention of a large audience
and hold them spell-bound at wiU, and hence I might fail to
interest you; but, on the other hand, it is with confidence
when I feel that we have all gathered around this old fami
ly altar, not to criticise, but to exchange friendly greetings,
and be happy, and hence that any voice is welcome, if only
it be the voice of a son, or daughter of Croydon.
From the first attempts to heal diseases, Medicine began
to exist as a profession. From the earliest antiquity it will
compare most favorably with the other professions. Aristo
tle, Lock, Hartley, Mackintosh and Brown — all standing
high on the roll of fame — were all physiciaiis.
It may not be inappropriate on this occasion to refer a
moment to the profession as it has existed in this town.
Tradition says that during the first third of a century,
Croydon had no regular bred physician, and that the prac
tice of medicine was almost entirely in the hands of females.
Originally, ahd for many years it. was given to Mrs. Phiueas

-y-^z^.

67
Sanger " to heal diseases and minister to the distressed."
And then came Mrs. Sarah Powers, wife of Amos Hagar, a
woman of uncommon intellectual and physical powers.
That she had some weight in town is sufficiently evinced by
the fact that she could make a scale of three hundred and
fifty pounds avoirdupoise, honest weight, kick the beam. On
her favorite steed she promptly answered all calls in storms,
in winter, and by night. True she was less skilled in the
books than the Crosbys and the Peaslees of to-day, yet
her strong common sense and ready judgment seldom failed
to do the right thing in the right way.
First among the trained physicians — for I am old enough
to recollect him in his more advanced years — comes the plain
straight forward, practical Carroll, who, riding over these
hills, with his saddle-bags, on horseback, was a most welcome
visitor in every sicls room. And I have not forgotten the sad
accident — the upsetting of his carriage on yonder hill — which
ended his life. And I remember the more leamed Gustin
that followed him — and Alden, and Cooper, and Leavitt, and
Coburn, and Hall. Of Marsh and Barton, now here, I need
not speak, for you all know them better than I do.
Croydon has contributed more men to medicine than to
either of the other learned professions. Few towns in the
State have furnished comparatively so many eminent and
skiUful physicians and so few quacks as this. Her Coopers, _
her Wheelers, her Gibsons and her Powerses, in their pro
fessional acquirements, rank deservedly high. And hence it
is that wherever they go you will find them enjoying the
confidence and esteem of the community in which they
reside. Sir, I am proud of the medical profession, and I
am proud of the success that has attended those sons of
Croydon who have devoted themselves to so noble a calling.

68
Speech of Edmund Wheeler, of Newport.
Mr. President :
I am happy to respond in behalf of the mechanics of
Croydon. I have always regarded the mechanic arts as
among the most useful and honorable occupations of man.
I have long regarded Franklin and Fulton and Morse, men
who first harnessed the steam power and the lightning, and
others like them, as among the greatest benefactors of our
race. Well do I remember the names and faces of those me
chanics who flourished here soine half century ago — the
Kemptons, the Humphrys, the Eastmans, the Fletchers,
the Dodges and others. To-day I almost hear these hills
echoing back the hearty ring of their hammers, their lap-
stones and their anvils.
We do not often consider how very much we are indebted
to the mechanic for all the ordinary blessings and luxuries
of life. For example, how very much it would detract from
the dignity and elegance of this vast audience were we to
take away fropi them the handiwork of the milliner, the
dressmaker and the tailor, and carry them back to the prim
itive days when fig-leaves only were worn in Eden. Nor are
these outward adomings, charming though they be, all we
owe the mechanic — but the tables around which we gather,
•the chairs in which we sit, the beds on which we sleep, the
beautiful carriages in which we ride, and the grand old man
sions which shelter our heads, and around which cluster so
many thousand sweet memories, are also the work of his
hand. Take away from the farmer his hoe, his shovel, his axe,
his plow, and his cart, and you have robbed him of his
strength and paralyzed his labors.

69
Take away from the clergyman, the lawyer, and the phy
sician those immense libraries of their's in which are garner
ed up all the wisdom of ages, and their light would be
comparative darkness — they would be no longer the learned
professions they now are.
Look also at the telegraph and the steam-press. That
thought of the philosopher which otherwise would have fall
en almost still-born from his lips, or hardly have reached
beyond the sound of his own voice, is seized upon by the
telegraph and the steam-press and in twenty-four hours is
giving joy and blessings to a million homes all over the
land. Yes, the press, that mighty engine of power, invent
ed and wielded by the mechanic, has gathered up the choice
works of art, science, poetry, history, literature, and above
all of inspiration, and multiplied them a million fold and
scattered them abroad until the whole earth is literally flood
ed with light.
I might also point you to the mammoth factories which
he has erected, and filled with machinery almost endowed
with intelligence, and which are throwing off their thousand
varied products for the benefit of man. But why need I
stop to enumerate ?
As on the land so also on the water : It is with his leave
that the navies of the world are to-day so proudly walking
the ocean; and it is by his permission that commerce
spreads her white wings and carries her countless treasures
all over the world.
But I need utter no language in commendation of the
mechanic. His glory is proclaimed not by spoken words,
but in the proud monuments of his skill and industry
everywhere around us.

70
As I close, allow me to say that those sons of Croydon
who have devoted themselves to the mechanic arts, have
done their full share towards maintaining the honor of their
native town.

A vote of thanks was passed to the Orator, the President,
the Band, the Glee Club, and all others who had aided in
the celebration.
The audience then all rose and united in singing Old
Hundred. Three cheers were then given for the Old Century, three
for the New, three for the Ladies, and three for the Coun
try. After which a vote to adjourn to June 13, 1966, was
unanimously carried amid the wildest acclamation.

¦\fh.

C. K. PLETCHEB.
R. coornR.
D. llUMrnREY,

O. COOPER
D. HIDER.
E. POWERS.

D. HAIL.
B. C. WfllPPLE.
J. COOPJER.

71

Officers and Committees.

President of the Day,
Hon. WILLIAM P. WHEELER, of Keene.

Vice-Presidents,
Hon. Moses Humphry,
Alexander Barton, Esq.,
Levi W. Barton, Esq.,
Adolphus Hall, Esq., -
Calvin Hall, Esq.,
Capt. Arial Hall,
Hon. Orra Crosby,
Freeman Cutting, Esq.,-
Orlando Powers, Esq.,
Elom Marsh, Esq., , - - -
RuEL Durkee, Esq,,*
Samuel Blanchard, Esq., -
Wm. E. Melendy, Esq., -
Elijah G. Rydeb, Esq.,
Capt. Moses HAVEiir, - - -
Wm. F. Cooper, M. D.,
Hiram Smart, Esq., - - -
Jonas C. Kempton, Esq.,
Warren M. Kempton, Esq., -

Concord. Boston.
Newport.
Grantham.
Lowell, Mass.
Williamstown, Vt.
Hardwick, Vt.
Claremont. Comish.
Westmoreland. Croydon.Croydon.
Springfield. Sunapee.
- Plainfield.
KeUoggville, N. Y.
Nashua. Nashua.
- Concord.

Chief Marshal,
CAPT. NAT^AN HALL.
Assistant marshals,
William W. Ryder, Martin A. Barton, Esqs.,
Major Dexter G. Reed.
Committee ot Arrangements,
Col. OTIS COOPER, BARNABAS C. WHIPPLE;
REUBEN COOPER, CYRUS K. FLETCHER,
Capt. DANIEL R. HALL, JOHN COOPER,
DANIEL RYDER, Esq., NATHAN HALL.
Capt. WORTHEN HALL,
Committee of Iiadies,

Mrs. HUBBARD COOPER,
Mrs. OREAN LOVERIN,
Mrs. INGALLS HEATH.
Mrs. REUBEN COOPER,
Mes. NATHAN HALL,
Mrs. JOHN HURD,
Mrs. DANIEL IDE,

Mrs. WORTHEN HALL,
Mrs. wm. RYDER,
Mrs. E. DARWIN COMMINGS,
Mrs. jas. BOTCE,
Mias THANKFUL RYDER,
Miss ANGENETTA HARDING,
Mrs. GILMAN STOCKWELL.

72

PERSONAL SKETCHES.

The following pages contain brief sketches of the former
and present families of Croydon, arranged in alphabetical'
order. They have been made as full as the data at hand
and the room at our disposal permits.

Jacob Ames and Simon Ames settled on farms on the
north-east slope of the Pinnacle. The former had previous
ly been a saddler, at which occupation he had amassed quite
a handsome little fortune. He married Sally, daughter of
Darius Hall, and died at Newport, leaving a large family.
Rev. Jacob Worthen Hall Ames, son of Jacob Ames,
was born May 7, 1838, and died at Middletown, Ct., June
12, 1866. He was married July 12, 1864, to Miss Tillie
Mathison, of Middletown. He fitted for College at the New
Hampshire Conference Seminary, and graduated at the head
of his class from Wesleyan University in 1864. He received
his first regular appointment in 1864, and was stationed at
Berlin, Ct., where he remained one year. He was then
transferred to the N. E. Conference and stationed at Chelsea,
Mass., and at the end of the year was re-appointed to the
same place. On account of ill health he resigned his pastor
ate in May, and spent some six weeks among his native hills
in vain search of health. He survived his return to his fam
ily at Middletown but twenty-four hours. As he had been

73
a favorite at College, his sudden death cast a deep gloom over
the place. He was buried with much honor. A most
touching tribute,—" Farewell, my Husband"— written by his
wife, on the morning of his funeral, was sung in church by
Prof. Harrington, and a beautiful Hymn, entitled " Gather
ed Home," written by Prof. H- for the occasion, was sung
by the students and faculty at the grave. Mr. Ames had
been invited to be present and invoke the Divine blessing
upon the assembled sons and daughters of his native town
at their centennial jubilee, but Providence had ordained it
otherwise, — he died on the evening before. His body was
quietly sleeping in its "shroud in his much loved home, and
his spirit was mingling with a nobler and brighter throng
above. *
John Allen came from Plymouth County, Mass., and
from him have descended the Aliens.
Bazaleel Barton, Benjamin Barton and Peter Bar
ton, brothers, came to this town during the Revolution, from
Sutton, Mass. From these have descended the numerous
family in town bearing the name of Barton. As a family
they are distinguished for their social qualities.
Bazaleel Barton was one of the company that dispers
ed the Mass. Legislature, then sitting at Worcester, at the
commencement of the Revolution. They were away to din
ner. He stood at the door, and when they approached in
procession, with royal gown and cap — with loaded gun and
fixed bayonet bid them defiance.

74
Carlton Barton, only son of Bazaleel, has been a suc
cessful teacher, and a man much in public business. He has
a clear intellect, and " is a wag when he wiU."
Benjamin Barton, (see speech of Alexander Barton.)
John Barton, son of Benjamin, bom Feb. 17, 1784,
was distinguished for his plain common sense. He kept an
extensive stock, a dairy sometinies of fifty cows, was a large
land-holder — owned " Croydon Mountain" — and left a fam
ily of boys, all industrious farmers.
Fry Barton, son of Benjamin Barton, Esq., married Ju
dith Powers, daughter of Samuel Powers, and removed to
Leon, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., where he has been a prominent
farmer. He is the father of Ara Barton, a lawyer of fine
intellect, at St. Paul, Minnesota.
Hon. Cyrus Barton, son of Benjamin Barton, Esq., was
born Dec. 25, 1795. He commenced the " Claremont Spec
tator," at Claremont, in 1823, but in 1825 removed to New
port and commenced the "New Hampshire Spectator,"
where he remained until June, 1829, when he removed to
Concord and took charge of the N. H. Patriot. He retired
for a short time from the editorial chair and was engaged in
agriculture at Hopkinton, but in Jan. 1852, returned to Con
cord and established the " State Capital Reporter," a semi-
weekly paper, which he superintended during the remainder
of his life. He was Register of Deeds for Sullivan County in
1827 and 1829, and was appointed Aid-de-Camp of Gov.
Pierce in 1829 ; chosen Secretary of the College of Electors
of President and Vice President in 1833, and again in 1836
and 1840 ; elected Senator from District No. 4 in 1833, and

75
re-elected in 1834 ; elected Councilor from Rockingham
District in 1843 ; appointed by President Polk, U. S. Mar
shal for the District of N. H. in 1845 ; was a member of the
Constitutional Convention, and President of the City Coun
cil of Concord in 1845. He married Hannah Hale, sister of
the late Hon. Salma Hale, of Keene. " He was a man of
ability, a ready, pointed and vigorous writer, and exerted a
wide influence in the State." He died Feb. 17, 1855, at
Loudon, while making a political speech, falling into the
arms of his opponent.
George S. Barton, son of Hon. Cyrus Barton and grand
son of Benjamin, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1851;
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1853. He open
ed an office at Burlington, Iowa, but the next year retumed
to Newport. He was Clerk of the Senate in 1855 and 1856.
He died July 24, 1857, aged 26 years. He was a supe
rior draftsman, a fine writer and a ready poet.
Capt. Alexander Barton, son of Benjamin Barton, Esq.,
was bom June 14, 1804. After leaving Croydon he spent
a few years at Ludlow, Vt., and from thence removed to
Boston, where, immersed in business, has been spent the
greater portion of his active life. He is courteous and genial
in his intercourse with others, and hence was always quite a
favorite. In his earlier days he was much in office. He was
Representative from his native town for the years 1836, 1837
and 1843, and was in 1850 a member of the Constitutional
Convention of Vermont.
Martin A. Barton, son of Peter, and grandson of Ben
jamin Barton, was bora Aug. 22, 1813. He is a man of

76
much executive ability. He was formerly engaged in trade,
but is now devoted to farming. He has been Representative,
Selectman, and for many years Deputy-Sheriff.
Peter Barton settled on " Winter Hill," east of East
Village, and was the father of Peter who went to Ohio, of
Amos and Moses substantial farmers now living in town, and
of Aaron who removed to Piermont, N. H., where he has
beeu an honored citizen.
Levi W. Barton, son of Bazaleel Barton, 2nd, and
grandson of Peter Barton, was born March 1, 1818. The
advantages even of our Common Schools were in a great
measure beyond his reach until the completion of his eigh
teenth year. He then prepared himself for a teacher, and
for that purpose used his spare hours in study while engaged
as a day laborer in the field. He attended for a few terms
the Academy in Unity. After attaining his majority he
conceived the purpose of obtaining a collegiate education.
He pursued his preparatory studies at Kiniball Union Acad
emy, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1848. Dur
ing his senior year in College, he read law with Hon. Daniel
Blaisdell, of Hanover. Immediately after graduating he
entered the law office of Jonathan Kittridge, Esq., of
Canaan, afterwards Chief Justice of the court of Common
Pleas, where he remained till January of 1851, when he
came to Newport and finished his preparatory studies with
Messrs. Metcalf and Corbin, and was admitted to the bar in
July of the same year.
While in Canaan he taught the Academy in that place
five terms, in addition to his full course of reading.

77
Soon after being admitted to the bar he opened an office
in Newport, where he has since been actively engaged in the
practice of his profession. He was Register of Deeds in
1855, 1856 and 1857, and Solicitor of Sullivan County
five years, commencing in 1859 ; was Representative from
Newport in 1863 and 1864, and a member of the Judiciary
Committee — the latter year its chairman. In 1863 he was a
candidate for the office of Attorney-general, and in 1866 was
chairman of a board of Commissioners appointed by the Gov
ernor to audit and report to the Legislature the war indebt
edness of the several towns in the State. He was married to
Mary Ann Pike, of Newport, in 1839, who died the year fol
lowing, leaving an infant son five days old, now Lt. Col. I.
McL. Barton, late of the'N. H. Heavy Artillery, and now a
Lieutenant in the regular army. He was again married to
Lizzie F. Jewett, of Nashua, in 1852.
Williams Barton, M. D., son of Bazaleel Barton 2nd,
and grandson of Peter Barton, was born Aug. 6, 1820. He
received his literary training at Unity and Kimball Union
Academies ; studied medicine with Drs. Coburn, Hall and
Nichols; graduated at the medical department of Dartmouth
College in May, 1845, and soon after commenced practice at
Croydon, where he still resides. He was often chairman of
the Superintending School Committee, and was three years
Commissioner of Common Schools for Sullivan County,
during which time he was often employed as professor of
elocution, in teachers' institutes, in different parts of the
State.

78
Ira W. Bragg, son of Ii-a Bragg, who came from Royals
ton, Mass., was born July 28, 1833. Fitted for college at
Meriden and studied medicine with Dr. Perkins, of Marlow,
N. H. He attended lectures at Dartmouth and Harvard
Colleges, and graduated at the latter institution in 1859.
After spending a year in the Marine Hospital at Chelsea, he
went to Europe and passed several months in the hospitals
of Liverpool and London, endeavoring to still further qualify
himself for his profession. Upon his return, after practicing
a year at Chelsea, Mass., he was appointed Assistant Sur
geon in the Navy ; was on board the Minnesota at the
time of its fearful engagement with the Merrimac, when the
Cumberland went down, and the famous Monitor made its
first appearance. He was transferred to the San Jacinto, the
flag ship of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron, and was on
board her during her pursuit of the Alabama among the West
Indies and at South America. He was ordered to the West
Gulf Blockading Squadron, and from thence to the Naval
Hospital at New Orleans, where, on the twenty-first of Octo
ber, 1864, worn down by excessive labor and anxiety for the
sick, he fell a victim to the yellow fever. In few men were
more happily combined rare merit and graceful modesty.
Sarah 0. Bragg, sister of the above, a lady of much liter
ary merit and one of our most accomplished teachers, was
born July 3, 1830. She graduated at Meriden with high
honors, in the class of 1852. By'her own industry and per
severance she defrayed the expenses of her, education. After
graduating she Went to Georgetown, Mass., and taught a
year and a half, she then became principal of the Young
Ladies High School at Haverhill, Mass., which position she

79

occupied most acceptably to all for four years, until her
marriage with Seth Littlefield, Jr.

Briant Brown was a social man. He came from Wil
liston, Vt., and married Abigail, daughter of Capt. Edward
Hall. He resided at the Flat, was Representative in 1827
and 1828, and was more or less engaged in public business.
He died Feb. 18, 1854, aged 61 years.
Edward Brown, son of Briant Brown, a worthy farmer
and a man of good judgment, was born January, 1818.
He has for a long time taken a deep interest in the agricul
tural affairs of the State and County, In 1866 he was one
of the Committee on the State Agricultural College, whose
duty it was to report to the Legislature a suitable plan,
location and other matters relating to the State College.

Bij-A.3sroia:-A.EyD.
Samuel Blanchard, son of Darius Blanchard, was born
Sept. 17, 1790. He is a man endowed by nature with un
common abilities, has much shrewdness and wit, and has
been the most successful teacher the town ever produced.
Would our limits permit we could relate many an am^sing
instance of how the ready genius of " Black Sam" has out
generaled and conquered a large, turbulent, and to others
ungovernable school, without a blow. He has devoted most
of his life to farming.
Darius Blanchard and John Blanchard were among
the early settlers of the town. The former settled in the

80
valley north of C. K. Fletcher's, and the latter on Baltimore
Hill. Lester Blanchard, son of John Blanchard, was bom
June 17, 1808. He has ever remained on the homestead.
He was "Representative in 1848 and 1849.

James Breck, a native of Boston, was for twelve years,
from 1804 to 1816, the leading merchant and one of the
most influential men in Croydon. While here, he was Se
lectman five years and Representative four. In 1811, he
married Martha Burr, daughter of Capt. Martin Burr, ofle
of the early settlers of the town. They had a large family.
Martin B., the oldest son, followed his father's calling.
William and Jambs, the second and third sons, graduated
at Dartmouth College and turned their attention to law.
The former, appointed Consul to China, has been, with his
lady, for several years enjoying a residence in the " Celestial
Empire." The latter settled at Chicago. From this town
Mr. Breck removedto Newport, where for a long time, he
was a leading man in all public enterprises, in trade, in poli
tics and the religious society to which he belonged. He is
now living at Rochester, N. Y., and, at the advanced age of
eighty-seven years, still retains a vivid recollection of his
many happy hours at Croydon, the birthplace of his com
panion and the spot where were first developed those quali
ties which gave him so marked an influence and laid the
foundation of his extensive fortune. In 1861 they had a
brilliant golden wedding.

^y -y^^ ^

^. ^^^^-^-^

81
Martin B. Breck, eldest son of James Breck, Esq., was
born Oct. 15, 1812. He was educated at the district school
and Newport Academy, after which he turned his attention
to mercantile pursuits. He remained with his father at
Newport until he attained to his majority. He followed his
vocation at Croydon, at Newport, and at Boston until 1841,
when he removed to Rochester, N. Y., where his operations
have been " eminently successful," and where he now lives
enjoying all the blessings which affluence can afford. In
1838 he married Mary Faxon, of Newport, who lived but a
year and a half. In 1846 he married Miss Susan E". Waters,
of Rochester.
Margaret A. Breck, daughter of James Breck, Esq.,
was bom April 24, 1814. She was married to H. H. Per
kins, Esq., at Newport, in 1837, and removed to St. Croix
Falls, Wisconsin, where he died in 1850^ leaving three chil
dren. The eldest daughter married W. D. Webb, an attor
ney at law at Minneapolis, Minnesota. The son, James
Breck Perkins, a member of the senior class in Rochester
University, is now traveling in Europe. Mrs. P. is finely
educated, has a well balanced mind, and a decided taste for
literature. Henry Breck, now eighty-one years of age,, was a native
of Boston. He came to Croydon in 1807, and was clerk in
the store at the Flat, owned by his brothers, William and
James. In 1815, he purchased their interest and continued
in trade there until 1818, when he removed to Four Comers,
where he continued in business until 1837, when he removed
to Comish Flat. On the death of his brother William, in
1848, he removed to Claremont, and settled on the " home-

82
stead" where he now lives. Mr. Breck took nn aetivo part
in tbo erection of the Church at tho Four Corners, assuming
to himself one-fourth part tho entire expense of tho odilieo.
He was an active business man, and held many offices. In
1818, married Keziah Marsh, who diod in 182(;. lu 1S2S,
married Sarah Town, of Grantham.
John T. Breck, eldest sou of Henry Brock, ostablisliod
himself as a merchant at Cornish Flat, in 1841. Ills integrity
and line business qualities have secured to him a handsome
fortune, and an honorable reputation among his neighbors.
His is a raro case of success in trade and universal esteem
among his neighbors and townsmen. After having been in
trade 26 years, he cannot bo said to have an enemy, llo is
a gentleman of fine literary taste and varied attainments.
He fitted for college, but on account of a trouble witli liis
eyes, abandoned the idea of a college course, and turned his
attention to mercantile pursuits. He retired from business
in 1866, and is now living upon a farm in Tiebanon.
Robert Breck, tho second son of Henry, is an active and
successful merchant at Ascutneyville, Vt., whore ho has been
in trade for more than 20 years, and, like his brother John
T., has succeeded, by his skill and good judgment, in hand
some accumulations, and by his integrity and gonial man
ners in securing the esteem and friendship of all who know
him. PIenry Breck, Jr., third son of Henry Brock, has been
a practical farmer and gardener in tho vicinity of Boston
for several years, and is well known for his skill in his
business, and his integrity and intelligence. Iio now lives

it'^^ d,,.

83
at Watertown, Mass., where he has a very fine farming
establishment. William Breck, son of Henry Breck, was born Dec. 17,
1826. At the age of fourteen, he removed with his father
to Cornish. At eighteen, he went to Claremont, and was
Assistant Postmaster for two years ; at the expiration of
which time, on account of ill health, he returned to his
father's roof at Cornish. At twenty-two, he went into
trade with his brother John at Cornish, and continued there
four years ; at which time, laboring under a severe attack of
asthma, he went to California, where he was in active
business eight years, when, having regained his health, and
won for himself an independent fortune, he returned to New
Hampshire, with the intention of passing the remainder of
his life in retirement from active business, among his many
relatives and friends. He is a gentleman of unquestioned
integrity, of most genial disposition and fine social qualities.
As a family, the Brecks have been noted for their honesty,
integrity and gentlemanly bearing.

Augusta Cooper Bristol, daughter of Col. Otis and
Hannah Powers Cooper, was born April 17, 1835. She was
early distinguished for a vigorous intellect, great fondness
for music, and a passion for poetry and literature. She
taught school with decided success from sixteen to twenty-
one. She gave much attention to music ; and her frequent
contributions, both of poetry and prose, to some of the lead
ing journals and magazines of the day, commencing at the

84
age of fifteen, find many admirers. She was married to Mr.
Gustavus F. Kimball, of East Canaan, N. H., in August,
1857, by whom she had one daughter, and from whom she
was divorced after four years of wedded life. In January,
1866, she married Louis Bristol, a lawyer, and removed to
Carbondale, 111., where she now resides, and where her time is
divided between her domestic duties and a free indulgence
in her favorite passion for literature and poetry.

Dea. John Cooper came to this town in 1770, and died
in 1805. (See speech of John Cooper, Esq.) From him
and his two nephews, Ezra 'Cooper and Samuel Cooper,
have descended all those in this vicinity who bear the name
of Cooper. John settled on the farm of Col. Otis Cooper,
Ezra on the Pinnacle west of the old church, and Samuel
east of Spectacle Pond. As a family the Coopers were relig
iously inclined, and distinguished for honesty.
Dea. Sherman Cooper, son of Dea. John and Mary
Sherman Cooper, came to this town when he was ten years
of age, and six years after shouldered his musket and joined
the Revolutionary army. He married Mary Powers, by
whom he had ten children, six sons and four daughters. On
the death of his father he was chosen deacon of the Congre
gational Church, which office he held until his death. He
was a farmer in moderate circumstances, honest in his deal,
benevolent in his disposition, temperate in his habits, and
devoted to his religious faith. ' He was gifted, outspoken,
and full of anecdote and good humor. He died in 1860,
aged 88 years.

85
William Freeman Cooper is the fourth son of the late
Dea. Sherman Cooper, of Croydon. On his father's side he
is descended from the Coopers and Shermans ; and on his
mother's, from the Powerses and Lelands. His parents
having a large family and but little property, his early life
was one of toil. While living with them his means of
education were small. At the age of eighteen he
left the paternal roof and was thrown upon his own
resources. After spending four years at the Newport Acad
emy and in teaching school to improve the state of his
finances, he, in 1824, commenced his professional studies
with Dr. Elijah Cooper, of Newport. After completing
the usual course of preparatory studies, and attending the
lectures at the medical school at Bowdoin College, he grad
uated with honor from that institution, in 1826, receiving
the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He returned immedi
ately to Newport, where he commenced the practice of his
profession, and remained there about a year. In 1827 he
removed to Kelloggsville, in the town of Niles and County
of Cayuga, N. Y. By the successful performance of a very
difficult surgical operation he opened his way at once to
professional fame. He has ever since been engaged in an
extensive practice, in which he has amassed an ample fortune,
notwithstanding his almost princely liberality. In 1850 he
received an honorary degree from Laporte Medical College,
Indiana. ,
Col. Otis Cooper, son of Dea. Sherman Cooper, was
born in 1806. He worked on the farm during his minority,
and from seventeen to twenty-one taught school during the
winter season with much success. He took a deep interest

86
in military affairs, and rose to the rank of Colonel. He was
unanimously chosen deacon of the Universalist Church of
Croydon at its organization in 1853. He held the office of
Justice of the Peace for twenty years, and was one of the
board of Selectmen. He resides on the old farm selected by
his grandfather in 1772. He married Hannah, daughter of
Ezekiel Powers.
Hon. Lemuel P. Cooper, son of Dea. Sherman Cooper,
was born July 18, 1803. He has been one of the most
scientific and thorough farmers in town. He was educated
at Newport and Claremont Academies, taught school for
more than twenty winters, and was long intrusted with the
general management of the schools through town. In 1831,
he was married to Laura Whipple, and had one son. Dr.
Sherman Cooper, and two daughters, Mary and Ellen.
The sisters were educated at Kimball Union Academy, and
studied French at St. Marys, Canada East. They became
so proficient as to be able to read and write the French with
almost the same readiness as their native tongue. Like
their father, they were successful teachers. Mary married
Col. Alexander Gardiner, of the 14th Regt. N. H. Vols., an
eloquent and promising lawyer. Since the death of her
husband, who died in the army, she has turned her attention
to the study of the classics. Ellen was invited to become
the instructor of French at Brattleboro, Vt. Mr. Cooper
was Selectman seven years. Representative in 1844 and 1845,
and State Senator in 1862 and 1863.
Sherman Cooper, son of Hon. Lemuel P. Cooper, was
born Aug. 20, 1833. He received his academical education

87
at Meriden, N. H., studied medicine in New York City,
and graduated at the New York Medical College in 1856.
The following year he was deputy resident physician of
Blackwell's Island Hospital. He settled at Claremont in
1858. He entered the army in 1861, as Assistant Surgeon
of the 6th Regt. N. H. Vols., but was promoted to the rank
of Surgeon in March, 1863. At the end of three years, in
1864, he returned to Claremont and resumed the practice of
of his profession.
John Cooper, son of Dea. John Cooper, came to Croydon
in 1770, and died March 20, 1832. He was a soldier in the
Revolutionary army, and was active in the affairs of the
town — for nine years one of the selectmen.
John Cooper, son of John Cooper and Lydia Dodge
Cooper, and grandson of Dea. John Cooper, one of the first
settlers of Croydon, was born in Croydon, June 15, 1806,
and was educated in the common school and at the domestic
fireside. He is a farmer, but has devoted a portion of his
time to teaching and other literary pursuits. He has been
elected or appointed Superintending School Committee of
Croydon sixteen times.
In 1839 he prepared " An Historical Sketch of Croydon,"
which was published in the 6th Vol. of the Collections of
the New Hampshire Historical Society; and in 1852 he
revised the same and published it in pamphlet form. His
other publications are his annual School Reports and contri
butions for the periodical press.
Alanson L. Cooper, son of Barnabas, and grandson of
Dea. John Cooper, was bom Oct. 16, 1804. He possessed

88
intellectual powers of the highest order. He studied medi
cine and graduated at Brunswick, Me., in 1827, after which
he went to Europe, and during his absence spent several
months attending hospital practice at Paris. He commenced
practice at Auburn, N. Y., where he died in 1841. As a
poet, the few gems that have been preserved from his pen
indicate a rare genius.
Orville M. Cooper, son of Joel, and grandson of Dea.
Sherman Cooper, was bom July 28, 1821. He studied
medicine and graduated at Hanover in 1845. He com
menced practice at Hollis, N. H., where he died in 1847.
Alanson Cooper, son of Silas and great-grandson of
Dea. John Cooper, a Methodist clergyman of much talent
and influence, is a Presiding Elder in the Montpelier Dis
trict, Vt., and is one of the Commissioners to locate the
Methodist school.
Elijah Cooper, an intelligent physician, was son of Hora
tio Cooper, and grandson of Nathaniel Cooper, the oldest
son of Dea. John Cooper. He graduated at Dartmouth
College. After completing his studies, he practiced for a
while with decided success at Newport, N. H., but subse
quently removed to Columbus, Ohio, where he had an
extensive practice for two years, when he removed to New
ark, in the same State, where he also had a practice extend
ing over a large section of country, but which so wrought
upon his health that he abandoned it altogether in 1833,
entered into a large mercantile business, and amassed a con
siderable fortune. He married the eldest daughter of Nicho-

89
las Farwell, of Claremont, by whom he had seven children.
She died in 1847, and he married her sister, the second
daughter of Nicholas Farwell. In September, 1854, Dr.
Cooper, his wife, a daughter four years old, and a servant in
his family, died of cholera. The second daughter of Dr.
Cooper married Maj. John L. Farwell, Cashier of Claremont
National Bank.
Reuben Cooper, son of Reuben, and grandson of Ezra
Cooper, one of the first twelve settlers of the town, was one
of the Committee of Arrangements, and is a thriving and
industrious farmer. Married Cynthia, daughter of Joel, and
granddaughter of Dea. Sherman Cooper.
Nathaniel Cooper, son of Ezra Cooper, married Phebe
Barton, eldest daughter of Benjamin Barton, Esq., and
removed to Leon, Cattaraugus County, N. Y., where he occu
pied a prominent position, for a long time, doing the larger
share of public business. His son John has many of the
characteristics of his father, — has been Representative,
•Supervisor, and held other offices.
07LI2,K.OXjXj.
Dr. Reuben Carroll, a native of Sutton, Mass., came
to Croydon in 1792, and settled near the Four Corners. He
was the first physician in town, and for more than forty
years was a successful practitioner. In 1840, he was thrown
from his carriage and killed. (See Oration of Dr. Stow.)
Albert Carroll, son of Charles, and grandson of Fol-
lansbee Carroll, one of the early settlers, is a physician now
in practice at South Boston, Mass.

90
OTJTTI2srC3-.
¦Jonas Cutting, Benjamin Cutting and Jonathan
Cutting, sons of Francis Cutting, came early to this town
from Worcester, Mass., and settled on the banks of Sugar
River, near the Newport line. From them have descended
the Cuttings.
Francis Cutting, son of Benjamin Cutting, has been an
extensive dealer in cattle, sheep and horses. He was born
May 14, 1793. He is one of the largest tax-payers in town
and has raised up a large family of prosperous boys, all of
whom have settled near him.
Freeman Cutting, son of Francis Cutting, was born
July 19, 1821. He was one of the Vice-Presidents on the
day of Celebration, has raised up a large family, and been
one of the most energetic and prosperous farmers in Sulli
van County.
Francis M. Cutting and Shepherd H. Cutting, broth
ers of the above, both married daughters of Dimmick Baker,
Esq., of Plainfield, and are among the most thriving farmers
of Newport.
Jonathan Cutting, son of Jonathan Cutting, early in
life removed to Newport where he was extensively engaged
in town business, and was an active and worthy deacon in
the Baptist church. He was a man of " infinite jest." I will
relate only one of the many anecdotes told of him. Once
laboring for a man whose love of gain required his hands to
be up, eat breakfast, and be miles away to the woods with
an ox team before light, he wished to give him a gentle re-

f *f\^

(Xr V / <'r .t C ' <^' ^<^- 't r/.

91
minder that he was asking too much — which was done in this
wise : When asked to pray one morning, he commenced thus :
" We thank thee, 0 Lord, that thou hast brought us in
safety tit us far through the night, and if in thy providence
we are permitted to see the light of another day. may we go
forth to its duties with a cheerful heart and in thy fear," »)cc.
The next morning he was permitted to eat his breakfast
by daylight.
Jonas Ccttixg, LL. D., son of Jonas Cutting and Betsev
Eames Cutting, and grandson of Jonas, senior, was born in
Croydon, on the 3d of November, 1800. He prepared for
college, principally under the tuition of Otis Hutchins, then
Principal of Kimball Union Academy in Plainfield, and
entered the Freshman Class at Dartmouth College in 1S19.
He graduated in 1823, and subsequently read law. first with
the late Hon. Henry Hubbard, of Charlestown, and the third
year with Hon. Reuel Williams, at Augusta, Maine, where
he was admitted to the bar in 1826. Thence he removed to
the town of Orono, in Penobscot county, where he remained
in the practice of his profession until October, 1831, when
he removed to Bangor, the shire town of the same county.
In 1833 he was married to Lucretia H., daughter of John
Bennoch, Esq., of Orono. Thev had three daughters and
one son, — the eldest, Rebecca D.. died in infancy: the
second, Elizabeth J., at the age of 15, and his son, Frederick
H., in his 21st year. His only surviving child is Helen A.,
who is married to Dr. Augustus C. Hamlin, only son of Hon.
Elijah L. Hamlin, brother ofthe late Vice-President.
His wife, Lucretia, died in 1842. In 1843 he was again
married to Ann R., youngest daughter of the late Hon.

92
Samuel Fales, of Taunton, Mass., with whom he now lives
and resides in the city of Bangor.
In 1854 Mr. Cutting was appointed Judge of the Supreme
Judicial Court of his adopted State, and at the end of seven
years, the duration of the judicial tenor, was re-appointed,
which office he now holds. In 1858 his Alma Mater confer
red upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. The
following is his letter to the Committee of Arrangements :
Bangor, May 7, 1866.
Otis Cooper, Esq. —
My Dear Sir:
Your letter, extending an invitation to
me to be present at the Centennial Celebration of the one
hundredth anniversary of the settlement of my dear old
Croydon, has been received.
I cordially thank the Committee of Arrangements for their
kind remembrance of one who will be present on that occa
sion, unless his Official duties should call him elsewhere. A
few of the committee I know personally, and the fathers of
them all. The person selected to address you on that occa
sion I well know. He was a Samuel in his youth, and is a
St. Paul in his maturity, " without these bonds." And how
could it be otherwise ? He was born at the base of Croydon
mountain, he on one side and the present Chief Justice of
the U. S. Supreme Court on the other. There is no such
mountain in New Hampshire. To say nothing of other
natives whose eyes first opened to behold its grandeur and
beauty, those two individuals do less to immortalize the
mountain, than the mountain to immortalize them. Dear
old mountain ! — had you been originally selected for the
" garden of Eden," man would never have fallen.
Yours truly,
JONAS CUTTING.

93
Adolphus Cutting, a younger brother of Hon. Jonas
Cutting, of Maine, studied medicine, and after graduating
went West, where a decided success has attended both his
professional and pecuniary efforts.

Solomon Clement married Lucy, daughter of Dr. Reuben
Carroll, and was for a while a successful merchant at the Four
Corners, and a prominent citizen. He removed to Spring
field, N. H., where he occupied a leading position, — was
chosen Representative. He subsequently engaged in manu
facturing business at Springfield, Vt. . He died at Plainfield,
N. H., in 1866.

Capt. Nathan Clark, a joiner by trade, came to this
town from Franklin, Mass., with a pack on his back, in 1787,
and purchased him a farm on- Baltimore Hill, and in 1788
married Sabrina, eldest daughter of Samuel Metcalf of Fram
ingham. He made the first panel-door and wind'ow-sash in
town. He gave much time and labor towards erecting the
church in 1794, and was ever an active and liberal support
er of the gospel. He died in 1855, at the advanced age of
ninety years. Nathan, his second son, married Zelinda,
daughter of Louis Vickery, an Italian, having much of the
musical skill of his countrymen ; and in 1824 erected the
Woolen Factory at the East Village. Amanda, only daugh
ter of Nathan, Jr., married Oscar F. Morril, a native of Deer-

94
ing, N. H., a man possessed of much inventive genius. He
has taken out twenty patents, embracing neariy one hundred
distinct claims.

Capt. Prince Crosby, the father of the Crosbys, came to
this town early, from Sturbridge, Mass., and settled near
Newport line, south of the Flat.
Hon. Orra Crosby, son of Prince Crosby, was bom Nov.
14, 1793. He was the eldest of seven sons. At sixteen he
was apprenticed to Nathan Hurd, of Newport, to learn the
cloth-dressing trade. At the expiration of his term of ser
vice, having attained his majority, he started on foot, with
his pack on his back, for Hardwick, Vt. After laboring
there at his trade for three years, he bought out the establish
ment and commenced business for himself At which time,
April 28, 1818, he married Miss Julia Stevens. By indus
try, frugality and integrity he prospered in business and laid
the foundation of a large fortune. He has beeri Representa
tive, Justice, Judge of the County Court, and a Director of
the Danville Bank, and is now President of the National
Bank of Caledonia. As a financier, Judge Crosby has few
equals. His eldest son, a much, respected citizen, was engaged to
some extent in public business, was a sheriff of the county,
and died in 1866, deeply lamented. His third daughter
married S. L. Wiswell, a physician of note at Cabot, Vt.
His fourth daughter married A. J. Hyde, also a physician,
who is doing a successful business in her native village.

95
Freeman Crosby, son of Capt. Prince Crosby, is a sub
stantial farmer, residing at the Flat, was Representative in
1855 and 1858, and Selectman in 1842. He married Betsey,
daughter of James Whipple, of Newport.

Dr. William W. Darling, son of William Darling, was
bom Nov. 20, 1834. He obtained his education at Kimball
Union and Thetford Academies; studied medicine with Dr.
Thos. Sanborn, of Newport, and graduated at Dartmouth
College, Nov. 9, 1859. Located at Sutton, N. H., April 9,
1861, and removed to Goshen, N. H., Sept. 26, 1863. On
the 21st of March, 1860, he was connected by marriage with
Salona A. Pike, of Newport, N. H.
Lucius Wesley Darling and Eli Darling, sons of
Elijah Darling, a soldier in the war of 1812, and descendants
of James and Huldah Cooper Hall, — the former residing at
Newport and the latter at Hanover, now in the prime of
life, — are among our most enterprising and prosperous
farmers.

3D03Da-E-
William Dodge, son of Perley and Helena Cooper
Dodge, and grandson on the mother's side of Dea. Sherman
Cooper, was born in 1814. He was for a long time a Dep
uty Sheriff and Postmaster at the East Village. He re
moved to Claremont in 1854, where he now resides.

96
IDTJ3srB.A.I?y.
Amasa H. Dunbar, son of Sylvester and Hannah Powers
Dunbar, born in 1807, eariy in life removed to Moravia,
N. Y., where we have the amplest testimony of his neigh
bors showing he has been a most successful and popular
teacher, and is a respected and influential citizen. He has
always taken a deep interest in educational matters, and has
long been the director in the Moravian Institute. He is
gifted with fine intellectual powers, is a good scholar, social
and humorous. He became connected by marriage with one
of the best families of his adopted village, and has two sons.
His eldest son, George Ward Dunbar, graduated at Ho
bart College, Geneva, N. Y., and at the General Theological
Seminary, N. Y. City, and is a successful clergyman of the
Episcopal Church. The younger son is a trader in Buffalo,
N. Y. Mr. D. is now engaged in improving text-books for
the schools.
Otis Dunbar, fifth son of Sylvester, born in 1812, is a
talented clergyman at Holderness, N. H. Married Julia M.
True.

Rufus Durkee, from whom have descended the Durkees
was son of Robert Durkee, and came from Brimfield Ct.
He married Polly, daughter of Thomas, and granddaughter
of Moses Whipple, the early settler. He was a tanner by
trade, and an original genius.
RuEL Durkee, son of Rufus and Polly Whipple
Durkee, and a descendant of Moses Whipple, Esq., was

97
born in Croydon, July 14, 1807. He has ever resided in his
native town. His early years were spent in obtaining an
education in the common school, and in assisting to carry on
a tannery. Later in life he has carried on extensive farming
operations, besides attending to much other business.
In addition to the management of his own private con
cerns, he has acted a conspicuous part in the affairs of the
town, and in the politics of New Hampshire. His native
shrewdness and knowledge of human nature render him a
valuable counselor among his neighbors and townsmen. He
has represented the town twice in the State Legislature;
and has been elected Selectman eighteen times, fifteen of
which he has been chairman of the board. During the
rebellion, the financial affairs of the town were managed
with so much success by him and his associates, that the
war expenses of Croydon were comparatively less than those
of any other town in the State. In 1846 he was elected
Road Commissioners, and in 1864 he was appointed Messen
ger to carry the electoral vote of New Hampshire to Wash-.
ington. As a politician he is known far beyond the limits of his
native town. His opponents give him the credit of possessing
a large share of sagacity; and they ascribe to him a controll
ing influence with the political party to which he belongs.
And it will be admitted by all that for years his influence
has been very sensibly felt in the councils of the Republican
party of New Hampshire.
Paine Durkee, son of Rufus, was born on the 7th day of
October, 1817. He followed the vocation of his father, that
of tanner, at the East Village until 1852, when he went to

98
California and worked in the mines one year. In March,
1861, he was elected Representative of Croydon, and in
September of the same year enlisted into the military
service; was chosen First Lieutenant, and stationed at
Fort Constitution in Portsmouth Harbor. He was detailed
as Quarter Master, and acted in that capacity until May,
1862, when the illness of his family obliged him to leave the
service. In 1864 he again entered the service, enlisting into
the First Regt. Heavy Artillery. He was chosen First
Lieutenant of the llth Co., and was stationed in the
defenses of Washington; where he was again detailed as
Quarter-Master, the duties of which office he performed
with fidelity until the close of the war. In April, 1866, he
was appointed Inspector of Customs at Portsmouth, N. H.,
which office he now holds.
Lavina Durkee, sister of the foregoing, married John B.
Stowell, Esq., and removed to Newport, where he became a
prominent and influential man, and held many important
offices. He afterwards removed to Manchester, N. H.
Amos, Ira and Cyrus Dwinnell were in the early days
mechanics at the Flat.

Stephen Eastman was a cloth-dresser by trade, resided
at the Flat, and for many years took a conspicuous part in
the affairs of the town. He was for a long time a leading
Justice, for a dozen years Selectman, and Representative in

h T

"L^'L.^^Ci^

99
1817, '18 and '19. He was affable, honest in his dealings,
and much respected.
Moses Eastman, a noted school-master, was son of Philip
Eastman, one of the earliest settlers at Ryder Corner.
Joseph Eastman came to this town from Hopkinton,
N. H., about the middle of the century, and settled at the
East Village. He was a joiner by trade, and a valuable
citizen. He afterwards removed to the west part of the
town and turned his attention to farming. He was a Repre
sentative in 1838 and 1839.
Timothy C. Eastman, son of Joseph Eastman, Esq., was
born May 30, 1821. His time during his minority was
divided between farming, mechanical work, teaching, and
attending school at Kimball Union Academy. In 1845
he married Lucy, daughter of John Putnam, Esq. After
four years of farming in the East, he removed to Cleveland,
Ohio, iri 1850, and commenced the milk trade. After the
first two years he kept one hundred cows. In 1853, in
connection with his milk' business, he commenced dealing in
cattle for the Cleveland market, and in 1854 began to ship
them to New York and Boston. In 1857 he removed to
New York, where he has since resided, and is one of the
most extensive and successful dealers in cattle in the city.
He has achieved a handsome fortune. In youth he was
fond of hunting and fishing, and being a man of uncommon
physical power was always the champion of the wrestling
match. During the past year he has purchased him a beau
tiful farm on the Hudson River, about sixty miles above the
city of New York, containing four hundred acres of choice

100
land, where, besides a large number of working and fat oxen
and horses, he keeps over one hundred cows, from Avhich
during the past season he has sold over $10,000 worth of
milk. Many are they who can attest to the generous
hospitality of Mr. Eastman.
Prosper L. Eastman, son of Joseph Eastman, Esq., was
born March 1, 1825. Jan. 4, 1846, married Eleanor H.
Haven, daughter of Moses, and granddaughter of Rev. Jacob
Haven. In 1855 he went West, and engaged as a drover in
Ohio and Wisconsin for four years, at the expiration of
which time he returned to New York City, and became
connected in business with his brother as a cattle broker.
He is now located at Albany — the great cattle rendezvous
from the West — where he is operating in connection with his
brother at New York. Like his brother, in him are com
bined enterprise and sound judgment.

Leister Hall Elliot, sou of Dea. Ezra Elliot, was born
August 1, 1835; fitted for college at Essex, Vt.; graduated
at the University of Vermont, at Burlington, August, 1861,
and at the Union Theological Seminary, New York City,
June, 1864. He was licensed to preach by the Brooklyn
Congregational Association, April 6, 1864; acted as pastor
of the Congregational Church at Colchester, Vt., for one year,
and was ordained as pastor of the Congregational Church
at Winooski, Vt., May 2, 1866. October 2d, 1866, he was
married to Miss Lois M. Johnson, of Greensboro, Vt.

'.,: oyyyT,

101
Gen. Nathan Emery, an active and successful farmer,
was noted for his public spirit, and more especially for his
zeal and interest in the militia. He passed through all the
various grades from private to Major General, and contrib
uted liberally both of time and money to maintain the
honor of the institution. He married Esther Hagar, a lady
of excellent judgment. He died at the Flat — whither he
had removed to spend his declining years — in 1857, aged 65
years.

Herschel Foster, clergyman at Fairlee, Vt., bom in
1801, is son of Lemuel and Chloe Powers Foster, and on
the mother's side grandson of Ezekiel Powers.
David Frye, the father of the Fryes, came to this town
from Worcester County, Mass., and settted in the west part
of the town, near the Mountain.

:fei?.:e?.iit.
John Ferrin married Hannah Jacobs, daughter of
Whitman Jacobs, and after devoting several years to farm
ing in Croydon, removed to Morristown, Vt., where he
carried on a successful mercantile business, and where he
occupied a prominent position in town. He was Represent
ative two years, and an active justice until his death. He

102

was a man of large physical and mental endowments. His
eldest son, Whitman W., is a distinguished lawyer at
Montpelier; and his second son, Harrison, a worthy
farmer, has been a Representative from Morristown.

Rev. Luthpr Jacobs Fletcher, son of David Fletcher,
was born Nov. 25, 1818. His father was a blacksmith by
trade, and he, the youngest son, was the " heir apparent" to
the bellows and the anvil; but his love for books was stronger
than the paternal decree. He pursued his preparatory stud
ies at Unity Academy, and graduated at the Norwich Uni
versity, 1841. In 1842 he was settled as pastor of the
Universalist church in Surry, N. H. The year after, he was
chosen Principal of the Mount Csesar Seminary at Swanzey,
but the duties of his two-fold office proving too severe for
him, after three years service he removed to Brattleboro,
Vt.; from thence he was called to Cambridge, Mass., and
soon after to Lowell, where he labored for four years.
Here pecuniary considerations induced him to tum his
attention to the law. In this profession also he was quite suc
cessful. His clear head, ready talent, and eloquent tongue,
made him quite popular. At the end of three years he was
appointed Commissioner of Insolvency, and soon after eleva
ted to the- position of Judge. When this court was united
with that of the Probate, he re-entered the ministry, and
returned to his old society at Lowell. He remained there
but three years, when he was called to settle in the city of
Brooklyn, but the health of his son induced him to remove
to Bath, Me., where he is now settled over a large society.

103
He has published a Service-Book and a series of text-books
which are quite popular, and is now publishing a work enti
tled, Gloria Patria, consisting of Prayers, Chants and
Liturgical services for public worship. He was a member of
the House of Representatives of Massachusetts, in 1856, in
which body he took an active and leading part.
Cyrus Kingsbury Fletcher, second son of Timothy
Fletcher — who was for a long time a worthy, gifted and zeal
ous deacon of the Baptist Church at Newport — was one of
the Committee of Arrangements, and is a most worthy and
exemplary farmer. He married Rachel Jacobs, daughter of
Luther, and resides on the old "Jacobs Farm," so long occu
pied by her grandfather. Whitman Jacobs.

C3-IBS03^.
William Gibson, one of the early settlers of the town,
married Abigail Sanger, a daughter of Isaac Sanger. They
had eight children. The following includes those of the
family, in part, who have tumed their attention to literary
and professional pursuits.
Willard P. Gibson, son of William, born September 2,
1798, studied medicine and graduated at Castleton, Vt., in
1822; spent fifteen years in the practice of his profession at
Newport and elsewhere, and then turned his attention to
theology. He died October 23, 1837, four days after his
ordination. Otis Gibson, son of William, was bom June 8, 1807;
studied medicine, graduated at Woodstock, Vt., in 1830,
and settled at Wellsboro, Pa.

104
Alanson, son of Gardner, and grandson of William, was
a clergyman. Is now deceased.
Austin, son of Samuel and Susan Gibson Putnam, clergy
man. (See Sketch.)
BusHROD Rice' and Gardner Winslow, sons of Will
iam Gibson, were both physicians. The former died at
Pomfret, Vt., many years since; the latter entered the army
as an officer, and was killed at Cold Harbor.
Of the children of' Winslow Gibson, Otis is a missionary
at Fuh Chau in China; Henry graduated at the New York
Medical College and went to China, where he died; Gard
ner, clergyman, resides at Moira, N. Y. ; Franklin, clergy
man, died in Connecticut.
Lizzie and Mary W. F., daughters of Willard P. Gibson,
made literature a profession. The latter has for several
years past resided in Europe, where, besides publishing sev
eral books, she has contributed much both of prose and
poetry to the magazines.
Willard Putnam and Otis Lloyd, sons of John Gibson,
are both clergymen.
Lewis W., a clergyman, and Otis, a physician, are sons
of Otis Gibson.

Samuel Goldthwait came to this town from North-
bridge, Mass., in 1780, and settled in the north-westerly
part of the town; was an extensive and wealthy farmer;
was a Representative and Selectman, and took an active part

105
in the construction of the " Croydon Turnpike." He died
at the advanced age of 93.
Capt. Zina Goldthwait, son of Samuel, was bom Nov.
6, 1787, commenced on the homestead, and was an extensive
and tidy farmer, kept a dairy of fifty cows. He was a high-
toned, exemplary man, gentlemanly in his bearing, and quite
a favorite. While in town he held many offices. He removed
to Newport, where he has been elected to many important
town offices, and been a leading member of the Baptist
Church. He married Anna, daughter of Col. Henry
Howard.

a-oonD"wi3sr.
Israel Goodwin, remembered by many for his clear
intellect and social qualities, resided at the Flat, and in his
earlier days worked at cloth-dressing. He married Miss
Betsey Melendy, and about the year 1824 removed to Plain-
field, Vt., where he occupied a prominent position; was
Representative two years, and State Senator two years.
He was appointed Judge and removed to Montpelier, where
he died. He exerted a wide influence, and was esteemed
one of the most correct and competent business men in the
county.

a-TJSTIlsr.
Dr. Ezra Gustin, son of Ezra Gustin, studied medicine
with Dr. Elias Frost, of Plainfield, and after three years of
most successful practice in his native town, died November

106
29, 1818, aged 30 years. As a teacher he was much beloved.
As a man he was possessed of superior judgment, self-reliant,
energetic, and much a favorite. He married Anna Hold-
brook, daughter of David, who survived him but one year —
left one child, the late Mrs. Lewis Richardson, who died in
1858.

Lieut. Edward Hall came to town during the Revolu
tion, bringing with him seven sons — Ezekiel, Abijah, James,
Edward, John, Darius and Ezra — and settled on the flat,
south of the farm of J. Nutting. From this family and
Rev. Samuel Read Hall have descended the Halls. The
family were shrewd, and fond of amusements.
Abijah Hall, remembered for his capital jokes and un-
fathomed resource of fun and anecdote, was drowned near
the Glidden Bridge.
Capt. Amasa Hall, son of Abijah Hall, was born Feb.
7, 1789; married Rebecca L. Melendy in 1811. He was an
active business man and one of our most successful farmers.
He was distinguished for energy and decision of character,
a clear head and ready judgment. He belonged to that
portion of Croydon which was subsequently set off to Gran
tham. He was a Captain in the war of 1812; was Select
man of Grantham for eight years; Representative from
Croydon in 1824 and 1825, and from Grantham in 1832,
'34, '35, and '36; Road Commissioner in 1841, and a Direct
or in Sugar River Bank from its first organization until
1861. He was an influential member of the Congregational
Church. In 1858 he retired from active business.

107
Adolphus Hall, only son of Amasa Hall, was born
December 7, 1811; married Sally Leavitt, daughter of Dud
ley, and sister of Dr. Nathaniel Leavitt. Like his father
he was a successful business man. He was bred a farmer,
but since 1861 has been engaged in mercantile business.
He was Selectman of Grantham in 1859 and 1862, Repre
sentative in 1860 and 1861, and County Treasurer in 1865
and 1866.
Daniel R. Hall, son of Abijah Hall, and grandson of
Lieut. Edward Hall, was born July 3, 1802. He took
much interest in the militia; was an efficient officer in the
" Croydon Rifle Company;" was Colonel of the 31st Regi
ment, and Brigade Inspector under Gen. Nathan Emery.
He was Town Clerk ten years. Selectman in 1855, and
Representative in 1862 and 1863. He is a Director in the
First National Bank at Newport. As a Justice he has for
many years done most of the business in his section of the
town. He married Martha, daughter of James Perkins.
Horace P. HAjiL, son of Col. Daniel R. Hall, was born
August 5, 1827. He fitted for college at Marlow and Kim
ball Union Academies. After spending two years at Mid
dletown College, Ct., and another at Amherst College, Mass.,
he abandoned his studies on account of ill health, and went
West. He was for two years Principal of Marshall Academy,
111., for seven a Professor of Latin in Union College at
Merom, Indiana, and is now Principal of the Academy at
Pendleton, Indiana. He was for a time connected with the
army. In 1863 the Asbury University conferred on him the
honorary degree of Master of Arts.
James Hall, son of James and Huldah Cooper Hall, was
for many years an enterprising farmer and merchant in

108
Croydon, but removed to Newport, where he now resides,
and where he has been elected to many offices, and has
exerted a wide influence.
John Hall, son of James Hall, Esq., and grandson of
James Hall, Sr., was bom in October, 1813; studied medicine
with his uncle Albina Hall; graduated at Brunswick, Me.,
and commenced the practice of his profession at Newark,
Ohio, where he died. His two daughters, Julia and Mary,
are both well educated and accomplished teachers.
Albina Hall and Lyman Hall, sons of James Hall,
after spending most of their minority in town, turned their
attention to medicine. The former married Livia Powers,
and after practicing awhile in Maine and New York has
returned to Croydon. The latter followed his profession at
Cornish Flat until his death, which occurred but a few years
since. Ahira Hall, son of James Hall, removed to Chau-
tauque County, western New York, where he was an active
Justice. His son John, a wealthy lawyer, has'been a mem
ber of the Assembly of the State. James, a physician, was
surgeon in the army, and died in the service. Albina, a
clergyman, is settled at Girard, Pa.
Capt. Edward Hall, son of Lieut. Edward Hall, opened
the first store of note in town. It was situated on the top
of the swell of land between East Village and Four Cor
ners. He is remembered as a shrewd, prosperous trader.
He died March 14, 1817, aged 57 years.

109
Calvin Hall, son of Capt. Edward Hall, a popular man
and extensive farmer, after enjoying many honors in his
native town, removed to Lowell, Mass., where he now resides.
Nathan Hall, son of Edward Hall, Jr., is an independ
ent farmer residing at the Flat. He was Chief Marshal at
the Celebration, has been many years elected to town offices,
and is now a Commissioner for Sullivan County.
George Hall, son of Edward Hall, Jr., was on board
the Cumberland during its fight with the Merrimac, and
swam to the boat when it went down. The British and
French ships were by, as witnesses of the conflict. The
Captain saw what the result must be, and inquired of his
men, " Shall we strike colors and save life, or fight on .?"
The gallant crew replied, " We can be shot, or sunk in the
ocean, but surrender — we-yer."
Pliny Hall, son of Martin, and grandson of Capt.
Edward Hall, was born Sept. 21, 1817. At the age of
seven, on the death of his father, he went to live with his
uncle Calvin Hall, and labored on the farm until he was
twenty-one. In 1842 he entered the store of Ruel Durkee,
5sq., where he was principal clerk for nine years, and was
chief clerk to his successor for three years. He then return
ed to farming, which occupation he has since followed. He
was appointed U. S. Assistant Census Marshal in 1850 ;
was elected Representative in 1851 and 1852, and County
Treasurer in 1855 and 1856. He was appointed one of the
Committee on the Apportionment of the Public Taxes, in
June, 1852, and U. S. Enrolling Officer in 1864.

no
Capt. Ariel Hall, son of Darius Hall, married Ase
nath, daughter of Capt. John Humphry, and after operating
awhile in town removed to Williamstown, Vt., where he
now resides and is carrying on extensive farming business.
Capt. Worthen Hall, son of Darius, and grandson of
Lt. Edward Hall, was born July 11,1802. He had few
early advantages ; until he was twenty-five years of age he
struggled against all the embarrassments which a deficient
education, poor health, poverty and ill-luck, could throw in
his pathway. In 1827 he went to sea in a whaling vessel,
before the mast, as a common sailor. He was adapted to
the business, and was regularly promoted at the end of each
successive voyage, until the fall of 1837, when he became
Master of the ship, which position he held for eighteen
years, until he left the sea. He has circumnavigated the
earth twice, doubled Cape Horn six times, and the Cape of
Good Hope as many more ; has killed five hundred whales,
and brought home more than twenty-two thousand barrels
of oil. Aug. 1, 1837, he was married to Polly D. Lovewell,
who was with him some ten years at sea, two of which she
spent at the Sandwich Islands. He was elected a Director
of the Sugar River Bank, and is now a director in the First
National Bank at Newport, and was chosen Representative
from his native town in 1866. He was generous to his con
nections, and retired with a fortune. His present affluence
and luxury presents a pleasing contrast with his early pover
ty, and affords to the young another example illustrating
the truth that early indigence and embarrassments are no
insurmountable barrier to success in after-life.
While at sea, a most thrilling incident occurred : Mary,
his darling and only daughter, while at play, fell overboard.

.¦'''.

Ill
and in a moment would be swallowed up by the angry waves.
In an instant, forgetting all personal danger, he plunged in
to the ocean after her. Buoyed up by her clothes, she rode
upon the waves like a little fairy, and as her father ap
proached she raised up her hands imploringly towards him,
exclaiming, "Father, I am overboard!" And now who
shall depict the terrible frenzy of that wife and mother as
she sees them both sinking to a watery grave ! She knew her
husband was unaccustomed to swim ; the ship under full
headway, was fast leaving them behind ; to her anxious
heart it seemed as though the boat never would lower, and
she felt that both must be lost. Twice had they already
gone down. Once more, and they shall never again rise to
bless her on earth. It is the last time — " 0 my God ! they
are sinking !" Rushing forward with both arms extended,
as though she would fly to their relief, she exclaimed in the
wildest despair, " They are lost ! they are lost !" Overcome
by her emotions, she sank down in unconsciousness. As a
good Providence would have it, both were rescued alive.
Nothing can be more touching than the pitying moan of
that daughter, as she clung to the bedside of her father
during the hours of his slow recovery from his death-grapple
with the ocean.
Doct. Silas Hall, son of Ezra Hall, was born in Dec.
1792. In 1808, moved with his father to Cayuga Co., N. Y.
In 1815, commenced the study of medicine with Consider
King, an excellent physician, and received his diploma
in 1818. After ten years of practice at Sempronius, the
county seat, he removed to Monrovia, where he has since
resided.

112
Samuel Read Hall, son of Rev. Samuel R. Hall, was
born Oct. 27, 1795. He was educated at home, and at the
Academies of Bridgeton, Me., and at Plainfield, N. H. He
studied theology, was licensed to preach in 1822, and was
ordained over the church at Concord, Vt., in 1823. In 1830
he was appointed principaj. of the English Department in
Philips Academy at Andover, Mass. In 1837, took charge
of the Holmes Plymouth Academy at Plymouth, N. H.,
and in 1840 was installed- pastor ofthe Congregational
Church at Craftsbury, Vt. He has been an extensive au
thor, having published some fifteen or twenty volumes on
various subjects. In 1838 the degree of M. A. was conferred
on him by Dartmouth College.
Rev. Jacob Haven, son of David Haven, was born at
Framingham, Mass., April 25, 1763. He graduated at
Harvard College in 1785, studied theology with Rev. Mr.
Kellogg of his native town, and was ordained and settled at
Croydon, June 18, 1788. As a preacher, his sermons were
always terse and logical, and his oratory solemn and impressive.
He was Town Clerk thirty-one years. He died March 17,
1845, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. As he was the
first, and for more than half a century almost the only clergy
man in town, he is, and will long continue to be recollected
with much interest — and few men have a better claim to
the remembrance of their townsmen. (See also speech of
Dr. Stow.)
Whipple Haven, a brother of the above, married Judith
Stow, an aunt of Baron Stow; was a cabinet maker at the

y^u^ J^sey</€^i^,

113
East Village, and is remembered as a worthy man and good
mechanic. Hannah Haven, daughter of Rev. Jacob Haven, and
second wife of Simeon Wheeler, was born April 28, 1795, and
died at Newport, Dec. 20, 1842. She was an intelligent and
well educated lady, and much beloved by her associates. She
was the mother of several children, some of whom survived her
and partake of the mental and moral qualities which distin
guished her. Jacob W., a young man of much promise, and
a printer and editor by profession, died in 1853. Lucy P.
married Frederick Stevens, Esq., and resides with her husband
and- young family in Minnesota. Hannah, her youngest
surviving daughter, married Austin Corbin, Esq., for
merly of Newport. He was for some years a successful law
yer and banker in Iowa, and is at present a banker in the
city of New York. The family resides in Brooklyn, N. Y.
Miranda Haven, youngest child of Rev. Jacob and
Asenath Haven, was born March 8, 1799, married William
Armes, Esq., of Stanstead, Canada East. They afterwards
removed to Sherbrook, C. E., where he died and where his
widow still remains. They had six children. Adeline
Asenath married Samuel Tusk, of Sherbrook. Miranda
married Thomas Goldsmith, a successful goldsmith at Troy,
N. Y. Adelia married John McNeil, and Calista Lem
uel Farewell, both residing at Sherbrook. William, the
son, went to California.
Amos Hagar married Sarah Powers and settled on the
Hagar place, opposite the C. K. Fletcher farm, and was the
man from whom have descended the Hagars.

114
h:olbi?.ook:.
Leander Holbrook, son of Peter, and grandson of David
Holbrook, was born April 11, 1815. The family came from
Upton, Mass. His father, a merchant at the East Village,
died in 1822. Owing to a want of proper management in
the settlement of his estate, the son was left penniless. At
the age of seventeen, he left the farm and prepared for col
lege, defraying his expenses by teaching, after which he
studied law. He attended the Law School at Harvard
College, Mass. Was admitted to the bar in 1846, and
soon after opened an office at Milford, Mass., where he now
resides. John Humphry came to this town early from Hingham,
Mass., and settled on the east slope of the Pinnacle on the
farm now occupied by his son Piam. He was a substantial
farmer. Of his children, Nathaniel and Piam, both excel
lent farmers, remain near the homestead, while Leavitt, a
blacksmith, John and George removed to the Flat. Susan
was a noted tailoress. Many a boy " with shining morn
ing face," has tripped to school with a lighter heart for
the " new spencer" which " Aunt Susan" has made him.
Lydia married the Hon. Moses Humphry, of Concord, and
Asenath married Capt. Ariel Hall, of Williamstown, Vt.
Moses Humphry was born at Hingham, Mass., in 1807.
At the age of twenty-four he was married to Lydia Hum
phry, daughter of John Humphry, one of the early settlers
of Croydon. At fourteen he commenced going to sea, and

115
at nineteen was appointed Master of a vessel, which posi
tion he held until he left the sea at the age of twenty -five.
He was the first man that commenced the manufacture of
mackerel kits by machinery, which business he has pursued
with ever-increasing energy since, at Hingham, at Croydon
nine years, and now at Concord. In 1853, when Concord
adopted the city charter, he was elected to the City Council,
and was re-elected in 1854, of which body he was President.
In 1855 and 1856, he was elected one of the Aldermen; in
1857 and 1858 was Representative; in 1861 was elected
Mayor and held the office two years; was again elected to
the same office in 1865, and declined a re-election the
following year. In 1865 he was appointed one of the
Trustees of the State Reform School, which office he now
holds. Denison Humphry, son of Leavitt, one of the Commit
tee of Arrangements, is a farmer and trader at the Flat,
and has been Selectman, and a Representative two years.
Like his father and other members of the family, he was
noted for superior mechanical skill.
Stillman Humphry, son of John Humphry, Jr., was
born November 15, 1833; worked on the farm until he was
seventeen years of age, three years in a cooper's shop, three
years as a clerk in a store at West Concord, and two years
as clerk in a hardware store at Concord, N. H. In 1858 he
formed a business connection with Mr. David A. Warde,
under the style of Warde & Humphry, and commenced the
hardware trade at Concord, where he has since remained,
proving one of the most popular and thriving merchants in
the State. In 1857 he was married to Miss Virtaline C.

116
Hall, of Maine. Like many of the sons of Croydon, his
parents were- poor, but honest and respectable. Their- pray
ers and blessings, added to his own resolute will, constituted
his original stock in trade.
William Henry Hurd, oldest son of Henry and Abigail
Gibson Hurd, was born at Croydon on the 30th of August,
1829. Fitted for college at Kimball Union Academy;
studied medicine with Dr. McQuestion, of Washington, and '
Dr. Justus Hurd, of Mississippi; attended lectures at
Cincinnati Medical College, and graduated from Hanover in
1854. He commenced practice at Wells River, Vt., but
removed to Ashton, Canada West, where he remained until
1858. He then removed to Carleton Place, Canada West,
where he now resides. He was married May 10, 1859, to
Miss Rosalind Rosamond, daughter of James Rosamond,
banker of Almonte, Canada West.
Willard Otis Hurd, son of Henry Hurd, was born
December 7, 1838. Studied medicine with his brother. Dr.
W. H. Hurd, at Ashton, Canada West, and graduated at
the Albany Medical College in 1860. He was connected
with his brother in practice at Carleton Place, Canada West,
until July, 1863, when he enlisted into the U. S. Army;
was commissioned Assistant Surgeon in the 83d Regt. N. Y.
Vols., and on the mustering out of that regiment in 1864,
was transferred to the 97th N. Y. Vols. In the autumn of
1865, he commenced practice in Grantham, N. H., where he
now resides. In August, 1866, he was married to Miss
Randilla W. Howard, of that place.

117
Charles Eugene Hurd, son of Henry Hurd, was bom in
Croydon, June 15, 1833. He became connected editorially
with the "Tribune," a semi- weekly journal published at
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in 1856. At the end of two years
he returned to Boston and devoted himself mainly to report
ing and writing for the press. In 1864 he became connected
with the " Leader," a Sunday morning paper published in
Boston. In September, 1865, he became city editor for the
" Erie Dispatch," at Erie, Pa., and now occupies the chair of
Associate Editor on the same journal.

Josiah Ide, son of Daniel Ide, one of the early settlers,
deserves a remembrance as one of the most worthy and
respected farmers in town.
J"JLOOBS.
Whitman Jacobs, son of Rev. Whitman Jacobs, of
Royalston, Mass., came to Croydon about the year 1777,
and settled near the south line of the town, south of C. K.
Fletcher's farm, but subsequently built where Mr. Fletcher
now lives. From him have descended the Jacobses. He was
a shrewd financier, and died possessed of a large estate.
His son Luther settled on Stow Hill, and left quite a
family. Eli married Jerusha Whipple and removed to
Vermont, and was a worthy deacon and valuable citizen.
Hannah married John Ferrin.
Paul Jacobs, son of Whitman Jacobs, was born in 1783.
He married Prudence, daughter of Jonah Stow. He was

118
a man of great energy of character, and was eminently
practical in his views. He was one of the largest and best
farmers in town, often kept a dairy of thirty cows, and other
stock in proportion. He brought to town several choice
breeds of cattle and sheep. He was the main instrument in
getting the river-road through from the Flat to the East
Village — a deed that entitles his memory to the respect of
all after-generations of his townsmen. He built a factory at
the Flat for the manufacture of potato starch. The same
year in which he died — not living to quite complete the
work — he built the church at the Flaty at his own expense,
at a. cost of some two thousand dollars, and gave it to the
Universalist Society — thus attesting both his religious faith
and his generosity. He was Selectman in 1832, and Repre
sentative in 1831 and 1835.. He died September 16, 1854,
aged 71 years.

i^:e\i^:e>toi<j-.
Ephraim Kempton, the father of the Kemptons, came
early to Croydon and purchased some four hundred acres of
land, covering all the grounds where the Flat is now situa
ted, and built near the residence of Capt. Nathan Hall. He
never attained to great wealth, and was unassuming in his
manners. Rollins A. Kempton, fifth son of Col. Calvin Kempton,
was.bom Oct. 29, 1826. In addition to the district school,
he received the instructions of his father at home, who was
an experienced and most faithful teacher, and had been for
thirty years Superintending School Committee of the town.

-^^*4!^'

- v^^t?-^^^Si-^</ yy/^

119
His early life was full of poverty and discouragements. At
the tender age of nine years he followed his mother to her
grave, and was thus deprived of her guardian care and sym
pathy. His father had been a large farmer and extensive
wool-grower, but the re^Tilsions of 1837 swept away his for
tune and left him a poor man, with a large family, and hard
labor and few privileges was the lot of the son. At twenty-
one, with a coarse freedom suit, a five-dollar gold piece, and
a father's blessing, he started out in the world. He first
went to Lowell, but here his utmost labor would barely pay
his board. So, one pleasant morning, with seventy-five
cents in his pocket — aU the money he had left after paying
his bills — he started for Lawrence, and his trip to the " new
city " represents most graphically the discouragements which
sometimes beset a , young man while starting out in the
world : Arriving there he found he had no friends, no
money, and no employment. For two days he sought most
earnestly for something to do, — battling against rain, and
cold, and hunger, — and every step had been a failure, and
he had been to Methuen and met there the same result. At
the end of that time however, nothing daunted, he retumed
to Lowell fuU of " pluck," determined " to be somebody "
yet. He subsequently learned the joiner's trade. In 1851,
he married Maria J. Reed, of Northfield, Vt., and com
menced business at Lawrence. At the end of eleven years
he owned eight double tenement houses, and a steam mill,
and had been a member of the city government. In 1862
he removed to Boston, where he now resides, and is a part
ner in three dry goods stores, with an estimated property of
nearly one hundred thousand dollars — illustrating in his life
the truth of the old maxim that, " A bad beginning makes
a good ending."

120
Willard C. Kempton, son of Col. Calvin Kempton,
was born Oct. 13, 1840. He labored on the farm at home
until 1858. He then attended school at Newport and Kim
ball Union Academies until 1861, when he commenced the
study of medicine with his uncle. Dr. W. Clough, of Pitts
field, Mass. He attended lectures at Berkshire and Hano
ver Medical Colleges. He went to the war as a hospital
steward, but was subsequently appointed successively As
sistant Surgeon of a colored regiment, of the second Reg.
N. H. Vols., and of the Freedmen's Bureau. He married
Elvira M. Johnson, of Springfield, N. H., and is now in the
practice of his profession at Mansfield, Kansas.
Silas Kempton, son of Jeremiah, and grandson of
Ephraim, the first settler ; after carrying on a successful
tanning and shoe business at the Flat, removed to Newport,
where he is now engaged in farming.
Jonas C. Kempton, son of Ephraim, and grandson of
Ephraim senior, the early settler of the town, removed to
Nashua and became a confectioner. He has amassed a for
tune and been twice honored by his adopted city with a seat
in the Legislature.

Wm. Wallace Kidder, son of Amos and Lucinda Bar
ton Kidder, was born Aug. 11, 1845, studied medicine with
Williams Barton, M. D.; was with Capt. Ira McL. Barton,
as orderly in the 5th Reg. N. H. Vols., and also in the 9th
Reg. N. H. Vols.

121
John Loverin came to this town from Springfield,
N. H.; married a sister of Capt. Edward Hall, settled on
the G. W. Cain place, and died a wealthy farmer.
Kimball Loverin, son of John, has been a successful
farmer.

Samuel Marsh, from whom have descended the Marshes,
came early to town and settled near the Four Corners. His
wife, who had long lived iu the family of a physician, and
had become skilled in the " healing art," kept the first prim
itive "Apothecary's Shop" in town. Besides her knowledge
of medicine she was noted for her mechanical ingenuity.
The old " dies," with which she used to print the ladies'
calico dresses, are still in being, as also the "pillion" on
which she visited her patients. The husband died in 1832,
aged 94; the wife in 1834, aged 90 years.
Samuel Marsh, Jr., was father of Elom, one of the
Vice-Presidents at the Celebration, a successful farmer at
Westmoreland, N. H., — of John L. who moved to Jefferson
County, N. Y., where he has been elected a Representative
and exerted much influence, and Orren who was educated at
Norwich University and went to Oregon.
Dellavan D. Marsh, son of William, and grandson of
Samuel, was bom May 8, 1818. He studied medicine with
Willard P. Gibson, of Newport, and John S. Blanchard, of
Cornish; attended lectures at Woodstock, Vt., and at Han
over, N. H., and graduated from the latter institution in

122
1834. He commenced practice at Mount Desert, Me., the
same year, but in 1837 retumed to Croydon, where he has
since remained in the practice of his profession. He has
taken a deep interest in agriculture. He introduced the
North Devon cattle, and in 1848 was Treasurer of the Coun
ty Agricultural Society. He has been often elected to town
offices, and in 1839 and 1840 was elected Treasurer of Sul
livan County. His daughters are graduates from Meriden.
Wm. H. Marsh, a brother, is a merchant in Boston.

Ebenezer and John Melendy, twins, came to this
town from Worcester County, Mass., and were among the
earliest settlers.
William E. Melendy, son of Sibley, a soldier in the
war of 1812, was born Jan. 2, 1819. In 1845, he removed
to Springfield, N. H., where he shared in a good degree the
confidence of the community. He was Postmaster six
years, Selectman two, and Representative two. Since 1853,
he has been engaged in mercantile business. In 1863, he
moved to West Andover, N. H., where he now resides. He
married Martha P., daughter of Ziba Cooper.
Elbridge and Alonzo Melendy, sons of John, after
struggling against all the embarrassments of early poverty,
settled at Cohoes, N. Y., where they have met with a deserv
ed success. Alonzo carried off the medals at school, and
fitted himself for a successful teacher — studying by the
light of pine knots gathered in the woods.

123
Samuel Merrill, the father of the Merrills, married
Fannie Bancroft, a great-aunt of George Bancroft the his
torian. She is stUl living. He died in 1827, leaving a large
family of small children.
Joshua B. and Sherburn Merrill, sons of Samuel
Merrill, spent the earlier part of their lives at the homestead,
east of Spectacle Pond. To their early struggles with pov
erty they owe much of those resolute wills, which have
enabled them to make after-progress in the business world.
The former has for several years represented Barnstead in
the Legislature, and the latter has represented Colebrook.
Seneca Merrill, a younger brother, connected with
Sherbum in business at Colebrook, where they have become
wealthy, has held several county offices. One of the daugh
ters married William B. Leavitt, a scientific man and
astronomer at Grantham.
Samubl Metcalf, after serving in the French and Rev
olutionary armies for seven years, came to this town from
Franklin, Mass., and settled at Brighton, and was the pro
genitor of the Metcalf family in town.
Dea. Abel Metcalf, his oldest son, settled in Newport,
and was the father of Rev. Kendrick Metcalf, Episcopal
clergyman at Geneva, N. Y., and Professor in the Geneva
College, — of Silas, a successful farmer and man of political
note at Newport, and of Theron, a popular merchant in
Boston.

124
Capt. Obed Metcalf, his second son, was active in town
and church affairs, was father of Stephen, a prominent
farmer at Haverhill, N. H., and grandfather of Henry H.,
a lawyer, and Carlos G., physician, sons of Joseph.
Samuel Metcalf, his third son, was father to Alexan
der, a wealthy farmer and justice at Northfield, Min., who
married Anna, eldest daughter of Col. Nathaniel Wheeler,
and grandfather of Samuel Metcalf Wheeler, a distin
guished lawyer at Dover, N. H.

Samuel Morse, Esq., a native of Dublin, N. H., grad
uated at Dartmouth College in 1811, and studied law with
Hon. Geo. B. Upham, of Claremont. He came to Croydon
in 1815, and opened the first and only law office ever in
town. He was Representative for the year 1834, and a
delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1850. He
died Jan 1, 1865, aged 81 years.
IsTEXjSOIT.
John Nelson, one of the early settlers, lived on the
turnpike north of Four Corners; was intrusted to some
extent with the management of town affairs, and has many
descendants.
IfTE-WTODtT.
Phineas Newton, one of the early settlers, lived in the
famous " Old Stone House," on the glebe lot south of the
original Whitman Jacobs place.

125
Jeremiah Newell, one of the early comers to Croydon,
settled at Ryder Corner, and was an extensive farmer, tidy,
energetic and proud. His "Each," the first in town, was
an object of great interest to the "little folks." He was
father to Jeremiah, who was for a long time a popular
sheriff at Newport, — of PArker N., merchant at Newport,
and now at Princeton, 111., — of Benjamin, merchant
and speculator, also at Princeton, III., and grandfather of
Thankful M., daughter of David, a lady of uncommon
energy and business talent — late wife of Shepherd L. Bow
ers, Esq., of Newport.
Elisha and Simeon Partridge came from Franklin,
Mass., and were among the first settlers. The former married
a sister of Timothy Winter and settled on Winter Bill.
The latter settled on the B. Brown place, near the Flat.
They were valuable citizens, and occupied honorable posi
tions in town.
Elisha Partridge, son of Elisha, is a farmer, and has
much musical talent.
Luke Paul, son of Daniel, came into Croydon at twenty-
two years of age, and married Sally Cooper, daughter of
Samuel Cooper, and settled on the " old Gibson farm," on
Baltimore HUl, and was an enterprising and prosperous
farmer.

126
Marshall Perkins, son of James Perkins — who came
to Croydon from Leominster, Mass., in 1815, and built the
grist-mill, saw-mill and carding-machine at the Flat, and
who was for many years a successful business man — was born
May 13, 1823. He studied medicine and graduated at
Cambridge Medical College, in 1850, at the head of his
class. He soon after settled at Marlow, N. H., where he
now resides, and is doing a successful business. He married
a daughter of Amos Fisk, Esq., the leading merchant of
Marlow. He was for three years during the war Assistant
Surgeon in the 14th Regt. N. H. Vols.

David Putnam and Caleb Putnam came to this town
from Sutton, Mass., among the early emigrants, and settled
on the south-east slope of the Pinnacle, in a locality long
known as the " Salt Box." They were noted for a hardy
constitution and great industry.
Solomon Putnam, son of Dea. David Putnam, and
Peter Putnam, son of Caleb Putnam, though not much iu
office, were among our most worthy farmers.
Charles Putnam, son of Solomon, remained on the
homestead, and is an extensive and thriving farmer.
John Putnam, son of Dea. David Putnam, one of the
early settlers of the town, and a Revolutionary soldier, was
born November 11, 1797. He is one of the most intelligent,
respected, industrious and energetic farmers in town. He

127
has reared a large and one of the most thoroughly educated
families in Croydon. He has always remained at the old
homestead ; he has been Selectman and Representative.
John Woodbury Putnam, eldest son of John Putnam,
Esq., born April 6, 1819, is a man of excellent judgment
and decision of character. After operating as a farmer in his
native town, and going to the recent war, where he held the
position of Captain, he has sold out and removed to New
York. He is located on the Hudson River about sixty
miles above the city of New York, on a large farm belonging
to his brother-in-law, Timothy C. Eastman.
James W. Putnam, son of John Putnam, Esq., was
born December 15, 1822. He pursued his preparatory
studies at Kimball Union Academy, and graduated at
Norwich University. He received his theological training
at Clinton Seminary, Clinton, N. Y., then under the direc
tion of Rev. T. J. Sawyer. In 1848 he received the feUow
ship of the Universalist denomination at the New Hampshire
State Convention, and in 1849 was ordained as pastor of the
first Universalist society of Danvers, Mass., where after a
life of much usefulness and ever-increasing popularity, he
died November 3, 1864. He had charge of the public
schools in his town for many years, and was several times
elected a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, in which
body he took a very prominent and honorable stand.
Franklin Putnam, son of John Putnam, Esq., was born
September 8, 1833; graduated at Bowdoin College in 1859;
studied law with Brown & SeweU, at Bath, Me., and com
menced the practice of his profession at Kansas City, Mo.,
in 1861, where he died November 3, 1865.

128
Nathaniel French Putnam, fourth son of John Put
nam, Esq., was born February 2, 1839. He graduated at
Bowdoin CoUege in 1863; entered the General Theological
Seminary, New York, November, 1863, graduated June,
1866; was ordained Deacon in the Protestant Episcopal
Church at Claremont, May 27, 1866, by the Rt. Rev.
Carlton Chase, D. D., Bishop of New Hampshire, and took
charge of St. John's Church, Poultney, Vt., July 1, 1866.
George Frederick Putnam, youngest son of John
Putnam, Esq., was born November 6, 1841; received his
literary training at Norwich University, and studied law
with N. B. Felton, Esq., of HaverhiU, N. H., and was
admitted to the bar in 1866.
Ellen Putnam, youngest daughter of John Putnam,
Esq., a fine scholar and successful teacher, married N. B.
White, Esq., a lawyer at Omaha, Nebraska.
Austin Putnam, M. A., son of Samuel and Susan
Gibson Putnam, and grandson of Caleb Putnam, was
born March 6, 1809. After pursuing his studies in the
district school and at Newport Academy, he entered Dart
mouth College in 1825. At the close of his second year,
circumstances led him to relinquish his plan of a full colle
giate course, and he soon after commenced the study of law
in the office of Hon. F. A. Tallmage and Charles F. Grim,
Esqrs., of New York City, and completed it in the
office of Hon. John P. and J. Newland Cushman, Esqrs., of
Troy, N. Y., and at the Law School at Litchfield, Conn.
He was admitted to the bar at Utica, in July, 1831. He
immediately commenced practice at Troy, N. Y., with highly

VA^vVa

\A^VU.v^

wX\

129
encouraging prospects. But after spending a short time in
his profession, he experienced a total change in his views
on the subject of religion. At what he conceived to be the
call of duty he left the profession which he had chosen, and
which he loved, and commenced the study of theology, under
the instruction of Rev. Nathan S. S. Beman, D. D., of Troy.
He was ordained at LowviUe, N. Y., in 1834. After a few
years of successful labor in New York City and at New
Haven, he was, October 31, 1838, installed as pastor of the
Congregational Church at Hamden, Conn., where he is now
living. In 1843 he was married to Caroline W. Northop,
daughter of Gen. Joseph A. Northop, of LowviUe, N. Y.
In 1844-5 he spent a year in Europe, traveling over the
different countries. In 1839 he received the honorary
degree of Master of Arts from Yale College. He has long
been regarded as a man of rare endowments.
Proctor Putnam, son of Hiram, and grandson of .Caleb
Putnam, was born July 8, 1814. From eighteen to twenty-
eight years of age he followed the occupation of mason —
the last four years was superintendent in building the locks
on the Glens Falls Feeder Canal, and Black River Canal,
N. Y. In 1842 he removed to Lake Cbunty, lUiuois, and
purchased the farm on which he now lives. The following
brief statement of his affairs will be of interest to all those
who remember the once penniless boy of Croydon : He has
six hundred acres of choice land valued at sixty dollars per
acre, six hundred of the finest merino sheep, seventy head
of cattle, and thirty hogs, besides much other property. In>
1842 he married Rosilla Sargent, of Grantham, N. H.

130
Ezekiel Powers, son of Lemuel and Thankful Leland
Powers — a lady of uncommon intellect — was born in Graf
ton, Mass., March 27, 1745; was one ofthe party who came
to Croydon in the spring of 1766, for the purpose of survey
ing land and making other preparations for a settlement,
and settled here the following year. He was conspicuous
principally on account of his great physical strength and
his inventive genius. Among his many other inventions, he
first introduced the practice of "ridging" green-sward for the
purpose of raising Indian corn, — and the " looped" sled so
generally used since by the lumbermen of Croydon, and the
sheet-iron pans of our sugar-makers of to-day are of his
invention. He purchased some six hundred acres, covering
the land of the East Village and the meadows above.
David Powers and Samuel Powers, brothers of Ezekiel,
were also among the earliest settlers. They were worthy
citizens, and among the most popular and influential men
in town, and both died of the " spotted fever" in 1813.
Rev. Lemuel Powers, also brother of Ezekiel, was one
of the early settlers of the town. He was born at North-
bridge, Mass., in 1756; married Abigail Newland, and died
at Stillwater, N. Y., in 1800 — leaving four children. His
eldest son Cyrus married Lydia Stow, and settled at Sem
pronius, N. Y. In 1804 he was appointed a Justice of the
Peace for Cayuga County, and in 1806 received the appoint
ment of Judge of the County Courts, which office he filled
with much ability for twenty-five years. He died in 1841.
Abigail, his youngest daughter, was born in 1798. In
February, 1826, she married Millard FiUmore, late President

131
of the United States. She is a lady highly respected toi
her inteUigence, dignity and many Christiari virtues. She is
now a widow, and resides at Buffalo, N. Y.
Stephen Powers, Benjamin Powers and John Powers,
cousins of Ezekiel, were also among the first settlers. From
the foregoing have descended most of those in town who
bear the name of Powers. The Powerses were the most
numerous famUy among the first settlers, and were distin
guished for giant frames, great physical strength and vigor
ous intellects.
Ezekiel Powers, son of Ezekiel and Hannah Hall
Powers, was born in 1771, and was the first male child born
in town. At the age of nineteen he married Susan Rice,
and subsequently Lydia Lane and Lois Barden, and had
twenty-one children — four sons and seventeen daughters;
fifteen of the latter grew to womanhood, and were charac
terized by those quaUties which distinguish the Powers
family. Like his father he was remarkable for great phys
ical power. At the age of eighty he weighed 265 pounds.
He had a great memory, and was a lover of fun.
Maj. Abijah Powers, son of Ezekiel Powers, one of the
earliest settlers of th'^ town, was a man instinctively inclin
ed to leisure and social enjoyments. He was a Major in the
war of 1812. He was well educated, and had a ready judg
ment, and hence was enabled to fill the offices of Justice,
Selectman and Representative with much credit to himself.
He was the greatest story-teller the town ever produced,
with the exception perhaps of his uncle, Abijah Hall, the
father of Capt. Amasa HaU. With him, as with James

132
and other members of the family, in his last days his mem
ory was remarkably clear and retentive. He could recall
with the utmost vividness all the incidents of his life, and
after reading a book could repeat it word for word.
Elias Powers, son of the preceding, one of the Com
mittee of Arrangements, is a man of intelligence, a respect
ed farmer, and has many of the characteristics of his
father. James Powers, son of Ezekiel Powers, senior, was an
extensive dealer in stock and other property; was a sheriff,
a ready wit, and a natural poet.
Obed Powers, son of Col. Samuel and Chloe Cooper
Powers, was born April 20, 1788. Like most boys in
those early days, he received only from three to four weeks
schooling each winter. At the age of twenty-two he remov
ed to Comish. In addition to being an active and thriving
farmer, he has been extensively engaged in stone masonry
— superintending in New York and Vermont, as weU as his
own State, some of the largest and most difficult under
takings. February 10, 1814, he was married to Cynthia
Cummings; and in 1864 was celebrated their golden wed
ding. They had five children, all thoroughly educated at
Meriden, and all successful teachers. The youngest daugh
ter, Marion W., has a decided talent for poetry, was
assistant teacher at Meriden, and is now at the head of the
female department of an institution at Sydney, Ohio.
Solomon L. Powers, brother of the above, after following
the business of stone-mason at Baltimore and elsewhere,

133
finally became an extensive farmer at Gettysburg, Pa. ; and
during the famous battle a portion of the rebel army was
stationed in his yard. His brothers, Ara and Larnard, were
successful farmers. The former died at Charlestown in 1865,
leaving quite a fortune.
Samuel Powers, son of Col. Samuel Powers, a merchant
and practical surveyor, had much native talent. He was
one of the most successful teachers; had a clear intellect and
a decided military genius, which was much improved by a
thorough training at Norwich University. Few are the men
who have more of the elements of popularity about them,
or who have been more a favorite with their townsmen.
Full of promise, he died in 1828, at the early age of thirty-
three. Erastus B. Powers, son of Larnard and Ruby Barton
Powers, and grandson of Samuel Powers, fitted for college
at Meriden; graduated at Dartmouth College, and at the
Law School at Cambridge, Mass., and was admitted to the
bar in 1866. As a scholar he ranked high in his classes.
Merritt, Lemuel and Henry Powers, sons of Zadock,
and grandsons of Ezekiel Powers, were clergymen in Ver
mont. Haven Powers, son of Cyrus and Lydia Stow Powers?
and grandson of Rev. Lemuel Powers, was born in 1817.
After spending several years with his friends on a farm in
Croydon, he studied law and settled at Milwaukie, Wis.
Timothy Gilman Powers, son of Timothy, and grand
son of Dea. Stephen Powers, is an intelligent farmer and

134
man of infiuence, residing at the East Village. Married
Eliza Winter, daughter of Adolphus Winter. He has been
Selectman several times, and held many other offices.
Dennis Powers, son of David Powers, was born May 24,
1808; graduated from Amherst College, Mass., in 1835, and
from Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass., in 1838. He
was ordained and settled over the Congregational church
and society of East Randolph, Mass., December 5, 1838.
At his own request he was dismissed from this church and
¦ people April 15, 1841. On the 29th of September, 1S42,
he was instaUed as pastor of the church and society of
South Abington, Mass., and remained there until 1850,
when he accepted an appointment to an office under Presi
dent FiUmore, and removed to the city" of Washington.
He was for a time Agent, and an eloquent advocate of the
Colonization Society. He is now laboring again with the
people of Abington, Mass.
Orlando Powers, son of Capt. Peter Powers, and on
the mother's side descended from Dea. John Cooper, was
born May 5, 1810. He was educated mainly at the district
school. At eighteen he was apprenticed as clerk to Hiram
Smart — then only merchant of Croj'don— where he remained
until April, 1832, when he removed to Cornish Flat — where
he now lives— and commenced trade. In 1837 he was
married to Cynthia L. Smart, daughter of Joseph Smart
of Croydon. He has been Town Clerk of Cornish seven
years, was Representative in 1844, and County Treasurer in
1849 and 1850. He was for a long time Postmaster, and
has been frequently Administrator of valuable estates. He
has an active temperament, and a ready business talent, is

1««^?^\

.y^ (?7..^^^^ y^cru^'-^syzy^

135
social and gentlemanly. On the breaking out of the re
bellion he devoted all his means and energies to the raising
of men and furnishing supplies for their families. No other
one in town did so much as he for the cause.
David Cooper Powers, third son of Peter, and grandson
of David Powers, was born June 30, 1822. When eight
years of age he removed with his father to Cayuga County,
N. Y. He received his academical education at Aurora;
studied medicine with his brother-in-law, Nathaniel Leavitt,
M. D., and graduated at Berkshire Medical College at Pitts
field, Mass., in 1848. He then went to California, and
remained until 1850, when he returned, was married to a
daughter of Samuel Ledyard, Esq., of Wayne County, and
settled in the practice of his profession, at Auburn, N. Y.
In 1853 he again went to California and remained two
years, when he returned and removed with his family to
Coldwater, Michigan, where he now resides, and is in the
practice of his profession. At the breaking out of the
rebellion he was appointed Surgeon of the 9th Michigan
Infantry, and acted in that capacity some three years.
J. Woodworth Powers, brother of Orlando, is an exten
sive farmer in western New York.
Jacob Haven Powers, youngest son of Peter, is a
thriving merchant in western New York.
Of the sisters, Mary C. married Nathaniel Leavitt, a
physician, and Cemantha married Daniel Frye, also a physi
cian at Deering, N. H.
Dr. Horace Powers was the son of Urias and Lucy
Powers, and was bom Oct. 27, 1807. His early education

136
was obtained in the common schools of his native town and
. the Academy at Newport, after finishing which he studied
medicine with Dr. J. B. McGregory, of Newport, and having
attended two full courses of Lectures at Dartmouth Col
lege under the noted and lamented Dr. Muzzey, he received
his diploma of M. D. at the Medical College at Woodstock,
Vt., in the spring- of 1832. He was married Oct. 22, 1833,
to Miss Love E. Gilman, of Unity, N. H., and settled in
Morristown, Vt., where he has since resided. He has one
son now living, H. Henry Powers, Esq., a graduate of the
University of Vermont, and at present a leading lawyer of
his county, residing in his native town. Another son,
George R. Powers, died in the army in Feb., 1862.
The Dr. was a Justice of the Peace in Morristown twenty-
five years in succession ; was a Deputy Sheriff many years,
and in 1844 and '45 High Sheriff of Lamoille County ;
in 1850, represented his town in the Vermont Constitu
tional Convention, and in 1853 and '54, represented
LamoiUe County in the Vermont State Senate. He has also
been a Director in the Lamoille County Bank for many
years ; in 1865, being out of health, he retired from the most
extensive and lucrative practice in his county.
Urias Powers, son of Urias Powers, was born May 12,
1791; graduated at Dartmouth College in 1818; pursued a
theological course at Andover, Mass.; ordained in 1823; and
after preaching in South Carolina and Virginia, he became
connected by marriage with the family of a wealthy planter
and settled at Big Lick, Va. He voluntarily emancipated
his slaves. The rebellion dealt harshly with his once large
fortune. He was the first native of Croydon who received a
collegiate education.

1^7
Josiah W. Powers, son of the late Urias Powers, was
bom June 19, 1799. He entered Dartmouth CoUege, but
before completing the full course, he left and entered the
Theological Institution at Andover, Mass., where he grad
uated. After being ordained, he preached at Kingston,
Mass. and at Kennebunk, Me. In 1839 he accepted an
agency of the American Bible Society, and soon after reach
ing Ohio, the field of his labor, was called to his rest.
Gershom Powers, son of the late John Powers, was born
June 11, 1789. His early advantages were quite limited
— denied even the advantages of a common school. His
parents being too poor to furnish other means, his books were
read and pondered by the uncertain light of the "fore-stick."
A lameness iu his right arm induced him to leave the farm
and tum his attention to law, the study of which he com
menced at Sempronius in 1810. After completing his
course, he opened an office at Auburn, and was popular and
successful in his practice. He was appointed Assistant Jus
tice of the Cayuga County Court, and after three years ser
vice in that capacity was elevated to the position of County
Judge. Jan. 30, 1826, he was appointed to the control of
the Prison at Auburn, and under his management the
"Auburn System of Prison Discipline" became famous
throughout the United States and Europe, as second to
none on the globe. In 1829, he was chosen Representative
to Congress, and declined a re-election on account of "feeble
health. He died Jan. 25, 1831. He was kind to his indi
gent relatives, beloved by all, and died a Christian.
William Powers, an elder brother of the preceding, was
born in 1786, and his means of education were similar to

138
those of his brother. He was assistant keeper of the prison
at Auburn, N. Y. Having drawn a superior plan of a pris
on, he was employed by the government of Canada West to
superintend the erection of a penitentiary at Kingston, and
in May, 1§35, was appointed Deputy Warden of said prison.
He is now an extensive farmer in western New York.

John Rawson, from whom have descended the Rawsons,
settled under the mountain, near the P. Barton place.
K./EEID.
Moses Reed, the father of the Reeds, was among the
early settlers, and was a cloth dresser at the Flat.
E.O'WELIj.
Hon. Charles Rowell, son of Lemuel Rowell, remov
ed from "Ryder Corner" to AUenstown, N. H., where he
died Jan. 11, 1867, aged 82 years. He was intrusted with
many civil offices. He was Selectman of his town twenty-
four years. Justice of the Peace about the same number of
years, a Representative to the State Legislature four years,
County Treasurer two years, and State Senator two years.
He ha'd been an earnest and consistent member ofthe Meth
odist E. Church for fifty-eight years.
Edmund Rowell, a brother of the preceding, studied
medicine and settled in Merrimac County, where he died
young.

139
Franklin Rowell, and Christopher Rowell, sons of
David Rowell — both men of decided genius — are among the
most successful artists in Boston.
Edmund Rowell, son of Sherburn Rowell, is a success
ful trader at New London, Conn.

K/TJlsdlBIjE.
Elisabeth Rumble, a spinster, was noted for her great
age — a hundred years — and her many eccentricities. At the
trout-brook she was the rival of the famous Isaak Walton.

Jotham Ryder came early to Croydon, and settled in
the south-east corner of the town, and from him and his con
nections the place has always since been known as " Ryder
Corner." Asa Ryder, son of Jotham Ryder, studied medicine with
Alexander Boyd, of Newport, graduated at the medical
department at Hanover, and settled at Alstead, N. H., where,
after two years of practice, he died.
Daniel Ryder, son of Jotham Ryder, was bom Dec. 29,
1803. He married Sarah George, and remains under the
paternal roof, at Ryder Corner. He has long been noted
for the excellence of his stock and produce. He is one of
the most prosperous and worthy farmers in town, and is
esteemed a man of superior judgment. He was one of the
Committee of Arrangements, and is the father of William
W. and David E. Ryder.

140
Elijah Ryder, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Cele
bration, son of Jotham Ryder, Jr., is a worthy farmer, and
has attained quite a celebrity as a teacher, both of schools
and penmanship.
sjLnsra-EK..
Isaac, John, Phineas, Lydia, Elizabeth and Phebe
Sanger came to Croydon in 1770, and were regarded as an
important accession to the town. The brothers had families,
the sisters were unmarried. Their descendants are charac
terized by a great fondness for books and the remarkable
facility with which they acquire literary and scientific knowl
edge. Very many of the distinguished sons of Croydon are
proud to trace their lineage from the Sangers. John and
Phineas left town. Isaac died of the heart disease, while
crossing Croydon Mountain in 1780, leaving three daughters
— one of whom married Barnabas Cooper, and another
William Gibson.
Lydia married John Powers, and Phebe married a Mr.
Noyes. Elizabeth, or, as everybody called her, " Aunt
Lizzy," remained single, and was really one of the best speci
mens of an old maid the world has ever produced. Turning
instinctively away from all allurements to matrimony, she
preferred to remain, " In maiden fancy free."
She was "an angel of mercy," and "went about doing
good." She seemed to be everywhere present when needed
— chiding the erring, comforting the sick, helping the needy,
and cheering the desponding. The memory of " that good
woman" is cherished with lively interest by all the early set-

141
tiers of Croydon. But tradition says she had her one fault
— she was a firm believer in witches. Many an urchin has
feared going to bed alone, after Ustening to her wonderful
tales of ghosts and hobgoblins. She lived to a good old age,
and went to her rest with many benedictions. God bless
her.

Alvin Sargent, son of Capt. John Sargent, is a clergy
man of the Baptist order, now Uving at Holderness, N. H.
He has been several times a member of the Legislature.
Joseph Sakgent, a brother of the above, married Lucin
da, daughter of Benj. Skinner, Esq. For a whUe he was
engaged as high-school teacher. He studied theology, and
became a Universalist clergyman — was quite talented. He
was Chaplain in the army, and died in the service.
William Sherman came to Croydon from Barre, Mass.,
in 1797, and died Feb. 19, 1855, aged 79 years, leaving a
large family. He is remembered as an upright farmer. Of
him it might be said, as of one of old: " Behold an Israelite
indeed, in whom there is no guile."
HiEAM Smart, son of Caleb Smart, for along time a lead-
in "¦ man and popular merchant in town, married Harriet,
daughter of Capt. WilUam Whipple, and he subsequently
removed to Nashua, N. H., where he died.

142
Hiram Smart, son of the preceding, has been a Repre
sentative from Plaistow in the Legislature, a School Commis
sioner, and Register of Deeds for Rockingham County, and
is now in the Boston Custom House.

STEI"W*.A.:E?.T.
Gardner Stewart, son of John Stewart — an early set
tler on Winter Hill — married Sarah, daughter of James
Powers. He has been a successful financier. He now
resides at Plainview, Min.

STinsrsonsr.
Rev. Robert Stinson, a Universalist clergyman of most
blameless Ufe, was connected with the society in Croydon at
the time of his appointment as Chaplain of the Sixth Reg.
N. H. Vols., and died much lamented, soon after his return
from the army.

David StockWell was born in 1748. He came from
Sutton, Mass., to Croydon, in 1772. He was a farmer,
served honorably in the Revolutionary war, and died July
16, 1824. All by the name of Stockwell, who have origin
ated in Croydon, have descended from him.
Stillman Stockwell, son of Giles, and grandson of
David Stockwell, removed to the West, where he has become
a wealthy farmer.

143
STOW.
Jonah Stow, from whom have descended the Stows,
married Lydia Powers, and came early to this town from
Stockbridge, Mass., with his four sons, Peter, Asaph, Solo
mon and Jonah, and long occupied " Stow HiU," now
Brighton. His eldest daughter, Judith, married Whipple
Haven, a brother of Rev. Jacob Haven; his second, Lydia,
married Hon. Cyrus Powers, a brother of Mrs. President
Fillmore, and his third daughter. Prudence, married Paul
Jacobs, Esq., of Croydon.
Peter Stow, a sterling farmer, married Deborah Nettle-
ton, of Newport, and was the father of the Rev. Dr. Stow,
of Boston, and Royal P. Stow, former Clerk of the U. S.
House of Representatives. While in town he held many
important civil and military offices.
Baron Stow, D. D., eldest son of Peter and Deborah Stow,
and grandson, by his father's side, of Jonah and Lydia Stow,
and by his mother's, of Jeremiah and Love Nettleton, was
born in the westerly part of Croydon, June 16, 1801. In
September, 1809, his parents removed to Newport, where
for a few years he had the advantages of a good common
school, under the tuition of such excellent teachers as
Benjamin Cummings and WilUam R. Kimball, of Cornish;
Austin Corbin, William A. Chapin, Moses Chapin and
Carlton Hurd, of Newport, and Samuel Blanchard, of
Croydon. In December, 1818, he became a member
of the Baptist Church in Newport, and soon com
menced preparation for the work of the Christian min
istry, pursuing classical studies, at first with the Rev.

144
Leland Howard, of Windsor, Vt., but mainly at the
Newport Academy, defraying his expenses by teaching
winter schools. The state of his health requiring, a milder
climate, he went. In 1822, to Washington, D. C, and joined
the Columbian College, entering the Freshman Class eight
months In advance. The funds for the expenses of his
collegiate course were suppUed In part by the generosity of
others, and the remainder by giving private instruction.
Among his pupils were two sons of Commodore Porter, one
of whom Is now Admiral David D. Porter, of the U. S.
Navy. After graduating with the first honor of his class. In
December, 1825, he edited for a year and a half a religious
newspaper In Wajshlngton, called " The Columbian Star."
In September, 1826. he married Miss Elizabeth L. Skinner,
of Windsor, Vt. In the summer of 1827, he returned to
New England, and on the 24th of October of the same year
was ordained as pastor of the Middle St. Baptist Church,
Portsmouth, N. H. After five years of service In that place,
he accepted an Invitation to the pastoral care of the Bald
win Place Church, Boston, and was there installed, Novem
ber 15, 1832. In the spring of 1848, compelled by Impaired
health, he resigned that position, and, in the autumn,
accepted the less onerous charge of the Rowe St. Church, in
the same city, of which he is still the pastor.
In 1846, Brown University conferred on him the honorary
degree of Doctor of Divinity, and, in 1854, Harvard Uni
versity repeated the honor.
At three different times In twenty-three years, he was
elected Corresponding Secretary of the national organization,
now styled the American Baptist Missionary Union ; but,
from a clear conviction that he had a vocation from God to

145
be a preacher and pastor, he In every instance declined the
appointment. The same conviction has restrained him
from listening to urgent propositions to accept positions In
Colleges, either as President or Professor.
Notwithstanding imperfect health, he has performed, In
thirty-nine years of ministerial life, a large amount of
service, not only in his ecclesiastical relations, but in various
Boards of Colleges and Benevolent Institutions. He is the
author of several books and pamphlets, and has written
much for the periodical press.
In 1840, and again in 1859, his people, at their own
expense sent him to Europe for the benefit of his health,
and for mental improvement.
During his ministry, he has preached nearly 4,500 ser
mons, baptized nearly 1,000 persons, married nearly 1,200
couples, officiated at more than 1,300 funerals, and made
more than 21,600 parochial visits. His correspondence, for
many years, has averaged 1,000 letters per annum. In
forty-five years, his travels at home and abroad have exceed
ed more than 100,000 miles. His private journal extends
through nineteen volumes of manuscript, making more than
4,000 pages. Such an amount of labor would have been
impossible but for a rigid economy of time and a tenacious
adherence to system.
His father, born in Grafton, Mass., June 21, 1771, died
in Newport, N. H., in 1816 ; his mother, bora in Killing-
worth, Conn., February 11, 1775, died In Potsdam, N. Y.,
In 1846.
Asaph Stow removed to Sempronius, N. Y., where he
enjoyed In a good degree the confidence of the community

146
and was Intrusted with much public business. He was one
of the messengers to carry the Presidential Vote to Wash
ington.
s'W'iisriTEE.TOisr.
Benjamin Swinnerton, one of the early settlers, once
quite a favorite In town, was drowned at an early age while
attempting to swim across the Connecticut River In com
pany with an Indian.
Tb'Wl^.
John Town, son of John Town, was born Aug. 17, 1805.
He was educated at Newport Academy. In June, 1840, he
was appointed Deputy Secretary of State, which office he
held for four successive years, often doing the duties of the
Secretary. He was elected Register of Deeds for Sullivan
County, in 1851, and was re-elected in 1852, 1858 and 1854.
He was often elected to minor offices. He was a teacher by
profession, and In it was quite successful.
Vashti Town, sister of the above, was educated at the
Kimball Union Academy, and commenced teaching in her
riatlve town. She was soon called to take charge of the
female department of the Norwich Institute, at Norwich,
Vt., where she remained three years. She was then Invited
to Portsmouth, Va., and after nine years of successful labor
in that place, removed to the city of Washington, where she
has been mainly occupied in teaching for the last fifteen
years. Her occasional contributions to the press indicate a
ready pen, and a high degree of literary merit.

147
Polly Wakefield, now 95 years of age, the oldest
person now living in town, is the widow of Maj. Josiah
Wakefield, of Newport, and daughter of Phineas Newton,
who came to Croydon in 1772, from Worcester, Mass.
Amos Wakefield, son of Amos and Chloe Cooper Wake
field, and grandson of Dea. Sherman Cooper, Is a Methodist
clergyman at the West.
Moses and John Walker, the former living in the west
part of the town, and the latter on the turnpike, were the
progenitors of the Walkers.
Josiah Ward came to this town from Henniker, N. H.,
and settled in the south-west corner of the town. He had a
large family.
David Ward, the eldest son of Josiah Ward, a physician,
after practicing awhile In New York, and at Adrian, Mich.,
removed to Illinois, where he died. Josiah, Jr., a la^vyer,
after studying his profession, went first to Adrian, Mich.,
where he held an honorable position In his calUng, but after
wards removed to Nevada, where he died In 1865. He was
District Attorney. Alfred married Randilla, daughter of
Col. Samuel Powers, remains on the homestead and is a
Worthy and successful farmer. He was Representative In
1853 and 1854. Daniel was born June 10, 1810. He

148
turned his attention to medicine; graduated at Castleton,
Vt., in 1834. He married Mary Ann, daughter of Capt.
ZIna Goldthwait, and settled at Marseilles, 111., where he
has been highly successful In his professional and pecuniary
endeavors.

David Warren, the head of one of the three families
that came to town In l766, was born In Grafton, Mass., in
1742. He married Prudence Whipple, sister of Capt. Moses
Whipple, and also to the mother of Rev. Jacob Haven. Not
long after their arrival, a most trying incident occurred:
Mr. W. went away to work, the wife leaving her Infant on
the bed and two little ones running about the house, took
her jiail and went out a little way to the spring for water;
In attempting to return, she lost her way, and the more she
sought to regain it the more she became bewildered. Fear
ing she might wander away and be lost, she sat down upon
a log and there remained until her husband's return at night
fall, when his loud outcry soon restored the lost, anxious,
aching-hearted mother to her sacred little charge.
Prudence Warren, daughter of David, married Dea.
Abel Wheeler, of Newport, and has several noted descend
ants. Daniel Warren, son of David Warren, Jr., a Congrega
tional clergyman, was settled at Waterbury, Vt. ; died at
LoweU, Vt.

149
Dea. Nathaniel Wheeler, son of Nathaniel Wheeler,
was born in Sutton, Mass., in 1753. He married Mehitabel
Haven. He came to Croydon in 1775, and died in 1840, at
the age of eighty-seven years. He settled in the wilderness
and cleared up what was long known as the " Wheeler farm"
in the southerly part of the town, since occupied by H.
Jacobs. He was an extensive and thriving farmer, and a
soldier in the Revolutionary war. He was mainly Instru
mental In building the once flourishing Church at North ville,
in Newport, and was a consistent and worthy deacon of the
same for many years. He was decided in his religious views,
and gave much time and money for the support of the gos
pel. His strict integrity, singleness of purpose, and devo
tion to a religious life, gave weight to his word and example.
Dea. Seth Wheeler, brother of the preceding, came to
town at the same time and settled on the M. C. Bartlett
farm, but subsequently removed to New York, where he
died. Col. Nathaniel Wheeler, son of Dea. Nathaniel
Wheeler, was born May 10, 1781. He married Huldah
Whipple, daughter of Aaron Whipple, and granddaughter
of Moses Whipple, the honored father of the town. She
died In 1833, leaving seven children. He subsequently mar
ried Lucy F. Freeman, of Lebanon, whom he survived but a
short time. There were no children by this marriage. His
farming operations were extensive, and his farm and stock
were always well cared for and In good condition. For
many years he kept one of the largest and best dairies in a
town of good dairies. He took an active part in mUitary

150
and political affairs; and in the war of 1812 was the first
man Iri town to volunteer as a private soldier, though- hold
ing a commission at the time. He was Representative In
1816, and Selectman for a large number of years. For half
a century he was a devoted and worthy member of Masonic
Fraternity. He died July 13, 1864, at Lebanon, where he
had resided for a number of years. His Intelligence, and
clear, calm judgment, were among his most marked charac
teristics. Dr. Griswold Whipplr Wheeler, eldest son of Col.
Nathaniel Wheeler, was borri at Croydon, Feb. 22, 1808, and
died at St. Louis, Mo., June 7, 1865. He pursued his studies
at Kimball Union Academy; studied medicine with Willard
P.Gibson, M. D., of Newport, and graduated at the Medical
Department of Dartmouth College. After spending about one
j'-ear at Hopkinton and one at Covington, Ky., he settled at
Perryville, the county seat of Perry County, Mo., where for
twenty-five years he was extensively engaged In the prac
tice of his profession, and was the leading physician and
surgeon for a large section of country. While attending to
his professional duties he found time to master the German
and French languages, and gave much attention to the
natural sciences, especially Chemistry, Geology and Botany,
to which he was passionately devoted. His clear and
logical mind, and love of study and observation, com
bined with his great Industry, justly gave' him a high
position as a professional and scientific man. His attach
ment to country life was so strong that no solicitations
could Induce him to remove to the city, and he declined a
professorship proffered him In the St. Louis Medical College.

151
He was never married. A large share of his time and earn
ings were devoted to deeds of benevolence. He was a pa
triarch in town, beloved and respected by all, and died firm
In the Christian faith.
William Plummer Wheeler, son of Col. Nathaniel
Wheeler, was bom at Croydon, July 31, 1812. He lived
at home on the Wheeler place in the south part of the town
until he was about thirteen years of age, when he went to
reside with his uncle James Wheeler at Newport. He re
mained there until 1836 ; and, after the death of his uncle,
was for a time engaged in the harness making business. He
pursued his studies at the Academy In Newport, and after
wards at Kimball Union Academy, where he remained
nearly three years. He left there In 1839, and commenced
the study of law, which he pursued at Keene, at the Law
Department of Harvard University, and In Boston. In
1842, he was admitted to practice in this State, and soon
after opened an office at Keene, where he has since been
actively engaged In the practice of his profession. He re
ceived the degree of LL. B. at Harvard University, Ii^
1842; and In 1850, that of A. M. at Dartmouth College.
He was Solicitor of Cheshire County for ten years ; and In
1851 was appointed a Justice of the Court of Common
Pleas, which he declined. He has several times since been
tendered a seat upon the bench of tfee Supreme Court of
this State. In 1855, and again In 1857, he was a candidate
for Congress In the third district. He was married In 1849
to Sarah D. Moulton, of Randolph, Vt. He Is a Trustee of
the State Reform School, and of the State Agricultural
College.

152
Edmund Wheeler, son of Col. Nathaniel Wheeler, was
born Aug. 25th, 1814. He was educated at Kimball Union
Academy. In 1833 he commenced the harness business at
Newport, with a brother; and in 1839 bought the establish
ment and began for himself. He carried on extensive *nd
successful operations until 1866, when he sold out and
retired from business. He took an active part in the move
ment to uphold the state militia prior to its abandonment
before the rebellion, and was for two years a member of the
staff of Gov. Williams. He was a member of the Legisla
ture from Newport in 1851 and 1852, and in the latter year
was chairman of the committee on Incorporations. He was
also a member of several important special committees, and
took an active part In the discussion of the leading measures
before the house. In 1863 and 1864 he was candidate for
County Treasurer. He was a Director In Sugar River
Bank. In 1858, he erected Wheeler's Block at Newport,
the effects of which may be seen, in part. In the Improved
style of architecture In the village since that time. In 1851
he was married to Miss S. C. Rosslter, of Claremont, who
died in 1856. He was married In 1863 to Miss Augusta L.
Sawyer, daughter of Joseph Sawyer, Esq., of Newport.
John Wheeler, youngest son of Col. Nathaniel Wheel
er, was born July 1, 1818. He had a clear intellect and
scholarly turn of mi^d, but died young. Once taking a
decided dislike to a dissipated, ugly Captain, on board whose
ship he had embarked for his health, he ran. away and spent
a long time on the Island of Juan Fernandez, subsisting as
he could. And with Selkirk immortal eould say,
" 1 am monarch of all I survey."

153
Lucy P. Wheeler, youngest daughter of Col. Nathan
iel Wheeler, was educated at Norwich Institute and Kim
baU Union Academy; married Edward Ingham, Esq., a man
of superior intellect and business tact, and died at Newport
in 1852.
James P. Wheeler, son of Morrill, and grandson of
Col. Nathaniel Wheeler, a boy of uncommon courage and
daring, was for eight months with Gen. Sickles as dispatch
bearer. He was for a long time an inmate of the " Libby
Prison," and shared with others in the famous " black bean
soup." He re-enlisted and died a prisoner at Danville, Va.
Hannah Wheeler, eldest daughter of Dea. Nathaniel,
married Nathan Nettleton and removed to Delaware, near
Columbus, Ohio, and Is the mother of Jambs an eloquent
divine of the Methodist order, and Albert the able editor
of " The Review," and who has recently been appointed
General In the U. S. army.
Mehitabel Wheeler, a younger sister, married Israel
Peck, and Is the mother of Nathaniel W. Peck, clergyman,
who graduated at Middlebury College In 1843.
Major Simeon Wheeler, son of Simeon and Lucy
Putnam Wheeler, and grandson of Dea. Nathaniel Wheeler,
was born at Newport In August, 1815^ and died at Demop-
oUs, Alabama, in February, 1864. He graduated at Nor
wich University in 1840, and for some time after was en
gaged in teaching at the South. He pursued his legal stud
ies at Chariottesville, Va., and practiced law with success for
a number of years at Portsmouth, in the same State. He

154
took an active part In the poUtical discussions of the day,
and was a delegate to the General Assembly of the State.
He was married to a lady of Portsmouth, who had estates
In Alabama, which required his personal attention, and soon
after he removed to Demopolls in that State, where he was
a successful planter until the time of his death. He was
generous, ardent and impulsive. With a clear intellect,
active temperament, good scholarship, and decided opinions,
he had great influence over those with whom he associated.
His wife survives him.
Lucy Miranda Wheeler, daughter of James and Ruth
Putnam Wheeler, and granddaughter of Dea. Nathaniel
Wheeler, married Rev. Josiah Swett, an Episcopal clergy
man, now residing in Burlington, Vt.

Moses Whipple, son of Jacob Whipple, was bom at
Grafton, Mass., In 1733, and came to Croydon In 1766, bring
ing three sons, Thomas, Aaron and Moses, and one daughter,
Jerusha. His was one of the first three families that came
to town. Having a complete mastery of his passions, well
educated. Intelligent, distinguished for energy and decision
of character, warm-hearted, hospitable and generous to all,
he was wellcalculated to be — what he indeed was — & father
to the town. It Is said of him that, so great was the respect
entertained for him by his. townsmen, his word was law
In all local matters. He was elected to more offices than
any other man who has ever belonged to Croydon. He was
a Captain of the militia, and chairman of the " Commits

155
tee of Safety" through the Revolutionary struggle. It was
often remarked of him by his contiemporaries, that he was
a Washington In the sphere In which he moved. He was
a deacon for thirty years. In 1809 he removed to Charles
town, N. H., where , he spent, with his eldest son, the
remainder of his life. He died In 1814, aged 83 years. (See
also speech of Thomas Whipple, Esq.) From him and
Samuel Whipple have descended the Whipples.
Thomas Whipple, son of Moses, married Thankful
Powers, and settled at Charlestown, N. H., and .raised up
a large family. Aaron married Maitllda Coopep and settled
In the south part of the town, near Colt Mountain, on the
farm so long and so well occupied by his son Moses Whip
ple previous to his retirement to his present life of com
parative leisure at the Flat. Aaron,
" In fair round belly, -with good capon lined,"
relished a joke.
Benjamin, eleventh chUd of Moses Whipple, now living
at Berlin, Vt., is nearly ninety years of age.
Thomas Whipple, son of Daniel Whipple, and great-
grandson of Moses Whipple, an Intelligent farmer and prac
tical surveyor, has long taken a deep interest In the cause of
education, and for many years has had the general charge of
the schools in Charlestown, N. H., his place of residence.—
He has a well-educated family, some of them graduates at
Meriden. He is a correct business man ; was a candidate
for County Treasurer in 1856, receiving the fuU vote of his
party.

156
David Whipple, son of Aaron, was a farmer and man of
good judgmenk He had an excellent memory,, and retain
ed his faculties almost unimpaired until the period of "his
death, at nearly eighty years of age. To him the editor Is
Indebted for many facts relating to the fathers and mothers
of the town.
Solomon M. Whipple, M. D., son of David Whipple, and
great-grandson of Moses Whipple, one of the first settlers
and original proprietors of the town, was bom July 28,
1820. By the home-lamp, and a few terms at Unity and
Lebanon Academies, he prepared to enter the collegiate
department of Norwich University, where he graduated In
1846. He pursued his medical studies at Dartmouth Col
lege and at Woodstock Medical School, and graduated from
the latter institution In 1849. The same year In which he
graduated he commenced practice at New London, N. H.,
where he still resides, and where he Is enjoying a full tide of
successful business. The occasional contributions from his
pen to some of the popular medical and political journals of
the day, attest to his literary merit. Jan. 4, 1851, he was
united In marriage to Miss Henrietta K. Hersey, daughter
of Amos K. Hersey, Esq., of Sanbomton, N. H.
Barnabas C. Whipple, one of the Committee of Ar
rangements — the youngest son of David, and grandson of
Aaron Whipple, was bom In 1822. He married Sarah
Whitney. He Is an Industrious farmer, and resides with his
father at the homestead.
Gilman C. Whipple, son of Moses, and grandson of
Aaron Whipple, was born March 18, 1837. He is a most

157
popular and successful merchant at Lebanon, N. H. Mar
ried in 1864, Clara, daughter of Samuel Wood, of Lebanon.
Capt. William Whipple, son of Samuel Whipple, was
an extensive farmer and the largest wool-grower In town —
at times kept a thousand sheep. He married Judith,
daughter of Caleb Putnam, and lived on the farm since
occupied by T. G. Powers, Esq, He died Dec. 5, 1852,
aged 84 years.
William M. Whipple, son of WiUiam, was bom Aug.
9, ] 817. His early Ufe was passed at the homestead and
devoted to agriculture. He subsequently engaged In mer
cantile business. He was Representative from Croydon In
1856. He removed to Sheffield, Bureau Co., 111. in 1857,
where he has been engaged In successful trade and farming
operations. He is a man of fine intellect and agreeable
manners, and has been the recipient of many public honors.
Lynda Whipple, third daughter of Capt. WUliam
Whipple, married Dudley Leavitt, a successful physician at
West Stockbridge, Mass., whose son Wm. Whipple Leavitt
has been a Surgeon in the army and is now physician at
Stockbridge. Lucy B. Whipple, the youngest daughter of William,
married Wm. W. George, of Canaan, N. H., a prominent
business man and sheriff, and who has been a member of
the Legislature for a number of years.
Timothy Winter came to Croydon from Northbridge,
Mass., and settled near the Edward Hall place. His three
sons, Ebenezer, Thaddeus and Timothy, settled on Winter
HiU.

158

HISTOEY.

Croydon, in Sullivan County, N. H., situated on the highlands between
Connecticut and Merrimac rivers, is bounded on the north by Grantham,
east by Springfield and Sunapee, south by Newport, and west by Cornish.
Area 26,000 acres. Distance from Concord, the capital of the State, 44 miles,
northwest. Its surface is uneven. Much of its scenery is wild and pic
turesque, Croydon Mountain, extending across the western part of the
town, the highest elevation in the county, commands an extended and
beautiful prospect. Th.e town is well watered. Besides the north branch
of Sugar Kiver, which crosses it in a southwesterly direction, dividing
it into two nearly equal parts^ it has several ponds, among which are Long
Pond, Rocky Bound, Governor's and Spectacle. The soil is diversified,
that bordering on Sugar River is rich and productive ; as we rise gradu
ally back upon the hills it produces excellent grass, wheat and potatoes,
while as we ascend still higher up the mountain-sides we find only pastur
age and forests, and these are overtopped with lofty piles of granite.
Charter. The charter of Croydon, signed by Benning "Wentworth, and
countersigned by Theodore Atkinson, is dated May 31, 1763. The town
ship was divided into seventy-one shares ; of whicb, two were reserved as
a farm for Gov. Wentworth ; one, for the propagation of the gospel in
foreign parts ; one, as a glebe for the Church of England ; one, for the first
minister who should settle in town ; one, for the education of youth ; and
the remaining sixty-five were granted to the individuals whose names are
annexed. Their first meeting was held at Grafton, Mass., June 17, 1763 ;
their first meeting at Croydon, Jan. 17, 1798 ; and their last meeting Jan.
17, 1810.

Samuel Chaae,
Ephraim Sherman,
James Wellman,
Antipas Hollan,
Enoch Marble,
Jonathan Chase,
Thomas Dana,
John Stow,
Moses Chase,
Seth Chase,
Stephen Hall,
Daniel Chase,
Ephraim Sherman, Jr.
John Temple,
Samuel Chase, Jr.
Ebenezer Waters,
Dudley Chase,
Gershom Waite,
March Chase,
Phineas Leland,
Luke Drury,
Tho, M. Clening,

Solomon Aldridge,
Daniel Chase, Jr.
Jonathan Aldridge,
James Taylor,
Joseph Whipple,
Silas Warring,
Solomon Chase,
Benjamin Wood,
Caleb Chase,
Moses Whipple,
Benjamin Leland,
Moody Chase,
Daniel Marsh,
Sahinel Ayers,
Joseph Vinson,
Timothy Darling,
Jones Brown,
David Sherman,
Ebenezer Rawson,
Samuel Sherman,
James Richardson,
Daniel Putnam,

Samuel Dudley,
William Dudley,
Abraham Temple
Benjamin Morse,
James Whipple,
Benjamin Morse, Jr.
Joseph Mirriam,
John Whipple,
Willis Hall,
Benjamin Wallis,
Silas Hazeltine,
Jonathan Hall,
Richard Wibird
John Downing,
Daniel Warner,
Stephen Chase,
 Parsons,
David Temple,
Solomon Leland,
John Holland,
William Waite.

159

Settlement. In- the spring of 1766 Moses Whipple, Seth Chase, David
Warren, Ezekiel Powers and others, came to Croydon from Grafton, Mass.,
and made some preliminary preparations for a settlement. Soon after
their return, Seth Chase, with his wife and child, started for this place,
This was the first family established in town. They arrived June 10, 1766 ;
and three days after, June 13, commenced the erection of their log cabin.
On the twenty-fourth of the same month, Moses Whipple and David War
ren arrived with their families. The next year Moses Leland and Ezekiel
Powers came to town. In the autumn of 1768, four more families arrived.
And in 1769, the tide of emigration setting this way, soon made them
respectable for numbers. The first town meeting was held March 8, 1768.
Mr. Chase erected his cabin about one half mile S. W. from Spectacle
Pond, on the farm now owned by Moses Barton ; Mr. Whipple on the
swell of land between Four Corners and East Village, on the farm of W.
Smith— long known as the '* Edward Hall place ;" Mr. Warren on the
north side of the Pinnacle, near the cemetery ; Mr. Powers on the T. G.
Powers farm near the East Village, and Mr. Leland in the north part of the
town, on the farm of Kimball Loverin.
Revolution. The sympathies of the first settlers of Croydon were
early enlisted in the Revolutionary struggle. Soon after the battle of Lex
ington they sent Eleazor Leland and Abner Brigham to join the Provincial
army ; enrolled a company of twelve " minute men ;" raised eight pounds
to purchase a town stock of ammunition ; and chose Moses Whipple, Ste
phen Powers, Phineas Sanger, Abner Brigham and Joseph Hall a " Commit
tee of Safety.'' In 1777, nine men from Croydon joined a company of
militia commanded by Capt. Solomon Chase, of Cornish, and marched to
Ticonderoga. Eight men from this town joined the company of Capt.
Hardy, of Hanover, and united with the forces of Gen. Stark, at Charles
town. Capt. Moses Whipple, with a company composed partly of men
from Cornish, "turned out" to stop the progress of Burgoyne. Croydon
maintained its interest and contributed its full share of men and means
until the close of the war. The following is an imperfect list of those cit
izens of Croydon who served in the Revolutionary army:

Bazaleel Barton,
Benjamin Barton,
Abner Brigham,
Cornel Chase,
John Cooper, (Jr.)
Joel Cooper,
Sherman Cooper,
Ezra Cooper,
Beiyamin Cutting,
Jonas Cutting,
John Druce,
Amos Dwinnell,
Enoch Emerson,
, Daniel Emerson,
Timothy Fisher,
Ezra Hall,
Edward Hall, Jr.,
Amos Hagar,
Bazaleel GJ-Ieason,

James How,
Abijah HaU,
James Hall,
Joseph Hall,
Samuel R. Hall,
Eleazer Leland.
Rufus icing,
Rufus Kempton,
Phineas Newton,
Stephen Powers,
Urias Powers,
David Powers,
Samuel Powers,
Caleb Putnam,
David Putnam,
Jacob Hall,
Benjamin Sherman,
Ezekiel Rooks,
Daniel Rooks,

David Stockwell,
Phineas Sanger,
John Sanger,
Isaac Sanger,
Robert Spencer, .
Benjamin Swinnerton,
Benjamin Thompson,
Gershom Ward,
Aaron Warren,
Moses Warren,
Moses Whipple,
Thomas Whipple,
Aaron Whipple,
Isaac Woolsou,
Nathaniel Wheeler,
Samuel Whipple,
Seth Whoeler.

160
Wae of 1812. The folio-wing is an imperfect list of those sons of Croy
don -who served in the -war of 1812 :
Major, Abijah Po-wers, Tyler Walker,
Ensign, Amasa Hall, Samuel Po-wers,
Nathaniel Wheeler, Elijah Darling,
Charles Cutting, Sibley Melendy,
Levi Winter, Abijah Dunbar.
Isaac Cooper,
THE HBBELIjIOIT-
The folio-wing is an imperfect list of those citizens -who served in the
United States Army during the Rebellion :
Chaplain, Eobert Stinson,
" Anthony C. Hardy.
Captain, John W. Putnam,
" E. Darwin Comings.
Lieutenant, Paine Durkee,
" Albert Miner, wounded at Fair Oaks.
Sergeant, Oscar D. Allen, -wounded at Antietam, killed at Gettysburg.
" Lloyd D. Forehand, -wounded at Fair Oaks,
" John Blanchard, -wounded,
" Hiram K. Darling,
" William D. Angell, died in the service.
Corporal, George E. Frye, killed at Chancellorsville,
" Alvaji K. Davis,
" Henry H. Haynes,
" Irving D. Tobie,
" Ephraim Plimpton.
Privates, Alonzo Allen, wounded at Fair Oaks,
Thomas Ames, died in service,
George Angell, Jr.,
Sanford T. Barton, wounded at Fair Oaks,
Henry Barton, killed in battle,
Frederick J. Burge,
William Bushy,
Charles Baggatt,
Charles L. Bryant,
Eufus W. Clark,
Alonzo 0. Crocker,
John Cabner,
James P. Darling, wounded,
Warren K. Darling,
Walter Darling,

161
Privates, Creorge S. Davis, died, "
Eobert Dinsmore,
Leroy Forehand,
Stephen 6. Ford,
George H. Goodhue,
Jeremiah H. Haynes,
Charles C. Howard, wounded,
Franklin J. Hersey, killed at Fair Oaks,
Philip Harding, killed at 2d Bull Eun battle,
Edward Hall,
Hiram C. Hall,
Charles N. Harridon,
Heman Jacobs,
Ambrose Jerome,
Charles K. Jackson, died,
John A. Johnson,
W. Wallace Kidder,
Thomas Mack,
Abraham Nutting,
Elias F. Powers, died at Poolsville, Md., Feb. 17, 1863,
Charles S. Patridge,
Theodore H. Payne,
Nathan Peyton,
Isaac P. Eawson,
George H. Boss,
Albert F. Bobbins,
John Eiley,
Henry H. Stockwell, killed at Fair Oaks,
John G. Stockwell, died at Harper's Ferry,
Henry H. Squires,
Charles L. Stockwell, mortally wounded,
George N. Smith,
George Tasker,
Austin L. Whipple, died in service,
Emille Warren, died at Andersonville, Ga.
Note. — A few of the above were substitutes, and not actual citizens of
the town. Twenty-five of them enlisted in the early part of the war, and
received but ten dollars bounty. They were all volunteers. The highest
bounty paid by the town was $100 per year. No citizen of Croydon is
known to have deserted from the army during the war. Many of them=
re-enlisted and served two terms.

162
The following are a few of the many natives of Croydon who enlisted
from other places during the war :
Joseph Sargent, Chaplain, died in the service.
Ira W. Bragg, Naval Surgeon, died in the service.
Sherman Cooper, Surgeon.
David C. Powers, Surgeon. .
Marshall Perkins, Assistant Surgeon.
Willard 0. Hurd, Assistant Surgeon.
Willard C. Kempton, Assistant Surgeon.
Walter Forehand, Captain.
Edward Dow, Lieutenant of Sharp Shooters.
Walter P. Blanchard, Sergeant.
Leonard Barton, mortally wounded in battle.
Peter Barton.
Hiram E. W. Barton.
Edward W. Collins, Jr., wounded at 1st Bull Eun battle.
David E. Eastman.
Marshall P. Hurd, killed at Antietam.
Henry Humphry, died in the service.
Orren Marsh.
Simeon Patridge.
Dexter Stewart.
Stephen M. Thornton. •
John Thornton.
George H. Thornton, died in the service.
Horace P. Hall.

CHXJUOKCBS.
CoNSKBGATioirAL. — The first church in Croydon was Presbyterian. It
was organized Sept 9, 1778. The following are the names of its members :
Moses Whipple, Stephen Powers, Isaac Sanger, John Cooper, Joseph Hall,
Jacob Leland, John Sanger, Catherine Whipple, Eaohel Powers, Mary
Cooper, Anna Leland, Lydia Hall, Hannah Giles and Lucy Whipple.
The first meeting-house was built in 1794. It was taken down and con
verted into a Town Hall in 1828. The present church was erected in 1826.
Eev. Jacob Haven, the first minister, was settled June 18, 1787. He was
minister of the town and chnrch until Nov. 5, 1805, when h,e became min
ister of the church only. He retired Jan. 6, 1834. Eev. Eli Taylor was
installed pastor in his stead June 10, 1834 and was dismissed Dec. 27,
1837. Aurelius S. Swift was ordained May 16, 1838, and left in 1841.

163
Feeewill Baptist.— In 1810, some thirty individuals united and form
ed a Freewill Baptist church, with Elijah Watson as Elder ; Eli Davis and
David Putnam were appointed deacons. It continued to flourish for some
time. At length, it was given up and a larger portion of its members
united with a then flourishing church at Northville, in Newport.
Univeesalist. — In 1832, a Universalist society was formed comprising
some fifty members. Their meetings were held in the town hall, until 1854,
when Paul Jacobs, Esq., built them a house of worship at the Flat.
Calviitist Baptist. — Many individuals of this town have connected
themselves with the Calvinist Baptist society at Newport Village.
Methodist. — Itinerant preachers of the Methodist order had frequently
lectured in town and formed classes, but it was not until 1853 that a
church was formed. At that time a society, comprising some thirty-six
members, was organized with C. H. Lovejoy as preacher. In 1854, they
erected their meeting-house at the Bast Village, in which their services
are now held.
Eevivals. — In 1810 there was an extensive revival in town, during
which some one hundred and twenty individuals professed the Christian
faith. In 1835 a protracted meeting was held, under the direction of
Eev. JoseplPMerrill of Aeworth, and some seventy persons acknowledged
a change of heart.
iSECESSIOlT.
In 1778 a number of towns on the east side of Connecticut Eiver re
nounced their allegiance to New Hampshire, and formed a connection with
the new State of Vermont, This led to a long and heated contention be
tween the seceding towns and the government to which they formerly
belonged. In the incipient stages of the controversy, Croydon took no part ;
but when, towards the close of the year, a convention of delegates assembled
at Cornish, Moses Whipple, Esq., was appointed a delegate by this town.
From that time until quiet was restored, the proceedings of Croydon were
identified with the eccentric movejaents of the revolted district. In 1782,
Moses Whipple, Esq., was chosen to represent this town in the Vermont
Legislature. But, before his arrival at the seat of government, the Ver
mont Assembly, brought to their senses by a letter from General Washing
ton had resolved that the western bank of the Connecticut river should
be the dividing line between Vermont and New Hampshire ; so that Whip
ple and the other delegates from the eastern side of the river, on their
arrival, found themselves excluded from a seat in the Assembly. This step
of the Legislature tended to close the controversy. The disaffected towns
returned to their allegiance, and domestic quiet was restored.

164
List of Eepresentatives, from' 1800 to 1866, inclusive :

1800, Benjamin Barton,
1801, Samuel Powers,
1802,
1803, Benjamin Barton,
1804, Samuel Po-wers,
1805, "
1806, "
1807, "
1808, "
T809, Peter Stow,
1810, James Breck,
1811, "
1S12, Samuel Goldthwait,
1813, James Breck,
1814, "
1816, Obed Metcalf,
1816, Nathaniel -Wheeler,
1817, Stephen Eastman,
1818, ¦
1819, "
1820, Abijah Powers,
1821, "
1822, Obed Metcalf,

1823, AbVjah Powers,
1821, Amasa Hall,
1825, "
1826, Carlton Barton,
U27, Briant Brown,

Zina Goldthwait,
Carlton Barton,
Paul Jacobs,
Hiram Smart,"
Zina Goldthwait,
Samuel Morse,
Paul Jacobs,
Alexander Barton,

1829, 1830, 1831,
1832,1833,
1834,1835,
1836,
1837, 1838, Joseph Eastman,

Jr., 1839,1840,1841,
1842,1843,
1844,

John Putnam,
Calvin Hall,
none, Alexander Baiiton,
Lemuel P. Cooper,

1845, Lemuel P. Cooper,
1846, Ruel Sorkee,
1847, "
1848, Lester Blanchard,
1849, "
1850, none,
1851, PUny Hall,
1862, "
1853, Alfred Ward,
1854, "
1855, Preeman Crosby,
1866, Wm. M. Whipple,
1857, Martin A. Barton,
1858, Freeman Crosby,
1869, no choice,
1860,
1861, Paine Durkee,
1862, Daniel B. Hall,
, 1863, "
1864, Denison Humphry,
1865, "
1866, Worthen Hall.

Note. — Prior to 1800, Croydon was classed with other towns in the
choice of Eepresentatives. Benjamin Barton was chosen in 1795, and
Edward Hall, Jr., in 1797^.

The following
represent other
Croydon :
Solomon Clement,
Orra C. Howard,
Amasa Hall,
Adolphus Hall,
William Melendy,
James Breck,
John B. Stowell,
James Hall,
Zina Goldthwait,
Edmund Wheeler,
Levi W. Barton,
Paul J. Wheeler,
Henry Breck,
Orlando Powers,
Horace Powers,
John L. Marsh,

is an imperfect list of those who have httn called to
towns, and who received their political training in

Springfield, N. H.
« ((
Grantham, " '
tt tt
Springfield, "
Newport, "

Coi

¦nish.

Morristown, Vt.
Jefferson Co., N. Y.

Moses Humphry,
Aaron Barton,
Hiram Smart, Jr..
Orra Crosby,
Luther J. Eletcher,
Joshua B. Merrill,
Sherburne Merrill,
Alvin Sargent,
Charles Bowell,
John Ferrin,
Harrison Ferrin,
Nathaniel'Cooper,
Alexander Barton,
Jonas C. Kempton,
James W. Putnam,

Concord, N. H.
Piermont, "
Plaistow, "
Hardwick, Vt.
, Lowell, Mass.
Barnstead, N. H.
Colebrook, "
Sanbomton, "
AUenstown, "
Morristown, Vt.
(( tt
Leon, N. Y.
Ludlow, Vt.
Nashua, N. H.
Danvers, Mass.

The following is a list of the Selectmen of Croydon, from 1768 to 1866,
inclusive :

Moses Leland,
1768  Moses Whipple,
David Warren.
Moses Leland,
1769  Moses Whipple,
Stephen Powers.
Isaac Sanger,
1770  Moses Whipple,
Stephen Powers.

Moses Whipple,
1771  Stephen Powers,
David Warren.
John Cooper,
1772  Moses Whipple
Stephen Powers.
John Cooper,
1773  Moses Whipple,
Benjamin Swinnerton.

165

Moses Whipple,
1774  John Cooper,
Stephen Powers,
Moses Whipple,
1775  Stephen Powers,
Phineas Sanger.
John Cooper,
1776  Moses Whipple,
Benjamin Swinnerton.
Moses Whipple,
1777  Stephen Powers,
Phineas Sanger.
Stephen Powers,
1778  Benjamin Swinnerton,
Josemh Hall.
Moaee Whipple,
1779  John Cooper,
Stephen Powers.
Moses Whipple,
1780  John'Powers,
Benjamin Powers,
Stephen Powers,
1781  Pliineas Sanger,
David Putnam.
John Cooper,
1782  Moses Whipple,
Stephen Powers.
Edward Hall,
17^5  Stephen Powers,
Phineas Sanger.
John Cooper
17^6  Edward Hall,
Moses Whipple.
Stephen Powers,
1787  Benjamin Barton,
Simeon Partridge.
Benjamin Barton,
1788  Jesse Green,
David Putnam.
John Cooper,
1789  Benjamin Powers,
Ezra Cooper.
Bei^jamin Barton,
1790  Abijah Hall,
John Cooper, Jr.
Benjamin Barton,
1791  David Putnam,
John Cooper.
Benjamin Barton,
1792  David Putnam,
Samuel Powers.
Benjamin Barton,
1793  David Putnam,
Samuel Powers.
Benjamin Barton,
1794  John Cooper, Jr.,
Nathaniel Wheeler.
Benjamin Barton,
1795  John Cooper, Jr.,
David Putnam.
Benjamin Barton,
1896  Thomas Whipple,
David Putnam.
Samuel Powers,
1797  Simeon Partridge,
Peter Stow.

Benjamin Barton,
1798  John Cooper, Jr.,
Thomas Whipple.
Benjamin Barton,
1799  Samuel Powers,
Simeon Partridge.
Benjamin Barton,
1800  John Cooper, Jr.,
Samuel Powers.
John Cooper, Jr.,
1801  Peter Barton,
John Nelson.
Benjamin Barton,
1802  Peter Barton,
John Nelson.
Samuel Powers,
1803  Peter Stow,
Peter Barton.
Peter Stow,
1804  Peter Barton,
Barnabas Cooper.
Peter Stow,
1805  Samuel Goldthwait,
Peter Barton.
Benjamin Barton,
1806  John Nelson,
Stephen Eastman.
Peter Stow,
1807  Obed Metcalf,
Stephen Eastman.
Peter Stow,
1808  John Cooper, *
Asaph Stow.
John Cooper,
1809  James Breck,
Asaph Stow.
John Cooper,
1810  James Breck,
Stephen Eastman.
James Breck,
1811  Stephen Eastman,
John Humphry.
James Breck,
1812  Stephen Eastman,
Abijah Powers.
Benjamin Barton,
1813  Stephen Eastman,
Ab^ah Powers.
John Humphry,
1814  Obed Metcalf,
Solomon Clement.
James Breck,
1815  Benjamin Itarton,
Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.
Benjamin Barton,
1816  Obed Metcalf,
Stephen Eastman.
Stephen Eastman,
1817  Abijah Powers,
Ezra Gustin.
John Humphry,
1818  Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
Elisha Partridge.
Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
1819.*.. ..Edward Putnam,
Zina Goldthwait.

166

Stephen Eastman,
1820  Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
Henry Breck.
Nathaniel Wheeler,
1821  John Humphry,
Obed Metcalf. -
Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
, 1822  John Humphry,
Obed Metcalf.
Stephen Eastman,
1823  Samuel Morse,
Edward Hall.
Stephen Eastman,
1824  Abyah Powers,
Edward Hall.
Abijah Powers,
1825  Stephen Eastman,
Carlton Barton.
Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
1826  Zina Goldthwait,
David Whipple.
Abijah Powers,
1827  Carlton Barton,
Edward Hall.
Abijah Powers,
1828  CaxUon Barton,
Hiram Smart.
Carlton Barton,
1829  Benjamin Barton,
John Barton.
Hiram Smart,
1830  Briant Brown^
John Barton.
Hiram Smart,
1831  Carlton Barton,
Moses Eastman.
Carlton Barton,
1832  Paul Jacobs,
Zina Goldthwait.
Hiram Smart,
1833  James Hall, Jr.,
Lemuel P. Cooper.
Hiram Smart,
1834  Zina Goldthwait,
Moses Eastman.
Henry Breck,
1835  Zina Goldthwait,
Moses Eastman.
Carlton Barton,
1836  Lemuel P. Cooper,
Calvin Hall.
Lemuel P. Cooper,
1837  Calvin Hall,
John Putnam.
Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
1838  John Putnam,
Sherburne B. Rowell.
Lemuel P. Cooper,
1839  Calvin Hall,
Peter Barton.
Calvin Hall,
1840  William C. Carroll,
Sherburne B. Rowell.
Hiram Smart,
1841  Euel Durkee,
Calvin Kempton.

William C. Carroll,
1842  Ruel Durkee,
Freeman Crosby.
Hiram Smart,
1843  Lemuel P. Cooper,
John C. Loverin.
Ruel Durkee,
1844  John C. Loverin,
Timothy G. Powers.
Ruel i>urkee,
1845  Timothy G. Powers,
William Darling.
John Putnam, •
1846  Josiah Ide,
Moses Haven.
Timothy 6. Powers,
1847  Moses Haven,
Ariel Hall.
Lemuel P. Cooper,
1848  John Putnam,
Martin A. Barton.
Ruel Durkee,
1849  Paul J. Wheeler,
Edmund Rowell.
Ruel Durkee,
1850  Dellevan D. Marsh,
Denison Humphry.
Martin A. Barton,
1851  Ruel Durkee,
Paine Durkee,
Ruel Durkee,
1852  Dellavan D. Marshy
Hiram C. Brown.
Ruel Durkee,
1853  Hiram C. Brown,
Lemuel P. Cooper.
John Putnam,
1854  Dellavan D. Marsh,
Caleb L. Barton.
Daniel R. Hall,
1855  Otis Cooper,
Elias Powers.
Hiram C. Brown,
1856  E. Darwin Comings,
Martin C. Bartlett.
Ruel Durkee, >
1857  Martin C. Bartlett,
Welcome P. Patridge.
E. Darwin Comings,
1858  Dellavan D. Marsh,
Albert G. Barton.
Ruel Durkee,
1859  Nathaniel P. Stevens,
Hiram P. Kempton.
Ruel Durkee,
1860  Nathaniel P. Stevens,
Hiram P. Kempton.
Ruel Durkee,
1861  John W. Putnam,
Martin C. Bartlett.
Ruel Durkee,
1862  Nathan Hall,
David E. Ryder.
Ruel Durkee.
1863  Nathan Hall,
William W. Hall.

167

Huel Durkee,
1864  William W. Hall,
Dahiel Ide.
Ruel Durkee,
1865  WilUam W. Hall,
Elias Powers.

Ruel Durkee,
1866  Elias Powers,
Oliver C. Forehand.

The following is a list of Town Clerks, from 1768 to 1866, inclusive :

1768,1769, 1770,1771, 1772, 1773,
1774,1775, 1776,1777,
1778, 1779,1780, 1781,11782,;1783,1784,1786, 1786, 1787,1788,1789, 1790,1791,1792,1793, 1794,
1795, 1796,1797,1798, 1799,1800,

Moses Whipple,
John Cooper,
Moses Whipple,

No town Records.
Stephen Powers,

Jesse Oreen,(1 ((
Jacob Haven,
(C tt
Reuben Carroll,

1801, Reuben Carroll,
1802,1803, "
1804, "
1805, Benjamin Barton,
1806, Reuben Carroll,
1807, Jacob Haven,
1808, 1809, "
1810, "
1811, "
1812, "
1813, "
1814,1815, Stephen Eastman,
1816, Jacob Haven,
1817, "
1818, "
1819, "
1820, "
1821, "
1822, "
1823, "
1824,1825,1826, "
1827, "
1828, "
1829, "
18S0, "
1831, " ~
1832, "

1834, Jacob Haven,
1836, "

1836,

(t

1837,

Eeivjamin Skinner,

1838,

«

1839,

((

1840,

"

1841

Daniel R. Hall,

1842,

«

1843,

"

1844,

It

1845,

tt

1846,

((

1847,

"

1848,

([

1849,

u

1850,

Nathan Hall,

1851,

"

1852,

IC

1863,

"

1854,

tt

1855,

cc

1856,

ct

1867,

cc

1858,

cc

1859,

cc

1860,

cc

1861,

Daniel R. Hall,

1862,

Dellstvan D. Marsh,

1863,

cc

1864,

Nathan Hall,

1865,

Dellavan D. Marsh,

1866,

Alonzo Allen.

JTTSTIOBSiOF QTJOIfCTI*^.

Benjamin Barton, Jr.,
Lemuel P. Cooper,

John Cooper,
Daniel R. HaU,

Paul Jacobs,
Abijah Powers.

J-CJSXIOES OF THE 3PE-A.OE.

Benjamin Barton,
John Barton,
Martin A. Barton,
Solomon Clement,
Isaac Cooper,
Otis Cooper,
John Cragin,
Ruel Durkee,
Paine Durkee,
William Dodge,

Stephen Eastman,
Joseph Eastman,
Lyman Hall,
Nathan Hall,
Worthen Hall,
Henry Hurd,
Samuel Morse,
Dellavan D. Marsh,
Stephen Powers,
Elias Powers,

John W. Putnam,
Sherburne B. Rowell,
Benjamin Skinner,
Hiram Smart,
, Allen Town,
Moses Whipple,
Nathaniel Wheeler, Jr.,
Paul J. Wheeler,
Wm. M. Whipple.

168
I«IIXiITA.Il"2"-
Croydon has furnished to the militia the following Officers : Major
General Nathan Emery. Colonels— Jarvis Adams, Otis Cooper, Freeman
Dunbar, Daniel E. Hall, Calvin KeSpton, Samuel Powers, Nathaniel
Wheeler, Jr., and Moses Whipple. Majors— Abijah Powers, Peter Stow,
Lemuel P. Cooper.
Population. — The population of Croydon at different periods was as
follows: In 1765, 143; 1790, 537; 1800, 984; 1810, 863 ; 1820, 1060 ; 1830,
1057 ; 1840, 956; 1850, 861 ; 1860, 765.
Valuation.— 1864, $264,931.
Table showing the annual number of births in Croydon, from 1790 to
1800, inclusive :
Years. Male, lemale. Total. Years. Male. Female. Total. Years. Male. Female. Total.

17901791
'1792 1793

20

13

33

1794

17

17

34

1798

26

18

15

19

34

1795

21

25

46

1799

16

16

21

14

35

1796

26

15

41

10

18

16

21

12

33

1797

24

21

45

Total,

225 186

44 3234
411

Eemaeks. — The first birth in Croydon occurred May 13, 1767. It was
of Catherine, daughter of Moses Whipple, Esq. . The second was of Joshua,
son of Seth Chase, born October 29, 1767. The probable number of births,
from 1790 to 1851, inclusive, is nearly twenty-five hundred, of which more
than half were of males.

16£

EXXiX. OF DMORTAJCilT-V TOR CRO-STiaOIT.
The following table exhibits the annual number of deaths, commencing
January 1, 1790, and ending January 1, 1867. Average deaths one to
seventy-five. Yrs. ChUd'n. Adults. Total. Yrs. Child'n. Adults. Total. Yrs. Child'n.

1790179117921793
1794 1795
1796 17971798179918001801
'1802 18031804 1805
1806180718081809
181018111812181318141815

7

1

8

1816

9

3

12

4

2

6

1817

4

4

8

4

2

6

1818

5

4

9

3

6

9

1819

13

¦ 6

19

10

1

11

1820

10

6

16

23

1

24

1821

6

4

10

11

3

14

1822

10

12

22

4

4

8

1823

4

3

7

8

1

9

1824-

2

8

10

2

6

8

1825

7

9

16

6

1

7

1826

8

8

16

4

3

7

1827

17

4

21

5

5

10

1828

2

7

9

' 14

5

19

1829

4

7

11

10

4

14

1830

5

2

7

6

5

11

1831

4

15

19

14

6

20

1832

19

9

28

11

6

17

1833

2

10

12

12.

5

17

1834

10

8

18

4

5

9

1835

4

9

13

7

3

10

1836

, 4

5

9

5

5

10

1837

3

7

10

6

4

10

1838

8

7

15

12

18

30

1839

5

10

15

3

2

5

1840

16

12

28

5

6

11

1841

4

12

16

184218431844 1845
184618471848184918501851.1852
18531854 1855
1856 1857
185818591860186118621863186418651866

1 1
0 1
57
6 7111
251
50
15 323
0
4 0 32

Total, 461 511 972

Adults

Total

6

7

11

12

¦ 2

2

4

5

8

13

10

17

8

14

7

14

11

12

6

7

6

7

6

8

12

17

12

13

7

12

7

7

9

24

13

16

6

8

7

10

12

12

12

16

11

11

14

17

3

5

Longevity. — An incomplete list of the names of. those who have
attained to ninety years and over :

Widow Marsh,
Mrs. Benjamin Cutting,
Widow Clement,
Mrs. Jotham Ryder,
Samuel Metcalf,

90 Widow Giles,
90 Samuel Marsh,
93 Widow A. Stockwell,
94 Capt. Nathan Clark,
93

94 'Thomas Blanchard,
94 Widow Rumble,
95 Samuel Goldthwait,
90 Lydia Leland Powers,

Education. — Early, the wife of Moses Whipple, an intelligent and
worthy lady, called the children of the first settlers to her house, and for
years taught them without charge. The first school-house, a small struct
ure twenty feet square, was built in 1772, and eight pounds was raised for
purposes of education. The second district was formed in 1780, and one
hundred and fifty dollars assessed for school purposes. From the begin
ning, Croydon has paid due attention to mental culture.

170

•

LiBEAEY.— The " Croydon Social Library" was festablished in 1806. It
contained many standard works of great merit. They were mainly select
ed by the Eev. Jacob Haven, who was, for a long time, librarian. This
library has had a decided influence in moulding th« character of the young
men of the town. The inhabitants of Croydon have been a reading people.
Casualties. — In 1770, Caleb, son of Seth Chase, the first settler in town,
wandered into the forest and was lost. The mother, rendered frantic by
the loss of her son, had she not been prevented, would have rushed into
the trackless forest and been lost. On the morrow all the inhabitants
turned out and searched the woods through and through, but no trace of
the darling boy could ever be found.
Isaac Sanger and one of the other early settlers of the town, perished
while attempting to cross Croydon Mountain.
Alexander Metcalf, son of Alexander Metcalf, senior, was killed by the
falling of a tree. He was to have been married the next day to a lady in
Franklin. Abijah Hall was drowned at the " Glidden Bridge'' in 1812. A son of
Thomas Whipple and a son of Giles Stockwell, senior, were drowned in
Spectacle Pond.
On the 19th of April, 1828, the dwelling of Mr. Charles Carroll was con
sumed by fire and two children perished in the flames.
Dr. Eeuben Carroll was thrown from a gig, in 1840, while going down
the hill between Four Corners and the East Village, and killed.
Son of Nathaniel W. Brown was killed near the Bridge at the East Vil
lage, in 1863, by the horse stumbling and falling upon him.
In 1846, wife of Paul J. Wheeler met a terrible death by burning — ^her
clothes taking fire as she stood warming herself before the stove.
Mr. Cummings, an old gentleman, went out from the Flat towards Coit
Mountain, and the next day was found dead.
A son of Simeon Ames fell from a load of hay upon the handle of a pitch
fork which penetrated his body, from which accident he soon after died a
most painful death.
Son of Ira Bragg fell from the cart-tongue while riding, and the wheel
running over him killed him instantly. Another son was supposed to be
murdered. • He went West with money to buy a farm, a man went out with
him to show him his land, and neither of them ever returned.
Ziba, son of John Cooper, was killed by the kick of a horse which he was
driving to tread out clover seed.
A daughter of Foster Hall fell into the river, at the East Village, and
was drowned. {

171
A child of Eev. Jacob Haven was scalded to death by falling backwards
into a pail of hot water.
Asa Kelsey, residing in the south-east corner of the town, fell from a
building and was killed.
A son of Leonard N. Kempton was drowned in the mill-pond at the
Flat. Son of John Melendy was killed by the falling of t]ie stone chimney of
his father's dwelling.
A daughter of Eobert Osburn, in the north-east corner of the town, fell
into a brook, was carried under the causeway and drowned.
A son of James Perkins was drowned by falling into the brook near his
father's dwelling at the Flat.
A s6n of Ezekiel Powers was caught between two logs, while peeling
bark, and crushed to death.
Willard,, son of Urias Powers, fell from the " Glidden Bridge" while on
his way from school and was drowned.
A son of Jotham Eyder was killed by a cart-body blowing over and fall
ing upon him.
Wife of David Eowell killed by lightning. Her infant sleeping on her
arm escaped uninjured and lived to manhood. [
Joseph Smart went out to catch his horse one Sabbath morning, was
soon after found dead.
Griswould, son of Aaron Whipple, killed by running under an axe
which was thrown from the frame of the house, at the raising.
In 1861, Edwin, son of Moses Whipple, while returning from the Post-
office, at the Flat, one dark, raijy night, the string-piece being jarred in
towards the middle of the bridge, walked off and met a sad death amid the
rocks and angry waves below.
Epidemics. — In 1795, the " Canker Eash" prevailed to an alarming
extent among the children. Of twenty-four deaths that year, twenty were
under fourteen years of age. In 1813, the " Spotted Fever" made its appear
ance in a most malignant form, defying all remedies and cutting down the
strong men almost without warning. Of thirty deaths in town that year,
eighteen were from that disease.
FouE Coenees. — Being in the center of the town and on the Cr'oydon
Turnpike the great thoroughfare, and having a church, tavern, store, and
offices and shops, the Four Corners was once the center of trade; but rail
roads diverting the long travel, and the want of water power, has caused
its decline.

172
A Wolf Stoey. — Benj. Cutting, a poor man, away after provisions, was
detained over night and the nexi day. The wife and children were nearly
famished, with nothing in the house to eat. She waited until the shades of
evening approached, and still he came not. She then went down to the
nearest neighbors to beg something that should keep them from starvation-
She had hardly reached the house when she heard the wolves, and
thought of her two little ones at home. She started, and impelled by all the
ardor of a mother's love flew towards home. A pack of hungry wolves
were after her. She was barely able to reach the door, rush in and slam
it in the face of her enemy. She secured the door. They mounted
the roof, which was covered with bark. There was no chimney, and she
expected every moment they would come down through the open space
through which the smoke escaped. She caught the poker and stirred the
fire with such violence as to fill the space with sparks and flames. The
terrible howling and biting of the wolves made the night hideous. When
one of them showed his teeth through an open space in the roof, she would
greet it with the burning poker. If they grew desperate she wo aid throw
on the contents of her straw bed and thus increase the flames. The con
test -ms kept up until the straw and wood were nearly exhausted, when
the wolves, despairing of success, beat up a retreat and left our heroine
mistress of the field.

Amos Hagar, a man of great physical strength, once going through the
woods on the east part of the Wheeler farm, met a bear and threw a hem
lock knot at it with such violence as to knock it over and enable him
to capture it.

Anecdote.— In April, 1766, the party which came to Croydon for the
purpose of laying out land, discovered, soon after crossing Sugar Eiver,
in Claremont, that the plan of the town had been left behind. As the
rivers swollen by rain and melted snow, was unfordable, and as the impet
uous current had already borne their temporary raft beyond their reach,
they hardly knew what course to take. M length, Ezekiel Powers crossed
and re-crossed the river by swimming, bringing the parchment between
his teeth. For this feat the company paid.him a pistareen.

Peae Teee.— a pear tree, brought to town by Dea. Nathaniel Wheeler
ninety-one years ago, now over one hundred years old, is still alive and in
a good bearing condition.

173
Beae Stoey. — A bear once took a hog from a yard near what is known
as the Peter Barton place. The neighbors gave chase, but they were a
mile away before they were overtaken. The hog was so lacerated it was
necessary to kill it. When dressed its weight was found to be two hun
dred pounds. This feat exhibits the strength of the bear.
Daisies. — Croydon Dairies have long r|inked among the finest in market.
Negeoes. — ^Early in the history of the town a colony of negroes planted
themselves on Coit Mountain and its eastern vicinity. Among them were
Salem Colby, Eobert Nott and Scipio Page. They have long since disap
peared.

r II

k

\3

iM l'«.\ 'UJftjTt '

t 1 1

hS if-
.1 I

i«V I'l^

^r

II f'

'.«¦¦
.4 1.
Is
1^ *!'
s. >-tr
<f'^'-
ik •
. .-¦ - ^^
*.' J*
- -. ^
;t j
'' -
¦ '' .11 ^ I.
,. i'
-JI' 'I*'
"• A-'J's.-i"
tl Jf-, * ^
. »' >
a%8swiif /f.-Tsr ¦«••,-- .,?-•'^..^-'11