“Elliott C. Cogswell’s ‘History of Nottingham, Deerfield, and Northwood’ provides an in-depth exploration of these communities within the original limits of Nottingham, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Published in 1878, this work compiles extensive historical records, genealogical sketches, and accounts of centennial proceedings, offering a thorough narrative that encapsulates the development and historical significance of the area from its earliest days. The book reflects Cogswell’s five-year commitment to researching and documenting the towns’ pasts, incorporating detailed descriptions of land divisions, ecclesiastical affairs, and the everyday lives of the settlers. By acknowledging both the financial and intellectual contributions from the communities and individuals, Cogswell presents a text that is as informative as it is appreciative of the local heritage, aiming to serve both current residents and future generations interested in the history of Nottingham, Deerfield, and Northwood.”
Preface
Our book is written, — the labor of five years. Our ambition has been to gratify those who would be able to appreciate its merits and condone its imperfections, cheered with the hope that the nest generation will be grateful for it. In its preparation we have taken many an hour from needful rest by day, and sleep by night. Not a few have complained of the delay in completing the work, and others have expressed much anxiety lest we should grow rich from its sale. Our prayer for such has been that of Job, — “O that mine adversary had written a book;” and that book the history of three towns: then the lips of some fools would have been silent.
The book goes forth much larger than we at first anticipated, and far too large for our financial comfort; but we have labored without hope of gain or desire of applause.
The town of Northwood appropriated two hundred dollars to aid the work. This sum has been expended on views of the Narrows, Suncook Lake, the Center, Blake’s Hill, East Northwood, Saddleback Mountain, and the two Baptist meeting-houses.
The town of Deerfield appropriated two hundred dollars for the same purpose. This sum has been expended on views of the Parade, Rand’s Corner, New Center, Town Hall, three meeting-houses, and South Road; that of Pleasant Pond stands charged to the general expense of the work.
The cost of the Elm Tree on Clark’s Hill was borne by Maurice Knowles, Esq., of Lawrence, Mass., and all the portraits have been gratuitously furnished.
Nottingham, ouce glorious in statesmen and heroes, declined to aid the work. She gave about fifty subscriptions for the book, while Deerfield subscribed for about two hundred copies, and Northwood for about one hundred and fifty, some one hundred and twenty-five copies being demanded by parties in “regions beyond.”
We have aimed to incorporate whatever of interest might be gathered within the original limits of Nottingham. The family sketches have been prepared with great labor. Family records have been found to be few, and often sadly defective; and, if errors should be found, those who have attempted to furnish the materials for such, must be held chiefly responsible. Most of the sketches furnished have been so changed — subtracted from or added to — that they have cost us too much labor to be credited to any one. S. G. Haines, Esq., has furnished several extended sketches of families in Deerfield, to whom, and to all who have in any way rendered us assistance, we hereby render sincere thanks.
Eben S. Coe, Esq., of Bangor, Me., whose modesty has forbidden any special allusion to himself, has manifested such interest in the history of his native town, and has so often proffered aid in the work, that we cannot refrain from acknowledging our indebtedness to him and his family. Through his liberality we have views of Coe’s Academy and Harvey Lake; the former, in her educated sons and daughters, shall make him live long in grateful hearts, and the latter shall testify to his appreciation of the beautiful in nature, and shall reflect the smiles of Him who has crowned his life with signal success.
Nottingham New Hampshire History
Chapter 1
Pages 77-194
History of Nottingham
- Motive to settle new Towns
- Petitioners
- Petition for a Township
- Names of Petitioners
- Act of Council
- First called New Boston
- Action of Proprietors
- Royal Charter
- Names of Proprietors
- Bridge
- Size of Town
- First Settlement
- The Plan
- Block-house
- Mill
- Streets
- Shem Drown’s Mill
- Gift of Timber to George II
- Division of Lots
Chapter II
Pages 95-105
The Third Division
- Committee appointed
- Report
- Surveyors, their Report
- Ranges described
- Names of Proprietors
- Lots drawn
Chapter III
Pages 106-116
Ecclesiastical Affairs
- Mr. Maylem
- Call given him
- Joshua Moody
- Call to him
- Stephen Emery
- Call to him
- Salary
- Dismissal
- Samuel McClintock
- Call to him
- Josiah Goodhue
- Call to him
- Benjamin Butler
- Call accepted
- Troubles
- Council called
- Mr. Butler dismissed
- Oliver Dodge
- Call declined
- James Hobert invited
- Declined
- Other Efforts
Chapter IV
Pages 117-119
Meeting-Houses
- First unfinished
- Pews sold to complete it
- Description of it
- The Second House
- Its Removal
- Congregational Church
- Other Denominations
Chapter V
Pages 120-133
Revolution
- Uneasiness
- Taking Fort William and Mary
- Proclamation of Governor Wentworth
- Aid for Boston Sufferers
- Procuring Arms
- Delegates
- Province Money withheld
- Pay of Soldiers in the Concord Fight
- Declaration of Independence in New Hampshire
- Association Test
- Census of 1775
- Fire-arms
- Dr. Shepard
- Raising Men for Army
- Beef
- Petition for Right of Representation
Chapter VI
Pages 134-165
Indian Troubles
- Tribe on North River
- Murder of Mrs. Simpson and Others
- Petition for Aid
- Miscellaneous Votes and Incidents
- Chichester
- Epsom
- Mark How
- Premium for Wolves
- James Harvey
- Early Marriages
- Appointment of Justice
- Call to Mr. Osborn
- Inoculation forbidden
- Bounty for Wild Cats and Crows
- Burial Cloths
- Turnpike District
- School-districts
- Inventory of 1806
- Town Officers
- Votes
- Insane Man’s Prayer
- Thirsty Disciple
Northfield New Hampshire Family Sketches
Pages 166-253
Bartlett, Butler, Cilley, Colcord, Dearborn, Demeritt, Gerrish, Gile, Goodrich, Gove, Harvey, Harvey, Kelsey, Langley, Lucy, McClary, Marsh, McCrillis, Nealley, Norris, Scales, Simpson, Stevens, Tuttle, Watson, and Winslow.
Deerfield New Hampshire History
Chapter I
Pages 259-265
- Nottingham consents to set off
- Petition for a Legal Separation
- Second Vote to set off
- Batchelder’s Deer
- Gov. Wentworth
- Origin of Name of Deerfield
- Petition
- Incorporation
Chapter II
Pages 266-271
- First Legal Meeting
- Town Officers
- Committee to locate Meeting-house
- Money voted
- Center to be defined
- Meeting-house
- New Lights
- Reconsideration of Vote
- New Location for Meeting-house
- Another Location
- Yet another chosen
- Trouble over
Chapter III
Pages 272-284
- Mr. Upham’s Call to Deerfield
- Proposals
- Clearing of Land
- Apple-trees
- Mr. Upham’s Reply
- Preparation for Ordination
- The Council
- Mr. Upham’s Parentage
- Marriage
- His Character
- Decease
- Monument
- His Children and his Grandchildren
- Rev. Nathaniel Wells
- Ordination
- His Character
- His Children
- His Successors
Chapter IV
Pages 285-296
- Roads
- Schools
- Revolutionary Spirit
- Deputies chosen
- Soldiers raised
- Bounties voted
- Census
- New York Tories sent to New Hampshire
- Assigned to Deerfield and Nottingham
- Test Declaration
- Distinguished Statesmen
- Baptist Church
- Freewill Baptist Church
Chapter V
Pages 297-307
- Parade
- Rand’s Corner
- Old Center
- New Center
- South Road
- Coffee Town
Chapter VI
Pages 308-323
- Delegates to Provincial Congress
- Moderators
- Representatives
- Town Clerks
- Selectmen
- Inventory, 1777
- Comparison with 1877-78
Chapter VII
Pages 324-332
- Attorneys
- Physicians
- Spotted Fever
- The Poor
- First Stove for Congregational Meeting-house
- Price of Labor
- Contrast
Deerfield New Hampshire Family Sketches
Pages 333-507
Batchelder, Bean, Brown, Butler, Cate, Chadwick, Chase, Churchill, Cilley, Collins, Cram, Currier, Dearborn, Eastman, Freese, French, Furnald, Gerrish, Gilman, Griffin, Haines, Hilton, Hoag, James, Jenness, Maloon, Marston, Miller, Moore, Page, Prescott, Rand, Robinson, Sanborn, Sawyer, Simpson, Smith, Steams, Stevens, Thompson, Tilton, True, Veasey, Weare, White, Whittier, and Woodman.
Northwood New Hampshire Histories
Historical Address
Pages 511-541
- Early Settlements
- Incorporation
- Revolution
- Association Test
- First Volunteers
- Census
- Sacrifices
- Doings of Northwood dur-ing the Rebellion
- Ecclesiastical History
- Calvin Baptist Church
- Congregational Church
- Freewill Baptist Church
- Education
- Turnpike
- President Monroe
- Lafayette
- Changes
Chapter I
Pages 542-557
Churches
- Calvin Baptist
- Edmund Pillsbury
- Eliphalet Merrill
- Elias Gregory
- George W. Ashby and Others
- Congregational
- First Meeting-house
- Call to Josiah Prentice
- Pledge of Support
- Ordination
- Meeting-house repaired
- Revivals
- Second Meeting-house erected
- Mr. and Mrs. Coe
- Mr. Prentice’s Dismissal
- His Successors
- Freewill Baptist
- Meeting-house erected
- Pastors
Chapter II
Pages 558-565
Schools
- Coe’s Academy
- Seminary
- School-houses
- First Sabbath-school organized
Chapter III
Pages 566-582
Local Sketches
- East Northwood
- Clark’s Hill
- Center
- Letter of Hon. S. B. Piper
- Narrows
- S. G. Drake
- His Letter
- Blake’s Hill
- Chace C. Hill
- The Mountain
- Bennett’s Hill
- Richardson’s Hill
Chapter IV
Pages 583-596
Professional and Municipal
- Attorneys
- Physicians
- Town Officers
- Fragmentary Records of the Selectmen
Chapter V
Pages 597-609
Miscellaneous
- Agriculture
- Fanners’ Association
- Soil
- Census of Mills of Northwood, Deerfield, and Nottingham
- Farm Census, 1870, for Northwood and Nottingham
- Inventories of Northwood and Nottingham, 1878
- The Poor
- The Beginning of the New Year
- Anecdotes of Wild Animals
- Cemeteries
Chapter VI
Pages 610-621
Military Record For Nottingham, Deerfield, and Northwood.
- Revolutionary Soldiers
- Surviving Pensioners in 1840
- Soldiers of 1812
- Soldiers of the Rebellion
Northwood New Hampshire Family Sketches
Pages 622-786
Bartlett, Batchelder, Bennett, Bickford, Blake, Brown, Buzell, Clark, Coe, Cogswell, Crockett, Demeritt, Dow, Dtirgin, Durgin, Furber, Hanson, Harvey, Hill, Hoitt, James, Jenness, John-son, Johnson, Kelley, Kimball, Knowles, Knowlton, Lancaster, Mead, Morrison, Nealley, Norton, Pillsbury, Prentice, Prescott, Sherburne, Smith, Tasker, Tucker, Tuttle, Wiggin, Willey, and Wingate.
Source
Cogswell, Elliott C., History of Nottingham, Deerfield, and Northwood, comprised within the original limits of Nottingham, Rockingham County, N.H., with records of the centennial proceedings at Northwood, and genealogical sketches, Manchester, NH : J.B. Clarke, 1878.