Merrimack and Sullivan Counties New Hampshire Biographies Collections – Page 2 of 23

Biography of William F. Head

William F. Head, an extensive manufacturer, lumber dealer, and agriculturist of Hookset, N.H., is well known as one of the most enterprising and successful business men of Merrimack County. He was born in Hookset, September 25, 1832, son of John and Annie (Brown) Head, and is a younger brother of the late ex-Governor Natt Head, with whom for thirty years, 1852 to 1883, he was associated in business. The Head family, although not one of the oldest in New England, has a history in this country of more than two hundred years. The emigrant ancestor was Arthur Head, a native, … Read more

Biography of William E. Westgate

William E. Westgate, a leading farmer and stock-raiser of Cornish, Sullivan County, was born December 9, 1840, at Plainfield, N.H., son of Earl and Sarah Chase (Cole) Westgate. His great-grandfather, John Westgate, married Grace Church, of Tiverton, R.I., who was a descendant of Colonel Benjamin Church, famous in King Philip’s War in Colonial times. They had eleven children-Betsy, John, Lydia, Earl, Priscilla, Mary, George, William, Joseph, Benjamin, and Hannah. Earl Westgate, grandfather of William E., came with his father to Plainfield in 1778, and married Elizabeth Waite, daughter of Nathaniel and Annie Swetzer, of Hubbardston, Mass. Elizabeth, John, Nathaniel, Anna, … Read more

Biography of William E. Mudgett

William E. Mudgett, a well-known merchant of Contoocook, son of Calvin H. and Julia (Fisher) Mudgett, was born in Franklin, Merrimack County, September 16, 1855. His great-grandfather came to New Hampshire from Maine, and settled at Holderness. The grandfather, William Mudgett, was born at Holderness, now Ashland. In his young manhood he went to Bristol, where he was subsequently engaged in farming, and died in his ninetieth year. His wife’s maiden name was Huckins. Calvin H., son of William and the father of William E. Mudgett, was formerly a resident of Bristol, where he was engaged in farming and lumbering, … Read more

Biography of William E. Chadbourne

William E. Chadbourne, a prominent resident of Cornish, was born here, July 31, 1823. His grandfather, William Chadbourne, who was born in Maine, had six children-Humphrey, Jabez, William, Thomas, Benjamin, and Electa. Humphrey married Abbie Peck, and had three children. Jabez went to Canada, where he married and died. William, who was an extensive farmer in Canada, had a large family. Thomas was a butcher in Salem, Mass., and died there. Electa, now deceased, married Mr. Cross, of Canada. Benjamin Chadbourne, the father of William E., was born at Moultonboro, N.H., January 28, 1792. He was prominent in town affairs, … Read more

Biography of William Dunton

William Dunton, a retired manufacturer of Newport, was born in Millbury, Worcester County, Mass., son of Moses and Zoa (Pierce) Dunton. His grandfather, who was a Revolutionary soldier, and lived for the greater part of his life in Sturbridge, Mass., carried on general farming. His son, Moses, a native of Sturbridge, settled in Millbury, Mass., where he lived for the greater part of his life. Moses was a blacksmith, and owned a small farm. He was a good, sturdy man, and a member and Deacon of the Congregational church for many years. In politics he was a Whig. He married … Read more

Biography of William D. Dow

William D. Dow, an influential resident of Cornish, was born here, September 10, 1857, son of Lucius Harmon and Lucelia A. (Smith) Dow. Grandfather Jeremiah Dow, who was born in the State of Vermont, had a family of nine children. Lucius Dow, born in Plainfield, N.H., in 1820, was educated in the common schools of that town and at Kimball Academy. After his marriage he came to Cornish, and here rented a farm, on which he spent the rest of his life. He was a leading Democrat; but, though keenly interested in the affairs of the town even up to … Read more

Biography of William Cutler True

William Cutler True, for many years one of the most successful farmers of Plainfield, was born May 9, 1834, son of Major Reuben and Hannah (Duncan) True. The first representatives of the True family in America came from England, settling in Salisbury, Mass., going thence to Salisbury, N.H., and from there coming to Plainfield. They were robust and self-reliant, and bore unflinchingly the sacrifices and hardships of the early days. Benjamin True, the grandfather of William C., was a prosperous farmer of Salisbury. His first marriage was contracted with a Sanborn, whose children were: Reuben, Osgood, Hannah, Sarah, Judith, Abigail, … Read more

Biography of William Clark

William Clark, formerly Judge of Probate for Sullivan County, was born in Claremont, March 6, 1819, son of Moses and Fanny (Patterson) Clark. His ancestors on both sides were pioneer settlers of Londonderry, N.H. Moses Clark, a native of Londonderry, came when a young man to Claremont, and settled upon a farm situated on the old road to Newport. He followed agriculture with success for the rest of his life, and was one of the able farmers and useful citizens of his day. In his religious views he was a Universalist. He was the father of ten children, six sons … Read more

Biography of William Cant Sturoc

William Cant Sturoc, “the bard of Sunapee ,” as he is often called, was born November 4, 1822, in a humble, straw-thatched cottage in Arbroath, Scotland, son of Francis Sturoc and his wife, Ann (Cant) Sturoc. Doubtless, the poetic genius has descended to him from his paternal great-grandfather, James Sturoc, who wrote a book of “Hymns and Spiritual Songs,” and died in Panbride in 1750. Other distinguished members of the family were well known in the church. Among these was the Rev. David Sturoc, who was of ready speech and pen, and two generations ago repeatedly entered public debate with … Read more

Biography of William Brooks Ward

William Brooks Ward will be readily called to memory as a leading resident of Plainfield. He was born in Groton, Mass., May 8, 1818, son of William and Rebecca (Barrett) Ward. The father, who was a prosperous farmer in Plainfield, was twice married. His first marriage Rebecca Barrett, and the maiden name of his second wife was Rebecca Boynton. His children, three by each marriage, were: William B., Rebecca, Sarah, Benjamin F., Alfred, and Cyrus. Rebecca married Norman Smith, a tanner of Lempster, N.H., and had two children. All the members of this family are now deceased. Sarah is the … Read more

Biography of William Breck

William Breck was a prominent and wealthy resident of Claremont in his time. Born in Croydon, N.H., December 17, 1826, he was a son of Henry and Keziah (Marsh) Breck. The grandfather, William Breck, who was born in Boston, Mass., May 11, 1745, was a merchant in that city until 1792, when he came to West Claremont. Here he bought a farm of a Mr. Dickinson, the deed of which bears the date May 3, 1792; and he resided on the estate for the rest of his life. He was a business man of unsullied integrity, and while residing in … Read more

Biography of William B. Leavitt

William B. Leavitt, a prominent resident of North Grantham, widely known as the compiler of Leavitt’s Almanac, was born August 7, 1812, son of John and Susan (Burnham) Leavitt. The family has been in America since the early part of the seventeenth century, when three brothers came from England to the shores of the New World. Robust, sturdy, and energetic, these brothers soon assumed a leading position among the early settlers. Since that time the family tree has grown so that now its branches may be found in several parts of the country. It has given men of upright lives … Read more

Biography of William Andrew Jackson Giles

William Andrew Jackson Giles, attorney-at-law of Concord, N.H., was born in this city, July 11, 1861. His parents, John B. Giles, a native of Roscrea, Tipperary, Ireland, and Ellen M. Driscoll Giles, of Cardiff, Wales, emigrated to America in 1852. William A. J. Giles acquired his early education in the public schools of Penacook and Concord, and completed his school course at Boscawen Academy in 1881. The next year he began the study of law with the late John Y. Mugridge and Chief Justice William L. Foster, at the same time acting as reporter for the Boston Traveller, Concord Journal, … Read more

Biography of Warren Smith Hill

Warren Smith Hill, a successful contractor and farmer of Northfield, was born in this town, February 9, 1842. His father, Captain Warren Lapham Hill, was a native of the same town; and his mother, Betsey Tucker Hill, was born in Hopkinton, December 26, 1806, and died February 6, 1886. The progenitors of Mr. Hill were the original settlers of Northfield, and came from Salisbury, Mass., about the close of the Revolutionary War. They were two of the four sons of Daniel Hill, and were, together with their father, shoemakers by trade. They supplied the Continental soldiers with shoes, and were … Read more

Biography of Warren Sargent

Warren Sargent, a brick manufacturer of Allenstown, and a son of Sterling and Sarah (Gault) Sargent, was born in this town, September 1, 1837. The genealogy of the Sargents, who are of English origin, is directly traced through eight generations to Richard Sargent, who is supposed to have been an officer in the royal navy of England. The first ancestor to come to America was William Sargent (first), who was born in England about the year 1602, and first settled in Ipswich, Mass. Later he moved to Newbury, and still later to Hampton, N.H. A more extended account of the … Read more

Biography of Walter Scott Davis

Walter Scott Davis, a millowner, manufacturer, and inventor, a successful business man of Hopkinton, Merrimack County, N.H., was born in the adjacent town of Warner, July 29, 1834, a son of Nathaniel A. and Mary (Clough) Davis. His paternal ancestry he traces as follows: Captain Francis Davis, called “the pioneer,” was born in Amesbury, Mass., October 26, 1723. He was the son of Francis, second, and Joanna Davis, the former the son of Francis, first, who, it is said, was the son of Philip, the immigrant progenitor. Philip Davis, when twelve years old, left Southampton, England, April 24, 1638, in … Read more

Biography of Walter Sargent

Walter Sargent, of Elm Farm, in the town of Warner, N.H., is well known as one of the most skilful, progressive, and successful agriculturists of Merrimack County. He was born December 25, 1837, in Warner Lower Village, a son of Abner and Martha J. (Morrill) Sargent. He is of English antecedents, tracing his lineage back to Richard Sargent, an English naval officer, whose son William, born in England in 1602, was the emigrant ancestor. He came to New England at an early period, taking with him a family of daughters, who had been left motherless by the death of his … Read more

Biography of Walter Kendall Wadleigh, M.D.

Walter Kendall Wadleigh, M.D., a skilled and popular physician of Hopkinton, N.H., was born April 7, 1864, in the town of Franklin, Merrimack County, N.H., a son of Jonathan P. and Betsey (Thomas) Wadleigh. His father, who died in the prime of manhood, was born and reared in Sanbornton, Belknap County, this State, but spent the larger part of his life in Merrimack County, where he was a large land-holder. Walter K. Wadleigh received his elementary education in Franklin, being graduated from the high school in the class of 1881. Deciding upon a professional career, for which his natural tastes … Read more

Biography of Walter Brigham Barnes

Walter Brigham Barnes, who for many years has been engaged in the dressed beef business in Henniker, is a son of Captain Harry and Mary Polly (Campbell) Barnes. The father, a native of Henniker, born February 20, 1790, who was but four years old when his mother died, lived with his uncle, Elisha Barnes, until he reached the age of twelve. After a short stay with his father, Harry Barnes next went to reside with Ezekiel Smith, and remained with him until he was eighteen. He then went to Dunbarton, N.H., and was for a time employed by Dominie Walter … Read more

Biography of Walter B. Maynard

Walter B. Maynard, a farmer of Loudon, was born here, April 26, 1840, son of Asa and Lucy (Talbot) Maynard, natives respectively of Acton, Mass., and Brookline, N.H. The grandfather, Asa Maynard, who was a cooper by trade and resided in East Concord during the greater part of his life, died there at the residence of his daughter, August 1, 1866, aged ninety-four years. The maternal grandfather, Ezra Talbot, of Stoughton, Mass., born January 20, 1773, resided successively in Brookline and Loudon, and married Abigail Belcher. He died in Loudon in November, 1853; and his wife died in Brookline, June … Read more