David Forristall was born in Holliston, Mass., in 1780, and came to this town with his father when a child. His father, one of the early settlers, came first, cleared some land, and built a log house, and then moved his two children, Daniel and Jessie, here. His son, Thomas, was born here, and still lives in the house his father built over a hundred years ago.
Isaac McAlister, born September 25, 1736, married Hannah, daughter of William and Keziah (Cloyes) Goddard, born January 27, 1736. He was one of the proprietors of Monadnock No. 5, and as such he took an active part in the affairs of the town; and it is said that he rendered assistance in the surey of the township, and for his services took his pay in land. His name appears on the proprietors’ book as one of a committee of three to lay out and clear a road from Dublin to Keene in 1763. He was the second settler in town, … Read more
Thomas Morse is supposed to have been the first English settler to locate in the town. During the year 1761 he came on from Sherborn, Mass., cleared a piece of land, built a house, and during the following year brought his family to their new home upon the farm now owned by C. W. Fiske, on road 27.
Daniel P. Adams, son of Isaac, and grandson of Stephen, married Emily L., daughter of Edmond and Oliver Burpee, of this town, and resides upon the old homestead of his grandfather, on road 22.
Thomas Howard moved to Marlow, from Lyme, Ct., about 1780 and settled in the northwestern part of the town. He married Hannah Beckwith and reared a family of eight children. He died in 1842, aged eighty-five years. His son Thomas was born in Marlow in 1784, and lived there till 1837, when he moved to Gilsum, and died here in 1852. He was a farmer and a carpenter, married Parmelia Buss, of Marlboro, and reared a family of nine children, four of whom are now living. Of these, two daughters live in Hamilton, Ont., one son, James M., lives in … Read more
Azel R. Emerson, son of Hazen, and grandson of Richard, who came t Alstead from Haverhill, Mass., in 1786, was born December 29, 1822. H lived with his father upon the farm until twenty-one years of age, taught school two terms, and in 1847 started, with O. F. Beckwith, the first iron foundry and plow manufactory in Alstead. In 1849 he purchased Mr. Beckwith’s interest, and in 1893 sold out the business. In 1854 he was elected selectman of the town, and later on removed to Hinsdale, N. H., where t engaged in the foundry, machine and agricultural, implement business, … Read more
1. William Henry Harrison2 Woodbury, son of Rufus1 and Charlotte (Knapp) Woodbury, was b. in Northfield, Vt., May 1, 1842; m. May 22, 1866, Ora Ann Dodge Hale, b. Montpelier, Vt., Sept. 24, 1848, dau. of John P. and Susan W. (Going) Hale. He was a soldier in the War of the Rebellion; res. Newport and Hardwick, Vt., and Sullivan Two ch.: John Hale3, b. Apr. 26, 1867, res. in S. on the Asahel Nims Jr. place; m. Dec. 22, 1892, Alice Clinton Dodge, b. Salem, Mass., June 23, 1867; dau. of Charles William and Frances Amelia (Treadwell) Dodge. No … Read more
Joseph Titus came to Chesterfield in 1777, from Douglas, Mass., soon after his marriage there to Mary Bigelow, and cleared and put in thorough cultivation one of its most rocky, hill-side farms. He was fourth in descent from Robert Titus, who came from near Stanstead Abbey, Hartfordshire, England, in 1635, and finally settled on Long Island. The immigrant was of a family of some note; a brother was the Colonel Titus, of Cromwell’s army, who afterwards espoused the cause of King Charles II., and on the occasion of an attempt upon the life of the Lord Protector, wrote anonymously the … Read more
George H. Nims, son of Frederick Nims, of Sullivan, was born in that town, April 19, 1840, and became largely engaged in the wood and lumber business there. In 1868 he and his brothers, Marshall W. and Francis 0., became engaged in the market business in Keene, under the firm name of Nims Brothers. He continued in this until 1874, when he retired, and has since been engaged in the wood and lumber business, now owning 900 acres of timber-land within a few miles of Keene. He has been a Democrat in politics, and, although his ward is strongly Republican, … Read more
Benjamin Frost, son of Benjamin, who settled in Jaffrey in 1783, married Annis, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Whitney) Pierce, of Jaffrey, and settled in Dublin in 1806. He was a carpenter, millwright and brick-mason. His son, Joseph P., first settled in Dublin, but moved to Jaffrey in 1849. He is a public-spirited man, much employed in town affairs, has been selectman three years, and is now town clerk and justice of the peace. He married twice, first, Sarah E., daughter of Abel and Mary (Spaulding) Cutter, January 4, 1844, and second, Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Polly (Jewett) Osgood, … Read more
William S. Leonard, M. D., son of Rev. Levi W. Leonard, D. D., was born in Dublin, N. H., October 13, 1832. He graduated at Dartmouth in 1856, studied medicine with Dr. Albert Smith, of Peterboro, N. H., and received his diploma of Dartmouth, in May, 1860. In the following October he located in Hinsdale village, where he still carries on a successful practice. He was associated in practice with Dr. Frederick Boyden during the last ten years of the latter’s life.
Artemas Bailey was born in Lunenburg, Mass., January 17, 1800, and married Clarissa Billings. He was a book-binder, and carried on that business in his native place for several years. He moved with his family to Keene, in 1830, and worked at the same business here for several years. He had three children, two of whom, Lizzie A. and Adaline S., live in Keene. He died November 7, 1865, and his widow died February 2, 1893.
David Crowninshield, one of the pioneer settlers of Hinsdale, came from Rhode Island at a very early date and settled on road 7, where his grandson Samuel T. Crowninshield, now lives. His farm at first contained only enough cleared land to place his house and barns upon, and here he lived and labored until his death,, at the age of forty-eight years. He was the father of four children, viz.: Artemas, Philo, Leonard and Lydia. Artemas and Leonard settled on the homestead. Philo married and removed to Guilford, Vt., and Lydia (Mrs. Butler) now resides in Chesterfield. The only descendants … Read more
William Albert2 Wilson, son of Harvey1, m. May 1, 1875, in Keene, by Rev. W. O. White; Etta Elvira Kingsbury, b. in Sullivan, Oct. 25, 1857, dau. of Victor Good, and adopted dau. of George and Hannah Elvira (Hale) Kingsbury. She m. (2), Ralph Miner Kittson. Mr. Wilson d. in Nelson; res. both Nelson and Sullivan Two ch.: 1. Grace Mabel3, b. Nelson, Nov. 26, 1875, m. at Roxbury, Mass., June 17, 1898, Raymond Adams Robbins of Boston; b. at New Bedford, Mass., Apr. 8, 1870; son of William A. and Lucy (Kent) Robbins. He was a graduate of Boston … Read more
Peter Worden was among the early pilgrims of our country. He was from Clayton, Lancashire, Eng., and. lived for a short time in Lynn, Mass., it is certain, though the year of his arrival in America is not known for certain, Eighteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, however, or on the 19th of February, 1638, he made his last will and testament, which ancient document is now in the possession of his descendants, in Hinsdale. The fact that he died soon after is established, as the will was proved on the 9th of March of the … Read more
Up to the winter of 1736 no person had remained in the town during that season. Those who came in the summer to clear their lands brought their provisions with them, and erected temporary huts to shelter them from the weather. But during that summer, Nathan Blake and Seth Heaton, from Wrentham, and William Smeed, from Deerfield, made preparation to pass the winter in the wilderness. Their house was at the south end of Main street. Their stock consisted of a yoke of oxen and a pair of horses, one of the latter belonging to Heaton and the others to … Read more
Samuel Pierce came to Jaffrey, from Rindge, married Hettie Brooks, and reared a family of ten children, three of whom are now living. His son Charles W. married Abbie G. Gowing, of Dublin, who bore him thirteen children, eight of whom are dead. His widow now occupies the home farm here with her son Frank E., who married Ida M., daughter of James M. and Jane M. (Chandler) Hannaford.
William Hall, the enterprising proprietor of Langdon Creamery, Langdon, N.H., and dealer in butter, cream, milk, eggs, chickens, pork, and other farm and dairy products, was born in Claremont, this State, March 23, 1850. He is a son of Jonathan and Caroline L. (Leet) Hall and a descendant of one of the oldest families in Sullivan County. Both his grandfather and his great-grandfather Hall bore the Christian name of Jonathan. Grandfather Hall was born August 25, 1776, in Spencer, Mass., whence he came to Langdon when a young man. He afterward removed to Claremont, where he died in 1854. In … Read more
Oliver L. Spaulding. was born in Jaffrey, N. H., August 2, 1833, graduated at Oberlin college, Ohio, in 1855; removed to St. Johns, Mich., in 1857. In 1858 he was elected a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan for the term of six years. Served during the war of the rebellion in all the grades from captain to brevet brigadier-general In 1866 he was elected secretary of state for Michigan, and was re-elected in 1868. Was a special agent of the United States treasury department from 1875 till he resigned the position to take his … Read more
JAFFREY lies in the southeastern part of the county, in lat. 42° 50′, and long. 4° 59′, bounded, north, 113 rods by Marlboro and 2,408 rods by Dublin; east, 730 rods by Peterboro and 988 rods by Sharon; south, 1,898 rods by Rindge and 603 rods by Fitzwilliam; and west, 349 rods by Fitzwilliam, 806 rods by Troy, and 5o1 rods by Marlboro, thus having an area of about 22,000 acres, 1,000 of which are covered with water, and 3,200 rendered uninhabitable from its mountainous character. It was granted by the Masonian proprietors, under the name of Middle Monadnock. No. … Read more