Cheshire County NH

Biographical Sketch of Rev. Elijah Willard

Rev. Elijah Willard came here from Fitchburg, Mass., and was pastor of the Baptist church until his death, in 1839. He preached at Pottersville for a period of forty years. During his life he united one hundred and forty-six couples in marriage, and preached a funeral sermon four weeks before his death. His son Levi was horn in 1795, and lived here till his death, in 1860. He married Irene Knight, of Sudbury, Mass., who still survives him, and reared a family of thirteen children. Seven of them, Zophar, Solon, Milton B., David, Benjamin, Mrs. C. H. Nye, and Mrs. … Read more

Alstead Center, Cheshire County NH

ALSTEAD CENTER, (p. o.) a hamlet located upon a hill about half a mile east of the geographical center of the town, was formerly the business center of the town, and about 1802, the prospective sight of the county court-house. It long since lost its prestige, however, and now along its single street, a school house, a Congregational house of worship, in perhaps a dozen dwellings remain.

Keene Congregational (Unitarian) Society of Keene, NH

Keene Congregational ( Unitarian) Society. – The Unitarian Society was organized March 18, 1824. They had occasional preaching during the year. On the thirtieth of August, of the same year, a call was extended to the Rev. Samuel Barrett, to become the pastor, but he declined the invitation. Mr. Barrett was a graduate of Harvard, in the class of 1818, of the Harvard Divinity school, in 1822, and received the degree of 1)- D., from Harvard in 1847. He was a scholarly and cultivated gentleman. In 1825 he became the first pastor of the Twelfth Congregational (Unitarian) Society of Boston, … Read more

Biography of Sergeant Thomas Pierce

Sergeant Thomas Pierce, the emigrant ancestor of the Pierce family, came to this country, from England, with his wife, Elizabeth Pierce, and settled in Charlestown, Mass., in 1634-35. From him was descended, in the sixth generation, Captain John Pierce, born in Groton, Mass., January 26, 1743. . He married Tabitha Porter, of Groton, and came to Chesterfield about 1770, and located at the Center Village, where he kept a store near where the stone store now stands. He served under General Ruggles, in the French and Indian war. When the Revolutionary war broke out, be owned a large quantity of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Eleazer W. Heath

Eleazer W. Heath, son of David, and a native of Corinth, Vt., married Rhoda Merril, of Bradford, Vt., and for his second wife, Mary N. (Gibbs) Gilmore, of Jaffrey. Mr. Heath was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was at the battle of Plattsburg. He is now living, at the great age of ninety years, and occupies a farm on road 29, known as the Emory place. He has seven children.

Frederick A. Wilson Genealogy

1. William1 Wilson, of Lynn, Mass., m. Priscilla Purchase and had four ch.: William, of Concord, Mass., was b. at Lynn, Aug. 28, 1664; d. Concord, Aug. 7, 1741. The age on his gravestone would show that he was the son of William1, and investigations show that he could not have been the son of any other known American Wilson. He was the town clerk of Concord, 1710-18; selectman, 1700-17, deputy and representative to the General Court, 1702, and many other times; was captain of the militia, and a man of prominence in the community and acquired a property of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Asa Powers

Asa Powers, whose father, Elliot, was a soldier in the Revolution, was a native of Temple, N. H., and married Rachel Cutler of the same place. He had but one child, Elliot, who married Mary, daughter of Joseph and Abigail Robins. Joseph W. is their only living son.

Alstead Village, Cheshire County NH

ALSTEAD is a handsome post village located in the northwestern part of the town on Cold river. It his two churches (Congregational and Universalist), six or seven stores, several shops or mills of various kinds, and about 100 dwellings. Formerly there was a large amount of paper manufactured here, and from this circumstance the place was called Paper Mill Village, a name which clung to it until about twenty years ago, when the postoffice received the name of Alstead. A point of interest in the vicinity worthy of mention is the “Cocked Hat,” a name given in eminence just east … Read more

Biography of Simeon Cook

Simeon Cook, of Redlands, is a native of Richmond, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, born April 14, 1821; his parents being Simeon, Sr., and Rachel (Holman) Cook. Both parents came of old New England families, and the father of our subject went with his parents from Billingham, Massachusetts, to New Hampshire, when he was but three years of age. He was born December 8, 1770, and died March 18, 1859. Our subject’s mother was the daughter of Elijah Holman, who lived on the line between Winchester and Richmond, New Hampshire, and before her marriage to Simeon Cook, Sr., was the widow … Read more

Biography of Dr. Oscar H. Bradley

Dr. Oscar H. Bradley was born in Louisville, Ky., February 10, 1826. He was a grandson of Jonathan Holmes, of Londonderry, N. H., an officer who served under General Stark, at Bennington, and under Washington through the dark and memorable winter at Valley Forge. At the age four years Oscar H. moved with his parents to the western part of Vermont, where he lived until he reached the age of seventeen. He graduated fry Black River academy, at Ludlow, Vt., in 1847, taught school the following winter at Mt. Holley, Vt., and in the spring of 1848 entered the law … Read more

Biography of William Hall

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

Marlboro, Cheshire County, New Hampshire History

Marlboro is a small irregularly outlined township, lying in the central part of the county, in lat. 24º 54 and long. 4º 49′, bounded north by Roxbury, east by Harrisville, Dublin and Jaffrey, south by Troy, and west by Troy, Swanzey and Keene. It was originally granted by the Masonian proprietors, under the name of Monadnock No. 5, to James Morrison, Jr., and thirty-one associates, May 20, 1752. This history entails tax records, sketches of early industry, churches, military, and benevolent societies, as well as biographies, genealogies, and sketches of the early settlers. History of Marlboro, New Hampshire General History … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John E. Fisher

John E. Fisher was born near St. Johns, N. B., in 1525, on Darling’s Island, which was the property of his grandfather, Captain Darling. His father, Richard, was a blacksmith, and removed to Boston about 1825, and ten years later moved to Quincey, Mass. He was one of the first four abolitionists in the town. His son John served seven years apprenticeship at stone cutting, working on the Boston custom-house. He had worked on government work in Boston about fifteen years before the Rebellion began. About three days after the firing on Fort Sumpter, he was placed in charge of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Hiram Blake

Hiram Blake was born in Rindge, February 9, 1838, was educated at New Ipswich academy, graduated at Albany Law school, in 1862, and practiced in New York city two years. From that time Mr. Blake traveled extensively in the West, being located six years in Nebraska, and settled in Keene in 1873.

Biographical Sketch of Benjamin Lawrence

Benjamin Lawrence, a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war, came to Jaffrey from Groton, Mass., in 1788 or 1789 and settled on a farm on road 5, where Fred. J. Lawrence now resides. He married Rebecca Woods, of Pepperell, Mass., and reared a family of ten children. His son Ithamer married twice, first, Betsey Jewell, who bore him three children, and second, Rebecca Emery, by whom he also had three children. His son Benjamin married Sarah E., daughter of James D. and Betsey P. Sawyer, of Jaffrey, and had three children, two of whom are living, viz.: Walter F. and Annie … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Asa Fisk

Asa Fisk came to what is now Harrisville, from Rutland, Mass., in 1800 or 1801, and settled on the farm where his grandson, Levi W., now lives, and died there in 1829. His son Parker, eight years of age when he came here with his father, reared six children, only three of whom lived to maturity, and occupied the home farm until his death, in October, 1866. Levi W. married May B. Priest, of Hancock, N. H., who died in 1863, and lives on the old homestead.

Biographical Sketch of Amos Andrew Parker

Amos Andrew Parker, son of Nahum, was born in Fitzwilliam, October 8. 1791. He was fitted for college at the New Ipswich academy, and graduated from the University of Vermont. He studied law with James Wilson, of Keene, and opened an office at Epping, N. H., where he remained two or three years. He then went to Concord, N. H., where he established the “New Hampshire Statesman.”

Biographical Sketch of Levi Todd

Levi Todd, born in Rindge, N. H., in 1797 or ’98, was educated in the common schools of his neighborhood, and came to Hinsdale when about twenty-one years of age. He was a shoemaker by trade, and built the first shoe shop in the town, and about six months after he came he married Nancy Corey. of Ashburnham, Mass. He followed his trade several years, then gave his attention to manufacturing brick, his brick-yard being the first in the town. He finally bought the farm now occupied by his son “alter C., where he found excellent clay beds. He continued … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Timothy Brown

Timothy Brown and wife, Meredeth Ward, were the first settlers in the town, coming from Westmoreland, N. H., in the year 1797. He bought 450 acres of land on West hill, embracing the Stephen Leach farm and adjoining lands. Here he lived until 1829, when he removed to Ohio, where he passed the remainder of a long life. Four children survived him, Timothy, Bartlett, Rhoda, the wife of Thomas Potter, and Asenath, the wife of Stephen Leach, all of whom attained a ripe old age. The first two died in Ohio, the last two, in Waterville. The year before Mr. … Read more