Rev. David Darling came to this town, from Wrentham, Mass., about 1785, was a Congregational minister, and settled upon the place where his son Daniel now resides, on road 6. He built the house now occupied by the latter, about a hundred years ago. He reared a family of sixteen children, and died in March. 1836. Daniel, the only child now living, was born on the home farm May 15, 1807, and has always resided here.
Silas Richardson, a descendant of John Richardson who came from England previous to 1636, was born in Medfield, Mass., 1748, married, in 1771, Sileme Daniels, of Medway, Mass. In 1776 he came to Chesterfield and settled on land one mile north of the Factory Village. The deed of his purchase under colonial government, still preserved, is dated in May, 1776. He was a soldier of the Revolution, and was called “Lieutenant” Richardson was one of the original trustees of the academy, selectman in 1788, ’93 an ’96, and died in 1803. His children were: Wilkes, born December, 1772 married Mehitabel … Read more
Benjamin Pierce, fourth son of Jonas, born July 11, 1821, married Lucinda, daughter of Isaac and Betsey (Bailey) Stratton, May 12, 1846, and has two children-George A. and Ada L. He located in Boston, where he accumulated a large estate, but finally removed to this town, and now owns the Shedd farm, off road 36. In 1897 he built the Granite State Hotel, which is a valued addition to East Jaffrey. He is a prominent man in town affairs, having held many positions of trust, was town representative in 1870 and 1871, and was delegate to the State constitutional convention … Read more
Hon. Caleb Todd, or “Esq.” Todd, as he was more familiarly known, was for many years one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Hinsdale. He was born in Wallingford, Conn., March 16, 1785, resided and did business in Cooperstown, N. Y.. a few years, taking up his abode in Hinsdale in 1815. Here he was one of the pioneer manufacturers, and was widely known as a manufacturer of woolens for a great number of years. At his death, May 21, 1871, he was the oldest citizen of Hinsdale. Mr. Todd was twice married and reared eight children, five … Read more
Seneca Wilson married in 1856 (published in Keene, Nov. 10, 1856) Angelina L. Farr. He was a farmer, and lived in Sullivan for about a year, 1856-7 on the old Solomon Esty place.
Timothy Ellis was born in that part of Keene which is now Roxbury, about 130 years ago, upon the place where William Ellis now lives. Samuel son of Timothy. was born there, where he lived until he was about thirty years of age. He then moved to Stockbridge, Vt., where he remained four years, and then he came to Fitzwilliam, where he died in 1826. George W., son of Samuel, was born in Keene, came to this town in 1814, and lives on road 15, corner of 45.
The Congregational church of Jaffrey village.-The grant from the Masonian proprietors stipulated that a meeting-house be built within six years from the date of the charter. There is nothing in the early records of the town, however, to show that anything was done towards this object previous to 1774, when it was voted that such a structure be built. Neglect to build a meeting-house was not the only instance in which the settlers failed to fulfill the requirements of their charter. From the reports of the settlers to the grantors, testifying of the condition of the colony, we find that … Read more
Gilsum lies in the northern-central part of the county, in lat. 43° 1′ and long. 4° 50′. In outline it is similar to that of a carpenter’s square, bounded north by Alstead and Marlow, east by Stoddard and Sullivan, south by Sullivan and Keene, and west by Surry. It was originally granted, under the name of Boyle, to Joseph Osgood and his associates, December 30, 1752. No settlements were made under this grant, through fear of the Indians, until so late a date that the charter was forfeited. This history entails tax records, sketches of early industry, churches, military, and … Read more
The Congregational church of Chesterfield was organized in 1771, and the Rev. Abraham Wood, a graduate of Harvard, was ordained its first pastor for the following year. The ministry of Mr. Wood continued until his death in 1823. A few months previous to Mr. Wood’s death, Rev. John Walker, a graduate of Dartmouth, was installed as colleague pastor. Mr. Walker remained six years, and was succeeded by Rev. Elisha Smith, who was also a graduate of Dartmouth, and who remained here four years, when he was succeded by Rev. Josiah Ballard, a graduate of Harvard, and who remained for a … Read more
Phinehas Wright of Hartford, Conn., m. Zilpha Cooper of Westmoreland, N. H., settled at Walpole and removed to Keene abt. 1796. Caleb2 Wright, son of Phinehas, b. Feb. 15, 1794, d. Keene, Nov. 21, 1869; m. Dec. 7, 1815, Sarah Reed, b. Surry, July 14, 1796, d. Keene, Nov. 16, 1838. Among their fifteen children, was: Calvin3, b. Keene, Mar. 13, 1816; d. Gilsum, Feb. 16, 1907; m. Diantha Leborveau of Keene, and had six children. Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Wright lived in S., on the Old Kemp or John Dunn place for a few years, and had born here: … Read more
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
George Wallingford, a prosperous business man of Claremont in the last generation, was born in Dublin, N.H., July 17, 1808, son of Ebenezer and Mary (Hildreth) Wallingford. The first ancestor, Nicholas Wallingford, settled in Bradford, Mass., in 1672. David Wallingford, of the third generation descended from Nicholas, was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. Born September 25, 1744, he went to the war from Hollis, N.H., was a minute-man, served in four companies under Captains Dow, Towns, Emerson, and Goss, and took part in the battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington. His son Ebenezer, who was born October 5, 1780, … Read more
Of the first settlement of the town, little is known. The first settler was William Thornton, who located on lot 1, range 6, probably in the year 1752. His daughter, Molly Thornton, it is said, was the first child born in the town. He lived here only a few years, however, leaving through fear of the Indians. He was a brother of Matthew Thornton, who was the first named, as he was by far the most distinguished of the proprietors, and much the largest landowner in the town, having at one time twenty-eight shares, or eighty-four lots. He was a … Read more
FITZWILLIAM, one of the southern tier of townships in the county, lies in lat. 42° 45 and long. 4° 54′, bounded north by Troy and Jaffrey, east by Jaffrey and Rindge, south by the state line, and west by Richmond. The town was originally granted by the Masonion proprietors, as Monadnock No. 4, January 15, 1752, to Roland Cotton and forty-one others. These grantees, however, failed to comply with the requirements of the charter and thus forfeited their right to the territory, and it was subsequently, early in 1765, rE.granted to Samson Stoddard and twenty-three associates. On May 19, 1773, … Read more
Capt. Jonathan S. Adams, the only son of Joshua, was born in Plainfield, Conn., September 22, 1802. His father was a major of militia in Connecticut, and had two daughters, who, with Jonathan, constituted the family. Maj. Joshua Adams died in August, 1813, from a fall upon a stake. His son Jonathan came here in December, 1814, to live with his uncle, Rev. John Sabin, who was the pastor of the Congregational church. He spent the first six years of his life here in study with his uncle, who added to his labors as pastor here, those of tutor, and … Read more
David Townsend, a pensioner of the Revolution, came to what is now Harrisville, from Lynn, Mass., and settled upon the farm where Jabez Townsend now lives. His son Charles M. now occupies a farm in this town, on road 15.
Dr. Gardner C. Hill was born in Winchester, N. H., March 20, 1829, and was educated in the public schools of his native town, and the academies of Chesterfield, Swanzey and Saxtons River, Vt., graduating from the latter institution. He taught school six years; the last year as principal of the ” old high school” at Winchester. He commenced the study of medicine with the late L. L. M. Comings, M. D., of Swanzey. He entered the Castleton Medical college, Vt., in 1853, and graduated with the class of 1856. He commenced the practice of medicine in Warwick, Mass., where … Read more
Whitney, son of Nathaniel and Nancy (Whitney) Breed, and great-grandson of Dr. Nathaniel Breed, the first settler in Nelson, was born in Nelson in 181o, and came to Alstead in 1832. He married Persis Hatch, October 26, 1837, who bore him two sons and four daughters. Mr. Breed has been a justice of the peace forty years and a deacon of the Congregational church at Alstead Center thirty-five years.
Captain Noah, the father, was a man of great physical strength and endurance, and of sound common sense, a man strictly honest and upright in all his dealings and taught his children to be truthful, honest, and industrious, both by precept and example. His business in early life was farming till he was about thirty, when by an accident he lost one limb below the knee. After that, his business was mostly that of shoe making, and harness making, until his death. Seven of this family were living in January 1885. Silas, whose name stands at the head of this … Read more
Bartlett and John Bowker, brothers, from Scituate, Mass., were among the early settlers of the town. They bought a tract of land in the northern part, and were the first ones who settled where the hamlet of Bowkerville now is. Bartlett married Jemima Wright, a widow, of Templeton, Mass., and reared a family of fifteen children. John also had a large family. The former erected a grist-mill near where Coolidge & Whittemore’s mills now are. Luke and Elijah, sons of Bartlett, erected the dam, and built the mill now used for a pail shop. They operated the grist-mill, and manufactured … Read more