Croydon New Hampshire

Biography of Ruel Whitcomb

Ruel Whitcomb, a resident of New London, Merrimack County, for nearly fifty years, was born December 20, 1822, in Newport, N.H., which was also the birthplace of his parents, Parmenas and Rua (Hurd) Whitcomb. His mother was a daughter of Samuel Hurd, a pioneer settler of Newport. His father’s father, Benjamin Whitcomb, removed from Henniker, this county, to Newport at an early period of its settlement. Parmenas Whitcomb was a farmer and lumberman, and helped build a saw mill in his native town, living in Newport until his death, at the age of eighty-five years. His first wife died at … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Gibson

WILLIAM GIBSON, one of the early settlers of the town, married Abigail Sanger, a daughter of Isaac Sanger. They had eight children. The following includes those of the family, in part, who have turned their attention to literary and professional pursuits.

Biographical Sketch of John Cooper

JOHN COOPER, son of Dea. John Cooper, came to Croydon in 1770, and died March 20, 1832. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary army, and was active in the affairs of the town-for nine years one of the selectmen.

Biographical Sketch of Ober Powers

OBER POWERS, son of Col. Samuel and Chloe Cooper Powers, was born April 20, 1788. Like most boys in those early days, he received only from three to four weeks schooling each winter. At the age of twenty-two he removed to Cornish. In addition to being an active and thriving farmer, be has been extensively engaged in stone masonry -superintending in New York and Vermont, as well as his own State, some of the largest and most difficult undertakings. February 10, 1814, he was married to Cynthia Cummings; and in 1864 was celebrated their golden wedding. ‘They had five children, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Captain Obed Metcalf

CAPT. OBED METCALF, his second son, was active in town and church affairs, was father Of STEPHEN, a prominent farmer at Haverhill, N. H., and grandfather of HENRY H., a lawyer, and CARLOs G., physician, sons of Joseph.

Croydon New Hampshire Miscellany

Casualties in Croydon New Hampshire In 1770 Caleb, son of Seth Chase, the first settler in town, wandered into the forest, and was lost, and public opinion was divided as to the probable fate of the child; some believed that he was captured and carried away by some straggling band of Indians, while others thought that he met his death at the hands of a villainous white man. Isaac Sanger, another early settler, perished in attempting to cross Croydon Mountain. Alexander Metcalf, Jr., was killed by the falling of a tree. Abijah Hall was drowned at Glidden Bridge in 1812. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Jonah Stow

JONAH STOW, from whom have descended the Stows, married Lydia Powers, and came early to this town from Stockbridge, Mass., with his four sons, Peter, Asaph, Solomon and Jonah, and long occupied ” Stow Hill,” now Brighton. His eldest daughter, JUDITH, married Whipple Haven, a brother of Rev. Jacob Haven; his second, LYDIA, married Hon. Cyrus Powers, a brother of Mrs. President Fillmore, and his third daughter, PRUDENCE, married Paul Jacobs, Esq., of Croydon.

Biographical Sketch of Dr. Horace Powers

DR. HORACE POWERS, son of Urias Powers, born October 27, 1807; graduated at the Woodstock Medical College in 1832; settled at Morristown, VT; was high sheriff of Lamoille County in 1844 and 1845; represented his town in the Constitutional Convention in 1850; was a Senator in 1853 and 1854, and was director in the Lamoille County Bank.

Biographical Sketch of Rev. Lemuel Powers

REV. LEMUEL POWERS, also brother of Ezekiel, was one of the early settlers of the town. He was born at Northbridge, Mass., in 1756; married Abigail Newland, and died at Stillwater, N. Y., in 1800-leaving four children. His eldest son CYRUs married Lydia Stow, and settled at Sempronius, N. Y. In 1804 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Cayuga County, and in 1806 received the appointment of Judge of the County Courts, which office he filled with much ability for twenty-five years. He died in 1841. ABIGAIL, his youngest daughter, was born in 1798. In February, 1826, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Edward Brown

EDWARD BROWN, son of Briant Brown, a worthy farmer and a man of good judgment, was born January, 1818. He has for a long time taken a deep interest in the agricultural affairs of the State and County. In 1866 he was one of the Committee on the State Agricultural College, whose duty it was to report to the Legislature a suitable plan, location and other matters relating to the State College.

Biographical Sketch of Ezekiel Powers

EZEKIEL POWERS, son of Lemuel and Thankful Leland Powers-a lady of uncommon intellect-was born in Grafton, Mass., March 27,1745; was one of the party who came to Croydon in the spring of 1766, for the purpose of surveying land and making other preparations for a settlement, and settled here the following year. He was conspicuous principally on account of his great physical strength and his inventive genius. Among his many other inventions, he first introduced the practice of “ridging” green-sward for the purpose of raising Indian corn,-and the “looped” sled so generally used since by the lumbermen of Croydon, and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Luke Paul

LUKE PAUL, son of Daniel, came into Croydon at twentytwo years of age, and married Sally Cooper, daughter of Samuel Cooper, and settled on the ” old Gibson farm,” on Baltimore Hill, and was an enterprising and prosperous farmer.

Biographical Sketch of George S. Barton

GEORGE S. BARTON, son of Hon. Cyrus Barton and grandson of Benjamin, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1851; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1853. He opened an office at Burlington, Iowa, but the next year returned to Newport. He was Clerk of the Senate in 1855 and 1856. He died July 24, 1857, aged 26 years. He was a superior draftsman, a fine writer and a ready poet.

Biographical Sketch of Bushrod Rice Gibson

BUSHROD RICE and GARDNER WINSLOW, sons of William Gibson, were both physicians. The former died at Pomfret, Vt., many years since; the latter entered the army as an officer, and was killed at Cold Harbor.

Biographical Sketch of Benjamin Swinnerton

BENJAMIN SWINNERTON, one of the early settlers, once quite a favorite in town, was drowned at an early age while attempting to swim across the Connecticut River in company with an Indian.

Biographical Sketch of Captain Edward Hall

CAPT. EDWARD HALL, Son of Lieut. Edward Hall, opened the first store of note in town. It was situated on the top of the swell of land between East Village and Four Corners. He is remembered as a shrewd, prosperous trader. He died March 14, 1817, aged 57 years.

Biographical Sketch of Ezekiel Powers

EZEKIEL POWERS, son of Ezekiel and Hannah Hall Powers, was born in 1771, and was the first male child born in town. At the age of nineteen he married Susan Rice, and subsequently Lydia Lane and Lois Barden, and had twenty-one children-four sons and seventeen daughters; fifteen of the latter grew to womanhood, and were characterized by those qualities which distinguish the Powers family. Like his father he was remarkable for great physical power. At the age of eighty he weighed 265 pounds. He had a great memory, and was a lover of fun.

Biographical Sketch of Ephraim Kempton

EPHRAIM KEMPTON, the father of the Kemptons, came early to Croydon and purchased some four hundred acres of land, covering all the grounds where the Flat is now situated, and built near the residence of Capt. Nathan Hall. He never attained to great wealth, and was unassuming in his manners.