Nathan Wood, son of Joshua, who was one of the early settlers of Keene, was born here May 31, 1800. He was a blacksmith and farmer, married Lorinda Ruggles, of Rutland, Vt.. and bad born to him four children, as follows: Susan E.. widow of Hon. J. J. Allen, Jr., lives in town; Nathan, died December 4, 1861; Julia R. W., widow of Levi Porter; and Sarah L., both in Keene.
Augustus M. Rice was a soldier in the Rebellion, serving first in the 1st Mass. Cav., second in Co. I, 92d N. Y. Vols.. third in Co. F, Mass. H. A., and fourth in Co. C, 53d Mass. Vols. He was honorably discharged after having been in the army four years and three months. He married Mrs. Julia Foss, daughter of Timothy and Hannah Ellis, of Keene, and now resides in this town.
Silas Hardy was born in Nelson, April 3, 1827, and made his home there till twenty-nine years of age. He graduated at Dartmouth in 1855, taught the following year, in Foxcroft academy, Me., studied law in the office of Hon. Levi Chamberlain, at Keene, and was admitted to practice, at Newport, N. H., September, 1858. He immediately located in Keene, where he has pursued his practice ever since, with success, which, with remarkable industry, and economy, has placed him in the rank of large tax payers in the city. In March, 1859, he was appointed by Governor William Haile, register … Read more
Lockhart Willard, Esq., a native of Keene, served in the Revolution, and was a prominent lawyer here. He married a Miss Reed, and reared four children. Lockhart, Jr., married Sally, daughter of Phineas and Annie (Thompson) Nourse. Three of his seven children are living. One of these, William L., married Lucretia, daughter of Israel and Tabitha (Wheelock) Marsh, of Keene, and has one son living, Lucius T. The latter who served in the late war as quartermasters clerk, in Co. G, 14th N. H. Vols., married Netta J. French, and resides at Jersey City, N. J.
Catholic church. – The Catholics of Keene were first united under the Rev. John Brady in 1857. He built the present church and purchased the cemetery. His successors were Rev. Fathers OHara, Parache, Herbert, Murphy, Holohan and Galvin. The present pastor is Rev. J. R. Power, who has purchased a site and is engaged in erecting a school and convent. The parish embraces the neighboring tows of Marlboro, Fitzwilliam, Troy, Swanzey and Gilsum, and numbers about 2,500 souls.
Although Keene is divided into eleven school districts, No. i is the metropolitan, called Union district, and includes the schools of the city proper. The suburban districts partake largely of the characteristics of rural schools. The following table gives a fair idea of the citys buildings and school facilities :- School House Pearl street 72 $ 525 00 1,$-3,500 00 $ 4,025 00 116 School street, old building. 41 400 00 2,000 00 2,400 00 112 School St., new building.. 141 125 00 3,111 00 3,236 00 98 Fuller school 5A 300 00 4,155 00 3,455 00 112 Washington street … Read more
Ira C. Clark, son of Josiah, who was a soldier of the Revolution, married Bethiah Rider, and reared four children, only one of whom, Lucinda C., is living. She married George F. Shedd, of Vergennes, Vt., who died February, 4, 1854. The daughter, Hattie N., lives in Keene, and the son, George F., resides in Knowlton, N. H.
C. F. Rowell, born in Goshen, N. H., came to Keene in 1851, and worked as a carriage painter, in the employ of French Bros., twenty-one years. He traversed the entire state of New Hampshire as correspondent for the New Hampshire Patriot, at which occupation he spent three years. He was station agent for Connecticut River & Ashuelot R. R., from June 1877, until June 1884, and since then has been agent for the recovery of lost freight on the Cheshire R. R. He was sergeant-at-arms of the New Hampshire house, under J. A. Weston, and has been twice Democratic … Read more
Barton Skinner was born in Westmoreland, N. H., December 19, 1801, and was the seventh of a family of nine children, only one of whom was a girl, and only two of whom survive, aged respectively eighty-two and seventy-eight years. They were a family of remarkable longevity. Barton, who was the first to die, reached the age of sixty-three years, and this age was exceeded by all who have since deceased. Their parents, Timothy and Ruth Warner Skinner, removed from Brookfield, Mass., in 1793 or 94. The nine children were: Warren. born June 2, 1991; Cynthia, born September 10, 1792; … Read more
Francis French was born in 1817, and married Julia A., daughter of Samuel Walker, of Rockingham, Vt., who bore him three children, Annette J. Helen S., and Emily C. Mr. French is quite extensively engaged in the manufacture of carriages, and also somewhat interested in railroading, having helped to build the Boston, Winthrop & Shore railroad, of which he is one of the directors. He was one of Keenes first city councilmen, representing the first ward.
Dr. Charles G. Adams was born in Keene, N. H., March 7, 1793. He was educated at Dartmouth college, from which he was graduated in 1810. Though one of the youngest of his class his proficiency is highly spoken of by his associates. After leaving college he attended for a year or more the law school at Litchfield, Conn. He entered as a student the office of Samuel Prescott of Keene, in compliance with the wishes of his father, who sought to spare his only child a life like his of toil and exposure in the medical profession. But young … Read more
St. James Episcopal church.-The history of St. James church, of Keene, dates from the year 1858. Previous to this time, however, services had been held as opportunity offered by various clergymen. About the year 1816 the Rev. Mr. Leonard, rector of St. Pauls church, Windsor, Vt., visited Keene, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Dunham and other parishioners, and held several services in the village. Soon after their visit the regular services of the church were conducted for several weeks, probably by the Rev. James Morse, of Newburyport, Mass., in the old court-house, then standing on the site of what is … Read more
John W. Prentiss, whose son, W. H. Prentiss. is now one of the Sentinel company, died August 17, 1863, aged fifty-eight years. The following paragraph appeared in the Sentinel of that date: ” John W. Prentiss, whose death is announced in another column, was a son of Hon. John W. Prentiss, the founder of the Sentinel establishment, and probably the oldest editor now living in New England. The son was the junior proprietor and editor of the Sentinel for many years previous to 1847, when he became sole proprietor, and s me five years afterwards disposed of his interest in … Read more
John Houghton Fuller was of a family which, during his childhood, emigrated from Lunenburg, Mass., to Walpole in this county, sometime during the last decade of the last century. He passed his youth in Walpole, and began active life in a country store, first in Chesterfield, then in Winchester, and then in Keene, where he soon engaged in wool-dealing, which became the main business of his after life. While living at Winchester, he was called to act as adjutant-general of the government forces stationed at Portsmouth during the closing season of the war of 1812, and it was then, too, … Read more
James and Samuel Thompson came from Londonderry, Mass., and settled within the limits of the present town of Holden, Mass., in 1718. They were Scotch Irish, and both died in 1755. Thomas, son of Samuel, married and settled in Royalston; Mass., in 1769. His wife died and he married again, about 1782, and soon after came to Keene, residing just south of the chairfactory. He reared a family of eight children, six sons,-Thomas, Isaac, Aaron, Daniel, John and Luther,-and two daughters. His son Daniel bought the “Statia farm” about 1823, where he spent the remainder of his life. His children … 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
Francis Augustus Faulkner, second son of Francis Faulkner and Eliza Stevens, was born in the homestead, on West street, in Keene, February 12, 1825. He early showed a decided inclination for books and study. and after attending the public schools in old Keene academy, he, in 1841, went to Philip Exeter academy to finish his preparation for college. He graduated from Harvard university in the class of 1846, standing high in that class, which numbered such able men as Hon. George F. Hoar, Prof. F. J. Child, Prof. George M. Lane and Dr. Calvin Ellis. The common-place books which he … Read more
Ira French Prouty, M. D., son of Willard and Sally Prouty. of Langdon, N. H., was born November 9, 1812, and came to Keene in 1863, After leaving the district school he attended the academies of Bellows Falls and Chester, Vt. He studied medicine with Dr. Lowell, of Chester, and later with Dr. Lawrence, of Saxtons River. He attended lectures at Woodstock and Dartmouth medical schools, graduating from the latter in May 1837. He immediately went to Illinois, where he practiced his profession about a year. Leaving the West, he came to Chesterfield Factory, and was afterward located in Alstead … Read more
Ebenezer Bigelow, a native of Winchendon, Mass., moved to Weathersfield. Vt., married Sally Wales, and reared nine children, five of whom are now living. His son Enos married Emily B., daughter of Amos and Lucretia (Buffum) Bennett, has three children, Charles, Marion, and Frederick, and resides in Keene. The father of Mrs. Sally Bigelow served as a captain in the Revolutionary war, and thereafter drew a pension.
The Baptist Church. – Baptists from Middleborough, Mass., located in the east part of Westmoreland, where they constituted a church in 1771. This family spread into the west part of Keene. Here a church of the same faith was recognized by on ecclesiastical council, on the 9th day of September, 1816, consisting of thirteen members. It was gathered under the ministry of Rev. Charles Cummings. The church was received into the Dublin Baptist Association, in October of that year. A small meetinG.house, with square pews and a gallery, was built that autumn, situated in that part of the town known … Read more