Merrimack County NH

Biography of John W. Severance

John W. Severance, a prominent resident of Chichester, Merrimack County, and an ex-member of the New Hampshire legislature, was born February 3, 1822, in Sandwich, Carroll County, which was also the birthplace of his parents, Asa and Rhoda (Webster) Severance. His greatgrandfather, Ephraim Severance, was one of the pioneer farmers of that town, having gone there from Deerfield, N.H. John Severance, son of Ephraim and grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a lifelong resident of Sandwich. He was an able farmer and possessed considerable mechanical ingenuity, which he applied to various kinds of handicraft. He took a leading … Read more

Biography of William Joseph Fortier

William Joseph Fortier, of Franklin village, a retired hat manufacturer, was born December 8, 1824, in Gentilly, Quebec County, Canada. His father, Dr. Thomas Fortier, who was a very prominent physician of Quebec, and later of Gentilly, was a member of Parliament for fourteen years. Dr. Thomas was twice married, first to Eliza Hannah, November 15, 1819, when he was twenty-four years of age. By this union there were seven children, born as follows: Thomas E., September 27, 1820; Mary Ann Emily, May 29, 1823; William Joseph, the subject of this sketch; Edward F., September 30, 1825; Mary L., January … Read more

Biography of George Oliver Locke

George Oliver Locke, of Pembroke, an ex-member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, was born in South New Market, N.H., September 19, 1826, son of Simeon and Clarissa (Tash) Locke. His great-grand-father, David Locke, who was a native of Yorkshire, England, became an early settler in Rye, N.H., where he owned a good farm, and resided there until his death, which occurred at a good old age. Simeon Locke (first), grandfather of the subject of this sketch, followed farming in Epsom for a time. Later he moved to East Concord, N.H., and there spent the rest of his life. … Read more

Biography of Rufus Virgin

Rufus Virgin, a prosperous farmer and well-known citizen of Concord, was born on the Virgin homestead, where he now resides, January 7, 1818, son of Isaac and Susan (Batchelder) Virgin. He is a descendant of Ebenezer Virgin, second, one of the old proprietors of New Hampshire. The Virgin family has been closely identified with the history of Concord since the town was first settled. Jonathan Virgin, grandfather of Rufus, took up new land here, cleared it, and became the owner of a large farm. He died at about sixty years of age. His wife, in maidenhood Sarah Austin, was the … Read more

Biography of Daniel Downes

Daniel Downes, a well-known resident of Andover, was born in Salisbury, N.H., June 10, 1837. His father was Isaac Downes, who came from Maine, his native State, successively bought a farm in Salisbury and Ellsworth, lived on each for a time, and then removed to Lowell, Mass., where he kept a boarding-house until his death. Isaac married Mary A. Cilly, of West Andover; and their children were: Philip, Leonard, Priscilla, Lydia, Ann, Ellen, Daniel, and Isaac. Philip Downes, who was a soldier in the Union Army, died from the effect of wounds received in the battle of Gettysburg. Leonard was … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Robert H. Rolfe

Robert H. Rolfe, the courteous and efficient cashier and advertising manager of the Republican Press Association at Concord, N.H., was born here, October 16, 1863, and is the son of Henry Pearson and Mary Rebecca (Sherburne) Rolfe, of this city. In his boyhood he attended the public schools of Concord, and, after graduating from the high school, entered Dartmouth College, where he was graduated in the class of 1884. He then for a short time engaged in the study of law; but, feeling more inclination for a business career, he abandoned the thought of a profession, and entered the employ … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Thomas J. Otterson

Thomas J. Otterson, formerly a well-known business man of Allenstown, was born in Hookset, N.H., February 8, 1818, son of William and Betsey (Cofran) Otterson. On the paternal side he descended from William Otterson, a native of Ireland, who was drowned in Lake Champlain during the French and Indian War. William’s son, James Otterson, grandfather of Thomas J., was born in Londonderry, N.H., August 19, 1757. He was the father of twelve children, of whom William (second), father of Thomas J., was the third child. The father, who was born in Hookset, October 30, 1789, reared a family of five … Read more

Biography of George H. Haines

George H. Haines, a well-known resident of Chichester, Merrimack County, N.H., for quite a number of years engaged as a carriage and sleigh manufacturer, also as an extensive lumber dealer, now partially retired from his former activities, was born in this town, January 27, 1845, son of George P. and Sarah F. (Towle) Haines. The family is of Colonial origin; and the first ancestor of whom there is any exact knowledge was Robert Haines, who settled in Falmouth, Me., and remained there eight or nine years, or until the Indian outbreak in 1688. He married Rachel Davis, who was born … Read more

Biography of Dr. Rufus Merrill Weeks

Dr. Rufus Merrill Weeks, who resides in the village of Suncook, and is a well-known dentist in the town of Pembroke, was born in Gilford, N.H., December 15, 1854, son of William and Lizzie (Hutchinson) Weeks. Benjamin Weeks, the grandfather of Dr. Weeks, in his younger days was a farmer. He later learned Gilford. He became prominent in business circles and in public affairs, holding various town offices; and he was connected with the old State militia. In politics he was a Whig. He married, and reared a family of seven children. Of the latter the only survivor is Mrs. … Read more

Biography of Warren Smith Hill

Warren Smith Hill, a successful contractor and farmer of Northfield, was born in this town, February 9, 1842. His father, Captain Warren Lapham Hill, was a native of the same town; and his mother, Betsey Tucker Hill, was born in Hopkinton, December 26, 1806, and died February 6, 1886. The progenitors of Mr. Hill were the original settlers of Northfield, and came from Salisbury, Mass., about the close of the Revolutionary War. They were two of the four sons of Daniel Hill, and were, together with their father, shoemakers by trade. They supplied the Continental soldiers with shoes, and were … Read more

Carr Hill or Mountain Cemetery, Wilmot, Merrimack County, New Hampshire

This is a list of all the stones that are readable but undoubtedly not a complete list of all that are buried there. Many depressions showing where people were buried are unmarked by headstones. Brown Betsy, consort of Joseph Brown, Jr. died 1835 Joseph Brown died 1835 Betsy, wife of Joseph Brown died 1843  Lieut. Joseph Brown, died 1844 Carr Noyes Carr  Noyes Carr, Jr.  Noyes Carr’s widow died 1837 Kimball Joseph W., son of Samuel and Betsy Kimball died 1833  Morey George W., son of Jonathan and Sarah Morey 1846  Almena, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Morey died 1839 … Read more

Biography of Ebenezer Loveren

Ebenezer Loveren, a practical farmer of Hopkinton, was born here, February 27, 1827, son of Captain Benjamin and Esther (Bartlett) Loveren, his parents being originally from Deering, Hillsborough County. His paternal grandparents were Ebenezer and Eunice (Hadlock) Loveren, who removed from Kensington, N.H., to Deering, where they settled. A separate sketch of Captain Benjamin Loveren appears on another page of this volume. Ebenezer Loveren was the only child of his parents, and was born on the farm where he now lives and where he has spent his life up 1844. It is the place in which Captain Benjamin Loveren passed … Read more

Biography of Albion H. French, M.D.

Albion H. French, M.D., a wellknown physician of Pittsfield, was born in Gilmanton N.H., March 27, 1847, son of Thomas H. and Sarah Ann (Brown) French. His great-grandfather, Ezekiel French, an Englishman, who was a pioneer of either Loudon or Hampton, N.H., spent his last days in Loudon, where he owned a farm. The second of Ezekiel’s two marriages was contracted with Sallie Smith. His son John was a native of Loudon. When a young man, John settled in Gilmanton, where he became a wealthy farmer, and died at the age of seventy-five years. He married Lucy T. Prescott, who … Read more

Biography of Daniel L. Moore

Daniel L. Moore, a successful farmer of Loudon, Merrimack County, was born here, June 30, 1843, son of Archelaus and Harriett T. (Lowell) Moore, his parents also being natives of this town. Archelaus Moore, first, the grandfather, lived and died in Loudon, Daniel L., was the first of the name to settle here. Archelaus Moore, second, followed the vocation of his forefathers, and died leaving eight children: Abigail, wife of P. L. French, of East Concord, N.H.; Lydia Amanda, who married Hugh T. Warren, a farmer of Pembroke, N.H.; Jennie, now deceased, who became the wife of James Richardson, a … Read more

Biography of Anson Colby Alexander, M.D.

Anson Colby Alexander, M.D., a prominent homoeopathic physician of Penacook, was born in Littleton, N.H., October 10, 1855, son of Wesley and Sarah B. (Bray) Alexander. Both paternal and maternal ancestors of his served in the War for Independence. Wesley Alexander, a native of Swanzey, N.H., was a prominent resident of Littleton, and took an active part in public affairs. He was one of the original promoters of the Republican movement in this State, having formerly been a supporter of the Whig party. For more than thirty years he used his influence successfully in securing the predominance of these parties … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Elmer Crofut

Crofut, William Elmer; wholesale rubber; born, Syracuse, N. Y., Sept. 5, 1874; son of Elmer Burr and Hattie A. Davis Crofut; educated in public and private schools of Syracuse and Syracuse University; married, Concord, N. H., Dec. 5, 1899, Ruth Paul; one son, William E., Jr., served in 141st N. Y., Spanish-American War; came to Cleveland, October, 1899, as manager of a mercantile agency; three years later engaged as sec’y and treas. Ohio Rubber Co., remaining with the firm until September, 1905, when he organized the Forest City Rubber Co., continuing as president-treasurer and gen. mgr. since; member Mayfield Country … Read more

Biography of John Henry Prescott

John Henry Prescott. At the close of the Civil war, in which he had played a gallant role as a Union soldier and had attained the rank of captain, Mr. Prescott came out to Kansas and from that time until his death on July 5, 1891, was a notable figure in the life and affairs of Salina and that part of the state. He attained high rank as a lawyer and as a jurist, and was also remarkably successful in business affairs. His name and memory may well be cherished by his descendants and by the people of the entire … Read more

Biography of Charles H. Courser

Charles H. Courser, a retired business man of Henniker, was born in Boscawen, now Webster, N.H., May 19, 1827, son of John and Keziah (Shepard) Courser. The first ancestors of the family were English. His grandfather, John Courser, was a resident of Merrimack County. The father passed the greater part of his life in Boscawen, and died there at the age of ninety-two years. The mother, who was a daughter of John Shepard, a native of Derry, N.H., lived to be eighty-two. Of her children the only survivor is Charles H. Charles H. Courser passed his boyhood in attending school … Read more

Biography of Walter Scott Davis

Walter Scott Davis, a millowner, manufacturer, and inventor, a successful business man of Hopkinton, Merrimack County, N.H., was born in the adjacent town of Warner, July 29, 1834, a son of Nathaniel A. and Mary (Clough) Davis. His paternal ancestry he traces as follows: Captain Francis Davis, called “the pioneer,” was born in Amesbury, Mass., October 26, 1723. He was the son of Francis, second, and Joanna Davis, the former the son of Francis, first, who, it is said, was the son of Philip, the immigrant progenitor. Philip Davis, when twelve years old, left Southampton, England, April 24, 1638, in … Read more

Biography of Albert P. Davis

Albert P. Davis, attorney-at-law and one of the most active, prominent, and pushing citizens of Warner, was born May 2, 1835, in the village of Waterloo, Merrimack County, N.H. The Davis family originated in Wales, from whence the first ancestor in this country emigrated in 1638, settling in Amesbury, Mass. Gideon Davis, the great-grandfather of Albert P., and a nephew of Francis Davis, who led in the early settlement of the town, was born in Amesbury, where he lived until after his marriage with Mary Cheney. In 1784 he came to Warner, and, taking up a large tract of timber … Read more