Merrimack County NH

Biography of Daniel B. Sanborn

Daniel B. Sanborn, a successful farmer of East Concord, Merrimack County, was born in Webster, N.H., April 12, 1840, son of Daniel and Sally (Batchelder) Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn’s grandfather, Tristam Sanborn, came to Webster with his wife and her parents, and took up land on what is now known as Sanborn and Clough’s Hill. He lived to be quite an old man, and remained in this place until his death. He had a large family of children, of whom Daniel, father of the subject of this sketch, was the youngest but one. Daniel Sanborn moved to Canterbury when his son … Read more

Biography of J. Albert Peaslee

J. Albert Peaslee, an important factor of the agricultural and business community of Bradford, Merrimack County, was born in this town, on the farm that he still owns, December 14, 1845. His father, John Peaslee, a son of Samuel Peaslee, was a lifelong resident of Bradford. He was the Representative of an early settled family in New Hampshire, and one whose descendants are numerous in Hillsborough County, where, in the town of Pelham, they have an annual gathering. John Peaslee settled on the homestead farm now owned by his son, J. Albert, soon after attaining his majority, purchasing at first … Read more

Biography of Captain John P. Knowlton

Captain John P. Knowlton, a retired merchant of Sunapee, was born in that town, October 10, 1821, son of Samuel and Betsey (Pike) Knowlton. The grandfather, Robert Knowlton, was one of the pioneer settlers of New London, N.H., and a leading man in his time. He was a well-educated man and a successful school teacher. He also had time to attend to farming. His last years were spent in the State of Indiana, where he died at an advanced age. He married a lady named Smith, and she also lived to a good old age. Samuel Knowlton, born June 16, … Read more

Biography of Edmund Silver

Edmund Silver, a thriving farmer of Boscawen, N.H., was born in Bow, this State, September 10, 1834. His parents, Edmund and Sallie (Dow) Silver, who resided in Bow for the greater part of their lives, died when their son Edmund was quite young. They had nine children-Lewis, Laura, Cyrene, Leonard, Gideon, Sullivan, Daniel, Edmund, and George. Lewis died in March, 1897. Daniel is engaged in farming in Salisbury, N.H. George is in Penacook; and the others, except Edmund, the subject of our sketch, are deceased. Edmund Silver received his education in the district schools, remaining at home with his parents … 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

Biography of Eli A. Boutwell

Eli A. Boutwell, a farmer and lumberman of Hopkinton, N.H., son of Samuel P. and Lydia A. (Allen) Boutwell, was born in Barre, Vt., February 25, 1833. His lineage has not been traced; but a little research would probably show that he belongs to the old New England family of Boutwells, of which the Hon. George S. Boutwell, ex-Secretary of the Treasury, is a representative. Its founder, James Boutwell, said to have been made a freeman in Lynn, Mass., in 1638 or 1639, died in 1651, leaving a wife Alice, sons James and John, and a daughter Sarah. The sons … Read more

Biography of Hon. Edmund H. Brown

Hon. Edmund H. Brown, the subject of this sketch, was born in Fisherville, now Penacook, a part of Concord, N.H., October 29, 1857. He is the youngest son of Henry Hayes and Lucretia (Symonds) Brown, and traces his ancestry directly back to the early Pilgrim settlers. The late Henry H. Brown, father of Edmund H., conducted an extensive manufacturing business in Penacook for many years, and was one of the most enterprising citizens and prominent residents of that village in his day. Edmund H. Brown was educated at the Penacook Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston. After completing … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Nathan R. Marshall

Nathan R. Marshall, the father of Mrs. Collins, was born in Hudson N.H., in 1792. He removed to Bible Hill when a boy of fourteen, and six years later married Abigail Hawks, daughter of Farrington and Sarah Knowlton Hawks. He was a man of education and an especially good accountant, as shown by his old account books, kept in a neat, clear hand. He held town offices at different periods, being a most intelligent and valued official. He and his wife reared ten children, three sons and seven daughters. Two of these died in infancy. Joshua P. Marshall, the eldest … Read more

Biography of George H. Adams

George H. Adams, of Hill, the senior proprietor of the Hill Needle Factory, was born at Haverhill, Mass., son of the late Harrison Adams, the founder of the needle industry in this place. The first of the Adams family in this country was Enoch Adams, the great-grandfather of George H. He came to America from England, and settled, first in Newbury, and afterward in Salisbury, N.H. His last years were spent in the western part of the latter town, near Kearsarge Mountain. His son, Russel, after his marriage with Susanna Fifield, moved to Hill, where a family of eight children … Read more

Biography of Frank Gilman Edgerly

Frank Gilman Edgerly, the efficient High Sheriff of Merrimack County, N.H., was born in Meredith, N.H., on February 19, 1853. His parents were William M. and Lydia (Fogg) Edgerly. His ancestors, paternal and maternal, were of English extraction. Thomas Edgerly, the emigrant progenitor on his father’s side, came to America in 1664, settling near what is now known as Durham, N.H. Thomas Edgerly was a well-educated man, prominent in the early history of New Hampshire, being one of the Justices before whom were tried many important cases involving the civil and religious rights of citizens. Frank G. Edgerly acquired a … Read more

Biography of Timothy Fuller, Sr.

TIMOTHY FULLER, the sixth child and third son of Jacob Fuller, was born at Middleton, on the 18th of May, 1739. He entered Harvard University at the age of nineteen, and graduated in 1760. His name over that date is still (1859) seen on the corner-stone of one of the college buildings. He applied himself to theology, and in March, 1767, received from the church and town of Princeton, Mass., a nearly unanimous invitation to become their pastor, having previously supplied their pulpit for two years. Here he was ordained the first minister of Princeton, 9th September, 1767. In 1770 … Read more

Biography of Arthur Wilson Silsby

Arthur Wilson Silsby, of Concord, who for the past thirteen years has been Judge of Probate for Merrimack County, was born in Concord, August 28, 1851, son of George H. H. and Sarah F. (Chickering) Silsby. He is a direct descendant of Henry Silsby, who emigrated from England about the year 1630, and settled in Salem, Mass. Captain Henry Silsby, greatgrandfather of Arthur W., was an early settler in Acworth, N.H. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and was a member of the Committee of Public Safety. His son, Ozias, Judge Silsby’s grandfather, was a Congregational preacher. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Nathaniel Everett Martin

Nathaniel Everett Martin, a successful attorney and well-known business man of Concord, was born in Loudon, N.H., August 9, 1855, son of Theophilus B. and Sarah L. (Rowell) Martin. He is of Scotch-Irish blood on the paternal side, being a direct descendant of William Martin, who came to this country from Ireland about the year 1732. Landing in Boston, William Martin went thence to Londonderry, N.H., from which place he removed subsequently to Pembroke, Merrimack County. James Martin, the great-grandfather of Nathaniel E., served with the rank of Ensign during the Revolutionary War, and died before the cause of American … Read more

Biography of Hon. John C. Linehan

Hon. John C. Linehan . – “A hundred years after the Puritans and Pilgrims made a settlement on the coast of New England there came to this country a multitude of emigrants, mostly from the north of Ireland, who soon became absorbed into the ranks of the first settlers, and became the very best of citizens. In the contest for independence they rendered the most efficient services to the colonies, as they had previously done in protecting the frontiers from the inroads of the Indians. After another century, our doors having been opened wide for the reception of people from … Read more

Biography of Edward S. Barrett

Edward S. Barrett, a prosperous farmer of West Concord, was born February 17, 1824, at Ashburnham, Mass., the son of Benjamin and Nancy (Stone) Barrett. The paternal grandfather, also named Benjamin, who was a native of Ashby, Mass., followed the occupation of farmer, spent the latter part of his life in New York State, and ended his days in Aurelius, N.Y. Benjamin Barrett, who was also born in Ashby, after having learned shoemaking, worked at that trade for a number of years. He then followed farming in Ashburnham for a time. Subsequently he removed to Fitchburg, Mass., and later to … Read more

Biography of Robert Ives Lee

Robert Ives Lee. In the death of Robert Ives Lee, which occurred at Chicago, Illinois, December 19, 1911, there passed away one of the most prominent horsemen of the Middle West. He was born May 5, 1846, at Boston, Massachusetts, and was a son of the late Brev.-Brig.-Gen. William Raymond Lee III, U. S. V., A. M., A. A. S., and Helen Maria (Amory) Lee, of Amory Street, Boston, the former of whom was descended from Henry and Mary Lee. Henry Lee, the founder of the Lee family of Marblehead, Massachusetts, died at Manchester, that state, in 1675, and was … Read more

Biography of Nathaniel Head

Nathaniel Head, Governor of New Hampshire from 1879 to 1881, was born May 20, 1828, son of John and Annie (Brown) Head. Having completed his education in the schools of Pembroke, he began life as a farmer and lumberman at a very early age, remaining on the old homestead. His military career commenced on September 1, 1847, when he was appointed Drum Major of the Eleventh Regiment, Third Brigade, First Division, of the State militia, in which he served four years. He was an original member of the famous Horse Guards, in which he was Drum Major and Chief Bugler … Read more

Biography of Alger, William Rounseville

Alger, William Rounseville, son of Nahum and Catherine Sampson (Rounseville) Alger, was born in Freetown, Bristol County, December 28, 1822. He attended the common schools from the age of four to ten, then began to work for a livelihood; he worked five years in a cotton mill at Hookset, N. H., studied attentively in all available house, educating himself in the various branches of an academic course. He attended an academy in Pembroke, N. H., two years, and one year at Lebanon, N. H. He entered the divinity school of Harvard University in 1844, and was graduated in the class … Read more

Biography of Albon Loverin

Albon Loverin, a prominent farmer of Northfield, is a native of Springfield, N.H. He was born May 24, 1851, son of Austin C. and Lavina A. (Morrill) Loverin. The father, who was a farmer, died in 1868. He was twice married. The children of his first marriage were: Elijah W. and Gilbert, both of whom are now deceased. His second wife, Lavina, a native of Wilmot, bore him six other children, namely: Oliver B., who resides in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Sarah, who is the wife of George Morgan, of Springfield, N.H.; Ara M., who is a hotel keeper of Concord; … 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