Sullivan County NH

Biographical Sketch of Gershom Powers

GERSHOM POWERS, son of the late John Powers, was born June 11, 1789. His early advantages were quite limited – denied even the advantages of a common school. His parents being too poor to furnish other means, his books were read and pondered by the uncertain light of the “fore-stick.” A lameness in his right arm induced him to leave the farm and turn his attention to law, the study of which he commenced at Sempronius in 1810. After completing big course, he opened an office at Auburn, and was popular and successful in his practice. He was appointed Assistant … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Joseph Eastman

JOSEPH EASTMAN came to this town from Hopkinton, N. H., about the middle of the century, and settled at the East Village. He was a joiner by trade, and a valuable citizen. He afterwards removed to the west part of the town and turned his attention to farming. He was a Representative in 1838 and 1839.

Biographical Sketch of John Towne

JOHN TOWNE, son of John Towne, was born August 17, 1805. In June, 1840, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of State, which office he held four years. He was register of deeds for Sullivan County from 1851 to 1854, inclusive. He was for many years a successful teacher and has been for a long time a prominent and respected citizen of Newport.

Elijah P. Kenyon

ELIJAH P.3 KENYON (Joseph2-1) was b. 1803; m. Mary Huntington Bingham, dau. of Elias and Hannah T. Bingham, b. March 27, 1806, d. Feb. 18, 1872. He lived in Cornish and d. March 14, 1878. Children: 1. An infant, b. ; d. April 27, 1827. 2. HANNAH P., b. 1829 (?); m. Dec. 6, 1854, F. J. Chase. She d. Sept. 1, 1877. 3. DARWIN H., b. 1831 (?); m. March 7, 1861, Maria E. Hyde. She d. Oct. 16, 1861, aged 24. He d. Dec. 26, 1861. 4. BENJAMIN CUTLER, b. May 9, 1837 (?); m. . He d. … Read more

Biography of William E. Chadbourne

William E. Chadbourne, a prominent resident of Cornish, was born here, July 31, 1823. His grandfather, William Chadbourne, who was born in Maine, had six children-Humphrey, Jabez, William, Thomas, Benjamin, and Electa. Humphrey married Abbie Peck, and had three children. Jabez went to Canada, where he married and died. William, who was an extensive farmer in Canada, had a large family. Thomas was a butcher in Salem, Mass., and died there. Electa, now deceased, married Mr. Cross, of Canada. Benjamin Chadbourne, the father of William E., was born at Moultonboro, N.H., January 28, 1792. He was prominent in town affairs, … Read more

Stephen Cole

3. STEPHEN3 COLE (Ebenezer2, Ephraim1) was b. ; m. , Mary Whitney, who d. Feb. 27, 1814. He d. Feb. 24, 1814. The husband and wife, and also his mother, Edith, all d. within three days of each other. Their children were:     i. JASON, b. -; m. March 10, 1815, Miriam Plaistridge of Cornish, b. Nov. 15, 1792, and d. Feb. 29, 1888. She was dau. of Caleb and Hannah (Manning) Plaistridge. Mr. Cole was drowned in Connecticut river, March 12, 1817, aged 29, leaving one son five days old, who took his father’s name.     ii. SUSAN, b. … Read more

Benjamin Cole

BENJAMIN and EUNICE (PIERCE) COLE were m. in Cornish Aug. 21, 1788. Their pedigree is unknown. They had the following children, b. in Cornish:     i. AMOS, b. June 26, 1789.     ii. POLLY, b. June 28, 1791.     iii. DANIEL, b. Feb. 8, 1793. The census of 1790 records one boy and one girl beside the parents. The above record fails to mention a dau. that was older.

Biographical Sketch of Thomas Whipple

THOMAS WHIPPLE, son of Moses, married Thankful Powers, and settled at Charlestown, N. H., and raised up a large family. AARON married Matilda Cooper and settled in the south part of the town, near Coit Mountain, on the farm so long and so well occupied by his son MOSES WHIPPLE previous to his retirement to his present life of comparative leisure at the Flat. Aaron, “In fair round belly, with good capon lined,” relished a joke.

Biographical Sketch of Vashti Town

VASHTI TOWN, sister of the above, was educated at the Kimball Union Academy, and commenced teaching in her native town. She was soon called to take charge of the female department of the Norwich Institute, at Norwich, Vt., where she remained three years. She was then invited to Portsmouth, Va., and after nine years of successful labor in that place, removed to the city of Washington, where she has been mainly occupied in teaching for the last fifteen years. Her occasional contributions to the press indicate a ready pen, and a high degree of literary merit.

Biographical Sketch of Sherburn Merrill

JOSHUA B. and SHERBURN MERRILL, sons of Samuel Merrill, spent the earlier part of their lives at the homestead, east of Spectacle Pond. To their early struggles with poverty they owe much of those resolute wills, which have enabled them to make after-progress in the business world. The former has for several years represented Barnstead in the Legislature, and the latter has represented Colebrook.

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 Darius Blanchard

DARIUS BLANCHARD and JOHN BLANCHARD were among the early settlers of the town. The former settled in the valley north of C. K. Fletcher’s, and the latter on Baltimore Hill.

Winston Churchill

WINSTON9 CHURCHILL (Edward8 Spaulding, Edwin7, James6, Thomas5-4, Barnabas3, Joseph2, John1) from the same emigrant ancestor as the Cornish Churchills, was b. Nov. 10, 1871, in St. Louis, Mo. His father, Edward Spaulding Churchill, was b. April 2, 1846, in Portland, Me., and m. Jan. 30, 1871, Emma B. Blaine who d. soon after the birth of her little son. He was then taken by an aunt, his mother’s sister, who brought him up.

Biography of William W. Austin

William W. Austin, a farmer and drover of Webster, N.H., the son of Eldad and Naomi Austin, was born in Webster, then a part of Boscawen, July 1, 1829. His grandfather, Paul Austin, of Georgetown, Mass., was one of the first settlers of the town. Taking up land when the country around it was a wilderness, he cleared and brought under cultivation the large farm where the subject of this sketch now lives. He died in 1852; and his wife, Mehitable Lowell, of Georgetown, died in 1829. They had eight children-John, Sallie, Dorothy, Eldad, Eunice, Mary Ann, William, and Samuel. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Solomon L. Powers

SOLOMON L. POWERS, brother of the above, after following the business of stonemason at Baltimore and elsewhere, finally became an extensive farmer at Gettysburg, Pa.; and during the famous battle a portion of the rebel army was stationed in his yard. His brothers, ARA and LARNARD, were successful farmers. The former died at Charlestown in 1865, leaving quite a fortune.

Joseph Weld

JOSEPH WELD came from England in 1638 and settled in Plymouth, Mass. He had a son, John2, b. Oct. 28, 1623, who had a son Joseph3, b. Sept. 13, 1650, who had a son John4, b. Aug. 19, 1689. He had a son Moses5, b. March 27, 1722. He m. first, Dec. 6, 1748, Elizabeth Holbrook, b. Jan. 13, 1727; d. July 11, 1763; m. second, July 11, 1764, Deborah Faulkner, b. Aug. 26, 1735; d. July 31, 1828. Had six children by each wife, all b. before coming to town. In advanced life he and Deborah came to Cornish, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Samuel Blanchard

SAMUEL BLANCHARD, son of Darius Blanchard, was born Sept. 17, 1790. He is a man endowed by nature with uncommon abilities, has much shrewdness and wit, and has been the most successful teacher the town ever produced. Would our limits permit we could relate many an amusing instance of how the ready genius of ” Black Sam” has out generaled and conquered a large, turbulent, and to others ungovernable school, without a blow. He has devoted most of his life to farming.

Biography of Rollins A. Kempton

ROLLINS A. KEMPTON, fifth son of Col. Calvin Kempton, was born Oct. 29, 1826. In addition to the district school, he received the instructions of his father at home, who was an experienced and most faithful teacher, and had been for thirty years Superintending School Committee of the town. His early life was full of poverty and discouragements. At the tender age of nine years he followed his mother to her grave, and was thus deprived of her guardian care and sympathy. His father had been a large farmer and extensive wool-grower, but the revulsions of 1837 swept away his … Read more

Harvey Chase

9. HARVEY5 CHASE (Moses4, Daniel3, Moses2, Aquilla1) was b. Nov. 13, 1778; m. -, Eunice, dau. of J. M. Dana, Esq., b. May 20, 1783, and d. Jan. 8; 1823, aged 40. He was a lawyer and practiced his profession chiefly in Cornish and Windsor, Vt. He d. Feb. 18, 1857. Children: i. ALFRED, b. Oct. 16. 1811. Commenced a course of study at Kimball Union Academy, and d. Sept. 28, 826. ii. ISRAEL PUTNAM, b. May 28,1815; d. June 17, 1816. iii. POLLY DANA, b. Feb. 18, 88; d. June -, 837, aged 19. iv. CATHARINE, b. -, 1819, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Paul Jacobs

PAUL JACOBS, son of Whitman Jacobs, was born in 1783. He married Prudence, daughter of Jonah Stow. He was a man of great energy of character, and was eminently practical in his views. He was one of the largest and best farmers in town, often kept a dairy of thirty cows, and other stock in proportion. He brought to town several choice breeds of cattle and sheep. He was the main instrument in getting the river-road through from . the Flat to the East Village-a deed that entitles his memory to the respect of all after-generations of his townsmen. He … Read more