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TH E
HISTORY OF WINDHAM
In New Hampshire (Rockingham County).
1719-1883.
A SCOTCH SETTLEMENT (COMMONLY CALLED SCOTCH-IRISH),
EMBRACING NEARLY ONE THIRD OF THE ANCIENT
SETTLEMENT AND HISTORIC TOWNSHIP OF
LONDONDERRY, N. H., WITH THE
History and Genealogy of its First Settlers and their Descendants,
And most of the Families of its Past, and all of its Present Permanent Inhabitants, comprising more than
TWO HUNDRED DIFFERENT FAMILY NAMES.
WITH MAP, AND SIXTY PAGES OF ENGRAVINGS, TOGETHER WITH TWENTY AUTOGRAPHS AND CUTS.
By LEONARD A. MORRISON,
Author of the "History of the Morison, or Morrison, Family," and Member of the Npw Hampshire Historical Society.
" History has a great office, to make the past intelligeut to the present
for the guidance of the future." '
Charles Knight,
BOSTON, MASS.: CUPPLES, UPHAM & CO., 283 WASHINGTON STREET.
1883.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18S3, by
Leonard A. Morrison, In tlie Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Vox Populi Press:
JTuse, Goodwin cj'' Co.
Lowell, Mass.
ibitaii0n.
TO
rO
THE PEOPLE OF WINDHAM, N. H,
AND TO THOSE WHO DERIVE DESCENT FROM THE FIRST SCOTCH SETTLERS THERE, BENEATH WHATEVER SKIES THEIR HOJIES MAY BE,
^ThCs ittemorfal
OF THE PAST AND PRESENT IS DEDICATED WITH SENTIMENTS OF HIGH REGARD,
BY LEONARD ALLISON MORRISON.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
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Leonard A. Morrison (see p. 684). Steel Engraving .
John Hopkins Morison (see p. 678). Steel Engraving,
William H. Anderson. Steel Engraving
George W. Armstrong. Steel Engraving
Charles H. Campbell. Steel Engraving
John Campbell (of Henniker). Steel Engraving .
James M. Campbell. Steel Engraving
William Campbell. Albertype
John Campbell. Albertyi^e
Samuel Campbell. Albertype
George C. Clyde. Wood Engraving
Milton A. Clyde. Steel Engraving
Group: John Cochran, Margaret (Hemphill) Cochran.
Albertype an 393
Group : Isaac Cochran, James Cochran, William D.
Cochran, Charles Cochran, Samuel H. Cochran,
Isaac A. Cochran. Albertype . . . . " " 400
Joseph S. Cogswell. Wood Engraving .... an 493
Group : Charles Cutler, Carroll Cutler, Evarts Cutler,
Marcia A. Cutler, Lucia Cutler, Ennna Cutler.
Albertype " " 421
James Dinsmoor (see p. 507). Steel Engraving . . " " 437
Silas Dinsmoor. Steel Engraving n n 451
Samuel Dinsmoor, Sr. Photograph .... an 479
Anne Belle Jameson. Steel Engraving .... u n 4gg
James Dinsmoor (of Kentucky). Photograph . . " " 487
William B. Dinsmore. Steel Engraving ... an 439
Theodore Dinsmoor. Albertyp>e u u 49^
John Taylor Gilman Dinsmoor. Steel Engraving . " " 493
Group : Jacob N. Dinsmore, Samuel Dinsmore, Mai-ia
Dinsmore, Nancy Dinsmoi'e, Robert Dinsmore,
John H. Dinsmore, Luther Dinsmore, Louisa A.
Dinsmore, Clarissa Dinsmore, Sarah E. Dinsmore.
Albertype n n 499
Samuel H. Dinsmoor. Albertype " " 501
Samuel Dinsmoor, Jr. Photograph . . .' . " " 503
Jacob Harris. Wood Engraving " 559
Group : Mrs. Kuth (Pratt) Harris, Sally Harris, Edward
Harris, Samuel HaiTis, John M. Harris, Jacob
Harris, Wm. C. Harris. Albertype .... «' '• 562
Margaret CDavidson) Hills. Albertype ... 'i <i 535
John Hills. Albertype it u 58g
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Nathaniel Hills. Albertype
Rei Hills. Photo-electrotype ....
Aaron P. Hughes. Alhertyve
Benjamin H. Hughes. Albertype .
Abraham Dow Merrill. Albertype
Nancy (Morrison) Merrill. Albertype .
Jeremiah Morrison. Albertype
Alva Morrison. Steel Engraving .
James Morison. Steel Engraving .
Group : Robert P. Morrison, Samuel Morrison, Rufu
A. MoiTison, John Morrison. Albertype Jacob M. Nesmith. Steel Engraving Thomas Nesmith. Steel Engraving John Nesmith. Steel Engraving . . . Jonathan L. Noyes. Steel Engraving . Charles Packard. Albertype .... Joseph Park. Photo-electrotype Group : William Park, Sarah Park, William Park, Jr,
Francis E. Park. Albertype . George Reid. Silhouette .... George E. Seavey. Albertype Group: Loren Thayer, Elizabeth C. Thayer. Albertypte Charles H. Bell. Steel Engraving Map of Old Londonderry, including Windham, N View of Windham Range and Cobbett's Pond
Dinsmooi''s Hill. Albertype . Breaking and Swingling Flax. Wood Engraving
Snow-shoe
An Ancient Axe
Carding and Spinning Wool, Cotton, or Tow Inside View of Church, with Sounding-board over
Pulpit. Wood Engraving Presbyterian Church and Town Hall (see p.
Albertype
Ancient Part of the Cemetery on the Hill. Albertype Butterfleld's Rock (see p. 34), and Manufactory of
George S. Neal. Albertype View of West Windham and Windham Junction
Albertype ... Residence of William H. Anderson. Albertype Fac-similes of Autographs of John Cristy .
William Johnston
John Kinkead
James McKeen
Morison Arms ......
Fac-similes of Autographs of Morisons
Isaac Thom
Simon Williams
H from
the
255)
Faces page 687
588 599 602 645 646 669 673 680
682 693 695 698 708 710 725
726 747 757 786 793 25
39 115
116 118 119
126
129
182
187
192 313 410 608 614 639 654 555-662 791 815
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PREFATORY. — (Pages iv-24.) List of Illustrations, iv-v. — Introduction, l-io. — Preliminary Chapter, 11-24.
CHAPTER I. — (Pages 25-39.)
In the Beginning; Copy of John Wheelwright's Deed to the Proprietors of London- derry, p. 25. — The Indians, 26. —Windham, its Situation, 27.— Wild Animals, 29.— Hirus. 31. — Snakes ; Arboreal Products; Flora of Windham, 32. — Localities, 34. — Surface, 35. — Indications of Glacial Period, 36. — Scenery, 37.
CHAPTER II. — (Pages 39-44.)
LANDS LAID OUT IN WINDHAM.
The First Grant of Land in Windham, Oct. 1662, 39. — Laying out of Land in Windham after the Advent of the Scotch Settlers in Londonderry in 1719. — Origin of the Farms in Windham Range in 1728, 40.— Ministerial Lot laid out April 17, 1729, 42.
CHAPTER III.— (P.\ges 44-47.)
FIRST SETTLEMENTS.
Early Settlements and Early Settlers ; First Settlement ; First House ; Names of fiarly Settlers, 44. — Early Times. 45. — Petition against the Establishment of a new "Parish in 1740— Names of Petitioners ; Fourteen Families emigrate to Cole- raine, Mass., in 1740, 46.
CHAPTER IV. — (Pages 47-53.)
WINDHAM INCORPORATED.
Petitions for a Charter, 47. — Charter Granted, 48.— Charter of the Town of Windham, 49. — First Warrant, 50. —Windham's First Town-meeting; First Moderator and Town Officers, 51. — Ministers' Fees, 52.
CHAPTER V. — (Pages 53-64. )
WAR. — POLITICAL HISTORY.
French and Indian War ; War's Alarms, 53; Windham's Roll of Heroes; Things look Warlike in Windham in 1752. 54. — Trouble with Salem. 1752. and Dismember- menl of Windham, 55. — Names of Wiiidliam Men annexed to S;ilem, 56. — The Scotch l'eo))le in Salem remain Scotcli still; The Frencli and Indian War. and Names of Men, 57. — New Hanipsliire Men serve in a Massacliusetts Regiment, 60. — Paper Currency, Old Ti'iior, New Tenor, etc., 61. — Exempted Farms"; Law- suits ; Civil Affairs ; Emigration, 1770, and Belfast, Me., colonized by the Scotch, 62.— Gov. John Wentworth loses §10 by a bad Investment, 63.
CHAPTER VI. — (Pages 64-79.)
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
First Militia Law in New Hampshire ; The Impending Crisis, 64. —Lexington Alarm, 6(;. — Connnittee of Inspection, 1775, 67. — Windham Men in the Battle of Bunker Hill ; Casualties and Losses, 68. — Historic Day, 69.— First Military Comiiany in Windham; An Account of all the Men belomiiim to Winilham who were in the Coiitincnlal Service on July 8, 1775, 70. — First I'loviuce Tax under the Author- ity of Conuress, Nov. 28, 1775, 72. — Important Events in 1776; New Regulations of the Militia. 73. — The Continental Congress — The Association Test. 74.— Its Signers. 75. — Windlnim Soldiers in 1776 : Men immediately respond to the call of the Government, 76,
HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. Vll
CHAPTER VII. — (Pages 79-96.)
REVOLUTIONARY WAR — CONTINUED.
The Year 1777, 79. —Court Prices; The Town still Angry; Wiiidhani's Quota for the Continental Army, 80. — Getting Desperate, 81. — Casualties to Windham's Sol- diers in the Bennington Battle ; Windham's Sons at the Bennington Battle, Aug. 10, 1777, 83. -Political Action of the Town; The Exemi)te(l Farias set Ijack into Windham. 85. — The Day Brightening, 8G. — Town lA-gisIation ; Atraid of Debt; The War continues, 1778, 87. — Snlistitutes ; Receipt for Men ; Raising Money to pay tlie Debt, 88. —Soldiers, Bounties, and Town Legislation in 1779, 89. — High- est Town Bounty of the War; The Beginning of the End, 1780, 90. — Bounty of Corn for Soldiers in 1780, 91. — Beef for the Army; Bounties, and Names of Sol- diers in 1781, 92. — Trouble with the Currency, !«! — Depreciation Scale of Paper Money, 1781; Events of 1782; The Last Wiudliam Soldier in tlie Revolutionary War, 93. — End of the Revolution and Treaty of Peace ; The Town Records, 94.
CHAPTER VIII. — (Pages 96-103.;
FROM THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION TO THE CLOSE OF 1812-15 WAR.
Oath of Allegiance to the State ; Overplus Money ; First Written Ballots, 1782, 96.— The Town Instructs its Representative in 1783 ; War Legislation, 1784 ; Windham's Last Continental Soldier still in tlie Army, .Tanuary, 1784 ; Windham Petitions to send a Representative. 17S4. wliicli is granted. 97. — Trouble with the Currency; Fiat Money Favored; Violations (if tlu' Sabliath, 1785 ; The Pound, and a stable Pound at last, 99. — A Curious Vote ; War of 1812-15, 100.— Men from Windham in the 1812^15 War, 101.
CHAPTER IX. — (Pages 103-107.)
REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED.
Formation of Independent State Government in New Hampshire ; Constitutional Con- ventions ; First Convention ; First Constitution,103. — Windham suggests Amend- ments to the Constitution j Votes to Accept the Constitution, Aug. 27, 1792, 105.— Names of Members of different Conventions, 106.
CHAPTER X. — (Pages 107-122.)
NAMES AND HISTORY OF EARLY SETTLERS.
First Settlers ; Their History, 107. — Early Names and Vanished Names, 109. — Indus- trial History and Habits of the Early Settlers, 111.— Snow-shoes, 116.— Umbrellas, Clocks and Time-keepers, 117. — Shade Trees ; Blacksmiths; Pen-Pictures of our Father's Homes, 118. — Carding and Spinning Wool, Cotton, or Tow, 119.— A change comes on the Death of Parson Williams, Nov. 10, 1793, and the Removal of the Church in 1798, 120. — Many People Remove to the new City of Lowell, 121.
CHAPTER XI. — (Pages 122-139.)
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY'.
Rev. William Johnston, the first Minister Installed, 1747 ; Dismissed, 1752 ; First Meet- ing-house Built, 1753 ; Installation of Rev. John Kinkead in Oct. 1760, and his Dis- missal in April, 1765 ; Names of Elders, 124. — Ordination of Rev. Simon Williams, Dec. 1766, 125. — Death of Mr. Williams, Nov. 10, 1793; Names of Elders, 126.— Removal of the Church to the Centre of the Town, 1798. — Rev. Samuel Harris or- dained Oct. 9, 1805 ; Dismissal of Mr. Harris, Dec. 6, 1826 ; Names of Persons added to the Eldership, 127. — April 9, 1828, Rev. Calvin Cutler is Installed ; He dies Feb. 17, 1844. — Additional Elders ; Rev. Loren Thayer Ordained Nov. 5, 1845 ; Remains Pa.stor till April 2.5, 1866, 128. —Rev. Joseph Lanman Installed June 2, 1868 ; Dis- missed Feb. 6. 1872 ; Parsonage Built, 1868; Rev. Charles Packard Installed April 29,1873; The Church Repaired, 1874; Revival in 1876, 129. — First Sabbath School, 130. —Death of Rev. Charles Packard, Feb. 20, 1881, 131. — Officers of the Sabbath School ; Dissolution of the Church and State, July 1, 1819, 132, — The Presbyterian Religious Society Organized March 19, 1827 ; The Choir ; Its Conductors". 133. — Present Members ; Rev. Joseph S. Cogswell installed as Pastor, Dec. 21, 1881, 134. — Names of Members of the Church. 135.
CHAPTER XII. — (Pages 189-159.)
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION.
First Schools in New England, 139. — School Law of 1789 ; Schools in Windham, 140. — Early Schools and School-teachers. 141. — Family Schools, 143. —The Lamented Teacher, Margaret Hamilton. 145.— Early Teachers in each of the School Districts.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
l4r,._Scliool-l)ooks in Early Times, 147. — Williams' Academy, 1768-90, 148. — For- iriatioii :iii(l History of School Districts to 18S2, 149. —First School-houses, 150.— Ilistiirv ami NuiiilitT of School -houses in each District, 151. — School Funds, aud Cost of School-houses; Iliirli School; School Taxes from 1789 to 1809; Mauage- iiieiit of Schodls and School Taxes from 1809 to 1828, 154. — Committee of Inspection from isoK to isjs, 1,55. — Money Expended for Schools from 1828 to 1882, 156.— Super- intenduu: School Committees from 1828 to 1883 ; State Literary School Fund, 157.— Military School. 158.
CHAPTER XIII. — (Pages 159-168.)
HrOHWAYS.'
Early Highways, 159. — Higlnvays laid out before the Incorpor.ation in 1742 ; The ""Range Road." .Lan. 24, 1739; First Highway found upon the Town Records, 160. — Loudonderrv Turnpike Built, 180.5, 163. — Mannnoth Road, 18.31, 165. — Improve- ments in Koad'i'.uilding; First Guide-posts, 1794, 166. — The Town Sued, 1846 ; The Long Writ. 167.
CHAPTER XIV. — (Pages 168-178.)
INNS, INTEMPERANCE, PAUPERISM.
Public Houses aiul Names of Inn-keepers, 168. — First Temperance Legislation, April 23, 1781 ; First License, June 11, 1793.— lutemiierance and Temperance, 169. — Light Breaks in ; The Temperance Reformation. iKil ; Pauperism and First Warning out of Town, May 21, 1751, 170. —A Sensible Vote, July 14, 1780. — Vendueing the Poor, 173. — First Overseer of the Po(U- chosen March 14, 1820, 174.— Town Farm Purchased Jan. 18, 1838, 175. — The U. S. Surplus Revenue ; Windham's Portion used to buv the Town Farm, 176. — Town Farm sold, Nov. 14,1868 ; Am^ual Expen- ses for the Poor from 1870 to 1882, 177.
CHAPTER XV. — (Pages 178-181.)
CALAMITIES.
Accidents ; Sudden Deaths ; Freshets and Fires, 178.
CHAPTER XVI. — (P.\ges 181-186.)
CEMETERIES AND BURIALS.
First Cemetery laid out, 1749; First Burial. 1749, isi. —Ceiiieterv on the Hill laid out about 17.53 ; First P.uri:il in the Cenieterv on the Hill, isii. — ^'ew Cemetery laid out 1835, 183. -Receiving Tomb built 1S72 ; Cemeteries enlarged, 1ST2 ; Manner of Early Burials ; Mort Cloth, 184. — First Hearse and Hearse-house, 1827, 185.
CHAPTER XVII. — (Pages 186-194.)
MANUFACTORIES.
Fessenden's or Neal's Mill, 187. — Simi)son's Mill built, 17SS-S9 ; Old Nail Factory; Brown's Mill, 18,50; Seavey's Mill, 188. — ILiskell's S;iw-inill ;if the Juiicti(m ; Mer- rill's Mill; First Steam Saw-null, 1866 ; Mills :it West Windh;im, 189. — Potash; Bricky;irds ; Stores ;ind Store-keepers; Store at Windham Centre comnu'uced in 1S15, liio.- Store ;it West Windluim before 1838 ; At Windham Junction, isci ; jNHs- cellaneous Items of Interest. 191. — Relics; Railroads. 192. — Policy Pond (irove started 1850 ; Business Directory of Windham, April, 1882, 193.
CHAPTER XVIII. — (Pages 194-201.)
WINDHAM LITERATURE, PROFESSIONAL HISTORY.
I'.ooks and Authors, 194. — Colleue Studeids and (iriiduates, 195. — Ministers. 196; Phy- si<Mans; Lawyers. 197.— Deputy SheritVs ; P<ist-otlice, I'ost-riders and Post-masters, 19S.— First Post-oHice ; First. Post-in;isti'r ; Wimlhanrs Post-riders ; N:imes of Post- masters at Windham ; At West Windham, 199. — Windliam Junction and Fessen- den's Mills, 200.
CHAPTER XIX. — (Pages 201-221.)
TOWN OFFICERS FROM 1719 TO 1883.
To\vn Oflicers and their Duties, 201. — Voters and their Qualification before 1775 ; iown Officers of Londonderry from 1719 to 1742, 202. — Town Officers of Windham from its Incoriior;ition, 1742 to iss,^ 2o:i.— Oriianization of Rejiubliean Government, 1776; TownOlliceis Klected under i;eiinblic;in Governiiient. •-'OC— Perm;inent Gov- ernment Established in iNew ILimpshire in 1784; P.rief Notice of Political Par- ties, 207.— Votes of Windham for President of the United States and for (iovernor with the Name of Persons Elected, from 1784 to 1883, 208.
HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIKE. IX
CHAPTER XX.— (Pages 221-224.)
VOTES FOB PRESIDENT.
History of Political Parties from 1788 to 1883,221; Votes for President of the United States from 1792 to 1883. — Dates of Presidential Elections ; Names of Candidates, and Names of Persons Elected President from 1792 to 1883, 222.
CHAPTER XXI. — (Pages 224-226.)
CENSUSES.
First Census of Windham in 1767 ; First Census of New Hampshire in 1773, 224. — An Exact Account. Aug. 25, 1775 : Another Census in 1786 ; Greatest Population of the Town in 1830 ; Summary of all the Censuses of Windham, from 1767 to 1883, 225.
CHAPTER XXII. — (Pages 226-230.)
EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS FKOM 1764 TO 1883.
Names of Justices of the Peace, and Dates of Appointment, from 1776 to 1883, 226. — Coroners ; Military Appointments and Military Officers, from 1764 to 1883 ; Officers of the First Military Company, in 1775, 227. — Officers in the War of the Eebellion, 1861-65. 229.
CHAPTER XXIII. — (Pages 230-232.) cellaks. Old Cellars found in Windham ; Their Location, 230.
CHAPTER XXIV. — (Pages 232-237.)
different ORGANIZATIONS.
The Windham Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company ; Debating Societies, 232. — Society for the Reformation of Morals, 1815, 233. — Female Benevolent Sewing and Moral Reform Society, 1841, 235.
CHAPTER XXV. — (Pages 237-241.)
SI.AVERY.
Slavery in New Hami)shire, 237. — Slavery in Windham ; The Antislavery Move- ment, 238. — Antislavery Society in Windham, formed April 8, 1834, 239.-^ Names of its Prominent Members, 240.
CHAPTER XXVI. — (Pages 241-251.)
IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM 1719 TO 1821.
Colored People, 241. — Witch Story ; Strange People, 242. — Anecdotes, 243. — The Min- ister's Disappointment, 244. — First Death and Burial in Windham about 1721 ; Fe- ver and Ague ; First Framed House ; Change of Dates from Old Style to New Style in 1752, 24,5. — Dark Day of Mav 19, 1790, 246. — The Hopkins Willow Tree; The Great Frost, May 17, 1794 ; The 6reat Muster Storm, 1801 or 1802 ; Cold Friday, Jan. 19, 1810, 247. — Spotted Fever in 1812. — First Wagon, 1813. — The Great Gale, Sept. 23, 1815, 248. — Fourth of July Celebration, 1815; "Poverty Year," 1816, 249. — Sab- bath Breaking in 1818 ; Great Gale, Sept. 9, 1821, 250.
CHAPTER XXVII. — (Pages 251-270.)
IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM 1821 TO 1883.
History of Bissell and Bissell's Camp, 251. — Visit of Lafayette, 1824 ; Fourth of July Celebration, 1825; First Cooking-stove. 1828, 253. — Shower of Stars, Nov. 13, 1833. — Destruction of R. B. Jackson's House, Aug. 11, 1856, 254. — Granite Quarry, 1857; Fourth of July, 1862; Dedication of Town Hall, Sept. 22, 1868, 255. — Speeches of George W. Weston and William C. Harris, 256. —Address of Nathaniel Hills, 258. — Londonderry Celebration. June 10, 1869, 265. — Pleuro-pneumonia, 1871 ; Disease among Horses ; Dedication of Union Hall at West Windham, Nov. 27, 1880, 266.— Death of President Garfield, 267. — A Day of Darkness, Sept. 6, 1881, 268. — Singu- lar Appearance in the Heavens on the Evening of Sept. 11, 1881 ; Remarkable Thunder Shower, Sept. 24, 1881, 269.
CHAPTER XXVIII. — (Pages 270-281.)
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
Windham's part therein ; The Irrepressible Conflict, 270.— Names and Dates of Enlist- ment and Discharge of Windham Soldiers,with their Bounties from 1861 to the close
TAPLE OF COyTEXTS.
tjt the War in i*? : S-.Oii^r^ :z :- r unerieii: Eeeimenis ; i.«f35ianca «.h" Wlodbam Soidierc who FnHgr^i wnl^xii 6oaii::ie>. 274. —'^MooDjaait oi liliidliam. Aprfl 3K. l^iB: ABtooni c* Bocnife* psiid. ?:?. — The "War Ii>del*«lEe5!« of the Town : Tbe Tovs free froiB Dei>*. if::^
• CHAPTEK XXIX— Pages 2-1 ir-
HI5T<:>KT OF TTRBAltrFSt FB03C l^lM TO laiS.
First Town libnrr. i?W: ssiaday-sdnwd Ilbrxry. 1*32: Sel»ooH»iirr-:r Litnaiies, Oct. 1S»: Licrirx rf Btr*. L.>ren TtaTer. SS. — Second Librarr EsaMi^ed in TovB in l«5e : ye«arth Fre* Public Ubnry E^iabiiyied IKl. ^t.— Win of OoL Tkoaas Xeasiiih in i^tuiQii n» the LitsaiT. 3Sl — F!r«t Instalraeiu of Books par- elas«d May » : Dexl^aaoB June a. 3% : Address by Hon. Jobn C. Park. 287.— Do- ■adOBS Eo die Xeszoiili liliray. SBL
CHAPTER XXX.— Pages 290-297.)
fwaitAmrBKrirs OF th»: fIKST SSXXUBBS.
DeiiruiaBaf EketenBS«ceb-Irisli.a«.— Pi«fHiBenETrai&af the Seotdk CSaiacter. at.— LaadoBdexTT F^Jis. as.— Extncx&UH the Addressed Eer. Jobn H. Mori- soa. dl dl. CB Ae Chaiarmistics of the IXeseendaots of tiie Scotch Settlers. SSl
HISTORY OF FAMILIES.— (Pages 297-836.)
Itiudttiaa lo HIssmt of Funifies^ aS-aSL Part Sec(»d. 3M to end of Genealoaes. lurlilri the Genealogy and H^oxj of the Urst Settlers of WinAara in Xew H— paJdre and their Descendants. &«m the earliest Setttanait of the Town. aboaC nat. to i^es^ with the Histaary and Genealogy of other Families who hare Setaed m Town at a bier date, mrfiiding evaj Fandly now permanently located m Windham. embiaciBz more than two hnndred different Family .Xunes': —
Afetat. 3W-3 Copp, MtcHadleT, SScMcGaw. eS-3 Snssdl. 754
AJexander.aK-T C<riIiK, m'/BaD, So-7 >f-I?T^r-e, or Salmraid.
ABen, 3*7 Cocfias. «S-« I Hanscom. sr~ :-.«3-5 Sarsent,
AmOasimJK-U CotOe, 4K-9 Hansom, Z. ' 63S-U
AmB, 3U C^:^. «»-U{ Hardy.
AirhihaM. 313 CtvweO, a4r-~ Harris,
X13-T CvtSfer. ilT-S Hasehine, ^S-Ti Miliia^, Paizah, :££ Ha^dtoB, 574 MoSl,
75o
T7S
7l»-40 Tboiii, 7^7-6© 710-2 Tbompsoo.
an
801-3
-cott. SU SeaTey, 757
611-5 Senter, 737-61 6& SkeOd, 761
_ 6^'Smpaim, 761-71
317-% BaTidso^ ^3-35' HawfciBS, 47^ KoRtgomerr,6C9 SmUer,
r.£&-7 Davis, :^»-« Hai>es. 575 Mooxe. Sf»-aS i^nitlC
3Z7 Democ^ 43iHempkiIl, 575-54 MorrilL CS-^ielliiK^
BaOey. 33g-9 Dicfcey. ^SlHUands, S<t MorisoB. 653-85' Ste^, 777
Blld^, 3» Dimock. jB7 HDls. .S4-4 Mooow. 685-7 Stk^ner^. 777-S
Baldwin, 331 DtnaMMK-, [ Hrthiyy, s& Xeak 6^ Stuart, ' 77§-^
S«»*gf. ZOr-i Si-m»\ Mafias, 5g9-S5,XesKa, 6^-701 TaTlor. 7?2-3
B^eo. 33ft Dow, a*^ Howe. 569 Siehols, 7«>1 TeinpletDn.7?3^
Bmfley. 331-6 Dowmng; 5»,HKhes, 3B6-S03 Soyes. 7flS-& ThaiFer,
S*^ 33S Dnnlap, 5» Hnmphu?. 613 Owteb, '
BOTy, 3K-T Dbssow, 26-3 Hnnewell, ewt' Packard,
B^^^3S7-«5 EarJy. 53 Hirat. eMl Page.
^ndazd.3fe>-. &aas.3a, £4-7 Jaefcson. 6K Parfc,
Botton, 547 Earr, 27 Jameson. 665-6 Parter,
gyyy. **-^ ETaas, 3as Joki»m. 666-7 Pease.
y**"*^.,,^^ S"*^' 3as Johnson, 667-16 Peeler,
gf» **=::^ £**■■"' 339 Krfley. 616-3 Peiians,
^ghee. SI Fe^an, 336 Kezer. 03 FtamaKr
Mrank, 351-2 Fessenden, at Simtall. 613 Poole,
^m^Wd, 354 Fitzgerald, 3S Kmsfat, 615 Proctor,
fS^ S4^ Tana, ^ Kyle. 05 Pntnam,
XS?**"' .J^ ![*7^ as^jtladd. 06-8 Qao^ey,
taiUj_^ .--: ..-it, S* LamaoB. 61S Qnintoii. 745
>^5?^' ■^"' »* Lane. OS ' Seed, or B£id.
}^Z^' 5' 534 iLanman, 6I9> 746-7
S;*?' „. ^w^ 334-7 I^ewis, 6n!Beyn^ds. 74S
OotbH, 377 Gordon. a»-e j ICarden. «B1-1 745^1 Woodbum,
tlB«. :^ Graham, 56 Marytall. CBft* Keher, or Woodbury, 836
r^Z: Sr2 S****^ seMeAda^fflS-T; Bitdiev. 751-3 Worledge, 836
V'y?*' -JgH* gt^gg. 363-4 XeCkarr, 637^! Kiplev. 752 Worden. 836
r-SSS^J^ f*?*^ 354;lIeCoT, " e»-% |Bobins(m, 733-4 Wvman, SH
"^.^^ Gnmea, 5»LXcDaaids, ^ Bowe, 754 T«Hk, 831-2
Becordof I^a»«i*Md Birdis and Deaflis. «32L— CorreetioDs. ^— Index of Sab-
J«ts^ 336.- General Index to Karnes, 83».
8M
86S
713
713-31 Titromb.
■:31-4 Towns,
754 Tnfft,
734 Vance,
7S-€ Vamnm.
738 Ward,
rs^-i-y Watts,
740 Waogli, 741-t WebstH-, 744 Weston, Wbeeler, vt-Jiite.
Wiitiater, 512-3 W il'li, al3
Wniianis, 513-^ Wilsoo. SU-29 ~ ~ a29
745
866
806-7
»7-I0
810-1
811
?12
INTRODUCTION.
WiTHCf a centurA" histor}' has undergone great changes. It is no longer merely the record of courts, of kingly craft, of wars, of the meeting of embattled hosts, and the shouts of victory. It has advanced to a higher, broader, and truer plane, and is founded on a more substantial basis. It is now the stoiy of />eopfe«, — of their life, habits, and customs: of their modes of thought: of their mental sloth or intellectual activity; of their rapid advance- ment or swift decay. It chronicles the advancement of the race in civilization ; the progress of science, the triumphs of art ; it descril:>e5 not only the conquests of war, but the more beautiful and lasting triumphs of peace. Xow
•* The individual withers.
Afld the vorld is more and more."
The value of history is in its teaching power. Men, busy with the practicalities of life, read the pages of history, and <iraw from them lessons of instruction and warning. As we read the history of our fathers, the early settlers of this town : of their hardships and sufferings ; of their sacrifices and manly endurance ; of their heroism and unbounded faith, — we, their children and successors, should emulate their heroic virtues, and the holy fires of religious faith, of patriotism, endurance, and love, thus kindled in our hearts, should bum with a brighter and purer light.
THIS HISTOET.
This History is the narrative of a f»eople Scotch in blood, Scotch in their habits and customs, and Presbyterian in their re- ligion, who, to have a "faith's pure shrine," and
• To make a happy fireside clime For weans and wlfe,^
came to these then inhospitable and savage shores, and planted themselves as pioneers in an unbroken wilderness. They were hard-headed, level-headed, long-headed, uncompromising, and unyielding Presbyterians. This settlement was blessed by the 1
2 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
tears and sanctified by the prayers of its little band of pioneers. Founded in weakness, as a part of the Londonderrry settlement, it grew stronger by sacrifice and struggles. After a few years of comparative isolation, new communities sprang up around it, and it soon felt the thrill of the world's great life, bore its shares in its labors, and contributed its fair proportion to its progress and elevation. I look back upon those hardy settlers as conscientious men and women, who lived well and performed a noble part in life; and so they, friends, neighbors, kinsmen of that day, and the generations of their successors, find a quiet resting-place on the liill and on the plain. Theirs were hard lives here, but they
find —
" After the burden, the blissful meed ; After the furrow, the waking seed ; After the flight, the dowuy nest ; Over the shadowy river — rest."
ARRANGEMENT AND PLAN OF THIS WORK.
The events narrated here might have been arranged in chrono- logical order, and written in the form of a continuous history. I have written it topically rather than in the form of annals, and have given to each topic a separate chapter. The field of our past history has been gleaned, and all accessible information re- lating to each subject has been gathered together, arranged in chronological order, and given in a continuous narrative. This method makes each chapter easy for reference, sufliciently com- prehensive, and in a degree independent of every other chapter. This method will also explain some repetition of statements in regard to persons and events in the different chapters. The ar- rangement of genealogies I have explained sufliciently on page 299, at the commencement of that part of the work devoted to Family History.
WAR HISTORY.
The military history of the town during the French and In- dian and the Revolutionary wars is the result of great labor and research. Weeks of persistent toil were spent in collecting the in- formation. Little could be found in the Town records, but all of value they contain has been abstracted. The war records of the State for those periods, now on file in the Adjutant-General's and Secretary of State's offices at Concord, were carefully ex- amined. The muster-rolls of several regiments in the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars, on which were the names of many
INTRODUCTIOjST. 3
New Hampshire men, and the towns from which they came, were closely inspected, and some facts of interest collected from them. These rolls are on file in the office of the Secretary of State, at Boston, Mass. The Provincial, State, and Town papers, compiled by Nathaniel Bouton, d. d., were laid under contribution and made to yield their treasures. This official information has been sup- plemented by known facts and trustworthy tradition. I have endeavored to portray the heroism of the fathers, in those troublous times, in its true light, that the influence of their sturdy patriotism, and love of the right, may not be lost upon succeeding generations. With all this care and labor the sketch is fragmentary, and much of that history which we would now highly prize has passed into oblivion. But some pearls have been gathered from the past, and the precious jewels are ours forever. The names of our soldiers in the 1812-15 war are believed to be accurately given. The names of our soldiers and the legislation of the town during the Great Rebellion of 1861-65 are also given at length. Knowing that the future will be as hungry for details of the late struggle as we are for those of the earlier wars, I anticipated this desire, and have inserted all that was possible, or that my space would admit. Its value will increase with the passing years.
FAMILY HISTOEY.
No town history is complete which fails to include the history of the families of the town. When this is omitted, it is like "the play of Hamlet with Hamlet 'left out." Into this portion of the work I have put greater labor, time, and expense than in the history proper. It is as complete as an extensive research could make it. In almost every instance, the genealogies have been worked up by myself. It has been my aim to give a history and genealogy of our earliest settlers and their descendants to the present time, xchether residing in Windham or elsewhere ; and this plan will explain the appearance here of the history and portraits of many who are not natives of this town. To do this in all cases has been impossible, as many of them removed fi'om town and "left no sign"; and so far as this history is concerned, beyond the records herein given, over them rests the shadow of silence and oblivion. In some instances I have traced families for more than a century after their removal from town. When it was practicable, I have followed fami- lies from the emigrating ancestor to the latest descendant.
4 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
(See Introduction to History of Families, page 298.) It was not essential that a sketch of every family that had ever lived in town should be incorporated in the work. Some resided here for a short time only, and then moved away. They did not add materially to our history, and of them there is no available information. But I have endeavored to give the history of all families of whom I could obtain information, and who have resided in town for a considerable length of time. Those fam- ilies whose history is most complete, are those of whom the most facts have been furnished me. Where the modesty of some has prevented a compliance with my numerous requests for informa- tion of themselves and their families, the information given may not be so full as they themselves would now desire. Should the record of any such family be imperfect, or not so full as desired, the fault will not rest on me, as I made all proper efforts to have it full and correct. Where little is given, much must not be re- quired. If it were right, it would have been a gratification to me to have given a fuller notice of many still living; but —
" No true crown of honor can be given Until we place it on a funeral bier."
FIRST EFFORT FOR A TOWN HISTORY.
Many years ago it was strongly in the mind of the Rev. Loren Thayer to prepare a History of Windham. He was avcII fitted for the task, and on some accounts it is deeply to be regretted that he did not carry the project to completion. Information then available has been irrecoverably lost. He collected a very few isolated facts which were reduced to paper, and he had much in his mind of which there are no memoranda. But as he received no encouragement from the town, and did not feel like assuming the great financial burden unaided, the task was reluctantly aban- doned. After the resignation of his pastoral charge, he still cherished the fond hope of carrying forward the work, and an article was inserted in the Town Warrant to see if the town would aid in the matter, but the article was dismissed without discussion ; and so, with deep regret, he abandoned this last pet object of his life. The subject of a town history has for a number of years been upon my mind ; but, as literary work was not the business of my life, I hesitated about undertaking it. Still, taking " a long look ahead," for what might be in the indefinite future, I secured the few scraps of history which
INTRODUCTION. 0
Mr. Thayer had reduced to paper, and so the matter was out- wardly at rest, though in my own mind it would not "down at my bidding."
ORIGIN OF THE HISTORY OF WINDHAM.
A few years ago, the Hon. James Diusmoor, of Sterling, 111., a native of Windham, and one who lias honored the town of his nativity, collected information, intending to publish a History of the Dinsmoor Family. Unforeseen events prevented the consum- mation of his plan ; but —
" It 's nae for naught the glede whistles."
So in 1879, when I had nearly completed the "History of the Morison, or Morrison, Family," Mr. Dinsmoor suggested that I should write a History of "Windham, which should include that of his family. He and Hon. William B. Dinsmore, of New York City, very generously offered to aid me pecuniarily in the expense of iireparation. By this offei', and also by offers of assistance from George W. Armstrong, Esq., of Boston, and from some of the citizens of Windham, and those who had formerly been residents here, I decided, in the spring of 1880, to undertake the task (though I had previously collected some memoranda), and to it since that time I have given persistent and unremitting labor. The work of more than three years is before the reader.
TOO LATE.
A history should have been written fifty years ago. Then all of our early history could have been gathered together. Many were then living who knew personally, and had convei-sed with, the early settlers, and to whom the history of the emigrants, the places in the Old World from which they came, the causes which drove them here were familiar, compelling them to sunder the ties of home and kindred, to embark and brave the perils of the deep, to plant themselves in a remote wilderness, and endure the hard, sacrificing life of pioneers. All this information was as familiar as household words ; but it was not reduced to writing, and most of it is lost. Even thirty years ago, the aged persons then living knew much of this, and could have given at least their own fam- ily histories; but they passed away, and no record was made. We are now three, and in some families four, generations from the emigrating ancestors. The first, second, and even the third and fourth generations, save here and there a representative who
6 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
remains, have passed away. Tradition has ahnost entirely died out, and more of history has been lost than can now be gathered together.
It is needless to speak of all the motives which prompted me to undertake this unremunerative task, and carry it forward to completion. Prominent among them was my love for literary work, my sincere regard and veneration for the sturdy virtues of the first settlers and their descendants, and a sti'ong desire that their history might be preserved for the benefit of ourselves and future generations. I also shared in the fear which others, who were interested, expressed, that it should now be written, else it might never be done. Besides this, Windham is my native town, and with its history, the history of my family has been intimately connected. Here the larger part of my life has been spent. It is endeared to me by many tender ties, sacred associations, and hallowed memories. Its hills and valleys, its rocks and sky-blue waters, its beauties of landscape, of field and forest, I gaze upon with admiring eyes.
For the years of toil spent in the preparation and publication of this History of Windham, I did not expect, and I can never receive, any adequate pecuniary compensation. Many hours which others have spent in recreation by day, or needful rest at night, I have devoted to this work. But to gather up the frag- ments of the past, is the duty of the present ; and to aid in record- ing the devoted, patriotic lives of our Scotch ancestors, so that coming generations may know the cost, and appreciate the worth, of the institutions founded by them, has afforded me the keenest of pleasures. All known sources of information have been made tributary to this work. Letters, reliable traditions, and the County and Probate records, have all furnished aid. Besides the records of New Hampshire at Concord, and of Massachusetts at Boston, the New Hampshire Historical, the Massachusetts Historical, and the New England Historic Genealogical Socie- ties' Libraries, have been examined, and have given a great amount of information. Family and town histories have yielded up their treasures ; family Bibles and tKe memories of the aged have contributed their quotas to the work. The town records of Salem, Pelham, and Hudson have been examined. The Lon- donderry records have aided me much ; while the 'records of Windham have been under my eye continually for constant refer- ence ; have been read again and again, and all items of interest ex-
INTRODUCTION. 7
tracted. Every record of a birth in the town records, up to 1882, appears in the genealogies. Every tombstone in every cemetery in town has been examined, and the record of birth or death copied. The old cemetery in East Derry has been examined many times, as have also the cemeteries of other towns, and the fruits of these researches appear in the genealogies. Almost every old cellar has been discovered, and its history given. What are stated as facts, are the result of thorough and patient investigation.
This work has necessitated a large correspondence, for the de- scendants of our first settlers are widely scattered. It has also required considerable travel to consult libraries and records, and to interview individuals. I have labored under disadvantages greater than those of many town historians. Never before was a history of the town written, or even a sketch prepared, nor a diary kept by any citizen, as in many towns, which would form a basis for a history, throw light upon the early past, or bridge the years between the present and the first generation in town. The town records are extremely meagre, and record nothing but the barest facts. In some instances they have been culpably kept. Every detail has been omitted, whereas details should have been inserted. Town records properly kept would of themselves fur- nish a pretty good political history of the town, and a substantial basis on which to rest the fabric of our annals. In one instance the annual warrant failed to be recorded. Knowing well that the future will wish for details of the present and the past, I have anticipated its wants, and have, xw all possible cases, given exact dates of events, — day, month, and year; and in my narration of facts, have been equally careful to include the minute particulars which many would have omitted. Inaccuracies in dates, and some misconception of facts, will be found, for all human work is imperfect. With the greatest care in collecting my information, to have it reliable, in spite of painstaking in transcribing it and in printing it, errors will ai^pear, and such as have been observed are noted on page 835. Other errors will be found which will only be noted by the families in whose records they appear. (See Introduction to History of Families, pp. 298 and 299.)
In the warrant for the annual March meeting, 1882, 1 caused two • articles to be inserted : first, to see if the town would embellish its History with views of landscapes and its public buildings. The article was not dismissed without discussion ; but after I had ex- plained fully the plan and scope of the work, the town promptly,
8 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
generously, and wisely voted a sum not exceeding |200 for this purpose, which was expended. A committee, consisting of Horace Berry, Abel Dow, and Samuel Campbell, were chosen to confer with me in relation to the embellishments, and to carry the vote into effect. On the second article, the town voted a sum not exceeding 1400, to aid in the publication of the work. Of the approjiriation to aid in the publication of the book, only 1300 have been called for ; and a reduction has been made in the j^rice of the History, in the i-atio which the number of copies printed bore to $300, in accoi'dance with my under- standing with the committee of the town. This action of the town was truly commendable, and entitles it to the gratitude of those now living, and also to those who shall succeed us.
EMBELLISHMENTS.
Many of the portraits are steel engravings by J. A. J. Wilcox and F. T. Stewart, of Boston, artists of high repute. The other jiortraits are chiefly albertypes, made by Forbes Company, Boston. The cost of these has been borne by the parties themselves or their friends. The views of landscapes in town, and of the pub- lic buildings, were inserted as previously stated, at the town's expense. The engraving of W. H. Anderson's residence, near West Windham, yet in Londonderry, was inserted at his expense. Hon. Wm. B. Dinsmore, of New York City, who is in the habit of doing beneficent acts, generously furnished the portraits of Gov. Samuel Dinsmoor, and of his son, Gov. Samuel Dinsmoor, Jr., of Miss Anne Belle Jameson, of James Dinsmoor of Ken- tucky, and of Col. Silas Dinsmoor, as well as that of himself, for this work. The Map of Windham was inserted at my expense. There were other faces and views I earnestly sought, but could not obtain. The cost of the illustrations of this book exceeds $2,400. To this work I have given an elal)orate Table of Con- tents and copious Indices (without which no work is complete), with which most subjects or persons mentioned can be readily found. As is well known, copies are frequently wanted in sheets^ or with uncut edges; but where nothing to the contrary is said, •books are always furnished in the ordinary binding. When books are ordered in sheets, but with uncut edges, it is for the purpose of making a change, by inserting additional pictures, or to put on such binding as may suit the taste, convenience, or judgment of the subscriber. This change is always done at pri-
INTRODUCTION. 9
vate expense. Every copy of the History of Windham, N. H., contains more than it was advertised to contain in the Prospectus. Each subscriber is entitled to all the printed matter and every engraving included in the "List of Illustrations," and no more. (See List of Illustrations.) The books furnished by me are uniform in every respect. If at any time any book appears with additional engravings, or with a different binding from the ordinary one, it is where the copy was ordered in sheets, or with uncut edges, or the book rebound, or where the changes or ad- ditions have been made at private expense.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
To Nathaniel Holmes Morison, ll. d., Provost of the Peabody Institute, of Baltimore, Md., I am indebted for the system of running titles and index adopted in this book, and for valuable aid and suggestions.
To Jsaac W. Hammond, Esq., the genial Deputy Secretary of State, Concord, N. IL, I am under obligations for the copy of some State papers.
For early information of the town, and for some of the most in- teresting incidents mentioned, I am greatly indebted to the remark- able memory of my much-esteemed friend, the late Dea. William Park, of South Boston, Mass. His interest in the work was sur- passed by none. His correspondence and aid only ceased at death.
George W. Weston, Esq., Register of Deeds of Rockingham County, has placed me under obligations by gratuitously search- ing the records and furnishing information.
To the officers of the State Departments of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and of the New England Historic Genea- logical Society at Boston, I am indebted for many courtesies and kindly aid.
To Hon. James Dinsmoor, of Sterling, 111., I am indebted for the history of the Dinsmoor family ; to Mr. W. S. Harris, of Windham, for the history of the Harris family; to Gen. George Thom, of Portland, Me., for much valuable information relating to the Thom family ; to Mrs. Margaret (Emerson) Richardson, of Windham, for much of the information of the Emerson family, and other facts.
The retentive memory and ready pen of Dea. Jonathan Coch- ran, of Melrose, Mass., have furnished many interesting facts of our early history.
To my venerable friend, Benjamin Chase, Esq., of Auburn,
10 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
N, H., I am under obligations for many facts in his chapter on Industrial History in his "History of Chester," and for cuts to illustrate the same.
To William B. Merrill, Esq., and Joshua Merrill, Esq., of Bos- ton, Mass., I render thanks for their liberal subscription forcopies of the Avork.
The Hon. James Dinsmoor, of Sterling, 111., and Hon. William B. Dinsmore, President of the Adams Express Company, New York City, have placed me, the citizens of Windham, and all who are, or ever shall be, interested in this History, under great obliga- tions, by their generous pecuniary assistance in the labor of prep- aration of this book, which should include the history of the Dinsmoor family. It is a pleasure, in which there is no alloy, to thus record their names, and to make this acknowledgment of their public spirit.
George W. Armstrong, Esq., of Boston, Mass., has remembered the home of his fathers, and has sought to preserve its honorable record, by contributing generously in aid of this work, for which I express my obligations.
From Robert C. Mack, Esq., the veteran antiquary, of Lon- donderry, valuable information and genei'ous aid have been received. I gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance ren- dered in proof-reading, by my friend, Theoph. G. Wadman, Esq., of Lowell, Mass.; and to Messrs. Huse, Goodwin & Co., of the Vox Press, I tender thanks for the excellent printing of this book.
To the citizens of Windham who have aided me, I render thanks for their public spirit and interest in the work.
And finally, to all who have aided me by pecuniary assistance in this unremunerative task, or by words of encouragement, or by correspondence and information, or who have embellished the pages of this History with portraits of themselves or others, I render my grateful acknowledgments.
This History is now submitted to the people of the town, to the descendants of the first settlers, to the general public, and to pos- terity. That this work may be of interest to the present, and of value to the future, is my earnest desire ; and that the lessons taught by the lives of our worthy ancestors may never fade from the memories of their descendants, is my hope and will be my reward.
LEONARD A. MORRISON.
Windham, N. H., May 11, 1883.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
In writing and in reading a history of tlie people in this Scotcli settle- ment, the mind insensibly goes back to Scotland, the Fatherland. Before the mental vision passes, in panoramic review, its romantic mountains with their wilds and fastnesses, its glens and historic places, where the ancestors of this people lived and suflered ; where they contended for the right, as it was given them to see the right, often against superior force, sometimes with indifferent success, but still where the blood of martyrs became the seed of the Church, and where the cause at times crushed be- neath arbitrary power, flourished again with newness of life and undying vigor. The incidents of Scottish history, such as
" Scots wha ha' wi' Wallace bled, Scots whom Bruce has often led,"
With a multitude of others, come thronging the memory like the iurush- iug waters of a mighty flood.
The Fatherland is filled with glorious memories, which appeal to one's inner nature, touch his heart, and thrill his soul. The great binding power of association links each descendant of those who planted this settlement with the history of Scotland. He can claim kinship with her noblest and best ; with her warriors, statesmen, and orators ; with her poets, whose songs have touched responsive chords in the heart of man, wher- ever man possesses a soul capable of appreciating the beautiful and true : songs, too, not for one clime or one age, but for all climes and all ages, and which have found a home in the universal heart of humanity.
The main-land of Scotland, situated between 54° 38' and 58° 40' 30" north latitude, and between 1° 46' and 6° 8' 30" of west longitude, is a cold and wintry land, small in extent of territory, its surface covered with morasses, lakes, lofty mountains, and fertile and productive glens. Its area is about 26,400 square miles, or nearly three times as large as the State of New Hampshire, and much of this surface is covered with water. It has a sea-coast of 3,000 miles ; the whole northern and western coast is indebted with arms of tlie sea, and from Murray Firth on the north, to Loch Linnhe on the southwest coast, the country is nearly cut in two by the water. On the north are the Orkney Islands, on the west are the wind-swept Hebrides, while upon the southerly border is the North Chan- nel, which, with its narrow width of from ten to twenty miles, alone separates Scotland from Ireland. This land, so small in extent of terri- tory, has been peopled with a brave and hardy race, and its history is as grand, as romantic, as heroic, as any recorded.
The earliest authentic account we have comes from Roman historians, and their records show that the Scotch were early noted for their bravery, adroitness in war, fearlessness in danger, and fortitude in adversity. They would gather into bands, sweep down from their mountain fastnesses upon the surrounding country, overcoming all obstacles, gather large booty, and retire with incredible swiftness, thus precluding successful pursuit. They were a haughty race, yet l)eneath their lawlessness were strong in their regard for race and kindred, kindness for the distressed, and practical sympathy for the needy, combined with a steady and unquench- able love of country. England was nominally under Roman rule from
12 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Cajsar's conquest, 55 B. C, to A. D. 449. During Roman supremacy the Scottish clans made repeated raids into the rich provinces of Eng- land, and escaped with valuable booty. The Eoman legions could not subdue them.
In A. D. 208, the Wall of Severus was built by the Romans, from the Solway Frith to the mouth of the river Tyne, as a last and most tre- mendous barrier to the warlike clans. The wall was twelve feet high, eight feet thick, and extended some seventy miles. A ditch thirty-six feet wide and twelve feet deep was dug on the Scottish side of this wall. There were a large number of towers, eighty-one forts, and three hundred and thirty turrets upon this wall, built at proper distances from each other, so that a Are lighted in one could be seen in another. This was for signalling the approach of danger, and notice could quickly be given the entire distance. Yet over this great wall, guarded by soldiers, the Scots often broke, laying the provinces of England under contribution, and escaping again to Scotland.
Caledonia was the name by which Scotland was known to the Romans, and it took its present name about A. D. 840.
Kenneth McAlpin, son of Alpin, surnamed the Hardy, was the first king of the Scots and Picts, who included all of the inhabitants of Scot- land, as he became the king of the two nations in 842. He and his imme- diate successors styled themselves kings of the Scots and Picts. From this union in A. D. 842, the Scottish nation maintained its position among the nations of the world, till its union with England in 1603. During this intervening period there was confusion, turbulence, and war; but Scotland never was permanently subjugated. In 1603, James VI of Scotland, heir of the English throne, succeeded Queen Elizabeth, with the title of James I. Since that date the two nations have been united under one government.
Among the most famous of Scottish heroes, and one who justly holds a sacred place in Scottish hearts, was the patriot and hero, William Wallace. He freed his nation from the grasp of Edward I of England. He was finally betrayed, and by Edward was beheaded in 1305. The historic Scotch names appear in the Londonderry settlement, and among them is the honored name of Wallace. Robert Bruce took up the work which had fallen from the hands of Wallace, and June 25, 1314, with thirty thousand men, fought the battle of Bannockburn, defeated Edward II with one hun- dred thousand men, and Scotland's freedom was thus fully assured. The Scotch were heroes, Bruce was the "plumed knight" of the Scottish host, and his name is covered with imperishable renown. During all these centuries the Scotch people were inured to hardships and the dangers of battle.
The foregoing brief sketch gives a glimpse of events in the Father- laud, and of our ancestors, for several hundred years. It brings us down to the commencement of the main events which resulted in the persecu- tions in Scotland, the emigrations to Ireland, and finally to Londonderry and Windham in 1719. The causes which led to this Scotch emigration are familiar to many, but not to all, and it appropriately finds a place in this history; for had it not been for these events, there would have been no settlement here, no history, and no such homes as we have in Wind- ham. So the " oft-told tale " will be told again.
In the reign of Henry II, in the year 1172, Ireland had been subjugated by the English, but for several centuries their authority in the island was held by a feeble tenure. After repeated rebellions, the English authority was permanently established under Queen Elizabeth in 1601, and a large part of the lauds of the rebellious Catholics was confiscated by the govern- ment. It was a favorite project of the government to plant new settle- ments of Scotch and English in Ireland, for the purpose of keeping in check the wild and turbulent spirits of the Irish. For this purpose the confiscated lands of the Irish were oflercd at a low rate for purposes of
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 13
settlement. The soil and climate were attractive, and colonies of English and Scotch were soon successfully planted. James I and the London guilds otlered greater inducements than were ever oftered before, to the Scotch who would move across the North Channel and settle on the vacant lands, and the English who would carry English thrift and enterprise into the desolated country. One fourth of the teri'itory of Ireland had fallen to the crown, including most of the province of Ulster, nine of the northern counties, and portion of the counties on the eastern coast.
James the First reigned till 1625, and during his reign numerous settle- ments were made. In 1613 the first Presbyterian church ever established in Ireland, was founded at Ballycorry, County of Antrim. Yet neither in Scotland nor Ireland did the Scotch enjoy that religious freedom or tolera- tion which their unconquerable spirits sought and demanded. Though James was a Protestant as well as his predecessor Elizabeth, yet they were of the Anglican, or Estal)lished Church of England, which difl'ered widely in its forms and ceremonies from the simple service of the stern Scotch Presbytei'ians. During the reigns of these sovereigns, various acts were passed by Parliament regulating the religious aflairs of the king- dom, and requiring that all should adopt the modes of worship and arti- cles of faith of the Established Church. The Puritans of England and the Presbyterians of Scotland rejected with scorn the interference of the gov- ernment, and demanded greater simplicity of worship than that allowed by the governmental church. Of the Puritans it has been said that the name Puritan was given as a word of reproach, and arose from this senti- ment of the non-conforming class. The very reproach, persecution, and consequent deprivation and suftering, prevented all but those zealously in earnest from joining this ostracized sect. Those verj^ persecutions in England and Scotland were the means of driving Puritans, Pilgrims, and Scotch Presbyterians to the American wilds, and planting upon the wild shores of New England a conscientious, hardy, and liberty-loving race, who founded those institutions, fostered and developed by succeeding gen- erations, which are the beneficent ones enjoyed by us to-day. A writer says, "The Puritans were anthracite on fire."
Bancroft says of them: "The austere principle was now announced, that not even a ceremony should be tolerated, unless it was enjoined by the word of God. The church of England, at least in its ceremonial part, was established by an act of Parliament, or a royal ordinance ; Puritanism, zealous for independence, admitted no voucher but the Bible, — a fixed rule, which they would allow neither Parliament, nor hierarchy, nor king- to interpret. . . . The principles of Puritanism proclaimed the civil magistrate subordinate to the authority of religion ; its haughtiness in this respect has been compared to ' the infatuated arrogance ' of a Roman pontifi". . . . The principle thus asserted, though often productive of good, could not but become subservient to the temporal ambition of the clergy. Puritanism conceded no such power to its spiritual guides ; the church existed independent of its pastor, who owed his oflice to its free choice ; the will of the maj ority was its law, and each one of the brethren possessed equal rights with the elders. The right, exercised by each congregation, of electing its own ministers, was in itself a moral revolution ; religion was now with the people, not over the people. Pu- ritanism exalted the laity. Every individual who had experienced the raptures of devotion, every believer who, in his moments of ecstasy, had felt the assurance of the favor of God, was in his own eyes a consecrated person. For him the wonderful counsels of the Almighty had chosen a Saviour; for him the laws of nature had been suspended and controlled, the heavens had opened, the earth had quaked, the sun had veiled his face, and Christ had died and had risen again ; for him prophets and apos- tles had revealed to the world the oracles and will of God. Viewing him- self as an object of divine favor, and in this connection disclaiming all merit, he prostrated himself in the dust before heaven ; looking out upon
14 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
mankind, how could he but respect himself, whom God had chosen and re- deemed? He cherished hope ; he possessed faith ; as he walked the earth, his heart was in the skies. Angels hovered round his path, charged to minister to his soul ; spirits of darkness leagued together to tempt him from his allegiance. His burning piety could use no liturgy ; his penitence could reveal his transgressions to no confessor. He knew no superior in sanctity. He could as little become the slave of a priestcraft as of a despot. He was himself the judge of the orthodoxy of the elders; and if he feared the invisible powers of the air, of darkness, and of hell, he feared nothing on earth. Puritanism constituted, not the Christian clergy, but the Chris- tian people, the interpreters of the divine will. The voice of the majority was the voice of God ; and the issue of Puritanism was therefore popular sovereignty." *
The course of the English government and the endurance of the Scotch Presbyterians will now be traced.
The monarchs of England, bent on absolute power, strove to overturn the Presbyterian government of the Scottish church, which was an ob- struction to them and favorable to liberty. James I, when he came to the throne in 1G03, endeavored to corrupt and overawe the general assemblies of the church of Scotland, and to induce them to introduce prelacy and the ceremonies of the established church of England. His son. Charles I, on his accession in 1625, was more bold and direct, and by his own author- ity endeavored to make the Scotch worship by rule, and attempted to im- pose a book of canons and a liturgy, which failed of success, caxising the triumph of the cause he intended to destroy, and his own overthrow and death by execution, Jan. 30, 1649.
In 1581, the General Assembly of Scotland drew up a confession of faith, or national covenant, condemning the Episcopal government, which was signed by James I, and which he enjoined upon all his subjects. It was again subscribed in 1590 and 1596. In 1638 the subscription was renewed, and the subscribers engaged by oath to maintain religion in the same condition as in 1580, and to reject all innovations introduced since the latter date. This oath, annexed to the confession of faith, received the name of The Covenant. This abjured both Popery and prelacy, and was signed by the great mass of the Scotch people. Those who adhered to this covenant were called Covenanters.
The gi'eat pi-inciples for which the Presbyterians, or Covenanters, con- tended, were : that Christ alone was king and head of his church, and He alone had the right to appoint her form of government : that the Presby- terian polity was the only form of church government instituted in the word of God ; and that the church is free in her government from every other jurisdiction, except that of Christ, the head of the church.
Soon after, Cromwell came to the front, the Protectorate was estab- lished, and continued till a little after Cromwell's death, Sept. 3, 1658. Macaulay, in speaking of the Scotch, says, "In perseverance, in self- command, in forethought, in all the virtues which conduce to success in life, the Scots have never been surpassed. ... In mental cultiva- tion, Scotland had an indisputable superiority. Though that kingdom was then the poorest in Christendom, it already vied in every branch of learning with the most favored countries. Scotsmen, whose dwellings and whose food were as wretched as those of the Icelanders of our time, wrote Latin verse with more than the delicacy of Vida, and made dis- coveries in science which would have added to the renown of Galileo."! And again he says, " Scotland was Protestant. In no part of England had the movement of the popular mind against the Roman Catholic Church been so I'apid and violent. The reformers had vanquished, deposed, and imprisoned their idolatrous sovereign. They would not endure such a
* Bancroft's History of the United States, Vol. I, pp. 279 and 461-6. «
t Macaulay's History of England, Vol. I, p. 49.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 16
compromise as had been effected in England. They had established the Calvinistic doctrine, discipline, and worship, and they made little distinc- tion between Popery and Prelacy, between the Mass and the Book of Com- mon Prayer." *
Again the government of England underwent a change at the death of Cromwell, Sept. 3, 1G58. He was succeeded bj^ his son Richard; but the government soon slipped from his weak gi'asp, the Stuarts returned, and Charles II became king in 1660. Charles II sought by tines, by impris- onment, by banishment, by tortures, by public executions, and by open massacre, to enforce conformity to the Anglican Church. He was sup- ported by his brother James, afterwards Jtimes II, Viceroy of Scotland. He was a bigoted Catholic, and the Scotch Presbyterians were the legiti- mate objects of his hate. The flres of persecution were rekindled, the sword again unsheathed, and bathed again in the blood of thousands of slaughtered saints. To attend any religious service save that of the es- tablished order, was punishable with death. " A part of the Scottish nation sullenly submitted to superior power, but there were many fierce and reso- lute men who considered the obligation to observe the covenant stronger than the obligation to obey the magistrate ; so the Scotch Covenanters, in defiance of law, persisted in meeting to worship God after their own fash- ion. Driven from the towns, they assembled on heaths and mountains. Attacked by the civil power, they without scruple repelled force by force. At every conventicle they mustered in arms. They repeatedly broke out into open rebellion. They were easily defeated, and mercilessly punished, but neither defeat nor punishment could subdue their spirit. Hunted down like wild beasts, tortured till their bones were beaten flat, imprisoned by hundreds, hanged by scores, exposed at one time to the license of soldiers from England, abandoned at another time to the mercy of bands of ma- rauders from the Highlands, they still stood at bay in a mood so savage that the boldest and mightiest oppressor could not but dread the audacity of their despair." These very events occurring in Scotland were in- timately associated with the history of the families of some of the first settlers of Windham. They set in motion a train of events which led to this settlement.
In 1G79 a battle was fought at Bothwell Bridge, on the east bank of the Clyde, between the Covenanters and the royal forces under the Duke of Monmouth. The disastrous results of the fight to the Covenanters caused Robei't Stuart, who was in the battle, to fly the country, and take up his abode in Ireland. He was the father of Charter John Stuart, one of the first sixteen settlers in Londonderry in 1719, and grandfather of John Stuart, of Windham Range ; and the names of some suflering Covenanters that have been reproduced in this settlement, are the same which are upon the Windham records, and are names of those who move among us, and are familiar to us all. Margaret McLaughlan, a "mother in Israel," and Margai'et Wilson, a sweet girl of 18, suflered martyrdom by drowning near Wigton, because they would not abjure the Presbyterian faith. In 1685, John and Alexander Jamison, Joseph Wilson, and John Humphrey had listened to the preaching of Mr. Renwick in the fields, and were over- taken in New Cumnock by a band of Claverhouse's soldiers, and three were immediately shot. James Campbell, at this same time, and near this place, was hunted by the same band of soldiers, but escaped. While Claverhouse and his dragoons were scouring the counties of Ayr and Lanark for victims, Alexander Brown was a vigilant Covenanter whom they wished to appr^end. He saw them, and was seen by them, as they approached his dwelling. Escape was impossible. So assuming a cool and careless demeanor, he advanced to meet the soldiers, as if anxious to make their acquaintance. This stratagem outwitted his wily foes. They said to him, " Know you if Alexander Brown be within.?" " He is not at
* Macaulay's History of England, Vol. I, p. 50.
16 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
present within. He went out recently, apd I liave not seen liim retui-n," replied Brown. " He is in the house, and you wish to conceal him," shouted a surly trooper, and immediately the soldiers burst open the cot- tage, made a vigorous search, but Brown had escaped, and the troopers burned his house, and departed. Such was tlie state of Scotland during the reign of Charles II. The latter ruler died Feb. 6, 1685, and was immediately succeeded by his brother, James II, the bigoted Catholic, the cruel and unrelenting foe of Scotch Presbyterians. He who as viceroy had showu such love for persecution of the Covenanters, ^ — as king his enmity was exhibited with greater virulence. Bands of soldiers hunted the Covenanters like beasts of prey.
At Clydesdale, the place from which the Clydes of Windham emigrated to Ireland, three Covenanters, poor laboring men, were asked, May 11, 1685, if they would pray for the King. They refused to do so, except under the condition that he was one of the elect, thinking that to pray for one pre- destined to perdition was an act of mutiny to the decrees of God. Upon their refusal they were immediately blindfolded and shot. So the work of death went on. In the very heart of mountain solitudes the brave Cove- nanters were tracked and slain. Yet often in the most retired and un- known retreats, worthy men of that epoch found shelter, braving the fierce mountain winds, the sleet and tempests, that they might escape unrelent- ing persecution. David Steel, after being promised his life, was shot at Shellyhill in 1686, before his own door; and Mary Wier, his young, sweet, and loving wife, as she bound up his shattered head, and closed hi.s eyes, exclaimed, "The archers have shot at thee, my husband, but they could not reach thy soul; it has escaped like a dove far away, and is at rest!" Isabella Allison, of Perth, a young woman of about 27 years, was con- demned and gibbeted for her opinions' sake. There were multitudes of such persecutions and heroic deaths. It was dui'ing these tierce persecu- tions, between 1684 and 1688, that the McGregors, the Cargills, ancestors of those ftimilies in Londonderry, and the McKeeus, ancestors of the Mc- Keens of Windham, fled from Scotland to Ireland. Circumstances indicate that about this time the Morisous, ancestors of those of that name in this town, escaped to Ireland.
While the government was persecuting the faithful in Scotland, and with bloody hands consigned hundreds to the grave, large bodies of the Scotch, having suflered the extreme of cruelty, and worn out with the unequal contest, escaped in open boats across the North Channel to Ire- land, and joined their countrymen there. They left a land which was dear to them, sundering the ties of kindred and association, and became from necessity unwilling exiles in Ireland, where they were often joined by their families. There their religious peculiarities became more marked, their devotion to Presbyterianism more strong for the sufferings they had endured, and their hatred of Catholicism burned within them with a stronger and fiercer fiame which nothing could subdue, and which nought but death could quench. These exiles were from all parts of Scot- land, though they entered Ireland from Argyleshire, that being the contig- uous territory. The customs and home-life of our ancestors, and the feelings of wives and families forsaken by the husband and father, find fitting expression in the first two stanzas of the following poem, written at that time ; and the hopes of all Protestants for deliverance from their Catholic persecutor by William, Prince of Orange, find expression in the latter part of the poem. Their hopes were destined to fulfilment.
"O, the ewe-bughtiug 's bonnie, baith e'ening and mcwu, When our blythe shepherds play on their bog-reed and horn; While we are milking, they 're lilting baith pleasant and clear — But my heart 's like to break when I think of my dear! O, the shepherds take pleasure to blow on the horn, To raise up their Hocks of sheep soon i' the morn; On the bonnie green banks they feed pleasant and free — But, alas! my dear heart, all my sighing 's for thee!
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 17
How blj'the wi' my Sandy, out o'er the brown fells,
I ha'e followed the flocks through the fresh heather-bells !
But now I sit greeting amang the lang broom.
In the dowie green clench where the burnie glides doon.
O, wae to the traitors ! an' black be their fa', Wha banished my kind-hearted shpphei'd awa! Wha banished my laddie ayont the wide sea. That aye was so leal to his country and me.
But the cruel oppressors shall tremble for fear, When the ivwc-blue and orange in triumph appear; And the star of the east leads them o'er the dark sea, Wi' freedom, to Scotland, and Satidy to me.'"
Having thus given a brief sketch of Scotkind, of the character of our Scotch ancestors, of their fortitude under suffering, of their fixedness of purpose, of their struggles and sacrifices for religious liberty, of their flight to Ireland, wliere they still were Scotch, I will briefly relate their history till their emigration to America. I have already alluded in the first part of this chapter to the prime cause for the Scotch and English settlements in Ireland. But the first residents there met with great trials and great calamities. Between them and the native Irish existed a feud, bitter and unrelenting, which has been bequeathed to their successors of both races. "And to this day a more than Spartan haughtiness alloys the many noble qualities which characterize the children of the victors, while a Helot feeling, compounded of awe and hatred, is but too often discern- ible in the children of the vanquished."
On Irish soil dwelt two distinct populations. They were locally in- termixed, yet sundered by race and religion. They were of different races, spoke different languages, and were kept asunder by national character- istics as sharp and distinct as those of any two European nations. One was civilized, tlie other in barbarism; and the Scotch and English resi- dents exercised over the natives the power which wealth always exercises over poverty, knowledge over ignorance, and enlightened over barbaric races. The sequestered estates of the Catholic Irish were occupied by the Protestant settlers. But the wrath of the Irish did not die out ; it only slumbered. It was while King Charles the First was striving to force Episcopacy upon the Scottish people, which the Covenanters and Puri- tans so fiercely resisted, while he was making those alarming contentions in Scotland and England, that in 1641 the native Irish, who had long been brooding over their wrongs, took advantage of the trouble on the other side of the channel, rose in I'ebellion, and with untold barbarities massacred more than 40,000 Protestants. This occurred October 23, 1641. After this event settlers lived in alarm for several years. But soon a change occurred in the Government, the King was justly beheaded, and the Pro- tectorate was established. A man was at the helm of State who was both able and willing to protect the Protestants from their bigoted enemies.
In 1649 the strong arm of Cromwell bore an avenging sword. He re- solved, once for all, to put an end to the conflict of races and religions in Ireland. With his army he waged relentless war against the Catholics, punishing them more severely than they had ever been before during five luindred years of conflict. Large cities were left without their people, lauds were laid waste, and the inhabitants either died by the sword, or sought refuge in other parts of Europe, or were shipped by thousands to the West India Islands. The void which he had thus created he also filled by large bodies of Scotch and English colonists of the Calvinistic faitli, who soon redeemed the fertile, but desolated, war-smitten provinces of Ireland, making them once more prosperous, and a land of plenty; and by their industry and thrift to fill with their products the piarkets of England, so that Englishmen clamored for laws of protection against them.
David Gregg, grandfather of David Gregg, the early settler of Windham, was a captain in Cromwell's army, and was one of those thrifty Scotch colonists who went from Argyleshire in 1655, and settled near Londonderry, Ireland; some of his descendants, not in the Gregg name, are in
18 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Windham to-day. About 1680, Daniel Campbell, father of Henry Camp- belli, ancestor of the Windham Campbells, settled at Londonderry, Ireland. Thus the influence of those far-oft' troublous times affected this distant settlement, and is still seen and felt. Those influences were like a stone cast into the sea, producing ripples, ever enlarging, and which will never cease. After the subjugation of Ireland by Cromwell, comparative peace and prosperity prevailed for several years. The Cath- olics were wisely disarmed, while the Protestants were provided with weap- ons, and were thus prepared to defend themselves. And the custom of discharging flre-arms at Scotch weddings in Ireland and in this settlement arose from the event last related, and was the token of the joy of the Scotch, no less than their triumph.
But a day black with darkness was coming with unwonted swiftness. Its long deepening shadows reached the Scotch colonists at the death of Cromwell, Sept. 3, 1658, and the commencement of the end of the Protec- torate, which had been established nearly nine years before, and which end was reached Ave mouths later, when the government fell from the weak grasp of Eichard Cromwell. In 1660 the Stuarts returned, and Charles II became king. In 1661, persecutions of the Scotch Presbyterians com- menced afresh in Ireland, and every expedient short of extermination was used to break the attachment of the people to their church polity. Many ministers were deposed and fled to Scotland. But the greater the perse- cution, the greater was the tenacity with which the Scotch clung to the tenets of their church. From this time forward, for nearly thirty years, continued a series of persecutions, either in Ireland or Scotland, in which multitudes became martyrs to their fiiith. "From 1670, till the accession of William and Mary, the Presbyterians of Scotland worshipped in hidden plaees and at the peril of their lives." Thus the persecutions went on, nor did they cease until James II was driven from his throne, — not till after the " Siege of Londonderry," that event which shall always live in human history, and which shall inspire and thrill human hearts wherever heroism is honored, and devotion to immortal principles is loved and commended.
King James II, who came to the throne in 1685, was a papist, and his officers in Ireland were mostly of the Catholic faith, and determined to advance that cause. Under Catholic rule in Ireland the Protestants were disarmed, placed in a defenceless condition, and being surrounded by papists, were not safe in life or property. lu 1687 they were subjected to many outrages. Their houses were burned, their cattle were stolen, and the Catholic soldiers roamed the country, pillaging, maiming, and committing all kinds of outrages. Fifteen hundred families left the country in a few days, it was said. The tyranny of the king had awakened the fiercest alai-m in the three kingdoms. Some of the leading men of England invited William, Prince of Orange, who had married the eldest daughter of James II, to come over from Holland and assume the gov- ernment. He "did consent"; and late in the autumn, with 500 vessels and 14,000 men, he arrived in England, landing at Torbay, Nov. 5, 1688. The army, the nobility, the clergy, and the people went over to William, and James II fled to France. He still retained a few friends in England, some of the strong Scottisli-Catholic clans were still loyal, but his greatest strength was in his Irish-Catholic adherents in Ireland, who com- prised the larger part of the population. He, resolved not to give up his kingdom without a struggle ; so with the aid he could secure from Louis XIV of France, he determined to make a descent upon Ireland, and with a great army of Ii'ish cross over to Scotland, and gathering in his loyal Highlanders, enter England, drive his enemies before him, and recover his crown. He landed March 12, 1689, at Ivinsale, in the southern part of Ireland, and proceeded to Cork, and thence to Dublin.
The Protestant communities of the north of Ireland stood in the way of the accomplishment of the king's plans, and those Protestant towns with their forces must be overcome. The strongest of those towns was the
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 19
original town of Derry. lu the reign of James I, the name was changed to Londonderry. It is in the province of Ulster, is the capital of the county of Londonderry, lies on the river Foyle, and is one hundred and fifty miles northwest of Dublin. At this place the Protestants made a heroic defence, there was the arena upon which was decided the fate of re- ligious liberty for the British nation, and there some of the first resi- dents of Londonderry, N. H., and the ancestors of many of the first set- tlers of Windham and Londonderry, and of many of the present inhabi- tants of both towns, heroically contended, winning imperishable renown for themselves and their descendants.
As the Catholics advanced northward, they laid the country waste • flocks and herds were swept away ; freebooters who roamed the country, accustomed to live on potatoes and sour whey, now had the luxury of meat. Everything was abandoned to the papists, who comprised four fifths of the population, though four fifths of the property belonged to the intelligent Protestants. Every native was armed, the Scotch and English were disarmed, and it was reported and believed that the papists were to rise on Sunday, Dec. 9, 1688, and massacre the Protestants without re- gard to age or sex, thus repeating the horrors of 1641. During these troublous times, and subsequently, many murders were committed by the Catholics. History records the fact, and manuscript records handed down to the present time in the Gregg, the Davidson, the Mcllvaine, and other Windham families, some of whose members were slain, confirms it. The Scotch and English residents, men, women, and children, retreated before the Catholic array. Whole towns of Protestants were left without an inhabitant. Thirty thousand Protestants, of both sexes and all ages, were crowded within the walls of Londonderry. Says Macaulay, "There at length, on the verge of the ocean, hunted to the last asylum, and baited into a mood in which men may be destroyed but will not easily be sub- jugated, the impei'ial race turned desperately at bay."
It was at that time, while the minds of the people of Londonderry were alarmed with the rumors before mentioned, that Alexander Macdonald, Earl of Antrim, with 1,200 Catholics, was rapidly approaching Londonderry to occupy it. The troops at length appeared in view, and a squad of officers appeared before the city's gate, and demanded admittance for the troops. It was at this supreme moment, upon which hung great destinies, that thirteen young apprentice boys, namely, —
Alexander Irwin, Alexander Coningham, Robert Sherard,
James Stewart, Henry Campsie, Daniel Sherard,
Robert Morison, William Crookslianks, William Catrnes,
Samuel Harvty,
by one heroic act placed their names high on the scroll of fame. They armed themselves, seized the keys of the city, closed the Ferry Gate, and refused admission to King James's soldiers. The other gates were secured. James Morison, a citizen, advised the soldiers to depart; but not leaving, he cried from his place on the top of the wall of the city, "Bring a great gun this way!" when they, desiring to be out of the way of flying bullets, retreated to the other side of the river Foyle. This event was of the highest importance, as it frustrated the design of the papists. The city received reinforcements, and additions to their pro- visions and military stores. In the following April afl'airs were approach- ing a crisis.
The opposing and now powerful army of King James was bent upon the capture of the city, which refused to surrender. The French and Irish army of James appeared before the city April 15, 1689, and entered into negotiations with the traitorous Lundy for the delivery of the city against the will of the people. On the 17th, King James appeared with 15,000 additional soldiers, and was anxious that the city should surrender without delay. But the people knew that to give up Londonderry was to give up Ireland, the cause of William, and religious liberty, and to this they would never consent. The authority of Lundy was at an end, and two
20 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
valorous soldiers, Major Henry Baker and Adam Murray, called the people to arms. Men of all ranks rushed to the walls and manned the guns. James, who expected the city to surrender, had approached within a hun- dred yards of the Southern Gate, and with a cry of " No surrender! " and a discharge of guns, an officer at his side was killed, while the king and his attendants fled. That day, April 17, 1689, the historic struggle com- menced in earnest. The city was now without civil or military govern- ment. Two governors were soon elected by the people, namely, Major Henry Baker and Rev. George Walker. The military was under the com- mand of Baker. Walker was to look after the internal affairs of the city. The military force of the city was rising 7,000 men.
The bitter animosities between members of the Established Church and the Dissenters, between Conformists and Non-conformists were in the main forgotten, in the presence of a common peril. The afl'airs of the city were managed with great prudence and forethought. With a small army with which to cope with the great masses of the enemy, the city was very weakly fortified, "the wall being less than nine feet thick along the face of the ramparts, with a ditch and eight bastions." It was scantily sup- plied with provisions. Operations against it were vigorously commenced. The city was bombarded, shells continually bursting within it, destroy- ing dwellings, and setting them on fire, causing the death of the inmates. Chimneys were demolished, and the city often on fire; danger, horror, and death were everywhere. But as dangers thickened, the grit and pluck of the besieged became fearfully developed. Brave sorties were made from the city, assaults upon the walls with superior force were brilliantly repulsed, and by ceaseless vigilance and heroic means parties who sought to undermine the walls were driven away and destroyed. The besiegers sought to gain by artifice and threats what their valor could not win, but in vain. The siege was turned into a blockade, and the enemy waited for starvation to compel a surrender. The place was surrounded ; every ave- nue by which provisions could reach the city was closely guarded. The river Foyle, by which succor could come, was strongly lined with troops, and batteries and forts which no vessel could safely pass, bristled its banks at all points. To make things doubly secure, the enemy sunk great stones in the river, piles were driven, and a boom made of wood was stretched from shore to shore. Provisions now began to fail, and the de- fenders suffered for want of water. On the 8th of June, hoi-se-flesh was almost the only meat which could be bought. On June 15th, the hopes of the besieged were raised by the near approach of a fleet of vessels for their relief, with troops, ammunition, and provisions; but Kirke, the cow- ardly commander, was dismayed at the obstacles in his way, and retired without striking a blow. Famine pressed heavily on the besieged.
On June 19, General Conrad de Rosen determined to compel the surren- der of the city by a scheme so infamous that it excited the anger of his own troops. He gathered together from the surrounding country some 4,000 Protestants, men, women, and children, and drove them beneath the walls of Londonderry, where they should starve within sight of their friends in the city, and also be exposed to the missiles of both armies, imagining that the sufferings of their friends would induce the defenders to yield. An order was immediately isgued that whoever spoke of sur- render should die ; and the word was not spoken. Among those driven beneath the walls were John Morison, who died in Londonderry, N. H., in 1736, ae. 108 years (?), and his family, who were subsequently admitted within the city. He was the ancestor o{ the Morrisons of Windham, and many of those of Londonderry and Peterborough. Starvation was sadly and rapidly doing its work in July, yet no thought of surrender. The thought was, first, eat the horses, then the hides, then the prisoners, then each other — then — die — but never surrender. Dogs, fattened on the blood of the slain, and rats, feasting upon decaying bodies, were luxuries, and eagerly eaten. A quarter of a dog brought five shillings and sixpence ; a dog's head, two shillings and sixpence ; a quart of horse's blood, one shil-
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 21
ling ; a rat, one shilling ; a mouse, sixpence ; a pound of hides, one shilling, and a cat, lour shillings and sixpence.
On the 30th of July, only one half pint of meal remained for each man, and only two days more of life were reckoned upon. Ou the evening of that day, three vessels came up the Foyle. This was the day of deliver- ance. It was the one hundred and fourth day of the siege. The English commander had received positive orders to relieve the besieged. Within thetown, the starving and heart-broken congregation had just left the cathe- dral, after the evening sermon. It was the twilight hour, and their hearts were full of darkness; but just then the sentinels saw the approach of the succoring ships. It was quickly noised through the city that relief was at hand, and the people thronged the walls. The river was low and nar- row, and the besiegers were active ; their guns and bristling cannon on its banks covered every point. But the vessels bravely approached the place of peril. The ship Moutjoy, from Londonderry, with Micajah Browning of that place in command, drove straight at the boom, broke the great ob- struction, but was itself by the rebound hurled out of the way, and stuck in the mud. The Irish raised a yell of triumph, and attempted to board the ship, but by fierce shots from the Dartmouth, were repelled. The Phenix, a vessel of Coleraine, dashed through the aperture made by the Montjoy. The rising tide enabled the latter ship to join her. When that vessel grounded in the mud, the yell of fiendish triumph which burst from the Catholic hosts filled the hearts of the starved besieged with unutter- able anguish. It was a moment never to be forgotten by those who expe- rienced it. Another half-hour of agony and suspense followed before the ships reached the quay, at ten at night. Then the city was relieved ; its starving inhabitants had turned out en masse, and welcomed their deliv- erers. The joy and gratitude of the people were unutterable. The "watch- fires of a hundred circling camps" made bright the night. The booming of the enemy's artillery, flying shot, and sci'eamiug bombs, combined with the answering peals of joyous defiance sent forth by the ringing bells of the city, made that night one of awful grandeur, of fear, and of supremest joy. Through the 31st the guns of the enemy were active, but after night- fall the defeated and baffled foe silently withdrew. So closed the most memorable siege in the history of the British Isles.
This defence of Londonderry saved Protestantism in the United King- dom. It was a great check to King James, and for one hundred and five days had kept back his proud army of 40,000 men, which William of Orange soon met and defeated — June 30, 1690 — on the banks of the Boyne, which compelled James, after a few mouths, to retreat to France. So important did the government of Great Britain consider this defence, and the unparelleled heroism of the defenders, that Parliament passed an act exempting from taxation, throughout its territory, all who had borne arms in the city during the siege. There were, under this Act, exempted farms in Londonderry, N. H., which so continued till the Rev- olution. The besiegers lost over 8,000 men and one hundred officers, and the defenders were reduced from 7,500 to 3,000 eflective men. Since the memorable siege, six generations have passed away, and still the wall of Londonderry is sacred, and the places where the important acts trans- pired are considered holy ground, and many memorials of the struggle are carefully preserved. The old battle flags and ancient guns are kept as valued relics. Each year bright flowers are placed on the graves of the valiant dead. A lofty monument was erected about 1825, surmounted by a statue of Walker, and inscribed with the names of many brave men.
The foregoing sketch shows the strong character of the Scotch exiles in Ireland. Thirty years later, these same Scotch people of Londonderry. Ireland, made a " new departure" for religious liberty, and planted in the American wilderness the new settlements of Londonderry and Windham, N. H. In 1719, some of the heroic defenders settled in Londonderry, N. H. From that sturdy race were descended the first settlers of Windham, Among them may be mentioned the McKeens, the Cochrans, the Morisons,
22 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
and probably many others, the early records of whose families are not pre- served. After the close of hostilities and the triumph of the Protestant cause, the colonists in the north of Ireland for many years were at peace. They made the region in which they lived a comparatively rich and flour- ishing country, by their industry, sliill, and frugality. Agriculture was improved, manufactures introduced, and they attracted trade to their markets by the excellence of their productions. Their numbers were in- creased by accessions from Scotland, among whom were the Nesmiths and others. Though the Scotch had many privileges, though they had triumphed over the Catholics, still there was neither true religious nor civil liberty, and the Pi-esbyterians were not satisfied. They were com- pelled to pay one tenth of all their incomes for the support of the estab- lished church, which they did not attend, as they attended and supported their own church. The government made embarrassing regulations upon their trade and industries. Their lands were not their own, but were held by leases from the crown or individuals. As the leases expired, and as the lands had been greatly improved by them, the prices of rent were greatly advanced, thus discouraging and crushing every principle of prog- ress or enterprise in the occupants, and reducing many to poverty. The landlords were the same arbitrary class, and made the same trouble, and oppressed the occupants of the Irish soil, the same as they do in 1883, which causes such an unrest of the population. But our ancestoi's, in- stead of refusing to pay their rents, paid them, like honest men as they were, and then came to America. As an example of this, there is in ex- istence the last receipt for rent paid in Ireland by Alexander Park, who was the first settler on the Robert Armstrong farm in the " Range," and was ancestor of the Parks of Windham.
In Ireland they were surrounded by the ignorant native Catholics, with whom they had no affinity, and from whom they had suffered so much. The government was a monarchy ; there was an aristocracy, and many people with titles, none of whom were agreeable to the independent Scotch. They looked into the future, and had an irrepressible longing to be free, to found a community by themselves, where there would be no established church, no ecclesiastical oppression, and no Catholics ; where there would be a freer field for their industry and skill, and where they could worship God according to their ideas of right. Ireland was not their home ; it was endeared to them by no traditions, and they determined to find a bet- ter home for themselves and their posterity in the wilds of America. Col- onies had been planted in America, and favorable reports had returned to the Old World.
As eai-ly as 1627, the Antrim monthly meeting was organized by the Presbyterians in Ireland, and as early as IG31 they planned an emigration to New England, but did not carry it out. This was about the time there was such a large influx of English Puritans into the towns of Ipswich, Newbury, and surrounding towns in Massachusetts. Soon after this they sent an agent to America, and selected a tract of land near the mouth of the Merrimack River. They sailed from Loch Fergus, near Belfast, Sept. 9, 1636, for the Merrimack River. After sailing 2,500 miles, they encoun- tered gales and tempests till the vessel was obliged to return, reaching its starting-point Nov. 3, 1636. This shows that the Scotch had the land near the Merrimack in view long before the advent of our ancestors in 1719. Nor is this strange, considering that so large a class of English were settling and had settled in that locality. This early enterprise prob- ably led to the later settlement of Londonderry, N. H., in 1719. A young man by the name of Holmes gave a cheering report, and his father. Rev. Mr. Holmes, Rev. William Boyd, Rev. William Cornwell, and Rev. James McGregor, with portions of their respective congregations, determined upon a removal to America. Early in 1718 they sent Rev. William Boyd with a petition to Governor Shute, of Massachusetts, to secure a place to settle, and to make tre necessary arrangements. This " Memorial to Gov- ernor Shute " was signed by three hundred and nineteen men, of whom
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 23
nine were ministers, and three others were fjraduates of the University of Scotland. The memorial is on parchment, in a fair state of preservation, and a few months since was in the rooms of the New Hampshire Histor- ical Society at Concord, N. H. Quite a number of the inhabitants of Windham could there see the name of their emigrant ancestor. This bore date of March 26, 1718. Governor Shute gave them encouragement to settle, and Mr. Boyd was so favorably impressed with the country, that he returned to Ireland with the cheerful tidings. A large number imme- diately sold their property and made preparations to leave for the New World, where they arrived in five ships, Aug. 4, 1718, landing in Boston Harbor. They separated into three parts. A portion of this company remained in Boston, and formed the first Presbyterian church there, in 1727, under Rev. John Morehead. This is known now as the Federal- street Church, — became Congregational in 178G; became Unitarian under the celebrated Dr. Channiug; and the present pastor is the Rev. John-F.-W. Ware. Another portion repaired to Worcester, Mass. ; the antipathy of the people was ferocious against them. They formed a church, and Edward Fitzgerald was their first pastor. They, like all of their countrymen, were a hai'dy, thrifty people, but their English Congre- gationalist neighbors were ignoi'ant of them and of their form of wor- ship. They became jealous; and from the fact that they came from Ire- land, called them " Irish," and commenced a strong persecution of them. When, iu 1736 or 1740, the frame of their meeting-house was erected, the Congregationalists rallied and tore it down. Rev. William Johnston, the first minister of Windham, was a successor of Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald, and was there as early as 1736. The people were not permitted to build a house of worship, aud soon after 1740 dispersed, some to Otsego Co., N. Y., some to Coleraine, Palmer, aud Pelham, Mass., and Rev. William Johnston came to Windham as early as 1742.
But the history of that portion of the emigrants in which we are most interested, will now be given. On the eve of their departure from Ire- land, their pastor. Rev. James McGregor, preached a sermon to them, re- counting the reasons for their removal to America. They were " to avoid oppression and cruel bondage; to shun persecution and designed ruin; to withdraw from the communion of idolaters; to have an opportunity of worshipping God according to the dictates of conscience and the rules of his inspired Word." That portion of his flock to whom he had ministered in Ireland, ou their arrival in America,with others who joined them, wished still to have the benefit of the labors of Mr. McGregor; so sixteen of these families embarked in a vessel for Casco Bay, in order to select a township, while the remaining families retired into the country, some to Dracut, and some to Andover. The emigrants for Casco Bay, now Portland, Maine, having embarked late iu the season, sutt'ered severely during the wiuter, and most of them passed the wiuter on board the ships. They sufl'ered for want of provisions, and the General Court of Massachusetts sent them one hundred bushels of meal. They decided in the spring not to remain in that locality, and returned, arriving at Haverhill, Mass., April 13, 1719. They had heard of a large tract of unoccupied and ungranted land, called the "Chestnut Country," because of the large number of chestnut trees. This tract was afterwards called Nuffield. The men left their families in Haverhill, went aud examined the land, and decided to take there the grant of land twelve miles square, granted them by Massa husetts. They built a few temporary huts, and then returned to Haverhill for their families and worldly possessions. When they returned to Nutfield, a portion came by way of Di'acut for the purpose of bringing with them the Rev. James McGregor, who had passed the winter in the place teaching. The two parties met at Horse Hill, being on the highway between Derry upper and lower villages. They arrived there April 22, 1719, N. S.
The first sermon ever preached in Londonderry was delivered April 23. They assembled under the spreading branches of a large oak on the east of Tsienneto (pronounced Sho-neeto) Lake or Beaver Pond. The text was
24 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Isaiah 32 : 2. "And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place ; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." " Then, for the first time, did this wil- derness and solitary place, over which the savage tribes had for centuries roamed, resound with the voice of prayer and praise, and echo to the sound of the gospel." The Presbyterian church was soon after formed, and in May, 1710, without installation, he became their pastor. Services were held at Derry upper village, and there the people of Windham wor- shipped till the incorporation of the town in 1742. In the ancient ceme- tery, in the rear of the present church, on that high elevation which can be seen for miles around, lie buried the founders of many Windham families.
The first sixteen settlers of Londonderry, with their wives and families, were James McKeen, John Barnet, Archibald Clendennin, John Mitchell, James Starrett, James Anderson, Randall Alexander, James Gregg, James Clark, James Nesmith, Allen Anderson, Robert Weir, John Morison, Samuel Allison, Thomas Steele, and John Stuart. Of these sixteen men, James McKcen, James Anderson, Randall Alexander, James Clark, James Nesmith, and John Stuart, each was the ancestor of the Windham fami- lies which bear their respective surnames. John Morison was the father of Thomas and Ezekiel Morison, early residents of this town. Archibald Clendennin has descendants in the person of Horace-B. Johnson, of this place, the Clendennin family of Derry, and and the Steele family of Law- rence, lately of Windham. Samuel Allison has numei'ous descendants in town, bearing the names of Dow, Morrison, and Dinsmoor, and Robert Weir has descendants bearing the Park name. Allen Anderson left no family, and James Gregg was ancestor of the Derry Greggs. Thomas Steele has numerous descendants in Peterborough and Western New York. The homes in Ireland of the McKeen'*, Dinsmoors, McGregors, and Nes- miths, and many other families which settled in Windham and London- derry, N". H., were in the valley of the river Bann, in or near the parishes or towns of Kilrea, Coleraine, Ballywatick, Ballymoney, and Ballynoolen.
In Sept. 1719, five mouths after ^"he first settlement, there were seventy families, and in October there were one hundred and five families. So rapidly had the settlement increased, that they soon wished for town priv- ileges, and petitioned the General Court of New Hampshire for an act of incorporation, Sept. 1719. It was not till June 21, 1722, that "Nuttield" was incorporated as Londonderry. They purchased their land October 20, 1719, of John Wheelwright (see pp. 25 and 26). They were greatly troubled to secure titles to their lands, but finally succeeded. There is no account of any Indian outi'age to an inhabitant of Windham or London- derry, save that of the boy who was killed on Golden Brook about 1721.
Probably no people who ever landed in America have been so much misunderstood and misrepresented as the Scotch settlers of Windham, Londonderry, and other places settled in different parts of the country, by this same hardy, unconquerable race. The ignorance and stupidity of other classes in relation to them and their history, has been unbounded. They were called "Irish," when not a drop of Irish blood flowed in their veins. They were called "Roman Catholics," when they had hated that sect almost to ferocity; when they had rolled back the papal forces, and had endured the horrors of starvation, shed their blood in mountain fast- nesses and on many battle-fields, to uphold the Protestant faith, and had "ventured their all for the British crown again^st the Irish papists."
This closes the notice of the ancestors of the first settlers of Windham and Londonderry, and of the religious and accompanying causes which drove them to America, with the brief notice of the emigrants themselves.
HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
CHAPTER I.
In the Beginning. — Copy of John Wheelwright's Deed to the Proprietors. — ^The Indians. — Its Situation. — Wild Animals.
— Birds. — Snakes. — Arboreal Products. — Flora of Windham. — Localities. — Surface. — Indications of the Glacial Period.
— Scenery.
The first mention of that portion of the universe which is now Windham is found in the last two words of the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis — "the earth." The first three words of the same verse and chapter tell us when it was created. In the words of Holy Writ, it was "i/* the hec] Inning'''' ; and from that period, during the lights and shadows of many centuries, and down to the year A. D. 1719, an almost unbroken silence and impenetrable obscurity covers its history. Speculation may strive to illumine this darkness, but its lights are uncertain and liable to deceive. Its real history is unknown, and can only be deduced by inference.
The territory now comprising Windham was, from 1719 to Feb. 12, 1742, a portion of Londonderry, and was purchased by the Proprietors of that town of John Wheelwright, whose grand- father had, in 1629,* purchased of the Indians.
COPY OF JOHN WHEELWRIGHT'S DEED TO THE PROPRIETORS.
These presents witnesseth, that I, John Wheelwright, of Wells, in the County of Yorke, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay,
* This refers to tlie famous Wheelwright deed, wliich was considered authentic till prououuced a forgery, in June, 1820, by Hon. James Savage, of Boston, Mass., and the same opinion was entertained by John Farmer, Esq., of Concord, N. H. Hon. Chandler E. Potter, who devoted much time and research to this matter, pronounced the deed genuine. Whether genuine or spurious, it is a part of our history, and the deed was consid- ered valid for about two hundred years. It is found upon the records in the office of the register of deeds at Exeter, N. H. The grandson of John Wheelwright considered it \alid. and under its authority deeded London- derry to the Proprietors, as mentioned.
26 HISTOKY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
do for me myself, Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, by virtue of a Deed or Grant made to my Grandfather, a minister of the Gospel, and others named in said Grant, by Sundry Indian Sagamores, with ye consent of ye whole tribe of Indiatis between the Rivers Meremake and Pescutequa, to them and their Heirs for ever full power for the laying out, bounding and Granting these lands into suitable tracts for townships, unto such numbers of People as may from time to time offei- to settle and Improve the same, which deed beareth date. May the seventeenth, one thou- sand and six hundred twenty and nine. Executed, Acknowledged, and approved by the authority in the Day, as may at large more fully appear. Pursuant thereunto I Do, by these presents, Give and Grant all my Eight Title and Interest therein contained for the ends, uses aforesaid, unto Mr. James McGregor, Samuel Graves, David Cargill, James McKeen, James Gregg, and one hundred more, mentioned in a list, to them and their Heirs for ever, a certain tract of Land, bounded as followeth, not exceed- ing the quantity of ten miles square : beginning at a pine tree marked, which is the southwest corner of Chesheir, and running to the northwest corner of said Cheshire, and from the north- west corner, running upon a due west line unto the River Meri- mack, and down the River Merimack, untill it meets with the line of Dunstable, and there turning eastward upon Dunstable line, untill it meet Avith the line of Dracut, and continuing east- ward upon Dracut Line, untill it meet with the line of Haverill, and extending northward upon Haverill Line, untill it meet with the line of Cheshire, and then turning westward upon the said Line of Cheshire, unto the pine tree first mentioned, where it began. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this twentyeth Day of October, one thousand seven hundred and nineteen. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
in the Presence of
Daniel Dupee, John Wiieelwiugiit, [l. s.]
John Hirst.
Suffolk, ss. Boston, October ye 20th, 1719.
Jolui Wlieelw right, Esq., personaly appearing, acknowledged tlic above Instrument to be his volluntary act and Deed.
Cor. William Wellstud, Just. Peace. p f ) Entered and recorded in the 11th Book of the
iNewnampsnue ^ October, 1719.
Pr Saml. Penhallow, Recorder.
THE INDIANS-
The Indians who were the early inhabitants of this town were of the Pawtucket nation, and may have derived their name from
ITS SITUATION. 27
the Pawtucket Falls at Lowell, Mass., about which the larger part of their tribe resided in their early history. Their domain included all of New Hampshire.
Efforts were made to christianize the Indians at Pawtucket previous to 1653, and it is not improbable that the same Indians whose wigwams were on the banks of our ponds, and whose canoes glided over our waters, taking fish therefrom, may have heard the Gospel at Pawtucket (now Lowell), twelve miles away, from the lips of the saintly Eliot, "the Apostle to the Indians." He 2:)reached there in 1653, previously, and for many subsequent years. The Indians congregated at the Falls, as it was a good place for fishing. Our Indians, confined to no permanent places of abode, of course visited these Falls, as the rushing of its waters could be distinctly heard in Windham before they were, in 1818-20, turned from their rocky bed for the Lowell factories. The last great chief of this tribe was Passaconnaway. In 1660, at a great feast and dance, he warned his people, as a dying man, not to quarrel with their English neighbors, as it would be the means of their own destruction. To him, "coming events cast their shadows before." Subsequently the' headquarters of this tribe were at Concord ; they left this section as a residence about 1685, but in their wanderings for fifty years after, spent much time at the Falls. After the settlement by the London- derry Colony, there is but one recorded instance of Indian cruelty to a citizen of Londonderry, — that of killing the boy on the banks of Golden Brook, in Avhat is now Windham.
In early days the Indians used to encamp on the shores of Cobbett's and Policy Ponds, and many arrowheads have been found as they were turned up by the plow near the shore. The stones used for skinning animals have also been found. After the settlement, wandering parties of Indians were occasionally in Windham, but finally they retired to Canada, and this settlement knew but little of them, and had but little intercourse with them. Hardly a memento now exists to show us that such a race ever existed here.
It causes a thought of sadness when we think of the passing away of a race. The wail of the red-man, as he looked for the last time upon the graves of his kindred, and set his face towards the sunset, which the poet has woven into familiar lines, touches a res2)onsive chord in all sympathetic breasts.
" I will go to my tent and lie dowji in despair, I will paint me with black and sever my hair ; I will sit on the shore when the hurricane blows, And reveal to the God ol" the tempest my woes. I will weep for a season, on bitterness fed. For my kindred are gone to the mounds of the dead."
ITS SITUATION.
The location of Windham is like that of a hub in a wheel, the Merrimack River being two thirds of the circumference. It is
2S HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
bounded on the north by Londonderry and Derry, on the east by Salera, on the south by Salem and Pelham, and on the west by Londonderry and Hudson. Manchester lies fifteen miles to the northwest, Nashua ten miles to the west, Haverhill twelve miles to the east, Lawrence ten miles to the southeast, Lowell fourteen miles south. It lies thirty-five miles northwest from Boston, thirty-three miles southwest from Concord, and thirty south- west of Exeter. It is situated in latitude about 42° 48' North, and in longitude 5° 50' East from Washington. Area 15,744 acres, and not far from one seventh of its surface is covered with water.
Gaentake^* or Beaver River or Brooh^ is the principal stream. It is the outlet of Tsienneto* (Shoneeto), or Beaver Pond, in Derry, and flows through Windham in nearly a southerly direc- tion, emptying into the Merrimack Kiver at Lowell. LTpon this river is considerable good meadow land.
There are six ponds, or lakes more properly, wholly or par- tially in the town. Policy (once called Ilaverhill Pond), the largest, is on the eastern side of the town, and nearly one half lies in Salem. It is two miles long, and covers 1,017 acres, and is a beautiful sheet of water. The Avords of the poet Whittier, when he christened Kenoza Lake, fitly apply to the beautiful Policy.
. . . " O'er no sweeter lake Shall morning break, or uoon-cloud sail ;
No lighter wave than thine shall take The sunset's golden veil."
Cohbeti's Pond has been found by measurement to be just two miles in length. "The Nai-rows " are nearly equidistant from either end, but are nearer the northeast end of the pond. The ])ond attains its greatest width south of "the Narrows." This is the second in size, and covers 1,000 acres. Its situaticm is beautiful. It lies in a valley, and tlie land on either side rises into swelling hills, whose sides in places are thickly covered with wood, and in other parts the fields or pastures of the well-culti- vated farms in "the Range" extend to the water's edge. Rev. Thomas Cobbett, of Ipswich, Mass., in 1662 had a farm bounding upon it. It takes its name from him. The pond was a favorite resort of the Indians for fishing, and many arrowheads have been found in its vicinity.
Hittitih/ Pond lies in the easterly part of the town, and is partly in Salem.
Spruce Pond lies in School District No. 7. It is a small pond, lying about one fourth of a mile west of the turnpike.
MitcheWs Pond is in the northerly part of the town. It is nearly surrounded with woods, and is in a secluded place.
* The Indian name.
WILD ANIMALS. 29
Parties often go there for pickerel. The pond has a muddy bottom. It derives its name from the Londonderry family of Mitchell, who owned land upon its borders.
Golden or Golding's Pond lies in the southerly i)art of the town. It is a small pond, and connected with it is
8impson''s Po/id, which furnishes the water-power for Simp- son's mills.
Golden or Goldrng's Brook empties in Golden Pond, and com])rises the stream which is the outlet of Cobbett's Pond.
Flatrock Brook lies in the north jjart of the town, and j^artly in Derry.
Fish abound in all the ponds, and are much sought for. In 1878, Policy Pond was stocked with black bass by the State fish commissioners.
The fish found in these ponds are the shiner, the pickerel, the perch, the chub, the horned pout, and eel.
WILD ANIMALS.
Bears were very common in the first settlements, and were the most troublesome animals of the forest. In the months of August and September they would naake great havoc in the fields of corn. Many farmers were obliged to watch their corn-fields by night.
Robert Park, on the east side of the town, was watching in the field one night, and fell into a doze ; he was startled by some- thing about his head, and looking up he saw a large skunk looking liim in the face. While he went for his breakfast, an old bear took advantage of his absence, and went into the corn-field and took /«s' breakfast.
Emigrant John Cochran set a heavily-loaded gun in the field, with a cord attached to the ti'igger, the cord crossing a gap in the wall securely fastened. A bear, in attempting to enter the field at this place, discharged the gun and killed himself. When shot, he leaped a distance of twelve feet, when he died. The most westerly field of William D. Cochran's farm is made historic by this occurrence.
About ISO'J, three bears, an old one and two cubs, were killed near the John A. M. Johnson farm.
About 1804, a large bear was discovered and chased into the woods at the north side of Cobbett's Pond. Darkness coming on, the chase was abandoned. The news that a bear was near spread very rapidly, and the next morning, at break of day, John Coch- ran, Abel and Richard Dow, started to renew the chase. The bear was found near where he was left the night previous. He started off briskly on his last journey, in a northwesterly direc- tion, followed closely by his pursuers, who increased rapidly in numbers. They followed him till he arrived at Beaver Brook, which was partly open, and the bear plunged in and swam across. His pursuers were not so fortunate as to ford the river, but went
30 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
around by the nearest bridge, and having struck the trail of the bear once more, they followed it till the tracks came to an end ; looking up, they discovei-ed the bear among the branches of a large pine tree in an open pasture. The pursuers were jubi- lant. Deacon Fisher, of Londonderry, shot and killed the bear, which weighed nearly four hundred pounds. - The bear was dressed, and divided among the large number of hunters, and each received some three pounds. The bear's skin, which was a beautiful one, was sold to Samuel Armor, and from it a very fine muff and tippet were made, which were used by Mrs. Armor for nearly forty years.
In an old account book of 1813 or '14, is this record : "Robert Dickey saw a bear."
Ensign John Morison, when a boy, while searching for his cows one night, heard a loud noise in the woods immediately back of where the school-house in District No. 1 now stands. He investigated, and saw a large black bear. The boy swung his hat over his head, and gave a loud shout, when the bear left with mighty leaps, causing the brambles and brush to crash and break with a loud noise.
Wolves. — They were plenty, and were very annoying. In 1721, when the first settlements were made near the school-house in District No. 5, wolves were not scarce. Mrs. Waugh, who lived near the R. P. Morrison farm, when alone one night with her children, was troubled by the wolves, which surrounded her log house, and stuck their noses in between the logs. She drove them off by pouring scalding hot water upon their snouts, which sent them back to their haunts in the wilderness, howling with rage.
The " Rustic Bard," Robert Dinsmoor, when he first built his barn where John H. Dinsmore lives, lased to close up the barn very tightly at night, locking in his stock securely. After a light snow, when he would return in the morning, the tracks of wolves would be plenty about the barn. The country then was mostly covered with large forests.
About 1775, Margaret Dinsmoor, who lived near George W. Ilanscom's, learned to weave of one William Dickey, whose house stood in what is now a sheep pasture of L. A. Morrison ; when returning one evening, a wolf sprang upon her, and she fainted. The wolf tore her shawl, but was frightened away by accompanying friends, without doing her other injury.
Deer. — They abounded in the covantry and roamed the forests. At certain seasons they were protected by law. During the months of protection, Robert Park, who lived where John A. Park lives, got one so tame that it would eat from his hands. After the season of exemption expired, he went to feed his pet deer one day, and rewarded its confidence by shooting it. It hurt his feelings to do so, but he offered the old excuse, if "he did n't shoot it, some one else would."
BIRDS. 31
W^ild-cat., Lynx., or Catmnount, were once here, but have disappeared with other wild animals as civilization advanced. Periodically the community is startled by the report of tlie appearance of a lynx or wild-cat, but only at intervals of several years. A catamount was once killed upon a rock in the east side of the town, and the rock is known as " Catamount Rock."
Beavers were very numerous. Beaver Brook, or River, derives its name from the fact that beavers lived upon the stream. They were found in town exercising their wonderful skill in constructing dams to brooks, so to control the running waters as to suit their convenience, necessity, or pleasure, — one of which is yet visible. This dam is where the brook empties into the northerly end of Cobbett's Pond. Across this brook they had for ages kept their dam, flowing the water back upon the meadow south of John H. Dinsmore's house. Across this dam people pass when walking across lots in going from Windham Range t-o the meeting-house. In the wet season they could convert the whole meadow into a pond or lake. There was a hollow at the easterly corner of the nieadow, which the first settlers said was a canal the beavers had dug inland, and when it was full of water they would cut down trees into j»roper lengths, and also branches, and float them down to repair and keep in order their dam. A few years since some of these logs cut by beavers were found in this meadow several feet below the surface. This was undoubtedly the place of their queer habitations, so built as to enter from beneath the surface of the water. Their fur was of great value, and was used as cur- rency between the whites and Indians.
Hedgehogs were once residents. The last one was killed near W. D. Cochran's about A. D. 1800.
Otters were here at one time, but now are nearly or quite extinct.
The woodchuck, raccoon., and rabbit are still plenty, to the sor- row of many farmers. Mask-rat and mink are still here, and are caught year by year. Foxes are plenty, and tales of their cunning are often told. They are much hunted. Squirrels., striped, red, and gray, are numerous. Flying squirrels are occasionally seen.
BIRDS.
The birds found here are those usually found in New England. A few will be mentioned : Wild geese, and several varieties of ducks, frequent our lakes and ponds in their semi-annual transits, spring and fall. Loons always have nested on the bor- ders of Policy Pond, and perhaps other places. They are often seen flying from one pond to another, or swimming upon their surface. On dark, stormy nights in summer their shrill and mel- ancholy notes are often heard, and seem in perfect harmony with the sombre aspects of nature.
The quail is here, but not abundant. In some parts of the
32 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
town the whip-poor-will is plenty, and disturbs the stillness of the night by its unpleasant and monotonous song.
Pigeons are not so plenty as formerly. The yellow-hammer, or golden-winged woodpecker, is plenty. The red-headed wood- pecker is also here.
The robin, golden robin, or oriole, are plenty. The scarlet tanager is occasionally seen. Indigo bird, bobolink, blackbird, snow-bird, yellow-bird, kingbird, butcher-bird, blue-jay, and crow all appear here, besides numerous birds of other varieties, such as nio-lit-hawk, pigeon, and hen-hawk, and several varieties of owls, woodcock, turtle-dove, and cat-bird, or " American mocking-bird of the north," as it is called. The bat — that link between beast and bird — is found here. But the bird most prized and sought after by sportsmen is the partridge, the loud, whirring noise of whose beating wings as he flies from the approach of visitors, is generally the first notice of his proximity. Its flesh is a delicacy.
SNAKES.
The black snake, small water-snake, small brown adder, house adder, large water-snake, striped and green snake, are occasion- ally seen.
ARBOREAL PRODUCTS.
The town was once heavily wooded. The hills and the valleys were covered with forests of oak and hard wood. But these have disappeared, and the arboreal products of the town at pres- ent are the white, yellow, and Norway pine ; different kinds of maple, but the sugar-maple is scarce; white, black, yellow, and gray birches ; white, red, gray, and black oak prevail, but are of young growth ; walnut, butternut, hemlock, chestnut, spruce, white and black ash, white poplar, willow, and the locust are found ; also lever wood, hornbeam, basswood, slippery elm, elm. The latter are considerably used for shade trees. Red and poison sumac, or dogwood, and alder exist in lowlands.
Windham is a natural country for wood. It is a noticeable fact that nature favors rotation of crops; as when a forest of hard wood is removed, the next growth is generally pine. Within twenty years an immense amount of wood and lumber has been cut and carried out of town.
The usual varieties of fruit trees are cultivated, and great attention has been paid to this branch of industry within thirty years. In fruit-bearing years, hundreds of barrels of choice apples are sliipped from town, besides the 'large quantities which find their way to Lowell, Lawrence, or Manchester.
FLORA OF WINDHAM.
By my request, W. S. Harris has kindly furnished the fol- lowing.
WUd Flowers. — "The. town of Windham has an extensive and varied flora, numbering probably about five hundred varie-
FLORA OF WINDHAM. 33
tics of flowering plants (including, of course, the trees). Some very rare plants occur in town ; among them are the purple clematis, known to grow in only one other locality in New Hamp- shire, and the walking-leaf fern, equally rare in the State, this being the second town where it has been found ; the scarlet painted-cup, and white azalea. A number of plants whose natu- ral home is farther north are found here sparingly, the red cur- rant, Linna3a, and creeping snowberry among the number.
"The Mayflower, the earliest and favorite spring blossom of New England, grows only along the western border of the town. The hepatica, which appears very early, the anemones, the golden caltha, the graceful scarlet columbine, dwarf cinquefoil, early sax- ifrage, the violets, of which eight species are found here, dande- lion, rhodora, and bluets, are among the early spring flowers which are abundant and well known.
"Later appear the buttercups, daisies, lupine, cone-flowers, crane's-bill, St. Johr.s-worts, yarrow, pink lady's-slipper, and wil- low-herb. In muddy brooks and small ponds the lovely white water-lily is found, and the gorgeous cardinal-flower rears its flaming spikes along the brook-sides. The blue pickerel-weed, the iris, trumpet-weed, milkweeds, and three kinds of wild lilies are also common.
"The white clematis, Virginia creepei", wild grapes, ground-nut, and poison-ivy are among the most common of the climbing- plants. Of flowering shrubs, the June-berry, choke-cherry, thorn, wild roses, sweet-brier, cornels, viburnums, elder, meadow-sweet, and hardback are abundant, and the fragrant clethra is found along the borders of the ponds. The mountain laurel is scarce. The climbing bitter-sweet and the black alder are noticeable in autumn on account of their scarlet fruits.
The wild strawberry, high and low blackberries, red and black raspberries, three kinds of blueberries, blue and black huckleber- ries, and cranberries are the most valuable of our wild berries and fruits. Many of these kinds are annually gathered in large quantities, the surplus being sold in neighboring cities, and form- ing quite a source of income. The pitcher-plant, Indian-pipe, bladder-worts, and dodder are remarkable for peculiar forms and habits of growth.
" Various kinds of beautiful asters, purple and white, and showy golden-rods, are very abundant in autumn ; the fringed and closed gentians are found sparingly. The witch-hazel is the latest of all our autumn flowers, the yellow blossoms sometimes remaining until the middle of November. Very many species of sedges and grasses are found. The fern family is represented by no less than twenty-three varieties, including the beautiful maiden- hair, and there are four species of lycopodium." *
*W. S. Harris has a herbarium representing- the flora of Windham, not yet completed, but containing specimens of nearly three hundred varieties of herbs and flowering shrubs, all gathered in this town.
34 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
LOCALITIES.
The place anciently called the Glen is the valley or hollow where the old Hopkins farm was situated, now owned by Mr. Scott.
Golden or Golding's Ih'OoJc, tradition says, is so called from the fact that an ox by that name died upon its banks at an early date. This was at the time when the Chelmsford and Dracut })eople used to turn their cattle into this neighborhood in spring, to get fresh grass and to browse during the summer. They also set the forests on fire to kill the wood, so that the grass would grow more luxuriantly, and in early days the hills in that part of the town were black with the burned and dead trees, caused by these devastating fires. A Mr. Golding owned land in its vicin- ity. This undoubtedly gave it its name.
Catamount Rock, so called from the fact that a catamount was killed upon it. It is a large circular bowlder, and rises some four feet above the surface of the ground. It "lies in the pasture of L. A, Morrison, some twenty rods west of the road leading from his house to E. O. Dinsmoor's, and in close proximity to the boundary lines between J. H. Dinsraoi-e, W. D. Cochran, and L. A. Morrison.
Indian Mock is a large rock close to the highway between John H. Dinsmore's and Windham meeting-house, and about fifteen rods east of the spot where the cross-road from Olin Parker's strikes this highway. This rock rises some five feet above the ground, and on the top is a circular hole about four inches deep and six inches in diameter. Tradition says this was used by the Indians in which to pound their corn.
Butter field'' A Rock deserves a fuller description. It is one of the curiosities of the town. Some have supposed that it took its name from an old hunter by the name of Butterfield, who anciently pitched his cabin there, and was accustomed to find shelter by night under its shelving sides. It was known by this name long before the hunter existed, and was probably included in the land, or took its name from a Mr. Butterfield, of Chelmsford, Mass., who had land in Londonderry anterior to the Scotch settlement, and possibly an ancestor of the hunter. This rock is situated on one of the most lofty eminences or swells of land in the town, and from which surrounding towns can plainly be seen. It is a large bowlder of granite or gneiss, seated upon the outcropping surface of mica slate, and rises twenty feet in height, its sides measuring sixteen or eighteen feet. In appearance it is erratic, there being no rocks of a similar kind in the vicinity. It rests upon a very small base, and is almost a rolling stone. It evidently came from a distant locality, and is upside-down, as there is a basin on the under side of half-a-bushel's capacity, into which you can thrust your head, and where your voice will sound like speaking in a brass kettle. Tradition says that the old hunter
SURFACE. 35
used to thrust his liead in here at night. The sides of this cavity or basin are perfectly smootli, showing that they must have been worn by tlie grinding action of pebbles and rapidly flowing water, and that the present position of the bowlder is the reverse of what it once was. On the ledge which supports the bowlder are frac- tures or distinct marks of the grea^ ice sheet which ages ago, in the glacial period, overspread the country, and of whose carrying force the rock is an exhibition, as it was brought to its present position by the glaciers, from its home miles away in the north- west. The level top of this rock affords a rectangular play- ground of sixteen or eighteen feet upon a side. Its general form is like a hopper supported upon the apex. [See engraving.]
Deer Ledge lies north of J. W. Simpson's pond, and is situated on the high, romantic, and jJi'ecipitous sides of the hill of ledges. Its name is derived from the traditional fact, that an Indian drove a deer over the precipitous sides of this ledge into the water. The pond was called Deer-ledge Pond. Golden Pond Avas called Rocky Pond.
DeviVs Den lies some thirty rods northwest of the house once owned by John Kelley. It is a cavern among a great ledge of masses of rocks, a few rods west of the extemporized road wliich goes around a hill upon the legal highway.
Iiaccoo7i^s Den. — About twenty-five rods on the south side of the brook which is the outlet of Mitchell's Pond, and on or near the land of William D. Cochran, there is a den, the entrance to which is on the top of a ledge, where raccoons have made their winter quarters apparently for centuries. They remain in a torpid state during the coldest of the weather. Six were killed by one person soon after they had left their den. A little west of this den, on the same side of the brook, and in close proximity, is a cavern in a ledge called the
Wolffs Den. — It is not known that any wolf was ever killed there. John Cochran, the early settler and emigrant, in exploring this cave, penetrated so far that his tobacco box fell out of his })Ocket and tumbled down into the region of darkness. This adventure of one of Windham's earliest settlers may be consid- ered the prelude to the bolder act of General Putnam, who not only looked into a wolf's den, but pressed in till he saw the wolf.
PorcAipine Corner, at the corner of the old road now discon- tinued, foot of Senter's Hill, so called in early times, since called Potash Corner.
Porcupine Meadow lies east of Isaac Emerson's.
Buck Hide Meadow lies east of J.. P. Crowell's.
SURFACE.
The surface is broken, and the larger part of the town is hilly. In the south are the pine plains, very regular and even, and easily tilled ; but usually its soil is not so strong and productive as the
3^6 HISTORY OK WINDHAM IN NKW HAMrSHIKE.
hillier and rougher laud. The soil of the town is hard and rocky, but productive. There is hardly a rod of land but what something is growing upon it, and from many a crevice in a ledge a tree will spring forth. The farms have been greatly improved since the advent of the mower, and the rocks removed from very many of the fields. Grass i* almost wholly cut by the mowing- machine, which made its first appearance in town about 1857.
We have many hills, but no very high eminences; notie which are five hundred feet above sea level ; some four hundred feet and over. Among these is that elevation on which stands Butter- field's Rock, and Jenny's Hill. Other slight elevations are scat- tered through the town.
The business of the people is mainly agricultural, and there are many good farms in town. Some of the best farming land is on and in vicinity of the Mammoth Road in the west part, and also the farms in and near the Range.
The first settlers prized very highly the natural mowing land. The meadow-grass was used to sustain their stock till the uplands could be put in grass-bearing order. The natural meadow land was large in extent, and a great amount of hay has been produced upon this during the one hundred and sixty years or more since the first settlement. The town is well watered, and nowhere is there better or purer water than gushes fortli from our granite hills.
INDICATIONS OF THE GLACIAL PERIOD.
The northwesterly portion of the town would be interesting to the geologist. The valley or meadow between John A. Moore's and Kendall's Mills, and the surrounding hills, are all of interest to an inquiring mind. Years ago my attention was called to the "Kettle Hole" near the corner of the roads at Ephraim McDaniels's, and also the ridge which crosses the highway near this, being lost there in the hill, and running in a southwesterly direction with the regularity of a railroad bed, passing over the meadow west of Dea. Samuel Campbell's and Gardner Robinson's. There its appearance is the most remarkable, and from a distance appears as if it was the work of man. The IJeaver Brook is upon one side, the meadow upon the other, and this long, high ridge resembles a curve in a railroad where it is lost to view. At the spot where the highway cuts through it, it is composed of sand and small rocks apparently not much different from the imme- diate hills.
This ridge is what geologists call a "kame," meaning a sharp ridge. Their explanation is, that the ridge marks the courses of the flow of surface water during the latter stages of the melting ice sheet, away back in the far-distant ages of the glacial period. The ice at that period was of great depth, and at the time this ridge was formed, filled all the valley. The sur- face sti'eams, swollen by the action of the summer sun, would at
SCENERY. S7
that period flow with great violence during the hot season, and their course would be mai'ked by vast masses of gravel or stones which would be lodged in ice channels, or spread out over masses of ice. As the ice finally melted, the gravel and stones would settle down from it into the form in Avhich the ridge exists.
The explanation of the " Kettle Hole " is that it marks a place once filled by a great mass of ice, which was covered up by the sand and gravel, and when in "the latter days the ice melted," a deep hole was formed without any outlet.
4
SCENERY.
Any notice of Windham would be exceedingly faulty which did not describe the beauty of its scenery. The diversity of the landscape is such that the eye never tires in beholding its beauties. Our grand old hills, our valleys, our lakes and streams of water, or broken masses of granite promiscuously piled together, all have their attractions, and to native as well as stranger eyes are charming. A number of towns are visible from Butterfield's Rock, and from the house of Mrs. Sally Clark on the same elevation of land the view is beautiful. The eye can scan the country for many miles, and the mountains in the dis- tance, forest-clad, green with summer verdure, or snow-capped in winter, call forth feelings of admiration. There are many pretty views in the Range. From Cemetery Hill, the eye sweeps Cobbett's Pond and takes in the abrupt prominence of several hills, Northwest of Isaiah W. Haseltine's, the scene is changed and is equally good.
Jenny's Hill, called for Miss Jenny McGregor, daughter of Rev. James McGregor, of Londonderry. This is a great swell of land, and is as high as any in town. It is good grazing land to the top. The view takes in many towns, and many churches appear in the distance, with their spires of faith pointing heaven- ward. Only a few rods from the summit of this hill stood the house in which the elder Gov. Samuel Dinsmoor was born. This is in the eastei-ly part of the town.
Spear IliJl is on the Potash Eoad, near the Salem line.
Breakneck Hill is in the northerly part of the town, near the place lately owned by James Smith.
Mount Ephraim is the highest elevation on the highway between the James Noyes and Charles Campbell farms.
Golden Roir, or Roio Road, is the road leading from Wind- ham meeting-house to Pelham line. It follows the general course of Golden Brook.
iSto7ie Dam. — A natural stone dam across Beaver Brook at Butler's Mills. Holes were drilled into it, and a plank or wooden dam is above it. Stone Dam neighborhood includes a large part of School District No. 5, and derives its name from this dam.
Buck Hide Meadow lies east of Joseph P. Cro well's, and
38 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
derives its name from the fact that an ox was mired there and died.
Marble Head. — The street leading by Isaac Emerson's to Fletcher's Corner.
(Jarr Hill. — From the house of Mrs. Sally Clark, in the north- west part of the town, the view is extensive towards the west. The range of mountains passing through Peterboro', Temple, and New Ipswich, IST. H., is in full view, and far beyond is seen the sharp blue peak of Mount Monadnock, in Jaffrey, N. H.
JBea')* Hill is the first rise on the highway west of Joseph C. Armstrong's house, so named from the fact that Capt. Joseph Clyde shot a bear on a large hard pine on the top of the hill.
Diusmoor's Hill is in close proximity to Jenny's Hill, and was owned by Robert Dinsmoor, the " Rustic Bard," and brother of the first governor, Samuel Dinsmoor. A part of this land, com- mencing at the top of the hill and running to Cobbett's Pond, was laid out to Richard Waldron before the settlement. The view from this hill is the loveliest in town. It can hardly be sur- passed. To the west for miles is seen a long range of mountains, blue in the distance, and which have a sublimity about them grand to behold. To the south, the winding valley, and Cobbett's Pond lying among the hills, bright and sjiarkling in the sunlight. On the east of it, the farm-houses in the Range, and the farms lying- in gentle slope from the highway to its shores. On the west of it, the land is covered with wood, dense and green in summer foli- age, in autumn clothed in a garment of many colors, and at the head, the sepulchres of the fathers. On the north, the eye has a sweep of country for thirty miles, and the church spire of Chester, the villages of Hampstead, Atkinson, churches in Haver- hill, Salem, Methuen, Lawrence, and houses in Andover are all in view. No person with any poetry in his soul can see, unmoved, the loveliness of the landscape and grandeur of this scenery. It must and does have an influence upon character, and one invol- untarily exclaims in the language of poetry, —
" Tell me, where'er thy silver bark be steering,
By bright Italian or soft Persian lands, Or o'er tlio.se island-stndcled seas careering.
Whose pearl-charged waves dissolve on coral strands ; Tell il" thou visitest, thou heavenly rover, A lovelier scene than this tlie wide world over."
THE FIRST GRANT OF LAND IN WINDHAM. 39
CHAPTER II.
The First Grant of Land in Windham. — Laying-out of Land in Windham after the Advent of the Scotch Settlers in Lon- donderry.— Orioin of the Farms in Windham Range. — Minis- terial Lot of Windham.
The first grant of land in Windham was one of five hundred acres ordered by the Legislature of Massachusetts, to Rev. Thomas Cobbett, of Ipswich, Mass. It was surveyed and laid out in October, 1662, by Joseph Davis, Jeremiah Belcher, and Simon Tuttle. This was approved by the General Court at Boston, May 27, 1663. The bounds were renewed May 2, 1728, by Jona- than Foster, John Jacques, Thomas Gage, and David Haseltine. This farm was laid out in 1662, or fifty-seven years before the Scotch made a settlement in Londonderry, of which Windham was a part.
The reason that Massachusetts exercised jurisdiction in New Hampshire was that, in 1645, the few settlements on the Piscata- qua River in New Hampshire, had formed a union with their more powerful sister colony, and remained in a quiet, peaceable, and flourishing condition, being heartily united in all their civil and religious affairs, till 1680, when a separate government was established in New Hampshire by Charles II.
Felt's History of I|»swich says : " The land allowed to Mr. Cob- bet was laid out at Methuen, and was included by New Hamp- shire in 1741, when his grandchildren, Nathaniel and Ann Cob- bet, petitioned the General Court for an equivalent. They were allowed 1,500 acres near Charlemont. This farm was in Wind- ham, and upon the south line from a swamp that joyns upon Plaverhill bounds, so ranging by west and by north point until you come to a great rock upon the north side of a long pond called draw pond." This line "was twenty score rods long." It is impossible now to fix the bounds, but the farm lay upon Cob- bett's Pond. Tradition speaks of the farm as there ; and in my possession is a copy of the original deed belonging to Lieut. John Dinsmoor, and copied about one hundred years ago.
Cobbett's Pond takes its name from Rev. Thomas Cobbett. He was born in Newbury, England, in 1608 ; settled in Ipswich, Mass.; died Nov. 5, 1682. People often sigh for the "good old times," and hold up " the fathers " as patterns for all that was
40 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
good and excellent. They were good ; but viewed by the light of the present, they had grievous faults ; and history records the sad but curious fact, that at the funeral of the excellent man and beloved pastor, Rev. Thomas Cobbett, there were consumed "by the mourners" one barrel of wine and two barrels of cider, and as it was cold, then " some spice and ginger for the cider." His living children were Samuel, John, Thomas, and Elizabeth (Belcher).
1715. — Policy Pond was once wholly in Windham, and in early times was called "Haverhill Pond." In 1715, four years before the Scotch people settled in Londonderry, the General Court of Massachusetts granted a tract of land to Rev. Mr. Higginson, in what was afterwards Windham, but in Salem since 1750, begin- ning upon said pond and running south upon Haverhill line 730 poles to a tree standing in Haverhill line.
LAYING-OUT OF LAND IN WINDHAM AFTER THE ADVENT OF THE SCOTCH SETTLERS IN LONDONDERRY.
1723, March 5. — Sixty acres to John Dinsmoor. This in- cluded the " Hopkins farm," now owned by John Scott, on Derry line.
1723, Oct. 29. — Two hundred and fifty acres of land to Rev. James MacGregor, lying northeast of Cabbage's Pond.
1728, Jan. 21. — One hundred and five acres to Rev. James MacGregor, southerly of Policy Pond, bounding on Col. John Wheelwright's farm.
1728, Jan. 22. — Two hundred and eighteen acres to James Clark, lying on Oylstone Brook, and by his own meadow.
1728, Jtme, — Five hundred acres to Col. John Wheelwright, bounding on Policy Pond, marked by eastei'ly part of pond ; thence east 220 rods ; thence south 390 rods ; thence west 240 rods ; thence north to pond, bounding of James MacGregor.
1737, March. — The Pro]»rietors of Londonderry laid out to Samuel Shute, Esq., late governor of New Ham})shire, by virtue of his name Ix'ing entered in the charter, a farm of five hundi'i'd acres near Buck Hide Meadow. This land lies south of West Windham Depot and east of Beaver Brook. Mr. J. P. Crowell owns a part of it, and ])erhaps the Dej)ot may be on it.
ORIGIN OF THE FARMS IN WINDHAM RANGE.
" Quiet profound " did not always abide with the Scotch emi- grants in Londonderry. They did not escape the perplexities of life, and a company entered their strong protest against what they considered an unjust division of lands among the settlers, and asked for redress.
There were disturbing elements in the society of the early set- tlers. Selfishness was prominent then, as now, in the breasts of
ORIGIN OF THE FARMS IN WINDHAM RANGE. 41
all. Many of those who lived in the " Double Range " were dissatisfied with the division and distribution of the land. "One method, 'to do as they would be done by,' did not prevail there." So fourteen freeholders in the township of Londonderry (now Derry) signed the annexed petition: —
PETITION FOR REDRESS OF INJUSTICE.
" To'the Honourable John Wentworth, Esq., Leiitt Governor commander in chieff of Hampshr, and to the Qenerall Assembly of both hotises.
" The humble petition of the subscribers to this Honoi-able As- sembly, wee complean of wrong don to us and grivoos injustice in laying outt of our land by unjust methods viz. that a part of our proprietors have taken their chois of all our comons and we are nott allowed neither lott nor chois and rendered unsheur of having our hom lotts made Equal with others, one method Dos not prevail hear to do as they wold be done by. Wee the Com- plenentt Desire and make requeast for a practicable reull that may yealld saiftty to every party and thatt a magor vote may not cutte any ^ propriator outt of his right by design or conning which shall further appear by a paper annexed hereunto, which will make it appear mor fully to have ben practised hear on propertie hurttofore another the complanentt seke for redress from this Honorable house, and your petitioners shall ever pray.
May the 15th 172^.
John Baknet. John Morison.
Sajiuel Allison. William Umfra.
William Nickels. John Bark.
John Anderson. Robt. Wear.
James Morison. S.xjviuel Barr.
Archibald Clendenin. John Barnet, Jr. •
John Stuart. Gabriall Barr.*
" This petition was presented to the General Assembly on the 18th day of May, 1728. The 23d was appointed as a day of hearing. Both parties appearing unitedly declared that they had settled the difference among themselves, and humbly prayed the Government to give a sanction to their agreement.
"In Council, May 2.3, 1728, Voted, that the Said Agreement be and hereby is established and confirmed. The Agrement was as follows. At a Proprietary Meeting at Londonderry the 15'^ day of April 1728, it was voted that the fourteen petitioners ' shall have Five Hundred and Ninetyfcur acres of land within the said Town of Londonderry.' The petitioners shall have one half the land that fronts on Cobbetts Pond, on the South side and the East end of the said pond, so beginning at the middle of said Pond and running out a square line from the Pond Three Hun-
* Town Papers of New Hampshire, vol. ix, pp. 492, 493. 4
42 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
dred and twenty I'ods if Policy Pond will allow, thence extend- ing East not to run past ye east end of Policy Pond southerly, and so running along ye habitable land breaking no form of land until the aforesaid Petitioners' compliment of five hundred and ninety four acres is made up exclusive of any meadow," * etc.
Part, if not all, of this land was laid out in October of 1728. Like the rest of the common land of Londonderry, it was formed into a " range," so that it might " be laid out in order." This was the origin of that section of farms, which for nearly one hundred and fifty years has been known as " Windham Range."
It is impossible to designate all of the ancient landmarks, but the following are approximately correct.
James Morison's land is (1882) the farm of his great-great- grandson, Albert A. Morrison.
John Morison's is owned by his great-great-grandniece, Mrs. Margaret M. P. Dinsmoor.
John Barr's land is owned by John A. Park.
Samuel Allison's. land is included in the farm of Robert Arm- strong.
John Stuart's land comprises the j^astures owned by Albert A. Morrison and George F. Armstrong.
William Humprey's land is included in the farm of Joseph W. Dinsmoor.
John Anderson's land is included in the farm of Absalom Heselton.
William Nickels's land is included in farm of G. W. ISToyes.
Archibald Clendennin's land was situated at the base of Senter Hill, running from pond to pond.
John Barnet's land is included in farm of Isaiah W. Haseltine.
Robert Wear's land is included in the B. F. Senter farm.
1728, Oct.1'^. — Ninety-two acres to Rev. James MacGregor, bounding on James Morison's, now L. A. Morrison's farm.
1728, JSTov. 11. — Fifty-six acres to John Barnet, lying south- east of Cobbett's Pond.
1728, Nov. 14. — Two hundred and fifty-seven acres to John Archibald, near Butterfield's Rock. It would include William H. Armstrong's farm and J. S. Clark's.
1728, Nov. 24. — One hundred and forty-five acres northerly of Policy Pond, bounding on James MacGregor's land, southwest.
MINISTERIAL LOT OF WINDHAM.
1729, April 17. — Voted in Londonderry to lay out 155 acres in full for 60 acres good land, for a ministerial lot for that part of the town called Gobbet's Pond, bounding as follows : "Beginning at a black oak tree at the edge of said pond ; thence north by east 60 rods to heap of stones ; then west by north 160 rods to a
* Provincial Papers, vol. iv, p. 300.
MINISTERIAL LOT OF WINDHAM, 43
stake standing near the bounds of the Moors' Meadow ; then south by west to Waugh's meadow ; thence southerly by said meadow and the brook to Golding's Brook ; then up Golden's Brook to said Pond, thence bounding on said pond to the bounds first men- tioned."
1730, Jan. 12. — One hundred and thirty acresla id out bound- ing on John Archibald to Ann Archibald. It was near Butter- field's Rock. She was widow of John Archibald.
1730, Oct. 9. — Three hundred acres laid out by Proprietors to David Gregg and Alexander McCoy, east of Stone Dam, Bounds beginning on Beaver Brook near said dam.
1734, Dec. 12. — Eighty-seven acres to Robert Armstrong, by Proprietors, on Golding's Brook and Cobbett's Pond.
1734, — Thirty acres of land to the said Jean & Margaret MacGregor, at the aforesaid place, beginning near the S. E. corner of the aforesaid farm, at a white oak tree marked ; thence running S. fourteen rods to a white oak tree marked ; thence W. S. W. to the afoi'esaid Gobbet's Pond ; then beginning at the first bounds and running W. 80 rods to a white oak tree marked and bounding upon said farm ; then running S. to the aforesaid pond reserving one Highway 4 Rods wide.
1735, Jan. 24. — Whereas, the Proprietors of your town did at a meeting of the Proprietors, freeholders & inhabitants of our town of Londonderry, upon the 4th day of April last past, passed a vote to bestow to Jean MacGregor & Margaret MacGregor as a gratuity or gift, 30 acres of land, by measure, which land was voted to be laid oxit, joiniJig to the farm granted in the charter (known as Charter farm) (Poole's place) and laid out to the late Rev. James MacGregor of our town deceased. Between said farm and Cobbet's Pond, pursuant to which vote there was laid out upon the 7th day of Dec.
1736, March. — Two hundred and fifty acres to Col. Thomas Westbrook, Easterly of Beaver Brook, near Buckhide meadow. Probably includes J. P. Ci'owell's farm.
1736, Bee. 14. — Fifty acres to Col. Thomas Westbrook, lyeth at Buckhide meadow, easterly bounding on Gov. Shute's 500 acre farm.
1737, March. — Five hundred acres to Gov. Samuel Shute, near Buckhide meadow, east of Beaver Brook.
1738, — Eighty acres to Robert Armstrong, west end of Cab- ages Pond on Golding's Brook.
1744. — The Proprietors lay out land in Windham after Axig. 12. Incorporation.
1744, Aug. 12. — To Isaac Waldron, 68 acres, K. E. of Cob- betts Pond. Runs to top of John H. Dinsmore's hill bounding on Jenny McGregors land, Robert Dinsmoor & John Cochran.
The foregoing are the most important tracts laid out in the town of which there is any record.
44 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
CHAPTER III.
Early Settlements and Eahly Settlers. —Fikst Settlement; First House. — Names of Early Settlers. —Early Times. — Petition
AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NeW PaRISH IN 1740. — NaMKS
OF Petitioners. — Fourteen Families emigrate to Coleraine,
Mass., in 1740.
Though Windham had been visited by white people as early as October, 1662, when a grant of land was laid out to Rev. Thomas Cobbett, of Ipswich, Mass., on Cobbett's Pond, it had undoubtedly been traversed again and again by exploring and hunting expeditions before and after that date, still it is doubtful if any permanent settlements were made till the advent of the Scotch in 1719.
The first settlement was made in Londonderry-, in 1719, of which this was a constituent part. - In the summer season the young men would go to the more distant glebes, and labor upon the land, and return to the parental roof in winter. In this maimer they would live alone sometimes four or six years, labor- ing to provide a home for their companions. Then they would go or send to the Scotch settlement in Ireland for the brave lassie who had consented to share the hardships and dangers of the wilderness life with them.
The first settlement in Windham was southeast of Cobbett's Pond, near the cemetery, on the highest elevation of Copps's Hill. There the first house stood, and the first occupant was John Waddell. This was not far from 1720. In 1721,'
David Gregg, whose pedigree I have traced back to Scotland, came from Watertown, Mass., and located in Stone Dam at the top of the hill, south of Charles W. Campbell's, and only a few i"ods distant.
Alexander McCoy, a stalwart farmer from the Highlands of Scotland, located where Benjamin F. Allen now lives, in 1721.
John Dinsmoor, the emigrant, and son of John Dinsinoor, of Achenmead, Scotland, settled on the Hopkins place, near the Junction, in 1723. He was the ancestor of the two Governors Dinsmoor, and all of the name in town.
In 1728 or '29, John Archibald settled where W. H. Armstrong lives.
About 1730, Lieut. Samuel Morison, son of Charter James Mori- son, of Londonderry, grandson of John Morison, of Aberdeen-
FIRST SETTLEMENT. — FIRST HOUSE. 45
shire, Scotland, and great-grandfather of the writer, located on Albert A. Morrison's farm. He was the ancestor of most of the name who have ever lived in town.
Capt. Thomas Morison, cousin of Lieut. Samuel, came a little later, located on the Isaiah Dinsmoor farm, and sold in 1743.
John Cochran, of Scottish lineage, settled on William D. Coch- ran's farm, in 1730.
John Hopkins, ancestor of that family, lived on the Hopkins farm, near the Junction, with his father-in-law, John Dinsmoor. He came from the north of Ireland in 1730.
Daniel Clyde was in town in 1732, probably before. Lived and died upon the O. A. Simpson farm.
Henry Campbell, ancestor of the Campbell family, came in 1733, living on the Henry C. Crowell farm.
Joseph Waugh was hei-e in 1733, and lived on or near the R. P. Morrison farm.
John Stuart was one of the early settlers. About 1730, lived in A. A. Morrison's pasture in the Range.
William Thom came from the north of Ireland, and was here in 1736, and lived where Joseph W. Dinsmoor resides. John Morrow lived in the Range before 1739. After 1740 he lived near the base of Senter's Hill.
Thomas Quigley was from the north of Ireland ; lived near the Copps house, and probably in the Copps field; was here by 1739.
Samuel McAdams, from the north of Ireland ; was a resident of the town on Isaac Richardson's farm before 1740, where he died.
John Tuffts was a settler on John S. Brown's farm, near the saw-mill, on the turnpike, before 1745.
John Cristy was living at the Senter farm before 1746.
Samuel Armor was a resident, probably of the Range, before 1748.
George Davidson from Tewksbury, settled on Alpheus Good- win's farm in Stone Dam, in 1747.
Alexander Simpson bought land in town in 1747.
John Davidson, brother of George, settled on B. E. Blanchard's farm, in West Windham, in 1752.
In those early times neighbors were far apart, often three miles from each other, and it was said, " We were obliged to go three miles to borrow a needle, not being able to buy one." Amid all their privations, the character of the first settlers stands out in bold relief. They were the occupants of a hard and sterile soil, dwellers in a wintry and sunless land, like old Scotland. The education of the women was unquestionably very mer.gre, and when they signed deeds it was usually done by the X " liei" mark." The men were better educated, and some of them had received a fair education before their arrival here. They were stern, un- compromising Presbyterians, and held to their form of worship with great tenacity. They loved intelligence, liberty, and their
46 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
religion. No sacrifices were too great for liberty ; no sufferings too severe for their religion ; no hardships too extreme to win a home, and establish a community and government for themselves and their posterity, where true religion and liberty, twin sisters, might dwell together. This was achieved, and the domestic vir- tues shine forth in the little community with peculi,ar bfightness.
The main pai-t of their history till 1742, the time of the incor- poration of the town, is recorded in different chapters. High- ways were built, the settlement rapidly increased, and the nucleus of a parish or separate township was rapidly formed. Some of the inhabitants of Londonderry were desirous of form- ing a new parish in another portion of the town. To this our people were bitterly opposed. The following petition shows the feeling of the people, the names of many of the early settlers, and expresses their hopes and aspirations.
" We the under Subscribers being Inhabitants of L : Derry and province of New Hampshire (viz.) living in the Southerly part of sd town, we are Informed that there are Sundry of our Neighbors Petitioners your Excelly and Hon^s for a new parish in sd Town, therefore we wod signify to your Excell & Hone's that we hope by the blessing of God in a fue years to be fit to be Erected into a parish or precinct by ourselves therefore we pray your Excell and Hon^^'^ not to hurt our yong beginnings in setting off a new parish in said town of Londonderry, as wittness our hands. Dated at Londonderry aforesaid Feby the 9^^ 1739-40.
John Kille. John Mokrow. John McCoy.
Jams Gili.more. Thomas Quigley. Robart Thomson.
Samll Morison. John Vance. Alexander Dunlap.
Halbert Morison. Jams Colwell. John Willson.
EzEKiEL Morison. Jams Colwell, Jr. AlexR Park.
Thos. Morison. Jams Dunlap. Robart Park.
Willm Thom. David Greage. Joseph Waugh.
John Creige. William Greage. Samuel C.vmpbell.
John Gillmor. SjVJvill McAddams. William Campbell.
Jams Bell. Nathanell Hemphill. Hendry Campbell.
Willm Bolton. Charles Dourach, Jr. John Cochran.
John Bolton. John Stuart. John Cochran, Jr." *
AlexR Riciiey. John Aram Strong.
This petition was to prevent the establishment of a new parish, which is now tlie town of Londonderry. The petition was un- successful, and the new parish was incorporated Feb. 25, 1740.
In 1740, an emigration of some fourteen families took place from Windham and Londonderry to Coleraine, Mass. Among them were the Morisons and Stuarts.
Events came on apace.' The hour for endeavor, and the time for the fulfilment of their cherished designs, was at hand. The people petitioned for a charter, and the town was incorporated.
* Town Papers of New Hampshire, vol. ix, p. 498.
PETITIOX FOR CHARTER. 47
CHAPTER IV.
Petition for Charter. — Charter Granted. — Charter of the Town OF Windham. — Warrant. — Windham's First Town-meeting ; First Moderator. — Ministers' Fees.
" To His Excellency Benning Wentioorth Esq GoV" and Commander In Chief in and over His Majestys Province of Neiv Hampshire, The Honble His Ilajestys Council and House of Bepresentatives for said Province in General Court Convened.
"The Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of the South part of Londonderry in said Province, Humbly Shows
" That your Petitioners by the Situation of their estates and Places of residence in the said Town labor under considerable difficulties unknown to others not in their circumstances more especially with respect to their Attendance on the public worship. The greater ])art of them or rather all of them except three living upwards of Seven miles from either of the meetinghouses in the said Town, the inconveniences of which are self evident.
" That the Inhabitants of the Parish in the said town to which your Petitioners principally belong, sensible of the difficulties attending your Petitioners in this regard have lately at a public meeting voted what should be the boundaries of a new parish if the Petitioners can obtain the authority of this court to incorpo- rate them, and that there will be no opposition (as your Peti- tionis conceive) from any part of the said Town to the erecting a new parish by the boundaries voted as afores"^! . Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly Pray this Hon^ie Court to erect a New Parish in the said Town by the boundaries aforesaid which will comprehend a tract of land near six miles in length and four in breadth lying on the South side at the Easterly end of the said Town and Take in your Petitioners habitations & estates, and that they may be invested with such legal powers and authorities as may be sufficient to answer the ends and purposes of such a precinct, and your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray, &c.
Thom. Morrison. Jams Dunlap.
Halbert Morrison. Robt Tompson.
Jno. Dinsmore. Jno Wilson.
Robt Hopkin. Jno McKte.
John Cochran. Josh Waugh.
Alexandk Dunlap. Jno Stewart.
Jno Gillmore. Wm Bolton.
48 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
JA Bolton. Alkxandk Park.
David Bolton. Ezekiel Morrison.
WM Gregg. Robt Dinsmore.
Henry Campbell. Saml Morrison.
WM Campbell. Wm Jameson.
Thos Campble. Jno Kyle.
Hugh Grimes. Ja Gilmore.
Wm Emerson. Jr. Robt Park.
Jas Caswel, Jr. Jas Caswell.
Jn<> Murray. Jno Kyle, Jr.
Arthur Grimes. Samuel Campble.
Jams Bkll. Jams Campble.
Sam Mc Adams. Nathl Hemphill.
Jno Bolton. Saml Smith.
Thos Quigly. wm Waugh.
David Gregg. Jno Gilmore.
John Armstrong. Jno Vance."* ALEXANDii Park, Jr.
This petition is not dated, but it was made in 1740, as Ezekiel Morrison, one of the petitioners, died in that year.
CHARTER GRANTED.
'■'■Jan. the 21st, 1741. — Voted, That the Petitioners serve the Selectmen of the Town of Londonderry forthwith with a copy of the Petition and the Votes thereon, that the said Town of Lon- donderry may appear at the General assembly on thursday fort- night to shew cause if any they have why the prayer of the peti- tion may not be granted, and if the General Court shall not then be sitting there to appear the third day of the sitting of the next session of the General Assembly. James Jeffrey, Cler. Ass'>'K
In Coun. Jan. 27, 1741-2. Read and concurred.
Richard Waldron, Secy.
Assented to. B. Wentworth.
" The petition^'s having brought a certificate from the Select- men of Londonderry that excepting 3 or 4 persons they have nothing to object agt. the prayer of the petition being granted, the House having considered thereon. Voted, that the i)rayer of the Petition be granted (excluding the persons & estates of John Archibald James Clark, James Moore John Hopkins & John Cochrane) that they be set off by the Bounds in the Petition and have all powers within themselves as other Towns have keeping &, su])porting an orthodox minister to preach amongst them & joyn witli the Town of Londonderry and pay their proportion to him & all taxes allready made, and that they have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly. James Jeffrey, Clr. /iss'"K
In Council Feb. 10, 1741-2. Read and concurred.
Richard Waldron, Secry.
Assented to, B. Wentwoeth."
* Town Papers of New Hanip^^hire, vol. ix, p. 504.
CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF WINDHAM. . 49
The following Act was passed Feb. 12, 1741-2 : —
CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF WINDHAM.
"An Act for Incorporating a New parish in the Township of Londonderry, in the Province of New Hamjishire.
" Whereas sundry of the Inhabitants of the Southern part of Londonderry aforesaid have petitioned this Court representing their circumstances to be such as made it necessary to Incorporate them into a new parish & that the other' part of the town was willing they should be so incorporated by the Boundaries particu- larly set forth in their Petition and praying that it might be accoi'dingly done : — which Representation having been examined by this Court and found true as to the substance thereof :
" Be it therefore Enacted By his Excellency the Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court Assembled, and by the authority of the same. It is hereby Enacted and ordained, that a new parish shall be erected in the said Township of Lon- donderry and hereby incorporated and made by the name of Windham, and is comprehended within the following metes and boundaries (viz.) Beginning at the Dwelling House of one John Hopkins of said Londonderry, yeoman, and from thence running on a due west course to Beaver brook socalled, then beginning again at the said house at the place were it began before (so as to have ye said house to ye Northward) and from thence to run on a due East course till it Comes to ye Easterly line of said Lon- donderry, thence to run as said Line runs till it comes to the southerly boundary of said Londonderry, then to run to west- ward as the said boundary runs till it comes to the said Brook, and then to run as said Brook runs until it comes to the place on the said Bi'ook where the said West line runs across the same : — Excepting out of these limits the polls and estates of John Arch- ibald, James Clark, James Moor, John Hopkin and John Cochran and their respective families : And the said Parish shall be and hereby is invested with all the powers and authorities that ye sev- erall Towns in this Province are invested with, and likewise shall have, hold and enjoy the same priviledges immunities and liber- ties that the said towns hold and enjoy by the Laws and customs in use and force witliin the same, Saving only the Chusing of a Representative in the General Court in which matter the Inhabi- tants of said j^arish are to joyn with the Inhabitants of said town ; as also in what concerns the Common Lands in the said Township ; And the Inhabitants of the said Parish and the Estates within the same (saving those before excepted) are hereby exonerated & discharged of and from all duties, ser- vices and burthens : — and the payment of all taxes, rates and charges to any other part of the said town. Excepting what relates to sending and supporting a Representative at the General Court, the dividing or managing the Common Lands aforesaid
50 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
and sucli taxes, rates and charges as are already proportioned, assessed within the said town.
"And be it further Enacted by the authority aforesaid, That Robert Dinsmore, Joseph Waugii and Robert Thomson are hereby authorized and appointed to call the first meeting of the Inhabitants of the said Parish on the eighth day of March next ; in the performance of which as also in the management and Reg- ulation of the said meeting, The laws relating to such matters and the customs in force in said Province are to be attended and observed : And the officers that shall be chosen by the said Inhab- itants at the said meeting regulated as aforesaid, shall be and hereby are authorized and impowered, being first qualified Accord- ing to Law, to execute, observe, do and fulfill all and singular the authorities, powers, and dutys, and hold and enjoy the privileges, 23rofits and immunities appertaining to their respective offices, that such officers in the severall towns aforesaid execute, hold and enjoy, and as effectually to all intents and purposes: pro- vided that the inhabitants of the said Parish shall from time to time provide, maintain and support an orthodox minister of the Gospel among them :
February ye 10, 1741. — In the house of Representatives the above Bill read three times and passed to be enacted.
Andrew Wiggin, Speaker.
Feby 12, 1741-2. — Read three times at ye Council Board and past to be enacted. Richard Waldeon, Secy.
Feb. 12, 1741-2. — I assent to the enacting this Bill
B. Wentwoeth.
A true Copy — Attest SamV Campbel, Clerk."*
The sun which rose on the morning of Feb. 12, 1742, ushered in a new and brighter day to our people. Windham that day became a town, with a legal name, clothed with individuality, possessing the same rights, enjoying the same privileges, and sub- ject to the same burdens and responsibilities of other towns in the Province. Henceforth the people of this little republic, in their congress (town-meeting), where every man was a member, and could and would be heard, were to manage their domestic affairs in their own time, in their own way, and for their own good.
On the following 19th of February the warrant for the first town-meeting was issued.
WARRANT.
" Provanoe of ) By vertoue of ane act of the General Assem-
Newhampshire ) bly passed at portsmouth February the 12,
1741 I 2 By which a part of the Southerly Side of Londonderry
* Town Papers, vol. ix, pp. 802-3.
WINDHAM'S FIRST TOWN-MEETING. ' 51
was Incorporated into a parish Called Windham, and that by vertue of the Said act we the Subscribers were apointed to Call the first meeting,
"We Do therefore by the athority to us Comited warn the free- holders and Inhabitants witliin the Bounds of the fores'*? Windham to Conven at the Dwelling hous of James Bell on Monday the Eight Day of march next to Chouse Sutch officers as the Law Directs and any other thing that may Be thought Needfull. given under our hands feby the 19 1741 | 2.
"the time of meeting is at ten of the Clock Before Noon Mai'ch the Eight 1741 I 2
ROBART DiNSMORE
Joseph Waugh Robert thomsox
"published "three times at the old meeting house.
Joseph Waugh Robert Thomson"
WINDHAM'S FIRST TOWN-MEETING. — FIRST MODERATOR.
At ten of the clock, March S, 1741-2, the freeholders of Wind- ham met in town-meeting for the first time. Without doubt, Hobert Dinsmoor called this meeting to order (as his name stands first on the list of committee), and presided till Lieut. Samuel Morison was elected moderator, the first moderator, and presided in the first town-meeting in Windham. The warrant being read and "considered," they proceeded to business, and the doings of that meeting, as found in the records, are given in full.
" Provance of ) the foregoing Warrant Being Read and Con- Newhampshire j sidered, voted For Moderator of the s'^ meeting Sara^i Morison
Voted for Selectmen for the Inshuing year Robart Dinsmore
Joseph Waugh Robart thomson Sam'^ Morison William Gregg Voted for Town Clark William thoni
Voted for Constable for the Inshuing year NathV Hemphill Voted to alow him one i^ound ten shillings for Being Constable. Voted for taything man for this year Robart Hojtkins
Voted for Sevears for the Easterly Sid of ye parish
William Jamison Alex^ii- Parks Voted for Sevears for the Westrly Sid of ye parish
James Caldwall Jr. David Gregg Voted for Invoice men John Dinsmore
Samii Campble
,52 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Voted for fence Viers and prayserrs James Dunlap
James Gillmor Voted for Howard Sam^ Smith
Voted for measure of timbre & Coller of Staves
thom^ Morison Voted for Inspectors of Dears John Dinsmer
Sam^' Carapble Voted for Counters for this year John Cochran
James Caldwall Jr Voted' that the Selectmen is to provide too staves, one for the Constable and one for the taything man and a town Book.
In this simple, plain, direct way Windham commenced her career as a town.
I^eb. 12, 1743. — The town voted "no pay to any town offiseer for this year." Chose Robert Dinsmoor, Samuel Morison, and William Gregg, committee of law suits, their pay to be " 6 shil- lings a day in summer, and 4 shillings a day in winter, and their charges boren, and 10 shillings for each jorney of their hors."
March 8, 1744. — William Campbell and John Gilmore were chosen " inspectors of Dears^
MINISTERS' FEES.
April 3, 1744. — Voted, that "our suppliers shall have 2 pounds 10 shillings per day."
May 23, 1745. — Voted to pay the committee that ran the town lines and parish lines, " and tryed to find the center of the town, 8 shillings per day and one gallon of Rum."
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 63
CHAPTER V.
French and Indian War. — War's Alarms; Windham's Eoll of Heroes. — Things Look Warlike in Windham, 1752. — Trouble WITH Salem, 1752, and Dismemberment op Windham. — Names of Windham Men Annexed to Salem. — The last French and Indian War. — ^New Hampshire Men Serve in a Massachusetts Regiment. — Paper Currency (Old Tenor, New Tenor, etc.). — Exempted Farms. — Lawsuits. — Civil Affairs. — 1770 Emigra- tion; Belfast, Me., Colonized by the Scotch. — Gov. John Wentworth Loses |)10.0i) by Bad Investment.
" Their boues are dust, Their good swords rust — Their souls are with the saiuts, I trust."
In March, 1744, the French and Indian war was commenced, which lasted till October, 1748. The Indians joined sides with the French, and came on marauding expeditions from Canada and Nova Scotia around our defenceless settlements, and waylaid, killed, scalped, or took captive to Canada those whom they could find. People upon the frontiers were obliged to retire for safety to the forts maintained at public expense, and to the private houses surrounded with palisades of timber. In such fear did the people upon the frontier live, that many of those settlements were abandoned for several years. Windham escaped the ravages of the merciless foe, but she shared in the general alarm, and her sons aided in defending other towns in the State from the enemy.
July 5, 1745, the Indians committed several murders at "The Great Meadow," now Westmoreland. Scouts were immediately ordered out by the governor. Among others was Capt. Peter J^attee, of Londonderry, with a party of cavalry.
On his muster-roll* are the names of William Campbell, Wil- liam Gregg, Jr., Flugh Smiley, and William Smiley, of Windham. They were to scout in the Merrimack valley. They enlisted Aug. 24, 1745, served three days, and each man received 5s. \\d.
On the muster-rolls, in the State Department of Massachu- setts, I find the following, which appear to be Windham men : In Colonel Moore's regiment (1745), William Earl Treadwell, Adam Gait, David Kincaid, and John Simpson, the latter ascribed to Londonderry, but was of Windham.
* Adjt.-Gen. Rep. 186G, vol. ii, p. 78.
54 HISTORY OV WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
The year 1746 was noted for the disquiet of the people and continual alarm, on account of Indian atrocities. The fall of the fortress of Louisburg had exasperated the French and their Indian allies, and frequent attacks were made on our frontier settlements. Forts and garrison-houses existed in various parts of the Province, and parties, of men were continually "scouting" for the Indians ; and yet, in spite of all precautions, the Indians were often successful in tlieir attacks, and in the spring of this year the government was obliged to send extra men to guard the garrisons while the people did their planting.
On the twenty-seventh day of April, 1746, the Indians made an attack at Hopkinton, and eight persons were taken captive. They were pursued by Capt. John Goffe, of Londonderry, with a company of fifty men, and in six days he was at "Penacook" (now Concord). While there news came of an attack on Con- toocook (now Boscawen), and Captain Goffe went immediately in pursuit of the enemy, who escaped. This scout ended about May 20.* A portion of the company re-enlisted for ten days, and among them were Halbert Morison, of Windham Range, James Vance and William MacAdams, from Windham.
On the 14th of July, 1746, Capt. Andrew Todd, of London- derry, started on a scout to Canterbury and vicinity, with twenty- three men, and among them Hugh Thomj^son and William Cald- well were from Windham. f
A bounty was offered by the government of New Hampshire for Indian scalps and Indian captives. For a scalp, a bounty of £200 in bills of credit, and for an Indian captive above twelve years of age, £205. This was to encourage independent organi- zations to hunt and destroy the hostiles.
After August, 1747, thirty men were scouting from London- derry to Barrington for six weeks. These scouting expeditions exjjlain the following vote upon the Windham records : —
May 31, 1748. — Voted, "That each man that. is gone, to the woods for us this year shall have forty shillings old tenor per month above the province pay"; and this is the hnal town action during this war, though Indian depredations continued till far into the year 174U.
THINGS LOOK WARLIKE IN WINDHAM, 1752.
In 1752, at the annual meeting, March 9, a controversy arose respecting the rights of voters. The selectmen and moderator permitted those to vote who many in the parish thought had no legal status in town, and a board of officers was elected. The
* Acljt.-Gen. Natt Head, iu his account of this afl'air, says the muster-roll of the company is lost.* This is a mistake. I have examined it, aud it can be found in Vol. xv, N. E. Hist, and Gen'l Reg., in the Society's rooms ill Boston, Mass.
t Adjt.-Geu. Rep. 1866, vol. ii, p. 91.
TROUBLE WITH SALEM, 1752, ETC. 55
dissatisfied oues immediately withdrew in a body, held a different meeting, and elected another set of town officers. Both boards of officers doubted their power to act legally, and things remained in a chaotic state till Feb. 'J, 1753, when a petition signed by forty-one of the freeholders, stating their grievances, was pre- sented to the governor and council, praying that the proceedings of both meetings might be declared void.
In the house of representatives, Feb. 22, 1753, the proceedings of both meetings were declared to be void, and Peter Gilman, Esq., was authorized to cause a notification to be put up for the people of Windham to meet on the first Tuesday of March, 1753, for a choice of officers _/br 1752, and the said Peter Gilman, Esq., was to be moderator of said meeting. A new board of offioers was chosen from among the petitioners, the vanquished became the victors, and so ended the dual government of the town.
TROUBLE WITH SALEM, 1752, AND DISMEMBERMENT OF WINDHAM.
Salem originally belonged to the Methuen district, was incor- porated as a district in 1741-2, and incorporated as a town in May, 1750. In 1741, when the lines were established between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, it was cut off from the towns of Methuen and Dracut.
As will be seen by the map, Windham, at the time of its incor- ]>oration, included about one third of the present town of Salem. The easterly boundary of the town commenced, northerly on the eastern line of Londonderry, and ran south, passing through the northeast portion of Hittitity Pond, including the Saunders farm, Salem Depot, crossing the turnpike, Policy Brook, and Manches- ter & Lawrence Railroad, near the Oliver Russ place ; thence in a southerly direction till it struck the original southerly line of Londonderry, northeast of the farm lately owned by Cyrus Wil- son in Salem ; thence in a northwesterly direction following the original Londonderry line till it reached Beaver Brook, and on the same till it reached the northerly boundary of Windham.
In order to give an intelligent account of the causes for the dismemberment, some of the first acts of the first settlers will be reviewed. Soon after Windham became a town, the cemetery on the })lain was laid out. It was the intention of our Scotch ances- tors to follow the custom of the Fatherland, and have the kirk or church close to the church-yard, which would not be far from the centre of the town ; but tliis plan was defeated, and the church was erected on the hill. This was unsatisfactory to citizens of the town farthest away, and there was continual agitation on the subject of finding the "town's centre." Many of the citizens of that part of the town, which is now Salem, were of different blood and different faith, and though they worshipped with the Scotch Presbyterians in the church on the hill, still there was little affinity between the "English Congregationals" and the
66 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Scotch people. They did not coalesce any more readily than oil and water. The Scotch had not a high opinion of " the English bodies " ; and the latter did not like the Scotch or their form of worship, and thought it hard that they should be taxed to sup- port the Presbyterian church. Salem having been settled by the English, many of the inhabitants in the southeast part of Wind- ham thought they would be benefited by being disannexed from Windham and annexed to Salem. Many of the people of the northerly and westerly sections of Windham thought they would be benefited by having the English families disannexed from Windham, for then " Samson would be shorn of his locks," and sometime the church would be put in the centre of the town, and more convenient for them. So the two portions joined hands, and by strategy secured a vote of Windham for the dismember- ment of the town. The town of Salem also voted in favor of having the lines changed so as to include the English Congrega- tion alists.
On the ninth day of January, 1752, "to quiet all strife," the lines were changed to the locality in which we find them to-day. But by the provisions of this Act, those who loished could, by notifying the selectmen of Salem and Windham, still retain their connection with Windham, so far as religious affairs were con- . cerned, and though they were I'esidents of Salem, after having signified their desire to worship in Windham, c.ould not partici- pate in religious matters in that town.
NAMES OF WINDHAM MEN ANNEXED TO SALEM.
From unpublished State papers I extract the following : On Jan. 19, 1757, the following men lived in that part of Salem which was formerly Windham, and paid their province tax in Windham : Samuel Armour, Robert Spear, John Dinsmore, Francis Dins- more, William Saunders, John Obber, Oliver Saunders, John Obber, Jacob Obber, Eben Woodbury, George Corning, John Corning, Robei't EUenwood, Jonathan Woodbury, John Hall, Oliver Kimball, Edward Bailey, John Griels, William Leach, John Hall (?) or Hill, Nathaniel Woodbury, Abial Pitman, John Ober, Jr., Moses Morgan, Jonathan Morgan, Joshua Thomson, Andrew Balch. This list includes the larger part of the Windham men who were annexed to Salem.
In 1754, as a result of this dismemberment, the town was so greatly weakened by the release of so many from their ministerial taxes, that Rev. William Johnston was obliged to leave for want of adequate support,* and the town was destitute of a stated min- istry till the settlement of Rev. John Kinkead, in October, 1760.
Many persons were taxed by both towns, which engendered bad blood, lawsuits, and expense. James Treadwell was taxed in
* New Hampshire Town Papers, vol. ix, p. 513.
THE LAST FRENCH AND INDIAN WAK. 57
Salem. He refused to pay his taxes tliere, was arrested, and lodged in jail, Windham espoused his cause, prosecuted the Salem constable in 1756, and the case was in court till 1759, when it paid James Treadwell £29. 16s. for his trouble on Salem account. Others would pay double rates rather than contend.
THE SCOTCH PEOPLE IN SALEM REMAIN SCOTCH STILL.
Though Salem received a large addition of territory by the changing of the lines between the towns, still her inhabitants came far short of being a homogeneous people. The Scotch who had been set off to Salem remained Scotch still, in their habits, customs, manner of living, thoughts, and religious faith. Town lines could not change their characters. They united with their countrymen in their place of worship at the head of Windham Range, paid their taxes for the support of the Presbyterian min- ister in Windham, " and from choice always belonged to a training company" in Windham. They belonged "to a different regiment from the rest of the inhabitants of Salem," and had been " called upon and had done their proportionate part in carrying on the war against Great Britain " with the inhabitants of Windham.
But having l)een taxed in Salem, they on Jan. 3, 1778, petitioned the government of New Ham})shire to be reunited to Windham. After stating their case, and speaking of the peojjle of Windham, said, "We have always associated and been connected with them as brothers, but have never associated with the other inhal)itants of Salem." This petition came before the House, Feb. 27, 1778, and the prayer was not granted. The signers were as follows : —
Isaac Tliom. William Smith, Jr. John Campbell.
Josiah Iladley. Solomon Smith. David Nevins.
William Thom, Jr. William Gordon. Richard Hennesey.
William Smith. Thomas McGlaughlin. Nathaniel Gorrell.
Jacob Hardy. James McGlaughlin. * Gain Armour.
Hugh Campbell.
The people in that part of Salem continued to worship in Wind- ham, and pay ministerial taxes, till 1797. On March 8, 1798, Windham voted in all future taxes to (nnit those living in Salem ; neither were they taxed for the building of the "old meeting- house " at the centre. From this time henceforth the people of Scotch descent in Salem have been entirely se})arated in religious and town affairs from their Presbyterian relatives in Windham.
The site for the meeting-house established, Sept. 9, 1794, "at a red oak tree, marked N. 31°, E. 33 rods from the N. E. corner of the graveyard in the westerly jjart of Windham." *
THE LAST FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.
In April, 1748, the preliminaries of peace between England and France ysere signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany, and a definite
* Town Records, vol. ii, p. 75.
68 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
treaty signed the following October, In 1754, hostilities com- menced anew, two years l)efoi-e the formal declaration of war l)y England against France, which Mas made May 17, 1756. It was the conflict of <liffering civilizations, and did not cease till French- Catholic suj)remacy was overthrown in Canada, the i)rovince con- quered and jdaced under the rule of the English government. As an integral ])art of the British dominions, Windham was called upon to contribute her share for the prosecution of the war, and her sons left the delights of home and fireside for the sufferings of the march, the duties and privations of the camj), and the })erils of the battle-field.
Windham voted, Dec. 2, 1755, £90 old tenor to Samuel Thomp- son, William Thompson, and Hugh Dunlap, as an encouragement to them for enlisting as tr()0])ers in the late ex])edition. Daniel Clyde was also a troo})er. They enlisted Sei)t. 22, 1755, in Col. Peter Oilman's regiment and Cai)t. James Todd's com])any. Sam- uel Thompson A\as clerk of the com])any. They were all dis- charged Dec. 13, 1755. This regiment marched to Albany by way of Charlestown, N. H., but was in no active service, and the campaign ended in DecembeV.
Among the men in Capt. Roliert Rogers' company. Col. Jona- than Bagley's regiment, left to garrison the forts near Lake Oeorge in 1755, was William McKeen, who first owned the McKeen place in Windham. He enlisted Nov. 25, 1755; discharged June 6, 1.756. Time of service, 6 months, 24 days.
In August, 1757, the French and Indians cai)tured Fort William Henry on the north shore of Lake Oeorge. Among the garrison of 3,000 which surrendered was Thomas Dunlap, and ]>erha])s others of this town. Out of a New Hami)shii-e i-egiment of 200 men, eighty were slaughtered by the Indians after the surrender. Mr. Dunlaj) was i)ursued l)y a savage, who caught him l)y his cue, and tore out a large' ]>art of the hair in his head. He, however, escajted, and reached the fort, and was ]>rotected by the French.
For the Crown Point expedition of 1757, New Hampshire furnished a regiment of 500 men, under the command of Nathan- iel Meserve, colonel, and John Ooffe, lieutenant-colonel.
In Capt. Hercules Mooney's comi)any, with Alexander Todd as first lieutenant, were the following Windham men: —
lliigli Quintou, enlisted March 5, 1757; discharged Nov. 5. William Campbell, enlisted March 5, 1757 ; clischarged Aug. 9. Richard Caswell, enlisted March 5, 1757 ; discharged Nov. 5. Thomas Dunlap, enlisted March 5, 1757; discharged Nov. 5. William Thompson, enlisted March 5, 1757 ; discharged Aug. 9. David Campbell, enlisted March 5, 1757 ; discharged Nov. 5.
A pai-t of this regiment Avent from New York, with its colonel, to serve with the Earl of Loudon at Halifax, while the remainder, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ooffe, was posted at Fort William Henry, and was there at the time of the massacre. It is almost sure that the Windham men were connected with Lieutenantr-
THE LAST FREXCII AND INDIAN WAR. 59
C(il(iiiel Goffe's detachment, and were at the surrender of Fort William Henry, after making a mem(^ral)le and gallant defence for six days. Thomas Dunlap, i)revi()usly mentioned, who was there, it will be seen, belonged in the same company with the other Windham men.
In 1758, another New Hampshire regiment was raised for the Crown Point ex])edition. It was commanded by Col. John Hart, of Portsmouth, John Goffe, lieutenant-colonel, and Dr. John Hale, of Hollis, surgeon. A ])ortion of the regiment (which num- bered 800 men) joined the expedition against Louisburg, and the remainder, under Lieutenant-Colonel GoSe, did duty on the west- ern frontier. The Windham men were : —
James Mauu, enlisted April 27, 1758 ; discharged Oct. 31, 1758.
He was in Capt. Nehemiah Love well's comj^any. In Capt. Alexander Todd's company were, —
Joseph Park, enlisted April 26, 1758; discharged Oct. 30, 1758. Matthew Teinpleton, enlisted April 2-1, 1758 ; discharged Oct. 27, 1758. James Gilmore, enlisted April 28, 1758 ; discharged Oct. 4, 1758. Hugh Quinton, enlisted April 12, 1758 ; discharged Oct. 30, 1758.
John Gregg, of Windham, died at Schenectady, N". Y., Sept. 19, 1758. Ca])t. David Gregg, his brother, was an olticer, and commanded the bateaux on the North River.
In 1759, the men whose names are here given were from Wind- ham, and did duty at Fort Cumberland, N. S., in Ca2)t. Thomas Cheever's company.
Robert Mauu, enlisted March 31, 1759; discharged Aug. 29, 1760. Time,
74 weeks ; pay, £33. 6s.
John McConnell, enlisted April 6, 1759 ; discharged Sept. 16, 1760. Time,
75 weeks, 5 days ; pay, £34. Is. 5d.
" John Kinkied, Wyudham," enlisted March 31, 1759 ; discharged Nov. 24,
1760. Time,' 86 weeks, 3 days ; pay, £38. 17s. lOd. John Morrow, enlisted March 31, 1759 ; discharged Nov. 26, 1759. Time,
34 weeks, 3 days; pay, £15. 9s. lOd. James Mann, enlisted March 31, 1759 ; discharged Nov. 24, 1760. Time,
86 weeks, 3 days ; pay, £38. lOd. James Thompson, enlisted April 6, 1759; discharged Nov. 24, 1760. Time,
85 weeks, 4 days ; pay, £38. 10s. 2d.*
In 1760, a regiment of 800 men was raised for the invasion of Canada. John Goffe was colonel. The regiment went to Crown Point. They were forty-four days in cutting their way to the foot of the Green Mountains, which they crossed by jjacking or hauling their stores over the mountains on horse harrows. The Windham men were, in Ca])t. Alexander Todd's com]iany, —
* See Mass. Rec, Muster-RoUs, at State Dept., Boston, Mass., vol. xcviii, p. 178.
60 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Samuel Thompson, serii:eant, enlisted March 6, 1760 ; dischar£i-ed Nov.
13, 1760. Hugh Quiutou, enlisted March 11, 1760; sick and went to Albany, N. Y..
Oct. 24, 1760. James Gilmore, enlisted April 8, 1760; was at No. 4, now Charlestown,
N. H. Alexander McCoy, enlisted March 14, 1760 ; was at No. 4. John Stewart, or Stuart, who enlisted March 26, 1760; Robert Stuart,
who enlisted April 7, 1760, and who were at No. 4 ; probably the
two brothers of that name in Windham Range.
In Captain Hazzen's company were, —
John Diusmore, enlisted March 10, 1760; discharoed at Albany, Nov. 21,
1760. Robert Speer, who lived on "Speer's Hill," enlisted March 10; discharged
Nov. 27, 1760.
In the Billeting Roll of the company commanded by Alexander McNutt, raised out of Colonel Osgood's regiment for the reduc- tion of Canada, are the names of Windham men, namely : Rob- ert Kinkead, John Morison, James Dunlaj), Samuel Morison, Wil- liam Kinkead,
NEW HAMPSHIRE MEN SERVE IN A MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT.
Lieut. Samuel Morison, of East Windham, enlisted April 28, 1760, and served till Nov. 30, 1760. He and others were in a Massachusetts regiment. They joined men from Andover, and he received his commission as lieutenant from Governor Hutchin- son, of Massachusetts. It is now in my ])OSsessi(ni. He served at Fort Cuml)erland. Time of service, 31 weeks ; pay, £38. 15s.
John Morison, his son, enlisted May 26, 1760; discharged Nov. 30. Time,
27 weeks; pay, £12. 3.s. James Duulap, enlisted May 26, 1760; discharged Nov. 30, 1760. Time,
27 weeks; pay, £12. 3s. Samuel Clyde, afterwards colonel, and celebrated as a man and soldier at
Cherry Valley, N. Y., in the Revolution; enlisted May 26, 1760;
discharged Nov. 30. Time, 27 weeks; pay, £12. 3s. Thomas Dunlap, served same time, and received same pay. John McAdams, enlisted May 27 ; served 26 weeks, 6 days ; pay, £12. Is. 9d. William McKeen, the same time and pay. James Cowan, served 27 weeks from May 26. Pay, £12. 3s.
These were all at Fort Cumlierland, Nova Scotia.
There may he errors in the foregoing list, but it is substantially correct.
Doubtless there were other men from this town who did service in the army, whose names will never be known. Dur- ing the " Seven Years' War," as appears from this list, fifty-five diffei-ent men (or the same men at different times) 'Weve in the ai-my. This was a heavy burden upon the young settlement, and we can look back with pride upon this page of our local history which
PAPER CURRENCY. — OLD TENOR, NEW TENOR, ETC. 61
glows SO brightly with the sjtirit of patriotism and self-sacrifice. Ill Paris, in February, 1763, the treaty of peace was signed l)etween England and France, l)y which the colonial possessions of France, including Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Canada, and the islands in the river and gulf of St. Lawrence, were ceded to Eng- land. Thus ended the conflict for supremacy in America between the two great powers of Europe. When peace dawned, the joy of the colonists was great. As the world advances to a higher plane through conflict, suffering, and sacrifice, so the stern disci- ])line which the colonists had endured was a great benefit to them. It developed the manhood of the people, strengthened their deter- mination and resolution, aroused a martial spirit, and fitted them for that greater conflict of the Revolution which was so rapidly api»roaching.
PAPER CURRENCY. OLD TENOR, NEW TENOR, ETC.
Any one familiar with the Windham records has not failed to notice the constantly recurring allusion to the paper currency then in use, such as "Mass. Old Tenor," "N. H. Old Tenor," "Mass. New Tenor," "N. H. New Tenor," "New Emission," and "law- ful money " ; each apparently differed from every other in value. These names and their true significance are not understood by many of the present time. The value of this paper money was variable and uncertain, and from 1741 to 1765 there appears to have l)een little if any metallic money used as a medium of ex- change in New Hampshire.
In Massachusetts, bills of credit were issued in 1690, which were redeemed yearly till 1704, when the public necessities were so urgent as to induce the General Court to defer payment of taxes for two years, and afterwards for thirteen years. The British Parliament at length interposed, and limited the i^ostponement of taxes till 1741. In this time new emissions of paper money were sent forth, expressed as Old Tenor, Middle Tenor, New Tenor first. New Tenor second. The depreciation of these bills can be seen by the following : —
In 1702, an ounce of silver brought Qs. 10 1-2(1. ; in 1705, 7s. ; in 1713, 8s.; in 1716, 9s. Sd; in 1717, 12s.; in 1722, 14s.; in 1728, 18s.; in 1730, 20s.; in 1737, 26s.; in 1741, 28s.; in 1749, 60s.
OEIGIlSr AND VALUE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS OLD TENOR.
An ounce of silver, valued at 6s. Sd., was equal to (50) fifty shillings paper money. After March 31, 1750, all debts should be considered as contracted on the basis of silver coin at 6s. Sd. per oz. This was the origin of "Lawful Money," three ounces of sil- ver being equal to one pound of lawful money.
In 1765, in New Hampshire, the ])eople would pay their^taxes in coin, or " in any of the bills of credit extant at their jiresent
62 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
value." In 1770, the legislature voted to borrow money so as to sink all the outstanding i)a])er bills of credit of this iirovince, and in 1771 paper currency disa])peared. New Hampshiie ft)llq\ved Massachusetts closely in much of her legislation, and it is fair to suppose that this record of the Massachusetts currency during the years named re]»resents substantially the condition and value of the currency of New Hampshire during the same period.
EXEMPTED FARMS.
The " exempted farms," in the act of incorporation of the town, were those of men who wished to retain their ])olitical, social, and religious connection with Londonderry, as they lived near the border. It is very probable that while the "exempted farms" of some of them Avei-e A\'ithin the limits of Windham^ the owners lived over the border in Londonderry.
LAWSUITS.
There Avas a great deal of litigation by the town in the early days of its history, and so a committee Avas often chosen to look after and manage the laAvsuits for the toAvn. Two im])ortant causes, and prolific of contention, Avere the taxes on the "ex- empted farms," the boundary line betAveen Windham and Salem, and the taxation of people in Salem Avho worshi})ped in Wind- ham, and to all intents and purposes were Windham people. The vague terms of the settlement of the boundary line between Salem and Windham in 1752, capable of double construction, Avas the cause of this double taxation.
CIVIL AFFAIRS.
In 1760, the several j)arishes of Ncav Hampshire contributed £8726. 19s. Id. for the sufferers by great fire in Boston, in March of that year. Windham contributed £123. 13s. Qd. Old Tenor currency, £6. equalling one dollar.
1762, Oct. 18. — "Voted to follow the former method in esti- mating Poles, and Land, and Orchards, 20 shillings Old Tenor per acre, and houses 10 shillings Old Tenor on each squair room.''''
1763, May 10. — "Voted to i)rosecute the non-resident })roprie- tors of cultivated lands or meadows that refuse to j)ay their rates to Windham."
"Exceeding peace" reigned in the town from 1763 till 1770, when an emigration took place from Windham and the adjacent towns not previously noticed in any of the town histories.
1770 EMIGRATION. — BELFAST, ME., COLONIZED BY THE SCOTCH.
In 1770, a year or two previous, and for quite a number of years after that date, many citizens of Windham emigrated to Belfast,
GOVERNOR WENTWORTH'S LOSS BY BAD INVESTMENT. 63
Me. Among them may be mentioned John Davidson, who went in 1770, a settler and proprietor, and many of whose descendants are still there.* Dea. John Tufft and family went there in 1773, and was a leading man. He was the first representative in 1775. f Alexander Stuart was an owner of laud, but not a settler. Alex- ander Wilson petitioned for a charter in 1772. Lieut. James Gilmore, son of Col. James Gilmore, went there in 1784; died Nov. 28, 1809. His brother, John Qilmore, was there in 1784, a large land-owner; he died in Searsmont, April 16, 1845.$ Robert Mcllvaine was a land-owner and original proprietor; at a later date, John Cochran and family, and still later, Capt. A. W. Park and Joseph Ladd, while from Londonderry, at an early date, went John, son of Moses Barnet, who was treasurer in 1773. John Brown and faiuily. Chambers Matthews, John Gregg, four Patterson families, two Houston families, James Dunlap, Matthew K,eid, Thomas, Robert, and John Steele, John Morison, and Ben- jamin Nesmith were there in 1773. Many families from Peter- borough, Chester, and Meredith settled in that town and became leading citizens, and their descendants, in many instances, are still prominent in Belfast and the neighboring towns.
GOV. JOHN WENTWORTH LOSES TEN DOLLARS BY BAD INVESTMENT.
3£ay 8, 1773. — John Tufft, of Windham, who has for some time past applied himself in forming an astronomical instrument, which may be useful in navigation if perfected, received 110 of Governor Wentworth in aid of the enterprise. As the instru- ment is not afterwards heard from, the governor must have lost by a bad investment.
* See Davidson family. t See Tuflft family. X See Gilmore family.
64 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
CHAPTER VI.
First Militia Law in New Hampshire. — The Impending Crisis. — Lexington Alarm. — Committee of Inspection, 1775. — Windham Men in the Battle of Bunker Hill. — Casualties and Losses.
— Historic Day. — First Military Company in Windham. — An Account of all the Men Belonging to Windham which are in THE Present Continental's Service on July 8, 1775. — First Province Tax under the Authority of Congress, Nov. 28, 1775.
— Important Events in 1776. — New Regulation of the Mi- litia.— The Continental Congress. — The Association Test. — Windham Soldiers in 1776. — Men Immediately Respond.
The General Court of New Hampshire in 1718 enacted the first militia law of the State, excepting the following classes, between the ages of sixteen and sixty, from military duty, namely, those who had held a military commission, members of the General Court, ferrymen, millers, deacons, ministers, justices of the peace, school-masters, and physicians. All other able-bodied men were held liable for military duty, except negroes and Indians. The arms and accoutrements of the soldier were designated, and the town was to supply those soldiers who could not supi^ly them- selves. They were to muster once in three years, and to meet for training four times a year.
Each town was required to keep a stock of ammunition on hand for the use of the town, which consisted of "one barrel of gun- powder, 100 pounds of bullets, and three hundred flints for every sixty soldiers." This law was not greatly modified till the "great awakening liglit " of the Revolution broke in upon the people. In the town records of Windham allusion is frequently made to the town's stock of "powder."
The governor and council had the power of forming the militia into companies, troops, battalions, and regiments. Many of our citizens had military titles, as seen upon the records, but after the close of the French and Indian war in 1763, they saw no active service till the breaking out of the Revolutionary war. The militia was thoroughly organized, consisting of ten regiments, and both officers and men had seen years of active service at the close of the war in 1763.
THE IMPENDING CRISIS.
The colonies had passed successfully through the French and Indian war, and the waves of that long and stubborn contest had
THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 65
hardly lulled themselves to rest, before the ominous mutterings of another tempest were distinctly heard. Every breeze which swept the Atlantic brought distinctly to the ears of Americans the approaching danger. The hour was at hand which was to prove the mettle of the people, and which would show the stern grit of our citizens.
In 1775 the Revolutionary war began. The causes which led to that conflict ai'e well known, and of these it is not my purpose to speak. They belong to the histoiy of the nation, more partic- ularly than to local history. The proceedings of the Continental Congress, of our several State congresses, of the New Hampshire State government, the grand movement of armies, and "of the pomp and circumstance of glorious war," will not be given in detail. These will be incidentally mentioned, to show the move- ments of the people of Windham, where her soldiers endured the fatigues of the march, the sufferings of the bivouac, and perils of the field where battles were lost or victories won.
The provincial records. State records, traditions, and records of Windham, bear ample testimony to the faithfulness, fidelity, cour- age, endurance, and constancy of our people during the trying ordeal. The town-meeting witnessed the legislation of our grave predecessors, and from the records of those meetings, abstracts of the most important legislation are given, that the plain, blunt, terse methods and language of our fathers may be apparent to their "children's children."
When the war broke out, there is no evidence to show that the sturdy sons of Windham were appalled at the magnitude of the contest, that they grieved over the sacrifices demanded, or that its dangers caused their hearts to be moved with unmanly fear. They had weighed the issues in the intellectual balances of their minds, and were prepared to meet the dangers which their con- clusion involved. And they did not look upon war with the alarm of those not inured to the use of arms. They had had great experience in the French and Indian wars, from 1744 to 1763, and had become accustomed to the use of arms. They were soldiers from their mode of life in the new settlement. They were men of nerve, skill, hardihood, and courage; and while they did not covet danger, still they shrank not from it when the trial came. They knew their strength, and were not afraid to use it. They were ever true in the hour of peace and quiet; they w^ere steady and true in the storm and tempest.*
* The names of persons elected to serve in the several Congresses dur- ing the Revolutiou Avill be found in the chapter embracing a list of officers for those years. The overthrow of royal government, the establishment of republican government, and an account of the government of New Hampshire, will be found in same chapter. The legislation of Windham in regard to the adoption of the articles of confederation, and in rehition to the adoption of the State constitution, will be found in the chapter on constitutional conventions.
66 HISTORY OF WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Ill 1775 the militia had been increased to twelve regiments, the field officers were chosen by the convention of the State, and the several companies elected the platoon officers.
Four regiments of minute-men were enlisted from these regi- ments, which were to be ready to march at a moment's notice. They were constantly trained, and when in active service received the same pay as regiments in the Continental service. There was a company of minute-raen in almost every town, and in large towns more than one. There was a company of minute-men in Windham, of which Joseph Clyde was the captain.
LEXINGTON ALARM.
The Americans, in making preparation for the "irrepressible conflict," had collected a large amount of military stores at Con- cord, Mass. These Governor Gage, the British commander, was very anxious to destroy; and silently, on the night of April 18, 1775, Major Pitcairn, with eight hundred grenadiers, started for Concord for that purpose. But the movement was discovered by the Americans, who were on the alert, and Paul Revere received the signal from the belfry of the Old North Church of Boston, and started on his famous vide, which has been immortalized in verse and story, —
" To spread the alarm
Tlirougli every Middlesex village and farm," and —
" Through the gloom aiid the light
The fate of a nation was riding that uight."
The ride was successful, the jtrecautions for secrecy by the British failed, the brave yeomanry rallied, made their first stand in defence of American liberty, and the British troops retreated to Boston. The soil of Concord became sacred ground, conse- crated forevermore to American liberty, for there the first blood of the Revolution was shed.
"The (lie was cast." Men no longer hesitated; the time for argument had ceased, and the suj)reme moment for vigorous, pro- longed, and glorious action was upon the American peo})le. The news of the advance of the British sjjread with amazing rapidity. Swift couriers rode through the country to rouse the minute-men. The news reached Windham probably in the forenoon of April 19, by a mounted express, who rode through the town to arouse the minute-men and the public generally, Passing rapidly from house to house, he shouted, '•'•The regulars are coming! the reg- ulars are coming!'''' and was gone. One of the couriers rode up to the house of William Dinsmoor, father of the elder Gov. Sam- uel Dinsmoor, who lived a few