Smith » Family Findings

Francina D. (Smith) Hall

Jul 252009

This is a transcription of the Francina D. (Smith) Hall biography from New Hampshire Women: A Collection of Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Daughters and Residents of the Granite State, Who are Worthy Representatives of their Sex in the Various Walks and Conditions of Life, The New Hampshire Publishing Co., Concord, NH, 1895, page 249.

Francina D. (Smith) Hall

THE woman who, under the adverse conditions of restricted country life, resolutely determines to make the most of the powers with which she is endowed, and labors persistently to that end, despite all obstacles, is entitled to greater credit than many who, under favoring conditions, win fame and distinction. Francina D. Smith, born in Springfield, December 13, 1844, was one of eight children of William P. and R. Maria Spooner Smith. Ambitious for an education, endowed with a musical nature which she longed to cultivate, though encouraged by a kind father and true and loving mother, she had to depend mainly upon her own efforts. While aiding her parents largely, both in the house and on the farm, she made the best of the limited advantages of the town school, often walking miles to attend the same. At sixteen she commenced teaching, and in seven years had taught eighteen terms, meanwhile securing for herself the benefit of a few terms’ attendance at Colby Academy. During one term, while teaching, she walked three miles every Saturday to take a music lesson, practicing all day. Another term, while “boarding ’round,” she hired an instrument, moving it from place to place and practicing all her leisure time. At twenty-three she married Rufus Hall of Grantham, receiving an organ as her husband’s wedding gift, which was afterwards exchanged for a piano. When thirty-five, and the mother of three children, she took her first and only term of piano lessons, to secure which she drove ten miles to meet the class, the teacher coming an equal distance. When eleven years old, Mrs. Hall was a singer in the choir, and for more than twenty years has been organist in the M. E. Church at Grantham, and teacher in the Sunday-school, and for three years superintendent. She is the mother of four children, whom she has taught music, and has given lessons to others for many years.

Emma (Lavender) Smith

New Hampshire Women No Responses »

Feb 142009

This is a transcription of the Emma (Lavender) Smith biography from New Hampshire Women: A Collection of Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Daughters and Residents of the Granite State, Who are Worthy Representatives of their Sex in the Various Walks and Conditions of Life, The New Hampshire Publishing Co., Concord, NH, 1895, page 197.

Emma (Lavender) Smith

NEW HAMPSHIRE has had many ladies who have graced official life, but no one has occupied a more ideal place in the public eye than Mrs. John B. Smith, of Hillsborough. Miss Emma Lavender (Mrs. Smith) was born at Lansingburg, N. Y., on the banks of the Hudson, February 20, 1888. She was the daughter of Stephen and Sarah Butler (Millis) Lavender. The Lavenders are of direct English descent, Mr. Lavender’s parents having come from Kent county, England. Miss Lavender received a fine education in the public schools of Chelsea, Mass., and at the seminary for young ladies at Plainfield, N. J. She is a woman of well-trained mind, and broad general culture. On November first, 1883, she was married to Hon. John B. Smith, of Hillsborough Bridge. Their three children are Butler Lavender, who died at St. Augustine, Florida, at the age of two years; Archibald Lavender, and Norman. In early life Mrs. Smith became a member of the Ruggles Street Baptist church, Boston, and she has ever been active in all good works. She belongs to New Hampshire’s Daughters, and the Charity Club, of Boston, to the Merrimack Valley Congregational Club, the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the W. C. T. U. For many years she was president of the latter organization. She is a trustee of the Mercy Home, at Manchester, and superintendent of the primary work in the church at Hillsborough. Those privileged to know Mrs. Smith in her delightful home have long been aware of her accomplishments and amiable qualities, but in 1893 and 1894, during Governor Smith’s term of office, these qualities were brought into wide public recognition. Never has more charming hospitality been dispensed by a chief magistrate and his wife. In a public way, at the capital, and at their own beautiful home at Hillsborough the Smiths have entertained hundreds of friends from all parts of the state. Of tall and graceful figure, gentle and gracious manner, Mrs. Smith adorns any position which the state or nation can offer.

Secret Societies

Historical Rutland No Responses »

Apr 232008

From Historical Rutland: an illustrated history of Rutland, Vermont, from the granting of the charter in 1761 to 1911 by Rev. F. E. Davison, Rutland, Vt.: P.H. Brehmer, 1911, page 55:

Secret Societies

The first Masonic lodges were chartered in this State early in 1784, Center Lodge of Rutland being among the first. organized October 15, 1794, the same year the Grand Lodge in Vermont was organized. Noah Smith, who resided for a time in Rutland, was the first grand master. Rutland has had but one grand master. Henry H. Smith, who filled the office in 1876-77. Among the men who were early promoters of Masonry was [56] Nathaniel Chipman, whose fame asa United States senator and jurist is excelled by few. Center Lodge was the first lodge granted by the Grand Lodge after its organization, and it was at the house of Tesse Gove in Rutland, October 15, 1794. The lodge was reorganized in later years, the first meeting after the reorganization being held February 3, 1853. On June 26, 1856, a public installation was held at the Congregational Church, with an address by Henry Smith of Claremont, N. H. The procession moved to the Franklin House, where dinner was served.

Odd Fellowship has flourished in the county for more than half a century. The first lodge installed in the county was Otter Creek Lodge No. 10, constituted March 9, 1847. The five original petitioners were prominent citizens of Rutland, and the first regular meeting was held in a lodge room in an ell-part of the old Fay printing office on Main Street, March 16, 1847. August 19th of that year the first public address on Old Fellowship in Rutland was delivered by A. E. Hovey of New York City. This lodge suspended operations in 1857. Killington Lodge No. 29 was organized, Sept. 11, 1868, with 12 members. This has been a prosperous lodge with an increasing membership. Rutland Lodge No. 61 was instituted Feb. 22, 1899. Otter Creek Encampment was instituted Feb. 27, 1871. Canton Rutland and Good Will Rebekah Lodges have a flourishing membership.

At the present time there are no less than 50 secret societies, social, fraternal, insurance, and labor organizations, whose lodge rooms are the scenes of nightly gatherings, and in whose membership a large number of citizens, both men and women, are enrolled.

Two More Ancestors of the Cheshire and Milford Westcotts

History and Genealogy - Stukely Westcott (1932) No Responses »

Oct 222006

This is a transcription of Two More Ancestors of the Cheshire and Milford Westcotts from History and Genealogy of the Ancestors and Some Descendants of Stukely Westcott by Roscoe L. Whitman, 1932, page 10.

Two More Ancestors of the Cheshire and Milford Westcotts

William Arnold, father of Benedict, was born at Lemington in Somerset, June 24, 1587, and therefore was the senior member of those on the little sailing vessel. His wife, Christanna Peak, and several of their children were aboard, among them Stephen Arnold. William and Stephen were to become the third and fourth ancestors of the Westcotts of Cheshire and Milford, Stukely and his son Jeremiah being the first and second. (See Wells-Arnold, Pt. IV.)

Stephen Arnold married Sarah Smith, of Rehoboth, Mass., and had a son Israel, whose wife was Mary Barker, and their son was Stephen Arnold. This son had a daughter, Elizabeth Arnold. The daughter married Peter Wells of Warwick, R. I., and to them was born Anna Wells, who married Stukely Westcott, and settled in Cheshire, Mass. She became “the Mother of the Westcotts of Cheshire and Milford.”

[page 11] Accordingly, a four-fold reason why June 24, 1635, should be remembered by the descendants of this family as a date of interest and importance to them.

For fifty-five days and nights, the small sailing craft, probably unchartered as many were in that period, with its tops’ls and mizzen-masts running before the wind, with probable occasional cries of “Thar she blows!” as the sails filled, ploughed its choppy way westward through the seas and on Thursday, June 24, 1635, landed its thankful passengers on the wild, unsettled shores of the Massachusetts Bay.

Arnold made no mention of the experience of those on the little vessel, but of the voyage it surely may be said that it was an adventure, and the travelers, adventurers indeed!

Eunice Elisabeth (Preston) Busiel

New Hampshire Women No Responses »

Sep 262006

This is a transcription of the Eunice Elisabeth (Preston) Busiel biography from New Hampshire Women: A Collection of Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Daughters and Residents of the Granite State, Who are Worthy Representatives of their Sex in the Various Walks and Conditions of Life, The New Hampshire Publishing Co., Concord, NH, 1895, page 23.

Eunice Elisabeth (Preston) Busiel

EUNICE ELISABETH PRESTON, daughter of Worcester and Nancy (Evans) Preston, is a native of Concord. Her grandfather, John Preston, a brother of Capt. William, and Benjamin Preston, Revolutionary soldiers, of Rumney, married Eunice Carpenter of Coventry, Conn., of direct Revolutionary descent. In November, 1864, Miss Preston was united in marriage with Charles Albert Busiel of Laconia, present governor of New Hampshire. They have one daughter, Frances Evelyn, now the wife of Wilson Longstreth Smith, of Germantown, Pa., a member of an old Quaker family of distinguished lineage, and a direct descendant of James Smith, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one child, Charles Busiel Smith. Although naturally of domestic habits, Mrs. Busiel has entertained freely, and since her husband’s election to the gubernatorial office has worthily filled the position of “first lady” of the state. Modest and unassuming in manner, bright and cheery, with a pleasant word for all, she has a happy way of making friends, and enjoys a wide acquaintance. She is active in benevolent and charitable work and a member of the society of the North Congregational church. The New Hampshire Daughters’ Club of Boston has her name on its membership roll, and she is also one of the board of commissioners from New Hampshire to the Woman’s department of the Cotton States and International Exposition at Atlanta.

Chesterfield, NH Description

A Gazetteer of New Hampshire (1855) No Responses »

Aug 272006

This is a transcription of the Chesterfield, NH description from New Hampshire As It Is by Edwin A. Charlton; Part II: A Gazetteer of New Hampshire by George Ticknor, Tracy and Sanford Publishers, Claremont, N. H., 1855.

CHESTERFIELD

CHESTERFIELD, Cheshire county. Bounded north by Westmoreland and Keene, east by Keene and Swanzey, south by Winchester and Hinsdale, and west by Brattleborough and Dummerston, Vermont. Area, 29,437 acres. 62 miles south-west from Concord, and 11 south-west from Keene, with which it is connected by railroad. This town is mostly upland, well adapted for grazing and most of the cereal grains. Few towns on Connecticut River have so little interval. Although its western border is washed by this river for a distance of six miles, nearly all this space is occupied by hills which rise up from the river side. Spafford’s Lake, in the northern part of the town, is indeed a charming sheet of water. It is about 10 miles in circumference, covers a surface of about 600 acres, and is fed by springs in its bosom. Its waters are remarkably clear and pure, its bed consisting of a white sand. In this lake is an island containing about six acres, a favorite resort of the students of the Academy in this town as well as others. On its easterly side a stream issues forth, of sufficient size to carry the machinery of a cotton mill, employing 20 hands; two bit and auger factories, employing the same number; a peg manufactory, a large tannery, several saw mills, grist mills, and other works.

West River Mountain (Wantastiquel) lies partly in this town and partly in Hinsdale. It bears strong marks of having once been subject to volcanic eruption. Near what is supposed to have been the crater, lava is now to be found in considerable quantities. It is said, by those who live near the mountain, that a trembling motion is often felt and a deep rumbling is heard in its bowels. During the early period of the settlement of the town, the inhabitants, having discovered the crater, and believing that it led to a silver mine, procured a lease of it. By the terms of the lease, the lessees were required to dig at least three days in each year. For a long time this condition was faithfully observed; and in the progress of labor an excavation was made, following the course of the crater downwards about 100 feet, principally through a solid rock.

At the centre of the town is a pleasant village. Here is located the Academy, which was opened in 1794, and for many years was the only academy in Cheshire county. Its advantages are good, and the course of instruction pursued has hitherto met with general approbation.

Chesterfield was granted, February 11, 1752, to 12 persons of the name of Willard, and 52 others. The first settlement was made, November 25, 1761, by Moses Smith and William Thomas, who, with their families, sailed up the Connecticut River in a canoe, and made their first “pitch” on the banks of the river. Their chief subsistence for some time consisted of shad and salmon, of which there was a great abundance in the river, and deer, which were numerous in the forest. The first religious society formed in town was Congregational, in 1771. Rev. Abraham Wood was ordained December 13, 1772. A Baptist society was incorporated here in 1819, and a Universalist society in 1818. Mrs. Hannah Bayley died in this town in November, 1822, aged 104 years and 3 months.

Population, 1680.

Number of polls, 429.

Amount of inventory, $487,596.

Value of lands, improved and unimproved, $379,400.

Number of sheep, 683.

Do. neat stock, 1935.

Do. horses, 255.

Amount of shares in corporations, money at interest, &c., $50,940.

Chesterfield, NH Description

A Gazetteer of New Hampshire (1849) No Responses »

Aug 272006

This is a transcription of the Chesterfield, NH description from A Gazetteer of New Hampshire Containing Descriptions of all the Counties, Towns and Districts in the State by John Hayward, John P. Jewett (publisher), Boston, 1849.

Chesterfield

CHESHIRE CO. Few towns on Connecticut River have so little intervale land. For the whole six miles that it lies upon the river, the hills approach near the river’s side. There is much good upland, well adapted for grazing and the production of Indian corn. The chief articles carried to market are beef, pork, butter, and cheese. Cat’s Bane Brook is a stream of great importance, as it furnishes many mill sites.

Spafford’s Lake is a beautiful collection of water, situated about one mile north from the meeting-house. It contains a surface of 526 acres. It is fed by springs in its bosom. Its waters are remarkably clear and pure, its bed being a white sand. In this lake there is an island of about six acres, which forms a delightful retreat. On its east side issues a stream called Partridge’s Brook, sufficiently large for a number of mills.

West River Mountain lies in this town and Hinsdale. It is supposed to have been once subject to a volcanic eruption, and there is at present a considerable quantity of lava near its crater. It is said, by those who live near the mountain, that it frequently trembles, and a rumbling noise is heard in its bowels.Chesterfield has three villages. The principal village, leading from Hartford to Hanover, is situated near the centre of the town, three miles east from Connecticut River, and is very pleasant. At the time the first settlers came here, the river afforded abundance of shad and salmon, and the forests were well stocked with deer, bears, and other game; so that the inhabitants did not experience those privations so common in new settlements.

Boundaries. South by Winchester and Hinsdale, west by Brattleboro and Dummerston, Vt., north by Westmoreland, and east by Keene and Swanzey.

First Settlers. Moses Smith and William Thomas, with their families.

First Minister. Rev. Abraham Wood, ordained in 1772; died in 1823.

Productions of the Soil. Indian corn, 9,143 bushels; potatoes, 36,885 bushels; hay, 3,534 tons; wool, 7,044 lbs.; maple sugar, 11,993 pounds.

Distances. Eleven miles south-west from Keene, and sixty-two south-west from Concord.

A railroad passes through the town.

Additions & Corrections to A List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H.

List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H. No Responses »

Aug 212006

This is a transcription of the additions and corrections to A List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H. by Samuel Carroll Derby, Columbus, Ohio: Press of Spahr & Glen, 1901. These were written October 1904.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS, OCTOBER, 1904.

(See also History of Dublin, N.H.; a New Edition is in Preparation.)

Elisha Adams, b. 1758, d. 1837, at Farmington, Me., enlisted from Holliston, Mass., in Capt. Jacob Miller’s co., Col. Ephraim Doolittle’s reg’t, July 15, 1775, and was present with that company at Winter Hill, Oct. 6, 1775. His son, John Adams, of Holden, Mass., was living in 1903.

Thomas Alden, b. 1743, d. Feb. 22, 1813, Leicester, Vt., married May 26, 1769, Mary Cheney, of Needham, Mass. They removed from Needham to Dublin.

Hart Balch, fought at Bunker Hill, signed “Association Test,” 1775, at Wilton, N. H., was highway surveyor in Jaffrey, 1777, and was “warned out” of Dublin, October, 1779. Persons of this family name enlisted from Beverly, Danvers, and Topsfield, Mass.

Abigail Bates was appointed guardian of her two sons, Edward and Nathaniel, and appears to have married John Stroud previous to 1790.

Nathaniel Belknap, b. Framingham, Mass., Oct. 3, 1748; d. in Dublin, July 18, 1826. He served three months during the winter 1775-76, in the army besieging Boston. His widow, Rebecca (Clark) d. Sept. 21, 1866, aged 102 years, 1 month and 23 days.

Asa Bullard, a younger brother of Simeon Bullard, b. Apr. 18, 1765, taught school in Dublin, 1785, graduated at Dartmouth, 1793, received at Harvard the degrees of A. M. (1809), M. D. (1813), was for several years a successful teacher in Boston, where he afterwards practiced medicine, and died May 1, 1826, at Mt. Vernon, N. H.

Bartholomew Goyer, of Natick, Mass., served in the Crown Point Expedition of 1755, as private in Capt. Jonathan Hoar’s company, and was mustered out Dec. 15, 1755. Bartholomew Goyer of Natick, was private in Capt. Nathan Watkin’s co., Col. Edmund Phinney’s reg’t, and was in garrison at Ft. George, Dec. 8, 1776; he had enlisted Jan. 1, 1776. It is supposed that these persons are identical with Bartholomew Goyer, of Dublin, N. H.

In regard to captivity of Samuel French, see N. H. State Papers, vol. xvii, pp. 465-466.

Joshua Greenwood, b. 1755; d. Dublin, N. H., Dec. 1, 1827.

Moses Greenwood, b. Aug. 14, 1748.

William Greenwood, d. Aug. 30, 1830, aged 74.

Caleb Hunt, son of Willard Hunt, d. May 26, 1811, at Marlboro, N. H. He had resided for a time in Stoddard, N. H. He was b. 1761.

Henry Hunt, brother of Caleb Hunt, b. Aug. 12, 1762; d. Marlboro, N. H. Nov. 17, 1828. Both are buried on “Frost Hill.”

Willard Hunt, son of Adibah and Phoebe (Pratt) Hunt, b. May 7, 1741; m. Martha Wadkins. He marched April 19, 1775, from Holliston, Mass., and served 10 days in the co. of Capt. Staples Chamberlin, regt. of Col. Samuel Bullard. About 1800 he removed to Hancock, N. H.

Page 14. Simeon Johnson, b. Brookline, Mass. about 1730. He served in the French and Indian War, 1756-63, and soon after removed to Dublin. As a member of Capt. Lealand’s co., Col. Doolittle’s regt. he received advance pay, Cambridge, June 24, 1775, and was at Winter Hill, Oct. 6 and Oct. 31, 1775.

Elias Knowlton, enlisted from Dublin, May 5, 1775, and was a private in Capt. Jacob Miller’s co., Col. Ephraim Doolittle’s regt. at Winter Hill, Oct. 6, 1775. His name is to be added to the list of Dublin Revolutionary Soldiers.

Ezra Morse was sergeant in 1777.

Micah Morse 1st had a daughter, Anna, b. Conway, Mass., July 25, 1771.

Reuben Morse d. Aug. 27, 1810.

Levi Partridge came from Sherborn, Mass., and is described in the deed of his lot as a “Little wheel Rite.”

Asa Pratt was taxed in Dublin, 1793.

John Stone, b. June 30, 1761, Natick, Mass., d. in the army later than 1781. He was a son of Silas Stone, Sr., and was unmarried.

Silas Stone, Sr., b. Apr. 29, 1728, Framingham, Mass., m. Jan. 25, 1750, Elizabeth, dau. of Dea. Jona. and Mary (Coolidge) Russell, of Sherborn. She was the “Widow Stone” mentioned, Hist. of Dublin, p. 22, and d. about 1820, at an advanced age, in Orwell, Vt. They removed to Dublin between 1763 and 1765. He enlisted, 1777, in Capt. Samuel Blodgett’s co., Col. Nathan Hale’s regt. (earlier Poor’s), and died in the Service at Lansingburg, N. Y., later than October 17, 1777.

Silas Stone, Jr., should be added to the number of Dublin’s soldiers in the Revolution. As soon as the news of the battle of Lexington was received at Dublin, he went to his former home in Mass. and enlisted for eight months in the co. of Capt. Benjamin Bullard, of Sherborn, Col. Jona. Brewer’s regt., and was at Bunker Hill where the regiment suffered severely. In 1776 he served in Col. Brook’s regt., and was badly wounded at White Plains. He did further service in 1779 and 1780. Jan. 9, 1790, he married Jennette Twitchell and settled on the “Dea. Twitchell” homestead in Sherborn, where he died July 12, 1820.

William Strongman was granted a pension but it was not received until after his death, March 30, 1836.

Gardner Town removed to Stoddard, N. H. later than 1798, and became one of its most active, influential and prosperous citizens. He married Lucy, dau. of Col. Eben. and Susanna (Fletcher) Bancroft, of Tyngsboro, Mass. He was an extensive land owner in Stoddard at his death, 1815.

Abel Twitchell, b. l751; d. 1837, is to be added to the list of Dublin Soldiers. At the time of the “Lexington Alarm,” he enlisted in Capt. Henry Lealand’s co., Col. John Bullard’s regt. In 1776 he enlisted at Dublin for six months in Capt. Chamberlin’s co., Col. Wheelock’s reg’t. June 22, 1778, Dublin “voted to abate the Rates of Abel Twitchell, Samuel Williams and Ezra Morse that they were assessed towards hireing the men for the three years’ service.”

It is supposed that Samuel Williams, who d March 23, 1799, in his 47th year, was the Revolutionary soldier of that name.

John Caldwell, b. May 15, 1756, Nottingham West (Hudson, N. H.); d. Nov. 15, 1840, Northfield, Mass., enlisted from Dublin in April or May, 1775, and served in Capt. Wm. Scott’s co., Col. Paul Dudley Sargent’s regt., with James Caldwell, Paul Caldwell, Samuel Caldwell, Richard Gilchrist and Thomas Green. This company of “minute men” marched, Apr. 20, 1775. These names are upon the muster roll of Aug. 1, 1775, and these men, except Paul Caldwell, killed at Bunker Hill, and Thomas Green wounded there, were in the camp before Boston, Oct. 6, and Nov. 14, 1775. John and James Caldwell are described as of Windham, N. H. John Caldwell was probably the brother-in-law of Wm. Strongman and may have made his home with Strongman, in Dublin. He was pensioned Feb. 16, 1833.

April 8, 1778, Dublin voted to abate Jabez Puffer’s Rates to Thaddeus Masons and, Oct. 22, of the same year, to buy Jabez Puffer’s land in town and pay out the money for the support of his family.

Henry Strongman died March 14, 1786.

Col. Samuel Ashley, son of Daniel A., b. Deerfield, Mass. March 20, 1720; d. of smallpox, Feb. 18, 1792. He was a member of several Provincial Congresses, of the N. H. Com. of Safety, and of the Ex. Com. of the State, 1776-80. Three of his sons were officers in the Continental Army. He was on Gen. Stark’s staff, at Bennington, and it is a tradition that Col. Baum, the Hessian commander, died in Col. Ashley’s tent. As grantee of Claremont, whither he removed about 1782-3, he owned a tract of land 400 rods wide and extending across the entire township. (See Granite Monthly, May and Nov., 1892).

Col. Brewer was wounded at Bunker Hill.

Col. Doolittle, of Petersham, Mass., d. 1802, at Shoreham, Vt. His regiment was raised in and near Worcester, Mass., where he had formerly been a merchant.

Col. Enoch Hale, b. Nov. 28, 1733; d. Apr. 9, 1813. He served in Gilman’s regt., 1755, and in Hart’s, 1758.

Col. Nathan Hale, b. Sept. 23, 1743, Hampstead, N. H. Enoch and Nathan Hale were sons of Moses Hale, of Newbury, Mass. It is not probable that Nathan Hale served in the French and Indian Wars.

Col. Enoch Poor, d. Paramus, N. J.

Col. Geo. Reid, d. Sept., 1815.

Col. Isaac Wyman, son of Joshua and Mary (Pollard) Wyman, b. Woburn, Mass., Jan. 18, 1724; d. March 31, 1792, at Keene, N. H. At his home assembled the Keene soldiers who marched April 21, 1775.

Capt. Samuel Blodgett, b. Apr. 1, 1724; d. Sept., 1807.

Capt. Josiah Brown, was at Ticonderoga May and July, 1777.

Capt. Isaac Davis, son of Capt. Simon Davis.

Gen. Dearborn strenuously denied that Gen. Putnam commanded the American troops at Bunker Hill.

Capt. Moody Dustin, probably a native of Dunstable, Mass. b. about 1742, removed, after the Revolution, to Claremont N. H. There he held many positions of trust, and died Aug. 11, 1810. He was major on Gen. Bellows’s staff in 1787-89.

Capt. Roger Gilmore, d. Nov. 1807.

Daniel Reynolds was Col. of 8th N. H. reg’t, 1785.

Caleb Robinson, b. May 22, 1746.

Abijah Smith, a carpenter, and built, 1760, the first mill in Rindge, N. H.

Jason Wait. He received, 1784, ’77-2s-6d for depreciation of his pay in 1781.

Henry Lealand, of Sherburne, Mass., marched Apr. 19, 1775, Col. John Bullard’s reg’t, and served 10 days, also, served in Col. Samuel Wylly’s reg’t. (22d) from Dec. 10, 1775 to Jan. 15, 1776. He received his commission Feb. 23, 1776.

Captains from A List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H.

List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H. No Responses »

Aug 212006

This is a transcription of the captains from A List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H. by Samuel Carroll Derby, Columbus, Ohio: Press of Spahr & Glen, 1901.

REGIMENTAL AND COMPANY COMMANDERS.

A List of Regimental and Company commanders under whom Dublin men served in the Revolutionary War has been compiled and short biographical sketches have been added. These notices are, almost necessarily, very fragmentary and presumably erroneous in some details, but they are as correct as the writer has been able to make them. Additional facts and corrections will be gladly received. Even these brief accounts will, it is hoped, be helpful to those who have occasion to make similar investigations in the early history of the same neighborhood (southwestern New Hampshire) and serve to prolong the memory of men who deserved well of their fellow citizens and their country. The difficulty with which the few, brief data which follow have been secured, clearly shows that these local leaders and heroes are almost forgotten by a generation which has entered into their labors.

CAPTAINS.

JOSHUA ABBOTT of Concord, b. 1740; d. March 12, 1815; commanded the fifth company in Col. John Stark’s regiment (First N. H.). He was present with his company near New York, April, 1776. Later the regiment marched to the assistance of the northern army, and was at Mt. Independence, Nov. 1776. The next year he was a captain in Lt. Col. Henry Gerrish’s regiment which marched, Sept. 1777, and helped capture Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga. Capt. Abbott was a member of the well-known Concord family of that name.

SAMUEL BLODGETT of Goffstown, b. 1724, Woburn, Mass.; d. Goffstown, 1807. Capt. Blodgett was a man of great energy and business capacity, who took part in many enterprises. He saw service in the Louisburg expedition, was a sutler in the Crown Point campaign of 1757, and had a narrow escape from death at the surrender of Fort William Henry. In 1775, he was sutler in Sullivan’s brigade at Winter Hill. Since he was more than fifty years old at the beginning of the war, he did less active service, yet, in 1777, commanded a company in Col. Nathan Hale’s regiment, but resigned his captaincy, Dec. 22, 1777. Captain Blodgett was accounted the wealthiest citizen of Goffstown, and was prominent in its affairs, civil and religious. He had been a justice under the royal government, 1774, a fact which shows that he was an influential citizen.

JOSIAH BROWN of New Ipswich, b. Concord, Mass., 1744; d. 1831. Capt. Brown removed to New Ipswich in 1765 and settled there upon “Flat Mountain.” He was a lieutenant in Capt. Ezra Towne’s company, Col. James Reed’s regiment, at Bunker Hill, and saw service at Ticonderoga, also, May, 1777. In the company which went from New Ipswich, April 20, 1775, Josiah Brown was sergeant. His name appears as selectman, 1782, and with other officers of New Ipswich, as a member of a committee to get pay for war expenses, 1785; Capt. Joseph Parker was another member and Col. Thomas Heald, a third.

BENJAMIN BULLARD of Sherborn, Mass., appears to have been one of the “Alarm List ” of Holliston foot company in 1757, and a private in Capt. Jones’ company at Crown Point, 1759. He was captain of a company of “minute men ” who marched upon the alarm of April 19, 1775, and served for 5 days. Later he was a captain in Col. Laommi Baldwin’s regiment stationed at Prospect Hill. In October of the same year, he was a captain in Col. Jona. Brewer’s regiment, was transferred to Col. Jos. Henshaw’s regiment, and then to the 7th company of the 6th regiment, Col. Asa Whitcomb’s, with which he was connected while at Ft. Ticonderoga, Nov. 27, 1776. In the following year he appears to have commanded a company (the 9th) in Col. Samuel Bullard’s regiment (5th Middlesex) which took part in the capture of Burgoyne, 1777. His family is probably connected with that of the Bullards who settled in Dublin. Capt. Bullard is believed to have been present at the battle of Bunker Hill.

ISAAC DAVIS of Chesterfield, son of Simon Davis, of Greenwich, Mass., came to Chesterfield about 1762, being then thirty years old. He died there, Nov. 28, 1776, only twelve days after the end of his service in the army, which probably caused his death. He signed the “Association Test” at Chesterfield, 1776, and commanded a company in Col. Samuel Ashley’s regiment which went to reinforce the “Northern Army,” Oct. 21-Nov. 16, 1776.

HENRY DEARBORN, b. Hampton, N. H., 1751; d. 1829; was captain in Col. John Stark’s regiment, took part in Arnold’s winter expedition against Quebec, was major in the 3d N. H. regiment, Lt. Col. of the same in 1780, and after Col. Scammel’s death, Oct. 6, 1781, became its commander. He was Secretary of War during Jefferson’s administration, and rose to the rank of Major General in the War of 1812. In 1822 he was appointed minister to Portugal and held that post for two years. In the mooted question who commanded the American troops at Bunker Hill, Gen. Dearborn vigorously attacked the claim of Gen. Putnam.

MOODY DUSTIN of Litchfield, b. —; d.?; was first lieutenant in Col. Loammi Baldwin’s (Mass.) regiment which, Sept. 26, 1775, was stationed at Sewall’s Point. In 1777, he held a similar position in Capt. William Scott’s company, Col. John Stark’s regiment, and after Col. Joseph Cilley succeeded to the command of that regiment, was made captain, March 5, 1778. This rank he held until he was mustered out, Jan. 1, 1784.

DANIEL EMERSON, JR., of Hollis, b. 1746; d. Oct. 4, 1821; commanded a company in Col. Joshua Wingate’s regiment which marched to reinforce the northern army in 1716. In June, 1777, he was a captain in the regiment commanded by Col. Moses Nichols; in August, 1778, he was captain of a company and took part in the Rhode Island campaign, under Col. Nichols. The following year he was a captain in Col. Hercules Mooney’s command which went to defend R. I. In civil life, Capt. Emerson was a prominent citizen of Hollis; he was justice of the peace, representative in 1782, and councillor, 1787. He was a son of the Rev. Daniel Emerson, one of the proprietors of Dublin, and a person of much influence in Hollis, both because of his official position and of his personal character.

ROGER GILMORE of Jaffrey, b. 1738; d. 1807; a native of Londonderry, N. H.; was an early and leading citizen of Jaffrey and often employed in its service. He was its first tything man, 1773, its delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1791, and its first justice of the peace. In military affairs he was no less prominent, having been lieutenant and afterwards captain of the first military company of the town. He led a company, June 29, 1777, under command of Lt. Col. Thomas Heald, to reinforce the garrison at Ticonderoga. Capt. Gilmore was also a land surveyor, and his memory is kept alive through the name of Gilmore Pond in Jaffrey.

ELISHA MACK, b. Lyme, Conn., came from Marlow to Gilsum, and removed thence to Montague (Mass.). He was a private in Capt. Samuel Wetherbee’s company of Col. Isaac Wyman’s regiment, July, 1776, and was at Ticonderoga, Nov. 1776. The following year he was lieutenant in Capt. Davis Howlet’s company, and marched to Lake Champlain, in May; later he was a captain in Col. Moses Nichols’ regiment, Stark’s brigade, July-Sept. 1777. May 31, 1 779, he led the “Keene Raid,” an unlawful attempt to seize a much disliked Tory of Keene. Capt. Mack was prominent in various ways, was a mill owner, and in 1778-79 bridged the Ashuelot River.

BENJAMIN MANN, b. about 1740, Woburn, Mass.; d. 1831, at Troy, N. Y. Benjamin Mann came with his family to Mason, N. H., about 1771. He was twelve times moderator; town clerk; selectman, six years; four times representative and a member of the Committee of Public Safety. He was the first justice of the peace in Mason. The fine elm trees on the Common in that town were planted by Capt. Mann in 1790 (on the day of Rev. Mr. Hall’s ordination). June, 1775, he was captain in Col. James Reed’s regiment and took part in the battle of Bunker Hill. In August, 1778, he had command of a company in the regiment led by Col. Moses Nichols during the Rhode Island campaign. Some time in the winter of 1775-76, he stated that he was in command of Capt. Robert Oliver’s company which was, perhaps, one of the thirty-one companies sent to replace Connecticut troops during the siege of Boston. Nothing has been learned respecting Capt. Oliver. Mr. Mann was a thrifty and useful citizen. He removed from Mason about 1800.

JOHN MELLEN, b. 1744, Holliston, Mass.; d. July 25, 1784; came to Fitzwilliam before the Revolutionary War, and was one of the most reliable and energetic citizens of that town. In 1775, he was commander of its military company. In 1777, Capt. Mellen was a member of the Committee of Safety, and led a company to reinforce Ticonderoga in June of that year. The next year (1778) he was quartermaster in Col. Enoch Hale’s regiment during the Rhode Island campaign. Capt. Mellen was a person of unusual business capacity and his early death was a severe loss to Fitzwilliam.

JACOB MILLER of Holliston, Mass., when 28 years of age was a sergeant in Capt. White’s company under command of Col. Ephraim Williams, 1758, and appears to have served with the same rank in Capt. John Nixon’s company, 1759. Oct. 6, 1775, he was a captain in Col. Ephraim Doolittle’s regiment, stationed at Winter Hill. The next year he was commissioned Major in Col. Whitney’s regiment. The presence of Dublin men in the commands of Captains Bullard and Miller is readily explained by the fact that many of the early settlers of Dublin went from Sherborn and Holliston, the towns to which those officers respectively belonged.

JOSEPH PARKER, b. about 1741; d. 1807; came to New Ipswich, 1766. He was known as an energetic and daring man and saw much military service. He served 13 days in the “April Alarm,” 1775, and in 1776 was captain of a company in Col. Enoch Hale’s regiment which joined the northern army at Ticonderoga in July of that year. It is probable that he had seen service in the French War.

DANIEL REYNOLDS of Londonderry, b. —; d. 1815; a well known citizen who was a captain, stationed at Winter Hill, Dec. 1775. In Sept. 1776, he held like rank in Col. Thos. Tash’s regiment. A year later he fought under Col. Moses Nichols against Burgoyne. From Jan. to Nov. 16, 1778, he was a captain in Lt. Col. Stephen Peabody’s regiment, and was major of Col. Hercules Mooney’s regiment in 1779. He held various civil offices in Londonderry. He was Lt. Col. of a regiment of six months’ men in 1781.

SAMUEL RICHARDS of Goffstown, b. —; d.?; was probably a son of Ensign Benjamin Richards, a soldier of the French and Indian War, early settler of Goffstown and grantee of that town. Capt. Richards during the summer and autumn of 1775 commanded a company in Col. John Stark’ s regiment. The family was one of the best-known in Goffstown, and Capt. Richards held a good place in the esteem of his townsmen. The King’s officers in 1772 seized pine lumber at the Richards mill upon the pretext that it was of size and quality suitable for the Royal Navy, and therefore forfeit to his Royal Majesty. Such seizures were not uncommon in colonial times in N. H.

CALEB ROBINSON, b. Exeter, 1746; d. —; held a lieutenant’s commission in Capt. Isaac Sherman’s company of Col. Loammi Baldwin’s regiment (Mass.) in 1775. Capt. Sherman had taught school in Exeter, and a number of men from that town joined his company at Cambridge, Mass. In 1777, Caleb Robinson was a captain in Col. Nathan Hale’s regiment (2d N. H.) and was made prisoner at Hubbardton, 1777, with Col. Hale and others. In 1781, he was a major in Col. George Reid’s regiment. Capt. Robinson belonged to an Exeter family of good standing. One of its members has founded, in recent years, the Robinson Female Seminary at Exeter.

ABIJAH SMITH of New Ipswich, came thither from Leominster, Mass., about 1764. He had been a soldier in the French and Indian War, and was accordingly made a leader in preparations to resist Great Britain. In Col. Nahum Baldwin’s regiment which marched in the autumn of 1776 to reinforce Washington’s army about New York, Abijah Smith held a captaincy. He had a large family and died in New Ipswich, 1786.

BENJAMIN SPAULDING was an early settler in Jaffrey, where he held various town offices. In later life he removed to Marlboro, N. H., where he kept a hotel. He went to Cambridge, “Lexington Alarm,” April, 1775, and, 1780, commanded a company in Col. Moses Nichols?s regiment which went to reinforce West Point, July-Oct. of that year.

JEREMIAH STILES of Keene, b. 1744; d. Dec. 6, 1800. A prominent citizen of Keene, who held there various civil and military offices. In 1775, he commanded a company at Cambridge under Col. John Stark; later in the year his commanding officer was Col. Paul Dudley Sargent of Amherst. Capt. Stiles was present at Bunker Hill. In 1776, Capt. Stiles was a member of the Keene Committee of Safety. He was well known as a surveyor and an active speculator in the land of the new townships in Cheshire County.

WILLIAM STILSON, said in N. H. State Papers to be of Hopkinton, but evidently (see N. H. State Papers 9 vol. VIII, pp. 94-95, 533), was a citizen of Somersworth. In Dec. 1775 he was 2d Lieut. in Capt. Nathl Odiorne’s company at Winter Hill. Nov. 20, 1776, he was at Mt. Independence, on Lake Champlain, in command of a company in Col. Isaac Wyman’s regiment which had been sent in the summer of 1776 to reinforce the American army in Canada. He was sent, Sept. 8, with a party to build a road from Mt. Independence to Castleton, Vt. Complaint was made to the New Hampshire authorities as to his accounts with the soldiers under his command, who continued as late as 1791 to send petitions for the balance of their pay (for the month of Nov. 1776). Other details are lacking.

SALMON STONE of Rindge, b. Groton, Mass., April 17, 1744; d. Rindge, Oct. 4, 1831; was an early settler in Rindge and prominent in its affairs. Salmon Stone was corporal in Capt. Nathan Hale’s company, April, 1775. He was captain in Col. Enoch Hale’s regiment July, 1777, and held the same rank in the regiment commanded by Col. Moses Nichols which fought at Bennington and Saratoga, in the autumn of 1777.

OTHNIEL THOMAS, b. Topsfield, Mass., —; d. Rindge, April 21, 1794; was a leading citizen of Rindge; selectman, 1780, often moderator, and was sent to represent Rindge in the convention which ratified the Federal Constitution. He was lieutenant in Capt. Salmon Stone?s company, Col. Enoch Hale’s regiment, July, 1777, and had the rank of captain in the regiment of Lieut. Col. Daniel Reynolds (six months men) in 1781.

SAMUEL TWITCHELL, of Dublin, b. Aug. 24, 1740, at Sherborn, Mass.; d. at Dublin, April 16, 1820. Capt. Twitchell was the third permanent settler of Dublin, where, also, four of his brothers and three of his sisters made their homes. He removed to Dublin in 1762 and lived on lot 7, range 1. In addition to his farm, Capt. Twitchell owned a mill near his house and in 1769 bought the water privilege at the outlet of Thorndike Pond, of Col. Joseph Blanchard, the agent of the Jaffrey proprietors. Mr. Twitchell was a leading citizen of Dublin, as is proven by the offices which he filled there: he was moderator, 1782, ’83, ’91, ’94; selectman, 1773, ’88, ’92, ’93; representative, 1792, ’93, ’94; coroner for Cheshire County, 1791, and justice of the peace. He appears to have been a member of the church in Dublin from its organization under Rev. Joseph Farrar, 1772. His father, Joseph Twitchell, Esq., of Sherborn, was for many years one of the leading citizens of that town and, as an agent for the proprietors of Dublin, was very active and efficient in his efforts to secure settlers for the new town at the foot of Monadnock. It is said that twenty-seven of the early settlers of Dublin came from Sherborn, Mass., most of them, presumably, through the exertions of Joseph Twitchell. Samuel Twitehell (see N. H. State Papers, vol. XV, pp. 108, 536-37) was a lieutenant, June 28-July 2, 1777, in Capt. John Mellen’s company, Col. Enoch Hale’s regiment, which marched from Fitzwilliam and adjacent towns to reinforce the garrison at Ticonderoga. He was succeeded, it appears, by Oliver Wright of Marlboro. In August, 1778, Samuel Twitchell commanded a company from Dublin and neighboring towns, Col. Enoch Hale’s regiment, which took part in the Rhode Island campaign. It is presumed that Capt. Twitchell had been an officer in the military company of Dublin previous to his service in 1777. It is stated that he was the third commander of that company; his successor was commissioned Feb. 16, 1786. Capt. Twitchell’s father was one of the earliest purchasers of land in Dublin, as shown by an entry in proprietors’ records (N. H. State Papers, XXVIII, 493) “Martha Thornton Esqr Sold to Joseph Twitchell one Rite viz Peter Powers Rite the 41 draft Lott 14 in 4 Range & ye Lott 19 in 9 R & ye L 19 in 10.” The Twitchell family once had numerous members in Dublin, but few now remain. Samuel Twitchell was a descendant of Joseph Twitchell who took the freeman?s oath, May 14, 1634, and father of the famous physician and surgeon Dr. Amos Twitchell of Keene, N. H.

JASON WAIT of Alstead, b. —; d.—; was ensign of the first militia company of Alstead, 1773, In Feb. 1776, he was in command of a company in Col. Timothy Bedel’s regiment which went from the towns of western N. H. to reinforce the northern army. In November of that year he was captain of a company in Col. Joseph Cilley’s regiment. July 5, 1780, he was made major “vice Morris resigned,” in the 2d N. H. regiment under Col. George Reid, and resigned Dec. 8, 1782. Mrs. Prudence Baxter whose husband, Simon Baxter, was a Tory, stated, 1778, that Capt. Wait as a prisoner had experienced kind treatment from said Simon Baxter. Capt. Wait was a prisoner in New York, captured probably in the disastrous battle on Log Island.

WILLIAM WALKER of Dunstable, b. –; d. ?; is supposed to be the same person as the Wm. Walker who served in the French War, 1745-46, as a sergeant in Capt. (afterwards Col.) John Goffe?s scouting company, and who served the following year under Capt. John Webster. In less than a week after the Lexington fight he had a company at Cambridge and joined Col. James Reed’s regiment, being present at Bunker Hill. March, 1776, Capt. Walker was chosen a delegate to the County Congress, and was a member of a committee “to see that no British goods were sold in town.” In December of the same year, he raised a company for Col. Daniel Gilman’s regiment, which was to serve till March, 1777. In that year he was made major of Col. Daniel Moore’s regiment and took part in the campaign against Burgoyne.

General Information from A List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H.

List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H. No Responses »

Aug 212006

This is a transcription of the general information from A List of The Revolutionary Soldiers of Dublin, N.H. by Samuel Carroll Derby, Columbus, Ohio: Press of Spahr & Glen, 1901.

DUBLIN SOLDIERS IN THE REVOLUTION

It is now forty-five years since the History of Dublin appeared. Its list of Dublin men who served in the Revolutionary War is probably trustworthy as far as it goes. So much may be presumed from the character of the committee who published that work, Levi W. Leonard, D. D., Jonathan K. Smith, Lawson Belknap, Thomas Fisk and Henry C. Piper. They had personal acquaintance with many of the survivors of the struggle for independence, were men of marked sobriety of judgment, and not at all prone to admit unfounded claims. Still, it is now possible to revise and increase their roll of Revolutionary soldiers from Dublin, though none who took part in that war survive to-day, and its very traditions are growing dim.

Several important sources of information upon this question have become available since 1855. Most important of these are the Reports of the Adjutant General of New Hampshire for the years 1866 and 1868, and more recent, the New Hampshire Provincial and State Papers, of which twenty-nine volumes have now appeared.

Volumes XIV-XVII inclusive, of the State Papers bear the sub-title “Revolutionary Rolls,” and contain copies of all the muster rolls and other lists of Revolutionary soldiers which could be found. Unfortunately much is missing; for example, towards the end of 1775 nearly 2000 New Hampshire militia were sent to take part in the siege of Boston. Of these thirty-one companies the names of the commissioned officers only have been found. Other important documents are also missing, so that a complete list of Continental soldiers from New Hampshire can hardly be hoped for. The register which is given here is based upon a careful examination of the Revolutionary Rolls of New Hampshire. While it would be presumptuous to claim that it is absolutely correct or complete, many names appear in it which—so far as I am aware—have not previously been published. Further examination of the various sources of information may add a few names or facts to those which follow.

It must not be forgotten that some who served from Dublin and are credited to it, served from other towns, also, at a later date; while still others entered the army from neighboring towns, or from an adjoining state, before removing to Dublin and entering the army from that town. The tax lists and census reports show that there was an active movement and growth of population in Dublin and neighboring towns before, during and immediately after the revolutionary period.

The fourth Provincial Congress of New Hampshire, held at Exeter, May 17, 1775, divided the state into seventeen districts, each of which was organized as a regiment under the command of a colonel whose duty it was to see that the quota of soldiers required from his command was duly furnished. These colonels were selected from the most prominent citizens of the several districts and in many cases took the field for shorter or longer periods. The able-bodied male inhabitants between the ages of sixteen and fifty years formed the town’s “Training Band.” Each member of that force, which was intended for active service, was required to provide himself with the following accoutrements: “a good fire arm, good ram rod, a worm, priming wire and brush, and a bayonet fitted to his gun, a scabbard and belt therefor, and a cutting sword or tomahawk or hatchet, a pouch containing a cartridge box that will hold fifteen rounds of cartridges at least, a hundred buck shot, a jack knife and tow for wadding, six flints, one pound of powder, forty leaden bullets fitted to his gun, a knapsack and blanket, a canteen or wooden bottle sufficient to hold one quart.” The “Training Bards” were required to muster eight times a year. The completeness and efficiency of this military organization were such that New Hampshire was more than once enabled to render notably prompt and effective aid in the emergencies of the struggle for independence.

The following table gives the name and residence of the several commanding officers and the number of male persons of military age (16 to 50), belonging to each district. This organization apparently remained unchanged for several years, except in the case of a few colonels:

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