Cheshire County New Hampshire - Genealogy and History
 

This web site is a resource for researchers of family tree (genealogy)
and history in Cheshire County, New Hampshire.
HISTORY | DOCUMENTS | OTHER AREAS OF RESEARCH
MAP OF CHESHIRE COUNTY | TOWNS/CITIES IN CHESHIRE COUNTY

For Help with Researching your family tree,
see HISTORY & GENEALOGY OF NH (Main Site)

SEARCH THIS WEB SITE

Google
www nh.searchroots.com (this site)


BRIEF HISTORY OF CHESHIRE CO., NEW HAMPSHIRE
The province of New Hampshire was divided into five counties in 1771. One of these was named Cheshire, deriving its name from a county in the west of England, celebrated for its manufacture of cheese; hence, the name originally. Keene and Charlestown were made the shire-towns. July 5, 1827, the county was divided, the northern portion taking the name of Sullivan County. This division left Cheshire County with its present limits. It is situated in the southwestern part of the State, bounded on the north by Sullivan County, east by Hillsborough County, south by the State of Massachusetts, and west by the west bank of the Connecticut River. It contains twenty-three towns, eight of which were incorporated in the reign of George II.--namely Chesterfield, Hinsdale, Keene, Richmond, Swanzey, Walpole, Westmoreland and Winchester, -- ten in the reign of George III--namely Alstead, Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Jaffrey, Marlow, Nelson, Rindge, Surry, Stoddard, -- and five under the government of New Hampshire--namely, Harrisville, Marlborough, Roxbury, Sullivan and Troy. In the census of 1880 there were 2836 farms. In 1827 Keene became the shire-town (county seat) of Cheshire County. The Inferior Court met here first in October 1771 and the Superior Court in 1772. The early settlers of Cheshire County came from the south along the Connecticut River. This area was originally the home of the "Squakheag" tribe of Native Americans, who remained here until about 1720.

Get detailed information on how to perform genealogical research in Cheshire County

Learn more about Cheshire County's History
Learn more about Cheshire County's geography and current condition
Learn about Cheshire County's current form of government
Read Interesting Short Stories about Cheshire County - Cheshire Co. Historical Society [Archive]
SEE Biographies of Cheshire County People - USGenWeb Archives
The Cheshire County Historical Society - a GREAT resources

DOCUMENTS (this site) for genealogical research - unique to this web site!

These documents often refer to resident living on numbered roads (i.e., road #1, #25, etc). These roads can be viewed on the 1885 cheshire county map seen below.
OTHER AREAS OF RESEARCH FOR CHESHIRE COUNTY
Visit NH.GOV

Seal of New Hampshire - Live Free or Die
VISIT New Hampshire GENEALOGY and HISTORY
 
 
 
 
 
 



If you are looking for town/city specific resources, click on the town map.

For other resources within Cheshire County

If you want to know about general genealogy resources (such as how to find vital records, deeds and other documents), visit the "Genealogical Research" section.


Current communities in Cheshire County include:

Alstead, Chesterfield, Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Harrisville, Hinsdale, Jaffrey, Keene, Marlboro, Marlow, Nelson, Richmond, Rindge, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Surry, Swanzey, Troy, Walpole, Westmoreland, and Winchester

Clickable Map of Cheshire County NH
 
TOWNS / CITIES IN CHESHIRE COUNTY, New Hampshire

ALSTEAD

CHESTERFIELD
  • History: Established in 1735, this town was the site of Fort #1, one of the line of forts bordering the Connecticut River, which was later known as Fort Dummer. The incorporation of the town took place in 1752 as Chesterfield, after Phillip Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield. Chesterfield includes the village of Spofford, and Spofford Lake. Harlan Fiske Stone, a chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1872-1946), was born in Chesterfield.
  • Villages and Place Names: Fort #1, Camp Notre Dame Spofford, West Chesterfield
  • GOVERNMENT & RESEARCH
  • HISTORY & GENEALOGY:
    • History & Genealogy: Chesterfield N.H.- TXT file. Early history of the town including a geographical description, changes in the town's boundary, naming of the town, waterways and other landmarks, incorporation and settlement, early settlers and births, names of settlers before 1767, early population, early town meetings, Chesterfield during the American Revolution (includes name of most of the citizens who participated), signers of the "Assocation Test," War of 1812 in Chesterfield, Participants in the War of the Rebellion (Civil War), history of schools (including Chesterfield Academy) and churches, early physicians and attorneys, Spafford Lake as a summer resort;Aged persons in Chesterfield and their death dates; Civil list including some early town clerks, selectmen and representatives to the General Court;early manufactures, taverns and hotels, early postmasters; Biographies of the following people and families: Jacob Amidon & Family, Joseph Atherton, Dr. Oliver Baker, Ephraim Baldwin, John H. Barrett, William Bennett, Nathaniel Bingham, Samuel Burt, Asa Britton, Capt. William S. Brooks, Francis W. Brooks, John Butler, John F. Butler, Sidney S. Campbell, Dr. Henry Carpenter, Alexander Chandler, Ithamer Chamberlain, Eleazar Cobleigh, Charles Converse, Oscar Coolidge, Amos Crouch, John Darling, Samuel Davis, Moses Dudley, Samuel Fairbanks, Josiah W. Fairfield, Marshall H. Farr, Dennie W. Farr, Field family, Thomas Fisk, Isaac Fletcher, Rodney Fletcher, Reuben B. Foster Sr., Rev. T.L. Fowler, Phineas Fullman, Samuel Gilson, Samuel Goodrich, David W. Goodrich, Sanford Guernsey, William Haile, Samuel Hamilton, Phineas Handerson, The Harris Family including Abner Harris , Broughton D. Harris, John Harris and Wilder Harris, Capt. Ebenezer Harvey, Dr. Solomon Harvey, Benjamin Haskell, George Hawes, William Henry, Jonathan Hildreth, Jesse Hinds, David Holman, Joseph Holt, Richard Hopkins, Eleazer Jackson, Edward Jarvis, Asa Keys, Samuel King, John Kneeland, Benjamin Lloyd Marsh, Levi Mead, Larkin G. Mead, Calvin E. Nurse, Eli Pattridge, John Pierce, Ezekiel P. Pierce, George Pierce, Warham R. Platts, John Putnam, William Randall & Family and Eleazar Randall, Silas Richardson, Archibald Robertson, James Robertson, Elisha Rockwood, Aaron Royce, Ebenezer Safford, The Sargent Family including Erastus Sargent, Waitstill Scott, William Shurtleff, Roswell Shurtleff, Barton Skinner, Moses Smith (the first settler) and Moses Smith Jr., John Snow, Alpheus Snow, Ebenezer Stearns, David Stoddard, Peter Stone, Warren Stone, Charles L. Strong, Stephen Streeter Jr., Nathan Symonds,Silas Thompson, Ezra Titus, Joseph Titus, Josiah Torrey, Francis Tuttle, Dr. Joshua Tyler, Nathaniel Walton, Lawrence Walton, Sumner Warren, Peter Wheeler, Ashbel Wheeler, Hon. Hoyt H. Wheeler, Nathan Wild, Captain Simon Willard, Rev. Abraham Wood, and Professor Alphonso Wood.
    • Brief History of Chesterfield NH - Keenenh.com
    • FIRST METHODIST MEETING PLACE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE marker in Chesterfield NH - In 1772, "the people called Methodist" held their first religious meeting in this state on the James Robertson farm, 1.2 miles north of here, on Christian Street, with Philip Embury as the preacher. On June 20, 1803, Francis Asbury spoke here using as his text: "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
    • CHIEF JUSTICE HARLAN FISKE STONE marker - Born October 11, 1872, in a modest cottage 1.7 miles west of here on Horseshoe Road. Stone graduated from Amherst College and Columbia Law School, returning to the latter as Dean, 1910-1924. Attorney General of the United States in President Coolidge's Cabinet, he was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court in 1924, and Chief Justice in 1941, serving until his death April 22, 1946. A teacher, lawyer, judge and judicial craftsman of the highest order, he held the affection and respect of the lawyers of the nation. Located on NH 63, at its intersection with the Old Chesterfield Road in the village of Chesterfield.
    • Governor William Haile of NH (resided Chesterfield NH, includes likeness)
    • Story of the John Braley Deed, 1795
    • Harlan Stone, Supreme Court Justice, b. Chesterfield NH | 2nd biography & photo
    • Madame Sherri's Castle (Antoinette Sherri) - history & photographs

  • PHOTOGRAPHS:
  • MAPS:
DUBLIN
FITZWILLIAM

GILSUM
  • History: Gilsum was originally granted, under the name of Boyle (named after Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington and famous architect. Burlington, Vermont), to Joseph Osgood and his associates, December 30, 1752. No settlements were made under this grant, through fear of the Indians, until so late a date that the charter was forfeited. In March 1761, Benjamin Bellows bought from Rebecca Blanchard, widow of Joseph Blanchard, of Dunstable MA, the "Rights he had in Boyle..." This deed conveyed twenty-six rights. Joseph Blanchard purchased additional rights to the area from Theodore Atkinson of Portsmouth. He then sold some of these shares in 1761 to Samuel Gilbert, Esq., Josiah Kilburn, Thomas Sumner, Jonathan Smith and Joseph Mack, all of Connecticut, who in turn, sold some of their shares. In January 24, 1763 Thomas Sumner, on hehalf of the proprietors, petitioned Gov. Benning Wentworth for a new charter of the town, which was granted and the name changed to Gilsum on 13 July 1763. Reportedly the name "Gilsum" was given in settlement of a dispute as to whether the town should be named "Gilbert" or Sumner" after the respective proprietors, choosing "Gilsum" as a compromise.
  • Villages and Place Names: Lower Village, Roundys Corner
  • GOVERNMENT & RESEARCH:
    • Official Gilsum NH web site (none known)
  • HISTORY & GENEALOGY:
    • History & Genealogy: Gilsum, N.H. - TXT --Geography, geology and description of the town of Gilsum NH; origin of the name, early town boundary changes, 1880 population and town description, early physicians, early merchants and manufactories, the first settlement and first settlers, churches, early town officers, residents participating in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War (War of the Rebellion); Brief biographies of early and later settlers including: William Banks, Dr. Messer Carmon, Ezra Carpenter, John Guillow, John C. Guillow, Aaron Hammond, Dr. G. W. Hammon, Amherst Hayward, Nahum O. Hayward, Thomas Howard, Roswell Hubbard, George C. Hubbard, Charles Franklin Kinsbury, James M. Mark, Luther Mark, George W. Newman, Dudley Smith.
    • Brief History of Gilsum NH - KeeneNH.com
    • History & Genealogy, Gilsum NH - USGenWeb
  • PHOTOGRAPHS:
  • MAPS
HARRISVILLE
HINSDALE
  • History: Hinsdale originally contained the township of Vernon (VT), on the opposite side of the Connecticut River. 21 October 1802 Hinsdale Vermont's name was changed to Vernon. The land was granted by Massachusetts at a very early period, but an exact time is difficult to determine because of changes in land governance between Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Reportedly the land was purchased of native Indians and granted by the province of Massachusetts Bay...confirmed to the original proprietors of the town 3 Sept 1753 (New Hampshire charter of the township). Hinsdale was named for Colonel Ebenezer Hinsdale. Colonel Hinsdale was from a prominent family in Deerfield, and he was once chaplain of Fort Dummer, an important trading post on the Connecticut River. He later enlisted as an officer, and then established the trading post at Fort Hinsdale, reportedly at his own expense.
  • Villages and Place Names: Dole Junction, North Hinsdale
  • GOVERNMENT & RESEARCH:
  • HISTORY & GENEALOGY:
    • History & Genealogy: Hinsdale, N.H. - TXT file -- Geography, geology and early history of Hinsdale, NH; early boundary disputes; separation of Hinsdale (later Vernon) VT and Hinsdale NH; population and description of the town and villages; manufactures and businesses about 1880, including mills; churches; biographies of early settlers and later prominent settlers to include the families of: Oliver Adams, Rev. Elisha Andrews, Rev. John G. Bennett, Aaron Blanchard, Dr. Frederick Boyden, Rev. John Brockway, Dea. Billy Burnham, Josiah Butler, Valentine Butler, Elijah Cooper, David Crowninshield, Capt. Oliver Doolittle, Isaac Estey, Abel Fletcher, Rev. Bunker Gay, Hon. William Haile, Rev. Henry W. Hamilton, Reuben Hildreth, George W. Holland, Rev. John Hooker, George P. Hooker, Simeon Horton, Capt. Henry Ide, Henry M. Jones, Dr. William S. Leonard, Lemuel Liscom, Willard Martin, Ivah Newton, Rev. Jeremy Packer, Nelson Richardson, Samuel Rose, Daniel Rugg, Elijah Rugg, Nathan Rugg, Dwight Leonard Sanderson, Charles R. Sargent, Obed Slate, Walter C. Stearns, Elihu Stebbins, John Streeter, Captain Thomas Taylor, Daniel Thomas, Amos Thomas, Israel Thomas, Levi Todd, Hon. Caleb Todd, and Kimbal C. Worden.
    • Article: Hinsdale New Hampshire Journalist, Editor, and Publisher: Charles Anderson Dana (1819-1897) - blog, Cow Hampshire
    • Brief History of Hinsdale NH - KeeneNH.com
    • Another brief History of Hinsdale NH
    • HINSDALE'S AUTO PIONEER marker - In the Holman and Merriman Machine Shop opposite this location, George A. Long of Northfield (Mass.) in 1875 built a steam-propelled four wheel automobile with a fifth wheel for steering. This vehicle, fired by hardwood charcoal, had a bicycle-type frame, ordinary wooden wheels, solid rear axle and could maintain 30 miles per hour, roads permitting. This early inventor patented and built another automobile, propelled by gasoline, now in the Smithsonian Institution. Located on the edge of a parking lot on the south side of NH 119, about .2 mile east of its junction with northbound NH 63.
  • PHOTOGRAPHS:
  • MAPS
JAFFREY
  • History: First granted in 1736 to soldiers from Rowley, Massachusetts, returning from the war in Canada, the town was known as Rowley-Canada. In 1749 the town was re-chartered as Monadnock Number 2, sometimes called Middle Monadnock or Middletown. It was one of the first towns established under the New Hampshire proprietors' purchase of undivided lands under the Masonian claim. The town was regranted in 1767, and incorporated in 1773 as Jaffrey, in honor of George Jaffrey, member of a prominent Portsmouth family. George Jaffrey's son was a life trustee of Dartmouth College, and designer of the official college seal.
  • Villages and Place Names: Hadley, Jaffrey Center, Squantum
  • GOVERNMENT & RESEARCH:
  • HISTORY & GENEALOGY:
    • History & Genealogy: Jaffrey, N.H. -- TXT file -- Geography and geology of Jaffrey NH; the history of the town including its earliest settlers and their location settled; the incorporation of the town and early officers; population of the town from 1775 to 1880. Profile of the town in 1880; description of villages in Jaffrey; early and later manufactures, banks, hotels, etc.; the Monadnock Railroad; names of citizens who participated in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Mexican War; names of citizens in the Civil War (War of the Rebellion) including those who died; description and history of the old meeting-house; church history; schools and post office; names of lawyers and physicians; Biographies of early settlers and later prominent citizens including that of: Stephen Adams, Daniel P. Adams, Marshall H. Adams, Shubael Bascom, Timothy Bemis, Dr. Oscar H. Bradley, Jacob Buckwold, Jonah Carter, John Cutter, Benjamin Cutter, Joel Cutter, Joseph Cutter, Gustavus Cutter, Jonathan Fox, Thomas French, Benjamin Frost, John Garfield, Jonathan D. Gibbs, Roger Gilmore Esq., Thomas Goff, Eleazer W. Heath, Thomas Jaqueth [sic Jaquith], Jacob Jewell, David Lacy, Benjamin Lawrence, J.S. Lawrence, Harlon F. Morse, Samuel Pierce, Asa Pierce, Jonas Pierce, Benjamin Pierce, Capt. Eldad Prescott, Capt. I.B. Proctor, Dr. Daniel Ryan, Leonard F. Sawyer, Cummings Sawyer, Joseph Scott, Oliver J. Spaulding, James Stephens, Nathaniel F. Stevens, Green Towne, Peter Upton, and Louis Woodruff (among others)
    • History of the Town of Jaffrey NH - online book, FREE (Google Books)
    • Genealogy: USGenWeb Archives - brief genealogies of Jaffrey Families: Capt. Benjamin Spaulding.
    • Genealogy - Bryant Family of Jaffrey
    • Brief History of Jaffrey NH - KeeneNH.com
    • History & Genealogy of Jaffrey NH - USGenWeb - This site also has some GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS
    • Jaffrey Main Street
    • Hannah Davis-Amos Fortune marker in Jaffrey - Buried behind Jaffrey's colonial Meeting House nearby are "Aunt" Hannah Davis, 1784-1863, resourceful and beloved spinster who made, trademarked, and sold this country's first wooden bandboxes; and Amos Fortune, 1710-1801, African-born slave who purchased his freedom, established a tannery and left funds for the Jaffrey church and schools. Located in Jaffrey Center, on the south side of NH 124, about 2 miles east of its junction with US 202.
  • PHOTOGRAPHS:
    • Photograph: