HISTORY OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY POOR HOUSE (aka ALMS HOUSE) ---------------------------------- Information located at http://www.nh.searchroots.com On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE and its counties TRANSCRIBED BY JANICE BROWN Please see the web site for my email contact. ---------------------------------- The original source of this information is in the public domain, however use of this text file, other than for personal use, is restricted without written permission from the transcriber (who has edited, compiled and added new copyrighted text to same). ======================================================== SOURCE: History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885. page 709-711 [WILTON SECTION] ******* CHAPTER VII ******* PAUPERISM AND INSANITY In the earlier stages of New England civilization the condition of the abnormal members of the community, such as paupers, the insane, orphans, slaves and criminals, was a hard one. Puritanism made men and women stern, resolute, firm, severe, but not particularly gentle, compassionate, sympathetic or humanitarian. God himself was looked upon as King and Judge, rather than the Universal Father. If men suffered, the feeling was that they ought to suffer. It was the Hebrew code, rather than the Christian--an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The Indians were regarded and treated as the children of the devil and worthy of extermination. They were often sold into slavery. Slaves were made even of white men. Little compassion was felt for those who fell out of line and did not keep step with the march of society. The poor were sold at auction, for their maintenance, to the lowest bidder. The insane were regarded with superstitious awe, and often shut up in cold and filthy out-houses, sometimes chained, without fire, suitable clothing, proper food or medical attendance. I knew, in one town, where a man was confined in a cage for thirty years, from which he had never been out but once. The treatment of criminals was harsh and vindictive, and the condition of jails and lock-ups was a reproach to civilization and Christianity. Orphan children, apprentices and the friendless, often experience little mercy or commiseration from those who had them in charge, or from the community. Domestic and school discipline, even to the more favored, was grounded on the proverb of "sparing the rod and spoiling the child." Such was the general character of the times, to which there were, of course, many notable exceptions worthy of all commendation. But all these features are so changed now that they appear as almost incredible to later times. There have been no reforms more remarkable than those of the amelioration of the condition and life of the weak and suffering classes. The leaven of Christianity has been leavening the whole lump, and reaching out and down to the very outskirts of society. The spirit of Him who came not to destroy men's lives but to save them, and to seek and save the lost, is becoming the corporate spirit of States and cities. When we consider the progress of the last one hundred and fifty years in the direction of humane and benevoloent activity, we cannot but hope for still greater and more beneficient changes in the near future. The 'Centennial Pamphlet' tells us that: "The first pauper in town was by the name of Stratton, who received aid from the town before the Revolution. From this time until 1830 there were but seven families--and these but in part--who were supported by the town. Some other individuals, but very few in number, have occasionally received aid. In 1830 a farm for the poor was purchased and was carried on by the town for some years. The products of this farm were nearly sufficient, in most years, to pay the wages of the overseer and family and for the support of the poor." TOWN FARM.--At the annual town-meeting in March 1803, the town voted to purchase a farm on which to support the poor. Joel Abbot, Oliver Perham and Daniel Batchelder, selectmen, and Jonathan Parkhurst and Jonathan Livermore were appointed a committee to purchase a farm, stock, tools and furniture, and employ a man and his wife to manage the same. The paupers were supported on this farm thirty-eight years. At the annual town-meeting in March 1868, the town "Voted, That the selectmen appoint a committee of three to dispose of and sell the town farm." "Voted, That this committee sell the personal property on the town farm on the 1st day of April next." "Voted, That this committee be authorized and empowered to dispose of, sell and convey said farm and to give a deed of same." The farm comprised lot No. 8, in the eighth range, and about three-fourths of lot No. 8 in the ninth range of lots. The farm was formerly owned by Nathan A. Whiting. After the town sold the farm, the paupers were provided for by contract. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FARM--The increase of manufacturing at Manchester, Nashua and other villages in the county, and the law passed in 1841 making void all "settlements" gained in the towns prior to 1796, added much to the number of paupers to be supported by the county. The county judges--Hon. Jacob Whittemore of Antrim, and Hon. Jesse Carr, of Goffstown--at that time had the superintendence of all matter relating to the county paupers. For the purpose of lessening the expenses of the county of maintaining the paupers, in the latter part of the year 1849 they purchased of Noyes Poor, Esq. of Goffstown, a farm, for which was paid ten thousand dollars. At the session of the Legislature of 1851 the Representiaves of Hillsborough County met in convention for the purpose of examining the financial affairs of the county, and the following resolve was passed: "Resolved, That Jonathan D. Clement, of Weare, be and is hereby appointed, in behalf of this convention, to make examination into and thoroughly investiage the financial affairs of the county for the last five years, and to make and report to the next county convention, a general statement of the affairs of each of said years, and a full and particular statement of said affairs in detail, for each of the two last years, and that said Clement have power to send for persons and papers in making said investigation." This resolution, having been considered by the convention, was, on motion, adopted by unanimous votes. Mr. Clement submitted his report to the Convention of Representatives of Hillsborough County, in convention, June Session, 1852. From that report we take the following account of the expenses of the county for paupers in the years named in the report: Cash paid October term, 1846........$4,328.13 Cash paid January term, 1847........ 379.03 Cash paid April term, 1847.......... 5, 003.50 __________ $9,710.66 Cash paid October term, 1847........ 5,931.18 Cash paid April term, 1848.......... 4,098.83 __________ $10,030.01 Cash paid October term, 1848........ 6,563.55 Cash paid April term, 1849.......... 6,096.76 __________ $12,660.31 Cash paid October term, 1849........ 7,518.94 Cash paid April term, 1850.......... 6.554.53 __________ $14,073.47 Cash paid October term, 1850........ 2,346.90 Cash paid January term, 1851........ 214.58 Cash paid April term, 1851.......... 2,487.32 __________ $5,048.80 Cash paid for support of County Farm Cash paid October term, 1850........ 1,650.40 Cash paid January term, 1851........ 1,764.77 Cash paid April term, 1851.......... 1,707.76 ----------- $5,122.93 _____________ Total for the years 1850-51............... $10,171.73 In February 1850, the judges notified the several towns that the establishment in Goffstown was ready to receive paupers. In the report of 1850 is the account For repairing and fitting up the building............ $483.73 For stock, farming tools and furniture............... 1,678.91 __________ $2,162.64 Cost of the Farm................................. 10,000.00 __________ Total outlay..................................... $12,162.64 The first report of the justices was dated September 3, 1850, the institution having been occupied about six months. At that time there had been one hundred and seventy-six paupers at the farm, eighty-eight having been the largest number at any time, and seventy-seven being the average number. The law passed by the Legislature in 1855 remodeled the judiciary, abolished the offices of county justices and road commissioners, and created the office of county commissioners, with the same duties and powers of those of the county justices and road commissioners. In the report of the commissioners, dated December, 1857, for the year previous, the expenses of the paupers are as follows: At the county farm...............................................$4,546.33 Paid to towns for support of county paupers...................... 5,544.73 To pay special contracts, New Hampshire Asylum, printing, etc. .. 641.32 ___________ Total.......................................................... $10,705.38 Whole number of paupers at the farm, 281 Averge number, 104-1/2 Number of weeks' board of paupers, 5434 The Legislature, in 1860 or 1861, passed a law making void all settlements gained prior to 1840, that threw the support of most of the paupers upon the county, and caused the sale of the farms that were owned by the towns on which the paupers had been supported. The next report we have is for the year ending January 1, 1868, which was the year the paupers were removed from Goffstown to Wilton. Late in the year 1866 the buildings at the farm in Goffstown, with the exception of the barn, stable and corn-barn, were destroyed by fire. The representatives of the towns of Hillsborough County, in convention at Manchester, in January 1867, instructed the county commissioners to sell as speedily as possibly, consistent with the interest of the county, at public or private sale, the county poor farm at Goffstown, in whole or in parts, and such parts of the personal property connected with the farm as they deem advisable, and directed and authorized them to purchase the Whiting farm, in Wilton, so called, at an expense not exceeding the sum of twelve thousand five hundred dollars, and directed and authorized them to erect such further buildings on said farm as may be necessary for the accomodation of the county, at an expense not exceeding ten thousand dollars. The county took possession of the farm, April 1, 1867, and a building was erected of wooden materials, eighty-two by forty feet, three stories high, with cellar under the whole, cemented bottom, and partitioned into rooms suitable for the purposes needed. The farm is bounded on the west by Temple, and the north line is one-half mile from the south line of Lyndeborough, and contains four hundred and thirty-six acres; also, northwesterly from the buildings, a lot of one hundred acres, that is bounded on the north by Lyndeborough line, is included in the farm. Since the farm was purchased by the county, there has been expended in building, including the boiler-house and boilers, over twenty thousand dollars. In 1884 a wind-mill, with the necessary apparatus, was put in for raising water into the build, at a cost of five hundred and twenty-one dollars. This arrangement has proved satisfactory. A number of years sine the establishment was made a county House of Correction, which adds to the number of those that are able to work. While Captain Bumpus was the superintendent, twelve acres of the pasture west of the buildings, towards the intervale, was cleared of rocks; and since the present superintendent, Mr. Charles A. STiles, has had charge, twenty acres north of the buildings and ten acres east of the road have been cleared of the rocks, with two acres that have been commenced, which, when completed, will make forty-four acres changed from rough pasture land to smooth fields. The old walls have also be cleared off, making but one field on the west side of the road. On the southerly part of the farm is a large orchard of nearly all Baldwin apples, from which, in 1883, were taken twelve hundred bushels of marketable fruit. We extract from the report of 1873 the following statistics: Number at the almshouse January 1, 1872, 108. Admitted during the year, 146. Deaths during the year, 11. Weekly average during the year, 118. Number at the almshouse, January 1, 1873, 120. Of the one hundred and forty-six admitted during the year, twenty-nine were sentenced to the House of Correction. Cost for the support of paupers at the farm...........$9,287.80 For support of paupers away from the farm............. 5,791.52 ______________ Total................................................$15,079.32 From the report for the year ending April 30, 1884, we take the following statistics: Number at the almshouse, May 1, 1883, 244. Admitted to May 1, 1884, 253 Discharged to May 1, 1884, 243 Supported and partially supported, 497 Births, 11 Deaths, 27 Weekly average, 266 Number at the alms-house May 1, 1884, 254 For support of paupers in the almshouse................$23,430.45 For support of paupers in cities and towns............. 13,673.12 _______________ Total cost of supporting paupers in Hillsborough from May 1, 1883 to May 1, 1884............................$37.103.57 Since the county farm has been established in Wilton, three chaplains have held office,--Rev. S.C. Fletcher, Rev. I.S. Lincoln and Rev. George C. Trow. Messrs. Fletcher and Trow are Baptists, and Mr. Lincoln Unitarian. The last gentleman officiated for ten years, ending May 1, 1884. There have been two superintendents,--Captain G.G. Bumpus and C.A. Stiles, Esq. (end)