HISTORY OF WEARE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- 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, 878 pgs. WEARE, N.H. CHAPTER I p. 678 TOPOGRAPHY--Weare is in latitude 43 degrees 4' north, longitude 71 degrees 44' west. It is fifteen miles from Concord, the State capital, eighteen miles northewst of Manchester and seventy miles from Boston. It is bounded north by Henniker and Hopkinton, east by Dunbarton and Goffstown, south by Goffstown, New Boston and Francestown and west by Francestown and Deering. Its area is 33,648 acres and it has 23,392 acres of improved land. The length of the town is about seven and one-half miles, the breadth six and one-half, and in territory it is the largest town in the county of Hillsborough. Weare has four mountains in the central part of the town on a line running nearly northeast and southwest,--Mt. Dearborn (1229 feet high), Mr. Wallingford (1213), Mt. William (1108) and Mr. Misery (1026). There are also thirteen hills, each about 1000 feet high-- Kuncanowet, so called by the Indians from Kunnaway (a bear), wadchu (a mountain) and et (a place), meaning "the mountain place of the bear," Sugar, Burnt, Rattlesnake, Craney, Hogback, Chevey, Mine, Toby, Odiorne, Boar's Head, Barnard and Raymond cliff. Two rivers flow through the town,--the Piscataquog and Middle Branch. The Indians gave the name to the first, and it is from Pos (great), attuck (a deer) and quaog (a place), meaning "great deer place," or "a place of many deer." The correct spelling of the word is "Poscattaquoag." In Deering the stream is sometimes called Nomkeag from Namoas (a fish) and keag (a place), meaning "fish place." Twenty-nine brooks enter these two rivers,--Cram, Ferrin, Lily-pond, Emmons, Eight-Loads Meadow, Currier, Peacock, Meadow, the Otter, Huse, Alexander, Bassett, Choate, Felch, Cilley, Bog, Chase, Huntington, Trinity, Getchel, Breed, Half-Moon Meadow, Center, Dustin, Thorndike, Putney, Johnson, Dudley and Hadlock. There are three considerable ponds,--Ferrin, Duck and Mt. William. The latter contains one hundred and twenty-eight acres and is forty feet deep. GEOLOGY--The oldest rock in Weare is porphyritic gneiss. It forms what were once two islands standing out in the sea,--North Weare and Raymond cliff Lake gneiss abounds in the northwest part of the town, also near Clinton Grove, Mt. Dearborn, Odiorne Hill and the east base of Mt. Misery. Mica schist forms Rattlesnake Hill; there is an outcrop of it two miles north of Clinton Grove; also near Mr. Misery and Odiorne Hill. Ferruginous schist is found on the summit of Mt. Wallingford and throughout the west part of the town. It reddens the mica schist rocks. Fibrolite schist makes the top of Mt. Misery. Rockingham schist forms the huge masses of Mts. Wallingford and William, and it rests upon the lake gneiss underneath. Mont Alban rocks are on the Kuncanowet Hills. Steatire or soapstone crops out on the east slope of Mt. Misery. Crystallized radiated bunches of tale are disseminated through the soap-stone and with it are minute bits of pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, asbestos and crystals of feldspar. There are many remains of the glacial period to be seen in Weare. Striae are on all the rocks. Lenticular hills abound in the southwest part of the town. Boulders by the thousands are strewn thick on the land. The Elephant boulder on Mt. Wallingford, the Traveler and the Dolmen on Barnard Hill, are curiousities; some of them will weigh two thousands tons or more each. Embossed rock (Roches Moutenes) are abundant. Precipices on the southeast slopes of the hills show where the ice fell down like an avalanche. Terraces made of the material ground up by the ice sheet are in the river-valleys. Kettle-holes are common in the great beds of drift, and pot-holes worn in the solid rock are high up in the hills. FLORA--There are thirty-eight native trees--white pine, pitch pine, red pine, black spruce, balsam fir, hemlock, larch, red cedar, arbor vitae, white maple, red maple, rock maple, striped maple, beech, black birch, yellow birch, white birch, gray birch, white oak, red oak, chestnut oak, scrub oak, chestnut, elm, butternut, walnut, hickory, basswood, white ash, brown ash, leverwood, ironwood, poplar, white poplar, willow, black cherry, butttonwood. Eleven or more foreign ones have been introducted--Lombardy poplar, locust, horse chesnut, balm of Gilead, thorn, quince, apple, pear, peach, plum and cherry. There are a great number of shrubs and a multitude of other plants. FAUNA--In early time moose, deer, panthers, wolves and bear were very plenty. These have disappeared. Wolves at times were a great pest; the State offered large bounties for their heads, and Weare in 1780 was so much troubled with them that it was proposed to offer an additional bounty for their destruction. The otter, hedgehog, raccoon, with its cunning, half-human face; rabbit, two kinds; red fox, black fox, woodchuck, skunk, musquash, mink, stoat, weasel, squirrel, four kinds; bat, mole, rat and mouse now abound. Two or three kinds of wildcats occasionally visit the town. INDIANS--The valley of the Piscataquog was a noted hunting-ground for the Indians. It was their great place for deer. The tribe who occupied all this region was the Nipmunk, a name derived from nipe (still water) and auke (a place), the letter "m" thrown in for sound, and meaning "Fresh-water Indians." They were divided into numerous clans, each clan bearing the name of the particular place where it happened to live. The Indians built their wigwams on the meadows by the streams, where they could plant, hunt and fish. Many of their stone implements have been picked up by the farmers. Moses A. Hodgdon found several arrow-heds on his farm at the fork of the Peacock; they were of a light slate color; he also found a mortar pestle or stone to dress hides and some stone axes. Mr. Gove, who lives near by him, found a few arrow-heads. Thomas and John Follansbee, on their farm by the Piscataquog, found a stone-knife, spear-heads, a skinning-stone, a mortar of stone in which they pounded their corn, and on an intervale several old fire-places, paved with stone. The Felches found a stone axe near Hogback Hill. In the time of King George's War, 1744-47, Timothy Corliss, a hunter from Haverhill, Mass., had his camp on the meadows of the Peacock. A party of Indians, who were prowling about the border settlements, found, captured, and carried him away to Canada. He came back after the war was over and eventually settled in Weare. EXPLORATIONS--The first white men to visit Weare were, no doubt, hunters and trappers. Captives taken by the Indians may have journeyed through the land. During the Three Years or Lovewell War, Massachusetts offered a bounty of one hundred pounds for every Indian scalp brought in. There is a tradition that Captain John Lovewell, the celebrated Indian fighter, marched through our town with a party of scouts, killing a black moose on the way, and went as far as Mount Lovewell, said to have been named for him in Washington. This was in 1723. He, with his men, afterwards killed then Indians in the night, by a small pond in Wakefield, getting a thousand pounds for their scalps, and was himself killed by Paugus and his braves at Lovewell Pond, in Fryeburg, Me. Lovewell's great success roused others to hunt the Indians, and no less than seventeen scouting-parties went marching through these northern woods. Captain Daniel Pecker was captain of one of these, and, as he and his company are the first recorded white men who ever set foot in Weare, we shall give his "Scout Journal" in full. The company was raised in Haverhill, Mass., and the following is the journal of its march: "CAPTAIN PECKER'S JOURNAL, December 12, 1723 (The above is written on the back of the original) "A journal of my proceedings in my Second March after the Indian Enemy "1723, novbr 23--Victualed part of my Company-- 24--Sabbath Day-- 25--Victualed the other part of my Men-- 26--Marched from Haverhill--Westward 14 miles-- 27--Marched farther Westward--12 miles-- 28--We got to Dunstable--8 miles--Thanksgiving Day 29--Lay by, by reason of bad Weather 30--Marched to Nashua River--8 miles-- December 1--Marched up to Pennechuck Brook about Northwest, being 10 miles-- 2--Marched about N:W: up to Souhegan & so crossed the River,-- 12 miles 3--Marched by Unhenonuck hill--14 Miles 4--Steering Northward to a Great Mountain & so sent out a Scout to the hill to see what they could Discover, being 8 miles-- 5--Steering about North and by East up to Poscattaquog River & so crossed Said River,--12 miles-- 6--Steering about N;E: over another part of Poscattaquog River, about 10 a Clock, I sent Eight Men, under the Command of Jonathan Robin, up to Contoocook River & to return the third day to me at Suncook River, and then went with the rest of my Company to Black Brook--14 miles 7&8--lay Still by reason of bad Weather-- 9--Marched from Black Brook down to Merrimack River, against Suncook, being a Stormy Day of Snow, the Scout returning to me at night & told me they had marched up to some of the Southerly Branhces of Contoocook River (10 miles) & Discovered Nothing-- "Marched from Annahookset hill, Crost Merrimack River & So Steering a South Easterly Course, Marched to Great Massapisset pond,--16 miles 11--Marched from Massapisset pond to the Northermost part of Cheshire--16 miles 12--Marched from thence to Haverhill--18 miles "Daniel Pecker" GRANTS---Previous to 1740 all the territory west of the Merrimack River were claimed by Massachusetts. New Hampshire also laid claim to a part of it, and the case having gone on for a long time, Massachusetts began to think she might be beaten, and, to give her citizens the profit that might arise from the sale of the lands, about 1725 began to make grants. She tried to hide her avarice by a show of patriotism, and on the pretense that she needed a line of town on the frontier to keep out the French and Indians, laid out and gave grants of a double row of nine towns from the Merrimack to the Connecticut, and four more towns on the east side of the latter stream. Then she voted nine towns as a bounty to the heirs of the men who fought in the Indian War with King Philip in 1675, and these were known as the nine Narraganset towns, but only seven of them were laid out. To reward the men who went with Sir William Phips, in 1690, to fight the French and Indians in Canada, a score or so of the towns were granted, called Canada townships, one of which was our town of Weare. Those in New Hampshire were known as Canada to Beverly, Weare; Canada to Dantzick, Bow; Canada to Salem, Lyndeborough; Canada to Ipswich, New Ipswich; Canada to Harwood, Peterborough; Canadan to Sylvester, Richmond; Canada to Rowley, Rindge; and Canada to Baker or Stevens, Salisbury. Weare was granted to Captain William Rayment and company, on the petition of Colonel Robert Hale and others, by the General Court of Massachusetts, May 1735. The grantees had five years to settle the town; each one was to build a house on this respective lot or share, eighteen feet square and seven feet stud, plow and bring to English grass fit for mowing six acres of land, settle a learned orthodox minister, build a convenient meeting-house for the public worship of God, and each was to give a bond of twenty pounds to do these things. The town was to be laid out at once at the charge of the province. Colonel Hale and John Wainright were a committee to do this, and William Gregg, of Londonderry, surveyor, with Isaac Gray and Jeremiah Butman as chainmen, went to Weare and did it. They made a plot of the town and returned with a short description under oath February 17, 1736. The town was divided into shares, many sales were made and, that the deeds might be properly recorded, "the township granted to Captain Rayment and company," with other townships near by, were declared to be a part of the county of Middlesex, in the province of Massachusetts. This act was passed February 2, 1737. Many deeds of land in Weare are recorded in the registry of that county. What these proprietors ever did towards the settlement of the town we have never been able to learn. Halestown was the first name of Weare, so called from Colonel Robert Hale; "to Beverly" appears as its name on Thomas Jaffrey's map of New England, and this name was given because most of the grantees resided in Beverly. "Beverly-Canada," or "Canada to Beverly" were other names for Weare, which are found in "Douglass' Summary," written in 1746-49. The settlement of the line in 1740 between the two provinces, located our town in New Hampshire, and the Masonian proprietors, granted it September 20, 1749 to Ichabod Robie and seventy-nine others. "Robies town" was, more or less, the fifth name for Weare for the next fifteen years. By the terms of the grant thirty families should be settled on said grant in four years, having a house, sixteen feet square or more, and three acres of land cleared and fitted for mowing and tillage. Ten families more should be settled in town in the next two years. A meeting-house for the public worship of God should be built in six years and constant preaching maintained after twelve years. A good saw-mill should be built and all white pine trees fit for masting the royal navy should be reserved to his majesty's use forever. If these things and some others are not done in times specified the grant shall be forfeited, but if an Indian war should break out the time the war laster was not to run. SETTLEMENT--The proprietors went to work at once to comply with the terms of the grant. They laid out the town into lots and divided them; they cut out a way to the Centre Square and built a bridge over the Piscatquog. THen they built two log cabins and hired two men to go and live in them; the men never went, but in 1750 they succeeded in getting one man to move into town. NATHANIEL MARTIN was the first white settler of Weare. He was from Bedford and had married the daughter of Colonel John Goffe, one of the proprietors who probably got him to move into town. He settled on the east bank of the Piscataquog, about fifteen rods from the river, and one and one half miles above the present Oil-Mill Village. He built the first saw-mill at the latter place about 1760. JOHN JEWELL, from Old Derryfield, now Manchester, was the second settler. He moved into town in May, 1751 and built his cabin in South Weare. The place where it stood is still pointed out. It was on the north side of the present road from Oil-Mill Village to Dearborn's tavern and was about one fourth mile from the latter place. His sons, John Jewell Jr. and Jacob Jewell, came to Weare with him. His daughter was the bride of the first wedding in town and they had a wedding feast consisting of bear's steaks and Jotham beans. A wild bear from the woods was killed for the occasion and the beans were procured from Jotham Tuttle, hence the name Jotham beans. THOMAS WORTHLEY was the third settler. He was originally from Bedford, but came to Weare from Goffstown October, 1751. He settled on the west bank of the Otter near a cold spring and a few rods east of the north road from Oil-mill to South Weare. His old cellar is yet plain to be seen, and his wife's grave, paved with white pebbles, is near by. By his cabin was an open meadow, where once was a beaver's pond, and from it he got wild grasses for his stock. His sons,--Timothy Jr., Jonathan and Thomas,--came to Weare with him, and one of his daughters married Jotham Tuttle, who found the beans for Miss Jewell's wedding. MOSES QUIMBY was the fourth settler. He came from Derryfield to South Weare and built his house near where the meeting-house now stands about April 8, 1752. He was born in what is now Danville (formerly Hawke). TIMOTHY CORLISS, originally from Haverhill, Mass., came from Bedford about December 6, 1753 and sat down in South Weare near where stands the present church. He was the father of Timothy Jr., who was carried away by the Indians during King George's War; and the son probably came to Weare at the same time and they lived together. WILLIAM QUIMBY came from Derryfield to Weare late in the year 1753 and settled in South Weare about one-half mile south of the church. These were all who came in the first four years, and the grant would have been forfeited had not the old French and Indian War, sometimes called the Seven Years War, broke out. The exception in their grant of an Indian war saved them. While the war was going on, new settlers were few and far between, but the following came on or about the dates named: Aaron Quimby, 1754; Jeremiah Corliss, 1757; Caleb Emery, 1758; Jotham Tuttle, 1759; Bond Little, 1759; Joshua Maxfield, 1760; Joshua Corliss, 1760; Caleb Atwood 1760; James Emerson; 1761. MARY CORLISS, born June 2, 1759, daughter of Jeremiah Corliss, was the first white child of Weare. MISS LYDIA JEWELL, daughter of John Jewell, and --- were the first couple married. ABIGAIL CORLISS, wife of Joshua Corliss, deceased March 17, 1763 was the first one who died. When the war was over then the tide of immigration flowed faster, and these settled about the dates given: Stephen Emerson, 1762; Stephen Emerson Jr., 1762; Moses Gile, 1762; Paul Dustin 1762; William Dustin, 1762; John Mudget 1762; Asa Heath, 1762; William Hutchins 1762; Ebenezer Bayley 1762; Samuel Nutt, 1763; John Simons, 1763; Jonathan Clement, 1764; Ezra Clement, 1764; Stephen George, 1764; Benoni Coburn, 1764; Jeremiah Allen, 1764; Jonathan Atwood, 1764; Josiah Brown, 1764; James Dickey, 1764; Moses Huse, 1764; Nathaniel Corliss, 1764; Abraham Johnson, 1764; Joshua Quimby, 1764; William Darling, 1764. SAW-MILL -- The proprietors, March 16, 1752 voted to build a saw-mill on the twenty acres of land set apart for that purpose, and MOSES BLAKE took the contract to do the work and put in a strong dam for seven hundred pounds old tenor. The proprietors were to find that mill irons, saw and all things to fit the mill for work. It was built on the Piscatquog, a short distance above East Weare, where Robt. Peaslee's mill now stands. At this place there is almost a natural dam across the stream. At a proprietors' meeting, held October 24, 1752, Blake reported that he had got the mill done and MOSES WADLEIGH, the man they had chosen to judge of that fact, said he had helped build it in the two or three months just past and that it was done in all things. This was such good news that they voted to pay Blake and not hold him to do any more work. It was good luck for the contractor that he had the work done and the money in his pocket. In a very short time there came an immense freshet which swept the dam and mill away. When the water subsided some one gathered up the mill irons and hid them under a great pine log on the bank of the stream. ROBERT PEASLEE found them there more than three-fourths of a century afterwards, 1828. THE OLD FRENCH WAR--Many of the settlers of Weare were out in the old French war, some of the early ones going from Weare and others from the towns where they lived before they came to Weare. Their names are: Captain Nehemiah martin, David Moulton, Ebenezer Sincler [sic Sinclair], Joshua Corliss, Stephen George, John Worthley, Jeremiah Corliss, Jacob Jewell, Joseph George, Ezra Clement, Asa Heath, Moses Huse, William Darling, John Darling, Aaron Quimby, Thomas Worthley, Cornelius Bean, Joseph Ordway, Daniel Emerson, Caleb Emery, Bond Little, Benoni Coburn, Samuel Ayers, Benjamin Collins, Nathaniel Fifield, Ithamer Eaton, Thomas Eastman. MEETING-HOUSE--We are not certain about the time the first meeting-house was built. There was one in South Weare about 1768, and we think the proprietors must have built it several years before that date to fulfill the conditions of the grant. It stood at the fork of the roads about one hal fmile west of the present church, south side of the Deering road and west of that to New Boston. Jacob Jewell probably gave the land on which it stood. It was never completed, but both religious and town-meetings claimed to own it and afterwards sold it. INCORPORATION--The town thus far had not been incorporated, no town-meetings had been held, no taxes raised, no highways laid out and no bridges built. These things were sadly needed, and so they got up the following petition: "PETITION OF INHABITANTS OF HALE'S TOWN, NOW WEARE "Province of New Hampshire "To his Excellency Bening Wentworth, Esqr., Capt. General and Governor and command-in-Chief in and over this his Majesty's Provence of New Hamphier, the Honnourable his Majesty's Counsel "the Humble Petition of the Inhabitants' of that Tract of land known by the name of Hails Town, otherwise called Colo Weares Town, Humbly shewith: "That your Petitioners are under grate disadvantages for want the Prviligs of other Towns in this Provence in chusinge Town officers and laying out and manding High-Ways, gitting and supporting a Minister and maney other things that are Netsetry for the good and Bennfit of the Town: Wherefor your Pettitioners Humbly pray your Excelency and Honors in Corprate us into a Town, granting us all the Previlidges and Immunitys of other Towns in this Provence, and your Pettitioners, as in Dutey Bound, shall every pray. "Dated at Hailes Town this 3d day of April, 1764 "Asa Heath, Stephen George, Caleb Emory, Thomas Worthly, Nathaniel Corliss, John Mudget, Jeremiah Corlles, Favon (?) Quinbe, William Hutchins, Josiah Brown, John Jewell, Jeremiah Allen, Stephen Emerson, Stephen Emerson Jr., Benony Coben, Bond Little, Jacob Jewell, Abraham Johnson, Jonathan Atwood, John Simons, William Darling." Benning Wentworth, Governor of the Province, with the advice and consent of his council, on the 21st day of September, 1764, issued an order, often called a charter, whereby the inhabitants of "Hailes Town," as they called it were "erected and Encorporated" into a township with town privileges. The document recited the bounds making the town six miles square; annexed a slip of land on the south six miles long and one mile wide, belonging to the Masonian proprietors and often called the Gore; named the town Weare; gave the inhabitants all the powers, authority, privileges, immunities and franchises which other towns enjoy; reserved all white pine trees fit for masting the royal navy, and also the right to divide the territory of the town; promised that private property should be inviolate by the owners; that they should choose their own officers and transact their own town business; appointed John Goffe, Esq., to call the first town-meeting and preside therein, and declared that hereafter the annual town-meetings should be held on the second Tuesday of March. FIRST TOWN-MEETING--Colonel John Goffe called the first town-meeting September 28, 1764. It was held at the inn of Lieutenant Jeremiah Allen on Tuesday, October 9, 1764. John Goffe presided. "Voted, to Except the Charter. "Voted, that the Officers be chosen by Powl "The Selectmen that shalle be chosen this year shall have no allowance for their labor Except charges born by the Town. "Chose Jeremiah Corliss, Town Clark; Capt. Nathaniel Martin, John Mudget, Moses Quimbe, Jeremiah Corliss and Moses Gile, Selectmen; Ensine Jacob Jewell, Jonathan Clement, Thomas Worthley, William Darling, Surveyors; John Jewell Constable; Josiah brown, Jonathan Clement, Commity Men to Examine Selectmen's accounts; Aaron Quimby, to take the invoice; Abraham Johnson, Asa Heath, Hog Reafs; Nathaniel Corlles, Tiding Man. "Voted no money for preaching; Forty-Eight pounds old Tenor for Cornel Goffe's Troble and Charges in Gitting the Charter; Eighteen Pounds old Tenor for Cornel Goffe's Trouble for Swaring the officers and other Trobles "A true Record by me, "Jeremiah Corlles, Clark" FIRST INVENTORY--Aaron Quimbe at once took the invoice. The citizens were taxed: L s. d. James Emerson ...................... 6 10 0 Jonathan Clement.................... 12 16 8 Ezra Clement........................ 6 10 0 Jotham Tuttle....................... 7 10 0 Stephen George...................... 8 0 0 Thomas Worthley..................... 6 0 0 Jonathan Atwood..................... 10 4 5 Caleb Atwood........................ 11 0 0 Josiah Brown........................ 8 0 0 Stephen Emerson..................... 24 17 5 Stephen Emerson, Jr. ............... 5 0 0 Moses Gille......................... 15 10 0 Captain Nathaniel Martin............ 17 9 5 Benoni Coburn....................... 6 0 0 Moses Huse.......................... 8 10 0 Joshua Corlles...................... 9 0 0 Nathaniel Corlles................... 7 0 0 Caleb Emery......................... 6 0 0 Timothy Corliss..................... 8 10 0 Timothy Corlles, Jr. ............... 11 10 0 Jeremiah Colles..................... 11 10 0 Joshua Martin....................... 1 0 0 Thomas Worthley..................... 16 4 5 Paul Dustin......................... 6 0 0 William Dustin...................... 13 4 5 Jeremiah Allen, Esq. ............... 15 4 5 John Jewell......................... 19 14 5 Moses Quimbe........................ 12 0 0 Samuel Nut.......................... 9 10 0 James Dicke......................... 6 0 0 John Mudget......................... 9 4 5 Asa Heath........................... 9 0 0 John Simons......................... 8 0 0 William Hutchins.................... 8 0 0 Ebenezer Bayly...................... 9 0 0 Insine Jacob Jewell................. 8 4 5 George Little....................... 1 13 4 Aaron Quimbe........................ 10 0 0 William Quimbe...................... 9 10 0 Bond Little......................... 6 0 0 William Smith....................... 7 14 5 Abraham Johnson..................... 6 9 0 Joshua Mackesfield.................. 5 0 0 SECOND TOWN-MEETING--The next town-meeting was held March 12, 1765, at Jeremiah Allen's inn. The town officers were chosen by "hand votes," and they were to have no pay for their labor except the charges "borne" by the town. Voted to build a pound; that Insign Jacob Jewell and Asa Heath be deer keepers; that Jonathan Clement should keep the charter; that eighty pounds, old tenor, should be raised for preaching, which should be at the house of Esquire Allen; fifty pounds to defray town charges. From 1764 to the present time Weare has never failed to hold its annual town-meeting. FIRST CHURCH--The vote of eighty pounds to pay for preaching brought many preachers to Weare. In 1766 Samuel Haven, of Portsmouth; John Stickland, of Andover; John Houston, of Bedford; and David McGregor, of Londonderry, were each paid one pound four shillings for preaching. Elders Samuel Hovey and Hezekiah Smith preached in South Weare several times during the two years previous to April 19, 1768, and Elder Peletiah Tingley came to town January 9, that year. "God was pleased," says the church record, "to follow with his blessing," and on said April 19 the Antipaedo-Baptist Church of Christ was gathered. They adopted a Covenant which had for its principal planks, first, the doctrine of election, "That all ye Elect were personally chosen in Christ before ye Foundation of the world;" second, that once elected always elected, no matter what they might do; they said distinctly the elect "can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly be kept by the power of God and be eternally Saved," and third, that the wicked or non-elect shall be turned into hell to experience misery and torments through all eternity. These were sweet mild doctrines full of God's love. The original members who signed the covenant were: Caleb Atwood, John Simons, Ebenezer Bayley, Elizabeth Atwood, John Ardway, Enoch Jewel, John Mudget, William Hutchens, Abigail Hutchens, Sarah Mudget, Mehitable Ardway, John Jewel, Mary Corlis, Louis Corlis, Betty Simons, Ruth Little. The above signed their names with their own hands, and the follwing had their names written afterwards: Nathaniel Corlis, Mehitable Bailey, Molly Corlis, Jr., Jonathan Atwood, John Jewel, Jr., Hannah Jewel, Dorothy Atwood, Martha Jewell, Joseph George. These, with the first-mentioned, were baptized and received. The following were received by the layong-on of hands: Pelatiah Tingley, Jacob Jewel, Joshua Corlis, Samuel Bailey and John Mudgit. This was the second Baptist Church formed in New Hampshire, the first being at Newton, formed in 1755. Elder Peletiah Tingley was the first minister, but he was not settled. It was voted, at a meeting held in July, 1768, to notify the selectmen that they had given Mr. Tingley an unanimous call, "in order that they might have opportunity to do as the Lord might direct them about it." August 23, they met to consult about the settlement, and "On Account of Some unsatisfactoriousness in Mr. Tingley's mind (& perhaps some others) it was concluded this Day to determine ye Matter for ye Present by Lot, Accordinly after Prayer & a public Discourge on ye peaceable Kingdom of Christ & of ye Naturing of Casting Lots & in a Solemn Manner commending the Decision of ye Matter to ye Lord proceeded to draw: And ye Lot fell not to settle now on ye present invitation of ye Church." Elders Hezekiah Smith, Shepard, Greenleaf and Hovey also preached with this church at intervals till 1773. The church did not get along very harmoniously; one-half of it was generally engaged in disciplining the other half. Letters of admonishment were plenty. Brother Enoch Jewell, who had been admonished November 17, 1769, met with the church August 3, 1770, and after prayer "Confised he had Dune ronge to the Caus of Christ in Commiting fornication and Such like sins and Desierd for giveness of the Chh and to be recvied in to you en again which thing was granted to him." August 24, 1770, the church heard the charge brought by Sister Mehetable Bayley that she had seen "Sume of the other Sisters Do & She thought it was not Lawful to Do which was this putting Linnen and wooling yarn together. She was affrade they put too much of it together." The church found she had not commenced the action rightly and dismissed it. Brother Caleb Atwood was admonished for "gaging Joseph Quimbe maier." He confessed and was restored. Sister Ordway had brother Joseph Webster up. Webster had charged John Worth with "Saying that if Sinners would do what they could they would have an Esier place in hell than in a Chh meeting" in South Weare. The church found THEY did not hear him say any such thing. But soon a great schism arose. The point on which they split was "whether ministers should exhort sinners to repentence, or should simply tell them God's law, and then leave them to God." Brother Joseph Corles maintained the latter, "but it served to be to no porpurces." Elder Samuel Hovey held another way. They had a great council to consider the matter. Four minister and three deacons from abroad were present and debated the point. They made a report which did no good. August 1, 1773, Elder Hovey preached his mind, and then the storm burst. They held a meeting, got mad, adjourned, and so full of pious wrath were they that they did not meet again for eight years. SCHOOLS--The first effort made by the town for a public school was in 1769. At the annual town-meeting held March 14th, "Voted to raise money for Schooling, and voted to the Nigitive." But, before the meeting was dismissed, they "Voted to Reconsider the Vot that was to Raise money for Scoling, and Voted to the Negitive, and Voted five pounds Lawful money for Schooling to hier a scoll dame." The next year, 1770, nothing was done at the annual meeting for schools; but, August 16th, "vy Verty of a pettion from a number of Signers to See if the town will Raise money to hier Scholing this year," the selectmen called a town-meeting to be held August 30th, when it was "Voted to Raise money for Scoling." "Voted to divide the money into destricts." In 1771, thirty-five dollars were raised for schooling. In 1772, fifty dollars; this was divided as follows: L s. d. q. "paid to the district by Captain Awoods..... 3 3 0 0 paid to the new Boston Rode................. 1 2 0 1 paid to the mounting Road................... 1 17 0 0 paid to Philbricks Road..................... 1 11 0 0 paid to Jediah Dow for the north Road....... 1 17 0 0 paid to Jediah Dow for the Senter Road...... 2 16 0 0 Paid the selectmen for going after a grammar School master and getting him aprabated.... 1 1 0 0 paid to Doctor Page for taking the Charge of the grammar School...................... 0 12 0 0 paid the Select men for Dividing the School money into destricts................ 0 5 0 " In 1773 and 1774 money was raised for schooling; but in 1775, after the war began, voted June 19th, "to Drop the Chooling for the present." Nothing more was done for schools till 1779, when it was voted to raise three hundred pounds, and "all Delinquent Destricts Neglect or refuse to hire masters or mistresses, their proportion of School money shall be turned into the town Stock." Schools were kept this year; for we find that, in 1780, the town "Voted that the mountain Destrict and the Destrict by Caldwell shall Draw theire Proportion of School money for the year 1779." Then there were no schools kept until 1785. Sixty pounds, lawful money, were raised that year, and "the selectmen are to Divide the town into Destricts and to provide the Schools." Since 1785, schools have been regularly kept. There was a grammar-school part of the time holding its sessions in different places in town. Often it was omitted, and in 1787 the town was indicted and fined for its neglect. Soon after this the law compelling towns to support a grammar-school was repealed. The schools at first were kept in the houses or barns of the settlers. In 1789 a few school-houses were built by the districts, and in 1793 the town voted to build school-houses in each district by a tax in proportion to the school-tax, and give credit to all districts who have already built houses. A committee was chosen in 1806 to divide the town into districts (the selectmen had done it before) and they reported the following: "N.W. Corner, No. 1; Page District, No. 2; Shugar Hill, No. 3; School Hill, No. 4; Hoit, No. 5; Melvin, No. 6; Worthley, No. 7; Capt. Hadley, No. 8; George, No. 9; Bayley, No. 10; Hodgdon, No. 11; Tobie, No. 12; Center, No. 13" New districts were afterwards formed from time to time, till there were twenty-six of them. In 1853 a committee was chosen to "rebound and make new school- districts;" they acted, reported, and the town accepted the report; then began a fight that lasted several years; dozens of petitions were put in, dozens of votes passed, and but few were satisfied. Another committee was chosen to re-district the town in 1866. They did the work, made a report, the town accepted it, and for years every attempt to alter it "was voted down with a rush." Superintending school-committees were first appointed about 1829. In 1837 voted that they should not visit the schools; in 1847, that they should visit each school twice a year for one dollar a district, and in 1850 that they should publish their school-report and that the town should pay for it. PINE TREE RIOT--The Masonian proprietors, in their grants, and Governor Benning Wentworth, in all his charters, had a clause reserving to the king all "White Pine Trees" fit for masting the royal navy. In 1722 the New Hampshire General Court passed an act making it a penal offence to cut such trees twelve inches or more in diameter,--a law that stood till the time of the Revolution. The fine for cutting a tree twelve inches through was five pounds; twelve to eighteen inches, ten pounds; eighteen to twenty-four, twenty pounds; and twenty-four and more, fifty pounds; and all lumber made from such trees was forfeited to the king. This law was not popular; farmers wanted such trees for their houses; preachers for their churches and mill owners to saw. In 1771 Governor John Wentworth was appointed "Surveyor of the King's woods." He had many deputies and tried to enforce the law. They rode about the country, searched the saw-mill yards and if they found any such trees they affixed the broad "R" mark, libelled and sold them and turned the proceeds into His Majesty's treasury. A deputy went to Weare; he found two hundred and seventy logs, from seventeen to thirty-six inches in diameter, in Clement's mill yard at Oil Mill village. They were marked, and complaint and warrant made out against Ebenezer Mudget who had got them in. It was put into the hands of Benjamin Whiting, Esq., of Hollis, sheriff of the county, for service. April 13, 1772, he went with his deputy, Mr. Quigley, of New Boston, to Weare to serve it. Whiting arrested Mudget, who agreed to give bail in the morning. The sheriff and his deputy then went to Aaron Quimby's inn near by for the night. The news that the sheriff had come for Mudget spread over town like wild-fire. Scores of men said they would bail him. They got together at his house and made a plan how to give it. Mudget went to the inn at dawn, woke the sheriff, burst into his room and told him his bail was ready. Whiting jumped out of bed, chid Mudget for coming so early and went to dress. Then more than twenty men rushed in, faces blacked, switches in their hands and went to give bail. Whiting seized his pistols and would have shot some of them, but they took his small guns away and with their rods beat him to their heart's content; two on a side holding him up from the floor by his arms and legs while the rest crossed out their account of all logs cut, drawn and forfeited upon his bare back much to his great comfort and delight. They made him wish he had never heard of pine trees fit for masting the royal navy. Quigley, his deputy, showed fight; they had to take up the floor over his head and beat him with long poles thrust down from the garret to capture him, and then they tickled him the same way. Their horses, saddled and bridled, with ears, manes and tails cut and sheared, were led to the door and the King's men told to mount. They refused; force was applied; they got on and rode off down the road while jeers, jokes and shouts rang in their ears. They were mad; they would give the Weare men a dose of the law; they went to Colonels Moore, of Bedford and Lutwyche, of Merrimack, and from their two regiments got a posse comitatus. This with guns and swords marched up to Weare; but the rioters had fled to the woods and not a soul of them could be found. But soon after one was caught and put in jail, and the rest gave bail to come to court. At the September Term, 1772, they were indicted, and when brought into court plead "that they would not contend with our lord, the King; but submit to his Grace." Then the court imposed a fine of twenty shillings, with costs and they went free. Meshech Weare, who gave his name to the town, was one of the judges of the court, and the light fine imposed shows that he did not like the law any better than the men who cut the logs. [TRANSCRIBERS NOTE: For the sake of a more complete history, additional information below between the ***** marks is taken from the web site: http://www.nhptv.org/kn/nh/nhlp5a.htm regarding the The Pine Tree Riot - Weare, NH, April 1772 This remarkable event happened 20 MONTHS BEFORE the famous Boston Tea Party of Dec. 16, 1773] *********** In September, eight men from Weare were brought before His Majesty's Superior Court. They were Timothy Worthley, Jonathan Worthley, Caleb Atwood, William Dustin, Abraham Johnson, Jotham Tuttle, William Quimby, and Ebenezer Mudgett. They were charged with being rioters and disturbers of the peace and with "making an assault upon the body of Benjamin Whiting, Esq., Sheriff, and that they beat, wounded and evilly intreated him and other injuries did so that his life was despaired of." They were also charged with going "against the peace of our Lord the King, his crown and dignity." *********** WAR OF THE REVOLUTION--The prohibition to cut pine trees was as much an oppression as the tax on tea, and the Weare riot was as great a feat as the Boston tea party and would occupy as prominent a place in history, if only as well written up. Taxation without representation, the stamp act, the tax on molasses, the law that all exports should be sent to England and that England should furnish all the imports, the attempt to govern by force and the quartering of troops on the people roused the colonists to armed resistance. The battle of Lexington woke up the land and hundreds of New Hampshire men hurried to the scene of action near Boston. Thirteen citizens of Weare marched at once to Cambridge. They were Captain Jonathan Atwood, Caleb Atwood, Nathaniel Weed, Samuel Worthing, Mark Flood, Samuel Caldwell, Abraham Melvin, Samuel Brocklebank, Philip Hoit, Aaron Quimby, Marden Emerson, Ephraim Hardy and Levi Hovey. But these men soon came home; some of them enlisted, and the following were in the battle of Bunker Hill: Jonathan Page, Stockman Sweat, Rueuben Trusell, Ebenezer Sinclear, John Flanders, Jacob Flanders, Ephraim Hadley and Samuel Caldwell Jr. These also went to Cambridge at the time and might have been in the battle: Marden Emerson, Joshua Maxfield, Jacob Carr, Joseph Huntington, Joseph Colby, Jesse Bayley, Asa Heath and Daniel Watson. Captain Aaron Quimby, Lieutenant Henry Tuxbury, Jonathan Worthley and Moses Follansbee went to Canada; others from Weare went to Coos, to St. Johns, to Mount Royal and La Prairie. Some tramped with Colonel Benedict Arnold's detatchment through the Maine wilderness to Quebec; twenty under Lieutenant Timothy Worthley marched to Canada to join Captain Henry Dearborn's company; five were in Captain Henry Clement's company at New Castle, and three were in the first New Hampshire regiment. In order to learn who were true in the colonies and who were Tories the New Hampshire Commitee of Safety, April 12, 1776 sent out the following: ASSOCIATION TEST. "We the subscribers, do hereby solemnly engage, and promise, that we will to the utmost of our power, at the risque of our lives and fortunes, with arms, oppose the hostile proceedings of the British fleets and armies against the United American Colonies." SIGNERS IN WEARE--Thomas Wortley, William Dusten, sam Caldwell, John Robie, Ephraim Jones, Salvenus Emery, Jesse Blake, John Blake, Ezekiel Kimball, Thomas Kimball, Ezekiel Carr, Thomas Evans, Wintrop [sic Winthrop] Clough, Benjamin Selly, Jeremiah Page, Samuel Ayer, Benjamin Page, Nathaniel Weed, Ezra Pillsbory [sic Pillsbury], David Parson, Ithamar Eaton, Reuben Martain [sic Martin], Samuel Straw, Obadiah Eaton, Abner Hoyt, Israel Straw, Samuel Paige, Lemuel Paige, Jonathan Paige, Samuel Paige Jr., Enoch Sweat, Robert Alcock, Paul Dusten, Caleb Emery, John Muzzey, John Worth, Joseph Kimball [sic Kimball], Sam Philbrick, Jabez Morrill, Simon Pearkins [sic Perkins] Nathan Cram Jr., Dudley Chase, Jonathan Blasdell [sic Blaisdell], John Webster, Joseph George, Elijah Green, William Whiteker [sic Whitaker], Moses Currier, Enos Ferrin, Asa Whiticker [sic Whitaker], Timothy Clough, Timothy Tuxbery, Jacob Sargent, Jonathan Atwood, Caleb Atwood, Eben Mudgit, Aaron Quinbe, Isaac Tuxbury, Moses Quimbe [sic Quimby], Jesse Clement, Samuel Selly, Jonathan Hadlock, Samuel Easman [sic Eastman], Jonathan Worthley, Samuel Ordway, John Colby Jr., Thomas Esmon, Jesse Bayley, Daniel Bayley, Timothy Worthley, Stephen Emerson, E. Cram, Elijah Gove, Caleb Whitaker, Isaac Sargent, Thomas Worthly [sic Worthley], Timothy George, Joseph Huse, Peter Rogers Jr., Joshua Maefield [or MacField / Mayfield], Samuel Brockelbank [sic Brocklebank], Ephraim Emerson, George Hoyt, Moses Hoit, Jonathan Clement, Ezra Clement, Jotham Tuttle, Mark Flood, Philip Sargent, Joseph Hadlock, Joseph Quenbe, Daniel Hadley, Seth Thompson, Benjam Flanders, John Jewell, Timothy Corles, Joseph Hadlock Jr., David Moulton, John Mudget, Joseph Emons, John Simons, Ebenezer Bayley, Philip Hoit, Nathan Cram, Daniel Gallusha, Jacob Graves, Jacob Ramsdele [sic Ramsdell], Josiah Crown, Joseph Hunton, Moses Hoyt Jr., Jacob Tuxbury, Nicodemus Watson, Samuel Worthen, John Ordway, Daniel Gould, Joseph Dalts, Moses Folonsbury, Joseph Webster, John Colby, Jonathan Martin [sic Martin], Nathan Goud [sic Gould], John Huntington, Thomas Colby, Jerediah Cram, Timothy Corlis Jr., Moses Flood, John Faar [sic Farr], Simeon Hovey, James Emerson, Marden Emerson, William Quemby, -- 131 "COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE-- "To the honorable Commitee of Safety of this Colony: "Whereas we the Selectmen of Weare have caused this Declaration to be Signed by a Number of men who apears to be well associated, to Defend by arms the United Colonies against the hostile attempts of the British fleets and armies-- "John Robie, Jabez Morrill, Selectmen for Weare "Dated at Weare June 6th, 1776" "COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE "To the Hon. Committee of Safety of this Colony: "GENTLEMEN: whereas we the Selectmen of Weare have Recieved a Declaration from you to be Sign by the Inhabitence of Said Weare, we have acted according to the Orders of the Declaration and we make Return of all who refuse to sign to the Declaration, a List of their names is on this paper. "John Robie, Jabez Morrill, Selectmen for Weare "Dated at Weare, June 6, 1776" "A list of men's names called Quakers, which is,-- "Jonathan Dow, Daniel Page, Nathl Peaslee, Silas Peaslee, Benja Peaslee, Ebenezer Peaslee, Jonathan Peaslee, Caleb Peaslee, Isiah Green, Isiah Green Jr., Elijah Purintun, Hezekiah Purintun, Jeremiah Green, Micah Green, John Gove, John Gove Jr., Jonson Gove, Stephen Gove, Daniel Gove, Elisha Gove, Jedediah Gove, Ebenr Breed, Zeph Breed, Jonathan Eastes, Jonathan Osborn, John Hodgdon, Enoch Jonson, Edmund Jonson, James Buxton, Joseph Parkins, Samuel Colings, John Chase, Samuel Hovey, Samuel Huntington, Samuel Bayley, John Jewell Jr., George Hadley, Nathaniel Carlies, Abraham Melvon, Asa Heath, Joseph Webstar Jr., 41." As the war went on Weare furnished more men. The town paid small bounties for volunteers at first, from two to ten pounds. And then there were drafts and men furnished substitutes and paid fines. Larger bounties were paid and as the value of the paper money depreciated almost fabulous sums were given for volunteers and substitutes. When the paper money was worthless the government called for taxes in corn and beef. The town of Weare hauled and delivered her corn at Salisbury, Mass. There were beef collectors. Soldiers were hired and paid in corn or live cattle. The town's committee to hire soldiers paid to Daniel Straw "Twenty Bushels of Good Indian Corn Per Month." Robert Colens was paid "Sixteen Middling three year old heifers with Calf or Calvs By their Sides." David Greeley was paid "Fifteen Midling Heifers three year old with each a Calf by her side." Weare, with only a population of eight hundred and thirty-seven, and with one hundred and fifty of these Quakers, who had scruples against fighting, sent one hundred and eighty-three men into the army during the War of the Revolution. Nearly every prominent citizen and even a few of the Quakers served in the army at some time during the war. When Cornwallis surrended the people took heart. Peace and independence seemed assured, and appropriations were made once more for schools and preaching. CHURCHES BAPTISTS--The Baptist church woke up to life again and had the following preachers: Samuel Fletcher, 1782; Eliphalet Smith, 1783; Amos Wood 1788-98, the most popular minister who ever lived in town; Job Scaman, 1798; Thomas Rand, 1799; Isiah Stone, 1801; Thomas Paul, 1802; Samuel Applebee, 1803; Ezra Wilmarth 1804; Otis Robinson, 1805; Henry Veasey 1806; William Herrick, 1807; George Evans, 1808-12; but none of these after Amos Wood were settled. Elder Ezra Wilmarth came back in 1813 and preached till March 13, 1817. John B. Gibson, 1818 to April 21, 1822; he was accused of intemperance and had great trials; Elder Wilmarth returned in 1823,-- he got up a great revival, difficulties were settled, backsliders reclaimed, the church refreshed and sinners converted. He was dismissed October 17, 1826; Joseph Davis, April 17, 1827 to September 15, 1830. Up to 1829, the society had included the whole town and the minister had preached alternately at the meeting-house in South Weare and at the north meeting-house at East Weare. Then the East Weare members desired to set up for themselves; twenty-one members were dismissed from the first church and formed the second Baptist church at East Weare. Both societies, after this, were weak and the first society had no regular minister. Elder John Atwood administered the ordinance to them once or twice; Nathan Chapman labored with them one half of the time 1832-33; Lewis C. Caswell made them an occasional visit; S.G. Kenney was with them a few months in the summer and fall of 1835; Ferdinand Ellis preached to them part of the year 1839, and Caleb Brown was with them some part of the time in 1842. Abraham Morrill was one of the pillars of this church; he stood by it for nearly half a century and was one of the last survivors. He was present at its death, August 30, 1843, and made the sad record of its demise. BAPTIST CHURCH AT EAST WEARE--It was formed November 28, 1829. It had twenty-one members at first. Rev. Asa Niles was the first pastor, 1830; Nathan Chapman was ordained July 4, 1832; Lewis E. Caswell, 1834-42; Caleb Brown 1843-47; S.G. Kenny 1847-49; John Upton 1849-51; E.H. Smith, 1851. In 1856 the church contained seventy-two members--mostly females. CONGREGATIONALISTS--A church was formed at East Weare, June 17, 1789. It was always weak. Rev. William Sleigh was one of its first preachers. Rev. Mr. Shearer preached for it. Rev. John Clayford, from England, was ordained its pastor, October 20, 1802, and was dismissed May 4, 1808. It had some preaching after that; but it soon died,--one strong-minded woman leading all its members into the Baptist fold. A Congregational Church was formed at South Weare, February 1, 1876. Rev. A.B. Palmer was its first pastor; resigned May 1, 1878. Charles H. Taintor was pastor, March 25, 1879, April 22, 1880; John A. Rowell came July 16, 1800; left November 26, 1882. John Bragdon preached three months in summer of 1884. No preaching since. Whole number of members, thirty-eight. FREE-WILL BAPTISTS--A church was established October 20, 1806. Their first ministers were Elders Timothy Morse, Joseph Quimby, Elijah Watson, Joshua Quimby, Ebenezer Chase, and Moses Bean. Elder Hezekiah D. Buzzell was pastor from March 8, 1813 to 1829. He was a man of good ability, and was a member of both branches of the State Legislature. Many other Free-Will Baptist ministers were about Weare during his pastorate. David Harriman was the next pastor, 1829-37; David Moody, 1837-40; Sister Parker, 1840-43; John G. Tuttle, 1850-52; W.C. Stafford, 1852-53; Asa Rundlett, 1854-55; N.B. Smith 1856-61; David Moody, 1862-63; O.C. Lane 1864-65; N. Young, 1865-66; J.M.L. Babcock 1866-68; N. B. Smith, 1868-70; D. Moody 1871-73; Sister Saulpaugh, 1873. Transient ministers who preached about this time were J.M. Coburn, 1871; N.L. Chase 1873; Joseph Granvill, 1874; and D.J. Quint, 1875. This church, often called the First Free-Will Baptist Church of Weare, was the parent of four other small churches. About 1877 it died. DEERING-CHURCH--Many of its members were from Deering, and May 5, 1830, they were "dismissed for the purpose of forming a separate and distinct church" in that town. FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH IN NORTH WEARE--Its members were from the First Church. THey were dismissed March 29, 1838, and immediately organized. The church at first consisted of seventeen men and twenty-two sisters. They called themselves the Second Free-Will Baptist Church in Weare. Their ministers have been Revs. Amos Emery, Benjamin Locke, Rufus Hayden, Plumer Chesley, J.J. Wentworth, David Moody, N.B. Smith, Clarion H. Kimball, Sullivan Cicero Kimball, Moses Folsom, Joseph Granville, Daniel J. Quint, George W. Pierce and some others. A Methodist minister is now preaching for them. THIRD FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH at East Weare. "The Little Free-Will Baptist Church in the north-west corner of this town" was formed before 1830. UNIVERSALISTS--The Rev. John Murray, father of Universalism, preached in Weare some time in the last century. Abner Kneeland, a hero of free thought who went to prison for his opinions, lived in town in 1803, and preached in private houses and school-houses, for the Evangelists would not let him and his followers into the meeting-houses. Hosea Ballou and Walter Balfour preached occasionally, and in 1808 or 1809 a society was formed. Ministers who have resided in town and preached are Sebastian Streeter, 1809-12; Squiers Streeter, 1812-16; Russell Streeter; Robert Bartlett; J.P. Atkinson, 1840; Elbridge Trull, Frederick Foster. Others who have supplied the pulpit are Revs. Mr. Anderson (a Scotchman), Walter Harriman, William Hooper, G.L. Demarest, Dr. Emerson, H.S. Fisk, Mr. Turner and Dr. A.A. Miner. QUAKERS--The Quakers settled in Weare at an early date before the Revolution. They had two meeting-houses. THE SECOND ADVENTISTS had a society about 1843. SHAKERS lived in town near Rattlesnake Hill and held meetings early in the present century. ********** MEETING-HOUSES ********** The first meeting-house in Weare, as we have said, was probably built by the proprietors before the incorporation of the town in 1764. The second was built in East Weare in 1786. Its pews were sold in advance in September, 1785. The third was at South Weare, built in the same way, by selling the pews. They were sold in 1788 and the house was built in 1789. The Quakers also built their houses about this time and the town-meetings were often held in the one near the Center. A meeting-house was built at North Weare about 1840. The Universalists built one at Weare Centre, in connection with the town-house, about 1835, and the Calvinistic Baptists built one at East Weare in 1836 at a cost of eight hundred and fifty dollars. The Free-Will Baptists also built a meeting-house at East Weare in 1840. Weare has had more religious societies and church buildings than any other town its size in the State. ********* SMALL-POX ********* A hospital was established at Dunbarton in 1793 for inoculating persons for the small pox. [Several would be inoculated and go through with the disease. They were called a class]. Dr. Sawyer and Mrs. Jimison kept it. James Hogg and others, of Weare, had children there sick. Dunbarton people were uneasy about it, and their selectmen notified the parents that they should send the children home to them February 27th. Weare's selectmen were informed and asked that the children might have it at Lieutenant James Hogg's house, or that a place might be provided for them. There was great excitement. February 28th a town-meeting was called to be held March 2d to see what should be done. The town was wild. All came to the meeting and they voted unanimously that Lieutenant Hogg should be notified to remove all infected persons and infection of the small-pox out of the town forthwith. Jesse Woodbury and Philip Sawyer were chosen a committee to see that it was done. The town in passing this vote did not seem to care what other town was afflicted with the small-pox if they could only get rid of it. But the children and the small-pox did not go, and a pest-house was built at once. It was located in an out-of-the way place on Burnt Hill, and the patients taken there. One died and was buried neary by. The following bill shows the customs of those times. Weare, April 1793 "The Town Due to Obadiah Eaton on account of the Small pox. L s. d. "To 4 Dinners............................. 0 2 0 2 mugs Egg pop & 1 mug W.I. ............. 0 2 10 Keeping 7 horses & Lodging 7 men......... 0 7 0 to 1 pint Sling & 1 mug Egg pop.......... 0 1 10 To keeping 7 horses & lodging 7 men...... 0 7 0 To 5 mugs W. 1. tody..................... 0 4 2 S mugs Egg pop........................... 0 2 0 8 meals Victuals......................... 0 4 0 3 mugs Egg pop & 1 mug W.I............... 0 3 10 6 quarts oats & 2 quarts meal............ 0 1 4 1 quart Wine fifield had for Bean........ 0 2 0 1 quart Wine............................. 0 3 0 my Self and Aaron Burnham & 4 Oxen one day 0 10 0 1 pair Sheats & 1 qt W.I. & 1 qt N.E..... 0 12 0 ________ "L3 3 0 Samuel Bean's children were taken to the pst-house and he was much vexed. One night he stole them all away. The selectmen took the advice of John Prentice, a lawyer of Amherst, and they broke open the house where the children were and carried them back. Then they arrested Bean and made him give a bond for good behavior. The child that died was Bean's. TOWN-HOUSE--The first one was built in 1797. It was located on the road a short distance southeast of Duck Pond. Before it was finished, but after they had held one town-meeting in it, Ezekiel Kimball Jr. set it on fire and "it was burned to ashes." Ezekiel ran away and hid in the great "Moose Bog" swamp. Ebenezer Peaslee hunted him out by stratagem, had him arrested and arraigned. He gave bail and his father settled the matter by payin gone hundred dollars. The house finally cost four hundred and sixty-eight dollars, and town-meetings were regularly held in it for the next thirty-five years. MINUTE-MEN--There was trouble with England. She persisted in insulting the United States and impressing her seamen. France despoiled our commerce, the Algerine pirates preyed upon it and the Indians upon the frontier were hostile. Congress wished for troops to be in readiness in every town, and provided pay and bounties for "minute-men," as they were called. The town of Weare, November 27, 1794, being patriotic, voted a bounty of two dollars to each soldier that shall enlist to be in "Redness" at a moment's warning in defense of the United States. December 11, 1797, voted a bounty of two dollars, and nine dollars a month in addition to what Congress voted, to minute-men when in actual service. *** THE WAR OF 1812 *** In 1809 war was imminent with England. Weare showed her patriotism again, and March 14th, voted a bounty of two dollars each to our proportion of soldiers to make up the one hundred thousand called for, and five dollars per month in addition to what the Government allows them. May 30th, they chose Daniel Moore and Captain Samuel Eaton a committee to provide a magazine and other military utensils for the town, the Legislature at its last session having passed an act that this should be done by the towns. In 1812 the war came. The Republicans of Weare were in a majority and were in favor of prosecuting it vigorously. But there were some Federalists who bitterly opposed it. A town-meeting was held, July 3d, to provide troops, and after much discussion, some loud talk and agreat deal of wrangling, "Voted, To give and make up the wages of these soldiers who shall be drafted from the militia, or to so many of them as shall enlist, as will make the town's proportion of the one hundred thousand men to be detached from the United States Militia, fifteen dollars per month and two dollars bounty to be paid on enlistment or draft and four dollars addition thereunto when called for to march into actual service." After passing a vote that the expense of the militia be defrayed the present year by the selectmen, as usual they adjourned and Joseph Philbrick, the clerk, in making his record said, "Thus ended a clamorous meeting." The following men went from Weare: Ephraim Philbrick and Isaac Grant were in Captain Benjamin Bradford's company, Colonel Aquilla Davis' regiment. Lieutenant Stephen Emerson, ensign Ninian Follansbe, sergeant John Gale, corporal Thomas Eastman, George Alley, Jonathan C. Butterfield, William Clough, Daniel Emerson Jr., Thomas Nichols, Archibald Stinson, and Moses Wood were in Captain Trivett's company, Colonel Steele's regiment. Sergeant Ebenezer Wilson, Jacob Barrett, Robert Clough, Nathan Cram and Nathan Johnson were in Captain Rollins' company (Captain Rollins was from Weare). Phinehas Stone, of Weare, was captain of a company in the First Regiment (Colonel N. Fisk's). His men from Weare were Richard W. Cooper, musician; Oliver Belcher, James Butterfield, John Colby, Jonathan Flanders, David Grant, William Gray, Luther Locke, Jonathan Ordway, John Philbrick, George Philbrick, William Pope, Nathaniel Peaslee, Benjamin Tenny Jr., and George Woodman. The latter company went to Portsmouth September 12, 1814, did actual service for three months and were honorably discharged. *** SPOTTED FEVER *** It occurred in 1815, 1816 and was prevalent throughout New England. Many died in Weare. *** TOWN FARM *** In 1824 Joseph Philbrick, William Whittle and Abraham Morrill were chosen a committee to report at the next annual meeting about the support of the poor, and in 1825 they said a farm should be bought. Being continued in office they reported the next year, 1826, that they were not in favor of buying a farm, they had changed their minds, but of setting up "an establishment" for the town's poor. They thought this was better than the former practice of humanely putting them up at auction and striking them off to the one who would keep them for the least pay. There were eleven paupers this year. Mary Bailey, aged ninety-two; Thomas Worthly, son of one of the first settlers, eighty-nine; Hannah Flood, eighty-four and Sarah Collins were among the oldest, and Mary Matthewson, aged two, daughter of Sally Kinson, twenty-one, was the youngest. THey were all let out to a contractor to be supplied by him and he was also to buy books and send the children to school. The question slept for twelve years. In 1838 Osgood Paige, Abraham Morrill and Levi Gove were chosen a committee to look up and report on the subject of a "Poor Farm." April 14th they reported they had examined the John Robie farm and the Abraham Morrill farm not quite so good. THey strongly urged that a farm be bought, and said, "We are bound by every principle of virtue and religion to mitigate, as far as possible, the sorrows and sufferings of the unfortunate poor," and that they could do it best on a farm. The town was convinced; they accepted the report, voted to buy a farm and to hire of the agent the "Surplus revenue" and pay for it. They also voted that the "poor farm" should be a house of correction, and chose Amos W. Bailey, Daniel Page Jr., and Moses Peaslee a committee to draft and report suitable by-laws for its proper management. *** SURPLUS REVENUE *** In 1837 the Government of the United States sent to the several states large sums of money, called the "surplus revenue." New Hampshire divided the money among its several towns. Weare voted to take the money, and chose Amos. W. Bailey agent to receive it from the State Treasury and loan it in sums of not less than twenty-five dollars, nor more than four hundred dollars, at six per cent interest, to be paid annually into the town treasury to defray town charges, and that the agent take good security subject to the approval of the selectmen. In 1838 a part of this was taken as we have seen to pay for the poor-farm. In 1843 the citizens voted to put one-half of it into their own pockets, in other words, to take it to defray town charges, and that Ebenezer Gove to be an agent to take care of the rest of it. In 1846 some tried to divide it among the citizens, but the majority decided not to do it. The next year at the March meeting they voted to distribute it equally among the legal voters, and October 9th chose Cyrus E. Wood agent to do it and record the names and amount each received. They dot one dollar and forty-five cents apiece. Thus went the Surplus Revenue; they could not be content to keep it as a fund, and so spent it in just ten years. *** MEXICAN WAR *** Only one man enlisted from Weare, and he was a citizen of Goffstown. *** NEW HAMPSHIRE CENTRAL RAILROAD *** It was chartered June 24, 1848. Its Board of Directors were David Steele, president; Moses Sawyer, North Weare; Charles Stinson, Dunbarton; Perry Richards, New Boston; Horace Childs, Henniker; Moses A. Hodgdon, Abner Hoit Weare; John S. Eldridge, Boston. -- Lewis Smith was clerk; Samuel H. Price, superintendent; Abraham Mitchell, roadmaster; Joseph Knowlton, freight agent; and James Priest, wood agent. Work was begun in 1849; the road was completed to Oil Mill vilage January 1850, and in February following the cars began to run regularly to the latter place. They reached North Weare in November and Henniker December 10, 1850. The cars did not run above Oil Mill till the road was built through to Henniker, then regular trains were put on it. The first conductor was Robert Moore of Henniker, from December 10, 1850 to September 1, 1853 to 1855, and Charles W. Everett since that time. The road fell into the hands of Joseph A. Gilmore about 1853, and the name was changed to the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers Railroad. Sunday, October 31, 1858, Gilmore tore up the rails between North Weare and Henniker, much to the disgust of every one living on the line, and soon after the road became the property of the Concord Railroad. Four trains now run daily between North Weare and Manchester and two trains on Sunday, and the road pays good dividends on the amount the Concord railroad paid for it. There are four stations in Weare at the present time,--Oil Mill, Everett, East Weare and North Weare,--and the road is now known as the Manchester and North Weare Railroad. **** WAR OF THE REBELLION [CIVIL WAR] **** Fort Sumter was fired upon April 12, 1861, and the war began. President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand troops, and New Hampshire sent her first regiment into the field. Soon there was another call for more men, and, May 25, the town voted to pay each soldier who enlisted from Weare nine dollars a month in addition to what the government pays, and to each nurse from this town an amount sufficient to make the pay up to twenty dollars a month. Also, those who enlist in the navy before August 27, shall be paid one hundred dollars--if they will count on the town's quota; the selectmen to hire all the money and pay all the volunteers when they are mustered into service. November 10, 1861, the town voted town aid for the families of volunteers, in addition to the State aid. August 12, 1862, the town voted to pay two hundred dollars to each volunteer, the money to be hired to do it. September 8, 1862, the town affirmed the acts of the previous meeting and also voted to pay the nine months men two hundred dollars each. September 8, 1863, the town, by vote, paid three hundred dollars to each drafted man or his substitute who shall be mustered into the service. At this time the States and the United States each paid three hundred dollars for a soldier, making a bounty of nine hundred dollars to every man who went to the war. December 2, 1863, the selectmen were authorized to hire money to fill up Weare's quota under the call of the President October 17, 1863. June 7, 1864, voted to pay those who have enlisted or have been drafted to fill the last call, three hundred dollars, the selectmen to hire the money. June 27, 1864, the selectmen were authorized to procure the enlistment of such number of soldiers as will be needed to fill the next call of the President, the selectmen to hire the money. August 29, 1864, the President had called for five hundred thousand more troops. The calls came thick and fast. At a town-meeting held this day, voted to pay each volunteer who shall enlist from this town for one year, one thousand dollars for two years, eleven hundred dollars, and for three years, twelve hundred dollars, the selectmen to hire thirty thousand dollars to pay the volunteers or their substitutes. Sixteen to eighteen hundred dollars was a good substantial bounty. December 17, 1864, the town resolved that the selectmen be authorized to pay to every man three hundred dollars who may be drafted and accepted or has furnished a substitute since the last call for five hundred thousand men, and hire the money therefor. This was the last of the bounties. One gigantic effort was made to crush out the rebellion and more than a million men were sent into the field. The effort was successful. Had the war continued a few years more, the North would have been bankrupt and secession a success. Weare sent one hundred and fifty-nine of her citizens to the war as volunteers and her drafted men put in fifty subsitutes,--209 men in all went from Weare to the war. ROLL OF HONOR--The following are the names of the men of Weare, who gave their lives to their country: Elbridge Dustin, Ninth Regiment; killed at Jackson, Miss. Joseph H. Gregg, Seventh Regiment; killed at Fort Wagner. Lindley Follansbee, Sixth Regiment; killed at second Bull Run. Charles E. Peaslee, killed at Williamsburg, Va. Darwin W. Chase, Fourteenth Regiment, killed at Winchester. Washington Follansbee, Eleventh Regiment, killed at Petersburg. Chalres Homan, Fourteenth Regiment; killed at Winchester. Valentine M. Chase, Third Regiment; died of wounds. Joshua M. Nichols, Ninth Regiment; died of wounds. Charles C. Carr, Fourteenth Regiment; died of wounds. William J. Hamilton, Fourteenth Regiment; died of wounds. Cassimiro M. Moore, Fourteenth Regiment, died of wounds. Denis Kane, Ninth Regiment, died. Eugene Breed, Ninth Regiment, died. James W. Barrett, Ninth Regiment, died. Joseph Tatro, sharpshooter, died. Ezra Clement, Seventh Regiment, died. Harvey H. Martin, Seventh Regiment, died. Edward Tatro, Ninth Regiment, died. Almus N. Wood, died. G. Frank Day, sharpshooter, died. George W. Muzzey, Ninth Regiment; died in Salisbury prison. Francis Hadley, sharpshooter, died. William H. Hoyt, Ninth Regiment, died. Warren H. Emery, Fourteenth regiment, died. Frank P. Morrill, died. Horace Dearborn, died. Lieut. Col. Stark Fellows, Fourteenth Regiment, died. Edwin N. Cram, Sixteen Regiment, died. William A. White, Sixteenth Regiment, died at Baton Rouge. Gardner Gove, Sixteenth Regiment, died. Alonzo Foot, Sixteenth Regiment, died at New Orleans. Elbridge Dearbon, Sixteenth Regiment, died at Concord, N.H. Sumner Beard, Sixteenth Regiment, died. Alfred W. Chase, Sixteenth Regiment, died at Baton Rouge. Henry Clement, Sixteenth Regiment, died. Almon Dow, Sixteenth Regiment, died. George Felch, Sixteenth Regiment, died at New Orleans. William Thorpe, Sixteenth Regiment; died. *** DIVISION OF THE TOWN *** Many attempts were made near the close of the last century to divide the town, but none of them were successful. There was an effort to take portions of Weare, Goffstown and New Boston and make a new town; this failed, and, in 1876, many of the inhabitants in the southwest part of the town wished to sever a portion of Weare and annex it to Goffstown; this shared the fate of the earlier efforts. Two parishes for religious purposes was favorite scheme of the East Weare Church, but they never could accomplish it. The only thing of the kind that met with any favor was the forming of two military districts for training purposes. STOVE TO WARM THE TOWN-HOUSE--About 1840, after building the new town-house at the Centre, the town refused to buy a stove to warm it, and it was only after voting on the question several years that one was bought. The same penuriousness was seen in warming the meeting-houses. Ministers preached with their overcoats and woolen mittens on and the women kept their feet warm with the old-fashioned foot-stoves, with a dish of live coals therein, for years after the first efforts were made to put in stoves. Money was appropriated for such purposes grudgingly. WEALTH--But Weare's citizens are more generous now. Each year the sum of fifty dollars is appropriated to decorate the soldiers' graves; the town-house has been remodeled and modernized, a level floor of Georgia pine has taken the place of the sloping floor of spruce and hemlock, comfortable settees have supplanted the hard plank seats of former days and other improvements have been made. A receiving tomb has been built, a hearse procured, road machines bought, and two thousand five hundred dollars appropriated, and paid for the reservoir at the head of the Piscataquog. One item alone shows their prosperity; they have $357,742 in savings-banks, the tax on which more than pays the State tax of the town. TOWN HISTORY-- About 1881 the town chose David Cross, Abner P. Collins, Robert Peaslee, Josiah G. Dearborn and Sylvester C. Gould, a committee to prepare a history of Weare. From data in part furnished by them this sketch has been written. TEMPERANCE-- A few generations ago there was a cider-mill at nearly every other house and every ordinary farmer put seventy-five to one hundred barrels of cider in his cellar each fall. Some also had a barrle of rum or other strong liquor with it. It was a common thing for men to drink a quart of cide at a draught without once taking their lips from the mug. Now the apples are sent to market bringing a good price. A little cider is made for vinegar or to be used in a proper manner and the old cider guzzlers who went from house to house drinking are all in the graveyard. EDUCATION AND RELIGION--Better school-houses have been built and better schools are had; better churches have been provided and they are kept in better repair. We would not detract from the merits of our ancestors; they were patriotic, public-spirited and virtuous. But the people of Weare to-day are much better off; have more property, better houses and furniture; more intelligence; are more temperate; have purer morals; a truer and freer religion, and live twenty years longer on the average than did the inhabitants of "ye olden times." MANUFACTURES--Weare is chiefly an agricultural town, but a great varieyt of manufacturing has been carried on. The following articles have been produced in Weare: Woolen goods, cotton goods, lumber, clocks, ready-made clothing, hats, linseed oil, pumpkin seed oil, cotton yarn, woolen rolls, skimmers nails, hinges, wooden ware, starch, carriages, sleighs, musical instruments, toys, boots and shoes, matches, leather, barrels, tubs, kits, sugar, skivers. AGED PERSONS--The following aged persons have died in Weare: In 1800 (or about that time) Thomas Worthley, aged 106 years; in 1843, Betsy Sargent, aged 100 years; in 1860, Hannah Peaslee, aged 101 years; in 1869, Fannie Morse, aged 100 years and nine months. CENSUS OF WEARE-- 1768--268 1773--884 1775--837 1786--1575 1790--1924 1800--2517 1810--2634 1820--2781 1830--2430 1840--2375 1850--2435 1860--2310 1870--2090 1880--1829 REPRESENTATIVES Samuel Page 1775 John Worth, 1775 George Hadley, 1776, 1803 Samuel Caldwell, 1779 Ithamar Eaton, 1780 Samuel Philbrick, 1782, 1783 Jonathan Dow, 1784, 1785 John Hodgdon, 1789 Obadiah Eaton, 1792-1795 Samuel B. Tobie, 1796-98, 1800-1802, 1804, 1814 Jabez Morrill, 1799-1800, died in office. James Caldwell, 1805-1808 Jonathan Atwood, 1809-1811 Daniel Moore, 1810-1811 Samuel Eaton, 1812-1813, 1817-1820 Amasa Foster, 1813 Hezekiah D. Buzzell, 1814-1816, 1819-1820 Abraham Morrill, 1815-1818, 1821-1822 James Wallace, 1821-1824 Josiah Danforth, 1823-1824 Amos W. Bailey, 1825-1827 Tristram Eaton, 1825-1828 SImon P. Colby, 1828-1832, 1841 Daniel Page Jr., 1829-1831, 1836 Seth N. Cilley 1832-1834 John L. Hadley, 1833-1838, 1846-1848 Thomas Muzzey 1835, 1837 John Edmunds, 1838-1839 Jesse Whittaker, 1839-1840 William Woodbury, 1840-42, 1848 Jonathan G. Colby, 1842-1843 Daniel Page, 1843-1847, 1856 Ebenezer Gove, 1844-45 Abel B. Cram, 1849 Samuel C. Eastman, 1849-1850 Hiram Simons, 1850, 1859 William H. Gove, 1851-1852, 1855, 1871. Speaker of the House 1871 Peter Dearborn, 1851-1852 Josiah G. Dearborn 1853-1854 Ezra Dow, 1853-54 David Gould 1855 John Bartlett, 1856-1857 Robert R. Caswell, 1858, 1860 Albe Morrill, 1858 Jonathan B. Moulton, 1859 Simon G. Grove, 1860, 1861 Moses A. Cartland, 1861 Moses A. Hodgdon, 1862-1863 Ziba A. Hoyt, 1862-1863 Abraham B. Story, 1864 Ira Gove, 1864-65 Abner P. Collins, 1865, 1868 Jonathan Buxton, 1866, 1868 Moses Sawyer, 1866 Charles O. Ballou, 1869-70 Alonzo H. Wood, 1869-70 Charles W. Everett, 1871 George W. Colby, 1872-73 John Thorndike, 1872-73 Lindley M. Sawyer, 1874-75 Abner Frost, 1874-75 Albert B. Johnson, 1876-77 Cyrus E. Wood, 1876-77 Charles H. Jones, 1879-80 Charles A. Jones 1879-80 Warren L. Collins 1881-82 James P. Whittle, 1881-82 William L. Morse, 1883-84 Almon L. Sleeper, 1883-84 Levi H. Dow, 1885-86 George W. Dearborn, 1885-86 ******* BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES ******* HIRAM SIMONS Hiram Simons, son of Christopher and Nancy (Locke) Simons, was born in Weare, Hillsborough County, N.H. February 22, 1805. Being the eldest of nine children, he was necessarily looked upon as a help in the home duties and interests, and as school advantages were not as easily attained as now, his were consequently restricted to short terms. But his naturally quick and keen perception in active business matters raised him to a high degree of capacity in all and every position in which he took an interest. In early life he labored on his father's farm, in the southwest part of Weare. When about twelve years of age, his father purchased a large lot of land in the southeast part of Weare, where he carried on the "oil-mill" business, buying large quantities of flax-seed, which was converted into oil, after which the meal was fed to cattle. They also owned a saw-mill and wheelwright shop, all in very active operation. After Hiram came of age, his father gave him a small compensation for his labor for one year. Then he went into mercantile business for himself, taking for partner, Harrison Hobson, of Oil Mill Village. This village derived its name from the Simons oil-mill, which was afterward converted into a flouring-mill. About 1833, Simons & Hobson moved to Weare Centre, then quite a thriving little village, where they continued in mercantile business, prospering finely. Hiram engaged in lumbering quite extensively. After locating at Weare Centre, Hiram Simons was elected postmaster, was also justice of peace, was very active in the prosperity of the village, proposed and helped build a church and support a pastor. He will be remembered long by those who attended as one who took an active part in its prosperity; played bass-viol in church while he remained there. He officiated as selectman, treasurer, collector for a good part of his stay at the village, was Representative in 1849, 1850, 1859,--all of which offices he filled with great honor. In 1860 he moved to Manchester, N.H. where he remained until his death, June 1, 1882. He married M. Almeda Chase, daughter of JOhn and Lydia Chase, of Weare, September 4 1842. They were blessed with a son, May 25, 1843, named Hiram Augustus Simons. On October 11, 1847, another son was born, named George Frank Simons,--treasures which were not spared them long. Augustus was sent to New London, N.H. school at fifteen years of age, and was a very find scholar. He came from the school of books and enlisted in the school that tried all people's souls--the Rebellion. He went out in the first fleet to the Southern States, enlisted September 4, 1861. He went as a musician, served one year of hardship, came home September 5, 1862, stayed with his family one year; then, in 1863, came the loud and imperative calls for "more men." The noble boy responded once more, and as he bade his dear ones good-bye, he said, "Good-bye! good-bye! I'll come home all right! all right!." He did come "all right" the next July. But voiceless was the dear form that left home so short a time before. He died in Washington, D.C., July 19, 1864 at Columbia College Hospital, at the age of twenty-one years, one month and a few days. This was a hard blow for his parents and brothers. But they bowed submissively, feeling that it was well with the dear one who had "gone first," or, as he expresed it, "some one must go first, it might as well be me as anyone." The next summer dear Frank was called. He died August 9, 1864, aged seventeen years, ten months and a few days. Then the parents were alone, feeling deeply bereft, yet with a hope and trust of meeting their dear ones again when they too shall pass over to the shining shore. Hiram Simons' life was a very active, industrious one; ever ready to help the needy, both in words of kindness and deeds of charity; quietly and unostentatiously were his kind acts performed, but never to be forgotten by the recipients. He had acquired a handsome competenency by his own industry, some two hundred thousand dollars of which his four surviving brothers, one sister and one niece, received sixteen thousand dollars each of his property; of the remainder his wife has control, and of which she has bestowed liberally where needed. Hiram Simons lived the motto of his heart: "This life is short, and we should miss no opportunity of giving happiness to others." His last days were the fulfillment of this aim. Never an ill word passed his lips; if he could not speak well of a person he would not speak at all. He passed happily to rest on the first day of June, 1882. -------- LEWIS SIMONS Among the many successful business men of Hillsborough County, no one is better entitled to conspicuous mention than Lewis Simons, who has attained his "three-score years and ten" within the county where both he and his father before him were born, and from whose forests and timbered wastes he has cut for himself a fortune, while by his industry and integrity he has perfected a character as enduring as the granite hills of his native States. His father, Christopher Simons, was born in South Weare, and lived on the family homestead until two years after the birth of Lewis, August 12, 1815, when, with his family of seven boys and two girls, he moved to the flourishing village in the same town, then and since known as the Oil Mills, and purchased the mills, which gave the place its name and fame. In the year 1825 the business of the mills had so increased, under the excellent management of the senior Simons, aided by the efficient services of his boys, that it was found necessary to rebuild and enlarge the capacity of the mills; and the raising of linseed and its manufacture into oil was a source of prosperity to a large and thriving community. It was not uncommon to see over five hundred bushels of seed at a time in the bins, and so long as the raising of linseed was as reumunerative as other branches of agriculture, the business prospered; but, with the lack of material, it languished, and in 1832 the industry was abandoned; the oil mill was leased to a party who utilized it as a pail factory until 1847, when it was totally destroyed by fire. Upon leaving the oil business, the senior Simons devoted himself to the care of his large farm, which he had secured by his industry and economy, and carried on also quite a thriving business in the saw-mill, which he owned in the same locality. He was a type of that invincible manhood which, in the early days, could master obstacles that in the light of modern civilization would seem overwhelming; and his success was not less marked by the comfortable fortune which he amassed, than by the habits of industry, frugality and integrity which he instilled into all his nine children, and especially his fifth son, Lewis, the subject of this sketch. Notwithstanding his limited opportunities for obtaining an education, young Simons nevertheless made the most of the means at his command, and, with the same untiring devotion and patient application which had characteritzed his life he mastered whatever he undertook. With only eight or twn weeks of district school in a year, and one term of instruction at the Henniker academy in the fall of 1835, where he was a class-mate with the late ex-Governor Harriman, he became proficient in scholarship and taught school with marked success in his own and other districts in his native town for five consecutive winters. When not thus engaged he worked in his father's saw-mill, laying there the foundation for his future business success in life. In 1843 he went into trade at Oil Mill village, but this was not congenial to his tastes, and in 1845 he abandoned it to follow the ben tof his earlier inclinations. In his father's saw-mill he had acquired not only a thorough knowledge of sawing lumber, but a strong desire to engage in the lumber business for a livelihood. This desire had not fully ripened into a determination. The wisdom of his choice and the pertinacity with which he has pursued his calling are fully evidence in the splendid success which he has achieved and the enviable reputation which he has won as a man of broad judgment, of conscientious prudence and of large business energy and integrity. His first venture in the lumber business, in 1845, was with his brother Hiram, with whom he remained in partnership until 1853, living meantime in Weare. In that year he sold his one-half interest in the business to his partner and took up his residence in Manchester, having purchased a fine residence on the west side of the river, in that part of the city then known as "Squog," but now graced with the more elegant title of West Manchester. Here he contineud to reside until 1860, when he built his present spacious and attractive residence at the corner of Brook and Chestnut Streets, in one of the most desirable locations in the city. Here for a quarter of a century he was summoned the immeasurable influences of a happy home to aid him in successfully prosecuting the business of his earlier years. He brought with him, to his new home, his wife, Hannah W., daughter of Charles Gove, of Weare, whom he married in 1840, and her three surviving children,--Langdon, born July 20, 1841; Almeda, born November 24, 1842; and Minot, born June 12, 1849. There other boys had previously been born to them, but they had faded beneath the touch of the grim messenger, early in life, and in January 1681, the faithful wife and devoted mother was summoned to join them in the better land. Subsequently Mr. Simons married Mary J. Gilmore, who still shares with him, in happy contentment, the fruits of twenty years of wedded bliss. The youthful Minot found, in his new mother, all the affection and devotion which he had lost, and, through the few years which he was permitted to remain in this happy family, and especially through the trying ordeal which preceded his death, no greater love could have been manifested, no more patient or self-sacrificing care could have been bestowed. To this most fortunate union much of Mr. Simons' prosperity in life is due. His son Langdon resides in Manchester, engaged in the jewelry business on Elm Street. He married early in life and has one son, a bright and promising young man, the idol of his grandparents, at whose request he bears the name of Minot, in memory of the son, whose loss in early maturity so keenly affected both Mr. and Mrs. Simons. His daughter Almeda is the most estimable wife of Darwin A. Simons, one of Manchester's most enterprising and respected citizens. In all departments of the lumber business, Mr. Simons has been exceptionally fortunate. His judgment in estimating values, his thorough knowledge of all the details of working and sawing lumber, his large executive ability and thorough personal devotion to the management of his business, together with his sagacity and prudce in putting his merchandise upon the market at the right time, or in preserving and holding his lumber until a better market would ensure for him its full value, have won for him not only liberal wealth and the enviable reputation which his success financially demands, but with this, and better than this, his strict, unswerving integrity in all his affairs have ensured to him the full confidence, appreciation and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. His counsels have been widely sought, his methods scrupulously copied and his influences widely felt. For about eight years he owned the farm and mill at the outlet of Lake Massabesic, with Gilman Clough, who learned his trade of the Simons in Weare, and in 1863 sold to Clough his one-half interest. Since 1855 he has been extensively associated in the purchase and working of immense tracts of woodland, with J.M. and D.A. Parker, of Goffstown, and his active labors in the lumber business look back over a period of forty years. In all this time, notwithstanding his business was immense, furnishing to one party in one year ten thousand cords of wood, yet he never let the smallest detail escape his attention. Out of the many millions of lumber which he has handled, oftentimes accumulating on his hands for a better market, not five hundred feet were ever wasted. His career in this business, which, more than any other, taxes the judgment and common sense, has been almost phenomenal, and he justly enjoys, in his declining years, the well-earned fruits of his life's labor. As a public-spirited citizen he has stamped his impress upon the history and growth of our city, and many of the finest blocks and buildings are the results of his industry. Besides his beautiful and valuable homestead, he has been instrumental in building the Mercantile Block and Music-Hall Block, Manchester, both beautiful and costly structures, situated on the main thoroughfare and in the heart of the business of this metropolitan city. He has also helped to erect a large brick block on Elm Street, known as Webster Block, and a large tenement block on Pearl Street. In all of these, and in other valuable pieces of real estate in this city, he is a large owner and few of Manchester citizens have been more fortunate in their financial affairs. Although ready and willing always to assist in any laudable enterprise, Mr. Simons has never sought the honors of political favor, nor held other offices of trust than justice of the peace, and, in 1855, alderman in his ward, although the representative of the minority party. The reasons are obvious. In his earlier years he was too much engrossed in his own affairs to seek political preferment, and latterly fortunately, doubtless for him, however much community may have suffered from the loss of his valuable services, he has been a tenacious adherent of the old Jeffersonian doctrines, bringing him a multitude of unsought Democratic nominations, only valuable until election day. In 1884 he was the nominee of his party for Mayor, receiving in the caucus over twelve hundred votes, a greater number than was ever given to any former candidate. For years he was a regular attendant and an enthusastic worker in the Universalist Society, lending a willing hand and open purse to the prosecution of every good work for the benefit of the church and society, and equally ardent and liberal in resisting its persecutions. Of late years, he has attempted the Unitarian Church and has been president of its board of trustees. He has never yielded to the infatuating charms of secret organizations of any kind, possibly on account of his early interest in military affairs, which engrossed his attention and engaged his hours of recreation. At the age of eighteen he picked his flint, shouldered his musket and became real soldier in the Volunteer Militia Company of his town. He plucked easily whatever of laurels for military achievements were obtainable in the militia service, and, with accumulating honors, he joined, first, the Goffstown Light Infantry, and after that he achieved distinction in a rifle company of the time. Every year, to the date of the disbandment of the State militia, he did military duty, in every rank of the line, and was hence admirably prepared, by instinct, education and experience to take upon himself the high honor and supreme military distinction of becoming a member of the Amoskeag Veterans, then in its infancy, which he did in 1855. For thirty years he has been one of its most useful and influential members, holding, in succession, every office in its gift, until, at the last annual meeting in 1885, he was honored by a unanimous election to the office of Commander, which he declined to accept, preferring to retain the command of Company A as its captain, which position he had held for several years and still continues to fill most acceptably. The prosperity and high standing of this famous battalion, at home and abroad, is largely due to his devotion, prudence and careful oversight in the management of its affairs. This brief history of the life of one of Manchester's most honored citizens would be incomplete if due emphasis were not laid upon the sterling integrity and innate moral dignity of its subjects in every walk in life and under all circumstances. Erect in stature, elastic in step, fresh and well preserved, though bearing the weight of seventy year, amiable, kind and always genial, his acquaintances are universally his friends, whose confidence and approbation no man in community possessed to a larger extent. Absolutely temperant as to intoxicants, he has also abstained entirely from the use of tobacco, in all its forms, and no man has ever heard from his lips a violent or profane word. In short, Lewis Simons is, in the broadest and truest sense, an honest man. ------------ MOSES SAWYER Moses Sawyer was born in the picturesque little town of Henniker, N.H. October 26, 1803. He was the seventh generation from William Soyer, who emigrated from England to America in 1632, and commenced the hard life of a pioneer in the little town of Newbury, now Newburyport, Mass. Some of his children united with the Society of Friends, of which religious organization his descendants have remained members to the present time. The subject of this sketch was little indebted to our public institutions for the unusual fund of information which he possessed. The world was the school in which he was taught, and a few well- chosen books constituted his early library. At about the gae of fourteen he left the home of his childhood to learn the trade of dressing cloth, and subsequently went to Amesbury, Mass., and perfected himself in the art of manufacturing woolen goods. Here he made the acquaintance of John G. Whittier and William Lloyd Garrison, and at the soliciation of the latter subscribed to the first number of the "Liberator," which is now in his possession. When twenty-eight years of age he determined to go into business for himself, and bought a water privilege in North Weare, N.H., where he erected a mill and formed a company to manufacture woolen goods. He had little other capital than his hands and his natural energy of character, yet he started one of the first, if not THE first successful woolen mill in New Hampshire, when Manchester contained only one house, and Peter Cooper was trying experiments with the first locomotive. After several years of prosperity a new company was formed, of which he is still the agent. He has always been known as a straightforward, honorable business man. A member of the Society of Friends, both by faith and inheritance, he has been promient in Church-work, particularly that which showed itself in deeds rather than words. He was an Abolitionist from the very first; in the days when the name was as repugnant to what is called "Society," as the name "Christian" was to the Jewish Sanhedrin, or "Puritan" to the established Church of England in the days of Charles the First. No heart beats more ardently for the great subject of human rights, or felt more keenly the injustice of holding human beings as slaves; and he let no opportunity pass to do his all in aiding the cause. His house was one of the stations on the "underground railway," and it was there that Frederick Douglass commenced the writing of his autobiography. The temperance movement, and every other philanthropic work has always had in him a strong advocate, and he has given freely of his means for their support. To champion wearisome causes and take the part of the oppressed was his nature. It was never a burden. But he never sought publicity in any field or held political offices except at the earnest request of his friends, yet he represented the town in the Legislature in 1866, was the first president of the Hillsborough County Bible Society, one of the trustees of our State Orphans' Home, beside holding many other offices. And now that for him the sunset hour has come, and the activities of business life are over, he has leisure for reading and study, and we trust he may be long spared to gather the fruits of a well-spent life. Mr. Sawyer has been twice married. First to Rebecca B. Morrill of Seabrook, N.H., and several years after her decease to Hannah Bassett Jones, of Gilmanton. He has three children still living:--Henry Abbott, a graduate of Dartmouth College; Ellen Rebecca, wife of J. Fred Smith, of Fishkill, N.Y., and Mary Elizabeth. (end)