HISTORY OF EASTON, GRAFTON 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: Gazetteer of Grafton County, N.H., 1709-1886 by Hamilton Child, Syracuse, N.Y.: H. Child, June 1886 page 240+ HISTORY OF EASTON NH Easton lies in the northern-central part of the county, in lat. 44 degrees 8', and long. 71 degrees 47', north by Lisbon and Franconia, east by Lincoln and a small part of Woodstock, south by a small part of Woodstock and Benton, and west by Landaff. It was set off from Landaff and incorporated into a separate township by an act passed July 20, 1876. The surface of the township is rough, mountainous and picturesque, a great deal of its territory being covered by valuable forests. Notwithstanding this, however, the town has not a little of good farming land which gives fair returns to the labor of the husbandman. Mt. Kinsman, with an altitude of 4,200 feet, lies upon its eastern border, while Cooley and Cole hills rise from the western part. Between them lies a fair valley, drained by a stream called Ham branch, which, with its numerous tributaries, flows north into Franconia. The Wild Ammonoosuc flows across the southern part of the town, receiving Clay and Black brooks from the north, and Tunnell brook from the south. Among the natural curiousities the township presents to the observer, is "Howland's Flume." This natural flume is located about a mile from the residence of H.B. Oaks, on road 2. It is about eight feet in width and one hundred feet long, while the waters from it are precipitated to the level below forming a beautiful fall 142 feet in height. From Howland's mountain, near the flume, an extensive view of the surrounding scenery may be obtained. ANother curiosity is a large rock opposite the residence of Charles O. Whitcher, which is supposed to be petrified wood, and closely resembles a hemlock stump. It was found near Bartlett's blacksmith shop. DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN OF EASTON in 1885 In 1880 Easton had a population of 302 souls. In 1885 the town had three school districts, and seven common schools. Its three school- houses were valued, including furniture, etc. at $2,503.00. There were fifty-five children attending school, taught during the year by five female teachers, at an average monthly salary of $15.80. The entire amount for school purposes during the year was $312.00 while the expenditures were $261.50, with Josie W. Witcher, superintendent. VILLAGES EASTON (p.o.) is a hamlet located in the northern-central part of the town. It has two saw-mills, two blacksmith shops, a paint shop, and six or eight dwellings. About the year 1857 a Union church was erected here, but it is at present without a pastor. WILDWOOD (p.o.) is the romantic name given a hamlet located in the southern part of the town, comprising saw-mills and six or eight dwellings. MANUFACTURES AND BUSINESSES THE EASTON LUMBER CO.'s SAW MILL, located at Wildwood, is operated by water-power, furnishes employment to twenty-five men, and is fitted with boards, etc., cutting about 1,500,000 feet of lumber per year. WHITCHER & KENDALL'S SAW-MILLS, located at Wildwood, one on road 4 and one on road 12, are operated by water-power, and are fitted with machinery for manufacturing dimension timber, shingles, clapboards, etc., with the capacity for turning out 500,000 feet per year. NOYES & LAWSON'S SAW-MILL, on road 13, cuts about 250,000 feet of lumber per year. OTIS BROOKS & SON'S SAW-MILL, at Wildwood, is fitted with board and benchsaws and cuts 175,000 feet of lumber per annum. RUFUS W. YOUNG'S STEAM SAW-MILL, on road 7, is fitted with machinery for the manufacture of dimension timber, bobbins, sheathing, etc. and cuts about 200,000 feet per year. C.A. YOUNG'S SAW-MILL AND BOBBIN FACTORY, on road 4, is operated by both steam and water-power, manufacturing boards, lath, shingles and bobbins. DANIEL WITCHER'S SAW-MILL on road 11, managed by G.A. Glines, cuts about 200,000 feet of timber per year. HISTORY OF THE TOWN As Easton was for so many years a part of the township of Landaff, its history is necessarily identical with that of that township. The precise dates of the first settlement made in the territory now included within the limits of the new township is not known, though it probably occurred in 1783, NATHAN KINSMAN being the first settler. The State granted him 600 acres of land here, consequently he cut a rude path through the forest from Haverhill to the spot where C.H. Merrill's house now stands, moving his goods over this road with six mules. Here he erected a rude log house, which, a few years later, was burned, and he then built a block-house on the same site, which was long known as "Kinsman's mansion." It contained a stone fireplace which could hold six five-pail kettles, the wood being drawn into the house by a horse. Mr. Kinsman died in the town on February 8, 1822, aged eighty-one years. His son's widow, Mrs. Peter Kinsman is now living in Landaff at the gae of ninety-nine years. STEPHEN SHATTUCK moved into the territory in 1802, and resided here until his death, November 11, 1811. Among the other early settlers were ASA OAKS, JOHN WHITCOMB and JOSHUA KENDALL, of Winchester, Mass. The first item in the book of town records is as follows: "January 1st, 1877 "The subscribers, met at Timothy B. YOung's in Easton, and organized by choosing G.W. Cogswell, chairman, and Timothy B. Young, clerk, for the purpose of warning a town-meeting to organize the town of Easton, agreeable to an act of the New Hampshire Legislature, and approved July 20, 1876" "[signed by] G.W. Cogswell, Winsor Drury Jr., Timothy B. Young." (end)