GENEALOGY OF LINCOLN, 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: Gazeteer of Grafton County NH, 1709-1886, compiled and published by Hamilton Child; Syracuse NY, The Syracuse Journal Company, Printers and Binders, June 1886 page 443 LINCOLN is a mountainous tract of land lying in the north-central part of the county, in lat 44 degrees 5' and long. 71 degrees 40', bounded north by Franconia, east by Livermore and a small part of Thornton, south by Woodstock and a small part of Thornton, and west by Easton. It was granted to James Avery and others, January 31, 1764, in seventy-one equal shares, with an area of 32,456 acres. Extremely rough and mountaining in character, the town has very little good farming land and less than a hundred inhabitants; but the scenery in and around it is grand and romantic in the extreme, and attracts thousands of tourists within its borders. In the center of the town is located the celebrated "Flume" of the White mountains, of which few have not heard. This is a deep and narrow canon, at the southern gateway of the Franconia Notch, which has been eaten by a mountain brook, in the coarse granite ledges near the base of Mount Flume. The canon is in fact a trench 700 feet long and from ten to twenty feet wide, between paralell perpendicular cliffs full sixty feet high. At the bottom a merry little brook dashes down among the rocky fragments, skirted and often crossed by an easy plank walk. Between the narrowing walls in the upper part of the Flume, a huge bowlder was formerly held, gripped tightly by the opposite cliffs, and held mideway between the rim and teh floor of the chasm. But succumbing to the erosion of time, the mighty mass was loosened and fell, June 20, 1883. Beautiful views also may be obtained from many points in the town, though none excells that from the Flume House, about a mile from the Flume. Directly in front is Mount Liberty, with its fancied resemblance to the profile of George Washington. On the north is the picturesque Notch, while on the south the whole valley of the Pemigewasset is brought into view, with its pleasant intervals and towering hills on either side, the whole presenting a panorama of nature rarely excelled in this county. The middle branch of the Pemigewasset river flows a southerly course through the central part of the town, receiving numerous small tributaries. The east branch of the Pemigewasset flows through the eastern part of the town. Big, Fish and Loon ponds are the principal bodies of water. DESCRIPTION OF LINCOLN NH in 1885 In 1880 Lincoln had a population of sixty-six souls. In 1885 the town had two school districts and two common schools. Its two school-houses were valued, including furniture, etc. $1,010.00. There were seventeen children attending school, taught during the year by two female teachers, at an average monthly salary of $19.90. The entire amount raised for school purposes during the year was $131.75, while the expenditures were $131.84, with Mrs. Emma E. Dolloff, superintendent. DESCRIPTION OF VILLAGES There is no village or post-office in the town. HOTELS, BUSINESSES and MANUFACTURES The FLUME HOUSE, one of the fine summer hotels of the mountains, was built by Taft & Greenleaf, in 1871, at a cost of $32,000; but in 1883 it was enlarged and improved, doubling its capacity. The hotel is now ably managed by the Elliott Brothers. DOLLOFF & HANSON BROS' BOBBIN AND CHAIR STOCK FACTORY, on road 3, was built by them in 1879. They run one lathe on chair-stock and manufacture about 600,000 bobbins per year. SETTLEMENT OF LINCOLN NH The settlement of Lincoln was not begun until after the close of the Revolution, and even as late as 1791, it had only twenty-two inhabitants. Little farming is done, there being only about 1,000 acres of improved land in the township. As early as 1808 Stephen Russell built a house just below the present Flume House, which he opened as a hotel, ever since which there has been a hotel in the vicinity. The principal occupation of the inhabitants, and their principal source of revenue, is the care of tourists. The road through the "Notch" was built by the State [of NH] about 1813. GENEALOGY & BIOGRAPHY OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS SIMSON TUTTLE came to Lincoln, from Acton, Massachusetts, about 1824, and settled upon the place where his son, John W.E. Tuttle, now lives on road 3. He commenced running a tavern, and from the beginning, the house had been known as Tuttle's Hotel. In the early days they were often obliged to turn the cow out into the storm to give place for the traveler's horse. A fine house and barn have been erected where the log house formerly stood. John W.E. Tuttle has lived here all his life, has a fine farm, and has kept up the reputation of the house, which his father established. Mr. Tuttle has been first selectman a number of years, and has also served as town representative. (end)