HISTORY OF MONROE, 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 551+ HISTORY OF MONROE NH MONROE is a small township lying in the northwestern part of the county, in lat. 44 degrees 17' and long 70 degrees, bounded north by Littleton, east by Lyman, south by Bath and west by the west bank of the Connecticut river. It was formerly a part of Lyman, but was set off and incorporated into a separate township July 13, 1854, the division line ranging with the summit of Gardner mountain. A high elevation which formed a natural barrier between the two localities and thus rendered the division necessary, for convenience in transacting town business. The town has a general slope from the heights on the east toward the Connecticut, and though it is considerably hilly and broken, is like all Connecticut river towns, productive and easily cultivated. Within the limits of the town are the narrows, at which place the river is only five rods in width, being confined by walls of slate. The scenery is grand and picturesque. Near the northwestern extremity of the town, at the confluence of the Connecticut and Passumpsic rivers, the former assumes the shape of a diamond, its greatest width being about a mile, encircling twenty islands and affording a delightful landscape. Bog iron, zinc and copper ores are found in various localities. The area of improved land is 8,346 acres. DESCRIPTION OF TOWN of MONROE NH in 1884 In 1880 Monroe had a population of 504 souls. In 1885 the town had five school districts, and six common schools. Its six school-houses were valued including furniture, etc. at $1,820.00. There were 124 children attending school, eight of whom were pursuing the higher grades, taught during the year by eight female teachers, at an average monthly salary of $21.97. The entire amount raised for school purposes during the year was $920.12, while expenditures were $703.66 with Charlotte B. Buffum, superintendent. VILLAGES MONROE, a post villvage, lies in the southwestern part of the town. It has one hotel, a school-house, printing-office, store, grist-mill, saw-mill, butter tub factory, blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, sash and blind factory, and about 120 inhabitants. NORTH MONROE is a post village located in the northwestern part of the town. BUSINESS & MANUFACTURE EBER A WILLEY'S BUTTER-TUB FACTOR, on road 17, was built by him in 1884. It is operated by steam-power and has the capacity for manufacturing 10,000 butter-tubs per annum. CHARLES McFARLAND'S GRIST MILL, on road 23, was built by Stephen Hadley, about 1840 or 1841, and was purchased by the present proprietor in 1883. It has five runs of stones. Mr. McFarland does custom work, and handles about fifty car-loads of western grain per year. GEORGE VanDYKE'S SAW-MILL was built by Richard E. Peabody, about 1875. Mr. Van Dyke employs 100 men and manufactures about 12,000,000 feet of lumber per annum. EARLY HISTORY OF MONROE NH As the town was so lately erected into a township, it will be necessary to look to the parent town, LYMAN, for a sketch of its early settlement, etc., so to that sketch,, on page 512, the reader is referred. The first town meeting was held July 29, 1854, when the following officers were elected: Albert Mason, moderator, Horace Emery, clerk; Horace Duncan, Jedediah Buffum, and Albert Mason, selectman; Philip Mason, treasurer; Charles Negus, constable; and Seth Ford, Albert Mason, Church Meigs, John NElson and Rufus Dickinson, highway surveyors. It was also voted at this meeting, among other things, "to instruct the selectmen to establish the boundary lines of the several school districts, and to number the same." The first selectman was Solomon H. Emery, chosen March 13, 1855. *** SOME EARLY SETTLERS & PROMINENT CITIZENS (see Town of LYMAN for additional): *** JOHN HINMAN, whose name was formerly Hyndman, came to America from Glascow, Scotland, about 1772, and lived for a short time at Ryegate, VT. He moved to MOnroe, then Lyman, and located upon one of the islands in the Connecticut river, about a mile above the village of Monroe. He died in Barnet, VT, in 1834, aged ninety-seven years. He reared a family of seven children, none now living. His son WILLIAM HINMAN was born in 1771, and he was but nine months old when he came to America with his father. About 1800 he settled in Bath, near the town line of Monroe, and a few years later moved to Monroe and located upon the farm now owned by his son-in-law, William Shaw, on road 16. He died in 1867, aged ninety-seven years. He had born to him ten children, four of whom are now living. Of these, Mrs. William Shaw and William Hinman reside in this town on road 16. Alexander H. Hinman lives at McIndoes Falls, and Robert S. resides at West Concord, VT. ETHAN SMITH was born in Lyman, now Monroe, in 1784, lived in the southern part of the town, and died there in 1828. He reared a family of eight children, six of whom are now living, three of them residing in this town, namely: Stebbins, Horace and Mrs. Frances Emery. ROBERT NELSON and his brother William came to Monroe, then Lyman, from Ryegate, VT, some time previous to 1794, and located upon the farm where the Buffum brothers now reside, on road 8. Robert afterward removed to the place now owned by Nathan T. Bolton. He reared a family of fourteen children, seven of whom are living. Hannah, daughter of Robert, married Connor Paddleford, resides in town, and is in her eighty-seventh year. Her husband, Connor, died in June 1877, aged eighty-four years. The other children of Robert who reside in town are Mrs. Ruth Paddleford, and Nathan Nelson. Another daughter, Mrs. Alice Clisby, lives in Littleton NH. William Nelson also reared a large family, nearly all of whom are dead. One daughter, Mrs. Marie Blake, lives in Littleton NH. CAPT. PHILIP PADDLEFORD came to Lyman, now Monroe, from Enfield NH about 1797 or 1798, and located upon the farm where Paddleford and Kibby now live, on road 1, corner 3. He built a saw-mill, which is supposed to be the first one in that part of the town. He reared a family of six sons and two daughters, all of whom settled in this vicinity, but none are now living. Seth died in town. Philip, the second son, had born to him seven children, four of whom are living. Of these, Mrs. Nathan Nelson, Benjamin F. and Curtis reside in town. Capt. Philip Paddleford died March 8, 1831. RICHARD R. MOORE came to this town from Bow, NH some time previous to 1800 and located upon the place now owned by John E. Whitcomb, on road 11. He reared a family of six children, three of whom are living, namely Mrs. Sophronia Paddleford, of Barnet, VT; Nathaniel S. and Richard, both of this town. Richard R. died about 1876. BETHUEL TURNER came to Lyman, now Monroe, about or soon after 1800, and located upon the farm now owend by Anson Johnson, on road 5, where he resided until his death in 1812. His son Jesse was born here in 1797 and lived here until his death in 1870. His widow, Lucinda M., survives him. Two of his children reside in this county, Mrs. Anson Johnson, of this town, and Mrs. Julia M. Moore, of Littleton NH. SABIN JOHNSON came here about 1800, and cleared a farm, on which he located on road 6. His son Willard Johnson, was born in this tiwn in 180--, and lived here until about twenty-one years of age, when he moved to Moria, Nova Scotia, where he died. His son, Anson Johnson now resides in town, on road 5. He has held the office of justice of the peace for the last twenty years. ELIJAH DICKINSON came to Lyman, now Monroe, from Amherst, Mass., about 1803, and located upon road 16. He was a hatter by trade and carried on the business here. His son, Elijah, was about ten years of age when he came here with his father, and resided here until his death in 1876. He married twice, and had born to him fourteen children, nine now living, and three residing in town. His son, Andrew J., resides on the homestead. CALEB EMERY, came to this town about 1804 and cleared a farm in the northern part, where he located. He took an active part in town affiars, held the office of selectman, justice of the peace, represented the town a number of times in the legislature, and was town clerk of Lyman sixteen years. He died in 1842. Four of his nine children are living. Of these, Solomon H. resides near Brighton IL, two daughters reside in Boston, MA and Edward lives in this town, on road 14, corner 13. The latter is at present one of the selectmen of the town. DARIUS BLODGETT came to Lyman, now Monroe, from Connecticut about 1804, and located upon the farm, where his son Rufus C. now lives, on road 11. He was a farmer and a nailer by trade, and made the nails to build the house where Rufus C. now lives. He took an active part in town affairs, was selectman &c. He married twice, and reared a family of seventeen children. He died in 1855, aged eighty-two years. Two of the five children now living reside in town, Rufus C., on the homestead, and Darius F. at Monroe village. He was justice of the peace for forty-five years, and was postmaster twenty-two consecutive years. JOHN BUFFUM came here, from Grafton NH, about 1811, and located upon the farm where Wesley Smith now lives. He reared a family of eight children, only one of whom, Mrs. Lucinda Turner, is living. He died about 1853. His son Jedediah was born in Grafton NH in 1806, came here with his father, and has since resided here. He took an active part in town affairs, was road commissioner, selectman, represented the town in the legislature, and was one of the committee to divide the town. He died in 1876. He had born to him seven children, five of whom are now living, namely, Mrs. Slphia Jones, Merritt S., John A., Frank M., and Charles L. John A. and Frank M. own a large farm, a portion of which is composed of islands in the Connecticut river. They are about twenty-seven in number, and are known as the Buffum islands. HORACE DUNCAN was born in Acworth NH in 1799, and came to Lyman, now Monroe, in 1820. He was a farmer, engaged in the mercantile business, and in the manufacture of lumber. He represented his town in 1831, in 1834-35, and in 1861. In 1854 he was elected selectman, being the first one chosen from the town of Monroe. ISAIAH CROSS was born in Landaff about 1790 and moved to Bath when quite a young man, where he remained until 1820. He then located in Monroe, then called Lyman, and resided here the remainder of his life. He had born to him seven children, five of whom are living. His son Freeman H. resides here, on road 14. WILLIAM FRAZER came to this town, from Scotland about 1824, and located upon the farm now occupied by his son Oscar, on road 16. He was a farmer and a cattle broker, and reared a family of nine children, eight of whom are living. Mr. Frazer died in 1847. DAVID WARDEN camet to Bath, from Rygate VT, about 1830, and located in the northwestern part of the town. He died in Bath in 1862. Seven of his nine children are living, four sons residing in California, one in Hanover NH, and one in McIndoes, VT. Another son, Alexander, is a merchant in Monroe, has served the town of Bath as selectman for four years, and also the town of Monroe for the same period. He was county commissioner in 1864, 1865 and 1866. WILLIAM LANG and his brother Samuel moved to Bath, from Portsmouth NH about 1800. William afterwards moved to Irasburg VT, where he died. Samuel remained in Bath until his death. David, son of William, was born in Bath, where he lived until his death. His son George W. resides in this town, on road 14. ALEXANDER ALBEE moved to Littleton NH from Chesterfield NH, about 1814, locating in the southern part of the town, where he lived the remainder of his life. Four of his nine children are living. Of these, Joseph resides in this town with his son-in-law, Charles Parker, on road 14. JOHN CLARK removed to Landaff NH from Newmarket NH sometime previous to 1783, locating on road 14. He died in Lisbon. Eben, one of his nine children, moved to Landaff with his father, where he remained until his death in 1827. He lived about a mile southwest of the center of the town, was a farmer and chair manufacturer. He reared a family of nine children, only one of whom, Moses CLark, of Landaff, is living. Daniel, son of Eben, was born in Landaff, and lived there until his death in 1852. He was a farmer and a surveyor, and took an active part in town affiars. He served the town as selectman, was postmaster several years, and represented the town in the legislature several times. He had born to him eight children, four now living. His son, Benjamin M. Clark, resides in this town, on road 17. He has been enaged in trade in Orford, and has also kept a hotel. Mrs. Mary M. Eastman, daughter of Daniel Clark, lives on the homestead. Mrs. Ellen Haywood, another daughter, lives in Cleveland, Ohio, and a son, Arthur M. Clark, resides in Lexington, Michigan. *** CHURCHES - HOUSES OF WORSHIP *** THE UNION CHURCH OF NORTH MONROE, located at North Monroe village, was organized about 1816 or 1817. A church building was erected in 1820, and the present building in 1854. It is a wood structure capable of seating 220 persons, and valued at $1,000.00. The society now has about twenty members, mostly Methodist, with Rev. C.C. Sangford, pastor. (end)