r V THE 0CTi9 1899 HISTORY OF LONDONDtftfl COMPRISING THE TOWNS OF DERRY AND LONDONDERRY, N. H. BY REV. EDWARD L. PARKER, LATE PASTOR OF THE PRESBTTERIAN CHURCH IN DERRT. WITH A MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY PERKINS AND WHIPPLE. 1851. Eiitered according to Act of Congres^, in the ycar 1851, by Edward P. Parker, lil the Clcik's Office of the District Coiiit of the District of Massachusetts. fiy ia*ansfer 'tC 30 1915 A N D o V E R : J o H N D . F I. A vith her respecting some plans he wished to have adopted in case of his death. In a letter to her, a few weeks before he died, he says : "J hope I can truly saj, I do not feel so much concern as to mj health and life on my own account, as on that of jour mother, and mj dear familj and people, for whose good I may yet be in some measure instrumental. We are truly happy when we can say : ' Not my will but thine be done.' " On the Sabbath, July 14, 1850, he exchanged with the Rev. Mr. Bay, pastor of the church in the Lower Village. In an obituary notice of Mr. Parker, Rev. Mr. Day says of his afternoon discourse on that day : " He preached his last sermon from the words of the prophet : ' The soul that sinneth it shall die.' There seemed to be an univer- sal conviction on the part of all who heard him, that it was one of the most solemn discourses he ever preached. His appeals at the close were heart searching, and seemed to prognosticate his own approaching dissol ution." At the close of the second service, he returned home. Later in the afternoon. he went to attend a third service at one of the school-houses in a distant part of the town. He preached with his usual earnestness on such occasions, and at the close of the meeting started to return. When he had gone about one half of the distance, and was a mile and a half from his home, his horse stumbled and feil. He ran back a few rods to Mr. Clark's, the nearest house, to call assistance. Undoubtedly feeling pain from the effort already made, and conscious of the danger to which he was exposed by over-exertion, he told Mr. Clark that he must return slowly, and would then aid xlviii MEMOIR. him in attending to the horse. On re turning to his carriage, and while stooping over his horse, either to prevent him from rising suddenlj, or to loosen some of the harness, Mr. Clark heard him groan, and saw him in the act of falHng forward. He immediately caught him in his arms, when he expired without a strug- gle, not breathing more than once afterwards. Thus ended the dajs of this faithful minister of the gospel. It was a fitting time to die, — in the midst of his labors, — on the Sabbath, after its duties were all performed, — and at the going down of the sun. Appropriately did one of his parishioners remark : " He served his Master faith- fullj all day, and went home to rest at night." It would have been gratifying to his friends could they have stood beside him as he breathed out his hfe, and received from him his last messages and parting blessing. But " what God appoints, is best." They know how he had lived, and they know what would have been the burden of his message to them and to the people of his charge, could he have spoken to them as he was entering another world. His remains, sustained in the arms of his young- est son, were borne home to his stricken family, who, while theymourned the loss of an endeared husband and father, bowed with becoming resignation to him who had afflicted them. His death occurred at so late an hour that it was not generally known that evening. But when, in the early morning, the long-protracted tolling of the bell announced that some unusual calamity had occurred ; and when the w^ord flew from house to house that their pastor had fallen dead in the street, the effect was overwhelming. More than twelve hundred of his flock had gone down to the MEMOIR. xlix grave since he had dwelt among them ; and now the pastor who had so often been in the midst of death, and seemed almost exempt ff om its power, had passed through the dark vallej. The deepest grief pervaded the whole parish. Everj one whom you met was subdued and solemn. Strong men turned aside from their labors, and sat in silence through the daj ; and some of the children in the schools were inconsolable with grief. His funeral was attended on the following Wednesdaj, bj a verj large assembij. His own parishioners, people from all parts of the town, and from adjacent towns, and an unusually large number of clergymen, came together to pay their last tribute of respect to their deceased pastor and friend. It was a pleasant summer daj, but all hearts were smitten with grief. After prajer at his late residence, bj Rev. Mr. Eels of Newburjport, his remains were conveyed to the church, and in the entrance- hall, an opportunitj was given to the assembij, as they successivelj entered the house, to take a last look of the deceased. It was a long time before this sad ceremonj was concluded, each seeming reluctant to turn awaj from the countenance upon which thej could never look again. The house was draped with mourning, and was filled in all parts. The services, which were of a verj solemn and appropriate character, were performed bj the Rev. Mr. Daj, of Derrj, Rev. Mr. Thajer, of Windham, Rev. Mr. Willej, of Goffstown, and Rev. Mr. Brainerd of Londonderrj. The deepest feeling w^as manifested bj the audience, and manj were bathed in tears. After these exercises, the whole congregation foliowed the remains to the grave, where thej now rest with those of all the pastors who had preceded him in that church. 1 MEMOIB. At the grave, was sung the burial hjmn of Watts : " Un- veil thy bosom, faithful tomb," and then the mourning crowcl withdrew to meet that respected and revered pastor no more till the morning of the resurrection. In the afternoon of the Sabbath following, a highlj appro- priate sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Whiton, of An- trim, the early and intimate friend of Mr. Parker, from Psalm 116 : 15, " Precieus in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." On this occasion, also, as well as at his funeral, the assembij was verj large ; everj part of the house, including the aisles and entries, was filled. The services of the Rev. Mr. Day's society, a Targe part of whom had belonged to Mr. Parker's parish, were suspended, and pastor and people came to mingle their sympathies and to worship with that flock which was now left as sheep without a shepherd. The following is an extract from Dr. Whiton's sermon on that occasion : '' An intimacy of more than forty years with your departed pastor, drawn the closer by parity of age, by an almost contemporaneous entrance into the ministry, and by frequent association in presby- terial and ecclesiastical duties, has not only left on my mind a deep impression of his piety and worth, but enables me to speak with a degree of confidence on the leading traits of his character. " That he, or any other merc man, was faultless, it were foolish and even wicked to pretend. He saw and feit in himself the evil and demerit of sin, and fled for refuge to the blood of Christ. He ever appeared to walk, in a happy degree humbly with God, looking for salvation as the free, unmerited gift of mercy to the ill- deserving, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Next to his MEMOIR. li piety comes his prudence ; not the timid prudence that slirinks from duty, but the prudence that scrupulously shiins just occasions of oifence. In sound practical wisdom he excelled most others ; not making little things great, nor great things little, but estimating them according to their relative importance. This trait made him a safe, reliable counsellor, in cases the most perplexed. Even- ness and stability of feeling, consistency of conduct with principle, strongly marked his character. In point of industry and diligence, he was certainly preëminent, there being few men who had accomplished an equal amount of ministerial labor. This unremitting diligence made him familiar with his people, including the children of his parish, and was one of the means by which he preserved them in harmony and peace. Of his method and correctness, the records of the Londonderry presby- tery, kept by his hand for about thirty years, will remain a lasting memorial. Integrity marked all his trans- actions ; he was a man to be trusted. That crowning excellence, love of the religion of God, made him willing to spend and be spent in the service of Christ, in a con- tinuous course of effort for the salvation of souls. His investigations of Christian doctrines and duties were patiënt ; the subjects which passed through his hands were well weighed and lucidly presented to others. " He is gone ! ' God took him ' at the time and in the manner unerring wisdom saw best. Looking at our loss, we may well exclaim, ' Alas, my brother ! ' ' My father, my father, the chariot of Israël and the horsemen thereof ! ' Of the circumstances of his death, so sudden, surprising, affecting, it were needless to speak to those who know the details better than myself. The summons lii MEMOIR. found our brother where a Christian would wish to be found, at the post of dutj, intent on his Master's work. To him, the close of his last earthly Sabbath was, we doubt not, the beginning of a Sabbath, heavenlj and eternal. Probablj not a minister could have fallen in New Harapshire, whose death would have called forth a larger tribute of regrets and tears ! " You, the people of his charge, are witnesses how holilj and justly, and unblamably he walked among you ; yourselves are his letter of commendation, known and read of all men. Full well you know, that not often occurs a ministry attended with equal harmony and con- fidence, and honored with an equal number of seals of the divine approbation. Both yourselves and your children will cherish his name with long and affectionate remembrance.'' The following notices of Mr. Parker, which appeared in the weekly journals, though involving some repetition, are here inserted, as evidences of the estimate which others formed of his character and ministry ; they will also show that the filial interest of the writer has not led him to draw this brief sketch with too partial a hand. " Mr. Parker," says the Rev. Mr. Day, " is one of the brightest examples of ministerial fidelity which can be found in our State or New England. As a preacher, he was clear, close, and doctrinal. Ile well understood the wants and sympathies of the common mind, and never failed to furnish instruction. As a pastor he excelled. He was never weary in going from house to house, to inquire for the temporal and spiritual welfare of his people. He was peculiarly happy at the bedside of the sick, and with the mourner. He was deeply interested MEMOIR. liii in the young, and gave to them no small part of his energies. He well knew what stations they were to occupy in society, and how very soon they would be the leading members of his parish. He kept his eye on the Sabbath and common schools, and was sure to let every child know that he was interested in him. He has gone down to his grave like a shock of corn fully ripe, deeply lamented by his people, and the churches at large. He died as perhaps he might have wished to die, had he designated his own time and circumstances. He was in the work, Avith the harness on. His life might be written in the emphatic words of the apostle, and would furnish a most appropriate epitaph for his tombstone : " Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." " Mr. Parker," observes a correspondent of the Con- gregationalist, " was remarkable for his knowledge of human nature, and for his true Christian courtesy, — • an example of purity and consistency in his life ; ever laborious and faithful as a preacher and a pastor, he retained not only his post of duty, but what was more, the confidence and affection of his people. He died in the midst of his labors, and though less known than the great Scotch divine, will, like him, wherever known, be remembered and loved." The following is from the Congregational Journal of January, 1851 : " Soon after Mr. Parker graduated, he became the pastor of the Presbyterian church in Derry, then a part of Londonderry, which was in a condition far from promising and inviting ; but under his wise counsels, his unremitting labors, his self-possessed spirit, and admitted moral worth, attained to be one of the best- ordered, the most harraonious and flourishing in the liv MEMOIR. State. With very respectable powers of mind,« and eermons alwajs full of the marrow of the gospel, instruc- tive and cheering, if not the most deeply studied or eloquently delivered, still, the grand secret of his success was in his system and wisdom. He Uved and acted by a plan, from which he never deviated, and carried it out to the last hour of his life. Not that he was obstinate, self-opinionated, or incapable of seeing and appreciating improvements ; but he always made his changes by system and rule. He was always active, but never in a hurry ; never tired, but always werking. He was always at home, and yet in every nook of his parish ; he seemed to make no effort to do it, yet, strictly and truly speak- ing, he could call every child in his large parish by name. Not that he did this from a certain passion or affectation ; all was subservient to the great end of the pastoral ofl5ce, that he might ' save himself, and those that heard him.' Then, too, he was always judicious and wise. He never, so far as we know, made a false step or took an unten- able position. Naturally passionate, he was always cool and self-possessed ; encountering, once or twice, organ- ized and formidable opposition on account of the doctrines he preached, he vanquished it by forbearance and kind- ness, without the sacrifice of principle, and converted his bitterest enemies into his firmest friends. Rarely has any man done so few injudicious and unwise things ; as rarely has any man uttered so few injudicious, idle, or injurious words. He was a model pastor, and his name will long be held in affectionate and respectful remembrance." With much truth has it been said, by one of our most distinguished statesmen,* that " the noblest contribution * Hon. Robert C. Winthrop. MEMOIR. Iv which anj man can make for the benefit of posterity, is that of a good character. The richest bequest which anj man can leave to the youth of his native land, is that of a shining, spotless example." Sucb a legacy, emphati- callj, has the subject of this memoir left to his family and friends, to the people of his late charge, to the youth among whom he labored, to his brethren in the ministry, and to all who knew him. HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. CHAPTER I. ChARACTER op the PURITANS — EMIGRATIONS FROM SCOTLAND TO IRELAND — HOSTILITY OF THE NATIVE IRISH — INVASION OF IRELAND BY JAMES THE FIRST — UNSÜCCESSFÜL ATTEMPT TO TAKE POSSESSION OF LONDONDERRY — CRUELTY AND PERFIDY OF THE PAPISTS — SIEGB OF LONDONDERRY. To commemorate these scènes and events in which our ancestors participated, and in which we ourselves are inter- ested, is a duty, not only approved by reason, but enforced by divine authority. " Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations ; ask thy Father, and he will show thee ; thy elders, and they will teil thee." Many are the lessons of wisdom to be derived from a careful review of ages past. To perpetuate the remembrance of important events, and impress a recollection of them upon the minds of succeeding generations, a variety of measures have been adopted. Pil- lars and monuments have been erected, and inscribed with appropriate records. Temples have been built, and festivals established, to commemorate noble achievements, and impor- tant revolutions. The annual feast of the Passover was a divine appointment, that the Israelites might not forget their deliverance from Egypt. The anniversary of the Declara- tion of our Independence is regularly observed by all Amer- a HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. ican patriots. Many of the sons of New England annually repair to the shores where their fathers first landed, and, by appropriate services, perpetuate the remerabrance of the charaeter and the deeds of those Pilgrims, who laid the foundation of our civil and religious institutions. Few, then, will doubt the propriety of recalling events which in their results affect posterity. Scènes in which our fathers or more remote ancestors were concerned, although they may be unattended by important consequences, have for us a special and peculiar interest. In reviewing the history of Londonderry, from its early settlement to the present time, it is not proposed to give a mere narrative of events, but to bring into view those princi- ples and institutions, connected with these events, to which the welfare of a community may be ascribed. a Before entering upon a detailed account of the emigration \ and settlement of the colony which planted themselves in Lon- donderry, in the year 1719, it may be useful to advert briefly to some of the circumstances and occurrences in the father- land, which constituted the great and leading cause of most of the New England settlements. And it will clearly appear, that it was religious principle which brought our fathers to this land ; that it was for conscience' sake they left their country and their homes, and " sought a faith's pure shrine" upon our bleak and inhospitable shores. Although, upon the Reformation, Protestantism early became the established religion in England, still, conformity in sentiment and modes of worship, as prescribed by the Episcopal Church, was enforced with such extreme rigor, that a voluntary exile seemed to many the most eligible mode of escaping from the penalties of non-compliance. The accession of Elizabeth had, it is true, quenched the fires of Smithfield, which had raged so violently in the days of Mary, and her long reiga had established the Reformation. " But toleration," it ha» been justly remarked, " was a virtue I EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. Ó beyond her conception, and beyond her age. She left no example of it to her successor, James the First, and it was not to be expected that a sentiment so wise or so liberal should originate with him." During the reigns of Elizabeth and James the First, various acts of Parhament were passed, regulating the religious afFairs of the kingdom, and requiring, under certain penalties, that all should adopt the established religion, in its articles of faith and modes of worship. ïliese acts excited the strong and deter- mined resistance of large numbers of all ranks, both in Scot- land and England, who fearlessly withstood this encroachment upon their rights, demanding greater simplicity and purity of worship than that allowed by the Church of England. Hence they were called, by way of reproach, Puritans. As their sufFerings under these oppressive acts tended to deter all, except the conscientious and sincere friends of Christ and of the purer worship, from uniting with them, the term, though otherwise intended, was adopted by them as significant of the superior purity of their religion and of their lives. Indebted as we are to them for much that distinguishes us, and misrepresented or misunderstood as their true character has often been, a brief sketch of their more prom- inent traits and characteristics, as drawn by that accom- plished critic and historian, Macaulay, may not be out of place. As he is a native of the country from which our fathers came, and a member of the Established Church, his views may be relied upon as just and impartial. '* We would speak," says he, " of the Puritans as the most remarkable body of men which the world has ever produced. The odious parts of their character lie on the surface. Nor have there been wanting malicious observers to point them out. For many years after the Restoration, they were the theme of unmeasured invective and derision. Most of their absurd- ities were external badges, like the signs of free masonry, or the dresses of friars. We regret that these badges were not 4 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. more attractive. But the Puritans were men, whose minds had derived a peculiar character from the daily contemplation of superior beings and external interests." " Not content with acknowledging in general an overruling providence, they habitually ascribed every event to the will of that Great Being, for whose power nothing was too vast, for whose inspection nothing was too minute. To know him, to serve him, to enjoy him, was with them the great end of human existence. They rejected with contempt the cere- monious homage, which other sects substitutcd for the pure worship of the soul. Instead of catching occasional glimpses of the Deity through an obseuring veil, they aspired to gaze fuU on the intolerable brightness, and to commune with him face to face." " Hence originated their contempt for terrestrial distinctions. They recognized no title to superiority but the divine favor ; and, confident of that favor, they despised all the accomplish- ments and all the dignities of the world. If they were unac- quainted with the works of philosophers and poets, they were deeply read in the oracles of God. On the rich and eloquent, on nobles and priests, they looked down with contempt ; for they esteemed themselves rich in a more precious treasure, and eloquent in a more sublime language, — nobles by right of an earlier creation, and priests by the imposition of a mightier hand. Those had little reason to laugh at them, who encoun- tered them in the hall of debate or in the field of battle." " These men brought to civil and military affairs a coolness of judgment, and an immutability of purpose, which were the necessary effect of their zeal. The intensity of their feelings on one subject made them tranquil on every other. One overpowering sentiment had subjected to itself pity and hatred, ambition and fear. Death had lost its terrors, and pleasure its charais. They had their smiles and their tears, their raptures and their sorrows, but not for the things of this world. They had their minds cleared of every vulgar passion and EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. ö prejudice, and raised above the influence of danger and cor- ruption." Such were the Puritans, and suchwere they made by their religion. Although they had their faults, their false logic and their extravagances, the effect of the age in which they lived, yet in the excellence of their principles, and in the wisdom and result of their labors, they stand forth a noble race of men, superior to the ancestors of any other nation. To this class belonged the settlers of Londonderry. Al- though the fathers of these men differed from the Plymouth Company, with whom they were contemporary, in forms of church govemment, yet in all their views of divine truth and religious duty, in zeal and firmness to resist civil and ecclesi- astical domination, they fully harmonized with them, and were their fellow-sufferers, for conscience' sake. The emigrants who settled the town of Londonderry, were called the Scotch Irish, being the descendants of a colony which migrated from Argyleshire, in Scotland, and settled in Ireland, in the province of Ulster, about the year 1612. To this they were induced by the circumstance that, in the reign of James the First, on the suppression of a rebellion by his Catholic subjects, in the northern part of Ireland, two millions of acres of land, almost the whole of the six northern counties, including Londonderry, feil to the king. His Scotch and Enghsh subjects were encouraged, by liberal grants, to leave their own country and settle upon these lands ; and it was expected that those turbulent spirits, who had so often defied the authority and arms of the British govemment might, by this means, be awed and controUed. This will account, in some measure, for the enmity which was manifested by the Catho- lics, the native Irish, towards these Protestant settlers, who occupied the soil from which their countrymen had been forci- bly expelled. The great Irish rebellion, which occurred thirty years after, in the reign of Charles the First, had its origin in the animosity with which the Irish Catholics regarded the 1* 6 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Protestants, and in the desire they feit to wrest from them their possessions in Ireland. The plot of this general massacre was fortunately discovered in Dublin, on the day before the time fixed for its execution ; but in the other parts of the island, and particularly in Ulster, the most cruel and wanton destruction of lives and property ensued. According to some historians, no less than one hundred and fifty thousand per- sons perished. Large companies of emigrants from Scotland and England settled in Ireland as early as 1612 ; some years after, in the reign of Charles the First, they received accessions to their numbers ; but it was not until the latter part of the century, that the McKeens, (being four brothers,) the Cargills, the MacGregors, and probably many other of the settlers of the town of Londonderry emigrated. This they did to escape the military and barbarous executions of Claverhouse, in the reign of James the Second. This bigoted and infatuated monarch exhibited a hatred to Protestantism, and a devotion to Papacy, and, during his whole reign, strove most zealously to eradicate the one and establish the other. No one of the Puritan sects was so par- ticularly the object of his aversion as the Presbyterians of Scotland. While he was viceroy of that kingdom, during the reign of his brother, he had persecuted them with an unre- lenting severity, which he was in nowise disposed to mitigate, after he had ascended the throne. Those districts in which the Covenanters were most numerous were overrun by bands of soldiers, who practised the most wanton cruelties upon all who feil into their hands. Among the leaders of these bands, the most distinguished was James Graham, of Claverhouse, — " a soldier," says Macaulay, " of distinguished courage and professional skill, but rapacious and profane, of violent temper, and of obdurate heart, who has left a name which, wherever the Scottish race is settled on the face of the globe, is men- tioned with a peculiar energy of hatred. To recapitulate all EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. / the crimes by which this man, and men like him, goaded the peasantiy of the Western Lowlands into madness, would be an endless task." By such brutal persecution, in a land most dear to them, were the immediate ancestors of many of the men who settled the town of Londonderry indueed to flee to Ireland, and join their countrymen who had preceded them. But, even there, their repose was short. Although during the time of Cromwell, and for a few years after his decease, the Protestants were protected from the bitter enmity of the Irish Catholics, they were at length called to undergo privations and sufferings almost unparal- leled. The pages of history ean furnish but few instances of such undaunted bravery, unwavering firmness, and heroic fortitude, as were displayed by the defenders of the city of Londonderry, during its memorable siege in the years 1688 and 1689. James the Second had during his reign greatly disaffected his English subjects, who were generally Protestants, by various injudicious attempts to reëstablish the supremacy of the Church of Rome. William, Prince of Orange, a Protes- tant, who had married Mary, the daughter of James, was encouraged by many in England to attempt a revolution, and ascend the throne. He accordingly coUected a fleet and army, and landed in England on the fifth day of November, 1688. He met with no opposition, and was soon joined by the principal lords, with their forces. James, alarmed at his approach, and at the desertion of his subjects, escaped with his queen to France, where he was kindly received by Louis the Fourteenth, and encouraged to attempt the regaining of his throne. Though William was, with great unanimity, elected to the British throne, Ireland, whose inhabitants were principally of the Papal church, still maintained its allegiance to James. His army there re- mained stedfast ; and Tyrconnel, the Lord-Lieutenant, who 8 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. was devoted to his interests, was actively engaged in raising and disciplining new levies of troops. Encouraged by these circumstances, and relying upon the promised aid of the king of France, James resolved to cross over to Ireland, and make a vigorous efFort to recover his crown. His plan of operations was, to raarch with his combined army directly to the north of Ireland, and, having subdued those places which offered any resistance, from thence to pass over to Scotland, where a considerable force of Highlanders, raised by Graham of Claverhouse, were waiting with impa- tience his arrival. Had not his course been intercepted by the bold and unexpected defence of Londonderry, he would have been able, strengthened by his many adherents in Scotland, and by a large number in England, who still favored his cause, to contend perhaps successfully with William, regain his throne, reëstablish Papacy, kindie anew the fires of mar- tyrdom, and crush the spirit of civil and religious freedom, which from that renowned revolution has been strengthening and extending its influence over the nations. So that this small city, fortified, not by military and naval armaments, but by Protestant Christian hearts devoted to the cause of religious freedom, became the arena upon which the fate of the liberties, not only of the west of Europe, but ultimately of this and other lands was to be decided. As the defence of this city was so important in its results, and particularly as a number of the early settlers of the town of Londonderry were among the heroic defenders of the place, and partook largely of the sufterings endured within its walls, a brief account of it may not be uninteresting. The American Protestant Society have recently repub- lished a narrative of the siege, drawn up by Rev. John Graham, a lineal descendant of one who was a distin^-uished actor in the scène. The sources from which Mr. Graham compiled his history, were the journals of the siege as kept by Captain Ash and Rev. George Walker, one of the gov- EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. » ernors of the city, and both of them active and influential in its defence. It is on tliis history, that Charlotte Elizabeth founds her attractive work, entitled " The Siege of Derry," in which the men, who then and there battled for Protestant freedom, and their deeds of might and long endurance, are so graphically described. And it is not undesirable that, at this day, when the true principle of religious toleration is coming to be understood and appreciated, the attention of those who are emerging from a state of religious intolerance should be directed to an event, in which are displayed, in striking contrast, the cruelty, perfidy, and oppression of Papacy, and the resolute, determined, unyielding spirit of Protestantism. The city of Londonderry, is the capital of the county of Londonderry, in the province of Ulster. It is one hundred and fifty miles north-west from Dublin. It is situated on the river Foyle, and contains about ten thousand inhabitants. It was an ancient city, but, having been sacked and destroyed in one of the many revolutions which mark the early history of Ireland, it was rebuilt, during the reign of James the First, by a company of adventurers from London, and hence received the name of Londonderry, the original name being Derry. About forty-five miles south of it, is the town of Enniskillen, the only place, with the exception of London- derry, which offered an efFectual resistance to the arms of JameSc The Protestants in Ireland, who had generally acknowl- edged the Prince of Orange, being apprized that James intended an appeal to arms, and that Tyrconnel was raising new troops and issuing commissions, began to put themselves in a posture of defence. This they were also induced to do, by a report of an intended rising of the Catholics, throughout the Island, on Sunday, the ninth day of December, 1688, to massacre the Protestants, without respect to age or sex. This rumor was the more readily believed, inasmuch as it was 10 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. observed that the Papists were supplying themselves vvith a kind of' knife called a skein, and other weapons, the priests suflfering no man to come to mass who did not thus arm him- self. Many eye-witnesses of the horrible excesses committed in 1641, still survived, and everywhere the most intense excitement and alarm prevailed. On the seventh day of December, the inhabitants of Ennis- killen were informed by a letter that two companies of soldiers were on their march to take possession of the town. Although their whole number did not exceed eighty, and they had but ten pounds of gunpowder, and twenty muskets, they boldly resolved not to admit the soldiers, and made active prepara- tion for defence. In a few days they received reinforcements of several hundred men, and on the sixteenth, they marched out, met the enemy a few miles from the town, and repulsed them without difficulty. From this time, until James was driven from the Island, the Enniskilleners not only bravely and successfully defended their town against every atterapt to reduce it, but by their frequent sallies did much to annoy and distress the enemy. Early on the morning of the seventh of December, informa- tion was received by the authorities of Londonderry, from George Philips, a veteran soldier, who had been once gov- ernor of the city, that a regiment of the newly-raised troops, under the command of Lord Antrim, were on their way to the town, and the Governor and council were advised not to admit them within the walls. The bearer of the letter also told them that some of the companies had then arrived within two miles of the place. This announcement produced the greatest alarm and confusion among all classes of the inhabit- ants, and the authorities were in much perplexity as to the bestcourse to be pursued. The admission of the unwelcome regiment within their walls, seemed to them tantamount to a desertion of the cause of William and of Protestantism, and a delivery of themselves up to the mercy of their cruel and EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 11 bitter enemies. But, on the other hand, it seemed a bold and hazardous measure, to close the gates against them, scantily provided, as they then were, with the means to sustain a siege, and defend the city against the forces that might be brought against it. While they were in this state of doubt and uncertainty, two companies of the regiment appeared on the side of the river opposite the city, and their otficers immediately crossed over and demanded admission. The deputy Mayor, who was secretly a friend of James, was disposed to receive them, but objections were made by others. Some time having been spent in consuhation, the soldiers became impatient, and, fearing that they might be excluded from the city, without waiting for orders, crossed the river and appeared on the landing-place, near the Ferry-gate. A few young men of the city observing this, rushed to the main guard, seized the keys after a slight opposition, drew up the bridge and locked the gate just as the soldiers were about to enter. Others having come to their assistance, they imme- diately secured the three other gates. The names of these resolute young men " deserve," says the historian, " to be preserved in letters of gold, namely, — Henry Campsie, William Crookshanks, Robert Sherard, Daniel Sherard, Alexander Irwin, James Stewart, Robert Morrison, Alexander Coningham, Samuel Hunt, James Spike, John Coningham, William Cairnes, and Samuel Harvey." This decisive act had the effect of confirming the inhabi- tants of the city, and particularly the young men, in their determination to defend it at all hazards. Some few were heard to express their disapprobation of the measure, and to urge the opening of the gates. But their remonstrances were soon silenced. Meanwhile, the companies who had been excluded, were waiting outside the gate in great wrath and indignation, and 12 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. though repeatedly warned to retire, they paid no heed to the admonition. At length, one James Morrison cried out, with a loud voice, " Bring about a great gun liere, " when they were seized with a panic, and recrossed the river with the utmost despatch. On theafternoon of this day, David Cairnes of Knockmany, in the county of Tyrone, a gentleman of high standing and respectabihty, came into the city, and ofFered his assistance. He highly approved of the course which had been taken, and commended the Prentice Boys, as they were called, for the courage and spirit which they had exhibited. His example was soon foliowed by other gentlemen from the surrounding country. Four days after, Mr. Cairnes set out for London to communicate to the government an account of the course adopted by the citizens of Londonderry, and of the imminent danger incurred by such vigorous and decisive measures, and to implore immediate assistance. The events of this day are justly entitled to a conspicuous place in the annals of civil and religious freedom. For had this regiment been admitted into the city, it would have been hardly possible for the inhabitants to resist the tyrant, intent upon regaining his throne and frustrating the revolution so happily begun by William. On the next day, the citizens were relieved of the imme- diate presence of Lord Antrim's regiment. Some welcome news of the success of prince William having that day been received in the city, the inhabitants, to testify their joy, dis- charged two of the largest guns upon the walls. This had the effect of striking terror into the soldiers upon the other side of the river, many of whom, being raw recruits, had never before heard the discharge of cannon. About the same time, one George Cooke drew up iifty or sixty boys in a line upon the bank of the river next the city. These, the cowards mistook for the advanced guard of a regiment, and their alarm now being complete, they Üed with precipitation. EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 13 The means of defence wliicli the city at this time posseased, was entirelj inadequate to the emergeney in which it was likely soon to be placed. Nearly fifty years previous to this time, the London companies had presented to the city a large number of guns for the walls, but of these, not twenty were now fit for service. There was in the maorazine but six or seven barrels of gunpowder, and ten or twelve hundred muskets, of which the greater part were so much out of repair, as to be useless. There were, in the city, and in the suburbs, about six liundii-ed men capable of hearing arms, to which, two days after, was added a reinforcement of two or three hundred horse and a company of infantry, who came into the city and offered their assistance. " The town," says Graham, " was weak in its fortifications, the wall being, less than nine feet thick along the face of the ramparts, with a ditch, and eight bastions." Tyrconnel, aware of the importance of the possession of Londonderry, in January, 1689, sent orders to Lord Mount- joy and Lieutenant-Colonel Lundy, to march from Dublin, with six companies of troops, and take possession of it. The citizens of Londonderry having received Information of this movement, were at first disposed to refuse admission to the troops. So much confidence, however, was placed in the character of Lord Mountjoy, who was generally known and highly esteemed, that, on bis appearance before the city, they entered into negotiations with him, and finally consented to receive him and Lundy, and two of the companies, which were composed of Protestants, within the walls. This, how- ever, was done upon the express condition that the garrison should consist entirely of Protestant soldiers, and that the citizens should retain their arms. The remaining four companies, about one half of the men being Papists, were ordered to retire to quarters, at some distance from the city. Lord Mountjoy, to whom George Philips, who had been reinstated in the office of governor, resigned his authority, 2 14 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. clid not disappoint the expectations which had been formed of him. Ile imraediately gave directions for strengthening the fortifications, remounting the giins, repairing the muskets, and for placing the city in a suitable posture for defence. Considerable sums of money Avere raised among the citizens by siibscription, and exj^ended in the purchase of ammunition and arms, and in siich other modes as would contribute to the safety of the place. The course pursued by Lord Mountjoy being far froni satisfactory to Tyrconnel, he was soon recalled to Dublin, and the cliief aiUhority devolved upon Colonel Lundy, who was then in high repute as an experienced soldier and a zealous Protestant. About the first of March, Tyrconnel sent an army under the command of General Hamilton, into Ulster, who, after several skirmishes with armed bands of Protestants, appeared before the walls of Coleraine, a considerable town, about thirty miles north-west of Londonderry, on the twenty- seventh day of the same month. On the twelfth day of March, king James landed at Kin- sale, with about five thousand French troops, and immedi- ately proceeded to Cork. On the twenty-fourth, he made a public and iraposing entry into Dublin, where he remained until the eighth of April. On the twenty-first of March, very welcome supplies were received in Londonderry, from England, consisting of four hundred and eighty barrels of guni)owder, and arms for two thousand men. They were brought by Captain James Hamilton, who was-also the bearer of a considerable sum of money for the garrison, and of a commission from kino- William to Colonel Lundy. Wlicn the government of the city was first intrusted to Lundy, all had the utmost confidence in liis skill and fidelity. But his conduct had been such as to excite in many the suspicion that he was secretly in the interest of James : a EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 15 suspicion wliich, as it afterwards appeared; was too well founded. But liis treaclieiy was not as yet sufficiently man- ifest to warrant an impeachment, and he still continued to hold his power, and to thwart, as far as he could witli safety, the well-concerted plans of the Protestants. About the tenth of April, Information was received, by Rev. George Walker, that the Irish army were approaching Londonderry, and he imraediately communicated this intelli- gence to Lundy. Mr. Walker was Rector of the parishes of Donoiighmore and Erigal Keeroge, in the county of Tyrone, and, although at an advanced age, entered with true Christian zeal into the contest, and, girding on the sword, plaeed him- self at the head of a regiment which he had raised. Lnndy affected to believe the news a false alarm, and took no measures to prevent the approach of the hostile army. On the thirteenth, the enemy, under General Hamilton, appeared upon the opposite side of the Foyle, but the river was then so s wollen by recent rains, that they found it impossible to cross it at that place. \ Had proper arrangements been made to guard the passes of the river, the enemy might easily have been prevented from crossing it ; but by tlie treacherous management of Lundy, they were not only suffered to cross it on the fifteenth, buf his own troops were unnecessarily exposed to be cut in p^ces. On the fifteenth of April, Colonel Cunningham and Colonel Richards sent to Lundy, informing him that they had arrived in Lough Foyle Avith two well-disciplined regi- ments, and desired his%rders in regard to their disembar- kation. The perfidious governor assembled a council of war, but such were his representations and such his influence in the council, that they came to the decision that the place wasuntenable, and that it could not long withstand the forces with which it would soon be invested. The commanders of the two regiments deemed it inexpedient to land them, or the ammunition sent by Parliament for the rehef of the city. 16 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. They conseqiicntly Avitliclrew to tlieir ships, and returned witli tlieir rcgiments to England, where tliej were immedi- atelj and deservedly cashiered. Liindy continued to exert such an influence, and to adopt sucli measures, as to induce the council, on the seventeenth of April, to signify tliat they were willing to capitulate iipon an assurance of iudemnity for their past resistance. King James had just arrived from Dublin, witli about fifteen thousand trooj)s, and the proposal to surrender upon any terms was most acceptable to him, as the success of his whole plan of operations evidently depended upon his speedy pos- session of Londonderry. Accordingly, on the next day, he ad- vaneed at the head of his entire army to a hill within cannon- shot of the city, for the purpose of receiving their submission. At this crisis, Captain Murray, a brave and gallant country gentleman, arrived, at the head of a company of horse, and entered the city in spite of the efforts of Lundy to prevent him. Murray's expostulations and harangues had such an effect upon the soldiers on the walls, that they opened upon the enemy a terrible discharge of cannon and musketry, Avhich was continued until night, a reception very different from that which James had been led to expect. Notwithstanding the occurrences of the day, Lundy still proceeded in his attempt to surrender the city. Murray, " whose jDresence," says one, " struck a cold damp in the governor and council, but inspired the men on the walls with vigor and resolution," announced his determination, not only to jirevent a surrender, but to suppress Lundy and his council. Others seconded Murray in this resolve, and all who were willing to unite with them, were requested to signify it by wearing a white cloth upon their left arm. Several Ihousands adopted the badge, and no time was lost in deposing the perfidious governor. " He stole off," says one historian, " with a load upon his back, a disgraceful disguise, and suited to him who bore it." EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 17 On the day after tlie departure of Lundy, the people united in the choice of Rev. George Walker, and of Colonel Heniy Baker, as joint governors, who undertook their weighty trust with the determination to defend the place, to whatever extremity of suffering they might be reduced. The total amount of men and officers at this time within the city, was upward of seven thousand ; several regiments and companies which had been raised for the defence of other places having retired to Londonderry on the approach of the Irish army. The number of women, children, and men incapable of hearing arms, was about twenty thousand, and it seemed improbable that their pro\ isions would be sufficiënt to sustain so large a number through a protracted siege. Another difficulty with which they had to contend, was the want of harmony between the different religious Siects or de- nominations of Protestants. So bitter were the feelings exist- ing between the members of the Established Church and the Dissenters, between the Conformists and the Non-Conform- ists, that, notwithstanding the common danger, they came, on one or two occasions, almost to an open rupture. The clergy and ministers, however, pursued a course most honorable and judicious. They exhorted their respective congregations to forget their distinctions, to dismiss their prejudices, and to unite for the defence of the Protestant religion, wliich was equally dear to all ; and, by their admonitions and example, they so far succeeded in reconciling these differences, that no serious evils resulted from them. The city was now invested on every side, except that next the water, by an army of twenty thousand men, under the command of General Richard Hamilton, a brave and skilful officer. The perfidy and cruelty with which James and his officers conducted this campaign was almost unprecedented. They seemed to act upon the maxim, ever a favorite one wdth the Catholics, " that no faith was to be kept with here- tics." The protections which were granted to Protestants, 2* 18 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. on the conclition of tlieir remaining neutral, were often disre- garded, and those holding them were frequently robbed of their estates and imprisoned. One or two instances, from several related by Mr. Gra- hara, will serve to show the character of the enemy with whom the Protestants had to contesnd. There was, in Grom Castle, a prisoner, Brian McGuire, who had been a captain in king James's army. Lord Galmoy wished for his release, and sent an express to Gaptain Greighton, proposing to ex- change for him Gaptain Dixy, whom they had taken prison- er ; pledging his honor that, if McGuire was sent to him, he would return Dixy without delay. McGuire was sent ; but, instead of fulfilling his promise, Lord Galmoy called a coun- cil of war, and put Gaptain Dixy, and his lieutenant, Charle- ton, on trial for high treason, and they were condemned to death, promises of life and preferment being made to them, if they would renounce the Protestant religion, and join king James's army. They were both young men, but they firmly rejected the base offer, and wisely prefered death to dishonorable life. McGuire, who had been given in ex- change for Dixy, warmly interposed in behalf of the prison- ers, and was so disgusted at being unable to save their lives, though at the expense of his own liberty, which he generous- ly offered to resign for them, that he resigned his commission, retumed to Grom, and would serve king James no longer. Galmoy, in the mean time, deaf to every remonstrance made to him, caused the unfortunate young gentlemen to be hanged on a sign-post ; and when they were dead, commanded their bodies to be taken into the inn, had both their heads cut off, and thrown out to the soldiers, who kicked them through the streets, as foot-balls. When the rufRans had sufiiciently gratified themselves and their brutal commander by this barbarous sport, the heads were set up on the market-house of Belturbet. Galmoy marched in a few days afterwards towards London- EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 19 deriy, and passing througli Tyrone, perpetrated anotlier act of more than usual enormity. At Omagli, he took two men, father and son, on pretence of their having taken up arms for their own defence. He first caused the son to hang his father, and carry his head through the streets, crying, " This is the head of a traitor," and then the young man himself was hanged. Nor were siich acts perpetrated by subordinate officers without the approbation of the fallen monarch. He sanc- tioned them, not only by word, but by act. A man named Maxwell had taken up arms to defend his house against the Rapparees, and for this he was condemned to death. His wife, after much solicitation, prevailed upon the sheriff to grant him a short reprieve. Then, accompanied by four or five small children, she appeared before the king, at Dublin, and on her knees presented a petition, praying his Majesty to pardon, or at least to reprieve, her husband. Although her request was seconded by many of the Irish nobility who were present, and were moved by the tears of the woman and her children, the stern reply of the king was, " Woman, your hushand shall die^ The sheriff received a rebuke for his humanity, and was commanded to hang the man immediately, Avhich was accordingly done. " This example," says Graham, " added a stimulus to the fury of the Romish soldiers against the Protestants, who were treated in the city, and under the immediate eye of the government, in the most barbarous manner. No Protestant could be out of his house after sunset without danger of his life ; several of them were assassinated ; and among them a poor tapster of an alehouse on the Wood Quay, who was thrown into the Liffey and drowned, merely as a frolic, and no notice whatever taken of it." The foUowing extract from the journal of Rev. Mr. Walker, describes the circumstances of the besieged soon after he was appointed governor of the city. 20 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. "It did be^et amono; us some disorder and confusion, when we looked about us and saw what we were doing ; our enemies all about us, and our friends running away from us ; a gar- rison we had, composed of a number of poor people, fright- ened from their own homes, and seemingly more fit to hide themselves than to face an enemy. When we considered that we had no persons of experience in war amongst us, and those very persons that were sent to assist us had so little confidence m the place, that they no sooner saw it than they thought fit to leave it ; that we had but few horse to sally out with, and no forage ; no engineers to instruct us in our works, no fire works, not so much as a hand-grenade to annoy the enemy ; not a gun well mounted in the whole town ; that we had so many moutlis to feed, and not above ten days' provision for them, in the opinion of our former governors ; that every day several left us and gave constant intelligence to the enemy ; that they had so many opportuni- ties to divide us, and so often endeavored to do it, and betray the governors ; that they were so numerous, so powerful, and so well-appointed an army, that, in all human probability, we could not think ourselves in less danger than the Israelites at the Red Sea. When we considered all this, it was obvious enough what a dangerous undertaking we had ven- tured upon ; but the resolution and courage of our people, and the necessity we were under, and the great confidence and dependence among us on God Almighty, that He would take care of us and preserve us, made us overlook all those difficulties." A minute narration of all that transpired within and around the walls of Londonderry, from the middle of April to the middle of June, would be tedious and unf)rofitable. It would be a mere account of cannonadings by the besiegers, which were promptly returned by the besieged ; of assaults upon the city, of sallies from it, and of conflicts around the walls, in w^hich the Protestants were almost without excep- tion the victors. EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 21 Tbe bomb-shells, liowever, wliicli were almost daily tlirown into the city, were productive of much injury and inconve- nience to the besieged. Bursting as they feil, they destroyed many lives ; many persons were wounded by them, and numerors buildings were overthrown. Great care was requi- site to protect the gunpowder from thera, which was efiected by placing it in deep cellars and dry wells. As there were numerous desertions from the city, it became necessary fre- quently to move the gunpowder, that the enemy might be kept in ignorance of the places where it was deposited. Mr. Walker has related two occurrences worthy of notice, " they being so considerable, in demonstrating that prov- idence which attended the defence of the town." There was at one time a large quantity of ammunition in the cellar of a Mr. Campsie, and it was thought advisable to remove it. The very next day after it was removed, a bomb broke into the cellar, and if the gunpowder had been there, the greatest destruction of life must have ensued. At another time, a bomb from the enemy broke into a cellar near the Butcher's-gate. Some persons were induced by curiosity to examine the cellar, to see what injury had been done, and there they found seven men lying dead, who had been secretly working at a mine, " and," says he, " if it had not been for so miraculeus a countermine, they might have gone on with their work and ruined us." By the middle of June the besieged began to suffer for want of provision, and were reduced to the necessity of saltino; and eatinor the flesh of the horses that were killed in the various skirmishes about the city. They obtained a tem- porary supply by digging up cellars and otlier places, where they found considerable quantities of meal and other provis- ion, which had been buried by those who had died or left the city. But they had the prospect of famine before their eyes, if they continued the defence, unless speedy relief should be sent them. 22 HISTORY OP LONDÜNDERRY. In addition to this, sickness and disease became very prev- alent, owing to tlieir close confineraent, and the scarcity of pure water. By the concussion of the ground, caused by the bursting of the shells, the water in most of the wells became so muddy and impure as to be unfit for use, and a supply of this necessary article had to be obtained without the walls, with great difficuhy and perih On the thirteenth of June, the hopes of the brave defend- ers of Londonderry were much raised, by the sight of a fleet of thirty sail, in Lough Foyle. It was from England, sent for the reUef of the city, under the command of Major- General Kirke, and brought a reinforceraent of five thousand men and a supply of provision. The besieged expressed their joy by the firing of cannon, and also made signals of distress ; but Kirke, deterred by the batteries erected on each side of the river, made no attempt to send relief into tlie city, and sailed out of the harbor, to the great dismay of the dis- tressed garrison. General Kirke has been much and deservedly censured for his conduct on this occasion. Tlie boom which was afterwards thrown across the river, had not at that time been completed, and had he not been wanting in energy and humanity, he could, without much difficulty or danger, have relieved the city. The first appearance of the fleet in the river produced a visible consternation in the camp of the besiegers. Many were observed to strike their tents, and to make preparations for a speedy flight, and it is probable that if Kirke had but remained in the river until the next morn- ing, the enemy would before that time have decamped. General Kirke, on leaving the Foyle, sailed round into Lough Swilly, and fortified the island of Inch, which he considered a favorable position for holding communication with Enniskillen and Londonderry. On the eighteenth day of June, General Conrad de Rosen, a Frenchman, of much military skill, but haughty, unscrupu- EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 23 lous, and cruel, appeared before the city with a reinforce- ment of fifteen hundred men, and topk the command of the besieging army. He expressed extreme contempt for the walls and other defences of the city, and swore that he could maké his men bring them to him stone by stone. Notwithstanding the discouraging circumstances in which they were now placed, the men of Londonderry did not waver in their determination to defend the city to the last extremity. Though they had suifered much, and must probably endure still more severe trials, they were well aware that the surrender of their strong-hold, would be the abandonment of Protestantism in Ireland ; and trusting that that Providence which had protected them thus far would continue to watch over them, they, on the very day of De Rosen's arrival, issued the order that no man, on pain of death, .should speak of surrendering the city. De Rosen, the French commander, despairing of being able to reduce the garrison by other means, at length had recourse to an expediënt unparalleled in atrocity. On the thirtieth of June, he sent into Londonderry a declaration that, unless they would surrender, before the evening of that day, he would drive all the Protestants from the sur- rounding country, men, women, and children, protected and unprotected, under the walls of the city ; and, if the gar- rison would not then surrender, he would put them all to the sword. This threat being received with contempt and indignation, on the next day Rosen issued his barbarous and cruel orders ; and his inhuman purpose, revolting to most of his own officers, was rigorously executed. "The Irish officers employed in this melancholy service," says Mr. Graham, "executed these orders with tears in their eyes, and many of them declared that the cries of these victims of cruelty, seemed to ring in their ears ever afterwards. General Hamilton was so shocked at the sight, that, in defiance of Rosen, his commanding officer, he ordered meal 24 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. and other provision to be distributed among the wretclied groups, as they passed through the Irish camp." The besieged took no pains to conceal the rage which this inhuman proceeding excited. They immediately erected a gallows npon the walls, and threatcned that they would hang all their prisoners, unless their distressed friends and countrjmen were suffered to depart. The barbarity of Rosen, so far from having the effect intended, only strength- ened the garrison in their resolves to continue the defence of the city; and even the suffering crowds around the city, besought their friends npon the walls to leave them to perish, rather than to surrender to so merciless a foe. A letter from James, reprehending the course he had pursued, the sight of the gallows erected on the walls for the execution of the Irish prisoners, and the general feeling of abhorrence excited, as well in his own army as through- out the whole country, induced Rosen, on the fourth of July, to suffer the afflicted multitude, amounting to more than four thousand, to return to their homes. Hundreds, however, had died around the walls ; other hundreds died on their journey back ; and of those who succeeded in reaching their former places of abode, large numbers, finding their houses plundered or destroyed, perished for want of the necessaries of life. During the month of July, the most extreme distress was feit from the scarcity of provisions. Many died from starva- tion, and the garrison were reduced to the vilest and most unwholesome food. Horsefiesh, cats, dogs, rats, and salted hides were eaten. Tallow, which they humorously called Frencti butter, was mixed with meal, ginger, i)epper, and anise-seeds, and in this way, wliat they considered excellent pancakes were made. Towards the lat ter part of the month, a quantity of starch was discovered in one of the storehouses. This, mixed with tallow, was found to be not only a valuable article of food, but a remedy for the dysentery, which at that time prevailed. M EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 25 The following is a list of tlie market prices of some of the principal articles of food : — A quarter of a dog, five shilliiigs and sixpence. A dog's head, two shillings and sixpence. Horseflesh, per pound, one shilling and eightpence. A cat, four shillings and sixpence. A rat, one shilling. A mouse, sixpence. A pound of tallow, four shillings. A pound of salted hides, one shilling. A quart of horseblood, one shilling. A handful of seawreck, twopence. So severe was the famine, that some expected to be com- pelled to eat the bodies of the dead ; and it is related, that one very corpulent man, imagining that some of the hungry soldiers regarded his body with a greedy eye, carefully con- cealed himself for several days. On the twenty-seventh of July, the city had come to an extremity from famine and disease which might well cause the most sanguine to despond. The garrison was reduced to four thousand four hundred and fifty-six men. There was not in the city two days' supply of food of any kind, and a strong boom thrown across the river, and the batteries on the banks, left but little hope of relief from the fleet. Deliverance, however, was at hand. Mr. Graham thus relates the occurrences of the twenty- eighth of July : — " Imraediately after divine service, the ships in the Lough were seen to approach the distressed city, now in the last extremity to which famine and disease could reduce it. The defenders of the city discharged eight pieces of cannon from the steeple of the cathedral, and slowly waved their crimson flag, to signify the extremity of their distress. With a fair wind and a favorable tide to facilitate the approach of the relief before their eyes, now or never was the simultaneous 3 26 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. cry of the feeble and emaciated multitude on the walls. The ships approaching were the Mountjoy, of Londonderry, Captain Micah Browning, commander, and the Phenix, of Coleraine, Captain Andrew Doughiss, master. They were both laden with provisions, and were convoyed by the Dart- mouth frigate, commanded by Captain Leake. The enemy fired incessanlly on the ships from the fort of Ctümore, and from both sides of the river, as they sailed up, and the returns were made with the greatest bravery and effect. They passed the fort without sustaining any material injury, and the exj)ectation of the besieged rosé into transports of joy, which were ahnost instantaneously succeeded by despair, when the Mountjoy, repelled by the boom, was run aground, and the enemy, who had crowded in multitudes to the water- side, raised a loud huzza, as they launched their boats to board her. The terror which prevailed in the city at this moment, is not to be described. The multitudes on the wall stood petrified in the silent agony of grief, too great for utter- ance ; a faint and shrill cry from a few women and children alone broke the dreadful silence, as it added to the horrors of the scène. The pallid indications of fear suddenly dis- appearing, were succeeded by a darkness of color, like that which marks the counienance seen by the light of sul- phureous flames. All features gathered blackness, and the general despondency was at its greatest height, when the Mountjoy fired a broadside at the enemy, rebounded from the shore, and the reaction of the vessel, aided by the sudden swell of the rising tide, floated her again into the deep water in the channel. Captain Douglass, of the Phenix, was ..t this time warmly engaged as he passed up, on the breaking of the boom by the gallant Browning, who, while his vessel lay aground, was killed by a musket-ball from the enemy, which struck him upon the head, as he stood upon the deck with his sword drawn, encouraging his men to the contest. King William afterwards settled a pension upon the widoAV I EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 27 of this gallant man, and, in the presence of the court, placed a gold cbain about her neck. Four of Browning's gallant crew shared his fate, just as the vessel got afloat ; and then the Dartmouth opened a heavy and well-directed fire upon the enemy's batteries, diverting them so from both vessels, that, amidst a desponding yell from the crowds on each side of the river, they sailed up slowly, indeed, by reason of a failure in the wind after they had passed Culmore, but steadily and majestically, to the utter confusion of their baffled enemies. It was ten o'clock in the niglit when they anchored in the ship-quay, upon which a general shout of acclamation was raised by the soldiers on the walls, and reiterated several times, while two guns were fired from the steeple, to give notice to the fleet of the safe arrival of the relief/' " The Pheni:?t contained from six to eight hundred boUs of meal, with which she had been laden in Scotland, and the Mountjoy, carrying one hundred and thirty-five tons barden, brought from England her cargo of beef, pease, flour, biscuit, etc, all of the best kind. This relief," says Walker, *' arrived here to the inexpressible joy and transport of our distressed garrison, for we only reckoned upon two days' life. We had nine lean horses left, and one pint of meal to each man. Hunger and fatigue of war, had so prevailed among us, that of seven thousand fi^e hundred men regimented at the corai- mencement of the siege, we had now alive but about four thousand three hundred, of whom at least one fourth part ^vere rendered unserviceable ! " '*^ " In the course of this night, the Irish army ran away from the position which they had occupied before Londonderry for one hundred and five days, having lost eight or nine thousand men and one hundred of their best officers, in their abortive attempt to reduce the city." It was deemed important to connect with the history of the town of Londonderry, a concise sketch of this memorable siege, for two reasons. 28 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. In the first place, as has been already remarked, the defence of Londondeny, bj arresting and paralyzing the efforts of James, contributed largely to his ultimate over- throw, and to the establishment of a revolution so important not onlj to the British nation, but to the world. For not- withstanding James, during the summer of 1690, received reinforcements of men, and supplies of arms and ammuni- tion, from France, yet he was soon after defeated by the Protestant forces, commanded by king William in person, in an engagement on the banks of the river Boyne. The next year his army was again completely routed at Aghrim, and the capitulation of Limerick, his last strong-hold in Ireland, which soon foliowed, put an end to all his hopes of recover- ing his crown. Is the battle of Bunker Hill, in its connection with the results of the stand there made in the cause of freedom, so important, as to justify the erection of a splendid monument to teil the story to future ages ? The protracted siege of this little city, when its consequences are duly considered, will appear entitled to quite as conspicuous a place in the annals of freedom. And yet, important as it was, few comparatively, of the descendants of the brave defenders of the place, in this country, are familiar with the history of that event, upon which was suspended the rich inheritance they have received from their fathers, and which they are to transmit to future generations. In the second place, a short account of this memorable siege seemed to be necessary, as it serves to display the character of the first settlers of the town of Londonderry, most of whom were of the number of those who, on that occasion, fought so bravely, bied so freely, and endured so heroically, for their religion. Such tried spirits, such lovers of Christian liberty, were well prepared to encounter the hardships and endure the trials of forming a new settlement, and to lay the foundations of a community, which has been EVENTS PRIOR TO ITS SETTLEMENT. 29 distinguishecl for its intelligence, its steadfast adherence to the great truths and institutions of religion, and its pros- perity. So important did tlie king and Parliament consider the defence of this city, and so highly did they appreciate the valor, the endnrance, and the worth of its defenders, that, in addition to the bestowment of certain grants, an act was passed, exempting from taxation, throughout the British dominions, all who had borne arms in the city during the siege. Of this act, those who settled in the town of Lon- donderry availed themselves, until the American Revolution. The lands occupied by such individuals were known and designated as the Exempt Farms. They can now be pointed out by some of the older inhabitants. These considerations, will justify the notice which has been taken of this event, which, as more recent revolutions serve to evince, was among the first and essential links in that great chain of providential dispensations, from which we derived our rich inheritance of civil and religious bless- ings. May the review serve to revive, in the breasts of the present generation, descendants of the English Puritan, and Scotch Covenanter, here happily and harmoniously mingled, a veneration for those principles which actuated their heroic ancestors. 3» 30 HISTORY OF LONDONDEKRY. CHAPTER II. The immediate causes of tiib emigration — arrival at boston sklection of a township — settlement of a pastor — intkoduction of the potato — manufacture of linen — petition for a charter — title to the land obtained — attempts to dispossess the settlers — incorporation of the town — fairs — origin of town organizations. Religious toleration, to the conception and acknowledg- ment of whicli the world has come so slowly, is a most j ust and most wise principle. It requires that every man be allowed the unbiased exercise of his own choice, as to the religious denomination, the creed, or the mode of worship which he will favor and snjoport. Religion being essential to the virtue, order, and best good of the community, every man is really, if not legally, bound to support religious as well as civil institutions ; but the sect or denomination should be left to his own free choice. But such freedom of conscience was unknown in the days of our fathers. In England even, notwithstanding the light and influence of the Reformation, various laws were passed, enjoining uniformity, not only in sentiment, but in forms of religious worship, subjecting all who refused compliance to severe penalties ; so that, on one occasion, the ever-memorable Bar- tholomew's day, a. d. 1GG2, two thousand f)ious and devoted ministers, among whom were Henry, Baxter, How, and Owen, — men eminent for piety and talents, were ejected from their parishes, separated from their beloved flocks, silencedfrom preaching, and thus deprived of all accustoraed means of support for themselves and families, merely for non-compliance with the act of conformity. This act required that every clergyman should be reor- dained, if he had not before received Episcopal ordination ; CIVIL HISTORY. 31 sliould declare his assent to everything contained in the Book of Common Prayer ; sliould take the oatli of canoiiical obedi- eiice ; should abjure the common league and covenant, and should renounce the principle of taking up arms on any pre- tence whatsoever, against the king. It was these oppressive acts, in the days of Elizabeth and her predecessors, which induced the Puritan settlers of New England to seek in this newly-discovered land, a settlement founded on principles of religious freedom. It was a deter- mination not to submit to dictation in matters of faith and modes of worship ; to hazard everything, to endure every- thing for " freedom to worship God." No worldly or secular motive was sufficiently powerful to influence these men to exchange their native land, their pleasant homes, their beautiful fields, to abandon all that was endeared by the associations of life, for a hostile wilderness beyond the ocean. The love of religious liberty is a stronger sentiment, when fully excited, than attachment to civil and jwlitical freedom. That freedom which the conscience demands, and for which men feel bound by the hopes of salvation to contend, can hardly fail to be attained. " If the hand of power is laid upon it, this only seems to augment its force and its elasticity, and to cause its action to be more formidable and terrible. Human invention has devised nothing, human power has compassed nothing, that can forcibly restrain it when it breaks forth. Nothing can stop it, but to give way for it, nothing can check it but by indulgence. It loses its power only when it has gained its object." As the fathers of New England fled, not so much from the civil government as from the hierarchy, and the laws which enforced conformity to the Church establishment, so did the settlers of Londonderry emigrate, to escape religious rather than civil evils. Although by the revolution of 1688, and the accession of William and the House of Hanover to the British throne, the Protestant cause was firmly established, 32 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. peace restorcd to the island in which they dwelt, and toler- ation of religious sentiments allowed; still, as Presbjterians, and Dissenters from the Church of England, they expe- rieneed many embarassments. They were, indeed, permitted to maintain their öwn forms of worshif) unmolested ; still, they were comjielled to aid in supporting a minister of the established religion, and a tenth part of all their increase was rigorously exacted for this purpose. They also held their lands and tenements by lease from the crown, and not as proprietors of the soil. With an inextinguishable thirst for liberty, they could not bear to be thus trammelled in their civil and religious rights. Their position in Ireland was uncomfortable, also, sur- rounded as they were with the native Irish, who adhered with tenacity to the Church of Rome ; and though they were then subjugated to Protestant power, and not permitted openly to persecute as they had done, yet a spirit of hostility still existed, and was in various ways expressed. Many circum- stances, in addition to the original strong traits of character which separate the Scotch from the Irish, had served to inflame and strengthen the enmity existing between them. Mr. Macaulay, adverting to the hostility existing between the Irish Catholics and the Protestants, who had settled in Ireland, says : " On the same soil dwelt two populations, locally intermixed, morally and politically sundered. The difference of religion was by no means the only difFerence, and was perhaps not even the chief difFerence, which existed between them. They sprang from different stocks. They spoke different languages. They had different national char- acters, as strongly opposed as any two national characters in Europe. They were in widely different stages of civiliza- tion. There could, therefore, be little sympathy between them ; and centuries of calamities and wrongs had generated a strong antipathy. The relation in which the minority stood to the majority, resembled the relation in which the CIVIL HISTORY. 33 followers of William the Conqueror stood to the Saxon churls, or the relation in which the followers of Cortez stood to the Indians of Mexico. " The appellation of Irish was then given exclusively to the Celts, and to those families which, though not of Celtic origin, had in the course of ages degenerated into Celtic manners. These people, probably somewhat under a million in number, had, with few exceptions, adhered to the Church of Rome. Among them resided about two hundred thou- sand colonists, proud of their Saxon blood and of their Protestant faith. " The great preponderance of numbers on one side, was more than compensated bj a great superioritj of intelligence, vigor, and organization on the other. The English settlers seem to have been, in knowledge, energy, and perseverance, rather above than belo^v the average level of the population of the mother country. The aboriginal peasantry, on the contrary, were in an almost sa vage state." It was in view of these embarrassments and evils expe- rienced in their native land, that this body of emigrants were disposed to leave their homes and the many comforts there enjoyed for an untried region, and the labors and sufiferings incident to a settlement in a new country.* * The rcsidence of the McKeens, MacGregors, Nesiniths, Dinsmoors, and many other of the emigrants to Londonderry, was in the valley of the river Bann, and in or near the towns or parishes of Coleraine, Bally- money, Ballywoolen, Ballywatick, and Kih-ea. A distinguished descendant of one of the carly settlers, writcs to the author, as follows : " On a voyage to the Old World, a few years since, I could not resist the inclination to visit the tcmporary resting-place of our forefathers, in Ireland. Not anticipating snch an exciirsion when I left home, I was misorably prcpared for taking advantage of what others knew, as to the exact location of our ancestors; I only knew that Lon- donderry, Coleraine, Antrim, Bidlymoney, and Belfast, were some of their i)laces of rcsidence, and of course could receivc only general appre- Ciations of their homes. Still, viewing the vast extent of excellent l^^nd, 34 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. That sucli were tlieir motives, we learn from a manuscript sermon of the Rev. James MacGiegor, one of the four pastors who accompanied their flocks to Araerica, and the first min- ister of Londonderry. It was addressed to them on the eve of their embarking for this country. Ilis discourse was from those very appropriate words of Moses, when conducting the chosen tribes to the promised land : " If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." In the application of the subject to their emigration, he States the following as reasons of their removal to America. 1. To avoid oppression and cruel bondage. 2. To shun persecution and designed ruin. 3. To withdraw from the communion of idolaters. 4. To have an opportunity of wor- shipping God, according to the dictates of conscience and the rules of his inspired Word. They were, moreover, induced to contemplate a settiement in this land, by the favorable report of a young man, by the name of Holmes, the son of a Presbyterian clergyman, who had visited this country. Encouraged by his representations of the civil and religious privileges which were enjoyed by the American colonies, his father, and three other Presby- terian ministers, James MacGregor, William Cornwell, and William Boyd, with a portion of their respective congre- gations, determined on a removal t?) this country. still uncultivated, the beauty of the scenery, the mildness of the winters (on the thirtieth of March, 1845, I saw peaches in fuU blossom, in the open air, at Bclfast,) I could not but rcalize that moral licroisin, which could inducc men, perfcetly ndvigcd of all they were to expect or obtain, to emigrate to the New World. Men in the most wild belief of the precious metals, will seek new countries with rccklcss disrogard of all consequcnces. Our Irish ancestors knew that ihey were Icnving a letter country for a poorer, (speaking agricullurally,) and with only the prospect of toil before tliem. Im.igination Icnt no eharms to the future. They must have had motives reaehing bevond the present. Their char- acters, and I believe the moral tone of the vast masses of their widoly- spread desccndants, leavc us in no doubt of the truc im]n)lscs which governed them." CIVIL HISTORY. 35 In order to prepare the way and secure a reception and a place of settlement on their arrival here, they dispatched, early in the year 1718, Rev. Mr. Boyd, with an address to governor Shute, of Massachusetts, espressing a strong desire to remove to New England, should he aiFord them suitable encouragement. They also empowered Mr. Boyd to make all the necessary arrangements with the civil authority for their reception. The address is very concise and appropriate, and is signed by two hundred and seventeen, each subscribing his own name in a fair and legible hand, except ^^^eriijvhose marks ^Mi^lJuU^^ are affixed. That so large a proportion, in the circumstances in which they were 2:)laced while in Ireland, were able to write, is a fact that serves very clearly to show that, as a company, they were superior to the common class of emi- grants. Nine of the subscribers were ministers of the gospel, and three others were graduates at the university in Scot- land. The document is on parchment, in a good state of preservation, and may be regarded as a valuable relic of these early adventurers to this land. A copy is inserted in the Appendix, and it will no doubt be gratifying to many to observe, in the list of subscribers, the names of ancestors whom they have been accustomed to venerate. It would have given greater interest could a fac-simile of the names, as they appear on the manuscript, have been presented. Mr. Boyd received from governor Shute the desired encouragement. On communicating it to his friends in Ireland, by whom he had been commissioned, they immedi- ately converted their property into money, embarked in five ships for Boston, and arrived there August 4, 1718. That portion of the emigrants who had been the charge of Rev. Mr. MacGregor in Ireland, and others who joined them, wished to unite, that they might continue to enjoy his labors as their pastor, Among this number were the McKeen families, with their connections. B^ JL 31) -av 36 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. James McKeen, brother-in-law to Mr. MacGregor, and who appears to have been the leading influential member of this body, on conferring with governor Shute, was informed that there was good land in the vicinity of Casco Bay, Me., which they might have, and where they coiild carry into effect their jiarticular design as a community, and secure the enjoyment of religious ordinances under the ministry of their favorite teacher. Another portion of this company of emigrants repaired to Worcester, and there attempted to form a settlement and enjoy religious privileges under the ministry of one of the pastors who had accompanied them to this country. And although they were an industrious, orderly, worthy, and pious congregation, yet, in consequence of their being foreign- ers, especially from Ireland, and introducing the Presby- terian mode of worship, which was before unknown in New England, the prejudices of the Congregational communities in Worcester were so strong and bitier towards them, that they were compelled to leave the place. They in conse- quence separated and were dispersed through the country. Some of these families settled in Coleraine, some in Palmer, some in Pelham, and some in other towns in Massachusetts ; and being joined by emigrants, from time to time, from the old country, formed those Presbyterian societies which existed for many years in these several towns. A considerable number of this body of emigrants, on arriving at Boston, saw fit to remain in that city ; and, uniting with those of their countrymen of their own faith, whom they found there, formed the iirst Presbyterian church and soci- ety, over which the Rev. John Morehead was installed pastor. It was at first styled the Presbyterian church in Long Lane, — subsequently Federal Street. Sixteen of the families who had purposed to form a distinct settlement, and become the charge of the Rev. Mr. Mac- Gregor, embarked in a vessel for Casco Bay, in order to CIVIL HISTORY. 37 select a township ; while the remaining families, with Mr. MacGregor, retired from Boston into the country ; some to Andover, others to Dracut, until a suitable tract of land should be found for a permanent settlement. The party that left Boston for Casca Bay, arrived there late in the season ; and it proving to be a very early and cold winter, the vessel was frozen in. Many of the families, not being able to find accommodations on shore, were obliged to pass the whole winter on board the ship, suffering severely from the want of food, as well as of conveniences of situation. Willis, in his History of Portland, referring to this event, says : "In the autumn of 1718, a vessel arrived- in the har- bor of Falmouth, now Portland, with twenty families of emi- grants from Ireland. They were descendants of a colony from Argyleshire in Scotland, and settled in the north of Ireland about the middle of the seventeenth century. They were rigid Presbyterians, and fled from Scotland to avoid the persecutions of Charles the First. They suffered severely during the winter here; their provisions failed, and our inhabitants had neither shelter nor food sutficient for so large an accession to the population. In December, the inhab- itants petitioned the General Court at Boston for relief. They stated their grievances as foUows : That there are now in the town about three hundred souls, most of whom are arrived from Ireland, of which not one half have provision enough to live upon over winter, and so poor that they are not able to buy any, and none of the first inhabitants so well furnished as that they are able to supply them ; and they prayed that the Court would consider their desolate circum- stances, by reason of the great company of poor strangers arrived among them, and take speedy and effectual care of their supply. On this application, the Court ordered that one hundred bushels of Indian meal be allowed, and paid out of the treasury, for the poor Irish people mentioned in the petition." It is subjoined, in a note to this record, " That 4 38 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. James McKeen, the grandfather of the first president of Bowdoin College, was of this company, and the agent who selected the land on which they settled." On the opening of spring, the little colony prepared to commence an examination of the territory to which they had been directed by governor Shute. As they disembarked in this new country, to which they had come to seek a residence for themselves and their descendants, they assembled, accord- ing to tradition, on the shore, and joined in acts of religious worship, devoutly acknowledging the divine goodness iti their préservation upon the great deep, and during the un- usually severe winter which they had experienced. No one of their number had suffered by sickness, or been removed by death. Standing on the shore of the ocean which sep- arated them from their native land, they ofFered their devoUt praises in that " most touching of all songs," the orle hundred and thirty-seventh psalm. As they surveyed the unsubdued and uninhabited country around them, and looked back upon the homes of their youth, and upon the blessings and coih- forts which they had there possessed, amidst their tnany trials, they were ready to hang their harps upon the willows, and say, " How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land!" But they looked forward, with hope and constancy, to the attainment of the great object for which they had come, religious freedom. And as they renewed their cove- nant vows, and called to mind the persecuted, süffering state óf the church in their native land, they could with fixed determination say, as did the Jewish captives, " If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, lét my right hand forget her cunning; if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." They were not men to be put back or turned aside by obstacles. They had counted the cost of their undertaking, and were prepared to meet it. After having explored for sóine distance the country eastward from Casco Bay, and CiyiL HISTORY. 39 finding no tract of land that pleased them, they concluded to return; and, directing their course westward, entered the Merrimack, which they ascended to Haverhill, where they arrived the 2d of April, old style. While at Haverhill, they heard of a line tract of land about fifteen miles distant, called Nutfield, on account of the abundance of the chestnut, butter- nut, and walnut-trees, which distinguished the growth of its forests. The men, leaving their families at Haverhill, came and examined the tract ; and, ascertaining that it was not appropriated, they at once decided here to take up the grant which they had obtained from the government of Massa- chusetts, of a township twelve miles square of any of her unappropriated lands. Having selected the spot on which to commence their settlement, and having built a few temporary huts, which they left in charge of two or three of their number, they returned to Haverhill to bring on their families, their pro- visions, their implements of labor, and what little household furniture they could collect. A part of the company return- ed from Haverhill by the way of Dracut, where Mr. Mac- Gregor had passed the winter in teachmg, that they might bring him with them ; the others came more directly. The two parties arrived at about the same time, and met, as tradition says, at a spot ever after termed Horse Hill, from the fact of their having there tied their horses, while they sur- veyed the territory around. The day of their arrival here, and on which the settlement commenced, was the eleventh day of April, old style, 1719. Mr. MacGregor, on meeting this portion of his beloved flock, from whom he had been separated some months since their arrival in America, and on the spot so happily selected as the place of their future residence, made an affectionate and impressive address, in which he congratulated tliem on the propitious termination of their wanderings, their signal preservation as a company while crossing the ocean, and 40 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. since their arrival in this country, and exhorted them to continued confidence in God, planted as they now were in the wilderness, and strangers in a strange land. Having with them explored more fully the territory which had been selected as a township, and made some general arrangements as to their future proeeedings, he returned to ' his family in Dracut. Before leaving them, he delivered, April 12th, under a large oak, on the east side of Beaver Pond, the first sermon ever preached in this town. His text was from the prophecy of Isaiah, 32 : 2, " And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place ; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." Then, for the first time, did this wilderness and solitary place, over which the savage tribes had for centuries roamed, resound with the voice of prayer and praise, and echo to the sound of the gospel. The spot where this religious service was held, especially the tree around which they assembled, was long after regarded with a degree of reverence, not unlike that feit by the patriarch in regard to the spot on which he rested, when favored with the heavenly vision. On the prostration of this venerable oak through decay, the owner of the field in which it stood planted a young apple-tree among its decayed roots, which is now a thrifty tree, and will long serve to designate the venerated spot.* The field on which they first erected their rude cabins, as a temporary accommodation for their families, and which they cultivated the first year in common, lies not far from the tumpike as it crosses West-running Brook, and has ever since been called " the common field." * It has been suggested, that as therc are so maiiy ploasing associa- tions connectcd with it this spot, well dcscrves somc more cnduring racmorial : and for this object, it has been proposcd that a granitc obelisk, hearing appropriate inscriptions, sliould at some early day be erected in place of the tree. It is hoped that the snggestion will meet with a prompt response. See last page of Appendix. C^VIL HISTOBY. 41 As soon as the company of settlers had organized them- selves into a religious society, in order to the full and stated enjoyment of divine ordinances, which was the leading object of their eniigration, they proceeded, according to the pre- scribed order of the Presbyterian church, to present in due form a call to the Rev. James MacGregor, to become their pastor. Some of them had been his pastoral charge while in Ireland, and all were well satisfied as to his worth, and his distinguished gifts as a minister of Christ. Sometime in May following, Mr. MacGregor, in compliance with their call, removed with his family from Dracut to their settlement, and assumed the pastoral charge of the society. As no 'presbytery then existed in New England, there could be no formal instailation ; nor was it essentially needful ; as IVIr. MacGregor had received ordination some years before, in Ireland. A formal and public recognition of the ecclesias- tical relation thus formed between them, was all that in this case was requisite. Accordingly, on a day appointed for the purpose, the people having assembled, he, in connection with appropriate religious services, solemnly assumed the pastoral charge of the church and congregation ; and they with like solemnity, and by a formal act, received him as their pastor and spirit- ual guide. He preached to them on the occasion from those appro- priate, and, as it regarded this infant settlement, truly prophetic words (Ezekiel 37 : 26), "Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them ; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them ; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore." Having shown that it is the Lord who places a people in a land ; multiplies them therein, and affords them the ordi- nances of religion, he reminded his brethren, that " they 4* 42 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. should devoutly acknowledge the providence of God in all past changes, particularly in their emigration to this new world ; that they should live by faith in what was before them; fervently pray that God would continue to bless them ; be firmly united one with another ; walk in the fear of God, and keep his charge."* These discourses, delivered by their venerated author on occasions so interesting, are noticed, for the purpose of show- ing that the removal and settlement of this company of emi- grants was from religious principle, and in reliance upon the divine guidance and protection. And has not the promise contained in the inspired passage from whicli he addressed his little flock, been most strikingly fulfiUed in respect to the settlement they were then commencing ? God, in his provi- dence, not only planted them here, but greatly multiplied them, so that from this settlement many others were early formed. It proved a most fruitful vine. He also set his sanctuary in the midst of them, and has continued to them and to their descendants in this place, without interruption for more than a century, the ordinances of religion. From that memorable day on which this sermon was preached, and the Christian ministry established among this people, to the present, a period of one hundred and thirty years, they have at no time been destitute of a settled ministry, and the full enjoyment of gospel privileges. The churches and religious societies here early established, have been signally preserved and prospered ; retaining, amidst the many changes and divisions in surrounding communities, the same faith, and the same mode of church government and religious worship, originally adopted. This stability may, in part, be attributed to their staid * The original manuscript of this sermon, with ether manuscript sermons of Rev. James MacGregor, is now in the possession of Rev. John M. Whiton, D. D., of Antrim, N. II. CIVIL HISTORY. 43 attachment to the Presbyterian doctrine and discipline, as observed by the Church of Scotland. Presbyterianism, as adopted by the Reformers, and introduced into that country from Geneva, by John Knox, the celebrated Scotch Reformer, is opposed to the prelatic power of Episcopacy, on the one hand, and the independency of Congregationalism on the other ; guarding the church ahke against a despotic govern- ment and a pure democracy. It adopts a form of govern- ment truly scriptural, as the representative form existed both in the Jewishand Christian church; and, while efficiënt in its administration, is in full accordance with the principles of liberty and equaHty in the church. lts judicatories bear a striking resemblance to those adopted under a free repub- lican government. And while they unite and protect the whole body of professed disciples, they secure to each indi- vidual his full and perfect rights and influence. Every Congregational church, as it respects ecclesiastical govern- ment, is a separate and independent body ; while a Presby- terian church is under the care, and subject to the control, of the presbytery, which, in its turn, is subject to the synod, and that again to the general assembly, all representative, though permanent bodies. The pastor and a certain number of elders in each church, elected to this office by its members, constitute what is termed a Session, for the transaction of its affairs. As Congregationalism was first introduced into New England, it became the prevailing order of church government ; and although, through the illiberal spirit which marked that age, Presbyterianism for a time met with iegis- lative as well as ecclesiastical opposition, yet eventually the members of that church were left to the free and uninter- rupted enjoyment of their own forms of worship. And though differing in the external order of Christ's house, yet, being built upon the same precious foundation, the greatest harmony has long prevailed, in New England, between the Presbyterian and Congregational denominations ; and we 44 * HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. should deplore anything which would mar the union that so happily exists. While the one can serve God in their more free organization, the growth of more than two centuries, the other, rejoicing in the greater sti'ingency of their system, can iirge on the work of the blessed Redeemer, until all his followers shall see eye to eye, and the watchmen on the walls of Zion, lift up their voice together. When the oom- mon foes threaten to sweep away all that is holy and true, especially does it behoove the sons of the Puritans, and the descendants of the Covenanters, to grasp the Standard, and do battle for Christ's crown and covenant. Those who first composed the settlement, were the follow- ing sixteen men with their families, namely : — James McKeen, John Barnett, Archibald Clendenin, John Mitchell, James Sterrett, James Anderson, Randal Alex- ander, James Gregg, James Clark, James Nesmith, Allen Anderson, Robert Weir, John Morrison, Samuel AUison, Thomas Steele, and John Stuart. These pioneers of the settlement were most of them men in middle life, robust, perse vering, and adventurous, well-suited to encounter the toils and endure the hardships of such an undertaking. Most of them attained to advanced age. They lived to see their descendants settled around them, and the forest into which they had penetrated converted into a fruitful field. The average age of thirteen of the number, of whose age alone we have any record, was seventy-nine years ; six attained to nearly ninety, and two surpassed it. John Morrison, the oldest of this company, lived to the advanced age of ninety-seven years. In order to secure the advantages of near neighborhood, and be thereby the better protected against the attacks of the Indians, in case of hostilities, with which the colonies were at the time threatened, these first families plantod themselves on each side of a small brook, which, from the direction of its course, they called West-running Brook. CIVIL HISTORY. 45 And they decided that their home-lots should be but tbirty rods wide, fronting the brook, and to be extended back on a north and south line, until they made iip sixty acres each. By such an arrangement, their dwellings were brought into close vicinity, and formed what has ever since been termed the Doublé Range. This range was, for more than half a century, an interesting and populous section of the town. But the houses, once inhabited by flourishmg families, have been one after another removed or demolished, and nothing now remains but the half-filled cellar to mark the place where they once stood. This arrangement in the early location of their dwellings, although it afforded them the advantages of neighborhood, and greater protection in case of assault, was, however, not so favorable to the uniform division of the township into lots, and the regularity of the highways. The multiplicity of the roads, bending in every direction to accommodate, as it would seem, the settlers, as they planted themselves, without any previous plan, in different parts of the town, and the consequent trouble and expense which have been realized in straightening and improving them, may be traced to this injudicious arrangement in the early settlement. Being at the time a frontier town, and exposed to a savage foe, in consequence of a war with the eastern Indians, which broke out soon after their arrival, they erected two stone garrison-houses. These were strongly built, and well pre- pared to resist an attack. To these the several families retired at night, whenever danger from the foe was appre- hended. There was, however, one of their number, James Blair, a man of giant stature an(^ of fearless courage, who scorned thus to shelter himself from his Indian enemies. He would never enter the garrison ; but, with his trusty arms, remained without and alone. It was reported that this man, who, like Saul, king of Israël, "was from his shoulders and upward higher than any of the people," more 46) HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. than once, in consequence of his stature, saved his own life, and tbat of his neighbors. After the close of one of the wars, the Indians related that they had laid in ambush, while Blair and otherö were at work in the field, and had opportunities to kill him, but seeing his huge form they dared not shoot, thinking him a god. Although, during one of the most severe Indian wars, Londonderry was a frontier town, and therefore exposed to greater dangers than the more interior settlements, yet the town was never assailed. The yell of the savage, and the shriek of the murdered set- tler, were never heard here. Tradition ascribes the signal preservation of this colony from the attacks of the Indians, to the influence of the Rev. Mr. MacGregor with the Marquis de Vaudreuil, the French governor of Canada. It is said that they were classmates at college, that a correspondence was maintained between them, and that, at the request and representation of his former friend, the governor caused raeans to be used for tlie protection of the settlement. He induced the Catholic priests to charge the Indians not to injure any of these people, as they were different from the English ; and to assure them, that no bounty should be paid for their scalps, and that, if they killed any of them, their sins would not be forgiven. That such was the fact, the early inhabitants firmly believed. In confirmation of this tradition, on a manuscript sermon- book of Mr. MacGregor's, which has been preserved, is found the name of this French gentleman, and the vai'ious titles of office which he held, and by which he would of course be addressed. Their signal exemption from savage hostilities, may also, in Divine Providence, be ascribed to the fact of their securing, through Colonel Wheelwright, a fair and acknowl- edged Indian title to their tovvnship, which will be more particularly noticed. The first company of settlers were soon joined by many of CR^L HISTORY. 47 thefr countrymen who had eraigrated with them to America, and had dispersed through the country, awaiting the selec- tion of a township ; so that before the close of the first year, the number of famihes was very considerably increased. As the account of their settlement, and the privileges they here enjoyed reached their friends and fellow-süfferers in Ireland, many were induced to follow them to this land, and join their community. And although many obtained with difficulty the means of transporting themselves and families, -^ some even binding themselves to a term of labor after their arrival, in order to pay for their passage to this coun- try, — yet they were soon able, On coming to this town, to obtain a cOmfortable support. No price was paid for the land, it being a free grant hy the king tö f hese, his loyal subjects óf the old country, many of them, as we have seén, faithful champions in the famous siege and défénce óf Lon- donderiy in Ireland, an event which contributed so directly and powerfully to the establishment of his throne. Each settler had allotted him óne hundred and twërity acres, a home-lot, and an out-lót of sixty acres each. Being a very hardy, industrious, frugal people, and favored from the first with moral and religious institutions, they sOon became a thriving, prosperous, and respectable community. Their dwellings were at first of logs, and covered with bark. The first framed house in the town was that of the Rev. Jïimes MacGregor, their pastor, erected soon after his settlement. It is yet standing and in good repair, and is now occupied by Mr. Joseph Morrison. The second framed house was erected by John McMurphy Esq., and is now inhabited by his great-grandson, Mr James McMurphy. For a time, they necessarily endured many privations and hardships. Their habitations were not only rude, but " their food was meagre in kind and not abundant in quantity." Being without beasts of burden, much of their provision, during the two first years of their settlement, was brought 48 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. bj the men upon their shoulders from Haverhill, and from Andover, Mass. In consequence of their vicinity to the falls of Amoskeag, they were enabled to provide themselves with fish. They were first directed to these falls by an Indian who visited their settlement. Taking Mr. MacGregor to an eminence, and pointing to a tall pine at a distance, he informed him that they were in that direction. Aided by this, he was enabled with his compass to mark out a course to the falls, to which he, with a few of the settlers, immediately repaired, and, with the scoop-net which they had provided, readily secured a supply of salmon and shad, with which the Merri- mack abounded. This, for a long time, was to the inhab- itants of Londonderry a most valuable resource. Being within a few miles of this important fishing-place, they could with little inconvenience and labor obtain an annual supply of fish, which constituted an important article of food, espec- ially before their fields became productive. Subsequently, and for many years, they lived mainly upon potatoes, bean- porridge, samp, and barley-broth. It was long before the use of tea and coffee was introduced among them. They were happily strangers to these debilitating drinks, which now constitute, in most families, an appendage to almost every meal. Their hard labor and homely fare contributed much, no doubt, to that robust health, great strength, and longevity, by which they were as a company distinguished. In the labor of subduing and cultivating the soil, the women vied with the men. « Being," says Dr. Belknap, in his History of New Hampshire, " a peculiarly industrious, frugal, hardy, intelli- gent, and well-principled people, they proved a valuable acquisition to the province into which they had removed, contributing much, by their arts and their industry, to its welfare." They introduced the culture of the potato, which they CIVIL HISTORY. 49 broiight with tliem f'rom Ireland. Until their arrival, this valuable vegetable, now regarded as one of the necessaries of life, if not whoUy unknown, was not cultivated in New England. To them belongs the credit of lts introduction to general use. Although higlily prized bj this company of settlers, it was for a long time but little regarded by their English neighbors : a barrel or two being considered a supply for a family. But its value as food for man and for beast became at length more generally known, and who can now estimate the fuU advantage of its cultivation to this country ! The following well-authenticated fact will show how little known to the community at large the potato must have been. A few of the settlers had passed the winter previous to their establishment here, in Andover, Mass. On taking their departure from one of the families, with whom they had resided, they left a few potatoes for seed. The potatoes were accordingly planted ; came up and flourished well ; blossomed and produced balls, which the family supposed were the fruit to be eaten. They cooked the balls in various ways, but could not make them palatable, and pronounced them unfit for food. The next spring, while ploughing their garden, the plough passed through where the potatoes had grown, and turned out some of great size, by which means they discovered their mistake. These settlers also introduced the art of manufacturing linen of a superior quality, the raaterials for which they brought with them ; and as soon as their lands would admit of its cultivation, the flax was considered among the moSt valued articles of produce. The spinning-wheel turned by the foot, and which came into general use, they first brought into the country, and it provt^d of essential service to this community. To the hand-card, the foot-wheel, and the loom, the common implements of maaufacture in almost every 5 ö© HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. family, was the town principally indebted for its early pros- perity and its wealth. Of such superior quality was the linen, the thread, and the other fabrics manufactured in Londonderry, that they com- manded not only a more ready sale, but a higher price than those produced elsewhere. Hence many were induced to knpose upon the public, by selling as Derry manufacturé tbat which was produced in other places. To prevent this fraud, a town meeting was called in 1748, " To appoint proper and fit persons to survey and inspect linens, and hoUands, made in this town, for sale, so that the credit of our manufactory be kept up, and the purchasers of our linens may not be imposed upon, with foreign and out- landish linens, in the name of ours ; and any other method that may be thought proper and necessary for that end as may be agreed upon, It was accordingly voted, " that the selectmen purchase seals to seal all the linens that are made in said Londonderry, and that John McMurphy Esq., and John Wallace, yeoman, be sealers and inspectors of the hol- lands and linens that are made, or to be made, in our town j whether brown, white, speckled, striped, or checked, that are to be exposed for sale ; and the said sealers and inspectors shall seal any of the aforesaid linen, with a stamp in each end of the piece of cloth, with the words ' Londonderry, in New Hampshire,' and give a certificate to the persons that are owners of the cloth, of their so doing ; for which stamp, inspection, and certificate, they shall receive from the owners of said linen sixpence, old tenor, for each piece." It was also voted '' To petition the General Asserably of the province, for a special act, to guard against any fraud that might be perpetrated in the aforesaid affair, or any other thing nee- essary for the intended good purposes." Weaving, in the earlier periods of the settlement, Vvas per- formed by men, and not, as subsequently, by women. It was regarded as among the more respectable employments, CIVIL HISTORY. 51 the art being had in high repute, and carried by many of this people to a degree of perfection then unequalled in th© country. Of this, the foUowing fact affords an illustration. John Montgomery emigrated to this town in 1747, and estabHshed himself here, as a weaver. He married the daughter of Colonel George Knox ; she had lived some years in the family of Rev. David MacGregor, to whom she was related. He subsequently removed to Andover, Mass, During the revolutionary war, Mr. Montgomery received from Congress forty pounds and a diamond ring, as a pre- mium for linen woven for Washington and the officers of the army. This ring he gave to his eldest daughter Jane, the wife of John Clark, Esq., of Salem, N. Y., and it is now in the hands of a granddaughter, as a memorial of the interest- ing fact. The sale throughout the New England, and some of the Middle States, of the thread and linen here manufac- tured, became to those who engaged in it a lucrative business^ Many were thus constantly employed. Two of the larges^ estates accumulated in the town, and to which the inhabi- tants are much indebted for the support of their religious and literary institutions, were commenced and advaneed in thi^ way. The Pinkertons, John and James — names to be had in grateful remembrance by the people of Derry and Londonderry — began business as venders of these articles of home manufacture. The females among the early settlers were distinguished for habitg of industry. Rarely would one enter a dweiling without hearing the hum of the wheel, or the stroke of the loom. All articles of clothing in those days were of domes- t^c manufacture. The wool and the flax were carded, spun, woven, colored, and made into garments, at home. To use ^reign goods was considered great extravagance. For se?- eral years their wooUen cloths were not even fulled. The manufacturing enterprise in this country has produced in this respect an entire revolution in our domestic habits. 52 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. The wheel and the loom are no longcr scen in our dwellings, and the young women would be unprepared to use them, if possessed. Yet, with all this improvement in manufactures, it is still a question, whether it will prove conducive to the truc intcrests of the communitj. By the astonishing improve- ments in the arts of manufacture within the present centurj, there is an immense saving of time and toil in the production of the necessary articles of clothing ; but are there not accom- panying evils ? It has been justly remarked by one, " that many of our young women, the future mothers who are to form the char- acter of the next generation, are not educated, as in former days at home, where the mind had leisure to mature, and the affections to expand, and where they were required to engage in that kind of exercise most invigorating to the sys- tem, — but at an early period leave home, work togelher in large companies, breath an impure air, and board in crowded houses. And though highly commendable provision lias been made by the proprietors of our large manufacturing establishments for the improvement of those employed in them, and though many are thus brought under tlie most salutary influences, yet, is there not danger that too many of them will become disqualified for the private and domestic duties of life, — that their intellectual and moral interests will be neglccted ? Their bodies may be decked with more costly attire, yet their minds may be robbed of their best affections and their highest hopes. Never shall we witness a class of females distinguished by phy^cal strength and energy, domes- tic virtuos, mental vigor or moral and religious ])rinciples, such as characterized the female portion of this community, not only at its earliest settlement, but during successive generations. They most happily exemplified the portrait of the housewife drawn by the inspired pen. In socuring a valid title to their township, the first settlers of Londonderry experienced no little embarrassment, They CIVIL HISTORY. 5$ at first supposed that their settlement feil within the province of Massachusetts bay, and therefore appUed to the genera! eourt of that province for the confirraation of their fermer grant : but the court decided that they were not under their jurisdiction. They therefore, in September 1719, applied to the general court of New Hampshire for an act of incorporation, and the enjoyment of town privileges. The folio wing is a copy from the original petition now among the coUections of the New Hampshire Historical Society. " The humble petition of the people late from Ireland, ïiow settled at Nutfield, to His Excellency the Governour and General Court assembled at Portsmouth, Sept. 23, 1719, — Hunibly sheweth : — " That your petitioners having made application to the General Court met at Boston in October last, and having obtained a grant for a township in any part of their unap- propriated lands, took incouragement thereupon to settle at J^utfield about the Eleventh of April last, which is situated by estimation about fourteen miles from Haverel meeting- house to the north-west, and fifteen miles from Dracut meet- ing-house on the River Merrimack north and by east. " That your petitioners since their settlement have found that the said Nutfield is claimed by three or four different parties by virtue of Indian deeds, yet none of them offered a,ny disturbance to your petitioners except one party from Newbury and Salem. Their deed, from one John, Indian, bears date March 13, Anno Dom. 1701, and imports that they had made a purchase of the said land for five pounds. By virtue of this deed they claim ten miles square westward from Haverel line; and one Caleb Moody of Newbury, in their name, discharged our people from clearing or any way im- proving the said land, unless we agreed that twenty or five and twenty families at most should dweil there, and that all the rest of the land should be reserved for them. 5* 54 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. " That your petitioners, by reading the grant of the crown of Great Britain to the Province of Massachusetts Bay, which determineth their northern line three miles from the River Merrimack from any and every part of the River, and by advice from such as were more capable to judge of this affair, are satisfied that the said Nutfield is witliin his majesties province of New Hampshire, which we are further confirmed in, because the General Court, met at Boston in May last, upon our renewed application, did not think fit any way to intermeddle witli the said land. " That your petitioners, therefore, embrace this opportu- nity of addressing this Honourable Court, praying that their township may consist of ten miles square, or in a figure equiv- alent to it, they being already in number about seventy fam- ilies and inhabitants, and more of their friends arrived from Ireland, to settle with them, and many of the people of New England settling with them ; and that, they being so numerous, may be erected into a township with its usual privileges, and have a power of making town officers and laws. That, being a frontier place, they may the better sub- sist by government amongst them, and may be more strong and full of inhabitants. That your petitioners being descend- ed from, and professing the faith and principles of the estab- lished church of North Britain, and loyal subjects of the British crown in the family of his majesty king George, and incouraged by the happy administration of his majesties chief governour in these provinces, and the favourable inclination of the good people of New England to their brethren, adven- turing to come over and plant in this vast wilderness, hum- bly expect a favourable answer from this Honourable Court, and your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray, etc. Subscribed at Nutfield, in the name of our people, Sept. 21, 1719, by " James Gregg, " RoBERT Wear," CIVIL HISTORY. 55 The petition is indorsed as follows : — " James Gregg and Rob't Wear. In behalf of a company of Irish at Nutfield, to be a township. Sept. 24, 1719, read, — minuted and suspended, — read again April 29, 1720, and minuted." This petition, drawn up with so mucb clearness and sim- plicity, presents some interesting facts as to the infant settle- ment, particularly the rapid increase of the population. It commeneed in April, with sixteen families. In September of the same year, there were seventj famihes. The lieutenant-governor of the province, dechned making an actual grant, as the tract of territory including this and other townships was, at that time, in dispute between the crown and the heirs of one Allen ; but by advice of council he gave a protection, and extended to them the benefits of gov- ernment, appointing James McKeen, a man of distinguished probity, ability, and intelligence, justice of peace, and Robert Weir, sheriff. This commission of Justice McKeen, as he was afterwards more usually styled, dated at Portsmouth, April 29, 1720, and signed by Governor Shute, is now in possession of Rev. Silas McKeen, as are also, it is believed, most of the papers left by his great-grandfather. Although James McKeen was the first acting justice in the town, it appears from certain facts that John McMurphy, Esq., who joined the settlement the year foUowing, held a commission of a prior date, having received it before leaving Ireland. Notwithstanding they now enjoyed the protection of government, and were thus encouraged to proceed in their settlement, still, the settlers of Londonderry were «nwiUing to possess themselves of lands, once the undisputed property of the aborigines, without a fair purchase of their claims. Being informed that Col. John Wheelwright, of Wells, Me., had the best Indian title to this tract of country, derived from his ancestor, the Rev. John Wheelright, and supposing iJ6 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. this to be valid in a moral point of view, they deputed a com- mittee, consisting of Rev. Mr. MeGregor and Samuel Graves, to wait upon Col. Wheelright, and secure, if possible, his title to the land. The committee were successful, and obtained of him a deed of land, ten miles square, in virtue of a grant, dated May 17, 1629, and approved by the then existing aiuthorities, made to his grandfather, a minister of the gospel, gjid to others named in said grant, by sundry Indiaii chiefs, with the consent of their tribes.* It appears that the Rev. John Wheelright, and others of Massachusetts, pix^posing to form a settlement in the neigh- borhood of Piscataqua river, assembled a council of Indians at Exeter, and, by fair purchase, obtained a deed froni the four principal sagamores, of all the tei'ritory lying betweeu the river Piscataqua and the Merrimack, bounded by the Atlantic ocean on the east, on the south by the Merrimack tQ Pawtucket Falls, thence by a line north-west, twenty milee to Amherst Plain, thence by a line running north-east tQ Piscataqua river, thence down the river to the ocean. Jt must be truly satisfactory to the inhabitants of London- derry, that the soil on which their fathers erected their habi- ^tions, and which they now cultivate, was not wrested from the original and rightful owners by force, as in too manj^ instances was the case, in the settlement of our country. The foUowing testimony to the authenticity of this ancient deed of a tract of land, from Wehahnonaway and other la- dian chiefs, to John Wheelright and others, is from a paper filed in the records of the ancient Norfolk county court. " I, John Wheelright, pastor of the church of Salisbury, doe test}f)% that when I, with others, first came to sit down at Exeter, we purchased of the Indians, to whom so far as we could learn the right did belong, a certain tract of land about thirty miles square, to run from Merrimack river eaatward, *See Appendix. CIVIL HISTORY. 57 and so up the country ; of wliich land we had a grant in writing signed by them. "John Wheelwright." "April 15, 1668. " Mr. Edward Colcord testifieth to all the above written, and further saith, that one northly bound mentioned in our agreement with Wehahnonaway, the chief sagamore, was the westerly part of Oyster river, which is about four miles northly beyond Lampereele river. " Sworn bef ore the court, ye 14th, 2d mo. 1668. " Thomas Bradburt, Ree." In consideration of the deed obtained from Col. Wheel- right, he, and also Governor Wentworth, were to receive certain lots of land in the township of Londonderry. These lots included some of the best farms now in town. The government of New Hampshire, apprized of the strength and benefit whio.h the then weak province were likely to derive frora this company of emigrants, were par- ticiilarly attentive to them, and did much to patronize and encourage them. Especially did the lieutenant-governor labor to encourage and assist the infant colony, and thereby merited and received an expression of their gratitude and esteem, as appears from the following record on the town book. " The people of Nutfield do acknowledge with gratitude the obligations they are under to the Hon. John Wentworth, Esq., Lieutenant-Governor of New Hampshire. They re- member with pleasure, that His Honor, on all occasions shewed a great deal of civility and real kindness to them, being strangers in the country ; and cherished the small beginnings of their settlement, and defended them from the encroachment and violence of such as, upon unjust grounds, would have disturbed their settlement; and always gave them a favorable ear, and easy access to government ; and 5^ HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. procured justice for them, and established order, and pro- moted peace and good government amongst them ; giving them always the most wholesome and seasonable advice, both with respect to the purity and liberty of the gospel, and the management of their secular concerns ; and put arms and ammunition into their hands to defend them from the fears and dangers of the Indians ; and contributed Hberally, by his influence and example, to the building of a house for the worship of God ; so that, under God, we own him for the patron and guardian of our settleraent, and erect this monu- ment of gratitude to the name and family of Wentworth, to be had in the greatest veneration by the present generation an^ % ^•*ö^** / ^^5 ,xo^ M(0)Ho oIIOHM BlBÏ^'ï ^. S^^^U^^^ ^^^ n From a skeieh takri ia ilie 95 - year of ks age ^y to §raiid.DU,tk lat. JofeBeil.MD ^1 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 217 of representatives, and put in operation the independent government of New Hampshire, under the temporarj' consti- tution. In the autumn of 1776, he was reëlected and attended the seven sessions of the legislature which were held in 1776 and 1777, and was again a member from Dec. 1780 to Dec. 178]. In 1776, he was appointed a muster- .master of a part of the New Hampshire troops ; and in 1780, he was appointed colonel of the eighth regiment of the militia. p-Throughout the revolutionary struggle, he was a firm and decided whig, and much confidence was reposed by the more prominent men in the State government in his sound judgment and steady support of the cause.^:i-In 1786, under the new constitution, he was elected a senator, and held the office by successive elections until June 1790, and in 1791 he was elected to fill a vacancy, and served at the winter session. He was a member of the committee who succeeded in effecting a comjiromise of the Masonian proprietary claim, a subject which, in its time, was a matter of great interest in the State ; and, before the adoption of the consti- tution of 1792, he was a special justice of the Court of Com- mon Pleas. He held during many years the office of mod- erator, selectman, or town clerk, and discharged their duties with unquestioned integrity and good judgment. He was a magistrate, from an early period after the Declaration of Independence, until disqualified by age. He was early a member of the church, and sustained the office of elder from 1783, until his injSrmities required him to withdraw. He was justly esteemed as a pious, devout, and sincere Christian, and a steady and consistent supporter, through a long life, of all the institutions of religion. At the age of seventy, he determined to close his connec- tion with the business of others, and ceased to act in the capacity of magistrate, and of administrator and guardian, in which, through the esteem and confidence of his townsmen, he had been extensively engaged. He was never anxious 19 218 HISTORT OF LONDONDEKRT. for the aequisition of wealth, but had property enough for his moderate wants, and continued to find occupation and emi^loyment in the cultivation of his farm. y>He was a man of large frame, six feet and one inch in height, had a pow- erful voice, and great personal strength and activity, having been for twenty years the champion in the wrestling-ring, a favorite amusement at public meetings at that day*^ He had' naturally a good constitution, which, with his temperate habits, secured to him, with the exception of a single attack of a rheumatic kind in middle life, almost uninterrupted health till near the close of his ninety-fifth year. He died November 30, 1825, having survived his wife more than three years. She died April 21, 1822, aged eighty-five. SAMUEL FISHER. Dea. Samuel Fisher was born in the north of Ireland, in the year 1722, and was of Scottish descent. His father was a weaver. Dea. Fisher came to America in 1740, in the nineteenth year of his age. The ship in which he came was usually spoken of as " The starved ship." The vessel was so* scantily supplied with provision, that long before the voyage was completed, one pint of oat-meal for each individual on board, and a proportionate allowance of water, was all that remained. Mr. Fisher once went to the mate with a table- spoon to obtain some water, which was refused him, there being but two-thirds of a chunk-bottle full on board. Mr. Fisher's custom was, to take a table-spoonful of meal daily, and having moistened it with salt water, to eat it raw. The passengers and crew, having subsisted in this manner for fourteen days, were at length reduced to the necessity of eating the bodies of those who died. Even this resource failed them, and at length Mr. Fisher was selected to give up his life to preserve the lives of the rest. Providen- tially, however, a vessel hove in sight, and their signals of distress being observed they obtained relief and were BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 219 saved. So deep an impression did tlie horrors of that pas- sage make upon the mind of Mr. Fisher, that, in after life, he could never see, without pain, the least morsel of food wasted, or a pail of water thrown carelessly upon the ground. On his arrival in this country, he was bound by the captain to a man in Roxbury, for the payment of his passage. He came to Londonderry, probably about one or two years after, and became a member of the family of Mr. Matthew Taylor, whose daughter he married, when he was twenty- five years of age. He was made a ruling elder of the church in the West Parish, during the ministry of Rev. David Mac- Gregor, and remained in this office until he was no longer able to perform its duties on account of his age. He seemed to be well instructed in the great principles of the gospel, as set forth in the Westminster Catechism, and in the Confes- sion of Faith of the Church of Scotland. These principles he taught diligently to his children, for whose spiritual welfare he feit a deej) solicitude. One of his grandchildren (Mrs. Dickey), writes thus of him : " I can only sj)eak of the impression he made on my mind when visiting in his family when quite young. His family worship was strikingly impressive. When he read a portion of Scripture, he became remarkably interesting. I sliall never forget his manner, in reading the chapter in which Isaac blesses his son Jacob. It seemed as though he was the very patriarch himself. When he knelt in prayer, how deeply impressive were his devotions ; how arden tly would he plead the promise, ' I will be a God to thee, and thy seed.' He had a most happy faculty of improving the occurrences which took place about him for the religious instruction of his family. He was a great lover of Watts and Doddridge ; would frequently address me "on the subject of religion, and give me some of his books." Deacon Fisher was married three times, and had twelve children ; eleven of whom arrived at adult age, and ten of 220 HISTQRT OF LONDONDERRT. whom survived him. Ten of his children were married, and most of thera lived to advanced age. The average age of four of them was ninety-one years. His descendants now (1850) number nine hundred and fifteen, and are scattered througli nearly all the States of the Union, through Nova Scotia, and the Canadas. Some of them are ministers, and some elders in the church. It is estimated, that three-fourths of those over twenty years of age are professors of religion. Deacon Fisher was, in his j:>ersonal appearance, tall and commanding, and his countenance was grave and solemn, so that few would willingly be guilty of levity in his presence. He died at Londonderry, April 10, 1806, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. WILLIAM GREGG. ^ William Gregg was born at Londonderry, N. H., October 23, 1730. He was the son of Captain John Gregg, who emigrated with his father. Captain James Gregg, from the county of Antrim, Ireland, when about sixteen years of age. At the commencement of the revolutionary war, Colonel Gregg commanded a company of minute-men, in the town of Londonderry. He joined his countrymen in Boston early in the year 1775, and tarried there till more urgent calls required his presence at home as muster-master for his regi- ment and a member of the committee of safety. The ensu- ing year he was commissioned by the council of the State as major in the first regiment of militia raised in New Hamp- shire to recruit the army at New York, where he performed various military services and sufFered numerous privations and hardships. In the year 1777, Colonel Gregg and James Betton, Esq., were appointed agents to proceed to the seat of government, then at Baltimore, where they obtained and brought to the New England States a large sum of money, for the purpose of prosecuting the war. After making dis- bursements in New York and at Hartford, Conn., he returned to Boston, and from thence to his native State, when he BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 221 received the thanks of the legislature for his services. In the same year, he sustained the commission of lieutenant- colonel in the brigade commanded by the iutrepid General Stark, and commanded the vanguard in the memorable battle at Bennington, where he was honored by the confi- dence and approbation of that distinguished ofRcer. At the close of the war he retired to his farm, and em- ployed himself in the pursuits of husbandry until within a few years of his death. He died at Londonderry, Sept. 16, 1815, at the age of eighty-five. The leading feature in the character of Colonel Gregg was perseverance. Whatever he undertook, he saw accom- plished. In the prime of life, his industry and resolution in the discharge of his affairs were unrivalled. Those who were in his employ partook of the same spirit, for he went forward and cheered them in the midst of severe toil with tales of " high emprise," and pleasing anecdotes. He inherited the spirit of hospitality by which the emigrants of 'Ireland have long been signalized. His house was always the resting- place of the weary, and none left it without feasting on the bounties of his board. Youth and age were delighted in his company, and his hospitality gained him numerous friends, in addition to those who esteemed and honored him for the good he had done his country. J AR VIS GREGG. Prof. Jarvis Gregg, son of Deacon James Gregg, of Derry, N. H., was born in Derry, September, 1808. At an early age he entered the Pinkerton Academy, in his native town, then, and for many years subsequent, under the charge of Abel F. Hildreth, Esq. Here, while a mere lad, he became greatly distinguished for the rapidity and accuracy of his acquisitions, and, at this early period, had a wide reputation for varied scholarship. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1828. He was for a time a teacher in one of the public 19* 222 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. schools in Boston, and subsequently took the charge of the Academy in Boscawen, N. H. In 1833, he was appointed tutor in Dartmouth College, which office he held for one year. He pursued his theological studies at Andover, Mass., where he graduated in 1835. While at Andover, he received the a^^pointment of professor of rhetoric and mathematics, in Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio. This appoint- ment he accepted, and entered upon his duties soon after leaving Andover. The next spring he returned to New England, and was marrieS to Miss Alice Webster, daughter of Hon. Ezekiel Webster, of Boscawen, N. H., and niece of Hon. Daniel Webster. On Sabbath morning after his return to the place of his labors, he was attacked with the scarlet fever, and died on Tuesday evening, June 28, 1836, just one week after his return to Hudson, not having been considered dangerously 111 more than an hour before his death. Professor Gregg was a young mgfti of superior abilities, of great brilliancy, of extensive and varied learning, and gave promise of eminent usefulness, not only in the departments of instruction to which he had been called, but extensively in that part of the country in which he resided. Even thus early, he had gained an enviable distinction as a rapid and finished writer. His style was bold, graphic, and imaginative. He wrote several Sabbath-school books, and several articles in the larger periodicals, which were considered very able produc- tions. Few young men of his age excelled him as a public speaker, possessing, as he did, in a very high degree, the graces and the power of true oratory. The writer well recoUects with what a thrill of delight and admiration his first sermon was received. Two of his public addresses were published ; one, a Eulogy on Lafayette, delivered before the students of Dartmouth College, another before the New Hampsliire State Lyceum. A friend of his at the West, who knew him well, and could BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 223 appreciate the value of his services to the college, as vvell as his great excellence of character, says, in view of his death : " His loss to the college, at this crisis, will be peculiarly afflictive. Although the period of his professorship had been short, he had already attained a high and enviable standing ; and such was the suavity of his manners, and the sweet- ness of his disposition, that he had endeared himself to all with whom he had become acquainted, and it may with truth be said of him, * None knew him but to love him, none named him but to praise.' " SAMUEL LIVERMORE. Hon. Sanauel Livermore was born in "Waltham, Mass., May 14, 1732, (o. s.) He graduated at Princeton, N. J., in 1752, and studied law with Hon. Edmund Trowbridge, and was admitted to practice in 1757. The next year he established himself at Portsraouth. He married, September 22, 1759, Jane Brown, daughter of Rev. Arthur Brown, of Portsmouth. At what time he removed from Portsmouth to Londonderry is uncertain, probably about 1765. He represented the town in the General Court in 1768, 1769, and 1770. Subse- quently, probably about 1775, he removed to the town of Holderness, N. H., of which town he was one of the original grantees ; and of which he became, by purchase, the principal proprietor. In 1769, he was appointed king's attorney; in this office he remained four or five years, and after the Rev- olution, he held the office of attorney-general about three years. He was a delegate to the old Congress, from Dec, 1779, to June, 1782. In 1782, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court ; this office he held until 1790. In the fallof 1789, he was elected representative in Congress, and in 1793, was elected to the Senate of the United States, in which office he remained until declining health obliged him to resign it in 1802. He died at Holderness, May 18, 1803, at the age of seventy-one years. He left one daughter and three sons, Edward St. Loe, Arthur, and George. 224 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. JOSEPH MKEEN. Rev. Joseph McKeen, D. D., was born in Londonderry, N. II., October 15, 1757. His grandfather was James Mc- Keen, Esq., one of the company hy wliom the settlement of the town was commenced. His father, John McKeen, was born April 13, 1715, at Ballymony, in the county of Antrim, in Ireland, being one of twenty-one children, and about four years of age when his father emigrated to this country. He married Mary McKeen, his cousin, and had also a numerous family. He was for many years an elder of the first Pres- byterian church in Londonderry. Of seven sons, Joseph was the third. At an early age, he eno;ao;ed in classical studies under the tuition of Rev. Mr. Wilhams of Windham, N. H., and such was his proficiency, that he entered Dartmouth College in the thirteenth year of his age. Of his college life but little is known, excepting that he showed a decided predilection for mathematical studies, in which he made, while there, very respectable attainments, and graduated in 1774, with the reputation of a good classical scholar. On leaving college, he engaged as a school-teacher in his native town, and continued in London- derry in that employment eight years. Some time during this period, as is supposed, he united Avith the Presbyterian church under the pastoral care of Rev. David MacGregor. The records of that church, including this period, being lost, we have no record of the event. While thus employed as a teacher, he imj)roved wliat time his duties would permit, in reviewing his college studies, and in extending his acquaint- ance with general literature. Mr. McKeen's labors in this employment were suspended, for a season, by the events of the revolutionary war. A pressing call being made for soldiers, he laid aside his pro- fessional duties, and joined the army as a private soldier, under General Sulhvan, and was with that officer in his cel- FJRkST PR-EyiDE^JT OF BOWUOJN COLLEGE Dii^d Jirlv 1807. Anpfi 4'9Yrs. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 225 ebrated retreat from Rhode Island. After concluding hia engagements as a teacher, he went to Cambridge. There, under the instruction of Prof. WiUiams, he pursued a course of studies in natural philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy, which had been his favorite pursuits while an undergradu- ate. At the end of this course, he commenced his theologi- cal studies, under the instruction of the Rev. Mr. Williams of AVindhara, his former tutor ; and in due time was exam- ined and licensed as a preacher, by the Londonderry pres- bytery. About this time he was employed for several terms as an assistant in Phillips Academy, at Andover, Mass., then under the preceptorship of Dr. Pearson, who was afterwards professor in Harvard University. After ha ving preached sonie time in Boston, with much acceptance, to a society then recently collected by Rev. Mr. Moorhead, composed chiefly of " Presbyterian strangers," he received an invitation to preach as a candidate for settlement over the first church and society in Beverly, Mass., which had been left destitute by the removal of their pastor. Dr. TVillard, to the presidency of Harvard College. Being at length invited with great unanimity to take the pastoral charge of that flock, he accepted the invitation, and was ordained, May, 1785. In this place he labored as a minister of Christ for seventeen years, till called in providence to the office of president of Bowdoin College, then recently estab- lished in Brunswick, in . the " District of Maine," but which had not yet gone into operation. He was inaugurated Sept. 2, 1802, and as the college had then no chapel, and there being no church in the village, the public services of the occasion were performed in a grove, a little distance from the site of the present college buildings. Dr. McKeen was in his person considerably above the ordinary stature, and of noble appearance. He was dignified, yet simple and conciliatory in his manners, of kind and con- descending spirit, always gentlemanly and affable. His 226 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. • whole intercourse in the community, as a citizen, was rnarked witli urbanity and propriety of deportment. In the ei vil and political conöerns of his country he took a deep interest, and was not afraid freely to avow his sentiments respecting them both in private and in fniblic on all suitable occasions, thoiigh he always did it with great wisdom and prudence. So judicious was he in all his movements, that he rarely gave ofFence to persons of any party or sect. His unbending integrity and spotless morals were ackiiowledged by alL As a Christian, he was decided in his views and consistent in his practice ; uniformly serieus and devout, but without the least appearance of ostentation or gloominess. His walk before the church and the world was so blameless, that no charge of the least impropriety was ever known to be made against liim. It may well be qaestioned, whether any man of his day, in public life, ever came nearer than he to that apostolical description, " If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." President McKeen was sound in his views of theology, as received by the orthodox of the present day. His creed was substantially in agreement Avith the Assembly's Shorter Cat- echism, which he taught to the children and youth of his parish, through the whole period of his ministry, holding annual catechizings in different districts. As a public speaker, Dr. McKeen's voice was clear and strong, and his articulation and enunciation so distinct, that he was easily heard by the largest audience. His pulpit style was marked by simplicity, purity, and strength, and his reasoning was lucid and impressive. His manner was always solemn, and evinced that he believed what he uttered to be important truth, although he was rarely so earnest in his appeals as to amount to what may be called pathos. Nothing light or trifling, or adapted to provoke a smile, was perhaps ever uttered by him from the pulpit. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 227 In his character as a pastor, he was affectionately attentive to his flock, and especially in cases of affliction was ever ready to sympathize and do all in his power to assist and comfort them. As illustrative of this excellent trait of char- acter in a minister of Christ is the following incident. When General Washington was making the tour of New England, after the Revolution, he passed through Beverly, and was to dine at the house of a distinguished gentleman in that place. Mr. McKeen was of course invited and expect- ed to be present on an occasion so highly gratifying. Just as he was leaving his house for this purpose, he received a request to visit a very humble parishioner, in a remote part of the town, who was at the point of death. Without plead- ing his previous engagement as a reason for delaying his visit, or hesitating for a moment, he at once repaired to the house of the afflicted, to administer the desired consolation, readily denying himself the privilege of an interview with the Father of his country, which must have been so highly gratifying. Securing thus the esteem of his people to an unusual degree by his ability and fidelity, his parish remained united and in peace while other parishes around were divided and distracted. Although the leaven of French infidelity was prevalent to some extent in his society for several years, yet by his able instructions and judicious management it was kept in check, and finally to a great degree rooted out. So highly was Dr. McKeen estimated for his attainments in science and literature, and so distinguished was he for his gentlemanly and Christian qualities, that his elevation to the presidential chair of Bowdoin College gave great satisfaction to the friends of education in New England, and particularly in Maine, it being generally supposed that he was eminently qualified to give form and solidity, and extended usefulness, to the new institution. These expectations were not disap- pointed : for, by a discreet management of the affairs of the 228 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. institution in its infancy, he contributed in no small degree to lay the foundation of its future prosperity. Not only was he well qualified by his distinguished schol- arship to take charge of the instruction of this institution, but by his extensive knowledge of character, and his mild, yet firm and decided spirit, was eminently fitted for its govern- ment. He succeeded well in the presidential office, and did all that the friends of the college could reasonably expect in promoting its interests, and left it, at his decease, in a flour- ishing condition. Not only did he exert himself for the advancement of science and literature, but also for the gen- eral promotion of piety and religion, as well in the commu- nity as in the college. In September, 1805, when he had been at the head of the college four years, he was attacked by what was thought to be a disease of the liver, whicli terminated in dropsy, and put an end to his valuable life, July 15, 1807, in the fiftieth year of his age. His long and distressing sickness he bore with Christian submission and fortitude, and deep humility. Toward the close of life, the fifty-first Psalm was his favorite subject of meditation and conversation. Deeply sensible of his ill-deserts as a sinner, and relying on God's free and sovereign mercy in Jesus Christ, this distinguished man feil asleep and was gathered to his fathers. JOHN m'murphy. John McMurphy, Esq., arrived in America from Ireland, and joined the settlement in Londonderry a very short time after its commencement. His name appears on its earliest records. He was one of the selectmen in the year 1722, and was a member of most of the important committees to adjust the concerns of the colony. He was also the first representative of Londonderry, and it appears from the records that he represented the town, as a member of the General Court, eleven years. He was very early appointed BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 229 justice of the peace and of the quorum. Unless he had reeeived his commission before his arrival in this province, he must have been preceded in the office by James Mc- Keen, Esq., who was appointed justice of the peace, April 29, 1720. It appears that Esquire McMurphy was a man of intelli- gence and of probity. His character, intellectual and moral, was such as to secure the unlimited confidence of the town, and commanded the respect of his fellow-citizens. He was a ready scribe, was required tó transact most of their civil business, and was continued in the office of town clerk four- teen years. The lot of land which he selected, or which was assignëd to him as a proprietor, is the farm now occupied by his great-grandson, James McMurphy. It has never passed out of the family. The house which he built, was the second framed house erected in the town, a. part of which is now standing, and inhabited by Mr. James McMurphy. He died in 1755, at Portsmouth, while a member of the General Court. His decease was deeply feit and lamented by the town and the community at large. The foUowing record appears on the town-books : — " John McMurphy, Esq., Justice of the quorum, departed this life September 21, 1755, at Portsmouth, and was carried to Londonderry on Tuesday and buHed on Wednesday, the 24th, at the old burying-place in this town, with an extraor- dinary company, aged about seventy-three years." JOHN PRENTICE. Hon. John Prentice was a native of Cambridge, Mass. He graduated at Harvard College, in 1766, his mother having been obliged to sweep the college buildings to aid in paying his expenses. He came to Londonderry in 1772, and read law with Hon. Samuel Livermore. On being admitted to the bar, in 1775, he purchased the farm of Mr. 20 230 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Livermore, on wliich, after building a new mansion, he sub- sequently settled, having as it is believed resided for a few years previous in Marblehead, Mass.' He was appointed attorney-general June 5, 1787, and resigned in 1793. He was representative from the town qf Londonderrj thirteen years, and was chosen speaker in 1794 and 1795, and from 1798 to 1803. In September, 1798, he was offered the appointment of justice. of the Superior Court, which he declined. He died May 18, 1808, at the age of sixty. His first wife was Ruth Lemon, of Marblehead, who had six children, and died in 1791. He afterwards married Tabitha Sargent, a daughter of Hon. Nathaniel P. Sargent, of Haverhill, Mass., who died in 1806, having had six children. GEORGE REID. George Reid was the eldest son of James and Mary Reid, who were among the early settlers of Londonderry. He was born in the year 1733, married Mary Woodburn, daughter of John Woodburn, by his first wife Mary Boyd, and settled in Londonderry. At the time of the battle of Lexington, Mr. Reid was in command of a company of minute-men, and no sooner did the intelligence of that event reach London- derry^ than, leaving his wife and children, he placed himself at the head of his company, and marched to join the left wing of the American forces, under General Stark, at Medford, near Boston. He, with his company, took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, on the 17th of June, 1775. His first commission under the Continental Congress, is in the folio wing words : — " The Delegates of the United Colonies of New Hamp- shire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the counties of Newcastle, Kent, and Sussex, on the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, to George Reid, Esq. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. * 231 "We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your patriot- ism, valor, conduct, and fidelitj, do, by these presents, con- stitute and appoint-you to be captain of a company in the 5th Regiment of Foot, commanded by Colonel John Stark. By order of the Congress, John Hancock, President Attest, Charles Thompson, Secretary. January 1, 1776." Mr. Reid afterwards, in 1777, received the appointment of lieutenant-colonel, and in 1778, that of colonel, of the second New Hampshire regiment. In 1783, he was, by act of Congress, appointed colonel by brevet in the army of the United States. In 1 785, he received his commission, from the State of New Hampshire, as brigadier-general in the State service, signed by John Langdon, president. In 1786, he received the appointment of justice of the peace for the county of Rockingham, in those days an office of dignity and consequence, from his old commander, General John SuUi- van, then president of New Hampshire. In 1791, he was appointed to the office of sheriiF of the county of Rocking- ham. In the year 1786, was the celebrated rebellion in New Hampshire, of which an account has been already given in this work. The fact that General Reid was appointed by his old commander and companion-in-arms, General Sulli- van, then president of the State, to command the military forces called out on this occasion, is satisfactory evidence of his character for prudence, courage, and general ability. So great was the discontent in his own county, that General Reid received several anonymous letters, threatening his life, and the destruction of his property by fire, for the part he took in quelling the insurrection. So formidable did the matter appear to some of his friends, that they entreated him not to attend church on the Sabbath, as his life mightfall a 232 HISTORY OF LONDONDERKY. sacrifice if he did so. Disregarding tlieir fears, however, he attendêd church as usual, though well armed, and accorn- panied by two or tliree of his old militapy companions, who insisted upon going with him. On one occasion, a mob sur- rounded his house in the night, threatening his destruction. He instantly armed, and, though alone, presented himself at the window, and harangued the mob, in a calm but firm and determined tone, upon the great impropriety of their con- duct. The force of his expostulations, and his calm, undaunted demeanor, at length induced the crowd to disperse; and many of them afterwards expressed their deep regret for the course they had taken. There are those of General Reid's descendants who remember his indigna- tion, when recounting, in after days, the events of that night. General Reid held a command in the New Hampshire forces during the entire war of the Revolution ; and was in the battles of Bunker Hill, Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, Saratoga, and Still- water. H« was with the army, and partook of their suffer- ings and hardships, during their memorable encampment at Valley Forge, in the severe winter of 1777. He w^as also with SuUivan, and took an efficiënt part in the expedition planned by Washington, against the " Six Nations," to avenge the terrible massacres of Wyoming and Cherry Valley. He was for some time at West Point ; and during the summer of 1782, was in command at Albany, N. Y., the head-quarters of the army being at Newburgh. He fre- quently received letters from General Washington, and as some of them, though on ordinary business, may be interest- ing, we here insert them. . Head-Quarters, Newhurgh, May 20, 1782. Sir: I received your letter of the llth inst., and another without date ; the former inclosing the proceedings of a court-martial, held for the trial of Shem Kehtfield. Inclosed BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 233 you have a copy of the General Order, approving the pro- ceedings, and a warrant for the execution of the prisoner ; the place of execution is left to you. The necessity of the contractors furnishing hard bread* when required, has been represented to Mr. Morris, who will doubtless take measures acccordingly. I am, Sir, your very humble servant, George Washington. Col. Reid, commanding at Albany. Head-Quarters, Neivhiirgh, July 10, 1782. Dear Sir: I am favored this moment with your letter of the 2d inst. The intelligence communicated therein appears to me to be vague and not perfectly founded ; it ought, how- ever, to have so much influence upon our conduct, as to excite unusual vigilance and preparation, in order to baffle any of the barbarous designs of the enemy, should they attempt to carry them into execution. For my own part, I am more apprehensive of the country on the Mohawk river, than for any other part of the frontier ; because I think, from the circumstances, the principal effort (should there be any invasion) would be made against it ; and therefore it occurs to me, that withdrawing the State troops from Saratoga, and that quarter (where they cannot be very necessary), and extending them, together with the other levies on the frontier of the Mohawk, and at the same time concentrating your regiment to the neighborhood of the place you mention, would be a judicious plan ; though I do not pretend to be myself sufl&ciently acquainted with the local situation to determine with absolute certainty on the expediency of this disposition. It will, in my opinion, be well to consult and arrange with Colonel Willet, who is par- ticularly well informed of the geography of the country. ********** I have a confidence that you and the other officers, com- 20* 234 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. manding on the frontier, will economize tlie means in your possession to the best advantage, and exert all your zeal and activily in the public service. I am, dear sir, your most obedient, humble servant, George Washington. Col. Reid, commanding at Albany. Head-Quarters, Newhurgh^ July 7, 1782. Sir : The Honorable Mr. Renden, of Spain, resident at Philadelphia, Mr. Holkers, and Mr. Terressen, have a desire to see Saratoga, and the field of action in that country. I recommend them to your civilities ; and if it should be judged expediënt, I desire you will give them such guard, or so dispose the troops in the quarter where they are, as to give them security in their jaunt. I am, sir, your humble servant, George Washington. Col. Reid, commanding at Albany. Mrs. Reid was a woman of rare endowments, and of most interesting character. It is related that General Stark, who was an intimate friend of the family,once remarked, in refer- ence to her': "If there is a woman in New Hampshire, fit for governor, 'tis MoUy Reid." A more extended notice of her will be found in the account of the family of John Woo^- burn. Although left with the care of a family of young children, she assumed, during the absence of her husband, — which continued, with the exception of a few short and hurried visits, a period exceeding seven years, — the entire charge of his farm and other business affairs. A few extracts • from some of their letters, which have been preserved, may not be uninteresting. The constant reference to the Almighty, and the confiding trust in him, in regard to their daily cares, trials, and anxieties, which is evinced on the part of each of them, is a pleasing feature of their correspondence. General BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 235 Reicl's first letter is dated at Medford, May 30, 1775, a few days prior to the battle of Bunker Hill. " I have not time," he says, " to give you an account of our late engagement, only that God has appeared for us, in most imminent danger." The next is dated " Camp at Winter Hill, August 10, 1775. We are daily taking off some of their guards; and we expect to make an inroad upon them, some of these nights. May God prosper and protect us. I know we have your prayers, with many of God's people." " I hope yet to live with you in peace and tranquillity, when we have subdued the enemies of our country. I com- mend you and my dear children to the Shepherd of Israël." Same place, "November 22, 1775. As to engaging for another season, I cannot as yet inform you. To shrink from the cause we have embarked in, would be inglorious and dastardly cowardice, and which I hope I may never be stigmatized with. K ever I am dismissed, I hope it will be with honor. I hope that God will direct me in this case, and all others, as may be most to his glory and my eternal welfare." • The next is from a letter addressed by Mrs. Reid to her husband at Ticonderoga, dated " Londonderry, September 8, 177G. I received your letters of July 6th, and 21st, also August lOth, and to the former of those two would say, that God has laid you under the greatest obligations. Every mercy, every escape, must be accounted for. May we be prepared for the great day of account." She goes on to argue, with all the acuteness of " one who knew," various matters relating to the farm, stock, etc, but concludes with the very deferential remark of an obedient wife : " All this, with your advice, not otherwise. May the good-will of Him who dwelt in the bush, rest and abide with you." In a letter dated at Ticonderoga, June 21, 1777, General Reid writes as follows ; " Our enemy, according to the most 236 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. accurate account we can get, is approaching towards us. It may be a feint ; but if they do attack us, we are resolved to defend ourselves to the last extremity. We could wish our- eelves stronger. The Indiaus are lurking about us daily." From the same, dated at Valley Forge, December 22, 1777. " General Howe came out with his whole army, about a fortnight since, and drew up in line of battle against us, first on our right, and then on our left, in order to draw us off some advantageous ground we were in possession of ; but being harassed by us on both wings, repeatedly, they thought proper to retreat, very precipitately, into Philadelphia. We have had several skirmishes with their light horse, and took ten horsemen and fifteen horses yesterday. No general action has occurred, nor is likely to, this winter. We are now making huts to winter in. I feel sympathy for you, but cannot be with you ; honor forbids it. May happiness attend you and the dear children." His next letter is dated " Camp, White Plains, August 3, 1778. I have just come in from the enemy's lines, at New York ; have been down three days on command, and met * with a party of the enemy, fired on them, and drove them into their lines." In relation to a matter at court, Mrs. Reid writes her husband as foUows, under date of July 5, 1782, addressed to him while in command at Albany. " I informed you in my last, that I had employed Mr. Neil, who was attending at court, to represent the true state of the affair ; likewise to ask a continuance, till you were acquainted with the matter. The judge informed me, through Mr. Neil, that I need give myself no uneasiness about the matter, for it should be con- tinued tillyour return, if that should hcjive and twenty years. Under date of June 11, 1783, General Reid writes as foUows : " We are in daily expectation of a final dissolution of the army. I send by a public wagon a chest, containing vai'ious matters for which I have no occasion, and you will BIOGRAPHICAL N0TICE9. 237 find in it tlie old regimental colors and Standard of the regi- ment, wliich you will take particular care of, witli soiiie papers in the till. I shall make the best of my way to your cottage." Having faithfully served his native town, State, and coun- try, General Eeid died in September, 1815, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife survived him eight years, and died April 7, 1823, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. ROBERT ROGERS. Major Robert Rogers was the son of James Rogers, and was a native of Londonderry. His father was one of the early settlers of the town ; but after a residence here of a few years, he removed to Dunbarton, N. H., and was one of the first settlers of that town. He was afterwards shot in the woods, his fur cap and black clothes being unfortu- nately mistaken by a hunter for a bear. Major Rogers was appointed captain of one of the three companies of rangers raised in 1756, and being subsequently l^romoted to the rank of Major, had the entire command of that celebrated corps. Many of the rangers were from Londonderry, and the immediate vicinity, and in skirmishes with parties of the enemy, in scouring the woods, and pro- curing intelligence of hostile movements, they performed active and important service. Many anecdotes of perilous adventure and hairbreadth escape, are related of them. At one time. Major Rogers, with a small party of his rangers, were nearly surrounded by the Indians, on the north-west shore of Lake George. Rogers, being on snow-shoes, made the best of his way to the top of a high rock which overhung the lake. Having thrown his haversack and other cuni- brous articles over the precipice, he turned himself about in his snow-shoes, without moving them, and, having fastened them on in the reversed position, descended to the lake by 238 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. another and less precipitous path. The Indians in pursuit, arriving at the top of the rock, perceived two sets of tracks leading to the rock, and none leading from it, and conse- quently supposed that two of the fiigitives had attempted to descend to the lake at that place, and had perished. Soon after, however, to their astonishment, tliey saw Hogers, at a considerable distance, making his escape upon the ice, and believing that he had descended the precipice in safety, con- cluded that he was under the immediate protection of the Great Spirit, and did not venture to pursue him. The rock has since been known by the name of" Rogers' Slide." In 1759, Major Hogers was sent by General Amherst to destroy the Indian village of St. Francis. In 1766, he was appointed governor of Michilimackinac. He was accused of constructive treason, and was sent to Montreal for trial, would seem, however, that he was honorably acquitted, as, in 1767, he went to England, and Avas presented to the king. He afterwards returned to America, ^nd, in the Revolution, espoused the royal cause. His name was on the list of tories proscribed by the act of New Hampshire of 1778. In 1777, he again went to England, where he died. He published, at London, in 1765, a journal of the military services of the rangers, which was republished at Concord, N. H., in 1831. The following anecdote is found in the first volume of the Historical Collections, by Farmer and Moore. " It is reported of Major Rogers, that while in London after the French war, being in company with several persons, it was agreed, that the one who told the most improbable story, or the greatest falsehood, should have his fare paid by the others. When it came to his turn, he told the company, that his father was shot in the woods of America, by a person who supposed him to be a bear ; and that his mother was foliowed several miles through the snow by hunters, who mistook her track for that of the same animal. It was acknowledged by the whole company, that the Major had BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 239 told the greatest lie, when, in fact, he had related nothing but the truth." JOHN STARK. The first company of emigrants who formed the settlement of Londonderry, were soon foliowed by a large number of their countrymen. Among these, was Archibald Stark, who arrived in 1722. He, like many of these emigrants, was a native of Scotland, and emigrated while young to London- derry in Ireland. John Stark, the second of four sons, was born in London- derry on the 28th of August, 1728. In 1736, his father removed from Londonderry to Derryfield, now Manchester. In 1752, John Stark went in company with his elder brother, "William, David Stinson of Londonderry, and Amos East- man of Concord, upon a hunting excursion to Baker's river, in the northern part of the State. While there, they were surprised by a party of Indians. Stinson was killed, and William Stark effected an escape. John, though a youth, evinced uncommon bravery on the occasion, but was carried, with Eastman, into captivity, and remained three months with the tribe established at St. Francis. At the end of this time, he was redeemed by Captain Stevens of Charlestown, N. H., and Mr. Wheelwright of Boston, who had been sent by the General C«urt of Massachusetts to redeem some of the citizens of that provioce, who had been carried into cap- tivity. Not finding those from Massachusetts of whom they were in search, they liberally paid the ransom of Stark and Eastman, one hundred and three dollars for the former, and sixty for the latter. While in captivity with the Indians, Stark manifested those strong traits of character by which he was distinguished in subsequent life. " He appears," says his biographer, " to have caught the humor of the Indians, and, by observing their manners and character, to have known how to approach them on the side of their prejudices." This, the following incidents may serve to illustrate. 240 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. It was the universal practice of the North American Indians to compel their captives to pass between the young warriors of the tribe, ranged in two lines, each furnished with a rod, and prepared to strike the prisoners as they passed. On the present occasion, Eastman was severely whipped as he passed through the lines. Stark, more athletic and adroit, and better comprehending the Indian character, snatched a club from the nearest Indian, laid about him to the right and left, scattering the Indians before him, and escaped with scarcelj a blow ; greatl y to the delight of the old men, who sat at some distance, witnessing the scène, and enjoying the confusion of their young warriors. On one occasion he was ordered by them to hoe their corn. Well aware that they regarded labor of this kind as fit only for squaws and slaves, he took care to cut up the corn and spare the weeds, in order to give them a suitable idea of his want of skill in unmanly labor, and at length threw his hoe into. the river, declaring, " it was the business, not of warriors, but of squaws, to hoe corn." This spiritéd deportment gained him the title of " young chief," and the lionor of adoption into ike tribe. In 1754, the great Seven Years' war, which grew out of the struggle between the British and the French for the posses- sion of North America, in reality commenced. A corps of rangers was enlisted in New Hgmpshire for the service, under the command of the famous Major Robert Hogers. Stark's experience fitted him for this service, and his char- acter being already so well established, he received a com- mission as lieutenant in this company. The regiment to which it belonged, was commanded by Colonel Blanchard. During this long war, in which he continued to serve to its close, by his many fierce encounters with the savage tribes, and the sanguinary conflicts in which he led that invincible body of men, the New Hampshire rangers, he thoroughly inured himself to toil and danger, and proved that he was a BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 241 man of indomitable courage, uncommon military skill, and great original resource. He served with this company during the successful campaign of 1755 ; and in the winter of 1757, he conducted the retreat, after the bloody battlq^near lake George. In th^ attack upon Ticonderoga, in June, 1758, he behaved with great sagacity and bravery. In this action feil the young and gallant Lord Howe, deeply mourned by the whole army, and between whom and Stark a strong friendship existed. At the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, Stark rendered efficiënt service to Lord Am- herst. At the close of the war he retired with the reputation of a brave and vigilant officer, and betook himself to the ordinary pursuits of domestic life. When the report of the battle at Lexington reached him, he was engaged at work in his saw-mill. "Within ten min- utes after the news had been received, he had mounted his horse, and was on his way to Cambridge, having left direc- tions for such of his neighbors as might choose to volunteer, to meet him at Medford. The morning after his arrival, he received a colonel's commission, and availing himself of his own popularity, and the enthusiasm of the day, in a few hours he enlisted eight hundred men. On the ever-memor- able 17th of June, 1775, Stark's regiment formed the left of the American line, and he maintained through the whole conflict his usual coolness and intrepidity. At the head of his backwoodsmen from New Harapshire, he poured on the enemy that deadly fire from a sure aim, which effected such remarkable destruction in their ranks and compelled them twice to retreat. He fought until the American forces had quite exhausted their ammunition, and were almost surround- ed by the British troops, when he succeeded in securing the retreat of his men in perfect order. After the British evacuated Boston, Col. Stark joined the Northern army, while retreating from Canada, and had command of a party of troops who were employed in fortify- 21 242 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. ing the post of Mount Independence. During the campaigii in New York, he bore an active part. On the morning of the 26th of December, 1776, when the Hessians were sur- prised an^defeated at Trenton by "Washington, Stark, with his regiment, led the van, and contributed his full share to this brilliant enterprise, in which nearly a thousand were taken prisoners. After this engagement, he marched with the commander-in-chief to Princeton, and was also present at the battle of Springfield, in New Jersey. But the battle of Bennington, on the 16th of August, 1777, the darkest and most desponding period of the Revolution, was one of the most decisive victories gained during the war, and was by far the most brilliant of Stark's numerous ex- ploits^ It breathed new ardor into the drooping spirits of our Northern army, animated the hearts of the people, and completely prostrated the high hopes of Burgoyne, not only costing him more than one thousaild of his best troops, but whoUy deranging the jjlan of his campaign, and materi- ally contributing to the loss of his army. In his movements on this occasion, Stark acted independently of any superior officer. In the preceding spring, a new list of promotions had been made, in which his name was omitted, and those of junior officers were found. It was impossible for a man of his lofty spirit and unbending character, to acquiesce in what he considered an injurious disregard of his fair pretensions ta advancement. He therefore immediately retired from the army, declaring to those who would have dissuaded him from executing his purpose, that an officer who would not main- tain his rank and assert his own rights, could not be trusted to vindicate those of his country. But though dissatisfied with his own treatment, he was in no dcgree disaffected to the cause. When therefore called upon, by the General As- sembly of New Harapshire, to take the command of the troops which they were about to raise, in order to defend their fire- sides and their homes against a formidable ai'my, which was BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 243 penetrating the States from Canada, he consented to assume it on condition that he should not be obliged to join the main army, but be allowed to exercise his own discretion as to his , movements, and-be accountable to none but the authorities of New Hampshire. His conditions were complied with. Hence, when órdered by General Schuyler, commander of the Northern department, to conduct his troops to the west bank of the Hudson, Stark declined, communicating to Gen- eral Schuyler the authority under which lie was acting, and stating the dangerous consequences to the people of Vermont, of removing his forces from their borders. Although Con- gress passed a resolution, disapproving of the course pursued by General Stark, yet his refusal was founded upon the soundest views of the state of things, and was productive of inestimable benefits, as the event soon proved. General Stark, on the achievement of his victory, communicated the intelligence of it to General Gates. He also transmitted official Information of it to the State authorities of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, whose troops were engaged with him in the contest. To each qf these three States, he sent trophies of the battle, taken from the field. As his letter to Congress, some months before, on the sub- ject of his rank, had lain on the table unanswered, he forbore to write to them, even to communicate the tidings of his triumph. They, however, wisely chose to take the first step towards a reconciliation, and though they had passed their resolution, censuring his assumption of a separate command, yet, on the 4th of October, Congress passed the foUowing resolution : — " That the thanks of Congress be presented to General Stark, of the New Hampshire militia, and the officers and * troops under his command, for their brave and successful attack upon, and victory over, the enemy in their lines, at Bennington ; and that General Stark be appointed a briga- dier-general in the armies of the United States." 244 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. Several anecdotes relating to this signal encounter of the enemy have been recorded. Almost eveiy one has heard of the pithj address he made to his troops on this occasion, but it will bear repeating. The ground bad been chosen with deliberation and skill, the plan of the battle had been agreed upon, and small parties had been sent forward to reconnoitre. Pointing out the enemy to his troops, he exclaimed, " I will gain the victorj over them in the ap- proaching battle, or Molly Stark will be a widow to-night." Another anecdote raay be noticed, as it serves to illustrate the spirit of the times, and the ardor which was enkindled to meet and repel the foe. '' Among the reinforcements from Berkshire, Mass., came a clergyman with a portion of his flock, resolved to make bare the arm of flesh against the enemies of the country. Before daylight, on the morning of the battle, he addressed the commander as foUows ; ' We, the people of Berkshire, have been frequently called upon to fight, but have never been led against the enemy. We have now resolved, if you will not let us fight, never to turn out again.' General Stark asked if he wished to march then, when it was dark and rainy. ' No,' was the answer. ' Then,' continued Stark, ' if the Lord should once more give us sun- shine, and I do not give you fighting enough, I will never ask you to come again.' The weather cleared up in the course of the day, and the men of Berkshire foliowed their spiritual guide into action." General Stark, after this, volunteered his services under General Gates at Saratoga, and assisted in the council which stipulated the surrender of Burgoyne ; nor did he withhold his valuable services till he could greet his native country as an independent empire. General Stark was of the middle stature, and well propor- tioned. In his early years, he was remarkable for his strengüh, activity, and ability to endure fatigue. His man- ners were frank and unassuming, but he manifested a pecu- BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 245 Har sort of eccentricity and negligence, whicli precluded all display of personal dignity, and seemed to place him among those of ordinary rank in life. But as a courageous and heroic soldier, he is entitled to a high rank among those to whom a large share of glory is justly due. He was an object of respect, such as is due to age, patriotism, and public ser- vice of the most brilliant cast, in trying times. He died on the eighth of May, 1822, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, and was buried with the honors of war. His remains were deposited in a tomb which a few years before had ^been erected at his request, upon a rising ground on the bank of the Merrimack, near the place of his residence. A monument, consisting of a block of granite, in the form of an obelisk, has been erected by his family on the spot, with the simple inscription, " Major-General Stark." In 1757, General Stark was married to Elizabeth Page, daughter of Captain Page, of Danbarton, by whom he had several children, some of Avhom still survive. It is justly mentioned as an extraordinary circumstance in his life, that, frequently as he was engaged in battle, in two long wars, he never received a wound. His horse was killed under him in the battle of Bennington. As illustrative of General Stark's character for bravery, amounting on some occasions, when he had an object in view which he deemed it important to accomplish, to a daring recklessness of life, we may here relate an instance. Having volunteered his services under General Gates, previous to the capitulation of Burgoyne, he selected, as one of his aids on that occasion. Mr. Robert MacGregor (son of Rev. David MacGregor), who was then quite a young man, and a near neighbor of his. Hie forces being separated by the British troops, from the main body under Gates, the only avenue to Gates's quarters lay directly through a con- tinuous line of the enemy'^ pickets. One night, Stark suddenly thought of a communication which he desired to 21* 246 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. make to Gates, and without a moment's hesitation on account of the peril of life, which was imminent, instantly despatched MacGregor, with the message. MacGregor, who counted not the risk, immediately obeyed the order, and mounting his horse, set off at fuU speed. On being repeatedly chal- lenged by the enemy's sentinels, with the stern question, " Who goes there ? " enforced at the point of the bayonet, his uniform, brief, and very adroit answer — which undoubt- edly saved his life — was, " I have orders from the General," and at the same instant, clapping spurs to his horse, he rode on. The sentinels, put off their guard, and deceived by his manner, mistook him for one of their own officers, and each, in turn, suffered him to pass. On arriving at the camp of Gates, the latter, in much surprise, accosted him with the question, " For God's sake, where did you come from, sir ? " MacGregor duly explained his errand, when Gates replied, " Stark is mad, sir ! " and immediately ordered him to take his position with his own aids, and on no account to return to Stark. SAMUEL TAGGART. Rev. Samuel Taggart was the son of elder James Taggart, of Londonderry, and was born about the year 1754. He graduated at Dartmouth College, in 1774, in the same class with Captain David MacGregor, Joseph McKeen, D. D., and Rev. James Miltimore ; all natives of Londonderry. About the year 1781, he was ordained pastor of the Presby- terian church and society in Coleraine, Mass.' In 1803, he was elected representative in Congress, which office he retained fourteen years. His connection with the church and society at Coleraine coniinued during the time he was a member of Congress, and until the close of his life. Although Mr. Taggart was somewhat eccentric, he pos- sessed a strong mind, and was wgW informed on almost e very important subject. His memory was remarkably retentive. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 247 He once remarked that he knew the name of every one who had been a member of Congress during his congressional life, and could give a description of his person. As a politician, Mr. Taggart acquired some celebrity, but as a pastor, he is said to have been in some resj)ects deficiënt. In his person, he was very large and corpulent. He married EHzabeth Duncan, daughter of George Duncan, of Peterborough, N. H. He died at Coleraine, April 25, 1821, aged seventy- one years. ISAAC THOM. Dr. Isaac Thom, son of William Thom and Elizabeth Wiar, was born in Windham, N. H., March 1, 1746. In 1769, at the age of twenty-three, he commenced the practice of medicine, in his native town. He was verj successful, and remained there about thirteen years. In 1782, he removed to Londonderry, where he continued to pursue his profession until 1795. He was highly esteemed as a physi- cian, had an extensive practice, and became somewhat dis- tinguished by the discovery and adoption of improved modes of practice, in certain cases. He was ajustice of the peace, and for several years did a large proportion of the business appertaining to that office in the town. He was the first postmaster appointed in the town. He married. November 17, 1769, Persis Sargent, daughter of E-ev. Nathaniel P. Sargent, of Methuen, Mass.^ and sister of Chief Justice Sar- gent, of Massachusetts. She died June 23, 1821. He died July 13, 1825. He had two children who died in infancy, and nine who lived to adult age, namely, Christopher S., William S., Persis, Susan, Isaac, James, Nathaniel, Eliza, and George. Of these but three survive, Persis, widow of Hon. John Bell, James, and Eliza, wife of Alanson Tucker, Esquire. MATTHEW THORNTON. Hon. Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland, in 1714. Two or three years subsequent to his birth, his father, James 248 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Thornton, emigrated with his familj to this country. He at first resided at Wiscasset, Me. In a few years, lie removed to Worcester, Mass., where he conferred the benefits of an academical education upon his son, whom he designed for one of the learned professions. The son accordingly pursued tlie study of medicine, and commeneed practice in London- derry, among those who were from his native land, and who proverbially possess warm national remembrances. Here he acquired a high and extensive reputation as a physician, and in the course of several years of successful practice, became comparatively wealthy. He took an active and influential part in the affairs of the town, sustaining several public offices. In 1745, Dr. Thornton joined the expedition against Cape Breton, as a surgeon, in the New Hampshire division of the army, consisting of five hundred men ; and it is a creditable evidence of his professional abilities, and of the attention of the medical department, that from among that number of soldiers only aix individuals died, previous to the surrender of the town, notwithstanding they had been subjected to excessive toil and constant exposure. The troops, a company of whom were from this town, under the command of Cap- tain John Moor, animated with enthusiastic ardor, readily encountered all the labors and dangers of the siege, and were employed, during fourteen successive nights, with straps over their shoulders, and sinking to the knees in mud, in drawing cannon from the landing-place to the camp, through a morass. At the commencement of the revolutionary war, Dr. Thornton held the rank of a colonel in the militia. He was also commissioned as justice of the peace, under the admin- istration of Benning Wentworth. Soon after General Gage had opened the bloody drama of war, at Lexington and Concord, on the 19th of April, 1775, the British government in New Hampshire was term- BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 249 inated by the retirement of Governor Wentworth. ''Dr. Thornton, amid the perilous and appalling scène which the country exhibited, was appointed to the presidency of the Provincial Convention. On the 12th of September, 1776, he was appointed, by the house of representatives, a delegate to represent the State of New Hampshire in Congress. He did not take his seat in that illustrious body until November followin^, being four months after the passage of the Decla- ration of Independence ; but he immediately acceded to it, and his signature is enroUed among those of the fifty-six worthies, who have immortalized their names by that mem- orable act. He was subsequently appointed a judge of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, having previously received the appointment of Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He removed from Londonderry to Exeter. After residing there a few years, he fixed his residence in Merrimack, having purchased the large estate of Edward Goldstone Lutwyche, Esq., which, in consequence of his joining the English, on the Declaration of Independence, was confiscated. It was situated on the Merrimack river, near Lutwyche's Ferry (as it was then called), now Thorn- ton's Ferry. Judge Tliornton died while on a visit to his daughter, Mrs. John McGaw, at Newburyport. His remains were conveyed to Merrimack, and interred in the graveyard near his dweil- ing. His monument bears the following inscription : " Erect- ed to the memory of the Hon. Matthew Thornton, Esq., who died June 24, 1803, aged. eighty-nine years. The honest man." The following anecdote of Judge Thornton, may serve as an example of that ready wit which he possessed in common with most of the Scotch-Irish race. About the year 1798, the legislature of New Hampshire convened at Amherst, about eight miles from the residence of Judge Thornton, who found it convenient to attend, as a 250 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. spectator, and listen to the debates. While there, he hap- pened to meet a gentleman from a neighboring town, by the name of D , who had formerly lived a near neighbor to him in Londonderrj, and who was then a member of the legislature. Mr. D was a man who possessed a fair share of natural talent, but who seemed by no means dis- posed to underrate his own consequence. During their conversation, Mr. D asked the Judge, if he did not think the legislature had improved very much since he (Mr. Thornton) held a seat in it, and if it did not then possess more men of natural and acquired abilities, and more eloquent speakers, than it did when he (Mr. Thornton) was a member. " For then," said he, " you know, that there were but five or six who could make speeches ; but now, all we farmers can make speeches." To this question, Judge Thornton, with his usual good-humor, replied, " To answer that question, I will teil you a story I remember to have heard related of an old gentleman, a farmer, who lived but a short distance from my father's residence, in Ireland. This old gentleman was very exemplary in his observance of religious duties, and made it a constant practice to read a portion of Scripture, every morning and evening, before addressing the throne of grace. It happened one morning, that he was reading the chapter which gives an account of Samson's catching three hundred foxes ; when the old lady, his wife, interrupted him by saying, ' John ! I'm sure that canna' be true ; for our Isaac was as good a fox-hunter as there ever was in the country, and he never caught but about twanty.' 'Hooh! Janet,' replied the old gentleman, ' ye mauna' always tak' the Scripture just as it reads. Perhaps in the three hundred, there might ha' been aughteen, or may be twanty, that were raal foxes, the rest were all skunks and woodchucks.'" BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 251 JAMES WILS ON.* James Wilson, who lias the honor of being the maker of the first pair of terrestrial and celestial globes ever made in America, is the son of James Wilson who lived in the South Range. His grandfather, James Wilson, emigrated from Londonderry in Ireland, to Londondeny, N. H., soon after the settlement of the place, and had thirteen children. James, the father of the subject of this notice, had four sons : James, Robert, David, and Samuel, and several daughters. Of these sons, James and David are now (1850) living in Bradford, Yt., and Robert in Derry. James was born in 1763. He early feit a strong love of knowledge, and gave proof of talents of the right stamp for acquiring it; but feit constrained by circumstances to devote himself to the laborious occupation of a farmer. Up to the age of thirty- three, he pursned that employment in the place of his nativity, not however without reading, observation, and reflection. His inclination and genius turned his thoughts and studies especially to geography and astronomy, with the means of their illustration. In the year 1796, he removed with his family to Bradford, Yt., and took up his permanent abode on a farm which he purchased there, on the Connecticut river, about one mile north of the village. When about thirty-six years of age, Mr. Wilson had the pleasure of seeing and examining a pair of English globes ; and resolved to imitate them. He commenced with balls turned from blocks of wood, which «he nicely covered with paper, and scientifically finished off, with all the lines and representations which belong to such apparatus, drawn upon them. This rude beginning was foliowed by a much better method. The solid balls were thickly covered with layers ^ This notice of James Wilson is copied, with but little alteration, from an article which appcarcd, a few years ago, in a ncwspaper pub- lished in Vermont. 252 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. of paper, firmly pasted together. This shell was tlien divided into liemispheres, which, being removed, were again united, and finished with du e regard to liglitness and smooth- ness. But how were these spheres to be covered with maps, equal to those of the European artists ? Mr. "Wilson pro- cured copper plates of sufficiënt size for his thirteen-inch globes, protracted his maps on them in sections, tapering, as the degrees of longitude do, from the equator to the poles, and engraved them with such admirable accuracy of design, that when cut apart and duly pasted on his spheres, the edges with their lines, and even the different parts of the finest letters, would perfectly coincide, and make one surface ; truly representing the earth or celestial constellations. Though in the use of the graver he was self-taught, and this species of design and engraving was incomparably more difficult than plain work, yet, by his ingenuity and incred- ible perseverance, he succeeded admirably, and brought forth globes, duly mounted, and in all respects fitted to rival in market any imported from foreign countries. In the prose- cution of this work. Mr. Wilson doubtless derived important assistance from the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, which consti- tuted the principal part of his library. He published the first edition of his globes in 1814; and personally presented to the people of Boston the first Amer- ican globes which were seen there. Quite a sensation was produced among the literati by such a novelty ; and when earnest inquiry was made, " Who is this James Wilson ? where is he ? " he has been heard to say that he feit exceed- ingly mortified, in consideration of his rustic garb and manners, when obliged to come out and confess himsclf. But the gentlemen in question knew how to prize his talents, and were proud of the honor which he had done to his country. They encouraged him to prosecute his under- taking, by the assurance that he should find a ready market for all the globes he could fumish. For a time he pursued BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 253 his vocation on a small sCale, at Bradford, Vt., and also at Londonderiy, N. H., but finally, in company with his sons, who inherited a good share of their father's taste and inge-- nuity, lie established, about the year 1815, a large manufac- tory in Albany, N. Y., and in 1826, brought out from fresh engravings a still more perfect and splendid edition. These globes, consisting of three different sizes, so elegantly and scientifically constructed, are an honor not only to their makers, but to the American people. Tiie manufactory at Albany is yet sustained ; though the young artists who' commenced it went down to early graves, and their aged father, not long after, wholly withdrew himself from the business. Mr. Wilson, with a remnant of his once flourishing fam- ily, is still (1850) living on his farm in Bradford, and at the age of eighty-six years, retains his strength, especially of mind, in a remarkable degree. His love for geograjAij, astronomy, and the mechanica! arts connected with them, remains unabated. Since he was eighty years of age, he has contrived, and with his own hands constructed, a machine, which finely illustrates the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth, the cause of the successive seasons, and the sun's place for every day of the year in the ecliptic. These move- ments are produced by turning a crank, which causes the earth to revolve about the sun in the plane of the ecliptic ; always retaining its true relative position. The machine is also furnished with the means of enabling the student to see and understand precisely what is meant by the precession of the equinoxes, a difficult thing without some such means of illustration. The large copper plat e, on which are printed. the months of the year, with their days, and the corresponding signs of the zodiac, with their degrees, was engraved by Mr. Wilson, after he was eighty-three years of age. Can a sim- ilar instance anywhere be found? A specimen of this curieus apparatus may be seen at 22 254 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Thetford Academy, Bradford Aca'demy, or at Mr. Wilspn's residence ; which last is an improvement on the others. Every academy ought to have something of the sort ; and the aged and very ingenious maker ought to realize some profit from so scientific and useful a contrivance. The machine, for the want of a more definite name, is called Wilson's Planetarium ; the latter term he used in a restricted sense. If this planetarium should be thought clumsy, still, it finely illustrates what it was intended to do, and it may yet be reduced to any degree of elegance. It would in any fam- ily be an appropriate accompaniment to Wilson's globes. GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. The following sketches of the families of some of the early settlers of Londonderry, are derived in part from records and in part from traditions and the recollections of aged people. It can hardly be expected that, depending as they do in some measure upon the memory of the aged, they should be entirely free from error. But as they have been prepared with much care, it is believed .hat they will, with but rare exceptions, be found correct. There were many important and respectable families, of which no information sufficiënt for a connected sketch could be obtained. The names of the first ancestors of the families in Amer- ica, are printed in small capitals ; those of their children, in italics, and where perspicuity seems to require it their grand- cbildren are designated by numerals. FAMILY OF WILLIAM ADAMS. WiLLiAM Adams emigrated from the north of Ireland to this town, soon after its settlement, and settled upon the farm now owned and occupied by Nathaniel Brown. He had five sons, as follows : — James, who had eight children, namely, James, Mary, Wil- GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 255 liam, of wliom a short notice has been given, Elizabeth, Sarah, Samuel, Rachel, and David. David, the youngest son, married Janet Wilson, daughter of Colonel Robert Wilson, in 1 800 ; and had nine children, namel j, Jane, James, Mary M., Robert W., William, David B., John B., Jonathan, and a child that died in infancy. Jonathan^ who was born in 1729 and died in 1820. He raarried Sarah Smith, and settled on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Captain Josiah H. Adams. He was an active, energetic man ; was a soldier in the Revolution, and snbsequently held the commission of captain in the militia. He had six children, as follows : 1 . Jane, who died unmar- ried. 2. Jonathan, who lived with his parents and retained the homestead. He was a very worthy man ; was distin- guished for his frankness and sincerity, and waS for many years an elder in the church. His children were William, Josiah H., Daniel M., Jabez F., Sarah Jane, and Moses. 3. William, who married Margaret Duncan, and had three children, Mary, Jane, and Sarah. 4. James, who married Judith Rolfe, and had ten children, namely, Jonathan, Ann R., Joseph R., James, Jane S., Sarah, John S., Elizabeth, Lucinda, and Henry R. 5. Mary, who married William Eayres, and removed to Rutland, Vt. 6. Susannah, who died unmarried. Samuel, who settled at Casco Bay. William and David, of whom no Information has been received. FAMILY OF EDWARD AIKEÏ^^. ED^yARD AiKEN emigrated from the north of Ireland to this town, about the year 1722, and settled on the farm now owned by John Folsom, Esq., and which continued in the possession of his descendants more tlian a century. Edward Aiken had three sons, who settled in Londonderry, Nathan- iel, James, and William. Nathaniel lived on his father's 256 * HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. farm, James on the farm iiow owned by Mr. Bradford, aqd "William on tliat owned by Mr. David Carr. Hence that neigliborhood was early designated as the " Aiken's Range." Nathaniel, the eldest son, had five sons. Edward, John, James, Thomas, and William. Edward settled in Windham, Vt., and was the grandfather of Rev. Samuel^C. Aiken, of Cleaveland, Oliio. John, the grandfather of Hon. John Aiken, of Andover, Mass., and of Rev. Silas Aiken, of Rut- land, Vt., settled in Bedford, N. H. James remained in Londonderry, and had a large family of sons and daughters. Thomas and William, the two youngest sons, settled in Deering, N. H., and had large families. Many of their descendants still remain in that town. James had three sons and three daughters. His son James com'menced a settlement in Antrim, N. H. ; and his family was the first and only one in that town for several years. His son John inherited his farm, and had several sons, some of whom removed to Benson, Vt. William had two sons, Edward and William. Edward settled in Windham, Vt., and had several sons and daugh- ters. William removed to Truro, Nova Scotia. Of the descendants of this early and very respectable family of the settlers of Londonderry, no correct and full account has been obtained, except of one branch, that of John, the second son of Nathaniel, the elde^ son of Edward. The statistics of his numerous descendants have been recently collected by Hon. John Aiken, of Andover, a synopsis of which is here inserted. John Aiken was born November 18, 1728. In 1758, he married Annis Orr, eldest daughter of John and Margaret Orr, of Bedford. They resided in Londonderry eight or ten years, after their marriage, when they removed and settled in Bedford, where they passed the residue of their days. Their children were John, Phineas, Margaret, Susanna, Annis, Sarah, Mary, and Jane. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 257 John, their eldest son, married Mary McAfee, of Bedford, in 1781, and ten years afterwards removed to Merrimack, N. H., where he died. He had twelve children, namely, Sarauel, Marj, Annis, Susan, Sarah, Jesse, John, Phineas, Jane, Lucinda, Benjamin F., and Eliza F. Phineas married. December 8, 1789, Elizabeth Patterson, of Amherst, N. H. He died in 1836, having resided in Bedford from early childhood. His widow still survives. Tiiej had nine children, as folio ws : 1. Nancy P., their eldest daughter, was married, in 1809, to Jonathan Aiken, of Goffstown, son of Captain James Aiken, of Londonderry. He graduated at Dartmouth College, in 1807, and settled in Goffstown as an attorney at law. In 1838, he removed 'to the State of Illinois, where he died in 1839. His widow still survives. Their children were James, David, Elizabeth, J5hn C, Charles, Jonathan, Nancy, Henry M., Jane, Silas, Walter H., and George E. 2. Lucy, in 1816, married Frederick A. Mitchel, M. D., of Bedford, and had seven children. 3. Betsey, in 1818, married Isaac Riddle, Jr., of Bedford, and had five children. 4. John graduated at Dartmouth College, 1819 ; was tutor there for two years (1820-1822). Resided in Bennington county, Vt., from 1823 to 1834, most of the time in the practice of law ; removed to Lowell, Mass, in 1834; resided there till 1850, as agent of a manufacturing company. In 1849, he was a member of the governor's council. In 1850, he removed to Andover, Mass., where he now resides, being the treasurer of the Cocheco Manufacturing Company, Dover, N. H. He married, in 1826, Harriet R. Adams, daughter of Prof. Adams, of Dartmouth College, by whom he had three children. In 1832, he married Mary M. Appleton, of Amherst, daughter of the late president Appleton, by whom he has five children. o. Silas graduated at Dartmouth College, 1825 ; was tutor there three years (1825-1828) ; was settled in the ministry at Amherst, N. H., 1829. He 22* 258 HISTORY OF LONDONDEliRY. subsequently removcd to Boston, and was for several years pastor of Park Street churcli. He is now settled in Rutland, Vt. In 1829, he married Mary Osgood, of Salem, Mass., by whom he had three children. In 1837, he married Sophia Parsons, of Amherst, Mass., by whom he has two children. 6. Charles, in 1839, married Adeline Willey, of Campton, N. H., and had seven children. 7. David, in 1844, married Lydia "W. Root, of Greenfield, Mass. She died in 1846, and in 1848, he married Mary E. Adams, of Amherst, Mass. 8. Sarah A., in 1829, married William P. Black, of Man- chester, Vt., and had six children. 9. Phineas died in early life. Margaret, in 1787, married Josiah Chandler, of Goffstown. About the year 1799, they removed to Pomfret, Vt., where they both died. Their children were Mary B., John A., Annis, David, Lucinda, Josiah, and Calvin. Susamia, in 1790, married Jonathan Barron, who then resided in Merrimack, subsequently in Rockingham, Vt., and now resides at Nunda, Livingston county, N. Y. Their children were Polly A., Annis, Moses, Harriet, Abel, Sally, Lucius H., Quartus H. Annis, in 1813, married Abner Campbell, of London- derry, and died, in 1839, without issue. Sarah, in 1791, married Samuel Gilchrist, of Goffstown, N. H., and after his death married, in 1822, Captain Jolm Smith, of Goffstown, with whom she still lives. Her chil- dren by her first husband were John, Fanny, Alexander, Samuel, Sophronia, Jason, Margaret A., James A., and Hiram. Mary, in 1814, married William Reed, of Litchfield, N. H., and had one son, Phineas A. Ja7ie, in 1807, married James Aiken, of Goffstown, who died in 1809, without issue. In 1831, she married Rev. Walter Harris, D. D., of Dunbarton, N. H., who died in 1843, leaving her a second time a widow. aENEALOGiCAL SKETCHES. 259 According to the statistics of tliis branch of the Aiken family it appears, that from this one grandson of Edward Aiken, the örst ancestor of the family in this country, there are two hundred and sixty-three descendants, two hundred and twelve of whom are now living. As Edward Aiken had thirteen grandchildren, if the descendants of the other twelve were as numerous, the whole number of his descendants would be three thousand four hundred and nineteen. FAMILY OF JAMES ANDERSON. Of the first sixteen settlers of the town, were Allen and James Anderson. Allen had no children ; James had seven; namely, Samuel, Robert, James, Thomas, David, Jane, and Nancy. Samuel married Martha Craige, and had four children : 1. James married Nancy Armstrong. 2. John married Anna Davidson, and for his second wife, Mary Williams. 3. Sam- uel married Mary Davidson. 4. Margaret married John Graham. Robert married Agnes Craige, and had nine children: 1. James remained unmarried. 2. John married Jane Wallace. 3. William married Margaret Wilson. 4. Allen married Sally Moor. 5. Robert married Mary Darrah. 6. Samuel married Anna Alexander, and removed to Acworth. 7. David married Sally Barnett. 8. Mary married James Dinsmore. 9. Jane married David Campbell. James married Nancy Woodburn, and subsequently widow Elizabeth Barnett. By his first wife he had eight children ; and by his second wife, four : 1. James, who married Mar- garet Reid, was lieutenant under Captain George Reid, at the battle of Bunker Hill, and subsequently captain of the company, on the promotion of Captain Reid. He continued in service during the whole of the war, and died at Troy, N. Y., 1827. 2. John married Mary Morrison. He was also a short time in the service of his country. 3. Rufus, of 260 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. whoni a biograpliical sketch has been given. 4. Joseph, who removed to the West. 5. Maiy married Thomas Aiken of Deering. 6. Margaret married James Moor. 7. Alice married the Rev. Joseph McKeen. 8. Nancy married John McClary. 9. Alexander married Martha McGilvery. 10. Benjamin married Lydia Jackson. 11. William married Prudence Ladd. 12. Jane married Alexander McCollom. Thomas married Mary Craige, and had seven children: 1. Daniel, who married Sarah Nesmith. 2. James, unmarried. 3. John, unmarried. 4. Mary, who married William Ander- son of Candia. 5. Jane, who married Robert Nesmith. 6. Martha, who married Robert McClure of Acworth. 7. Margaret, unmarried. David m.2kVTÏQ^ a Miss Wilson, and had three sons : Robert, who married Naomi Aiken, James, and Andrew. Jane married Elder James Taggart, and had two sons, Samuel, of whom a particular notice has been given, and Thomas. The children of John, the son of Samuel, and grandson of James the first settler, were as follows : Martha, who mar- ried David Robinson ; Jesse, who married Martha Morrison ; John, who removed to South Carolina, and married there ; Samuel, who married Mary Wilson, and afterwards Eliza- beth Armstrong ; Sarah, who married John Holmes ; Jane, who married John Hills ; James, who married Nancy An- derson, and Betsy, who married James Tojvns. The children of Margaret,. daughter of Samuel, who mar- ried John Graham, were William, Martha, Samuel, Jane, and Elizabeth. FAMILY OF JOHN ANDERSON. John Anderson, with his wife and family, came from the north of Ireland and settled in Londonderry as early as 1725. Their children, John, James, Robert, and Jane, came with their parents. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 261 John married and lived in Londonderry, but died young, leaving three cliildren, Matthew, John, an'd Jane. Mattliew and John were at the battle of Bunker Hill, and after the close of the war, Matthew married Nancy Taylor, daughter of Adam Taylor, and John married a Miss Archibald, and both removed to Yermont, where they lived and died. Their descendants are very numerous in Vermont, New York, and the Western States. Jane married David Paul, of the East parish in Londonderry, where many of her descendants reside. James married Isabel McQueston, about the year 1728, and had nine children ; namely, Jane, Hugh, Sarah, Mary, James, John, William, Mary Ann, and Joseph. Of these, Jane, James, and John died young and unmarried. Hugh was out in the wars about the year 1760, and was known to have been engaged in a running fight with the French and Indians, where his party was overpowered by numbers, and was never heard from afterwards. William married Agnes Clark, in 1769, and had eight children ; Hugh, Robert, Mary Ann, James, William, Letitia, Elizabeth, and John, no one of whom survives excepting Mary Ann, who now resides, at an advanced age, on the old family homestead in London- derry. Hugh, son of William, married Jane Nesmith in 1797, and left three children ; William, John N., and Eliza- beth N., all of whom are living and have numerous descend- ants. Robert, son of William, married Sarah Stearns, in 1804, and eight of his children are now living in New Hamp- shire and Massachusetts. William, son of William, married Mary Bell, daughter of John Bell, Esq., in 1808, and left two dauo-hters, each of whom is married and has several children. One of them resides in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the other in the State of Ohio. Robert married, and resided in that part of Londonderry now Manchester, but left no male issue ; his daughters were married, and many of tlieir descendants are now living. Jane was married, and many of her descendants are now living in New Hampshire and Vermont. 262 HISTORT OP LONDONDERRT. The original homestead on which the commori ancestors settled in Londonderiy, in 1725, has ever since remained in the family, and is now in the possession of their descendants, Williara Anderson of Derrj, and John N. Anderson of Lon- den derry. FAMILY OF JOHN BELL. John Bell, though not one of the first of the emigrants who began the settlement of Londonderry in April 1719, must have arrived there in 1720, as the first mention of his name upon the records is in the grant of his homestead, a lot of sixty acres, in Aiken's Range, upon which he spent the rest of his life, and where his son John always lived. This record bears the date of 1720. Other lands were allotted him in 1722, and afterwards, to the amount of three hundred acres. After commencing a clearing upon a part of his lot near the brook, and building a cabin there, he returned in 1722, to his native country for his wife and two surviving daughters, two of his children having died in infancy. ^ Mr. Bell was born in the vicinity of Coleraine, probably in the parisli of Ballymony, in the county of Antrim, in 1678. He married Elizabeth Todd, a daughter of John Todd and Rachel Nelson, and sister of Col. Andrew Todd. -He appears to have held a respectable position among his townsmen, and for several years held various offices in the town. He died July 8, 1743, aged sixty-four years. His wife was a person of much decision and energy of character, and survived him till August 30, 1771, when she died, aged eighty-two years. After their removal to Londonderry, they had two soiis and two daughters. Samuel, his eldest son, was born September 28, 1723. He removed to Cambridge, New York, and married Sarah Storow. He, and two of his sons and two brothers-in-law, were taken prisoners hj the advance of Burgoyne's army, his stock was driven off, and his buildings burned. His GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 263 sons, John and Matthew, clied not long after their return from captivitj. Mr. Bell died about 1803, at the age of eighty, leaving many descendants. The four daughters of John Bell, all married persons of the name of Duncan, three of them brothers, and sons of George Duncan, Esq., of Londonderry, and the other a nephew, the son of John Duncan, their eldest brother. Letitia, born in Ireland, married Deacon George Duncan of Londonderry. Naomi married Captain William Duncan of Londonderry. Elizaheth married James Duncan of Haverhill, Mass. Mary married George Duncan of Peterborough, N. H. (For the children of these four daughters, see family of George Duncan.) John^ of whom a biographical sketch has been given, mar- ried Mary Ann Gilmore, daughter of James Gilmore and Jean Baptiste, and, besides three children who died in early life, had five sons and four daughters, as follows: 1. 2. James and Ebenezer died in youth. 3. Jonathan died at Chester in 1808, leaving no children. 4. John, born Ju ly 20, 1765, earP^ engagëd in trade Avith good success, and was elected a member of the legislature from Londonderry. About the beginning of this century, he s^ttled in Chester, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1803, he was elected senator for the third district, and served one term. Li 1817, he was elected councillor, and continued in that office five years. Li 1823, he was appointed Sheriff of Rockingham County and held that office until he was elected governor in 1828, in which office he served one term. He was fortunate in the acquisition of property, and left at his death, in March, 1836, a handsome estate. He married Persis, daughter of Dr. Isaac Thom, of Londonderry, and had a family of ten chil- dren. Of these, one son, Charles Henry, a graduate of Dart- mouth College, 1845, alone survives. Governor Bell was distinguished through life for sound judgment, accurate business habits, and strict integrity. 264 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. 5. Samuel was born Febriiaiy 9, 1770, graduated at Dart- mouth College, 1793, studied law witli Hon. Samuel Dana, of Amherst, and was admitted to practice in 1796. He practised law at Francestown to 1808, and at Amlierst to 1810.* He was representative in 1804, 1805, and 1806, and was speaker tlie two last years. He was senator and pres- ident of the Senate in 1807 and 1808, and was councillor in 1809. In 1812, he removed to a farm in Cliester, where he has since resided. In 1816, he was appointed a judge of the Superior Court. In 1819 to 1823, he was elected gover- nor, and from 1823 to 1835, senator in Congress. He has been twice married ; first, to Mehitable B. Dana, daughter of Hon. Samuel Dana, by whom he had six children. Three sons survive. Hon. Samuel D., justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, James, counsellor at law, at Gil- ford, N. H.,.and Hon. Luther V. Bell, LL. D., superintend- ent of the McLean Asjlum, at Somerville, Mass. She died in 1810. His second wife is Lucy G. Smith, daughter of Jonathan Smith, Esq., of Amherst. They have four sons, George and John, students at Dartmouth College, Charles, • student at Brown University, and Lewis. 6. Elizabeth^ftied June 22, 1786, at the age of twenty-three years. 7. Susan- nah married John Dinsmore, Esq., whose sons, John B. of Ripley, N. Y., and James (Dartmouth College, 1813,) of Walnut Hills, Ky., survive and have families, and other descendants remain. 8. Mary married Captain "NYilliam Anderson and left two daughters, one of whom married a ¥ Mr. Dickey, now of Alleghany, Penn. 9. Mary Ann died unmarried. FA.MILY OF JAMES CLARK. James Clark, afterwards Deacon James Clark, one of the first settlers of Londonderry, lived on the farm now occupied byhis grandson, Deacon Matthew Clark. He had four sons and one daughter, namely, John, Samuel, George, Matthew, and Eleanor. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 265 John settled in the western part of Londonderry, and had several children. Some of their descendants still reside in the town. Samael and George settled in the town of Windham. Each had a family of children, and some of their descend- ants now live in that town, Matihew inherited his father's fe,rm in Londonderry. He married Margaret Anderson, by wliom he had four sons and three daughters ; namely, James, Samuel, Matthew, John, Margaret, Mary, and Elizabetli. Eleanor married Robert Hemphill, of Windham, and had a family of sons and daughters, FAMILY OF ROBERT CLARK. KoBERT Clark, of the Scotch colony, in Ireland, came to Londonderry about the year 1725, and settled on the height of land northwest of Beaver Pond. He died in 1775. Letitia, his wife, was the daughter of John Cochran, of Londonderry in Ireland. She died in 1783. Their children were as follows : — Wïlltam, who married Anne "Wallace, and settled in New Boston, N. H., in 1766. His children were Robert, John, Ninian, Rebecca, Anne, and Letitia. Johfi, who married Nancy Stinson, lived in Londonderry, and died in 1808. His children were Robert, David, Letitia, PoUy, Alexander, William, Jane, Betsey, and John. Samuel, who married Sarah Holmes, and subsequently, Janet Barnett, and died in Londonderry, in 1791. His children were Robert, Daniel, Sally, Moses, William, John, and Janet. Ninian, who married Mary Ramsey, settled in New Boston, N. H., and died in 1808. His children were Wil- liam, Lydia, Robert, Hugh, Hamilton, Letitia, David, Jona- than, and Samuel. kL7ie, who married James Crombie, and resided in New 23 266 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. Boston. Her children were William, Robert, John, Letitia. Jane, James, Samuel, and Clark. Letitia, who married Samuel Wallace, and subsequently Robert Moor, of Londonderry, and died in 1832, at the age of eighty-nine. Her children by her first husband were Annis, Letitia, Rebecca, and Sarah ; by her second husband, Jane, Mary, and Samuel. AgneSy who married William Anderson, and lived in Lon- donderry. Her children were Hugh, Eobert, Marianne, James, William, Letitia, Elizabeth, and John. Elizabethy who married Andrew Mack, of Londonderry. Her children were Jane, Letitia, Elizabeth, John, Isabella, Robert, Andrew, and Daniel. FAMILY OF JOHN CROMBIE. John Crombie emigrated from the north of Ireland, and settled in Londonderry, about the year 1720. He married Joan Rankin, November 17, 1721, and by her bad four sons and five daughters ; namely, Hugh, William, James, John Elizabeth, Mary, Jane, Nancy, and Ann. Hugh lived in Chester, N. H., married, and had a faraily. John married Rebecca Barnett, by whom he had three sons and two daughters ; namely, William, Moses, John, Mary, and Huldah. He was for several years one of the selectmen of Londonderry. Jqmes married Jane Clark, by whom he had six sons and two daughters, as folio ws : 1. William, who married Betsey Fairfield, and settled in the State of New York, where he still lives. 2. Robert, who married Mary Patterson, and lived and died in New Boston, N. H. 3. John, who married Lydia Clark, and lived and died in New Boston. 4. Jan.. . who married Joanna Jones, studied medicine with Dr. Jon- •. formerly of Lyndeborough, N. H., and commenced pract"':* in 1798, at Temple, N. H. In 1820, he removed fr(.?n Temple to Francestown, N. H., where he continued tn.; GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 267 practice of medicine, until 1850, when he removed to Derry, where he now resides with his son, James H. Crombie, M. D. 5. Samuel, who married Maiy Cooledge, and re- moved to Waterford, Me., where he was engaged in the practice of medicine until his death. 6. Clark, who married Lucy Dean, lived for many years in New Boston, and after- wards removed to Lowell, Mass, where he still resides. 7. Jane, who married James Cochran, and still lives in New Boston. 8. Letitia. In 1783, James Crombie, Sen., removed from London- derry to New Boston. All his children were born in Lon- donderry, with the exception of Clark, who was born in New Boston. Elizabeth married William Blair. Mary married John Patten, of Chester. Jane married Robert Clendenin, Nancy married Deacon Peter Calhoun. Ann married John Cochran. FAMILY OF SAMUEL DICKEY. Samuel Dickey, the ancestor of this family, although not one of the first, was among the early settlers of Londonderry. He settled on the south side of Moose Hill, subduing and occupying the farm now possessed by his grandson. Captain Joseph Dickey. Mr. Dickey was distinguished for his Herculean strength, it being equal to that of two ordinary men. He had two sons and five daughters. Adam, the elder son, married Jane Nahor, and settled on that part of his father's farm now owned by Warren Coffin, Esq., where he lived several years ; after which he removed to Vermont. In the decline of life, he returned to his native town, where he died. *■ Betsey, the eldest daughter, married James Betton, Esq., several of whose descendants were among the more respect- able and influential members of the community. Silas Betton, 268 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. son of James, pursued a literary course, and graduated at Dartmouth College, 1787. He settled as an attorney at law, in Salem, N. H. He was for several years a member of the New Hampshire legislature, as a representative, and as a senator. He was a representative of the State in Congress from 1803 to 1807, and high sheriff of Rockingham county from 1813 to 1819. He died January 22, 1822. The second daiighter married Alexander Parker, of Green- field, N. H. 3Iary married Robert Boyd. Jenny was a deaf mute. Martlia married John Cochran, of New Boston. They were among the first settlers, and their descendants consti- tute some of the more respectable and influential members of that community. Robert, the yoünger son, inherited the homestead, as well as much of that muscular energy that marked the character of his father. Of this, his contemporaries are said to have had effective demonstration, as they engaged in the athletic sports and games of that early period. These practices, which served to test and foster the strength, energy, and courage of the corabatants, and which are now passed away, were adapted to the times, when such physical powers and virtues were more requisite than in the present improved state of society. Though Mr. Dickey was not quarrelsome or revengeful in his disposition, yet, in one of those combats so frequent in his day, a stroke of his powerful arm proved, most unhappily, fatal to his antagonist. He married Hannah Woodburn, of whom a brief notice is given in the account of the family of John Woodburn ; and from them descended the families of Dickey, now inhabitants of the town, and several others who have removed to distant parts of the country. Mr. Dickey possessed a generous public spirit and kind and hospitable feelings. He died when little past the meridian of life. He had eleven children, all of whom lived to mature life. Ten still survive, the youngest of whom is about fifty years of age. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 269 These children, while favored with such means of educa- tion as the times then afForded, were early accustomed to habits of labor and industry. They were.principally trained to agricultural pursuits, and their devotedness to husbandry, that very useful and honorable employment, forms a distin- guishing feature in their family history. Few have engaged in mechanical or mercantile business, or in professional life. As these ten children Wiire all settled within a few miles of the paternal home, their local situation, early friendship, and frequent intercourse, have rendered this family, in its several branches, remarkable for the intimacy and ,harmony which have prevailed among them. Few circles have en- joyed more social gatherings, or been less broken by the hand of death, than this. " The habits of this family," to use the language of one of its members, " are decidedly domestic, much less disposed to hazardous sf)eculation and scheming enterprise, than to honest toil. Indeed, of all its numerous members, none have as yet discovered any other channel to competence and character, than hard work ; so much so, indeed, that many of them have come to measure character, not so much by moral virtues or intellectual attainments, as by the amount of hard labor performed. Though none of them have shone "conspicuously in the public arena, few have reason to blush for their reputation. Though none of them boast large fortunes, yet so much have they been favored by fortune's smiles, that all enjoy a competence, and at no time has any member been dependent, either upon public charity or private munificence." FAMILY OF GEORGE DUNCAN. George Duncax was a son of George Duncan who lived and died in Ireland. He came to this country with his second wife, Margaret Cross, and his seven children. They were John, the eldest by a former marriage, and George, William, Robert, Abraham, Esther, and James, by 23* 270 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. the second marriage. He was a man of education, and was a justice of the peace. John married Rachel Todd. They brought with them to this countiy four children ; namely, John, George, Abraham , and William. The latter was born on the passage. After their arrival and settlement in Londonderry, they had five other children ; namely, James, Naomi, Polly, Rachel, and Rosanna. From this stock are descended John Duncan, Esq., of Londonderry, William H. Duncan, Esq., of Han- over, N. H., and several families of that name in Antrim, and elsewhere. George, son of John, married Mary Bell, youngest daughter of John and Elizabeth Bell. They lived at Peterborough, where she died, about 1811, aged eighty- three. Their children were Elizabeth, who married Rev. Samuel Taggart, member of Congress ; Rachel, who married Deacon John Todd, of Peterborough ; Sarah ; Esther, who married Moses Black, of Boston, Mass. ; a daughter, who married Ebenezer Moore, of Peterborough ; Mary, who mar- ried Rev. Mr. Wallace, and George, who married Jane Ferguson, and removed to Western New York, or Ohio. William, son of John, married Jane Alexander, lived many years in Londonderry, and had three children, Rosanna, Rachel, and Ann. Rosanna married Thomas Lamb, and died about 1849, aged eighty-nine. Thomas Lamb of Boston, is her son. Rachel and Ann left no children. Rachel, daughter of John, married Samuel Archibald, of Nova Scotia, and had several children. Among them was the Hon. Sam- uel G. W. Archibald, attorney-general of Nova Scotia, who lived at Halifax, greatly respected. George married Letitia Bell, eldest daughter of John and Elizabeth Bell, and lived in Londonderry. He was an elder in the church, and died about 1780-5, aged about seventy. Their children were as follows : 1. John, who married Mary Duncan, was resident in Antrim, which town he represented in the legislature, was a State senator, and died in 1822, GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 271 aged ninety-one. 2. George, wlio removed to the "West. 3. James, Esq., of Hancock. He represented that town in the legislature, and died about 1804. 4. Josiah. 5. Elizabeth, who married James Cimningham, of Pembroke. 6. Letitia, (?) who married Alexander Todd. William married Naomi Bell, sister of Letitia above men- tioned. They lived in Londonderry, where she died, about 1804, aged eighty-nine. Captain Duncan died about 1798, aged eighty-two. Their children were as follows : 1. George, of Acworth, who died unmarried. 2. John, of Acworth, rep- resentative and colonel, whose sons were Adam, John, and Horace. 3. William, who died unmarried. 4. Isaac, of Acworth. 5. Rachel, wife of Major John Pinkerton. 6. Susannah, wife of Joseph Patterson of Henniker. * 7. Jane, wife of Abraham Duncan. 8. Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Moore, of Acworth. 9. Margaret, wife of William Adams. Rohert moved to Boston, married Isabella Caldwell, and had several children. Among their descendants, are the families of the late Alden Bradford, and William Stephen- son, of Boston, and William Thomas, of Plymouth. Abraham married, lived, and died in North Carolina. Esther married John Cassan, (?) of Connecticut. James married Elizabeth Bell, third daughter of John and Elizabeth Bell, and was a merchant in Haverhill, Mass. He acquired a large property, and died about 1818, aged ninety-two. His wife died, aged about forty-seven years. Their children were as follows : 1. John, who died unmar- ried. 2. Samuel, of Grantham, N. H., who married a Miss Emerson, and had several children. 3. Robert, who was representative of Grantham, married a Miss Emerson ; had a son, Samuel B., and died in 1807. 4. Abraham, o. Wil- liam, who lived at Concord, N. H., and represented that town. He married a Miss Harris, and had a son James, a daughter Mehitable, who married Andrew McCIary, a daughter, who married the late George B. Upham, of Clare- 272 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. mont, N. H., and a daughter who married a Mr. Shapleigh, of Portsmouth, N. H. He died about 1795. Ilis widow removed to Ohio with her son James, and died in 1835. 6. James, who married Rebecca White, and died about 1822. He had two sons, Col. Samuel, who died about 1824, aged thirty-four, leaving children, and Col. James H., counsellor at law, and representative in Congress, who married Miss Willis, and has a large family. 7. Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Thatcher, a lawyer, and afterwards George Carter, and is living at Boston. 8. Margaret, who is now living, and is the widow of Thomas Baldwin, D. D., of Boston. 9. Mary, and three others. FAMILY OF SAMUEL ELA. Samuel Ela removed from Haverhill, Mass., and settled in Londonderry, about the year 1755, and died in 1784. He had eight children, as follows : — Edward married a Miss Colby ; had two children, Edward and Nancy, and died in Londonderry. Clark married a Miss Fulton, and had one son. David married Nancy, the daughter of Deacon Samuel Fisher, and widow of William Cunningham, and had five children ; namely, Clark, William, Sally, Lois, and Charlotte. He lived and died in Londonderry. John married Sarah Ferson, and had one child, who died in early life. Tabitha married Richard Petty, and removed to Thorn- ton, N. H. Hannah married Jonathan Ferson, and also removed to Thornton. Mary married Eliphalet Chcney, and removed to Canaan, N.H. Lois died in childhood. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 273 FAMILY OF ROBERT GILMORE. RoBERT Gilmore was born near Coleraine in Irelaiid, and married Mary Ann Kennedy, in that country. They emigrated early to Londonderry, where they spent the rest of their days. His age at his death was eighty. His chil- dren were "William, Robert, John, and James. William married Elizabeth . The births of four children are recorded upon the town records ; Robert, Mary, James, and Anne. JRohert lived at Londonderry, where he died about 1780, aged eighty. By his first wife, Anne, he had two children, James and Elizabeth; and by his second wife, Elizabeth, he had three sons and two daughters ; John and Roger, both of whom lived in Jaffrey, N. H., William, who lived in Lon- donderry, Meriam, and Jemima. John died unmarried. James married Jean Baptiste. They lived in Londonderry, and both died about the same time, of pleurisy. He was about fifty years of age. They had a large family, as foUows : 1. John died at Rockingham, Yt., aged about eighty-one, and left a family. 2. Jonathan, who lived at Ira, Vt., married a Miss Hunter, and had several children, of whom James, Robert, William, and Jonathan, were lately living in Ohio. 3. James, who was colonel of the eighth regiment, and who had several children ; James, John of Belfast, Me., Robert, Gawen of Acworth, Baptiste, Jonathan, Jane, Margaret, and Ann. 4. Jane, who married Robert Patterson of Saco, Me., and had eleven sons and three daughters. 5. Margaret, who married George Pattison of Coleraine, Mass., and had six sons and one daughter. 6. Elizabeth, who married Samuel Wilson, died at Londonderry in 1816, aged eighty-five, and had six children; Samuel, Jane (Patterson, afterwards Aiken), Elizabeth (Clyde), Rachel (Gregg of Waterford, N. Y.), Mary Ann (Wilson), Margaret (Anderson). 7. 274 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Agnes, who married Benjamin Nesmitli. 8. Maiy Ann, who married John Bell, Esq., of Londonderry. For her descendants, see family of John Bell. ^, /i'^^'-fK V^ FAMTLY OF JAMES GREGG. Captain James Gregg, one of the sixteen who first, settled in Londonderrj, was bom in Ayrshire, Scotland, and emigrated with his parents to Ireland, about the year 1690. Previous to his leaving Scotland, he had served as an apprentice to the tailoring business. He married Janet Cargil. They had four sons and one daughter ; namely, William, John^ Samuel, Thomas, and Elizabeth. Soon after his marriage he commenced the business of linen-draper, and for several years pursued it with success, and accumu- lated considerable property. In 1718, he embarked with many others for America, and was among those who passed the following winter at Cape Elizabeth, where they endured many privations and much sufFering. As Mr. Gregg pos- sessed the means, and also the disi3osition, he was very efficiënt in aiding and encouraging this company of settlers amid their trials and wants. He subsequently received a captain's commission, and commanded the first company of soldiers raised in the town. William, the eldest son of Captain James Gregg, became the principal surveyor in the town, and laid out its lots. He married Janet Rankin. They had two sons and two daugh- ters ; James and Ilugh, Naomi and Frances. John married Agnes Rankin. They had ten children; namely, James, Hugh, John, AVilliam, George, Samuel, Josep h, and Benjamin ; and .twin daughters, Elizabeth and Janet. Samuel married Mary Moor, by whom he had four sons and thre^ï daughters ; James, John, Samuel, David, Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth. Thomas married Ann Leslie. They had several sons and daughters. Some of their posterity now reside in Vermout. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 275 Elizabeth married James Moor. Tliey had three sons and two daughters ; namelj, William, Robert, Hugb, Maiy, and Elizabeth. James, i\\Q eldest son of John Gregg, and grandson of James, married Marj McCurdy. They had five sons and three daughters ; John, Joseph, James, Jonathan, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Mary. William, the third son of John, married Barbara Aiken, and had two sons and three daughters ; Ebenezer, William, Jane, Hosanna, and Elizabeth. John, the fourth son of John, married his cousin Mary Gregg. They had three sons and three daughters ; Benja- min, Ebenezer, William, Agnes, Jane, and Mary. Samuel, the fifth son of John, married Agnes Smiley. They had eight children ; John, Hugh, Samuel, George, Sarah, Ann, Mary, and Elizabeth. Joseph, the seventh son of John, married Susanna Aiken ; had four sons and seven daughters ; namely, John, Nathaniel, Joseph, David A., Anne, Margaret, Barbara, Susanna, Elizabeth, Jane, and Sarah. Benjamin, the eighth son of John, married Lettice Aiken. They had two sons and two daughters ; John and James, Lettice and Jane. FAMILY OF DAVID GREGG. David Gregg was the ancestor of another family, entirely unconnected with the preceding. He was born in Londonderry in Ireland, in 1 685, and was the son of John Gregg, who was als o a native of the same city. He married Mary Evans, and with his wife and son, William, who was then eigjit years of age, emigrated to North America, and settled in the southerly part of Londonderry (now Windham), in November, 1722. After his«arrival in this country, he had other children. William, the eldest son, married Elizabeth Kyle, who was 276 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. born in the county of Antrim, in Ireland, in 1719, and came to this country in 1727. He had six sons and three daugh- ters. 1. One son died while a soldier in the French war, at Schenectady, N. Y., in 1755. 2. William married Isabel Dunlap, and had three sons and six daughters. 3. David married a Miss Gregg, a cousin, and had two sons and one daughter. 4. Thomas married a Miss MeCoy, and had one son, • Daniël, who lived in Boston, Mass. 5. The oldest daughter, married Richard Sisk, and lived in Massachusetts. 6. Mary, the second daughter, married Hugh McKeen, of Acworth, N. H., had a family, and removed to Genessee county, N. Y. 7. Jane, the third daughter, married James McAlvain, and removed to Francestown, N. H., and had four sons and one daughter. 8. John married Lydia Meivin, and lived for a time in Acworth, but now resides in Claremont, N. H. He had four sons and four daughters. 9. Alexander was a soldier in the army of the Revolution, and also made several privateering voyages during the war. He married Sarah Adams, and removed to Antrim, N. H., in 1786. He had four sons and four daughters. James A. Gregg, M. D., of Manchester, N. H., is one of the sons. David Gregg was a younger son of David and Mary Gregg. He left his parents at the age of fifteen, went to sea, and did not return until lie was tliirty years of age. It is related of him, that having been promoted to the command of a vessel, he came into the country to pass the winter, and engaged his board of his father and mother. He was not recognized by them or any of the neighbors, until he hap- pened to meet Molly McCoy, a blind woman, who no sooner heard his voice, than she exclaimed, " David Gregg has come ! " Captain Gregg was an officer in the French war, and commanded the batteauxt)n the Nortli River. He after- wards settled in Windham, and married a Miss Clyde, by whom he had several children, who are settled in various parts of the country. GENEALOG-ICAL SKETCHES. 277 FAMILY OP ABRAHAM HOLMES. Abraham Holmes and wife, with his children, came from Ireland, in 1719, and soon joined the settlement which had been commenced in Londonderry. He had married for his second wife, Marj Morrison. He was early elected an elder in the First Presbyterian church. He died in 1753, at the age of seventy. His son John^ who was ten years old when he came to this country, was also an elder in the same church, during the long ministry of the Rev. Mr. Davidson. He settled on the farm now owned and occupied by William M. Holmes, in Londonderry. He married Grizel Giv ean. They had nine children, three sons and six daughters ; namely. Sarah, Margaret, Abraham, Eleanor, Robert, Mary, Thomas, Mary Ann, and Martha. 1. Sarah married John Barnett. 2. Eleanor married William Wier. 3. Mary Ann married Thomas Boyd. 4. Martha married Alexander Boyd. 5. Abraham, the oldest son, married and settled in Peter- borough, N. H., and had eleven children, eiglit sons and three daughters. 6. Robert, the second son, married a Miss Wier, and settled in Jaffrey, N. H,, and had a large family of children. 7. Thomas, the third son, married Margaret Patterson, and lived on the farm of his father. He had twelve children. Sarah, who married Amos Page ; John, who married Sarah Anderson for his first, and Mary Adams for his second, wife ; Grizel, who married Thomas Savory ; Peter, who married Olive Graves, and now resides in Hop- kinton, Mass., one of whose sons, Franklin Holmes, gradu- ated at Yale College, in 1845, and lias entered the gospel ministry ; Robert, who married Jane Anderson, and died in 1825, leaving a widow and three children; Margaret, who married William Boyd ; Thomas, who married Sarah Graves, settled in West Boylston, and there died, leaving a widow and four children ; Abraham, who married Esther 24 278 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. Smith, and is settled in Ridgefield, Ct. ; James, who mar- ried Martlia Barker for his first, and Susan Webster for his second wife, and resides in Derrj- ; Matthew, who married Betsey Fitts, remains in Londonderry ; William M., who married Judith Noyes, and lives in Londonderry, on the homestead ; and Jane F., who is unmarried. John Holmes, the eldest son of Thomas, was ordained an elder of the Presbyterian church in Londonderry, in 1827, and still officiates in that session. He has four children living, three sons and one daughter. James, his eldest son, graduated at Dartmouth College, 1838, and at Andover Theological Seminary 1841. He married Miss Amanda Burns, of Milford, in 1841. In 1842, he was ordained and installed pastor of the Presbyterian church in Watertown, Ohio. Ple resigned his charge in that place, in 1846, and after supplying the church and society in Auburn, N. H. three years, was installed pastor of that church, December o, 1849. Caroline, daughter of elder John Holmes, Avas married, May, 1849, to Rev. William Murdock, of Candia, N. H. FAMILY OF JOHN MACK. John Mack and Isabella Brown, his wife, came froni Londonderry, Ireland, in 1732, and settled near the site of the Rev. Dr. Morrison's meeting-house, in the West Parish, where he died, in 1753, at the age of fifty-five. His widow lived until about the year 1770. Their children were William, Janet, John, Robert, Martha, Elizabeth, Andrew, and Daniel. William remained in Ireland until he arrived at the age of twenty-one years, when, coming to America, he enlisted as a soldier in the " French war," and marrying Mary Hylands, he resided at Amherst, N. H., and subsequently at Londonderry, Vt. His children were Margaret, John, Oliver, Naomi, Ruth, Janet, Andrew, Elijah, Mary, Jane, GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 279 and Jesse. Descendants of tliis family reside in Washing- ton county, N. Y. Janet was born upon the ocean, and became the wife of Henrj Campbell, long a resident of Londonderrj, but who, after her death, in 1778, removed to Fletcher, Vt., where he died, in 1813. Children : John, James, William, Nancy, Daniel, and Mary. Descendants of the Campbell family reside at Henniker, Walpole, and Keene, N. H., and in Northern Vermont. Jolin married Margaret Nichols, and lived and died at Newbury, Mass., leaving no children. Robert and Elizabeth Ewins, liis wife, settled in Leicester, Vt. Their children were John, Nancy, James, Susan, Andrew, and Elizabeth, descendants of whom now reside in Western New York. Robert Mack was a soldier in the revolutionary war. Martha married William Moor, of Londonderry. Her children were James, John, William, Hannah, Henry, Janet, Andrew, and Daniel. Elizabeth married James Smith, of Bedford, N. H. About the year 1790, Smith removed to Marietta, Ohio, with a family of eight children, as follows : Benjamin, Mary, Betsey, Catherine, Martha, Jane, James, and John. The descendants of this family are numerous in the counties of Washington and Meigs, Ohio, hearing the names of Smith, E-ussell, Cooke, Stowe, etc. Andrew^ who married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Clark, resided in Londonderry, where he died in 1820, aged seventy-two years. His wife died in 1830, at the age of eighty-two. Their children were as follows : Jane, who died at Londonderry, in 1850, aged seventy-four ; Letitia, who died at Londonderry, in 1849, aged seventy-one ; Elizabeth, who married David Stiles, and resided at Lyndeborough, N. H. ; John, who married Phebe Goodrich, and subse- quently Hannah Abbott, and resided at Amherst, N. H. ; 280 HISTORY OF LONDONDERKY. Isabella, wlio died in 1812, aged thirty ; Robert, wlio mar- ried Anne Clark, and lives at Londondeny ; Andrew, wlio married Maria BuVns, and resides at Gilmanton, N. H., and Daniel, who raarried Sophia Kendrick, and resides at Bed- ford, N. H. Daniel married Nancy Holmes, and removed to Tompkins county, ]Sr. Y. His clnldren were Elizabeth, Sibella, Janet, Nathaniel, Martha, John, Daniel, and Ann. The descend- ants of Daniel Mack are numerous in Central New York, bearing the names of Mack, Hutchinson, Spalding, etc. FAMILY OF JAMES MACGREGOR. Rev. James MacGregor, the first minister of London- derry, married Marion Cargil, in Londonderry, Ireland, in October, 1706. His children were Robert, Daniel, David, Jane, Alexander, Mary, Elizabeth, Margaret, John, and James, of wliom seven survived him. We have no par- ticulars of the history of these children, with the exception of David, who was the first minister in the West Parish of Londonderry. Rev. David MacGregor married Mary Boyd, a lady, who, having been left an orphan when in early life, was brought up by his mother. She was possessed of consider- able property, and was distinguished for her personal appear- ance and accomplishments. Mr. MacGregor died May 30, 1777, aged sixty-eight. His wife survived him, and died September 28, 1793, aged seventy. They had nine chil- dren, as follows : — David, who died in infancy. Robert, who married Elizabeth, daughter of General George Reid, and settled at first in Goffstown, N. H. He was a man of fine natural endowments, and of great excel- lence of character. He was quite a young man at the com- mencement of the revolutionary struggle, but he volunteered his services, and, in 1777, joined the troops mustercd in New GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 281 Hampshire, imder the command of General Stark ; and was appointed by that officer to act as his aid-de-camp, which office he fiUed at the surrender of Burgoyne. He was very energetic as a merchant and man of business. As an instance of the latter trait of character, it may be mentioned, that he was the projector and the principal proprietor of the first bridge which crossed the Merrimack river, on the site now occupied by the old central bridge of the Amoskeag Company, the abutments and some of the piers of which were used in the erection of the present bridge. Many, in those days, were entirely incredulous as to the practicabilify of the enterprise. Among these was Mr. MacGregor's neigh- bor, General Stark, who lived on the opposite bank of the river, and who remarked to him, " Well, Robert, you may succeed ; but when the first passenger crosses over, I shall be ready to die." In sixty-five days, however, from the time when the first stick of timber used in its construction was felled in the forest, the bridge was open for passengers, and General Stark lived many years to cross and recross it. It was called MacGregor's bridge, from its projector and builder. Mr. MacGregor was also one of the original pro- prietors and directors of the Amoskeag canal, one of the earliest works of that nature in this country. He resided in Goffstown many /ears, and his farm, on the Merrimack, embraced a large portion of the lands and water-power now owned by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. He subsequently removed to Newburyport, where he en- gaged in commerce, but finally returned to reside in Lon- donderry, his native town, where he died, September 16, 1816, aged sixty-seven. He had nine children ; namely, David, George, Maria, Elim, Robert, James, Mary Anne, John, and Daniel. David pursued a coUegiate course, and graduated at Dartmouth College, 1774. He entered the army of the 24* 282 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. Revolution, and held tlie office of captain. He afterwards engaged in the business of teaching. James settled in Londondeny, and married Margaret Holland, a daughter of Colonel Stephen Holland. He opened a store, which he continued for many years, at the same time improving a valuable farm, which he received from his father. He was, in the earlier part of his life, much engaged in public business, sustaining not only the office of a magistrate, but various offices of the town ; and was for some years a representative in the General Court. He possessed superior abilities, and a well-cultivated mind ; he died, lamented by a large circle of connections and acquaintances, June 23, 1818, aged seventy. His wife died in December, 1746, aged eighty-eight. He had six children ; namely, Dan iel, James, Stephen, Jane, Mary, and Nancy. Elizaheth. Marga7'et, who married James R-ogers. Mary Anne, who married James Hopkins. Jane, who married Robert Hunter. Mary, who married Robert Means, of Amherst, N. H. She possessed, with many excellent qualities, traits of char- acter similar to those of her father ; and through a long life of active usefulness, was particularly distinguished for her generous benevolence and hospitality. ♦She united to gentle- ness, refinement and kindness of manners, great energy and decision of character. It is related of her, that when a girl of fifteen, and while visiting her brother Robert, who then resided at Goffstown, she and her brother were walking one day, on the banks of the Merrimack, looking at the falls. Robert, by way of hravado, and to startle and astonish her, stepped upon a stick of tinifi|r, polishcd by the dashing waters, which lay across the rails in such a manner as to allow those who had strong heads and steady nerves to pass over. When he was nearly across, he glanced around, and, to his utter astonishment, beheld her also in the act of cross- GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 283 ing, witli her high-heeled skoes.* He dared not speak to lier, bilt once safelj across, he would not permit her to return hi that manner, but procured a boat, in which they recrossed the river. She died in Boston, January 14, 1838, at the advanced age of eightj-five. Her husband, Robert Means, was of Scotch descent, and canie from the north of Ireland when a youth, in company with his friend and cousin, Jacob McGaw. They at first settled in Merrimack, N. H., and were for a time connected in business. On a separa- tion, Mr. Means removed to Amherst. " They both became wealthy merchants, ranked among the most influential citi- zens in the county, and were the fathers of highly intelli- gent and respectable families." FAMILY OF ALEXANDER m'COLLOM. Alex ANDER Mc Collom, with his wife, Janet, came from Londonderry in Ireland, and settled in this town, about 1730. His children were Alexander, Thomas, Jean (after- wards Brewster), Robert, Archibald, John, and Janet (after- wards Gordan). Of these, Rohert retained the homestead, and in 1767, married Martha Beattie. By her he had twelve children : Archibald, Alexander (who died at two years of age), William, Jenny, Alexander, Fanny, Robert, John, Lydia, Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Martha. Of these, John, with certain abatements, retained the homestead. After a few years, his right was transferred to Messrs. Robert and Jon- athan McCollom ; the latter of whom survives, and with his three sisters, Lydia, Elizabeth B., and Martha, still retain pos- session. Of the family of Robert the elder, four — Archibald, Alexander, Jenny, and John — removed early from this town. They were all married, and with a single exception, have families, scattered through the New England, Middle, * It was fashionable, in thosc days, for ladics to wcar shocs with heels from three to four inches in heiffht. 284 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. and Western States. The rest of the family remain on the homestead, except Robert, who lately deceased. Of the descendants of the first family who left tlieir native place, little is known ; and so of the family of Robert McCollom, beyond those still residing in town. Their ïiames, or even their number, is not accurately ascertained. They are or have been engaged in various kinds of business ; some are merchants, some mechanics, and others farmers. Two are clergymen ; of whom one is the Rev. James T. McCollom, of Great Falls, N. H. Of the founder of the family in this country little is remembered. An interesting document is inserted in the Appendix, being his warrant as collector of parisli taxes. Of his father nothing is known, except a tradition that he, among others, was sorely pressed with famine in the well- known siege of Londonderry in Ireland, and that, in the extremity of his hunger, he gave the sum of twenty-five cents for the head of a cat. This was on the day the Mount- joy reached the city with provisions for their relief. Of the family living in town, it is worthy of notice, that it is one of the few that retain the farm first cleared up from the orig- inal forest by their progenitor of the same name. FAMILY OF JAMES m'kEEN. The ancestor of the McKeens, was James McKeen, who lived in the north of Ireland. He was a staunch Protestant, and took an active part in the defence of the city of London- derry. He had three sons ; James, John, and William. James, the son, was twice married, and had in all twenty-one children, not one half of whom are known to have arrived at the age of maturity. By his first wife, Janet Cochran, he had two daughtcrs ; Elizabeth, who married in Ireland James Nesmith, whose descendants are mentioned in the notice of the family of James Nesmith, and Janet, who married John Cochran, of Windham, N. H., and had a daughter Elizabeth, GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 285 wlio became the wife of William Dinsmoor, and the mother of Robert Dinsmoor, the " Rustic Bard," and of the late Gover- nor Samuel Dinsmoor, of Keene, N. H. John, the son of James McKeen the elder, married Janet , and had four children ; James, Robert, Samuel, and Mary. William, the son of James McKeen, the elder, was a respectable farmer. James and John were partners, resided at Ballymony, and being successful in business, were, for those times, compara- tively wealthy. James McKeen the younger, with his second wife, Annis Cargil, and his children, came to this country in the emigration of 1718, of which enterprise he was one of the principal originators. He was accompanied by his son-in- law, James Nesmith, and by Rev. James MacGregor, who had married Marion Cargil, a sister of his wife, Annis Car- gil. His brother John intended to emigrate with him, but died a short time previous to the embarkation. John's widow, Janet, and her four children, however, came with the other emigrants. James M'Keen, or Justice McKeen, as he was usually called, he being the first magistrate commissioned in the town after his settlement,* was a man of probity, ability, and intel- ligence, and was active and influential in the settlement of Londonderry. He was born in the year 1665, and was of couri^e fifty-three years of age at the time of the emigration. He died at Londonderry, November 9, 1756, in the ninetieth year of his age ; and being more than any other man the patriarch of the colony, he was as such universally honored and lamented. His widow, Annis Cargil, a lady of excellent character, survived him many years, and died Aug. 8, 1782, in the ninety-fourth year of her age. He had by his second wife nine children ; namely, John, Mary, David, James, Janet, Martha, Margar^t, Annis, and Samuel. John was born at Ballymony in the county of Antrim, in Ireland, April 13, 1714. He was an elder of the Presby- * A copy of Justice McKccn's commission is insertcd in the Ap- pendix. 286 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. terian church in Londonderry, was a representative in the legislature, and held various other civil offices in the town. He married Mary McKeen, daughter of his uncle John, and had a large family of children as ibllows : 1 . James, who married a Miss Cunningham, soon after removed to Peter- borough, and died in 1789. He was the father of Judge Levi McKeen, who now lives at Fishkill Landing, Dutchess Co. N. Y., at the age of eighty-three years. Judge McKeen removed from New Hampshire to the State of New York, about the year 1790, and for twenty-five years, pursued a mercantile business in Poughkeepsie. He was for many years Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and has held various other offices of trust. 2. John, who married Janet Taylor, daughter of John Taylor of Londonderry. He was sergeant in Captain Daniel Reynolds's company, at the battle of Bennington, and was afterwards promoted to the rank of captain. He died in 1807. He had four sons and three daughters, none of whom survive except James McKeen, Esq., counsellor at law in the city of New York. 3. Robert, who married Mary McPherson,and settled in Antrim, N. H. He subsequently removed to Corinth, Vt., and died in 1809, leaving one son, Joseph McKeen, who is superintendent of the public schools in the city of New York. 4. William, who married Nancy Taylor, another daughter of John Taylor, and settled in Windham, N. H. He was a volunteer in the army of the Revolution. He had six children, and died in 1824. 5. Annis, who was unmarried. 6. Joseph, some- time pastor of a church in Beverly, Mass., and afterwards the first president of Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Me., and of whom an extended notice has been given. He had three sons ; Joseph, long treasurer of Bowdoin College ; James, a medical professor in that institution, and John, who is a graduate of that college, and resides in Brunswick. 7. 8. Janet and Daniel, who were twins. Janet raarried John Taylor, Jr., and had five children. Daniel married Janet GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 287 Wilson, and afterwards Lucy Martin, widow of John Nes- mitb of Windham, and had four or five children, and lived in Londonderrj, upon the homestead. 9. Samuel, who mar- ried Betsey Taylor, and afterwards Mary Clark, and had several children. Mary married Robert Bojd. They lived in Londonderry, but had no children. James, born April, 1719, married Elizabeth Dinsmoor, settled in Londonderrj, and had two children ; a son David, and a daughter, who died in childhood. His wife died at the age of twenty-seven, and he did not marry again. About the close of the revolutionary war, he removed to Corinth, Vt., where he died in 1794, aged seventy-five. His son David married Margaret McPherson for his first wife, and settled in Corinth, Vt. By her he had twelve children, namely ; James, Elizabeth, Daniël, Polly, David, John, An- nis, Jenny, Margaret, Silas, Robert, and another daughter. These children, or their descendants of the next gene- ration, have settled in Yermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Canada West, Michigan, and Ohio. One of the sons, Rev. Silas McKeen, has been for many years pastor of a church in Bradford, Vt. After the death of his wife, Margaret, David McKeen married Lydia Ingalls, of Methuen, Mass., by whom he had two children, Lydia and David, making fourteen in all. Janet, born December 28, 1721, married William Orr, and had three children, James, Anna, and a daughter who married Timothy Carr, one of the first settlers of the town of Danville, Vt. Marilia married John Dinsmoor, and had several children, among whom was Silas, who was for a long time employed by the United States Government, as Indian agent. But little is known respecting David, Margaret, Annis^ and Samuel, children of Justicc McKeen, and they probably died in early life. 288 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Another principal branch of the McKeens, were the family and posterity of' John McKeen, a brother of James McKeen, who was intending to emigrate with him, but died before the embarkation. His widow came, as has ah'cady been stated, bringing with her three ifons, James, Robert, and Samnel, and her infant daughter Marj, and had a lot of land assigned her. She subsequently married Captain John Barnett, who was among the early settlers of the town. James settled in Hillsborough, N. H. He had children, and among them a daughter Isabel. Some of his posterity were residing in Deering, N. II., not many years ago. Rohert is said to have settled in Pennsylvania. He was engaged in the French and Indian wars, and was promoted to the rank of major, but having been taken prisoner, he was put to death in a most cruel manner. Samuel settled in Amherst, N. H. He had by his wife Agnes, a numerous family, as follows : 1. Hugh, who was killed by the Indians in the old French war. 2. John, who was massacred by the Indians, at the taking of Fort William Henry, in the same war. They stuck his flesh full of pitch- pine skewers, and burned him to death. 3. Robert, who settled at Cherry Yalley, N. Y., and became a " captain of renown." He was killed by the Indians in the batllc of Wyoming, Penn. He had a son Robert, the father of Sam- uel McKeen, United States senator from Pennsylvania. 4. James, who married and settled in Amherst, N. II. 5. Samuel, who married a daughter of Hugh Graham, of Windham, N. H. He lived for a time at Amherst, after- wards at Windham, and subsequently removed to Belfast, Me., and was a deacon of the cluirch there. He had several children. G. William married Ann Graham, settled in Deering, N. H., and had elevcn children, among whom was William McKeen, Jr., a member of the New Ilampshire senate in the years 1844 and 1845. Some of his sons set- tled in Nashua,* N. II. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 289 Samuel McKeen had also four danghters, Marj, Martha, Agnes, and Jane ; making in all a family of ten children. WiLLiAM McKeen, brother of Justice McKeen, born in Ireland in 1704, came to America eight or ten years aftér the emigration of 1718, and settled in Pennsylvania. Among his grandsons was Thomas McKean, signer of the Declara- tion of Independence, and for nine years governor of Penn- sylvania. FAMILY OF JOHN MORRISON. There were two individuals of the name of John Morri- SON among the early settlers of Londonderry. The first was one of the original sixteen settlers, and was father of Jonathan Morrison, the first male child born in the town. He emigrated from the north of Ireland, and was nine years of age at the time of the siege of the city of Londonderry. His father's family, including himself, were of the nmnber who were driven, in pursuance of the barbarous order of Rosen, under the walls of the city. He was admitted«within the walls, where he remained until the city was relieved. About the year 1759, he removed to Peterboroiigh, N. H., and was one of the early settlers of that town. He died in 1776, at the age of ninety-seven. No Information respecting his descendants, sufficiënt for a connected sketch, has been received. Among them, however, are the names of Hon. Jeremiah Smit]i, of Exeter, N. H., Rev. John H. Morrison, of Milton, Mass., and Hon. George W. Morrison, of Man- chester, N. H. The other John Morrison emigrated from the north of Ireland to Londonderry, seven or eight years after the first settlement. He had two sons and one daughter, as follows : Samuel, whose children were William, Samuel, Joseph, John, Thomas, Katherine, Jane, and Mary. Joseph, whose children were Abraham, 'John, Joseph, Sam- uel, Jonathan, Jane, Hannah, Mary, and Ann. 25 290 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Hannah, who married Robert Clendcnin, and liad seven children ; namely, John, William, Robert, Andrew, Betsey, Mary, and Nancy. FAMILY OF JAMES NESMITH. James Nesmith emigrated from the V-alley of the river Bann, in the north of Ireland, to America, in 1718, and was one of the first sixteen settlers of the town of Londonderry. He was one of the original proprietors of the township, and was a very respectable member of the little colony there planted. At the organization of the church in the West Parish, he was chosen one of its elders. He married in Ire- land, about the year 1714, Elizabeth, daughter of James McKeen, and had four sons and one daughter ; namely, Ar- thur, James, John, Thomas, and Elizabeth. Arthur, who was born in Ireland, married, and settled in the southerly part of the town, and afterwards removed to the State of Maine. He had four children ; James, John, Benjamin, and Mary. James served in the army of the Revolution, and afterwards settled in the State of Maine. John married Jane Reid. Early in the revolutionary strug- gle he enlisted as a volunteer in the company coramanded by George Reid, and was at the battle of Bunker Hill. He afterwards commanded a company in the Canada service, and was subsequently at Rhode Island, under the command of General SuUivan. At the close of this campaign, he was compelled by ill health to retire from the service. He grad- ually sunk under a lingering sickness until after the close of the war, when he died. Captain Nesmith was frank and generous in his disposition, dignified in his manners, and was distinguished for intrepidity, activity, and muscular strength. He left but one child, who did not long survive him. James, the second son, was born in Ireland in 1718, just before the embarkation, or, as some have said, during the voyage. He served in the revolutionary war, and was in GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 291 Reid's company at Bunker Hill. He settled in the nortliern part of Londonderry, and had six children, as folio vvs ; 1. James, who married Martha McCluer, and was an elder in the church in the West Parish. 2. Jonathan, who married Eleanor Dickey, and removed in 1778 to Antrim. He was one of the first elders in the church in that town, and was the father of George W. Nesmith, Esq., of Franklin, N. H. 3. Robert, who married Jane Anderson. 4. Elizabeth, who married James Cochran, of Windham. 5. Mary, who mar- ried James McCluer, of Acworth. G. Sarah, who married Daniel Anderson, of Londonderry. John, the third son, married Elizabeth Reid, sister of Gen. George Reid. He settled on the homestead, in the southerly part of the town, and died in 1815, aged eighty-seven. He had eight children, as folio ws : 1. James, who married Eliz- abeth Brewster, and settled in Antrim, where he died about 1840, at an advanced age. 2. Arthur, who married Mary Duncan, and settled in Antrim, but afterwards removed to the State of Ohio, where he died. 3. John, who was born in 1766, on the homestead, where he resided until his death, whicli occurred in 1844. He married for his first wife, Susan Hildreth, by whom he had eight children ; namely, John P., Isabella A., Susan H., Samuel H., James P., Mary, Thomas, and Elizabeth. For his second wife, he married Lydia Sargeant, by whom he had two sons, Albert S., and Charles E. 4. Ebenezer, who married Jane Trotter. 5. Thomas. 6. Elizabeth, who married Dea. James Pinkerton. 7. Mary, who married John Miltimore, and now resides at Reading, Pa. 8. Jane, who married Hugh Anderson. Thomas, the fourth son, was born in 1731- He married Annis Wilson, and settled in Windham, near the south line of Londonderry. He had three children, as foUows : 1. John, who raarried Lucy Martin, and had nine children ; namely, Jacob M., Tht)mas, Elizabeth, John, James W., Lucy, Annis, George R., and Jonathan W. 2, Elizabeth, 292 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. who married Jonathan Wallace, and removed to the State of New York, where she died. 3. Thomas, who died in infancy. The descendants of Elder James Nesmith are very nu- merous, and are, with few exceptions, valuable members of society. THE PATTERSON FAMILIES. Peter Patterson came from the parish of Priestland, town of Glenlace, county of Antrim, Ireland, about the year 1730, and purchased the farm now owned and occupied by Captain Thomas Patterson, of Londonderry. He married in 1742, Grisey Wilson, danghter of Thomas Wilson, of the Doublé Range. They had three sons ; Robert, Thomas, and John ; and five daughters ; Rachel, Margaret, Sarah, Grisey, and Elizabeth, who are all dead. JRobert married Susan Miller, and settled in New Boston. They had two sons, John and Samiiel. The former lives on the homestead, and the latter i'esides in Erie county, Penn. They had five daughters, all of whom were married. Thomas married Elizabeth Wallace, daughter of James and Mary Wallace, in 1775. They had twelve children, all of whom except one son, who died in infancy, lived to adult age and were settled in life. Nine still survive. 1. Grisey, the eldest, married David Barnet. 2. James married Hannah Hughes, of Windham. 3. Peter married Mary Wallace, daughter of Judge Wallace, of Henniker. 4, Robert mar- ried Esther Spaulding, of Hudson. 5. Mary man-ied Abra- ham McNeil, and removed to Antrim, where she died of the spotted fever, in 1812. 6. Margaret married Samuel F. Taylor. 7. Thomas married Hannah, a daughter of John Duncan, and lives on the original homestead. 8. Williara married Lucinda Gregg, of Derry. 9. Elizabeth married William Duncan, Esq., of Candia. 10. Jenny married Dr, Augustus Frank, of Warsaw, N. Y. 11. George W. mar- -ried Hannah, a daughter of John Dickey, Esq. In 1815, William, being then a young man, went into the State of GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 293 New York, and commenced the business of making and vending fanning-mills, whicli had been recently patented. He was quite successful, and,/ in 1818, was joined by his brother George W., who was some years younger than him- self. Though they were favored with a common school education only, and engaged in mechanical business, yet such was their force of character, such their correctness of prin- ciple and of conduct, and such their enterprise, that they not only succeeded in accumulating a large property, but secured the confidence of the communities in which they resided. They were elected to offices of trust and responsibility, and became members of the-legislature of the State for successive years. In 1836, William was chosen member. of Congress, from the district composed of the county of Genesee, but while at Washington, in 1 838, he was seized with illness, from which he never recovered. Although able to reach home, he died August 14, 1838, aged forty-nine. George W., after having been a member of the assembly six years, was chosen speaker, which office he held two years. In 1846, he was elected a member of the convention to revise the constitu- tion. In 1848, he was chosen lieutenant-governor, which office he still holds. About 1829, Robert and Peter also removed to the State of New York, and settled in the vicinity of their brothers, who had preceded them. Peter Patterson, Esq., who had represented his native/town in General Court, and sustained various public offices, was, soon after his settlement in New York, elected a representa- tive to the State Assembly for the years 1833 and 1834. In 1842, he was appointed one of the judges of the county court, for the term of five years. Johi married Jane Wilson, of Windham, and had one son, Peter, who removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, about 1810, was for many years clerk of Ross county, and, up to the time of his death, 1845, was one of the magistrates of the city. He left several sons, one of whom is a clergyman of the 25* 294 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Methodist denomination. The widow of John Patterson married Deacon James Aiken, of Londonderry, and was the mother of Captain Nathaniel Aiken. Rachel married William McNeil, and settled in New Bos- ton. They had three sons and three daughters. Margaret married Thomas Hohnes, of Londonderry. They had thirteen children, several of whom still reside in Derry and Londonderry. Sarah married Thomas Melendy, and settled in Amherst, N. H. They had five sons and one daughter ; two of the sons are dead ; one lives in Springfield, Illinois, one at Cin- cinnati, Ohio, and one son and the daughter are on the liome- stead at Amherst. Grisey married John Burns, and settled in Milford, N. H. They had two sons and one daughter. Elizaheth married Daniel Burns, and also settled in Mil- ford. They had five sons and one daughter. William Patterson, the brother of Peter, came from Ireland to 'Londonderry about the year 1724, and settled on Patterson's Hill, afterwards Smith's Hill. He had five sons and several daughters. John settled on the Chestnut Hills, Amherst. His daughter Elizabeth married Phineas Aiken, of Bedford. Rohert settled in New Boston. Peter married a daughter of John Bell, Esq-, and settled in Goffstown. Adam married and settled in the State of Maine. David married a daughter of Silas Betton, Esq., of Wind- ham, and settled in Temj^le, but afterwards removed to Francestown. The Information which lias been obtained of this branch of the Patterson family is very limited. John Patterson, the great-grandfather of Peter and Wil- liam, who came to this country, removed from Argyleshire in Scotland to Ireland about one hundred years before the emi- gration of his descendants to America. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 295 FAMILY OF JOHN PINKERTON. The ancestor of tliis family, John Pinkerton, came from the county of Antrim, in the north of ïreland, to this town, in 1724. He settled upon a farm in the West Parish of Londondeny, and died in 1780, at the age of eighty. He left five sons ; David and John, who were born in Ireland, Matthew, Samuel, and James ; and four daughters ; Mary, Elizabeth, who married IJeacon James Aiken, Rachel, and Jane, who married Deacon David Brewster. Of David and Samuel we have no particular information. 3ïatthew lived and died in Londonderry. He had three sons ; the late Lieutenant John Pinkerton, who held for some years offices of trust in the town, and was the father of George W. Pinkerton, Esq., of Manchester, N. H., James, who resides in Derry, and David, who settled in Boscawen. A brief sketch of John, the second son, and of James, the yonngest, has been already given. They were benefactors to the town, and deserve to be had in remembrance. The folio wing is a brief genealogical statement of their fam- ilies : — Major John Pinkerton married, for his first wife. Rachel Dimcan, by whom he had five children; namely, Polly, Naomi, Betsey, John, and Esther. Polly married Alex- ander MacGregor, and had one child, John P., who was adopted by Major Pinkerton. For his second wife, he married Polly Tufts, but had no children by her. Deacon James Pinkerton married, for his first wife, Elizabeth Nesmith, daughter of John Nesmith, by whom he had six children, as follows : Isabella and James, both of whom died in infancy ; Betsey, who married John Aiken, son of Deacon Nathaniel Aiken, and died in 1837 ; Jane, who married Joshua Aiken, brother of John Aiken ; Mary B., who married Captain William Choate, and Clarissa, who married Robert E. Little. 296 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. • ■ Deacon Pinkerton married, for his second wife, Sarah Wallace, daughter of Samuel Wallace, and by her had four children, as follows : Rebecca W., who married Perkins A. Hodge ; Francis C, who married Hon. Luther V. Bell ; David H., who married Elizabeth Aiken, and John M., who is a counsellor at law, and resides in Boston, Mass. FAMILY OF HUGH RANKIN. In the year 1722, three years after the settlement in Lon- donderry was commenced, Hugh Rankiïs^ arrived with his family from the county of Antrim, in Ireland. He had nine daughters and no son; consequently those who have borne that name in the town during some past genera- tions, were not descended from him ; nor did they sustain any relation whatever to his family. He was a man of fair Christian character, was influential in promoting the pros- perity of the settlement, and sustained for some years the office of ruling elder in the First Presbyterian church. His numerous family of daughters were distinguished for their personal appearance, and for their accomplishments. They all became members of the church, and examples of Chris- tian piety and virtue. They were all respectably married, excepting the youngest, who died in early life. The eldest married Hugh Stirling, whose descendants are in the State of Maine. The second married William Gregg. The third married John Gregg. The fourth married Allen Anderson, and had no ofifspring. The ffth married James Cochran, whose descendants now live in many parts of the country. The sixth married Mr. Clyde, of Windham, and had a numerous family. The seventh married John Crombie, from whom descended all of that name in this part of the country. The eighth married a Mr. Rogers, who removed into the State of Maine, where their descendants still live. The posterity of this family of the early settlers became very numerous, and are extensively dispersed throughout GENEALO<ÏICAL SKETCHES. 297 the land ; and in most instances are known to have proved valuable members of the community. FAMILY OF JAMES REID. Among the first settlers of Londonderry, was James Reid, a native of Scotland, and a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. He took an active and conspicuous part in the early organization of the town, and in the direction of its counciis. He was a man who added to an accomplished mind, all those traits of character which go to constitute an influential and useful member of society. He was a member of the session of the church in the West Parish, durin* the ministry of Rev. David MacGregor, and died in November, 1755, aged sixty. His widow, Mary, died February, 1775, aged seventy-six. His children were JElizaheth, who married John Nesmith, and whose children are mentioned in the notice of the family of James Nesmith. John, who died February, 1803, aged fifty-eight. George, who married Mary Woodburn, and of whom a notice lias already been given. He had five children, as follows : 1. Elizabeth, his eldest child, married Robert Mac- Gregor, son of Rev. David MacGregor. She died in March, 1847, at the advanced age of eighty-one, highly respected and esteemed in the wide circle of her acquaintance. 2. James, for many years of the eminent banking-house of Brown, Reid, and Co., of Lisbon, Portugal, died in London, May, 1827, aged sixty. 3. INIary, who married the late Hon. Samuel Dinsmoor, formerly governor of New Hamp- shire, and father of the present governor. She died at Keene, June, 1834, at the age oi sixty-four. 4. John, who was for many years a respectable and successful merchant in Philadelphia, where he died in December, 1834, aged sixty-three. 5. George, their youngest child, was born Jan, 29, 1774, and graduated at Dartmouth College, in 1797, married Mary Borland, in 1809 ; for his second wife, he mar- 298 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. ried Harriet Davidson, in 1835. He entered the profession of law, which he practised with much success, in the State of Maine. He died in Boston, January 30, 1848, aged seventy-four. FAMILY OF MATTHEW TAYLOR. Matthew Taylor and his wife, Janet, came from the vicinity of Londonderry, Ireland, and settled in London- derry (now Derry), in 1722. He lived on the farm now occupied by his grandsón, Henry Taylor. John, thfiif first child, was born September 22, 1721, on their*passage to America. He married Margaret Dickey, and had five children; Matthew, James, John, Janet, and Nancy. 1. Matthew married a Miss Little, and had five children ; Sarah, Joseph, John, James, and Oliver. 2. James married a Miss Dickey, and had three children ; Margaret, Rachel, and William. 3. John married Janet McKeen, and had five children ; Anna, Margaret, John, Daniel, and Samuel. 4. Janet raarried Captain John McKeen, and had seven children ; James, John, Joseph, Robert, Samuel Sarah, and Janet. 5. Nancy married William McKeen, and had six children ; Mary, Nancy, Margaret, Johnj Janet, and Alice. Matthew, the second son, was born October 30, 1727, mar- ried, and went to St. John's, Nova Scotia. He had four sons ; one of them became a ship-builder, and three went to Ohio and settled on the Sciota river. William was born March 23, 1733, and married Betsey Grimes. Their children were Mary, John, Janet, Nancy, Adam, Samuel, Sarah, andT3etsey. 1. Mary married John Gregg, and went to New York. 2. John married Nancy Cunningham. Their children were Aiken, William, Samuel Fisher, Ephraim, Nancy, Mary, Sarah, Eliza, and Fanny. 3. Adam married Martha Paul. Their children were Jane, Betsey, Adam, Matthew, Clarissa, Mary Ann, Margaret, and GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 299 Paul. 4. Sarah married John McGrath, of Dorchester, and had three sons and two daughters. o. Betsey married Captain James Paul. Their children were Betsey, John, and David. Janet, Nancy, and Samuel, the remaining children of William, were unmarried, and lived to be. quite aged. David^ the fourth son, was born August 10, 1735, married Margaret Kelsey, and had seven children ^ 1 . David mar- ried, and had two sons. 2. Robert married Dolly Colby, and had ten children ; Anna, Lucinda, Rebecca, Robert, Stephen, Henry, and four who died under fifteen, and in one week, of spotted fever. 5. Rosa married James McNeil, and removed to the western part of the State. William, Betsey, Jonathan, and John, were unmarried, and died in the prime of life. Adam was bom August 15, 1737, married Mary Cunning- ham, and had three children: 1. Nancy married Matthew Anderson. Their children were Adam, John, Jane, Mary, Samuel, Matthew, Betsey, James, and Nancy. 2. Janet married Colonel William Adams, and had two children, Mary, who married Captain John Holmes, and James, who graduated at Dartmouth College in 1813, and died in 1817. 3. Betsey married Samuel McKeen, brother of Joseph McKeen, president of Bowdoin College, and had three chil- dren, John, Adam, and James Orr. Samuel, the sixth son, remained on a part of the home- stead, having erected a house and married Sarah Fisher. She had one son and then died. Her son, Matthew, grad- uated at Dartmouth College in 1801, entered the ministry, raarried a Miss Fisher, and went as a missionary to Ohio, where he died. Samuel married Eunice Lancaster for his second wife. They had nine children ; Sarah, Janet, Sam- uel Fisher,*Henry, James, Mary, and three at a birth, who died young. 1. Sarah married Captain John Clark, and had seven children ; Eliza, Mary Jane, Sarah, Nancy, ISfel- vina, Sophia, John Newton, and Harvey. The sons died 300 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. in infancy. 2. Janet died unmarried. 3. Samuel F. mar- ried Margaret Patterson. Their children were Mary Jane, Henry Gilman, Elizabeth, James, Lucinda, and three sons who died young. 4. Henry resides upon the homestead of his grandfather, Mattliew Taylor, and is unmarried. 5. James resides on a part of the homestead, being one of the farms origin^lly belonging to Governor Wentworth, and married Persis Hemphill ; they have nine children ; Samuel H., Nathaniel M., Almira, Caroline P., Harriette, James C, Sarah J., Mary E., and Emma. 6. Mary married Captain John Clark, as his second wife, and Had two children, Elvira M., and Clara A. Sarah, the first daughter, married Deacon Samuel Fisher, and had one child. Sarah,- who married Samuel, the sixth son of Matthew Taylor. Janet, the second daughter, was born June 10, 1731, and married John Anderson. Their children were: 1. John, who married a Miss Archibald, and had thirteen children ; Ann, John, Jane, Robert, Martha, Betsey, Thomas, Marga- ret, Nancy, Eli, Samuel, and two who died young. 2. Mat- thew, married his cousin, Nancy Taylor, wliose children are referred to in Adam Taylor's family. 3. Jane married David Paul, whose children were Mai'tha, James, Janet, John, Mary, Matthew, David, Jane, Thomas, Margaret, Nancy, and two who died young. After Mr. Anderson's death, his widow married Mr. Finlay, and had two children : 1. Samuel, who married a Miss Witherspoon; and their children were Jane, Robert, Joseph, John, Nancy, Fanny, Hugh, Jesse, and Martha. 2. Ilugh married Janet Cochran, and had six children ; Mary, Joseph, Betsey, Samuel, Sophia, and Barnett. John and Matthew Anderson lived ^in Ira,* Vt. ; and Samuel and Hugh Finlay, in Acworth, N. H. Nearly all the other families lived in Derry, or the vicinity. The great-grandchildren of Matthew Taylor, as far as known, number one hundred and thirty. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 301 Ï'AMILY OF ANDREW TODD. Andretv Todd arrived at Londonderrj in 1720. He was the third son of James Todd and Rachel Nelson, both of whom were natives of Scotland, but emigrated to the north of Irelajid, where all their children were born, and had arrived at middle age, before the emigration to Londonderry, IST. H. James Todd died in Ireland, but his widow removed with her children to New England, and died at London- derry. Alexander, the eldest brother, removed to Boston from Londonderry ; was married, and had three daughters, one of whom married a Mr. Houghton, and among her descend- ants are many persons of the name of Warren, Willis, Newcomb, etc. He was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. Samuel, his brother, was also a graduate at Edinburgh, and resided at Boston, where he died unmarried. Their sister, Elizabeth, married John Bell, who emigrated to Londonderry, in 1720, where she died in August, 1771, aged eighty-two. For her descendants see the family of John Bell. Andrew T(>i>i> maiTied Beatrix Moore, in Ireland, and early became a leading man in^the town. He represented the town in the provincial legislature, and held a commis- sion in the French war of 1744, and again in the war of 1755, and held the rank of colonel of the provincial levies at the close of his military service. He gained a high rep- utation by his services in those wars, and was one of the marked men of his time. He had five sons and two daugh- ters. Towards the close of his life he removed to Peter- borough, where one of his sons had settled. He died at Peterborough, about 1778, aged over eighty years. His children were : — Alexander, who lived in Hooksett, N. H., upon a handsome interval on the Merrimack, now known as the Todd Farm, 26 302 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. from whicli he returned to Londonderry. He married a daughter of Deacon George 'Duncan, of Londonderry, and had several children. He. was a captain in the provincial levies, in the last French war. He died at Londonderry, aged about seventy. Jolin^ who was drowned at Amoskeag Falls, abojit 1754, aged twenty-four. James, who resided at the house where his father lived, in Aiken's Range, and died of hemorrhage of the lungs. Andrew, who died unmarried, aged seventy. A daughter, who married a Mr. Miller. kachel, who married Moses Morrison, of Peterborough. Samuel, who married a Miss Morrison, and lived and died at Peterborough. Deacon John Todd, who lately died at Peterborough, at a very advanced age, was his son. FAMILIES OF JOHN AND THOMAS WALLAGE. John Wallage came from the county of Antrim, Ire- land, to Londonderry, in 1719 or 1720, and was married to Annis Barnett, on the 18th of May, 1721, being the first couple married in Londonderry. They had four sons and four danghters. The sons were James, Samuel, William, and John ; the daughters «were Ann, Janet, Sarah, and Rebecca. James married Mary Wallace, a cousin of his father. They lived " over the brook," on the farm now owned by Captain Upton. Mrs. Siraeon Danforth and Mrs. William Montgomery are their granddaughters. Samuel married Letitia Clark. They had four daughters and no son. One of the daughters was married to Deacon James Pinkerton, as his second wife ; another to Robert Clark, of New Boston ; another to John Clark, of Hancock, and another to a Mr. Porter, of Yermont. His widow after- wards married Deacon Robert Moor, by whom she had two . daughters and one son ; Jane, Mary, and Samuel. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 303 William married Hannah Tliornton. They had tliree sons ; William, James, and John ; and two daughters, Han- nah and Catherine. William and James settled at Niagara, in Upper Canada, prior to 1800, and remained there until the war of 1812. They had acquired a very large property; and were the owners of forty thousand acres of choice land, on Grand River, besides a large amount of village property at Niagara. But they were too patriotic to take up arms against their native country. They therefore left all their possessions in Canada, to be confiscated by the government, and came to Rochester, and were among the early settlers of that city. 1. William died in 1823, and left a daughter, Charity, and four sons ; Matthew T., William, James, and John. They all reside in Brooklyn, N. Y. 2. James still survives, and is living with Jiis second wife. He is -eighty- seven years of age ; a man of strong mind and energy^ of character. He now resides in BufFalo, N. Y. He has no child living. 3. John married, and settled in the town '■ of Thornton, N. H. He died a few years since, leaving a family. 4. Hannah was never married. She died soon after her mother, on the homestead, the farm now owned by Mr. Robert Chase, near the Lower Village. 5. Catherine married James Cox, removed to Holderness, N- H., and had a large family. John married Sarah Woodburn, of the High Range. He settled in Bedford ; Rev. Cyrus Wallace, of Manchester, is one of his descendants. Ann married William Clark, of New Boston, the father of Robert and John Clark. Janet married Matthew Dickey, the father of John Dickey, • Esq., — formerly of this town, — and of three other sons ; Ebenezer, James, and Samuel ; also of two daughters, Sarah and Rebecca. Thomas Wallage, brother of John Wallage, who raarried Annis Barnett, and Jean, his wife, emigrated from L 304 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. Coleraine, in the coiinty of Antrim, in Ireland, to London- derry, N. H., in the year 1726. They were not married when they came to this country ; an acquaintance was formed on their passage, which resulted in marriage. Her maiden name was Jean Wallace, and she was a sister of Joseph Wallace, who was one of the early settlers of Milford, N. H., and many of whose descendants have resided in'that town. Thomas Wallace and his wife settled on the farm formerly owned by elder John Fisher. They had four sons ; James, Joseph, William, and John ; and four daughters ; Janet, Margaret, Ann, and Betsey. After the birth of all their children, they reraoved to Bedford, N. H., and were the eighth family that settled that town. James settled in Bedford, and married Mary Lind; by whom he had one son, Thomas, and three daughters, Ann, Mary, and Betsey. By his second wife, Sarah Riddle, he had two sons, James and John, and one daughtcr. Sarah O. Joseph married Mary Scoby, and settled in Acworth, N. H. They had three sons ; Thomas, John, and Joseph ; and four daughters ; Susan, Martha, Mary Ann, and Marga- ret. , All this family, with the exception of two maiden daughters, are dead, and have left no issue. William married Ann Scoby, sister of the wife of Joseph, and settled in Merrimack, N. H. They had five sons ; Joseph, James, David, John P., and Adam; and three daughters, Jane, Ann, and Sarah. John married Isabella Witherspoon, and settled in Bed- ford. They had seven sons ; Hobert, Samuel, Ande, Isaac, Jesse, William, Thomas, and George O, and two daughters, h .Janet and Polly. Doctors Thomas and Isaac Wallace were of this family. Janet, Ann, and Betsey were never married. Margaret married George Qrr, of Bedford. They had four daughters ; Jane, Eleanor, Ann, and Margaret, No one of this family is now living. GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 305 FAMILY OF THOMAS WALLAGE. Another branch of the Wallace family is as follows : Thomas Wallage, a nephew of John Wallace, came from the county of Antrim, Ireland, about the year 1732, and settled near the West Parish meeting-house. He had four sons ; Robert, Thomas, William, and James ; and one daughter, Mary. - Robert owned and occupied the Cobb Farm, east of the meeting-house, and died without issue. Thomas owned the farm lately occupied by Boyes and Gilchrist, and also died without issue. William w^ educated at Edinburgh, Scotland, for the ministry, and died at Londonderry, March 27, 1733, aged twenty-six. He was the first person buried in the " Hill graveyard." Mary married James Wallace, her cousin's son, and was distinguished from the other Mary Wallace at the West meeting-house, as " Mary over the brook," as above men- tioned. James, the youngest son of Thomas Wallace, married Mary Wilson, who was born on board of a pirate ship, in 1720, — a memorable fact, which is noticed in the account of the Woodburn family. They had four sons; Thomas, Robert, William, and James ; and one daughter, Elizabeth. 1. Thomas married a Miss Gregg; was in the battle of Ben- nington, and died soon after his return home. He had one son, now living in Weare, N. H. The other three brothers married three sisters, Jane, Hannah, and Ann Moore, of the English Range, and they all settled in Henniker. 2. Robert had four sons ; James, Robert M., Thomas, and William ; and one daughter, Mary. James and Thomas married ladies by the name of Bowman ; the former continued to reside in Henniker, the latter settled in Goffstov^, where he died, leaving four sons and one daughter. ifobert M. married Jane Morrison, daughter of Rev. William Morrison, of Lon- 26* 306 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRY. donderry. William was killed by the blasting of a rock. Mary married Peter Patterson, of Londonderry, and had two sons and three daughters. 3. William, son of James Wallace, helped to survey and lay out the town of Henniker, held various offices of trust, and was a prominent and useful citizen. He left four sons and four daughters. But two of his children survive ; James, who lives in Lynn, Mass., and Mary, (Mrs. Gove, of Deering, N. H.) 4. James died a few years after his settlement in Henniker, leaving a soa and two daughters, all of whom are dead. 5. Elizabeth married Thomas Patterson. For her children, see notice of the Patterson families. Besides the three Wallace families which have been noticed, there were two other families of Wallaces, of whom but little information has been obtained. The ancestors of these two families were two brothers, Joseph and John Wal- lace, who emigrated from the north of Ireland, and settled in Londonderry, about the year 1726. Jean Wallace, who married Thomas Wallace, was their sister. Joseph Wallage married in Ireland, and came to America with his wife and one son, William, who was then about five years of age. After his arrival in this country he had several other children, of whom, however, but little is known. William married Mary Burns, who, with her parents, had emigrated from Ireland in company with him and his parents, and in 1755, settled in Milford, N. H. He had five children, as foUows : 1. Joseph, who married Letitia Burns, settled in Milford, and had several children ; of whom the eldest was Dr. William Wallace, late of Bedford. 2. John who married Mary Bradford, and had ten children ; among whom were Dr. John Wallace, of Milford, deceased, formerly senator and councillor, and Andrew Wallace, Esq., now living at Amherst, N. H. 3. Mary, who married Israël Burnham, of Lyndeborough, N. H., and had one child, who GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 307 is now living. 4. William, who died unmarried. 5. James, who lived in Milford, married Betsey Kimball of Amherst, and after her death, a Miss Tuttle, of Littleton, Mass. By his first wife he had several children, one of whom is Elishg. F. Wallace, Esq., of Syraciise, N. Y. John Wallage married Janet Steele, and had six daughters, as follows : — Jane married David Jennings. \ ^ ^\^ Mary married Samuel Miller. tr-**^^^ ^ Elizaheth married Solomon Todd. ^0" Margaret married Samuel Gregg. ' Janet married Hugh MeCutchins. "W^V^ S" *" '^^ "^ Ann married Samuel Cherry. THE FAMILY OF JOHN WOODBURN. John Woodburn came to this country from Ireland a few years after the settlement of Londonderry. Little is known of hira previously to his emigration. He was accompanied by his brother David, who was drowned some years after, leaving a wife and two daughters. John Woodburn was married first to Mary Boyd, after- wards to Mary Taggart. His first location was east of the old Graveyard Hill, on the farm recently occupied by E-obert Craige. He subsequently removed to the High Range, and lived the remainder of his days in a log-house that had been used as a garrison for protection against the assaults of the Indians. He died in 1780. By his first marriage he had four daughters. Nancy, the eldest, married James Anderson, of whose descendants was the Rev. Rufus Anderson, late of Wenham, Mass., and his son, Rev. Dr. Anderson, of Boston, Secretary oftheA. B. C. F. M. Margaret married Edward Aiken, who took part in the settlement of Windham, Vt. Sarah married John Wallace, of Bedford, from whom are 308 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. descended many of the Wallace and Patten families of that town. The Rev. Cyrus Wallace, of Manchester, is one of their descendants. 31ary married General George Reid. Mrs Reid was well adapted to the circle in which she moved. Possessing a strong and vigorous intellect, retentive memory, a bland and cheerful disposition, with great equanimity of temper, she exerted a powerful and happy influence over the more excitable and strong passions of her husband, whose military life had served to give prominence to those traits of charac- ter by which he was distinguished. He was, in his more public life, much indebted to her wisdom and prudence in his domestic arrangements, which happily illustrated the Divine encomium of the prudent wife, that " her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the rulers* of the land." Those who knew Mrs. Reid, regarded her as a pattern of female excellence. She lived to an advanced age, and died respected by the community. By his second marriage. Mr. Woodburn had two sons and five daughters. Mrs. Woodburn survived her husband, and lived to a very advanced age. David, the eldest son, inherited the paternal estate. He married Margaret Clark, the granddaughter of a Mrs. Wil- son, whose history was a subject of interest to the early set- tlers. In 1720, a company of emigrants, on their passage from Ireland to tliis country, were taken by pirates, and while in their hands, Mrs. Wilson was delivered of her first child, which so moved the pirate band, and particularly the captain, who had a wife and family, that he permitted them to pursue their voyage, bestowing upon Mrs. Wilson some valuable articles of apparel, among which was a silk dress, pieces of which are still retained among her descend- ants, as memorials of her peril and of her deliverance. The captain of the band obtaincd from her the promise, that she would call the babe by the name of his wife. The company GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 309 of emigrants arrived safely, and were among the early set- tlers of this town. 'Their signal deliverance was commem- orated by the annual observance of a day of thanksgiving, during that generation. The child was named Mary, and became the wife of James Wallace. Mrs. Wilson, after the death of her husband, married Jame^Clark, whose son John was the father of Mrs. Woodburn. David Woodburn and wife were the matemal grand- parents of the Hon. Horace Greely, the well-known and dis- tinguished editor of the New York Tribune ; and to the mother of Mr. Woodburn — Granny Woodburn, as she was fa- miHarly called — he attributes his earliest intellectual awaken- ing. In a letter to a friend, published in the Business Mensi Almanac, he says, " I think I am indebted for my first impulse toward intellectual acquirement and exertion to my mother's grandmother, who came out from Ireland among the first settlers in Londonderry. She must have been well versed in Irish and Scotch traditions, pretty well informed, and strong minded ; and my mother being left motherless when quite young, her grandmother exerted a great influence over her mental development. I was a third child, the two pre- ceding having died young, and I presume my mother was more attached to me on that ground, and the extreme feeble- ness of my constitution. My mind was early fiUed by her with the traditions, ballads, and snatches of history she had learned from her grandmother, which, though conveying very distorted and incorrect ideas of history, yet served to* awaken in me a thirst for knowledge, and a lively interest in learning and history." " Mr. Greely," says another of her descendants, " lias not mistaken the character and intellectual qualities of this remote ancestol'. She lived to see her chil- dren's grandchildren ; and the stories, ballads, and facts which her experience and memory had treasured up, were the principal historical training which many of her posterity obtained," 310 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. David Woodburn, by his first marriage, had several chil- dren, only three of wlioiii survive. John^ the younger son, married Martha Clark, and was among the early settlers of Londonderry, Yt. They had a family of three sons and five da'ughters, many of wbose descendants now residS in the towns of Windham and Lon- donderry, Vt. Of the five remaining children of John "Woodburn, Senior, one was never married, two were married to husbands of the name of Thompson, and removed to Grafton, Vt. Betsey was married to William Aiken. They were among the pioneers in the settlement of Deering, N. H., several of •^vhose children and grandchildren reside in that town. Among the grandchildren of William and Betsey Aiken, are Thomas W. Gillis, of Nashua, N. H., and David Gillis, of IManchester. N. H. Hannah, the j'^oungest of John Woodburn's family, mar- ried Robert Dickey. They had eleven children ; six sons and five daughters, all of whom lived to form connections in life, and with one exception were settled within a few miles of their paternal home ; and all of whom except one are still living, the youngest being about fifty years of age. Mrs. Dickey was well known to the inhabitants of the parish in which she so long lived, and was highly esteemed as a mother jn Israël. She possessed strong and valuable traits of char- acter. She was distinguished for her industry and economy in the management of her domestic afi^airs, but not less so for her firm adherence to evangelical truth, and her anxious desire and efibrts that her children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren whom she lived to. see, might all become the decided followers of Christ, and be seen walking in the truth. She died in 1845, aged ninety-two. Like many of the pioneers in the settlement of London- derry, the descendants of Mr. Woodburn attained to great age, many of them living to the age of eighty, and several to GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES. 311 that of ninetj and upwards. They were an atliletic race, capable of great endurance. They were strong in their attaebments, and fond of social intercourse. They were noted for retentive memory, retaining in advaneed life an uncom- monly vivid impression of the events of their youthful days. John Woodburn, grandson of the first settler by his son David, still inherits the paternal homestead in the High Range, and with his brother James, living in Windham, are the principal branches of the family that retain the name. Of their four sisters, Margaret is the wife of John Dickey, and still lives in the town. Mary was married to Zaccheus Greely, and is the mother of Horace Greely, and four other children, who reside in the State of Pennsylvania. Sarah was married to Dustin Greely, brother of Zaccheus, who had six children. Subsequently, she became the wife of Clark Simonds. Mary Ann married Benjamin Dwinnels, and lives in the State of New York. The children of this early settler are numerous, and contribute largely to con- stitute the hundred thousand who are supposed to have descended froni the early settlers of Londonderry. [The füllowing communication in relatiou to the origin of most of the famiUes residing in the present town of Londonderry, from an intelligent friend in that town, •■was rcceived by the Editor after the preceding chapters of this work had gone to press. It is here inserted, in the belief that it cannot fa il to be interesting.] " Formany years after the settlement of Londonderry, there was a marked distinction between the Scotch Irish inhabitants and those of English origin. This was a natural consequence, as they were the representatives of two nations, distinct as are the English and the French. The ' Yankees ' possessed the characteristics of the English people, modified by the residence of their ancestors, during the preceding century. 312 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. in the wilds of New England; while the first settlers of Londonderry claimed to be the possessors of the better qualities of both the Scotch and the Irish. Tlie two races had inherited a mutual dislike from their ancestors, and it is not strange that a Httle of the old bitterness should remain when they became neighbors. As the English race multi- plied in the town, and as time wore away, this clannish spirit gradually softened, and has, at length, nearly disappeared. While this feeUng of disKke prevailed, very few instances of intermarriage occurred, and the consequence is that the two classes are pretty distinct at the present day. " The following are the names of the principal families now in Londonderry, of Scotch Irish descent : Macgregore, Moor, Adams, Karr, Aiken, Dickey, Watts, Mack, Holmes, -Nevins, Boyd, Dana, Boice, Conant, Alexander, McAllister, Patterson, Anderson, Morrison, Humphrey, Campbell, Dun- can, Woodburn, Nesmith, McClearey, White, Clark, Willson, McDuffee, McMurphy, Martin, Fling, Wallace. "Many family names, which were once common, have become extinct. Over half a century ago, a pretty ex- tensive emigration took place from Essex county, Mass. The Savory and Tenny families came, about sixty years since, from Bradford, and subsequently the Barker and Hardy families, from the same place. The Crowells and Plummers came from Rowley. The Towns and Dwinnells originated in Topsfield. The Gilchrist family were from Methuen. The Batchelder family from Beverly. In Essex county, also, originated the Goodwin, Corning, Annis, Avery, Leach, Greeley, Kimball, and Whittier families, etc. The Manter, Ripley, and Sampson families were from the town of Duxbury, Plymouth county, Mass. In later years, the Burbank, Coffin, Wallace, and Peabody families have come from Oxford county, Maine. The Hurd family were from Charlestown, Ma'fes., the Dinsmoors from Boston, and the Chases from Brentwood, N. li." / m SS / / 60 > Z O o z ^ ^£ ^ ^ g £ s=s «^ I I ^^ 1^ ?> ^- ^. S ^ '^ ?5 -^ ^ ^ la c« i e: )i APPENDIX. ( TOPOGRAPHY OF LOXDOXDERRY — MEMORIAL TO GOV. SIIUTE — WHEELWRIGHT's deed CHARTE» OF THE TOWN — JUSTICE M'kEEN's COMMISSION — AX EARLT PARISII TAX-LIST — 3IEMO- RIAL TO THE GENERAL COURT — ASSOCIATIOX TEST — SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION — PETITION FOR AN ACT REGÜLATING PARISH VOTERS — ROBERT MACGREGOr's DEED OF THE COMMOX AND GRAVETARD LISTS OF REPRESENTATITES AND TOWN OF- FICERS — LAWTERS — PHYSICI ANS — GRADÜATES. TOPOaRAP^Y OF LONBONDERRY. The town of Londonderiy, including Derry, is situated in lat. 42° 54' north, and in long. 5° 45' east, from Washington. It is bounded on the north by Manchester, Auburn, and Chester, a distance of twelve and one-half miles ; on the east, by San- down, Hampstead, and Atkinson, four and one-half niiles ; on the south, by Salem, Windham, and Hudson, fourteen miles ; and on the west by Litchfield and Manchester, seven miles. The town is thirty-seven miles north of Boston, twenty-five southeast of Concord, and tliirty-five southwest of Portsmouth. lts loca- tion is highly favorable for communication, not only with our principal seaports, by means of a railroad which passes through it, but with the several large manufacturing and business places which have arisen in its "sdcinity. Manchester, Nashville, Nashua, Lowell, Lawrence, and HaverhiU are all %ithin sixteen miles of it, and some of those towns are much nearer. It thus possesses advantages for trade and marketing, superior to those of most mtry towns. lts soil is generally strong and productive, covered in its natu- i\ state with various kinds of hard wood, intermixed in some parts with the white and yellow pine. The butternut, chestnut, 27 314 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. and walnut trees formerly abounded bere, and gave to the town its early name, Nutfield. The town is traversed by tliree leading roads running in a northerly and soiitherly dlrection. The first on the west is the road leading from Manchester to Nashua, passing through the High Range. The second is the Mammoth road, made in 1831, and designed to be the leading road from Concord to Lowell. It •was for a few years the great thoroughfare, until the Concord railroad superseded it in 1842. The third is the Londonderry turnpike, built in 1807, and for some years one of the most travelled roads in the vicinity. Yarious changes and enterprises contributed, at length, to diveii; the travel ^m the road, and in 1838, it was thrown by the proprietors upon the towns through which it passed, and became a free road. The Manchester and Lawrence railroad, opened in 1849, runs in nearly the same di- rection. Thcre are various roads from the west, leading from Moor's, Read's, and Thornton's ferries, and from Nashua, which intersect those before named, and, converging, meet at Derry Village ; while on the east, are those leading from Chester, Ex- eter, and Hampstead, which meet in the same place. The surface of the township exhibits gentle swells, without any high hills or precipitous cliff's. The whole extent of the west side, bordering on Litchfield, for a nfife in width, is level, and was until recently a nearly unbroken forest, known as the hack woods. But the late demand for wood and timber in the manu- facturing towns on the Merrimack, and its vicinity to the river, gave to it an unexpected value. Much of this tract has, within twenty years, been stripjDed of its growth and converted into pasture land. Next to this range of flat land is a tract well adapted to agri- culture. It is divided into Avell-cultivated farms. The southern part is termed the High Range, an extensive swell of excellent land, well suited to tillage. Its neat dwellings, undulating roads, and gentle slope to the east and south, render it one of the most pleasant locations in town. A mile east is Moose Hill, so called from the fact that, in the early scttlement of the «Dwn, a moose was there taken. Its west- erly side is mostly covered with wood, but on the east and south are some valuable and highly cultivatcd farms. In the vicinity of this spot, and on the Mammoth road is the site of the Presbyte- K Moose l\ I rian meeting-house in Londonderry. About a mile from Moose l Hill, in a northeasterly direction, is Ministerial Hill, thus termed V. from a lot of land, «on its westerly side, ha ving been set off by the APPENDIX. 315 parisli for the iise of tlie minister. It is principally covered with wood and timber. A little farther north is Canada, or Bartley's Hill. Aroiind its base are many produetive farms, although the soil is difficult of cultivation. From this point eastward, all along the northern border of the town, is a wide extent of woodland, interspersed with here and there a farm-house, but with no com- pact settlement. A little more than a mile eastward from Moose Hill, is the Graveyard Hill, having near its summit one of the earliest burying-places in town. A meeting-house was formerly erected here for the Rev. David MacGregor, but, owing to the erection of one soon after in Aiken's Range, and certain changes in the par- ish, it was not occupied and soon went to decay. A little farther east, separated by a deep valley, is Craige's Hill. From this hill there is a partial view of the Lower village, and a distinct and delightful view of Aiken's Range, the Upper \illage of Derry, its meeting-house, and most of its buildings, forming in the season of summer foliage one of the most beautiful land- scapes on which the eye can rest. Derry Lower village is situated in the valley of Beaver Brook, about a mile southwest of Beaver Pond. Here are the Congregational and Methodist meeting-houses, the Pinkerton Academy, a grist-mill and saw-mill, several me- chanic shops, and two stores. It contains from forty to fifty families. North of Beaver Pond is the Enghsh Range, situated on a beautiful and fertile swell of land, rising with a gentle ascent from the pond, and forming one of the most pleasant agricultural neighborhoods in the town. On the south of the pond the land rises in an even and magnificent swell, on the summit of which is the Presbj-terian meeting-house, occup3^ng the original site se- lected by the first settlers. Extending from it, to the east and south, is the village, including the Adams Female Academy, two stores, and a number of handsomely finished dwelHngs. The farms in this part of the town are unsurpassed in productive- ness, and many of them present specimens of agricultural taste and industry. About a mile southwest from the meeting-house is the Doublé Range, where was formed the earliest settlement in town. The more southerly part of the tOAvn, though not so compactly settled, contains many excellent farms. The land is much diver- sified with hills and valleys, but is less stony and hard, particular- that portion of it which borders on Beaver Brook, than the - )rthern part of the town. The eastern side of the town, bordering on Sandown and 316 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Hampstcad, is less even in its surface than some other parts. Tliough nndulating, it is not rougli and brokcn, but most of it is susceptible of cultivation, affording gootl tillage as well as pastur- ing. Here are many good farms and orcbards, with valuable wood-lots. In tbe southeast corner of tbe town is Island Pond, an extensive sheet of Avater, in the middle of which is a large island, improved as a farm. The east line of the town passes through this pond. It is well supplied with fish, and is often visited by those wh,o are fond of ano-ling. The soil of the townsliip is well adapted to the production of grass. Indian corn, oats, and potatoes, of an excellent quality, are easily raised. The pear, peach, plum, cherry, and quince thrive well. Apples are produced in abundance, and most of the orchards are composed of grafted fruit-trees. Beaver Brook is the most considerable stream in the town. It issues from Beaver Pond, and, running in a southwesterly direc- tion through Pelham, empties into the Merrimack at Dracut. Beaver Pond is a beautiful body of water, nearly in a circular form, and about three hundred rods in diameter. It is in fuU view of the Upper village, and, being surrounded by well culti- vated farms, adds much to the delightful scenery there presented. Three miles northwest from this pond are three other ponds, Scoby's, and upper and lower Shield's. Small streams issuing from these unite and fall into Beaver Brook, on which are, for some miles, extensive and valuable meadows. In the westerly part of the town are also several streams sufficiënt for mill pur- poses, which empty, after a short course, into the Merrimack river. The population of Londonderry by the census of 1767, was 2,389 ; bythat of 1775, was 2,590; bythat of 1790, was 2,622 ; by that of 1800, was 2,650 ; bythat of 1810, was 2,766 ; and bythat of 1820, was 3,127. By the census of 1830, the population of Derry was 2,178, and that of Londonderry was 1,469. By the census of 1840, the population of Derry was 2,034, and that of London- derry was 1,556. By the census of 1850, the population of Derry is 1,850, and that of Londonderry is 1,563. ^Some idea of the comparative wealth of the town may be formed from the proportion of State taxes it has paid. By the apportionment of taxes made in 1820, of every onc thousand dollars of public taxes, Londonderry paid $13.27. By^ the apportionment of 1829, Derry paid $7.54, and Londonderry $5.17; by that of 1832, Derry paid $7.94, and Londonderry APPENDIX. 317 $5.17 ; by that of 1836, Derry paid $8.80, and Londonderry paid $5.32 ; by that of 1840, Derry paid $8.43, and Londonderry $5.08 ; by that of 1844, Derry paid $7.84, and Londonderry $5.14 ; and by that of 1848, Derry pays $7.00, and Londonderry $4.97. The decrease in the proportion of taxes paid is to be attribut- ed, mainly, to the growth of several large manufacturing places in the State, and not to a diminution of the wealth of the town. COPY OF THE MEMORIAL TO GOV. SHUTE. [The original manuscript, from which the following copy was taken, Avas presented to Mr. Daniel MacGregor, of the city of New York, by the late AldenBradford, Esq., who was for many years Secretavy of the State of Massachusetts.] To His Excellency the Right Honourable CoUonel Samuel Suitte Governour of New England. We whose names are underwritten, Inhabitants of ye North of L-eland, Doe in our own names, and in the names of many others our Neighbours, Gentlemen, Ministers, Farmers and Tradesmen Commissionate and appoint our trusty and well beloved Friend, the Reverend Mr. William Boyd of Macasky to His Excellency the Right Honourable Collonel Samuel Suitte Governour of New England, and to assure His Excellency of our sincere «,nd hearty Inclination to Transport our selves to that very excellent and renowned Plantation upon our obtaining from his Excellency suitable incouragemeut. And further to act and Doe in our Names as his Prudence shall direct. Given under our hands this 26th day of March, Annoq. Dom. 1718. James Teatte, Y. D. M., Jahon Andrson, Thomas Cobham, V. D. M., George Grege, Robert Houston, V. D. M., Andrew Dean, William Leech, V. D. M., Alexander Dunlop, M. A., Robert Higinbotham, Y. D. M., Arch. M. Cook, M. A., John Porter, Y. D. M., Alex'r Blair, Hen. Neille, Y. D. M., B. Cochran, Tho. Elder, Y. D. M., William Galt, James Thomson, Y. D. M.,. Peter Thompson, William Ker, Richart McLaughlin, Will. McAlben, John Muar, 318 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Willcam Jeameson, Wm, Agncw, Jeremiah Thompson, John Mitchell, James Paterson, Joseph Curry, David Willson, Patrick Anderson, John Gray, James Greg, Alex'r McBride, Bart., Sam. McGivom, John Hurdock, Geo. Campbell, James Shorswood, John McLauglilen, George McLaughlen, James Henre, Thomas Ramsay, Francis Richie, James Gregg, Robert Boyd, Hugh Tarbel, David Tarbel, his John M Robb, mark Jeatter Fulltone, Robt. Wear, Alex'r Donnaldson, Arch'd Duglass, Robert Stiven, Robt. Henry, James Pettey, David Bigger, David ■ Patteson, David (illegible), John Wight, Joseph Wight, Robt. Willson, James Ball, Andrew Cord, James Nesmith, John Black, John Thompson, Samuel Boyd, Lawrence McLaughlen, John Heslet, George McAlester, Thomas Ramadge, James Campbell, David Lindsay, Robt. Giveen, James Laidlay, Benjamin Galt, Daniel Todd, Robt. Barr, Hugh Hollmes, Robt. King, John Black, Peter Christy, James Smith, James Smith, Patrick Smith, Sameuel Ceverelle, James Craig, Samuel Wilson, M. A., Gawen Jirwen, Robert Miller, Thomas Wilson, William Wilson, James Brice, Ninian Pattison, James Thompson, John Thompson, Robert Thompson, Adam Thompson, Alexander Pattison, Thomas Dunlop, John Willson, David Willson, John Moor, James McKeen, John Lamont, John Smith, APPENDIX. 319 Patrlck OiT, Bonill Orr, William Orr, John Orr, Jeams Lenox, John Leslie, John Lason, John Calvil, Samuel Wat, James Craford, David Henderson, Matheu Storah, (?) David Widborn, Luk Wat, Robert Hendre, William Walas, Thomas Walas, Thomas Cewch, (?) William Boyd, William Christy, John Boyd, William Boyd, Hugh Orr, Robert Johnston, Thomas Black, \ / Peter Murray, *' John Jameson, John Cochran, Samuel Gonston, Thomas Shadey, William Ker, Thomas Moore, Andrew Watson, John Thonson, James McKerrall, Hugh Stockman, Andrew Cochran, James Carkley, Lawrence Dod, Sandrs Mear, John Jackson, James Curry, -» James Elder, James Acton, (name illegible), Samuel Smith, Andrew Dodg, James Forsaith, Andrew Fleeming, Gorge Thomson, James Brouster, Thomas (illegible), James Baverlan, Peter Simpson, Thomas McLaughHn, Robert Boyd, Andrew Agnew, James King, Thomas Elder, Daniel Johnston, Robert Walker, David Jonston, yJames Steuart, y John Murray, Thomas Blackwel, Thomas Wilson, John Ross, William Johnston, John King, Andrew Curry, John (illegible), James (illegible), Samuel Code, James Blak, Thomas Gro, Thomys Onston, Jame Gro, John Clark, Thomas McFader, David Hanson, Richard Acton, James Claire, Thomas Elder, Jeremiah Claire, Jacob Clark, Abram Baberley, 320 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Stephen Murdock, Robert Murdock, John Murdock, William Jennson, James Rodeer, John Buyers, Robert Smith, Adam Dean, Randall Alexander, Thomas Boyd, Hugh Rogers, John Craig, "' Wm. Boyle, Benj. Boyle, Ja. Kenedy, M. Stirling, Samuel Ross, John Ramsay, John McKeen, James Willsone, Robert McKeen, John Boyd, Andrew Dunlap, James Ramsey, WilHam Park, John Blair, James Thompson, Lawrence McLaughlin, Wül. CampibeU, James Bankhead, Andrew Patrick, James McFee, James Tonson, (?) George Anton, James Anton, George Kairy, Thomas Freeland, Thomas Hunter, hjs Daniel 'A McKerrell, mark Horgos (?) Kcnedey, his John A Suene, mark Adam y^ Ditkoy mark Alexander Kid, Thomas Lorle, Thomas Hines, WiU A Halkins, mark George Anton, John Colbreath, William Caird, John Gray, John Woodman, (?) Andrew Watson, William Bleair, Joseph Bleair, his Hugh X Blare, mark William Blare, Samuel Anton, James Knox, Robert Hendry, John Knox, William Hendry, William Dunkan, David Duncan, John Muree, James Gillmor, Samuel Gillmor, Alexander Chocran, Edward MKene, John Morduck, . his Samuel V\ McMun, mark Henry Calual, Thomas McLaughlen, Robert Hoog, John Millar, Hugh Calwell, William Boyd, John Stirling, Samuel Smith, John Lamond, 1^ '^ \\ APPENDIX. 321 Robert Lamond, Robert Knox William Wilson, Wm. Paterson, James Alexander, James Nesmith, David Craig, WcaU. McNeall, Thomas Orr, Wm. Caldwall, James Moore, Jr., Sam. Gunion, MatthcAv Lord, Robert Knox, Alex. McGregore, James Trotter, Alexander McNeall, Robert Roo, Jpsepli Watson, Robert [Miller, John Smeally, James Morieson, James Walker, Robert Walker, Robert Walker, William > stable, in Londonderry, in said province, to [l. s.] Colect the Minister's sallary on the west side of Bevor Brook, in said town. Greeting. You are hereby Requaired in his Maj'tes Name to Collect the following sums, as they are anexed to each man's Name in this List ; they being the inhabitance of the old parish in London- derry, afforesaid. And the said sums, so Collected, you are to pay to us the subscribers, or our Order, at or befbre the tenth 328 HISTORY OP LONDONDERRT. Day of January ncxt Ensulng, in Order to pay the Rev'd Wil- liarn Davidson bis sallary for his Labors Amongst iis, in the year 1750. And If any person shall Neglect or Kefuse PajTnent of the snm or sums on him or them so assescd or apploted, You are to Make Distress upon all such as the Law Dircets ; and for Tvant of Good or Chattels whereon to Distrain, You are to size the Body, and Commite hun or them to the Common Goile, of said province, there to Remain nntill he or they shall pay the sum or sums on him or them so assesed or apploted, And this shall be your Sufficiënt Warrant. Given under Our hands and seal, at Londonderry, this ninth Day of November, and in the twenty- foarth year of his Reaign. Anno Domi. 1 750. John Cromey, 1 John Barnett, Alex'r Kelsey, j- Selectmen. Samuel Morrison, robt. cochran, j £. 3. d. £ 3. d. John Ramsey, 2 14 1 John Brown, 2 12 James Ramsey, 2 17 5 Joseph Wallace, 2 12 Wed'w Calderwood, 2 17 5 WiUiam Eyars, 4 19 8 Robt. Clark, 5 14 9 James Cochran, 2 7 10 Robt. Wallace, 4 3 2 Nethaniel. Holms, 2 7 10 Benj. Willson, 3 8 9 WiUiam Marten, 1 6 10 Capt. Andrew Todd, 1 8 8 Wed*w Willson, 2 5 10 John Wallace, 2 9 8 Joseph Bell, 2 2 John Barnet, 2 17 4 Nenion Cochran, 3 12 7 Cor. James Willson, 2 17 5 Peter Cochran, 2 2 Capt. Andrew Todd, 5 14 9 WilHam Cochran, 2 2 David Morison, 5 8 1 Thos. Willson, 2 13 5 Joseph Cochran, 5 14 9 Sam'1 Mller, 2 18 5 Will'mBetty, 1 2 Dn. John INIoore, 5 3 2 Thos. Wallace, 5 8 11 for his Negrow, 5 Thos. Cochran, 5 8 11 Dn. Patrick Douglass 5 6 10 John Cromey, 4 15 6 for his Negrow, 5 John Maclurge, 1 15 10 Sam'1 Morison, 5 14 9 James Wallace, 1 15 10 Robt. Craigo, 5 14 9 John Barret, 1 1 James Morrow, 2 17 5 Will'm Edison, 1 1 Thos. Macleary, 2 17 5 James Doack, 3 12 7 Abraham Holms, 2 17 5 Wed'w Woodburn, 2 2 John Holms, 2 17 5 Matthew Wright, 2 11 7 Halbert Morison, 2 17 5 APPENDIX. £j 2y £ S-, d. £ s. d. Sam'1 Dlckey, 2 17 5 Robt. Petterson ) and bis motber, ) 1 2 Peter Petterson, 2 17 5 Jolin Maclurge, 5 14 9 William White, 2 4 Hugli Young, 3 7 3 James Boys, 1 10 Sam'1 Fislier, 1 13 8 Sam'1 Boys, 14 Wed'w Hogg, • 1 13 8 Christephor Eyars, 1 5 6 James Caldwell, 3 7 3 Cur. James Willson's Alex'r Macolam, 3 7 3 sons, 1 5 6 William Macnlell, 3 7 3 Alex'r Craige, 12 9 Joseph Boys, 2 4 John Morison, 12 9 James Oiigliterson, 1 2 Alex'r Macmurphy, 12 9 Robt. Kenady, 1 2 John Cox, 12 William Cox, 11 John Wallace, 16 Edward Cox, 11 John Rowside, 12 9 Charls Cox, 1 2 Robt. Livingstone, 12 9 Joseph Cox, 1 2 Edward Aiken, 12 9 Wed'w Macalester, 1 2 James Aughenbowl, 14 Will'm Macalester, 1 10 Hugh Campbell, 16 2 James King, 14 Edward Presbery, 7 5 Litle Sam'1 Morison, 2 4 Thos. Grahams, 2 8 4 06 11 3 MEMORIAL OF MATTHEW THORNTON AND OTHERS TO THE GENERAL COURT. To His Excellency, Benning Wentworth, Esq., Captain, Gen- eral, Governor, and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hampsliire, the Honourable, his Majesty's Council and House of Representatives. We, the subscribers, Freeholders and Inhabitants in London- derry, and Province aforesaid, humbly beg leave to return our sincere and hearty thanks for the late gracious Act, in which it is Stipulated that Londonderry aforesaid shall have no more than three Taverns and two Retailers, for the present and four Ensu- ing years, and we had rather the number were diminished than increased. Londonderry, Sept. 26th, Annoque Domini 1758. Matthew Thornton, William Wallace, WilHam Cox, Charles Cox, John Macartney, (?) William Cochran, 28* 330 mSTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Jolm Cocliran, Peter Cocliran, Robert Cochran, Ninian Cochran, Jolm Wallace, Nathaniel Aiken, Hugh Young, Randal Alexander, James Anderson, David Anderson, Samuel Moore, Alex'r W. Nutt, Thomas Grier, John Durham, Robert Moore, John Hunkin, Thomas Wilson, James Willson, James Willson, Moses Barnett, James Aiken, Samuel ]\ülls, John Barnett, Robert Barnett, Samuel Alison, Samuel Alison, Jr, David Steel, Thomas Creaj;e, David Craige, Samuel Morrison, Matthew Taylor, John Hogg, John Mtchell, Samuel Rankin, James Paul, William Rankin, John Steel, Samuel Steel, Jno Wiear, John McKeen, Ephraim Marsh, James Thompson, Hugh Thompson, William Humphrey, William On-, John Moor, Hugh Montgomery, Da\'id Montgomery, Robert Morison, Robert MacMurphy, Samuel Houston, James Houston, Daniel Leslie, Wüham Taylor, Robert Patterson, William Eayres, John Moor, Robert Moor, James Caldwell, Patrick Douglass, Alex'r Rankin, Daniel McDuffee, Robert Adams, James McGregore, John Taylor. ASSOCIATION TEST. In April 17 7G, in accordanee with a recommendation of the Continental Congress, circulars wei»e* sent, by the Committee cf Safety of New Hampshirc, to the Selectmen of the several towns m the State, requesting them to procure the signatures of all the males in the town, over twenty-one years of age, (with certain exceptions,) to the declaration contai'ned in the circular, and to APPENDIX. 331 report the names of all who shoiild rcfuse to slgn. The foUowing is a copy óf the circular sent to the Selectmen of Londonderry, of the names of those who signed, and of those who refused to sign it. To the Selectmen and Committee of Londondeny, Colony of New Hampshire. In Committee of Safety. April 12th, 1776. In order to carry the underwritten resolves of the Hon'ble Continental Congress into execution, You ar« requested to desire all males above Twenty-One years of agc, (Lunaticks, Idiots, and Negroes excepted^) to sign to the declaration on this paper ; and wHen so done, to make return hereof, together with the name or names of all who shall refuse to sign the same, to the General Assembly, or Committee of Safety of this Colony. M. Weare, Chairman. In Congress, March 14th, 1776. Resolved, that it be recommended to the several assembUes, Conventions, and Couneils, or Committees of Safety, of the United Colonies, immediately to cause all persons to be disarmed within their Respective Colonies, who are notoriously disaffected to the cause of America, or who have not associated, and refuse to asso- ciate, to defend by arms, the United Colonies against the hostile attempts of the British fleets and armies. (Copy) ^. Extract from the Minutes, Charles Thompson, Sec'ry. In consequence of the above resolution of the Hon. Conti- nental Congress, and to shew our determination in joining our American brethren in defending the Lives, Liberties, Properties of the Inhabitants of the United Colonies : — 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 óf the British Fleets and Armies, against the United American Colonies. Matthew Thornton, • WUliam Alexander, Joseph Gregg, Isaac Peabody, George Duncan, Junr., McGregore, '■ John Gregg, Daniel Reynolds, Benjamin Gregg, George Russel, 332 niSTORY OP LONDONDERRY, John Moor, John Aiken, Thomas Taggart, John Nesniith, Jaines Cochran, Junr., James INIcGregore, John Bailey, John Gilmore, Robt. McNeil, Arthur Archibald, WiUiam Kelly, William Gregg, Hugh Montgomery, John Pinkerton, Moses Lankester, Benjamin Cheney, David Clendinin, James Paul, John Cochran, Robert Willson, Timothy Faren, Stephen Holland, WilUam Yance, Nathan Stinson, Da\dd Craige, John Prentice, James Cochran, James Alexander, Matthew MUer, Moses Barnet, John Yance, Alex'dr. Mc Collom, Adam AViar, Robcrt AValton, Thomas McCleary, Eobert Macordy, John Robinson, John Patten, Saml. Dickey, James Wallace, John Holmes, Alex'r. Crage, Robt. Gilmore, Andrew Clendinin, Thomas Willson, Samuel Morison, ' John Steel, James Nicliols, John (?) Morison, Thomas Patterson, Robert Holmes, Adam Dunlap, William Davidson, Robt. Moor, Robt. Smith, David Anderson, '- Samuel Grègg, David Taylor, John Hopkins, Samuel Marsh, Robt. Morrison, Jonathan Gillmore, Jonathan Kelso, George Mansfield, John Annis, James Humphrey, Junr., Robert McFarland, John T}-lor, Wüliam Tylor, John Marsl^ Wm. Cunningham, Thomas Anderson, Thomas Creage, Matthew Clark, Isaac Brewster, John Barnet, John Hiland, John Barnet, Junr., James Anderson, John Gunion, Adam Taylor, Samuel Taylor, John Bell, Wm. Duncan, Abraham Duncan, John Cox, APPENDIX. 333 Robert Monson, John Creaig, James Taggart, Samuel Anderson, James Adams, James Nesmith, Robert Adams, Arcliibald Mack, James Nesmitli, Junr., James Miltimore, Samuel Clark, James Ewing, James Donaldson, William Rogers, David McKeen, John Wallace, Da^dd Paul, Samuel Ghrims, Saml. Wilson, James Dinsmoor, Samuel Gregg, Jolm McKeen, George Duncan, Samuel Fisher, John Duncau, James Anderson, Jas. Hopkins, Robt. Archibald, John Hunter, James IMiltimore, Jonathan Wallace, David Hnkerton, James Adams, Junr., Thomas Rogers, James Anderson, William Anderson, Joseph Mack, Josiah Duncan, " Robert Craige, John McAlester, Thomas Holmes, Da^-id McCleary, Ephraim Dunond, John Anderson, John Patterson, Alexander Boyd, Thos. Wallace, Junr., James Barnett, JJóhn McClurg, Samuel Morison, Junr., Robert Dickey, Joseph Chapman, Ehas Smith, John IMarshall, Humphrey Holt, ' Andrew Mack, Archibald McAlester, Andrew Todd, Robert Thompson, John Thompson, Isaac Walker, Saml. Thompson, Andrew Todd, Robert McColom, David Brewster, James Adams, James McMurphy, James Alexander, John Mcintosh, Robt. INIcMurphy, Junr., Samuel Monson, ]\Iatthew Pinkerton, Samuel Alls, Alexander Craig, Hugh Watt, Archibald McMurphy, Jedediah Patee, Samuel WiUson, James Willson, Adam Dickey, John Dickey, George Corning, James Boyes, Samuel White, George Mc Allaster, -—Matthew Dickey, 334 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Robcrt McLiiere, John Kerr, Saml. Wallace, John Giles, Robert Boyes, James Thompson, Thomas McCleary, Jacob Chase, William Page, Nathl. Smith, Joseph Bell, James Cochran, John McAdams, John McClenehe, Samuel Boys, Josej^h Boys, Moses Watt, Joseph Hogg, John Watts, Thomas Hilands, James Lyons, James Hoofgr, Francis Mitchell, Wm. Johnston, Hiigh Kattey, Peter Kattey, Bobt. Clendinin, William Wier, Nicholas Dodge, John Dwinell, Henry Campbell, David Porter, Thomas Wallace, James AVallace, George MclNlurphy, William Wallace, Joseph Cochran, Samuel Bankin, William Rankin, James Ramsey, John Ilunter, Daniel Hunter, Thomas Wilson, Jesse Plunier, Nathaniel Brown, Jonathan Adams, John Clark, William Eayrs, John Ramsey, William Ramsey, William Cochran, John Ramsey, James Ciombie, John Crombie, Thomas Lennan, Simeon Roberson, Eleazer Cumings, Ebenezer Tarbox, Samuel Eayrs, Reuben Page, Jonathan Reed, Joseph Finlay, John Clark, Samuel Thompson, Josiah Jon es, Joseph Curtice, Thomas Senter, William Richardson, William Alexander, James Darrah, Ezekiel Gaile, Nathaniel Hale, Daniel Mari^liall, Benjamin Kidder, Joseph Hobbs, Elijah Towns, Stephen Dwinell, William Moor, James Town, John March, Samuel Senter, ? James "Greijg, William Boyd, Abel Plummer, Joshua Conet (?) -^William Dickey, APPENDIX. 335 Samuel Karr, William Eayers, Samuel McAclams, --William Dickey, Thomas Boycl, Peter Robinson, WiUiam Steel, William McAdams, Robert INIcAclams, John Kobinson, Da\acl Peabody, Joseph Steel, George Biirroiighs, Isaac Page, Philip Marston, David Lawrence, Richard ISIarshall, Samson Kidder, James Barret, John Smith, Josiah Burroughs, WiUiam Burroughs, Moses Barret, Dayid Campbell, William How, William Grimes, Robert Anderson, Samuel Cochran, Samuel Miller, John Duncan, John Jaques, John Pinkerton, Trueworthy TSargent, Jesse Annis, Tliomas Perrin, Thomas Melcher, Robert Cochran, Joseph Morison, Arthur Boyd, Da\id Conelly, Parker Moores, John Stewart, Thomas Stewart, Alexander Robinson, Robert McKeen, George Orr, Simeon Merrill, Mos^s Rowell, Barnes Morrill, James Cheney, David Davison, Alexander Kassay, David Colbey, Daniel Cheney, Charles Sargent, John Kinkead, Abraham Page, Stephen Johnson, William Grey, Samuel Dodge, WilHam Parkinson, Alexander Campbell, Denis Healey, Robert Wallacé, Denis Plunmier, James IVIiller, John Stinson, John KaïT, Robert Hunter, James Macgregore, James Litch, John Archibald, George Moor, William Morison, William Gilmore, William Smith, John Livingston, Daniel McDuffee, Jacob Bartlett, George Davidson, David Colby, Alex'r Clark, Wm. Parker, Daniel McNeill, James Yance, Robert Boyd, 336 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. Robert Boyd, Jun'r, James Willson, Jacob Fowle, James Eayres, Jolm Wadlle, John McDuifee, Jolin Alcxander, Joliii Moore, Ricliard Emerson, Samuel White, William INIiltimore, Hngh Danshe, Robert Hopklns, John Humphrey, John Nesmith, Samuel AlHson, o George Gregg, Thomas Cristy, Isaac Cochran, Robert McMurphy. Londonderry, June ye 24th, 1776. To the Hon'ble House of Representatlves for the Collony New Hampshire, Agi'eable to the request of the Hon'ble Committee of Safety for the Colony, we have taken pains to go through with the asso- ciation papper, and we find none who refuses to slgn the same ex- cept the persons hereafter mentioned, vlz., Timothy Dawson, Alexander Nicols, Joseph Morison, Abraham Morison, William Humphrey, David Morison, Samuel Ella, Doet. George Wood, John Holmes, Lieut. to a minute company, John Reed, John Moor, Robert Moor, James Cochran, Samuel Clark, John Stewart. By order of the Selectmen, Thos. Taggart, Select Clerk. LIST OF THE SOLDIERS FROM LONDONDERRY, IN THE ARMY OF THE REVOLUTION, FROM 1775 TO 1783. In presenting the names of the soldiers of the Revolution from Londonderry, it is deemed preferable to give, so far as it can conveniently be done, distinct lists of those enrollcd in the various enlistments made in tlie town, rather than one list of all those who served at any time during the war. This course, however, neces- sarily causes occasional repetition of names. Notwithstanding much pains lias been taken to obtain complete lists, they are, in two or tliree instances, defective. Soon after the news of the battle of Lexington had been re- ceived, Captain George Rcid marehed with a company of nearly a hundred men from Londonderry, and joined the American forces at Mcdford. The following is a list of the officers and privates composing this company, as it was on the twenty-eighth of July, 1775. APPENDIX. 337 George Reid, captain ; Abraliam Reid, lieutenant ; James An- derson, second lieutenant ; John Patten, qnartermaster sergeant ; Daniel IMiltimore, John Nesmith, Robert Barnet, John Mackey, sergeants; James McCluer, Robert Boyes, Joshua Thompson, George McMurphy, corporals ; Robert Burke, drummer ; Thomas Ingliss, fifer ; Matthew Andersou, Robert Adams, Samuel Ayers, Hugh Alexander, John Anderson, Alexander Brown, Wilham Boyd, John Campbell, Thomas Campbell, Peter Chnstie, Solomon Colhns, Stephen Chase, William Clyde,* William Dickey, James Duncan, ^ Samuel Dickey, John Ferguson, David Gregg, James Gilmore, Allen Hopkins, John Head, Asa Senter, John Hopkins, Samuel Houston, Jonathan Holmes, Peter Jenkins, John Living- ston, Ebenezer Mcllvain, Hugh Montgomery, Jolin Morrison, James Morrison, Joseph Mack, Martin Montgomery, Robert Mc- Murphy, William McMurphy, William Moore, Robert Mack, David McClary, Archibald Mack, James Nesmith, James Nes- mith, Jr., William Parker, Joshua Reid, WiUiam Rowell, Thomas Roach, Abel Senter, James Stinson, Samuel Senter, Samuel Thompson, John Vance, Hugh Watts, Thomas Wilson, John Pat- terson, Henry Parkinson, Samuel Stinson, John Smith, Richard Cressey, James Moore, privates. Whiole number, seventy-two. It appears from the accounts for town bounties, in the office of the Secretary of State, that Londonderry paid bounties for ninety- nine men, who volunteered on the " Lexington alaim." There were, therefore, twenty-seven others from Londonderry, in the service, at this time, whose names, with the exception of David MacGregor, William Gregg, and William Adams, are not known. In August, 1776, a company of eighty men was raised for the Canada service, from Col. Matthew Thornton's regiment, which comprised the towns of Londonderry, Windham, and Pelham, and from Col. Josiah Bartletf s regiment, which comprised the towns of Kingston, East Kingston, Hawke, Sandown, Newtown, Hamp- stead, Plaistow, Atkinson, and Salem. This company was com- manded by Captain John Nesmith, and formed a part of Colonel Wingate's reoiment. The followino; are the names of those members of this company who are believed to have belonged to Londonderry : — John Nesmith, captain ; Alexander Graham, second lieutenant ; Samuel Cherry, ensign ; Solomon Todd, sergeant ; William Dickey, corporal ; Michael George, drummer ; Timothy Dustin, fifer ; John McClurg, Samuel Thompson, Matthew Anderson, John Anderson, William Rogers, Robert McCluer, James Ewins, James Boyes, Jr., John Orr, Samuel Rowell, John Humphrey, 29 338 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. John Cox, Edward Cox, John Anderson, Jr., Thomas White, Ephraim White, Joscph Mack, James Moor, Samuel Eayres, John Vance, John llamsey, David George, %William Dickey, Jona. Gregg, Hngh Alexander, Abner Andrews, Peter Jenkins, Alex- ander Craige, William Colby, Patrick Fling, William Adams, James Boyes, Jr., Jona. George, Allen Ilopkins, James Gil- more, Charity Killicut, John Lancaster, privates. In December, 1776, the following enlistment was made in Lon- donderry, fbr three months in the Continental service, in Captain Samuel McConnel's company, in Col. David Gilman's regiment. James Hopkins, lieutenant ; Jonathan Wallace, sergeant ; Hugh Watt, corporal ; William Lyons, Moses Watt, Thomas McClary, Jesse Jones, James Nesmith, Arthnr Nesmith, John Todd, Ben- jamin Nesmith, James Hobbs, Nathan Whiting, Benjamin Robin- son, David Marshall, William Burroughs, James Gilmore, John Kinkead, Alexander Morrow. The foUoAving are the names of the men from Londonderry," who enlisted in the years 1777 and 1778, for the continental ser- vice, for three yeare, or during the war : — Peter Jenkins, Joseph Mack, Samuel Walton, Nathaniel Plum- mer,* William Dickey, Bishop Castor, John Obrian, George Me- Murphy, David Plummer, Abel Walton, James Campbell, John McMurphy, Robert Wilson, Joseph McFarland, Samuel Ayers, Robert Rogers,- Solomon Todd, Frederick Roche, Charles Bryan, James Nesmith, William Johnson, John Erwin, Jeremiah Fair- field, John Ayres, John Martin, John Morgan, David George, * David Dickey, Ebenezer Mcllvane, Timothy Harrington, Robert Boyes, Thomas Holmes, Martin Montgomery, Zacheus Dustin, Valentine Sargent, Robert Craige, John Head, James Boyes, John Allen, Alexander McMasters, Abel Whiting, Ambrose Vicker,* John Grear,* Glaude Colombon,* Joseph Coste,* Jean Rots, Jonathan George, Michael George, Timothy Hutchins. The following names of men from Londonderry, are found in the returns of enHstments for three years, or during the war, although they do not appear to have received bounties from that tOTrn. William Hogg, Samuel Hamilton, David Ela, John Mack, Zabulon Colby, William Colby, Castor Barnes. July 20, 1,777, a company of seventy volunteers was enlisted in Londonderry. It was commanded by Capt. Daniel Reynolds, and was in the battle of Bennington. The following is a copy * These men were enlisted at Exeter, by Major John Pinkcrton, to make up the quota for Col. Thornton's regiment. Their bounties were paid by Londonderry. APPENDIX. 339 from tlie roll of the company : Daniel Reynolds, captain ; David McClary, Adam Taylor, lieutenants ; John Hughes, ensign ; John Smith, John McKeen, John Anderson, John Robinson, sergeants ; ''Matthew Dickey, David Clark, Simeon Sentcr, Joseph Hastings, corporals ; Thomas Griffin, fiter ; John Barr, Nathaniel B urrow s, John Robinson, George Eviston, Joseph Sargent, Isaac Colby, Alexander Stevens, William Houston. William Fellows, James Nesmith, Jonathan Cheney, Samuel Rowell, William Sevrans, Jonathan Kelso, John Ferguson, Samuel Thompson, Nathaniel Sweetser, Dudley Balley, Johii Campbell, James Huniphr^y, James Taylor, Archibald Cunningham, William Burrgjgs, Peter Robinson, Mansfield McDufFee, Nathaniel Cheney, James Moore, Thomas Carr, Samuel Spear, Samuel Campbell, William Ramsey, ■T^Robert Morrison, Thomas Wallace, Joshua Conant,- Joseph Cald- wellf Adam Dickey, William Adams, Thomas McClary, Hugh Watts, Andrew Todd, Thomas Wallace, Jesse Jones, Thomas Rogers, Ephraim Gregg, James Morison, John Watts, Allen An- derson, David BrcAvster, Jonathan Wallace, John Wallace, John Todd, John McClary, Joseph Hobbs, Joseph Steel, Samuel Brown, Samuel Taylor, John Stuart, privates. October 1, 1777. The folio wing company of volunteers marched from Londonderry, under the command of Capt. Joseph Finlay, and joined the Northern Continental army at Saratoga. Their term of service, however, was short. Joseph Finlay, captain ; James Cliristy, lieu tenant ; Robert Adams, John Patterson, sergeants ; Jonathan Gilmore, Robert Wallace, Adam Dunlap, John McCoy, David Quinten, Samuel Gregg, Jonathan Holmes, John Moore, Peter Christy, William Hopkins, Joshua Lancaster, W^illiam Moore, John Taylor, Adam Johnson, John Adams, William Aiken, David AVilson, Thomas Morrison, William Alexander, Samuel Anderson, AVilliam Mc- Keen, John Hunter, Moses Walton, John Walton, Samuel Dodge, Nathaniel Holmes. In the returns of Col. Henry Jackson's regiment, we find the foUowing names of men from Londonderry, who enlisted in 1777. John Nesmith, lieutenant ; John Vance, sergeant ; John Bryant, Timothy Melon, John Mitchel, piivates. It appears from the accounts for town bounties, that London- . derry paid, in 1778, bounties for twenty volunteers for the Rhode '"^C Island service. The names of these volunteers, with the excep-«.7 J^ c tion of Joseph McKeen, are not known. In the same year, Jon- ^ ' athan Ferrin, Hugh Jameson, and Francis Mitchel, enlisted in Ol 'T Adam Dickey, William Eastman, Arthur Nesmith, Robert Thomp- son, James Gregg, Elijah Towns, Alexander McMurphy. Abra- ham Perry and John Mannyfold were also in the service in 1781. In 1782, John McCurdy and Charles Cavenaugh enlisted from Londonderry. The latter is known to have served during several previous campaigns. It may be proper to remark, that although the men who have been mentioned as having been enlisted at various times in Londonderry, are described in the returns as Londonderry men, some few of them may have been citizens of other towns, who enlisted and served for Londonderry. In like manner several citizens of Londonderry enlisted and served for other towns. In 1777, John Hall served for Deerfield, and John Reed, for Chichester. In 1779, Daniel Callaghan served for At- kinson, and John Moloy, James Keeff, and Thomas Mitchel, for Hampton. In 1781, Michael Keeff served for the town of Amherst. The revolutionary services of Gen. Reid, David MacGregor, Robert MacGregor, and others have been mentioned in the body of this work. APPENDIX. 341 PETITION OF MEMBERS OF THE WEST PARISH TO TIIE GEN- ERAL COURT FOR AN ACT, OBLIGING EACH INHABITANT OF LONDONDERRY TO VOTE AND PAY TAXES IN THE PARISH IN WHICH HE DWELLS. To The Hon'ble Council and House of Representatives For the State of New Hampshire in General Assembly Convened at Exeter, within and for said State, May 20, a. d. 1778. The subscribers, Inhabitants, and freeholders in. the West Parish in Londonderry, in The Coimty of Roekingham in said State Hiimbly Sheweth. That in the year a. t>. 1739, Londond'ry was by an act of the Legislature of said State, Divided into Two Parts, Called the East and West Parishes, with Liberty for a number not Exceeding forty Persons in Each Parish to poll to the Other, and Become members of the Parish they did not Dweil in. The 40 in the East Parish that Polled to the west, by the Assistance of Those in the west That lived near the East line, Obtained a Yote to BuUd and did Buüd a Meeting-House in said west Parish Yery near the East line, Avhen said Parish then had a Meeting-House, near the Center Newly Built & is now Rotten, for want of use. As the number of Inhabitants in the West Parish Increased, the forty in the East that Poll'd to the west, Multiplied, &'are now Become a Muchgreater Number, and by the aforesaid Assist- ance, To this Day have Obliged all the Rest of the Inhabitants of the West Parish to Travel to the Meeting-House near the East line, Excepting Yery lately we have been Allo wed some Preach- ing in a third Meeting-House, Built near the Centre of said West Parish by subscription. Dureing the Late Rev'nd Mr. David Macgregore's Hfe Time, altho we were Yery sensible of the great Injustice Done us, Yet Out of Respect to Him, as he lived near the Centre of the East Parish, we AUowed Our selves to Bear and Forbear. But Now he is Deceased, and yet the 40 in the East that Pollcd To the AVest, & their Numerous posterity Ap- pear at The west Parish Meetings, and Being Joined as abovesaid Yote the preaching where they Please. On the 23d of last April, we Obtained a Yote, a Copy whereof is Herewith Exhibited ; but well Knowlng that the vote of a town Cannot Repeal an act of the Legislature, we Exhibit said Copy to shew That the Majority of the Inhabitance of Londond'ry are wüling Justice should be Done. For The Reasons aforesaid, we Humbly pray your Honors to 29* 342 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Take the Prcmises under Consideration, and Repeal said act by Enacting that in all future Time Every Inliabitant in London- derry shall Pay his Legal Proportion of the Minister's sallery in that parish wherein he Dwels and be for Ever Excluded from Voting in any Parish Meeting Except in the Parish wherein he Dwells. And Your Pettitioners as in Duty Bound will Ever Pray. James Wallace, Henry Campbel, James Anderson, John Campbel, Andrew Mack, David Woodburn, ^ Robert Dickey, Jesse Jones, Joseph Curtis, Joseph Chapman, Isaac Peabody, Eleazar Cumins, William Richardson, Thomas Senter, Will'm Alexander, Jacob Nickols, Joseph Nickols, ^WiUiam Dickey, VMatthew Dickey, Adam Dickey, John Corning, John McAlister, Archibald McAlister, John Dwinel, Joshua Coming, Nicholas Dodge, David Chiney, William Wier, Adam Wier, Thomas McClary, Thomas McClary, Jr., George McAlister, James Lyons, William Lyons, Thos. Holmes, Thos. Lennan, Robert Wallace, Josiah Jones, Robert Thompson, Josiah Jones, Jr., John Senter, John Clark, John McClurg, John Thompson, Saml Thompson, Joseph Harvel, Jacob Richardson, Stephen Chase, Samuel Senter, Asa Senter, Eben'r Senter, Reuben Senter, John Woodburn, Nathan Plumer, James Gregg, Jonathan Gregg, Ephraim Gregg, Robert McClure, John March, Aaron Senter, Elijah Towns, John Patterson, Ephraim Dimond, Isaac Smith, Thos. Patterson, Peter Patterson, Elias Smith, Abel Plumer, Asa Andrews, Samuel Bean, APPENDIX. 343 Samiiel Graham, Saml McAdams, James Anderson, Jr., John Anderson, William Boyd, David Boyd, John Moor, James Moor, Wilüam Moor, Robert Anderson, John Anderson, Jr., William Anderson, Allen Anderson, Alexander Boyd, Sam'1 Anderson, Sam'l Anderson, Jr., Joseph Hogg, Simon Kezear, Abram Morison, James Hogg, 'Matthew Dickey, William Hogg, Hugh Watt, Saml White, Thomas White, Robert Willson, Robt Boyes, John Mc Clenche, Samuel Fisher, Samuel Fisher, Jr., Samnel Karr, Thomas Rogers, James Rogers, Joseph Finlay, William Anderson, Samuel Boyes, John Barnett, Jabes Towns, Moses Town, James Thompson. State of ") In the House of Representatives, Novem'r New Hampshire j 4th, 1778. Upon reading the foregoing Petition, Yoted that the prayer thereof be granted, and that the^Petitioners have leave to bring in a bill accordingly. Sent up for concurrence. John Langdon, Speaker. In Conncil the same day read and concurred. E. Thompson, Sec'y. COPY OF ROBERT m'GREGOR'S DEED OF THE COMMON AND GRAVEYARD IN THE EAST PARISH. To all Christian people to whom these presents shall come Greeting, — Know ye yt, I, Robert McGregor, of Londonderry, ^vithin his maj'ts Prov'e of N. Hampsh'e, In Engi'd for Divers good causes & considerations, moving me hereunto, have given, grant'd, bargain'd, sold, alien'd, enfeoff'd, convey'd, & confirm'd doth by these presents give, grant, bargain, sell, alien, assign, make over, & confirm unto ye town of Londonderry afores'd, their heirs & Exe'rs, adm'rs & assigns forever, one messuage 344 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. or tract of land, lying scituate & bclng in Londondcrry afores'd, s'd tract of containing by estimatioii three acres & a halfe, w'ch land ye meeting stands upon, as also a training green & graveyard belonging to ye s'd town of Londonderry, w'ch land is Butt'd and Bound'd as followeth ; viz., beginning at a red oak tree mark'd standing on ye Soutlierly side of ye highway yt leads easterly frora said meetinghouse & standing on ye line of Robert Weare's land, thence runing South by mark'd trees, fifty rods, and joyning on s'd Weare's land to a stake and stones, thence runing a due west line six rods to a stake and stones, thence runing by mark'd Norwest & be Nor fifty rods to a stake & stones, standing to ye west of ye s'd meetinghouse, thence runing East & Bounding on ye afores'd highway, twelve rods to ye Red Oak Tree first mention'd, To have & to hold ye s'd grant'd & bargain'd premises w'th al ye appurten's, privileges, & comodeties to ye same belonging, or in any wise appertain- ing to ye s'd Town of Londonderry their heirs & assigns to them & their proper use, benefit & behooff forever, & I ye said Robert Macgregor for me, my heirs, Exe'rs, & adm'rs, do covenant, promise, & grant, to & w'th ye s'd Town of Lon- donderry their heirs & assigns, yt before ye ensealing hereof, I am ye true sole & lawfuU owner of ye above bargain'd premises, & have in my selfe good right, fuU power, & laAvfull authority to grant, bargain, sell, convey, & confirm ye same in maner as above s'd, & yt ye afores'd Town of Londonderry their heirs & assigns, shall & may from time to time & at all times forever hereafter, by force & virtue of these presents, lawfully, peaceably, & quietly have, hold, use, occupy, possess, & enjoy ye s'd Demised premises, w'th ye appurten's, free & clear & freely & clearly acquit'd, exonerat'd & Discharg'd of & from all & all maner of former or other gifts, grants, bargains, sales, incumberances, & extents; furthermore, I ye s'd Robt. McGregore for my selfe, my heii's, Exe'rs, & Adm'rs, do cov- enant & engage ye above Demis'd premises to ye s'd Town of Londonderry their heirs and assigns against ye lawfuU claims or demands of any person or persons w'tsoever in by or under me ye s'd Robt McGregore, my heirs, Exe'rs, & adm'rs ; In testimony of all before written, I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 12th day of June 1729, & in ye third year of his majes'ts Reign, &c. Sign'd, Öcal'd, & Del'd "j in presencc of ^^ ■» , .^ n -. David McGregore, j Kobert McGregor. [seal] Jno. McMurphy, J APPENDIX. 345 Suffolk, Boston, July ye 9th, 1729. Eobert McGregore appear'd & acknowledged this Instrument to be liis act & Deed, before me, Sam'1 Checkley, Jus. Peace. Entered & Record'd according to ye orig'11, 28th July, 1729. per Josh. Pierce, Record'r. A LIST OF ALL THE EEPRESENTATIVES EROM LONDONDERRY TO THE GENERAL COURT. 1732-3, John McMurpIiy. 1734-5, RobertBoyes. ^1736, James Grecrcr. 1737, Robert Boyes. 1738, Hugh WUson. 1739-40, Robert Boyes. 1741-2, SamuelBarr. 1 743-5, inclusive, John Wallace. 1746-54, " John McMurphy. 1755-7, " Robert Clark. 1758-60, « Matthew Thornton. 1761-7, " SamuelBarr. 1768-70, " Samuel Livermore. 1771-5, " Stephen HoUand.* 1776, John Bell, Moses Barnet. 1777, John Gilmore, John Pinkerton. 1778, John McKeen, John Pinkerton. 1779, Moses Barnet, Samuel Fisher. 1 780, Daniel Reynolds, John Bell. 1781-4, inclusive, Daniel Reynolds, Archibald McMurphy. 1 785, John Prentice, Arcliibald McMurphy. 1786, Daniel Reynolds, Archibald McMurphy. 1787, John Prentice, John Pinkerton. 1 788, Daniel Reynolds, Archibald McMurphy. 1789-91, inclusive, James Mac Gregor. 1792, James MacGregor, John Bell. 1793, John Prentice, John Bell. =* Matthew Thornton and James MacGregor wcre members from Londonderry, of the ronvcntion whioh met May 17, 1775. Matthew Thornton and John Bell werc members of the convention which met December 21, 1775, and afterwards rcsolved itself into a House of Represcntatives. 346 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. 1794-5, James Pinkertön, John Prentice. 1796-7, James Pinkerton, Willlam Choate. 1798, James Pinkerton, Jolm Prentice. 1799-1800, Jolin Bell, Jun., John Prentice. 1801-5, inclusive, James Pinkerton, John Prentice. 1806-8, " William Adams, John Moor. '1809-11, " John Dickey, John Moor. 1812, John Pinkerton, John Moor. 1813-14, John Pinkerton, John Nesmith. 1815, John Pinkerton, John Porter. 1816, John Fisher, John Nesmith. 1817-18, John Fisher, John Porter. 1819-20, John Fisher, Peter Patterson. 1821, WilHam Adams, James Thom. 1822, Robert Patterson, John H. Miltimore. 1823-4, Robert Mack, James Thom. 1825, Robert Mack, William Choate, James Thom. 1826, do do do 1827, Alanson Tucker, J. H. Miltimore, John Porter. In Londonderrï/, since the division of the town. 1828, John Holmes. 1829, Robert Mack. 1830-32, inclusive, John N. Anderson. 1833-4, Hugh Bartley. 1835-6, William Plummer. 1837-8, John N. Anderson. 1839-40, Reuben White. 1841-2, Robert Boyd, Jr. 1843-4. Cyrus Nesmith. 1845, voted not to send. 1846-7, David Flanders. 1848-9, James Perkins. 1850, Francis D. Anderson, Francis Manter. In DerrT/, since the division of the town. 1828, John Porter, Alanson Tucker. 1829, Alanson Tucker, William Choate, Jr., 1830, John Porter, Samuel Adams. 1831, Alanson Tucker, William Montgomery. 1832, William Montgomery, David A. Gregg. 1833, William Montgomery, John Porter. APPENDIX. 355 1838, Ricliard Melvin, Nathaniel Aiken, William Cogswell. 1839, Ricliard Melvin, William Cogswell, Geo. W. Pinkerton. 1840, Richard Melvin, John Patten, George W. Pinkerton. 1841-2, William Anderson, Israël Herrick, William Adams. 1843, Samuel Marshall, Moses Hamilton, John Patten. 1844, William Ela, James Choate, Jr., Lucien Harper. 1845, J. T. G. rJtnsmore, Lucien Harper, John B. Taylor. 1846, James Choate, Jr. Joseph Montgomery, Nathaniel M. Taylor. 1847, Edward Ballou, Jonas Herrick, Lucien Harper, 1848, Edward Ballou, Jonas Herrick, George H. Taylor. 1849, John Folsom, Samuel F. Taylor, Robert W. Adams. 1850, Samuel F. Taylor, John Patten, James C. Taylor. LAWYERS WHO HAVE PRACTISED IN LONDONDERRY. Samuel Livermore, commeuced prac, John Prentice, " " Moses L. Neil, " George Reid, " Jabez Kimball, " Daniel Abbot, " John Porter, " James Thom, " David A. Gregg, " David W. Dickey, " Thornton Betton, " Edward P. Parker, " George O. Betton, " Joseph A. Gregg, " 1765,* ceased prac. 1775.* 1775, « " 1803. 1788, " " 1791. 1800, " " 1802. 1801, " " . 1802. 1802, " » 1802. 1806, is still in practice. 1814, ceased prac. 1829. 1814, is still in practice. 1821, ceased prac. 1831. 1829, " " 1841. 1839, " " 1843. 1841, " " 1845. 1843, is still in practice. PHYSICIANS WHO HAVE PRACTISED IN LONDONDERRY. Archibald Clark, commenced prac. Alexander Cummings, " " Dr. Rand, * " " Matthew Thornton " " George Wood, " " 1730,* prac. many years. 1748, prac. about 2.0 years. 1750, prac. «several years.* 1740, ceased prac. 1778.* 1770, " « 1785. * These dates refer to the times when the -lawyers and physicfans commenced and ceased practice in Londonderrij. They are as nearly correct as can be ascertained. 358 HISTORT OF LONDONDERRT. The Monument. In regard to the erection of a Monument to commemorate the spot on which the first scrmon was preachcd in Londonderry, it may be remarked that much interest is feit in the execution of such a work, at an early day. It is believed that a durable shaft or obelisk of granite, with suitable inscriptions, may be completcd for the sum of from two hundred to four hundred dollars, according to its size. The Editor of this work is authorized to say that the sum of fifty dollars may be con- sidered as pledged for this purpose, provided an additional sum of not less than three hundred dollars is contributed during the year 1851. Any donations for this object may be pledged by addressing a line to him, stating the amount It has been suggested that an inscription like the following, on the front side, would be appropriate : — Isaiah 32 : 2. And a man shall be as an hiding-pl^e from the wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a wearj land. The above formed the text of the first sermon preachcd in this town, April 12, 1719, by the Rev. James MacGregor, under the wide-spreading branches of a venerable oak, which for more than a century marked this spot. " Then, for the first time, did this wildemess and solitary place, over which the savage tribes had for centuries roamed, resound with the voice of prayer and praise, and echo to the sound of the gospel." The ancient oak is gone ; this granite column will decay and crumble into dust; but the principles hcrc proclaimed will endure forever. On another side of the Monument might be inscrlbed the names of the first sixteen settlcrs, and any othcr prominent facts in the history of the town. OCT 19^891 APPENDIX. 347 1834, John H. Miltimore, William Montgomery. 1835, William Montgomery, Jolin Porter. 1836, Luther V. Bell, John T. G. Dlnsmore. 1837, John T. G. Dinsmore, Nathaniel Parker. 1839, Henry Taylor, William Choate. 1840, John T. G. Dinsmore, Thornton Betten. 1841, Henry Taylor, John Porter. 1842, John Porter, Henry Taylor. 1843, John T. G. Dinsmore, James Taylor. 1844, James Taylor, John Porter. 1845, Richard Meivin, William Ela. 184G, Richard Meivin, Benjamin Eastman. 1847, William Ela, John Porter. 1848, Abel F. Hildreth. 1849, Edward Ballon, John Folsom. 1850, Edvsrard Ballon, John Folsom. / LIST OF MODERATORS AT THE ANNUAL MEETINGS, AND TOWN CLERKS. Y"ears. Moderators. Town Clerks. 1719 James McKeen, John GofFe. 1720 ( Record lost), John Goffe. 1721 James McKeen, li Il 1722 James Gregg, u II 1723 James Nichols, John McMui-phy 1724 Robert Boyes, ii II 1725 John Blair, tl II 1726-7 Robert Boyes, u II 1728 (No record), u II 1729 James McKeen, u II 1730 James Nesmith, (( II 1731 James McKeen, ii II 1732 Robert Boyes, ■ li ' Il 1733 Robert Wear, II II 1734-5 Robert Boyes, II (i 1736 John Blair, u il 1737 Nathaniel Weare, John Wallace. 1738 Andrew Todd, u u 1739 Robert Boyes, a il 1740 John Morrison, Sen., u II 1741 Andrew Todd, u li 1 V 348 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRY. Years. Moderators. Town Clorks. 1742 Hugh Wilson, John Wallace. 1743-8 inc. u u Moses Barnett. 1749 1750-52 inc. Robert Boyes, Hugh Wilson, James Nesmith. 1753 John Mitchell, U il 1754 James Clark, Moses Barnett. 1755 Samuel Barr, u u 1756 James Clark, U (( 1757-62 inc. Andrew Todd, (( (( 1763-4 Samuel Barr, (( (( 1765 Andrew Todd u u 1766-9 inc. Samuel Barr, u u 1770-71 Matthew Thornton, li ii 1772 1773-4 Samuel Fisher, Henry Campbell. 1775 John Moor, John Bell. 1776 Matthew Thornton, John Crombie. 1777 John Bell, Thomas Taggart. 1778 (( li John INIoor. 1779 ii ii John Bell. 1780 John Moor, John Moor. 1781 Samuel Fisher, John BeU. 1782 James Nesmith, Jr., John Moor. 1783 James MacGregor, WilHam Anderson. 1784 John Bell, U il 1785-6 1787 U ii Robert McMurphy. William Anderson. 1788-9 1790 ii ii James MacGregor, Robert McMurphy. WiUiam Anderson. 1791 U U George Reid. 1792 John Bell, Andrew Mack. 1793 U II George Reid. 1794 ii ii William Anderson. 1795 ii ii George Reid. 1796 li il John Ewins. 1797 Il II George Reid. 1798 li li Ebenezer Fisher. 1799 John Bell, Jr., George Reid. 1800 John Bell, Ebenezer Fisher. 1801 ii li George Reid. 1802 ii u Ebenezer Fisher. 1803 William Adams, George Reid. i APPENDIX. 353 1791, George Reid, Daniel Reynolds, Edmund Adams, John Bell, William Adams. 1792, George Reid, Daniel Reynolds, John Bell, William Adams, Thomas Patterson. 1793, James MacGregor, John Nesmith, Jr., James Choate, William Adams, Major John Pinkerton. 1794, Daniel Reynolds, George Reid, Andrew Mack, John Bell, Edward Ela. 1795, John Nesmith, Sen., William Choate, Daniel McKeen, Andrew Mack, John Ewins. 1796, John Nesmith, Sen., Daniel McKeen, Andrew Mack Edward Ela, John Ewins. 1797, John Moor, Nathaniel Nowell, John Nesmith, Andrew Mack, John Bell. 1798, John Moor, John Nesmith, Andrew Mack, John Dickey,< Robert Nesmith. 1799, John Moor, William Choate, John Nesmith, Andrew 'Mack, John Dickey. 1800, John Moor, William Choate, Andrew Mack, Robert Nesmith, John Dickey. 1801, John Moor, William Choate, Daniel McKeen, " Andrew Mack, John Dickey. 1802, James Choate, John Moor, John Pinkerton, John Fisher, William Gage. 1803, James Choate, John Moor, Daniel McKeen, John Pinker- ton, John Dickey. 1804, John Moor, Aaron Choate, John Dickey, John Pinkerton, John Fisher. 1805, John Moor, Aaron Choate, John Clark* John Dickey, John Pinkerton. 1806, Daniel McKeen, Aaron Choate, Andrew Mack, John PinkertcMi, John Fisher. 1807, Daniel McKeen, James Choate, John Nesmith, Andrew Mack, John Fisher. 1808, John Nesmith, James Choate, John Pinkerton, John dickey, John Fisher. 1809, James Choate, John Fisher, John Nesmith. 1810, John Nesmith, John Pinkerton, John Fisher. 1811, John Nesmith, James Choate, Jolyi Fisher. 1812, John Nesmith,^ Samuel Dickey, John Fisher. 1813, John Moor, Peter Patterson, Samuel Dickey. 1814, John Moor, William Adams, William Anderson, Jr. 1815, John Dickey, John Clark, Samuel Adams. 30* 354 HISTORY OF LONDONDERRT. 1816, John Dickey, John Clark, William Anderson, Jr. 1817, John Clarft:, William Choate, William Anderson, Jr. 1818, John Dickey,^illiam Choate, WiUiam Anderson, Jr. 1819, John Moor, John Fisher, John H. Miltimore. 1820, J. H. Miltimore, John Fisher, Robert Mack. 1821, William Montgomery, J. H. Miltimore, Robert Mack. 1822, William Montgomery, Robert Mack, John Holmes. 1823, Alanson Tucker, Robert Mack, William Montgomery. 1824, William Montgomery, Robert Mack, John Holmes. 1825, J. H. Miltimore, John Holmes, Jonatlian Humphrey. 1826, John Holmes, John H. Mltimore, Samuel Dickey. In Londonderry^ since the division of the town. 1827-9 inc, Robert Mack, Robert Boyd, Jr., Samuel Dickey. 1830-31, Robert Mack, Robert Boyd, Jr., Wilham Plumer. 1832, Robert Mack, William Plumer, Thomas Patterson. 1833, Thomas Patterson, Jr., David Gilcreast, Samuel Dickey. 1834, Robert Boyd, Jr., David Gilcreast, Francis Manter. 1835-6, Thomas Patterson, William Plumer, Cyrus Nesmith. 1837, Thomas Patterson, David Tenney, Cyrus Nesmith. 1838, Robert Mack, Thomas Patterson, Moriison Jackson. 1839, Robert Boyd, Jr., Morrison Jackson, Cyrus Nesmith. 1840, Robert Boyd, Jr,, Thomas Patterson, Cyrus Nesmith. 1841, Thomas Patterson, Daniel G. Coburn, Cyrus Nesmith. 1842, D. G. Coburn, Jonathan Humphrey, J. N. Anderson. 1843'-4, F. D. Anderson, David Gilcreast, Jr., Nathan Plumer. 1845-6, J. N. Anderson, Arley Plumer, Cyrus Nesmith. 1847, Josiah Sleeper, Reid P. Clark, Jonathan Young. 1848-9, Matthew Holmes, D. G. Coburn, Calvin Boyd. 1850, Robert Boyd, Jr., Aaron P. Hardy, Wilham W. Gage. In Derry, since the division of the town. 1827, James Thom, William Choate, Jr., Mark Fisk, William . Ela, Nathaniel Aiken. 1828, John H. Miltimore, Nathaniel Aiken, William Ela. 1829, Henry Taylor, James Choate, Jr., Nathaniel Aiken. 1830, Nathaniel Aiken, James Choate, Jr., William Ela. 1831, Nathaniel Aiken, William Ela, J. H. Miltimore. 1832, Nathaniel Aiken, WiUiam Ela, Perkins A. Hodge. 1833-5 inc, Nathaniel Aiken, WiUiam Ela, John Patten. 1836, James Taylor, David Clement, J. H. -Miltimore. i ^ijjl 1837, Richard Meivin, Nathaniel Aiken, John Patten. C\ .- \;^" ERRATA. Page 35, tenth line from top, for two hundred and. seventeen read three hundred and nineteen. " " eleventh line from top, for seven read thirteen. " 139, twelfth line from top, for toot read tooTc. " 156, fourteenth line from top, for acquitted read pardoned. " 210, thirteenth line from bottom, for 1733, read 1783. '• 238, fifteenth line from top, in some copies supply the word It. " 299, second line from bottom, omit the comma after Nancy. r C <4>s_ '/■ ^'^^T>4z >^^iy. Oh.,