152 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



think that in the midst oi' the convulsions which 

 distort the mortal frame, the mind, reconciled to 

 death in the Divine assurances, often realizes a 

 tranquilitj unknown to those who have not yet ar- 

 rived at the same condition. In the midst rjf the 

 cares of this world it shduld be the principal busi- 

 ness of life to make ail tliese cares subservient to 

 the welfare of the soul in a more permanent future 

 state; and to this end let the prayer of every im- 

 mortal mind to its Maker and Creator, when the 

 perishing body which is its present abode daily lies 

 down and rises up, be — 



"Teach me to live that I may dread 



The grave as little as my bed ; 



Teach me to die, that so I may 



Triumphant rise at the last day." 



Notice of the ToAvn of Lancaster in New 

 H;iinpshire. 



By Hon. John W. Weeks. 



Connecticut River, meaning in the Indian lan- 

 guage, "the stream of many waters," passes the 

 forty fourth degree and thirty minutes of North 

 Latitude and fifth degree and twenty eight min- 

 utes East Longitude in a south westerly direction, 

 being the north westerly boundary of the town of 

 Lancaster, ten miles, exclusive of its windings, 

 which are so remarkable that the country adjacent 

 obtained from the Aborigines the name of Coos, 

 which in this language signified crooked, and 

 known to the early hunters as tlze Upper Coos, to 

 distinguish it from Haverhill and Newbury, whicli 

 was also for a like reason called Coos by the na- 

 tives, and by the hunters the Lower Coos. Cole- 

 brook has recently received, on the authority of 

 friend Carrigain, the appellation of "Coos above 

 the upper Coos." 



Lancaster derived its name from a town of Mas- 

 sachusetts; it is delightfully located, the hills re- 

 ceding somewhat like an amphitheatre. Most of its 

 lands arc of excellent qualit}' — its alluvials stretch- 

 ing nearly its whole length, and averaging about 

 one mile in width. Israel's river rushes lumultu- 

 ously westward, furnishing power for mills and 

 machinery, to a great extent, near the centre of the 

 town, where its waters become comparatively 

 tranquil and gently meander a long distance, 

 through a most fertile soil, uiitil they mingle with 

 the more turbid Connecticut. 



Lancaster was incorporated on the 5th of July, 

 1763, and owes its early settlement, like many oth- 

 er events in the world, to passion. David Page 

 Esq., grand uncle of our present Governor, dissat- 

 isfied with the division of the rights in Haverhill, 

 and having been advised of the extent and fertili- 

 ty of our " Mt adows" by some of the survivors of 

 that party of Rogers' Rangeis, who, after the de- 

 struction of the village of St. Francois, reached 

 and passed down the waters of the Connecticut, 

 being a man of great resolution, resolved to pene- 

 trate at once to the Upper Coos. With this view 

 in the autumn of 1763, he sent his son David Page 

 Jun., and Emmons Stockwell, to build a camp, and 

 winter in Lancaster. They unfortunately erected 

 their habitation on the meadow, from which tlu-y 

 were driven the next Match by the overilowing of 

 the Connecticut river. In the year 1764, David 

 Page, Esq. (called by the settlers Gov. Page) witli 

 his large family "moved" to Lancaster, fullowed 

 by several young men, eager to improve, or rather 

 make their fortune. The best tracts of land were 

 immediately occupied, and were so produc- 

 tive that, for many years, manure was considerud 

 unnecessary, and was actually thrown over banks 

 and into hollows, where if would be modt out of 

 the way. At this period there was no selllement 

 between Haverhilland Lancaster, and but very few 

 north of No. 4, (now Cluirlestown.) There being 

 no roads, the settlers suffered inconceivable hard- 

 ships in transporting their necessaries, fewas they 

 were, being obliged to navigate their log canoes up 

 and down the "fifteen mile falls," now known tu 

 be twenty miles in lengtli, witli a descent of more 

 than three hundred feet ; and in winter to pass the 

 same dangerous rapids in sleigiis and with ox- 

 teams, frequently falling through the ice, and 

 sometimes never rising above it. High water to 

 descend, and low water to ascend, wrre thought 

 the most favorable times, the canoes^ being drawn 

 up by ropes ; but when descending, one man stood 

 in the bow with a pole to guard from rock to rock, 

 while another sat in the stern to steer with his 

 paddle. In this manner the wife of Governor 

 page, when corpulent and infirm, was carried in 

 safety to her friends "below." Her boatmen were 

 |jer son David, and Emmons Stockwell who had 

 married one of her daughters, men of great muscu- 



* Canoe is the Indian name for boa I — pronounted Kah- 

 sn«, wiih the accent on tlm £r9t_syl!able. 



lar power and of Roman resolution, equally perse- 

 vering and collected, whether carrying packs of 

 niuetj pounds, or swimming in the foaming surge. 

 They afterwards commanded couipanies oi militia, 

 acquired lartje estates, and leit many descendants, 

 who, we hope, will emulate their example and 

 transcend their usefulness. Edwards Bucknani,a 

 young follower of Gov. Page, soon married one of 

 his daughters, and settled at the moutli of Beaver 

 brook; his Jautrhter Eunice was the first white 

 child born in Lancaster in 17G7. He was a man of 

 unbounded hospitality and useftilness, was a dead 

 shot with bis " smooth bore," could draw teeth, 

 "let blood,' perform the duties of priest in marry- 

 ing, was one of the most skilful and accurate sur- 

 veyors in the State, was proprietors' and town 

 clerk, (his house and records were destroyed by 

 fire in the year 17r'J;) afterwar^d was General of 

 the Militia i became regardless of property, and di- 

 ed poor. 



The first town meeting was held on tlie llth of 

 March 1769. 



The first mill was operated by horse power, but 

 80 illy constructed, that it was little better than 

 the large mortar and pestle attached to a pole, 

 which was used by many. A " water mill"' was e- 

 rected, and soon after burnt ; another, and another, 

 met the same fate. These disasters, with the rev- 

 olutionary war, reduced the settlers to extreme 

 distress. New'comb Blodgett (who is now living) 

 and some others being captured by tlie Indians and 

 carried to Canada, led to the determination of a- 

 bandoning the country; and for this purpose the 

 settlers collected at the house of Emmons Stock- 

 well, whose resolution never forsook him, even for 

 a moment. "My family, "(said he, "and I shan't 

 go." This remark changed the opinion of several 

 families who remained, yet with but very few ac- 

 cessions to the end of the great and glorious strug- 

 gle. 



On the 7th of January 1776, Jesepli Whipple 

 was chosen to represent the towns of Lancaster, 

 Northumberland, Dartmouth (now Jefferson) Ap- 

 thorp, (merged in other towns) and Stratford. 

 Voted to give their representatives " instructions 

 from time to time." At a subsequent meeting, Jo- 

 seph Whipple was again elected to the same of- 

 fice ;— a vote of thanks passed for his past services, 

 snd a committee of five was chosen to give him in- 

 structions for the future. Thus was the right of 

 instruction established to govern the first represen- 

 tative; may God grant that that right may nev- 

 er be subverted. Near and soon after the close of 

 the war, several families, who had lost much of 

 their property during the conflict, migrated to Lan- 

 caster. Maj. Jonas Wilder, with a lari.ie and highly 

 respectable family, was of the number. He built a 

 "grist and sawmill." In May 17(^7, Capt. John 

 Wteks, for alike reason, came to this town, bring- 

 ing his eldest daughter and son, (the writer of this 

 article, then six years of age) with him ; they rode 

 on two horses, Vv'ith bed and other fiirnilure appen- 

 ded. The best of mothers and the other children 

 fullowed the next October ; and the pleasure of 

 meeting, in a neat log house, surrounded within a 

 few rods by the dense and sturdy forest, will be a- 

 mong the last of our recollections. The town had 

 now acquired the very respectable number of 

 twenty-four families, exclusive of several young 

 men. Our forests abounded with moose : our 

 rivers with trout, salmon, and various other kinds 

 offish — articles essential to even the existence of 

 the settlers. 



Nothing can exceed the symmetry ar.d beauty 

 of the limbs and horns of the moose; the round 

 part, or that next the head, is about fourteen inch- 

 es in length, where it becomes palmated, and is, in 

 some instances twelve inches broad, surmounted 

 in one instance (seen by Edward Spaulding now 

 living) by seventeen spikes on each horn. One, 

 now before me, is one inch and a half in diameter 

 at the base, and eight inches in length, termina- 

 ting in a point. The largest class of horns spread 

 five feet, and wcinii about one hundred pounds. 

 Yet ihis enormous proportion of horn is of unusual 

 growtli, being moulted every February- Even at 

 this early period, c^rs were used for the trunsporta 

 tiou of baggage ; not c<instructed however, precise 

 ly like those now employed on our rail-roads, as 

 they were compo."!ed of two poles, one end of each 

 restmg on the ground, the other ends passing 

 through the stirrups of a taddle, witii two trans- 

 verse sticks behind ihe horse, on which rested tlie 

 load, and to one of which the whipple-tree was at- 

 tached. Capt. John Weeks, as delegate from the 

 upper Coos, on the 21st of June 17t.S, attended tlie 

 Convention for ratifying the Federal constitution, 

 and was one of the fiity-seven, who voted in the af- 

 firmative against forty-six negative voters. He 

 was in favor of giving even more powfr to tlie 



Federal compact, and being an honest man (though 

 deceived in this instance) he through life acted 

 with the Federal party. He lived to liis seventi- 

 eth year, and probably never saw a moment when 

 he would not divide the last dollar of his property 

 witli him who was in greater need. Of course he 

 early became poor, and cheerfully maintained that 

 condition through life. 



New Hampshire was the ninth state adopting ; 

 consequently, every consideration witliin the reach 

 of man was put in requisition during the delibera- 

 tions of the Convention. And now, in the year 

 It;30, we have more fear of consolidation than all 

 other evils that can assail our unparalleled happi- 

 ness and prosperity. At the March meeting in 

 ]7c^i), twenty votes were cast for State ofiicers ; 

 and even this small number were divided by im- 

 portant political considerations; twelve friends to 

 popular rights however prevailed. And we have 

 reason to believe, that, al the remote period, when 

 the other sections of our country shall have sunk 

 below the standard of civil and religious right, tho 

 bracing atmosphere of the White Mountains will 

 keep our inhabitants true to themselves, their 

 country, and their God. In 1791, the town vo- 

 ted "to build a Meeting House," and chose a com- 

 mittee of five to fix the site and superintend the 

 building. It was large, i^nd many years elapsed 

 before it was finished. A congregational church 

 of twenty-four persons was gathered on the 17th 

 of July 17!M ; and on the 16th of the following 

 September, the Rev. Joseph WiUard was in^alled. 

 He being the first settled minister, was entitled to 

 the right of land (over 300 acres) voted by the o- 

 rio-inal proprietors. The town agreed to give him 

 fitty pounds per annum, and that his salary should 

 rise, in the ratio of the inventory, to eighty pounds 

 annually. He continued with the people of his 

 charge, until the 16th of October 1822. Some few 

 persons, being inclined to what would now be cal- 

 led Burchardism, desired more fire in their wor- 

 siiip ■- on learning that fact, tlie venerable Parson 

 requested a dismission, which was granted on the 

 above mentioned day. He afterwards preached in 

 other towns, and was hired by his old congregation 

 two years. He died July i22d, l&i6, aged sixty- 

 six. * Mr. Willard served in the revolutionary ar- 

 my, and retained through life an elegant military 

 figure and step. His sermons were written in a 

 plain, easy, chaste style, sound in doctrine, yet lib- 

 eral, as was his wlio'le life and conversation. The 

 church and congregation soon became much divided, 

 which unhappily continues to be their stfite; and 

 probably nothing short of a power like "a rushing 

 mighty wind" will heal their dissentions and con- 

 centrate their efforts and affections. 



Richard C. Everett, the fir?t lawyer, settled in 

 town in the year 1793. He enlisted into the army 

 at the age of fourteen, served through the war, ob- 

 tained by his own efforts a collegiate education, . 

 studied law, became a district judge; possessed a 

 strong mind, was a man of honor and njuch respec- 

 ted, and died on the :22d of March, in the year 1615, 

 aged fifty one years. 



A slow yet regular and healthy progress has 

 been made in the settlement and improvement of 

 the town, from 17lr!7 to the present time ; nothing 

 extraordinary occurring except the envenomed 

 violence of party strife, during the embargo, non- 

 intercourse and war. The parties being nearly e- 

 qual in numbers, and so near the northern frontiers, 

 that smuggling became the business of many of 

 one party, and a few deluded unfortunates of the 

 other, and was carried on to such a degree, that 

 patriotism was put to the most severe test. 



In the year 1613, the most malignant form of 

 !5carlatina swept from the town most of our aged 

 people, the infirm in younger life, and sume whose 

 hardy constitutions almost bid defiance to disease 

 and deatli. Pulmonary diseases here, as in other 

 parts of New England, have ever been active and 

 relentless, alike destroying beauty, laying the 

 miglity low, and sending piety on high. Fevers 

 are comparatively rare. Dyspepsia, with its lan- 

 guid and downcast look, is beginning to make ita 

 appearance among us; but as farming and gym- 

 nastic exercises are becoming again fashionable, it 

 is hoped that disorder will soon be as little known 

 as it was among our fathers. The altitude of Lan- 

 caster, being about eight hundred feet above tide 

 water, its proximity to the White Mountains, and 

 high kititude, render some of its seasons too cold 

 for maize ; the mean temperature of the atmosphere 

 through the year 1838, as indicated by Montan- 

 don's thermometer, which nearly agrees with Fah- 

 renheit was 361-2 degrees above zero, yet out of 

 fifty two years past, that crop has wholly failed on- 

 ly three times. Wheat is very sure when sown 

 late on ground well prepared, producing in very 

 few instances forty bushels to the acre, and pota- 



