Sketch of Dunbarton, New Hampshire Part 1

Sketch of Dunbarton, New Hampshire.

by Ella Mills.

Dunbarton is a town "set upon a hill which cannot be hid." The highest point of land is on the farm of Benjamin Lord, north of the Center, and is 779 feet above the sea level. From that spot, and from many other places nearly as high, the views of hills and mountains are beautiful and grand beyond description.

The twin Uncanoonucs are near neighbors on the south, Monadnock, farther off on the south-west, and Kearsarge twenty miles to the north west. On the northern horizon are seen Mount Washington and other peaks of the White Mountains.

The longest hill in town is the mile-long Mills hill, and midway on its slope live descendants of Thomas Mills, one of the first settlers.

Among other hills are Duncanowett, Hammond, Tenney, Grapevine, Harris, Legache, and Prospect Hills.

No rivers run through the town, but there are numerous brooks where trout fishing is pursued with more or less success.

No body of water is large enough to be called a lake, but Gorham Pond is a beautiful sheet of water and on its banks picnics are held.

Stark's and Kimball's Ponds have furnished water power for mills, the latter, owned by Willie F. Paige, is still in use. Long Pond, in the south part of the town, was the scene of a tragedy in 1879, when Moses Merrill, an officer at the State Industrial School, Manchester, was drowned in an ineffectual attempt to save an inmate of that inst.i.tution.

One portion of the south part of the town is called Skeeterboro, another Mountalona, so named by James Rogers, one of the first settlers, from the place in Ireland from whence he came.[1] East of the Center is Guinea, so called because some negroes once lived there. The village of North Dunbarton is also called Page's Corner; and not far away to the eastward is a hill known as Onestack, because one large stack of hay stood there for many years. A brook bears the same name.

Those who know Dunbarton only in the present can hardly realize that 1450 people ever lived there at one time, but that was the census in 1820. The first census, taken 1767, was 271. In 1840 it was 1067; in 1890, only 523. The last census gave about 575.

The first settlement was made in 1740[2] by James Rogers and Joseph Putney on the land known as the "Great Meadows," now owned by James M.

Bailey. They were driven away by the Indians for a time. A stone now marks the spot where stood the only apple tree spared by the Indians.

Probably the first boy born in town belonged to one of these families.

James Rogers was shot by Ebenezer Ayer, who mistook him in the dark for a bear, as he wore a bearskin coat. He was the father of Major Robert Rogers, celebrated as the leader of the ranger corps of the French and Indian wars.

About 1751 William Stinson, John Hogg, and Thomas Mills settled in the west part of the town. Sarah, daughter of Thomas Mills, was the first girl born in town. Her birthplace was a log cabin on the farm now owned by John C. and George F. Mills.

For fourteen years the town was called Starkstown in honor of Archibald Stark, one of the first land owners (though not a resident), and father of General John Stark. In 1765 the town was incorporated, and was named, with a slight change, for Dumbarton[3] in Scotland near which place Stark and other emigrants had lived.

Dunbarton was one of the towns taken from Hillsborough County to form the County of Merrimack. Its centennial was duly celebrated and attended by a vast concourse of invited guests and towns people.

A report of its proceedings was compiled by Rev. Sylva.n.u.s Hayward.

Though small in area and population, Dunbarton occupies a large place in the hearts of its sons and daughters. However dear our adopted homes may become, we still feel that "whatever skies above us rise the hills, the hills are home."

At the centennial Rev. George A. Putnam paid a glowing tribute to his native town, saying: "Dunbarton is one of the most intelligent and best educated communities in New England. I think it will be hard to find another place where, in proportion to its population, so many young men have been liberally educated and have entered some of the learned professions, where so many young men and women have become first cla.s.s teachers of common schools. My own observation has been altogether in favor of Dunbarton in this particular. And it is clear as any historic fact the superior education of Dunbarton's children has been largely due to her religious inst.i.tutions and Christian teachers."

That the town is also honored by her neighbors is shown by the following instances: Many years ago it was said that a Dartmouth student from an adjoining town, when asked from what town he came, answered: "From the town next to Dunbarton." Recently the chairman of the school board in Goffstown, in his annual report, compared the town favorably to Dunbarton with regard to the number of college graduates.

Very soon after the permanent settlement of the town, a committee was appointed to build a meeting-house at Dunbarton Center. It was finished previous to 1767, and stood in the middle of the common. Before that time it is related that "Mr. McGregor preached in the open air, on the spot now consecrated as the resting place of the dead." This first building was a low, frame structure, without pews, with seats of rough planks resting on chestnut logs, and a pulpit constructed of rough boards. It was replaced in about twenty years by the building now known as the Town House. This was used only for political purposes after the erection of the third church on the west side of the highway.

About thirty years ago the interior of the old building was greatly changed, the upper part being made into a hall while the square pews were removed from the lower part, only the high pulpit remaining. A selectmen's room was finished in one corner, and in 1892, a room for the public library. The outside remains practically unchanged.

The Rocky Hill Church at Amesbury, Ma.s.s., much like this at Dunbarton, is still used in summer only. There is no way of warming it, and people of the present day would not endure the hardships their ancestors bore without a murmur. The third church was built in 1836 on the site of a dwelling house owned by William Stark; in 1884 it was remodelled, the pews modernized and the ceiling frescoed.

The vestry formerly stood on the opposite of the common and contained two rooms; prayer meetings were held in the lower room, while up stairs was the only hall in town. There were held the singing schools, and the lyceum of long ago; also several fall terms of high schools; among the teachers were Mark Bailey, William E. Bunten, and Henry M. Putney.

More than twenty-five years ago the vestry was removed to its present location near the church and made more convenient and attractive.

For about nineteen years the church had no settled pastor. In 1789 Walter Harris was called, and was ordained August 26. He preached more than forty years. Every man in town was required to contribute to his support for a time until some of the other religious societies rebelled. The "History of Dunbarton" says: "Dr. Harris appropriated the proprietors' grant for the first settled minister, and located himself on the ministerial lot. He also, by a vote of the town, obtained the use of the parsonage lot, with an addition of seventy pounds a year, one-half to be paid in cash, the other in corn and rye." His farm was in a beautiful location south of the center, and was afterwards owned for many years by the late Deacon John Paige; it is now the property of his son, Lewis Paige.

In respect to his farm, buildings, fences, Dr. Harris was a model for the town. Two men once working for him were trying to move a heavy log.

He told them how to manage according to philosophy; finally one said: "Well, Dr. Harris, if you and your philosophy will take hold of that end of the log while Jim and I take this end, I think we can move it."

Dr. Harris was sometimes called the "Broad axe and sledge-hammer of the New Hampshire ministry." He was a man of more than ordinary intellectual endowments, and graduated from Dartmouth College with high honors. Prof. Charles G. Burnham said in his address at the Centennial: "The influence of the life and preaching of Dr. Harris is manifest today in every department of your material prosperity, as well as upon the moral and religious character of the people, and will be for generations to come."

Dr. Harris was dismissed July 7, 1830, and died December 25, 1843. His successor, Rev. John M. Putnam, was installed the day Dr. Harris was dismissed; both were remarkable extemporaneous speakers. Mr. Putnam was called one of the best platform speakers in his profession in the State.

At the close of his pastorate he went to reside with his son at Yarmouth, Maine; he died in Elyria, Ohio, in 1871. He was dismissed the day his successor, Sylva.n.u.s Hayward, was ordained. Thus for more than 77 years the church was not for one day without a settled pastor. Mr.

Hayward was born in Gilsum, N. H., and has written a history of his native town; he was dismissed April, 1866. His successors were Revs.

George I. Bard, William E. Spear, who is now a lawyer in Boston, and at present Secretary of the Spanish War Claim Commission, James Wells now deceased, Tilton C. H. Bouton, grandson of Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Bouton, for many years pastor of the North Church, Concord, N. H., George Sterling, Avery K. Gleason, and William A. Bushee. During Mr.

Bouton's pastorate a parsonage was built in the north part of the village on land given by Deacon Daniel H. Parker.

The first deacons were chosen in 1790, and were James Clement and Edward Russell. Others were Samuel Burnham, David Alexander, John Church, Matthew S. McCurdy, John Wilson, John Mills, Samuel Burnham (a namesake of the first of the name), who with Daniel H. Parker served for many years. They were succeeded by Frederic L. Ireland and Frank C.

Woodbury, the present inc.u.mbents.

Church discipline was very strict in ye olden time. What would the people of the present day think of being called to account for such a small matter as this? "A complaint was presented to the church by one brother against another for un-Christian-like behavior in suffering himself to be carried in a light and vain manner upon a man's shoulders to the length of a quarter of a mile. The church accepted the complaint, and summoned the brother before it. He appeared, confessed his fault and was pardoned."

Deacon McCurdy was noted for his strictness in keeping the Sabbath. No food could be cooked in the house on that day, and no work done at the barn except milking and feeding the stock. He once, however, mistook the day of the week, and took a grist to mill on Sunday, while his wife began the Sat.u.r.day's baking. On arriving at the mill, he, of course, found it closed, and on going to the miller's house, he learned his mistake.

He was so shocked that he would not leave his grist, but carried it back home.

The Baptist Church was organized in Mountalona in 1828. The first meeting house was built by Aaron Elliot, and Isaac Westcott was the first pastor. In the Spring of 1847 meetings were held at the Center; Rev. John W. Poland (since famous as the maker of "White Pine Compound") preached during that season. The next year a church was built.

The pastors were Revs. H. D. Hodges (who, with Rev. John Putnam, compiled a grammar), Samuel Cook, Horace Eaton, Jesse M. Coburn, Washington Coburn, John Peac.o.c.k (as a supply), Stephen Pillsbury, Timothy B. Eastman, Elias Whittemore, Samuel Woodbury, Adoniram J.

Hopkins, Dr. Lucien Hayden, J. J. Peck, Charles Willand, and the present inc.u.mbent, S. H. Buffam. This list may not be exactly correct.

At intervals no services have been held. Nathaniel Wheeler, John O.

Merrill and John Paige were deacons for many years. In 1899 the house was painted and otherwise improved.

The old house at Mountalona was used at times by the Baptists. Methodist services were also held there. It was burned about seventeen years ago.

A Universalist society was formed in 1830 by Nathan Gutterson, Joshua F. Hoyt, Silas Burnham, Alexander Gilchrist and others and services were held in the old Congregational Church. Rev. Nathan R. Wright preached here for four years and lived in a house near the late John C.

Ray's which was burned about 30 years ago. It was afterwards known as the Hope house from Samuel B. Hope, one of the owners. Mr. Wright was the father of Hon. Carroll D. Wright who was born in 1840. The family removed from town when he was three years of age.

In 1864 or 1865 Episcopal Church services were held by clergymen from St. Paul's School in school houses in the west part of the town, afterwards in the Hope house. In the summer of 1866 the corner stone of the church was laid on land given by the Misses Stark. The money to build the church was collected by their grand niece, Miss Mary Stark, a devoted churchwoman, who died in 1881. The church is a lasting memorial of her. It is a beautiful building with a seating capacity of 110. The fine chancel window was given by the father of the Rector of St. Paul's School. The church was consecrated in 1868, and named the Church of St.

John the Evangelist. For about fourteen years the services were in charge of Rev. Joseph H. Coit, the present rector of St. Paul's School.

He was succeeded by Rev. Edward M. Parker, a master of the school, who with the a.s.sistance of Mr. William W. Flint, lay preacher, holds services in Dunbarton and East Weare. In 1890 the church was taken down and re-erected in North Dunbarton on land given by David Sargent south of the school-house, in front of a beautiful pine grove. A service of re-dedication was held December 15, 1890. Frank B. Mills was organist and leader of the singing with only a short interval until his removal from town in 1895. The organist at the present time is Miss Sara E.

Perkins.

After the removal of the church, a bra.s.s tablet in memory of the Misses Harriet and Charlotte Stark was placed therein by Rev. Joseph H. Coit.

Dunbarton has had many fine musicians within her borders. Col. Samuel B. Hammond led the singing in the Congregational Church for a long term of years, resigning in 1875. The choir was formerly large and numbered among its members Mrs. Elizabeth (Whipple) Brown, her daughter, Mrs.

Agnes French, Olive Caldwell, now Mrs. Morrill of Minnesota, the daughters of the late Deacon Parker, Mrs. Harris Wilson, Nathaniel T.

Safford, William S. Twiss, and others.

Before the advent of the cabinet organ instrumental music was furnished by a double ba.s.s viol played by Harris Wilson, a single ba.s.s-viol played by Eben Kimball, a melodeon played by Andrew Twiss, and one or two violins. When the church was remodeled the organ and choir were removed from the gallery to a place beside the pulpit. Mrs. Mary (Wilson) Bunten is now organist. For several years a quartette, consisting of William S. Twiss, Frank B. Mills, Horace Caldwell, and Frederic L. Ireland sang most acceptably on many occasions, especially furnishing appropriate music at funerals, until the removal from town of Mr. Twiss in 1884.

At various times singing schools were taught by Eben Kimball, Joseph C. Cram of Deerfield, "Uncle Ben" Davis of Concord, and at Page's Corner, by Frank B. Mills.

The first School houses in town were few and far between, with no free transportation as practiced at the present time.

Hon. Albert S. Batch.e.l.lor, of Littleton, in searching the columns of a file of old newspapers recently, came across the following which will be of interest to Dunbarton people: