Charles Edward Hodgoon Biography from History of Rockingham County, NH From: Bill Prokasy - wprokasy@arches.uga.edu Surname: HODGOON Source: History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and Representative Citizens by Charles A. Hazlett, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, Ill., 1915 Page 1156 CHARLES EDWARD HODGOON is an enterprising citizen of Ports- mouth who takes a prominent part in civic affairs, and as an ice dealer car- ries on a large and prosperous business. He was born October 27, 1848, his birthplace being the farm he now owns and occupies. Mr. Hodgdon comes 0œ a race of sturdy and prosperous farmers. Nicholas Hodgdon, his first ancestor to settle in this country, came from Scotland and was granted land March 9, 1636, in Hingham, Mass., after- ward living in Newton, Mass. In 1656 he moved to Kittery, Maine, and was granted land from the town, October 15, 1656. He married, in 1639, Esther Wines; they had several children. One son, Jeremiah, born in Hingham 1643, married in 1666 Anne Thwaits and settled in Portsmouth, afterwards in New Castle, N. H. They had four children. One son, John, born in Portsmouth, N. H., was a blacksmith; married Mary Hoyt of Newington, N. H., and settled in Newington. In 1713 he signed a petition for the set- tling of a minister in Newington. They had two children, Jeremiah and John, Jr. John Hodgdon, Jr., was born in Newington in 1708; married, January 30, 1729, Mary Decker, who was born in 1711. They lived in Page 1157 Newington, where his will was written; November 2, 1782, and probated July 17, 1793. Of this union was born Benjamin Hodgdon, Sr., the next in line of descent. This gentleman added to his agricultural labors the work of carpentry. He spent his life in Newington. He signed the Revolutionary Test and served in the continental army from that town. He married a Miss Rosamond Coleman of that place. Their son Ephraim, grandfather of Charles E. Hodgdon, was of a more adventurous spirit than his prede- cessors, and moved from place to place, though always following agricul- ture as a means of earning a livelihood. He spent "the latter part of his life in Portsmouth. His wife was a Newington girl, named Abigail Thomas. Benjamin Hodgdon, son of Ephraim, was born in Newington, but passed much of his boyhood in Portsmouth. After his marriage he purchased a farm, April, 1836, on the west side of Woodbury Avenue, a place at that time well adapted to agricultural purposes, but now included within the city limits. There he passed his life, and died in his ninetieth year. His wife, Hannah Frye, a native of Portsmouth, daughter of Isaac Frye, at- tained the age of seventy-six years. Her mother's maiden name was Rebecca Foster. Isaac Frye and Rebecca Foster were members of the old families of Frye and Foster, of Salem, Mass., where they were married and afterwards moved to Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hodgdon reared four chil- dren-Lizzie H., Lydia F ., Henry C. and Charles Edward. Henry C. en- listed in 1862 in Company K, Thirteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Vol- unteer Infantry, and died in the service when only eighteen years of age, at Fort Wood, Bedloes Island, New York Harbor. Charles Edward Hodgdon, the subject of this sketch, was educated in Portsmouth, where for some. time he was a student at the Woodbury school. In early boyhood, at the age of eleven years, he left school in April, returning to school in December each year for four years, and took an active part in farm work, and his practical knowledge of agriculture grew with his growth. He succeeded his father as owner of the homestead, and has for years been engaged in general farming, displaying much enterprise and in- genuity in his methods of raising crops. As a dairyman also he has been very successful and had fonnerly a fine herd of registered Jerseys. At the age of nineteen he started in the ice business, beginning in a small way; his trade increased from year to year, so that he now has houses with a capacity of twenty-five hundred or more tons. The ice is of a fine quality, coming from a pond fed by springs, which is drained in the summer season, the ground being cultivated to keep the bed of the pond free from weeds and grass. January 4, 1876, Mr. Hodgdon was married to Martha Jane Locke, a native of Rye, N. H., who died in 1879; and on November 30, 1882, he was married to Lillie L. Robertson, who was born in Northfield, N. H., daugh- ter of Lewis and Lizzie (Carter) Robertson. (See E. S. Steam's Gene- alogical Family History of N. H., page 486.) By his second marriage he has three children-Cora E., Mildred, and Winifred. Cora E. Hodgdon married, July 14, 1904, Albert F. Witham. They have four children: Ed- ward Forest, born 1905; Pearl Eloise, born Sept. 15, 1906 ; John Hodgdon. born May 26, 1908, and Maurice Howard, born March 28, 1910. In politics Mr. Hodgdon is a republican, taking an active interest in the welfare of his native city. He was elected alderman in 1895, and reelected in 1896. In 1896 he was elected a member of the school board, which office he has held continuously to the present time. In 1909 he was elected as a Page 1158 member of the board of assessors, in which office he has also served accept- ably up to the present time. He belongs to various social and fraternal organizations, including Osgood Lodge, No.48, I. 0. 0. F., of which he has been a trustee for twenty-eight years; Strawberry Bank Encampment, No.5; Canton Senter, No.12, P. M., and Union Rebekah Lodge, No.3, of which his wife also is a member. He is also a member of St. John's Lodge, NO.1, A. F. & A. M., and is a 32d degree member of N. H. Consistory. He and his wife are members of Strawberry Bank Grange, P. of H., and Seventh Degree National Grange. He attends the Baptist church, of which his family are all members. He has been a warden for several years and treasurer for seven years. His residence is at No. 1400 Woodbury Avenue. ********************************************************************** * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * *The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.