Major David Urch Biography from History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by MLM, Volunteer 0000130. For the current email address, please go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000130 Copyright. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************ Full copyright notice - http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm USGenWeb Archives - http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ Surname: URCH Source: History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and Representative Citizens by Charles A. Hazlett, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, Ill., 1915 Page 757 MAJOR DAVID URCH, secretary and treasurer of the New Castle Bridge Company of Portsmouth, N. H., was born in Newport, Wales, April 14, 1844. He is a son of Ephraim and Maria (Sherman) Urch, respectively natives of Glastonbury, England and Bridgewater, Eng- land. Six generations of the family on the maternal side lived in Bridge- water, Somersetshire, England. Ephraim Urch was a willow worker, making baskets and willow furniture. After his marriage he removed to Newport, Wales, where he lived until 1849. In the spring of that year he sailed for America, taking passage on the vessel that brought iron for the construction of the Concord Railroad. Locating in Ports- mouth, he engaged in the work of his trade. Also, for a number of years he was toll collector for the New Castle bridges. In 1863 he went to Chicago, and, opening a store for the sale of willow goods, resided during the rest of his life in the vicinity of the "Windy City," gaining a comfortable livelihood. His wife, who lived for several years with her daughter, Mrs. Hammond Spinney, in Eliot, Me., was a member of one of the oldest families of Bridgwater, Somersetshire, England, and was a typical English lady. She reared ten children-Mary Ann, Rosanna, Lizzie, Ephraim, Ellen, David, Abram, Henry E., John C. and George W. David Urch was four and a half years old when he came to this country, accompanying his mother. The father had left Wales the preceding spring to make a home for his family in the new country. The child had a rough passage in the sailing vessel "Abalina," and it was thirty days before the passengers were safely landed in Boston. David was reared and received his early education in Portsmouth, and finished his course of study at a college in Chicago. He became an ex- pert willow and rattan worker and assisted in the factory, and in his father's store as clerk. He had been anxious to go to the war in 1861, in Captain Side's company, with the Second New Hampshire Regiment, but his father had prevented him. The family was living in Effingham, Ill., in 1864. One day there, while returning home to dinner, Mr. Urch fell a little behind when near a railroad track that crossed the street, and a freight train separated him from the rest of the family. Jumping on one of the cars, he was taken to Mattoon, Ill., and enlisted in Com- pany C, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. This was in March, 1864, and he was one of the hundred day men. The regi- ment was sent directly to St. Louis, thence to Jefferson City. Here it was assigned garrison duty for some time, and was engaged in sup- pressing the bands of guerrillas that infested the country. Mr. Urch was honorably discharged in November, 1864. Soon after he returned to Portsmouth, where he was employed for a few months on the gov- emment works at Fort Constitution, New Castle, N. H. He then went Page 758 to Manchester, N. H., and opened a store for the sale of willow and rattan furniture, and conducted it for five years. The two years follow- ing he was in the same business in New Lenox, and then for a short time he was a resident of Portland, Me. His next venture was the open- ing of a similar store in Portsmouth, N. H., which he managed until 1876. In that year he became connected with the New Castle Bridge Company, and has since collected the tolls for them. Mr. Urch still takes an interest in his old trade of willow and rattan working, at which he is an expert. His work is all done by hand from his own designs and is of a high degree of artistic merit, commanding admiration from all who see it. Mr. Urch married Miss Ida A. Rogers of Eliot, Me., daughter of Charles W. and Mary A. Rogers. He cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. U. S. Grant, and afterward became affiliated with the Demo- cratic party. However, he has always kept in mind the idea that the highest good of the people should ever be the governing motive of all suffrage. In Portsmouth he served as alderman for three terms, was chairman of the City Democratic Committee ten years and chairman of the Democratic Committee of the ward in which he resides thirteen years. He was elected representative to the State Legislature in 1882, and during his term of service was a member of the committees on Fisheries and Game and secretary of the committee on Banking. In 1884 he was again sent to the legislature and once more served as sec- retary of the committee on Banking. He took an active part in the pro- ceedings of the house and generally made his influence felt. He takes a warm interest in educational matters and served on the Portsmouth Board of Education eight years. He is a charter member of Storer Post, No. I, G. A. R.; has passed all the chairs in New Hampshire Lodge, No. 17, I. 0. 0. F., and Strawberry Bank Encampment, No.5; is a mem- ber of Canton Centre, No. 12, of which he was the first commander; and he is a member and has served as president of the New Hampshire Mechanics' Association. In the Patriarchs Militant he has served as inspector-general, with the rank of major on the staff of General Far- rington, since the organization of the New Hampshire branch of the order. For twelve years he was an officer in the New Hampshire Na- tional Guard, and, as a member of the Head Guards of Manchester he was successively lieutenant and captain of Company C. He was after- ward made lieutenant of the Heavy Artillery of Portsmouth, and served seven or eight years as inspector-general, with rank of major, on the staff of Brigadier-General Clough. Major Urch was elected to the New Hampshire State Senate in 1900. He was Chairman of the Committee of Incorporations and was a member of some five other important com- mittees. He is at present in apparent full control of the bridge com- pany known as The Proprietors of New Castle Bridges, and he has brought it from an abandoned corporation to what it now is, maintain- ing what is said to be the finest mile of toll roadway and bridge in New England.