Chapter 24 - Derry from History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire From: Laura Armetta - FURRY1000@aol.com Source: History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and Representative Citizens by Charles A. Hazlett, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, Ill., 1915 Page 283 CHAPTER XXIV DERRY Geographical-The Academies-The Banks-Derry Fair-Military Record- 150th Anniversary- The Press-Public Library-Ecclesiastical History. As the territory of Derry formed a large and important part of "Nut- field." or Old Londonderry, its history, down to the time when division became a necessity, is to be found in connection with that town. Derry was incor- porated July 2, 1827. Prior to that time the town-meetings had been held alternately at the East and West Parish Meeting-houses with equal division of the offices. It was found, however, that the large size of the town made it very inconvenient to attend the town-meetings. The East Parish therefore called for a division, the West opposed it; but after a short, sharp, but decisive, contest the New Hampshire Legislature divided the town. In the autumn of 1827 a meeting was held, officers were chosen, and the new town put upon its course. The basis of division gave to Derry three-fifths of the valuation of the old town and three-fifths of the population. The number of inhabit- ants in Derry at that time was about twenty-two hundred. The population by the 1910 census was 5,123. It is the largest town in Rockingham County. It is an hour's ride by train from Boston and many of its residents com- mute daily. The distance from Manchester is twenty minutes. There are ten trains to Boston daily, and trolley connections are with East Derry, Beaver Lake, Chester, Londonderry, Manchester, Nashua, and by the two latter points with practically all New England. The principal industry is the manufacture of shoes. For years, in fact, since the town first began to develop more than a generation ago, it has been a shoe town, known as such far and wide. At present there are five big shops with 1800 employees and nearly seven acres of floor space. There are turned out every working day more than twenty thousand pairs of shoes from the Derry Shops. Assuming that every man, woman and child gets a new pair of shoes every three months, the shops of Derry would be able to keep shod four states the size of New Hampshire. Street railway service is by the Derry and Chester Street Railway, which is one of the smallest independent railways in the country. It operates only between Derry Village, East Derry, Beaver Lake and terminates in Chester. The public school system is strictly up to state standards. The schools were among the first to be graded years ago, and the development of the system recently has been under the careful supervision of a superintendent of schools. Instead of a high school the town has Pinkerton Academy, one Page 284 of the oldest and best known private institutions of higher education in the state. While Pinkerton Academy is governed by private trustees, the town has an arrangement with the board whereby any graduate of the common schools of Derry may attend the academy just as soon as he or she would an ordinary high school. The tuition fees are paid by the town. Pinkerton Academy.-Pinkerton Academy has been in successful opera- tion since 1815, the year following its incorporation. It was named for Maj. John Pinkerton and Elder James Pinkerton, "old-time merchants of London- derry," who gave an endowment sufficient to assure the permanence of the school during the first seventy years of its existence. John M. Pinkerton, a son of one of the original founders, at his death in 1881 left a munificent bequest which became available in 1886 and enabled the trustees to increase the facilities in respect to buildings, apparatus and number of instructors, and to provide for an enlarged and advanced form of work. The Pinkerton Memorial Tablets placed in 1906 in the outer vestibule of the main building were designed by Daniel Chester French and the inscrip- tions arranged by President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard University read as follows: "In memory of Maj. John Pinkerton, 1736-1816, and Elder James Pinker- ton, 1747-1829, old-time country merchants of Londonderry, whose far- sighted beneficence in 1814 made this institution. "In memory of John Morrison Pinkerton, 1818-81, a native of London- derry, Alumnus of Yale and lawyer in Boston, whose generous bequest in 1881 strengthened the good work begun here by his uncle and father." The act of incorporation was secured by the name of the Pinkerton Academy in Londonderry. This name was afterward changed to Pinkerton Academy. The trustees named and appointed by the act of incorporation were "the Rev. William Morrison, John Pinkerton, Jr., Esquire, John Burnham, Esquire, Isaac Thorn, Esquire, Deacon James Pinkerton, Rev. Edward L. Parker, John Porter, Esquire, Alanson Tucker, Esquire, and Dr. Robert Bartley, all of said Londonderry." The first president was Elder or Deacon (for he was called by both titles) James Pinkerton, the younger of the original founders. Then followed, in 1819, Rev. Edward L. Parker, the minister of the East Parish. In 1822, Rev. Daniel Dana, then minister of the West Parish, and afterwards presi-, dent of Dartmouth College. Doctor Dana was succeeded in 1826 by Hon. William M. Richardson, of Chester, long the chief justice of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. Rev. John H. Church, D. D., of Pelham, became president in 1838, and Rev. Edward L. Parker, the second time, in 1840. On the decease of Mr. Parker; in 1850, John Porter, Esq., of Derry, "an eminent jurist," was chosen his successor. In 1858, Samuel R. Taylor, LL. D., of Andover, Mass.; in 1871, John M. Pinkerton, Esq., of Boston; and in 1881, Rev. Ebenezer G. Parsons, of Derry, were successively elected to the office on the demise of their predecessors. The first preceptor was Samuel Burnham, Esq., who had been teacher of Page 285 a classical school many years in the Upper or East Village. Mr. Burnham resigned in 1818. Mr. Weston B. Adams was preceptor one year, and was followed by the most renowned of the teachers who have successively filled this chair, Abel Fletcher Hildreth. Mr. Hildreth was born in 1793, fitted for college at Phillips' Exeter Academy, and graduated at Harvard in 1818. He entered upon his duties as preceptor of the academy in October, 1819, and resigned in 1846. He died in Somerville, Mass., October 6, 1864, aged seventy-one years. Space is not allowed to give the honored names of gentlemen who have successively and nobly filled the offices of president, trustees and preceptor in this school, nor of the long list of students who have received their earlier education here. Several thousands is their number. Very many of them have been greatly useful in the different walks of life; a large proportion of them have been eminent in the professions or pursuits in which they have engaged. One hundred and thirty of them are included in the roll of honor reported at the semi-centennial anniversary, which gives the names of former members of the school who served in the late war, and of whom many laid down their lives for their country. Pinkerton Academy was originally a mixed school. This arrangement continued until the opening of the Adams Female Academy in the Upper Vil- lage, now East Derry. It was then changed into a boys' school, and remained such till 1853, when it was again opened to both sexes. The semi-centennial anniversary of this institution was celebrated Sep- tember 12, 1866, by special services commemorative of its founding, history, and influence. The citizens of Derry and Londonderry engaged in it with zeal. A great crowd of the members and friends were present, including a number of those who were members of the school in its earliest years. In 1881 a princely bequest of $200,000 was made to the funds of the academy by John Morrison Pinkerton, Esq., of Boston, son of the younger of the original founders, a trustee since 1850, and president from 1871 until his death. The academy has had a long and honorable record as a college prepara- tory school. It sends yearly a large number of its graduates directly to posi- tions of usefulness in the world. In September, 1909, several new courses have been added and old ones strengthened. While continuing to fit for any college, the academy now attempts to serve as well the needs of those pupils who cannot go to college by providing courses intimately related with the life of the home, the farm, the office and the shop. However, the necessity for a broad, general education is not forgotten in this more specialized work. The academy is not, and never will be, a trade school. Equal opportunities are provided for all students in the pursuit of knowledge of an essentially cultural nature, such as Latin, English literature, history and modern languages. As set forth in the act of incorporation, the academy was established "for the purpose of promoting piety and virtue and for the education of the youth in the liberal arts and sciences of languages." While it is not sectarian, it is truly Christian. It is not forgotten that character is more than scholarship, that "life is the highest of arts," that education means knowing how to live so Page 286 as not to fail of life's great end. Daily chapel exercises are so conducted as to furnish an incentive to scholarly ideals, true manliness and to purity of character. The present trustees are: Rev. Robert W. Haskins, Reading, Mass.; Rev. John P. Newell, Litchfield; George L. Clark, Esq., Worcester, Mass.; John C. Chase, Esq., Derry; Frank N. Parsons, LL. D., Franklin; Greenleaf K. Bartlett, Esq., Boston, Mass. ; Perley L. Horne, A. M., Honolulu, T. H.; Rev. .Charles L. Merriam, Newton, Mass.; Charles W. Abbott Esq., Derry. Officers: Rev. John P. Newell, president; John C. Chase, secretary; Fred- erick J. Shepard, treasurer. John J., Marrinan, B. S., principal; George W. Bingham, A. M., principal emeritus. The library is given more than the usual prominence in the school plan. It has been brought to a high state of efficiency as a working library, numbering over six thousand volumes of reference materials and general literature, to which additions are made systematically according to the needs of the school. It is kept open a large part of each day, and constant recourse is had to its shelves in every department of work. Under the instructor in charge, not only is reading encouraged, but direction and instruction are given in the right use of books. The library room, large and well lighted, has recently gained in attractiveness, together with the other rooms of the building, by numerous accessions in art, reproductions of famous paintings and casts from the antique. The main building was opened for school use September 5, 1887. Its arrangements for lighting, heating and ventilation are first class and no pains are spared to secure the safety, convenience, health and comfort of students and teachers. In this building are the chapel, library, laboratories, office and five large, well-lighted and well-furnished recitation rooms. The basement contains the lavatories, coat rooms, heating apparatus, storage room and work- shop. The old building, dating back to 1815, having been repaired and re-ar- ranged, is now devoted to the departments of domestic science and agriculture. In Hildreth Hall, non-resident students are domiciled under the immediate charge of one of the faculty. It is named for Abel F. Hildreth, preceptor of the school from 1819 to 1846, a man of strong Christian character, who con- tributed much to the earlier successes of the school. Two hundred and eleven students were enrolled in 1913. Adams Female Academy.-This is the first academy in New Hampshire that received incorporation from the Legislature as an institution for the education of young ladies alone. They had been allowed the privileges of the Pinkerton Academy for a few years after its establishment, but when a change was made allowing only males to attend the school the citizens thought best to have an academy where their daughters as well could get a suitable educa- tion. Hence the origin of the Adams Female Academy. A classical school had been taught for several years previous in a building erected about 1793, on the East Parish Meeting-house common, near the cemetery.The first teacher in this school was Z. S. Moor, subsequently president of Williams and Amherst colleges. His successor was Samuel Burnham, a noted teacher in his day, who held the position more than twenty years. In 1814 a new and larger academy was built on the site of the old one, then gone to decay. Page 287 In 1823, upon receiving a bequest of $4,000 from the estate of Jacob Adams, the school was incorporated by the name of the "Adams Female Academy." The next year it went into operation under charge of Miss Zilpah P. Grant, assisted by Miss Mary Lyon. After three years' continuance with the school, during which it enjoyed great prosperity, they resigned. Follow- ing are the names of the successive teachers: Charles P. Gale, ten years; John Kelley, three years; Miss Laura W. Dwight, three years. In the winter of 1841-2 extensive repairs were made upon the building. The next teacher was Edward P. Parker, who had charge of the school four years. He was suc- ceeded by Miss Mary E. Taylor, afterwards the wife of Governor H. Fair- banks, of Vermont; Rev. E. T. Rowe, Henry S. Parker, N. E. Gage, Miss E. C. Bubier, A. J. Marshall, Jennie M. Bartlett and Mary A. Hoyt. In 1860, Miss Emma L. Taylor took charge. of the school. She held the position seventeen years and was succeeded by Miss E. F. Billings, Miss Carrie Clark and Mrs. David S. Clark. The academy celebrated its semi-centennial on July I, 1873. The academy is leased by the town of Derry for one of its district grammar schools. The building remains unchanged in outside appear- ance and the inside is practically the same as it has always been. BANKS In 1829 a bank was incorporated in the town by the name of Derry Bank. Alanson Tucker was chosen president, and James Thorn, cashier. They were chiefly instrumental in its organization, and held their positions respectively as president and cashier until the expiration of the charter in 1849. Mr. Tucker was born in Bridgewater, Mass., January 25,1777, and died at Derry, June 16, 1863. He was for about seventeen years a successful merchant in Boston, Mass. He retired from business at middle life, came to Derry, then London- derry, with an ample fortune, and purchased the historic Livermore-Prentice- Derby estate, upon which he resided for a time. Subsequently he built the large mansion where he passed the closing years of his life. James Thorn, born in Londonderry, August 14, 1785, was the son of Doctor Isaac and Persis (Sargent) Thorn. He graduated at Dartmouth in 1805, studied law, and prac- ticed his profession in his native town until chosen cashier of the bank. He served as captain for a short time of a company during the last war with England. He possessed fine conversational powers, a social disposition, and had large influence in town. He died November 27,1852. Derry National Bank was chartered in 1864 with $60,000 capital. The first cashier was David Currier, from Chester, N. H., who was succeeded by his son, George C. Currier, John P. Newell, and Fred Johnston Shepard. The present officers are: F. J. Shepard, president; J. B. Bartlett, cashier. Direc- tors: F. J. Sheppard, J. B. Bartlett,V. H. Moody, H. Alexander, G. K. Bart- lett,W. H. Benson and Chas. Bartlett. The surplus and profits, $15,870 and deposits, $265,770. The First National Bank was established in 1906. Its capital is $25,000, surplus and profits $4,100 and deposits $63,460. President, F. N. Young; cashier, J. H. Weston; directors, C. G. Emerson, L. M. Packer, J. G. Mac,. Murphy, E. N. Whitney, F. N. Young and E. L. Davis. Page 288 Derry Savings Bank was incorporated in 1903. It has total resources of $142,252. Volney H. Moody is president and F. J. Sheppard, treasurer. The Nutfield Savings Bank was incorporated in 1905. It has total resources of $73,464. John C. Chase is president and J. G. Mac Murphy is treasurer. Cemetery.-The old part is on land laid out to Rev. James McGregore, It was the first land in the old town used for burial purposes, and has date very near the first settlement. There were deaths shortly after the settlers set foot upon the soil, and nothing is known of other places of burial. Three additions have been made, one in 1826 and another about 1845, and in 1852 a cemetery association was formed, and land purchased on the western side of the old yard. The new part occupies all the ground between the resting-place of the fathers and the highway. No more beautiful repose for the dead can anywhere be found. All that art, money, and taste can command has been summoned to the task of fitting a place "Where the long concourse from the neighboring town, With funeral pace, and slow, can enter in, To lay the loved in tranquil silence down, No more to suffer, and no more to sin." It is, however, to the middle part of this cemetery that the steps of the antiquary are directed. Here he will find much to gratify his taste and stimu- late his peculiar lines of thought. The curiously-carved stones with the quaint inscriptions carry him back to the "good old times" so much celebrated in story and in song. Let us pause for a moment at the grave of John Wight, whose wit and skill as a maker of headstones for his contemporaries have survived the rough discipline of one hundred and seven years. His stone, a single one, with two heads for man and wife, with a dividing line down the middle, evidently the work of his own hands, stands very near the entrance of the cemetery, "Here lies the body of John Wight, who died December 3. 1775, aged seventy-two years." He lived on what is now the Thomas Bradford place, where he plied his calling as a gravestone cutter. The traditions of the town delight to recall the sharp repartee he made to Dr. Matthew Thornton a few months after the doctor came to Londonderry. It is well known that Thomton had an endowment of wit that often cropped out. Riding up one morning on horseback to the shop of Wight, who was busily engaged on a stone, the doctor accosted him, "Good-morning, Mr. Wight, I suppose you quarry out your headstones, and finish them so far as to cut the words 'In memory of,' and then wait till some one dies, when you complete it with the appropriate name." "Well," replied Wight, "that used to be me practis till one Doctor Thornton come to town, but now when I hear that he has called upon anyone I just keep right on." Many of the grantees of the town are buried in this cemetery , and the first six ministers of the East Parish lie among the people to whom they ministered. Rev. David McGregor, the first minister of the West Parish, found also his last resting-place here. Very few of the stones furnish any history of the sleepers who lie beneath. The inscription on the stone placed to the memory of the wife of John Barr very nearly fixes the date of the emigration of the Barr family: "Here lies the body of Jean Page 289 Barr, who died November 11, 1737, in the sixty-sixth year of her age who lived seventeen years in this land." On the east side of the old part of the cemetery is a stone inscribed as follows : "Here lyeth the Body of the Revend Mr. James Morton Minister of Glasgows daughter Grizel. She died June 22, 1746." Postoffices.-The first postoffice was established September 30, 1795, and Dr. Isaac Thorn appointed postmaster. He kept the office in the house taken down by Hon. William H. Shepard, at the time he built his house; February 20, 1817, the office was removed to Derry Lower Village, on the turnpike and Daniel Wiltmore was appointed postmaster. Postoffice at Derry Depot.-The first postoffice "set up" at this place was on the 18th of September, 1854, Samuel H. Quincy, postmaster. The office was discontinued February 6, 1855, but restored November 5, 1860, and the Hon. James Priest appointed postmaster. He kept the office at the depot of the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad. July 21,1869, it was removed across the road to the store of Henry E. Eastman, who was postmaster until the appointment of George S. Rollins, June 2, 1876. East Derry Postoffice.-This office was established, and Frank W. Parker appointed postmaster, April 7, 1870. Derry Fair.-This in its day was a matter of great importance to the people, and until it fell into abuse was of much service before stores had been "set up" for the public accommodation. It had its origin in the charter, which granted the "privilege every Wednesday in the week forever to enjoy a market for the selling and buying of goods, etc." Also two fairs annually, one in the spring and the other in the autumn. It does not appear that much account was ever made of these privileges except the last, which was held on the 8th day of October annually, unless that day fell on Sunday, in which case the fair began on Monday, the 9th. Many are the sayings and doings told of Derry Fair. Beside the usual accompaniments of such gatherings, horse-racing was the favorite pastime. The fair was continued until about 1834 or 1835, when it was transferred to the tavern stand of Capt. Reuben White, in the north part of Londonderry , he claiming a right to hold a fair under the pro- visions of the charter. Nothing but evil resulting from it, the citizens of Lon- donderry procured a repeal of that part of the town's charter relating to the matter, and "Derry Fair" passed into history. Derry East Village.-This place, for many years the most important part of the old township. has never lost the beauty of its immediate situation or its surroundings, a]though business has sought more convenient localities. From here the eye takes in a prospect that won the admiration of General Lafayette at his visit in 1824. The view extends from Kearsarge on the north, and sweeping over the valley of the Merrimac, includes the lesser summits of the Page 290 Unconoonocks in Goffstown, the historic Jo English hill in New Boston, and the loftier heights of the Temple and Peter borough Mountains, to the Wachu- sett, in Massachusetts, on the south. It is here we find the town hall, the Taylor Library, the first church on the hill; arid the burial-place of the old and later generations; and around here cluster many of the memories and tradi- tions of the fathers. The beauty of the place and the high character of the people invite the stranger from abroad during the summer months. Derry Village.- There were but few houses in this village prior to the incorporation of the Londonderry turnpike in 1804, and but little business was transacted. The turnpike was built soon after the charter was granted, and immediately thereafter stores were erected and various kinds of business gravi- tated there, so that in a few years the village became a center of considerable importance. Jonathan Bell, son of Hon. John Bell, had some years before kept a store in a building which then stood in front of the Thornton house. In 1806 James and Peter Patterson, of the West Parish, built a store in which they traded a few years. They were succeeded by Peter Patterson and Capt. William Choate, and then again by the Nesmiths-Thomas, John and Colonel James. This store was the residence of Mrs. William Butterfield. No store in its day was better known that that of Adams & Redfield, built about 1810. A very large and profitable trade was carried on by them for several years. As an illustration how modern ways have supplanted the old, it may be stated that all of their heavy goods, such as salt, molasses and rum, were brought from Boston to Lowell by way of the Middlesex Canal, and thence up the Merrimac River by boat to a landing below Thornton's Ferry, and thence across the sands and through the woods of Litchfield ten miles to the store. Col. Samuel Adams was a man of note in his day. He was born in Newbury, Mass., April 2, 1779, came to Londonderry with his father when quite young, and died there September 12, 1861. The village has always enjoyed the services of the physician and the lawyer. In the past generations Dr. Matthew Thornton, a hundred years gone by, and in later years Dr. Luther V. Bell held high prominence. Dr. James H. Crombie and Dr. David S. Clark are now in successful practice. Hon. John Porter, born in Bridgewater, Mass., Feb- ruary 26, 1776, a graduate of Dartmouth in 1803, a resident of Derry from 1806 till his death, December 4, 1857, held high rank as a counselor-at-law. He was many years a member of the House of Representatives, and in 1827-8 he served on the commission that revised the laws of New Hampshire. Hon. David A. Gregg, nearly a lifelong resident of the village, was held in high esteem as a lawyer and a citizen. Derry Depot.-Before the construction of the Londonderry turnpike the business center of the town was on the hill in the East Parish. There were the leading hotels and stores, and there the postoffice. If any of the townspeople were unfortunate enough to need a physician; a lawyer, or a sheriff, all these were to be found within the limits of what is now East Derry Village. But the turnpike changed all this, and the lower village became the center. In like manner measurably has business been diverted to Derry Depot by the building of the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad, which opened November 13, 1849. The land occupied by the western part of the village was laid out in 1722 "to John McClurg, Elizabeth Wilson, and Mary, her daughter" ; Page 291 other portions to William Ayres, James Alexander, and John Goffe. At the time the railroad went into operation there was but one house between the dwelling of Alfred Boyd, on the east, and that of Jonathan (now John) Holmes, on the west, near the brook. In due time after the cars commenced running, Benjamin Eastman, a resi- dent of East Derry, and a man of remarkable capacity for business, erected a hotel and the large store of L. H. & W. S. Pillsbury, which were destroyed by fire, August 19, 1882. Mr. Eastman also built the extensive shoe manu- factory of Col. W. S. Pillsbury. August 19, 1882, a fire in the heart of the village destroyed property to the amount of about seventy-five thousand dollars. The buildings burned were the hotel of A. B. Smith, in which the fire began, the store owned by. A. P. Hardy and W. S. Pillsbury, the store of Smith & Rollins, the depot of the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad, and several other places of business. Several houses were burned, and fourteen families made homeless. The Milk Business.-This is carried on by H. P. Hood & Sons, is extensive, and is the source of much prosperity to Derry , Londonderry , and Windham. MILITARY Mexican War.-There were two Derry men in this war: John G. Bond and Hiram Rowell. The former, whose health was broken down in the service died at Concord, N. H., in 1876. Derry in the Rebellion, 1861-65.-This town, like most New Hampshire towns, promptly responded to the call of the United States Government for troops, and all through the unhappy contest contributed its full share of means and men. The first year of the war about thirty men volunteered in the service of the United States. In August 1862, the town sent ten men, paying each $200 bounty. Under the draft of August 11, 1863, Derry paid each of the drafted men $300. October 17, 1863, twenty-two men were enlisted, costing the town $13,276. February, 1864, thirteen volunteers were paid $2,502, and three were drafted, who received $900. July 18, 1864, nineteen three years men were "put in," at the cost of $11,400, one two years man, $600, and thirteen one year men, at an expense of $6,000. December 19, 1864, the town paid $7,350 for seventeen enlisted men, making in all 114 men, at the aggre- gate cost of $48,828. Roll of men who enlisted: In the First Regiment New Hampshire Volun- teer Infantry, three months men, Colonel Tappan, were Melvin Chase and Frank A. Flint, who were mustered in May 2, 1861, and mustered out August 9, 1861; Marlan P. Clark and William J. Bassett, mustered in May 3,1861, and out August 9, 1861. Fourth Regiment, Col.. Louis Bell: Nathaniel H. Brown, captain, com- missioned September 20, 1861; resigned October 6, 1862. John Christie, George W. Carr, Albion K. Goodwin, George S. Greenough, Joseph Johnson, Louis Londean, Horace Tilton, Horace F. Abbott, Joseph Anderson, Patrick Colbert, Thomas Grimes, James Kane, John G. Oates, Robert Wellington, John S. I.,0vering, Charles M. Ordway, and George E. Fitch, captured at Drury's Bluff, May 16, 1864; A. D. W. Emerson. Page 292 Fifth Regiment, Colonel Cross: William W. Cook, major, commissioned September 24, 1861; resigned July 17, 1862. Edwin Brickett, died of disease June 2, 1864. Isaac L. Gardner, wounded June 17, 1864. John Otto. Nehe- miah Robinson, wounded June 3, 1864. Sixth Regiment, Colonel Griffin: Isaiah A. Dustin, honorably discharged May 17, 1864. George E. Upton, first lieutenant, killed near Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864. Charles Bodwell. Benjamin D. Foster, killed at Bull Run, Va., August 29, 1862. Issachar O. Foster, wounded June 24, 1864. Dwight E. Hale, Charles Black, Daniel Drew, John W. Law, Charles Miller, and James Flanders. Seventh Regiment, Colonel Abbott: William A. Hill, first lieutenant, wounded June 18, 1864. Thomas Simington. Eighth Regiment, Colonel Fearing: Thomas S. Dustin, died at Baton Rouge, La., January 19, 1863. Stephen Mills, Warren P. Home, George McKenny. James W. Novell, died at Baton Rouge, La., April 14, 1863. George F. Boyd, Matthew Senter, J. D. Morse. Ninth Regiment, Colonel Fellows: George W. Randall, Charles Laroni, Alexander Morrison, Lafayette Deeker, John H. McGibbon, Nelson Foster. Tenth Regiment, Colonel Donohoe: J. T. G. Dinsmore, Jr. David H. Adams, died at Falmouth, Va., January 18, 1863. Decatur McCarter. Eleventh Regiment, Colonel Harriman: J. Charles Currier, captain; Henry G. Dillenback, Charles L. Reynolds, Charles R. Rogers, Edward Armond, James Blake, J. C. Barron, Thomas McGuire, J. McGovern, James Parker, Michael Sorhew. Twelfth Regiment, Colonel Potter: Robert W. McMurphy, Adam Deb;ls, F. Markhoff, Andrew J. Goodwin. Thirteenth Regiment, Colonel Stevens: Col. Aaron F. Stevens was born in Derry. He was commissioned colonel August 26, 1862, having served as major in the first N. H. Regiment. He was wounded June I, 1864, and again, severely, September 29, 1864. Marcellus C. Shattuck, Tenny Major, John H. Parker. Seventeenth Regiment, Colonel Kent: George O. Everett. Eighteenth Regiment: John Bowley, George E. Merill, William Marshall, George Reed, Edgar H. Shepard. The last named was son of Hon. W. H. Shepard, of Derry. He died at Concord, N. H., March 6, 1865. New Hampshire Battalion, First Regiment New England Cavalry, Major Nelson: William A. McMurphy, Charles B. Radcliff, E. L. Currier. First Regiment New Hampshire Cavalry, Colonel Thompson: N. H. Brown, captain of Troop F; Henry Forger, Samuel Harvey, John Smith, Thomas Tyrie, Warren E. Clark, Alfred Clifton, Frederick Davis, James Evans, Frank A. Lincoln, John H. Low, Henry M. Moulton, John R. Moulton, Daniel Shattuck, George B. Tuttle, C. F. Whidden, and John E. Webster. First Regiment New Hampshire Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Colonel Long : Daniel Owens, Francis Owens, George Major, Jeremiah Garvin, Charles Aldrich, James E. Morrill, Nathan Morse, George R. Barker, Theodore Dins- moore, W. K. Hayes, Charles A. Nowell, H. A. G. Storer, Kimball J. Wilson, Charles T. Wheeler. Page 293 There were several men from Derry who served in the war, but their names are unknown to the writer. Enrollment of Derry, April 30, 1865, 155; total of quota under all calls for men from July, 1863,95 ; total credits by enrollment and draft, 102; sur- plus,7. Mr. Daniel G. George, a resident of Derry, enjoys the honor of being the man who pulled the lanyard of the torpedo that destroyed the rebel boat "Albemarle" during the late war. He has received $10,000 from the United States Government as a reward for his bravery. He has also a beautiful medal, the gift of Government, in acknowledgment of his services. Londonderry Celebration.-June 10, 1869, 150 years from the settlement of the town, a vast concourse of people from all parts of the country assembled on the plains a few rods east of Derry Depot, and celebrated the occasion with feasting, speech and song. Many thousands of the citizens of Old London- derry and other towns in the vicinity assembled in a large tent, raised for the purpose, and listened to speeches from some of the eminent men of the day. Hon. George W. Patterson, of Westfield, N. Y., a native of the town, presided, and Hon. Charles H. Bell, of Exeter, N. H., made the leading address. He was followed by Hon. James W. Patterson, of Hanover, N. H., Horace Greeley, Dr. S. H. Taylor, Hon. E. H. Derby, Gen. Aaron F. Stevens, Rev. C: M. Dinsmore, and Hon. A. H. Cragin. A little after noon the vast assembly was provided with a generous enter- tainment by the ladies of Derry, Londonderry, and Windham. It was an occasion of rare enjoyment to all who participated in the serv- ices of the day. A compilation of the exercises was made by R. C. Mack in a volume of 124 pages. Newspapers and Printing.-A printing office was "set up" many years ago by Isaiah Thomas or his brother on Doak's Plains, now Boyd's Plains, a little east of Derry Depot. How long he was there or just where his office was situated is not known. In the summer of 1876, Charles Bartlett opened a printing office in Derry village, and uniting with this the sale of books and stationery, he has carried on a successful business since. In connection with N. C. Bartlett, in 1880, he commenced the publishment of the Derry News. At the end of the year Mr. N. C. Bartlett retired, leaving the control of the Paper to Mr. Charles Bartlett, who in April, 1882 enlarged it to a twenty-four- column folio. The paper is a success, and is much appreciated by the citizens of Derry and Londonderry and former residents of both towns. E. P. Trow- bridge is the present publisher of the Derry News and of the Enterprise, the weekly edition. First Library.-A few of the leading people in town a little before 1800 established a library of several hundred volumes. It was kept at first at the house of Capt. James Aiken, otherwise known as Deacon Aiken, in the Aiken's Range, Derry. When the village began to assume importance the books were removed to the Thornton House, and Maj. Peter Patterson served as librarian. They were mostly of an historical and religious character, were well read, and were kept together till the division of the town in 1827, when they were divided among the stockholders. John Porter, Esq., for those who lived in the Page 294 new town, and Robert Mack, for Londonderry, made the division. The rule they adopted was to give the interested parties each a pile of books of about equal size. A few volumes of that old library are yet to be formed in various families in both towns. The Library.-Upon the death of Miss Harriet Taylor the town secured from her estate $1,000 to found a library. It went into operation February 23, 1878, with about one thousand volumes. The library now contains 6,986 volumes. C. Louise Bachelder is the librarian. At a recent town meeting it was voted to rebuild the Adams Memorial buildings, which formerly housed it. This building of brick and stone was given to the town years ago, and this winter burned down. It will be reconstructed in 1914 fully as beautiful as it was before and suitable quarters will be arranged in it for the library, the court, the town offices and an auditorium. Masonry.-St. Mark's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, No.44. This lodge was chartered June 14, 1826. Odd-Fellowship.-Echo Lodge. April 17, 1879, a lodge of Odd-Fellows by the above name was instituted in Derry .The initial meeting numbered nineteen persons, eight being charter members and eleven by admission. The first officers were Henry S. Warner , noble grand; R. R. Merrick, vice grand ; F. A. Cross, secretary; Charles L. Cutler, treasurer. Grand Army.-George E. Upton Post, No. 45. This post is named after Lieut. George E. Upton, who enlisted as a private November 28, 1861, in Com- pany G, Sixth New Hampshire Volunteers, and was promoted to first lieu- tenant October 30, 1863, and was killed near Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864. The post was chartered September 4, 1879. "following are the names of the charter members: David S. Clark, James H. Crombie, Charles H. Cum- mings, Isaiah A. Dustin, James Evans, Charles F. Fields, Isaac N. Hunt, Francis Owens, A. A. Pressey, George Richards, C. M. Tilton, George B. Tuttle, Henry C. Vining, Caleb F. Whidden, and Amos M. Young. Nutfield Grange, No. 37.-The Patrons of Husbandry organized Sep-. tember 23, 1874, a grange, to which the appropriate name of "Nutfield" was given. The first Master was W. O. Noyes. Societies: Derryfield Lodge, A. ). U. W. Beaver Colony Pilgrim Fathers; Rockingham Lodge, K. of P. ; Rathbone Division, U. R. K. of P. ; Mystic Encampment, I. O. O. F.; Mizpah Rebekah Lodge; Wesley B. Knight Post; Geo. E Upton Post, G. A. R.; W. B. Knight and G. E. Upton Relief Corps; Ivanhoe Temple, No. 1; Molly Reid Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Bell Chapter, A. F; & A. M.; Ransford Chapter, O. E. S.; Derry W. C. T. U.; Honesty Lodge, N. E. O: P.; Court Nutfield, F. of A.; Golden Cross, Woman's Club; Nutfield Dramatic Co.; Red Men; West Derry Grange, P. of H.; Eagles; Knight's of Malta; Knight's of America; Noeskateta Coun- cil, Daughters of Pocahontas; Owls. The physicians are: G. H. Berkley, C. E. Newell, T. B. Perkins, S. P. Cogswell and L. G. Dearborn. Lawyers: G. K.& B. T. Bartlett, J. G. Crawford, E. B. Weston, H. L. Grinnell, Jr. See Bench and Bar chapter. Public Requests in Derry.- This town has enjoyed a larger share of public bequests than falls to the lot of most towns. As early as 1722 the hard- Page 295 pressed settlers were generously aided by gentlemen of Portsmouth in the building of their church. In 1815, Maj. John Pinkerton endowed the Pinker- ton Academy with a fund of $12,000, and his brother, Deacon James Pinker- ton, added $1,500 to this amount. Mr. Jacob Adams, who died in 1823, by his will devised about four thousand dollars to the Adams Female Academy. Mr. Adams also donated $800 to the East Church in Derry, to aid in pur- chasing a bell for that meeting house. The late Mrs. Abby C. McGregor left the sum of $1,000 to the Adams Female Academy. In 1870, Richard Melvin gave the First Congregational Society fund of $1,000. Dr. Sylvanus Brown . bequeathed about seven thousand dollars to the town, the yearly income of which is to be expended in the purchase of flannel for the destitute people of the town as the selectmen for the time being shall designate. Doctor Brown also left $500, the annual interest to be used in "picking the small stones from the public highways." He devised likewise a small sum to remain at interest until 1919, at which time the whole shall be used in payment for "nuts and cider" for all persons present at the celebration of the two hundreth anni- versary of the town's settlement. Hon. E. H. Derby, of Boston, an eloquent and sincere friend of the town, gave to Pinketton Academy $1,000 for a library. The academy also received about five hundred dollars from various persons at its semi-centennial in 1878. Miss Harriet Taylor, daughter of Deacon James Taylor, formerly an honored citizen of Derry, bequeathed in 1876 $1,000 to found a public library in town. The elegant clock in the steeple of the East Derry Church, whose two broad faces may be seen far and wide, was placed there by her generous bounty. Mrs. Philip Nowell left $2,000 to the town, to be expended in the erection of a town hall. She also gave $500 to the Cemetery Association, and the same sum for the benefit of the old part of the cemetery, and also $1,000 to the Adams Female Academy. The late David Bassett left $3,000 to repair the East Derry Church. But the most munificent bequest is that of $200,000 to the Pinkerton Academy by the late John M. Pinkerton. RELIGIOUS First Meeting House.-From the town records the initial steps towards the erection of a house of worship appear to have been in a vote taken in gen- eral town meeting, June 3, 1720: "The Town voted that there shall be a small house built that may be convenient for the inhabitants to meet in for the worship of God, & that it shall be built as sune as it can with con- veniency; also that the house shall be built as near the center of the one hundred & five lots as can be with convenience." A few days later a location was agreed upon. It was "voted that the meeting-house shall be built within seven rods of a black stake set up either upon or near unto Mr. McGregor's lott." The matter rested till the January following, when the town "voted that a meeting-house shall be built as speedily as may be, & that the said house shall be 50 feet in length, forty-five feet broad, and so high as may be conveneant for one set of galeryes." The galleries of this house were reached by steps or stairs built on the outside, at the side or end. 1728, "Voted that the stairs to go up to our galleries for the meeting-house shall be brought to the Page 296 inside, & that there shall be windows stroke out in the north side, one on each side of the pulpit." It appears from this that steps to reach the galleries were on the north side of the house, and that the pulpit faced the south. The difficulty arising from inability to procure the necessary materials delayed the work, and two years elapsed before the house was finished and ready for occupancy. Its location was between the present church in East Derry and the leading highway through the village, a little nearer the church than the road. This house answered the purpose of the parish till 1769, when a new one, the present edifice, sixty-five by forty-five feet, was built. The high and massive steeple, with its immense timbers used at that time, made the erection of churches an affair of great importance, especially the raising. To accom- plish this ropes and machinery were brought from afar, the most resolute and energetic men were summoned to the task, and often several days were needed to get the building ready for the boards. It is no wonder that "four 100 weight of cheas, 2000 Bisket, 3 barl of Rhum, & 5 barl of Syder" were used at the raising of the first church. Matthew Thornton, Moses Barnet, and James Wallace were the building committee. This house was enlarged in 1824, by cutting it through the middle, moving the eastern end twenty-four feet, and finishing between the parts. "In 1845 it was thoroughly remodeled as to internal construction, and so arranged as to afford not only large and spacious church, but also a Town Hall, a vestry, a room for the session, a room for the Parish Library, and other uses." Ministers of the East Parish.-Rev. James McGregor. The character of most of our early New England towns was largely due to the influence of the clergy. With rare exceptions this influence was on the side of everything conducive to the spiritual and material interests of the people. In the long and arduous labors of the settlers in subduing the wilderness, and establishing their communities on a basis of order and good government; in their resolute and heroic conflicts with "principalities and powers, with things present and things to come," the clergy of New England were always at the front doing battle for the right. Pre-eminently may this be said of the McGregors, father and son, of Londonderry, the former the Rev. James McGregor, first minister of the East Parish, and Rev. David McGregor, first pastor of the West Parish. No people ever enjoyed wiser or better counselors. The former assumed charge of his society, as there was no Presbytery in New England to formally install him in office. He continued in charge till his death, March 5, 1729. Doctor Belknap gives him the character of a "wise, affectionate, and faithful guide to his people both in civil and religious matters." Rev. Mr. Parker says, "From traditional remarks, as well as from some few manuscripts of his which have been preserved, we are led to consider him a man of distinguished talents both natural and acquired. He evidently possessed a vigorous mind, and was strictly evangelical in his doctrinal views." Rev. Matthew Clark succeeded to the pastoral office in the First Church immediately after the death of Mr. McGregor. Although never installed over the people, he is usually enrolled among the ministers of that parish. He died January 25, 1735, aged seventy-six years, having had charge of the church about six years. Notwithstanding his brief term of service, more is known of him at the present day than is known of his predecessor and his first and Page 297 second successors, although their united pastorates amount to about sixty-five years. Scarcely a word of their sayings or a line of their writings have come down to us, but those of Matthew Clark still live in the memories of the people, and are common in the literature of the day. This is due partly to his wit and the eccentricity of his character, and partly to the military renown that attaches to his name as an officer in the famous siege of Londonderry 1688-9. So many anecdotes are credited to him that it is difficult to find a new one. Preaching one day he read the words of Peter with the subjoined commentary: "Master, we have forsaken all and followed thee." "Poor boasting Peter! ye left a did ye ? and what had ye to leave but a crazy auld boat and a wheen of rotten nets ?" Rev. Mr. Parker sums up his character as follows: "He was sound in the faith, decided and independent in his sentiments, and fearless in defense of what he judged to be correct in doctrine and practice." Rev. Thomas Thompson.-The freeholders and inhabitants of London- derry "Voted, November 3, 1732, that the Rev. Mr. McBride, of Bellemory, Ireland, and Mr. Robert Boyer, of Londonderry , are chosen commissioners to prefer our call for a minister in Ireland," and the same day "Voted to pur- chase Hugh Craige's half lot for said minister, and to bestow 100 acres of land upon him." Robert Boyer, Esq., went to Ireland, and returned in October, 1733, bringing with him Rev. Thomas Thompson, who was cheerfully received and accepted by the people. He died September 22, 1738, after a short but successful ministry of five years, leaving a widow and one son, for whose education the town voted a gratuity of seventy pounds. Rev. William Davidson-.He was installed in 1739. Rev. Mr. Parker briefly sketches his life: "He was a man of very amiable character, possessing a peculiarly mild, friendly, and benevolent disposition. He did not excel as a theologian or as a public speaker. He was supposed to be inclined to Armin- ianism, yet as a pastor he was diligent and affectionate." He left two sons and two daughters. John, the eldest son, became a loyalist, and was pro- scribed and banished by the act of the New Hampshire Legislature, November 19. 1778. Both sons removed to Nova Scotia at the commencement of the Revolution. Mr. Davidson's daughter Ann married Rev. Solomon Moor, of New Boston, N. H. Rev. Jonathan Brown.-After a vacancy of four years, Mr. Brown, in 1795, was installed by the London Presbytery over the East Parish. This action of the Presbytery proved unwise, as it led to dissention in the parish, which resulted in the formation of a Congregational society two or three years after. The seceding part maintained a feeble existence about twelve years, worshiping in the lower hall of Dr. Isaac Thorn's tavern. In I809 it came back to the Presbyterian fold. Mr. Brown was dismissed in 1804, and died in February, 1808, aged eighty years. Rev. Edward Lutwyche Parker was named for the loyalist, Edward Gold- stone Lutwyche, of Merrimac, N. H., whose estate was confiscated and sold to Hon. Matthew Thornton. He was ordained September 12, 1810, and died suddenly while pastor of the church, July 14, 1850. Mr. Parker was the author of the valuable history of the town, published in 1851 by his son, Edward P. Parker. He was succeeded June 18,1851, by Revs. I. W. Wellman, Page 298 E. N. Hidden, L. S. Parker, David Bremmer, E. S. Huntress, John G. Harris, and Frederick I. Kelley, the present pastor. The Meeting House of the First Congregational Church was erected in 1837, on a fine eminence overlooking Derry village. It cost about thirty-five hundred dollars. In 1872 $3,700 were" expended in repairs. The society has a parsonage purchased in 1881 at a cost of $2,300. Ministers of the Central. Congregational Church.-This church was con- stituted August 3, 1837, and consisted of forty members from the Presbyterian society in Derry and twenty-three from the Presbyterian Church in. London- derry . Their first pastor was Rev. Pliny B. Day, a graduate of Amherst and Andover. He was ordained October 4, 1837, and dismissed June 9, 1851. His successors are as follows: Rev. Ebenezer G, Parsons, who graduated at Bowdoin and Bangor, was installed October 1 1851, and dismissed October 7, 1869; Rev. Robert W. Haskins, a graduate of the New York University and Andover, ordained November 19, 1872, and dismissed October 15, 1878; Rev. Daniel W. Richardson, 1880-5; Rev. Hiram B. Putnam, 1885-1901; Rev. Charles L. Merriam, 1902-10; Rev. Charles F. Robinson, 1911-13. During Rev. Mr. Merriam's pastorate new social rooms were acquired at an expense of $4,000. The seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Central Congrega- tional Church was commemorated August 4, 1912. Methodist Church and Ministers.-A Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in Derry August 6, 1834. October 25, 1834, notice was published of the formal organization of a society. It was signed by Caleb Dustin. John Taylor, Gilman Dinsmore and William S. Follansbee; Mr. Dinsmore, clerk. The society held services at first for a short time at the houses of its members. but soon occupied the "Brick Schoolhouse" at the lower end of the village. The church prospered, and more and better accommodations being needed in 1836 a meeting house was erected. Following is a partial roll of clergymen of this church and society: Philo Bronson, James McCane, Samuel Hoyt, William H. Brewster, Michael Quimby, Jonathan Hazelton, S. S. Matthews. James Adams, G. W. T. Rogers, F. Q. Barrows, James Palmer; Isaac S. Cush- man. Charles Smith, --- Hamlin, ---Parkhurst, John W. Adams, Lorenzo Draper. Rufus Tilton, E. Lewis, N. G. Cheney, W. P. Ray, W. W. H. Pills- bury, James Noyes, Elihu Scott, W. B. Osgood, J. W. Dearborn, A. E. Higgins. A. B. Carter, S. C. Farnham, N. Alger, W. W. Smith, O. A. Farley, Frederic C. Pillsbury and C. W. Martin. The present pastor, Rev. G. W. Farmer, was assigned to Derry Village and St. Luke's at the April conference. St. Luke's Methodist Church was established as a mission in 1885 and organized as a church February 12, 1888, with Rev. Wm. Ramsden, pastor, till April, 1889; C. W. Taylor, 1889-92; Daniel Onstott, 1892-4; W. A. Mayo, 1894-5; H. E. Allen, 1895-9; J. H. Trow, 1899-l900; D, C. Babcock, 1900-4; Wm. Thompson, 1904-6; H. F. Quimby, 1906-9; C. W. Martin, 1999-12; G. W. Farmer, 1912-14. St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church of Derry, N. H.-Mass was held for the first time in Derry at the home of John Duffy in 1869 by the Rev. John O'Brien. Rev. William McDonald afterwards visited the town occasionally Page 299 and held services. In 1885 it became a mission of the Cathedral parish. In 1888 it was organized as an independent parish by the Rev. William J. O'Con- nor. Father O'Connor was instrumental in building the church and it was dedicated by Bishop Bradley in November, 1889, under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas. Rev. Daniel J. Dunn, the present pastor, came to the church in 1896. He has been a very faithful and earnest priest for his parish. Under his care the church property has been greatly improved and the membership of the parish largely increased. Rev. E. N. Durette is the curate of the parish and proves an able assistant to Father Dunn. Rev. G. E. Haslem is the pastor of the Episcopal Mission. First Baptist Church of Derry was organized October 10. 1880, with four- teen members, including Rev. A. S. Stowell and wife. Their place of worship was in Smith's hall until the great fire of August 19. 1882, afterwards in a schoolhouse, and then in a building erected for temporary use by three or four f brethren. In the spring of 1884 their fine edifice on the corner of Broadway and Crystal Avenue was erected and dedicated. Rev. Alfred S. Stowell was ordained November 17, 1880, and was pastor for nine years. Rev. J. H. Nichols served from December, 1889, to April, 1910. Their present pastor, Rev. Irving J. Enslin. began in December, 1910. Episcopal Church.-The Episcopal church in Derry was erected in 1905. and the Rectory two years later. The cost of the buildings was about $8,000.00. In the year 1890 there were weekly afternoon services, consisting of evening prayer, sermon and music, main- tained in a private house, from March 16th to October 12th, inclusive. These services were given by the Rev. Jesse G. Mac Murphy, who was born in Derry and had returned to his native town after living in Wisconsin many years. In the year I899, services were begun in this town that Rave continued every Sunday since without interruption. On the 6th day of August, I899, the Rev. Edward M. Parker, the present bishop of New Hampshire, and the Rev. William Norther Jones, had canvassed the town and called together the scattering communicants of the church for that evening. And as that was a festival day in the calendar, the society soon adopted the name, "The Church of the Transfiguration." The Rev. Wendell Phillips Elkins had charge of the services for about a year, and was followed by the Rev. Donald Brown. Two services were now held each Sunday and the Rev. Jesse G. Mac Murphy assisted and supplemented the work as warden and priest. The Rev. John Gregson followed in the charge of the church, being here one Sunday in each month, the Rev. Jesse G. Mac- Murphy officiating in his absence. These clergymen served Derry in this way for about two years each. Then the society came under the charge of the Rev. James C. Flanders, who also was assisted by the Rev. Jesse G. Mac Murphy. During his time the church edifice was erected and the services transferred to the new quarters. The present rector, the Rev. George Haslam, came to the society in 1907. Rev. Jesse G. Mac Murphy either officiated in the church at Derry, or went to one of the other towns for Sunday services. The organization of the church is as follows: Rev. George Haslam, rector; Rev. Jesse G. Mac Murphy, assistant (also assistant warden); Louis M. Packer, junior warden; S. Howard Bell, treasurer ; J. Frank Stewart, clerk. There is a vested choir of men and boys; also an efficient Women's Guild, of which Mrs. George Haslam is president, Mrs. J. G. Mac Murphy, secretary, and Miss Susie Dugan, treasurer. There is also a Junior Guild, of which Miss May Bond is president, Miss Ida Stewart, secretary and Miss I. Hanscom, treasurer. The Sunday school is also organized with officers and teachers. There is a Boys' Club, of which the Rector is president and the Assistant, vice president. ********************************************************************** * * * 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 t other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIORto 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.