Landmarks in Ancient Dover, New Hampshire by Mary P. Thompson, Durham, N.H. ©1892, Printed by the Republican Press Association, Concord, N.H. NOTE: Below there is mention of "Mary daughter of Valentine Hill, married John Buss, son of Parson Buss at Oyster River." In my copies from the library, throughout the book there are miscellaneous corrections or additions that someone has neatly scrawled in. This relationship of Mary and John Buss is striken out by my miscellaneous benefactor to perhaps suggest that this is improper and should be researched in any case. LANDMARKS: Hill’s Five Hundred Acres NAMES: HILL, Valentine; STEVENSON, Bartholomew; STEVENSON, Abraham; STEVENSON, Mary; THOMPSON, Jonathan; HILL, Capt. Nathaniel; BUSS, Joseph; BUSS, Lydia; CHESLEY, Thomas; HILL, Robert; SMITH, Joseph; DEMERIT, Samuel; HILL, Nathaniel; HILL, Mary; EATON, Mary; EATON, Gov. Theophilus; RUSS, John; BUSS, Parson; NUTTER, Sarah; NUTTER, Anthony; THOMPSON, John, Sr.; WARNER, Daniel; HILL, Abigail; MATHES, Benjamin; HILL, Sarah; MATHES, Capt. Francis; MATHES, Valentine; COLEMAN, Valentine, Mathes; KNIGHT, Ezekiel; Hill’s Five Hundred Acres. Frequently mentioned in the old conveyances of Durham lands, referring to Valentine Hill’s grant of 500 acres from the town of Dover, the 14th, 5 mo., 1651 for a farm adjacent to his mills at Oyster River. This tract comprised the whole site of the present village of Durham on the upper side of Oyster river, and extended from the lowest falls westward as far as Follet’s swamp. It was bounded on the south by the fresh part of Oyster river, and on the north by the Woodman, Thompson, and Demeritt lands. It is mentioned June 15, 1719, when 30 acres of land, laid out to Bartholomew Stevenson May 31, 1699, found to intrench on "Capt. Hill’s five hundred acre lot," were, at the request of Abraham Stevenson, laid out anew, "beginning at Hill’s line, near the north corner of hill’s land." This land was conveyed by Abraham and Mary Stevenson to Jonathan Thompson Feb 24, 1732-33, "beginning at ye north corner of Capt. Nathaniel Hill’s five hundred acres, at a stump in said Hill’s line." Joseph Buss and wife Lydia conveyed to Thomas Chesley, Feb 21, 1739-40, one half of two thirds of one third part of five hundred acres in Durham, granted to Valentine Hill by the town of Dover the 14th, 5 mo., (16) 51, "for a farm adjacent to his mills at Oyster river, provided it doth not not annoy the inhabitants, and laid out and bounded in ye year 1660, ye 3d day of ye 11th mo., bounded upon a N. and S. line from Oyster River 200 rods, and from that bounded N.W. half a point westerly 320 rods, and from yt to Oyster river upon a S.W. and by S. line 210 rods to ye river, and so ye river is ye bounds." Valentine Hill of Nottingham and Robert Hill of Durham conveyed to Joseph Smith, Feb 23, 1765, part of that land in Durham "commonly known by the name of the five hundred acres," beginning at the N.W. corner of Samuel Hill’s homestead farm by the land of Samuel Demerit, etc. (See Warner Farm.) Valentine Hill, who had this grant of 500 acres, was the most enterprising of the early settlers at Oyster River. He was in Boston as early as 1638, a freeman in 1640, and was ordained deacon in Boston "by ye laying on of ye hands of ye presbytery," May 7, 1640. He was also a member of the Ancient and Hon. Artillery Co. He had a grant at Oyster River the 5th, 5 mo., 1642, and another the following year. And further grants of lands and mill privileges on Lamprey and Oyster rivers were made to him in 1649, 1651, 1652, etc. He was apparently the first to erect mills at Oyster river, and it was he who built the first meeting-house here in 1656-7. He was the representative from Dover to the general court at Boston in 1652-3-4-5 and 7. The freemen of Dover petitioned, May 27, 1652, that appointed one of the Associate Judges of the court that year. Their petition was granted (N.H. Prov. Pap., 1 : 198, 207) He died in 1161, leaving two children Nathaniel and Mary, by his last wife, who was Mary Eaton, daughter of Gov. Theophilius Eaton of New Haven. She survived him, and afterwards married Ezekiel Knight. Mary, daughter of Valentine Hill, married John Buss *(see note above), son of Parson Buss of Oyster River. Nathaniel Hill, the only son left by Valentine married Sarah, daughter of Anthony Nutter of Welshman’s cove. He inherited the greater part of his father’s lands at Oyster river, on which he settled. He was appointed deacon of the Oyster River church. He had two sons, Valentine and Samuel. The latter married Sarah, daughter of John Thompson, Sr., of Oyster river, and lived a short distance above the present railway station. Sarah Hill, daughter of Nathaniel, married Daniel Warner of Portsmouth, who afterwards acquired a part of Hill’s Five hundred Acres. (See Warner Farm) Abigail Hill, another daughter, married Benjamin, son of Capt. Francis Mathes, Dec. 17, 1716. The name of Valentine, from her grandfather Valentine Hill, became henceforth a favorite name in the Mathes family, where it is perpetuated to this day. Among those who still bear it may be mentioned Mr. Valentine Mathes of Dover, and Valentine Mathes Coleman, Esq., of Newington. PG 100-102 - Submitted by C. Parziale ********************************************************************* * * * * 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 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. **********************************************************************