Landmarks in Ancient Dover, New Hampshire by Mary P. Thompson, 
Durham, N.H. ©1892, Printed by the Republican Press Association, 
Concord, N.H. 


LANDMARKS:  Huckin’s Brook

NAMES:   HUCKINS, Robert; HUCKINS, James; EMERSON, Capt. Samuel;
         EMERSON, Ebenezer T.; TASKET, John; DAVIS, Capt. James;

	Huckins’ Brook.  This brook rises in Madbury, above the town-house, passes 
through the old Tasker lands--whence this part of it is often called the Tasker or Tasket 
brook,¹---crosses the highway below the Miles house, and, after being fed by the 
Pendexter springs farther down, comes into Durham, where it flows through the old 
Huckins land, east of the spot where stood the Huckins garrison, destroyed by the Indians 
in 1689.  It is joined by the "Tom-Hall brook" a little below the place where the Huckins 
massacre occurred, and empties into Beard’s creek.
	Huckins’ Mill was built on this stream at an early day.  It is mentioned Jan. 10, 
1697-8.  Among the Dover grants is recorded, Jan. 23, 1701, "libbertie of a Remoue of 
ten Acres of land granted Robbart Huckins in 1664 at the head of his twenty acre lott on 
the west side of back riuer, to be laid out adjoining to his home land at oyster Riuer, on 
the west side of the brooke that driues his mill."  This removal of Robert Huckins’ grant 
seems to have been made in favor of his grandson Robert, son of James Huckins who was 
killed by the Indians in 1689.  One fourth of  this  mill was sold by John Huckins to Capt. 
Samuel Emerson, Oct. 24, 1727, for £. 30.  The receipt for this sum, still extant, declares, 
-- "the said mill standeth on the stream called Huckin’s brook."  The entire mill and the 
Huckins lands were finally acquired by Capt. Emerson and his sons.  The mill is now gone, 
but the remains of the dam are still to be seen on that part of the brook which flows 
through the land of Mr. Ebenezer T. Emerson.

¹The name of Tasker seems to have been thus corrupted at a very early period.  Or Tasket 
may have been the original name.  At any rate, it is written Tasket in the Dover rate-list of 
1675, and in the court records of 1686.  (See Farmer’s Belknap, page 169, footnote.)  
John Tasket’s name is on the muster-roll of Capt James Davis’s scouting party in 1712.  
and the name is frequently so called to this day in Madbury.

PG 109



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