West Stewartstown in 1861 and 1892:
The Town of Stewartstown, founded in 1795, is bounded north by Clarksville, east by Dixville, south by Colebrook, and west by Canaan, across the Connecticut River, in Vermont. A range of small hills (including Stewart Hill, 1509',Dearth Hill, 1841', and Piper Hill, 2185') from the Connecticut River to the Southeast divides the town into two villages "West Stewartstown" and "Stewartstown”. The largest section of the Stewartstown called "Stewartstown Hollow" is located in the geographic center of the Town. The information presented in this document is solely about the village of West Stewartstown.
The land described above was granted by the King of England to some dignitaries including Sir John Stuart; the new Town was named “Stuart Town” in his honor. In 1799, the town was renamed “Stewartstown” in accord with the Scottish spelling of Stuart's name.
Sir John Stuart (1713-1792), 3rd Earl of Bute, for many years, was the tutor of the future king of England, King George III (1738-1820), and held important political positions after George III's accession to the throne in 1760. Among other tasks, Sir John Stuart negotiated the peace treaty at the end of the Seven Years War.
The Seven Years war, sometimes called "the French and Indian War", began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. It was a conflict between France and Britain in which the Algonquins sided with the French and the Iroquois sided with the British. The French lost New-France (Lower Canada) and all the territory east of the Mississippi to the British empire who became for a few more years the dominant power in America, Africa, and India. France regained the Caribbean Islands which were very lucrative with its sugar industry as opposed to New-France that generated more expenses than gains. The French and Indian War is considered a determinant factor leading to the American War of Independence. Britain attempts to increase control on the American colonies, including excessive taxation, incited rebellion among colonists, and eventually lead to the Revolutionary War.
The town had no permanent settlements until the end of the American War of Independence in 1783. But, rapid settlement followed after 1800. Its population grew from a mere 99 souls in 1810 to 630 in 1840, and gradually increased to its peak of 1150 by the end of the 18th century. The population is presently only around 800.
In 1860, the US Census counted 156 dwelling-houses and 149 families in Stewartstown; and, by 1900, 213 dwelling-houses with 216 families (you may add 69 houses and families, if you include Clarksville). As mentioned earlier, this document focuses on the village of “West Stewartstown”. I was fortunate to find four maps of the village from 1861 and 1892 with names of the heads of the various household and maps with location of the dwellings. The information presented for 1861 gives an overview of many of the new settlers and their families, while the information for 1892 presents a picture of the village at the peak of its growth after the finalization of the Upper Coos railroad and Stewartstown station in December 1887.
1892 is a particularly important date, since it is when Thomas Piper bought the house described in this blog and the period when "the historic picture of the house" that led to this research was taken. The Old House in 1894.
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List of some of the early pioneers of interest for this document presented by year of arrival:
The majority of early settlers relocated here and came from southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts with the desire to start a new and better life. Their ancestors originated mostly from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
After 1840, once the Town was well established, a second wave of english settlers came from the Eastern Townships of the Province of Quebec located north of Stewartstown and Canaan (these settlers registered in the US Census as coming from "Canada East", previously part of "British North America"). Many Loyalists who remained faithful to the British Empire had migrated to Canada at the end of the American Revolutionary War (Treaty of Paris in 1783) and some of their descendants were gradually returning to the United States.
Also, from the Eastern Townships and other parts of Canada East, but for different reasons discussed in the section Immigration of French Canadians to the USA , a significant number of French Canadians immigrated to Stewartstown and its sister Town, Canaan, Vermont. They were followed by nuns, priests, doctors, and trades-peoples of the same culture and religion.
Came in 1807: John Keysar (1776-1853) and his brother Edmund Keysar (1780-1853) with his wife Betsey Young (married 1803, Belknap, NH). One of Edmund's son Benjamin Young Keysar (1811-1852) is the father of Olive Alice Keysar, “Ola” (1832-1916) who married William Piper (1825-1898, m. 1851, Stewartstown). Olive Alice and William Piper are the parents of Thomas W. Piper who bought in 1892 "The HOUSE" presented in this blog. Another Edmund Keysar's son, John Keysar, who lived in Clarksville is the father of Phebe Y., E. S. Parker's wife.
One of Edmund and Betsey's daughters, Josephine S. Keysar (1838-1912) is the wife of John Piper Blodgett (1831-19117, m. 1855). Their only son Benjamin Howard Blodgett (1858-1900) will marry Mary Eliza Hilliard (1862-1927, m. 1878); they are the parents of Dr. John Moody Blodgett (1880-1955) mentioned below.
Came in 1808: Howard Blodgett (1799-1854) with his wife Nancy McAllister (1776-1850, married 1797 Stratford, NH), and their son Howard Blodgett (1799-1854), married in 1835, in Stewartstown, to Naomi Burbank, and the father of John Piper Blodgett mentioned above. Howard is the great-great-grand-father of Dr. John Moody Blodgett who was a respected physician in West Stewartstown from 1910 until his death in 1955.
Came in 1813: Gad (Gub) Beecher (father of Gab Beecher, a “miller” living on Mill Street in 1892, and presented below).
Came in 1815: Samuel Gould Piper (1771-1854) with his wife Rebecca Copp (1769-1857, married 1794, Carroll, NH) and son Thomas Piper (1798-1873, who marries Emily Williams, from Stratford, NH, in 1824). Thomas and Emily are the parents of William Piper and Grand-parents of Thomas W. Piper who bought The House; the subject of this Blog.
Came in 1820: Jonathan Harvey (likely the father of John L Harvey and Harris H. Harvey). John and Harris, both carpenters in West Stewartstown. John owned a house and a shop on the land where he will build "The House" purchased around 1875 by Jane Hall Goodwin and her husband Hubbard Chandler Hall, both from Penobscot, Maine.
Came in 1821: Benjamin Drew (b. 1785 in Plymouth, NH-1869) with his wife Sally Harriman (1788-1870, m. 8107), and seven kids including and their sons Amos W. Drew (the oldest, born 1808, elected Stewartstown selectman several terms, State Senator 1862-1863, and was County Commissioner 1871-1876), and Benjamin Drew Jr. Later, in 1827, was born Edwin W. Drew. Edwin married Marietta hall in 1852. Their grand-daughter, Eva B. Drew (b.1888, d.1971, m.1909, in Colebrook) is the daughter of their son Byron W. Drew (1863-1912) and Cora Gould (1865-1958). Eva will become Dr. Barbour’s wife and together they bought "The House" in 1915 from Thomas W. Piper and kept it in the family for nearly 100 years. Eva’s brother, her only sibling, Edwin Warren Drew (1902-1982) married Mae I Thornton in 1935 (1901-2022); they inherited "The House".
Came in 1822: Edmund Chamberlin.
Came in 1825: William Tirrill.
Came in 1826: Jeremiah and Hannah (Harvey) Pickard, came with their son Isaiah H. Pickard born in Canterbury, in 1819. Isaiah H. Pickard became a successful business man living with his wife Sarah and parents on South Street (Washington Street) and presented in the text below.
Came in 1826: Robert Morrison, Joseph Beecher.
Came in 1827: Stephen Morrison, Enoch T. Harvey.
Came in 1828: John Morrison.
Came in 1834: Zebulon Flanders.
Came in 1835: John Flanders, with Adams M. Tewksbury, settler in 1840, they will build the 1st starch factory in 1852.
Came in 1835: Alfred Lovering.
Came in 1836: Hiram Cummings, he will live on Main Street.
Came in 1837: Nehemiah H. Flanders.
Came in 1838: Thomas Johnson, a skilled joiner who makes quality wood work with his shop on Main Street.
Came in 1840: Davis Graham, with William Smith, they ran the 1st machine shop, and with Joseph Warren, he started an iron foundry for the manufacture of stoves, plows.
and
Adams M. Tewksbury and his brother Henry Tewksbury. Adams was born in 1809 in Warner NH. He was the first to make wheels in town.
Came in 1842: Henry Fling (1810-?) with his wife Jane Ann Fletcher (1819-1887, married 1834), came from Quebec (Lower Canada, before 1840). A "Trader", he owns a trader store since 1842, and also operates a Hotel-tavern from 1847 to 1869. His son Orlando (1843-?) will marry Nelson W Nichols’ daughter, Mary Ellen (1848-1919, married 1866).
Came in 1843: Nelson W. Nichols (1816-1871), he will run a hotel in West Stewartstown in 1850 based on the US Census. He is the father of Mary Ellen (1848-1919) who will marry Orlando Fling (1843-?) in 1866. She lives and own a store on Main Street in 1892 (see below).
Came in 1843: Samuel Carpenter, James A. Morrill, Moses Smith, Heath Flanders,
Daniel Tewksbury.
Came in 1844: Joseph c. Flanders, Ezekiel Flanders, Caleb Cummings, John W. Adams.
Came in 1847: Hiram Johnson.
Came in 1848: Daniel G. Ripley, a “shoemaker” and “harness maker” living on Main street.
Came in 1853: Hyde C. Trask, a “merchant” living on South Street. With his father, they run a grocery store where is now Salomon store.
Came in 1856: Emery Ambrose Barbour (1831-?, Barbour also written Barber), a “toolmaker”, came from Canada with his wife Lucretia Elmira Hodge (born in 1834, in Stewartstown-1893). They are the parents of Libby W. Barbour (born in 1856 in Stewartstown-1926) who married Evelyn M. Parsons in 1879. Libby and Evelyn are the parents of Dr. Guy William Barbour (1884-1956) owner of "The House" after 1915.
and
Thomas Henry Mayo (1826-1907), an important figure in West Stewartstown as a renown artist-painter; came with his wife Ellen 23, and his father Aaron, 60. As soon as they settled, Ellen gave birth to their daughter Ellor.
Came in 1869: Lyman Willis Alger as merchant and opened a store.
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MAP of 1861
Map adapted from the Town Map by H. F. Walling from 1861 (the buildings depicted on the map are only representative of the location of the various dwellings).
Picture from a glass negative of West Stewartstown and Canaan taken from "the Pinnacle", looking west from the summit of Stewart Hill, 1509', east of the village. Dating from around 1880, the picture was taken before the time of the Upper Coos Rail Road. The section of the railroad to West Stewartstown was built around 1885. You may recognize various landmarks using the 1887 map of West Stewartstown at the end of this page.
An article titled “A Ride Into The Interior”, written In the Daily Kennebec journal, September 22, 1873, describes the village of West Stewartstown during that period: “We soon reached the village of West Stewartstown, which is the last village in New Hampshire towards the north. It is a small pleasant place. The only noticeable public building was a large one floor stories used as a county poor house, that is, for the support of the poor of the county who have no settlement in any town. The scenery on the upper Connecticut is charming. Fine farms, neat building and wide expanse of fertile meadow land, are its prevailing characteristics, whilst the hill slopes furnish abundant pasturage.”
The idea behind this page is to give light on each family mentioned on the maps from 1861 and 1892. 1892 is a particularly important date since it is the year when the historic picture of Thomas Piper's house presented in this blog was taken.
Let me know if you have more information about the various families presented below.
River Street (along the river, North to South, now a section of Mill Street) :
W. M. K. N. Smith’s Saw Mill: the owners of the Saw Mill are the father and son, William Matthews Smith and K. Norman Smith. They will operate the mill from at least 1850 until before 1870. Later on, it will become the W. F. Allen Saw & Planing Mill. Prior to W. M. Smith, in 1803, Jeremiah Earnes Jr. started the first saw mill in the same location.
W. M. K. N. Smith’s residences: The Smiths have two residences located across the street from the saw mill, on the corner of Johnson Street and River Street. They are living there since at least 1850. In 1860, William Smith (who came from New York) is 61 years old and lives with his wife Louisa 57 (Louisa Wing, married in 1826, in Connecticut), and their son, Norman who is 31 years old and single. Another son Almarzene 28, no longer lives with them. William's mother-in-law Hulda Norcott 89 (Hulda Wing) lives with them since at the least 1850. They have 2 boarders or servants, Ira Parkish 20, and Levina Williard 22. They have another son, Almanzor (Almarzene) who is 28 years old, living in Ohio. "William M. Smith and Davis Graham run the first machine shop at West Stewartstown".
As confirmed in the 1860 US Census, William and Norman are also "woollen manufacturers"; wool is manufactured from the raw fibre into yarn. William M. Smith and Samuel Pitkin are credited for building the first wool manufacturing mill in West Stewartstown in 1860. The washed wool was carded by feeding it through a pinned roller (carding machine) to removes impurities and separates the entangled clumps of fibers into a web of individual fibers ready for spinning into yarn and later use for cloth-making. In 1870, L & N Cole took over the business when William Smith moved to Virginia, and in 1872, John M. Hilliard. In 1879, the mill burned down in a destructive fire that decimated the Town and many of its infrastructures. Later on, Ephraim Parker, presented below in the section on 1892, will have a carding machine in his shop until his building burned down in 1887.
In the 1850 US Census, the “value of real estate owned” by William Smith is $5,000, making him one of the richest in town. Before 1870, William, Louisa and Norman will sell the saw mill to W. F. Allen and will move to Virginia. Note: In 1880, Norman is still living with parents. He will finally get married in 1881 at the age of 50.
Grist Mill: a mill powered by water wheels to grind cereal grain into flour and middling; an essential component of each villages. The first grist mill dating from 1804 burned down in 1878 in a large fire destroying part of the town. It was rebuilt by Gab Beecher and sons and sold to George Hammond to become a "wheat mill" as you may find below in the section on 1892.
Adams M. Tewksbury: new settler in 1840, born in 1809 in Warner NH. In 1860, he is 52 years old, his profession is listed as “Wheel Wright”; he makes and repair wood wheels. He lives with his wife Maryam 50 years old (Meriam F. Gould); they will have 7 children. In 1860, Adams and Maryam live with their youngest daughter Mary 13, and youngest son John 9, as well as Maryam's younger brother Hiram Gould 26, a "lock-man" (locksmith), and his wife Caroline 18. Their other 5 children are not living with them anymore: Henry born 1830, Daniel born 1833, Oren born 1836, Sarah born 1838 - death 1839, and Minerva born 1842.
With John Flanders, Adams will built the 1st starch factory in 1852. Adams was the first to make wheels in his shop. in 1863, Adams will built and operate a saw mill with his son Daniel until he sold it in 1875. Note: after the death of Maryam in 1869, Adams will remarry in 1874 with Lucia Caswell.
Store H. C. Trask: it is a merchandise store, selling dry good, clothing, and furniture, owned by Hyde C. Trask living on South Street and presented below. It is the future location of many future stores: I. F. Jacobs store from 1878 to 1897, Loverin’s store afterwards until it burned down, and finally Salomon’s store which is still operating. Hyde's father William Trask is 58 years old and also a merchant. William Trask lives by the store with his wife Sarah 58.
Starch factory owned and operated by Adams Tewksbury and John Flanders: In USA, starch production is the isolation of starch from Maize (also known as corn). The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel.
Until 1851, corn starch was used primarily for starching laundry and for other industrial uses including the manufacture of various adhesives or glues.
During the 19th and early 20th century it was trendy to stiffen the collars and sleeves of men's shirts and the sleeves of women's underskirts by starching them before the clean clothes were ironed. Starch gave clothing smooth and firmness, but, also, dirt and sweat from a person's neck and wrists would stick to the starch rather than to the fibers of the clothing making it easy to clean.
Starch is now a common food ingredient in food preparation used to thicken sauces and soups, and to make corn syrup and other sugars, desserts and caramel.
Like many other powders, corn starch is susceptible to dust explosions. In Nov. 1880, the factory burned down: "Mr. C. H. Weeks’ dry house and starch mill were totally destroyed by fire, which originated in the dry house where Mr. Weeks was drying some lumber to use in the repairs upon his hotel.” (As published in the Essex County herald, Nov. 05, 1880)
Johnson Street (continuation from River Street and now Mill Street going West to East) :
Lyman B. Graham: Lyman owns the iron foundry. In 1860, he is 27, listed as "iron manufacturer", he lives with his wife Martha 24, and an employee John Hodge 17, an "iron molder".
David Graham: he is 55 years old in 1860. Settler in 1840, in 1850, he is listed as “founder” (operator of a foundry, a workshop for casting metal) and in 1860 as an "iron manufacturer" (making articles of cast metal, including stoves). In 1860, Davis lives with his recently married second wife Ruth, 31 years old (his first wife Orvilla married in 1839, died in 1860). He has three sons, William 18, Chas 17, and Elvin 7. One laborer live with them, ES Parker 22, a "laborer" on the 1860 US Census, and very likely the same ES Parker presented below who will become a very successful wood worker, As well as Alba Rowell, 17.
David Graham with William Smith ran the 1st machine shop, and with Joseph Warren, he started an iron foundry for the manufacture of stoves, plows, etc. He is a busy entrepreneur between the machine shop and the iron manufacture; he finds the time to be a "dealer" in lumber.
Robert G. Jannison (also written "Jameson"): in 1860, he is 25 years old. He is a "blacksmith", and has a Cabinet shop on Main St, and he lives with his wife Melvina, 21 years old. Robert G. Jannison will worked there in 1862, Felix Ricord in 1869, Benjamin Blodgett in 1879, Alamanzo Parker in 1881, and Albert Quimby occupies the shop in 1892 (see below).
Main Street (West to East) :
South side of Main Street:
Toll house for the bridge: The first bridge was constructed around 1820. In 1847, a devastating spring flood swept it away. Three years later, in 1850, The Stewartstown Bridge Company constructed a new covered bridge with a yearly toll fee of about 2 dollars for the locals. It was purchased in 1887 by George VanDyke, a well-know rich landlord of the time presented in the section "1892" below. By 1888, it was repurchased by the towns of Stewartstown, and Canaan, VT, and crossing the bridge became free.
Henry Fling: settler in 1842, he is a "Trader", he owns a trader store since 1841, and also operates a Hotel-tavern from 1847 to 1869. In 1861, he is 51 years old and lives with his wife Jane Fletcher 42, and son, Orlando Fling, 17, who, later on, will take over the management of the Hotel. Henry and Jane have also three daughters: Mary 12, newborn Ella, and their oldest daughter, Alice 25, born when they were living in Quebec, and now married.
Albert Weeks will take over the hotel/tavern, called "The Coos Hotel", around 1869. In 1870, the hotel keeper is Nichols Nelson 53, with his wife Sarah 44. Orlando Fling still lives in the hotel with his wife Mary 22, and son Henry 2.
On the US census, Orlando Fling is listed as "buyer of pelts and wood". According to "The New Hampshire Business Directory for 1868-1869", he competes with Albert Weeks.
In 1873, Blodgett and Hart will own the hotel. In 1879, William W. Lindsey (also written "Tinsley") 57, and his wife Mary 18, are the new hotel owners and keepers (Essex County herald, Jan 10, 1879). In an article in the Essex County Herald Sept. 1884, when the movement of Temperance was flourishing, a verbal argument took place between W. W. Lindsey and Dr. Chase, a writer and doctor of very short stature from Canaan, who wrote a negative article about “Lindsey enlarging his liquor salon”...”Lindsey attempted to strengthen his argument by force. As he weights some over 300 pounds, a veritable Goliath, it was amusing to see the parties when Chase took to his heels with the irate proprietor after him. By Hez."
In 1886, Lindsey will sell to Daniel Heath (see below, 1892 maps and information). By 1894, the Hotel now called W.B. Clark is owned by H. E. Richardson.
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The temperance reform and West Stewartstown:
In a short article published in the Essex County herald Oct. 1879. It is reported that “Major M.T. Holden, the temperance reform lecturer (“the great story teller and temperance comedian”)...returns to look after the interests of temperance in Canaan, and West Stewartstown, NH...and he recommends these places as being the hardest places he was ever in. And this is, perhaps too true.” In an article, the following week, it is written “he was met with a very cool reception...His usefulness as a temperance lecturer is ended.”
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages started in 1784 and lasted until the war in 1861. The second wave started after the war in 1872 to 1893. The third wave from 1893–1933 is one of the force behind the "Prohibition" enacted in 1920 (the Volstead Act prohibiting the sale of alcohol), and ultimately repealed in 1933.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement_in_the_United_States
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Hiram Cummings and Summer Cummings: Hiram is 55 years old, listed in 1860 as "farmer", and lives his wife Hannah 54, two sons Edwin 21, Harrison 18, and a daughter Hannah 14. Summer is 41 years old, and lives with his wife Helen 28, and four years old son Edward. The merchant Edward Loomis, owner of "Loomis Store" next door, is then 24 years old, and lives with them.
Mrs Jennett Johnson: Jennett is 23 years old and lives with her 4 years old son Fred, three years old daughter Stella, and one year old Harrett. She is not poor by the standards of the time; in the US Census, the value of her “real estate” is $1,000 and “personal estate” is $1,000. No other records available.
Thomas Johnson cabinet shop: settler in 1838, Thomas is a "cabinet maker”, a skilled joiner who makes quality wood work. He is 60 years old and lives with his three children, Mary 18, Daniel 17, and Sarah 12. By 1870, he is 69, a "furniture dealer", and lives with a second wife Sophrana 58.
Edward Loomis Store: Edward is a "dealer in dry goods, groceries, etc.” Edward lives with Summer Cummings’ household presented above.
Daniel G. Ripley (also written "Danl Repley"): settler in 1848, he is a “shoemaker” and “harness maker". In 1860, he is 34 years old and lives with his wife Sally, also 34, and their daughters Jolliett, born in 1849, and Lucy, born in 1853.
Doctor Oscar Worthley: he is the local well respected physician. In 1860, he lives with his 25 years old wife Jennette. He started his medical practice in 1860 and stayed likely until 1875. As per the Essex County Herald, Aug. 1875: he will sell his house to Edgar Aldrich (for $462) in 1875.
In 1868, according to The New Hampshire Business Directory for 1868-1869, Sylvester P. Jones is another physician in town. In the 1870 Census, three physicians are present in West Stewartstown, Oscar Worthley (then 38 Y.O.), Lyman H. Annable (31 y.o.), and Guy Holbrook (25 y.o.).
S. Mood or Wood, no information yet on S. Mood.
Eloot L., no information. Eloot is likely a surname originating from Britain and Ireland.
Jonathan Harvey, settler in 1802, likely the father of John Lovell Harvey and Harris H. Harvey. Harris Harvey: like his father, he is a “joiner", a skilled artisan who built homes or barns using timbers, mortise and tenon joints without nails. In 1860, he is 37 years old and lives with his wife Mary Ellen 27, and Ruth Hayne. The 3 years old son Elbert just past away in 1860. They will have three daughters: Edna in 1860, Marian Estella in 1866, Leah in1874). His parents are uncertain, but, research suggest that he is John Lovell harvey's brother, living on South Street (Washington St). He is also a wheelwright competing with A. M. Tewksbury.
Thomas H. Mayo: a new settler in 1856, he is a ‘’fancy Painter’’, an artistic painter and printer. In 1860, he is 34 years old, and lives with his wife Ellen who is 27, and the 4 years old daughter Ellor, as well as Thomas's father Aaron, 64.
South Street (now Washington Street), North to South :
Iron Foundry (owned and operated by Davis Graham and Joseph Warren).
B.S.S. (The Blacksmith Store, owned and operated by Robert Jannison).
Emory Barber (also written "Emery", and "Emry"): a new settler in 1856, he is a "Shoemaker". In 1860, he is 30 years old, and lives with his wife Lucretia, and 4 years old son Libby, as well as Emory's brother Ramo Barber 21 yo, also a shoemaker. A daughter, Flora, will be born in 1862.
Carpenter & Carriage shop across the street from the church
Congregational Church:
The construction of the church started in 1848 and was completed in 1852. It was built shortly after the organization of the Congregational Church of West Stewartstown in 1846 by 25 members living in Stewartstown and Canaan, Vt.
The Reverend is Rev. Joseph B. Hill (affectionately called "Priest Hill") since very likely 1856. He was previously preaching in Colebrook at the Monadnock Congregational Church from 1847 to 1856. William F. Allen was the superintendent and T. E. Davis the secretary, with 121 names on the Church book.
In 1861, he is 64 years old and lives in the village with his wife Harriet 41, and three children Chas 12, William 3, and Joseph 1. They will remain until 1869.
They likely live on Main Street. But, there is no dwelling to their names on the Town Map by H. F. Walling and the parsonage (or pastorium) was only erected around 1890 (this information is supported by the detailed maps from Sanborn Fire Insurance from 1887 and 1893, see references).
Shop (likely John Lovell Harvey's shop)
John Lovell Harvey: he is a "farmer/carpenter/joiner". In 1850, he is 31 years old and already lives in Stewartstown with his wife Mariah Eliza (Loomis) who is then 23. In 1860, the location of their house and his shop is where is located the house presented in this blog. John L. Harvey, now 41 years old, lives with his wife Mariah 32, and with their 7 years old daughter Adah Marie 7, as well as 3 roomers. Their house must have been relatively large and may be the origin of the present house on the same location.
After the birth of a son in 1861, named Arthur Anson, the family moves to Colebrook between 1861 and 1870. John keeps working as a carpenter/painter. With his brother Harris, on the location shown on the map of 1861 as the location of his house and shop, they will built Jane Hall's house around 1875. The house will ultimately become Thomas Piper’s house in 1892. This blog originates from researches more specifically related to this house.
Hide C. Trask (also written “Hyde"): he is a new settler in 1853. In 1860, Hide is 29 years old, and a "merchant". He lives with his wife Sarah 25, and their two daughters, Sarah 5, Minerva 3, and a one year old son, Edward. His father William 58 is also living in town on River street with his wife Sarah 56, and is also a merchant. They owned a grocery store where is now Salomon store. Also, in 1868, Hide C. Trask and Isaiah Pickers are the County officers.
Daniel Norris: a “lumberer” and "carpenter", Daniel lives in Stewartstown since at least 1850. In 1860, he is 56 years old, and lives with wife Emily 52, and with their 20 years old son Charles, as well as at least three roomers. With his family, in 1860, he will return to Portland ME, where he was originally from.
Mrs Susan P Wilder (Susan Eames): in 1860, she is 51 years old and lives with her younger husband Edmund Chamberlin Wilder, 46 years old, and three roomers or helpers, S. Williams 23, Adelissa Nosses 46, her daughter Sarah B. Nosses 16, (it is Edmund second marriage; his first wife Sarah Weeks died in 1842 and he remarried a year later). They have no children. They will divorce around 1860, Susan will die in 1867, and Edmund will remarry with his third wife Charlotte Hicks. After the marriage, Edmund and Charlotte will go live in Colebrook where Edmund was originally from.
Isaiah Harvey Pickard: Isaiah is listed as a "farmer" in the US Census, but, he was truly a successful business man (on the US Census, it was not uncommon to prefer to be listed as farmer even if somebody had more wealth than most farmers and had other businesses, he was the County Commissioner for few terms until 1870). In 1860, he is 41 years old and lives with his young wife Sarah 26 (married in 1856) and two "laborers", Erastus Hubbarb 24, T. Dumau 22. Isaiah's father Jeremiah Pickard, who was 83 and living with them for at least the last 10 years dies in 1860. Jeremiah was one of the first members of the 1st Congregational Church, and settled in Stewartstown in 1826 from Canterbury, NH.
Isaiah "did not belong to any church, but was a liberal contributor to the Congregational Church, of which his younger wife Sarah A Rogers Pickard was a member" (Sarah is the daughter of reverend Daniel Rogers from Columbia NH and Phebe Tibbetts). Isaiah holds many position in Town, as selectman (1850-1852, and from 1859 to 1867), treasurer, justice of the peace, as well as, for a period, a county commissioner.
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Note: The name of Dr. John B. Gendron was found in the US census of 1860 for the Town of West Stewartstown. In 1860, he is 26 years old, and according to the Census, he is another ''doctor'' in Stewartstown, likely living on South Street (Washington) near the Jannisons and the Barbers. He lives with his wife Lucina, 31 years old (Lucina Hodge, born in Stewartstown). John and Lucina were just recently married in March 1860 in Canaan (on the marriage certificate both parents’ names are not written, neither is John’s birth place). They live with a 5 years old daughter, Cordilia, from a previous marriage of either John or Lucina, but more likely Lucina. In Stewartstown, at the end of December 1860, 9 months after their marriage, they will have a son, Wilber (source: C. E. Tewksbury, page 29. On the birth certificate John’s occupation is noted as “physician"). The Gendrons are not indicated on the 1861 map presented above, and may have already move out of town. I could not find more information or other links in a family tree. But the research continues…
Here's a description of the village in 1873 with a reference on how it was in 1861.
It was published in the Essex County herald, June 14, 1873:
"This is a village of 205 inhabitants exclusive of the inmates of the County House who at the present time number about 80. These 205 persons, divided into 51 families, reside in 46 dwelling houses. We have one church---Congregational, but at present time occupied by the Methodist---two doctors, one dentist, and seven stores---three of them dry goods and groceries, one drugs and books and stationary, one millinary, one furniture, and one tin and hardware. There is one harness maker, one tailor, one blacksmith shop, one hotel, one mill for manufacturing lumber, one woolen and one flour mill. Twelve years ago there were 17 families in the village, of which only 6 now remain and not one one is living in the same house occupied by them 12 years ago. At that time all the supplies for this place and for the village of Canaan were hauled from North Stratford by two horses, and there was not enough to keep them going more than half the time. Now there are 8 horses on the road all the time and a great portion of the time that umber have all that they can do. A toll bridge across the Connecticut River connects this place with the village of Canaan, which has 30 families, one doctor, a Town Hall, one hotel, a Custom House, tow stores, one blacksmith shop, and a starch factory. These two places are so near together that they form really but one village. Located to midst of a splendid farming country and having one of the best water-power in the State, when the railroad is extended through this point, they cannot fail to become places of importance." signed A.
West Stewartstown and Canaan from the pinnacle before the railroad 1887
West Stewartstown with the railroad around 1900 (after 1893, but before 1904)
Washington Street, with the railroad depot (left lower corner, the railroad station is further left) with from right to left: The Congregational Church and presbytery, H.C. Hall's house and barn (The House), J.H.O. Parker's house and barn, J.R. Little store, and a new apartment building in construction beside the railroad depot.
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Map of 1892-1893
The village of West Stewartstown
The map of the village below, combining two maps from 1892 and 1893, one from D.H. Hard & Co and one from Sanborn Fire Insurance respectively, displays the names of the head of household in each house. In the following section, you will find more information about the various families and businesses of the village during that era:
Notice that most of the houses in the village are New England Connected Concept, from the "big house" to the barn, passing by the "little house" and the utility shed in between (the "privates", short for toilets; they were usually in the back of the shed, ideally on the northeast side of the building. Note that the the rail road is completed and the Congregational Church has now a presbytery which was absent on the 1887 map (see reference below). Visit this page for more information on the concept of "Connected Farmstead": House Architecture
West Stewartstown around 1906-1910 with the railroad station on the lower left
From right to left along the railroad, on the east side of Washington Street, the houses and barns of A.B. Quimby, E.S. Parker, the Congregational Church and presbytery, Thomas Piper (in 1892, H.C. Hall's house), J.H.O. Parker, J.R. Little, F.W. Baldwin's store and gristmill (a new building by the railroad; a large store-house built in 1902, with a large steel grain grinding mill powered by a steam boiler, and a store selling dried food and various merchandise), an apartment building ("tenements" built around 1900) and the railroad station (the Passenger Depot was built after 1905). Streets are not paved; paved road with asphalt started around 1914 in the area.
Map North Coös County and Hereford Railway from 1890,
source: Secure a Home in New Hampshire...
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Note: The research was complicated by the fact that the 1890 US Census does not exist, we have to rely on the map above and the 1880 and 1900 Census to determine the occupants of the various dwellings of the village in 1892.
Washington St, previously South Street (North to South) :
Armand Mills: he “runs saw mills”. In 1892, he is 42 years old and lives with his wife Mary 36, and their children: Sherman 15, Ora, 8, Maple 7, and Wilber 5 (later will come Milton, born in 1893.
Mrs. Frank E. Hartshorn: Frank used to "work in saw mill". In 1892, he would have been 40 years old, but he died just before 1892. His wife Eleanor 34, known has Mrs. Frank Hartshorn, recently widowed, has to overcome the situation and is using her skills to generate income as a "dress maker". She has the help of her 12 years old daughter Myrtle. She had another daughter named Fay born in 1878, but, she died before 1892.
W. E. Heath: possibly the brother of Scotus, William Herbert Heat, born in 1857, who actually lived in Pittsburg, NH.
advertising in the Frontier Gazette, 1901, likely relates to the Heath's family:
Scott Lucius Heath: a "carpenter", 45 years old in 1892, he is from St-Herménégilde Qc, he lives with his wife Florence 31, as well as his mother-in-law Rachel Walker and her daughter, which is Scott sister-in-law, Maud Walker.
Mrs. S. W. Holton: in 1892, her husband was Charles Holton, a ''watch repair'' man, born in 1855, he recently passed away in 1892, leaving his wife Ida 31, and newborn son Neil.
James B. Stapleton: he "oversees river drive", a dangerous but essential job gathering and driving floating logs down a river to the sawmill. Born in 1856 in Ireland, in 1892, he is 36 years old and lives with his wife Salome Guertin 35. Salome is the daughter of Joseph Guertin how owns Guertin Market described below. They have an adopted one year old son named Frank.
George H. Chamberlin: in 1892, he is a “teamster” (during that period, a teamster was a person who drove a team of horses pulling a wagon) and was previously a “farmer". Born in France, he is 44 years old in 1892 and lives with his much older wife Mary Ann 57 (married in 1877, she is 13 years older than George. It is her second marriage: her first marriage was with John Moody Hillard who died in 1874). With Moody, they had 8 children. They live with her daughter Ola who is 12, and her son Harry William 14.
Mary Ann's daughter from her first marriage with John Moody Hillard, Mary Eliza Hilliard, is married with Olive Alice (Keysar) Piper’s nephew, Benjamin Howard Blodgett, and her other daughter, Isabelle L. Hilliard, is married with Thomas Piper’s older brother, Fred B. Piper. Mary Ann Chamberlin is definitely part of the Piper's family who own the house described in this blog from 1892 to 1915. We see Mary Ann Chamberlin with the Pipers on the historic picture taken in 1894: Historic picture of 1894
West side of the street:
Mrs. R. A. Stevens, no information found yet. Except that Dr. Guy Barbour presented in "The History of the House" had his office in this house when he started practicing medicine in 1905 until he moved his office in the house bought from Thomas Piper in 1915, next to the church, and presented below.
See the page: the Barbours
across R.A. Stevens' house:
Samuel E. Watts: he is a "grocer", a person who sells things in the gross. In 1892, he is 34 years old and lives with his wife Elsie 32, and 5 years old son Frank (later will come Doris, born in 1897, and Ruth, born in 1899.
West side of the street, across the street:
Almond Pierre Quimby: he is a "tinsmith", he makes and repair articles made of tin, a soft silvery-white metal; a large part of the market is for tin-plated steel containers widely used for food preservation and food packaging called "tin cans". In 1892, Almond is 30 years old, and lives with his wife Nancy Bigelow Rich 28, she is also a "dressmaker". Almond is the youngest brother of Albert living next door and presented below; Almond is the cadet of the family of ten children.
Charles Frederick Hibbard: in 1892, he is 45 years old and lives with his wife Susan M. Keysar 30, and 19 years old son Harry.
across the street:
Bertie Marshall: in 1892, Bertie is only 25 years old. Her husband was William Marshall, private in the army during the Civil War, in the 4th Vermont Regiment, Infantry Division, he was discharged after 4 months of service for medical reason: varicose veins and ulcers.
P. Rowell: if Phoebe Rowell, she would be 106 years old in 1892. She is the grand-mother of Summer Rowell living on High Street and presented below.
Of interest, in 1896, his daughter Jennie May will marry a railroad agent Hugh Savage, originally from Thedford Mines Québec, presented in the historic picture of The House: Historic picture
Ephraim S. Parker (1838-1921): in 1892, he is 54 years old. He owns and operates a lumber shed and carpentry shop on River Street (see below). He manufactures doors, sash, moulding at his shop. Prior to it, he had a wool carding machine to transform wool fibers into yarn (like W. Smith presented in the 1861 section above). The building burned down in the destructive fire of 1887, but it was rebuilt immediately. Ephraim was town selectman from 1885 to 1886.
He lives with his wife Phoebe K Keysar, 48 (1844-1921, married 1870). She is Olive Piper’s cousin (Olive Piper is the mother of Thomas Piper, owner of the House also next to the church, but on the south side). They have two sons, John Ray , 13 (1879-1841), and Lee Otis, 9 (1883-1961). Both will become "cabinet maker".
Lee Otis Parker (1883-1961) is 9 years old (he is 11 years old on the picture of the House of 1894 presented in this blog: Historic picture
Also, in 1895, in his house, Dr. Richard Edward Wilder will have his office, as per advertising in The Frontier Gazette, 1895:
In the book "Stewartstown Memories", page 43, you will find a picture, dating from around 1895, of Ephraim Parker's house.
Built before 1887, it burned down after 1914. The Town's office in now located on this site.
Dr. Richard E. Wilder (1870-1945) and his wife Emilie S. Noyes (1871->1945, married in 1894) will stay only a few years in West Stewartstown. By 1887, and for the next 40 years, Dr. Wilder and his family live in Whitefield, NH. They will have three children (Richard, born in 1887, Isabelle, born in 1900, Dean, born in 1901).
Congregational Church:
From 1893 and for the next ten years, the Congregational Church reverend is Rev. Joseph Newton Walker. He came from England in 1874. In 1892, he is 40 years old, and lives with his wife Mary 36, also from England. She emigrated in 1884. They have many children; Charlotte 6, Mary 5, Samuel 3, Dorothea 1, and later will come Paul in 1893, and Ruth born in 1896 in West Stewartstown. Initially, he preaches in Brighton Vermont, at least from 1880 to 1892, where the three oldest children are born. Around 1893, they come to West Stewartstown. They are the first occupants of the brand new and spacious parsonage (or pastorium) built next to the church. Based on the US Census, by 1910, the family will have relocated to Milton NH. By 1903, the Reverend was Rev. H. R. McCartney.
More about the Church on the Internet site: Hope Baptist Church
It is noted that the organ present in the church was given in the 1930s by Eva Barbour, Dr. Guy Barbour's wife, presented in the History of the House, the house next door to the Church (H.C. & Jane Hall's house in 1892): the Barbours
(across the street from the church, west side of the street):
Mrs. Mary Andrews: in 1892, Mary Andrews (Pickard), is widowed, and 68 years old. Her husband was Robert Andrews, born in 1823, who died in 1881. They had 6 children, the youngest Sarah Elizabeth, 23 years old, still lives with her. Sarah will get married in 1895. Mary Andrews is the younger sister of Isaiah Harvey Pickard living on South Street (Washington St) and presented in the section "map of 1861").
Map 1887 Map 1893
Next to the church (south):
The house described in this blog, where live Jane and Hubbard Hall and later Dr. and Eva Barbour:
H.C. and Jane Hall's house (glass negative prior to 1890): a "Gabled Front and Wing Type Greek Revival Architecture". More on the subject, in the page: architecture
Hubbard C. Hall: in 1892, Hubbard, a former "lumberman" is already 77 years old and retired, and lives with his wife Jane 60 (Goodwin). The kids are all grown up and gone for the house. Their children were born in Maine and came with them in 1875 to live in West Stewartstown (Caveno, born in 1859, Jennie, born in 1862, Elaflet (Eliphalet), born in 1866, Charles, born in 1869). They lived in the house described in this blog for over 17 years and will sell it to the Pipers in 1892 (Thomas W. Piper and Mary Cole Piper). The family history is available on the following page: The Halls .
The Essex County Herald, October 17, 1879, reports on major road work (Route 3) done by Hubbard C. Hall: “The new road from West Stewartstown to Clarksville and Stewartstown center, built by Mr. Hubbard Hall, is now completed... This was a much needed change in the road.”
John H. O. Parker: a "house painter", in 1892, he is 51 years old and lives with his wife Rebecca 52. In 1897, he is also the Tax Collector for the town.
across the street, West side of the street, on corner of Main St.:
Shop and Residence J. C. Hatchins, J. C. Hatchins owns a furniture factory and a store beside his house. (It will become the "Spencer store" in 1895, a variety store owned by Stella Spencer, 36 years old in 1900, living with her sons Harry, born in 1882, Hazel, born in 1890, and Carl, born 1896).
Corner Main Street and Washington Street 1892. The Spa Restaurant was on this site until it burned down in 2021.
on the West side of Washington Street:
Isaac F. Jacobs: a "landlord" according to the US Census, but, he also owns the town general store. He was born in 1838 in Germany, just before WWII. He immigrated in 1854. His wife Julia, born in 1852, is also from Germany. They have several children. In 1892, Claire is 10, Norman 3, Miriam 5, Milton only one (will come later: Bernhard, in 1895 and Norman, in 1899). In 1900, we find living with them: Sophia Moser, an aunt, Rhey Newbaher, a niece, as well as two servants: Catherine Wilson and Emily Myer. By 1910, the family will have moved out form West Stewartstown to live in Berlin NH.
John R. Little: a “grocer” in the US Census, he operates a “confectionery" selling candies and other sweets. In 1892, he is 50 years old, and lives with his wife Orvilla 47. Prior to it, he owned John R. Little & Co., manufacturing and selling furniture and coffins. John Little's store and tenement, and Standard Hall (Little's Hall, where entertainment and dancing took place) burned down September 1899 (Essex County herald, Sept. 22, 1899).
Advertising in The Frontier Gazette 1894
Rail Road Station operating since 1887 (Railroad Freight House)
Washington Street looking North around 1910
I.F. Jacobs' house on the left built before 1887
apartment building (tenements) center built around 1900,
Rail Road Station (and its Passenger Depot built after 1905) on the right
In Poor’s Manual of Railroads, Volume 25, 1892, P. 359, you may read:
"Upper Coös Railroad.- Quebec Junction, N.H., to Beecher Falls, VT., 55.37 miles...Opened from North Stratford to West Stewartstown, N.H., 21 miles, December 26, 1887 ; extension to Beecher Falls, 1.87 miles, completed in September, 1888... Leased for 999 years from May 1, 1890 to the Maine Central RR. Co. (Portland, Maine), at an annual rental of $35,500. George Van Dyke, President ; James P Cook, Treasurer."
The New Hampshire section of the railroad extended from Coös to Beecher Falls; The section from North Stratford was called Upper Coös Rail Road. The extension, across the border into Québec, was to allow direct connection with the Canadian Pacific and the Québec Central Railroads.
Upper Coos Railroad was *Incorporated in 1883. In 1890, part of the line linking Quebec Junction with Quebec was leased by Maine Central Railroad. Opened in May 1891, that extension of the Maine Central Railroad was called "Hereford Railway" and passed by East Hereford, Paquetteville, Saint Malo, Cookshire Junction, Brookbury, all the way to Marbleton (northeast of Sherbrooke), "Dudswell Junction and Lime Ridge , P. Q., at which point passengers for Quebec wait over night proceeding to Quebec the following morning" (extract from The Portland daily press May 16, 1891). It went 77 miles up into Québec, 18 miles above Sherbrooke.
Also, the Connecticut River Lumber Company, which maintained an office branch on Washington Street in West Stewartstown and presented below on this page, extended a railroad section to northwest Pittsburg Township which then connected with the Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division 2.8 miles north of Saint-Venant-de-Paquette, a small town just north of East-Hereford, in Québec.
Passenger service stopped in 1932. Merchandise service, consisting mostly of pulpwood shipments, stopped briefly 1973 after the large flood that took down section of the railroad by the bridge in West Stewartstown. It restarted in 1977, but, ultimately stopped for good in 1989 as transport by truck became less expensive.
in addendum, below, you will find some more information about the railroad expansion and dissolution in New Hampshire.
West side of the street:
Connecticut River Lumber CO office building (Branch of Connecticut River Lumber Company, formed in 1879 from the merging of various companies including Mt. Tom Lumber Co., from Northampton, Massachusetts). In 1884, the well known George Van Dyke became the general manager and later the president. By 1897, he was the owner of the company. It is one of the reasons he built with some other investors the Upper Coös Railroad presented above; the railroad made easier and much cheaper to move wood and equipment up and down along the Connecticut River.
In 1902, the name of the company was changed for The Connecticut Valley Lumber Company. The Barre daily Times reports Aug. 1913, That a fire destroyed the barn and boarding house of the Connecticut Valley Lumber Company of West Stewartstown, for a loss of $100,000.
Later it sold its waterpower component to Stone & Webster of Boston, the timberlands to New Hampshire-Vermont Lumber Company (a branch of St. Regis Paper Company, Town of Franklin, New York, and totally integrated into it by 1940) and the water right to produce electricity to the Connecticut Valley Power Company. By 1930, it was replaced by the New Hampshire Vermont Lumber Co.
Presently occupying the building is a division of the LandVest Timber Company, a large Real Estate and Timberland Company with its headquarters located in Boston.
Main St (West to East) Most of the stores and services are on Main Street:
Left: L. W. Alger store, with J. Guertin’s market and T. Mayo’s house behind the trees
Center (end of Main Street): J. Parker’s house on Washington St
Right: houses of J. Blodgett and F. Chamberlin next to it
picture from early 1900 with both electric and telephone poles present, and street light.
About the utility poles seen on the picture: Utility poles were first used in the mid-19th century in America for telegraph systems, and in the early 1900s, for telephone lines, with only one horizontal member to cary the wires. The Colebrook, Stewartstown & Connecticut Lake Telephone Co. incorporated in 1883 served West Stewartstown and area (in New Hampshire, it is one of the first company to be organized after Brattleboro Telephone Co in 1881). From an article in the St.Johnsbury Caledonian, February 15, 1911, it is clear that telegraph service was still in demand. The press clipping informed the readers that a continuous telegraph service would be now offered "night and day, seven days a week...as the result of the merging of the Bell Telephone companies and the Western Union Telegraph Company...the message may be telephoned to the Montpelier office and from there sent by telegraph. The Montpelier office will handle the business of 42 towns in Vermont and New Hampshire (including Canaan and West Stewartstown) on Sundays and at night."
Later, incorporated in 1908, The Essex and Coos telephone Co. will take over. At one time the switchboard was in the old ''bridge toll building’'. The type of pole seen on this picture of Main Street suggests a picture taken between 1890 and 1910.
You may also notice the street lamps. The first oil street lamps were installed in the town of Colebrook in 1876. There are ample reasons to believe the same for West Stewartstown. In the area, "electricity was first mentioned in 1888". You will find more information below under W. F. Allen Saw Mill and Planning Mill on River Street.
South side of Main Street, West to East:
Toll for bridge: not in use since 1888, when crossing the bridge became free. In 1927, the bridge will collapse following heavy rain. In 1928, the New Hampshire Highway Department replaced it with a single-span steel Pratt truss bridge, supported by concrete abutments. In 1991, they erected a steel plate girder structure carried on abutments of reinforced concrete.
George W. Hall: there is a Customs’ office in his building (George W. Hall was a private in the army during the Civil War, according the "surviving soldiers Census 1890", he was in the 11th Vermont Regiment, Company C, Horse and Artillery Division. When George enlisted in August 1864, he was living in Randolph, VT. He was taken prisoner March 27, 1865; pardoned March 30, 1865. He was honorably discharged at end of the war June 1865. Of interest, the 11th Regiment has been recognized as the largest Vermont regiment sent to the war. On December 10, 1862, its designation changed to the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery. Unfortunately, it is the only information available on George).
But, he is not the only one from Stewartstown to have served in the army. On the following page, I am gradually compiling information on various volunteers. It appears that the 13th New Hampshire Regiment was favored for the area, visit the blog page: Stewartstown and the American Civil War
An advertising for the Hotel in The Frontier Gazette 1894:
By 1899, a new hotel will be erected in the same location: the "Hotel Pike” owned by George N. Pike (S. I. Map 1904). The architect credited for the construction of the Hotel Pike in West Stewartstown is the Maine architect William Robinson Miller (1866-1929) who specialized in richly ornamented French-Revival churches, hotels, and residences. It is amazing how the architecture of the Hotel Pike resembles the Kimble House in Northeast Harbor, Maine (Bryan Franklin Toles, p.174)
Note: Prior to having the hotel in West Stewartstown, in 1902, George Pike had a hotel in the town of Clark (50 miles south of Stewartstown (F. W. Rollins, p. 315). Also, George N. Pike ran a Sportsman's Cabin called the "Idlewild Camp” that could accommodate 50 fishermen along the Second Connecticut Lake. You will find excellent pictures of the time and other interesting information in the book written by Donna Jordan (se references below).
In the New England Vacation Resorts: A List of Hotels and Boarding Houses Located on the Boston and Maine Railroad. [Season, 1907, 19008) from the Boston and Maine Railroad and written in 1907 by D.J. Flanders & C.M. Burt from the General Passenger Department, you will find that it would cost $2.00/night to stay at the Hotel Pike and $1.50/night at the Cabin.
Hotel Pike
As reported in the Daily Kennebec journal, December 30, 1925:
“$50,000 Fire Loss In Large Hotel at W. Stewartstown, NH, Dec. 29, the Stewartstown House was burned to the ground, the hotel barn destroyed, a restaurant partly destroyed and other nearby buildings damaged by fire that threatened for a time today to wipe out the village...West Stewartstown is dependent for water pressure in fighting fire on a stream pump at a saw mill which is now not operating...The hotel, a three story wooden structure, had accommodations for 100 persons. Guests escaped without injury...The hotel is the fifth structure on the site that has been destroyed by fire.”
Store Mrs Ellen M. Fling (Mary Ellen Nichols’ store): a dry good and millinery store operating since 1874. In the US Census, Mrs Fling is registered as a “milliner” (she sells women’s hats). In 1893, the post office has moved to her building from its original location in Jacobs’ second store on Main Street, and by 1897, it will be in R. H. Spencer’s store who also will sell furniture. Her competitors, in the millinery business, are the Russel sisters. In 1897, they compete also at the level of the phone companies; Mrs. E. M. Fling is the operator for the Boston & Northern Telephone Office (first one in the area in 1882), and the Russell sisters are the operators for North American Telephone. Many other telephone short-living companies operated in the area; including the Colebrook, Stewartstown & Connecticut Lake Telephone Company organized in 1883, the Colebrook, Stewartstown, Clarksville & Pittsburg Telephone Company organized in 1884, Farmer's Independent Telephone Line, The Bushey Line, and Essex & Coös Telephone Company, to name a few.
In 1892, M. E. Nichols, born in Stewartstown, is 45 years old. She lives with her husband Orlando Fling (married in 1866), he is 48 years old, his occupation is noted as “farmer” (in the 1870 Census, he is noted as "buyer of pellets and wood"). Orlando is the son of Henry Fling, owner of the hotel-tavern presented above in the section about 1862. Orlando and Ellen live with their son Henry 24, and widowed mother-in-law, Sarah Nichols, 66.
John Piper Blodgett’s House: a "farmer", in 1892, he is 54 years old and lives with his wife Josephine also 54. Josephine Keasar is the daughter of Benjamin Young Keysar, and the younger sister of Olive Alice Keysar who is the wife of William Piper and mother of Thomas W. Piper, owner after 1892 of the house described in this blog.
In 1858, John Piper Blodgett and Josephine had a son, Benjamin Howard, who will marry Mary Eliza Hilliard in 1880. In 1881, Benjamin and Mary have a son, the future Dr. John Moody Blodgett. But, Benjamin dies in 1900, and John Moody will go live with his grand-parents until his graduation from the school of medicine in 1910 and his marriage in 1916.
More information about Dr. Blodgett at the end of this page.
Frank H. Chamberlin (also "Francis"): he was born in 1847 (his father was from French Canada). In 1892, he is 45 years old and lives wit his wife Ella (Eleanor Smith) 44. In 1892, they live alone; their daughter Lila May, born Dec 1867 in Stewartstown is married since 1888 and live in Berlin, NH.
Note: In 1870, Frank is a ''horse dealer’, he lives in Canaan with his wife and young 3 years old daughter Ella. His father, Francis Chamberlin, a “blacksmith", born in French Canada (born 1812- death 1875) and mother Phebe Nichols, from Vermont (born 1814- death 1867, married ~1836), were living in Stewartstown in 1850, they had 6 children, it appears that they came from Canada around 1845 based on where their children were born. In 1860, they move to Canaan to farm and return to West Stewartstown by 1870.
By 1910, Frank and Ella still live in West Stewartstown. Frank and Ella with continue living there until Ella's death in 1913. Frank will then move to Canaan to live with his cousin Charles Chamberlin, 61, and his wife Ann, 50 (Frank dies in 1928. Interestingly, at the age of 78, in 1926, 2 years before his death, he will marry in Canaan, Ann J. Bell, who is much younger, only 58 years old).
Charles M. Quimby: he owns a "Hardware store”, and is also in the “tin business" since 1880 and will be until at least the end of the century; he is in the same trade as his brother Almond described above. In 1892, he is 38 years old and lives with his wife Rose 35, and 2 years old daughter Hortense.
Advertising in The Frontier Gazette 1902:
Joseph Tibbets: a retired "mechanic", 75 years old, lives with his wife Harriet 61, and their son Frank 40.
Corner South St (corner Washington Street and Main Street):
By 1895, it will become a carpet store and an undertaker business owned by R.H. Spencer; later owned by Stella Spencer. In 1895, she is 31 years old, living her husband R. H. Spencer and with her sons Harry, born in 1882, Hazel, born in 1890. Later will come Carl, born in 1896).
Advertising in The Frontier Gazette 1895:
Advertising in The Frontier Gazette 1903:
North side of Main Street, West to East:
Nelson C. Harvey: in 1892, Nelson is 38 years old, he owns two buildings, one of his building holds a barber shop. The other one is a billiard saloon moved in 1886 from a different location to in front of the hotel (essex County herald, Oct 01, 1886).
I. F. Jacobs second store: a general store for gentleman's clothing, it had a post office in the store from 1886 to 1893. Isaac lives on Washington Street, more about him above.
Ida A. Shurtleff Store: divorced, and 38 years old in 1892, you may want to read her interesting and detailed history below. Her ex-husband Lyman Otis Shurtleff’s drugstore is in the same building. In 1869, Lyman H. Annable was the first to operate a drugstore in West Stewartstown. He was followed by Lovering in 1873, Caleb Dalton in 1881, and finally Lyman Otis Shurtleff.
Advertising in the Frontier Gazette 1895:
Hiram Blanchard: on the corner of Center St. (in 1870, he is a "dealer in cattle and sheep", by 1880, Hiram is a "Stage driver", run his stage to Colebrook and Canaan). In 1892, he is likely retired at the age of 74. He was born in 1818 in French Canada. He lives with his wife Elisa Blanchard 57 (madden name “Blood", and from her first marriage “Howe"; it is her second marriage with Hiram Blanchard in 1869).
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Horses coaches to Stewartstown:
Copy of the schedule published in the daily Madisonian, December 23, 1884.
Twice a week, in two horses coaches, a 48 miles trip, left Lancaster at 6 AM to arrive at Stewartstown the same day by 5 PM (11 hours), passing by Northumberland, Stratford, Columbia, Colebrook, West Stewartstown, Canaan, VT, back to West Stewartstown, NH, to Stewartstown
The same schedule found in the Daily Union, March 11, 1849 present the exact same route, twice a week, but it was a 53 miles trip, leaving Lancaster at 11 AM to arrive to Stewartstown by 10 PM (also 11 hours)
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Ida A. Shurtleff lives with Hiram and Elisa. Ida is Elisa's daughter from her previous marriage with William Howe (married 1852, died 1857). Ida B. Coté born in 1855 is then 25 years old (her madden name is Howe). In the US Census, she is listed as ''widowed and daughter-in-law'', but, she is actually divorced from Austin Coté. In 1880, Hiram and Elisa have a servant Etta Hill, and a boarder. Ida will leave the Blanchards in 1881 for her second marriage with Lyman O. Shurtleff. After having two daughters with him, she will divorce him and will return to live with the Blanchards.
In the 1990 census, Elisa Blanchard, widowed since 1898, still lives with her daughter Ida, and her 2 grand-daughters Mabel 18 and Mildred 11. In 1908, Ida remarries for the third time and will go live in Maine. You may read more about Ida at the end of this page.
The house will burned down in 1905 as per a story reported in the journal The Essex County Herald, February 03, 1905. Source: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/. Thomas Piper's store where was Jacobs' store in 1892, and Barlett drug store was where was Ida A. Shurtleff Store and Lyman Otis Shurtleff’s drugstore in 1892. Israel Guertin and his wife Phoebe will also loose their possession (Israel is the son of Joseph Guertin presented below).
“Last Friday morning, about 4 o’clock, fire was discovered in the basement of the Bartlett drug store, on Main Street, West Stewartstown. The firemen responded quickly to the alarm, and soon had three streams of water turned on. The flames spread rapidly to the store of Thomas W. Piper, on the west, and to the dwelling house of Mrs. E. M. Blanchard on the east. Mrs. Roger Taylor had rooms over the drug store, and everything was burned, with no insurance. The entire building with contents was consumed. The tenement over T. W. Piper's store was occupied by Israel Guertin. They were away from home and their goods were all burned, with no insurance. This building, with entire stock was also consumed. Most of the goods were removed from the dwelling of Mrs. Blanchard. Her house and ell were burned, but the barn was saved. Insurance light.”
Store Lyman W. Alger: Lyman relocated from Canaan to West Stewartstown in 1869. On the East corner of Center Street, he operates a grocery store since 1869, and until at least 1897. In 1880, Lyman (also written: Syman or Loyman), a "grocer", is 49 years old, and lives with his wife Marian W. Loomis 49. They do not have any children. In 1900, Lyman lives alone. In 1897, he competes with the other groceries: E. B. Lyman, C. H. Green & Co., E. B. Bean, and Gad Beecher, and with the other merchants in town: C. E. Tewksbury, Henry Hurd, G. Flanders. After 1897, Alger store will become the well known Morrison's Clothing House.
Market Joseph Guertin: Joseph according to the 1870 census is a "carpenter/joiner” and lives with his wife Rosa (Rose Vaillancourt) and 5 children (13 to 5). By 1892, with his wife, he owns two buildings. On Main Street, they run a bakery in one building and a grocery and meat store in the adjacent building. Joseph, and his wife Rose, both from French Canada, emigrated in 1865 from Coaticook, Québec, just across the border, with two of their oldest children, to live in Stewartstown.
Advertising in The Frontier Gazette 1894:
In 1892, Joseph, 62 years old, lives with his wife Rose 58. All their kids are married and gone from home. Two daughters are close by, living in the village, Salome and Louisa, and are likely involved in the store. Salome has just adopted a boy who is one years old, and Louisa has 2 teenagers.
Their daughter Louisa, born in 1857, is married since 1879 with Thomas G. Pelky (Pelletier) and living not far on River Street (or Mill Street, see below). His other older daughter Salome, born in 1857, is married since 1882 with James Stapleton, and also lives in the village of West Stewartstown, on Washington Street (see above).
Their son Israel, an “ auctioneer”, born in 1861 in Québec, is married since 1884 with Phoebe Fortier, born in 1862 (written “Foster” in various documents, but her father is Joseph Fortier). In 1892, they also live in West Stewartstown and have four sons.
Joseph and Rosa other son, Ely (Elie Albert), born in 1862 in Québec, marries in 1890 in Hereford, Quebec, with Agnes Evelina Riendeau, born in 1870. They live a few years in NH, then in Canada, and by 1900, they return to live in Northumberland, NH, with a 3 years old son born in Canada and a 8 years daughter old born in NH.
The youngest, Nellie (Marie Elaine), born 1866 in Stewartstown, marries in 1889 with Frank Pierce Clark from Bethlehem NH and live in Portland, Maine.
By 1900, John 70 and Rosa 66 live with Salome and her husband James Stapleton, on Washington Street, and presented above. For nearly 20 years, Joseph and Rosa, after emigrating from Québec in 1865, ran their stores, raised their family of 5 children in Stewartstown, got them married and established, and at the end retired and lived another 20 years in Stewartstown with their oldest daughter Salome and son-in-law James.
"Between 1884 and 1903, New Hampshire attracted many immigrants. French Canadian migration to the state was significant, and at the turn of the century, French Canadians represented 16 percent of the state's population, and one-fourth the population of Manchester." Source: Wilfrid H. Paradis, Upon This Granite: Catholicism in New Hampshire, 1647-1997 (1998), pp. 111-12.Manchester.
Thomas H. Mayo: new settler in 1850. In 1892, he is 66 years old, he is a well known sign and ornamental painter, and lives with his wife Ellen 59, and two daughters, Sonia 26, and Ella 24. He also served as private in the army during the Civil War, in the 13th NH Regiment, Infantry division, from Aug 1862 to Sept 1873.
T. H. Mayo print shop, beside his residence on the corner of Washington Street.
River St to Johnson St, now Mill Street (West to East) :
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Loverin's Store after 1909, ES Parker's wood working buildings on the right Jacob's Store 1892
I. F. Jacobs Store: a store for clothing ("gent's store"), and dry goods established since 1878. In 1886, he replaces L.W. Alger as postmaster, and will have the post office in his store.
Prior to Jacobs store, it was H. C. Trask store, and around 1897, it will become M. Loverin’s store. It will burn down around 1906 and will be replaced by a new Lovering's store by 1909, which will also burn down later. Salomon’s store is now on this site. See the information above about the Jacobs; they lived on Washington Street where now stands the old school.
Loverin’s store after 1909 and floor plan from 1909 map
A theater occupied the second floor of Loverin's store. Over the years, West Stewartstown will have several Halls where people would meet, dance, and celebrate.
One of them, “The Standard Hall”, next to John Little’s store on South Street (now Washington Street) burned in 1899 with the store. Later the village will have another hall, “The Gem Opera House” above Loverin's store. All sharing the same name: "The Gem Opera Houses". They opened all over Europe and America during the same period, in the early 1900’s. The word “Gem” means something precious, Gem Opera Houses likely meant high-quality performances.
The Gem Opera Houses were designed with a stage for lecturing “celebrities”, troubadours, traveling comedians and vaudeville acts.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaudeville: “a vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition or light poetry, interspersed with songs or ballets. It became popular in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s...”).
Ephraim S. Parker shop: Ephraim operates a carpenter shop rebuilt in 1887 after a fire. His first shop dated from 1878; at the time, he erected "a building upon the site of the woolen factory for a machine shop and furniture manufactory" (as reported in the Essex County Herald, Nov. 08, 1878).
A large lumber shed was added in 1904. He makes doors and sashes (or window wood frames), and moldings. Ephraim lives on Washington Street, as presented above.
Advertising in The Frontier Gazette 1895:
Grist Mill (a large building with a mill powered by water wheels and the Connecticut River to grind cereal grain into flour and middling) owned and operated by George Alvin Hammond. In 1892, George is 40 years old, registered as "a grain merchant", he lives in Canaan with his wife Amanda 33 (Amanda Welch, married in 1880 in Stewartstown) and two children Perley 9, Jessie 2, and two boarders. In 1900, they still live in Canaan.
But, by 1904, the kids have grown up; Perley is married, and Jessie lives with her aunt Dora in Tilton NH; she will ultimately get married at the age of 36. George and Amanda will also move to Tilton NH. He will own and operate another grist mill in that town. Joseph Johnson will take over his business in West Stewartstown. It will burn down before 1914.
North of the bridge on the East side of the river. Photo dating from around 1890s based on the river shoreline. On the left, Smith's Saw Mill is by then Allen's Saw Mill. On its right, Hammond's Grist Mill that will become Johnson's Grist Mill around 1900. The Grist Mill burned down before 1914. The Saw Mill burned down after 1914.
W. F. Allen Saw Mill and Planning Mill. The mill is powered by water from the adjacent Connecticut river. W. F. Allen is the owner since 1872. The mill was destroyed by "the fire of 1887" that razed to the ground most of the manufacturing establishments in Town, “destroying the lumber mill owned by William Allen, also the grist mill, and woolen factory owned by Gad Beecher and Samuel Hannaford. Loss estimated at $10,000; no insurance. The cause of the fire is yet unknown”...Mr. Allen's fry house was full of lumber and but 30 feet from the saw mill, and it was thought at one time that it must go, but by the almost superhuman efforts of the citizens it was saved; had this fallen a prey to the fire, a large portion of the village would have been a mass of smoking ruins to-day...", as reported in the journal Essex County herald, May 10, 1878.
Soon after, helped by the new railroad reaching town and inaugurated the same year, W. F. Allen restarted the planning and wood turning business. It was still powered by water; it used heat stove, kerosene light, and had one rotary pump with a 900' fire hose. Allen also started making wood shingles and clapboards.
Press scripting from Essex County herald, Feb, 1898: "W. F. Allen has had a small dynamo put into the power house of the new dam and is lightning West Stewartstown from there and Colebrook and this village (Canaan) from the mill."
By 1904, he was producing electricity for himself and West Stewartstown. It was called "W.F. Allen Electric CO. Saw Planning Mill". by then, they had two rotary pumps with two 1000' fire hoses. By 1914, it had a small fire department next to it.
Left, 1887 map with the new Saw Mill. On the right, 1903 map with the added Railroad connection and expanded W.F. Allen Saw & planning Mill and Electric Light Plant.
W. Allen in front Merrill's pharmacy on Main Street around 1910William F. Allen was interested in the potential of electricity. As reported in the Essex County herald in 1898: "W. F. Allen has had a small dynamo put in the power house at the new dam and is lighting West Stewartstown from there and Colebrook and this village (i.e. Canaan) from the mill". In 1905, he acquired a generator for his wood-mill. Soon after, he bought the Beaver Falls Powerhouse. By 1912, The William F. Allen Co, incorporated in 1907, will produce electricity at this plant and another power plant on Canaan's side for customers living in Canaan (63 customers), Stewartstown (60), and Colebrook (180). On the board of directors of the newly formed company, T. H. Van Dike as president, William F. Allen as Vice-president and manager, and his son Henry A. Allen as Treasurer. Of interest, the dividends paid to its stockholders was 10%. (Information in publication from the Public Utilities Commission, NH, 1912). in 1927, Southern New Hampshire Hydroelectric Corporation will take over the company and soon after, in 1928, The Public Service Company of New Hampshire.
Mrs. Eratus W. Ingland: in 1892, Mary M. Ingland, 53 years old, is widowed. Her husband was Eratus W. Ingland, born in 1825, who died before 1892. They had a daughter Eva in October 1872.
Gad (also written Gud) Beecher: his father of the same name settled in the area in 1813. Gab owns two buildings, one is a printing office. Gad is mostly a “miller”, he runs a grain mill. His house is located where W. M. Smith's house was located (Smith owned the Saw Mill across the street between 1850 to 1870). In 1892, he is 66 years old and lives with his wife Electa C. Hall 67. They married in 1858. Gad had a prior marriage with Mary J. Brainard in 1855. Two sons live with them at least until 1880, time of the last Census; Charles, born in 1857 from his first marriage, and Lyman, born in1862 from his second marriage. He was Town selectman in 1863. For few years, in the 1880s, he will run a grocery store, and later in the 1890s, he will run a gentlemen store, and by 1897, again a grocery store.
In 1900, Gad lives with his nephew John W. Beecher, 38 years old and a carpenter, and John's wife Grace 23, and 4 years old daughter Evely, as well as Gad's brother, Sylvester 79.
J. Beecher, likely related to Gud Beecher, but, no information so far on him.
Fred Johnson: in 1892, he is 36 years old. He lives with his mother Jennet 55. Jennet was widowed and living in Stewartstown in 1860, with Fred who was then only 4 years old, and with his two sisters Stella 3, and Harret 1.
William F. Allen: a “lumberman” in the US Census, but more of a business man, he owned the Allen Saw Mill when it burned in 1887, but the Mill was soon to be rebuilt. Born in 1845, William is 47 years old in 1892 and lives with his wife, Olivia 50, and three sons: George 26, Henry 21, and William 19. By 1897. He will specialize in hard wood flooring, and by 1904, also, in producing electricity for the Town and surroundings. The house burned around 1910, but not the detached barn nor the Mill.
Parker Tabor Danforth: in 1892, he is 65 years old, and lives with his wife Diana 60, and their son Willis 34. Their two daughters are married and not living with them: Addison born in 1853, Ellen Ida born in 1862.
William C. McAllister: a "day laborer", in 1892, he is 51 years old, and lives with his 6 years old son George, and one year old daughter Jossie.
Thomas G. Pelky (Pelletier): he is a ‘’lumberman’’, of French Canadian descent, born in 1855, in Arooctook County, Northern Maine, an area populated mostly by French Canadian descendants to this day. In 1879, he marries Louisa Guertin born in 1857, also French Canadian. She has been living in Stewartstown since 1865 with her parents and four younger siblings. Her parents are Joseph Guertin and Rose Vaillancourt, owners of Market Guertin described above. In 1892, Thomas and Louisa have a 12 years old daughter Rose, and a 10 years old son Watler.
Lyman Otis Shurtleff: he owns the town drug store located on Main Street in the same building than his ex-wife’s store. In 1892, he is 34 years old, divorced from Ida Shurtleff (Howe) described above.
High St (North to South) :
George W. Allen: a "State organizer for elections”. In 1892, he is 26 years old, and lives with his wife Arvilla 24.
A. R. Russell, no information.
Sommer Rowell (Summer): a “carpenter”. In 1892, he is 36 years old, and lives with his wife Julia (Juliette) 38, and 17 years old daughter, Jessie May. You may see Jessie May on the historic picture of the house: historic picture from 1894 . The other well known carpenters of the town are Charles Fletcher, John Beecher, Willie Morse, Napoleon Morse, and Napoleon Gendron.
Sommer was also a private in the army during the Civil War, in the 1st NH Regiment, in the Horse and Infantry Division, from June 1864 to June 1865, the end of the war. His grand mother is Pheobe Rowell Stokes, born 1786 and likely living on Washington Street.
Seth Hutchins Tibbets: in 1892, he is 43 years old, and lives with his wife Isabelle (Belle) 44, and three children: Mary 17, Annie 14, and 4 years old son Everett Edward. Isabelle is related to the Pipers who will own the house described in this blog. She is the daughter of Thomas Blodgett and Josephine Piper (daughter of Samuel Gould Piper and Rebecca Copp, Thomas W. Piper’s grand parents).
Only Greek Revival Style house left on that section of High Street
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More about Ida Amelia Shurtleff:
In 1892, there was a lot of important persons in west Stewartstown, from the owner of the Saw Mill (Mrs. Allen), to Mr. Mayo, the local painter with a print shop, without forgetting the pastor of the Congregational Church. But, it was likely Ida Shurtleff that attracted most of the gossips. Ida is 38 years old (b.1854), divorced twice, and has 2 daughters, Mabel 10 years old and Mildred, 4 years old. With her kids, she rent rooms at her mother’s house, Mrs. Eliza Blanchard’s on Main Street, while her ex-husband, L. O. Shurtleff, has a house all for himself, not far, at the corner of Mill Street and Washington Street.
For the next ten years, Ida, Mabel, and Mildred will live with Ida’s mother, Mrs Eliza Blanchard (Eliza madden name is Blood, then becomes Howe by her 1st marriage in 1852 with William Howe who died in 1857, and finally Blanchard by her second marriage in 1868 with Hiram Blanchard. Ida’s father is William Howe).
She owns a store on Main Street by Mrs Fling's store. She is divorced which is uncommon in those days, and not only once, but twice. Ida is born Ida Howe, in Canaan, in 1854. In 1870, when 16, she first marries Austin Coté 24 (French Canadian descendant on his father’s side, but with an English mother); they live in Stewartstown. They have a daughter in 1872, Hattie, who dies in 1875, at age 3. They have a son Willie in 1875 who dies in 1879, at age 4. She divorces Coté, and in 1880 she is living on Main Street, West Stewartstown, with her mother, Eliza Blanchard and Eliza’s second husband Hiram Blanchard. There is no information about Austin Coté whereabouts after that.
In 1881, Ida marries Lyman O. Shurtleff from Stewartstown. She will have 2 daughters with him in 1882 and 1888. She divorces him before 1890, and with her very young children, she returns to live with her mother Eliza Blanchard. Mable marries in 1909, and Mildred marries in 1914.
For those who are interested to know more of her life. She marries again, in Colebrook, in 1908, at the age of 45, with Hardy Alvin Molton 38, also divorced, a salesman from Semington, Maine (born in 1888, first married with Annie Grace Wheeler in 1894; they will not have any children, and before 1908, they divorce. Annie remarries in 1911, and Hardy remarries in 1908).
Ida and Hardy move to Maine, By 1910, they live in Scarborough, Maine, with Seth and Emily Plummer. In 1920, They live in Portland, Maine; Hardy is an accountant. In 1930, now 65, we find Ida in Portland, Maine, head of the household, living with Walter E. Walker 55 (lodger). Her husband Hardy Moulton is a patient at the Western Maine Sanatorium, in Hebron, Maine (a hospital for the treatment of chronic diseases, such as tuberculosis which was common then. The Sanatorium has over 150 patients and about 85 employees).
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More about Dr. John Moody Blodgett:
Dr. John Moody Blodgett is born in November 1880 (The surname Moody comes from his Grandfather surname on his mother side, Mary Eliza Hillard’s father is John Moody Hillard). Dr. Blodgett’s father Benjamin Howard Blodgett dies when is he 20. We find John Moody living with his grandparents on Main Street, West Stewartstown, John Piper Blodgett, a farmer, b. 1831, d. 1917, and his wife Josephine S Keasar (b.1838, d. 1912, she is the daughter of Benjamin Young Keysar, and the younger sister of Olive Alice Keysar, the wife of William Piper and mother of Thomas W Piper, owner of ''The House'').
After John father’s death in 1900, John’s mother, Mary Eliza will remarry in 1903. in West Stewartstown. with Herbert F. Watts, 10 years younger, and will try to begin a new family. They will have a daughter in 1906 who dies in 1908, at age 2.
After the death of his father, in 1900, John Moody Bloodget who is 19 lives with his grandparents John Piper Blodgett 69, a farmer, and Josephine, 62, In the 1900 US Census, he is listed as ''farm laborer''.
In the Census of 1910, John Moody Bloodget is 29 and still lives with his grandparents John Piper Blodgett 79, and Josephine, 72. John is not listed as doctor, although he graduates from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, later that year 1910.
In 1916, at the age of 35, Dr. Blodgett marries Mary E. Duncan 25. Soon after, in 1917, he is drafted for WW I. At his return in 1918, they will have a son, Benjamin. Soon after, they will have 2 daughters, Jane in 1919, and Josephine in 1921.
In 1942, Dr. Blodgett is again drafted for WWII. John is then 61, lives with wife Mary 49, and daughter Josephine 19, and son Benjamin 25. Jane 23 gets married that same year.
Note about the draft for WW I and WW II: for World War I, the conscription was initially in the age range from 21 to 30, and expanded in 1918 to an age range of 18 to 45. For WW II, in 1942, the government initiated a ''4th registration'' targeting older men 45 to 65 years of age, but it was not aimed for military service on the front but for help on the home front.
Dating from after 1916, photo of Dr. John Blodgett and Mrs. Blodgett by Center Street; his house would be on the right. The house behind on the left is where was Hiram Blanchard's house in 1892. On the right was L.W. Alger' store (More information about Dr. Blodgett at the end of this page).
Photo: courtesy of Alice M. Ward Memorial Library. Canaan Public Library, Canaan, VT.
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Other physicians in Stewartstown over the years:
1830: Dr. Tirrel
1838-<1844: Dr. Henry Lyman Waton (1811-1891). Before 1844, he relocates to Littleton, NH.
1846-1850: Reverend and Dr. Josiah Morse (1798-1875). In 1850, he relocates to Northumberland, NH.
1860-1861: Dr. John B. Gendron (1834- x), it appears that he did not stay very long. Minimal information is found about him.
1860-1870: Dr. Oscar Worthley (1831-1890 from tuberculosis). He is 28 y.o. in 1860. He returns to practice in Carroll, NH, after his wife’s death in 1870. Presented above in the section Map of 1862.
1867-1872: Dr. Lyman H. Annable (1837-x). He is 30 y.o. in 1867, born in Canada, he marries Sarah in 1867 in Stewartstown. They will relocate to Compton, Quebec.
1868-1869: Dr. Sylvester P. Jones
1870-before1880: Dr. Guy Holbrook (1845-1916). He is 25 y.o. in 1870, lives with his wife Laura and one year old son Thomas. By 1880, he lives and practices in Colebrook.
In the 1870 Census, three physicians are present in West Stewartstown, Oscar Worthley (then 38 y.o.), Lyman H. Annable (31 y.o.), and Guy Holbrook (25 y.o.).
1873-1874: Dr. William N. Bryant
1880-1883: Dr. Frank E. Henderson: born 1857 in Newbury, VT, graduates from Dartmouth College, practices medicine in McIndoe's Falls, VT, from 03-1878 to 08-1879, and afterwards in West Stewartstown until his death at the young of 26 from tuberculosis (“Consumption”). In 1981, he marries Jennie C Hall (1862-1926), one of the daughter of the first owners of The House presented in this blog, Hubbard C. Hall and Jane Goodwin, living on Washington Street. Jennie will have triplets in May 1883, they all died 3 months later around August 18, 1883, few days before their father, also from “Consumption” (as noted for the cause of death on the death certificates). Visit the following blog page: The Halls .
1884: Dr. H.H. Lee
1885: Dr. Frank Inkerman Ramos (1864-1868) Graduated from the Uni. Med. Coll. 1885
1894-1897: Dr. Richard E. Wilder (1870-1945). By 1897, he relocates to
Whitefield, NH. Photo from 1895:
1900-before 1910: Dr. Frederick A. Allin (1872-1967, mentioned in the Essex County herald, Aug 21, 1903). In 1903, he lives with his wife Carrie (her grand-father was Adams M. Tewksbury, new settler in 1840, presented earlier) and two sons born 1900 and 1901. Listed as physician in West Stewartstown, in the US Census 1900, and renting a house in West Stewartstown near Gab Beecher’s house. By 1910, he relocates to Andover, VT.
1910-after1950: Dr. John Moody Bloodget (1910, born in Stewartstown, practiced in Stewartstown until his death in 1955). More information about him just above.
1905-1956: Dr. Guy William Barbour (1884, born in Clarksville, the town north of Stewartstown, practiced in Stewartstown until his death in 1956). Much more information about him in the section ''History of the House'': History of the house and The Halls and Barbours
On November 6, 1866, the County of Coös purchased a farm in West Stewartstown to house the homeless people of this New Hampshire County. In 1867, a three story addition to the original farm house was completed to house 100 to 121 residents.
You may want to visit this new Internet site posted Jan 2024:
https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/158037
You will find fascinating historic pictures of The Coös County Farm, The New Hampshire State Charitable and Correctional Institutions. They were located on Farm Road where later will be erected the Coös County Hospital and current Coos County Nursing hospital.
Van Dyke mountain (~1500') in background
barn, superintendent, buildings for inmates and insane
View of the Connecticut valley
Barn, Coos County Farm on the right
The pictures date from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The buildings presented were later transformed into the present hospital in 1932 (and correctional facility). The present building was completed with the first and second floors as a residential facility for the indigent people and the top floor for a 35 bed general hospital.
In 1970, the hospital operation ceased, and the County converted the building into an 82 bed intermediate nursing care facility, still operating to this day.
The higher payers of town taxes were presented in the journal The Frontier Gazette (1895), you will find many of the names cited in the page above:
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Article about the Congregational Church republished in 1903 in The Frontier Gazette:
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In the journal Ellsworth American, Aug. 1894:
A word about George Van Dyke. “Whose recent purchase of “Early Bird” interested so many Maine people, is the lumber king of northern New Hampshire. He spends considerable of his time at West Stewartstown, where he has elegant training barns filled with blooded horses, and a good half-mile track, The people of that section are anxiously awaiting the introduction there of the popular townsman’s new purchase.”
In the Essex County herald, June 1903, news from Berlin, the same horse is still very popular: "Extensive repairs have been made on the track and it is now one of the best found in this section. One of the chief attractions each day will be the exhibition miles trotted by the fastest horses in New England, George Vandyke's famous trotters, early bird, record 2.10, Esperanza 2.101/4, and Frank Bogash 2.031/4, the latter having been purchased by Mr. Vandyke at a cost of $17,500. This may be the chance of a lifetime..."
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https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/dot/remote-docs/2001-nh-railroad-context-statement.pdf
Copy sections from this document available on line, page 226 to page 237:
Reasons for the impressive expansion of railroad lines in the 1900s in New Hampshire:
Proximity to ice-free ports along the Atlantic Seaboard also meant that some of New Hampshire’s railroads would be important to commercial interests in Vermont, upstate New York, and the St. Lawrence Valley. Cities like Boston and Portland were not merely transport destinations, however, they were markets. Perishable commodities like dairy products, poultry, fruits, and vegetables could be taken from New Hampshire farms by rail—reaching nearby urban markets before spoiling. Hence, New Hampshire farms gave up on commodities like grains and wool, which could be brought easily from large farms in the Midwest, and concentrated on perishable items destined for nearby urban markets.
Railroads were not only seen as a necessity for manufacturing interests, but as a source of local pride by town and city “boosters."
Hence, when railroads were first chartered in New Hampshire in the 1830s, they were seen in part as a means of bringing raw materials to existing factories and taking finished goods to markets throughout New England and the nation. By mid-century, every mill owner demanded rail access. Throughout the nineteenth century, New Hampshire's persistent localism also led towns and villages to demand their own railroad and passenger depot. Local civic leaders and politicians lobbied to have railroads run through or near their towns...(New Hampshire has always been strongly oriented toward its local governments, and people in the state have long cherished values like "home rule" and "local control.”).
As a result, the state’s rail system became overbuilt. Railroads and branches were built to service individual mills or mill centers with little prospect of making a profit. These lines were quickly absorbed by larger lines, and in some cases, they were abandoned after relatively brief service.
New Hampshire towns were not built around railroads; railroads were built through or around existing towns.
The Boston, Concord & Montreal never really succeeded as a through "route to the lakes," and its lines to and through the White Mountains, although important for the tourist trade, were seasonal and expensive to maintain. Just as these lines had a mixed record at their peak operation, they have suffered a mixed fate in recent years. Portions of all of these lines have been abandoned, and in most cases, the track and even the bridges have been removed. Some passenger and freight depots have been removed or destroyed; many others have been converted to other uses.
Aside from the question of infrastructure, there are other areas of future railroad research needed in New Hampshire. Much has been made about the social and economic impact of railroads on New Hampshire and its communities, but there has been little research on the subject. We have no real data on how the coming the railroad affected population growth, population diversity, commerce, manufacturing, employment, and other forms of transportation. Much more should be done on the subject of railroads andtown layout, or for that matter, regional development and planning. Railroads even affected our sense of time and scheduling, but nothing has been written about this in New Hampshire. Also, the environmental impact of railroads has been ignored, even though we can surmise that railroads affected the level of noise, the quality of the air, the level of cutting in the forests, and the drainage of wetlands. Finally, there is no comprehensive narrative of New Hampshire's twentieth century railroad story. The Boston & Maine finally went under, but why? What political decisions kept the management of the Boston & Maine and the political leaders of the New England states from making the decisions that could have averted the collapse of the region's railroads? This and more is open for further investigation. This and more is needed to better understand the full story of New Hampshire's railroads.
Some of the reasons why many railroad lines were abandoned over time: Snow and flooding caused problems for these railroad lines, but not to the extent of problems incurred by railroads operating in the mountains. Lines like the Boston, Concord & Montreal were at a distinct disadvantage. These “up-country” lines tended to be lightly built and generally operated at a loss. Steep grades, for instance, not only reduced the speed and carrying capacity of trains, but required the use of extraordinary amounts of water, coal, and even sand.
The continued use of timber for trestles and bridges reduced the value of New Hampshire railroads in the late nineteenth century. Engineers inspecting lines like the Northern and the Boston, Concord & Montreal in 1884, for instance, discovered dozens of bridges in need of immediate replacement.
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References:
Journal:
Available Online: https://www.worldcat.org/title/frontier-gazette/oclc/22532330/
Other Historical Newspapers of interrest
:
Photos:
Many from the Alice M. Ward Memorial Library, Canaan Public Library, VT
https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/158037
Map:
West Stewartstown Villages, New Hampshire 1861 Old Town Map by H.F. Walling. Available on Line: https://www.loc.gov/maps/?fa=contributor%3Ah.f.+walling%27s+map+establishment%7Ccontributor%3Awalling%2C+henry+francis&dates=1800-1899
1861 Town map by H. F. Walling
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Available on line: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3744wm.g3744wm_g053951887
1887 map of the village of West Stewartstown
New Hampshire State Atlas 1892, New Hampshire
Published by D. H. Hurd & Co. in 1892. Available on line:
Map 1892
Books and Internet sites:
History of Coos County, New Hampshire by Georgia Drew Merrill; Syracuse, NY: W. A. Fergusson & Co., 1888, 1888, 1018 pages Available on line:
https://archive.org/stream/historyofcooscou00merr/historyofcooscou00merr_djvu.txt
https://archive.org/details/historyofcooscou00merr/page/698/mode/2up?view=theater
Census 1850 and 1860, Stewartstown, Coos County. Available on line: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSC-9219?cc=1473181
The vital statistics of Stewartstown, N. H., from Dec. 1, 1770 to Jan. 1, 1888 : contains names & dates of the original grant, incorporation, settlement, marriages, births, and deaths
Tewksbury, C. E. (Charles E.), 1854-
New Hampshire, Coos, Stewartstown - Vital records
Allen County Public Library; http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/
Available on line: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/283452availability=Family%20History%20Library
New Hampshire Register, State Year-book and Legislative Manual. United States, F. L. Tower Companies, 1897, Page 210-211. Available on line: https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Hampshire_Register_State_Year_book_a/8u4WAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
The New Hampshire Business Directory for 1868-1869. Briggs & Co., Boston, 1868
(price was $2.00). Available on line: https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Hampshire_Business_Directory/IOUCAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+hotel+pike,+west+stewartstown+nh&pg=PA104&printsec=frontcover
Colebrook “A Place Up Back of New Hampshire”, William H. Gifford, The News and Sentinel, Inc. Colebrook, NH, Printed by Liebl, 1993, 386 pages.
Information about electricity in New Hampshire:
State of New Hampshire Annual Report, Report of Secretary of State, 1907, volume 1, Concord, NH
About the 11th Regiment:
The Eleventh Regiment
BY JAMES M. WARNER, BRIGADIER AND BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL U. S. VOLS.,
And ALDACE F. WALKER, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL AND BREVET COLONEL ELEVENTH REGIMENT. Available on line: https://vermontcivilwar.org/rr/11th_Infantry.pdf
About the "Hotel Pike":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_R._Miller_(architect)
New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes Region, by Donna Jordan
Arcadia Publishing, 16 juil. 2003 - 128 pages
Available on line (certain pages): https://books.google.com/books?id=1ics8_vCHdkC&hl=fr&source=gbs_navlinks_s
The Tourists' Guide-book to the State of New Hampshire, by Frank West Rollins
Rumford Press, Concord, NH, second edition, 1902 - 365 pages
Available on line (certain pages): https://books.google.com/books?id=olz9I0XJhncC&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr#v=onepage&q&f=false
Summer by the Seaside: The Architecture of New England Coastal Resort Hotels, 1820-1950, UPNE, 2008 - 231 pages
Available on line (certain pages): https://books.google.com/books?id=HZie8msijuMC&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr#v=onepage&q&f=false
Genealogy:
FamillySearch, available on line: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RFS-W68? i=15&cc=1488411&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMH8D-5YF
