Coos County New Hampshire - Genealogy and History
 

This web site is a resource for researchers of family tree (genealogy)
and history in Coos County, New Hampshire.
HISTORY | DOCUMENTS | OTHER AREAS OF RESEARCH
MAP OF COOS COUNTY | TOWNS/CITIES IN COOS COUNTY

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BRIEF HISTORY OF COOS CO., NEW HAMPSHIRE
(pronounced "CO-ahss" with two syllables)

The act establishing "The County of Cooss" was approved December 24, 1803. It contained the original towns of Dalton, Whitefield, Bretton Woods, Bartlett, Adams, Chatham, Shelburne Addition, Durand, Kilkenny, Jefferson, Lancaster, Millsfield, Northumberland, Stratford, Wales' Gore, Cockburne, Colebrook, Stewartstown, Piercy, Paulsburg, Mainsborough, Dummer, Errol, Cambridge and Success, with a population of about 3,000 in 1803.

Coos was taken from Grafton County, one of the five original counties of the State--Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Cheshire, Grafton--and comprises all New Hampshire north of the present counties of Grafton and Carroll. Its western boundary is the western bank of the Connecticut river, and it extends from latitude 48 degree 58 minutes to the extreme north part of the State, being seventy-six miles in length, with a mean width of about twenty miles. It contains about one million acres of land. The distance by traveled highway from the north line of Grafton county at Littleton to the Canada line at West Stewartstown is about sixty-two miles. It is bounded north and northwest by Canada, east by Maine, south by Carroll and Grafton counties, and west by Vermont.

The census of 1880 gave the total population of this county as 18,850, with the town of Lancaster having the largest population within that county of 2,721 (Berlin at that time had 1,144 citizens). As of 2000, the population is 33,111. On June 18, 1805, Nash and Sawyer's Location was annexed to Coos county, and January 5, 1853, Bartlett, Jackson (Adams), and Hart's Location were annexed to Carroll county. Not long after the formation of Coos county, Chatham was annexed to Strafford county, and upon the erection of Carroll county, Chatham was included in that county.The name "Coos" is derived from the Abenaki dialect--the word "Cohos," or "Coo-ash" signifying 'pines." The tribe occupying this region was known as the 'Coo-ash-aukes,' or 'dwellers in the pine tree country,"

The county seat of Coos County is Lancaster NH.

  • There are MANY covered bridges in Coos County, including:
    • Columbia-Lemington - Built in 1912, this bridge is the northernmost covered bridge spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont. Located west of New Hampshire State Route 135.
    • Lancaster-Lunenburg - 266 foot bridge built in 1911. Crosses Connecticut River and joins New Hampshire and Vermont. This bridge is located west of New Hampshire State Route 135, 5 miles west of Lancaster Village.
    • Lancaster-Mechanic Street - Built in 1862 and crosses the Israel River. Located east of the junction of U.S. Routes 2 and 3 in Lancaster Village.
    • Northumberland-Groveton - This foot traffic only bridge was built in 1852. It crosses the Upper Ammonoosuc River and spans 126 feet. Located east of U.S. Route 3.
    • Pittsburg-Clarksville - Built in 1876, crosses the Connecticut River. This 88'-6" bridge is located South of U.S. Route 3, one mile west of Pittsburg Village.
    • Pittsburg-Happy Corner - This 60 foot bridge spans the Perry Stream and is located 1 mile south of U.S. Route 3, 6 miles northeast of Pittsburg Village. One of the oldest bridges in northern New Hampshire.
    • Pittsburg-River Road - This bridge also crosses the Perry Stream and is 50 feet long. Located south of U.S. Routes 3 and 51, 2 miles northeast of Pittsburg Village.
    • Stark-Stark - This 134 foot bridge crosses the Upper Ammonoosuc River located northwest of New Hampshire State Route 110 at Stark Village.
DOCUMENTS (this site) for genealogical research
OTHER AREAS OF RESEARCH FOR COOS COUNTY (this site)
 
 
 
 
 
 



If you are looking for town/city specific resources, click on the town map.

For other resources within Coos County

If you want to know about general genealogy resources (such as how to find vital records, deeds and other documents), visit the "Genealogical Research" section.

 

Coos County also has the following Unincorporated Areas: Atkinson and Gilmanton Academy Grant, Bean's Grant, Bean's Purchase, Cambridge, Chandler's Purchase, Crawford's Purchase, Cutt's Grant, Dix's Grant, Erving's Location, Green's Grant, Hadley's Purchase, Kilkenny, Low and Burbank's Grant, Martin's Location, Odell, Pinkham's Grant, Sargent's Purchase, Second College Grant, Success, Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, and Wentworth's Location.


Current communities in Coos County include:

Berlin, Cambridge, Carroll [Twin Mountain, and Bretton Woods are actually village districts within the town of Carroll], Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Dalton, Dixville, Dummer, Errol, Gorham, Groveton, Jefferson, Lancaster, Milan, Millsfield, Northumberland, Pittsburg, Randolph, Shelburne, Stark, Stewartstown, Stratford, Wentworth Location, and Whitefield.

Map of Coos County Pittsburg Clarksville Stewartstown Colebrook Dixville Columbia Errol Millsfield Stratford Dummer Cambridge Stark Northumberland Milan Berlin Unincorporated Townships Lancaster Dalton Whitefield Jefferson Randolph Gorham Shelburne Carroll

 
TOWNS / CITIES IN COOS COUNTY, New Hampshire

BERLIN

  • Brief History: Incorporated 1829; First granted in 1771 as Maynesborough, after Sir William Mayne, an associate of Governor John Wentworth in the West Indies trade. The area was not settled by the original grantees, and the town was renamed Berlin in 1829 by new settlers from Berlin, Massachusetts. Berlin was incorporated as a city in 1897. It is the northernmost city in the state, and includes the village of Cascade.
  • Villages and Place Names: Cascade, Berlin Mills
  • Profile & Statistics: Berlin, New Hampshire
  • GOVERNMENT:
  • OTHER WEB SITES:
  • Genealogy:
    • History & Genealogy: Berlin, N.H. - This history contains the geography and list of early settlers, action of the first town meeting, list of 1829 residents and their birth dates, names of voters in 1837, 1847 and 1857, early businesses, churches, societies, buildings, early town officers, early roads and bridges, early merchants and hotels, unusual phenomenon, and burial places, physicians and lawyers; Brief biographies and genealogies include those of William Sessions, Simon Evans, Joseph Wheeler, Samuel S. Thompson, Samuel Blodgett, Thomas Wheeler, Daniel Davis, Joseph Blodgett, John Chandler, Lorenzo Mason; more extensive biograpies and genealogies of Daniel Green and the Green Family, Amos Green, Sullivan Dexter Green, Dexter Green, Reuben Hobart Wheeler, Henry Hart Furbish, and Eugene William Scribner (among others) -- TXT file
    • Book: History of Berlin NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
    • Annual city report, Berlin, New Hampshire, years 1882, 1893, 1898-1899, 1901, 1916-1917, 1919, 1921-26, 1929, 1932-1937, 1939-1941, 1945, 1947-1948, 1953, 1955, 1963-1965, 1970, 1973, 1975-1981 1983-85, 1988-89, 1990, 1996-98, 2000-2002 [including Vital Records]
    • Earl Silas Tupper (inventor of Tupperware), born in Berlin NH in 1907
    • Coos County Archives - USGenWeb
    • Website: Berlin History Online - (unsure of sources of this but great photographs, always a bit leery when people don't ID themselves.
    • History & Biography: New Hampshire's Record-Breaking State Representative and "Grand Dame": Hilda C.F. (Johnson) Brungot (1886-1982) - Blog: Cow Hampshire
    • One Upon A Berlin Time - Stories of Berlin's History & Photographs [Archived version]

    Genealogy: Family Group Sheets of Hilda C.F. Johnson and Sivert "Sam" M. Brungot

    Portait of Hilda Brungot at the State House in Concord NH

    Photographs of Hilda C.F. (Johnson) Brungot, courtesy of George Brungot her grandson.

Photographs/Postcards & Multi-media:

MAPS:


CAMBRIDGE (an unincorporated township)

HISTORY:

  • Cambridge is an unincorporated township, located on Umbagog Lake, one of the bodies of water that separate Maine from New Hampshire. In 1880 the census was thirty-six. Umbagog Lake State Park is located here.
  • CAMBRIDGE, (from 1817 Gazeteer of New Hampshire) an uninhabited township in Coos county, situated at the S. end of lake Umbagog and bounded N. by Errol, E. by the District of Maine, S. by Paulsburgh and Success, and W. by Dummer. Incorporated 1773, containing 23,160 acres. Androscoggin river passes through the W. part of this town.
  • Cambridge is a township in Coos County, in the Berlin metro area.The latitude of Cambridge is 44.659N. The longitude is -71.109W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 1,529 feet. The population, at the time of the 2000 census, was 10, and at the time of the 2010 census was 8 (four households).

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

  • Umbagog Lake State Park, on Route 26 in Cambridge NH is one of the more recently acquired parks in the NH state system. The Division began managing the park in 1998. The park includes a base park campground with 35 sites with electrical and water hook-ups available, three cabins, and 34 remote campsites in isolated locations around Umbagog Lake accessible only by boat. The park offers a beach area for swimming, fishing, wildlife viewing, and boating. Canoe, kayak, rowboat, are offered as well as transportation for remote site campers. Boats launch and fuel sales are available, as well as a park store. Wildlife viewing includes a variety of birds, deer, and moose.

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CARROLL [including Twin Mountain and Bretton Woods]

History: Incorporated 1882. Originally granted as Bretton Woods in 1772, for Bretton Hall, an estate of Governor John Wentworth. The town was renamed Carroll in 1832, for Charles Carroll of Maryland, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The town includes the villages of Fabyan's, Bretton Woods, and Twin Mountain. Bretton Woods is home to the Mount Washington Hotel, site of the July 1944 International Monetary Conference that resulted in the creation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Nearby is Mount Washington’s Cog Railway, the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway, in operation since 1869.

Villages and Place Names: Bretton Woods, Fabyan, Quebec Junction, Twin Mountain, Crawford House

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CLARKSVILLE

History: Incorporated 1853. Part of a large tract granted to Dartmouth College, portions of the land were sold to raise cash for the college. Purchased by Joseph Murdock of Norwich, Vermont, and Benjamin Clark of Boston, and cleared for settlement by the Clark family, the town was named Clarksville. It was also known as Dartmouth College Grant until 1872. The town is south only to Pittsburg.

Villages and Place Names: formerly known as Dartmouth College Grant

PROFILE & STATISTICS

GOVERNMENT:

GENEALOGY & HISTORY:

  • History & Genealogy: Clarksville, N.H. - This document includes the geography and early history of Dartmouth College Grant, later Clarksville, including early settlers, early town records, marriages in Clarksville 1827-1831, and partial genealogies/biographies of Gideon Tirrill, Joseph Wiswall, John Comstock, Benjamin Clark Wiswall, and John Keysar - Txt file
  • Book: History of Clarksville NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

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COLEBROOK

History: Incorporated 1796. First granted in 1762, the territory was named Dryden, after English poet and playwright John Dryden. Due to the inability of grantees to settle the area, it was regranted in 1770 to new colonizers, who renamed the grant Colebrook, after Sir George Colebrooke of England, the East India Company’s chairman of the board.

Villages and Place Names: Kidderville, Upper Kidderville, Factory Village

GOVERNMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS

GENEALOGY & HISTORY:

  • History & Genealogy, Colebrook NH - Txt file - A description and topography of Colebrook NH; brief biographies of original proprietors and early settlers including Joseph Goddard, Isaac Covil, John Whittemore, Ebenezer Hill, Hosea Aldrich, Thomas Atherton, Joseph Gleason, Edmund Chamberlain, Capt. Benjamin Buel, David Titus, Sylvanus Noyes, Frederick G. Messer, Ethan Colby, Caleb Little, Ebenezer Little, Alfred Loverin, Charles Thompson, Timothy Holton, Joseph Loomis, Benjamin Whittemore, John F. Gould, Noah Cummings, Samuel Harriman, Daniel Hutchinson, Benjamin R. Gilman, Jonas Rolfe, Archelaus Cummings, Benjamin Gathercole, Levi O. Hicks and others; early merchants; 1816 list of residents; Education; Societies; Physicians; Post Offices, Mills, Churches; Various civil and town records from 1801-1830; Biographies/Genealogys: the Parsons Family, Dr. Lyman Lombard, Col. Hazen Bedel, Hon. Sherburn R. Merrill, Seneca Sargent Merrill, and Samuel Kelly Remick.
  • Book: History of Colebrook NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • Colebrook Village Cemetery, Colebrook NH - some cemetery inscriptions
  • A few facts about Colebrook NH - from official Colebrook web site

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COLUMBIA

History: Incorporated 1797. First chartered in 1762, and named Preston for Richard Graham, Viscount Preston of Scotland. The town was regranted in 1770 due to the settlers' failure to meet the terms of the grant, and renamed Cockburntown, after Sir James Cockburn of Scotland. It kept that name until 1811, when Governor John Langdon renamed the town Columbia in the spirit of patriotism preceding the War of 1812.

Villages and Place Names: Bungy, Cones, Georges, Meriden Hill, Tinkerville

GOVERNMENT:

  • Government: Columbia NH
  • Columbia Town Clerk
    RR 3
    Colebrook, NH 03576-9803
    (603) 237-5255

PROFILE & STATISTICS

GENEALOGY & HISTORY

  • History & Genealogy, Columbia NH - Txt file - The early history of Cockburn, later Columbia NH including early pioneers, schools, churches merchants, grist and saw mills, including the families of Abel Larnard, Abel Hobart, William Wallace, Noah Buffington, Philip Jordan, and Benjamin Jordan (and others).
  • Book: History of Columbia NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

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DALTON

History: Incorpoated 1764. Once a part of Littleton, the town went through several name changes. Starting in 1764 as Chiswick, after the Duke of Devonshire's Castle, in 1770 the name changed to Apthorp, honoring the Apthorp family. Finally in 1784, it was changed to Dalton, for Tristram Dalton, one of New England's foremost colonial merchants.

Villages and Place Names: Cushman, Scott

GOVERNMENT

PROFILE & STATISTICS

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • History & Genealogy of Dalton, NH - TXT file - Includes the early history of Dalton NH: Early history and naming of the town of Dalton NH; information and biographies of originators and early settlers including: Tristram Dalton, Moses Blake, Walter Bloss; the First Town Meeting [in 1808]; Lands and Livestock owners in 1809; Names mentioned in the town meeting records of 1809-1842; Early births from 1785-1811; Early marriages in 1810 & 1814; Early residents taxed in 1809; Ear-marks of 1809-1813; Early Merchants; Description of Dalton in 1821; Early Inn-Keepers; Roads; Residents in 1849; Mines; Murder in 1877; Physicians; Brief Personal Sketches of: John Blakeslee Sr. and family, John Tenney, William Wallace, John Crane & Family, Rev. Samuel H. Partridge, Andrew Lang and Family, Jonathan Scott, Jacob Barrows, Jonathan Fisher, Alvin & Asa Taylor, David Sumner & Sumner Family, Lorenzo Farr, The Brooks Family (Benjamin Sr. & Jr.), Horace Cushman/Cashman, John Ladd & Family, Bert Taylor; Ecclesiastical (Church) History and early members; Meeting House history; Civil List from 1808-1826.
  • Book: History of Dalton NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • A Brief History of Dalton NH - Dalton NH Historical Society
  • Dalton Historical Society
  • Cemeteries in Dalton NH

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DIXVILLE

History: Dixville, has an area of 31,023 acres, and is situated immediately east of Colebrook, Columbia and Stewartstown.. It received its name from Colonel Timothy Dix, father of General John A. Dix, the noted war governor of New York, to whom the township was granted in 1805. John Whittemore of Salisbury came to Dixville in 1812, and was employed by Ezekiel and Daniel Webster, attorneys for the Dix Family. John Whittemore farmed and ran a wayside inn here. Dixville's famous scenic "Notch," and the state forest area, along with the Balsams Hotel resort continues to attract visitors from around the world.

Villages and Place Names: Dixville Notch

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DUMMER

History: Incorporated 1848. First granted in 1773, Dummer was named for Governor William Dummer of Massachusetts, whose achievements included a peace treaty with the Indians which lasted nearly twenty years. Fort Dummer, one of New England's earliest forts, was also named for Governor Dummer.

Villages and Place Names: Paris

GOVERNMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • History & Genealogy of Dummer NH - This document describes the geography,; incorporation of the town; early settlers including William Leighton, Charles Bickford, James H. Horn, Hezekiah Cloutman, Peter Leavitt, Daniel Forbush (Furbush), Charles Newell, Jothan Lary, Aaron Wight, William Sessions, William Lovejoy, John M. Bickford, Daniel Forbush Jr., John B. Lovejoy, Thomas Wentworth, John R. Briggs, Horace Chandler, Leonard E. Dunn, and others; Inventory and Polls of Property 1846; Petition for Incorporation, partial Civil List; Schools; Ministers (Francis Lang), Biographical Sketch of Isaac Carlton Wight and Family - TXT file
  • Book: History of Dummer NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • Annual Reports of the Town of Dummer, NH, for years 1893, 1902,1925-1927, 1929, 1937-1967, 1969-1974, 1976-1985, 1996-2001, 2004-2008 (Including Vital Statistic)

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ERROL

History: Incorporated 1836. First chartered in 1774, Errol was named for James Hay of Scotland, fifteenth Earl of Erroll, and owner of Linlithgow Castle, the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, and King James V. Sitting on the northern end of Maine border, this sparsely populated town is a popular vacation site for snowmobilers. Errol is home to half of Umbagog Lake, and has more inland water area than any town in Coos County.

Villages and Place Names: none known

GOVERNMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

HISTORY & GENEALOGY

  • History of Errol, NH - A general description and early history of the town of Errol NH including geography, information about The Androscoggin River Improvement Company, the Akers House, the Umbagog House, the Errol Dam Company, early petitions, first town meetings, early town officers; list of voters in 1837 - TXT File
  • Book: History of Errol NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

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GORHAM

History: Incorporated 1836. First chartered as a part of Shelburne in 1770. The town was incorporated in 1836 and renamed Gorham at the suggestion of Sylvester Davis, a resident from Gorham, Maine, and a relative of the Gorham family who founded that town in 1764.

Villages and Place Names: Mount Washington, Upper Village, Cascade

GOVERMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS

GENEALOGY & HISTORY:

  • History & Genealogy of Gorham NH - This document describes the geography and topography, early settlers including Stephen Messer and family, Henry Goodno and family, Joseph Jackson and family, and Simon Evans among others; population and some residents in 1815; arrivals in 1821 and later including Hezekiah Orway; early schools and churches; the "Great Freshet of 1826;" residents in 1836; first mills; act of incorporation; the first town meeting; taxpayers of 1836-1850; Gorham residents in the Civil War; Railroads; Gorham Village; Businesses and Merchants; Lawyers and Physicians; Hotels and Inns; Societies; Post office; Mascot Mine; Biographical Sketches of Andrew G. Lary, John Raymond Hitchcock, Captain Warren Noyes, Timothy H. Hutchinson, Virgil H. Twichell, and Nathaniel T. True - TXT file
  • Book: History of Gorham NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • Coos County Archives - USGenWeb

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GROVETON

Groveton is a village in NORTHUMBERLAND - SEE below

JEFFERSON

History: Incorporated 1796. First granted in 1765, the location was so deep in unexplored territory that few took up their claims. One who did was Colonel Joseph Whipple of Portsmouth, who cut trails through the forests to build a manor house. He named the town Dartmouth after William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth and patron of Dartmouth College. Brother to William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Colonel Whipple renamed
the town Jefferson in 1796, four years prior to Thomas Jefferson's election as President.

Villages and Place Names: Baileys, Highlands, Jefferson Highlands, Riverton, Starr King,
Waumbeck Junction, Cherry Mountain, Meadows

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LANCASTER

History: Incorporated 1763. Lancaster was an early settlement on the northern portion of the Connecticut River subject to many Indian troubles. The town was named for Lancaster, Massachusetts, hometown of an early settler. Reverend Joshua Weeks, a grantee of the town, was among the group of explorers who named the mountains in the Presidential Range. Other grantees included Nash and Sawyer, who discovered the "White Mountain Notch," making a shorter route to Portland possible.

Villages and Place Names: Coos Junction, Grange, Lost Nation, South Lancaster

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MILAN

History: Incorporated in 1824. First named Paulsbourg in 1771, after Paul Wentworth, the governor's cousin. Among the first grantees were relatives of the Harris family, who had established one of the first woolen mills in America at Harrisville. In 1824, Governor Levi Woodbury, who was interested in expanding wool culture in New Hampshire, authorized naming the town in honor of Milan Harris. In the middle 1800's, there was a large vein of
gold discovered in the hills, which was mined for several years. Milan is the site of the Berlin Ski Jump.

Villages and Place Names: Copperville, West Milan

GOVERNMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • History & Genealogy of Milan, NH - Contains information on the geography of Milan, original incorporation, early settlers: John Ellingwood, Isaac Harris, Daniel G. Ellingwood, Moses Hogdon, Amasa Fogg, Abner Hinds, George T. Roberts, Isaac Hagar, Reuben Sargent, Sylvanus and Moses Robbins, Emerson Cole, Reuben Hobart, the Wight family, Edward Richardson, Isaac Stearns, Samuel Crafts, James H. Horn, Peter Wheeler, the Twitchel Family, and others; names of settlers in the town inventory of 1825; first town meeting; partial civil list starting in 1825; first mills; Merchants; Early Church History; Milan Mine history; businesses starting in 1838; Milan and the War of the Rebellion (Civil War); Physicians including Dr. Ozmon M. Twitchell, Dr. William Berry Lapham, Don A. Robinson, M.D., Dr. Richard H. Meserve, J.D. Holt, M.D., Dr. Joseph J. Cobb, and others; Biographical Sketches of Adams Twitchel, James J. Phipps, Peter A.G.W. Phipps, and Hon. Liberty Haven Hutchinson - TXT file
  • Book: History of Milan NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

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MILLSFIELD

History: was granted to Sir Thomas Mills, George Boyd and others on March 1, 1774. In 1858 there was but one house in the town. In 1870, there were 28 inhabitants; in 1880 sixty two with a valuation of nearly $60,000; in 1887 thirteen families were resident. Millsville contains twenty-three thousand acres, but the northern part is mountainous. Clear stream waters its northern extremity, and Phillips Rivers with several smaller streams the other parts of the town. It is bounded north by Dixville, east by Errol, south by Dummer, west by Odell and Dixville.

Villages and Place Names: none known

PROFILE & GOVERNMENT:

Town of Millsfield, NH

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

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NORTHUMBERLAND

History: Incorporated 1779. The town was first named Stonington in 1761, probably due to Governor Benning Wentworth's shipbuilding interests in Stonington, Connecticut. It was renamed Northumberland in honor of Hugh Smithson, first Duke of Northumberland. The Duke's son, James Smithson, is remembered for leaving a legacy of more than a half million dollars for the founding of the Smithsonian Institution. Most of Northumberland's residents live in the village of Groveton.

Villages and Place Names: Groveton (is a village in Northumberland) The community was named for a grove of maple trees growing near the railroad depot

GOVERNMENT:

  • Government: Contacts in Northumberland NH
  • Contacts for Groveton NH Officials
  • Groveton Library
    22 State St
    Groveton, NH 03582
  • St Francis Xavier Parish
    29 State St
    Groveton, NH 03582
  • Northumberland Historical Society
    2 State Street, Groveton, NH
    Phone: 603-636-1450
  • Old (1799) Meeting House
    State Street, Groveton, NH
    Phone: 603-636-1450

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

GENEALOGY & HISTORY:

  • Genealogy & History of Northumberland NH - TXT file. Early history of Northumberland, N.H. including the naming of the town and its description; Names of the original grantees of Stonington (later Northumberland) in 1771; Brief biographies of the first settlers including Thomas Burnside, Daniel Spaulding, Capt. Jeremiah Eames; First Bridges, Roads and Ferries; Early town petitions from 1780-1799 and signer's names; Incorporation of the Town and officers from 1780-1793; Early Ecclesiastical (Church) History, Clubs and Societies; Fort Wentworth and the Revolution; Soldiers from Northumberland in the War of 1812 and Mexican War; Brief Biographies of Francis Willson, John M. Tillotson; Schools, Physicians, Manufacturing; Merchants and Railroads: Biographical Sketch of Captain Gilbert Soule, and his family genealogy.
  • Book: History of Northumberland NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • Northumberland Cemetery burials (by location, not alphabetized) - from the official town web site.
  • Genealogy: Cemeteries near Groveton NH
  • NH WWI Military: Heroes of Groveton & Northumberland - blog, Cow Hampshire. A list of all names engraved on WWI monument who served from Groveton-Northumberland NH, and biographies on those who died during World War One. (coming soon)
  • Wausau Paper Company History
  • History - Fort Wentworth, Groveton NH - (1755 or 1759 ?, 1775 - 1778), near Groveton Said to have been originally built by Roger's Rangers as they returned from an expedition to Canada. There was a work built here by the local militia during the American Revolution. A stone monument marks the possible site of this fort near a cemetery near the junction of the Connecticut and Ammonoosuc Rivers.
  • William E. Holyoke, Medal of Honor Winner, b. Groveton NH

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PITTSBURG

History: Incorporated in 1840. Originally known as Indian Stream, Pittsburg is distinguished by having the largest amount of land area of any township. Covering the entire top of the state, the area includes Lake Francis, the three Connecticut Lakes, and the international boundary post erected on the 45th Parallel, halfway between the North Pole and the Equator. For a while, starting in 1832, Pittsburg was home to the Indian Stream Republic, a colony that established its own constitution and separate government. The Indian Stream Republic existed for over four years, then became a part of New Hampshire, and was incorporated with Pittsburg in 1840. The name Pittsburg is in honor of William Pitt, Prime Minister of England.

Villages and Place Names: Happy Corner, Idlewilde, The Glen.

Regarding the Indian Stream Republic: Living near the uncertain, remote border between Canada and New Hampshire, the 360 inhabitants of Indian Stream established a provisional, free republic with a constitution, bicameral legislature, and 40-man army (1832-35). Some inhabitants wanted to be Canadians; others wished to join New Hampshire, which (along with the US government) rejected Indian Stream's independence. In 1835, pro-Canadians attacked and routed two sheriffs from New Hampshire, which finally, (November) sent in 50 militiamen, who easily won the "war" without any casualties. Indian Stream later (1836) united with New Hampshire.

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RANDOLPH

History: Incorporated in 1824. In the charter of 1772, this town was named Durand, after John Durand, a member of the London Board of Trade and an associate of Governor John Wentworth. In 1824, Governor Levi Woodbury renamed it Randolph, in honor of his friend John Randolph of Virginia. Randolph was a long-time member of the House of Representatives, an advocate of states' rights, and a descendant of Pocahontas. Randolph is located in Coos County between Jefferson Highlands and Gorham on US Highway 2 near Moose Brook State Park.

Villages and Place Names: Appalachia, Bowman, Randolph Hill

GOVERNMENT:

Randolph Town Clerk
RR1, Box 1429, Durand Road
Berlin, NH 03570
(603) 466-5771

PROFILE & STATISTICS

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • History & Genealogy of Randolph NH - This document includes the early history and incorporation of Randolph (formerly Durand); The location of the earliest settlers including Benjamin Ockington, Augustus Stephen, Jesse Bumpus, Samuel Rogers, James Hill, John Bowman, Hubbbard Hunt, Robert Ingalls, Clovis Lowe, Caleb Wilson, Stephen Gilson, Elaska Jackson, William Watson, Anthony Vincent, Joseph Wilder, James Gray, Jonas Green, Titus O. Brown, Henry Goodenough, Abraham William, Jonathan Goodin, John Wilson, Amos Peabody, Cornelius Bass, Elizur Evans, Joshua Holmes, Robert Leighton, Ithiel Scales, Samuel Emery, Mark Pitman, William Felker, Jacob Morse, and others; First Town Meeting and early officers; Schools, Ministers and Churches; War Record - TXT file
  • Book: History of Randolph NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • Article: Randolph New Hampshire's Wellesley College President and Director of WAVEs: Dr. Mildred Helen (McAfee) Horton (1900-1994) - Blog: Cow Hampshire

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SHELBURNE

History: Incorporated in 1821. First chartered in 1769, this town was named for William Petty Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne. Lord Shelburne was a supporter of independence for the American colonies, and at his insistence, the king recognized the independence of the United States. Remaining unsettled for quite some time after the charter was made, the town was incorporated in 1821 when Shelburne voters chose to keep the name.

Villages and Place Names: none known

GOVERNMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

GENEALOGY & HISTORY:

  • Genealogy & History of Shelburne NH - This document includes a length poetic description of Shelburne, its geography, the first grant of the town; original incorporators, description of the original grant; information about the early settlers including Hope Austin and family, Daniel Ingalls and family, Fletcher Ingalls, Amos Peabody, Thomas Green and family, Samuel Wheeler and family, Jonathan Evans, Benjamin Clemens, Daniel Evans and family, Bazaleel Gates, Simeon Evans, Jonathan Rindge, Jonathan Peabody and family; Jonathan Lary, Peter Poor, Nathaniel Porter, the Head family, Harvey Philbrook, Dr. Oliver Howe, Hiram Cummings and others; Industries; Mills; early merchants; Roads and Bridges; Religion and Meeting-House; Schools; White Mountain Stock Farm (Judge Robert Ingalls Burbank); Lead Mine; Hotels; and Soldiers in the Revolution, War of 1812 and War of the Rebellion (Civil War); Early Town Clerks and Selectmen - TXT file
  • Book: History of Shelburne NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

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STARK
Latitude: 44.600N
Longitude: -71.406W

History: Incorporated 1795. First granted in 1774, this town was named Percy, in honor of Hugh Smithson, Earl Percy and first Duke of Northumberland. The town retained this name until 1832, when in was renamed Stark in honor of General John Stark, hero of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Bennington. New Hampshire owes its motto, "Live Free or Die," to General Stark. Stark, the first to carry the new thirteen-star American flag into battle, wrote those words in July 1809, in commemoration of the Battle of Bennington.

Villages and Place Names: Crystal, Percy.

GOVERNMENT:

Stark Board of Selectmen (for town records and vital statistics)
1189 Stark Highway
Groveton, NH 03582
(603) 636-2118

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • History & Genealogy of Stark, NH - TXT file. Description of Stark, N.H. and geographical areas such as The Devil's Slide, the Devil's Hop-Yard, and Christine Lake (formerly North pond); Soil and population; Minerals on the Land; Naming of the Town; Signers of the Petition of Incorporation in 1791; Names of Grantees; Early town meetings; First Male Child born in town; Names of Early Settlers; 1803 List of Settlers; Early Births and Marriages (1790-1802); Town of Piercy Civil List 1795-1803; 1809 List of Town Residents Inventory; Churches, Schools, Town Hall & Library; Early Manufacturers and Merchants; Brief Biographies of early settlers: Caleb and Benjamin Smith; Joseph Leavitt, Cole Family, Robert Pike, Aaron Jackson Smith,and others.
  • Book: History of Stark NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

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STEWARTSTOWN
Latitude: 45.006N
Longitude: -71.508W

History: Incorporated 1795. First granted in 1770, this town was highly disputed territory. Governor John Wentworth passed the grant to developers, including Sir John Stuart, Lord Bute, for whom the town was named Stuart. Following the Revolution when English grants reverted to the colonies, the town was incorporated as Stewartstown, using the original Scottish spelling. The famous Penobscot Indian chief Metallak is buried in the town cemetery.

Villages and Place Names: Stewartstown Hollow, West Stewartstown

GOVERNMENT:

Stewartstown Town Clerk
Rt 3 Washington St
W Stewartstown, NH 03597
(603) 246-3329

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • History & Genealogy of Stewartstown NH - This history includes names of the early settlers (prior to 1800, and up until 1850's based on tax lists, ear mark books etc.), early town records, first tavern licenses and innkeepers, early manufacturers and merchants, early doctors and dentists, churches, origin of pond/lake names, partial genealogies and biographies of James Miner Hilliard, Hon. Amos Webster Drew, Edwin W. Drew, Lyman Willis Alger, Fernando C. Jacobs, Isaiah H. Pickard, and many others - TXT file
  • Book: History of Stewartstown NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

PHOTOGRAPHS:

  • NH Historic Marker: 45th Parallel, Stewartstown - As you stand at this point on the 45th parallel you are halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. Located on US 3, about .5 mile north of West Stewartstown.
    45th Parallel marker Stewartstown NH
    Postcard: 45th Paralell Marker, W. Stewartstown NH
  • NH Historic Marker: Metallak, Hunter, trapper, fisherman and guide, well and favorably known by the region's early settlers. "The Lone Indian of the Magalloway" was the last survivor of a band of Abnaki inhabiting the Upper Androscoggin. Blinded by accidents, Metallak died a town charge in 1847 at the reputed age of 120. He is buried in the North Hill Cemetery on road to the east. Located to the east side of NH 145, about 1 mile north of Stewartstown village.| Photograph
  • Big Diamond Pond, Stewartstown NH - from greatnorthwoods.org
  • Hurlburt Swamp, Stewartstown NH
  • Stewartstown - a circa 1903 camp on Big Diamond Pond - JPG

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STRATFORD
Latitude: 44.655N
Longitude: -71.556W

History: Incorporated 1773. First granted in 1762 to early settlers mostly from Woodbury, Connecticut, this town was originally named Woodbury. Indian troubles had many families forfeiting their claims, and it was regranted in 1773 as Stratford, also a town in Connecticut. The name is also in honor of Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare's home. The entire tract was one of the largest granted in New Hampshire, a total of 48,603 acres.

Villages and Place Names: Beatties, Mapleton, Masons, North Stratford, Stratford Center, Stratford Hollow, East Stratford

GOVERNMENT:

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

  • Cohos Historical Society - [on Facebook, old link dead] information about Bloomfield, Brunswick, VT and Stratford NH.
  • History & Genealogy of Stratford NH - TXT file -- Early history of Woodbury, later nown as Stratford; includes early settlers, list of proprietors and early residents, history of churches schools, attorneys, doctors, societies, hotels, taverns, and businesses; biographies and genealogies include those of several membersof the BALDWIN family, John Holmes, Nahum Daniels Day, Joshua Marshall, Capt. Ephraim Mahurin, Dr. Cyrus Carpenter, James Ogle, James Twohey (and MANY more names).
  • Book: History of Stratford NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)

PHOTOGRAPHS:

  • NH Historic Marker: Log Drives- The dramatic process of conveying lumber logs and pulpwood from northern New Hampshire forests to manufacturing centers, by driving them down the Connecticut River, spanned the turn into the Twentieth Century. Hardy crews of "White-water men" risked life and limb in the hazardous work on the annual spring drives. Located on the west side of US 3, about 1.7 miles south of the center of North Stratford.| Great Article & Photos

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WENTWORTH LOCATION

History: This unincorporated location lies immediately north of Errol. From its position on the Magalloway River, which flows through the eastern part, it is an important center of lumbering operations. In 1870, there were thirty-eight inhabitants; in 1880,there were fifty-five. In 2000, the population was forty-four.

PROFILE & STATISTICS

HISTORY & GENEALOGY

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WHITEFIELD
Latitude: 44.373N
Longitude: -71.61W

History: Incorporated 1804. The last town to be granted under the English provincial government, Whitefield was granted on July 4, 1774, exactly two years before adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was named for George Whitefield, a famous English evangelist, and friend of the Earl of Dartmouth. Early grantees included Jeremy Belknap, historian, and John Langdon, who succeeded John Wentworth as governor.

Villages and Place Names: Hazens

GOVERNMENT:

Whitefield Town Clerk
7 Jefferson Rd
Whitefield, NH 03598-1201
(603) 837-9871

PROFILE & STATISTICS:

GENEALOGY & HISTORY:

  • Genealogy & History of Whitefield NH - TXT file. Early history of Whitefield NH including brief bios of early grantees: Benning Wentworth, Thomas McDonough, John Cochran, Peter Green, Capt. Jeremiah Clough, Capt. Stephen Gerrish, Henry Gerrish, Esq., Jonathan Dix, Timothy Nash, Rev. Jeremy Belknap, Samuel Langdon, Rev. Stephen Peabody, Gen. Nathaniel Peabody; early settlers including Col. Samuel Adams, Capt. Jonas Minot, Maj. John Burns, Capt. David Burns, Col. Joseph Kimball, John McMaster, Asa King, Col. Joseph Colby, and William Dodge, ; Organization of the town, First Draft of Lots, Naming of the Town; First Town Meeting; Early Roads; Religious Worship; Schools; Societies; Early Physicians (including Dr. Darius Garnsey, Buck G. Carleton, Charles E. Dodge, Charles Irwin Lane, John L. McGregor, George H. Morrison); Early Lawyers(those Biographies include Maj-Gen. John Gray Foster, Hon. Stilson Hutchins, Hon. Aurin M. Chase); Merchants, Maunfacturers and Mills(biographies include Charles Libbey, George W. Libbey, Moses H. Gordon, Calvin W. Burns); the Whitefield Library; Clubs; Hotels & Inns; Additional biographical sketches of: The BROWN FAMILY including Stephen Brown, Joseph Brown, Alson L. Brown, Warren G. Brown, (of Lumberyard Fame), Louis Tracy Hazen, Joel McGregor / McGregory, and Dr. George Sullivan Gove.
  • Book: History of Whitefield NH, from The History of Coos County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill, 1888 (Internet Archive)
  • Pine Street Cemetery, Whitefield NH - some tombstone inscriptions

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UNINCORPORATED TOWNSHIPS

Coos County has the following Unincorporated Areas: Atkinson Academy and Gilmanton Academy Grant, Bean's Grant, Bean's Purchase, Cambridge, Chandler's Purchase, Crawford's Purchase, Cutt's Grant, Dix's Grant, Erving's Location, Green's Grant, Hadley's Purchase, Kilkenny, Low and Burbank's Grant, Martin's Location, Odell, Pinkham's Grant, Sargent's Purchase, Second College Grant, Success, Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, and Wentworth's Location.

HISTORY & GENEALOGY:

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