HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE ---------------------------------- Information located at http://www.nh.searchroots.com On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE and its counties TRANSCRIBED BY JANICE BROWN Please see the web site for my email contact. ---------------------------------- The original source of this information is in the public domain, however use of this text file, other than for personal use, is restricted without written permission from the transcriber (who has edited, compiled and added new copyrighted text to same). ======================================================== Source: (Excerpts from) History of Coös County, New Hampshire by Georgia Drew Merrill; Syracuse N.Y.: W.A. Fergusson & Co., 1888, 1888, 1018 pgs. The act establishing "The County of Cooss" was approved December 24, 1803, and took effect March 5, 1805. 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. 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. Coos was taken from Grafton, 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). LOCATIONS, GRANTS and PURCHASES--[1888] In addition to the towns which are organized in this county there are the following unorganized grants, purchases, locations, etc, which lie mostly among wild mountains, and whose chief value is in timber they produce and the incentive they present of romantic scenery to the summer traveler: Bean's Purchase, Carlisle, Cambridge, Hubbard, Webster, Chandler's Purchase, Crawford's Grant, Crawford's Purchase, Cutt's Grant, Dix's Grant, Ervin's Grant, Gilmanton and Atkinson Academy Grant, Green's Grant, Lowe and Burbank's Grant, Martin's Location, Nash and Sawyer's Location, Odell, Pinkham's Grant, Sargent's Purchase, Second College Grant, Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, Wentworth's Location. Millsfield and Cambridge, after being organized as towns for some years, gave up their organizations. There are three principal waterways in Coos County: the Connecticut, the Magalloway, and the Androscoggin. The original people of Coos county were the Iroquois, the Algonquins and the Abenaki (Native Americans) The most powerful of the Iroquois, were the Five Nations, called by themselves the Ho-de-no-sau-nee, "the people of the long house." The New England tribes of the Algonquin family dwelt along the sea, and on the banks of the larger streams. These native american tribes gave the names to many New Hampshire landmarks, i.e. Am-os-ke-ag, Win-ne-pi-se-o-gee, and Co-os. The name "Coos" is derived from the Abenaquis 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," [from 'coo-ash,' pines; and 'auke,' place.]. Tradition states that the last of the Abenaquis of Coos was one named Metallak. During the early days of colonization by Europeans, the native American people were decimated in number by epidemics of disease, brought by the white settlers. It was explored by FIELD and others (1632-42) but it was more than a century before there is written documentation of white settlement. John and Israel Glines arrived prior to 1750. John Glines had his camp near the mouth of the river which bears his name, while Israel had his hadquarters near the Connecticut River, Israel's River and Beaver Brook. Both carried on hunting and trapping operations. In 1754 an expedition to the Coos area was begun under the command of Capt. (Rev.) Peter Powers of Hollis NH, Ensign Ephraim Hale and Lt. James Stevens of Townsend MA. Starting from Concord [NH] they followed the Merrimack River to Franklin, the Pemigewasset River to Plymouth, Baker's River to Wentworth, and crossed over to the Connecticut River via Baker's Pond. It took them 10 days to reach "Moose Meadows" [in Piermont]. During this expedition, they named Starks River to honor Ensign John Stark who had been captured by the Indians. Although Rev. Power's journal is fragmentary, he says the object of the expedition was discovery, however it is possibly the one referred to by Governor Wentworth's messages in 1754 regarding an expedition to see if the French were builting a fort in Upper Coos. In 1759 General Amherst ordered the construction of a military road from Crown Point to Number Four (Charlestown) on the Connecticut River). This opened up Coos and the entire northern area to development and settlements. There is a tradition that relics of Major Robert Roger's famous "Rangers" have been found on the north side of the White Mountains near Jefferson. Indeed, Capt. Rogers built a fort about three or four miles above the mouth of the Upper Ammonoosuc river, that was called "Fort Wentworth." In the autum of 1763, Emmons Stockwell (a former Rogers Ranger) and David Page, Jr., both young men, made the first actual settlement of white people in Coos county, at Lancaster. In 1767, Thomas Burnside and Daniel Spaulding came with their families and settled in Northumberland. REVOLUTIONARY WAR--In 1776 a "Petition for Soliders" was made, 'Whereas we the inhabitants of Lancaster, Northumberland, Guildhall & Stratford are fully sensible of the dangers of being attacked...we the Subscribers Do Jointly & severly promis & ingage to Stand our ground providing the Honab'le Counsell sees Fitt to grant our request...we do ingage to inlist ourselves and obey his orders [Mr. Jere'h Ames of Northumberland] as long as he is stationed in Upper Coos and Commander of the Fort." This petition was signed by Thomas Blodgett, James Curtiss, Archippus Blodgett, Emmons Stockwell, Josiah Blodgett, Joseph Barlow, Nathan Caswell, Sam'l Nash, Abijah Larned, Moses Quimby, Ward Bailey, James Blake, David Larned, Sam'l Page, Abner Osgood, Dies Sawyer, Abel Larned, John Frickey, ELizer Rosbrook and Abner Barlow on July 6, 1776. During the war, Lancaster reports 457 days service on "alarms, scouting guiding and forting." Capt. Jeremiah Eames was on the frontiers here from July 5, 1776 with fifty men and officers...and from October 14 to December 1, 1776 with twenty-six Rangers, and again from December 2, 1776 to April 1777. A scouting party of five men were 'stationed at the upper Coos' (probably at Northumberland) from July 15, to October 1, 1779 by order of the Committee of Safety under the command of Lieut. Josiah Chapman. No great military operations were carried on here, on a large scale, during the Revolution, and no battle was fought. A letter dated April 26, 1777 from General Moses Hazen is addressed to Colonel Bedel at Cohass. At a meeting of the inhabitants of Lancaster, Northumberland and Stratford on July 10, 1779, they chose Major Jonas Wilder, moderator; Captain Edward Bucknam, Clark [sic, Clerk]; the scouting party to be stationed at Mr. James Brown's in Stratford; voted that every man in each town (shown above) to work one day at the fort in Stratford immediately; chose Nathan Caswell, captain over these towns; chose Nathan Barlow, Lieutenant; chose Dennis Standley, Ensine [sic Ensign]; chose Major Jonas Wilder, 'the man to go Down after men to Exeter;' chose Joseph Peverly Esq., Capt. Edwards Bucknam and Mr. John Holdbrook a Committee to 'Give Directions'; voted that Mr. John Gamsby, Mr. James Blake and Mr. John Holdbrook a Committee to plan out the ford at Stratford [from Hammond's Revolutionary Rolls]. From Captain Eames' Company Order for Pay, Northumberland, dated October 12, 1776: 'Please pay to Captain Jeremiah Eames the whole of the wages for the time of Service in his Company found Due on the Said Capt. Eame's Roll (as follows): John Trickey, Jon'a Willard, Abner Osgood, Samuel Page, John Page, Zebulon Colbey, Zechariah Parker, Abijah Wright, David Brown Ebenezer Kempfield, Moses Page, Edmund Eastman, David Cunningham, Alexander Craig, Daniel Spalding, Jonathan Craford [sic Crawford] David Larned, Abel Larned, Abijah Larned, William Patee, James Whiting, Abel Lovejoy, John Willoughby, Enj. Person, Benj. Pegley, Jon'a Clark, Jacob Draper, Jonah Chaptman, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Marsh, Edward Taylor, Gardner Duston, Nathan Caswell, Nathan Barlow, Gideon Smith, William Curtiss, Thomas Blogget [sic Blodget], Archippus Blogget, Josiah Blogget, John Gibson, John Haselton, Caleb Marshall, Dill Sawyer, William Amy, James Blake, Ward Bailey, Thomas Peverly, Benj'a Sawyer, Abner Barlow. 'Captain Eame's Scouts--Captain Eames Scouting Party, from December 2, 1776 to April 15, 1777, Head Quarters Great Coos, received funds for services, and the company consisted of: Capt. Jeremiah Eames, Sargent; Abner Osgood, Privates, Thomas Peaverly, Jonathan Willard, John Trickey, Haines French, William Amy, Nathan Caswell, John Gibson, Dill Sawyer, Abner Barlow, all serving the full time excepting the latter whose service was one month.' Enlistments--James Hardy enlisted in Capt. Jno House's Co. of Col. Morey's Regt in July 1777 from Lancaster; Eleazer Rossbrook, Josiah and Thomas Blodgett, Nathan Barlow, Joshua Lamshier and Samuel Page enlisted in Capt. Whitcomb's Co in July 1777, from Lancaster, Northumberland and Stratford. Eleazer Rossbrook enlisted in Maj. Benj Whitcomb's Independent Company of Rangers December 28, 1776 from Lancaster. Edward Mardean, James Rosebrook, Haynes French, and Henry Tibbetts at the same time as privates in the same company, serving until December 31, 1779. John Trickey of Northumberland enlisted in Col. Thos. Stickney's Co. from Boscawen August 1, 1779 for one year." TOWNSHIPS GRANTED--Shelburne was chartered in 1768, and re-chartered in 1771. In 1770 Cockburne (Columbia) was granted; in 1771 Maynesborough (Berlin), Paulsborough (Milan); in 1772 Bretton Woods (Carroll), Durand (Randolph), and Dartmouth (Jefferson), the last re-granted to M. H. Wentworth and others, it having been granted to John Goffe in 1765; in 1773 Dummer, Cambridge, Success, a tract to S. Wales & Co., one to Errol and Kilkenny. Besides these, Colebrook, Stuart (Stewartstown), Woodbury, re-granted as New Stratford (Stratford), Piercy (Stark), Apthorp (including Dalton), Martin's Patent, Green's Location and Shelburne Addition (Gorham). After 1771 two hunters, Timothy Nash and Benjamin Sawyer passed through the western pass (Notch) of the mountains. In the spring of 1752, four men from Londonderry were hunting on Baker's River [in Rumney], and two of these, John Stark and Amos Eastman were surprised and captured, but were afterwards ransomed and returned to their homes. A road was soon opened by the proprietors of the lands in upper "Cohos," and another through the Eastern Pass was created in 1774. The first settlers settled Conway in 1764, Jefferson in 1772, Franconia in 1774, Bartlett in 1777, Jackson in 1778, and Bethleham in 1790. In 1792 Capt. Eleazer Rosebrook opened the first house for summer visitors on the site of Fabyan's in 1808, which was succeeded by Ethan A. Crawford in 1817. Abel Crawford settled at Bemis in 1793. The townships of Jefferson, Shelburne (which included Gorham) and Adams (now Jackson) received inhabitants from 1773 to 1779. In July 1784, the Rev. Manasseh Cutler of Ipswich, the Rev. Daniel Little of Kennebunk, and John Whipple of Darthmouth (now Jefferson) visited the mountains to study them from a scientific view. The first person passing through the Notch to settle in the lands northwest was Col. Joseph Whipple, who came from Portsmouth in 1772. In 1803 the NH legislature authorized a lottery for the building of a turnpike through the Notch of the White Mountains. The first house in the Notch was the historic Willey House, that was kept as a public house, abandoned, then occupied again in 1825 by Samuel Willey, Jr. (who with his wife, five children, and two hired men, perished in the great slide of August 28, 1826). The first hotel on Mt. Washington was the old Summit House, built in 1852 by L. M. Rosebrook, N.R. Perkins, and J.S. Hall. The Tip Top House was built in 1853 by John H. Spaulding and others. He was part owner of that and the Summit House, and conducted them for several years. The first Summit house was torn down in the spring of 1884, to give place to a new building, built in 1872, to be used as lodging rooms for the employees of the hotel.The signal station at the Summit was established in 1870. The first winter ascent of Mt. Washington was made by Lucius Hartshorne, a deputy sheriff of Coos county, and B.F. Osgood of Gorham, on December 7, 1858. The carriage road from the Glen House to the summit of Mt. Washington was begun in 1855, under the management of D.O. Macomber, C.H.V. Cavis being the surveyor. The first four miles were finished the next year. Financial troubles stopped the work for a time, but the road was finally opened August 8, 1861. It is eight miles long, and has an average grade of twelve feet in 100. In 1888 the ascent was made by stages in four hours, and the descent in an hour and a half. George W. Lane drove the first Concord coach to ever ascend Mt. Washington over this road on August 8, 1861. Pinkham Notch takes its name from Daniel Pinkham, an early resident of Jackson. In 1824 he began creating a road between the two ranges of the White Mountains, connecting Jackson with Randolph. The Mt. Washington Railway was a project started by Sylvester Marsh, beginning in 1866 and finishing in 1869. The first newspaper in Coos County was called The White Mountain AEGIS, and was issued in the spring of 1838 by an association composed of Royal Joyslin, Richard P. Kent, Gen. John Wilson, and Apollos Perkins, all of the Whig Party. Appollos Perkins was editor. It was published in the old Masonic Hall on Main Street in Lancaster NH. After one year it was moved to Haverhill and became the "Whig and Aegis." The "Coos County Democrat" was the next paper established, its first issue dated in the summer of 1838. The first daily newspaper published in the White Mountains, called Among the Clouds, was issued July 18, 1877 by Henry M. Burt of Springfield, MA. SEE INDIVIDUAL TOWNS in COOS CO NH for their history, at this same web site. (end)