HISTORY OF NEW HAMPTON, BELKNAP 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: History of Merrimack and Belknap Counties, New Hampshire Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885, 1108 pgs. Page 870 The town of New Hampton lies in the northern part of the county, and is bounded as follows: Northeast, by Centre Harbor; Southeast by Meredith; North and Northwest by Grafton County; Southwest by Merrimack County. The territory was granted to General Jonathan Moulton and others, proprietors of Moultonborough, January 24, 1765, and was called Moultonborough Addition. It was incorporated as a town November 27, 1777, and received its present name at that time at the request of General Moulton, in honor of his native town. By an act passed December 7, 1797, the northeast part of the town was set off and incorporated as a town by the name of Centre Harbor, which name was given in consequence of its containing within its bounds the centre one of the three principal harbors on the north side of the lake, said harbor having borne that name for some years prior to the incorporation of the town. In 1784 the following persons petitioned the Governor and Council for the reappointment of Benjamin Moulton as a justice of the peace: (namely) Ebenezer Chamberlain, Ephraim Chamberlain, John Pain, James Towl, Ezekiel Morse, James Quimby, Hosea Sturturvant, Josiah Towl, Amos Pain, Richard Pain, Daill Page, Israel Glines, Enoch Cate, Abel Morse, Moses Kelsa, Joseph Senter, Ephraim Moore, Daniel Chamberlain, Benja Huckins, Elish Smith, James Harran, Ezra Hacket, Levi Drew, Daniel sawyer, Thomas Harran, John Harran, Elisha Cumings, John Smith, Benjamin Smith, John Harper, Isaac Cummings, Elisha Cumings junr, Nathaniel Comings, John Leavitt, thomas Woodman, Jonathan James, William Plaisted Juner, Joseph Smith, James Huckins, William Plasted Juner, Samuel Plaisted, deniel Veesay, Andrew Noele, Epheram hacket, John Boynton, Saml Colcord, William Boynton, Richard Boynton, Nicholas Smith, Jeremiah Ward, Onesiphorus Flanders, Samell dollof, john dolof, David Solsar, John Smith, John fuller, zadock Sanborn, Benia Sanborn, Joseph Sanborn, Zadock Sanborn Jr., Ebenezer Ingalls, oliver smith Blake, Moses Carter, Daniel Harper, oliver Lyford, James Harper, Mark Blacke (his X mark), Abr. Drake Junr, John Hutchins, Robard Smith, Joseph Smith juner, Abraham Drake, Benja Smith Junr, Daniel Ward, simeon Walton, Willice much, Jonathan Dow." The following is the vote of the town relative to setting off the northeast part, 1796: "At a publick Town meeting Holden in New Hampton the Sixth Day of March, A.D. 1796, voted that the N.E. part of New Hampton be set off as far as Measley pond, thence to Measley pond Brook, thence up to the middel of Sd Brook to Long pond, thence up the middle of long pond to the inlet at the Head of Sd pond, thence N. thirty-five Degrees W. to New Holderness-- A true Copy Attest. AHUMAA% BLANcHARD, T. Clerk." The territory named was set off and became a portion of Centre Harbor December 7, 1797. ---------------------------- The following is a soldier's order: "New Hampton, August 20, 1792. To the Treasurer of the State of New Hampshire: Sir, Please to Pay to John Nicholl or his order that Ever is due to me, I, JOhn Smith, having been a Soldier in the 1st N. Hampshire Regt it being for value Received. Witness my hand attest JOHN SMITH JN. B. EASTMAN DANIEL KELLEY ----------------------- CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH-- The first reference on the town records to ecclesiastical affairs is under date of March 20, 1800, when it was voted "to settle Mr. Hebard as a gospel minister." Rev. Salmon Hebard was ordained June 25, 1800. In 1801 the church had 135 members. After a number of years the membership began to decrease and about 1820 meetings were discontinued. In 1833 it consisted of 12 members. October 7, 1852 the church met at the residence of Rufus G. Lewis, the following were present: Rufus G. Lewis, A.B. Sanborn, Noah Mason and Timothy Merrick, of the New Hampton Church; and Rev. Daniel O. Morton and Chester Stone of Bristol. At this meeting the church was formally dissolved. The records of the church closed with a list of 19 members who had received letters of recommendation to the church in Bristol, May 4, 1842, and one other member to the same church May 6, 1843. ----------------------------- THE AcADEMICAL AND THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION IN NEW HAMPTON A literary institution, called the New Hampton Academy, established here, was incorporated June 27, 1821, and opened its doors September 17, 1821. At first the academy was little in advance of the common school. Few, if any, of the students had mastered more than the rudiments of an English education. Fully one-third of the fifty or sixty were from Boston. There were four terms of twelve weeks each. All students remained in the school-room for six hours daily. Mr. George Richardson, who graduated from Dartmouth College was the first Preceptor [he had been preceptor at Moore's school at Hanover previously.] Mr. Richardson's successor was Bezaleel Smith, an orthodox minister coming from West Hartford, VT. The management of the institution was placed in the hands of three trustees, and continued until 1826. In June of 1826 the name of the institution was changed by law to "The Academical and Theological Institution in New Hampton," and the number of trustees increased to eleven, five of whom were to be appointed by the proprietors and five by the Baptist Convention. The principal of the school was also to be one of the trustees. By an act of the Legislature, approved July 6, 1849, the control of the academy passed into the hands of the Baptist Convetion, which was empowered to appoint all of the eleven trustees. This institution was removed to Vermont about 1852. [There is a great deal of information about this school in the original source, but not included here]. ========================================== BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES REV. A. B. MESERVEY Rev. Atwood Bond Meservey, son of William and Elvina (Bond) Meservey, was born at Appleton, Me., September 30, 1831. His father was a farmer and a member of the Baptist Church. After receiving his education at district schools and several terms at high schools and academies, Mr. Merservey chose medicine as his profession and attended lectures at Bowdoin College. He decided to become a clergyman and came to New Hampton in 1855 to prepare for college. He graduated from the literary department there in 1857 and passed 3 years in the study of theology, also attending for six months the Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminar; plus lectures on physical geography and geology at Brown University. In 1861 he was ordained pastor of the Free-Will Baptist Church at Meredith Village. In 1867 he became principal of the seminary at Northwood, returning to New Hampton after a year, to become principal of that town's seminary. [more about Mr. Meservey not included here]. Mr. Meservey received the degree of A.M. from Brown University, and that of Ph.D. from Bates College. Republican in politics he represented New Hampton in the State Legislature in 1867. Mr. Meservey married, first, in 1861, Miss Lizzie Bean of Candia (they had one child, Lizzie); second in 1869 Miss Leanna Sherburne Mead, of Northwood (their only child John Edwin, died in infancy); third, in 1883, Miss Clara Bell Fall, of Great Falls (she was the female principal of the "Institution" for three years; they have one child, Arthur Bond).