All the following biographies were from the Merrimack and Sullivan County New Hampshire Biographies, Vol. 22, published in 1899.

They feature many prominent people in town and have fascinating and detailed information about the families and farm histories. We have included people living in other towns but who had their origins in Plainfield. The people featured in the Biographies likely paid to be included.

ANDREWS

John S. Andrews. A thrifty farmer and stock-raiser of Plainfield, Sullivan County, N.H., was born in this town, February 27, 1853, son of Nathan and Abigail E. (Ellis) Andrews. His great-grandfather, Nathan Andrews, was the first of the family to settle in Plainfield; and Wilbur Andrews, his grandfather, was a native of this town. He followed agricultural pursuits through the active period of his life and was one of the prosperous farmers of his day. He left a good estate. He married Orinda Ross, a native of Canada; and his children were: Nathan, Abigail, and Wealthy. Abigail became the wife of Joseph Westgate of Plainfield; and Wealthy died young. Nathan Andrews, John S. Andrews 's father, was born in Plainfield in 1826. When a young man he went West and invested in land to some extent; but he soon returned to Plainfield, and settling upon one of his farms devoted the rest of his life to general farming and the raising of cattle. He died October 11, 1888. Politically, he was an active supporter of the Democratic Party, and though not an office-holder, was wont to make his influence felt at town meetings. He attended the Baptist church. Abigail E. Ellis, his wife, was born in Plainfield, February 14, 1833, daughter of Stephen B. Ellis, a resident of this town and a stone mason by trade. She became the mother of twelve children, namely: John S. the subject of this sketch; Abbie O.; Charles H.; Addison W.; Sarah A.; Nathan R.; Seth E. ; Emma G. ; Minnie E. ; Frank B. ; Lillian E. ; and Clarence E. Abbie O. married James A. Sloan , of Hyde Park, Mass. a carpenter by trade, who is now residing upon a farm in Ascutneyville, Vt. They have had seven children, and six are living. Charles H., who is superintendent of the hospital in Claremont, N.H., married Verona Farnsworth, of Washington, N.H. Addison W. has been in the livery business in Sharon, Mass. for some years. He married Sarah Barden of Beverly, Mass., and has one child. Sarah A. died at the age of nine years. Nathan R., who is unmarried, resides at the homestead, and is a wealthy farmer. Seth E. married Gertie Whitcomb of Vermont, and is now a miller, and resides in Claremont. Emma G. married Charles Curtis, a native of Cornish, N.H., who is now a teamster in Plainfield. Minnie E. died at the age of two years. Frank B., who is employed as a clerk in Sharon, Mass., married Hattie Harwood, of that town, and has had two children, one of whom is living. Lillian E. resides with her brother Addison in Sharon, Mass.; Clarence E. lives in Plainfield, N.H. Mrs. Abigail E. Ellis Andrews died February 28, 1893. John S. Andrews was educated in the common schools and at Kimball Union Academy. He was employed as a farm assistant for ten years, and then bought the Daniels farm on Black Hill where he began the pursuit of agriculture upon his own account. Three years later he purchased of Lewis Stickney his present farm, which is one of the best pieces of agricultural property in this section, and through hard work and the exercise of good judgment has reached a state of comfortable prosperity. He produces large crops of hay, grain, potatoes, and other staple products, and raises some excellent cattle, sheep, and horses. Although the greater part of his time is taken up by his regular duties at home, he has found opportunity to serve the town efficiently as a member of the Board of Selectmen and in other offices.

BAKER

Cyrus E. Baker, M.D., of Claremont, Sullivan County, N.H., the well-known physician and oculist, was born in Plainfield, this State, April 9, 1835, son of Dimick and Hannah (Colby) Baker. He is of the eighth generation in descent from Jeffrey Baker, who came from England, and was one of the original settlers of Windsor, Conn. Jeffrey Baker married November 25, 1642, Joan Rockwell. They had five children, one of them being a son, Joseph, born June 18, 1655, who married Hannah Cook Buckland, January 30, 1677. Five children were the fruit of this union. Joseph Baker 's son, Joseph, Jr., born April 13, 1678, was married on July 8, 1702, to Hannah Pomroy, by whom he had Joseph, Jr., second, and Samuel; and by his second wife, Abigail Bissel, he had John, Hannah, Jacob, Abigail, Ebenezer , Daniel, Heman, Titus, and Abigail. Joseph, Jr., second, died January 29, 1754; his wife, Abigail, died February 13, 1768. Their son, Heman, the next in this line, was born April 27, 1719. He married Lois Gilbert, November 24, 1747, and had the following children: Heman, Jr., who was a soldier, Anna; Deborah; John; Oliver, who became a doctor of medicine; Abigail; Lois; Delight; and Lydia. Oliver Baker, son of Heman , was born at Tolland, Conn. , October 5, 1755 , and died October 3, 1811 . He married Dorcas Dimic , March 23, 1780 . She was born September 23, 1760, and died October 3, 1849. Their children were: Heman ; Diantha ; Zinia and Lina , who were twins; Oliver, Jr. ; Semantha ; Dimic ; Dorcas ; Lodema ; Elizabeth ; and Mary . Heman died March 16, 1845. Lina died August 27, 1808. Dorcas died July 26, 1825. Semantha died August 1, 1826. Dimic Baker, son of Oliver Baker, M.D., was born March 18, 1793, in Plainfield, N.H., where he lived until his death, which occurred March 19, 1876. He was a prosperous farmer and wool producer, a shrewd buyer and seller, and one of the strongest and most prominent men of the town. He married June 2, 1822, Hannah Colby, who was born February 7, 1794, and died March 17, 1856. It had been his noble aim to leave his children the legacy of a good education. The children were five in number, as follows: Elias, who died November 11, 1884; Edward D., who was an able lawyer, as shown by a brief memoir on another page; Hannah A.; Helen F.; and Cyrus E., the direct subject of the present sketch. At the age of eighteen Cyrus E. Baker, although not a college graduate, began teaching school, being called from Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N.H., while taking his Latin course. He followed this occupation during the winter, and in the spring returned to the academy to complete the course. On reaching his majority, and having received a fair education, he learned of the sale by the United States government of the "Delaware Trust Lands" in the West, which were then open for pre-emption, and started in the spring of 1857 for "bleeding Kansas," so called, to become a squatter and purchaser of a portion of said lands, where for months he witnessed all the horrors of the Southern system of human bondage and their enmity to the Union cause, taking his chances among them as a Union man, standing for the personal protection of James Lane and John Brown 's sons, and the cause they espoused, their father having been killed a few months before for his Union principles. Locating among the wilds of Kansas, some eight miles north of what is now the city of Topeka, he stayed there about six months; and then, having secured his lands, he returned to his home in New Hampshire, with the fullest convictions of the injustice of human slavery and Southern rule. He afterward attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, where he was graduated in 1862, ranking high in his class. He seemed to have inherited an aptitude for his profession, there having been in his family several eminent physicians. While an undergraduate, he was for a time usher to the noted Dr. Alonzo Clark, one of the professors at the college, with whom he was a favorite. After receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine, Dr. Baker was for several months house physician in the New York City Hospital, receiving within that time two promotions, and finally becoming "acting house physician" there. He left this fine position to enter the army, enlisting as acting assistant surgeon in the United States Army, and serving with efficiency in the Departments of Virginia and North Carolina, having taken this step from the purest motives of duty and of loyalty to his country, which spirit had been characteristic 1895 this dreaded disease gained an entrance into the town of Claremont. The physicians of the town were baffled; and it was not until Dr. Baker was consulted, and he consented to take charge, that the epidemic was stopped. Many a home is grateful to him for his skilled treatment of this disease. He was equally successful in cases of typhoid fever. In August 1862, while marching with McClellan from Harris's Landing to Fortress Monroe, the Doctor received a severe sunstroke, from the effects of which he has never fully recovered. Though he did not at once leave the army, his health was so seriously impaired that he was finally honorably discharged; and he returned to Claremont, where he took up his practice, and where he has been established ever since the war. He now receives a pension from the government. He is justly proud of his war record; and, undoubtedly, no physician or soldier served his country more faithfully than did Dr. Cyrus E. Baker. In later years, owing to the fact of continued ill health, he has made a specialty of the study of the eye, and has accomplished more in this direction than has any other physician in Claremont. Since the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic at Claremont he has been surgeon of the fraternity. He was for some time a member of the Sullivan Commandery of Masons; but, owing to the illness and deafness which were the result of the sunstroke received in the army, he was obliged to resign from both societies. He is a member of the Congregational church, and in politics he is a Republican. Dr. Baker has twice married. By his first wife, Martha Jane Preston, of Weathersfield, Vt., he had one daughter, Alice, who died at the age of fourteen years. The Doctor and his second wife, Elizabeth Ann Erskine, daughter of Hiram Erskine, of Claremont, have had four children, namely: Georgietta , who was graduated at the Stevens High School, and died at the age of twenty years; Edgar H. and Eugene A. , twins, who died in infancy; and Walter E., their only living child, who is now attending the Stevens High School.

Dimick Baker, son of Oliver Baker, M.D., was born March 18, 1793, in Plainfield, N.H., where he lived until his death, which occurred March 19, 1876. He was a prosperous farmer and wool producer, a shrewd buyer and seller, and one of the strongest and most prominent men of the town. He married June 2, 1822, Hannah Colby, who was born February 7, 1794, and died March 17, 1856. It had been his noble aim to leave his children the legacy of a good education. The children were five in number, as follows: Elias, who died November 11, 1884; Edward D., who was an able lawyer, as shown by a brief memoir on another page; Hannah A.; Helen F.; and Cyrus E., the direct subject of the present sketch.

At the age of eighteen Cyrus E. Baker, although not a college graduate, began teaching school, being called from Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N.H., while taking his Latin course. He followed this occupation during the winter, and in the spring returned to the academy to complete the course. On reaching his majority, and having received a fair education, he learned of the sale by the United States government of the "Delaware Trust Lands" in the West, which were then open for pre-emption, and started in the spring of 1857 for "bleeding Kansas ," so called, to become a squatter and purchaser of a portion of said lands, where for months he witnessed all the horrors of the Southern system of human bondage and their enmity to the Union cause, taking his chances among them as a Union man, standing for the personal protection of James Lane and John Brown 's sons, and the cause they espoused, their father having been killed a few months before for his Union principles.

Locating among the wilds of Kansas, some eight miles north of what is now the city of Topeka, he stayed there about six months; and then, having secured his lands, he returned to his home in New Hampshire, with the fullest convictions of the injustice of human slavery and Southern rule. He afterward attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, where he was graduated in 1862, ranking high in his class. He seemed to have inherited an aptitude for his profession, there having been in his family several eminent physicians. While an undergraduate, he was for a time usher to the noted Dr. Alonzo Clark, one of the professors at the college, with whom he was a favorite.

After receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine, Dr. Baker was for several months house physician in the New York City Hospital, receiving within that time two promotions, and finally becoming "acting house physician" there. He left this fine position to enter the army, enlisting as acting assistant surgeon in the United States Army, and serving with efficiency in the Departments of Virginia and North Carolina, having taken this step from the purest motives of duty and of loyalty to his country, which spirit had been characteristic 1895 this dreaded disease gained an entrance into the town of Claremont. The physicians of the town were baffled; and it was not until Dr. Baker was consulted, and he consented to take charge, that the epidemic was stopped. Many a home is grateful to him for his skilled treatment of this disease. He was equally successful in cases of typhoid fever.

In August 1862, while marching with McClellan from Harris's Landing to Fortress Monroe, the Doctor received a severe sunstroke, from the effects of which he has never fully recovered. Though he did not at once leave the army, his health was so seriously impaired that he was finally honorably discharged; and he returned to Claremont, where he took up his practice, and where he has been established ever since the war. He now receives a pension from the government. He is justly proud of his war record; and, undoubtedly, no physician or soldier served his country more faithfully than did Dr. Cyrus E. Baker. In later years, owing to the fact of continued ill health, he has made a specialty of the study of the eye, and has accomplished more in this direction than has any other physician in Claremont. Since the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic at Claremont he has been surgeon of the fraternity. He was for some time a member of the Sullivan Commandery of Masons; but, owing to the illness and deafness which were the result of the sunstroke received in the army, he was obliged to resign from both societies. He is a member of the Congregational church, and in politics he is a Republican.

Dr. Baker has twice married. By his first wife, Martha Jane Preston, of Weathersfield, Vt., he had one daughter, Alice, who died at the age of fourteen years. The Doctor and his second wife, Elizabeth Ann Erskine, daughter of Hiram Erskine, of Claremont, have had four children, namely: Georgietta, who was graduated at the Stevens High School, and died at the age of twenty years; Edgar H. and Eugene A., twins, who died in infancy; and Walter E., their only living child, who is now attending the Stevens High School.

Edward Dimick Baker was an able advocate and lawyer of Claremont. He was born April 21, 1827, at Meriden, N.H., son of Dimick and Hannah (Colby) Baker. He was a descendant in a direct line from Joseph Baker, who was born April 13, 1678. Joseph’s son, Hernon, by his wife, Abigail Bissel Baker, married Lois Gilbert, who had a son Oliver, a physician, who married Dorcus Dimick, and became the father of Dimick Baker.

Dimick Baker was born March 18, 1793, in Plainfield, N.H., where he resided throughout his life. He was a prosperous merchant and farmer, and one of the most influential men of the town. His wife, Hannah, had five children, namely: Elias, who died November 11, 1884; Hannah; Helen F.; Edward D.; and Cyrus E.

Having graduated from Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, Edward Dimick Baker at twenty-one began the study of law with the Hon. Nathaniel W. Westgate at Enfield, N.H. He continued his studies with the Hon. Henry A. Bellows, a Chief Justice of New Hampshire, and in 1851 was admitted to the bar. He practiced at Cornish, this county, until 1855, and afterward in Claremont until the time of his death, which occurred February 1, 1895. Mr. Baker was an able and fearless lawyer. He argued for the right on matters of public importance, and to unnecessary or unwise expenditure he was always a strong opponent. It was said of him that he “was a careful and able lawyer, and a just and honorable arbitrator in differences, in which he frequently interposed his good offices to prevent unnecessary and expensive litigation.” Politically a Republican, he was Representative to the General Court in 1859, 1885, and 1886. He also filled other positions of honor and trust. His religious preferences were given to the Congregational church. The authority already quoted further states: “He inherited considerable property, which grew through his business thrift to a large estate. In public affairs he had well-defined opinions and a definite policy, which he defended with an ability and a ready wit that always assured him an audience. He was a man of many admirable qualities. In his charities, and they were many, he was as unostentatious as in his life. He made no pretensions to be else than a quiet citizen and a courteous gentleman.”

On November 12, 1851, Mr. Baker married Elizabeth Ticknor, of Plainfield, with whom he lived most happily, and who survives him. She was a daughter of Erastus Ticknor, who married Cynthia Wood, and had eight children, of whom two died young. Elisha Ticknor, in the harness-making business, is a prominent citizen of Lebanon, N.H. John Philadelphia. Cynthia married Newell Colby, Mabel married a Mr. Groves, and Caroline married Charles E. Elliott.

Frank De Forrest Baker, a well-known farmer and lumber dealer of Plainfield, belongs to a family that came of English yeomanry stock, and has been known for centuries in England for industry, sturdiness, and reliability. The name denotes the occupation of the founder of the family. In the fifteenth century the Bakers possessed considerable property in the north of England and were known as being thrifty, industrious, and very tenacious of their rights. In 1650 there were many of the name at Aylesbury, County of Bucks, who became followers of George Fox, the Quaker, and with him suffered imprisonment by order of Cromwell. Mr. Baker directly traces his ancestry to Jeffry Baker. Jeffry 's son Joseph who was born June 18, 1655, came to America and settled in Connecticut. Joseph 's son, Joseph, Jr., born April 13, 1678, was twice married, first to Hannah Pomeroy, who had by him two sons, Joseph, and Samuel. His second marriage was made with Abigail Bissell, who bore him nine children: namely, John, Hannah, Jacob, Abigail, Ebenezer, Daniel, Heman, Titus, and Abigail (second). In the third generation down was Heman, born April 27, 1719, who married Lois Gilbert, November 24, 1747. They had nine children--Heman, Anna, Deborah, John, Oliver, Abigail, Lois, Delight, and Lydia. Oliver Baker, in the fourth generation, who was born at Tolland, Conn. October 5, 1755, and received a medical education, purchased a farm in Plainfield, on which he settled, and was thereafter engaged in the practice of his profession until his death on October 3, 1811. He was great-grandfather of Mr. Frank De Forrest Baker. Of his family of eleven sons some became physicians. Dimmick, born March 18, 1793, took up farming, and remained on the old homestead until his death. He married Hannah Colby and had a family of five children--Elias, Hannah A., Edward D., Dr. Cyrus Baker, and Helen F. Hannah, after teaching successfully for some time, married Morrill Cutting, a prosperous farmer of Newport, now deceased. Edward D., born April 21, 1827, read law at Enfield, N.H., with the Hon. N. W. Westgate, now of Haverhill, N.H., and later entered the law office of the Hon. H. A. Bellows, late Chief Justice of New Hampshire. He was admitted to the bar of Sullivan County in July 1851, and opened an office at Cornish Flat, where he practiced until October 1855, when he removed to Claremont. He married Elizabeth Ticknor on November 12, 1851. Cyrus, who graduated in medicine at New York, was an army surgeon during the Civil War. He first married Martha J. Preston, who bore him one child, Alice Baker. His second wife, whose maiden name is Anna Erskins, has been the mother of four children, one of whom is living. Helen F. married Sheppard H. Cutting, a prosperous farmer of Newport, N.H. and has had three children. Elias Baker, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born at Plainfield. After completing his education, he began his working life as a farmer, managing his father's farms, and later being associated with his father on the homestead farm, where he lived until his death. He was a man of superior intelligence and an apt student. It was his own ambition and the desire of his family to obtain a college education and prepare for a professional career, but circumstances prevented this. He married Amelia Blanchard, and had a family of three children--Elsie A., Frank D., and Charles D. Elsie, born June 16, 1848, was educated at Kimball Union Academy, and taught school very successfully until her marriage with Dr. J. H. Martin, of Lebanon, N.H. Charles D. , who is a hotel man in Arizona and owns considerable property, married Margaret Desmond . Frank De Forrest Baker was born in Plainfield, April 8, 1851. After receiving his education at the well-known Kimball Union Academy, he assisted his grandfather until the death of the latter. He then engaged in farming and lumbering, and in raising cattle for the market. At one time he conducted a livery stable. He is active and energetic. Industrious and thrifty, he has acquired quite a competency. He married Sarah Moulton Scales, who was born June 10, 1855, daughter of Henry M. and Ann J. Scales, of Meriden. Mrs. Baker 's grandfather, the Rev. Jacob Scales, was settled in Plainfield for many years. She has had four children: Cleon F., born February 27, 1873, now at Hartland, Vt.; Fred H. , born June 29, 1874 who died in April 1878 ; Julia M. born October 31, 1879, who died in January1894; and Edward M., born March 21, 1881, now attending Kimball Union Academy. Mr. Baker is a member of the local grange. He attends the Congregational church and is a liberal supporter of all its benevolences. He has never aspired for political honors, thinking his family and his business have needed his time and attention.

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BRYANT

Sylvanus Bryant, Jr., the third child of his parents, and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, enlisted as a private in the Continental army, rose to the rank of Captain, and did good service in the Revolutionary War. After the war he settled in Cornish, being the first of the name in this town. He married Judith, daughter of Moses Chase, and had a family of eight children. Sylvanus W. Bryant, Sr., son of Captain Bryant, and the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Cornish, June 14, 1790, and died August 17, 1864. He was a man of unusual mental range, sound judgment, and of much business capacity. His wife, Sophia was born in Plainfield, N.H., June 3, 1800, and died September 3, 1890. Their six children were: John, Sophia, Judith, George, Sarah Anne, and Sylvanus W. Sylvanus W. Bryant, the subject of this sketch, married Sarah G. Smith of Westminster, Vt. They have had three children, namely: Mary H., now deceased, born September 6, 1876; Jennie S. born June 28, 1879; and George H. , born November 22, 1880 .

He opened a store for general merchandise in partnership with Mr. Morgan. Active in local affairs, he was a Selectman and legislative Representative, and was respected to a degree only second to the parish minister. He attended the Unitarian church. His wife Sally, who came from Plaistow, N.H., was born May 28, 1813. She became the mother of five children: namely, Frederick Darius N., an infant daughter, Joseph Sidney, and Ella. All were natives of Plainfield except Frederick, who was born July 11, 1836, at Grantham, and is a popular and prosperous merchant of Lebanon. Joseph S., born April 13, 1851, is the popular pastor of the Unitarian church at Stow, Mass. Ella, born September 16, 1853, taught school for some time after her graduation from Kimball Academy, and at length married Mr. George F. Doty, of Meriden. She has two children--Lena M. and George F., Jr. After finishing with school, Darius Noyes Moulton worked on the home farm with his father, remaining until the death of the latter. When he was twenty-one years old, his father gave him a share in the business; and together they went into stock-raising to a considerable extent. For the past twenty-five years Mr. Moulton has done a large amount of trading in farms, horses, cattle, and real estate of various kinds, besides carrying on the farm. He has become a wealthy man and is to-day regarded as one of the solid businessmen of the town. He owns a number of farms and has helped many a poor man in securing a comfortable home and a good farm. Of a generous disposition, he cannot resist an appeal for aid when his sympathies are aroused. Although constantly engaged in all sorts of transactions, he was never known to take an unfair advantage. Public-spirited to a high degree, he is interested in everything that concerns the welfare or progress of his native town. He has filled various town offices with credit to himself and in a manner worthy of the family name. Mr. Moulton attends the Unitarian church and is a liberal benefactor not only of that church, but of all the others in the town. He has been a great traveler, having journeyed all over the United States and Canada. Since 1885 Mr. Moulton, in company with Mr. Roberts, the Town Clerk of Meriden, N.H., has owned and operated the large store owned formerly by E. E. Clark.

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CHADBOURNE

William E .Chadbourne. After receiving his education in the public schools, William E. Chadbourne engaged in farming, which has since been his principal occupation. He has never aspired to public office, while he has always taken a prominent part in town affairs and has served as Highway Surveyor. In politics he is a Republican. He married on June 15, 1858, Rosella Stone, of Plainfield, N.H., daughter of Solomon and Betsy (Reed) Stone. Mr. Chadbourne 's children are: Angie L., William Lucius, Gratia S., Emma E., Luther E., and James B. Angie, born October 19, 1862, is now Mrs. Earl Westgate, of Cornish . William L., born February 24, 1865, was married April 21, 1887, to Minnie Wood, and has one child--Daphna W., born July 9, 1888. Gratia, born May 27, 1867, was educated at Windsor, Vt., and is a teacher of fine ability, well known and very popular in Claremont, Cornish, and other places. Emma, born December 1, 1869, was educated at Windsor, and is employed in one of the large mercantile establishments of that town. Luther, born April 8, 1872, who was a pupil of Kimball Academy at Plainfield, joined his father on the farm. James, who was educated at Windsor High School, also assists his father. Solomon Stone was born in Plainfield, November 6, 1811, and died January 12, 1892. His wife, born in Cornish, June 11, 1813, still lives in Plainfield, enjoying good health and able to do nearly all her own work without assistance. Mr. Chadbourne 's mother, Sally Cady, was born in Cornish, August 29, 1790, and died December 16, 1864. Grandfather Cady was the first of the name to come to Cornish. He was born in 1743; and his wife was Hannah Hutchins, born in 1746. Grandfather Cady rode from Connecticut by marked trails. For a riding whip he had a willow stick; and when he alighted from his horse in Cornish he stuck the whip into the ground by his future home, and there has always been a willow-tree there since. When he came here, he brought with him a silver 1750. Mr. Chadbourne received at his birth from his grandfather Cady a silver dollar bearing the date of 1780.

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CHELLIS

Alvah B. Chellis, a leading farmer of Plainfield and the senior partner in the well-known firm, Chellis & Stickney, was born here, January 27, 1841, son of John Pettengill and Lucinda (Bean) Chellis. The first representative of the family in this country came from Wales in 1636. His son John, born in Kingston, N.H., was the great-great-grandfather of Alvah B. Chellis. John 's son Thomas, born in Kingston about the year 1750, was in the Revolution together with all his brothers, and fought at Bunker Hill.

The grandfather, Thomas Chellis, Jr., who was born at Salisbury, this State, March 24, 1785, died February 19, 1849. He and his father were the first of the family to settle in Plainfield. He was a farmer on an extensive scale, and a drover of cattle and dealer in horses. He was very wealthy, and very active in town affairs. He was in the legislature, was Selectman for many years, and he served in various other important offices. In religious belief he was a Congregationalist and a liberal supporter of the Congregational church. His wife, in maidenhood Abigail Morgan, daughter of Nathaniel and Miriam (Pettengill) Morgan, bore him nine children--Abigail, John P., Enoch F., Betsey M., Miriam, Otis H., Mary E., Sarah , and Andrew J. Abigail , born April 30, 1810 , married Isaac Sawyer , of Salisbury, N.H. , a breeder of Merino sheep on an extensive scale. Enoch F. born August 8, 1815, who was a prosperous farmer Cornish, N.H. married Mrs. Sarah Chase, and had one daughter, Marian V. Betsey, born November 9, 1817, died August 6, 1834. Miriam, born June 26, 1819, who died August 19, 1880, was unmarried. Otis H. who, born May 15, 1821, died June 30, 1894, was a farmer, carpenter, and merchant, and was for a short time in the fruit business in New Jersey. He successively married Martha P. Kinsman and Betsey M. Sargent. The latter bore him four children--Martha M., Frank O., Eloise, and Kate M. His sister, Mary E. born August 23, 1823, died April 19, 1884, unmarried. Sarah, born June 22, 1825, died August 17, 1837. Andrew J. born September 13, 1828. who was a very prosperous and prominent resident of Plainfield, died October 15, 1878.

John P. Chellis, father of Alvah B., was born December 26, 1812. After finishing his education at Kimball Union Academy, he taught school for about twelve winters. Thereafter, throughout the remainder of his life, he was engaged in farming, giving special attention to sheep-raising, and acquiring a handsome fortune. He was active as a citizen, and was chosen to fill the offices of Selectman, Town Treasurer, and Town Clerk. He was also State Senator for a time and was High Sheriff of Sullivan County for nearly ten years. His wife, Lucinda, a daughter of Samuel and Betsey (Smith) Bean, was born August 31, 1816. Their children were: Alvah B. and Mary L. Chellis. Mary who was born January 29, 1846, graduated from Kimball Union Academy, and then taught school for some years, principally in Lebanon and Newport, being very successful, and considered a fine disciplinarian. Both the parents died in 1888.

Alvah B. Chellis also taught school for many years, and, like his father and sister, was a skilful and successful instructor. Besides teaching he served in the capacity of clerk for the Provost Marshal at West Lebanon in 1863 and 1864. His home has always been here, on the farm formerly owned by his father, and of which he has had the management during the greater part of his life. He carries on general farming, and formerly raised large numbers of sheep. The store at Meriden, conducted by Chellis & Stickney, is very prosperous, and has a growing business. The post-office has been located there since the present firm started in business. Mr. Chellis has taken an active part in all questions of importance that have come before the town, both in his private capacity and that of Selectman. He has taken much interest in the public schools and has repeatedly served on the School Board. In Masonry Mr. Chellis is Sir Knight, having membership in Franklin Lodge of Lebanon, and in Sullivan Commandery of Claremont. In these bodies he is very popular and has held all the offices. His religious views agree with the creed of the Congregational church, and he is a generous supporter of the church society. He is fond of music and has a fine voice; but he sings only for the pleasure of his family and immediate friends.

On October 13, 1870, Mr. Chellis married Harriet L. Rossiter, of Windsor, Vt., daughter of Chittenden and Charlotte (Converse) Rossiter. Mr. Rossiter was born in Claremont March 22, 1817, and died May 8, 1892. Mrs. Rossiter, who is a daughter of a clergyman, and was born December 27, 1817, is still living at Windsor, Vt., in the home which has been hers for over fifty years. She is in good health, and her mental faculties are undimmed. Mr. and Mrs. Chellis have been the parents of two sons--James Bean and Converse Alvah. James, born May 16, 1879, April 20, 1891. Converse, born at Plainfield, March 22, 1884, is attending school. As he has manifested a marked talent for music, he will probably pursue a course of musical training.

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COLE

John M. Cole, a well-known farmer and real estate speculator of Plainfield, was born here, August 3, 1836, son of Daniel and Lucinda (Bryant) Cole. The Cole family is of German origin. The great-grandfather of John M. was Ebenezer Cole. The grandfather, Daniel Cole, was one of the prosperous farmers of Plainfield in his day, and also followed the trades of tanning, currying, and shoemaking. He fought for independence in the Revolutionary War, taking part in thirteen engagements; and he received for his services a pension, which after his death was extended to his widow. He and his family came up the river upon a horse sled and were among the pioneers of this section. At his death he was ninety years old. He married Edith Wilbur, and his family consisted of six children, all now deceased: namely, Stephen, Wheeler, Enos, John, Daniel, and Hannah. Stephen became a physician, and practiced in Concord, N.H., for a number of years. He married in that town, and later settled in Vermont, where he passed the rest of his life. Wheeler went to Ohio and became a prosperous farmer. He married in that State and left a daughter. Enos married and settled in Burlington, Vt. John was in business in Lowell, Mass. and Nashua, N.H., Lucy Pike, of Concord, N.H. Hannah became the wife of Joseph Spaulding, an extensive farmer of Plainfield, and reared a family.

Daniel Cole, the father of John M., was born in Plainfield. He succeeded to the ownership of his father's property, and during the active period of his life was engaged in general farming and stock-raising. He served as Overseer of the Poor and Highway Surveyor for a number of years and was a Justice of the Peace. In politics he supported the Republican Party, and his religious belief was the Baptist creed. He lived to be seventy-three years old, and left a good estate, together with a record for honesty and integrity, of which his descendants may well be proud. Daniel Cole was twice married. His first wife was Patty Johnson, who bore him six children; namely, Sarah, Martha, Abel, George, Harriet, and Daniel W. Sarah married Earl Westgate, a farmer of Plainfield, and had a family of six children. Martha wedded Alfred Hannis, a schoolteacher of Claremont, N.H., and reared a family. Abel, who engaged in farming, wedded Marcia Houghton, of Windsor, Vt. George, who followed agriculture successfully, married Samantha Souther of Plainfield. Both are now deceased. Harriet is now the widow of Nathan Souther, late of Lowell, Vt. Daniel W. resided upon a farm in Cornish, and died in that town. He married Ardel Spencer, a native of Plainfield; and a daughter survives him. Daniel Cole 's second wife, Lucinda Bryant Cole, became the mother of five children--John M., Homer, Marcia, Wilbur, and one that died in infancy. Homer follows the trade of a painter and paper-hanger in Plainfield. He married Mrs. E. Harris, a widow of Windsor, who has had no children. Marcia, who is no longer living, married George Chase of Windsor, a mason by trade; and she had two children. Wilbur, who is a prosperous farmer in Cornish, married Clara Hook of that town, and has one son.

John M. Cole acquired a common-school education, and since early manhood has been engaged in farming. He succeeded to the homestead, where he continued to reside some five years after his father's death. He then sold it to Charles Kenyon and bought the Coburn place in Cornish. This property he sold to William Kinsman a year later and purchased the Woodard farm in Plainfield. He had resided there about fifteen years, when he sold that property to William True, and bought the Jordan farm, located upon the river Road. After disposing of the Jordan place to Ralph Morgan some two years ago, he purchased the Burrage farm, where he now resides. His custom in these transactions was to improve the estate after buying it, and then to sell it at a good profit. He now owns a farm of one hundred acres, with substantial buildings, from which a view may be obtained of the Ascutney Mountains and the village of Hartland, Vt. upon the opposite shore of the Connecticut River. He has made a specialty of raising sheep and cattle, and he has been quite successful in general farming.

Mr. Cole married Jane Bugbee, who was born in Hartland, Vt., December 27, 1836, and was educated at the Kimball Union Academy. Her grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier. Her father, George Bugbee, who was born in Cornish, Vt., in 1813, and was a prosperous farmer in that town, died in 1882. He married Eunice Lanphire who was born in Hartland, Vt. in 1803 and died in 1869, her only child being Jane. Mr. and Mrs. Cole have four children, as follows: George A., born March 14, 1863; Daniel, born March 11, 1867; Samuel W., born March 18, 1868; and Lizzie J., born December 23, 1870. George A., who is engaged in agriculture in Plainfield, married Hattie Royce, and has two sons--Charlie and Leonard. Daniel is a resident of this town. Samuel W., who is a travelling salesman for a jewelry house, married Ida M. Jenkins, of Attleboro, Mass. Lizzie J. married Harley McCrillis , a confectioner of White River Junction, Vt.

Mr. Cole has served upon the School Board and in other town offices. Politically, he supports the Republican party, and in his religious views is a Baptist. He is well informed upon all current topics and is especially interested in family history and the preservation of relics. He has in his possession several old deeds and mortgages. Among the deeds is one conveying property from Johnson to Cole, bearing the date of December 25, 1819. Another deed is from Walker to Daniel Cole, dated April 4, 1806. He also has the will of his grandfather, dated July 20, 1839, and probated by Judge Putnam, and the paper relating to his enlistment and his discharge from the Continental army.

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DAVIS

Ora C. Davis, an esteemed resident of Plainfield, was born in the town of Hartford, Vt., March 8, 1847. His great-grandfather, Jeremiah, was a native of Sutton, N.H. Jeremiah and his father were the first of the name to settle in the part of Grantham, N.H., now called Plainfield. He was a farmer by occupation and had a family of nine children. The grandfather, Samuel Davis, also a native of Sutton, born in 1776, married Maria Hadley, daughter of Simeon Hadley, and had a family of nine children. These were: Lucy, Isaac, Samuel, Charles, Martin, Alfred, Louisa, George W. , and Alvan . Lucy married Norman Hadley, a farmer of Canaan. Isaac was twice married, the first time to Elsie Tyler, who bore him two children. On the second occasion he married a widow. He was a farmer and engaged in the meat business at Canaan. Charles, also a farmer of Canaan, married Caroline Miner, and had four children. Martin, who was employed in a mica mine, and was killed by an explosion over thirty years ago, had one son. Alfred, now a wealthy farmer, married Abigail Aldrich, of Concord, and has no children. Louisa married William Aldrich, of Concord, a farmer and active Granger, and has one son. George W., a successful farmer of Canaan, N.H., owns the largest farm in that town, is a leading man in the grange, and has represented Canaan in the legislature. He married Emma Kilton, of Grafton, N.H.; and they have four children. Alvan, also a farmer of Canaan, and who is said to raise more fruit than any other man in this section, is Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the town. He married a Miss Richardson and has seven children living. 

Samuel Davis, Jr. the father of Ora C. Davis, was born in Plainfield, February 2, 1822, was educated in the common schools and at Kimball Union Academy. After the close of his school life he began farming, and has been engaged in that occupation ever since. By industry, energy, and strictly honorable dealing in every transaction he has accumulated Martha J. Hersey, who was born September 4, 1824. She was a daughter of Stephen Hersey, a farmer and carpenter of Grantham. The three children of this marriage are: Emma A., Ora C., and Ella M. Emma, born in Hartford, Vt., July 17, 1845, attended the public schools of Plainfield and Kimball Union Academy, and was afterward one of the most successful public school teachers in this part of the State. She married J. C. Willis, of Milwaukee, a railroad man, who makes two trips weekly from Chicago to Minneapolis. They have no children. Ella, born July 19, 1850, was educated in the schools of the town and at Kimball Union Academy. She also taught school successfully for a number of years before she married Warren B. Richardson, of Canaan. Mr. Richardson, who is well-to-do, has been Town Treasurer and Deputy Sheriff, and is now Police Justice. Ora C. Davis received his education in the same schools as did his sisters, and, like them, became a teacher. He taught for about twenty winters, being gifted not only with unusual ability to instruct, but with superior tact as a disciplinarian. He keeps a farm and has done a considerable amount of painting. He has been Chairman of the Republican Town Committee for many years; has been Selectman for five years, being at present Chairman of the Board; and he has also served as Superintendent of Schools. The second of Mr. Davis 's two marriages was contracted with Almie F. Morse, daughter of Charles H. Morse, of Plainfield. By his previous marriage he has two children--Hubert S. and Edna W. Huber, born in Plainfield, November 9, 1871, who was educated in Kimball Union Academy, and became a farmer, married Mary Woodward, and has two children--Gleason and Clifford. Edna W., born January 2, 1874, is living at Plainfield. In religious belief Mr. Davis is a Baptist. He now holds the office of Deputy Sheriff and is Justice of the Peace. Prominent in the Masonic fraternity, he is now the Master of his lodge. He is also a member of the local grange.

DAVIS

John F. Davis, Postmaster of Sunapee, was born here, November 11, 1835, son of Eli and Eunice (Pingree) Davis. The grandfather, Eli Davis (first) was born March 15, 1775, in Rowley, Mass. He was one of the first settlers of Springfield, N.H., where he went when quite a young man, and where he carried on general farming. Later he removed to Plainfield, N.H., where he spent the latter part of his life. He married Judith Sanborn, who was born June 6, 1776, and with her reared ten children. A prominent man, he served the town in several public capacities, including that of legislative Representative. He was also an esteemed member and Deacon of the Baptist church. He died October 22, 1848, and his wife on September 6, 1860.

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DOW

Lucius Dow, born in Plainfield, N.H., in 1820, was educated in the common schools of that town and at Kimball Academy. After his marriage he came to Cornish, and here rented a farm, on which he spent the rest of his life. He was a leading Democrat; but, though keenly interested in the affairs of the town even up to the time of his death, he was never an aspirant for office. He was Orthodox in religion, and he attended the Congregational church. His first wife, Lucelia, daughter of Cyrus and Hannah Smith , bore him five children--Abbie , William , Fred , Mary , and Martha . His second wife, christened Isabella Tracy, a daughter of Edward and Alvira Nutting, is now deceased. Abbie Dow, born October 10, 1853, married William Harlow, a well-known farmer of Cornish, and has one child, Leroy H. Harlow, born July 6, 1888. Fred Dow was educated in the common schools and at Kimball Academy in Plainfield. After leaving school he went into Jewett 's grocery store as a clerk, remaining a year. He then went to Chicago, Ill., and obtained employment with the large commission house of which he is now a partner. He married Mattie Gamble, of Chicago, and has one son. His sister, Mary Dow, is the wife of Dr. William Cain, now of Cambridge, Mass. Martha Dow married Louis Quimby, of Unity, N.H., a groceryman, and has two children.

William D. Dow worked at farming for a year after leaving school. In 1888 he went to California, where he remained two years, engaged in farming and baling hay. He returned East on account of the poor health of his father and for the purpose of taking charge of the farm. Upon the death of his father, he succeeded to the farm, and has since conducted it. He has never been an aspirant for public office. However, last year when a candidate for Selectman, he lacked but two votes of election. He is a prominent member of the grange of Cornish. The first of Mr. Dow 's two marriages was contracted with Hattie A. Weld, and the second, which took place November 20, 1892, with Norah E. Crosby, of Croydon, N.H. The second wife, the present Mrs. Dow, is a daughter of Gilman and Eleanor R. (Lear) Crosby. She has a daughter, Hattie E.

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DUNCAN

John Ticknor Duncan, the Treasurer of the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, was born in Plainfield, December 22, 1831, son of Samuel B. and Ruth (Ticknor) Duncan. His great-grandfather, James Duncan, born in 1724, resided in Haverhill, Mass. James married Elizabeth Bell, who was born December 25, 1725, and had a family of twelve children. Robert Duncan, the grandfather, was born in Haverhill, May 21, 1760. When a young man he settled in Plainfield. He married Hannah Emerson, a native of Haverhill, and became the father of four children--Samuel B., John Thaxter, Mary A., and Hannah --all natives of Plainfield. John Thaxter, who was born in 1798, and followed a mercantile business in Vermont for a number of years, was afterward engaged in the manufacture of iron in New York State and died in 1870. He married Fanny Dennison, and had a family of six children, four of whom are living. Mary A., born March 23, 1800, married John Bryant, of this town, who was associated with Squire Kimball in a mercantile business and the woolen manufacturing industry. She lived to be ninety-one years old, and two of her four children are living. Hannah, who was born in 1802, married Reuben True, one of the prosperous farmers and prominent residents of Plainfield in his day; and she lived to the advanced age of ninety-four years. She was the mother of four children, one of whom is living. Samuel B. Duncan, born November 20, 1795, was educated in the schools of Plainfield and Haverhill, Mass. Soon after the completion of his studies he volunteered to serve in the War of 1812 as a substitute for his brother, who had been drafted. For thirty-five years he was a Trustee of the Kimball Union Academy, and he filled the position of Treasurer for twelve years. He died December 22, 1869. His wife, Ruth, was born in Lebanon, N.H., in 1777, daughter of John and Mabel (Green) Ticknor. She became the mother of three sons, namely: John T., the subject of this sketch; Robert H. born November 12, 1833; and Samuel A., born June 19, 1836. Robert H. prepared for his collegiate course at the Kimball Union Academy, and was graduated from Dartmouth College, class of 1857. He studied law at the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Law School and is now a prominent patent attorney in New York City. He married Abbie Vinning, daughter of Samuel Vinning of Holbrook, Mass.; and she has had four children, three of whom are living. Samuel A. attended the Kimball Union Academy and was graduated from Dartmouth with the class of 1858. After pursuing a course at the Columbia Law School, he was engaged in teaching at Quincy, Mass., for a time, and was for two years a tutor at Dartmouth College. In 1862 he was commissioned Major of the Fourteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, was later appointed Colonel of the Fourth United States Colored Regiment and retired from the service with the rank of Brevet Major general. During the years 1867 and 1868 he was special agent of the United States Treasury at Washington, was Examiner of Patents from 1868 to 1870, and Commissioner of Patents from 1870 to 1872. Later he became associated with his brother, Robert H., in New York City, and died October 18, 1895. On December 25, 1867, he married Julia Jones, of Washington, N.H.; and she became the mother of five children, three of whom are living. She is now residing in Englewood, N.J. Mrs. Samuel B. Duncan was ninety-four years old, when she died in 1871. After graduating from the Kimball Union Academy in 1852, John Ticknor Duncan immediately turned his attention to agriculture. He succeeded to the home farm and has since carried it on with success. The property, which contains about fifty acres, is located in the village of Meriden, nearly opposite the academy and adjoining Dexter Richard Hall, where many of the students board. In 1870 he succeeded his father as Treasurer and Trustee of the academy. This institution has from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five students in attendance. Dexter Richard Hall, a handsome three-story building belonging to the academy, is used during the vacation season for summer boarders. Mr. Duncan has acted as a Justice of the Peace and Notary Public for the past twenty years. Politically, he supports the Republican party. He was a member of the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention of 1889.

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EGGLESTONE

William P. Egglestone, one of the leading agriculturists of Plainfield, Sullivan County, was born in this town, November 5, 1826, son of Colonel Charles and Betsey (Fullum) Egglestone. His maternal great-grandfather, Samuel Williams, moved with his family, in 1759, from Connecticut to New Hampshire, where, having cleared a farm, he cultivated it for the rest of his active period. Samuel married Sarah Lawrence, who was a descendant of John Lawrence, one of the "Mayflower" Pilgrims. Samuel Egglestone, the paternal grandfather of William P., was a native of Connecticut. Plainfield. He was twice married. His first wife, whose maiden name is unknown, bore him one son, Samuel (second). When he returned home from the war, his wife was dead, and his boy had disappeared without leaving any trace. Many years afterward an account, published by the local newspapers, of how one Samuel Egglestone, an aged farmer, had mowed half an acre of land before breakfast, was extensively copied throughout New England. It was seen by his son, then forty years old, who, thinking that it might be his father, came to Plainfield and met him. Samuel Egglestone (second) married and had nine children. His father wedded for his second wife Phoebe Williams, daughter of Samuel Williams, of Plainfield. By this union there were four children--Simon, Sibyl, Charles, and Zeruah. Simon resided in Vermont and reared a family. Sibyl became the wife of Charles Livermore, of Hartland, Vt.; and Judge Livermore of that State was one of her sons. Zeruah, who became Mrs. Keyes, resided in the West, and had one son. Colonel Charles Egglestone, William P. Egglestone's father, was born and reared in Plainfield. After leaving school, he learned the carpenter's trade, and later became a well-known contractor and builder. He erected several schoolhouses, academies, and other public buildings in New Hampshire and Vermont, besides many private residences. The house and farm buildings which are now owned by his son, William P., were erected by him in 1842. He served in the War of 1812, and was later commissioned Colonel of the Fifteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Militia. Though not active in political affairs, he served with ability as a member of the Board of Selectmen and in other town offices. In his religious views he was a Congregationalist.

Colonel Charles Egglestone died June 25, 1858. His wife, Betsey, whom he married in 1812, was born in Fitzwilliam, N.H. She became the mother of nine children, born as follows: Lorenzo, October 30, 1812; Lucinda, August 11, 1815; Francis F., August 6, 1817; Mary Ann , June 27, 1820 ; Sarah , April 23, 1822 ; William P. , the subject of this sketch; Ai , November 16, 1829 ; Henry , March 4, 1832 ; and Helen M. , October 23, 1835 . Lorenzo, who is no longer living, was a machinist and followed that calling in Cambridge and Boston, Mass. He married Elizabeth Lamarau, of Rochester, N. Y., and had a family of six children. Lucinda married Raymond Page, of Springfield, Vt., and had two children. Francis F. went to Chicago and engaged in manufacturing furniture. He married Fanny Laughton, and had a family of nine children, of whom the survivors are two sons, now carrying on the business established by their father. Mary Ann married S. F. Redfield, a tailor of Claremont, N.H., and had seven children. Sarah married Daniel Kenyon, a farmer of Claremont, and had four children, two of whom are living. Ai served in the Civil War as a member of the Sixth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and afterward settled in Bloomington, Ill., where he died. He married Speedy B. Farrington, of Claremont, N.H., and was the father of three children, one of whom is living. Henry was engaged in the furniture business in Chicago. He married Isabella Laughton, who bore him four children, three of whom are living. Helen M. became the wife of George T. Avery, a prosperous farmer of Plainfield, and had one son, who is still living. Mrs. Charles Egglestone died May 1, 1868. William P. Egglestone began his education in the common schools of Plainfield, and completed Hartland, Vt. When a young man he learned the cabinet-maker's trade in Boston. From Boston he went to Iowa, and later settled in Chicago, where he followed his trade for a number of years. When paying a visit to his parents, his father died. He was then prevailed upon by his mother to take charge of the farm, and he has since remained at the homestead. He has a large and productive farm, which affords him ample opportunity for the raising of superior crops. He also has a dairy. For twenty years he was engaged in the manufacture of caskets; and he was an undertaker until 1890, when he gave up the business on account of failing health. Mr. Egglestone has acceptably served the community in some of the town offices. He attends the Congregational church. Mr. Egglestone married Caroline V. Seaver, who was born in Gardiner, Me., April 20, 1830. Mrs. Egglestone's parents, John and Catherine (Dill) Seaver, died when she was very young. She is the mother of four children, namely: Charles, born August 25, 1860; Leonora K., born March 20, 1863; Addie L., born December 30, 1865; and Florida F., born September 16, 1868. Charles has always resided with his parents and assists in carrying on the farm. He married Elizabeth Davis, who was born in England, July 14, 1871, daughter of Evan Davis; and she is the mother of one son, William Edward, born April 4, 1896. Leonora K. married Lindsley L. Walker, a native of Reading, Vt., and now a blacksmith of Hanover, N.H. Addie L. is the wife of Fred A. Cowen, a merchant in Lebanon, N.H. Florida F. married George W. Hodges, a maker of fine tools for the Waltham Watch Company, and resides in Waltham, Mass. She has one son, Forrest E., born May 30, 1895.

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FREEMAN

George Chase Freeman, one of the best known dairy farmers and cattle breeders in Plainfield, was born in Cornish, N.H., August 26, 1819, son of Cyrus and Sarah (Dow) Freeman. The grandfather, Daniel Freeman, who was a native of Connecticut, moved his family to Plainfield, where he engaged in farming. He also kept a hotel in Lebanon, N.H., for a number of years. The maiden name of his first wife was Dow. That of his second wife is unknown. His children were: Cyrus, Daniel, Benjamin, Joseph, Deborah, and Mercy. Benjamin, who was a farmer, married Eudocia Childs, and reared a family; Joseph, who resided upon a farm in Plainfield, married Polly Johnson, and had one child; Deborah became Mrs. Chase, and reared a family; Mercy died in infancy. Cyrus Freeman, father of George C., accompanied his parents from Connecticut, and was reared upon a farm in Plainfield. He tilled the soil industriously and with success during the active period of his life, devoting his entire attention to the cultivation and improvement of his farm. His first wife, a native of Cornish, whose maiden name was Persis Chase had no children. His second marriage was contracted with Sarah Dow, who was born in Salisbury, N.H., in 1778, daughter of Jeremiah Dow. She bore him eight children; namely, John T., Sarah, Persis, Forest, Susan, Daniel D., Tamesin K., and George C. John T. married for his first wife Ursula Chase, of Cornish, who bore him three children. His second wife was a lady of Plainfield, whose maiden name was Durenda Penniman. His third marriage united him to Sarah Wyman, of Cornish. Sarah, born in 1800, died in 1826. Persis married Benjamin L. Fuller], a prosperous farmer and hotelkeeper of this town, and had five children, of whom four are living. Forest, who engaged in farming, married Nancy Penniman, of Windsor, Vt., and reared a family. Susan became the wife of Enos Spaulding, a blacksmith of Plainfield and has a family. Daniel D., who was a farmer, wedded Mary Marcy, and reared children. Tamesin K. married Isaac C. Harroun, of Barre, Vt., a blacksmith by trade, and had children. Mrs. Cyrus Freeman lived to be eighty-two years old and died in 1860. 

George Chase Freeman acquired his education in the schools of Plainfield and Cornish. After finishing his studies, he assisted his father upon the homestead farm. He later bought of his brother-in-law, Benjamin L. Fuller, the farm upon which he now resides. This property, containing nearly four hundred acres of land located upon the banks of the Connecticut River, occupies an eminence overlooking the valley. Besides carrying on general farming and dairying, Mr. Freeman has been an extensive breeder of cattle, sheep, and horses. His son is now in partnership with him. They have some excellent Durham cows, six fine horses of noted pedigree, among which is a mare that last fall made a record of 2.17. Mr. Freeman married Sarah Ward, who was born June 19, 1824, in Marlboro, daughter of William Ward. She has had four children, namely: Frances R., born March 7, 184 ; William W. , born June 29, 1848 ; Nellie May , born June 25, 1855 ; and Elizabeth Marion , born December 20, 1863 . Frances R. married the Rev. R. C. Bell of Connecticut and had three children. William W. completed his education at the Kimball Union Academy and has been of valuable assistance to his father in managing the farm. He possesses a practical knowledge of all branches of agriculture and has acquired a ….

Nellie May is the wife of Samuel P. Wood, a wealthy resident of Lebanon, N.H., and has two children. Elizabeth Marion, who attended the Kimball Union Academy, and subsequently graduated from Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass., married George F. Chandler, a native of Strafford, Vt., and has one child. Her husband is a graduate of Dartmouth College and is now engaged in farming upon scientific principles. Mr. Freeman is one of the most prominent residents of Plainfield. His strict adherence to high principles has gained for him a warm place in the hearts of his neighbors and fellow townsmen. Although he takes a deep interest in the general welfare of the town, he has never aspired to political honors, as his time has always been absorbed by his large farming operations.

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FRENCH

Almon W. French, of Plainfield, Sullivan County, represents the third generation of the Frenches in this town. The family is of English origin, and members of it were pioneers of New England. Its founder in Plainfield, Nathaniel French, the grandfather of Almon W., came here when about twenty-two years of age, at the time when much of the district was an unbroken wild. Having done his part in rendering the place habitable, he died at the age of eighty-nine. His wife, Alice Back French, had eight children, of whom one died in infancy. The others were: Liman, George, Hezekiah, John, Lucinda, Betsey, and Susan. Liman, who lived in this town for the greater part of his life, following the occupation of farmer, never married. George, who was also a farmer here, married Sarah Hadley. Hezekiah married Lucinda Hyde and had a family of children. He lived in Plainfield nearly all his lifetime. Lucinda successively married Amos Fox and William Hadley. Betsey became Mrs. Hayes Kenyon, and the mother of several children; and Susan married John Hadley. John French, the father of Almon W., born here in 1805, died in December 1890. He worked on his father's farm until fifty-five years of age. Then he bought a farm, which he managed until about a dozen years before his death, the chief business being raising and selling cattle. He remained outside the arena of political strife, and never cared to secure public patronage. Straightforward and honest, he had the respect of all who knew him. He married Harriet Barry, who, born at Centre Harbor in 1809, died in 1879. Their eight children were: Almon W., John H., Russell, Charles, Melissa, George, Frank, and Sumner. John H. was twice married. His second marriage was contracted with a lady named French, who bore him one son. Russell, a prosperous farmer of Plainfield, married Adelaide Smith, and has several children. Charles married a Miss Westgate and resides here. George married Orena B. Spaulding and had several children. Frank married a Miss Chapman and has a family of children. Melissa married Titus Pierce, and had several Sumner married Miss Freeman, and was engaged in farming here up to the time of his death. Almon W. French was educated in the public schools of his native town. After leaving school, he had worked at farming for about fifteen years, when he became the proprietor of a farm by purchase. Since that time, he has bought four or five others. He has always done more or less sheep-raising, but now gives his attention mainly to dairying. Industrious and enterprising, he has fully earned the success he has met with. Like his father, he has not sought political offices. In religious faith he is a Congregationalist, and he is a generous supporter of the Congregational society here. Mr. French married Melissa Spaulding, who was born in 1837. She died in 1870, leaving a daughter, Eva. Eva was twice married, and by her first marriage has one son, Clarence Almon Daniels. Clarence has always resided with his grandfather, Almon W. French.

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FULLER

Benjamin Henry Fuller, one of Plainfield's most extensive farmers and an ex-member of the New Hampshire legislature, was born in this town, February 20, 1848, son of Benjamin L. and Persis C. (Freeman) Fuller. His grandfather, Benjamin Fuller, who was a native of Connecticut, moved with his family to Plainfield early in the present century. Grandfather Benjamin married Rachel Boyd, who was also born in Connecticut. Their children were: Naomi, Esther, James, and Benjamin L. Naomi died at the age of twenty years; Esther married Cranston Lewin, a native of Connecticut, who followed farming and butchering in this town, and she reared a family; James was blind from the age of fourteen until his death, which occurred when he was sixty-one years old. Benjamin L. Fuller, father of Benjamin H., was born in Connecticut in June 1802. He was educated in the schools of Plainfield and Lebanon, N.H.; and he assisted his father upon the farm until he became its owner by purchase. He was quite extensively engaged in raising cattle for the home market and for the Brighton market in Massachusetts. He also raised sheep and horses. A man of unusual energy and industry, and giving his entire time to his business, he accumulated considerable wealth. His death, which occurred in 1878, was mourned as the loss of an honorable, upright man and a useful citizen. Absorbed in his business affairs, he took no part in politics. He attended the Baptist church. A member of the Masonic Lodge at Cornish Flat, he was buried with the rites of that fraternity. His wife, Persis , who was born in Cornish, N.H. , in 1805 , had seven children, namely: Sarah , born March 2, 1831 ; Ann , who died when eight months old; Maria , born November 9, 1833 ; Alfred , born April 15, 1837 , who died in infancy; Laura , born April 22, 1839 ; Julia , born April 8, 1842 ; and Benjamin H. , the subject of this sketch. Sarah married Augustus Hodgeman, of Vermont, a prosperous farmer, and had four sons; Maria became the wife of William Ward, a farmer of Plainfield, and had six children, four of whom are living; Laura died in 1861; and Julia married Albert Gilson, an industrious farmer of Hartland, Vt., and had eight children, of whom five are living. Mrs. Benjamin L. Fuller died in 1884. After completing his education at the Kimball Union Academy, Benjamin Henry Fuller immediately began to assist in carrying on the farm. Since the death of his father, he has managed the property. As the result of his early training and practical experience his farming has been most profitable. The estate, containing nearly three hundred acres of land, is one of the few farms along the banks of the Connecticut River that has not been purchased for summer residences by wealthy men from New York or Boston. The buildings are among the finest in this section; and the house is built upon high ground overlooking the village of Hartland, Vt. On February 22, 1869, Mr. Fuller was united in marriage with Julia E. Egglestone, born May 4, 1848, daughter of Lorenzo Egglestone of Boston. Aden Leroy Fuller, the only child of this union, was born November 14, 1871. After finishing his education at White River Junction, Vt., he entered the service of the Fitchburg Railroad Company as a fireman. He is now a locomotive engineer in the yard of that company in Boston. He is widely known among railroad men and is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He married Bertha Harrington, of Groton, Mass., daughter of Albert Harrington, of that town. Mr. and Mrs. Aden L. Fuller attend the Baptist church. Mr. Benjamin H. Fuller is a Democrat in politics. He was a member of the Board of Selectmen for three years, and for two years of that time he was its chairman. He represented this town in the legislature in 1891, serving therein upon the Committee on Education. One of the most active and influential leaders in local affairs, he has the esteem and confidence of his fellow-townsmen.

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GILKEY

Charles Gilkey, a prominent resident of Cornish, who was formerly engaged in the gunsmith business, is a native of Plainfield, N.H., born September 29, 1826. Charles Gilkey, his grandfather, born in Connecticut, was the first of the family to come to Plainfield. He came originally as agent of a wealthy Connecticut family and remained in their employ for some time. After failing in an attempt to buy a farm with the Continental money in which his salary was paid, owing to the depreciated value of that currency then, he succeeded in leasing one from the State for nine hundred and ninety-nine years. This property is still in the possession of the family, subject to an annual rental of six or eight dollars, which is paid to the treasurer of the Episcopal church of the town. Grandfather Gilkey married Lucy Avery, who bore him five children--Jonathan, John, Charles, William, and James. Jonathan married a Miss Spaulding and lived in Vermont. John married and spent his life in Vermont, working at the trade of ship-carpenter. He had one daughter, who married the Rev. Robert Christie. Charles was drowned when a young man. William died young. James Gilkey, the father of Charles Gilkey, a native of Connecticut, born in September 1769, came to Cornish when about seven years old. By trade he was a mechanical woodcutter, in which he carried on a large business for some time. After the death of his brother Charles, he took charge of the farm. Highly esteemed in the community, he served in every office in the gift of the town, including that of legislative Representative. He married Naomi Smith, of Plainfield, who was born in December 1805. Their children were: Charles , the subject of this sketch; George , born in Cornish , who died in 1849 ; James , born in Plainfield , who was a railroad man, and died in Arkansas of a fever contracted there; Jeannette , who married Wats Beckworth of Kansas ; John , who is living on the old homestead in Cornish ; Julia , who married Ed Bryant , of Cornish , had four children, and died in 1889 ; and Asa , living in Brattleboro , who for a number of years was an officer of the Asylum for the Insane, bought a farm, married Lizzie Harris , and has one daughter, Edith . Charles Gilkey, the eldest child of his parents, was educated in the schools of Plainfield. He then learned the trade of mechanical woodcarver, and worked at Worcester and Chicopee, Mass., in Connecticut, and at Windsor, Vt. Inheriting the mechanical genius of his father, he had no difficulty in taking up the manufacture of guns for a firm that was under contract to make a thousand guns for the Russian government. In 1861, when the Civil War broke out, the United States government took all the guns the factory could turn out. A large part of the guns carried by General Butler 's troops on his trip to New Orleans were made by this concern. While in Worcester, Mr. Gilkey made the machinery for the first double-barrel gun manufactured. After a time, his health gave out, and he bought the large farm in Cornish where he now resides. He has been prominent in town affairs, has been Highway Surveyor and a member of the School Board, and he was Collector of Taxes when only twenty-one years of age. In politics he is an independent, preferring to vote for the best man or for the party exemplifying the best principles. He showed his honesty in this respect by voting in the last two elections respectively for Cleveland and McKinley. Mr. Gilkey married Laura A., daughter of Titus and Lucy (Mills) Sheppard. Mrs. Gilkey was born in Dudley, Mass., in July 1820, and died February 2, 1897. Her paternal grandfather and great-grandfather were born in Dudley. Her maternal grandfather, Nathaniel Mills, came from Scotland to Thompson, Conn., where he was the first of the name. Her grandmother Mills was born in Thompson, Conn. The house in which Mr. Gilkey lives, although about one hundred and fifty years old, is in an excellent condition still. Its timbers of solid oak are, to all appearances, good for another century and a half. For years it was considered the prettiest cottage in the district. Among many interesting relics preserved by the family is a barrel used for packing pork, that had been used for thirty years by Mrs. Gilkey, and no one knows how long it was in use before. Even the brine, which is submitted to an annual purifying process is, at least part of it, thirty years old.

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HALL

William Hall, a retired merchant of Plainfield, was born in Cornish, N.H., February 28, 1846, son of Israel and Elizabeth D. (Demming) Hall. He is a descendant of Willis Hall. His grandfather, Jonathan Hall, who was a native of Connecticut, was the first of the family to ascend the river for the purpose of settling. Jonathan, who was an extensive farmer, married Mercy Cady; and his children were: Israel, Sophia, Alfred, and Susan, all of whom were born in Windsor, Vt. Sophia married Sullivan Blood, of Windsor, and with her husband made the journey from Vermont to Missouri by horse and chaise. Sullivan Blood was for some years captain of steamboats of the Mississippi River. Afterward he settled in St. Louis, where he became prominent in the real estate business. The owner of many slaves at one time, he liberated them previous to the Rebellion. In politics he was a stanch Republican. He died a millionaire, and two of his four children are living. Susan always remained at home and cared for her mother, who in her later years suffered the loss of her sight. Alfred succeeded to the homestead, and always resided in Windsor. A leading businessman, he was President of the Windsor Savings Bank and of the Bridge Company. He was also prominent in public affairs. He married Catharine Morgan, daughter of Captain Morgan, of Windsor and had a family of five sons and one daughter, to whom he left a large estate. Israel Hall, William Hall 's father, was born in 1792. When a young man he associated himself with a Mr. Marcy, and carried on a general mercantile business in Cornish, N.H., for a number of years. Selling out then to his partner, he engaged in the hotel business in Cornish, and conducted it for some time. He finally became a man of affairs, and his time was occupied in attending to his various enterprises. He settled estates and acted as trustee and was guardian for minors and persons not competent to take care of property. At one time he was President of the Windsor Savings Bank and of the Bridge Company. He also carried on a farm. Prominent in politics, he served as a Selectman until forced to decline further nomination, represented Cornish in the legislature, was Postmaster for several years, and he acted as a Justice of the Peace and Notary Public. He attended the Episcopal church, sang in its choir, and generously contributed to its support. He was a natural musician, and for some years played a bass-viol in church. When sixty years old he purchased a seraphine for the use of the church. As the party selected to play it was unable to do so, he took a few lessons on the instrument and played it himself. Israel Hall died October 29, 1863, aged seventy-one years, leaving a large amount of property to his family. Having stood high in the community as an honest, upright businessman and a faithful public servant, his descendants have every reason to look upon his record with pride. The first of his three marriages were contracted with Mary Chase, Sarah Chase, both of whom were daughters of Israel Chase, of Cornish. On the third occasion he was united to Elizabeth D. Demming, daughter of William Demming, a prosperous farmer of Cornish. The children of this marriage, all born in Cornish, were: Charles, Israel D., William, Edward, and George. Charles died in infancy. George died February 13, 1863, aged eleven years. Israel D. born May 17, 1843, who completed his studies at the Windsor High School, and then took a course at Eastman's Business College in Concord, is now carrying on a large general store in Claremont, N.H. He is connected with other enterprises and is President of the Bridge Company in Windsor. He has represented Claremont in the legislature, has served upon the School Board for a number of years, is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and attends the Congregational church. He married M. Belle Redfield, daughter of S. Frank Redfield, of Claremont, and has one daughter, Alice Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. Scott of that town.

Edward Hall, who was born July 3, 1849, attended the Windsor High School. Prevented by his failing sight from entering upon a business career, he engaged in farming in Plainfield for some years, and is now living in retirement. He married Emily Lewin, now deceased, who was a daughter of Erastus Lewin of Plainfield. Mrs. Israel Hall, who lived to be sixty-seven years old, died January 22, 1875. 

William Hall acquired a good education in the common schools of Cornish and in the Windsor High School. He had intended to enter Dartmouth College, and was about to graduate from the high school, when, seeing an unusually promising business opportunity open to him, he decided to embrace it. When, by the destruction of the Windsor Bridge by a flood, communication between that town and Cornish was cut off, he immediately established a general store in the latter town and had a profitable trade until the bridge was rebuilt. He then bought a store in Plainfield, to which he moved his stock, and was in company with his brother, Israel D.  for four years, when Israel retired. After carrying it on successfully for nineteen years longer he retired. He has served with ability as Town Clerk and Treasurer and has frequently been solicited to accept other town offices but declined. Mr. Hall married Amanda M. Gallup, of Plainfield. She was born February 28, 1846, which is also the date of her husband's birth. Mrs. Hall is a daughter of Charles F. and Amanda M. (Kingsbury) Gallup. Her father was a leading citizen of Plainfield and represented this town in the legislature. His wife was a daughter of Asa Kingsbury, one of the early settlers of Plainfield. The name of Kingsbury is now extinct in this town, but three grandsons of Asa Kingsbury are living, namely: Benjamin C., a mine owner in Spokane, Wash.; Byron F., a railroad station agent in Taunton, Mass., and Charles G. the superintendent of the American Express Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hall are the parents of three children, who were born in Plainfield, as follows: William Israel, April 14, 1868, Halliene Elizabeth, April 7, 1872, and Charles Gallup, January 9, 1880. William Israel, who completed his education at the Saxton's River Academy in Vermont, studied art and vocal culture in Boston, and is now singing at one of the large churches in Trenton, N.J. He married Elizabeth Sprecklen of New Jersey. After receiving her education in a private academy, Halliene Elizabeth studied music at the New England Conservatory in Boston and graduated June 25, 1894. Charles Gallup is being educated under a private tutor.

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JENNEY

Henry K. Jenney, a farmer of North Charlestown, was born April 19, 1847, in Plainfield, this county, son of E. O. Jenney. The Jenney family is one of the oldest in the county. Silas Jenney, the grandfather of Henry K., settled in Plainfield, and carried on a large farm there. E. O. Jenney, his son, bought a farm in the eastern part of Plainfield, and lived thereon until 1859. Then he moved to the northwest part of the same town and bought another farm. He raised sheep and cattle on a large scale, and he died in 1876. Henry K. Jenney, the subject of this sketch, received his knowledge of the rudiments in the district schools of Plainfield. Then he attended Meriden Academy two terms each year for three years, working on his father's farm for the balance of the year. At the age of twenty, starting out in life for himself, he worked in his native town for a time. In the spring of 1870, he left his home and removed to Charlestown, where he was employed on the farm of Thomas Whipple for two years. Then he bought a part of the Whipple farm, and he has since been successfully engaged in its cultivation. During his residence here Mr. Jenney has bought and sold several farms in the village. Recently he bought the remainder of the Whipple farm, containing one hundred acres. Also, for the past twenty years he has been actively engaged in buying and selling stock of all kinds. He is a stanch Republican, has served on Town Committees, and is at present one of the Selectmen. A prominent member of the Methodist church, he serves the society in the office of Director. He is a charter member of the Sugar River Grange, No. 190. On June 14, 1872, Mr. Jenney married Helen Whipple, daughter of Thomas Whipple of Charlestown. They have one child, Mary Alice, born May 30, 1873, who is a graduate of Steven 's High School, and has taught school in Claremont and Charlestown for the past three years. The Whipple family have been connected with the town of Charlestown since 1725, when Moses Whipple, great-grandfather of Mrs. Jenney, settled there. He was a prominent man in the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Jenney has in her possession to-day the original documents appointing him Colonel in the Colonial army, signed by King George III., and countersigned by Governor Wentworth, of New Hampshire. Thomas Whipple, who successfully followed the occupation of surveyor, was superintendent of the Charlestown schools for thirteen consecutive years and a Justice of the Peace for thirty-five years. He died March 1, 1870. Mr. Jenney is regarded as one of the prominent residents of the town (Charlestown).

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JOHNSON

Frank L. Johnson, an influential farmer of Cornish and the owner of one of the old picturesque farms on the banks of Blow-me-down Brook, was born September 24, 1852, son of William P. Johnson. William, who was born in Cornish in November 1815, son of Nathaniel Johnson, was educated in the town schools. He became a farmer and has since followed that occupation. He has been essentially a home man, not caring for public life, though well fitted for it in point of energy and ability. He has been much interested in the educational affairs of the town and has served as a member of the School Board. He was also Highway Surveyor for a time. He has been bandmaster, and for thirty years has led the choir and played in the Baptist church. He married Salome Souther, of Plainfield, who has had four children--Jane, Belle, Frank L., and Edward. Jane, born in Cornish, married Freeman Johnson, a farmer, and has had three children--Alva F., Ebenezer, and Mary. Belle resides on the old homestead with her father. Edward lives at Cornish, and is married to Anabelle Lear, daughter of William Lear, of South Cornish. Their children are Darwin and Charles Johnson.

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JORDAN

Frank A. Jordan, a veteran of the Civil War, who is carrying on a thriving business as a stone cutter in Plainfield, N.H., was born in this town, April 19, 1840, son of Anthony W. and Mercy (Root) Jordan. It is known that some of his ancestors served in the Revolutionary War. His grandfather was James Jordan, who died May 10, 1860, aged eighty-two years. He was a native of Plainfield and a son of the first member of the family to settle here. James Jordan was a contractor for the construction of roads and bridges, and also carried on a farm. He married Waitte Kenyon, of Plainfield, born in January, 1782, and reared seven sons, namely--Anthony W.; William Riley, first, Raymond K.; Wardner ; Lester ; Kenyon ; and Jarvis --none of whom are living. The majority of them were farmers; and all became heads of families except Kenyon, who died at the age of twenty years.

William Riley Jordan, first, married a Miss Esther Spaulding, of Plainfield; and six of his eight children survive. Wardner, who was overseer of the poor farm for seventeen years, married Lucy Whittaker, of Grantham, N.H.; and of his four children two are living. Lester married Luzina Stone, and had a family of eight children, none of whom are living. Jarvis was Sergeant of Company C, Fifth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, during the Civil War. Three of his sons were also soldiers, and two died while in service. He was prominent in public affairs and served as a Selectman for some time. Raymond K. Jordan was a cooper by trade and a hard-working temperate man. He and his wife, Sophia Waller, had a family of thirteen children, who are all deceased but one son. Two of the boys were in the war of the Rebellion, serving in Company C, Fifth New Hampshire Volunteers. The Jordans and Kenyons were early settlers in Plainfield, coming here from Connecticut.

Anthony Wayne Jordan, father of Frank A., was born in Plainfield, February 1, 1804. He learned the stone-mason's trade, which he followed industriously during his active years, and provided his family with a good living and a practical education. He died March 10, 1870. His wife, Mercy Root, born April 30, 1807, and died February 11, 1878, aged seventy-one, who was a daughter of Allen Root, of Plainfield, became the mother of nine children, namely: Albert; Calista; William Riley, second; Louisa; Francis G. ; Frank A. , the subject of this sketch; James ; Marcia ; and Electa . Albert Jordan, born March 21, 1824, was employed in a stone-mill in Manchester, Vt., for many years, or until losing his arm during a Fourth of July celebration. He married Mary French, of Plainfield, and reared a family. Calista, who was born April 26, 1826, married Alanson Hadley, of Plainfield, N.H. Riley Jordan, born June 26, 1828, was a marble cutter, following his trade in various parts of this county; and he served as a soldier in the Civil War in the Sixth New Hampshire, Company G. He died July 3, 1881, aged fifty-three years. The maiden name of his wife was Laura French. Francis G., who was born August 6, 1830, was burned to death in his cradle, December 7, 1831. Louisa, who was born July 17, 1833, married Byron Sanborn, a native of Lisbon, N.H., and a farmer in Plainfield, and died in March 1872, leaving one child. James, who was born June 13, 1843, and served for a time in the Fifth New Hampshire Regiment, Company C, during the Civil War, died February 21, 1896. Marcia was born October 29, 1845, and was accidentally killed June 25, 1856. She had returned to the schoolhouse for something left there, and while attempting to enter through the window it fell upon her neck. Electa, who was born in October 1848, married a Mr. Allen Root, foreman of a sash and blind factory in Fitchburg, Mass., and has one child.

Frank A. Jordan began his education in the common schools of Plainfield, and completed it in Newbury, Vt. He learned the stonecutter's trade, and for a time was employed in the construction of the Woodstock Railway. He enlisted in Company B, Second Regiment Vermont Volunteers, and after the first battle of Bull Run was transferred with five hundred and fifty others to the marine service. He did duty as fireman upon the gunboats "Cincinnati" and "Benton" in the Cairo expedition under Commodore Foote up the Tennessee and Cumberland and on the upper Mississippi. After the expiration of his first term, he reenlisted in the Third Vermont Regiment, and took part in the battles of Culpeper Courthouse, the Rappahannock, Bristoe Station, Rapidan, Brandy Station, and all along that line, at Pittsburg Landing, Fort Henry, and Island No. 10. Since the war he has been engaged in the stone-cutting business in Plainfield and has executed some excellent work upon several large estates in this locality. He is a skilful workman and an able businessman, and aside from his everyday calling he carries on a farm.

Mr. Jordan married Cornelia E. Davis, who was born in Bethel, Vt., April 3, 1847, daughter of Joseph R. Davis, of that town. Mrs. Jordan is the mother of four children, namely: Sherman T., born August 1, 1865, who assists his father in business; Mabel M., born March 6, 1870; Emma Z., born May 20, 1873, married Edwin Milliner, of Plainfield, and has five children; and Parker C. , born March 11, 1875 , who is employed by his father. Politically, Mr. Jordan is a Republican, but is prevented by business pressure from taking an active part in public affairs.

Willis Jordan, a well-known agriculturist of Plainfield, who gives special attention to dairying and poultry raising, was born in this town, September 10, 1850, son of William R. and Esther (Spaulding) Jordan. The Jordan family, an old and prominent one of this town, has produced men of high integrity and of stanch loyalty to the nation. Its first representatives in America were among the early settlers. Later the family gave the country stalwart and steadfast soldiers for the old French and Indian War, for the War of Independence, and for the second war with England, as well as defenders of the Union in the great Civil War. 

James Jordan, grandfather of Willis Jordan, is believed to have been the first of the family to settle in Plainfield. He was a very prosperous farmer and was held in high respect by his townspeople. His wife, whose maiden name was Kenyon, bore him a large family of boys; namely, William R., Raymond K., Timothy L., Anthony W., James W., Jarvis J., and Johnson. Raymond, by trade a cooper, was engaged in that business at Plainfield, and also did some farming. Timothy L. was a stone mason and farmer and lived in this town. Anthony W. was also a stone mason of Plainfield. James and Jarvis were farmers in this town and lived here throughout their lives. All of these sons married and had families. Johnson died young. William R. Jordan, father of Willis, born at Plainfield in the year 1807, died in 1865. He took up the occupation of farmer, and worked so energetically and successfully that at his death he owned the large farm known as the Abel Stone place. He acquired this through his own efforts, unaided by his father or by others. While not a seeker for political honors, he never failed in his duties as a good citizen. He married Esther Spaulding, who, born in 1805, daughter of Simon Spaulding, of Plainfield, died in 1890. The eight children of this marriage were: Lewis S., Sophia, Henry C., Rosamond, Harrison H., Mary M., Darwin F., and Willis Jordan. Since Grandfather Jordan settled in Plainfield, the men reared in this family have found occupation in this their native town and have been prominent in affairs. Lewis Jordan is living at Plainfield, a prosperous farmer. Sophia, now deceased, married Mr. Dodge, of Plainfield. Henry is unmarried. Rosamond became the wife of Willard Hayward, who is now deceased. Harrison H. died some years since. Mary is Mrs. Sidney Sanborn, and the mother of several children. Darwin, who is engaged in farming, married and has a family of children. Willis Jordan was the youngest of his parents' children. He helped his father on the farm until he came of age. Then he struck out for himself and has since been a successful businessman. He is extensively engaged in general farming but devotes himself especially to dairying and poultry raising. He has always given close and careful attention to the details of his business, which characteristic, joined to his thrift and industry, has gained for him general esteem. Mr. Jordan married Ella S., who was born September 20, 1851, daughter of Albert K. Reed, a wealthy Plainfield farmer. Her three Wesley W., born May 8, 1876; Bernice E., born January 27, 1883; and Ralph K., born November 13, 1887. Wesley Jordan is now a student at Dartmouth College, having fitted for that institution at Kimball Union Academy. The two younger children are still attending the town schools of Plainfield.

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LEWIN

Curtis Franklin Lewin, an enterprising provision dealer of Plainfield, was born in this town, April 24, 1850, son of Erastus and Fanny (Nash) Lewin. Among several of the members of the family who have achieved distinction in business and professional pursuits may be mentioned Judge Lewin, an eminent jurist and a wealthy resident of Hartford, Conn. The father of Erastus, Cranston Lewin, who was born May 6, 1777, came from Hartford, Conn., to Plainfield when a young man, and was engaged in farming and butchering for the rest of his active period. He married Esther Fuller, who was born in Plainfield, June 23, 1787. They had four children--Louisiana, Erastus, Cranston, and Benjamin. Louisiana died when quite young. Cranston became a contractor and builder in the West and died unmarried while still a young man. Benjamin, who was a butcher and provision dealer in Hartford, Conn., for a number of years, spent his last days in Plainfield. His second wife was Lucy Walker, of this town, who bore him six children. Erastus Lewin was born in Plainfield, June 17, 1817. In early life he engaged in farming, and also operated a sawmill for some time. He disposed of the mill to enter the butchering business, which he carried on with success for thirty years; and his last days were passed in retirement upon his farm. He served in some of the town offices, but refrained from accepting important positions in public affairs, as the demands of his business would not permit it. He was a general favorite in the community on account of his genial disposition, and he was widely known throughout this section. Erastus Lewin died May 12, 1893. He was three times married. His children by his first wife, Fanny Nash Lewin, were: Charles H., born January 31, 1844; Laura, born September 21, 1845; Curtis F., the subject of this sketch; Emily, born May 9, 1851; Hattie, born December 8, 1853 ; and Byron , born March 24, 1856 . Charles H. enlisted in the Nineteenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and died in Andersonville Prison. Laura, who did not marry, remained at home until her death, which occurred December 19, 1892. Emily married Edwin Hall, a carriage painter of Cornish, N.H., and died March 13, 1893. Hattie became the wife of Aden Bartholomew, a shoe-cutter of Plainfield, and died March 10, 1893, leaving three children. Byron, who is now in the butchering business in Hanover, N.H., married Katie Reed, and has three children. The second wife of Erastus Lewin , Susan Walker Lewin , bore him five children, as follows: Anna , who died at the age of thirteen years; Benjamin, a meat dealer in Manchester , who married Hattie Blood , and has two children; Katie and Norman , both of whom died in infancy; and Elmer , who married Nellie Westgate , of Plainfield , has six children, and is in the meat business in Manchester . The father's third marriage was contracted with Olive P. Clark. The only child of this union, Frank C., now a traveling salesman, is married, and lives in Davenport, Ia. 

Curtis Franklin Lewin acquired a practical education in the schools of Plainfield. Having learned the meat and provision business with his father, he has since followed it with success. Besides carrying on his meat business, he owns and cultivates a good farm situated within the limits of the village. His enterprise and close attention to business have won for him considerable wealth. In 1875, October 6 , he married Lucy M. Clough , who was born March 30, 1856 , daughter of Charles S. Clough , of Grantham, N.H. Mr. and Mrs. Lewin have had nine children, born as follows: Charles , June 17, 1876 ; Fanny , March 29, 1878 ; Robert E. , August 11, 1881 ; Mary E. , February 17, 1883 ; Carl , August 4, 1884 ; Leroy , June 2, 1887 ; Ruth H. , July 5, 1890 ; Catharine E. , in October, 1891 ; and Marguerite E. , March 1, 1896 . Of these Robert E., Ruth H., and Marguerite E. are living. In politics Mr. Lewin is a Democrat, but he takes no active interest in public affairs. Devoting his whole time to his business and the care of his farm, he is one of the busiest men in Plainfield. Sharing the musical talent of the Lewins, he often uses it for his own amusement and that of his family.

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MOORE

Hiram Moore, son of James and father of John B. Moore, was born in Thetford, October 20, 1805. Left fatherless at the age of five years, he was reared and educated in Plainfield; and, when old enough to begin life for himself, he was employed as a farm assistant. By practicing economy, he saved from his earnings in the course of time a sum sufficient to buy a homestead; and, acquiring possession of the Strong farm, he resided there for the rest of his life. He carried on general farming. Hiram Moore died in 1876 and was sincerely mourned by his neighbors and fellow - townsmen. His wife, whose maiden name was Ruby Silloway, was born in Plainfield, October 21, 1804. Her parents were William and Jane (French) Silloway of this town, and her father was a thrifty farmer. She became the mother of nine children, as follows: Mary; Betsey; Fanny, now deceased; Sarah and Sylvia, twins; William; Delia, George and John B., the subject of this sketch. Mary and Betsey were born in Lincoln, Vt. and the others were born in Plainfield. Mary married Gardner Gay of this town. Betsey who died in 1894 was the wife of Elijah Miller of Hanover, N.H., late a successful farmer and a prominent citizen, who represented his town in the legislature. They had three children, two of whom are living. Sarah married Atwood Reed, a well-to-do farmer of Plainfield and has two children. Sylvia, deceased, was the wife of David Kimball, of Lebanon and had no children. William owned and operated a gristmill in Meriden, N.H., until his death, which occurred in 1893 and he accumulated considerable property. His wife, Margaret Havens, of Plattsburg, N.Y., died about one year ago, leaving no children. Delia Moore died very young. George, who is a carpenter in Meriden, married Lucretia Havens, a sister of his brother's wife, and has two children. Mrs. Ruby S. Moore is still living and is unusually active both physically and mentally for one of her age. She reads the newspapers and magazines without the aid of spectacles and takes as much interest in every-day topics as do those of a younger generation. John B. Moore completed his education at the Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, and assisted in carrying on the home farm until he was twenty-one. He then leased a farm for a time; and later, purchasing one of the Spencer farms, he carried it on for eight years, or until buying the Underhill property, where he now resides. He is a practical and industrious farmer, tilling the soil to some extent, but giving his principal attention to the dairy. He is Steward of the grange in this town: Politically, he is a Republican. Mr. Moore married Elizabeth Pardy who was born in Plattsburg, N.Y., July 7, 1852, daughter of John Pardy of that town. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have had two children--Bessi, born April 11, 1876; and Nellie, born in May 1878, who died in infancy. Bessie Moore attended Kimball Union Academy, and shortly after graduating she married Almener Merrihew of Plattsburg. Mr. Moore inherits from his ancestors considerable musical ability, and for several years has sung in the choir of the Congregational church at Meriden. He has in his possession a Bible, which was brought from Ireland by his great-grandfather, and is said to be over two hundred years old, an interesting and valuable family relic and heirloom.

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MOULTON

Fred Moulton, a leading resident of Plainfield and the proprietor of a large grocery store at Lebanon, was born July 11, 1836, in Plainfield, son of Stephen R. and Sally (Noyes) Moulton. The Moultons have had representatives in Plainfield for four generations, men who have been prominent in the development of the town and closely identified with all the important events in its history. The first of the name to settle here was William, grandfather of Mr. Fred Moulton, who took up land, and cleared a farm, which is still in the possession of his descendants. Known from the first as a man of absolute integrity, he had the respect of his fellow-townsmen. He served in all the important town offices with signal credit. He was twice married and had in all nine children. The children of his second marriage were: William, who was a farmer in Cicero, N.Y., and recently died; Emery, now a cooper and prosperous farmer of Cicero, N.Y.; Mirrick, now deceased, who was a wealthy farmer of the same place; Samuel C., who was a very prominent citizen of Plainfield, was twice married, had three children, and died in the West; Jane, who became Mrs. William Wright, of New York; and Sally, now the wife of Daniel Noyes, of Plaistow, this State.

Stephen R. Moulton, who was born May 8, 1805, became very prominent in the affairs of the town, serving it efficiently in various public capacities. In early life he was a teacher. He owned a large farm in East Plainfield, comprising the land of three estates. Besides raising cattle and carrying on general farming, he kept a general merchandise store in partnership with Mr. Morgan. He held a high place in the regard of his fellow-townsmen. His wife, Sally, was born May 28, 1813. Besides a daughter that died in infancy, their children were: Fred, Darius Noyes, Joseph S., and Ella M. The biography of Darius, who is one of the most influential men of Plainfield to-day, will be found on another page of this volume. Ella, who became Mrs. George Doty, of Meriden, and the mother of Lena M. and George F. Doty, Jr., died May 30, 1890. Joseph S., born April 13, 1851, after graduating at Kimball Union Academy, entered Dartmouth College at Hanover and later Andover Theological Seminary. He is now a Unitarian clerygman, located at Stowe, Mass.

Fred Moulton was sent to the town schools and later to Kimball Union Academy, which has fitted so many men and women to hold positions of responsibility and honor in life. After finishing school he went to Haverhill, Mass., and engaged in the grocery business. He had been there four years when he returned to Plainfield, bought a farm, and settled permanently on it. He has extensively engaged in raising poultry; and he conducts a large store at Lebanon, having a flourishing trade with the surrounding towns. Mr. Moulton has taken an active interest in town affairs, and has served the community in the capacities of Selectman, legislative Representative, and others of minor importance. In the legislature he was on the Committee on Banks. He was also a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1876. He married Arabell Rowell, of Plainfield, N.H., who was born December 22, 1836. Their son, Elmer, who was born February 23, 1861, and now manages the home farm, married Emma Eaton, and has Fred A., who is the first representative of the fifth generation of the Moulton family in Plainfield.

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NEWTON

Charles A. Newton, a well-to do farmer of Unity and an ex-member of the State legislature, was born in Plainfield, July 2, 1854, son of General Charles L. and Mary M. (Gilman) Newton. His grandfather, Rufus Newton, was a native of Grafton, Mass., who settled upon a farm in Plainfield, and there resided for the rest of his life. Rufus married Polly Ryder, and reared a family of five children, who are all living. They are Charles L., Rufus G., Francis J., Adeline, and Ann. Charles L. Newton was born in Plainfield. When a young man he engaged in farming. He resided in his native town until 1859, when he moved to a farm in Unity; and the rest of his life was spent in this town. He was an able farmer and a citizen of more than ordinary worth and ability. He attained prominence in military affairs and ranked as Major general in the State militia. General Newton died January 21, 1865. His wife, Mary M. Gilman Newton, was born in Unity, daughter Sewell and Deborah (Comstock) Gilman, natives respectively of Unity and Newport, N.H. Sewell Gilman, who was a prosperous farmer, died June 10, 1855; and his wife died January 26, 1869. Their children were: Henrietta, Sylvester, Randolph, Mary M., and Henry. Of these the only survivor is Mary M., who resides with her son. She has had two children, namely: Annie H., born May 28, 1849, who died November 3, 1869; and Charles A., the subject of this sketch. Charles A. Newton, having begun his education in Unity, completed it by attending school in Meriden for two terms. His father's death, which occurred when Charles was about eleven years old, caused him to undertake the management of the farm while still young; and his early experience has proved exceedingly beneficial to him. He now owns two hundred acres of fertile land, which he devotes to general farming and dairying; and he keeps an average of fifteen cows. In politics he is a Democrat, and he is a leading spirit in local affairs. He was a Selectman in 1887, Supervisor for a number of years, and represented this district in the legislature in 1889 and 1890. He was Chairman of the Board of Selectmen from 1891 to 1897, and he has been Moderator at town meetings for the past six years. On February 17, 1886, Mr. Newton was united in marriage with Speedie A. Clough. She was born in Newport, February 17, 1865, daughter of Reuben M. and Sarah (Griffin) Clough. The father, who was a native of Unity, died in February 1888. Mrs. Clough, who was born in Newport, N.H., and is now residing in Unity, has had three children--Abbie, George G., and Speedie A. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Newton are Charles Stark, born April 19, 1887; Perlie A., born January 20, 1894; and Annie A., born February 22, 1896. Mr. Newton is an Odd Fellow of Sugar River Lodge, No. 55, and Stony Brook Encampment, of Newport; and he is connected with Sunapee Mountain Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, of Goshen, of which he was Master in 1896.

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PENNIMAN

Ralston H. Penniman, one of Plainfield's most able farmers and prominent residents, was born in this town, which is in the north-western part of Sullivan County, January 9, 1819, son of Thomas and Dorinda W. (Wood) Penniman. He comes of substantial Colonial stock of English extraction, being a lineal descendant of one of the very early settlers on the shores of Massachusetts Bay; namely, James Penniman, who, with his wife, Lydia Eliot, and her brother, John Eliot, of honored memory as the apostle to the Indians, arrived on the ship "Lion" in 1631.

The family name, it is said, was originally Yorkshire were Royalists; and some of them were titled as knights and baronets, one being a Sir James Penniman, who was knighted by Charles I. on the battlefield. James Penniman, the emigrant, with others petitioned for a new town at Mount Wollaston; and accordingly, in 1640, the town of Braintree was incorporated. He was one of the leading men, holding the office of Justice of the Peace; and a number of years later he was one of the petitioners for the new plantation of Mendon, ordered in 1660, his son Joseph being named as one of the commissioners to settle it. Lydia Eliot, the wife of James Penniman, was born at Nasing, Essex County, England, in 1610.

Peletiah and Hannah (Taft) Penniman, grandparents of the subject of this sketch, were lifelong residents of Massachusetts. They had a family of seven children, as follows: Hannah Fish, born March 2, 1765, who died May 6, 1820; Nathaniel, born December 2, 1767, died May 22, 1847; Lydia, born March 2, 1770; Ruth, born April 20, 1772; Luther, born February 13, 1775 ; Thomas , named above, born June 24, 1778 ; and Nancy , born October 8, 1781 --all deceased.

When a young man, Thomas Penniman settled upon a farm in Plainfield, and was a leading spirit among the early residents of this town. He figured prominently in public affairs, serving as a Selectman for a number of years, and was highly respected for his ability and upright character. He died August 18, 1854. His wife was Dorinda W. Wood, a native of Uxbridge, Mass. They had six children, namely: Merritt F., born March 15, 1815; Henry N., who was born May 15, 1817, and died September 21, 1818; Ralston H., the subject of this sketch; Dorinda W., born February 18, 1821; Thomas, Jr., born January 19, 1823; and David B. W. , born September 13, 1826 , who died July 25, 1829 . Merritt F., who became a prosperous farmer, married Lavinia Damon, and had a family of six children. Dorinda W. married John T. Freeman, who was for many years cashier of the Windsor Savings Bank. She died August 16, 1862. Thomas, Jr., wedded Mary Smith, and resided at the homestead until his death, which occurred January 24, 1886. Ralston H. Penniman as a boy attended school in his native town, and at an early age began to make himself useful upon the farm. After the death of his father, he continued to live with his brothers at the homestead until 1867, when he decided to engage in farming upon his own account. He purchased the Waterman Spaulding farm, together with adjoining tracts of land, the whole amounting to four hundred acres, and entered upon the care and utilization of this property with an energy which insured success from the start. For many years he was extensively engaged in raising sheep, which was the source of considerable profit. He became widely and favorably known throughout this section in the days when sheep-raising was a prominent branch of agriculture and gained both notoriety and wealth in the wool trade. Mr. Penniman married Elizabeth Colby, daughter of Jesse and Lydia (Scott) Colby, of Plainfield. Mrs. Penniman died January 24, 1876, leaving four children, namely: Robert R., born December 16, 1867; Lydia S., born January 11, 1869; H. Dorinda, born January 22, 1871; and Brainard W., born October 2, 1874. Robert R. Penniman was graduated at Dartmouth College with the class of 1894 and is now assisting in the management of the home farm. He is actively interested in educational affairs and is at the present time serving upon the School Board. Lydia S. Penniman Meriden, N.H., and taught school for five years. She is now residing at the homestead and presides over the household affairs. H. Dorinda also taught school for a time. She is now the wife of Frank W. Heywood, who is connected with a large harvesting concern in Indianapolis, Ind. They have one daughter--Gladys, born July 18, 1895. Brainard W. Penniman completed his studies at the Kimball Union Academy and is now assisting upon the farm. In politics Mr. Penniman is a Republican and has frequently been nominated for public office; but his party was in the minority here. He takes a lively interest in political affairs; and so anxious was he to learn the result of the last national election, November 1896, that he walked to Cornish Flat to obtain the news and did not return until two o'clock the following morning. He is a regular attendant of the Congregational church and contributes liberally toward its support. When a young man, Thomas Penniman settled upon a farm in Plainfield, and was a leading spirit among the early residents of this town. He figured prominently in public affairs, serving as a Selectman for a number of years, and was highly respected for his ability and upright character. He died August 18, 1854. His wife was Dorinda W. Wood, a native of Uxbridge, Mass. They had six children, namely: Merritt F., born March 15, 1815; Henry N., who was born May 15, 1817, and died September 21, 1818; Ralston H. , the subject of this sketch; Dorinda W. , born February 18, 1821 ; Thomas, Jr. , born January 19, 1823 ; and David B. W. , born September 13, 1826 , who died July 25, 1829 . Merritt F., who became a prosperous farmer, married Lavinia Damon, and had a family of six children. Dorinda W. married John T. Freeman, who was for many years cashier of the Windsor Savings Bank. She died August 16, 1862. Thomas, Jr., wedded Mary Smith, and resided at the homestead until his death, which occurred January 24, 1886.

Ralston H. Penniman as a boy attended school in his native town, and at an early age began to make himself useful upon the farm. After the death of his father, he continued to live with his brothers at the homestead until 1867, when he decided to engage in farming upon his own account. He purchased the Waterman Spaulding farm, together with adjoining tracts of land, the whole amounting to four hundred acres, and entered upon the care and utilization of this property with an energy which insured success from the start. For many years he was extensively engaged in raising sheep, which was the source of considerable profit. He became widely and favorably known throughout this section in the days when sheep-raising was a prominent branch of agriculture and gained both notoriety and wealth in the wool trade.

Mr. Penniman wedded Mary Ann Smith, who was born in Unity, N.H., December 15, 1842. Her parents were Frederick P. and Losha W. (Morris) Smith. The father, a prosperous farmer of Claremont, was born in Unity, N.H., July 30, 1814, and the mother in Lisbon, N.H., in December 1819. Mr. Penniman was the father of seven children, namely: Thomas, born June 19, 1871; Flora Belle, born July 5, 1872; Dorinda W., born March 21, 1874; Frederick S., born April 19, 1875; Mary Lizzie, born October 19, 1876; Henry N., born January 18, 1879; and Morris G., born February 15, 1881 . Thomas, who is engaged in farming and teaming, married Mary W. Curtis, daughter of Hartley Curtis, of Cornish, and has one son, Thomas Kenneth, born March 10, 1895. Flora Belle, who was for some time a successful teacher, is now the wife of Norman C. Penniman, of Cornish. Dorinda W. is a student at the Kimball Union Academy. Frederick S. is assisting upon the farm. Mary Lizzie, Henry N., and Morris G. are residing at home. The elder children were educated at the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden; and Henry N. is now attending that institution. Mrs. Thomas T. Penniman is residing with her children at the homestead.)

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PORTER

Benjamin F. Porter, a member of the Board of Selectmen of Plainfield, was born in this town, August 28, 1852, son of Jabez and Eliza F. (Green) Porter. The Rev. Micah Porter, the father of Jabez, was a Congregational minister, who, after preaching in Connecticut, his native State, for some years, was called to Plainfield, where he passed the rest of his life. He was also a cancer doctor. The maiden name of his wife was Elizabeth Gallup, and his children were: Isaac, Benjamin, William, John, Jabez, Martha and Phoebe. The five sons studied medicine, and four of them became practitioners. Isaac located in Wisconsin, where he died; and his children are residing there still. Benjamin, who was a physician in Northfield, Vt., is now deceased. William was studying medicine at the time of his death, which occurred when he was thirty years old. John settled in Duxbury, Mass., where he resided for the rest of his life, and was one of the prominent physicians of Plymouth County. He married Ann Thomas and reared a family. Martha, who married a Mr. Walker and had two children, settled in a Western State. Phoebe died at about the age of twenty-nine. Jabez Porter, father of Benjamin F., was born in Connecticut, December 22, 1796. He attended the Kimball Union Academy and also studied medicine. He settled upon a farm in Plainfield, where for many years he made a specialty of treating cancers, having a sanitarium in which to board and attend to his patients. In this connection he was known throughout the New England States as a successful specialist. He was a Republican in politics, and he served for a number of years in the capacity of Collector of Taxes. Jabez Porter died in August 1886. His wife, Eliza was born in Cavendish, Vt. on June 4, 1815, daughter of Isaac Green, of Plymouth, Vt., who was a prominent farmer of that locality. She bore him five children--Amos P., Jabez A., Benjamin F., Sophia E., and John. Amos P. died at the age of three years, and Jabez A. when twenty months old. Sophia E., born August 24, 1854, and died December 2, 1887, was the wife of the late Harrison Jordan, a well-to do resident of Plainfield. John, born February 23, 1856, who completed his education at the Kimball Union Academy, and is now occupying the old Porter homestead in this town, married Annette Z. Rogers, daughter of Daniel Rogers, an industrious farmer of Hartland, Vt.  and has four children--George B., John D, Edwin M., and Harland E. Mrs. Jabez Porter died September 7, 1872. Benjamin F. Porter acquired his education in a public school and in a private school of his native town. He assisted upon the farm until the death of his father. After managing the property for some time in company with his brother John, he bought the Spencer farm, Plainfield. Politically, he acts with the Republican party; and for a number of years, he has served the town ably and faithfully as a member of the Board of Selectmen. He possesses the valuable remedies used by his father and is frequently called upon to treat patients in this vicinity. Mr. Porter married for his first wife Eliza L. Whittaker, who was born in Plainfield March 3, 1856. She died October 21, 1877, leaving no children. His present wife, who was before marriage Jennie F. Spaulding, was born in this town January 26, 1867, daughter of Alfred Spaulding. Mr. Porter is connected with the Patrons of Husbandry and is a member of the Congregational church.

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SKINNER

Edward Payson Skinner, father of the subject of this sketch, after completing his education in Lowell, Mass., turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He has cultivated farms in Windsor, Vt., and in Plainfield, N.H., where he is now residing. He is a practical and energetic farmer, who has acquired a comfortable competency, and whose disposition to be honorable and upright in his dealings has gained for him the esteem and confidence of his fellow-townsmen. He is a member of the Baptist church. His wife, Rebecca M. Moody, of Lancaster, N.H., born August 14, 1825, became the mother of four children, namely: Edward P., the subject of this sketch; William H., born March 6, 1866; Hattie, who died at the age of two years; and Johnnie, who died in his eighth year. William H. is employed by his brother, Edward P, and is also a United States mail carrier. He married Julia Ward of Plainfield, N.H. 

Edward Payson Skinner, Jr. was educated in the schools of his native town; and for a number of years after completing his studies he remained upon the home farm, engaged in its cultivation. About 1893 he engaged in his present mercantile business. Besides carrying a good stock of groceries, he runs the only fish market in Windsor.  Mr. Skinner married Ella Hill, who was born in Bellows Falls, Vt., January 11, 1861. They have had one son, Curtis R., born in August 1881, who died in 1887. Mr. Skinner has inaugurated his business career upon progressive lines; and, as he has secured the confidence of the public, his success is already assured.

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SOUTHER

Frank L. Johnson, an influential farmer of Cornish and the owner of one of the old picturesque farms on the banks of Blow-me-down Brook, was born September 24, 1852, son of William P. Johnson. William, who was born in Cornish in November 1815, son of Nathaniel Johnson, was educated in the town schools. He became a farmer and has since followed that occupation. He has been essentially a home man, not caring for public life, though well fitted for it in point of energy and ability. He has been much interested in the educational affairs of the town and has served as a member of the School Board. He was also Highway Surveyor for a time. He has been bandmaster, and for thirty years has led the choir and played in the Baptist church. He married Salome Souther of Plainfield, who has had four children--Jane, Belle, Frank L. and Edward. Jane, born in Cornish, married Freeman Johnson, a farmer, and has had three children--Alva F., Ebenezer, and Mary. Belle resides on the old homestead with her father. Edward lives at Cornish and is married to Anabelle Lear, daughter of William Lear of South Cornish Their children are Darwin and Charles Johnson.

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SPAULDING

Mr. Edward O. Day (not of Plainfield) began his working life as a tiller of the soil and has been interested in agricultural pursuits up to the present time. He is a successful farmer and a useful citizen, being well informed on current events, and through the columns of the daily press keeping in touch with all the great social and industrial questions of the day. He has served 1893 he represented it in the State legislature, where he was a member of the Committee on Mileage. He has been Highway Surveyor for a number of years. He is a prominent Mason and has held all offices in his lodge up to that of Master. He is an attendant of the Baptist church. He married L. Addie Spaulding, who was born November 2, 1843. Her parents, Siloam and Mahala (Silloway) Spaulding, were both natives of Plainfield, N.H. A singular coincidence in their lives is that both were born in the same town in March, that they were married in March, and that both died in the month of March.

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STONE

Solomon Stone was born in Plainfield, November 6, 1811, and died January 12, 1892. His wife, Betsey Fidelia Read was born in Cornish, June 11, 1813, still lives in Plainfield, enjoying good health and able to do nearly all her own work without assistance. Mr. Chadbourne 's mother, Sally Cady, was born in Cornish, August 29, 1790, and died December 16, 1864. Grandfather Cady was the first of the name to come to Cornish. He was born in 1743; and his wife was Hannah Hutchins, born in 1746. Grandfather Cady rode from Connecticut by marked trails. For a riding whip he had a willow stick; and when he alighted from his horse in Cornish he stuck the whip into the ground by his future home, and there has always been a willow-tree there since. When he came here, he brought with him a silver 1750. Mr. Chadbourne received at his birth from his grandfather Cady a silver dollar bearing the date of 1780.

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THRASHER

Wallace P. Thrasher, a well-known businessman of Plainfield, was born in Cornish, N.H., May 10, 1850, son of Samuel Powers and Ann W. (Haven) Thrasher. His great-grandfather was Jacob Thrasher, a native of Connecticut who first settled in Salisbury, N.H. and later in Cornish. The maiden name of Jacob 's wife was Eastman. Numerous descendants of his are distributed throughout Sullivan County. John Thrasher, grandfather of Wallace P., was born in Cornish in 1782. He was a surveyor and a stone mason and did a large contract business in connection with farming. He attended to a large amount of the legal business of Cornish and adjoining towns and was a man of much natural ability and good judgment. His death occurred in 1862. He married Betsey, daughter of Peter Walker of Cornish, and reared a family of six children--Martha, Ithamar, Esther, Sylvia, Samuel, and Dorothy. Martha became Mrs. Wheeler and resided in Newport until her death. Ithamar, who was a large dealer in furs and travelled through Vermont and New Hampshire purchasing goods, died in Corinth, Vt., in 1864 at the age of fifty-four years. He wedded Mary Ann Cotton, of Cornish, and his children were named: Benjamin, Francimore, Edwin, Ellen, Annette, Arthur, Carrie, and Henry. His sister Esther, who became the wife of Moses Wright of Cornish, lived in that town and Unity, had a large family of children, and died in the latter town. Sylvia married Sylvester Stowell of Cornish, a machinist, who followed his trade in Newport, N.H., and died leaving one daughter, Elizabeth. Dorothy Thrasher became the second wife of Sylvester Stowell and died in Unity. Samuel Powers Thrasher, also a native of Cornish, was born in October 1815. After completing his education, he learned the trade of a stone mason, and subsequently became an extensive contractor. He constructed or remodeled nearly every bridge upon the line of the Vermont Central Railroad. He also erected churches, schoolhouses, and government buildings. In polities he always belonged to the Democratic party, and he was frequently nominated to public offices. He was finally elected to the State Senate and was a member of that body at the time of his death, which occurred in Claremont on April 12, 1871. In his religious views he was a Universalist, and he took a deep interest in the church work. In Masonry he had advanced to the Royal Arch degree, and he was buried with the rites of the fraternity. He married Ann W. Haven, daughter of James and Calista Haven of Newport, N.H. She became the mother of thirteen children, all of whom reached maturity. They were born as follows: Laura, September 4, 1845, Winfield Scott, May 5, 1847, Flora A. , October 3, 1849 ; Wallace P., the subject of this sketch; Charles H., January 10, 1852 ; Frank P. , September 10, 1853 ; Ned , January 30, 1855 ; James B. , September 29, 1856 ; Samuel P. , May 9, 1858 ; Emma E. , May 16, 1860 ; Elmer J. , January 22, 1862 ; George B. , September 3, 1863 ; and Nettie M. , January 22, 1865 . Laura married Henry Seaver, a farmer of Norwich, Vt., and died May 30, 1895, leaving four children. Winfield Scott wedded Mary Allen, daughter of the Hon. Norman N. Allen, a prominent lawyer and an ex-State Senator of Dayton, N.Y. He studied law in the office of his father-in-law, with whom he is now associated, and is an expert in real estate and medical cases, being largely engaged as a referee throughout Western New York. He has had ten children, nine of whom are living. Flora married Frank L. Simmonds, a native of Franklin, N.H., who is now a machinist in Tilton. She has had four children, of whom three are living. Charles H., who became a building contractor, and erected many residences in Newton, Mass., and other towns adjoining Boston, died of lockjaw in a Boston hospital, May 3, 1892. He married Ida Dickinson and was the father of seven children, all of whom are living in Newtonville, Mass. Frank P. is a member of the Paris Night Robe Company, Meredith, N.H. He first married Eva Stevens, of Claremont, who was the mother of three children. His second marriage was contracted with Imo Lanou, of Irasburg, Vt., who died some two years ago. Ned Thrasher, now a prosperous farmer in Rindge, N.H., served as Postmaster under both the Cleveland administrations. He married Emma L. Walker of Rindge; and four of his five children are living. James B., who is a travelling salesman for a lasting-machine company of Boston, and has had a large experience as a shoe manufacturer, now lives at North Adams, Mass. He married Anna Glines of Claremont. Samuel P. Thrasher is now the Secretary and Manager of the Connecticut State Law and Order League and resides in New Haven. When quite young he ran away to sea; and, after sowing his wild oats, he became an ardent religious worker and a temperance reformer. He is an able and eloquent advocate of morality, and during the past year has delivered over two hundred lectures. He is now travelling in Europe. By his marriage with Etta Bristol of New Haven he became the father of six children, four of whom are living. Emma E. Thrasher is an instructor of stenography in Hartford, Conn. Elmer J. Thrasher who is a sign painter and has travelled a great deal in the Western States, married Esther Iler and has three children. George B. Thrasher, who died in June 1891, was a mechanic in the employ of the Winchester Arms Company of New Haven, Conn. Nettie M. Thrasher is now the wife of Edwin Sargent, a carpenter of Rindge, N.H., and has three children. Wallace P. Thrasher began his education in the common schools. His advanced studies were pursued at the Kimball Union Academy and the Claremont High School. Subsequently, after teaching school for some time, he served an apprenticeship at the wheelwright's trade. He had been engaged in that business and that of casket-maker for twenty years, when five years ago he suffered the loss of a leg by a carriage accident. He is now transacting a general legal business, is a Justice of the Peace, writes considerably for newspapers and magazines, and is actively interested in political affairs. He is a Democrat and prominent in the local organization. He has been a member of the Board of Selectmen, has served as Town Clerk, was upon the School Board for seven years, and was a candidate for the legislature in 1892. In religious belief he is a Universalist. Mr. Thrasher married Eliza E. Dickinson who was born in Cambridgeport, Mass., October 21, 1850, daughter of Aaron and Eliza (Marshall) Dickinson. Unity, N.H. Mr. and Mrs. Thrasher have nine children, born as follows: Weston M., January 18, 1872; Carlton W., October 8, 1873; Manton J.  November 11, 1875; Annie M. , June 13, 1878 ; Nettie E. , June 4, 1881 ; Harry D. , May 24, 1883 ; Morris M. , June 25, 1885 ; Flora H. , August 23, 1891 ; and Nina L. , February 15, 1894 . Weston M. is an expert wood-worker, and resides in Lewiston, Me. Carlton W. is in a general store in Windsor, Vt. and Manton J. is a drug clerk in the same town. The others reside with their parents

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TRACY

Stephen Tracy, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born July 2, 1782, and died at Cornish, October 23, 1865. He was a cabinetmaker and worked at his trade in Plainfield and in Connecticut. After the death of his father, he returned to the homestead, and managed the farm for the remainder of his life. He was a Deacon of the Congregational church. Though interested in public affairs, he never cared for political honors and never held a town office. He first married Rebecca Tracy, of Lisbon; and she bore him three children--Virginia, Eliza, and Very Ann, all of whom are deceased. His second wife, Betsey Boardman Tracy, who came from Vermont, gave birth to five children--Rebecca, William N., Sabra S., George B., and Jonas B. Rebecca, born August 25, 1818, married Ebenezer Cole, a farmer, and had one child. She died November 16, 1893. William, born May 30, 1820, died in California, August 12, 1894. He married Harriet T. Kelley, a widow, and was a watchman in the office of the State Treasurer at Sacramento for some years. Sabra, born May 23, 1822, died February 6, 1885. She married the Rev. J. B. Ramsey, of Virginia and was the mother of three children. George B., born March 15, 1826, a soldier in the Civil War, was wounded in the ankle at the battle of the Wilderness, and died at Washington, June 6, 1864, just a month after that. It is related of him, concerning that occasion, that he lay for twenty hours between the battle lines of the two armies, where he was almost covered with the earth ploughed up by cannon balls, and that some Southern soldiers, who held the ground for a space, took away his ammunition. He married Sarah Hibbard, of Cornish. Jonas B., born March 25, 1828, was twice married. His first wife, Ruth M. Wood Tracy, had no children. His second marriage was made with Mrs. Laura A. Stevens, of Wisconsin, who bore him three children. He is Town Treasurer of Milton, Wis., and a popular schoolteacher of that town. Stephen Tracy 's third marriage was contracted with Sarah Alden, a descendant in the seventh generation of John and Priscilla Alden, who came over in the "Mayflower." Born in Lebanon, N.H., November 1, 1790, she died October 14, 1867. Her three children were: Sarah E., born October 10, 1831; Stephen Alden, the subject of this sketch; and Caroline S., born October 8, 1835. Caroline married Charles S. Cahill, a prominent cigar manufacturer of Lowell, Mass., who died in the spring of 1894.

Stephen Alden Tracy received his education in the public schools of Cornish and at Thetford Academy, Vt. After finishing school, he went West and was three years in the lumber districts of Wisconsin. He then returned to Cornish to care for his parents in their old age and to manage the farm. He has always been a prominent figure in the social and political life of the town. In 1875-76 he was a Representative to the legislature; and he was Selectman for five years, being Chairman of the Board for three years. He has also served on the School Board for some years. While in the legislature he was a member of the Committee on Insurance, and he is well informed on all matters pertaining to that subject. He attends the Baptist church of Plainfield and is a Mason and a prominent member of the Grange. Mr. Tracy has been twice married. He first married Emily E. Norris, of Cornish, who died June 19, 1862. His second marriage, which took place August 31, 1865, united him to Agnes Bailey, daughter of John and Eliza Ann Bailey of Enfield, N.H. She has been the mother of seven children; namely, Franklin B., Emily, Evelyn A., Charles A., Ellen N., William B., and Sarah E. Franklin, born October 15, 1866, and educated at Kimball Academy, is a member of the firm of Stone, Tracy & Co., of Windsor, Vt. He married Ida Stone, daughter of Samuel N. Stone, who is a partner in the business. They have one son--Gordon S., born April 2, 1895. Emily Tracy, born September 12, 1868, who was educated at Kimball Academy, is a teacher at Gorham, this State. Evelyn A. born October 2, 1870, who was educated at Kimball Academy New London, N.H., is also a graduate of the business college at Worcester, Mass. Charles A., born November 16, 1872 , is in the Senior class at Dartmouth College. Ellen N., born May 8, 1875, is a teacher of marked ability and success. William B., born October 24, 1877, who was educated at Windsor, Vt., is at home with his father and mother. Sarah E., born April 20, 1881, is a student in the high school at Windsor.

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TRUE

Nathaniel Morgan True, a prominent farmer of Plainfield, was born here, February 21, 1826, son of Osgood and Betsey (Morgan) True. The founder of the family, who came from old England among the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, subsequently settled in Salisbury, N.H. Benjamin True, grandfather of Nathaniel M., was the first of the family in Plainfield. He left an honored name. As did most of the men of his day, he won his Sanborn before her marriage, had seven children, six of whom were: Reuben, Osgood, Hannah, Sarah, Judith, and Abigail. The seventh child, a daughter, married a Severance and lived in Andover. Benjamin True’s 's second marriage was contracted with Mrs. Roberts, a widow, who bore him three children--Lydia, Eunice, and Kimball. Osgood True, born in Plainfield, August 5, 1789, died October 26, 1856. After completing his public-school education, he stayed for a short time as a helper on his father's farm, and later assumed the management of the farm and carried it on until his death. He raised large numbers of cattle and sheep as well as some garden produce. He was Selectman for a number of years; and he represented the town in the State legislature for a time, fulfilling the obligations of these important trusts to the full satisfaction of his constituents. For many years prior to his death, he was a Deacon of the Baptist church. Educational matters obtained considerable attention from him. He took an active part in the service of the militia, being finally chosen Captain. He married Betsey Morgan, daughter of Nathaniel Morgan, a well-to-do farmer of Plainfield. She was born July 10, 1793, and died November 9, 1875. Their six children were: Marcia E., born July 1, 1820; Ellen M., born July 8, 1822; Benjamin O., born June 1, 1824; Nathaniel M. , the subject of this sketch; David P. , born August 18, 1829 ; and Ellen M. (second) , born July 13, 1833 . Marcia married Jasper H. Purmort, a prosperous farmer of Lebanon, and has a family of children. Ellen M. (first) died in infancy. Benjamin O. died in November 1845, at the age of twenty-one years, having just graduated from Kimball Union Academy. David P., who is a successful farmer in Minnesota, first married Lucy Kidder, and had two children. His second wife, whose maiden name was Crowe, bore him one daughter, now a physician well known in her profession in the West. Ellen M. (second) married Thomas E. Hough, who has been a successful farmer and travelling agent, living in Claremont and in New York State. They have four children--Clement T., Elizabeth E., Della M. , and Kate M. 

Nathaniel M. True attended Kimball Union Academy. After finishing school, he worked on the homestead farm, assisting his father in the management for a time. When the health of the latter became poor, he took full charge The farm, which is a large one, containing nearly five hundred acres, has a handsome residence and numerous well-kept buildings. Mr. True has given his personal attention to all the details of his business, which he finds quite enough to occupy his full time. He has never cared for public life, nor aspired to political preferment. On October 13, 1853, he married Ruth L. Hough, daughter of Clement Hough, of Lebanon, a leading farmer of his time in that place. Mrs. True was born May 25, 1834. They have no children.

TRUE

William Cutler True, for many years one of the most successful farmers of Plainfield, was born May 9, 1834, son of Major Reuben and Hannah (Duncan) True. The first representatives of the True family in America came from England, settling in Salisbury, Mass., going thence to Salisbury, N.H., and from there coming to Plainfield. They were robust and self-reliant and bore unflinchingly the sacrifices and hardships of the early days. Benjamin True, the grandfather of William C., was a prosperous farmer of Salisbury. His first marriage was contracted with a Sanborn, whose children were: Reuben, Osgood, Hannah, Sarah, Judith, Abigail, and a daughter who became Mrs. Severance of Andover. The second time he married widow Roberts, who bore him three children--Lydia, Eunice, and Benjamin Kimball. Osgood True married Betsey Morgan, of Plainfield. He was a successful farmer and had a family of six children. Hannah married Moses Eaton and became the mother of a large family. Sarah became Mrs. James Severance of Salisbury. Judith married Stephen Pingree, and one of her sons was Samuel E. Pingree who became Governor of Vermont and is still residing at Hartford in that State. Abigail married a Putney, and lived at Hopkinton, N.H. 

Major Reuben True, born at Plainfield, became a very enterprising and prosperous farmer. He was a man of rare business ability and was prominently identified with the business and political interests of the town. He served the public in nearly all the town offices, was Selectman many times, and was sent as Representative to the legislature. He was a leading member in the Baptist church and a generous supporter of its interests. The first of his two marriages were made with Mary Cutler, and the second with Hannah Duncan. The children of his first wife were: Bradley, Mary, Eunice, and Reuben; and those of his second were: William C., George Sidney and Susan E. (twins), and Benjamin O.

Bradley True married Sarah Smith and is at present living at Lebanon, a wealthy farmer. He has two sons--Reuben and Frank William. Mary, a woman of great refinement and culture, remained a spinster, and died at the age of thirty-nine years. Eunice died at the age of sixty-nine, and Reuben at the age of thirty-three. George Sidney graduated from Dartmouth College and was preparing to go into business with the Hon. Charles A. Pillsbury, since so well known in connection with his famous brand of flour, when he died, being then only twenty-five years of age. He was a young man of fine attainments and of great promise. Susan married the Rev. Lucian H. Frary, a Congregational minister of Middleton, Mass., and died December 14, 1872. Benjamin O. was educated at Kimball Union Academy, at Dartmouth College, and at Rochester Theological Seminary. He is now Professor of Church History in the Theological Seminary at Rochester, N.Y. His wife, Pamelia Smiley True, is a daughter of Dr. James R. Smiley, of Sutton, N.H. Their three children are: Harold, Helen, and Ruth. 

William Cutler True received his education in the town schools and at Kimball Union Academy. After his marriage, when he was twenty-five years of age, he took up his residence on the estate that had been his wife's home. Here he remained up to the time of his death, carrying on most successfully one of the largest farms in this part of the country, and extensively engaged in raising cattle and sheep. The numerous farm buildings were always kept in the best possible condition and supplied with all the latest improvements. Mr. True was a retiring man, unpretentious, never caring for display of any kind. He was Selectman for a number of years, was Representative to the legislature for several terms, and served acceptably in other public capacities. For many years he was a member of the Baptist church and one of its most liberal supporters. He was fraternally associated with Masonic bodies and was very popular and influential in the organization. He was anticipating with great pleasure the trip to Boston on the occasion of the last Masonic parade and gathering of the Knights Templars and expected to take part in some of the exercises. His death occurred on September 24, 1895. Mr. True married Mary Morgan, who was born October 28, 1838, daughter of George W. and Mary Stevens Morgan of Plainfield. Mr. Morgan was born December 7, 1811, and died February 1, 1857. He was a well-to-do farmer and one of the leading men of his time. Mrs. Morgan, born August 3, 1813, and now nearly eighty-four years old, enjoys excellent health.

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WARD

William Brooks Ward will be readily called to memory as a leading resident of Plainfield. He was born in Groton, Mass., May 8, 1818, son of William and Rebecca (Barrett) Ward. The father, who was a prosperous farmer in Plainfield, was twice married. His first marriage was to Rebecca Barrett, and the maiden name of his second wife was Rebecca Boynton. His children, three by each marriage, were: William B., Rebecca, Sarah, Benjamin F., Alfred, and Cyrus. Rebecca married Norman Smith, a tanner of Lempster, N.H., and had two children. All the members of this family are now deceased. Sarah is the wife of George C. Freeman, a successful farmer of Plainfield, and has three children living. Benjamin F. successively married Edna Davis and Lizzie P. Spaulding. His second wife had one son, Fred S., who is a physician in New York. Alfred, who wedded Mary Burnap, of this town, and was a farmer in a Western State, died some two years ago, leaving one child. Cyrus, who formerly conducted a bakery, and retired from active business some time since, wedded Martha Thornton, of Springfield, Vt. William Brooks Ward was graduated from the Kimball Union Academy. He then engaged in educational work, and taught school in Louisville, Ky.  for nine years. Returning to Plainfield, he purchased his father's farm, in the management of which thereafter he proved himself an industrious and capable farmer. His natural ability and fine scholarly attainments made him especially eligible for the public service. He was a member of the Board of Selectmen for one year. He was several times a candidate for Representative to the legislature, but his party was in the minority. Much interested in military matters, he was Captain of a Plainfield company of militia. An esteemed member of the Baptist church, he sang in the choir for many years. Mr. Ward married Maria P. Fuller, who was born in Plainfield, November 9, 1833. Her education was completed at the Kimball Union Academy, and before her marriage she was very successfully engaged in teaching school. She has had six children, as follows: William H., born June 15, 1855; Arthur F., born June 26, 1856; Fred B., born October 3, 1858, who died in infancy; Herbert E., born February 4, 1862; Benjamin F., born February 28, 1865; and Julia M., born March 15, 1872. The five surviving children were educated at the Kimball Union Academy and other well-known schools. William H., who is now a milk dealer in Boston, married Alice Delancey, and has one daughter, Gladys N. Arthur F. resides at the homestead, and carries on the farm. Herbert E., who was graduated from the academy in 1881, after pursuing a course at Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, taught school for some time, and about ten years ago became an employee in the well-known jewelry store of New York City conducted by the Messrs. Tiffany, where he is now the superintendent. Benjamin F., who was in the meat business, died of consumption, March 29, 1890. Julia M. is now the wife of William H. Skinner of Windsor, Vt. The father, William Brooks Ward died September 18, 1892, at the age of seventy-four years.

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WESTGATE

William E. Westgate, a leading farmer and stock-raiser of Cornish, Sullivan County, was born December 9, 1840, at Plainfield, N.H., son of Earl and Sarah Chase (Cole) Westgate. His great-grandfather, John Westgate, married Grace Church, of Tiverton, R.I., who was a descendant of Colonel Benjamin Church, famous in King Philip 's War in Colonial times. They had eleven children--Betsy, John, Lydia, Earl, Priscilla, Mary, George, William, Joseph, Benjamin, and Hannah. Earl Westgate, grandfather of William E., came with his father to Plainfield in 1778, and married Elizabeth Waite, daughter of Nathaniel and Annie Swetzer of Hubbardston, Mass. Elizabeth, John, Nathaniel, Anna, George, and Earl. Earl Westgate (second) was born at Plainfield, December 17, 1808, and was educated in the town schools. After completing his education, he lived on the home farm with his father until the latter died, when he took entire charge. A very religious man, he has been a member and a Deacon of the Baptist church for more than fifty years. He has never joined any of the secret fraternities, and has never held public office, preferring rather the quiet of his own fireside to the more active life of a public man. The first of his two marriages were contracted with Sarah Chase Cole, of Plainfield, who, born November 24, 1815, died January 18, 1876. She was the mother of William E., Martha E., Edith S., Julia A., Mary E., and Daniel C. Westgate. Earl Westgate 's second wife, in maidenhood Abigail M. Camp, of Hanover, is now deceased. Martha, Mr. Westgate 's eldest daughter, born in Plainfield, January 9, 1842, married Freeman Holt, of Lyme, N.H., a farmer, and is now living at Plainfield. Edith S., born June 21, 1846, married Carlos D. Colby, a farmer of Plainfield, and had eight children, seven of whom are living. Julia, born August 8, 1848, died soon after leaving school. Mary, born November 1, 1852, died at the age of ten years. Daniel, born June 4, 1857, lives on the farm at Plainfield with his father, and is now Selectman of the town. He married Clara J. Stone, of Plainfield, and has two children--Mary E. and Bessie S. William E. Westgate received his early education at Plainfield and in Kimball Union Academy. Not long after, he settled on a farm formerly owned by Mr. Bryant. He has since purchased the property and is living there still. Mr. Westgate has been prominent in the public affairs of the town and has been honored by his fellow-townsmen by appointment to various offices of trust and responsibility. He has been Collector of Taxes; for three years Selectman; in 1895 he was sent to the State legislature, where he served on the Committee on Labor; and he was elected County Commissioner in 1896. Mr. Westgate 's farm is rich and fertile; and his buildings are commodious, of improved style, and in excellent condition. Besides carrying on general farming, he raises considerable stock. Mr. Westgate was united in matrimony with Charlotte E. Bryant, of Cornish, daughter of Daniel and Chloe (Hildreth) Bryant. They have two children--Earle and Martha E. Earle, born May 25, 1865, after completing his education, worked on the farm for a time. He is now employed at the creamery, where he oversees the making of butter known all over the country as Hill Side Creamery Butter. He married Angie L. Chadbourne, daughter of William E. Chadbourne, of Cornish. Martha Westgate was born in Cornish, March 8, 1869, and was educated in the Cornish schools and in the high school at Windsor, from which she graduated. Afterward, becoming a very successful and popular teacher, she taught school for fifteen terms. She and her husband, Elwin W. Quimby, of Cornish, now reside with her parents. The circumstances attending the removal of Mr. Westgate and his wife from Plainfield to Cornish are vividly impressed on his mind. It was in the spring of 1862, when the snow lay five or six feet deep on the level and was covered by a crust so solid that teams rode on it over fences and fields, without breaking through, a condition of things which lasted until the middle of April. Mr. Westgate is a Free Mason and formerly belonged to the grange. Both he and his wife are earnest members of the Baptist Church of Plainfield. Mrs. Westgate, who has a musical taste, was organist of the church for some years both before and after her marriage.

WESTGATE

Daniel C. Westgate, a prominent resident of Plainfield and an ex-member of the New Hampshire legislature, was born in this town, June 4, 1857, son of Earl and Sarah Chase (Cole) Westgate. His great-grandfather, John Westgate, who was the first ancestor of the family to settle in Plainfield, came here in 1778. John married Grace Church, of Tiverton, R.I., a descendant of Colonel Benjamin Church, who commanded the colonial forces in the war against King Philip. They were the parents of eleven children: namely, Betsey, John, Lydia, Earl, Priscilla, Mary, George, William, Joseph, Benjamin, and Hannah. Earl Westgate, grandfather of Daniel C., accompanied his parents to this town, and spent the active period of his life upon the farm now occupied by his son, Earl Westgate (second) . He married Elizabeth Waite, daughter of Nathaniel and Annie (Sweetser) Waite, of Hubbardston, Mass., and was by her the father of six children; namely, Elizabeth, John, Nathaniel W., Anna W. , George , and Earl .

Earl Westgate, Daniel C. Westgate 's father, was born in Plainfield, December 17, 1808. He assisted in carrying on the farm until his father's death, when he succeeded to the property. By judicious management he obtained a good income from the estate. Failing health compelled him to retire from active labor some years since, and the farm is now managed by his son. In religious belief he is a Baptist, and he has been a Deacon of that church for fifty years. His first wife, in maidenhood Sarah Chase Cole, who was born in Plainfield, November 24, 1815, daughter of Daniel and Martha (Johnson) Cole, died January 18, 1876. The maiden name of his second wife was Abigail M. Camp, and she died four years after her marriage. Earl Westgate had six children, all the offspring of his first union. They were William E. born December 9, 1840; Martha E., born January 9, 1842; Edith S., born June 29, 1846; Julia A., born August 8, 1848, who died November 19, 1865; Mary E., born November 1, 1854, who died February 29, 1864; and Daniel C., the subject of this sketch. William E., who attended school at Kimball Union Academy, has held some of the important town offices, and is now County Commissioner. He married Charlotte E. Bryant, of Cornish, N.H., and has two children--Earl and Martha E. The latter is now the wife of Edwin M. Quimby. Her aunt, Martha E. Westgate, who attended the academy and was formerly a successful schoolteacher, is now the widow of Freeman Holt, late of Lyme, N.H., and presides over her father's household. Edith S. Westgate, who is the wife of Carlos D. Colby, a wealthy farmer of Plainfield, has had eight children, seven of whom are living. Daniel C. Westgate was educated in the schools of Plainfield and at New London, N.H. Since then, he has given his attention to general farming at the homestead and has had the entire charge of the farm since his father's retirement. He is one of the Republican Party leaders in this locality and has served the town ably and faithfully as Town Clerk and Treasurer. He was Selectman for six years, having been Chairman of the Board for two years of that time; and he represented the town in the State legislature.

On June 13, 1878, Mr. Westgate was united in marriage with Clara J. Stone, who was born in Plainfield, March 27, 1855, daughter of Solomon Stone. She is now the mother of two daughters: Mary E., born November 27, 1879; and Bessie S., born October 15, 1883. Mary E. attended Kimball Union Academy and is now a prominent schoolteacher in this town. Bessie S. is still attending school.

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WOOD

William P. Wood, a farmer of Plainfield, was born here, December 29, 1859, son of Alban Palmer and Rhoda (Eaton) Wood of this town. His grandfather, John Wood was the first male child born in Lebanon, N.H. John was one of the foremost and wealthiest farmers in the district and a very religious man. He married Persis Hyde of Lebanon, who bore him eleven children; namely, Persis, John, Jr., Lucinda, Jemima, Sally, Thomas, Annie, Harriet, Martha, Palmer , and one child who died in infancy. Persis, who was born in 1797, and did not marry, died at the age of fifty. John Wood, Jr., born in 1799, who became a very prosperous farmer and a prominent man in Lebanon, served in all the town offices, and was a Representative to the General Court. He married Sylvia Whittaker and had two sons--John and Joseph. Lucinda, born in 1801, married Samuel Wood of Lebanon, a wealthy farmer and real estate owner, and had two children--Hannah and Clara. Jemima, born in 1803, married Isaac Leighton, a farmer of Hartford, Vt. Sally, born in 1805, became Mrs. Silas Waterman of Lebanon. Thomas, born in 1810, who became a wealthy farmer and speculator of Lebanon, married Joanna Davis and had two daughters. Annie, born in 1812 died at the age of six. Harriet, born in 1814 married Allen H. Weld, of Lebanon, who was first a professor in a seminary of that town, and later a farmer and the Superintendent of Schools for the county of St. Croix, Wisconsin. Their son, Allen Palmer Weld, became a lawyer in River Falls, Wis., and is now Judge of Probate. Martha, born in 1816, was unmarried, and resided with her brother Thomas . 

Alban Palmer Wood, born January 28, 1819, received his education in the schools of Lebanon, and afterward taught school for some years. He then went to Plainfield and took charge of a farm. Formerly he raised large numbers of sheep, when sheep-raising was a profitable industry for the New England farmer. He has filled many public positions in his town, and he has been a Justice of the Peace for more than thirty years. An attendant of the Baptist church, he is ever ready to support it financially as well as morally. A Mason of Cheshire Lodge, No. 23, of Cornish Flat, he has held all the offices in that body, and is very popular in the fraternity. His wife, Rhoda, who, born in 1822, died April 25, 1890, had five children--Alma, William P., Alban A., Frank H., and Byron Hayden. Alma H., born November 15, 1853, taught school for many years with remarkable success, and is now living with her father. Alban A., born May 15, 1856, settled in Lawrence, Mass., after his marriage, and was an overseer there. His wife, Grace V., born in 1857, died July 4, 1891. He now makes his home with his father and has two children--Gertie L. and Byron M. Byron Hayden, born May 9, 1868, is an engineer in the employ of the Boston & Maine Railroad Company, running from West Lebanon to Concord on one of the express trains. He married Hattie Hurlburt, of West Lebanon, and has two children. William P. Wood was a pupil of the common schools and Kimball Academy. Upon finishing school, he went to Boston, and was for a time employed as a private secretary. His health failing, he came back to New Hampshire, and at Meriden conducted for some time the store now managed by Chellis & Stickney. He then took charge of the farm he is now operating and has since been engaged in agriculture and dairying. Mr. Wood is respected as a citizen. On November 2, 1886, he married Minnie B. Bean whose father, Samuel Bean is a wealthy resident of Lebanon, now retired from active business. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have no children. Mr. Wood is a Mason, having membership in Cheshire Lodge, No. 23, in which he has held all the offices, and which he has represented in the Grand Lodge. He attends the Baptist church.

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WOODMAN

Alfred Woodman, a successful farmer of Plainfield, Sullivan County, N.H., and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Newburyport, Mass., March 9, 1834, son of Daniel and Sarah (Hall) Woodman. His grandfather, Joseph Woodman, was a native of Newbury, Mass., and a cabinetmaker by trade. He was twice married; and his second wife was Abigail Atkinson, of Newbury, who reared the following children: William, Edna, Abbie, Jane, Hannah, Betsey, Phoebe, David, John, James, Joseph and Daniel. William Woodman became a prominent businessman of Dover, N.H. was a man of strict integrity, and for a period of fifty years was president of two banks. He married Rebecca Wheeler, of Dover. Edna, Abbie, and Jane remained single, and passed their lives in Newburyport. Hannah became the wife of Major Nathaniel Coffin, a wealthy and influential citizen of that city. Betsey married Daniel Lunt, a merchant and farmer of Newbury, and had two children. Phoebe married Captain Thomas Disney of Newburyport and had a family of four children. David was a cooper by trade and resided in Newburyport. He married, and had a family of three children, two of whom are living. John was a shoe dealer in Newburyport. He married Eliza Little and had three children. James learned the mason's trade and followed it in Boston; was the father of three children. Joseph followed the trade of a mason in the same city and was the father of four children. Daniel Woodman, Alfred Woodman 's father, was born in Newbury in the year 1800. He learned the painter's trade; and, settling in Newburyport, he carried on business as a house, ship, and sign painter for many years. He acquired a high reputation in his calling and accumulated considerable property. He died June 14, 1874. His wife was Sarah Hall, a native of Canterbury, N.H. They had five children, as follows: Sarah, born September 25, 1829; Caroline, born October 9, 1831; Alfred, the subject of this sketch; Mary, born June 17, 1837; and Charles, born April 7, 1841. Sarah died December 24, 1850. Caroline became the wife of Samuel Jones, of Newburyport, a member of the firm of Jones, Spear & Lane, dry-goods merchants, Boston. She died in 1883, leaving one son, John Henry. Mary prepared herself for educational work, and during the greater part of the time for the past twenty years she has been teaching in Lisbon, Portugal. She came back to the United States some three years ago, and erected a handsome residence in Central Square, Woburn, Mass., but later decided to return to Lisbon. Charles is a merchant in Boston. Alfred Woodman, after completing his education in the high school of Newburyport, began to learn the tailor's trade with Charles Pool & Co., with whom he remained two years. In company with several other youths, he then shipped on board the "Oliver Putnam," bound for Havre, France. The vessel sailed on Friday; and about three days later she met with a serious mishap, which damaged her to the extent of many thousands of dollars. She was finally towed into New York. Cured of his sea craze for a time, young Woodman then went to Concord, N.H., where he finished his trade with Lincoln & Shaw, the future Governor Tuttle of New Hampshire being an apprentice in the same shop during Peru. His experience this time was of a more satisfactory nature; and, after his return some fifteen months later, he again shipped upon the same vessel for Liverpool. He made five trips to South America on board the "Castilian." At the breaking out of the Civil War he enlisted in Company B, Second Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers. He was in the battles of first Bull Run, Drury's Bluff, Williamsburg, Oak Grove, Yorktown, Fredericksburg, Glendale, Fair Oaks, and Gettysburg. He was captured by the enemy, and his confinement in Libby and Belle Isle Prisons so injured his health that he now receives a pension from the government. After his discharge he shipped as mate of the schooner "Hiawatha," which was commanded by his cousin, Captain Disney, with whom he made coasting trips for a short time. Returning to Concord, he engaged in the tailoring business, which he followed successfully for eight years. Indoor confinement, however, proved disastrous to his already undermined health; and he was obliged to seek some open-air employment. He accordingly about twenty years ago purchased his present farm in Plainfield, where he has derived much benefit from the invigorating atmosphere and has devoted his energies to general farming. His property, which consists of about three hundred acres, is one of the most valuable estates in this town. It is situated upon the east bank of the Connecticut River in the midst of mountain and valley scenery and contains a substantial brick residence and well-constructed out-buildings. (Note: this was formerly Home Hill Inn, now 2023 Mountain Valley Treatment Center at 703 River Road) His principal attention is given to raising sheep for wool, which he has found a profitable enterprise. He has no desire for political prominence, but as a supporter of the Republican Party he takes an active part in town meetings and conventions; and, if matters are not altogether to his liking, he is sure to be heard from. Mr. Woodman married Maria T. Gallup, who was born in Plainfield, July 19, 1838, daughter of Captain Thomas F. Gallup of this town. She is the mother of three children, namely: Ellen Edna, born March 5, 1868; Fred T., born June 28, 1871; and Kate K., born March 17, 1875. Ellen Edna completed her studies at the Kimball Union Academy and is residing at home. Fred T. is a graduate of the high school at White River Junction, Vt., and is now studying law with the Hon. John L. Spring, of Lebanon, N.H. Kate K. was graduated from the Kimball Union Academy, and has been teaching school in Plainfield for the past three years. Mr. Woodman is a comrade of E. E. Sturtevant Post, No. 2, Grand Army of the Republic, of Concord. He attends the Baptist church. Upright and fair dealing, he is regarded with the highest esteem by his neighbors and acquaintances, who are always willing listeners to his narrations of adventure which his personal experience is able to furnish in abundance. In 1887 he accompanied an old school friend who was suffering from mental affliction upon a two months' trip to the Azores, and his description and his remarks concerning it are exceedingly witty and interesting.