SANBORN HILL
At the time Charles McCoy was living in Epsom there was a ‘
The families that settled on the hill were the McCoy’s, Sanborn’s
and Sander’s. Along with these families were Daniel Goss and Charles Quimby, and at the foot of the hill, Samuel Blake. Samuel
Blake sold a couple small lots at the base of the road occupied by families of Chesley, Weeks and Hall. The road is no longer a through
road, ending as it approaches New Rye.
Samuel Blake
Samuel Blake’s home was near the base of Sanborn Hill, and his
purchase of the property is part folklore and part based upon deeds. His story
is interesting, and is certainly contrasting to that of his early neighbor,
Charles McCoy. In particular is their relationship in dealing with the local
Indian population. John H. Dolbeer relates the early
history of Samuel Blake in Hurd’s History of
Merrimack County.
Samuel Blake, commonly known as Sergeant Blake, was one of the
pioneer settlers, coming into town when but fifteen years of age, and began a
settlement near where Mr. John Chesley now lives. He
purchased his land, more than one hundred acres, near the centre of the town,
for ten shillings, and turned in his jack-knife for one shilling of that sum.
Mr. Blake had a large family of children, who grew up and married; but at the
present writing none of the name remain in town, and but a few of his
descendants.
After capture of Mrs. McCoy [1747] the Indians frequently visited the town, but
never committed any very great depredations. The greatest damage they ever did
to the property of the inhabitants was the spoiling of all the ox-teams in
town. At the time referred to there were but four yoke of oxen in the place,
viz.: McCoy's, Captain McClary's, George Wallace's
and Lieutenant Blake's. It was a time of apprehension from the Indians, and the
inhabitants had therefore all fled to the garrison at
The ferocity and cruelty of the savages were doubtless very much averted by a
friendly, conciliatory course of conduct in the inhabitants towards them. This
was particularly the case in the course pursued by Sergeant Blake. Being himself a curious marksman and an expert hunter, traits of
character, in their view, of the highest order. He soon secured their
respect; and, by a course of kind treatment, he secured their friendship to
such a degree that, though they had opportunities, they would not injure him
even in time of war.
The first he ever saw of them was a company of them making towards his house
through the opening from the top of Sanborn's Hill. He fled to the woods and
there lay concealed till they had made a thorough search about his house and
enclosures and had gone off. The next time his visitors came he was constrained
to become more acquainted with them and to treat them with more attention. As
he was busily engaged towards the close of the day in completing a yard for his
cow, the declining sun suddenly threw several long, enormous shadows on the
ground before him. He had no sooner turned to see the cause than he found
himself in the company of a number of a number of stately Indians. Seeing his
perturbation, they patted him on the head and told him `not to be afraid, for
they would not hurt him.' They then went with him into his house, and their
first business was to search all his bottles to see if he had any `occapee' (rum).
They then told him they were very hungry, and wanted something to eat. He
happened to have a quarter of a bear, which he gave them. They took it and
threw it whole upon the fire, and very soon began to cut and eat from it half
raw. While they were eating he employed himself in cutting pieces from it and
broiling upon a stick from them, which pleased them very much. After their
repast they wished for the privilege of lying by his fire through the night,
which he granted. The next morning they proposed trying skill with him in
firing at a mark. To this he acceded. But in this, finding themselves outdone,
they were very much astonished and chagrined; nevertheless they highly
commended him for his skill, patting him on the head and telling him `if he
would go off with them they would make him their big captain.' They used often
to call upon him, and his kindness to them they never forgot, even in time of war.
Plausawa had a peculiar manner of doubling his lip
and producing a very shrill, piercing whistle, which might be heard at a great
distance. At a time when considerable danger was apprehended from the Indians
Blake went off into the woods alone, though considered hazardous, to look for
his cow that was missing. As he was passing along by Sinclair's Brook, an
unfrequented place, northerly from McCoy's Mountain, a very loud, sharp
whistle, which he knew to be Plausawa's suddenly
passed through his head like the report of a pistol. The sudden alarm almost
raised him from the ground, and, with a very light step, he soon reached home
without his cow. In more peaceable times Plausawa
asked him if he did not remember the time, and laughed very much to think how
he ran at the fright, and told him the reason for his whistling. `Young
Indian,' said he, `put up gun to shoot Englishman; me knock it down and whistle
to start you off.’ So lasting is their friendship when treated well. At the
close of the wars the Indians built several wigwams near the confluence of
Wallace's Brook with the Great Suncook. On a little island in this river, near
the place called `
Samuel Blake was born about 1718 in Hampton, son of John and Mary
(
Samuel bought 50 acres on the south side of
Samuel Blake died in 1801, and in his will mentions his widow, and
daughters Hepzibah Wallace, Mary Chapman, Mehitable Moses, Esther Knowles, Abigail Locke, Sarah
Fellows,
Samuel and his wife Nancy lived on the hundred acre homestead with
his family which included: Betsey Chesley, born in
1803 and married Samuel Alexander; Sarah F., born in 1805, married in 1827,
Samuel Tucke French; Samuel, born 1806, married in
1830, Sophia Farnham; Michael McClary,
born 1809, married at Concord in 1833, Ruth Ann Knowles; Nancy, born 1810,
married William B. Hurd; Charles William, born 1814,
married Sarah W. Griffin; Mary Jane, born about 1816, married Enoch French; James,
born 1819, died 1864, unmarried; and Eliphalet
Sanborn, born 1821 and went by the name Sanborn Blake, and died unmarried in
1863 at Concord.
On June 11, 1823 Samuel Blake put the family farm up for auction,
and on July first, deeded ‘all the homestead of the said Blake’ to his sister
Elizabeth and her husband, John Chesley. John Chesley married
The family homestead passed to John Chesley,
son of John and Elizabeth (Blake) Chesley who had
married Joanna Tibbetts at
In 1883, John and Joanna deeded the homestead and several
additional properties to sons Daniel Gilman and John Augustus. A biography of
Daniel G. Chesley appeared in the
Daniel Gilman Chesley , one of the
largest land-owners of Epsom, Merrimack County , was born upon the farm he now
occupies, July 2, 1837 , son of John and Joanna (Tibbetts)
Chesley . The Chesley
family is believed to be of English origin; and the great-grandfather of the
subject of this sketch was Lemuel Chesley , who resided in
His son, John Chesley, Sr. , grandfather of Daniel Gilman , was born in Lee . When a
young man he went to
Daniel Gilman Chesley acquired a good
education in schools in his native town, in Pittsfield ,
and Pembroke . After completing his studies, he engaged in educational work,
and taught twenty-nine (mostly winter) terms of school in
In politics Mr. Chesley is a Democrat.
He served as Superintendent of Schools for fifteen years, was a member of the
School Board six years, was Chairman of the Board of Selectmen for two years,
Town Treasurer four years, and Town Clerk two years. He has also held other
offices and is now Auditor. He stands high in the estimation of his
fellow-townsmen, who regard him as one of the most upright, conscientious, and
worthy of citizens.
By deed of John Gilman Chesley in 1922 (brother) and
inheritance, the homestead and property were owned by Eleanora
(Chesley) Nutter. Eleanora Sanborn Chesley married in 1918, Lewis Harvey Nutter. She
wrote a history of the family and the homestead for the Epsom Historical
Association in 1970 and is as follows:
Epsom was incorporated May 18, 1727. Although my house is not one of
the oldest in town, it was built by one of the earliest settlers. Samuel Blake
is reported to have come to Epsom in 1733 as a boy of 15. His father, John
Blake, was one of the 20 proprietors whose requirement was to build a house and
plant or sow 3 acres on each home lot, so called. Apparently there was no
requirement as to length of their stay. Until the close of the French and
Indian Wars, about 1749-50, probably no great attempt was made a permanent
settlement.
A meeting of the proprietors was held in 1743 but these meetings
were not necessarily held in their township. The early settlers spent the warm
months of the year on their Epsom acreage and returned to their former homes in
In 1749 John Blake deeded to his son Samuel Lot #10 of the Home Lots. Samuel
also owned
Samuel was married in 1743 and probably about that time built his house on the
location where my present house stands.
He was a friend to the Indians and in fact paid them for the land he had
already been granted. The price was ten shillings but for one of these shilling
he gave them his knife which they had much admired. So the story had always
been told that he bought his 100 acre farm from the Indians for 9 shillings and
a jack-knife. He also invited the Indians into his
house to partake of meat roasted in the fireplace, which pleased them very
much. Once when he was searching for his wandering cow, one of his Indian
friends warned him of the presence of Indians of an unfriendly tribe so that he
was able to return home safely.
The first house was destroyed by fire. Evidence of the fire remained for many
years as one of the young
The foundation of the house is of granite, the great blocks having been hauled
from the quarries in Hooksett and Allenstown by ox teams. The house was built
facing the
Lumber for the house was no doubt cut on the farm and sawed in the
mill of which Samuel Blake was part owner. Supporting timbers were hand hewn.
The large central chimney rests on a great pile of rocks in the middle of the
cellar. Rocks were no problem to obtain as every hillside farm had them in
abundance as is evidenced by the miles of stone walls all over the countryside,
and the rock piles which were enlarged year after year by rocks picked up from
the filed as they were prepared for cultivation. Another method of disposing of
large rocks was to sink them by digging a hole at the side and tipping them
over into it. Even so, many extra large rocks were left in the fields, which
interfere greatly with present day machine work. To return to the chimney, it
was built with five flues to serve five fireplaces, two of them in the front
upstairs rooms. The one in the main room served as kitchen, dining room and
living room is large enough to accommodate a 4-foot cordwood stick. It also has
a brick oven and ash pit. There are 9 rooms in the main house with a large open
chamber and full size attic. The present ell was added nearly 100 years later
to replace a small summer kitchen. The rooms are large (15 by 16) to provide
for the large families of those times. Samuel Blake had 19 children. The
flooring is of wide boards. The boards in the main room are 20 feet long. All
of the downstairs doors are of the Christian type except for one narrow
cupboard. All doors had latches.
The upstairs rooms were not completely finished off until Civil War times when
it was easy to obtain competent labor from skilled artisans, men working their
way to
Other changes to modernize the house have been the removal of corner posts in
the east front room or parlor, changing of several latches to doorknobs, and
papering over wide paneling. All of the fireplaces were bricked up. We have
opened two of them and probably will open the others. Seven generations have
enjoyed the privilege of living in this old house. If the walls could talk, what
interesting stories they might tell!!
Lewis Harvey Nutter died in 1948, his wife in 1975.
Weeks – Langley House
One of the three small lots that were part of lot 13 belonging to
Samuel Blake, was sold by Blake in 1789 to Amos
Morrill of Epsom. Morrill earned fame at the Battle of Bunker Hill and the
Revolution and became a buyer and seller of property in Epsom. He moved his
family to St. Alban’s
James and Samuel Weeks were sons of John and Susannah Abbott Weeks
who resided in
Samuel Weeks married at Epsom in 1824, Betsey Heath, daughter of
Capt. Simon A. and Elizabeth (McClary) Heath. Their
family included: Simon Ames H., born 1825, married at Pembroke in 1863, Susan
A. Goss, daughter of Nathan and Dolly (Grant) Goss; Elizabeth Ann, born 1827
and of which nothing more is known; Mary Jane, born about 1829, married Daniel
B. Fuller in 1852; John M., born in 1831, married at Pembroke in 1854, Abby M.
Chapman, daughter of Samuel T. and Deborah (Dow) Chapman of Epsom, resided at
New Rye; Harriet Abigail, born about 1833, died unmarried in 1855; George E.,
born in 1837, died in 1839; William Henry, born in 1839, married Charlotte E. Shepard and died at Washington, D.C. in 1871, a veteran of
the Civil War; Rachel, born about 1842 and of which nothing more is known; and
Andrew McClary, born 1843, died of wounds sustained
in the Civil War, April 21, 1864. Samuel’s wife died in 1853, and Samuel
married the widow of George Benson Ham, Olive Ann (Bickford) about 1856, having
a daughter Eva Ann born in 1858, and who died the following year.
Samuel and Betsey raised their family at their homestead where he
resided until his death in 1878. His son, Simon Ames H. Weeks and his wife
Susan inherited the home, and Simon died just three years later. Martin H.
Cochran of Pembroke was the administrator of the estate and sold the homestead
at auction to the widow Susan. For a decade Susan owned the home, selling what
was now two tracts of about 18 acres, to Josiah D. Langley in March of 1892.
She died the following December.
Josiah D. Langley made his home across the street from the old
Week’s homestead, and sold the house and land to his son Josiah T. Langley of
SARAH BUNKER HOUSE
The middle house of the three at the bottom of
Hall B. Rand sold the premises to John D. Dow of Epsom, February
26, 1865, and after just over a year later, the Dow’s sold the property to
Elbridge G. Batchelder. Batchelder
was born in 1844, and married about 1865, Vienna Ramsey Yeaton,
daughter of John and Sarah (Bickford) Yeaton.
Elbridge and his wife had two children which they raised in their new home:
George Elmore, born in 1866 and married in 1888, Nettie Alice Stewart, daughter
of Alanson and Mary A. (Carleton) Stewart; and Edith G., born 1872, married at
Epsom in 1897, Ansel Clough Heath, son of Christopher
S. and Rosilla Winslow (Clough) Heath of Epsom.
Elbridge G. Batchelder died in 1884, and his wife’s
brother Daniel Yeaton was the administrator of his
estate, selling the premises to James Yeaton, who
turned the property over to the widow Vienna Batchelder
the same day. She is shown as the occupant in 1892, and she and her children
sold the homestead to James V. Bunker of Epsom in 1901. James Van D. Bunker was
from Barnstead, and married there in 1886, Sarah Mehitable
Swain, daughter of Elbridge Lyman and Hannah Plummer (Cilley)
Swain, the couple having one son, Edwin Lawrence, born 1886 who married first
in 1910, Mary Ida Stevens, and second, the widow of Harvey J. Wells, Loella May Marden. James Van D.
Bunker died in 1928, and his widow Sarah sold the property to Percy E. Hall of
Epsom in 1930. Hall sold out in 1937. The house is no longer standing, but the
barn remains.
JOSIAH DOW
Zachariah
Andrew M. Heath was born in 1810, his
parents were Capt. Simon A. and Elizabeth (McClary)
Heath. He married at Epsom in 1832 Jane Cram Cass, daughter of Levi and Mehitable (Osgood) Cass. They had a daughter, Rebecca J.
born in 1834, who first married Henry C. Tarlton in
1853, and about 1858, William Pickering Babb. In 1860, Andrew sold the property
to his daughter Rebecca. William P. Babb and Rebecca had children: Charles W.,
born 1859, married at
William and Rebecca moved to
Stone – Kelley House
The first family to occupy the third lot at the bottom of
Uriah and his wife Olive had the following children: William, born
about 1829, married a Sarah A. Wyman and resided in Massachusetts; Lemuel, born 1830, married about 1856, Betsey Caroline
Langley, daughter of True and Mehitable (Dow)
Langley, and they resided in Epsom where he died in 1866; Mary A., born about
1833, died unmarried in 1896; Uriah G., born 1839, married at Laconia in 1864,
Addie V. Lamprey; Lucinda, born about 1841, married at Deerfield in 1859,
John Robinson Dow of Epsom; Sarah B. born 1844, married in 1867 at Manchester,
James P. Ordway; Elizabeth, born about 1846, married Alvin H. Libby at Manchester
in 1861; and Charles Walker, born 1849, married Lorinda
Ann McIntire in 1872. Uriah died in 1875, his wife Olive in 1864. The family is
seen at this home on the map of 1858.
The next occupant of the lot was George W. Ham, whose name appears
at this house in 1892. He was born in Epsom in 1832, son of George Benson and
Olive Ann (Bickford) Ham. He married about 1852, Mary P. Marden,
daughter of William and Elizabeth (Ellsworth) Marden.
The couple had children: Frank P.; Clara; Charles E.; George Walter; and twins
Edward Ellsworth and Everett Elmer. His wife Mary died in 1862. There is a
marriage record of a George W. Ham to a Nancy F. Marden
in Pittsfield a month later, but cannot be attributed to this George W. Ham. He
did marry on July 27, 1878,
Arthur Stone, who died in 1924; and
Arthur, born in 1887 and married at
Harry E. Sherburne owned the property by 1919 when he sold the
homestead to his sister Grace B. Stone, being ‘the same obtained from his
grandmother, Mrs. Elmira Ham by will about September 1886.’ She never married
after the death of her husband. They had one daughter.
Charles
McCoy
What
little is known of the McCoy family comes from just a few sources, and the lack
of vital records make tracing the complete family impossible. From the few
articles about them, their time in Epsom can be documented. Once the family
leaves Epsom in 1760 there are more questions than data to track the
descendants.
Charles McCoy of Londonderry, farmer, bought 20 acres of
land in
An
article by Bryon Moore in the Granite Monthly magazine and the Curtis history
of Epsom, place Charles McCoy in Epsom by deed in 1735, buying land of Joseph
Simpson, lot 63 of about 130 acres. The articles do not mention that Charles
McCoy was in Epsom in 1733, and perhaps earlier following his selling of his
home in
Prov of
To
Paul Chapman, Constable
Whereas
information is come to us that Mr. Charles McCoy hath come into our town of
Epsom to settle without our leave__ __ to order you the Constable to go and
warn him the said Charles McCoy out of the town and order him go withdrawn out
of the town in fourteen days of otherwise he will be treated as the law directs
and proceed in such causes hereof __ not and make return of your doing, herein
to us the Selectmen. Dated at Epsom June 26th 1733.
Richard
Goss, Thos
Prov. Of
Epsom
June ye 27th, 1733
According
to ye contents within mentioned of this precept I have
warned ye said Charles McCoy to move and depart out of the said town of
His
family consisted of his first wife Mary and at least son John and daughter
Mary. By the time his second wife Isabella was captured by the Indians in 1747
there were other children, though unnamed. At the time of the capture most residents
left Epsom, as did probably the rest of the McCoy family, their home having
been burnt to the ground. Isabella returned but probably died while the family was in
CAPTIVITY
OF MRS. MCCOY
The
Indians were first attracted to the new settlements in the town by discovering
McCoy at Suncook, now Pembroke. This, as nearly as can be ascertained, was in
the year 1747. Reports were spread of the depredations of the Indians in
various places; and McCoy had heard that they had been seen lurking about the
woods at Penacook, now
McCoy,
being now strongly suspicious that the Indians were actually in town,
determined to set off the next day with his family for the garrison at
As
they were travelling a little distance East of the
place where the meeting house now stands, Mrs. McCoy fell a little in the rear
of the others. This circumstance gave the Indians a favorable opportunity for
separating her from her husband and son. The Indians, three men and a boy, lay in ambush near the foot of Marden's
hill, not far from the junction of the mountain road with the main road. Here
they suffered McCoy and son to pass; but as his wife was passing them they
reached from the bushes, and took hold of her, charging her to make no noise,
and covering her mouth with their hands, as she cried to
her husband for assistance. Her husband, hearing her cries, turned, and was
bout coming to her relief. But he no sooner began to advance, than the Indians,
expecting probably that he would fire upon them, began to raise their pieces,
which she pushed one side, and motioned to her friends to make their escape, knowing that they would doubtless be killed
if they approached. They accordingly ran into the woods and made their escape
to the garrison. This took place August 21, 1747.
The
Indians collected together what booty they could obtain, which consisted of an
iron trammel, from Mr. George Wallace's; the apples of the only tree which bore
in town, which was in the orchard now owned by Mr. David Griffin, and some
other trifling articles, and prepared to set off with their prisoner for
Canada.
Before
they took their departure, they conveyed Mrs. McCoy to a place near the little
Suncook river, where they left her in the care of the young Indian, while the
three men, whose names were afterwards ascertained to be Plausawa
(1), Sabatis and Christ!, went away, and were for
some time absent. During their absence, Mrs. McCoy thought of attempting to
make her escape. She saw opportunities, when she thought she might despatch the young Indian with the trummel,
which, with other things was left with them, and thus perhaps avoid some
strange and barbarous death, or a long and distressing captivity. But, on the
other hand, she knew not at what distance the others were. If she attempted to
kill her young keeper, she might fail. If she effected
her purpose in this, she might be pursued and overtaken by a cruel and
revengeful foe, and then some dreadful death would be her certain portion. On
the whole, she thought best to endeavor to prepare her mind to bear what might
be no more , than a period of savage captivity. Soon, however , the Indians returned, and put an end for the present
to all thoughts of escape. From the direction in which they went and returned,
and from their smutty appearance, she suspected what their business had been.
She told them "she guessed they had been burning her house." Plausawa, who could speak some broken English, informed her
they had. They now commenced their long and tedious journey to
After
the capture of Mrs. McCoy, the Indians frequently visited the town but never
committed any very great depredations. The greatest damage they ever did to the
property of the inhabitants was the spoiling of all the ox-teams in town. At
the time referred to, there were but four yoke of oxen in the place, viz.
McCoy's, Captain McClary's, George Wallace's, and
Lieutenant Blake's. It was a time of apprehension from the Indians; and the
inhabitants had therefore all fled to the garrison at
The
ferocity and cruelty of the savages were doubtless very much averted by a
friendly, conciliating course of conduct in the inhabitants towards them. This
was particularly the case in the course pursued by Sergeant Blake. Being
himself a curious marksman and an expert hunter, traits of character in their
view of the highest order, he soon secured their respect; and, by a course of
kind treatment, he secured their friendship to such a degree, that though they
had opportunities, they would not injure him even in time of war.
The
first he ever saw of them was a company of them making towards his house, through
the opening from the top of Sanborn's hill. He fled to the woods and there lay
concealed, till they had made a thorough search about his house and enclosures,
and had gone off. The next time his visitors came he was constrained to become
more acquainted with them and to treat them with more attention. As he was
busily engaged towards the close of the day in completing a yard for his cow,
the declining sun suddenly threw a long several enormous shadows on the ground
before him. He had no sooner turned to see the cause, than he found himself in
the company of a number of stately Indians. Seeing his perturbation, they
patted him on the head and told him "not to be afraid, for they would not
hurt him." They then went with him into his house; and their first business
was to search all his bottles to see if he had any "occapee,"
rum. They then told him they were very hungry, and wanted something to eat. He
happened to have a quarter of a bear which he gave them. They took it and threw
it whole upon the fire, and very soon began to cut and eat from it half raw.
While they were eating, he employed himself in cutting pieces from it and
broiling upon a stick for them, which please them very much. After their
repast, they wished for the privilege of lying by his fire through the night,
which he granted. The next morning, they proposed trying skill with him in
firing at a mark. To his he acceded. But in this, finding themselves outdone,
they were much astonished and chagrined; nevertheless they highly commended him
for his skill, patting himon the head and telling him
"if he would go off with them, they would make him their big
captain." They used often to call upon him, and his kindness to them they
never forgot even in time of war.
Plausawa had
a peculiar manner of doubling his lip and producing a very shrill piercing
whistle, which might be heard a great distance. At a time when considerable
danger was apprehended from the Indians, Blake went off into the woods alone,
though considered hazardous, to look for his cow that was missing. As he was
passing along by Sinclair's brook, an unfrequented place, northerly from
McCoy's mountain; a very loud sharp whistle, which he knew to be Plausawa's suddenly passed through his head like the report
of a pistol. The sudden alarm almost raised him from the ground; and, with a
very light step, he soon reached home without his cow. In more peaceable times,
Plausawa asked him if he did not remember the time,
and laughed very much to think how he ran at the fright, and told him the reason
for his whistling. "Young Indian," said he, "put up gun to shoot
Englishman. Me knock it down, and whistle to start you off." So lasting is
their friendship, when treated well. At the close of the wars the Indians built
several wigwams near the confluence of Wallace's brook with the Great Suncook.
On a little island in this river, near the place called "
The
capture can be verified by Charles McCoy’s petition to the Governor.
1747
To his Excellency Benning
Wentworth Esq. Captain General Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his
The
Memorial and Petition of Charles McCoy of Epsom, in said Province, most humbly shews, that on or about the twenty-first day of August
last, his wife was taken by the Indian enemy and either killed or carried away
captive, and his house burnt. That there is no garrison nor soldiers there,
that your petitioner begs he may have some guard to go with him and take care
of his cattle and field there as your Excellency and Honor shall judge
necessary. his Charles [x] McCoy mark
According
to History of Manchester, 27 men were sent to Epsom under Capt. Joseph Thomas
to 'take care of the cattle and fields' of the petitioner. The property was
secured and they scouted a fortnight from Epsom through Nottingham and
The
McCoy's were back in Epsom by 1752 when Charles deeded land to sons Nathaniel
and Francis. In 1759 he petitioned for a tavern in Epsom:
1759,
January 31
The
humble petition of Charles M'coy of Epsom aforesaid,
yeoman humbly sheweths that your petitioner living at
Epsom aforesaid near the Publick Road leading from
Nottingham East to Bow the distance between which 2 places is upwards of
sixteen miles and no place of public entertainment between them, whereby
several persons have suffered for want of some the refreshment, Your Petitioner
therefore as his request and desire of several persons who have hereunto
subscribed their names and others humbly request your Honours,
he may have and that you would release to grant him a license to keep a Tavern
or place of Publick Entertainment for all sorts of
sociable liquors and ___ at his house in Epsom aforesaid, and that he will be
bound as other Inn Holders are to pay, exercise and observe all other duties as
required by law in such cases and said petitioner will ever pray &c.
Charles McCoy, Ephraim Locke, Samuel Blake.
Son
John apparently married and moved to
He
appears on the following list for 1760 in what is now Durham - "Ministers Counterpein for the year 1760" in the possession of S.
H. Shackford, Esq., of Boston, which gives the names
of those then living on the "North Side" of Oyster River.” Son Francis was old enough to be involved in
land transactions in 1752 and 1754. In 1760 he buys land in Bow.
Son
Nathaniel seems to disappear after 1761 when he sells land in Bow to John Noyes
which he had bought from him the previous year. The only other references to
Nathaniel include two newspaper items. The first places him in Epsom in 1758:
April
1, 1758
Whereas
Anna my wife, has eloped from me her lawful husband, Nathaniel McCoy of Epsom,
in the province of New Hampshire, and refuses to live with me, as an obedient
wife, agreeable to the
Marriage Contract; This is to desire that no
person would entertain, or trust her upon my account; for that I will not pay
any debts she shall contract from the date hereof. But in case she repents her
Evil Eaus, and will return to me, and behave as a
loving obedient wife ought to do, she shall be kindly received and tenderly
treated without any upraidings of her former
misconduct, from her truly affectionate and loving husband. April
1, 1758 Nathaniel McCoy.
And
the following from 1760:
From
the
A
RETURN OF MEN INLISTED BY Captain Alexander McNutt in the Province of New
Hampshire, for the total Reduction of CANADA, who have declined appearing at
the Place of Rendezvous.
Men's
Names Places of Residence
Nathaniel
McCoy Epsom, NH.
Dolbeer in his
history of Epsom also relates the following:
Nat's
Mountain is situated about half a mile south of the last-mentioned one (McCoy's
Mountain). It was so named from the circumstances that Nathaniel, one of
McCoy's children, who had been lost in the woods while searching for the cows,
was found upon it. It is said he was absent several days, and subsisted during
that time upon berries; and that, when first discovered, he was disposed to
flee from those who came to his relief.
Daughter
Mary remained in Epsom having married James Wood, his parentage unknown. Their
children appear in the church baptism records, including James, Isabel, Joseph,
Mary and Betsey. The last listed as a child of the 'wido'
Wood, as apparently James had died by 1768. Note that one girl is named Isabel.
A
timeline would indicate that these children were all from Charles's first
marriage. It would also appear that Charles and his third wife, Mary Moulton,
had a son Charles born about 1753, though no official record could be found.
The marriage record is quoted in the Boston Transcript article as Feb. 10,
1752, Mary Moulton of Hampton Falls to Charles McCoy of Epsom. The
article surmises that this marriage may be of a son Charles, but based on
census records and deeds, it would appear the marriage was indeed the third for
Charles McCoy of Epsom. Charles McCoy and sons sell their Epsom land to the Sanborns' in 1760, with his wife Mary giving up her right
of dower.
There
is little information on Charles McCoy once he and his family leave Epsom. He
appears in
When
the McCoy's left Epsom in 1760, there were also several land transactions by
two sons of Charles and his first wife Mary. John Noyes sold land in Bow to
Francis McCoy in 1760, and in 1761, Nathaniel McCoy sold 18 acres of land in
Bow to John Noyes of Pembroke. Francis sells 48 acres of land in Bow he bought
of Major John Noyes. In 1772, Francis buys land in Dunbarton
from his parents, Charles and Mary in 1772. Additionally that same year Francis
buys land in Allenstown and Nathan Noyes sells to Francis McCoy of Allenstown,
land in Dunbarton 'adjoining McCoy's fence.' One
witness to the later purchase was a James McCoy. It is probably this land that
the son's of Francis, Jonathan, Daniel and Stephen, sell 'our right to our
father Francis McCoy's estate late of Dunbarton' to
James Moore of Dunbarton.
There
is no additional information on Nathaniel or his wife Anna following the deed
of 1761. From the son's of Francis' deed to James Moore, it can be established
Francis died about 1783. The three sons on the deed are the only known sons.
No
family has been found for Jonathan, but an announcement of his death appeared
in the NH Gazette of June 5, 1849 giving his death in Bow at age 97. This would
put his birth as about 1752. There is a Revolutionary War pension file for
Jonathan where he is in Allenstown in 1818, and in Bow
in 1820 when he states he has no wife, but two children, Daniel, age 16 and
John aged 14. No property or income.
Son
Stephen resided in Bow and is shown in the 1840 census in Bow as a
Revolutionary Soldier, age 81, which would put his birth as about 1759. He is
probably the Stephen found in the US Census in Bow 1810 to 1830. Bow also shows
in 1841, paupers, Stephen, Abigail, Sarah, Elizabeth and John M'Coy. Other than the 1783 deed, there is no additional
information on Daniel, the third son of Francis. There is no record of a spouse
for Francis. Stephen also had a Revolutionary War pension file and the 1820
file gives a wife with no name aged 45 years, and children Deborah 15; John,
13; (Abigail?) 11; Moses, 9; Sarah, 5; and Elizabeth, 4 months. In later papers
he has a wife Rachel who gives a marriage date (also in NHVR where her maiden
name is given as Welch) of Jan. 20, 1820 in Bow, thus being his second wife.
This would place daughter Elizabeth as daughter of Stephen and Rachel. She also
states that Stephen McCoy died in Bow March 3, 1846. His original request for a
pension in 1818 gives his age as 57. When the McCoy's left Epsom
in 1760, Charles and his third wife Mary, along with their son Charles, moved
to Allenstown and
Of
the known family of Charles McCoy of Epsom, is the eldest son, John. He is the
only other named member of the family in the account of the capture of Charles
McCoy's second wife, Isabella. After the capture and the burning of his house,
the McCoy's may have moved to the Hampton/Hampton Falls area where Charles
married his third wife, Mary Moulton in 1752. They were back in Epsom by 1759
when Charles petitions for a tavern in Epsom. Son John meanwhile may have
remained in
John
married a Margery unknown and had a fairly large family. He died about 1789,
and Rockingham deeds of that year show a number his children deeding to their
mother, the land that Elkins sold to John McCoy. They include John, Phebe (Hill), Margery (Leathers), Lois (Emerson) and Hannah
(Libbey); Paul of Boscawen and Mary (Sawyer) of
Barrington.; and where Margery sells land to Vowell
Leathers, reserving shares of three children, Paul, Charles and Mary Sawyer.
There
are virtually no vital records or burials for any of the children of John and
Margery. What few records that exist are a few dates, a couple of probate
pieces and Revolutionary War records. Only Paul and Charles appear in any
census records, and those of Charles do not match what is known of the family,
and no children of Paul have been found. Charles signed the Association Test in
What
happened to Paul McCoy remains a bit of a mystery. There is a Revolutionary War
pension for Paul McCoy of Col. Cilley's NH line of
Salem, NY in 1818 with a supporting document from a John McCoy (no relationship
given), and in 1820, in subsequent documents, of Galway, NY with a wife age 65
and one son. The file is transferred in 1832 to
Charles
McCoy of
John,
married a Margery unknown and resided at
Nathaniel, married
an Anna unknown, nothing more known.
Francis,
married, though spouse remains unknown, children included Jonathan, Daniel and
Stephen.
Mary,
born about 1730 at Epsom, married about 1760, James Wood who died before 1772.
Mary was then provided for by the town and died in January of 1828.
Sometime
before 1747, Charles married Isabella unknown, who after her capture by the
Indians returned to Epsom and died sometime before Charles married third, Mary
Moulton in February of 1752. She is his wife by deed when the family leaves
Epsom in 1760. No known children with Isabella, and at least one child with his
third wife, Charles, born about 1753 who married Sarah Hazeltine
of Pembroke. Charles and Sarah had known children, Hannah, John, Nathan and
Susan.
The
most reliable information on the family of Charles McCoy is that which is known
of the family in Epsom. It would appear that John was the eldest son and likely
resided in Epsom for a time with his father before eventually ending up with
his family in
On April
30, 1760, Charles McCoy sold his homestead to Reuben Sanborn Jr. and Eliphalet Sanborn of
Sanborn Family
The Epsom Sanborn’s came to town in May of 1760 when they
purchased the McCoy property in three deeds. The sale was to Reuben Sanborn
Junior and his younger brother, Eliphalet Sanborn.
The first deed was from Charles McCoy containing 130 acres with all the
edifices thereon, lot 63; the second deed was from his wife Mary releasing her
right of dower; and the third from Nathaniel and Francis McCoy, brothers and son’s
of Charles, who sold the forty acres of land they bought from their father in
1752.
Reuben and Margaret Sanborn resided at
Descendant Walter Henry Sanborn was honored for his judicial
service by the St. Louis Bar Association in 1927, which included a testimonial
dinner and a book of published remarks, tributes and history. According to the
history, it was Reuben and Margaret who moved the family to Epsom from
Reuben Sanborn (Jr.) had married before the family arrived in
Epsom, and his brother Eliphalet married his wife
Margaret Wallace at Epsom November 19, 1761. A brief paragraph appeared about Eliphalet in the W. H. Sanborn testimonial book:
Eliphalet Sanborn, son of Reuben, was born in
Eliphalet died on July 27, 1794, and his wife
Margaret remarried as his second wife, John McGaffey,
November 6, 1800. She returned to Epsom after his death in
The senior Reuben Sanborn constructed a family home, but
arrangements must of changed as the family grew. There
are no early records or deeds which show any disposition of land amongst the
family until the town recorded poll and inventory records in 1793. The US
Census of 1790 shows the families of Eliphalet and
son Josiah both with land and buildings. Eliphalet’s
brother Reuben shows land and a building, and his sons Theophilus,
Ira and Reuben Jr. paying poll only as they came of age, with son Moses no
longer listed as he may have moved to
It is pretty clear by 1800 that the Eliphalet/Josiah
Sanborn house and land were on the west side of
The Josiah Sanborn Homestead
Josiah Sanborn married at Epsom in 1789, Anna Locke and had the
following children: Deacon Frederick, born in 1789 and married in 1816, Lucy L.
Sargent; Captain James, born in 1791, married first
Abigail Pearson in 1814 and resided on Goboro Road;
Nancy, born in 1793, married about 1820, John Perkins of Loudon; Rachel,
born 1796, married at Epsom in 1822, John Locke, son of Simon and Abigail
(Blake) Locke of Epsom, resided at Concord; Hannah, born 1798, married at Epsom
in 1821, Benjamin M. Towle, son of Simeon and
Elizabeth (Marden) Towle of
Epsom; Josiah, born in 1800, married at Durham in 1826 as her second husband,
Harriet Chesley, resided Medford, MA where he died in
1882; and two infant children who died young, one son born 1802, and a daughter
born 1804.
A brief sketch of Josiah appeared in the Testimonial for Judge
Sanborn as follows: Josiah Sanborn, the great-grandfather of Judge Sanborn,
eldest son of Eliphalet, was born on the old
homestead in Epsom, October 4, 1763, and died there on June 14, 1842. In the
year 1794 he removed the first house and erected the house of 16 rooms, which
with three large barns, is still standing upon the estate and constitutes Judge
Sanborn’s summer home. He served as selectman of the town of
A story of the integrity of Josiah appeared in the Concord Gazette
newspaper in March of 1815:
The following communication was received two or three weeks since
for publication. We had heard the story to which it relates,
ad the source when it sprang, but deemed it too ridiculous to require
contradiction. As, however, we are informed, great exertions are making to
circulate this report, with a view to prevent the election of Mr. Sanborn, we
feel it our duty, in justice to the character of the Gentleman, to insert the
certificate of Levi Towle, Esq., the person with whom
the transaction referred to, took place.
Certificate.
I the subscriber, hereby certify, that I
have known and dealt with Josiah Sanborn, Esq. of Epsom, for many years. I
always found him to be a fair, honest, upright man, in all his dealings. I
never knew him to take any property of any kind from me wrongfully. The story
that is in circulation of Esq. Sanborn's taking a twenty dollar bank bill from
me, wrongfully, is a mistake. I know of no such thing: There was a 20 dollar
bill swept from my table by some means, I know not how, but I did not miss the
bill until Esq. Sanborn asked me if there was not a mistake about the money he
had paid me; I answered not to my knowledge; I will look and see, Esq. Sanborn
said you need not look, for I have taken off the floor a twenty dollar bill,
and I know it to be the same bill I just paid you, and handed it to me.
LEVI TOWLE
Another article appeared in the Farmer’s Gazette in 1825
describing the loss of the barn to fire:
At Epsom, about 12 o'clock, on the night exceeding Monday the 19th
instant, the barn belonging to Josiah Sanborn, Esq. together with its contents,
30 tons of hay, 20 head cattle, including a yoke of large fat oxen, a horse and
various other articles, was consumed by fire. By the timely exersions
of the neighbors, the house, which was united with the barn by a shed, was
preserved. The residence of Esq. Sanborn is upon the side of
Esquire Josiah Sanborn died in June of 1842, his wife Anna in
1838. On his death the family homestead passed to his oldest son, Deacon
Frederick Sanborn. Of his other two surviving sons, Deacon James bought his
father’s land in lot 114, and son Josiah moved to
Harriet Sanborn (Towle)
My father’s cousin, Henry Sanborn, told me that he and another man
were engaged in a race mowing with scythes in one of the Sanborn field.
Encouraged by the customary rum and by Uncle Frederick, my grandmother’s
brother, and Henry Sanborn’s father who sat in the shade and watched them, they
mowed on until Grandfather dropped. He lives several years, I think, but was
never able to do much work after this illness. Uncle Frederick Sanborn was
my grandather’s brother. I can remember his coming
down to visit her and my father. He was a believer in the old doctrines of fore-ordination
and predestination. I can remember his saying to my father, “I tell you
Benjamin, everything was foreordained before the beginning of the world:, and Father’s reply, “Uncle Frederick, if I believed you I
would never offer another prayer.”
Judge Walter Sanborn once told me that Frederick Sanborn, his grandfather,
became a Millerite and expected the world to end in
1843. He sold off everything, which his wife could not prevent him doing. When
the time passed and the world did not end, he decided that that as far as he
was concerned it had ended and he did no more work as long as he lived, which was many years.
Uncle Frederick was a trying old man, I remember my father and mother being up
to the Sanborn’s the night he died, and their telling us that in his death
struggle he broke the footboard of the bed.
Son Frederick Sanborn
inherited the homestead, and young son John Benjamin moved to
General Sanborn had established the firm of Sanborn & French in
From October, 1863, to the close of the war General Sanborn commanded the
District of Southwest Missouri, his duties requiring him, from time to time, to
visit
During the three years following the war, he was engaged, together
with three other Civil War generals, in making treaties with the hostile Indian
tribes. Subsequently he returned to
Once more a brief biography of Henry F. Sanborn from the Judge Sanborn
Testimonial:
Henry F. Sanborn, father of Judge Sanborn, entered Dartmouth College, but
typhoid fever and failing health compelled him to abandon hope of a
professional career, and he devoted his life to education and farming. He was
elected selectman of Epsom for six terms, a member of the
Henry F. and his wife Eunice raised two sons on the Sanborn homestead: Judge
Walter Henry, born October of 1845 and married at Milford, NH, Emily Frances
Bruce; and Edward Payson Sanborn, born May of 1853 and married at St. Paul, MN,
Susan Dana in 1884. Henry F. and his wife Eunice left the farm in 1882 to
reside there in their later years. Both died at
Finally, an excerpt from the Judge Walter Henry Sanborn testimonial about his
life:
Walter Henry Sanborn, the subject of this sketch, was the oldest child of Henry
F. and Eunice Davis Sanborn, and was born in Epsom October 19, 1845. He spent
his boyhood on his father's farm, attending the common school of the town, and
he was a student during the winter term for two years in the neighboring
academy. In the spring and summer, and at other times when he was able, he helped
his father with the crops.
In the summer of 1863, after the hay crop had been gathered, Judge Sanborn's
father and Mr. Cate, father of Almon
F. Cate, a crony of young Walter's, told the two boys
that they might go to a fitting school to prepare themselves for admission to
Dartmouth. They went to
In July, 1867, Judge Sanborn graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Taking the course as a whole he led his class for the entire period, and by
virtue of that achievement became, under the rules of the Faculty,
Valedictorian of his class. At the commencement exercises he delivered both the
Greek oration and the valedictory address.
In order to secure funds to help with his education, he taught during the
winter term of about three months, beginning in December, in the village school
at
Upon leaving
In February, 1870, declining an increase in salary, he resigned his position as
principal of the
On November 10, 1874, Judge Sanborn was married to Emily F. Bruce
of
On February 10, 1892, the name of Walter H. Sanborn of
Son Bruce Walter Sanborn, born in 1882, married first in
The younger son, Henry
Frederick was born at
Henry F. Sanborn died in 1933 and is buried in the
The Ira and Ed Sanborn Homestead
Reuben Sanborn Jr. was married before the family came to Epsom,
having married while still in
When Reuben Jr. and Eliphalet Sanborn
arrived in Epsom they all likely resided in the home built by their father
Reuben, Reuben Jr. moved to Chichester in 1764, but
sold his
Thomas D. Merrill was the administrator of the estate and sold the
homestead of 95 acres to blacksmith, William Sanders in 1846. William Sanders
is shown as the occupant of the property in 1858. He married Rachel B. Wallace,
daughter of John and Mary (True) Wallace at Epsom in 1829. Their children were:
Mary C., born 1830, married George W. Swain; Louisa B., born 1833, and died in
1839; Alvah B., born 1836, died young; Clara A., born
1837 and married at Epsom in 1860, John Thomas Cotterell,
resided Short Falls and later Slab City; William True, born 1841, married about
1867, Drusilla T. Ewer; and Emily G., born 1844, married about 1866, Horace
Grafton Bickford. William Sanders died in 1865, his wife Rachel in 1882. The
property passed to his surviving son William T. Sanders.
William T. Sanders died in 1890, his wife in 1883. His
administrator was Cyrus O. Brown, who sold the estate to James M. Burnham of
Epsom, land and buildings and still of 95 acres, in May of 1890. The same day
Burnham transferred the property back to the Sanborn family, Walter H. Sanborn
making the purchase. Within the month, Walter H. Sanborn sold one third
interest in the property to his brother Edward Payson Sanborn,
and another third to his cousin John Benjamin Sanborn, both of
After the death of John Benjamin Sanborn, his son John Benjamin
Sanborn owned the property and sold it to the son of Walter H. Sanborn, Bruce
Walter Sanborn in 1935. He sold this family home in 1965.
Robert Sanders family
This branch of the Sanders family comes from John Sanders, born in
England in 1720, and came to New Hampshire where he married first in 1740, Mary
Berry. Their son George Sanders, born about 1748, and seen as George Berry
Sanders, was already of Epsom by deed in 1775, and signed the Association Test
in Epsom in 1776. He married Anna Page, and had children: Molly, born 1771 and
married Nathaniel Sherburne in Epsom in 1789, resided on New Orchard Road on
land owned by her father; Stephen born about 1775; Huldah,
born about 1775 and married at Epsom in 1797, Philip Yeaton,
resided in Epsom and removed to Canterbury; Elizabeth, born 1778; John, born 1781,
married at Epsom in 1804, Anna Locke, daughter of Simeon and Abigail (Blake)
Locke, resided at Epsom and moved to Concord; and Hannah, born 1783.
The first born son of John and Mary (
John Sander’s married as his second wife, Trephena
Philbrick, daughter of Joses
and Abigail (Locke) Philbrick in 1760. Their family
included Abigail, born 1760, married in 1779, William Locke, son of Elijah and Huldah (Perkins) Locke, who bought three home lots, raised
their family in Epsom and later moved to Alexandria; William, born 1763; Sarah,
born 1763, married William Sanders (of a different ancestral line) in 1783 and
lived at Alexandria; and Olive born about 1766,
married in 1787 at Rye, William Tucker, and lived for a time in Epsom, and
later Rye.
The third generation of the John Sanders family settled on Sanborn
Hill, occupying three homesteads on the west side of the road past the Sanborns.
Robert Sanders and Mary Foss had the following family: John, born
1788, married Betsey Buzzell in 1813 and that year
moved to Ossipee, NH: Sally, born 1788 who probably
did not marry; Robert, born 1790, married at Chichester
in 1815, Comfort Philbrick, daughter of Perkins and
Olive (Garland) Philbrick of Epsom, resided at Ossipee; Job, born 1792, married at Pembroke in 1816, Polly
McFarland; Dorothy Wallis, born 1795, married Ordway Brown and died at Candia
in 1870; Hulda, born 1797 at Epsom, married at Epsom
in 1818, Silas Marshall Brown, resided at Effingham; Elijah, born 1799 at
Epsom, married Olive Garland Philbrick, sister of
Comfort who married his brother Robert, resided Chichester;
Edward T., married about 1825, Eveline Manson,
daughter of William and Catherine Manson of Maine; and William, born 1806 at
Epsom where he married in 1829, Rachel B. Wallace, daughter of John and Mary
(True) Wallace.
Robert Sanders and his wife Mary Locke bought land from John Cass
of Epsom in 1798, and sold it to his son Robert Jr. and wife Mary Foss in 1798.
The deed mentions that his son already had a home on the property and reserved
a drift way ‘to the west end of the land I live on’ as well as ‘one third of
the orchard where I now live.’ This places both father and son on the
former Cass land, part of lot 61 in the second range. The elder Robert sold a
portion of the land to his brother William and wife Lois, which William deeded
to Robert Sanders Jr. in 1800, which he then deeded to his parents ‘for and
during the term of their natural lives as if they had not made deed of the same
premises to William Sanders.’ By 1814 the elder Robert had died and his
son owned the family homestead which included three tracts of land. He sold the
homestead to his son John who at the time had moved to Ossipee
in 1813 and where he was joined by his brother Robert. Two years later the
homestead was sold to another brother, Job Sanders.
Edward T. Sanders home
Job owned the homestead of 125 acres, and
at some point by 1840, the northern portion of about 78 acres was occupied by
his younger brother, Edward T. Sanders. Edward and his wife Eveline
had three children: William Albert, born in 1829, married Sarah E. French; Lucretia E., born 1831, died unmarried in 1858; and Edward
H., born 1838 and died unmarried in 1862. Edward T. deeded his homestead to his
sole heir, son William A. in 1880. William and his wife had for a family: Annie
E., born 1858 and who married in 1883, Charles A. Morse; Albert L., born 1860
and married at Pittsfield in 1893, Mary Melvina
Demers, daughter of John B. and Rose D. (Minard)
Demers; Edward M., born 1864 and married in 1889 at Tilton, Anora
Lamprey; and Perley T., born 1871 and married in
1894, Marcia Nason, and died in Durham in 1900.
The homestead passed from William Albert Sanders to his son Albert
L. Sanders. William A. died in 1907, and son Albert L. in 1921. Albert’s widow
Mary and the couples only daughter Ruth E. (born 1906 and married in 1923,
Walter Burnham Huckins) sold the homestead to Irene
B. Campbell in 1933.
Job Sanders home
The middle of the three Sander’s lots was the homestead of Job
Sanders. Originally the right of Sampson Sheafe, it
was owned by 1757 by Daniel Moulton when he sold 106 acres of lot 61 to Abraham
Libby of
The homestead passed in 1816 to Job Sanders where he raised his
family with his wife Polly, which included: Mary Jane, born 1818 who married at
Epsom in 18336, William T. Jenness, who for a while
operated a store at Short Falls, and moved to Lawrence, MA; Orren
Strong, born 1820, became a doctor and married at Effingham in 1843, Drusilla
Morse, resided eventually in Boston; Jonathan Curtis, born about 1822,
married at Epsom in 1844, Caroline M. Bickford, daughter of Samuel Weeks and
Lucy Coolidge (Learned ) Bickford, and resided in Derry; William Henry, born
1828, married a Mariah Bailey and died in Chicago in 1891; and Martha Ann, born
about 1834 and died unmarried in Charlestown, MA in 1855.
Robert and John Sanders moved to Ossipee
in 1813, and John sold the homestead to his brother Job in 1816. The homestead
included 3 tracts of land and 125 acres. Job and his wife Polly raised the
following family: Mary Jane, born 1818, married at Epsom in 1836, William T. Jenness, lived in Epsom before moving to Lawrence, MA; Orren Strong, born 1820, married at Effingham, NH in 1843,
Drusilla Morse; Jonathan Curtis, born about 1822, married at Epsom in 1844,
Caroline M. Bickford, daughter of Samuel Weeks and Lucy Coolidge (Learned)
Bickford; William Henry, born in 1828, married about 1847, Mariah Bailey and
died in Illinois in 1891; and Martha Ann, born about 1834, died unmarried at
Charlestown, MA in 1855.
Notable among the children of Job and Polly Sanders was son Dr. Orren S. Sanders, whose life was outlined in the Hurd’s History of Merrimack County:
Orren Strong Sanders, M.D., Boston Mass., was
born in Epsom, Merrimack County, N. H., September 24, 1820. He is the eldest
son of Colonel Job and Pollie Sanders, being the
senior of four sons. The palms of his hands were hardened before he reached his
teens in handling the implements of an industrious farmer.
At the age of thirteen years and a half he went to live with
General Joseph Low, Concord, N. H., for one year as a servant, receiving for
his services two months' schooling and fifty dollars, the whole of which sum,
with the exception of five dollars, he gave to his father.
The succeeding year he served seven months as a farm-hand with Judge
Whittemore, Pembroke, N. H., for nine dollars a
month, rising early and working late. During the following winter he attended
the town school in his father's district.
In April, when fifteen years and a half old, he went to Northwood,
N. H., to learn the trade of a carpenter with the late Luther and William Tasker, receiving fifty dollars and three months' schooling
that year. In March, 1836, as soon as the district school closed in Epsom, he
decided to change his purpose in life, and, with his neighbor and friend, Henry
F. Sanborn, went on foot, with a bundle of clothes, a few books in hand and
seventeen dollars in his pocket, seventeen miles to Gilmanton, N. H., where he
commenced in earnest to obtain, in the middle of the spring term, an education.
In the summer term he again went to Gilmanton, boarding himself, with three
other students, for ninety cents each a week.
In the autumn of the same year, a younger brother desiring to
attend school, he changed his plan, and went to Pembroke, N. H., it being less
than half the distance to "Old Gilmanton," and there he continued his
studies for several successive terms, practicing the economical method of
"playing house-keeping."
Shortly after he had attained his sixteenth birthday he commenced
his first school in
The following winter this persevering youth was reengaged to
instruct in the same district, and at the termination of this school term he
commenced teaching the school in Bear Hill District, and at the end of twelve
weeks closed his efforts with a brilliant exhibition.
In the following autumn he spent fourteen weeks in Northwood,
teaching in the lower part of the town; following this school, he served as
teacher in the "Young District," in
His last and final experience as "school-master" was in
the Cilley District, in his native town, where he was
favored with a large attendance and secured a successful result.
Six months after he had passed his nineteenth birthday he
commenced the study of medicines with Dr.
On the 27th of November, 1843, he united in matrimony with his
present wife, Miss Drusilla, eldest daughter of S. M. Morse, Esq., Effingham,
N. H. In December following he commenced the practice of medicine in Centre
Effingham, where he remained till June, 1847. He then moved to
The habits of industry and frugality, formed in youth and
student-life, not only gave to Dr. Sanders a vigorous constitution, but laid a
broad foundation for that power of endurance so essential to enable him to bear
that long, continuous professional strain which has secured him unparalleled
success and a high professional reputation.
While he is a "medical winner" in every sense of the
term, with aspirations ever for the right, he has enjoyed the confidence of his
numerous friends, not only in the city government and Masonic fraternities, but
also of the members of the church to which he has so long been attached.
His generosity has been equal to his success, and he has
contributed with no stinted had to public institutions, and freely given aid to
the deserving poor. He is ever ready to give his support to any worthy object;
and if his large-hearted charities, for the most part secretly performed, find
no place in newspaper reports, they are written in letters of light by the
recording angel in the Book of Life.
His munificence is establishing the "Home for Little
Wanderers" is but one of the many grand and noble acts of his life.
For several terms Dr. Sanders was a member of the
Within the pale of his profession, however, honors have been
thrust upon him, and on the medical platform he has been a frequent and
eloquent speaker.
In 1872 he delivered, before the
As a speaker, he is forcible and earnest, and his appearance on a
platform is such as to at once win the sympathies of an audience. As a writer,
his styled is vigorous and terse; and his clear-cut sentences make it
peculiarly attractive. If his studies had been so directed, he might have
excelled as an orator or obtained a conspicuous place in the ranks of
literature.
We give an engraving of his present commodious residence, at
The lion, life-size, which is placed in couchant attitude on the
corner of the house, and is a conspicuous ornament to the avenue, was carved
from a block of granite selected by the doctor himself, and, as a work of art,
may compare favorably with the famous lions of Landseer, which adorn Trafalgar
Square, in London.
In closing, what Dr. Sanders has done for God and humanity is but
an example of what other young men may accomplish, if they will only model
their lives after his perseverance, self-denial and unblemished habits.
The Sanders owned their
homestead for just about a century when Job and his son Jonathan C. sold the
property in April of 1866 to James F. Langmaid of
Pembroke. Jonathan C. moved his family, along with his parents, to
Langmaid did not settle in Epsom, but remained in
Pembroke where his daughter, Josie Langmaid, met an
untimely death. James F. Langmaid was born at
On October 13, Joseph Lepage was
arrested for the crime and eventually found guilty and sentenced to hang, which
occurred March 15, 1878. Josie’s brother Waldo,
devastated by the murder of his sister, developed typhoid fever and pneumonia
and died December 15, 1875.
James F. Langmaid sold the Job Sanders
property in three tracts in 1867 and 1868. One tract of 27 acres was sold to
George and George Sanders Jr., who lived to the south; 40 acres was sold to
Samuel Quimby, who lived on the east side of Sanborn
Hill across from the Job Sanders farm; and the third tract was sold to Benjamin
M. Towle and James M. Burnham, 48 acres.
Samuel Quimby’s home was across
George Sanders homestead (
The third Sanders home on Sanborn Hill was the southernmost
dwelling on the west side of the road, and was not occupied by George Sanders
until 1832. At one time the road extended through to New Rye and Allenstown,
but for some time it has not been a through road. The property
began as 5 consecutive lots, each of thirty acres, and were part of the
thirty acre out lots granted to the original 20 home lot owners on Center Hill
for being the first settler’s of the town. One of these early settlers was
Samuel Allen of
By 1800, Thomas Marden owned lot numbers
two and three along with a quarter acre of lot number four and 26 acres of lot
number 6. Nathaniel Allen retained lot number 4 along with a dwelling house on
the property. Samuel Blake owned lot number 5, ‘running easterly to the top of
McCoy’s mountain.’ All these owners, encompassing the 30 acre out lots, numbers
2,3,4,5, and 6, where sold to Joseph Allen of
George Sanders was a son of John and Anna (Locke) Sanders. Anna
was the daughter of Simeon and Abigail (Blake) Locke, and the family was raised
in Epsom, with John and Anna later moving to
George Sanders and his wife Mary (Polly), raised their family at
the homestead on Sanborn Hill, having been married in 1833 and having three
children: George Jr., born 1832, married at Epsom in 1875, Nancie
(Nancy) A. White; a twin sister, Mary, born 1832 and married at Epsom in 1855,
a Nathaniel Twombly; and John, born 1844 and died
unmarried at Epsom in 1865. Polly died in 1884, her husband George Sanders in
1886. Their son George Jr. shared the homestead, and inherited the property on
the death of his father.
George Sanders (Jr.) was married late in life, January of 1875, to
Nancy A. White. The couple did not have any children. A brief
biography appear in the Hurd’s Atlas of George
Sanders Jr. (excerpt):
One of the representative agriculturalists of this section, whose
keen practicality, industry and devotion to that science well deserves more than a mere mention, is George Sanders, Jr. He
is the son of George and Polly (Twombly) Sanders, and
was born in
The great-grandfather of the one of whom we now write was George Sanders, a
resident of
George Sanders Jr., could hardly have consistently followed any other vocation
than that of the farmer; having been born and passed his childhood days where
everything about him revealed the bounteous gifts of Mother Nature, and also
inheriting, in some measure, from his father and grandfather the
characteristics of a good agriculturalist. He received a good common-school
education, supplemented by a term at
Goss - Quimby - Seavey
home
William Seavey was the original
proprietor of lot 62 in the second range. It was sold by his son Amos Seavey to Simeon Chapman of Epsom in 1779. Simeon’s wife
was Mary Blake, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Libbey)
Blake who lived at the bottom of Sanborn Hill. In 1800 he deeded to his son
James Chapman part of lot 62, lying on the easterly side ‘of a road that goes
through the same from the main road to the south part of town.’ James had
married in 1797 Mary Sanders, daughter of Robert and Mary (Locke) Sanders, who
had already settled on the hill. James took his own life in June of 1812,
having previously sold his part of lot 62, where he had built a home, to John
Sanders in 1808. Sanders did not stay on the lot, turning over the property
that same year to Joseph Towle, land and buildings.
Again, the property was not used as a homestead and sold just a few months
later to Josiah Sanborn. Finally, the property was sold in 1812 by Sanborn to
Daniel Goss, whose family made it their homestead.
Daniel Goss married Alice Locke Chapman, daughter of Simeon and
Mary (Blake) Chapman, in 1802. This is the same Simeon that bought the lot in
1779, and had daughters that married into the Sanders family. Daniel did not
have a large family, and the children included: Abigail L., born 1803, married
Isaiah Lane of Chichester where they resided; Mary,
born 1804, married at Epsom in 1823, Thomas Badger who died in 1830 and she
twice more married; Simeon C., married about 1828, Susan Churchill Badger,
daughter of Samuel Emerson and Susannah (Churchill) Badger, and sister to
Thomas; and Alice Chapman, born about 1815 and died unmarried at Epsom in 1852.
Daniel Goss died in 1852, his wife Alice in 1874.
Daniel is shown at this location in the census of 1830 and 1840.
Town tax information for 1847 shows him owning 154 acres and buildings valued
at four hundred dollars. Town tax information for 1848 gives Charles Quimby, non-resident, paying taxes on 150 acres and
buildings worth four hundred dollars, with the notation that Daniel Goss was
the former owner.
By 1850 Charles Titcomb Quimby and his wife Harriet Upton are living in Epsom, and continues to pay taxes until 1853. They were residents of
Bow when they married in Hooksett, November 9, 1827, and reared a large family:
John, born 1828, married first Lydia P. Colby, and second, Mary S. Colby;
Charles, born 1829, married first at Epsom in 1856, Frances Mariah Putnam
Haynes, daughter of Caleb Bartlett and Hannah S. (Sanborn) Haynes, and married
at Concord in 1880, as hir second spouse, Mary E.
Stewart; Sylvester, born 1830, married at Epsom in 1860, Georgie
Ann Bickford, daughter of Daniel C. and Jane (Staples) Bickford of Epsom, and
after his death, she married a second time; Asabel,
born in 1833, married in 1857, Margaret Baker; Alfred, born 1834, married in
1858, Abigail W. Colby; Harriet, born in 1838, married at Manchester in 1861,
Rufus Woodbury; Samuel, born 1840, married in 1864 at Concord, Mary M. Smith;
Horace, born 1841, married at Manchester in 1867, Hattie A. Parker; Seth, born
in 1843, died in 1844; Seth (2), born 1844, married at Epsom in 1865, Clara
Aura Dow, daughter of John Robinson and Hannah (Fogg)
Dow of Epsom; Mary Ann, born 1848, married in 1873, Daniel Ordway, resided
Manchester; Rufus, born 1850, died in 1867 unmarried; and Sarah Jane, born
1853, married at Manchester in 1879, Charles H. Wheeler.
The Epsom property was exchanged and mortgaged many time from 1853
to 1872 amongst Charles and Harriet, living in Bow, and children Charles Jr.,
Sylvester and Samuel. All three sons resided at the homestead, buying
additional property in the area, with son Alfred buying a parcel of land in
1875.
Sylvester Quimby and his wife Georgie Ann (Bickford) had children: Fred Lincoln, born at
Epsom in 1862, married at Northwood in 1888, Rosa Belle Roberts; Carrie, born 1868,
married four times; and Walter H., born 1873, married first in 1894, Effie
Bryant, and second, Jennie R. Moore in 1900, resided Epsom.
Charles Jr. and his first wife, Frances M. P. (Haynes) had for a
family: Charles L., born at Epsom in 1856, married Catherine Horn; Edgar
Payson, born 1858, died unmarried at Epsom in 1867; Olive Ann, born 1862, died
1864; Ellsworth Grant, born 1866, died 1872; Elmer S., born 1866, married at
Concord in 1888, Catherine F. Murray; Lunettie May,
born about 1868, died 1872; Nellie Geneva, born about 1869, died 1872; and Albria Ann, born about 1872 and died that same year. Both
Sylvester and Charle’s Jr. are buried with family
members in the
Samuel Quimby and his wife Mary M.
(Smith) also had children born in Epsom; Grace L. in 1872; Nettie L. in 1877;
and Herbert Samuel (seen as Samuel in some records) born 1880.
Sylvester eventually moved to
William Augustus Seavey was of the Chichester Seavey family where he
was born in 1829. He married
who sold the property to the Quimby’s.
William and Abbie had children: Almira,
born 1858, died 1863; Mary A., born 1859, died in Chichester,
unmarried in 1905; and Frank L., born 1863, married in 1895 at Chichester, Clintie W. Lane,
daughter of George Warren and Annie Lovering (Locke)
Lane. The Seavey’s lived in Epsom at the time their
children were born, they were of
The property owned by Alfred Quimby was
a part of lots 60 and 61. It was owned early on by John Cass, and sold to Simon
Cass, and then to a George Osbourne of Epsom in 1799.
He moved back to